Yesterday, we mused if Brian Gay would be able to play on Sunday with potential back-nine pressure. Gay's last win, The Verizon Heritage, saw him cruise on the final day. It turned out much the same way yesterday in Memphis. It wasn't the ten stoke romp in Hilton Head for Gay, but it was close. A one stroke lead quickly turned into a tidy 5 stroke win.
Being less than a week away from the U.S Open, you wouldn't think that this win would mean a whole lot. Quite the opposite actually. The victory does two things for Brian Gay. 1) It gains him an automatic bid into the Open on Thursday at Bethpage and 2) It elevates him to fourth on the FedEx cup points list.
Gay was the model of consistency this week. He shot three straight 66's after a fantastic 64 in the first round. He came out of the gate flying on Sunday, birding three of the first six holes. For the second straight Brian Gay win, their was very little to doubt once he hit the back nine. I'll be interested to see how he does in the Open this week. It's hard not to see the talent in this guy after his two wins come by a combined 15 strokes.
However, this stat leads you to believe that Gay's success may not translate to major tournaments played with better fields and tougher courses. Gay bombed his next two tournaments after winning the Verizon Heritage. He withdrew from The Players after shooting an 80 in the first round, missed the cut at the Byron Nelson, and finished tied for 27th at the Crowne Plaza. I don't think anyone could write that Gay is the most consistent of players. But I still can't get over how he can dominate a tournament.
Choke of the week: Bryce Molder- Molder came into the day one back of Gay and shot an even-par 70 on Sunday. How bad was that? Only three other players in the top 15 shot even par. Now we know why Molder's best finish was at the Puerto Rico Open, when he tied for 14th. That was until yesterday. Molder and David Toms tied for second.
Next Up on Tour: The U.S Open- Do I even have to write it? A major championship. Bethpage Black. Golf's greatest test. Think you'll see another -18 winner next week. I don't. In 2002, Tiger won at Bethpage Black with a -3 score. Phil Mickleson was second at even par. They have scaled down the rough a little, so I don't know if it will be quite as sloppy. But it won't be easy either.
...and we'll have it all covered on WCWP this week. Jason Sobel from ESPN.com will be joining me tomorrow on The Edge to preview the Open. Its all happening tomorrow from 8-10pm on wcwpsports.com
- Jordan Lauterbach
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