Vah.Tech invades the 2015 Greenbrier Classic!

The 3o4.

The Dub.Vee.

The Mountain state.

West “by God” Virginia.

The 2015 Greenbrier Classic.

Happy 239^th B-day to my favorite Uncle Sam!!!

Virginia Tech Hokie Brendon de Jonge, 2010 Greenbrier Classic bronze medalist and 2011 fourth place finisher is in the field. Likeable guy, easy to talk to, loves Virginia Tech and telling old O&M war stories according to the same. And he might just help you do some hopped up magic and make a beer (or three) disappear. An all around good egg and a fun guy to cover this Mister Zimbabwe himself or Mr. Brendon de Jonge.

Johnson Wagner on the other hand is a pure grinder, and he’d prolly make a fair to middling quality hard-nosed ball-hawking Rover for Bud Stout temperament wise. As this guy is a bit prickly or more parts Seth Greenberg and less parts everybody’s best friend coach Stiney, when out on the course. Antifreeze is just not this guys thing as his professional thermostat tends to run just a little hot.

Garland Green has also qualified -as of Monday- and will take to the Greenbrier track as well

The 220th ranked golfer in the World, or the former #1… one Eldrick Tont “tiger” Woods will be in the Dub.Vee house; (at 16:1 odds).

Frank Beamer will be there and God willing, so will bourbonstreet.sportswar.com and ESPNRadio 1o2.3 Beckley Wv. as well!

So let’s tee off from the blue tees for a change.

The Old White Course is of a moderate if not shallow length as tee to green yardage goes. Although it has been modified or lengthened to 7,287 total yards -or about a loft-wedge longer than three years ago- with accompanying faster greens for the 2015 Greenbrier Classic. Its fairways are still generically among the widest on Tour and generally roll comparatively flat in lateral terms from rough to rough. This puts a premium on playing a long-range N.A.S.A. rocket fueled game; as the longer hitters will enjoy the luxury of swinging a mid to short-iron stick after crushing a moon-shot drive on a track that is relative dry (or waterless) by modern era golf course design standards. This reduces penalty stroke worries or out-of-bounds risk(s), and that only increases fun. For your Trivial Pursuit … The Old White Course itself was built in 1914, making it the oldest P.G.A. tour stop on the current professional circuit.

Old White Course:

• Out in 34
• In in 36
• Total=70 strokes to par
• 59, course record (Stuart Appleby, 2010 Greenbrier Classic champion)
• $415 green-fee (in-season, includes caddie, less gratuity)

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Here are your now is your 2015 hometown Hokies and his odds on winning:

Garland Green ($~60K career)

Odds to win: 1,000:1
Tee time 9am (Thursday)

eTour Monday qualifier and neighboring Tazewell Bulldog gone 2011 Hokie young Mister Garland Green has made the 2015 Greenbrier Classic field as well. PROPers on that!

Garland has played 8 eTour events this season making 4 cuts in the process. Finishing as high as 2nd back in May in the  Biggs Cadillac Buick G.M.C. Open. Though he has missed the cut in 75% of his most recent eTour events going back to mid-April.

Garland has two eTour silver medals to his credit in three eTour seasons and change. Garland does hold the course record of 59 at neighboring Fincastle Country Club of Bluefiield fame.

His numbers at Virginia Tech were ok, to respectable. Never higher than 27th in the A.c.c. and never higher than 17th in any version of individual medley. Making his Monday qualification on the Old White Course all the more impressive. Good luck to Garland, as he same as the Hokie below could truly benefit from finishing in the 3o4 money this weekend in the Greenbrier Valley.

  Montford Johnson Wagner: ($713,388)
328 FedEx Cup points (128^th)
Odds to win:  21o:1
Tee time: 7:10am (Thursday)

• Driving Distance: 87^th (289.5)
• Greens in Regulation: 60^th (67.5%)
• Putting: 158^th (1.796 strokes per hole)
• has not been seen sporting the Thomas Magnum mustache this season
  

Only one cut made since early April or in the last 1.5 months and change is Mr. Wagner as I type. Talk about a humbling sport; geez! Golf is a cruel cruel mistress indeed and although Golf may not be good for your ego; it can do wonders for your humility. As this time just three seasons ago Mr. Wagner was a medium-shot to make the prestigious Ryder Cup, whereas this year; he is not too far removed from playing for his Tour Card life.

All less the 2015 Shell Houston Open of course where he finished a sudden death silver medalist in $580,800 second-place after (ultimately) dropping a surprising 3-way play-off to eventual winner J.B. Holmes. On a weekend he had dedicated to his father | may Saint Thomas bless and intercede –lung cancer.  : (

That being said, Mr. Wagner’s metrics or stats are generally improved by at least 50 spots or so across the board, and yet and a blind man can see it with a cane; Johnson could stand a big big weekend up at the Greenbrier Classic and he could stand said big weekend stat! That uncensored dose of realism firmly in place … it is fair to say that Johnson and Brendon both roll it fairly well at the neighborly home-court advantage otherwise known as the Old White Course, where they both played numerous amateur rounds in college as Virginia Tech Hokies.

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Brendon de Jonge: ($1,4o5,667)
866 FedEx Cup points:  (33^rd)
Odds to win: 75:1
Tee time: 7:10am  (Thursday)

• Driving Distance: 139^th (283.4)
• Greens in Regulation: 40^th (67.9%)
• Putting: 24^th (1.738 per hole)
• loves to fish the New River
• surname pronounced: “Dee-Yong”
• favorite Blacksburg hang-out: “Big Al’s”

Brendon is a big ole husky looking kid; which belies his shorter than expected tee-to-fairway game. Making this robust looking Hokie more parts putting and course management than raw parts power. That said; name me someone else who has improved more in the last two years on Tour than our very own Brendon de Jonge? Not many “survey says”, as Brendon is in the midst of his best season ever as year-to-date earnings validate in full. A multi-millionaire ten-fold ($10,780,730) at the age of 34 does not suck. Neither does what Brendon described to me as having “…an eye for the course” as the Old White Course appears to suit his game and well at that. Notice as well that both his Greens in Regulation and Putting metrics are serially flirting with a staggering 100 spot improvement off of where they were this time last year. Can you say: coming into his prime? Or maybe even: “Most Improved”? I can too and so can Brendon de Jonge.

That said, De Jonge and his somewhat generously proportioned stature should be in no, way, shape, or form be interpreted as being soft. As he played in the entire 2002 NCAA regional’s for good ole V.P.I. with a cracked rib!

De Jonge has made 16 of 22 cuts thus far this season on Tour. Although Brendon has missed three of his last six cuts; as his game has yo-yo’ed a bit in the recent month plus. Nevertheless, that equates to $14,405 and change per day take home pay!

Not bad work — if you can get it.

stace’ frederick’s=(o7.o3) 46th, U.S.A. 4th=239th

“LETS GO!”

“Hokies!”

bourbonstreet**