posted March 21, 2007 at 13:58 EST in Golf Articles

The Tour is headed to South Florida this week to tackle Doral’s Blue Course and its famous 18th-hole “Blue Monster.”  The Monster had been somewhat de-toothed in the past few years with players posting below-par scores well into the teens.  In fact, Tiger Woods, who won the last two Doral events, posted a combined score of 44-under par.

 

In response, the folks at Doral have made two changes to toughen up their course. 

First, they installed TifEagle bermudagrass on the greens to make them firmer and faster.  This effort to make the greens firm and fast will be frustrated by this week’s forecast, which calls for a lot of rain. 

The other change made to toughen the course focuses on stray shots.  The course superintendent has grown the rough (made of thick Bermuda grass) to a length of two-and-a-half inches, which is calculated to catch the clubface of even the strongest downswing. 

According to the Tour Insider Power Rankings issued by the PGA Tour, the top five contenders are, in order: Tiger Woods, Geoff Ogilvy, Chad Campbell, Angel Cabrera and Ernie Els.  Of course, Tiger won last year’s event, and it is noteworthy that Els finished fifth last year.  Ogilvy did not play last year.  Cabrera finished 26th while Campbell finished 32nd. 

The CA Championship switches courses each year.  In 2006, it was played at The Grove in Hertfordshire, England.   Therefore, last year’s CA Championship results are not necessarily instructive as to who has a good chance to claim a win in Doral this year. 

Fortunately, the Tour did make a March stop in Doral last year for The Ford Championship, so recent information is available.  Like the CA Championship in England, Tiger won last year’s Doral event, too, finishing one stroke ahead of Camilo Villegas and David Toms. 

Villegas did not qualify for this weekend’s tournament, but Toms is back to take a shot at Woods.  The forty-year old Toms currently stands 26th in the FedEx Cup and has three top-10 finishes this season (Mercedes Benz Championship [8th], the FBR Open [8th] and the Accenture Match-Play Championship [9th]).

Tiger is generally successful when defending titles (he has seventeen to his credit).  However, one wonders the effect of last week’s performance in his former back-yard of Bay Hill in Orlando.  His final round of 6-over-par and second-round score of 3-over-par was, to say the least, uncharacteristic.

The top three players in the FedEx Cup are also gunning for this weekend’s championship.  Vijay Singh, the current Cup leader, is a good bet to win at Doral, having just won last week in Orlando.  Charles Howell III and Phil Mickelson, currently ranked second and third in the Cup Standings, have some wounds to lick after finishing eighteen and fourteen strokes off of the lead, respectively, last weekend in Orlando.

John Rollins, currently ranked fourth in the FedEx Cup standings had a fifth-place finish in Orlando and is a good bet to challenge for the win this weekend at Doral. 

 

Finally, keep an eye on crafty veteran Mark Calcavecchia, who won two weeks ago in the PODS Championship, and who has two decade’s worth of experience with Doral’s Blue Course, including some top-five finishes.  Ranked 14th in total driving (combination of driving distance and driving accuracy scores) and 10th in birdie average, his aggressive style may pay off at Doral this weekend if he can keep it out of the enhanced rough.

Mickelson is ranked, statistically, as the top all-round player so far this season.  Currently, he has the most birdies and eagles to his credit, and his improved physical condition should pay dividends this weekend, since it should enhance his ability to escape the rough if he does he find himself off of the fairway. 

Doral Golf Resort and Spa, Miami, Fla.

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