Brush With Greatness…Well, Someone

Well, there I was in San Antonio this past weekend visiting family, waiting at a Mexican restaurant for our table to be set up, when I decided to saunter over to the bar and see who won the Jets/Raiders game in OT (man, what a brutal NFL weekend - so many blowouts, which = boring) when I noticed a "celebrity" sitting at the bar with 2 other friends. It was none other than the guy who missed a 2-foot putt to win the Masters in 1989, Scott Hoch. Sans lid, he was having some chips and salsa and chatting with his group.

I leaned over to my father-in-law and mentioned who it was, but he didn't have a clue who I was talking about. He told me I should introduce myself -- can you imagine that discussion? "Hi, Scott. I am so and so and I am an avid fantasy golf league participant and co-founded a golf blog. You will now be on it."

Anyway, I had to call SOMEONE for kicks (and so it wouldn't slip my mind in about 2 days), so I decided to give a quick call to my brother and told him about my 'sighting'. It also gave me a chance to rub it in that my hapless Rams beat his vaunted Cowboys that afternoon in a blowout. It was then that my brother told me Oakland won the game with a 57-yard kick.

After my brief call, I was telling my father-in-law that Oakland won when Hoch swings around and says to us "How long was the kick that won the game?" I said "Janikowski kicked a 57-yarder to win it." He then mumbled something else to my father-in-law about the longest ever and they both agreed there were longer ones in history over 60 yards. That was the extent of it because then our table was ready and we had to go.

I looked in the newspaper the next day for Champions Tour results and apparently, Hoch had finished his tournament in the middle of the pack in the event in Houston and had already huffed it to the San Antonio area for the next week's event. Sorry, but end of story.

In other golf news, there was a Chris Dimarco sighting at the end of Saturday's 3rd round in contention for a tournament called the Justin Timberlake Shriners Open or something. Davis Love III finished in the top 10 to move to 125 on the money list and even David Duval made the cut.

All you need to know is here is the list of winners of this "Tour event" over the last 5 years.

• 2008 - Marc Turnesa
• 2007 - George McNeil
• 2006 - Troy Matteson
• 2005 - Wes Short, Jr.
• 2004 - Andre Stolz
  

Honest to God, I watch a LOT of golf on TV and I follow almost all golf-related news, but if I had a chance to win a $1 Million to name 3 of the last 4 winners of this event, I don't think I could have gotten 2 of them - which two, I don't even know.

Andre Stolz? There has to be a trivia question out there somewhere on this guy because I didn't know who he was when he won and I still don't know anything about him.

Anyway, in the emptiness of professional golf known as the Fall Series, this lame encounter seemed blog-worthy enough.

Tiger, please come home soon!

Faldo and Ryder Cup blame

Never has a captain (except maybe Mark James in '99) taken so much abuse for a Ryder Cup loss. From what I SAW on TV, Faldo was nothing but positive about the week and seemed to try extra hard to bring his players into the decision-making process. The matches were very close and an extraordinary effort by the Americans and the crowd and a few putts were the difference.

But I couldn't have put my thoughts to "paper" any better than this article on Faldo:

http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/article/0,28136,1843575,00.html

I still feel that the captaincy is very overrated. Sure, Azinger showed that a captain can make more difference than usual in some things: picks, attitude, interacting with the fans -- but the players still have to execute. For this Ryder Cup, the Americans executed better than the Europeans.

2010 in Wales should be fun!

Ryder Hysteria

Two interesting articles I came across today:

1) 'Zinger meekly retorts to Johnny Miller's analysis of the four captain's selections.  The US team had a common enemy - Miller - back in 1999 when Johnny said that Justin Leonard ought to have stayed in his hotel room instead of being on the golf course.  We all know how that turned out. 

2) Everyone says that Europe is the favorite, and there's no way a Tiger-less team can win.  So, naturally, Rick Reilly takes the alternate position. 

Fact is, the true odds for this are probably something like 47% Europe, 43% US, 10% tie.  In other words, the least likely outcome is a tie, and neither side winning would truly be a shocker. 

UPDATE: Lookie here, Ladbrokes agrees with me:

Ryder Cup - 2008 Ryder Cup - (Cup winner)

Friday 19th of September, 2008

Time	Selection	Odds
13:05	USA	5/4
	Europe	4/5
	Tie	9/1

Ryder Cup Preview and Thoughts

OK. Here are the facts:
- Europe has captured the Ryder Cup 3 straight times, 5 out of the last 6, 8 out of the last 11.
- For the 1st time, all 12 of Europe’s players are among the top 50 in the world
- For the 1st time in the history of the Ryder Cup, there are no current major champions on the U.S. side.
- No one on the American squad has won a tournament since July – and that was Kenny Perry’s win in OT – at the John Deere - where he gaffed on the last hole in regulation prior to taking down Jay Williamson and Brad Adamonis. Who?
- The Americans have 6 rookies on the team, the most since 1979.
- The best player on the planet, Tiger Woods, is not on the U.S. squad.
- The last time the U.S. had a lead at the end of a day’s competition was the last day in 1999. WOW!

Here are some other thoughts of prevailing wisdom I have heard/read over the last few weeks and my thoughts:
- Comment: Faldo’s ego in not picking veteran Darren Clarke will prove to be a problem in the European locker room.
- Response: Darren Clarke has been a great performer in the Ryder Cup and a great partner for Lee Westwood. However, Westwood has arguably played on the world stage better this year than any other year in his career. He should be favored in any match he tees it up, except maybe against Mickelson. I will buy this only if Pouler and/or Casey put too much pressure on themselves. If Faldo was smart, he won’t overuse the two picks.

- Comment: Faldo’s ego in not picking a 2nd vice captain will be an issue. (JM Olazabal is his only vice captain.)
- Response: Huh? Being the captain of the Ryder Cup is the most overrated sports position in the world. Just ask Jack Nicklaus, the captain of the last 2 President’s Cup teams who just said “Have fun. Go play.” Exactly what does Faldo need with another vice captain? Please tell me what Dave Stockton and Ray Floyd are adding to the U.S. squad?

- Comment: Tiger Woods not being on the team will encourage the U.S. team to “step up” and become more accountable in their own matches.
- Response: Again, huh? You don’t think the past teams knew it needed every point it could get the last few years? Tiger’s influence on a team match is the least influence he could possibly have in a golf tournament. Just ask Hal Sutton and Phil Mickelson.

- Comment: Paul Azinger made a mistake in not picking Rocco Mediate.
- Response: Rocco had one great week and one OK week (Memorial top 10) the entire year. Rocco doesn’t putt very well. Rocco has said almost every week since the U.S. Open “I’m spent.” Sure he might have been disappointed. A snub, I don’t think so.

- Comment: The U.S. team cannot come together and the Euros travel and eat together so they are a tighter bunch than ever.
- Response: Azinger said this best recently when he posited “How happy and jovial would YOU be if you were losing the Cup every year for the last X amount of years”? Also, keep this in mind. The European playing landscape is changing. Poulter, Casey, Rose, Harrington and Garcia are actually members of both tours and some would say that Casey and Poulter actually are mainly U.S. Tour members now. More of these guys have homes in the U.S. now also.

Here is the bottom line summary folks:
- Since I have been following the Ryder Cup, this is easily the worst team ever put together for the U.S. side.
- Since I have been following the Ryder Cup, this is easily the best team ever put together for the European side.
- Since I have been following the Ryder Cup, this is the first time the U.S. team has been the clear-cut underdog, (if ever).

Folks, I would love to see the U.S. side win, but I think the Europeans are stronger, more confident and are playing much better right now than the U.S. squad. I believe the Europeans will win again.

I hope it’s not the case and Azinger's squad puts some life back into this event but consider this:

- I am very concerned with Kenny Perry’s recent form as he seems to have burned himself out trying to qualify and taking all the abuse from the media about his schedule.
- Phil Mickelson hasn’t been in contention on the back nine since when? Colonial in May?
- Stewart Cink and Jim Furyk have played decent of late but not great, especially on Sunday.
- Boo Weekley hasn’t exactly lit the lamp recently and who knows how he'll react.
- Chad Campbell’s top 10 in one of the playoff events was reason enough for Paul Azinger to select him as one of the wildcard picks.
- Ben Curtis was never mentioned for the team until he played well at the PGA and made the team under Azinger’s revamped selection system. Luckily, he has played pretty well since then to validate his making the team.

- Meanwhile, Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington and Lee Westwood arguably just had the best years of their careers.
- Robert Karlsson won last week in Germany.
- Jimenez at least once earlier in Europe and played well in the U.S. also.
- McDowell won twice I think on the Euro tour.
- Hansen has been steady if not spectacular of late.

However, there are some dynamics that are interesting also.
- Poulter and Casey have big expectations on them for being wildcard picks by Faldo over Darren Clarke.
- Justin Rose is a rookie and has had a poor year.
- Does anyone know what to expect of other rookies like Soren Hansen and Oliver Wilson?
- Is Harrington burned out?
- Will the U.S. team have such fresh faces that they won’t remember they lost?
- Will the Kentucky crowd help boost J.B. Holmes’ and Kenny Perry’s play to new levels? Or scare the bee-jesus out of them?

The key is the U.S. staying tied or only 1 point down after 1 day. Another key is getting a W out of Phil Mickelson on Day 1. Ditto for Kenny Perry. I would ride A. Kim and H. Mahan if they show any sign of their solid play of late. They both can get hot with their irons and ignite the U.S. crowd as well - hopefully, the pressure doesn’t get too great on them.

Not that anyone asked me and this is much harder to pull together than you could imagine. 10 of us could think completely different things here, let along what Azinger is thinking.

Here would be my pairings in the morning round in 4-somes (alternate shot):
Perry/Curtis – Not the sexiest pairing, I know, but have the crowd get behind Kenny Perry early and pair him with the stoic Curtis to keep Kenny’s emotions in check. 2 guys who hit it straight and Curtis can putt. Risky if Perry plays like a deer in headlights, but how can Azinger not play him first?

Mickelson/Mahan – get Mickelson away from boring partners like Cink and Toms. Sure, these guys aren’t that straight off the tee, but how can you not play Mickelson in every match possible? Azinger won’t have the rough high anyway and Mahan can get scary hot with his iron play.

Kim/Furyk – Kim is playing some of the best U.S. golf and Furyk was Tiger’s partner for a couple of wins and is determined. He also obviously is a straight-hitter and although hasn’t putt very well this year compared to his lofty standards, is still the U.S. side’s best available option here.

Cink/Leonard – the last two automatic qualifiers deserve the start here. Leonard is accurate off the tee and both can make putts.

I am avoiding Stricker here because his driving is questionable at times and Weekley probably has never played this format. Campbell was arguably the last guy to make the team and it could be too much to ask JB Holmes to hit the fairway so early in the matches.

Afternoon pairings:
I would make sure the 4 players who sat in the morning get to play in the afternoon, unless the U.S. has been skunked, or is down 3-1.

- Pair Holmes with Mickelson. Unless Mickelson holds some sort of grudge for J.B. taking him down earlier this year at the FBR, the crowds here would be "loose" in the 1st match of the afternoon.
- Pair Weekley with Chad Campbell – arguably the weakest two players on the team perhaps generates an unexpected win.
- Pair Kim with Furyk again if they win in the morning
- Pair Stricker with Mahan.

One caveat. If the U.S. has the morning lead and Kenny Perry wins the 1st match, I would have to play him again. Although I would not want him to get too tired too fast, it would be hard to pass up the chance to keep the momentum going with the crowd.

One can only hope that at least Sunday means something this year! Go U.S.A.!

"WELCOME!"

"Welcome to the Hall of Fame Padraig"
Padraig Harrington wins the PGA Sunday after a thrilling back-nine duel against Ben Curtis and specifically, Sergio Garcia. The win likely gets Padraig into the Hall of Fame with 3 majors, 2 other PGA Tour wins and somewhere between 6 and 10 European Tour wins. Throw in a few Ryder Cup squads and the Irishman suddenly finds himself in amazing company after a whirlwind last 15 months of stellar play. He also joins the top of the list of active players with the most major wins (not counting Tiger) joining Phil, VJ and Ernie (only 1 since 1997 though). Well done Padraig!

Personally, my favorite moment of the day was when Sergio stuffed it on #17 after Padraig just hit it to 12 feet or so. I was holding my 8-month old daughter in my lap and audibly went "Oh!", causing her to get scared and cry. Mommy wasn't too happy with me. If only Sergio had made the putt.

Thoughts on the PGA:
I drove home from my own debacle of a finish Sunday (drained a 30-footer for double-bogey on the most difficult hole finishing hole ever for 79) in great anticipation of perhaps watching Sergio make a charge and capture his 1st major. I just want him to get the monkey off his back and get embraced for what a great player he is. Remember, he is still only 28! Not everyone can be Tiger Woods and the expectations have been so great since his 1999 Medinah run and jump up the hill.

Sergio got me excited, starting impressively with birdie-eagle and playing perhaps the best 7 holes of golf I have ever seen to start a final round in a major. Unfortunately, his last birdie of the day would end up being on the 6th hole. I used up a lot of energy rooting for him during the round and I have to ask…"What does he have to do to win one of these?" I guess I feel this way after watching a solid front nine 31 and the shot on #15 that he almost jarred, but looking in totality at his back nine play a day later, he only had 1 one-putt (for bogey on #16) and no birdies. In addition, there were two shots and one putt that cost him big.

#1: 3rd shot on #12, the par 5 - in perfect position from in front of the green in the fairway, Sergio inexplicably laid the sod over his pitch shot and left himself 40feet for birdie while Padraig rope-hooked one from behind a tree for his 2nd shot and got up and down from the gunch behind the green for his birdie to close within 1.

#2: Obviously, the 2nd shot on #16 that found water - I can't hammer Sergio for this one. He hadn't hit a poor shot really all day and I am sure he took an appropriately conservative line and it just didn't come off. Helluva up and down for 5 to stay in the game.

#3: Missing the putt on #17 after Padraig drained his gave Padraig the likely knowledge that even a bogey on #18 would get him in a playoff. Sergio - it's uphill…take the break out of the putt and hammer it home.

Conversely, on the back nine, Padraig made putts in the 10-15 foot range on #10, 13, 16, 17 & 18. Sergio must inwardly feel a little snake-bitten. Other than Tiger Woods, who does that on the back nine of a major? Padraig, who I believe played his final 27 holes of the tournament in -7, now has shot a pair of 32's in the last two majors on the back nine to seize victory. You think Tiger Woods wants to get back soon? He probably hates that someone other than him is gaining the confidence to win these big events down the stretch. He must be relishing the thought of taking down Padraig when he returns. Likewise, Padraig has to be thinking, "Can I do this when I'm looking at Tiger instead of Sergio?" Wouldn't it be great if it happened that way? It's so unlikely - we've been wanting Tiger v. Phil down the stretch for years and it hasn't happened.

Getting back to Sergio, the media really worked him over after the round and he tried to maintain his composure, and did for the most part before walking away when somebody asked him to comment on Padraig's play. Other than a little whining about Padraig's good lie in the rough on #18, Sergio took most of the questions well. Sergio has to be disappointed but know he is heading in the right direction, especially with his putting. Like I mentioned, he really played great other than 3 shots and putted great otherwise in a final round of a major. This after his big Players win earlier in the year. You just have to feel that he is nearing that elusive 1st win. Similar to what Phil went through for a number of years, all that talent has the media foaming at the mouth to ask him why it isn't happening. Phil had to work on course management and Sergio has to continue to work on his putting to win. Then, I think multiple wins will follow.

Speaking of Phil Mickelson, what a disappointing last two weeks. First, his feeble finish at Firestone and then after starting -3 through 4 holes of his last round in the PGA, never tasting birdie again. In the majors this year, Phil simply looked like the old Phil from years ago, thrashing about the golf course from everywhere but the fairway. How's that coaching from Butch Harmon going? I don't see any improvement in the results to date. Maybe in 2009.

Congratulations to Ben Curtis also. Of the three most unlikely big tournament winners over the last 5-6 years (Curtis, Shaun Micheel, Craig Perks), I always thought Curtis was the one who truly had the potential to win out on Tour and stick around for a few years (I have no proof of this statement but anyway…). However, I never really believed he would win Sunday, but contending down the stretch again in a major, plus the two wins he has added since the '03 British win, proves he is no fluke. And Holy Cow, he is on the Ryder Cup team now, knocking Steve Stricker out of the mix for now. Hard to believe that Stricker, who was #3 in the world starting the year and lost to Daniel Chopra at the Mercedes to start the year and had other top 10finishes in subsequent weeks, can barely finish in the top 25 these days. I haven't checked out his stats lately to see what the issue is, but what a fall from grace. Goes to show you how finicky this game is we all love.

And regarding the Ryder Cup, it's still a touch early to discuss Azinger's picks with 3-4 weeks of playoffs ahead, but I will anyway. As of today, here would be my picks and why:
(1) Rocco - great presence in the locker room, playing fairly well and guys respect him for taking Tiger to the limit. Will have to play well in at least 1 Playoff event I believe still to warrant a pick; not the greatest putter though.
(2) Brandt Snedeker - why? Relaxed personality and can flat out putt, something the U.S. teams in the last 10 years have sorely lacked. Also played well at the Masters and decent in the other big events.
(3) D.J. Trahan - winner on Tour this year, top 4 at U.S. Open and playing more consistent. Similar to Rocco, would need a good showing in at least 1 Playoff event to make the team.
(4) Sean O'Hair - great guy, solid young player and starting to show signs of his game coming around again. Will his putting be a detriment to him making the team.

Why not these guys?
- David Toms - this is the one veteran I could see Captain Paul selecting if he can show signs over the next few weeks. Has been battling injuries but seems fired up of late and was in the mix at the PGA for a bit.

- Woody Austin - NO WAY would I take this guy after basically throwing up over himself twice while in contention in 2nd tier events this year. Played great last year on the President's Cup and loosened up the team, but that was easy in that event. The Ryder Cup is different.

- Hunter Mahan - has not played that consistently this year and his awkward comments basically took him out of the running in my mind.

- Steve Stricker - playing poorly - past issues have included not finding fairways, which is a problem, particularly for options in foursomes.

- J.B. Holmes - I liked JB and his length and Kentucky roots until yesterday's 81 - yikes! Also, doesn't really look like the best option to make putts with the long putter and his caddie lining him up prior to the stroke (although O'Hair does the same thing).

I can't say I am exactly fired up for the FedEx Cup after the last 3 great majors, but it is more interesting without Tiger in complete control. Ultimately, I feel like Phil will come around and win it with more consistent finishes than the other contenders. That's not really going out on a limb so my back-up picks will be Anthony Kim and Jim Furyk.

An Odd Round

I have good rounds and bad rounds all the time.  Last weekend was an unusual one.  It was a hybrid round.  Lots of good.  Lots of bad.  And the weird part was that it didn't come in streaks - in other words it wasn't six good holes followed by six bad ones.  They were all mixed together. 

I got out of the gate solidly (ha!) on the always difficult 430 yard Par 4 1st.  A pull-hooked drive.  A blocked hybrid.  A punch through the trees and over the green.  An indifferent chip to 15 feet, a charged bogey putt, a half-assed effort on the comebacker, and voila!!  Instant triple. 

After an indifferent bogey on #2 and a weak drive on #3, I turned it on, going +1 on these holes, with very good approaches into 3, 4, and 6.  Then I hit an indefensible over-swung snap hook into the shittage on #7.  I block the provisional into the other shittage and make a smooth triple.  +8 thru 7 holes.  Two triples. 

I hit good approaches into both #8 and #9, power lip the birdie on 9 and polish off a smooth 44.  Well done, sir. 

Hole #10 summed up the entire day.  I *tattooed* 3-wood off the tee, leaving myself with about 105 to the middle, probably 110 to the flag, but to a pin spot where you cannot hit it past the hole.  So I choke down on gap wedge but remain aggressive through the swing.  And I *pure* it.  It flies to the back fringe, hops into the rough, and the chip takes off on me. 

On #11, I hit a solid but ever-so-slightly blocked hybrid into the bunker, hit it 8 feet past and miss.  Then I barf all over the easy 12th hole, including a punch-out recovery that went into the trees on the other side.  Once I punch out of there, I completely block a 6-iron into the greenside trap.  Routine double. 

#13 is an indifferent bogey.  #14 is a perfectly solid par.  #15 is a horrendous double with a fat hooked tee shot, a missed green from 40 yards, and a 20 foot chip that scoots 10 feet by. 

On 16, I get flat on a wedge into the green, fry it in the bunker and make bogey.  Then on #17, with the only thought being to *not* hit it left into the arborvitaes of doom, I hit it there anyway.  I recover to make a decent bogey with an unplayable, highlighted by a great wedge into the green. 

Then to wrap it up, after flailing a drive right on 18, I hit hybrid to 20 feet, leave it short (of course) and make par to shoot Nat Moore (89). 

One-for-ten from around the green, with the one being a meager "two putt" from the fringe from 20 feet.  I never made a putt outside of four feet.  Perhaps it's time to reintroduce the claw to the bag.  Or the B60i. 

Just an odd round with the good being so interspersed with the bad. 

Buick Thoughts

Some thoughts on the finish that was the Buick Open:
- How the heck did Woody play so well at the President's Cup? I mean, OK...he didn't finish well at the Zurich Classic earlier this year. He had to make birdie to tie and didn't do it. This happens all the time. But my God, that was a complete meltdown on #17 & #18. 3 poor putts and a really poor 8 iron on #18. He essentially handed the tournament to K. Perry who made two bogies himself on the back nine coming in. More thanks to Dudley Hart also who played the last 6 holes in +2 or +3.
- Kenny HAS TO play the British Open instead of Milwaukee now. I haven't seen the latest Ryder Cup point list, but with the top 9 positions now on the team with Tiger out and Kenny with two wins, he is a lock. Milwaukee is now basically a Nationwide Tour event. You are top 20 in the world now and you just have to go to Birkdale. If he doesn't, I am going to have to sadly say he is being weak.
- I think Daniel Choke-ra just wrote his ticket off Captain Nick's Ryder Cup team. 75 on that track with a 2-shot lead on Sunday? The coverage came on with the leaders on #7 or so and Chopra had about 2 shots covered the entire telecast and it was likely only because he was playing with Bubba Watson, who almost got it done on Sunday.
- Perry said he was playing in events that suit his game. And with 2 wins and a couple other top 10's, you can't argue with his goals and his outcomes.
- Lucas Glover's 67 on Sunday has to be his low on Tour over the last 2 years. No one plays the back nine on Sunday in 40 like LG lately
- And finally...AT&T National at Congressional. Great track, but where are all the players? No Phil, No Ernie, No Adam Scott, No Sergio....wow. Oh, and no VJ or Sabbatini, but that's no surprise in Tiger's event.

Wie Update

Well done, Bedwetter.  Well done. 

Behold

...the Wilhelmina 7

I've heard of Prammanasudh.  That's it. 

Big thumbs up to Kim Hall.

"Get This Wedge Out of My Hands!!"

...Those are the words of me, a week ago at a one-day Member Guest.  It was by no means a great ball-striking round, but it was a round where I kept it in play all around the course.  We started on the second hole and I got through 8/9ths of the front in +1.  Then we hit the back nine. 

#10: 120 into a green where you need to land it short and run it on.  Just the perfect spot for my gap wedge.  Then I lay the sod over it, leave it in the bunker 40 yards short of the green, and proceed to make a smooth double.

#14: 140 into the green from an odd lie in the rough with the ball just slightly above my feet.  This makes me choke down just a bit which is fine because long here is death.  I hit some weird kind of odd high block that comes up short right with the pin back left.  The chip is 6 feet short and I miss.  Bogey.

#16: The stupid dogleg par 5.  I pull my drive eliminating any and all chances of ripping for it in 2.  So I lay up to about 60 yards and have a nice easy LW to the green, which I hit 70 yards and leave myself a treacherous downhill chip.  The six foot comebacker misses and it's another bogey.

#17: A 350 yard par 4 to a small elevated green.  I try to lay back with an easy three-wood but I absolutely cream it into the gulley.  Now I'm about 50 yards from the pin, *straight* uphill.  This LW sails over the green.  I hit a good chip that bounces off of *something*, kicks hard right, and then the five-footer for par hits something else and bounces away from the hole.  Another bogey. 

#1: We finish on an easy Par 5.  SW in my hands from about 90 yards - a smooth 90% wedge that again I lay the sod over.  I work my ass off to get it up and down from 15 yards short. 

The scorecard looked like this: 37 - 41 -- 78.  There were no red numbers to be found, and five of the seven shots given away are detailed above.  It's very frustrating to be that close to a good round only to piss it away with the scoring irons. 

Then on Sunday I shoot +3 for 10 holes with three putt bogeys on #8 and #9 and a failed up and down attempt on #10 before the rains came. 

This close.  Very close.  We'll see what Saturday brings. 

Bedwetter on Wie

http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/55351

David Leadbetter, who worked with Michelle Wie at the U.S. Open this week, said she's someone to keep an eye on again, maybe even soon. "She will prove everybody wrong," Leadbetter said. Wie said she's fully recovered from her wrist injury. She said she enjoyed her freshman year at Stanford, she's going back to school in September and she's having fun on the course again.

For the love of God, David, STFU until she actually DOES SOMETHING!!!

Just Observed

An actual overheard quote from the driving range, mere minutes ago.

"Yo, are those m*****f****** signs in yards?"

Epic. 

Oh and thanks to the kind folks who decided to put the ropes on the *downslope* of the grass tee.  Nice job, fellas. 

The Open, The Knee, and the Greatness that is Tiger

I'd been waiting to figure out the right words and the proper sense of perspective in which to put all that we saw at Torrey Pines this past weekend and into a memorable Monday.  Greatest US Open ever?  Perhaps.  It certainly was from Tig's perspective.  Nobody can deny that it was fun to watch - it was the classic story of the underdog trying to take down the greatest.  And I'll be damned if this overweight, hook-prone, poker playing, supposed over-the-hill 'dog didn't take all but the last bite he needed to win this thing. 

The transcendent nature of what we saw goes beyond mere television ratings too.  This at least encroaches on one of those "where were you when..." moments.  As it turns out, there were a heck of a lot of people working during the Monday playoff.  That didn't stop many of them from catching a peek or more of the playoff - at work or even in the markets. 

But the true measuring stick of what we saw at Torrey Pines will come with the stories that accompany it down the road.  People remember Ben Hogan winning US Opens but he is most remembered for winning one after getting struck by a car.  People remember Big Jack winning several times at Augusta, but the most memorable is the comeback.  Well here comes Tiger with 14 professional majors and it's hard to imagine how any will be talked about more than this.  Certainly there's tremendous cultural and historical significance to his very first major, but that one was also in the bag when the sun set on Saturday night.  Torrey will be everlasting because he had to birdie 18 twice in two days just to stay alive.  It will be more memorable because of a valiant head-to-head battle on Monday with Rocco, who just would not roll over like so many have in the past.  And it will be part of ever golf fan's lore when you consider just how Tiger did this.  After not playing a competitive round for two months; after rehabbing from arthroscopic knee surgery to clean up some cartilage damage; after suffering dual compound fractures in his left leg; and after sustaining a ruptured* ACL last summer.

* By the way, ruptured means broken.  It doesn't mean slightly or partially torn.  It means split in half.  Ye Gods. 

Put this in perspective.  Since rupturing his ACL, Tiger
* Won at Firestone
* Won the PGA
* Finished 2nd to Lefty at the Deutsche Bank
* Won the BMW
* Won the TOUR Championship
* Won the Target World Challenge
* Won the Buick Invy at Torrey Pines
* Won at Dubai
* Won the Match Play
* Won the Arnold Palmer Championship
* Finished 5th at Doral (oh the HORROR)
* Finished 2nd at the Masters
* Won the US Open.

13 tournaments.  10 wins.  Two seconds.  13 Top 5s.  Thanks for coming. 

I still don't believe people fully understand or appreciate the greatness of this athlete.  And I'm not sure how to put it into words.  Simply quoting this list of facts is a start.  The phrase "best of all time" is appropriate, but I'm not even sure it's sufficient. 

Finally some closing comments:
* A hearty "fuck you" goes out to those hockey dolts who dared question Tiger's toughness.  Yeah hockey players are tough.  That doesn't mean golfers aren't or can't be. 
* People are saying this could be the end of Tiger?  Fer Chrissakes, he's in the prime of his career and is one of the best conditioned athletes you'll find anywhere.  He'll have access to the best possible rehab programs and we all know that he'll rehab like mad to get his knee to the best shape it can be in.  Puh-leeze.  You might not see Tiger back at his peak even in 2009, but the next decade will surely show us Tiger at his most dominant.  I don't believe we've seen the best of him yet. 
* And to those questioning whether or not Tiger should have even played in the US Open - just STFU.  He didn't make the knee any worse in doing so. 

Memphis Epilogue / US Open Prep

Well - Before we get to our national open, let's take a couple of minutes to discuss last week's quite exciting St. Jude Stanford Classic in Memphis. -4 got in a playoff! Woody Austin shot 62 last year to win on Sunday over a faltering Adam Scott (more on A. Scott later), but this year there were 10 guys in the lead at one point on Sunday, setting up one of the more exciting finishes on Tour this year.

Sure, this event is a 2nd tier event at best, but with major champions Immelman and Leonard in the playoff and winners in the last 12 calendar months Harrington, Sergio and Boo Weekley one shot behind, it was quite a ride for the Jim Nantz-less CBS crew.

Immelman birdies the last 3 holes in dramatic fashion to gain some more confidence and show everyone that his game is back on track. Riddle me this - What if Tiger had won the Masters and then birdied the last 3 holes in regulation the week before the US Open? We'd be talking Grand Slam and gushing how awesome Tiger is. All is quiet on the Western front this week about Immelman's amazing finish. Sure, 16 is a par 5 that half the field birdies, but 17 and 18 gave up at most a total of between 10-15 birdies between the two holes combined on Sunday.

I really thought Paddy Harrington was going to get in the playoff too. He was in position for some look at birdie on virtually every hole on the back nine, but could only muster making a putt on #17 while his putt on #18 from about 20 feet looked pretty good before sliding by. He moves up the depth chart of favorites heading into the US Open.

And then there's Sergio, shooting 66 on Sunday and posting the only bogey-free round of the day. He has to be feeling good also but now Tiger is back. Picture Sergio and Tiger in the last group on Sunday. Does anyone think Sergio is really ready to take the title from Tiger? You don't have to answer.

Before moving onto Torrey Pines, one comment on Robert Allenby. Despite being one of the best ball strikers on Tour, this guy has only mustered 4 wins on Tour and none since 2001. While I want to give him kudos for his great shot into 18 in regulation to make birdie and his previous unbeaten playoff mark at 10-0, this guy is one of the biggest dicks on Tour. I don't have it from any sources. But then again, that's me.
__________________________________

Torrey Pines - 2008 U.S. Open

Your winner? Phil Mickelson. Sure, let's get right to it.

Phil has 4 runner-up finishes in this event and arguably has had the best run in this tourney since Tom Lehman played in the final twosome fours years in a row in the late 90's. Alas, Lehman did not grab a win and neither has Phil. We all know about Winged Foot in 2006 but Phil is the prohibitive favorite on this track (ignoring Tiger for a minute). Some have said that Phil won't be able to play well the first two days with Tiger in the same group. Whatever. See Deutsche Bank last year in the playoffs (PLAYOFFS!?) and you can see that Phil relishes the challenge. Plus, once Tiger gets off to a rough start Thursday, his confidence will rise.

Honestly, it's exciting that Tiger is playing again. It gets everyone fired up but I just can't imagine an 8-week competitive layoff and seeing Tiger simply win this week. He has only won 2 of these (only!) and those were at Pebble Beach in the historical 2000 campaign and at Bethpage, where length was a huge factor. Length will be a factor here despite the drier conditions, but I just can't see how Tiger's knee will let him do EVERYTHING he wants and needs to do to win a major event in his 1st week back. I'm not saying Tiger won't run the table again in a couple of months....I just am not picking him this week.

Here are some general thoughts on other players heading into the year's 2nd major.

Top 3 - Stewart Cink and Jim Furyk
- Cink has had a great 2008 and usually plays well in US Opens anyway. Consider his additional length of the tee and a top 3 earlier this year at Torrey Pines and he had to be one to consider. Of all the zero major players, he and Sergio have to be the favorites to get off the major schnide.
- Furyk has missed the winning score the last two years by one shot. Has not had a great 2008, but it hasn't been pathetic either. Perhaps he gets number 2 this week.

Top 10's:
- Jeff Quinney - hits it straight and is gaining confidence that he belongs
- Sergio - hard to win the Players and a major in the same year. No one has done it I believe since moving to the TPC. Confident, but still needs to wait until '09.
- Harrington - always there in majors it seems and playing well. No reason to think he won't contend.
- Luke Donald - hasn't been as consistent as one would think and despite not being known for length, should still be able to hang until late Sunday
- Geoff Ogilvy - 2006 winner playing well and simply one of the best in the world now
- Immelman

Avoid at all costs:
- VJ - never plays well at Torrey Pines in January and still has the occasional awful shot (see Memphis last week on #13 - tee ball OB) he can't eliminate
- KJ Choi - not shown much since Sony Open win and record here terrible
- Adam Scott - never contended in a major, can't handle the Phil/Tiger grouping and is hurt
Editor note: Adam, sorry I lambasted you for WD'ing from Memorial and Memphis a couple of weeks ago, but who knew?
- Steve Stricker - what is going on with his game? 4 MC's in a row
- Sean O'Hair - same question - since win and top 4 at Arnie's tournament has been pretty much MIA
- Rory Sabbatini - no patience, no good play of later and no record to speak of at Torrey
- Angel Cabrera - no two in a row from this guy; he must have partied real hard after his win at Oakmont

Dark Horse/Sleeper #1: Robert Karlsson - on fire on the European Tour -- but then again, we're talking the European Tour
#2: Jerry Kelly - Memorial play was steady. Can he keep his head about him?

Winning Score: 6 under - with par at 71, that takes the last couple of years' +5 to +1 and I heard on Golf Channel last night that the fairways are wider than usual.

Well, we are fired up here in HOT-lanta for this week. Hoping we get a great finish Sunday (not Monday!) with a couple of top tier players battling it our for our national championship.

Enjoy!

Return of Wiesey?

Well, this is at least a start. 

Any and all hope for her to return to glory needs to begin with telling Daddy to hit the bricks. 

US Open Previews

It was just Monday of US Open week when CBSSports.com's Steve Elling ran out of stuff to talk about. 

Meanwhile, over at GolfDigest.com, Geoff Shackleford is doing it right.  Shack followed Ogilvy around, actually got out and tested the rough, and penned some very interesting thoughts on how Mike Davis isn't setting up courses like the USGA always has.  Graduated rough...usage of multiple tee boxes...wider fairways.  Great stuff.  I'm really looking forward to this Open.  And with each passing year, it kills me more and more that I didn't take the chance to intern for Davis when I could have. 

Say Goodbye, Atlanta

http://www.geoffshackelford.com/homepage/2008/6/9/atlanta-pga-tour-stop-rip.html

Shame on you, my co-blogger, for not adequately supporting your hometown event.  Further proof that Atlanta is the worst sports town in all of North America. 

Happy Trails

To Bobby Clampett.  May he never drone on in another televised golf event again.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/hiestand-tv/2008-06-01-mma-cbs_N.htm

TNT will formally announce today that Ian Baker-Finch will replace Bobby Clampett as its lead golf analyst.

TNT's golf includes early-round action in the British Open and PGA Championship. Like other cable channels, its coverage is largely produced by the broadcast network handling weekend action. Baker-Finch, a native of Australia will continue to be a CBS golf analyst. Says TNT executive producer Jeff Behnke: "We're excited to add an announcer the caliber of Baker-Finch."

Ryder Cup

I think we've heard surprisingly little about the Ryder Cup points standings so far. 

Rank This Week	Rank Last Week	Player	Events	Points
1	1	Tiger Woods	12	8,665.627
2	4	Phil Mickelson	17	4,179.570
3	2	Stewart Cink	21	3,547.614
4	3	Jim Furyk	23	3,093.386
5	5	Boo Weekley	17	2,232.792
6	6	Anthony Kim	16	2,216.806
7	7	Zach Johnson	22	2,030.246
8	8	Steve Stricker	21	1,991.120
9	10	Justin Leonard	24	1,902.248
10	9	J.B. Holmes	18	1,899.139
11	14	Jeff Quinney	16	1,882.489
12	11	Brandt Snedeker	16	1,735.099
13	13	Sean O'Hair	22	1,734.917
14	12	Woody Austin	22	1,704.181
15	15	Bart Bryant	21	1,668.532
16	18	Paul Goydos	26	1,502.067
17	16	Kenny Perry	19	1,408.655
18	17	D.J. Trahan	24	1,370.380
19	19	Hunter Mahan	26	1,355.057
20	22	Jerry Kelly	27	1,304.572

Seems to me that the Top 4 are most likely locks at this point.  Out of the next 10 spots, Weekley, Kim, Leonard, Holmes, Quinney and O'Hair are the strongest candidates.  Kenny Perry must be using the psuedo-hometown location of this particular event to try and capture his spot on Cap'n Paul's squad, and if he keeps up his current performance at The Memorial, he'll vault himself into a much stronger position. 

From a Ryder Cup experience standpoint, there's not much experience looking to squeak in here.  I believe that from this list of 20, outside of the Top 4, only Leonard and Johnson have played in this event, although a few others do have Prez Cup experience. 

Not a lot of grizzled veterans here.  In fact, its quite likely that the following 2006 Ryder Cuppers will be watching Dan Hicks trip over his tongue this fall:
David Toms
Chad Campbell
Vaughn Taylor (wow)
Chris DiMarco
JJ Henry
Brett Wetterich
Scott Verplank

Surely we won't have a Turd sighting at Valhalla, unless Cap'n Paul gets sentimental with a pick.  Remember...he does get four of them.

I'll say this: Having Boo Weekley potentially involved in the Ryder Cup brings great joy to my soul. 

The bottom line: A good group of four "anchormen" and a whole lot of young upstarts for Cap'n Paul to work with. 

Correction - to clarify

Please note that the post just below was put out before word just came in that Ernie Els has decided to play Memorial after all. However, I stand by my comments. Ernie will likely spend too much time answering questions about this decision now versus working on his game.

M-I-A

MIA -A.K.A. "Missing in Action"
See Adam Scott, Ernie Els and Padraig Harrington in regards to this year's edition of the Memorial Tournament...or, the house that Jack built. VJ and Tiger are also MIA, but at least they have a legitimate excuse, which is injury.

Apparently, A. Scott, Ernie and Padraig believe that playing TPC Southwind is better prep for Torrey Pines than Muirfield Village. (Although at this time, Adam Scott has not officially committed - see the listing here: http://www.stanfordstjude.com/images/stories/2008/commitmentlist.pdf )

Other than Padraig, I think we have to question the process for some of these top guns from skipping Memorial and playing in Memphis. I mean, sure, Ernie has 3 majors, but only 1 since 1997, which puts him in the same company with Ben Curtis, Shaun Micheel and Mark Brooks. Ernie - in order to beat the best, you have the play against the best, even when Tiger is not in the field. Two words come to mind for Ernie these days "Mental Midget". We love Ernie and he keeps getting our hopes up by winning Honda and threatening on the back nine at the Players, but he doesn't seem totally committed to his so-called 3-Year Plan. "Big Easy...it's 18 months into the Plan and you have exactly 1 U.S. Win with no Tiger in the field."

Let's recap the last couple of weeks on Tour also. Now, Hot-Lanta here had Ryuji Imada here in my home area of Atlanta. Sure, it was a nice pick, but this tournament is on life support from what I hear. I have been in Atlanta for about 11-12 years now and I have gone to the tournament exactly zero times (although I have played TPC Sugarloaf's back nine once in a local amaeur tournament (75)). Why? Well, for one, the course is spread out amongst the mansions in the development, it's very hilly and you have to park miles away from the area and take a shuttle in. It's a lot to ask for a 2nd tier event. At least when it was before the Masters, Phil would show up.

Speaking of the mansions, did anyone catch the "5 questions" segment with Finchy at Stewart Cink's place? Wow, was that entry, kitchen and backyard impressive. But then again, when you win as much money as Stewey, you can live really large in Georgia. I was hoping Cink would actually compete in possibly the last AT&T but he ends up with a back-door top 15 finish or so.
4 career wins...and not counting.

But you can't say that the AT&T isn't an exciting finish with that crazy 18th hole. Some may say that Kenny Perry got a terrible break, but that 2nd shot in the playoff was really far off line and if there was no gallery, I would almost bet that ball would have been at least 50-60 yards from the green with little chance of actually hitting the green unless he had a great lie. Kenny should have birdied the 18th in regulation to win the thing in style. Instead, Imada gets redemption.

And by the way, if I'm Parker McLachlin, I am firing Peter Kostis immediately after the event. Kostis hammered (in my opinion, but then, isn't this a blog?) away at Parker's decision-making the last 5 holes of the coverage. Now I give Kostis and Baker-Finch for correctly identifying that Parker was speeding up his routine and was indecisive, but if I'm Parker and hear that from my coach on the broadcast, I would lose some trust. Having said that, Parker totally wussed out on the 18th hole by laying up with 226 yards to go DOWNHILL! But then again, I am now just piling on.

Let's talk Colonial friends! What a shot by Philly Mick on the 18th from the trees! Definitely one of the top 5 shots of the year I would say. While Rod Pampling starting working on his victory speech from 95-100 yards away in the fairway, Phil hits a shot under and over the trees, even hitting some leaves to about 8 feet and then draining the putt for an improbably birdie. Pampling, probably rattled by the turnabout, left his wedge about 35 feet short, a pathetic shot for a golf professional, although not quite as bad as his flare off #17 that led to a bogey, and could have been worse.

And what's this? We have a Tim Clark sighting! Clark nearly stole the tournament by playing a solid round of golf Sunday, but ultimately he too succummbed to nerves and left a 14-footer for birdie on #18 in the jaws, about a foot short of the hole. Clark has been atrocious in '08 winning less than $150K in events that require a cut, but on a course that doesn't demand distance, he gets himself a T-2. Eventually, on the right course, Clark has to get a W on Tour. But nothing is guaranteed in the Tiger era, just ask Charles Howell III. (I will leave any comments about Chucky's poor 4th round at AT&T for others...that would be just mean at this point.)

For the Memorial this week, Phil has to be the big favorite I would think with momentum and no Tiger, although Phil hasn't won here yet. I am curious to see how Sergio backs up his Players win also. Has he really found something with the flatstick or will he continue to win only when his ball-striking is unconscious? Look for Ogilvy this week also. He has elevated his play again and seems to be playing more consistently from week-to-week. I know Kenny Perry is also a fashionable pick this week but he has to be running out of gas after having played the last 4-5 weeks and being in contention for 2 weeks in a row.

Dark Horse: Steve Lowery
Pick: Phil Mickelson
Contender: Geoff Ogilvy
Contender #2: Sean O'Hair

Looking forward to a great week and the countdown to Torrey Pines.

PLAYERS Thoughts

Well, "Journeyman" Paul Goydos valiantly battles for THE PLAYERS but unfortunately, destiny did not arrive for Goydos as it did for such luminaries as Craig Perks, Shaun Micheel and Ben Curtis (since redeemed). Despite a miracle 50-footer on #4 and a chip in on #10, Goydos succumbs to the pressure and the elements by bogeying #14, #15 and #18. He'll be just fine with his $1MM 2nd place check, however. His is a media darling now -- we'll see how many interviews TV wants from Goydos 3 weeks from now. He'll be forgotten within 2 years unless he somehow wins something again.

Speaking of Goydos, how psyched is Finchem that Sergio won and not Goydos? Since the re-design, Mickelson and Sergio win this thing. You can't ask for anything more for Team Finchem, except Tiger winning.

Thoughts on Sergio:
Sergio gets the proverbial gorilla off his back and leaves a smallish chimpanzee looking for that 1st major. Sure THE PLAYERS (would Finchy be happy I am using all CAPS for his big event?) isn't a true major, but this tournament is a huge deal. As their time to be evaluated for the Hall of Fame (HOF) comes near, I think Couples and Davis Love III are really happy their 2 wins will go farther as each year ticks by. Biggest win by Sergio by far in his career. (More on the HOF in a future post).

I didn't like Sergio's post-round initial comments after receiving the trophy: "First off, I want to thank Tiger for not being here." ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Even in victory, the first thing you think about is Tiger? This is not good for the long-term prognosis for Sergio. "El Nino, Tiger has won the Players exactly one time and hasn't had a top 10 in the Players in about 5 years." Relax. Your win counts man! Repeat after me Sergio: "PLAYERS Champion"

I will say that having Sergio on one of my fantasy teams, at no point during the week did I think Sergio would actually win the tournament until he made the putt on #18 Sunday. He has seemed destined to miss out on making the one key putt to define his career. I'm not going to say this is going to put him over the edge to definite majors now, but it HAS to help. I mean, he had to go to a playoff for this thing despite leading the field in driving and Greens in Regulation. He is not going to make as many putts Sunday as he did today every week. But think about this...judgin Sergio's putting honestly on Sunday, wouldn't we have said it was "typical" if Tiger had done same? I mean Sergio made just about everything except putts on #1 and #16...everything within reason.

Quick hit player thoughts:

• Was it me or did Phil Mickelson look like pre-2006 Masters winner Phil?
• Ernie, you teased us with that eagle on #11 man. I consider you a great wind player and you had us thinking. Then I realized this was the Ernie Els of the Tiger era and you immediately gave away two more shots.
• Jeff Quinney is getting closer and closer. This is three serious back nine bids in the last two years. One of my favorite quotes ever on TV was Quinney a few years ago on the 18th hole of I believe a Canadian Tour event being covered by the Golf Channel. I think he needed birdie on the last hole to tie the lead and the microphones picked him up saying to himself "Be a player". I used it for a few weeks until I realized it wasn't meant for me. He didn't stick it, but I loved the quote.
• Kenny Perry, I know it's too late to change now, but Johnny Miller is so right -- you need more shots dude. You are the nicest guy, but no flop shot and no cut shot means NO SHOT when conditions get tough. Robert Allenby, I mean you too.
• One of my friends thought Boo Weekley would win this thing and with his ball striking it wasn't a bad call. Unfortunately, Boo is still learning in these big events and he doesn't exactly putt like Ben Crenshaw.
• Briny Baird is showing signs also, but I still fear his putter will be his achilles heel holding him back for a couple more years. But you never know.

Thoughts on the Tour in 2008:

• How exciting is it to think about the US Open at Torrey Pines with all these 20-somethings winning and Tiger possibly not at full strength? It will be interesting to see how things develop out of the Tiger camp over the next few weeks. It is SO hard to come off of a competitive layoff for such as demaning event. Just think Winged Foot in '06.
• Next up on the Tour: The AT&T Classic - I have been in Atlanta for 11 years now and I have yet to make the 20 minute drive to this event. Why? Weak fields and an utterly terrible course for spectators that weaves in and out of the massive high-end sub-division known as Sugarloaf. Even Phil is skipping it this year. The best 'names' are local boy Stewart Cink and Greg Norman. Not enough. This event could be out of here soon if something isn't done. Awful spot on the calendar this year of course. But hey - it's a FedEx Cup event, right? Guys are drooling for those elusive points.

Congratulations Sergio. Please show up at the U.S. Open and contend. It would really generate excitement on the Tour.

Playerz

Well I'll be damned, but the Bitch was the best player on the course - greens included - and he won Finchy's beloved THE PLAYERZ.  You have to feel for Goydos, a journeyman who was relegated to wearing a Long Beach State hat* as he had recently lost his sponsor.

* As an aside, I've always thought that a great endorsement deal would be with New Era cap or some other agency that enabled the player to wear baseball hats - preferably minor league hats, which are abundant and oh so cool.  And yet I digress...

Goydos was there all throughout, and had a shot to win it on 18, but like so many others, he bailed right on #18, then flubbed his pitch into 18 and left the putt hole high - a bit of a weak effort.  Then the TOUR decides to go to #17 for the playoff - the first time they've made that decision, let alone had to implement it - and Goydos' well struck wedge finds a gust, lands in the drink, and that's that. 

Bitch struck it well and putted well - especially when it counted.  Sure he babied that birdie putt in the playoff, but I'll overlook that and his weak effort for birdie on #16 and focus on the putts he did make - including the par saver on the 72nd hole.  Heck of a shot into 17 in the playoff too.  He could've taken that to the fat part of the green, but he chose the aggressive line over the bunker and it paid off handsomely. 

Lefty faded on Sunday - as did many others.  Apparently he had the flu and as someone who hasn't felt well in about two weeks now, I can tell you that it sucks being sick.  I'll write this one off, but I'm expecting big things from the newly svelte left-hander at Torrey Pines. 

As for the TV coverage, why the hell does NBC import Costas for events like this, as well as the Derby?  Hicks and/or Jimmy Roberts could do every bit as good of a hosting job as Costas does.  Basically, Costas sits in the same camp as Berman for my $0.02...a clever announcer who has been on stage for so long doing the same schtick that it's just time for someone else to fill those shoes. 

Finally, there are three certain things in life.  Death.  Taxes.  And that whenever NBC shows a putt that the announcer leads into with the words "...just a moment ago...", the shot will go in the hole.  Always.  It's completely anti-climactic by the time you see the ball fall in.  This drives me nuts.  And it happens infinitely more often on NBC coverage than anywhere else. 

TPC Shark is up next, followed by Colonial.  In other words, I probably won't watch much televised golf until the Memorial. 

Gigapan

OMG, this is so cool.

Double vision of Lefty.  But what happened to Bones on 16?  He's sawed in half!

2008 Fantasy Golf LVP

I'd hereby like to nominate David Toms for the coveted 2008 Fantasy Golf Least Valuable Player Award. 

8 events
3MC
$305k money earned

And he's off to a quick +3 start through 4 holes of the PLAYERZ. 

Well done, captain. 

Chamblee on Weekley/First Day with the New Swing

As usual, I caught far too little golf on TV this past weekend.  Mid-April temperatures in the 70s up here will make that happen, of course.  But I did catch some highlights on GOLF Channel (tm) Sunday night.  They showed Weekley hit a handful of approach shots.  In most if not all of these shots, Weekley made an abbreviated 3/4 follow-through.  Of course, anyone who has played the game likely knows that he's not necessarily throttling back - rather he's working on extending through the ball and/or controlling the ball flight, something that is absolutely critical on Harbour Town's tiny greens. 

I guess Brandel Chamblee hasn't played the game much as of late.  He referred to these shots as "3/4 shots" implying that Boo was taking extra club and scaling back.  sfobv this wasn't the case.

-----

Sunday was my first round of the year at the home course.  Despite the word that the course came through the winter looking very good, there was quite a bit of snow mold and winter kill damage to some greens.  The good news is that, since I last set foot on the course last fall, the tree removal efforts have continued.  They've opened up more light and air flow to #8 and #13.  The better news is that, after just one lesson, my ball striking was dramatically better.  I still need to work on it, ingrain it, and trust it.  But when I execute it properly, the ball-flight is outstanding and those lost 10+ yards are back. 

I struggled a bit out of the gate, hitting some quick hooks (solidly struck shots but hooks nonetheless) into Holes 1-3.  I fatted what should've been a stock wedge into #4 and made bogey and stood at +2.  On #5 I pulled driver, but just barely had a shot along the tree line.  I needed to keep it low and had to avoid pulling it.  These obstacles were the trigger that I needed to pull off the swing I've been working on.  I fired a 9-iron from 140 to 10 feet and went drain-o for birdie.  It was on and off in the rest of the uneventful front nine and I closed with 39. 

On the back, things really started to come together on #11 where I pulled it left into the bunker, hit a decent shot but left another putt short on the very shaggy greens.  What's so special about this?  I hit 6-iron from 172 and flew it hole high.  I'm BACK, baby!!  After skanking out a par on the far too easy Par 5 12th, things got going.  I rifled a good drive on #13 into the wind, then hit a strong 9-iron just over the green, got it up and down and made par.  Over the green is good - solid contact pays off.  On 14 I fired SW from 90+ yards to about 8 feet, stopping it on a dime.  Left THAT short too.  Grrrr.  No such problems on #15 where I hit the shot of the day, a laser-beam 6-iron from 170+ into a slight breeze to four feet.  If I can hit a shot or two like this per round, life will be very good.  Wow.  Stiffed it on #16 too but again fell victim to the greens.  On 17 I got fast and loose with a 2nd shot 3-wood from 240 and skanked it into the trees, leading to a bogey.  A three-slap bogey on 18 rounded out a 77.  Still, that's a damn good score for me any time I tee it up pre-June, and a heck of a round given the putting conditions.  Very pleasing. 

Turd Leads in HarbourTown

Well look who is tied for the lead after a round in Harbour Town?  Yes, the Turd himself.  I caught only a few minutes of coverage last night, but I'll say this about the Turd - the new Oakleys don't match all that well with the red polo shirt and white pants.  Not.  At.  All. 

"Did you win that one?"

Epic. 

It's the fourth commercial, about 2 mins. into the clip.
http://www.geoffshackelford.com/homepage/2008/4/15/phils-crowne-plaza-ads.html

What's REALLY wrong with Tiger

A: "See, man.  I told you Tiger just can't do it in the clutch."
B: "What do you mean?"
A: "0-for-32 when trailing going into the last round in a major.  He doesn't have what it takes to come from behind, man."
B: "Yeah, but how many times of those 32 did he have a realistic shot?  He's probably 0-for-5 in reality"
A: "No way, man.  He just can't finish.  He's not the greatest, not even close.  Plus he plays against a bunch of folding nobodies.  Mickelson?  He sucks.  Els?  Him too.  Look at these major winners.  Some Argentinian dude.  A guy from Iowa.  Now a South African.  Where is Davis Love, man?  Where is Duval?  Where is Garcia?
B: "OK, listen up fucktard.  Maybe Tiger had a dismal SECOND PLACE at Augusta because of this."
A: (silence)

Clearly, I'm in "B's" camp. 

Verizon

Well, the relaxing Verizon Heritage Classic is next up and can Davis Love III add to his 19 Tour wins, where by the way, 7 of these are a combo of 5 here and 2 at Greensboro -- how can this guy seriously be considered HOF material given his Sunday meltdowns over the years? I think his win rate after leading after 54 holes is Cink-like. I believe it's less than 50%.

I like Billy Mayfair this week to contend. He has played well in the past here, losing in a Monday playoff a couple years back to Argentina's Jose Coceres, and is playing better of late. Throw in an average field and you get this average winner. But hey, he is the only one to beat Tiger Woods in a playoff.

Tiger, best clutch putter? My wife asked me (as only wives can do), "What does clutch putter mean?" I tried to explain that it means when you need it. On Sunday, she queried as she passed by the TV "Is Tiger the best clutch putter today?" Answer: Nope.

When he is putting well, he simply can't be beat. When he putts poorly (see Doral last month also), he finishes 2 back and 3 back. Pretty good stuff.

Masters Wrap-Up

When you've got two young boys and your wife bails out of town on Masters Sunday, you don't get to see as much of the action as you'd like. But I saw enough to warrant these thoughts.

1) I ALWAYS remember the Masters being about the back nine, and about guys going for 13 & 15 in two. Curtis would dunk it in the water and make a big round number while Couples would stiff one on 13 and make eagle. Now, it's an endless array of gap wedges launched into the greens. Granted the scores were much lower this year than last year, and would've been lower still had the wind not kicked up on Sunday. But can't they "modernize" the course without taking away the real charm and excitement of Sunday afternoon?

2) Everyone talks about what a great clutch putter Tig is - except for when he isn't. It's really going to stick in his craw how poorly he putted - especially since he ended up only three back.

3) I know full well that the Augusta National Golf Club (ANGC) runs the Masters, not the PGA, PGA TOUR, or anyone else that your average know-nothing thinks is prominently involved. Still, how the hell do Immelman and Snedeker get two full holes behind on Sunday and not get a warning? Immelman has a built-in hour glass and the sand has to make it all the way into the other chamber before he'll pull the trigger. Shameful.

4) Immelman's wife: Well Played, Trev.

5) TV never truly shows how significant the terrain is on any course. But the computer-generated fly-bys of ANGC made it look like some of the holes are on the sides of mountains. The truth lies somewhere in between, right?

6) Nice divot on the 72nd hole. Even better shot by Immelman to make it irrelevant.

7) Yeah, I could've kept Immelman for this year. And I didn't. But replacement keeper David Toms finally earned some money, so the glass isn't entirely empty. I guess.

Epilogue and Prologue

After watching a truly fascinating 3rd round yesterday, I sit here 3 hours away from network coverage and 2 hours west of Augusta watching the trees sway outside my office window in suburban Atlanta. Saturday at Augusta is traditionally called moving day and only two players seemingly moved up the board while many gaudy 'name' players slid back, the most notable being 2nd-ranked Phil Mickelson.

 

Phil's play was truly shocking. He easily threw away 4 shots on holes 8, 10, 15 & 16 and really it came down to really poor putting. Sure, he got robbed on his pitch shot on #8, but following up with a sloppy 3-putt is inexcusable for someone with his pedigree. Didn't this look like the 0-for-43 Phil forcing shots on #6 and #16? Winged Foot surely can't still be in his head, can it?

 

So who did move up the leaderboard into Sunday contention? Let's start with Englishman Paul Casey. A great 32 on the front nine was followed up by a 37 that included 3 bogies on the back nine. Casey's reaction afterwards with coach Peter Kostis? He was happy and content with his 69. Um, 3 bogies on the back nine while in contention is not really stuff of champions, Paul. I didn't like what I saw from this guy in the press conferences and I think he may not be a factor coming into the house on Sunday. Still too early.

 

Then there's Tiger, who claimed he couldn't have shot worse than the 68 strokes he posted. Maybe so, but he did pass 8 players and probably left #18 thinking he was going to be only 3 shots behind teeing it up today. Instead, he has to make up 6 strokes on Immelman. Still, with only 1 guy ahead of him ever to win a tournament with him in the field, he must think it's time to finally come from behind in a major to win #14 and get everyone psyched to talk Grand Slam.

 

Let's talk about the 6 stroke lead. After Tiger posted -5, it looked like perhaps these 4 guys ahead of him, Immelman, Snedeker, Flesch and Casey were actually going to come back to Tiger. Immelman seemed to be simply treading water, Snedeker bogied #11, #12 AND #13, Flesch bogied #14 and Casey, as mentioned earlier, had a couple himself. But wait...this wasn't your older brother's tournament of 3-4 years ago. Immelman plays the last 6 holes in -3, Snedeker bounces back with 3 birdies of his own in the last 5 holes and Flesch and Casey steady the ship coming in. Now we have an intriguing Sunday tournament. Will Tiger try to force the action? You know he wants to throw a couple of early birdies on the board to get the guys thinking, but he himself has said he needs to be patient this week and with the windy conditions, he may remain patient. But if he remains too cautious and the leaders continue to strike the ball solid and post 72 or 73, Tiger will not be in the mix. So I would love to know what Tiger's thinking strategy-wise about now.

 

Before we talk about the other 3 leaders, shall we talk about the other top guns who did absolutely nothing on Saturday? This includes such luminaries as major winners Weir, Singh, Furyk and Goosen. I mean, it's hard to believe that all these guys, plus Ryder Cupper Westwood all played about even par or worse for the day. I really can't comment too much more since none of these guys had much air time, but it seems like Furyk is still in a putting slump and after his eagle on #13 to get to -4, Goosen must have hit a couple of wayward drives coming in. Did you see VJ's putt on #18? Pushed it about 6 inches...not even close. I think VJ has to be satisfied with his one green jacket, cause that's all he win ever win.

 

A changing of the young guard has arrived. Good-bye Sergio, Chucky Three Sticks and Adam Scott and hello Trevor Immelman, Brandt Snedeker and Sean O'Hair. OK, so Sergio and Adam Scott should get their major chances here and there, but they are almost considered veterans at this point and clearly are not delivering. Meanwhile, Immelman, who stared down Tiger at the former Western Open a few years back, his gleaned tremendous confidence from Gary Player's continued compliments, comparing his swing to Ben Hogan's and making him a President's Cup pick a few years back. I love Snedeker's pre-shot routine and this guy can putt. Sean O'Hair is coming into his own and tried to make a run Saturday before dumping one in the pond on #11 trying to draw one into the back pin, a mental error trying that shot.

 

Well, Sunday truly should be fun with the winds up, the pressure up and Tiger Woods right behind the leaders. Really, 2 of these 4 guys should perform well on Sunday. What to make of 40-year old Steve Flesch? He has 4 PGA wins, but they are all at 2nd-tier events (Yes, Colonial is a 2nd tier event now my friends). I think he can hang in there due to his prowess on the par 5's, but really, he has never seen a stage this big before. Paul Casey's over/under is truly 75 today. That leaves our two leaders. Immelman is bred for stardom and expects to be here. Will he want it too much or will his recent health issues give him the proper perspective to take it home? Snedeker seems to me to be living the American dream and has a "well why not" attitude to his play so far. I'm not saying he's immune to the pressure, but if he can get through the first nine at 35-37, he should be there until the end.

 

Besides the 5 guys at -5 or better, is anything else up to the task of making a run? The only one above 2 under is Tiger's Whipping Boy, Stewart Cink. I heard an interesting fact this morning. Tiger's last 4 wins have come with Stewart Cink his playing partner. Uh, Tiger is paired with Cink today. It couldn't be, could it? Nah, Tiger is 0-for-ever in coming from behind in the majors, right? Well, he is pretty good. Can't wait to watch it all unfold later today. A tradition unlike any other, Sunday at the Masters.

 

Masters Round 1 Recap

Yeah, I could've kept Trevor Immelman in fantasy this offseason, but he wasn't all that special last year, and had some mysterious growth on his ribs or something to put him on the shelf for the start of this year.  So I worked out a player-for-pick trade and got to hold on to David Toms.  Yea, howsthatworkinforya, moron?

And now Immelman is leading the Masters.  Sure, he probably won't be the guy to win it.  But still. 

Other thoughts:

• Justin Rose leads early.  This is nothing new.  I read that he did two-a-days this offseason to prepare for the Masters.  Is the place *that* hard to walk?
• Who is Brian Bateman and how is he playing, let alone contending, at the Masters?
• Furyk: a workman-like 70.  I love it.
  
• Goosen and Lefty check in with 71.  Yep yep.  But what is Mark O'Meara doing right there with them?  Has he done anything on the Nostalgia Tour?
• We have a Sandy Lyle sighting.  I predict 78+ today.
  
• The day I played Oakmont, one thing that was made perfectly clear was the pride the members had in their list of major champions.  John Mahaffey was kind of their black mark (at least 'til Angel last year).  I suppose the Green Jackets will frown more and more upon Mike Weir as time passes.  Just think - it could've been Len Mattiace.
• That 74 from Todd Hamilton must've felt like 62.
• Els & Paddy: 74.  Sigh.
• Adam Scott: 75.  He'll either shoot 67 or 77 today. 
  
• The Bitch shot 76.  He probably wore some putrid shade of green too. 
  
• The $12 Man, Fred Couples, fires a 76.  Gotta go hard to claim that cuts made streak, Freddie.
• Appleby: 76.  It's sad, really. 
  
• My brilliant waiver pickups of the Hansen boys, Soren and Anders (no relation) looks sharp.  Anders fires a Jerry Rice while Soren fires Mean Joe and is +5 thru 6 today.