Thumbs Down method - Newsletter Jan 20

While many of us were watching the NFL playoffs on Sunday January 21 to determine this year's Super Bowl finalists, these pro golf events were taking place:

PGA TOUR
Bob Hope Chrysler Classic
PALM DESERT, CA
Jan 17-21

Justin Rose shot a 6-under 66 to take sole possession of the lead after three rounds of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic at 18-under-par and looked in control to win his first PGA TOUR event. Unfortunately for Rose, he joined last week's final round leader Charles Howell III as frontrunners, hungry for a win but who couldn't close the deal. Rose finished one stroke back to the eventual winner Charley Hoffman (who??), who finished regulation with a birdie and an eagle to post at 17-under-par. Hoffman then defeated John Rollins (another who??) on the first playoff hole.

Low scoring, sometimes 30 or more under par is the norm for this five round, 90 hole tournament, the only one on the PGA TOUR schedule. It's rotated over four courses for the first four rounds: Bermuda Dunes Country Club, the Arnold Palmer Private Course at PGA West, La Quinta Country Club and The Classic Club, which will host the final round on Sunday. This year's winning score defied past history by going in reverse during the final round, mostly due to gusting winds over 40 mph. The winds were so severe they almost cancelled the final round. Last year in January I played a round in Florida with this same type of wind. You know the conditions are difficult when the wind is howling so hard that the ball actually wobbles on the green as you're putting.

With the exception of defending champion Phil Mickelson, who kicked off his 2007 season at this event, the leaderboard consisted of very few familiar names to the casual viewer. In addition to Hoffman and Rollins, other lesser known players in contention included: Lucas Glover, Charles Warren, John Senden, Matt Kuchar, Dean Wilson, Heath Slocum Vaughn Taylor, Charles Warren, Cliff Kresge and Jeff Quinney to name a few.

Think about how good these guys are. Every week they battle and typically finish their four rounds under par, ending up so far down on the leader board that we don't even notice. When was the last time any of us had a round under par, let alone four? NEVER is the honest answer. Hey, these guys are REALLY GOOD! As for Mickelson, he closed with a 6-over 78 to share 45th at seven-under-par. Not bad for a week the press described as atrocious.

CHAMPIONS TOUR
MasterCard Championship
KA'UPULEHU-KONA, Hawaii
Jan 19-21

Anyone who thought Hale Irwin was too old and washed up is sadly mistaken. Irwin showed how competitive and determined he was in the off-season, as he won the Champions Tour's season-opening MasterCard Championship, beating Jim Thorpe and Tom Kite by five strokes for his tour-record 45th victory. Coming off his first winless season in 12 years, the 61-year-old Irwin closed with a 7-under 65 for a 23-under winning score.

Last year, he was shutout for the first time since joining the Champions Tour in 1995 and saw his streak of seasons with $1 million in winnings end at 10. On Saturday, Irwin had 10 birdies and almost shot his age, but missed a 12-foot birdie putt on 18 and settled for a 62. He has dominated in Hawaii like no other golfer, winning nine times on the senior tour, including the 1997 MasterCard and also taking the 1981 Hawaiian Open on the PGA Tour. As a side note, Gary Player is still playing on the Champions Tour and CAN STILL play, as he shot his age of 69 two out of the three rounds.

Jay Haas and first-round leader Brad Bryant tied for fifth place at 15-under-par. D.A. Weibring and Tom Jenkins both shot rounds of 5-under 67 and shared seventh place at minus-14. Eduardo Romero (68), Tom Watson (68), Jerry Pate (70) and Allen Doyle (70) tied for ninth place at 13-under-par. Dana Quigley, the iron man of golf who won here in 2003 and 2005, was in contention until fading in the final round.

Just think about this for a moment. Athletes in their 50's and 60's are competing in a sport and playing at such a high level. WOW! Only in golf is this possible. I remember when I was first watching professional golf in the mid 1960's when the top players were: Billy Casper, Orville Moody, Miller Barber, Bob Murphy and an out of shape Jack Nicklaus. These guys could hit it far and shoot under par (with yesterday's equipment), but didn't look anything like our vision of professional athletes. Arnold Palmer was one of the few that wasstrong and athletically built. In those days Gary Player was the rare exception in that he worked out frequently, but back then it meant he was doing hundreds of push-ups and sit-ups each day.

LPGA TOUR
Women's World Cup of Golf
SUN CITY, South Africa
Jan 19-21

Paraguay won the Women's World Cup by seven strokes over the United States at the Gary Player Country Club. Celeste Troche and Julieta Granada who won last year's ADT LPGA Championship combined to shoot a 7-under 65 Sunday in betterball for the easy win.
Granada had five birdies and Troche added three more, including a chip-in at the 17th, to win at 9-under 279. The United States team of Pat Hurst and Juli Inkster finished second, seven strokes back. South Korea (67) was third at 287.

EUROPEAN TOUR
Abu Dhabi Golf Championship
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates
Jan 18-21

Paul Casey shot a 7-under 65 Sunday to win the by one stroke over Miguel Angel Jimenez and Peter Hanson. Defending champion Chris DiMarco was fourth at 15-under. Casey had five birdies on the front nine and three on the back, easily overcoming his three-stroke deficit from the third round. Jimenez, who was even with Casey after 16 holes, bogeyed the 17th and wasn't able to birdie 18 to force a playoff. Padraig Harrington, Jean Francois and Retief Goosen tied for fifth at 14-under.