Who do you think will finish second at the PGA Championship?
In 2000, I just began a new job and remember the first time meeting my new Regional VP at a local sales meeting and talking golf. After the initial introduction, the above question was the first I asked him. Of course back then I was referring to fact that Tiger Woods was winning every major tournament in sight ...and there was no reason to think anything would change, so the field was playing for second. Little did I realize that was the year the PGA Championship at Medina would come down to an epic battle between Tiger and Bob May.
Yesterday, I took my kids to see the NY Yankees baseball game, a 1:05 start in the Bronx. Planning ahead, I set the timer for 1:00 to tape (an old fashioned VCR) the WGC Bridgestone Championship. Rory Sabbatini held a one shot lead over Tiger going into the final round and was confident, trash talking at every opportunity. All Saturday night I saw replays of the press conference earlier this year at the Wachovia Championship, where Sabbatini also held a lead over Tiger going into the final round, saying how he thought Tiger had lost his edge and was beatable. NOT! Tiger won that event as Sabbatini faded. At Saturday's press conference Tiger reminded everyone how he’s won as many tournaments this year alone as Sabbatini’s career grand total.
As I returned home from a fun afternoon around 7:00, I sat down with my dinner and turned on the replay, not having any idea what had happened. As I began watching, the TV crew explained how going head to head in the final group with Tiger was REALLY hazardous to the game of his competitor. Although their game plans are to play well, be patient and follow their plan, it usually takes only a few holes for them to hit a few bad shots or miss a few putts, then implode. Typically they shoot in the high 70’s or even 80 or above. At the same time, Tiger plays steady, makes pars plus adds a few birdies to take the lead, then pulls away from the field.
All I can say after watching the first few holes yesterday is WOW…WOW and more WOW! It was déjà vu all over again, an instant replay of the past. Like many before him, Sabbatini scrambled on the first hole for par, then started missing fairways. On this day at Firestone Country Club, where Woods has won many times before, the conditions were US Open-like. The rough was long, thick and wet, thanks to a steady rain all day. Sabbatini slopped it up with bogies and doubles on the front nine, while Tiger hit fairways and greens, making pars and birdies and pulling away. He lead by seven shots before the end of the front nine, but put an exclamation point by chipping in twice from off the green.
Tiger is one modern day athlete you don’t mess with, especially when it’s the final round and he’s in your rear view mirror.
August 06, 2007
July 25, 2007
Golf’s Majors – Events that never disappoint
For all those who criticize golf and insist it’s NOT a real sport, what have you been watching for the past forty + years? Ever since I was ten years old and watched Arnold Palmer win the 1964 Masters, I’ve been glued to the TV every year, four times a year during the majors: Masters, US Open, British Open and PGA Championship.
This year’s final round of the 136th British Open (or more officially known as the Open Golf Championship at Carnoustie Golf Links), won by Padraig Harrington in a playoff vs Sergio Garcia, was yet another nail biting finish that did not disappoint. Isn’t it amazing how even after 72 holes of 300 + yard drives, 250 yard iron shots during regulation play and another four playoff holes, that once again the final outcome came down to a short putt?
Think back to the last time a big time sporting event actually came through with the drama and heart-pounding suspense it was hyped up to be. From my own experiences, the majority of Super Bowls I’ve watched over the years have been mainly disappointing blowouts. The worst hyped events were the big boxing matches. When Ali was at the end of his boxing career I remember getting psyched up a few weeks prior to each fight, only to watch endless rounds of boring clenching and holding. I love baseball and hockey, which is my favorite action packed spectator sport, but when your team is out of it (like my NY Rangers), it’s on to the next season. The other problem that occurs with most other sports is when referees, umpires, judges, etc make judgmental calls that negatively influence the outcome and ruin the game. The recent betting scandal with Tim Donaghy the basketball referee, only accentuates the beauty of golf’s “self policing” style of rule enforcement.
Watching a great golf tournament on a great golf course like the one's they play the majors on is always a treat, even if I’m not rooting for a specific player. This week, I must admit I was rooting for Sergio to break through and erase the demons that haunt those winners who haven’t won a major. Funny thing, Padraig Harrington was in that category himself (for a lot longer) until he shot a final round 67 vs Garcia’s 73 on Sunday, then won the playoff one stroke up. All I can say is, who cares what anyone else thinks. GOLF IS GREAT THEATRE!
Here’s a few questions to leave you with. Your answers and comments are important and welcome, which I plan to post on each blog to make it more interactive and interesting for all:
1. For Sergio, was OPEN week a dream or his worst nightmare?
2. What business related relationship do the winners of the last two British Opens at Carnoustie have in common?
This year’s final round of the 136th British Open (or more officially known as the Open Golf Championship at Carnoustie Golf Links), won by Padraig Harrington in a playoff vs Sergio Garcia, was yet another nail biting finish that did not disappoint. Isn’t it amazing how even after 72 holes of 300 + yard drives, 250 yard iron shots during regulation play and another four playoff holes, that once again the final outcome came down to a short putt?
Think back to the last time a big time sporting event actually came through with the drama and heart-pounding suspense it was hyped up to be. From my own experiences, the majority of Super Bowls I’ve watched over the years have been mainly disappointing blowouts. The worst hyped events were the big boxing matches. When Ali was at the end of his boxing career I remember getting psyched up a few weeks prior to each fight, only to watch endless rounds of boring clenching and holding. I love baseball and hockey, which is my favorite action packed spectator sport, but when your team is out of it (like my NY Rangers), it’s on to the next season. The other problem that occurs with most other sports is when referees, umpires, judges, etc make judgmental calls that negatively influence the outcome and ruin the game. The recent betting scandal with Tim Donaghy the basketball referee, only accentuates the beauty of golf’s “self policing” style of rule enforcement.
Watching a great golf tournament on a great golf course like the one's they play the majors on is always a treat, even if I’m not rooting for a specific player. This week, I must admit I was rooting for Sergio to break through and erase the demons that haunt those winners who haven’t won a major. Funny thing, Padraig Harrington was in that category himself (for a lot longer) until he shot a final round 67 vs Garcia’s 73 on Sunday, then won the playoff one stroke up. All I can say is, who cares what anyone else thinks. GOLF IS GREAT THEATRE!
Here’s a few questions to leave you with. Your answers and comments are important and welcome, which I plan to post on each blog to make it more interactive and interesting for all:
1. For Sergio, was OPEN week a dream or his worst nightmare?
2. What business related relationship do the winners of the last two British Opens at Carnoustie have in common?
June 21, 2007
Tiger, a lot like Jack
U.S. Open
Oakmont Country Club
Oakmont, Pennsylvania
June 14-17, 2007
Defending Champion: Geoff Ogilvy
Everyone remembers Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major championships and Tiger Wood's relentless pursuit to break it. After watching Tiger move up on the leader board only to come up short to finish second, like he also did at the Masters I quickly remembered how Nicklaus finished runner up 19 times, also a record. To match Jack, Tiger has a lot of disappointment to experience before eventually surpassing him as best of all time. What I clearly noticed at this year's first two majors is how similar these two champions are in their mental approach to preparing for majors.
At major tournaments with the toughest playing conditions, Nicklaus always felt like he had an immediate edge. His reasoning was simple; most of the field eliminated themselves. Look at the scores at Oakmont this year, Winged Foot last year and US Opens since the mid 1960's and you'll see very similar results. With rare exception, the winning scores are near or over par, but a closer look at the entire field shows many top players posting embarrassing rounds in the high 70's or 80's. Finishing scores of +20 or higher are very common.
Tiger, like Jack has the knack to hang in there, grind it out and minimize the damage until there's only a few players left standing to beat. Even when he's way down the leader board after rounds one and two, Tiger almost always seems to get himself back into contention, heading toward the top on Sunday. I would have given great odds that he would come back to win during the final round at Oakmont.
The conditions played into Tiger's favor but at the end the one stroke margin of victory came from the same place it usually does at the pro level, on the greens. The winning edge came from Angel Cabrera's ability to make birdies when he had the chances verses Tiger Wood's inability to do the same. At the end it wasn't how many fairways, or 395 yard bombs off the tee, or greens in regulation as it was getting the ball to drop into the 4 ¼ inch cup at the right time.
For those who don't think golf is a real sport, wake up. Golf is great theatre!
Oakmont Country Club
Oakmont, Pennsylvania
June 14-17, 2007
Defending Champion: Geoff Ogilvy
Everyone remembers Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major championships and Tiger Wood's relentless pursuit to break it. After watching Tiger move up on the leader board only to come up short to finish second, like he also did at the Masters I quickly remembered how Nicklaus finished runner up 19 times, also a record. To match Jack, Tiger has a lot of disappointment to experience before eventually surpassing him as best of all time. What I clearly noticed at this year's first two majors is how similar these two champions are in their mental approach to preparing for majors.
At major tournaments with the toughest playing conditions, Nicklaus always felt like he had an immediate edge. His reasoning was simple; most of the field eliminated themselves. Look at the scores at Oakmont this year, Winged Foot last year and US Opens since the mid 1960's and you'll see very similar results. With rare exception, the winning scores are near or over par, but a closer look at the entire field shows many top players posting embarrassing rounds in the high 70's or 80's. Finishing scores of +20 or higher are very common.
Tiger, like Jack has the knack to hang in there, grind it out and minimize the damage until there's only a few players left standing to beat. Even when he's way down the leader board after rounds one and two, Tiger almost always seems to get himself back into contention, heading toward the top on Sunday. I would have given great odds that he would come back to win during the final round at Oakmont.
The conditions played into Tiger's favor but at the end the one stroke margin of victory came from the same place it usually does at the pro level, on the greens. The winning edge came from Angel Cabrera's ability to make birdies when he had the chances verses Tiger Wood's inability to do the same. At the end it wasn't how many fairways, or 395 yard bombs off the tee, or greens in regulation as it was getting the ball to drop into the 4 ¼ inch cup at the right time.
For those who don't think golf is a real sport, wake up. Golf is great theatre!
June 14, 2007
US Open Week, June 14th-17th
The best golfers, most dedicated fans and media from around the world are in Oakmont, Pennsylvania to see this season's second major championship, the U.S. Open at famed Oakmont Country Club, for a record eighth time. The last time the Open was played at Oakmont was in 1994. Ernie Els claimed the first of his two U.S. Open titles by fending off Loren Roberts and Colin Montgomerie, in the first three-way playoff since 1963. Oakmont is much different than it was in 1973 when Johnny Miller shot a U.S. Open record round of eight-under 63, beating John Schlee by a stroke. Over 5,000 trees were removed to regain the original links style design plus length added to measure well over 7,200 yards.
Remembering back to last year at Winged Foot, when Geoff Ogilvy gutted out the win as Jim Furyk, Colin Montgomery and the heartbreak loser Phil Mickelson, winner of the previous two majors -- the 2005 PGA Championship and the 2006 Masters, all had finishes they'd like to forget.
Television coverage this week is as follows: ESPN and NBC from 10:00 a.m. (et) until 7:00 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. NBC will be on air from 3:00-5:00 p.m., while the remaining seven hours of action will be on ESPN. NBC will be on air from 1:00-7:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Here are pairings and tee times for days one and two:
# 1 Thursday/# 10 Friday
7:00/12:30 - Ken Duke, Sam Walker, Johnson Wagner
7:11/12:41 - Craig Kanada, Jon Mills, Tom Gillis
7:22/12:52 - Allen Doyle, Olin Browne, Tom Byrum
7:33/1:03 - Nick Dougherty, a-Trip Kuehne, Ricky Barnes
7:44/1:14 - Ryuji Imada, Vaughn Taylor, Michael Campbell
7:55/1:25 - Jose Maria Olazabal, Sergio Garcia, Pablo Martin
8:06/1:36 - Tiger Woods, a-Richie Ramsay, Geoff Ogilvy
8:17/1:47 - Justin Leonard, Rory Sabbatini, Jerry Kelly
8:28/1:58 - Retief Goosen, Luke Donald, Angel Cabrera
8:39/2:09 - Bob Estes, Johan Edfors, Ryan Palmer
8:50/2:20 - Woody Austin, Mathew Goggin, Pat Perez
9:01/2:31 - Jason Allen, Mike Small, Geoffrey Sisk
9:12/2:42 - Michael Berg, a-Jason Kokrak, Kyle Dobbs
12:30/7:00 - Jeff Brehaut, Andrew Buckle, Darron Stiles
12:41/7:11 - Martin Laird, a-Alex Prugh, Todd Fischer
12:52/7:22 - Joe Durant, Steve Stricker, Joey Sindelar
1:03/7:33 - Trevor Immelman, Stewart Cink, Paul Casey
1:14/7:44 - Vijay Singh, Davis Love III, Henrik Stenson
1:25/7:55 - Jeff Sluman, Fred Funk, Toru Taniguchi
1:36/8:06 - Camilo Villegas, Lucas Glover, Aaron Baddeley
1:47/8:17 - David Howell, J.J. Henry, Rod Pampling
1:58/8:28 - Lee Westwood, Chad Campbell, Carl Pettersson
2:09/8:39 - Brett Quigley, Anthony Wall, Hunter Mahan
2:20/8:50 - Kevin Sutherland, Soren Kjeldsen, Eric Axley
2:31/9:01 - Joe Daley, a-Martin Ureta, Miguel Rodriguez
2:42/9:12 - a-Chris Condello, Adam Speirs, Jacob Rogers
# 10 Thursday/# 1 Friday
7:00/12:30 - Michael Putnam, a-Rhys Davies, Lee Williams
7:11/12:41 - Boo Weekley, Nobuhiro Masuda, Bubba Watson
7:22/12:52 - a-John Kelly, Graeme McDowell, Kirk Triplett
7:33/1:03 - Colin Montgomerie, Chris Dimarco, Tim Clark
7:44/1:14 - Ernie Els, Zach Johnson, Padraig Harrington
7:55/1:25 - Thomas Bjorn, Ben Curtis, Stephen Ames
8:06/1:36 - K.J. Choi, David Toms, Mike Weir
8:17/1:47 - Stuart Appleby, Scott Verplank, Robert Allenby
8:28/1:58 - Todd Hamilton, John Rollins, Anders Hansen
8:39/2:09 - Niclas Fasth, Arron Oberholser, Nathan Green
8:50/2:20 - Nick Watney, Peter Hanson, Harrison Frazar
9:01/2:31 - a-Philip Pettitt Jr, Warren Pineo, John Koskinen
9:12/2:42 - Andy Matthews, a-Jeff Golden, Michael Block
12:30/7:00 - Jason Dufner, Darren Fichardt, Chris Stroud
12:41/7:11 - Brandt Snedeker, Christian Cevaer, Steve Marino
12:52/7:22 - Shaun Micheel, Charl Schwartzel, Tom Pernice Jr.
1:03/7:33 - Nick O'Hern, Brett Wetterich, Robert Karlsson
1:14/7:44 - Kaname Yokoo, Paul Goydos, Kenneth Ferrie
1:25/7:55 - Ian Poulter, Ryan Moore, Shingo Katayama
1:36/8:06 - Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott, Jim Furyk
1:47/8:17 - Lee Janzen, Steve Elkington, Rich Beem
1:58/8:28 - Charles Howell, Justin Rose, Sean O'Hair
2:09/8:39 - Anthony Kim, Jeev Milkha Singh, Dean Wilson
2:20/8:50 - Tim Petrovic, Marcus Fraser, Tripp Isenhour
2:31/9:01 - D.J. Brigman, a-Richard Lee, George McNeill
2:42/9:12 - Frank Bensel, Todd Rossetti, a-Mark Harrell
Q&A: Who can qualify for the US Open?
Any professional golfer, or any amateur with a USGA men's handicap index of 1.4 or lower, can attempt to qualify for the U.S. Open. Many golfers are exempt from sectional qualifying, or exempt from local qualifying but not from sectional. Most of the exemptions are based on such things as performance in other majors, performance in other USGA championships, standing on the money list or world golf rankings, and so on. Assuming you don't qualify for an exemption, then you'll have to take part in a local qualifier. In 2006, local qualifiers were held at 110 locations across the United States, with more than 7,000 golfers taking part.
Elsewhere in professional golf:
EUROPEAN TOUR
OPEN DE SAINT-OMER, Aa Saint Omer Golf Club, Lumbres, France
Last year, Cesar Monasterio closed with a four-under 67 to overcome a five- shot deficit and claim a one-stroke win over Martin Maritz and third-round leader Henrik Nystrom
NATIONWIDE TOUR
Rochester Area Charities Showdown at Somerby, Somerby Golf Club, Byron, Minnesota
Last year, Brandt Snedeker needed two extra holes to defeat Jeff Quinney. Both players have been playing well this year on the PGA Tour as Snedeker is 43rd on the money list, while Quinney is 27th. Each has practically secured their PGA Tour card for next year with over a $1 million earned to this point in the season.
Last Week's recap:
PGA TOUR
Woody Austin fired a final round eight-under 62 to capture the Stanford St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind. Austin played the round of his life when it counted for his fifth win on the PGA Tour.
LPGA TOUR
Suzann Pettersen won the McDonald's LPGA Championship on Sunday and moved up eight places to # 4 in the latest Rolex Rankings for women's golf. Karrie Webb finished runner-up for the second year in a row and knocked Annika Sorenstam from the # 2 position. Sorenstam, the longtime No. 1 before Lorena Ochoa supplanted her earlier this season, is the new # 3.
EUROPEAN TOUR
Richard Green bogeyed the final hole of the BA-CA Golf Open to tie Jean-Francois Remesy at 16-under-par, winning on the first playoff hole, his first win since the 1997 Dubai Desert Classic.
CHAMPIONS TOUR
Jay Haas bogied the final two holes but had a big enough cushion to win The Principal Charity Classic by three strokes.
NATIONWIDE TOUR
Kyle Thompson shot a one-under 70 over Bob Burns to win the Rex Hospital Open in wire-to-wire fashion, his first Nationwide Tour victory.
Remembering back to last year at Winged Foot, when Geoff Ogilvy gutted out the win as Jim Furyk, Colin Montgomery and the heartbreak loser Phil Mickelson, winner of the previous two majors -- the 2005 PGA Championship and the 2006 Masters, all had finishes they'd like to forget.
Television coverage this week is as follows: ESPN and NBC from 10:00 a.m. (et) until 7:00 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. NBC will be on air from 3:00-5:00 p.m., while the remaining seven hours of action will be on ESPN. NBC will be on air from 1:00-7:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Here are pairings and tee times for days one and two:
# 1 Thursday/# 10 Friday
7:00/12:30 - Ken Duke, Sam Walker, Johnson Wagner
7:11/12:41 - Craig Kanada, Jon Mills, Tom Gillis
7:22/12:52 - Allen Doyle, Olin Browne, Tom Byrum
7:33/1:03 - Nick Dougherty, a-Trip Kuehne, Ricky Barnes
7:44/1:14 - Ryuji Imada, Vaughn Taylor, Michael Campbell
7:55/1:25 - Jose Maria Olazabal, Sergio Garcia, Pablo Martin
8:06/1:36 - Tiger Woods, a-Richie Ramsay, Geoff Ogilvy
8:17/1:47 - Justin Leonard, Rory Sabbatini, Jerry Kelly
8:28/1:58 - Retief Goosen, Luke Donald, Angel Cabrera
8:39/2:09 - Bob Estes, Johan Edfors, Ryan Palmer
8:50/2:20 - Woody Austin, Mathew Goggin, Pat Perez
9:01/2:31 - Jason Allen, Mike Small, Geoffrey Sisk
9:12/2:42 - Michael Berg, a-Jason Kokrak, Kyle Dobbs
12:30/7:00 - Jeff Brehaut, Andrew Buckle, Darron Stiles
12:41/7:11 - Martin Laird, a-Alex Prugh, Todd Fischer
12:52/7:22 - Joe Durant, Steve Stricker, Joey Sindelar
1:03/7:33 - Trevor Immelman, Stewart Cink, Paul Casey
1:14/7:44 - Vijay Singh, Davis Love III, Henrik Stenson
1:25/7:55 - Jeff Sluman, Fred Funk, Toru Taniguchi
1:36/8:06 - Camilo Villegas, Lucas Glover, Aaron Baddeley
1:47/8:17 - David Howell, J.J. Henry, Rod Pampling
1:58/8:28 - Lee Westwood, Chad Campbell, Carl Pettersson
2:09/8:39 - Brett Quigley, Anthony Wall, Hunter Mahan
2:20/8:50 - Kevin Sutherland, Soren Kjeldsen, Eric Axley
2:31/9:01 - Joe Daley, a-Martin Ureta, Miguel Rodriguez
2:42/9:12 - a-Chris Condello, Adam Speirs, Jacob Rogers
# 10 Thursday/# 1 Friday
7:00/12:30 - Michael Putnam, a-Rhys Davies, Lee Williams
7:11/12:41 - Boo Weekley, Nobuhiro Masuda, Bubba Watson
7:22/12:52 - a-John Kelly, Graeme McDowell, Kirk Triplett
7:33/1:03 - Colin Montgomerie, Chris Dimarco, Tim Clark
7:44/1:14 - Ernie Els, Zach Johnson, Padraig Harrington
7:55/1:25 - Thomas Bjorn, Ben Curtis, Stephen Ames
8:06/1:36 - K.J. Choi, David Toms, Mike Weir
8:17/1:47 - Stuart Appleby, Scott Verplank, Robert Allenby
8:28/1:58 - Todd Hamilton, John Rollins, Anders Hansen
8:39/2:09 - Niclas Fasth, Arron Oberholser, Nathan Green
8:50/2:20 - Nick Watney, Peter Hanson, Harrison Frazar
9:01/2:31 - a-Philip Pettitt Jr, Warren Pineo, John Koskinen
9:12/2:42 - Andy Matthews, a-Jeff Golden, Michael Block
12:30/7:00 - Jason Dufner, Darren Fichardt, Chris Stroud
12:41/7:11 - Brandt Snedeker, Christian Cevaer, Steve Marino
12:52/7:22 - Shaun Micheel, Charl Schwartzel, Tom Pernice Jr.
1:03/7:33 - Nick O'Hern, Brett Wetterich, Robert Karlsson
1:14/7:44 - Kaname Yokoo, Paul Goydos, Kenneth Ferrie
1:25/7:55 - Ian Poulter, Ryan Moore, Shingo Katayama
1:36/8:06 - Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott, Jim Furyk
1:47/8:17 - Lee Janzen, Steve Elkington, Rich Beem
1:58/8:28 - Charles Howell, Justin Rose, Sean O'Hair
2:09/8:39 - Anthony Kim, Jeev Milkha Singh, Dean Wilson
2:20/8:50 - Tim Petrovic, Marcus Fraser, Tripp Isenhour
2:31/9:01 - D.J. Brigman, a-Richard Lee, George McNeill
2:42/9:12 - Frank Bensel, Todd Rossetti, a-Mark Harrell
Q&A: Who can qualify for the US Open?
Any professional golfer, or any amateur with a USGA men's handicap index of 1.4 or lower, can attempt to qualify for the U.S. Open. Many golfers are exempt from sectional qualifying, or exempt from local qualifying but not from sectional. Most of the exemptions are based on such things as performance in other majors, performance in other USGA championships, standing on the money list or world golf rankings, and so on. Assuming you don't qualify for an exemption, then you'll have to take part in a local qualifier. In 2006, local qualifiers were held at 110 locations across the United States, with more than 7,000 golfers taking part.
Elsewhere in professional golf:
EUROPEAN TOUR
OPEN DE SAINT-OMER, Aa Saint Omer Golf Club, Lumbres, France
Last year, Cesar Monasterio closed with a four-under 67 to overcome a five- shot deficit and claim a one-stroke win over Martin Maritz and third-round leader Henrik Nystrom
NATIONWIDE TOUR
Rochester Area Charities Showdown at Somerby, Somerby Golf Club, Byron, Minnesota
Last year, Brandt Snedeker needed two extra holes to defeat Jeff Quinney. Both players have been playing well this year on the PGA Tour as Snedeker is 43rd on the money list, while Quinney is 27th. Each has practically secured their PGA Tour card for next year with over a $1 million earned to this point in the season.
Last Week's recap:
PGA TOUR
Woody Austin fired a final round eight-under 62 to capture the Stanford St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind. Austin played the round of his life when it counted for his fifth win on the PGA Tour.
LPGA TOUR
Suzann Pettersen won the McDonald's LPGA Championship on Sunday and moved up eight places to # 4 in the latest Rolex Rankings for women's golf. Karrie Webb finished runner-up for the second year in a row and knocked Annika Sorenstam from the # 2 position. Sorenstam, the longtime No. 1 before Lorena Ochoa supplanted her earlier this season, is the new # 3.
EUROPEAN TOUR
Richard Green bogeyed the final hole of the BA-CA Golf Open to tie Jean-Francois Remesy at 16-under-par, winning on the first playoff hole, his first win since the 1997 Dubai Desert Classic.
CHAMPIONS TOUR
Jay Haas bogied the final two holes but had a big enough cushion to win The Principal Charity Classic by three strokes.
NATIONWIDE TOUR
Kyle Thompson shot a one-under 70 over Bob Burns to win the Rex Hospital Open in wire-to-wire fashion, his first Nationwide Tour victory.
June 05, 2007
Pro Tour Recaps - Week of May 31 - June 3
PGA TOUR
Memorial Tournament
Muirfield Village GC
Dublin, Ohio
Defending Champion: Carl Pettersson
Purse: $6,000,000
K.J. Choi overcame a 5-shot deficit to win the Memorial Tournament. Choi, a self taught pro learned to play golf by reading books by Jack Nicklaus and spending hours watching his videos. Australian’s Adam Scott and Rod Pampling, both had leads but could not hold them, as Choi endured for his fifth TOUR win. Full Field Scores
Ginn Tribute Hosted by ANNIKA
RiverTowne Country Club
Charleston, South Carolina
Purse: $2,600,000
Nicole Castrale fought from behind to win her first LPGA Tour victory, beating Lorena Ochoa on the first hole of a playoff. Ochoa, was up by six shots Saturday and still ahead by two shots with three holes to play Sunday, but bogeys on the 16th and 17th holes allowed Castrale to tie at the end of regulation. Castrale, who watched Ochoa's drive land in the hazard on the first playoff hole, found the fairway and made a routine par for the win. Full Field Scores
CHAMPIONS TOUR
The Boeing Championship at Sandestin
Raven Golf Club at Sandestin Resort
Sandestin, Florida
Defending Champion: Bobby Wadkins
Purse: $1,650,000
Loren Roberts won The Boeing Championship for his first Champions Tour victory of the year, closing with a 6-under 65 and a 16-under total, for a three-stroke victory over Argentina's Eduardo Romero. Full Field Scores
EUROPEAN TOUR
The Celtic Manor Wales Open
Celtic Manor Resort
City of Newport, Wales
Defending Champion: Robert Karlsson
Richard Sterne of South Africa made a 7-foot putt on the final hole Sunday to win the Wales Open after Bradley Dredge missed a 5-footer that would have forced a playoff. Full Field Scores
NATIONWIDE TOUR
LaSalle Bank Open
The Glen Club
Glenview, Illinois
Defending Champion: Jason Dufner
Purse: $750,000
John Riegger ended a 20+ year draught, winning his first professional tour title. Riegger fought from behind as he holed a 20-foot birdie putt on the final hole to finish at 17- under, one-stroke better than B.J. Staten. Full Field Scores
Memorial Tournament
Muirfield Village GC
Dublin, Ohio
Defending Champion: Carl Pettersson
Purse: $6,000,000
K.J. Choi overcame a 5-shot deficit to win the Memorial Tournament. Choi, a self taught pro learned to play golf by reading books by Jack Nicklaus and spending hours watching his videos. Australian’s Adam Scott and Rod Pampling, both had leads but could not hold them, as Choi endured for his fifth TOUR win. Full Field Scores
Ginn Tribute Hosted by ANNIKA
RiverTowne Country Club
Charleston, South Carolina
Purse: $2,600,000
Nicole Castrale fought from behind to win her first LPGA Tour victory, beating Lorena Ochoa on the first hole of a playoff. Ochoa, was up by six shots Saturday and still ahead by two shots with three holes to play Sunday, but bogeys on the 16th and 17th holes allowed Castrale to tie at the end of regulation. Castrale, who watched Ochoa's drive land in the hazard on the first playoff hole, found the fairway and made a routine par for the win. Full Field Scores
CHAMPIONS TOUR
The Boeing Championship at Sandestin
Raven Golf Club at Sandestin Resort
Sandestin, Florida
Defending Champion: Bobby Wadkins
Purse: $1,650,000
Loren Roberts won The Boeing Championship for his first Champions Tour victory of the year, closing with a 6-under 65 and a 16-under total, for a three-stroke victory over Argentina's Eduardo Romero. Full Field Scores
EUROPEAN TOUR
The Celtic Manor Wales Open
Celtic Manor Resort
City of Newport, Wales
Defending Champion: Robert Karlsson
Richard Sterne of South Africa made a 7-foot putt on the final hole Sunday to win the Wales Open after Bradley Dredge missed a 5-footer that would have forced a playoff. Full Field Scores
NATIONWIDE TOUR
LaSalle Bank Open
The Glen Club
Glenview, Illinois
Defending Champion: Jason Dufner
Purse: $750,000
John Riegger ended a 20+ year draught, winning his first professional tour title. Riegger fought from behind as he holed a 20-foot birdie putt on the final hole to finish at 17- under, one-stroke better than B.J. Staten. Full Field Scores
May 22, 2007
The Girls Rock in New Jersey
LPGA Tour
Sybase Classic
Upper Montclair Country Club
Clifton, New Jersey
Defending: Lorena Ochoa
Purse: $1,400,000
Sybase Classic
Upper Montclair Country Club
Clifton, New Jersey
Defending: Lorena Ochoa
Purse: $1,400,000
This week the LPGA made their annual stop in New Jersey, but instead of the usual Shopright Classic from Seaview Marriot, the Sybase Classic took center stage. Playing for the first time at Montclair Country Club, defending champion and the No. 1 player in women's golf Lorena Ochoa won, finishing three strokes ahead of tournament frontrunner Sarah Lee. Ochoa closed the deal with a 4-under 68 for an 18-under tournament total. The duo distanced themselves from the field the day before, turning the outcome into a match play event. The victory was the second of the season and the 11th of her career for the LPGA Tour's top player in 2006. Full Field Scores
Editorial comment:
When I see scores like this, the first thought is that the course was short and easy. It blows my mind to see how low pros go, because as a handicap golfer for over 40 years I know “there’s nothing easy about it”. There’s no such thing as an easy golf course and par was meant to be broken, only by a chosen few. Pro golfers make it look easy because they are that good, miles above the rest of us. Oh well, I’ll just have to settle for breaking 80. Golf’s still the best good habit in my life. Email your thoughts to: AJM.ME@thumbsdown.info.
Also this week in the world of NJ Golf:
Matt Davidson from West Windsor, who qualified to play on the PGA Tour in 2005 shot a 65 in the final round to finish in sixth place (his best finish of the year) and on the Hooters Tour. Davidson finished at 12 under par and now ranks 24th on the tour’s money list.
Davidson had an unusual “be careful what you wish for” experience in 2004 by playing the best six rounds of his life at Q-School, qualifying to play on the PGA Tour. In his first round as a pro he was paired with Michele Wie during the 2005 Sony Open in Hawaii. As his father put it, “it’s like he started his career with the NY Yankees. A great learning experience, but talk about pressure”.
Davidson had an unusual “be careful what you wish for” experience in 2004 by playing the best six rounds of his life at Q-School, qualifying to play on the PGA Tour. In his first round as a pro he was paired with Michele Wie during the 2005 Sony Open in Hawaii. As his father put it, “it’s like he started his career with the NY Yankees. A great learning experience, but talk about pressure”.
This week's other Pro Tour events:
PGA Tour
AT&T Classic
TPC at Sugarloaf
Duluth, Georgia
Defending: Phil Mickelson
Purse: $5,400,000
Master’s Champion Zack Johnson validated is credentials as a PGA winner at the AT&T Classic (formerly the Bell South), beating Ryuji Imada on the first hole of a playoff. After Imada slightly pulled his approach shot into the water, Johnson abandoned his conservative strategy that helped him win the Masters, by laying up on par 5’s. This time went for it and landed his second shot onto the 18th green, leaving a 60-footer for eagle. His approach putt finished a few inches from the hole, with a tap in for the victory. Johnson, also the 2004 winner, closed with a 5-under 67, 15-under par. Full Field Scores
European Tour
Irish Open
Adare Manor Golf Club
Limerick, Ireland
Defending: Thomas Bjorn
Padraig Harrington became the first Irishman to win the Irish Open in 25 years Sunday, beating Welshman Bradley Dredge on the first hole of a playoff. Full Field Scores
Nationwide Tour
BMW Charity Pro-Am
The Cliffs
Greenville, South Carolina
Defending: Ken Duke
Purse: $650,000 ($117,000 to winner)
Nick Flanagan birdied his final three holes Sunday and shot a 7-under 65 to win the BMW Charity Pro-Am, his second Nationwide Tour victory in a row. In the final round he pulled ahead of third-round leader, Richard Johnson and Tommy Gainey, a contestant from the Golf Channel series "The Big Break" who had a disappointing final round of 77. Full Field Scores
Champions Tour
The Regions Charity Classic
Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail
Hoover, Alabama
Defending: Brad Bryant
Purse: $1,600,000
Brad Bryant repeated as champion by beating R.W. Eaks on the third hole of a playoff, becoming the first player to win the tournament twice. After both players parred the 470-yard par-4, 18th hole twice in the playoff, Bryant sank a 13-foot birdie putt to win. Full Field Scores
Canadian Tour
Iberostar Riviera Maya Open
Riviera Maya, Mexico
Spencer Levin finished with a 7-under 65, for a 21-under-par total to win his first tour title. Full Field Scores
May 07, 2007
Pro Tour Recaps - Week of Apr 26-29
EDS Byron Nelson Championship
TPC at Four Seasons
Irving, Texas
Defending: Brett Wetterich
Purse: $6,300,000
Scott Verplank won the tournament he's always wanted to win, in front of the home town crowd. After his 2-foot par putt fell into the hole for a dream victory, Verplank dropped into a squatting position and looked skyward, almost in disbelief. He did his best Ben Crenshaw imitation, after he won the 1995 Masters.
Back then Harvey Penik, Crenshaw’s childhood mentor who died the week before the Masters, provided the inspiration that seemed to make all the difference. Crenshaw fell to his knees and cried after his victory. This year’s host the late Byron Nelson ,who died last year at the age of 95 played a similar role for Verplank as a young player. If you ever believed in fate, these two player’s victories gave plenty of reasons to believe. Luke Donald started the day up by one stroke. His lead had grown to three after making a 12-foot birdie putt on the sixth hole, where Verplank began a his own 3-hole birdie run.
The tournament shifted at the ninth hole when Donald’s tee shot hooked into the trees and he made double bogey. Verplank closed with a 4-under-66 at 13-under, a stroke ahead of Luke Donald for his fifth PGA TOUR victory, his first since the 2001 Canadian Open. Phil Mickelson, Jerry Kelly, Rory Sabbatini and Ian Poulter tied for third at 10 under.
Mickelson played in his first tournament since the Masters and officially switching swing instructors from Rick Smith to Butch Harmon. Do you think players of this caliber need swing coaches? Email your opinion to ajm.ME@thumbsdown.info.
This victory was much more valuable to Verplank than the $1.134 million check and a custom-made motorcycle built by Orange County Choppers. It was the 21st Nelson tournament for Verplank, who considers the event his fifth major because of the man for which it's named -- and who used to write him encouraging notes. Verplank wasonce a standard bearer at the tournament, where his mother was a volunteer. Full Field Scores
Corona Championship
Tres Marias Residential Golf Club
Morelia, Mexico
Defending: Lorena Ochoa
Purse: $1,300,000
Italy's Silvia Cavalleri won her first LPGA Tour title, closing with a 7-under 66 and a 20-under par total, for a two-stroke victory over Lorena Ochoa and Julieta Granada. Cavalleri had seven birdies in her bogey-free final round in light rain and earned $195,000. Ochoa, the 2006 winner playing her first tournament as the No. 1 player in the world, shot a 68. Granada, also second last year, also finished with a 68.
Cavalleri took the lead with birdies on Nos. 5-7, forcing Ochoa to take a more aggressive approach. The Mexican star pushed hard, but missed several birdies. She lost a ball on the 15th, but came back to par the hole. Pat Hurst shot a 70 to finish fourth, five strokes back at 15 under. South Korean rookie Na On Min (72) followed at 13 under.
Stacy Prammanasudh, the Fields Open winner in Hawaii in February, closed with a 70 to finish at 12 under. Prammanasudh began the day well, birdieing six of her first 10 holes, but then stumbled with a bogey on the tricky 13th, followed by a double bogey on the 14th and a bogey on the 18th. Full Field Scores
Open de Espana
Centro National de Golf
Madrid, Spain
Defending: Niclas Fasth
Purse: $2,715,000
Charl Schwartzel claimed his second European Tour title, with a 15-foot eagle putt on the 16th hole to shoot a 5-under 67 in the final round to beat Jyoti Randhawa by a stroke. The South African hit a spectacular 3-iron shot more than 230 yards into the wind at the end of a long day. Schwartzel bogied the 18th and finished at 16-under. His first win came in December 2004 at the age of 20 at the Dunhill Championship.
Randhawa, still looking for his first European Tour win, ended alone in second place at 15-under following a round of 67. He missed an 18-inch par putt at the 15th hole which turned out to be the difference. Carlos Rodiles shot a 72 and finished in third place at 14-under. Simon Dyson (71) and Mark Foster (68) tied for fourth place at 13-under, while Fredrik Andersson (68) and Andres Romero (66) finished another shot further back at 276.
Three days of weather delays totaling nearly 12 hours pushed the bulk of the third round to Sunday morning. When the last round finally began, Schwartzel was three shots off Rodiles' 54- hole lead. But as it wound down, he found himself chasing Randhawa, finally catching the leader with a birdie at the 13th hole. Full Field Scores
Henrico County Open
The Dominion Club
Glen Allen, Virginia
Defending: Matt Kuchar
Purse: $500,000
Nick Flanagan the 2003 U.S. Amateur champion needed three playoff holes to earn his first tour win. Flanagan, birdied the third extra hole to defeat Chris Baryla for the title.
Roland Thatcher and Bryn Parry had been eliminated on the first two extra holes. Flanagan carded a 2-under 70 in the final round to finish at 13-under-par. Baryla, Parry's playing partner, matched that 70, while the final pairing of Parry and Thatcher each carded final-round 71s to force the extra session. At the third playoff hole 18th, Baryla found a greenside bunker with this second shot. Flanagan's second bounced just over the green into the rough. Baryla blasted out to 4 feet, then Flanagan chipped within a foot. Baryla missed his birdie putt as Flanagan tapped in for birdie and his first tour title. "That's about the longest half-foot putt I've ever had," joked Flanagan, who picked up $81,000 for the win. Full Field Scores
TPC at Four Seasons
Irving, Texas
Defending: Brett Wetterich
Purse: $6,300,000
Scott Verplank won the tournament he's always wanted to win, in front of the home town crowd. After his 2-foot par putt fell into the hole for a dream victory, Verplank dropped into a squatting position and looked skyward, almost in disbelief. He did his best Ben Crenshaw imitation, after he won the 1995 Masters.
Back then Harvey Penik, Crenshaw’s childhood mentor who died the week before the Masters, provided the inspiration that seemed to make all the difference. Crenshaw fell to his knees and cried after his victory. This year’s host the late Byron Nelson ,who died last year at the age of 95 played a similar role for Verplank as a young player. If you ever believed in fate, these two player’s victories gave plenty of reasons to believe. Luke Donald started the day up by one stroke. His lead had grown to three after making a 12-foot birdie putt on the sixth hole, where Verplank began a his own 3-hole birdie run.
The tournament shifted at the ninth hole when Donald’s tee shot hooked into the trees and he made double bogey. Verplank closed with a 4-under-66 at 13-under, a stroke ahead of Luke Donald for his fifth PGA TOUR victory, his first since the 2001 Canadian Open. Phil Mickelson, Jerry Kelly, Rory Sabbatini and Ian Poulter tied for third at 10 under.
Mickelson played in his first tournament since the Masters and officially switching swing instructors from Rick Smith to Butch Harmon. Do you think players of this caliber need swing coaches? Email your opinion to ajm.ME@thumbsdown.info.
This victory was much more valuable to Verplank than the $1.134 million check and a custom-made motorcycle built by Orange County Choppers. It was the 21st Nelson tournament for Verplank, who considers the event his fifth major because of the man for which it's named -- and who used to write him encouraging notes. Verplank wasonce a standard bearer at the tournament, where his mother was a volunteer. Full Field Scores
Corona Championship
Tres Marias Residential Golf Club
Morelia, Mexico
Defending: Lorena Ochoa
Purse: $1,300,000
Italy's Silvia Cavalleri won her first LPGA Tour title, closing with a 7-under 66 and a 20-under par total, for a two-stroke victory over Lorena Ochoa and Julieta Granada. Cavalleri had seven birdies in her bogey-free final round in light rain and earned $195,000. Ochoa, the 2006 winner playing her first tournament as the No. 1 player in the world, shot a 68. Granada, also second last year, also finished with a 68.
Cavalleri took the lead with birdies on Nos. 5-7, forcing Ochoa to take a more aggressive approach. The Mexican star pushed hard, but missed several birdies. She lost a ball on the 15th, but came back to par the hole. Pat Hurst shot a 70 to finish fourth, five strokes back at 15 under. South Korean rookie Na On Min (72) followed at 13 under.
Stacy Prammanasudh, the Fields Open winner in Hawaii in February, closed with a 70 to finish at 12 under. Prammanasudh began the day well, birdieing six of her first 10 holes, but then stumbled with a bogey on the tricky 13th, followed by a double bogey on the 14th and a bogey on the 18th. Full Field Scores
Open de Espana
Centro National de Golf
Madrid, Spain
Defending: Niclas Fasth
Purse: $2,715,000
Charl Schwartzel claimed his second European Tour title, with a 15-foot eagle putt on the 16th hole to shoot a 5-under 67 in the final round to beat Jyoti Randhawa by a stroke. The South African hit a spectacular 3-iron shot more than 230 yards into the wind at the end of a long day. Schwartzel bogied the 18th and finished at 16-under. His first win came in December 2004 at the age of 20 at the Dunhill Championship.
Randhawa, still looking for his first European Tour win, ended alone in second place at 15-under following a round of 67. He missed an 18-inch par putt at the 15th hole which turned out to be the difference. Carlos Rodiles shot a 72 and finished in third place at 14-under. Simon Dyson (71) and Mark Foster (68) tied for fourth place at 13-under, while Fredrik Andersson (68) and Andres Romero (66) finished another shot further back at 276.
Three days of weather delays totaling nearly 12 hours pushed the bulk of the third round to Sunday morning. When the last round finally began, Schwartzel was three shots off Rodiles' 54- hole lead. But as it wound down, he found himself chasing Randhawa, finally catching the leader with a birdie at the 13th hole. Full Field Scores
Henrico County Open
The Dominion Club
Glen Allen, Virginia
Defending: Matt Kuchar
Purse: $500,000
Nick Flanagan the 2003 U.S. Amateur champion needed three playoff holes to earn his first tour win. Flanagan, birdied the third extra hole to defeat Chris Baryla for the title.
Roland Thatcher and Bryn Parry had been eliminated on the first two extra holes. Flanagan carded a 2-under 70 in the final round to finish at 13-under-par. Baryla, Parry's playing partner, matched that 70, while the final pairing of Parry and Thatcher each carded final-round 71s to force the extra session. At the third playoff hole 18th, Baryla found a greenside bunker with this second shot. Flanagan's second bounced just over the green into the rough. Baryla blasted out to 4 feet, then Flanagan chipped within a foot. Baryla missed his birdie putt as Flanagan tapped in for birdie and his first tour title. "That's about the longest half-foot putt I've ever had," joked Flanagan, who picked up $81,000 for the win. Full Field Scores
April 24, 2007
Pro Tour recaps - April 19-22, 2007
PGA TOUR
Zurich Classic of New Orleans
TPC of Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
Defending: Chris Couch
Purse: $6,100,000 ($1,098,000 to winner)
Nick Watney won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, closing with a 3-under 69 on Sunday for a three-stroke victory over Ken Duke. Watney became the fifth first-time winner on the PGA TOUR this season and the fifth first-time winner in the last six years at New Orleans' annual PGA TOUR event. He joins Chris Couch (2006), Tim Petrovic (2005), Steve Flesch (2003) and K.J. Choi (2002).
After sleeping on a two-stroke final round lead, Watney got off to a shaky start. He bogeyed two of his first four holes, before the shot of the tournament occurred. On the par-4 fifth Watney holed his132-yard approach shot for an eagle, to pull back into a tie for the lead. The turning point of the tournament didn’t occur until the 14th, when Watney stuck his tee shot to short birdie range while Duke's tee shot landed short and left of the green. When his chip went 7 feet past the pin and he missed the par putt, he fell two shots back. Watney parred the final four holes, missing the fairway only once off the tee and hitting every green in regulation.
TOUR rookie Anthony Kim had the best round of the day, a 65 -- one shot off the course record that fellow rookie Kyle Reifers set Thursday. The round of nine birdies and two bogeys left him tied for third with John Mallinger at 11 under.
Heading into the final round, 13-time winner Mark Calcavecchia was the only player in the top five with a previous victory. He started the day only three shots back and appeared primed to close in on the lead, but never seriously challenged. With a final round 71 Calcavecchia tied for fifth with Bubba Watson and Chris Stroud at 10 under.
The tournament switched locations from the course at English Turn to the current location in 2005, only months before it was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Over 2,000 fallen trees clogged drains and flooded the course, which was closed for 10 months, with $2 million in repairs to 30 acres of damaged turf.
Full field scores:
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=11101&dv=7396180&select=9617
EUROPEAN TOUR
BMW Asian Open
Tomson Golf Course
Shanghai, China
Defending: Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano
Purse: $2,300,000
Raphael Jacquelin was helped by early birdies during the final round to complete a wire-to-wire victory. The Frenchman made four bogeys on his last six holes, but held on for his second European Tour title.
Jacquelin's 1-over 73 was good enough at 10-under for a two-shot win over Denmark's Soren Kjeldsen who finished alone in second place at 8-under. Kjeldsen made a double-bogey at the 14th and a bogey at #16, one of a handful of players who made the win easier for Jacquelin. Asian Tour regulars Simon Yates (74) and Scott Hend (75) tied for third place at 7-under while 2005 champion and world #5 Ernie Els (72) shared fifth place with Richard Sterne (69), Sung-Man Lee (73) and Markus Brier (74) at 6-under. Kjeldsen, Yates and Hend played the final five holes a combined 8 over par.
Further down the leader board, several of the biggest names in the tournament posted commendable finishes. Miguel Angel Jimenez had a 73 Sunday and finished in a five-way tie for 10th place at 4-under. World #8 Retief Goosen closed with a 71 and tied for 15th place alongside eight-time Order of Merit champion Colin Montgomerie (77) and two others at 3-under.
Scoring was considerably higher Sunday than it had been in the first three rounds. A windy, rainy Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club was tough on just about everyone, especially down the stretch.
Full field scores:
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=11105&dv=8732923&select=9762
CHAMPIONS TOUR
Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf
Westin Savannah Harbor Resort and Spa
Savannah, Georgia
Defending: Jay Haas
Purse: $2,500,000
Jay Haas parred the first playoff hole to defeat Tom Kite and successfully defend his title at the Legends of Golf on Sunday. Both made spectacular up-and-downs at 18 in regulation, a feat others were not able to accomplish. Kite came up short with his second, then chipped to 12 feet and made the putt. Haas hit a spectacular bunker shot to 2 feet to join Kite at 9-under-par.
In their playoff, Kite and Haas both found the fairway on the difficult 18th hole, but neither player hit the green in regulation. Haas had mud on his ball and the approach shot sailed long and right, then he chipped to 2 feet, all but guaranteeing a par. Kite hit a poor shot 55 feet short of the stick, then left himself with 4 feet for par as his long birdie putt for the win sailed past the hole. Kite then missed the par putt, as Haas tapped in for his eighth Champions Tour victory and his second this season.
Mark James, who held the lead throughout much of the final round, lost first place when he three-putted the 17th hole. He was tied for the top spot on 18, but he ran his birdie putt 7 feet by, then missed his par effort. Wayne Levi also stood atop the leader board on Sunday, but an errant drive hurt him on the closing hole. He landed in the right rough and hit his approach into the same bunker Haas saved par from in regulation. Unfortunately for Levi, he was not as fortunate as his 6-footer that could have gotten him in the playoff stayed above ground.
James and Levi both shot 70s and tied for third place with Gil Morgan (67) and Brad Bryant (70) at 8-under-par. Nick Price posted his best showing on the Champions Tour thanks in part to a 7-under 65 on Sunday. He tied for seventh place with Hale Irwin, who carded a final-round 69, at minus-7.
Eduardo Romero had a final round of 6-under 66 and tied for ninth with Bobby Wadkins as he shot a 5-under 67. Both finish the tournament at 5-under-par. Loren Roberts' Champions Tour record of 37 consecutive rounds of par or better came to an end on Sunday as he posted a 3-over 75 to tie for 16th at minus-2.
Full field scores:
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=10100&select=9722
NATIONWIDE TOUR
Athens Regional Foundation Classic
Jennings Mill Country Club
Bogart, Georgia
Defending: Paul Gow
Purse: $500,000
Martin Laird birdied the 72nd hole on Sunday to collect his first Nationwide Tour victory. He posted a 2-under 70 and won with a score of 16-under-par.
Laird did not get off to a great start Sunday as he bogeyed the 3rd hole, but birdies at #4 and #6 and another at #10 gave him a two-shot lead, then added back to back birdies at #13 and #14 to pad his advantage.
Justin Bolli and Jeremy Anderson both fired rounds of 6-under 66 on Sunday and watched as Laird birdied 18 to cost them a chance at a playoff. They completed four rounds at 15-under-par. Michael Letzig carded a 6-under 66 to take fourth at minus-14, while Robert Damron moved up 21 spots in the final round thanks to an 8-under 64. He came in fifth place at 13-under-par.
Bolli was 2 under on the front, but recorded four birdies in his first seven holes of the back nine. Anderson was even through 10 holes with one birdie and one bogey, but he amassed six birdies in his final eight holes to suddenly become a clubhouse leader at minus-15. Things became undone quickly for Laird after he bogeyed 15 and 16 to tie him for the lead with Bolli and Anderson. Laird then birdied the par-5 closing hole to secure his first victory on the Nationwide Tour. He earned the victory despite the great back-nine play from his closest competitors.
Hunter Haas and David Hearn both posted rounds of 5-under 67 on Sunday and shared sixth with Nicholas Thompson, who trailed by one at the start of the round, but only managed an even-par 72 in round four. The trio finished at minus-12. John Riegger shot a 66 and claimed ninth at 11-under-par.
Full field scores:
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=11103&dv=5321798&select=9828
Zurich Classic of New Orleans
TPC of Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
Defending: Chris Couch
Purse: $6,100,000 ($1,098,000 to winner)
Nick Watney won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, closing with a 3-under 69 on Sunday for a three-stroke victory over Ken Duke. Watney became the fifth first-time winner on the PGA TOUR this season and the fifth first-time winner in the last six years at New Orleans' annual PGA TOUR event. He joins Chris Couch (2006), Tim Petrovic (2005), Steve Flesch (2003) and K.J. Choi (2002).
After sleeping on a two-stroke final round lead, Watney got off to a shaky start. He bogeyed two of his first four holes, before the shot of the tournament occurred. On the par-4 fifth Watney holed his132-yard approach shot for an eagle, to pull back into a tie for the lead. The turning point of the tournament didn’t occur until the 14th, when Watney stuck his tee shot to short birdie range while Duke's tee shot landed short and left of the green. When his chip went 7 feet past the pin and he missed the par putt, he fell two shots back. Watney parred the final four holes, missing the fairway only once off the tee and hitting every green in regulation.
TOUR rookie Anthony Kim had the best round of the day, a 65 -- one shot off the course record that fellow rookie Kyle Reifers set Thursday. The round of nine birdies and two bogeys left him tied for third with John Mallinger at 11 under.
Heading into the final round, 13-time winner Mark Calcavecchia was the only player in the top five with a previous victory. He started the day only three shots back and appeared primed to close in on the lead, but never seriously challenged. With a final round 71 Calcavecchia tied for fifth with Bubba Watson and Chris Stroud at 10 under.
The tournament switched locations from the course at English Turn to the current location in 2005, only months before it was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Over 2,000 fallen trees clogged drains and flooded the course, which was closed for 10 months, with $2 million in repairs to 30 acres of damaged turf.
Full field scores:
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=11101&dv=7396180&select=9617
EUROPEAN TOUR
BMW Asian Open
Tomson Golf Course
Shanghai, China
Defending: Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano
Purse: $2,300,000
Raphael Jacquelin was helped by early birdies during the final round to complete a wire-to-wire victory. The Frenchman made four bogeys on his last six holes, but held on for his second European Tour title.
Jacquelin's 1-over 73 was good enough at 10-under for a two-shot win over Denmark's Soren Kjeldsen who finished alone in second place at 8-under. Kjeldsen made a double-bogey at the 14th and a bogey at #16, one of a handful of players who made the win easier for Jacquelin. Asian Tour regulars Simon Yates (74) and Scott Hend (75) tied for third place at 7-under while 2005 champion and world #5 Ernie Els (72) shared fifth place with Richard Sterne (69), Sung-Man Lee (73) and Markus Brier (74) at 6-under. Kjeldsen, Yates and Hend played the final five holes a combined 8 over par.
Further down the leader board, several of the biggest names in the tournament posted commendable finishes. Miguel Angel Jimenez had a 73 Sunday and finished in a five-way tie for 10th place at 4-under. World #8 Retief Goosen closed with a 71 and tied for 15th place alongside eight-time Order of Merit champion Colin Montgomerie (77) and two others at 3-under.
Scoring was considerably higher Sunday than it had been in the first three rounds. A windy, rainy Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club was tough on just about everyone, especially down the stretch.
Full field scores:
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=11105&dv=8732923&select=9762
CHAMPIONS TOUR
Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf
Westin Savannah Harbor Resort and Spa
Savannah, Georgia
Defending: Jay Haas
Purse: $2,500,000
Jay Haas parred the first playoff hole to defeat Tom Kite and successfully defend his title at the Legends of Golf on Sunday. Both made spectacular up-and-downs at 18 in regulation, a feat others were not able to accomplish. Kite came up short with his second, then chipped to 12 feet and made the putt. Haas hit a spectacular bunker shot to 2 feet to join Kite at 9-under-par.
In their playoff, Kite and Haas both found the fairway on the difficult 18th hole, but neither player hit the green in regulation. Haas had mud on his ball and the approach shot sailed long and right, then he chipped to 2 feet, all but guaranteeing a par. Kite hit a poor shot 55 feet short of the stick, then left himself with 4 feet for par as his long birdie putt for the win sailed past the hole. Kite then missed the par putt, as Haas tapped in for his eighth Champions Tour victory and his second this season.
Mark James, who held the lead throughout much of the final round, lost first place when he three-putted the 17th hole. He was tied for the top spot on 18, but he ran his birdie putt 7 feet by, then missed his par effort. Wayne Levi also stood atop the leader board on Sunday, but an errant drive hurt him on the closing hole. He landed in the right rough and hit his approach into the same bunker Haas saved par from in regulation. Unfortunately for Levi, he was not as fortunate as his 6-footer that could have gotten him in the playoff stayed above ground.
James and Levi both shot 70s and tied for third place with Gil Morgan (67) and Brad Bryant (70) at 8-under-par. Nick Price posted his best showing on the Champions Tour thanks in part to a 7-under 65 on Sunday. He tied for seventh place with Hale Irwin, who carded a final-round 69, at minus-7.
Eduardo Romero had a final round of 6-under 66 and tied for ninth with Bobby Wadkins as he shot a 5-under 67. Both finish the tournament at 5-under-par. Loren Roberts' Champions Tour record of 37 consecutive rounds of par or better came to an end on Sunday as he posted a 3-over 75 to tie for 16th at minus-2.
Full field scores:
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=10100&select=9722
NATIONWIDE TOUR
Athens Regional Foundation Classic
Jennings Mill Country Club
Bogart, Georgia
Defending: Paul Gow
Purse: $500,000
Martin Laird birdied the 72nd hole on Sunday to collect his first Nationwide Tour victory. He posted a 2-under 70 and won with a score of 16-under-par.
Laird did not get off to a great start Sunday as he bogeyed the 3rd hole, but birdies at #4 and #6 and another at #10 gave him a two-shot lead, then added back to back birdies at #13 and #14 to pad his advantage.
Justin Bolli and Jeremy Anderson both fired rounds of 6-under 66 on Sunday and watched as Laird birdied 18 to cost them a chance at a playoff. They completed four rounds at 15-under-par. Michael Letzig carded a 6-under 66 to take fourth at minus-14, while Robert Damron moved up 21 spots in the final round thanks to an 8-under 64. He came in fifth place at 13-under-par.
Bolli was 2 under on the front, but recorded four birdies in his first seven holes of the back nine. Anderson was even through 10 holes with one birdie and one bogey, but he amassed six birdies in his final eight holes to suddenly become a clubhouse leader at minus-15. Things became undone quickly for Laird after he bogeyed 15 and 16 to tie him for the lead with Bolli and Anderson. Laird then birdied the par-5 closing hole to secure his first victory on the Nationwide Tour. He earned the victory despite the great back-nine play from his closest competitors.
Hunter Haas and David Hearn both posted rounds of 5-under 67 on Sunday and shared sixth with Nicholas Thompson, who trailed by one at the start of the round, but only managed an even-par 72 in round four. The trio finished at minus-12. John Riegger shot a 66 and claimed ninth at 11-under-par.
Full field scores:
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=11103&dv=5321798&select=9828
April 19, 2007
Pro Tour recaps - April 12-15, 2007
Welcome to a new chapter in the evolution of The Thumbsdown Method blog. For those of you who receive my newsletters, the changes will be transparent. Be aware that a new audience comprised of readers from a top regional golf magazine will be joining you. Checkout http://www.njgolflinks.com/
During the next few weeks this blog will be transitioned to a new format called, Turn Golf into Business, driving business through the power of Golf. At that time my audience will begin to grow exponentially. Again, everything will be transparent to you. You're still just a click away from interesting recaps of each week's Pro Tour events, plus questions you can respond to and view in the next week's blog. The blog's future content will be a combination of many sources of golf and business related material that fits the theme, including your input which is always welcome.
Email all comments to ajm.ME@thumbsdown.info
Enjoy last week's Pro Tour recap:
PGA Tour
Verizon Heritage
Harbour Town Golf Links
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Defending Champion: Aaron Baddeley
Purse: $5,400,000 ($972,000 to winner)
Boo Weekley, the 33-year-old country boy from the Florida Panhandle didn’t need his putter on either of the two final holes on this challenging Monday finish, after play was cancelled on Sunday, due to unplayable weather conditions. Don’t think for a moment that his lack of a putter implies that he coasted to his first victory. It was anything BUT!
As I tuned into The Golf Channel, playing conditions were brutal as winds, though not as fierce as Sunday, continued to tilt flagsticks on Harbour Town's three closing holes when play resumed at 8:00 a.m. The sand from a bunker along the left side of #16 covered a large part of the fairway.
Weekly had just teed off at #16, a par 4 into a 25+ mph crosswind. At that point he was tied with Stephen Leany, until Leany hooked his second shot to #16 into a tree and out of bounds for a double bogie. Weekly missed a 4-foot tester for a bogie and a now had a one shot lead over a charging Ernie Els, who had just birdied the par 5, 15th. That’s when the drama started.
Weekly hit his seven iron to the par 3 17th, 30 yards long, once again right into the teeth of the wind. His first pitch looked like one of mine as he half hit it 10 feet short into the bank and uphill to the green. He took almost no time before chipping up, then rolling 20 feet right into the hole for par, retaining his lead on Els.
On #18 Weekly did it again, after coming up short and right of the green on his second shot, then chipping his third through the green, one role away finishing unplayable down on the rocks. This time he had a severe sidehill stance, with an uphill chip into a fierce sideways wind, about 20 feet. His chip ended up with the same result and a par, but this time for his first win.
The last scare BOO! faced (sorry, I had to throw that it) was when Els needed to hole out from the 18th fairway to tie and just missed by two feet, for a tap in birdie. Boo Weekly’s first PGA Tour win was well deserved, especially after coming so close at The Honda Classic, when he missed a 3 footer to win. This win got him a spot in next year's Masters.
Jerry Kelly, the third round leader who had a hole-in-one on Saturday, watched his chances to end a nearly five-year-old victory drought, slip away when he drove into the water on #10. He finished with a frustrating 77.
Trivia Question: What connection does Weekly’s finish have in common with Craig Perks? When and where? Email your answer to ajm.ME@thumbsdown.info and have it displayed on the blog.
For full field results, click here: http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=10100&select=9615
LPGA Tour
Ginn OPEN
Reunion Resort & Club
Reunion, Florida
Defending Champion: Mi Hyun Kim
Purse: $2,600,000
Brittany Lincicome, started the day four shots behind Lorena Ochoa and Laura Davies, but survived a blustery day and a six-hour round better than everyone else to shoot an even-par 72 and win her second career LPGA Tournament. Last year, Lincicome surprised an elite field to win the HSBC Women's World Match Play, at Hamilton Farms in New Jersey.
Conditions were simply brutal. Morning storms delayed play for 2 1/2 hours, and once the sky cleared, the wind followed. A 41 mph gust was measured in the area Sunday afternoon, and the wind steadily blew in the 20-25 mph range, causing an already tough course to nearly become unbearable.
The 21-year-old battled and hung in there on a day where only one player broke par and earned $390,000 for the win. She finished at 10 under, one shot better than Lorena Ochoa (77) - who was 6 over on her final six holes. It was a stunning collapse that cost Ochoa an opportunity to pass Annika Sorenstam for the top spot in world rankings.
Laura Davies (79) had the outright lead with two holes to play, but three-putted her way to double bogey at the 17th and then bounced around bunkers for a disastrous triple bogey at the last. She finished alone in third at 7 under, one shot better than Juli Inkster and Nicole Castrale. Se Ri Pak finished tied for sixth place, which gave her enough points to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame, as soon as she completes her tenth tournament this year.
The day's average score was 76.5, 4 1/2 shots higher than it was Saturday. Natalie Gulbis, who started the day tied for third and four shots off the lead, shot an 80 and finished 2 under, and 10 other players shot in the 80s. "Tough conditions prove who's the best player," Ochoa said. "And today it was Brittany, for sure."
Give your opinion: Today, active LPGA players qualify for The Hall of Fame. Do you agree with that format or should they wait until after their playing days are over, like in men’s golf and all other sports? Email your answer to ajm.ME@thumbsdown.info and have it displayed on the blog.
For full field scores: http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=10100&select=9825
European Tour
Volvo China Open
Shanghai Silport Golf Club
Shanghai, China
Defending Champion: Jeev Milkha Singh
Purse: $2,000,000
Austrian Markus Brier won the China Open by five strokes with a final-round four-under 67 to finish at 10-under par. Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland (69), Andrew McLardy of South Africa (70) and Scott Hend of Australia (71) tied for second. South Africa's Richard Sterne chipped in for an eagle on #18 for a 70, finishing a stroke back. Brier earned $333,390 out of a purse of $2 million at the tournament co-sanctioned by the European and Asian tours.
For full field scores:
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=10100&select=9837
Nationwide Tour
South Georgia Classic
Kinderlou Forest Golf Club
Valdosta, Georgia
Purse: $600,000
John Kimbell, a 38-year-old Nationwide Tour rookie, shot a 3-under 69 for his long awaited first career win. Kimbell made a birdie at #16 to edge Australia's Matthew Jones by one shot, finishing at 10-under-par overall. He was the only player who broke 70 during the final round, claiming the $108,000 first prize.
Jeff Klauk (71) and Chez Reavie (72) tied for third place at five-under, with former PGA Tour player Carlos Franco (73) another shot back. Paul Dickinson, who shared the overnight lead with Jones, struggled to a seven-over 79 and tumbled all the way into a tie for 13th place at one-under.
The tournament was decided from holes 12-16. Jones bogeyed the 12th to fall one shot back, then tied Kimbell again with a birdie at the 14th. But Kimbell pulled ahead for good when he birdied the 16th, then held on with consecutive pars to win in just his ninth Nationwide Tour start.
Just like all other pro tours on Sunday April 15, wind wreaked havoc. Kimbell scored more than six shots better than the field average for the final round, on a course he knows well, having won his third Hooters Tour title there last September.
For full field scores:
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=10100&select=9567
During the next few weeks this blog will be transitioned to a new format called, Turn Golf into Business, driving business through the power of Golf. At that time my audience will begin to grow exponentially. Again, everything will be transparent to you. You're still just a click away from interesting recaps of each week's Pro Tour events, plus questions you can respond to and view in the next week's blog. The blog's future content will be a combination of many sources of golf and business related material that fits the theme, including your input which is always welcome.
Email all comments to ajm.ME@thumbsdown.info
Enjoy last week's Pro Tour recap:
PGA Tour
Verizon Heritage
Harbour Town Golf Links
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Defending Champion: Aaron Baddeley
Purse: $5,400,000 ($972,000 to winner)
Boo Weekley, the 33-year-old country boy from the Florida Panhandle didn’t need his putter on either of the two final holes on this challenging Monday finish, after play was cancelled on Sunday, due to unplayable weather conditions. Don’t think for a moment that his lack of a putter implies that he coasted to his first victory. It was anything BUT!
As I tuned into The Golf Channel, playing conditions were brutal as winds, though not as fierce as Sunday, continued to tilt flagsticks on Harbour Town's three closing holes when play resumed at 8:00 a.m. The sand from a bunker along the left side of #16 covered a large part of the fairway.
Weekly had just teed off at #16, a par 4 into a 25+ mph crosswind. At that point he was tied with Stephen Leany, until Leany hooked his second shot to #16 into a tree and out of bounds for a double bogie. Weekly missed a 4-foot tester for a bogie and a now had a one shot lead over a charging Ernie Els, who had just birdied the par 5, 15th. That’s when the drama started.
Weekly hit his seven iron to the par 3 17th, 30 yards long, once again right into the teeth of the wind. His first pitch looked like one of mine as he half hit it 10 feet short into the bank and uphill to the green. He took almost no time before chipping up, then rolling 20 feet right into the hole for par, retaining his lead on Els.
On #18 Weekly did it again, after coming up short and right of the green on his second shot, then chipping his third through the green, one role away finishing unplayable down on the rocks. This time he had a severe sidehill stance, with an uphill chip into a fierce sideways wind, about 20 feet. His chip ended up with the same result and a par, but this time for his first win.
The last scare BOO! faced (sorry, I had to throw that it) was when Els needed to hole out from the 18th fairway to tie and just missed by two feet, for a tap in birdie. Boo Weekly’s first PGA Tour win was well deserved, especially after coming so close at The Honda Classic, when he missed a 3 footer to win. This win got him a spot in next year's Masters.
Jerry Kelly, the third round leader who had a hole-in-one on Saturday, watched his chances to end a nearly five-year-old victory drought, slip away when he drove into the water on #10. He finished with a frustrating 77.
Trivia Question: What connection does Weekly’s finish have in common with Craig Perks? When and where? Email your answer to ajm.ME@thumbsdown.info and have it displayed on the blog.
For full field results, click here: http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=10100&select=9615
LPGA Tour
Ginn OPEN
Reunion Resort & Club
Reunion, Florida
Defending Champion: Mi Hyun Kim
Purse: $2,600,000
Brittany Lincicome, started the day four shots behind Lorena Ochoa and Laura Davies, but survived a blustery day and a six-hour round better than everyone else to shoot an even-par 72 and win her second career LPGA Tournament. Last year, Lincicome surprised an elite field to win the HSBC Women's World Match Play, at Hamilton Farms in New Jersey.
Conditions were simply brutal. Morning storms delayed play for 2 1/2 hours, and once the sky cleared, the wind followed. A 41 mph gust was measured in the area Sunday afternoon, and the wind steadily blew in the 20-25 mph range, causing an already tough course to nearly become unbearable.
The 21-year-old battled and hung in there on a day where only one player broke par and earned $390,000 for the win. She finished at 10 under, one shot better than Lorena Ochoa (77) - who was 6 over on her final six holes. It was a stunning collapse that cost Ochoa an opportunity to pass Annika Sorenstam for the top spot in world rankings.
Laura Davies (79) had the outright lead with two holes to play, but three-putted her way to double bogey at the 17th and then bounced around bunkers for a disastrous triple bogey at the last. She finished alone in third at 7 under, one shot better than Juli Inkster and Nicole Castrale. Se Ri Pak finished tied for sixth place, which gave her enough points to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame, as soon as she completes her tenth tournament this year.
The day's average score was 76.5, 4 1/2 shots higher than it was Saturday. Natalie Gulbis, who started the day tied for third and four shots off the lead, shot an 80 and finished 2 under, and 10 other players shot in the 80s. "Tough conditions prove who's the best player," Ochoa said. "And today it was Brittany, for sure."
Give your opinion: Today, active LPGA players qualify for The Hall of Fame. Do you agree with that format or should they wait until after their playing days are over, like in men’s golf and all other sports? Email your answer to ajm.ME@thumbsdown.info and have it displayed on the blog.
For full field scores: http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=10100&select=9825
European Tour
Volvo China Open
Shanghai Silport Golf Club
Shanghai, China
Defending Champion: Jeev Milkha Singh
Purse: $2,000,000
Austrian Markus Brier won the China Open by five strokes with a final-round four-under 67 to finish at 10-under par. Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland (69), Andrew McLardy of South Africa (70) and Scott Hend of Australia (71) tied for second. South Africa's Richard Sterne chipped in for an eagle on #18 for a 70, finishing a stroke back. Brier earned $333,390 out of a purse of $2 million at the tournament co-sanctioned by the European and Asian tours.
For full field scores:
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=10100&select=9837
Nationwide Tour
South Georgia Classic
Kinderlou Forest Golf Club
Valdosta, Georgia
Purse: $600,000
John Kimbell, a 38-year-old Nationwide Tour rookie, shot a 3-under 69 for his long awaited first career win. Kimbell made a birdie at #16 to edge Australia's Matthew Jones by one shot, finishing at 10-under-par overall. He was the only player who broke 70 during the final round, claiming the $108,000 first prize.
Jeff Klauk (71) and Chez Reavie (72) tied for third place at five-under, with former PGA Tour player Carlos Franco (73) another shot back. Paul Dickinson, who shared the overnight lead with Jones, struggled to a seven-over 79 and tumbled all the way into a tie for 13th place at one-under.
The tournament was decided from holes 12-16. Jones bogeyed the 12th to fall one shot back, then tied Kimbell again with a birdie at the 14th. But Kimbell pulled ahead for good when he birdied the 16th, then held on with consecutive pars to win in just his ninth Nationwide Tour start.
Just like all other pro tours on Sunday April 15, wind wreaked havoc. Kimbell scored more than six shots better than the field average for the final round, on a course he knows well, having won his third Hooters Tour title there last September.
For full field scores:
http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=10100&select=9567
February 24, 2007
Enjoy the recap of this week's feature event and a Thumbs Down method instruction tip.
WGC - Accenture Match Play Championship
The Gallery at Dove Mountain (South Course)
Tucson, AZ
February 21 - 25
Defending Champion: Geoff Ogilvy
A golf tournament is typically like a four day marathon. You can't win it on the first day, but you can lose it. In match play events, like this week's Accenture Match Play Championship it's a sprint all the way. Bottom line, win today's match or go home.
As Jack Nicklaus suggested, match play teaches a player to close the deal every day. In match play format a player can play well and lose or play just OK and win. With players of this high level, seed rankings mean nothing. Just like the famous football expression goes "on any given day anyone can beat anyone". What happened yesterday is ancient history. Finding a way to win is all that matters day after day. In this event a player needs to win five tough matches just to make the 36 hole final.
On day one, with a field of 64 players competing for $8 million of total prize money, most of the favorites won their matches. The most notable exception was Ernie Els, who made a quick exit. When your putter escapes you, it makes for a long day as Els missed four putts inside 10 feet, losing 4 and 2 to Bradley Dredge of Wales.
On day two, Tiger Woods kept his hopes alive to win his 8th straight PGA TOUR event by beating Tim Clark 6&5. However, on this day many upsets of top bracket seeds occurred, including Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk and VJ Singh.
On day three, Nick O'Hern established himself as the modern times Tiger slayer. O'Hern accomplished something no one else in the world of golf has been able to. In a shocker, he beat Tiger Woods for the second time head to head in a match play event. There goes Tiger's winning streak and this weekend's TV ratings.
It was a day that Woods simply didn't have it. The weather didn't help either, as it was windy and frigid by desert standards, with a little rain added at times. His drives were blocked right and pulled left on a horrendous front nine, where he would surely have scored in the 40's if it was stroke play. Who would have thunk that!
After clawing back from a 4-down deficit to tie the match on 18, (in typical Tiger fashion) the REAL shocker happened when he missed a 4-foot birdie putt to win on the first extra hole. This time it was Tiger's turn to experience the meaning of "sudden death", as O'Hern saved par with a 12-foot putt that barely snuck into the hole, to win on the 20th hole. He made a nice up and down on a long greenside bunker shot, after watching Tiger fail to get it within 20 feet on his chip from off the green.
It was no surprise for me to see Tiger make a strong comeback after falling behind. He was 4 down after eight holes and looked more like a club player than the world's #1. As he stood over his 10 foot birdie putt on 18th to tie the match, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that it was a virtual gimmie. You knew he would make it and he did.
What happened in the playoff was a different story, one of those "I can't believe what I just saw" events. No one ever thought Tiger would miss a 4 footer to win, then NOT getting up and down and losing was a rare event. If you missed seeing this, you missed golf history. After watching it on TV live, as a golfer I don't remember feeling so human.
For current standings of all brackets paste this link into your Internet browser: http://www.worldgolfchampionships.com/leaderboards/current/r470/
Thumbs Down Method Instruction tip:
Start with Solid Contact … and work backwards
What this means is that although ALL the steps that make up the entire golf swing are important (all 10,000+), learning to square the club at impact should be on top of your list. Simply put; First teach yourself to control the clubface (with the hands), using it as a tool to get the job done. For best results, discipline yourself to focus your practice sessions on the impact zone.
Try this Drill: Take slow motion swings only to calf or waist height, making a Thumbs Down motion as you strike down on the ball. After getting the feel of making solid contact on the sweet spot, your confidence level will dramatically improve, along with your game. Lower scores are not a guarantee …they are the natural results.
WGC - Accenture Match Play Championship
The Gallery at Dove Mountain (South Course)
Tucson, AZ
February 21 - 25
Defending Champion: Geoff Ogilvy
A golf tournament is typically like a four day marathon. You can't win it on the first day, but you can lose it. In match play events, like this week's Accenture Match Play Championship it's a sprint all the way. Bottom line, win today's match or go home.
As Jack Nicklaus suggested, match play teaches a player to close the deal every day. In match play format a player can play well and lose or play just OK and win. With players of this high level, seed rankings mean nothing. Just like the famous football expression goes "on any given day anyone can beat anyone". What happened yesterday is ancient history. Finding a way to win is all that matters day after day. In this event a player needs to win five tough matches just to make the 36 hole final.
On day one, with a field of 64 players competing for $8 million of total prize money, most of the favorites won their matches. The most notable exception was Ernie Els, who made a quick exit. When your putter escapes you, it makes for a long day as Els missed four putts inside 10 feet, losing 4 and 2 to Bradley Dredge of Wales.
On day two, Tiger Woods kept his hopes alive to win his 8th straight PGA TOUR event by beating Tim Clark 6&5. However, on this day many upsets of top bracket seeds occurred, including Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk and VJ Singh.
On day three, Nick O'Hern established himself as the modern times Tiger slayer. O'Hern accomplished something no one else in the world of golf has been able to. In a shocker, he beat Tiger Woods for the second time head to head in a match play event. There goes Tiger's winning streak and this weekend's TV ratings.
It was a day that Woods simply didn't have it. The weather didn't help either, as it was windy and frigid by desert standards, with a little rain added at times. His drives were blocked right and pulled left on a horrendous front nine, where he would surely have scored in the 40's if it was stroke play. Who would have thunk that!
After clawing back from a 4-down deficit to tie the match on 18, (in typical Tiger fashion) the REAL shocker happened when he missed a 4-foot birdie putt to win on the first extra hole. This time it was Tiger's turn to experience the meaning of "sudden death", as O'Hern saved par with a 12-foot putt that barely snuck into the hole, to win on the 20th hole. He made a nice up and down on a long greenside bunker shot, after watching Tiger fail to get it within 20 feet on his chip from off the green.
It was no surprise for me to see Tiger make a strong comeback after falling behind. He was 4 down after eight holes and looked more like a club player than the world's #1. As he stood over his 10 foot birdie putt on 18th to tie the match, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that it was a virtual gimmie. You knew he would make it and he did.
What happened in the playoff was a different story, one of those "I can't believe what I just saw" events. No one ever thought Tiger would miss a 4 footer to win, then NOT getting up and down and losing was a rare event. If you missed seeing this, you missed golf history. After watching it on TV live, as a golfer I don't remember feeling so human.
For current standings of all brackets paste this link into your Internet browser: http://www.worldgolfchampionships.com/leaderboards/current/r470/
Thumbs Down Method Instruction tip:
Start with Solid Contact … and work backwards
What this means is that although ALL the steps that make up the entire golf swing are important (all 10,000+), learning to square the club at impact should be on top of your list. Simply put; First teach yourself to control the clubface (with the hands), using it as a tool to get the job done. For best results, discipline yourself to focus your practice sessions on the impact zone.
Try this Drill: Take slow motion swings only to calf or waist height, making a Thumbs Down motion as you strike down on the ball. After getting the feel of making solid contact on the sweet spot, your confidence level will dramatically improve, along with your game. Lower scores are not a guarantee …they are the natural results.
February 10, 2007
Thumbs Down method - Newsletter2, Feb 07
On Super Bowl Sunday the final round of these pro tour events were played:
PGA TOUR
FBR Open
SCOTTSDALE, Arizona
Aaron Baddeley shot his second straight 7-under 64 and took advantage of Jeff Quinney's collapse down the final four holes to win the FBR Open by one shot. Trailing by three strokes with four holes to play, Baddeley made three consecutive birdies from No. 15 to secure his second career PGA TOUR victory, completing the lowest weekend score in tournament history.
Formally the Phoenix Open, this tournament which finishes annually on Super Bowl Sunday enjoys a football game-like atmosphere. It's louder and routier than any other event all year, with the only exception being the Ryder Cup, where the Golf Gods permit (and expect) heavy fan participation like this. The 16th hole is unique in all of golf, resembling a stadium where booing is permitted, but Noonan's are not allowed. It's also lined with corporate boxes which account for a majority of the tournaments revenue, loyal is the only other tournament that even this kind of more like a than golf.
It ain't over till it's over is a Yogi –ism, which has never played so true to form as it has so far this season on the PGA TOUR. With the exception of season opening Mercedes Championship, each week has seen the leader going into the final round falter and NOT finish the deal, even when it looked like they were going to win.
Quinney, a former US Amateur Champion and Nationwide Tour grad seemingly handed Baddeley the win. He had the opportunity to put it virtually out of reach but missed a short birdie putt on 15. Later, he hooked his tee shot into the water on 17, made a great chip within 4 feet, before missing the short putt and settling for bogey, then another on 18. He finished one shot behind John Rollins, who slipped into secondplace at 20-under after quietly shooting the round of the day with an 8-under 63. Rollins may have forced a playoff if he hadn't gotten unlucky at the 18th. His approach shot was dead-on, but it hit the flag stick and rolled back off the front of the green, where he made par. In my recap of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic I referred to Rollins as a "who is this guy?"unknown player. He's owed more respect than that, as he's playing very well this year so far. Here's a trivia question: Who's the current FedEx Cup leader? Answer: John Rollins.
Baddeley, meanwhile earned the victory when he made a 10-footer for birdie on 17 and pulled ahead by one shot. He closed with a routine par at the 18th to finish at 21-under-par to win the $1.08 million first prize.
EUROPEAN TOUR
Dubai Desert Classic
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates
Playing the final round in sandstorm conditions in the desert, Henrik Stenson won the Dubai Desert Classic. The Swede closed with a 4-under 68 to finish the tournament at 19-under-par. Third-round leader Ernie Els, finished second at minus-18. The three-time winner struggled early with three bogeys on the first six holes to shoot a 1-under 71.
Tiger Woods steadly moved up the leaderboard every day and had his chances to challenge Stenson, but had a frustrating day on the greens to finish two back. Woods birdied four of the final six holes to shoot 3-under 69, tieing for third place with Niclas Fasth, who shot a final round 68, at 17-under-par. Ross Fisher, who held at least a share of the lead after the first two rounds, closed with a 71 to finish in fifth at minus-16. Fisher joined Woods, Els, Fasth and Stenson as the five players who owned at least a share of the lead during the final round, before he finished with all bogeys from the 16th.
Peter Hanson shot 1-under 71 Sunday to take sixth at 14-under-par 274. Simon Dyson, Prom Meesawat and Jyoti Randhawa were one stroke further back at minus-13. Thomas Bjorn, shared 10th place at 12-under-par with Robert Karlsson, Maarten Lafeber and Miguel Angel Jimenez.
WOMEN'S EUROPEAN TOUR
Australian Women's Open
Karrie Webb shot an even-par 72 in the final round of the Australian Women's Open for asix-stroke win. Webb, who began the day with a four-stroke lead over Wei Yun-jye of Taiwan, never saw her lead drop below three shots to finish at 10-under. Wei shot 74 to finish second at 4-under.
Paula Marti of Spain and Minea Blomqvist of Finland, each with closing 69s, finished tied for third at 2-under. Brittany Lincicome of the United States and Shin Ji-yai of South Korea also finished with 69s and were another shot back tied for fifth. Katherine Hull of Australia shot a 7-under 65, the best round of the day, to move into ninth place at 1-over. Two of the highest profile golfers in the field had disastrous final rounds. Laura Davies shot 77 to finish at 13-over, while Natalie Gulbis had an 81 and finished at 14-over.
Hot off the presses:
U.S. Women's Open Adopts Three-Hole Playoff
Beginning in 2007, the playoff format for the U.S. Women's Open will be changed to a three-hole aggregate total immediately following the end of regulation play. Until this year, players tied after 72 holes faced an 18-hole playoff the day after regulation play to determine the winner, like last year at Newport (R.I.) Country Club when Annika Sorenstam defeated Pat Hurst. The 2007 Women's Open is scheduled from June 28-July 1 at Pine NeedlesLodge and Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C.
February 08, 2007
Thumbs Down method - Newsletter Jan 28
This week on the pro tours:
PGA TOUR
Buick Invitational
SAN DIEGO, CA
Jan 25-28
Tiger Woods won his third straight Buick Invitational, for his seventh consecutive victory on the PGA TOUR, the second-longest winning steak in history. Byron Nelson set the record in 1945 with 11 in a row, another one of those records nobody thought was in reach of ever being threatened.
With Tiger, the final result is becoming all too predictable, even when he's on the second page of the leaderboard during the early rounds. These days it's just a matter of WHEN and not IF he'll catch the leaders and win, especially when the top contenders combined have a total of one win. Woods caught up to the pack during the final round with an eagle on the 9th hole, then buried the final challengers on the back nine for a 6-under 66. He got help when Andrew Buckle and Jeff Quinney, who shared the lead on the back nine until they both stumbled on a cool, breezy afternoon at Torrey Pines. Charles Howell III provided the final challenge with three birdies in a four-hole stretch and tour rookie Brandt Snedeker, who held the lead from the opening day with a 61 closed with a 71 and finished third.
The way Woods is playing reminds me of the 2000 season when he won six in a row, including two majors, the US OPEN and PGA. To put it in perspective, since July he's finished no worse than second in stroke play anywhere in the world. Even though Nelson's record was a true winning streak and Wood's isn't because he lost once in Europe and twice in Asia since September, it counts in the PGA TOUR record books.Should Byron Nelson's record be in jeopardy of being broken? My own personal opinion is that Nelson won eleven tournaments in a row and that's the record. The tour he played them on is irrelevant so Nelson's record should stand. WHAT DO YOU THINK?
EUROPEAN TOUR
The Commercial Bank Qatar Masters
DOHA, Qatar
Jan 25-28
Playing the 17th hole in the final round Nick O'Hern held a two stroke lead, then quickly lost it to Retief Goosen who finished birdie - eagle to win over a stunned O'Hern. Goosen, O'Hern and Richard Green started the final round tied for the lead. With two holes remaining Goosen held a share of the lead until he bogied the 15th, then fell two back when O'Hern birdied 16. Green fell off the pace during the final five holes with three bogies an eagle and a birdie on 18 to finish tied for fourth with Graeme McDowell and Stuart Appleby. 2005 champion Ernie Els, finished third with a 5-under 67.
CHAMPIONS TOUR
Turtle Bay Championship
KAHUKU, Hawaii
Jan 26-28
Fred Funk cruised to his second Champions Tour victory after posting his second consecutive round of 8-under 64 in the final round at the Turtle Bay Championship. Funk's 23 under par is the lowest score in relation to par in a 54-hole tournament in Champions Tour history. His birdie on the final hole and Tom Kite's bogey made the margin of victory 11. That bested the previous Champions Tour record for largest margin of victory by two.
Kite threw away an easy runner-up finish down the stretch. He dropped three shots in the final two holes and fell into a tie for second at 12-under-par. He was joined by Loren Roberts, the 2006 champion, Tom Purtzer, Denis Watson and Kiyoshi Murota. Tim Simpson, D.A. Weibring and David Eger shared eighth place at 11-under-par. Scott Simpson, David Edwards and Mike Reid tied for 10th at minus-10.
NATIONWIDE TOUR
Movistar Panama Championship
PANAMA CITY, Panama
Jan 25-28
Miguel Carballo fired a 5-under 65 in the final round to win the Nationwide Tour's 2007 season-opener. He finished at 6-under-par for a two-shot victory over three players: Jim McGovern, Hunter Haas and Patrick Sheehan. Third-round leader Marc Yurnesa shot a 73 and slipped into a tie for fifth place with Camilo Benedetti.
Carballo is the third Latin American to win on the Nationwide Tour after Paraguay's Angel Franco and Keoke Cotner and Esteban Toledo of Spain. His victory came at the same course, Panama Golf Club, where another famous Argentine golfer won: Hall of Famer Roberto De Vicenzo. Jeremy Anderson shot a 67 to move into a tie for seventh place at 2-under. He was joined there by Chris Nallen, Tim Wilkinson, Richard Johnson and Gary Christian.
PGA TOUR
Buick Invitational
SAN DIEGO, CA
Jan 25-28
Tiger Woods won his third straight Buick Invitational, for his seventh consecutive victory on the PGA TOUR, the second-longest winning steak in history. Byron Nelson set the record in 1945 with 11 in a row, another one of those records nobody thought was in reach of ever being threatened.
With Tiger, the final result is becoming all too predictable, even when he's on the second page of the leaderboard during the early rounds. These days it's just a matter of WHEN and not IF he'll catch the leaders and win, especially when the top contenders combined have a total of one win. Woods caught up to the pack during the final round with an eagle on the 9th hole, then buried the final challengers on the back nine for a 6-under 66. He got help when Andrew Buckle and Jeff Quinney, who shared the lead on the back nine until they both stumbled on a cool, breezy afternoon at Torrey Pines. Charles Howell III provided the final challenge with three birdies in a four-hole stretch and tour rookie Brandt Snedeker, who held the lead from the opening day with a 61 closed with a 71 and finished third.
The way Woods is playing reminds me of the 2000 season when he won six in a row, including two majors, the US OPEN and PGA. To put it in perspective, since July he's finished no worse than second in stroke play anywhere in the world. Even though Nelson's record was a true winning streak and Wood's isn't because he lost once in Europe and twice in Asia since September, it counts in the PGA TOUR record books.Should Byron Nelson's record be in jeopardy of being broken? My own personal opinion is that Nelson won eleven tournaments in a row and that's the record. The tour he played them on is irrelevant so Nelson's record should stand. WHAT DO YOU THINK?
EUROPEAN TOUR
The Commercial Bank Qatar Masters
DOHA, Qatar
Jan 25-28
Playing the 17th hole in the final round Nick O'Hern held a two stroke lead, then quickly lost it to Retief Goosen who finished birdie - eagle to win over a stunned O'Hern. Goosen, O'Hern and Richard Green started the final round tied for the lead. With two holes remaining Goosen held a share of the lead until he bogied the 15th, then fell two back when O'Hern birdied 16. Green fell off the pace during the final five holes with three bogies an eagle and a birdie on 18 to finish tied for fourth with Graeme McDowell and Stuart Appleby. 2005 champion Ernie Els, finished third with a 5-under 67.
CHAMPIONS TOUR
Turtle Bay Championship
KAHUKU, Hawaii
Jan 26-28
Fred Funk cruised to his second Champions Tour victory after posting his second consecutive round of 8-under 64 in the final round at the Turtle Bay Championship. Funk's 23 under par is the lowest score in relation to par in a 54-hole tournament in Champions Tour history. His birdie on the final hole and Tom Kite's bogey made the margin of victory 11. That bested the previous Champions Tour record for largest margin of victory by two.
Kite threw away an easy runner-up finish down the stretch. He dropped three shots in the final two holes and fell into a tie for second at 12-under-par. He was joined by Loren Roberts, the 2006 champion, Tom Purtzer, Denis Watson and Kiyoshi Murota. Tim Simpson, D.A. Weibring and David Eger shared eighth place at 11-under-par. Scott Simpson, David Edwards and Mike Reid tied for 10th at minus-10.
NATIONWIDE TOUR
Movistar Panama Championship
PANAMA CITY, Panama
Jan 25-28
Miguel Carballo fired a 5-under 65 in the final round to win the Nationwide Tour's 2007 season-opener. He finished at 6-under-par for a two-shot victory over three players: Jim McGovern, Hunter Haas and Patrick Sheehan. Third-round leader Marc Yurnesa shot a 73 and slipped into a tie for fifth place with Camilo Benedetti.
Carballo is the third Latin American to win on the Nationwide Tour after Paraguay's Angel Franco and Keoke Cotner and Esteban Toledo of Spain. His victory came at the same course, Panama Golf Club, where another famous Argentine golfer won: Hall of Famer Roberto De Vicenzo. Jeremy Anderson shot a 67 to move into a tie for seventh place at 2-under. He was joined there by Chris Nallen, Tim Wilkinson, Richard Johnson and Gary Christian.
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.
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.
2007 Intro Newsletter
Happy 2007 to you and yours!
This year's Thumbs Down Method newsletter has changed quite a bit from last year's. They're more frequent, so expect to receive 3 or 4 each month throughout the year. Each issue will include a recap of the recent Pro Tour events with my comments and opinions, golf related topics of interest, plus ball striking tips from ME. To be removed from the list please email me at info@thumbsdown.info
Many of you who receive this newsletter are customers of the Front Nine edition of Thumbs Down, the virtual golf lesson. I'm pleased to report that a lot of progress has been made in completing the re-construction of The Back Nine edition, which provides step by step ball striking drills in a graphical format that let's each picture tell thestory. The images were designed to easily understand, remember and replay in your mind, so you can give yourself a Virtual Golf Lesson anytime, anywhere. The Back Nine is positioned as a HOW TO guide and training aid you can practice with, then legally use on the course as you play.
A short Sneak Preview is now available (holes 10-13), which I'd like to personally share with you on request FREE. If you'd like to receive an electronic copy please email info@thumbsdown.info. For those of you in the US, I'd also like to introduce a new technology product, which I use to electronically deliver the book using the Internet and discuss will you one-on-one in real-time. Soon this technology will include a video component and made available to teaching pros for giving live lessons remotely.
Now, I NEED YOUR HELP. On February 1st I will be attending a Golf Channel audition for an upcoming show on new golf inventions. My presentation will describe how I developed (invented) the Thumbs Down method to cure my slice, by squaring the club at impact and how it improved my ball striking and ball flight to hit a draw.
If you've used the Thumbs Down method and have experienced positive results I would appreciate a few encouraging words as a testimonial (I won't name names), which will be included in my presentation. Please email info@thumbsdown.info with your comments and results. Thank you, Alan.
The Mercedes-Benz Championship
KAPALUA, Hawaii
Jan 4-7
The new era in golf began with many of us scratching our heads, wondering why Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson decided to skip the season-opening and Fed Ex Cup ribbon cutting tournament. I don't know about you but ever since The Western Open, one of golf's oldest and most respected venues changed it's name to The Cialis Western Open, golf lost some of it's shine. In an era when athletes are a far cry from the roll models of yesteryear, golf was in my eyes squeaky clean. Ever since the re-naming a few years ago I've noticed Tiger and Phil acting bigger than the game, playing whenever they wanted. As an example, what's up with Phil missing the World Series of Golf, which features the winners of all 4 majors. As winner of the 2006 Masters, Phil was the lefty that was supposed to play, not Mike Weir. I really don't care anymore who wins many of these tournaments, but players have always had an obligation to play in certain events and always did, until recent years when they make millions even if they don't win a tournament. It's a sign of the times in sports I guess.
Coming off his least productive season in five years, the old version of Vijay Singh showed up and delivered a strong statement that he's still around. Singh closed with a 3-under 70 for a two-shot victory over Adam Scott. This is Singh's 30th PGA TOUR win and with that he reached three milestones. He became the 17th player with 30 or more wins in PGA TOUR history. The title was also his 18th since turning 40. That broke the tour record for victories over 40, previously held by Sam Snead. Finally, the $1,100,000 winners check pushed Singh over the $50 million mark in career earnings on the PGA TOUR. He is just the second player to break that plateau, joining Tiger Woods, who has over $65 million in career earnings. Will MacKenzie was by far the crowd favorite all week. He contended for the lead until falling behind Adam Scott, who finished second. Trevor Immelman was alone in third at 9-under-par 283. Davis Love III, the 1993 winner, fired a five-under 68 to share fourth at minus-8. He was joined there by J.B. Holmes (72) and Mackenzie (72). Luke Donald took seventh place at 7-under-par 285 after his third straight 71. Former PGA champion David Toms closed with the best round of the day, a 6- under 67, to end in a tie for eighth at minus-6. He ended alongside K.J. Choi and J.J. Henry. Stuart Appleby, who won this event the last three years, shared 13th as he closed with three straight rounds under par.
Sony Open in Hawaii
HONOLULU
Hawaii
Jan 11-14
With ALL of the buzz, ALL of the talk and most of all, ALL the hype about Michele Wie's attempt to finally qualify on the PGA Tour , another Hawaiian fenom Tadd Fujikawa stole the spotlight. Never mind who won the tournament, these two teenagers received a large majority of the media's attention all week. Wie left very little doubt that this wasn't her week when she shot herself out of contention early. An opening round of 78 was followed by a 76 to miss the cut by 14 shots. In the past, the media would have interviewed her into submission, asking about her lack of success trying the make the cut vs the men and how much did her wrist injury affect her play. I for one am glad that we weren't subjected to that. Instead, Michelle virtually disappeared from the TV stage, replaced by Tadd Fujikawa as he played the Back Nine during his second round. At 5 foot 1 and just turning sixteen years old earlier in the week Fujikawa closed in on history right before my eyes. I began watching him on The Golf Channel starting on the 15th hole at 1 under par, with the cut line at even par. After a bogey, he ended the round with a dramatic eagle on the 18th hole for a 66, finishing at 4 under par. Fujikawa became the youngest player in 50 years to make the cut on the PGA TOUR. I for one think it's time for Michelle Wie to forget about competing against the men and focus her efforts on regularly playing the LPGA Tour and winning against her peers, women pros. Those girls can play! What do you think? Email me your comments at info@thumbsdown.info
Oh bye the way, Paul Goydos staged a rally with three birdies in the final four holes to win the tournament. It was his first victory in 11 years after passing third-round leader Charles Howell III, who looked like the eventual winner with a 2 stroke lead with three holes to play. Instead, it was a crushing defeat for Howell who hasn't won since 2002. He tied with Luke Donald for second, a stroke back. During his post tournament interview with Jerry Foltz of The Golf Channel Goydos answered the question about whether he thought he would win again on the PGA TOUR by saying in a very laid back tone "I like to win at least once every decade". Golf
Thumbs Down Golf Tip:
The Truth Be Told
AJ Bonar sold millions of videos called "AJ Reveals The Truth About Golf" on The Golf Channel over the past few years. In the October issue of Golf Magazine, Bonar was featured and established himself as a maverick teacher by accusing teaching pros of teaching incorrectly to their students. With too much focus and attention on swing planes, too many teaching pros and instructors overlook the importance of controlling the clubface using the hands, wrists and forearms. I agree with AJ and wrote this quote for the 11th holeon The Back Nine edition. "All great ball strikers use their hands and wrists for hidden power, whether they choose to admit it or not".
This year's Thumbs Down Method newsletter has changed quite a bit from last year's. They're more frequent, so expect to receive 3 or 4 each month throughout the year. Each issue will include a recap of the recent Pro Tour events with my comments and opinions, golf related topics of interest, plus ball striking tips from ME. To be removed from the list please email me at info@thumbsdown.info
Many of you who receive this newsletter are customers of the Front Nine edition of Thumbs Down, the virtual golf lesson. I'm pleased to report that a lot of progress has been made in completing the re-construction of The Back Nine edition, which provides step by step ball striking drills in a graphical format that let's each picture tell thestory. The images were designed to easily understand, remember and replay in your mind, so you can give yourself a Virtual Golf Lesson anytime, anywhere. The Back Nine is positioned as a HOW TO guide and training aid you can practice with, then legally use on the course as you play.
A short Sneak Preview is now available (holes 10-13), which I'd like to personally share with you on request FREE. If you'd like to receive an electronic copy please email info@thumbsdown.info. For those of you in the US, I'd also like to introduce a new technology product, which I use to electronically deliver the book using the Internet and discuss will you one-on-one in real-time. Soon this technology will include a video component and made available to teaching pros for giving live lessons remotely.
Now, I NEED YOUR HELP. On February 1st I will be attending a Golf Channel audition for an upcoming show on new golf inventions. My presentation will describe how I developed (invented) the Thumbs Down method to cure my slice, by squaring the club at impact and how it improved my ball striking and ball flight to hit a draw.
If you've used the Thumbs Down method and have experienced positive results I would appreciate a few encouraging words as a testimonial (I won't name names), which will be included in my presentation. Please email info@thumbsdown.info with your comments and results. Thank you, Alan.
The Mercedes-Benz Championship
KAPALUA, Hawaii
Jan 4-7
The new era in golf began with many of us scratching our heads, wondering why Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson decided to skip the season-opening and Fed Ex Cup ribbon cutting tournament. I don't know about you but ever since The Western Open, one of golf's oldest and most respected venues changed it's name to The Cialis Western Open, golf lost some of it's shine. In an era when athletes are a far cry from the roll models of yesteryear, golf was in my eyes squeaky clean. Ever since the re-naming a few years ago I've noticed Tiger and Phil acting bigger than the game, playing whenever they wanted. As an example, what's up with Phil missing the World Series of Golf, which features the winners of all 4 majors. As winner of the 2006 Masters, Phil was the lefty that was supposed to play, not Mike Weir. I really don't care anymore who wins many of these tournaments, but players have always had an obligation to play in certain events and always did, until recent years when they make millions even if they don't win a tournament. It's a sign of the times in sports I guess.
Coming off his least productive season in five years, the old version of Vijay Singh showed up and delivered a strong statement that he's still around. Singh closed with a 3-under 70 for a two-shot victory over Adam Scott. This is Singh's 30th PGA TOUR win and with that he reached three milestones. He became the 17th player with 30 or more wins in PGA TOUR history. The title was also his 18th since turning 40. That broke the tour record for victories over 40, previously held by Sam Snead. Finally, the $1,100,000 winners check pushed Singh over the $50 million mark in career earnings on the PGA TOUR. He is just the second player to break that plateau, joining Tiger Woods, who has over $65 million in career earnings. Will MacKenzie was by far the crowd favorite all week. He contended for the lead until falling behind Adam Scott, who finished second. Trevor Immelman was alone in third at 9-under-par 283. Davis Love III, the 1993 winner, fired a five-under 68 to share fourth at minus-8. He was joined there by J.B. Holmes (72) and Mackenzie (72). Luke Donald took seventh place at 7-under-par 285 after his third straight 71. Former PGA champion David Toms closed with the best round of the day, a 6- under 67, to end in a tie for eighth at minus-6. He ended alongside K.J. Choi and J.J. Henry. Stuart Appleby, who won this event the last three years, shared 13th as he closed with three straight rounds under par.
Sony Open in Hawaii
HONOLULU
Hawaii
Jan 11-14
With ALL of the buzz, ALL of the talk and most of all, ALL the hype about Michele Wie's attempt to finally qualify on the PGA Tour , another Hawaiian fenom Tadd Fujikawa stole the spotlight. Never mind who won the tournament, these two teenagers received a large majority of the media's attention all week. Wie left very little doubt that this wasn't her week when she shot herself out of contention early. An opening round of 78 was followed by a 76 to miss the cut by 14 shots. In the past, the media would have interviewed her into submission, asking about her lack of success trying the make the cut vs the men and how much did her wrist injury affect her play. I for one am glad that we weren't subjected to that. Instead, Michelle virtually disappeared from the TV stage, replaced by Tadd Fujikawa as he played the Back Nine during his second round. At 5 foot 1 and just turning sixteen years old earlier in the week Fujikawa closed in on history right before my eyes. I began watching him on The Golf Channel starting on the 15th hole at 1 under par, with the cut line at even par. After a bogey, he ended the round with a dramatic eagle on the 18th hole for a 66, finishing at 4 under par. Fujikawa became the youngest player in 50 years to make the cut on the PGA TOUR. I for one think it's time for Michelle Wie to forget about competing against the men and focus her efforts on regularly playing the LPGA Tour and winning against her peers, women pros. Those girls can play! What do you think? Email me your comments at info@thumbsdown.info
Oh bye the way, Paul Goydos staged a rally with three birdies in the final four holes to win the tournament. It was his first victory in 11 years after passing third-round leader Charles Howell III, who looked like the eventual winner with a 2 stroke lead with three holes to play. Instead, it was a crushing defeat for Howell who hasn't won since 2002. He tied with Luke Donald for second, a stroke back. During his post tournament interview with Jerry Foltz of The Golf Channel Goydos answered the question about whether he thought he would win again on the PGA TOUR by saying in a very laid back tone "I like to win at least once every decade". Golf
Thumbs Down Golf Tip:
The Truth Be Told
AJ Bonar sold millions of videos called "AJ Reveals The Truth About Golf" on The Golf Channel over the past few years. In the October issue of Golf Magazine, Bonar was featured and established himself as a maverick teacher by accusing teaching pros of teaching incorrectly to their students. With too much focus and attention on swing planes, too many teaching pros and instructors overlook the importance of controlling the clubface using the hands, wrists and forearms. I agree with AJ and wrote this quote for the 11th holeon The Back Nine edition. "All great ball strikers use their hands and wrists for hidden power, whether they choose to admit it or not".
October 05, 2006
Over the River and Through the Woods
Imagine you're on the game show Jeopardy and this was the answer.
Of the two choices below, what would be your correct question?
1. How do you get to Grandmother's house
2. What is a fitting description of a Disc Golf course layout
If you selected question #2 you're probably already a player or you thought it was a trick question, but I assure you it wasn't. Yes, I said disc golf, it wasn't a misprint.
To go one step further with the description, add the lines "in-between the buildings and around the maintenance facilities". This would apply if the course was located on the campus of Douglass / Cook College at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Truth be told the river is actually a pond, but that minor fact didn't matter to over 100 professional and amateur disc golfers who played at the 34th annual Jersey Jam on August 19th and 20th respectively on the Rutger's course. Disc golf ...who would have thunk it? More about this event follows below.
They're real and they're spectacular! Well, maybe that's overdoing it a little, (as a fan of Seinfeld I just like that expression) but disc golfers are for real and the way the professionals make the disc fly is nothing short of magnificent. Yes, there are pro disc golfers and there is a professional tour where men and women compete for prize money. In addition, hundreds of regional events are scheduled year round for amateurs to play and compete (checkout http://www.pdga.com/ for all the details). In fact, disc golf is played in over 22 countries around the world.
Before jumping ahead to quickly, rewind back to the early 1960's when Vince Lombardi addressed his new team the Green Bay Packers, for the first time. To stress the importance of the basics, he uttered his infamous remark (as he held up a football) "gentlemen, this is a football. Am I going to fast for anyone"?
So that I don't make that mistake, it's important to step back and review the basics of disc golf.
What is Disc Golf?
Disc golf is played much like traditional golf, with the exception of the chosen weapons and the intended target. Instead of hitting a ball with clubs into a small hole in the ground, players throw a flying disc, or Frisbee(r) into an elevated metal basket. The sport was formalized in the 1970's, modeled after traditional ball golf.
A plethora of similarities exist between the two sports that include, but are not limited to the following:
- The objective of the games are the same; to complete each hole in the fewest number of strokes, or in the case of disc golf the fewest number of throws.
- A hole begins when a golf disc is thrown from a tee area toward the basket, typically a par three or four, measured in hundreds of feet, not yards. As a player progresses down the fairway, he or she must make each consecutive shot from the spot where the previous throw has landed. The trees, shrubs and terrain changes located in and around the fairways provide challenging obstacles for the golfer (I'm sure there are courses with holes over a river, as the title implies, although I haven't witnessed it). Therefore, the player's strategy can vary from flying the disc over or around the obstacle, or play "a roller", which hits the ground running hard toward its intended target. My observations compare playing roller type golf to "links golf" in that certain shots work out better by keeping the disc on the ground, especially in windy conditions. Remember, disc golf is played all year round, in all conditions. Finally, when "the putt" lands in the basket the hole is completed.
- The game is played in the same sized groups and combinations: singles, 2-somes, 3-somes, 4-somes, partners etc. They play shotguns, scrambles and partner better ball.
- Discs are stored in a bag, described as similar to a gym or small duffle bag with pockets, with anywhere from a few to over 12-15 or more different discs, for the different types of shots required. A large majority of golfers carry the bag, but I'm starting to see more pull carts being used, during the tournaments I observed. During a tournament I saw a wife was caddying for her husband (just like you often see on the pro golf tours).
- Disc golfers share the same joys and frustrations of traditional golfers, whether it's sinking a long putt or hitting a tree halfway down the fairway.
There are some differences, however.
- The most significant is the cost. Disc golf rarely requires a greens fee( You won't need to rent a motorized cart. The equipment needed to start includes: One disc (approx $10-$15) and a bag costs around $30( Disc golf uses a rating system to rank each player. There is no handicap system like in ball golf, where any player can play any other player fairly, by giving them strokes on designated holes to make up for the differential in ability. ( Dress code is a major difference. In contrast to the business casual look of khaki pants or shorts and collared shirts worn in traditional golf, disc golfers overall have a much more relaxed look, with jeans, tee shirts and sneakers or hiking type boots (no disrespect intended). Note, in tournaments a collared shirt is typically required.
Who Plays Disc Golf?
Just like ball golf, disc golf is played by boys, girls, men and women from school age to old age. It's designed to be enjoyed by people of all ages, male and female, regardless of economic status. As you would expect, pros are typically strong and athletically built, but recreational players are a diverse group that come in all different shapes and sizes; from king sized "big dogs" to the twiggy thin. The game today is played by the baby boomer generation, predominately men, but women are always welcome and encouraged to join in. Disc golf is easy to learn, so no one is excluded. Players merely match their pace to their capabilities, and proceed from there.
The Professional Disc Golf Association, with over 16,000 members, is the governing body for the sport, and sanctions competitive events for men and women of every skill level from novice to professional. Permanent disc golf courses are found throughout the United States as well as in countries worldwide.
Where do you play?
Many city parks have golf courses already set up. Most are free to play as often as you like. Disc golfers who do not have the benefit of a permanent disc golf facility in their area often "make up" courses in nearby parks and green spaces. One of the great features disc golf shares with traditional golf is that they are both played in beautiful settings. A nine-hole disc golf course can be established on as little as five acres of land, and a championship-caliber 18-hole course on 30 to 40 acres. Disc golf courses can coexist with existing park facilities and activity areas. The ideal location combines wooded and open terrains, and a variety of topographical change.
The need for more courses is constant, as the sport continues to grow in popularity. The PDGA has created standards for the design and installation of new golf courses, to ensure their success in the community.
In Summary: Why should you play?
The ongoing fitness boom finds more and more people taking up recreational activities in an effort to improve health and quality of life. Disc golf provides upper and lower body conditioning, aerobic exercise, and promotes a combination of physical and mental abilities that allow very little risk of physical injury. Concentration skills increase by mastering shots and negotiating obstacles. Players of limited fitness levels can start slowly and gradually increase their level of play as fitness improves. Scheduling is also flexible; a round takes one to two hours, and may be played alone, eliminating the difficulty of scheduling tee times. And as in traditional golf, disc golfers find themselves "hooked;" increasing the likelihood of frequent participation. Disc golf is played year-round, even in rain or snow. Perhaps the greatest attribute of the sport is the expense - or rather, the lack of it. A professional quality disc costs less than $10, and it only takes one for basic play. And, of course, there's the sheer fun of the game - no matter what your age or skill level!
Below is a recap of two events which occurred in our region during July and August of 2006.
Skylands Classic Pro / Am event - July 22 & 23 Warwick, NY
Brakewell Steel / Warwick Town Park Disc Golf Course is a beautiful park like setting in lower upstate New York. The 18 hole course was designed and created between August 1998 and April 1999 by many volunteers around the area that share a love for disc golf. The course features challenging terrain that includes wide open fields and narrow wooded fairways nestled in a scenic environment that offers beautiful vistas and pronounced elevation changes. Rolling hills and natural boundaries along the wonderfully manicured landscape provide a dynamic golf experience, while wind currents that vary from day to day, will occasionally require tricky shot adjustments.
The Warwick course has quickly gained a reputation as one of the most versatile, challenging, and fun courses in the United States. What makes Warwick especially unique is that they have two permanent baskets on all 18 holes. Combined with two concrete tee pads per hole, the Warwick "Animal" course offers four distinctly different layouts that range from a Pro Par of 54 to a Pro Par of 68.
This event attracted the best men and women pros from around the country as well as International players from Sweden, Finland, Japan, and other countries, plus many of the areas top amateurs, 90 in total. I attended as a spectator on the second day, following the top men's and women's groups during their final round. Congratulations to:David Feldberg, Des Reading, Bryan Motley, and Jay Gobrecht for winning the 2006 Skylands Classic!! The leader board also featured others who cashed at this event. For the men: Nate Doss, Ken Climo, Barry Schultz, Brian Schweberger, Steve Rico, plus New Jersey's own Steve Brinster and Bob Graham. For the women, Carrie Berlogar, Val Jenkins, Leslie Demark, and Mandi Snodgrass. Not exactly household names like Woods, Hogan, Palmer and Nicklaus, but in the game of disc golf these are some of the game's best.
Jersey Jam - August 19-20, 2006 the 34th annual
The Jersey Jam is the longest running tournament in the country, now in it's 34th year. Two 18 hole rounds are played each day with a lunch break in-between, Saturday for professionals and Sunday for amateurs.
Early on a hot and sunny Saturday morning, 47 pros from NJ, PA and the surrounding states throughout the Delaware Valley and the Northeast and further south were scattered all over the course warming up. Then, tournament director and principal figure of the NJ Disc Devils Eddie Nathan yells out to all players BRING IT IN, for the pre-game meeting. Just saying that Eddie yells out does not do it justice, so trust me when I say that this isn't just any yell. It sounds more like a good imitation of the horn on the TV show Survivor, as he screams at the top of his lungs. After the meeting the players proceed to their opening hole, anxious to hear Eddie yell out TWO MINUTES, as play is about to begin.
I attended this event as a sponsor. My product, The Cardkeeper is a wallet style scorecard and pencil holder, which I donated for use as prizes to the winners of CTPs (closest to the pin contests). During tournament play each group of four players stored the official scorecards in The Cardkeeper wallets. As a commercial plug, my product is quickly becoming a popular accessory item by disc golfers throughout the country. Marshall Street, http://www.marshallstreetdiscgolf.com/, one of the game's top on-line distributors of disc golf products sells The Cardkeeper.
On this day I volunteered to help out on the course, so they put me on Hole #1 as a spotter. The opening hole is a par 3, 291 feet. From the tee the hole is straight ahead, however there are a few obstacles to avoid along the way. At about 120 feet out, there are several trees 15 -20 feet high spread across a landing area 100 -120 feet wide. Next, you need to fly the disc over a large hedge 8 feet high and 20 feet wide before landing safely for the next shot. Don't go too far right on the tee shot or you'll be blocked out by a thickly wooded row of trees that separate the course from the Eagleton Institute building and parking lot (it's out of bounds and a 1 stroke penalty). Go too far left and you hit another university building or one of two large trees that stand near bye it.
For the better pros the obstacles hardly seemed to exist, as their discs flew over the hedge and safely onto the fairway, within 100 feet of the hole (actually it's a basket). Just like in ball golf, the objective is to get the second shot close enough to putt for a par. Throughout the round I saw only a few birdies and many pars, plus several that went very right or very left that resulted in bogies. It was actually a tough opening hole. After a fun morning round (and a great sun tan) they served a barbeque lunch for all. A special thanks goes out two Andrew Sweeten, the President of the Bucks County Disc Golf Alliance for his efforts through the sweltering heat as main cook AND for the awesome burgers and hotdogs.
The afternoon round paired the players with the lowest scores together to determine the winners of the total purse of $3,270. In a playoff, Steve Brinster defeated Joseph Mela to take the first prize of $550, followed in third place by course pro Bob Graham who won $255.
On Sunday, with the weather equally beautiful and a gusty wind, 55 amateurs and recreational players went through the same drill as the prior day. As you would expect, there was A LOT more for me to spot on this day, compared to the pros. The obstacles I described earlier did their jobs rather well, as many shots hit the first rows of trees or the hedges caught them. I must admit that there were a few laughs to be had, from some of the positions in the hedge the players had to take, in order to play the next shot. Like ball golf you have to play it from where it lies or move it and take a one stroke penalty. For many that made it over the initial trees and hedge, their banana shaped shots found the wooded area to the right, which left no bargains for their second shot either.
I witnessed the same joys and frustrations from the players as those experienced in traditional golf. At the end of the day, everyone enjoyed themselves and the event was once again a success. After all, that's what playing disc golf is all about.
Of the two choices below, what would be your correct question?
1. How do you get to Grandmother's house
2. What is a fitting description of a Disc Golf course layout
If you selected question #2 you're probably already a player or you thought it was a trick question, but I assure you it wasn't. Yes, I said disc golf, it wasn't a misprint.
To go one step further with the description, add the lines "in-between the buildings and around the maintenance facilities". This would apply if the course was located on the campus of Douglass / Cook College at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Truth be told the river is actually a pond, but that minor fact didn't matter to over 100 professional and amateur disc golfers who played at the 34th annual Jersey Jam on August 19th and 20th respectively on the Rutger's course. Disc golf ...who would have thunk it? More about this event follows below.
They're real and they're spectacular! Well, maybe that's overdoing it a little, (as a fan of Seinfeld I just like that expression) but disc golfers are for real and the way the professionals make the disc fly is nothing short of magnificent. Yes, there are pro disc golfers and there is a professional tour where men and women compete for prize money. In addition, hundreds of regional events are scheduled year round for amateurs to play and compete (checkout http://www.pdga.com/ for all the details). In fact, disc golf is played in over 22 countries around the world.
Before jumping ahead to quickly, rewind back to the early 1960's when Vince Lombardi addressed his new team the Green Bay Packers, for the first time. To stress the importance of the basics, he uttered his infamous remark (as he held up a football) "gentlemen, this is a football. Am I going to fast for anyone"?
So that I don't make that mistake, it's important to step back and review the basics of disc golf.
What is Disc Golf?
Disc golf is played much like traditional golf, with the exception of the chosen weapons and the intended target. Instead of hitting a ball with clubs into a small hole in the ground, players throw a flying disc, or Frisbee(r) into an elevated metal basket. The sport was formalized in the 1970's, modeled after traditional ball golf.
A plethora of similarities exist between the two sports that include, but are not limited to the following:
- The objective of the games are the same; to complete each hole in the fewest number of strokes, or in the case of disc golf the fewest number of throws.
- A hole begins when a golf disc is thrown from a tee area toward the basket, typically a par three or four, measured in hundreds of feet, not yards. As a player progresses down the fairway, he or she must make each consecutive shot from the spot where the previous throw has landed. The trees, shrubs and terrain changes located in and around the fairways provide challenging obstacles for the golfer (I'm sure there are courses with holes over a river, as the title implies, although I haven't witnessed it). Therefore, the player's strategy can vary from flying the disc over or around the obstacle, or play "a roller", which hits the ground running hard toward its intended target. My observations compare playing roller type golf to "links golf" in that certain shots work out better by keeping the disc on the ground, especially in windy conditions. Remember, disc golf is played all year round, in all conditions. Finally, when "the putt" lands in the basket the hole is completed.
- The game is played in the same sized groups and combinations: singles, 2-somes, 3-somes, 4-somes, partners etc. They play shotguns, scrambles and partner better ball.
- Discs are stored in a bag, described as similar to a gym or small duffle bag with pockets, with anywhere from a few to over 12-15 or more different discs, for the different types of shots required. A large majority of golfers carry the bag, but I'm starting to see more pull carts being used, during the tournaments I observed. During a tournament I saw a wife was caddying for her husband (just like you often see on the pro golf tours).
- Disc golfers share the same joys and frustrations of traditional golfers, whether it's sinking a long putt or hitting a tree halfway down the fairway.
There are some differences, however.
- The most significant is the cost. Disc golf rarely requires a greens fee( You won't need to rent a motorized cart. The equipment needed to start includes: One disc (approx $10-$15) and a bag costs around $30( Disc golf uses a rating system to rank each player. There is no handicap system like in ball golf, where any player can play any other player fairly, by giving them strokes on designated holes to make up for the differential in ability. ( Dress code is a major difference. In contrast to the business casual look of khaki pants or shorts and collared shirts worn in traditional golf, disc golfers overall have a much more relaxed look, with jeans, tee shirts and sneakers or hiking type boots (no disrespect intended). Note, in tournaments a collared shirt is typically required.
Who Plays Disc Golf?
Just like ball golf, disc golf is played by boys, girls, men and women from school age to old age. It's designed to be enjoyed by people of all ages, male and female, regardless of economic status. As you would expect, pros are typically strong and athletically built, but recreational players are a diverse group that come in all different shapes and sizes; from king sized "big dogs" to the twiggy thin. The game today is played by the baby boomer generation, predominately men, but women are always welcome and encouraged to join in. Disc golf is easy to learn, so no one is excluded. Players merely match their pace to their capabilities, and proceed from there.
The Professional Disc Golf Association, with over 16,000 members, is the governing body for the sport, and sanctions competitive events for men and women of every skill level from novice to professional. Permanent disc golf courses are found throughout the United States as well as in countries worldwide.
Where do you play?
Many city parks have golf courses already set up. Most are free to play as often as you like. Disc golfers who do not have the benefit of a permanent disc golf facility in their area often "make up" courses in nearby parks and green spaces. One of the great features disc golf shares with traditional golf is that they are both played in beautiful settings. A nine-hole disc golf course can be established on as little as five acres of land, and a championship-caliber 18-hole course on 30 to 40 acres. Disc golf courses can coexist with existing park facilities and activity areas. The ideal location combines wooded and open terrains, and a variety of topographical change.
The need for more courses is constant, as the sport continues to grow in popularity. The PDGA has created standards for the design and installation of new golf courses, to ensure their success in the community.
In Summary: Why should you play?
The ongoing fitness boom finds more and more people taking up recreational activities in an effort to improve health and quality of life. Disc golf provides upper and lower body conditioning, aerobic exercise, and promotes a combination of physical and mental abilities that allow very little risk of physical injury. Concentration skills increase by mastering shots and negotiating obstacles. Players of limited fitness levels can start slowly and gradually increase their level of play as fitness improves. Scheduling is also flexible; a round takes one to two hours, and may be played alone, eliminating the difficulty of scheduling tee times. And as in traditional golf, disc golfers find themselves "hooked;" increasing the likelihood of frequent participation. Disc golf is played year-round, even in rain or snow. Perhaps the greatest attribute of the sport is the expense - or rather, the lack of it. A professional quality disc costs less than $10, and it only takes one for basic play. And, of course, there's the sheer fun of the game - no matter what your age or skill level!
Below is a recap of two events which occurred in our region during July and August of 2006.
Skylands Classic Pro / Am event - July 22 & 23 Warwick, NY
Brakewell Steel / Warwick Town Park Disc Golf Course is a beautiful park like setting in lower upstate New York. The 18 hole course was designed and created between August 1998 and April 1999 by many volunteers around the area that share a love for disc golf. The course features challenging terrain that includes wide open fields and narrow wooded fairways nestled in a scenic environment that offers beautiful vistas and pronounced elevation changes. Rolling hills and natural boundaries along the wonderfully manicured landscape provide a dynamic golf experience, while wind currents that vary from day to day, will occasionally require tricky shot adjustments.
The Warwick course has quickly gained a reputation as one of the most versatile, challenging, and fun courses in the United States. What makes Warwick especially unique is that they have two permanent baskets on all 18 holes. Combined with two concrete tee pads per hole, the Warwick "Animal" course offers four distinctly different layouts that range from a Pro Par of 54 to a Pro Par of 68.
This event attracted the best men and women pros from around the country as well as International players from Sweden, Finland, Japan, and other countries, plus many of the areas top amateurs, 90 in total. I attended as a spectator on the second day, following the top men's and women's groups during their final round. Congratulations to:David Feldberg, Des Reading, Bryan Motley, and Jay Gobrecht for winning the 2006 Skylands Classic!! The leader board also featured others who cashed at this event. For the men: Nate Doss, Ken Climo, Barry Schultz, Brian Schweberger, Steve Rico, plus New Jersey's own Steve Brinster and Bob Graham. For the women, Carrie Berlogar, Val Jenkins, Leslie Demark, and Mandi Snodgrass. Not exactly household names like Woods, Hogan, Palmer and Nicklaus, but in the game of disc golf these are some of the game's best.
Jersey Jam - August 19-20, 2006 the 34th annual
The Jersey Jam is the longest running tournament in the country, now in it's 34th year. Two 18 hole rounds are played each day with a lunch break in-between, Saturday for professionals and Sunday for amateurs.
Early on a hot and sunny Saturday morning, 47 pros from NJ, PA and the surrounding states throughout the Delaware Valley and the Northeast and further south were scattered all over the course warming up. Then, tournament director and principal figure of the NJ Disc Devils Eddie Nathan yells out to all players BRING IT IN, for the pre-game meeting. Just saying that Eddie yells out does not do it justice, so trust me when I say that this isn't just any yell. It sounds more like a good imitation of the horn on the TV show Survivor, as he screams at the top of his lungs. After the meeting the players proceed to their opening hole, anxious to hear Eddie yell out TWO MINUTES, as play is about to begin.
I attended this event as a sponsor. My product, The Cardkeeper is a wallet style scorecard and pencil holder, which I donated for use as prizes to the winners of CTPs (closest to the pin contests). During tournament play each group of four players stored the official scorecards in The Cardkeeper wallets. As a commercial plug, my product is quickly becoming a popular accessory item by disc golfers throughout the country. Marshall Street, http://www.marshallstreetdiscgolf.com/, one of the game's top on-line distributors of disc golf products sells The Cardkeeper.
On this day I volunteered to help out on the course, so they put me on Hole #1 as a spotter. The opening hole is a par 3, 291 feet. From the tee the hole is straight ahead, however there are a few obstacles to avoid along the way. At about 120 feet out, there are several trees 15 -20 feet high spread across a landing area 100 -120 feet wide. Next, you need to fly the disc over a large hedge 8 feet high and 20 feet wide before landing safely for the next shot. Don't go too far right on the tee shot or you'll be blocked out by a thickly wooded row of trees that separate the course from the Eagleton Institute building and parking lot (it's out of bounds and a 1 stroke penalty). Go too far left and you hit another university building or one of two large trees that stand near bye it.
For the better pros the obstacles hardly seemed to exist, as their discs flew over the hedge and safely onto the fairway, within 100 feet of the hole (actually it's a basket). Just like in ball golf, the objective is to get the second shot close enough to putt for a par. Throughout the round I saw only a few birdies and many pars, plus several that went very right or very left that resulted in bogies. It was actually a tough opening hole. After a fun morning round (and a great sun tan) they served a barbeque lunch for all. A special thanks goes out two Andrew Sweeten, the President of the Bucks County Disc Golf Alliance for his efforts through the sweltering heat as main cook AND for the awesome burgers and hotdogs.
The afternoon round paired the players with the lowest scores together to determine the winners of the total purse of $3,270. In a playoff, Steve Brinster defeated Joseph Mela to take the first prize of $550, followed in third place by course pro Bob Graham who won $255.
On Sunday, with the weather equally beautiful and a gusty wind, 55 amateurs and recreational players went through the same drill as the prior day. As you would expect, there was A LOT more for me to spot on this day, compared to the pros. The obstacles I described earlier did their jobs rather well, as many shots hit the first rows of trees or the hedges caught them. I must admit that there were a few laughs to be had, from some of the positions in the hedge the players had to take, in order to play the next shot. Like ball golf you have to play it from where it lies or move it and take a one stroke penalty. For many that made it over the initial trees and hedge, their banana shaped shots found the wooded area to the right, which left no bargains for their second shot either.
I witnessed the same joys and frustrations from the players as those experienced in traditional golf. At the end of the day, everyone enjoyed themselves and the event was once again a success. After all, that's what playing disc golf is all about.
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