John Deere Classic

Nice Guy Steve Stricker won today in a very long 36 hole Sunday. I like Stricker. He's another one of those guys like Kenny Perry who shows just how much every win means to him.

And I was so happy to see Brett Quigley earn a spot at the British Open with his good finish. I guess he has the option to turn that down, but I don't know why he would. I'm a big fan of his and really hope that someday he will win.

Lee Janzen didn't have a very productive final round, but he did do well on the whole this week. One more good tournament that will bring him closer to a Tour Card next year.

Scottish Open

Martin Kaymer won today for the second time in two weeks. I don't expect him to make it three in a row, but I would not mind at all being wrong about that. Gonzalo Fernandez Castano finished T2 with Raphael Jacquelin. Graeme Storm moved up 35 places today and Jose Maria Olazabal remained tied for 32nd place.

Last year, I said on the blog that if I was making the Ryder Cup picks I would have chosen Martin Kaymer. Yes, I disagreed with Nick Faldo, although not as strongly as I did with Tom Lehman in 2006 about his picks. And in much the same way as Lucas Glover is now proving to the world that he had earned the opportunity and just wasn't afforded it, this year, Martin Kaymer is going about his business and is proving to everyone that he has earned his right to be considered for such an honor. Let's hope neither one is overlooked next time.

Positive Thoughts Sent Gonzalo's Way

I am sending all of my positive thoughts and prayers to Gonzalo Fernandez Castano in the hopes he finds his dog. I just found out that his little dog went missing and there's a reward being offered. You can click HERE to read more about the little one.

John Deere Classic & Women's US Open

I'm putting both of these together because I had a similar experience while watching them today. I started off watching the John Deere Classic. But unfortunately, the local weathermen thought they were so important that they kept interrupting the coverage with weather bulletins for counties far, far away in another state. News flash for the weathermen: the people in those counties probably lost electricity and couldn't hear or see your warnings anyway. So, I switched over to the US Women's Open. There I was just annoyed by the beeping as the weather alerts scrolled across the bottom of the screen. I thought for a second I was watching Gordon Ramsey when I heard those beeps but remembered that no, it was Johnny Miller and he wouldn't say anything to get beeped over, although I have the impression that some players would like to apply such technology to his analysis.

As for the golf, it's great to see Lee Janzen doing well this week. On the women's side, it's too bad Alexis Thompson had a bad round today. But just about everyone else did too. They were talking about how tough the course is playing and it sure does sound like a US Open.

Scottish Open Third Round

Gonzalo Fernandez Castano is leading going into the final round. He shot a 64 today to end up at -14. He is being chased by Retief Goosen and last week's winner, Martin Kaymer, both at -13. Lee Westwood also shot a 64. American Brian Gay shot a 65 today and is currently tied for eighth. Jose Maria Olazabal and Ian Poulter are tied for 32 with a bunch of other people at -4. And the biggest move up the leaderboard today was by David Lynn who moved up 46 spots with his round of 65.

Barclay's Scottish Open

First round of the Scottish Open was today and Australian Richard Green is leading at -7. Adam Scott came out of nowhere with a good round of golf. He was 5 under par. There are ten Spaniards playing this week and Gonzalo Fernandez Castano is doing the best so far as he's tied for second at -6. Jose Maria Olazabal is at even par and needs a spectacular week to earn a spot at the British Open. As for Americans, there are 5 in the field and Nick Watney was the lowest among them at -4. And finally, Nick Faldo is in the field and if you look at the leaderboard, you will see him referred to as "Sir Nick Faldo". I guess when the tournament is in the UK they have to use the 'Sir'.

Open de France

The Open de France ended in a playoff between Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer. Kaymer came out on top. Westwood's final round of -6 was impressive. Ian Poulter was 4 under on the day to finish 3rd. Jose Maria Olazabal moved up a few spots to finish T54 and Peter Hedblom made the biggest positive move today - he moved up 36 spots. I love how the European Tour website is now showing the change between rounds so I don't have to do the math.

Federer Wins 15th Slam

I know, this isn't golf related, but it is a world record for Roger Federer. He won Wimbledon today in a true marathon of a match against Andy Roddick. The final set went on and on and on. Federer also reclaims the #1 ranking with this win. I think it's good that he's 'come back' and won the French, Wimbledon and reclaimed the #1 ranking. Not that he truly ever went anywhere, but the media had a lot of fun in the last year writing him off. Now Roger can take some time off when the baby comes and just relax.

Jose Maria's Travel Plans

I found this little article that debates Jose Maria Olazabal's travel plans after the final round of the Open de France - either budget airline or private jet. It isn't your usual golf news article.

Slow Mo

This morning on the European Tour coverage, they showed a dragonfly in slow motion. It was very cool. Much cooler than the golf, unfortunately. But, Sunday should be more memorable as that's when someone wins.

Open de France

After round two, Rafa Echenique is in the lead and Martin Kaymer is close behind in second. Paul Waring is the lowest ranked player in the top ten (332 in the world and 130 on the Road to Dubai list) so he's doing really well so far this week. Kenneth Ferrie is finally doing well at T12 and Jose Maria Olazabal is tied for 62nd place. I don't know if that makes the cut. Ian Poulter is currently at -1.

I've been watching QVC lately and didn't get a chance to watch this round this morning on tv. Plus, I was listening to Excuses Begone - a 7 cd set of a seminar conducted by Dr. Wayne Dyer. It's a self help thing.

I'll probably be napping tomorrow when the third round is on. I plan on getting up in the middle of the night to watch the Fenton Art Glass show on QVC.

Round Up

Nick Dougherty won over in Germany on the European Tour. I watched a little bit of this while at Mom and Dad's. But I confess I fell asleep. That happens when you get up at 5am.

And Kenny Perry won the Traveler's Championship on the PGA Tour. This is his 5th win since June 1 of last year. CBS showed a graphic that said this means he's got two more wins than Tiger and some other players during the same time frame. I don't know if Perry will get to 20 wins by the time he's 50 but you know he's going to try his best. And I love how he still gets emotional when he wins. Some players who win are just matter of fact about it and you don't get to see how human they might be. But with Kenny Perry, you can see how every win, every loss, every shot even matters to him. It really brings pro golf down to the basic elements which allow the fans to relate to the players. And it takes the money out of it, which is always good.

Ordered Tickets

I ordered tickets to the Bridgestone Invitational to be contested later this year. Hopefully I will get to go and haven't wasted my money on the tickets. It depends on having a dog sitter for Winnie and PJ and getting the time off from work. I may have to get my boss a little souvenir. Ha ha.

Ballesteros Giving Back

Seve Ballesteros announced he has founded a cancer foundation. You can read some of his comments by clicking Here. It will take you to a news article. You can also go to his website by clicking on his name over in the sidebar.

Happy Anniversary To Me

On this day back in 2005 I made my first posts on this blog. If only I could stick to a diet and exercise program for as long as I've stuck to blogging. I would be so healthy.

The Vivendi Trophy with Severiano Ballesteros

Here's another article about the Vivendi Trophy (formerly known as the Seve Trophy).

In the Mood to Shop?

Check out Throwbackguy.com for pro sports jerseys. Have a favorite NBA, NHL, NFL, or MLB team or player? Maybe you can get a jersey to wear to support them.

Glover Wins the US Open!

In another effort that highlights Tom Lehman's bad decision to not pick Glover for the 2006 Ryder Cup (Glover could have really produced some good golf if he'd been on the team), Lucas Glover wins his first major today. I've been a fan of Glover's ever since his first win a few years ago. He reminds me of Elvis, believe it or not.

David Duval finished T2. He was in the lead for a few minutes today and I was really pulling for him. I don't know what his earnings are going to be through this event, but hopefully he's close to securing his card for the year.

Ross Fisher did really well as well. I would have also liked to have seen him win.

Ian Poulter (check him out on Twitter) had the goal to go out and shoot as low as he could in this final round and I think he did that with a -3 final round. I think that's the low round of the final round.

I started watching the final round after Tiger finished and I was not disappointed in what I saw. It was a very competitive, nail-biting round and more tournaments should have this kind of excitement.

I picked a good day to take off from work. I had no idea when I scheduled this vacation day that there would be some golf to watch.

Tragedy for Golfer Chris Smith

According to new reports, the wife of golfer Chris Smith was killed in an automobile accident on Sunday. Apparently their kids were also in the vehicle and were in critical condition at the time the news report was written. Send your thoughts and prayers to the Smith family.

New Blog Added

I added a new blog to the side bar. It's from Poland and I don't really know what it says since I haven't run it through a translator yet. But it is golf related. You all should check it out.

How About David Duval

He's currently tied for third at the US Open. Now that's news worth reporting. I hope his good play continues and he can at least earn second alone at tournament's end. It would go a long way to securing his card.

Excuses, Excuses

The Golf Channel feels the need to make excuses for Tiger this week at the US Open. On their website, they have a link title called "Done in by the Luck of the Draw, Tiger....."

If Tiger was any good, it wouldn't matter what part of the draw he was in. The Golf Channel can't have it both ways - saying he's the best ever and sucking up to him ad nauseum and then also say that he suffers from bad luck or that he needs good luck.

Forget the Golf Channel

If you want to know what's going on at Bethpage Black, just check out Ian Poulter on Twitter. He's got great pictures and great comments.

Late Thoughts on St. Jude

I was busy yesterday doing work around the house and shopping on QVC so I didn't get to watch the final round or post any comments. So, here goes: Graeme McDowell shot a 63 to move up into the top ten. Jose Maria Olazabal finished T49 at Even par.