PGA: Farmers Insurance Open Recap

This weekend’s PGA Tour tourney at Torrey Pines can be summed up in two words: missed opportunities. Phil Mickelson, playing in his first event of 2010, could have stepped up and taken the trophy in this Tiger-less tour stop, but didn’t. John Daly, riding another wave of support, could have continued his return to elite-level golf, but failed to make the cut on Friday. Immediately afterward he issued what sounded like a retirement, but later recanted and said he wasn’t walking away from the game for good but needed more work on his technique.

And so the PGA Tour missed its chance to come kickin’ hard out of the gate on the first football-less Sunday of the new year. That leaves talk of dwindling sponsorships and other administrative woes at the forefront of any articles or coverage of the sport – not what the big wigs wanted.

That’s not to take anything away from this weekend’s winner, Ben Crane, who carded a 70 on Sunday to secure a one-shot victory. But Ben Crane doesn’t sell tickets like Phil or Big John, and he doesn’t get front-page coverage of his wins like they would have, either.

The Tour’s staying in Southern California this week for the Northern Trust Open, and with a scheduled roster that boasts more than 14 major winners, this Caveman expects some Sunday fireworks that include a couple high-profile golfers.

~Scratch

BONUS: Here’s what John Daly had to say to the Golf Channel immediately after missing the cut Friday: “I’m done. Done with golf… Can’t play like I used to.”