2006 PGA Majors/WGC/American Express Championship / Jyoti & Vijay

[BSharma]

Daniel's job to qualify for the 2006 PGA Championship got a little harder.  He dropped from 71st to 77th spot after the completion of the US Bank Championship this week.  The top 70 on the money list will qualify and the Buick Open is the last event that will count towards it.  Money earned at The International will go towards 2007 PGA Championship money list.

70  Jeff Sluman  1,236,616
71  Joey Sindelar  1,221,719
72  Wes Short, Jr.  1,210,604
73  Kenny Perry  1,184,602
74  Chris Couch    1,175,392
75  Ryan Moore  1,168,928
76  Sean O'Hair  1,164,635
77  Daniel Chopra  1,142,682
78  Steve Stricker  1,133,331
79  Greg Owen  1,127,337
80  Fred Couples  1,125,494

Corey Pavin was the biggest mover with a victory at US Bank Championship and it propelled him from 124th to 59th place.  Jeff Sluman was another big mover this week and he jumped from 95th to 70th place.

[BSharma]

Daniel Chopra slipped to 79th place on the PGA Championship money list and did not make the field on that basis.  How else can he make the field? 

The PGA of America has approved the following eligibility categories for players participating in The 88th PGA Championship:

1. All former PGA Champions
2. Winners of the last five U.S. Opens (2002-2006)
3. Winners of the last five Masters (2002-2006)
4. Winners of the last five British Opens (2002-2006)
5. The 2006 Senior PGA Champion
6. The low 15 scorers and ties in The 2005 PGA Championship
7. The 20 low scorers in The 2006 PGA Professional National Championship
8. The 70 leaders in official money standings from the 2005 International through the 2006 Buick Open
9. Members of the 2004 United States Ryder Cup Team
10. Winners of tournaments co-sponsored or approved by the PGA Tour and designated as official events from The 2005 PGA Championship to The 2006 PGA Championship. (Does not include pro-am or team competitions).
11. In addition, The PGA of America reserves the right to invite additional players not included in the categories above.
12. The 156-player field will be filled (in order) by those players below 70th place in official money standings from the 2005 International through the 2006 Buick Open.

The #8 eligibility criterion is gone.  This leaves #11 and #12. 

[BSharma]

I felt uncomfortable contacting Daniel to find about his PGA Championship eligibility status, but he answered it at his website.

As of the 7th of August I was the 4th alternate into the PGA Championship at Medinah. The years last major will hopefully be my first. I will play in Denver this week at the International which is one of my favourite events and hopefully by the end of the week I will be confirmed into the PGA, I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Daniel Chopra's website - news

Good luck, Daniel.  I am keeping my fingers and toes crossed. 

[BSharma]

Daniel is second in line on the waiting list for 2006 PGA Championship, as of Thursday. 

[ajay]

Daniel has made the field for the PGA Championship.
Go Daniel!!

[BSharma]

For the second time in two years, we will have two golfers that we follow at SI make the field of PGA Championship. 

Daniel and Vijay.

[BSharma]

PGA Championship - first round:

Daniel had a horrible start today.  He double bogeyed the first hole of the back nine (par five 10th hole) and then bogeyed the next hole.  He was three over par after two holes.  Birdies on the 5th and 8th holes on the back nine brought him to one over par and then he birdied the second hole of the front nine to get to even par.  He has seven holes left to play today.  can he bring his score in the red numbers?

Vijay Singh started from the front nine and is at even par after playing eight holes.  He has a pair of birdies and a pair of bogeys.

Tiger, Phil and Ogilvy played together and much was made about their rivalries.  In the end, it was a tie; all three golfers recorded identical -3 scores.

Lucas Glover is the current clubhouse leader at -6.  Davis Love is -6 after playing 12 holes.

[Kumar]

VJ had nothing going for him and after 4 bogeys and 3 birdies.. he is currently T82..

Okay very bold prediction time.. Tmw, VJ will set the course blazing 

[ajay]

Daniel did very well to finish at par, especially when he was 3 strokes down with a double bogey and a bogey after two holes. He played solid golf thereafter and conceded only one more bogey while getting 4 birdies.

[jaydeep]

Good fight back from Daniel ... Showing consistency in his game .... Go Daniel.

Jaydeep.

[ajay]

Daniel has carried over his momentum from yesterday as birdiess 50% of the holes after playing 8 holes. He just got back to back birdies on 7th and 8th as he started this morning on front nine. Go Daniel!!!
That has taken him to T6. But for the first two holes yesterday, Daniel would have been leader at this moment. (But I guess, it may be good for him not to be a leader on first two days. )

Update: Daniel keeps todays 50% birdies stat intact as he birdies th 10th hole He is T4 now. Go Daniel!!

[Prem]

TERRIFIC ROUND SO FAR BY DANIEL. HE IS TIED 6TH....
After 14 holes he has the best round till now with -5......Keep it going for another 4 holes and we could c him right on top of that leaderboard come today evening. Keep it going Daniellllllllll

[kujo]

HFC !!!

Holy F** Crap!!

Daniel Chopra shot a -5 in the second round of the PGA championship!!    He is currently tied for the 5th place with 2/3rd of the golfers yet to finish.

-kujo

[BSharma]

PGA Championship - second round:

What a round by Daniel.   A five-under-par performance puts him currently in sixth place.. Henrik Stenson is the clubhouse leader presently at -8 and davis Love is in second place at -7. 

Vijay Singh is in danger of missing his second consecutive cut in majors, and two birdies and two bogeys in the first 16 holes leaves him at +1. 

[ajay]

The two best rounds so far on the 2nd day have come from Daniel's group  :notworthy: Daniel finished his round at 5 under par, the second best round of the day. While his playing partner Oline Browne added two more birdies in last two holes to hit the best round of the day at -6. After his 2nd round, Daniel is tied at 6th along with Garcia and Shaun Micheel. Some players are going to overtake them and final position will be know at he end of the day, but he has a good chance to finish in top 10.

Vijay Singh is par for his round and +1 overall after 17 holes. He needs a birdie on the last hole to make the cut  Will he or will he not?