Brian Gay is set to go at 1:10 p.m. in tomorrow's first round of the Verizon Heritage. As has been the case since its inception in 1969, this premier $5.4 million PGA TOUR event is being played on the Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
Unlike many of the TOUR's current venues, this is not a 'bombers' course. Instead, it plays to "only" 6,973 yards and places a premium on accuracy. That's right up Brian's alley:
Go Brian!
__________________
Golf is an impossible game with impossible tools - Winston Churchill
Congrats to Brian and Team LBG. Some great golf played today and a 10 shot victory. Great stuff!!!
Does that mean that Brian is coming over the Turnberry this summer??
Alex
great job!!!! awsome display...mccord and kostis can go back to bed about the "short hitter" deal...lol..."how odd on the minolta swing vision does he keep his head still and pivot quiet" blablabal all you want, he kicked some serious but.
Just in from the Victory Party at Marley's on Hilton Head Island and posting from my Blackberry (not the easiest thing to do!).I've read all the congratulatory posts and wanted to say "Thanks" as I'm sure Brian will once things calm down a little. Meanwhile . . .
Tonight was great fun with Brian and wife Kimberly, his mother, Margaret, and dad, Joe. Not to mention caddie Kip Henley and his brother, Brent, who caddies for Woody Austin.Plus a host of others, mostly family and friends, but a few business associates as well.
Bucket asked above about double-digit PGA TOUR victories. Since such record keeping began (1970), there have been only six men to accomplish that feat: Tiger (four times); Phil; Johnny;Jose Maria; Steve Jones; and now, Brian, who decimated the field by TEN shots.
Hey, am I a good teacher or what?
:
Cap'n Crunch,
Of those . . . . wonder who has actually DOUBLED the score of the nearest competitor? B+G = 1 BAD MAN.
Here is a link to the Golf Channel's wrap up including lots of highlights and some very nice remarks about Brian's game and Lynn Blake.
OK, there is one "Vanilla" remark again but what is vanilla about a ten shot win and a million bucks? The answer ......vanilla is the leading money winner amongst ice cream flavours. True.
If I didn't know any better, I could have sworn that was one of the world's best golfers clinching the Verizon Heritage in runaway fashion Sunday. I mean, who enters the final 18 with only one career victory -- in an opposite-field event, no less -- then extends a 3-stroke lead to double digits by posting the round of the day when the pressure was on?
Brian Gay, that's who.
And I hated every minute of it.
Nothing personal, but the newest champion at Harbour Town turned one of my favorite non-major events into a Sunday afternoon snoozer, thanks to a healthy diet of fairways, greens and plenty of holed birdie putts. It's not a stretch to call this the most dominating performance we've seen all season -- or in a few seasons.
This week's edition of the W18 breaks down just how effective Gay was throughout the week and examines what he accomplished with the win.
1
A perfect 10
The last player to win a PGA Tour event by a double-digit differential was Phil Mickelson, who took the 2006 BellSouth Classic by a baker's dozen. Exactly one week later, he was claiming a second green jacket at Augusta National.
Gay won't be fortunate enough to build on his momentum from claiming the Heritage by a record 10 shots, but for a player who's waited his entire life to make the drive down Magnolia Lane, he can wait another 50 weeks for his initial Masters appearance.
Brian Gay
Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
Sure the trophy, cash and accolades will be nice for Brian Gay after his 10-shot victory at Harbour Town. But most impressive might be the chance to make his first trip down Magnolia Lane to compete in the Masters in April 2010.
After all, this is a guy who twice came thisclose to getting into the Masters, but fell on the wrong side of the cut. Heck, he even won a tourney last year -- the Mayakoba Golf Classic -- but didn't receive an exemption because it was a second-tier event up against the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.
Now he'll finally get that opportunity.
"It's always been my favorite tournament," said Gay, who moved around a lot as the child of an Army man, but for a time lived just 40 miles from Augusta. "Had a lot of heartache missing by one spot two different years. It's been a big deal not getting in there, but I finally did it."
He did a lot of other things en route to the winner's circle, too. You ready? OK, deep breath ...
Gay earned the largest margin of victory in Verizon Heritage history ... and he set a new single-event scoring record ... and he made only two bogeys for the week ... and he finished second in driving accuracy (47-of-56) ... and T-3 in greens in regulation (48-of-72) ... and T-3 in putts per round (25.25) ... and third in putting average (1.604) ... and ...
I'll stop there, because I think you get the picture. This wasn't just a victory; this was pure domination, the kind we've become accustomed to witnessing only from the likes of Tiger Woods and Mickelson and only on the most seldom of occasions.
Come to think of it, I take back what I wrote in the intro to this column. While it didn't have the dramatic conclusion of last week's Masters, Gay's superiority at Harbour Town was a treat to watch -- unless you were among those left in his wake on the leaderboard.
He's beginning to believe! Watch at 34 seconds in!!!!
__________________ The student senses his teacher’s steadfast belief and quiet resolve: “This is doable. It is doable by you. The pathway is there. All you need is determination and time.” And together, they make it happen.
Its a good weekly round up you may not know about.
__________________ The student senses his teacher’s steadfast belief and quiet resolve: “This is doable. It is doable by you. The pathway is there. All you need is determination and time.” And together, they make it happen.
Well I was hoping to get a lesson from Lynn next year but if Brian keeps on winning I won't be able to afford it.
Seriously, good job guys, it was a pleasure to watch. Thanks.
Good to see Lynn get some mention in the media too. Cool stuff.
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