This is a pretty good article

Spontaneous Moments Spark Some Golf News

Doesn't Take Much To Change My Mind

I'm watching the first day coverage of the Tavistock Cup on the Golf Channel (yes, I know it's a rerun). Anyway, I have now changed my mind on the idea of letting the men wear shorts when the weather gets hot. One look at Tiger Woods in those shorts was all it took. Long live long pants! You'd think Steve Williams would give Tiger some pointers on getting better legs.

To Bed and Beyond

Last night I stayed up until midnight watching Fred Couples play Michael Campbell in New Zealand for Shell's Wonderful World of Golf. This morning, I awoke to Angel Cabrera and Nicholas Fasth dueling it out in some European Tour event. This golf channel is a wonderful thing. Even if this week is Tiger Week. Next week starts tons of Hawaii coverage and I can't wait. If I had money, I'd be in Hawaii.

Big Break 4

The Golf Channel keeps replaying the final round that determines the winner of the whole show. Both of the competitors, Guy and Paul, keep talking over and over again about not be committed. I'd be concerned if I was the woman in their lives. Committment seems to be a problem for them. And after watching the players commentary on their performance, I have to wonder how any serious competitive golfer can be sane. It seems these two, or at least Paul, really got into psychoanalyzing his play. Sometimes too much introspection can be a bad thing.

Update

I have discovered that part of the 'big break' is that the winner gets to play in a couple of tournaments that they wouldn't have otherwise had access to. It would be nice if the Golf Channel would tell you these things in the first few seconds of the show. Not everyone has access to the internet to be able to look these things up. I'm still not entirely sold on the Big Break V Women's Edition. But it is in Hawaii so it can't be all that bad.

Merry Christmas To Me

I got myself the Golf Channel for Christmas. I was planning to get it after the first of the year, but I got it early so my dad could watch some of the new channels included in the 180 channel package from Dish Network today when we had our Christmas dinner here at the house. He has the 120 channel package. So, I've been watching the Golf Channel for a few days and so far it's ok. I don't really get this Big Break thing. I'll have to head over to the golf channel's website and see if the purpose of this show is posted. So, far it's just people I haven't heard of playing golf on tv. Is being on tv the 'big break'? Or does the winner get something else out of it? Oh, and it would be just my luck that next week is Tiger Woods week on the Golf Channel. I can't believe I have to pay for that.

I've also spent some time watching the Military channel, History International, and the Biography channel.

Ernie's Not Watching the Right Shows :)

There will no longer be Tuesday pro-ams on PGA Tour

Posted: Tuesday December 20, 2005 6:50PM; Updated: Tuesday December 20, 2005 6:50PM

PGA Tour events run by Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus were distinctive because the pro-am rounds were on Tuesdays.

That won't be the case next year for the Memorial of Nicklaus or Palmer's Bay Hill Invitational. PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem had said it would be best for all pro-ams to be held on the same day, and both tournaments confirmed they will move theirs to Wednesdays.

"I'm not objectionable to it," Palmer said. "In the beginning, we tried to do some extra stuff to make it attractive to the players, but now the indication is the guys want to come in on Tuesday night and play Wednesday in the pro-am as their practice round."

Memorial tournament director Dan Sullivan said a move to Wednesday was in the works long before the tour got involved. He was concerned about players who had been with their families over the Memorial Day weekend and might have to rush to get to Ohio for a Tuesday pro-am.

The PGA Tour has a policy that players must take part in the pro-am if they want to compete in a tournament. Phil Mickelson missed the Memorial last year, saying he wanted to spend three days at Pinehurst to prepare for the U.S. Open and couldn't get back for the pro-am.

Sullivan said the Memorial, which honors star players each year, would move that ceremony to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays. The pro-am is for only 18 players and features a shotgun start on 12 holes. That will take place at 12:30 p.m. Wednesdays, allowing others to practice in the morning.

The Tour Championship also has a Tuesday pro-am, and Mickelson used that as an excuse not to play this year. That pro-am also will move to Wednesday.

"There will be no Tuesday pro-ams next year," said Andy Pazder, the tour's vice president of competition. "That helps some players who have an obligation Monday and Tuesday, whether it's an outing or a commitment to sponsors."

Masters scare

Former Masters champion Fred Couples already has played Augusta National five times in two trips since the course opened after more changes to lengthen six holes.

He shot a 64 a few weeks ago but kept that nugget from players who came by his locker two weeks ago at Sherwood Country Club and milked him for information.

The first hole is 20 yards longer and now plays 455 yards, making it difficult to get up the hill.

"The last day, I hit 3-wood into No. 1," Couples said, neglecting to tell them it was 8 a.m. and not quite 50 degrees, so the ball wasn't traveling all that far.

He was asked what he hit on No. 7, which was lengthened 40 yards. It played as a 2-iron and a wedge when Couples won in 1992. He told them he killed a drive and had a 5-iron left.

David Toms walked by.

"It's perfect for you, the way you hit your 5-wood," Couples told him.

After they all left wide-eyed, Couples winked and said, "I've got them all scared now. It's not that bad."

LPGA awards

Heather Daly-Donofrio has received the William and Mousie Powell Award for behavior and deeds that best exemplify the spirit, ideals and values of the LPGA Tour.

A Yale graduate who returned to coach at her alma mater while keeping a full schedule, Daly-Donofrio has won twice and averaged 22 stars a year. She balanced her time inside the ropes this year with serving as president of the LPGA Tour and co-chair of the search committee for a new commissioner.

Amy Read was honored with the Heather Farr Player Award, given to the LPGA player who shows determination, perseverance and spirit in fulfilling her goals. Farr died in 1993 after a 41/2-year battle with cancer.

Read has fought through injuries to her ankle, wrist, shoulder and knees, and has had eight knee surgeries since 1995. That was followed by two shoulder surgeries earlier this year, and doctors discovered she had Lupus, a chronic inflammatory disease.

Read is on the course nearly every day with hopes of playing Monday qualifiers to get back on tour.

Open changes

Royal Birkdale is the latest British Open venue to strengthen its links by adding 154 yards, 16 fairway bunkers and redoing the 17th green.

The Open returns to Birkdale in 2008 for the first time since Mark O'Meara beat Brian Watts in a playoff.

"Royal Birkdale has always been a strong Open venue, and we feel that by introducing these changes, that challenge can be maintained," Royal & Ancient chief executive Peter Dawson said.

The most significant change is likely to be No. 6, a par-4 that will play 499 yards. A bunker will be added at the left corner of the dogleg right, 280 yards from the tee. Another bunker will be added left of the green.

In 1998, the sixth hole was the toughest at Birkdale, yielding only 16 birdies and playing to an average of 4.62.

Change of luck

Tiger Woods has his red shirt for Sunday. Michael Campbell once wore red socks for luck.

But not anymore.

"That was about 10 years ago," the U.S. Open champion said with a smile. "I did for a while, yeah. At the (1995) British Open, I wore red socks. And then I started missing cuts, so I changed back. They're black and gray now."

The last time anyone remembered Campbell and his red socks was in the first round of the Accenture Match Play Championship at La Costa, were Woods beat him, 5 and 4.

Divots

Tour officials had been leaning toward taking the World Cup to China in 2006, but instead it will be moving to the Sandy Lane Resort in Barbados, site of Tiger Woods' wedding last year. ... Vijay Singh will be playing next month n the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, to be held opposite the Bob Hope Classic. Also playing Abu Dhabi are Colin Montgomerie, Sergio Garcia and John Daly. ... The 2007 Senior British Open will be held at Muirfield to coincide with the 50th birthday of Nick Faldo, who won two of his three claret jugs there.

Stat of the week

Ever since Augusta National changed its qualifications in 2000, only five Americans have had to rely on top 50 in the world ranking to get into the Masters.

Final word

"Daytime television is pretty depressing." _ Ernie Els, on the low point of a year in which he spent four months recovering from knee surgery.

Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

South African Airlines Open

Check out the recap written by the Undaunted Duffer. It's very good.

Goosen, Els Set for South African Golf Battle

By VOA Sports 17 December 2005

South Africa's Retief Goosen Leads Ernie Els (AP Photo)

Two-time U.S. Open champions Ernie Els and Retief Goosen of South Africa are set for a final-round battle at the South African Airways Open golf tournament in George, South Africa.

Goosen shot a 4-under-par 69 in his third round Saturday and is 7-under-par 212 for the tournament.

Els, playing in only his third tournament since undergoing knee surgery, is three strokes off the lead at 4-under-par 215. Els also fired a 4-under-par, 69 in his third round.

Overnight leader Ross Fisher is tied with another South African Darren Fichardt for third place at 3-under-par, 216. Fichardt shot a 4-under-par 69 Saturday while Fisher had a 5-over-par 78 in his third round.

The tournament is being played on the Gary Player-designed Fancourt Golf Club Course, a par-73 layout that measures 6,799 meters. This year's winner takes home more than $189,000.

Some information for this report provided by AP.

Birthday Present

Today is my birthday. April, from work, got me a golf courses calendar for my cubicle wall. She suggested that I print and cut out pictures of Sergio Garcia and position them on the pictures of the courses. So far I have him surveying a putt and posing after a tee shot. I might add a few other golfers to that ColorForms-like approach to my new calendar. Fred Couples would be a good choice for something nice to look at while I'm trapped in the cube farm.

The Bet

I finally found pictures of Sergio Garcia since his participation in the hair bet began. See the previous post about the bet made between Garcia, Tim Clark, and Adam Scott regarding letting their hair grow out. Here's a link to Getty Images. I can now say that I think Adam Scott so far is looking the best of the three. I think Tim Clark's hair grows faster than the other two. And Sergio I think will win because his hair doesn't seem to be growing in such a way to aggravate him, unlike Adam's or Tim's. Hopefully, we'll get to find out who wins the bet. I think it was blind luck that I found that news stoy in the first place.

I Agree With This Blogger's Comments

Check out this post by MediaGuru.

I agree that people who complain most about the season lasting so long seem to be the ones who play those silly season events. No one forces these guys to play ANY golf at all. They make out their schedules. They are responsible. Believe me, I'm just a lowly worker bee at my place of employment, but even I know that I control my vacation leave and how hard I work when I'm there.

Updates

I've added a few blogs to the Blogs section of the sidebar. Check them out!!

Target Challenge

Luke Donald won the event and over One Million dollars. Davis Love came in last and won $160,000. If any of those guys would like to spread a little of that around, they are welcome to email me for my address - LOLOL!!!!! Of course, with my luck, I'd end up having to pay some kind of tax on it. A pox on taxes, I say!

Tiger's Tournament

So, I've watched a little bit of this Target event that has aired on USA and will be on ABC this weekend. Tiger has done the hostly thing and stayed out of the hunt, allowing his invited guests to take the main stage. I got to see Tim Clark yesterday with his growing hair (see the previous post about the bet). I don't think I'll get to see much of the event tomorrow. I'm expecting a furniture delivery tomorrow at the same time ABC is airing the event.

Good Wholesome Fun

By Geoff McClure
December 8, 2005

GIVEN the sort of money that they earn, the likes of Adam Scott and Sergio Garcia having the odd friendly bet among themselves would hardly be here or there, really. Well, that's what we thought until we caught up with Scott, the affable young Queenslander, on the eve of the Australian Masters at Huntingdale yesterday. Scott, you may remember, was the focus of our attention two weeks ago when he turned up at the Australian Open with an unruly mop of hair — quite a contrast for a bloke who cares about his grooming so much that only a few months ago he was voted by Esquire magazine as one of the 10 best-dressed men in the world. In fact, it was so unruly he was asked at a news conference if he was growing a mullet but denied he was, saying only: "It's just growing long for the time being." Well, not only has Scott's hair grown appreciably in the past fortnight but we now discover there is, in fact, a very good reason for it. It's all to do with a bet he had recently with Spaniard Garcia and another PGA Tour player, South African Tim Clark, on who could grow the longest mop before getting so sick of it they had to cut it off. Now the exact size of the wager is not known but what we can tell you is there's a lot at stake, and it is not necessarily just the money. Quizzed about it yesterday, Scott admitted his hair was "getting out of hand" but hinted there was no chance of him backing out just yet. Noted Scott: "There's too much pride at stake."

Winners

Colin Montgomerie, Jim Furyk, and Robert Allenby all won this weekend. I don't know who won the Father Son Challenge - my tv station went out mysteriously.

The Father Son Challenge

Apparently one of the rules of this even, broadcast on NBC this weekend, is that the father had to have won a Major Championship. Would they really tell Tiger Woods that he couldn't enter this event with his dad??? I think that's a stupid rule. Why does winning a major have to be a requirement? Fuzzy Zoeller played with his daughter, not a son. Should that be allowed?? I guess as long as he won a major, it's ok. You have to wonder why some rules are more important than others.

Nedbank Challenge

Sun City, South Africa (Sports Network) - Angel Cabrera stumbled to a triple- bogey on the 17th hole Saturday and fell into a three-way tie for the lead after three rounds of the Nedbank Challenge.

Cabrera posted a two-over 74 to end at seven-under-par 209. He was joined there by South African Tim Clark, who carded the low round of the day, a five- under 67, and Australian Adam Scott (68). Defending champion Retief Goosen posted the only other sub-par round, as he shot one-under 71. He stands at six-under-par 210 and was joined there by former U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk (72). Cabrera, who led after round two, played the front nine at plus-two with a birdie, a bogey and a double-bogey. However, he birdied the 10th and 11th at Gary Player Country Club to get back to nine-under. The Argentine tripped to a bogey on the 12th. Cabrera birdied the par-five 14th for the third round in a row, then birdied the 16th to climb to 10-under. Cabrera struggled badly at the 17th. He found some deep rough off the tee and chose to layup. His third shot bounded over the green and into the water. Cabrera played his fifth just short of the green. He managed to get up and down for triple-bogey, but his lead was lost. Clark opened with back-to-back birdies from the first. He birdied Nos. 8 and 9 to move to six-under. Clark sank a birdie on the 11th and another on the 12th before a bogey on 14 dropped him to minus-seven. He parred his final four holes to remain there. Scott played the front nine at two-under with three birdies and a bogey. He bogeyed the 10th and 13th, but got those shots back with an eagle on the 14th. The Australian closed with consecutive birdies from the 17th to share the lead. First-round leader Darren Clarke stumbled to a four-over 76 to drop to three- under-par 213. He fell into a tie for sixth alongside Luke Donald (75). Ernie Els, playing for the first time since July knee surgery, carded a one- over 73. He stands at minus-one, where he was tied for eighth place by Chris DiMarco, who shot a third-round 72. Sergio Garcia, like Cabrera, was victimized by the 17th. He quadruple-bogeyed the 17th en route to a 74 that dropped him to 10th place at two-over-par 218. Kenny Perry, plus-seven, and Stewart Cink, 11-over-par 217, round out the 12- player field.

Ernie Els' Return

Ernie Els making comeback after surgery

SUN CITY, South Africa — Ernie Els is back after the longest layoff of his career and unconcerned that playing tournament golf will aggravate his sore knee.

The two-time U.S. Open champion, who also won the 2002 British Open, injured his left knee in a boating accident in July and underwent surgery.

"The knee is still uncomfortable, but the doctor assures me there's no way a golf swing will damage my knee," Els said Wednesday. "It tends to swell up at the end of each round and that's the worst part really."

He returns to tournament play Thursday in the Nedbank Golf Challenge.

"It's been 4½ months since I played in a tournament," Els said. "I'm feeling pretty anxious. I felt very unsure the first time I played 18 holes."

Els did so at the end of October in Wentworth, England. This time, he'll face hot and humid conditions on the 7,832-yard, par-72 Gary Player Country Club course against several top players.

Els is the most experienced player in the 12-man field with 13 appearances and three victories. But he faces a tough group led by defending champion Retief Goosen, Sergio Garcia, Adam Scott and Luke Donald.

"It helps if you've been here before because then you're used to the crowds, the course, the grandstands and everything else," Els said. "I'm just fortunate to have my health back, to be playing again. The last 20 weeks or so have been a period of reflection for me."

Also entered in the $4 million event are Jim Furyk, Darren Clarke, Angel Cabrera, Stewart Cink, Tim Clark, Kenny Perry and Chris DiMarco.

Clarke finished third in 1999 and fourth in 2003, but has won at Sun City — in the Dimension Data Pro-Am.

Furyk has posted low rounds here. He shot a 64 in 1998 and a 66 last year — the lowest round of the week.

The Nedbank Golf Challenge

Sun City - Only four first timers have ever won the Nedbank Golf Challenge at their first attempt and the last time that was achieved was in 1986 by Mark McNulty.

There are three newcomers in this year's field - Angel Cabrera of Argentina, American Stewart Cink and Englishman Luke Donald - and it is the latter who believes he can break the mould this year.

"I don't see why not," said the 27-year-old shortly after scoring a two-under-par 70 in Wednesday's Pro-am.

"There's no reason why I can't do well here. I like the way the course is set up. It suits my game," said Donald. "Any consistent player with good control who can hit accurate iron shots can do well here."

All the first-time winners came in the early years of the tournament. The initial event was won by Johnny Miller while American Ray Floyd took it the next year. German Bernhard Langer won at his first attempt in 1985 and McNulty achieved the same feat a year later.

Donald is also delighted to be paired with South Africa's Tim Clark on Thursday morning. "Tim and I have become quite good friends. We both have very similar games so we're not exactly going to be out-driving each other by 40 yards.

"It's a good draw for me."

Cink, who at 40-1 is the biggest outsider in the field, said he did not expect to be given a hard time by South African fans.

"All over the world people obviously cheer for the hometown favourites but they do appreciate good golf. I would think South Africans are no different."

He added that with regard to Sun City itself, the reality was even better than anything he had ever been told about. "I have come with my wife and kids and I have to say this place is unbelievable. I think you can stay here for a couple of months and not do the same thing twice.

"This is probably the best resort I have ever seen in my life."

Cink is paired with Spain's Sergio Garcia on Thursday while Cabrera will play with Australian Adam Scott.

A New Blog!

I've added a new blog to the side bar. Check out GolfingZen.

2005 Skins Game

Highlights:

Fred Funk in a skirt for letting Annika Sorenstam outdrive him.

Observation: Fred Couples' Shirt - it kept changing color from peachy-coral to yellow. I hope he has better attire for the second 9 tomorrow.

A Tournament In My Future

I think I've decided which PGA event I would be attending should I attend an event next year. I think it will be the WGC event in Akron, Ohio in August. I would have a better chance of seeing all the big time players and some International players as well since it's a world golf championship event. And according to mapquest, the tournament is only about 2 and a half hours away from where I live. I just don't know what days I would attend or if Mom and Dad would dog sit for me while I'm gone.

For My International Friends

Is it true that people in England have to pay big bucks for a 'license' to WATCH tv?????? That's what I gathered from this BBC article. This is outrageously stupid. I thought Americans were taxed a lot, but this just takes the cake. Soon you all will have to obtain a 'license' to vote for the idiots who create these taxes.

Bobby Clampett Gets On My Nerves

I'm watching the Grand Slam of Golf coverage. Yesterday, Clampett said that Phil had no chance because he'd been off for 5 weeks. Phil was leading at the time. And he predicted yesterday that Vijay would win. Today he said that everyone knew how the tournament was going to end (aka Tiger winning) it was just a matter of watching Tiger get there. Give me a break!

As for my views on the tournament, I'm hoping Michael Campbell makes a few birdies coming in. I really don't want him to end up last. I'd like to see everyone end up within 3 or 4 shots of each other.

And of course, they would have to show beautiful, sunny, warm Hawaii while I'm here in cold, snowy WV.

Tiger Woods' House

Hooked On Golf Blog has a gallery of pictures of Tiger Woods' house. Pretty much the only thing I liked about the house was the wood floors. I don't know why anyone would need two tvs in a bedroom when you have a view that spectacular, or a wife like he has. Maybe she's the one who needs the tvs. Anyway, check out the gallery and click on a few of the ads to make the blog a little money while you're at it :)

A Rose By Any Other Name

Some of you might know that my parents have moved out of the house and I now live alone. (yay!) Well, I've always wanted a home that I could name, like those old plantations and all those old places in England and such. For a long time I've thought about what that name might be and could never really come up with an appealing choice. Well, this week I found a good name for my house, and I have the World Golf Championships to thank for it. Vilamoura sounds perfect. Don't know what it means, but I guarantee at least 99 Percent of the people here in WV won't know what it means either. I hope no one tries to sue me for this :)

While I'm on the subject of names, I found this cool website that lists many, many golf courses and has broken the list down into cute categories. It makes you think about the people who names these courses. Check out Fun With Golf Course Names.

A Little Info

I found this article about Miguel Angel Jiminez and Sergio Garcia. I don't think there's anything new there about Sergio, but I did learn a little bit about Jiminez.

A New Blog!

I've added a new blog to the blogs section in the sidebar. It is called Golf Spot and it looks to be a good place to get European Tour news. I know I'll be checking it out regularly since I can never get around to keeping up with the European Tour.

Anyone Interested in a Novel?

Wayne Smith sent me an email to let me know that he has a book coming out. It's called "The Hole of the Third Eye, A Fable of Golf, Zen, and Life". You can find out more by clicking here and here.

New Website

I've added the website, www.golfhomeconnect.com to the blogs section. It's not exactly a blog but the guy emailed me and asked me to make mention of the website. It is devoted to featuring golfing communities.

The Handsome Pair

Well, Fred Couples and Adam Scott are leading at the Shark Shootout. It's very thoughtful of them to give the girls something to look at. LOL!

The Shark Shootout

I know the event has a long sponsor inspired name, but I can't remember it all. Anyway, I got to watch it today since I was home from work. Jason Gore is continuing his excellent play. One of the male announcers said the most attractive pairing was the Couples/Scott pairing. I thought it was odd that a man would make that comment, but I guess Fred and Adam are just so darn good looking that even another man has to make note of it. LOL! I look forward to watching this event for the next two days.

Southern Farm Bureau Classic

Heath Slocum wins this tournament. Followed by Carl Petterson and Loren Roberts. And it looks like about 4 players had a fourth round 7 under score today.

Bart Bryant Wins

I'm glad Bart Bryant won today. Everyone on USA's PGA Tour Sunday show picked either Tiger Woods or Retief Goosen. They didn't give Bryant a chance. So, I'm glad he kicked butt today.

Great News

I have satellite tv again. Yay!

Now, why didn't my local ABC station air golf today? I had to sit through horrible football games waiting on the satellite installation guy. Up until this point I didn't know what to think about the new proposed PGA schedule and how it was supposed to end earlier in the year so as to not compete so much with football. Now I do know what to think. Maybe the networks would actually air golf when they are supposed to with this new schedule.

And really, Tiger was playing today. I can't believe college football meant more to ABC than Tiger Woods.

Southern Farm Bureau Classic

Tom Pernice Jr is following his good play from last week and is currently in the lead. John Cook is kicking some butt out there and shares the lead with Pernice and 4 others. It looks like this tournament will be a good one too with many players who have been on a roll lately contending.

The Tour Championship: Round 2

Ben Crane had a good round with 5 under par today, 7 under for the tournament. Retief Goosen and Bart Bryant are in the lead with a two day total of 10 under. Kenny Perry, Sergio Garcia, and Davis Love were among those who backed up on day 2. And Sean O'Hair suffered though a second 3 over par round today.

The Tour Championship: Round 1

I took a look at the leaderboard thinking I would spotlight some good players, but they are all good players. So, here's a list of the top five names on the leaderboard after round 1:

Bart Bryant
Retief Goosen
Kenny Perry
Sergio Garcia
Tiger Woods

Bart Bryant had a 62 today.

A Response to the Pro-Am Story

I have never been to a PGA event. I had always figured tickets would be expensive, although recently I have checked out the websites of some of the events and found ticket prices very reasonable. However, I have been thinking of going to the Memorial Tournament this coming year. I plan to check out the schedules for the Senior Tour, the Regular Tour and the Nationwide Tour to see what events are close to me here in WV. After reading the Pro-Am story and finding out that Sergio Garcia signed autographs for fans the whole time he was out there, I'm thinking I really should go to one of these tournaments. The next problem would be getting up the courage to ask for an autograph. I couldn't even speak to Tom Wopat (Luke Duke from the Dukes of Hazzard) when I stood in the autograph line at a county fair years ago. Maybe I could just wear a shirt with "May I please have your autograph?" written across the front and back. LOL!

Changes to the Tour Schedule

A revamped US PGA Tour calendar outlined on Wednesday could result in a further drain on the European and Asian Tours as more of the world's top players focus attention on a proposed big money FedEx Cup.

Starting in 2007 the PGA Tour calendar will centre around the Cup, a points-based competition that will lead into a late summer playoff and culminate with the Tour Championship in September that could see the winner walk away with $10 million.

From January to August players will earn points at every tournament to provide the seeding basis for a playoff built around three blockbuster events followed by the Tour Championship.

"I think that it's going to bring us (top players) a bit more together throughout those first probably eight months of the year," said Spain's Sergio Garcia. "Certain months of the year you're going to see a lot more of us than you usually see.

"Scheduling for top players like we are will definitely be a bit different than it is now. We'll be playing a lot more here in the US and I think that's always great."

Under pressure from advertisers to bolster faltering late season television ratings and from players for a more compact schedule, PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem revealed his blueprint for the future during his 'State of Tour' address.

It was delivered on the eve of this year's season finale which begins on Thursday at the East Lake Golf Club.

THOUGHTFUL PLANNING

While the new format could monopolise the top players in the meaty part of the calendar, the shorter defined season could also open the door for a return to the European and Asian circuits later in the year.

Australia's Adam Scott believes it will be possible to keep his European and US PGA Tour cards with thoughtful planning.

Asked how it would affect him he said: "It's tough to say because I haven't seen the schedule yet. But I don't think it will have an effect on being able to play both tours.

"As long as majors and world golf events still count for both I think it's not too hard to get up 11 events in Europe.

"I'm sure the Tour and everyone will take that into consideration when making the schedule because they want players like Sergio, who's European, to be...over here as well and not making decisions on whether to play the PGA Tour or in Europe.

"It's a little more compact, intense season with the FedEx Cup. And it gives players the opportunity at the end of the year to take some time off, for myself and the international players to go back to Australia and play events without having to be dragged into December and playing at Christmas time."

The Pro-Am

A close-up view at the Pro Am

By RONNIE RAMOS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 11/02/05

Tiger Woods spent Tuesday playing golf with a U.S. Senator, the president of CVS/pharmacy and the president of the restaurant company that owns, among other things, all those Longhorn restaurants.

"We were hoping we would be playing a scramble," said Tom Ryan, CVS/pharmacy president.

Ryan, Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) and Woods played their own ball. No hitting the best shot of the foursome stuff (the pros did play the course at 7,153 yards; the amateurs at about 6,800 yards). Tuesday's Southern Company Pro-Am was that unique day when amateurs could walk down the fairway with the best players in the world. The hacker with a 20 handicap is hitting balls out of the same sand bunker Vijay Singh just escaped.

Not sure how that putt breaks? Sergio Garcia, come over and tell me what you think.

"It's an amazing experience, seeing it from the player's perspective," said Danny Yates, who played with Garcia. "You can see exactly what they're facing — what it's like to hit out of the rough. That's pretty cool." Yates, a scratch golfer, is not easily impressed. He's played on two Walker Cup teams and then served as the U.S. captain two other times. Even he was jazzed about the opportunity to play with Garcia. "Who wouldn't be — walking down the fairway with Sergio, having him look at your putts."

Mark Lazarus, president of Turner Entertainment Group, said the experience is unique to professional golf. "You can drive a race car, but not when other NASCAR drivers are out there. Out here, you are walking alongside the best in the world. It's fun and a real treat."

But before you walk the fairways, you have to get off that first tee. In front of a crowd, right after Woods has launched one. Any tips? "I try to look at it as just another round of golf," said Gene Lee, president of RARE Hospitality International, Inc. which owns the Longhorn and Capital Grille restaurant chains.

Dean Myers, a Coca-Cola vice president who played with Stuart Appleby, said he was nervous about his first tee shot. "Then my wife reminded me that no one really cares how you're going to hit the ball," he said. "It went right down the middle."

The pros, used to the crowds — and the required pro-am rounds — take it all in stride. "You get used to the crowds, it's part of the game," Garcia said.

Garcia, overcoming jet lag from his trans-Atlantic flight the day before, was not pleased with his game Tuesday. Yet he signed autographs on every hole, helped his amateurs line up most of their putts and said hi to any kids who came by.

When Yates' tee shot on a par 3 landed 10 feet from the hole, Garcia turned to the crowd and said, "That's our pro."

Forget the amateurs, said Myers, the Coca-Cola vice president. "This Pro-am is a great opportunity to see the pros play up close without the crowds," he said. A ticket good for Tuesday's Pro-am and today's practice round was $25. "It's one of golf's best-kept secrets."

Halloween At Work

Friday was the annual Halloween party at work. Due to the new dress code, we were challenged to come up with costumes that would still comply with the dress code. Some workers did not comply with the new dress code and wore blue denim bibbed overalls. But April and I complied with the dress code. April dressed as a golfer. I grabbed her club (it was a lefty 9 iron) and said "I'll be your caddie." So, we had some fun with that on Friday. One of the co-workers saw April and said "Look out, Tigress Woods coming through." And I said, "Well, that must make me Stephanie Williams." LOL!

Tour Championship Preview

The preview show came on after the final round of the Chrysler Championship today. They previewed just about everyone's chances except Sergio Garcia's. They even talked about Ernie Els who won't be there. Anyway, hopefully I will get to see much more of this event than I have of the last two weeks of golf. ABC has more hours devoted to it this coming weekend. They did have some good interviews on the preview show. Sean O'Hair among them. I hope he does well. They also mentioned that Phil Mickelson won't be at the Tour Championship for "personal reasons". Mike Tirico said this was leading some people to speculate as to what those reasons are. I must really be out of touch because I haven't heard anything about this. I'll have to search it out later.

Chrysler Championship

Another first time winner on the PGA tour this week. Carl Petterson won today. Although he's officially from Sweden, you could tell when you heard him speak that he's picked up a bit of a southern accent from the time he's spent in North Carolina. And of course he has a cute adorable kid. Have you noticed that there are no non-adorable offspring of PGA golfers? They are all cute.

My Comments On the Van De Velde story

While I think it's great that Michelle Wie gets to test herself against the men of the PGA tour in some tournaments, there is something to be said for tradition. I would prefer that the men's Majors remain Men Only events. I'm sure one day, way down the road, the two sexes will unite for one, single tour. But I hope that doesn't happen for some time. When I think of all the history with the British Open, I just think that to preserve that by keeping it a Men Only event would be a nice thing.

The next thing you know, they will be wanting to turn James Bond into Jane Bond. There are some things, you just shouldn't change.

Van de Velde wants to play in Women's British Open

28 October 2005
Jean Van de Velde, famous for losing a British Open, says he wants to play in the women's equivalent at Royal Birkdale next year.

The Frenchman, who let slip the 1999 championship at Carnoustie by running up a triple-bogey seven at the 72nd hole, is unhappy at the Royal and Ancient Golf Club's (R & A) recent decision to allow women to qualify for the British Open.

"It's crazy that women should be allowed to try to qualify for our Open when men cannot do it for their Open," Van de Velde told reporters after struggling to a seven-over-par 78 in the first round of the Volvo Masters.

"I intend to make a stance. What kind of discrimination is this?

"I think it is a farce and those poor guys who won the British Open three or four times must be spinning in their graves."

Van de Velde intends to contact the Ladies Golf Union (LGU), governing body for the Women's British Open, to insist he gets a chance to qualify, even though he knows their rule is that any participant must be "of the female gender".

"I am definitely going to approach them (the LGU) to get an application form," he said.

Van de Velde appreciates he would have a huge golfing advantage over the women.

"I know we have an unfair advantage, so if we have an unfair advantage, let them play with themselves and let us play with ourselves."

Earlier this month, the R & A ruled that the top five women from each of their four majors will be allowed to enter regional qualifying for the 2006 British Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club.

But Van de Velde believes the R & A have more important issues, like testing players for drugs, to address than allowing women to play in British Open qualifying.

"I definitely anticipate my entry form being accepted (by the LGU) because if it doesn't then I will definitely take advice on what I can do about it and I will see how far it can go," he said.

"If they do allow me to, I'd definitely go and play, just to make a point. I would be very happy to use the ladies' locker-room.

"Where do we draw the line? If we allow women to try to qualify for the men's Open it implies women can play with men, so why not men playing with women?"

Former Ryder Cup player Barry Lane of Britain applauded Van de Velde's stance, saying "they (the R & A) are going overboard".

Lane added: "If 100 men decided to take the same stance and they all qualified off the ladies' tees, they could take most of the Women's British Open spots."

Volvo Masters

So, I do a google news search for Sergio Garcia and I get tons of stories about Colin Montgomerie's second round 66 and his two shot lead. Okay. So, Colin Montgomerie is apparently really close to winning the Order of Merit again. Good for him. The press seems to be trying to build up a fight between Montgomerie and Michael Campbell. I don't see why either one of them should take the bait. Montgomerie cherishes the Order of Merit title. It means a lot to him. So, let it be. Campbell, on the other hand, prefers Major Championships. And why not since he's won one? I don't know about you, but I prefer to see golfers being nice out there and not sparring with each other in the press. If I want to see hostility like that, I'll watch the WWE. I don't want to someday find Colin Montgomerie taking a walk down Know Your Role Boulevard (That's a reference to the Rock - fyi). I'd rather see him all happy and smiles for winning a tournament the good and decent way and hear him speak graciously about his competitors.

The Jinx is Back

Yesterday I listed several golfers who were participating in the Chrysler tournament. Today I find out many of them missed the cut. So, the jinx is back and it's not limited to Jim Furyk. Sorry about that.

The Volvo Masters

Associated Press

SOTOGRANDE, Spain -- Colin Montgomerie moved closer to winning the European Tour money title, shooting a 4-under-par 67 Thursday for a share of the first-round lead in the Volvo Masters. The Scot was tied with defending tournament champion Ian Poulter. Montgomerie holed a 111-yard wedge for an eagle on the par-5 eighth and birdied the last hole on the 6,952-yard Valderrama course. "It's always lucky," Montgomerie said. "It was a wedge of 111 yards. I hit it 112 and it backed into the hole. You intend to hole it but it's always lucky when it comes off."

U.S. Open champion Michael Campbell had a 72 was 23rd in the 55-man field. Montgomerie, trying for his eighth career Order of Merit title and his first since 1999, leads Campbell by $182,000. The New Zealander is the only player who can catch Montgomerie, but must finish ahead of him here to do so. Luke Donald, Jose Maria Olazabal and Sergio Garcia shared third place after 68s. He struck his approach to 8 feet at the first hole and made a birdie. He gained another shot at the second hole when Campbell bogeyed from a bunker, and birdied the third from 18 feet.

English Ryder Cup player Poulter is trying to extend his streak of winning one title every year since 2000.

Montgomerie, second in the British Open and winner of the Dunhill Links Championship at St. Andrews last month, made a superb start to his round. "The first hole was crucial," Montgomerie said. "I was anxious, obviously. I felt anxiety which was understandable. But I got rid of that in the first three holes." He dropped two shots when Campbell birdied the long fourth hole and Montgomerie bogeyed the sixth after driving into the rough and hitting into a greenside bunker. "That was a good bogey," Montgomerie said. "When I saw the lie in the bunker with a big tree in the way, I was looking at a double. I was lucky." He immediately birdied the short sixth hole from 30 feet, and the eagle at the eighth gave him a four-shot edge on Campbell.

"It wasn't great, it wasn't brilliant," Campbell said of his round. "All credit to Monty. He played great today. "It's a very fickle golf course. I've just got to be patient the next three days and pick up some ground."

Montgomerie said Bernhard Langer's decision to pick him as a wild card for last year's Ryder Cup was responsible for his current form. "Bernhard gave me an opportunity," said Montgomerie, who sank the winning putt in Europe's 18½ to 9½ victory at Oakland Hills. "That was a crucial move on his part for my career, because it was going in one direction -- the wrong direction."

Chrysler Championship: Round 1

Who jumps out at me on the Leaderboard?

Vijay Singh +3 --- Not having a good year
Sean O'Hair +2 --- Announcers have named him Rookie of the Year
Carlos Franco +1 --- Always one to watch, he's had a good last few months
Jason Gore E --- He's on a roll
David Toms +1 --- I would feel more comfortable if he was taking it easy before his surgery
John Cook E --- Good round for a part time announcer
Justin Rose -1 --- He's had a good year, especially good last few months. Friendly to the fans
Brandt Jobe -1 --- He always seems to be in the hunt on Sunday. A good one to watch
Lucas Glover -3 --- Last week's winner. he should have a good couple of rounds.
Retief Goosen -4 --- Watch him because he's 4 in the world.
Tom Lehman -4 --- I think this might be a very good round for him.
Jeff Brehaut -6 --- Leader

Who will be there on Sunday competing for a win? It's hard to tell. Retief and Vijay would surprise me if they were there. After the year they've had, I'm not sure I can be confident about them. There are a lot of players who need good showings so it's really difficult to pick a favorite to root for.

The Answering Machine

As some of you might know, I now live alone. My parents have moved to a new house. Well, I bought a new phone and as is my usual practice, I have let the masculine voice that comes with the phone to be the answering machine message rather than recording my own. To have a bit of fun and because I can, I have named the answering machine voice "Sergio". I thought it was cute to name the man who answers my phone after Sergio Garcia. I also named my new pc after him. LOL!

Sergio got some practice today answering my phone. I came home to two messages. One of them was a telemarketer selling, rather ironically, satellite dishes and the other was a hang-up. I think it's absurd that I have the number for only one day and I'm getting telemarketer calls. I swear I think the phone company sells our phone numbers to these call centers.

Chrysler Championship

It looks like this will be a good tournament. Jason Gore, Adam Scott, Sean O'Hair, Retief Goosen, Vijay Singh, and last week's winner Lucas Glover are all supposed to compete. Too bad I still don't have a satellite dish. I will only be able to catch Sunday's round. But I am getting the dish installed on Nov. 5th (if they find my house) so hopefully, I'll be able to watch a little more golf later on. I don't plan to sign up for the package that includes the golf channel just yet. I figure with the season winding down, there wasn't much point in getting the golf channel right now. Maybe in January or February I'll add it on.

Back on the Web

Well, I'm back. I'm sure most didn't notice I was gone, but I did disappear for a bit. I got a new phone number thanks to my parents moving. So, now that things are getting settled down a bit, I am finally able to get back on the web and return to business as usual. I still don't have a satellite dish. I wrote about that over on the Miranda's Window Dressing blog.

When I get time I will get caught up on all the golf news and probably post some comments. It's good that the PGA tour saw another first time winner this past week and the Funai tournament. He called Judy Rankin "ma'am". I thought that was so cute. Those southern boys have such good manners. You know his parents and grandparents are proud :)

I do find it odd that Tiger Woods would miss a cut in a tournament that produced such low scoring.

Funai Classic: Round 1

Hunter Haas had the best round with a 9 under par. Nick Price, Jason Gore, Justin Rose and Sean O'Hair are all doing well. Tiger is tied for 44th place after round 1. I see that Kevin Stadler is back after being disqualified last week. Hopefully, things will go better for him this week.

I'm Out of Touch

Aside from having the Hall and Oates song in my head now, I am distressed over the latest development to affect me regarding my parents' move to their new house. They took the satellite dish. I have no way to watch golf today, tomorrow or Saturday. I'm out of touch with the PGA tour. I do have internet access, but only until Monday morning. Then the phone dies. My parents are moving that too. Hopefully I can get a phone line for this house without too much trouble, but Mom got the third degree when she contacted the phone company about her phone.

I just read a news story fronm ABC News

That says Michelle Wie got disqualified for something that happened on Saturday. You'd think there would be no instant replays or delayed replays or "oh hey, let's review what a golfer did maybe a week or two ago." Even the IRS gives you a time limit of three years to be audited on a tax return. Something tells me this golf tournament was held in the California Whine Country.

Samsung World Championship

Michelle Wie finished 4th in her first pro event and earned about $53,000. Annika Sorenstam made some history by winning the event for the 4th or 5th time. And she had a huge lead. Paula Creamer did well too. I got to watch some of this event today while I was helping my parents move. I hope Michelle ditches the plaid pants. And I liked that graphic they showed that compared Michelle to Tiger. Her stats were so much better than his in that graphic.

Michelin: Final Round

Now that the tournament is over I can safely say: Yay for Jim Furyk for doing so well! I wish he hadn't bungled that last playoff hole, but in the grand scheme of life, Wes Short Jr needed the win more. So, I think this proves that I do have a jinx-ability when it comes to Jim Furyk. I was mum for this whole tournament and he almost won. I will have to check out the stats and the money list to see where everyone ended up. Hopefully I can do this before I lose phone service. Mom and Dad have moved and they are going to be taking their computer, phone, internet connection and satellite dish with them. It will be like 1980 around here for a week or two until I get everything back. I'm thinking of getting the 180 channel package from my satellite dish provider. I would get the Golf Channel and a few more history/discovery channel options.

Samsung World Championship

So, Michelle Wie is third after the third round. This is great. So far she is proving that her decision to turn pro was a sound one. She can compete. Hopefully, she will do well tomorrow and silence some critics. I did a google news search on this event and I was amazed at how many negative headlines there were - headlines suggesting that Annika Sorenstam was out there in some antagonistic role trying to teach Michelle a lesson for turning pro or something. These so-called journalists need to stick with reporting facts and leave the Hearst-inspired "remember the maine" yellow journalism to the tabloids. These writers obviously do not follow golf and are not fans or else they would trust the golfers to make the news and wouldn't need to create news on their own. I'm sure Annika Sorenstam is quite capable of making some news worthy of writing and reading.

Michelin Championship, Round 3

I finally got to see some of the tournament today. Thursday I was shopping and Friday I was on the treadmill so I missed the first two rounds. Today's round was hampered by the wind. Ted Purdy scampered up to the top of the leaderboard with a great round. Ryan Moore had a really bad hole to mar a really good round. I think he probably should have given more thought to his situation before attempting to play that shot out of the rocks. It looks like this week will end up being one that could make or break someone's year with a lot of guys on the first page of the leaderboard who need good finishes to get them in position for next year.

Well, I'm off now to get an update on Michelle Wie..............

Michelin Championship at Las Vegas

The next tournament is this one. I hope this means I will see plenty of commercials with that cute little Michelin dog. That little dog is the sole reason I would buy Michelin tires. I see that David Duval is playing this week. Hopefully he will make the cut. John Daly is supposed to play this week too. I wonder if he will continue his good play from last week. And a name I haven't seen in a while is listed in the field on the pga tour website: Rory Sabbatini. And yes, I do know who is featured on the pga tour website for being a multiple winner of this event and no, I'm not even typing his name. I would like for him to make the cut at least.

I updated the spotlight section over in the sidebar. Check it out.

Final Round

Well, first of all, I would like to remind everyone of what happened the last time I said Jim Furyk might win a tournament - he lost badly. So, as this is the second time he has had a bad round after I made a prediction, I am declaring this blog a pre-win "Furyk Who?" zone. Hopefully, if I forget about him until after whatever tournament he's in is over, maybe I won't jinx him again. I am convinced my bad luck has manifested itself as a jinx.

Sergio did do well and ended up tied for 3rd. He could have done better but did have some really good moments, like the eagle on the 7th hole.

Colin Montgomerie was even par on the day, which was kind of surprising. I would have expected him to be at least one under on the final round.

It looks like 67 was the lowest round of the day and several people made that score, including Tiger Woods who won in a playoff with John Daly. Nike really does need to get started on those gallery helmets I mentioned in a previous post. I think that last putt that Daly missed was just a mental error. Maybe he was thinking of the next hole and didn't stop to think that if he missed that putt there wouldn't be a next hole. It was over really quickly.

Finally, I am very pleased that Henrick Stenson was 2 under on his round and ended up tied for 3rd. Yesterday I suggested he might do well today. Apparently my jinxing ability favors Furyk :)

WGC: AMEX Championship, Round 3

Where to start? Sean O'Hair had a great round going until the last couple of holes. Hopefully, he will come out tomorrow and kick some butt. Of those at the top of the leaderboard, you have John Daly with a 3 under par round. Sergio Garcia was also 3 under. Colin Montgomerie was 1 under and is one back of Daly. Tiger Woods was 2 under and managed to once again show just how many times he can miss right. Nike should start selling golf helmets to the gallery. Henrick Stenson is in the mix as is Jim Furyk and Angel Cabrera.

Tomorrow will be very exciting. I don't know if Montgomerie will have a really good round. I don't think he'll be more than 2 under. John Daly is probably in the best position. He's been 3 under pretty much every round. I don't think he would have a bad round tomorrow. As for Sergio, it doesn't seem to me like there might be a low round in him for tomorrow. I'd say if he's 1 or 2 under, that might be a good round for him.. Tiger hasn't had a really low round or a really high round yet, so he's due for one or the other. The two players to watch will be Furyk and Stenson - Furyk for his accuracy and putting, and Stenson because he's a European Tour guy and the conditions favor him.

Now that I've gone out on this limb and forecasted Sunday's round, the Golf Gods will go out of their way to make me wrong. Have at it. I'd love to be wrong about Sergio and see him win this thing :)

A Little More On David Toms

By MARK EMMONS

San Jose Mercury News

SAN FRANCISCO - Give golfer David Toms credit. In a sports world full of comebacks - from losses, slumps, injuries - he has done something much more dramatic.

At 38, Toms is returning from a literally heart-stopping health scare.

"It's really not that big a deal," Toms insisted before proceeding to nonchalantly recount the harrowing scene last month when he slumped to the ground at the 84 Lumber Classic in Farmington, Pa., his heartbeat racing out of control, fearful he was about to die.

Not a big deal?

"Well," he conceded, "it was just a really scary thing."

But Toms, who spent two days in the hospital and will have what he calls a minor surgical procedure next month, will be in the 71-player field on Thursday when the American Express Championship tees off at San Francisco's Harding Park municipal course.

And if dealing with his heart condition wasn't enough, Toms has been busy trying to help mend the broken hearts of hurricane victims in his native Louisiana. His charitable foundation has raised about $1 million to assist people ravaged by the Katrina and Rita storms.

"It's unbelievable how everybody has been affected down there," Toms said.

"Unbelievable" might also be a good description for how quickly Toms returned to the golf course. It was just three weeks ago that he was stricken.

Toms, an 11-time PGA Tour winner, has been enjoying another stellar season. He's No.4 on the money list with earnings of $3.66million. But on Sept.15, he made headlines of a different kind.

Married with two young children, Toms knew he had a rapid-heartbeat condition - he has had about a half-dozen episodes over the past four years. He also had a routine physical two weeks before the 84 Lumber tournament, and was pronounced in good health. But on the course that day, his heart began racing and wouldn't stop. He clutched his chest and dropped to one knee.

"I was scared because I didn't know what it was," Toms said. "I didn't know if I was going to be OK. I wondered if I might die. My family wasn't there. But I did have my trusty caddie by my side."

Toms said he was unsure if his caddie, Scott Gneiser, knew CPR. And he didn't want to find out, either.

"I don't think I would let him that close enough to do CPR," Toms joked.

The humor might come easy now as he downplays the incident, but at that moment the situation was deadly serious. In the ambulance, paramedics administered a drug that momentarily stopped and then restarted his heart. When he was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital, an administrator there reported erroneously that Toms' condition was critical - news that immediately was flashed around the country on ESPN. In truth, Toms was stable - but terrified.

"The doctors were at a loss about what was happening until the tests came back," Toms said. "Looking back on it, it honestly just wasn't that big a deal. It happens to people every day. I was lucky that I had good care right away."

He was diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia, a non-life-threatening condition that is being regulated with medication. A week later, he was playing with the victorious U.S. squad at the Presidents Cup competition in Virginia. (He set off a security alarm during a team visit to the White House because of radioactive residue in his body from medical tests.)

On Nov.17, he'll undergo a procedure at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota to repair the damaged nerves that cause the rapid heartbeat. Just don't ask him too many details.

"You'll have better luck looking it up on the Internet and telling me about it," Toms said. "I'm sure I'll be a little worried about it that week because anytime somebody messes with your heart, it makes you think. But right now, it really doesn't concern me."

Maybe that's because he has so much else on his mind. Monday, he hosted a charitable golf tournament in Birmingham, Ala., for his foundation, which benefits abused, abandoned and underprivileged children. Ever since Katrina struck Aug.29, Toms, who lives in Shreveport, La., has used the foundation to raise money for the displaced.

"Helping kids is something that's near and dear to us, so we're trying to directly help families with young kids who have been affected," said Toms, who attended Louisiana State.

On the course, Toms is able to block everything out and concentrate on golf. He likes his chances this week because he thrives on courses with traditional layouts - like Harding Park.

But he's also looking forward to the season's end, getting his heart problem resolved and preparing for what he would like to be a quiet 2006.

"Hopefully next year will have less newsworthy events, other than playing good golf."

WGC: AMEX Championship

I've managed to see a little bit of both rounds so far. If I had been paying attention to the European Tour, I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see Colin Montgomerie doing so well. I understand he's moving up the money list over there with lightning speed. A few other noteworthy folks: Sean O'Hair is 5 under. Angel Cabrera, also 5 under is having a very good few weeks. Sergio Garcia is 4 under despite a couple of wayward shots and his putting. Also at 4 under and currently tied for 10th is Stephen Ames, who is apparently 94th on the PGA tour money list. I'm nervous about seeing David Toms in the field. He's doing well at 4 under par, but I think I'll be nervous until he has his surgery and completely recovers. At the opposite end of the spectrum is Justin Leonard who is 7 over par through two rounds. Maybe the cooler weather isn't his cup of tea. The temperature might be another reason Colin Montgomerie is leading. It probably feels just like home to him.

As for Tiger Woods, I just have one thing to say. He knows the cameras are always on him, so can't he find some milder cuss word to use when he misses a shot? Little kids look up to him and since kids grow up fast anyway, wouldn't it be nice to have one aspect of their lives that could actually expose them to well behaved sportsmen to teach things like fair play and grace in the face of adversity? It would be great if all these kids grew up to be successful, rich athletes, but most will end up working in offices with many different types of people. Currently where I work, we have some co-workers who use the most vile cuss words to describe customers and other co-workers in other offices. It's embarrassing to be represented by these people. I have never used a cuss word out loud at work. Not only do I think it's just plain inappropriate in an office setting, I don't think it shows respect for the co-workers who might be very religious and could be very offended by hearing those kinds of words.

The News of the Day

As you can see from the previous post, today's big news is Michelle Wie turning pro. I am very excited to see this. She is an exceptional player, and I can't wait to see her on tv competing. I understand there are some people out there and some other players who for some reason resent Wie's decision or presence in these events. I think that's sad. Michelle Wie, if she produces, will take golf to new heights and bring money to the sport like Tiger did. Personally, I can't wait for the someday exclusive Tiger vs Michelle primetime event that will make tons of money for both players and for whatever network airs the event. You know there's going to be one. And please, oh please, someone come out with a Michelle Wie clothing line! Now that I'm skinny, I can wear cool stuff!

(And there is not one ounce of sarcasm in this post. All of this is absolutely sincere.)

Michelle Wie Turns Pro

Honolulu, HI (Sports Network) - Michelle Wie has announced her decision to become a professional golfer.

Wie, who will turn 16 years old next Tuesday, will play her first tournament as a professional at the LPGA Tour's Samsung World Championship, which starts October 13 in Palm Desert, California.

"I'm happy to say that I'm a pro as of today," Wie said in making the announcement. "I'm really excited for everything to come and for next week, as my first tournament [as a pro]. It's all very exciting."

Wie has also inked endorsement deals with both Nike and Sony, each worth a reported $5 million a year. She will wear Nike apparel and will play the company's clubs.

Sony, of course, gave her sponsor's exemptions into the PGA Tour's Sony Open in Hawaii the past two years. She will compete against men as a professional for the first time next month at the Casio World Open in Japan.

Wie missed the cut in PGA Tour events this year at the Sony Open and John Deere Classic, but had a strong LPGA Tour campaign playing on exemptions.

In seven events, she finished no worse than tied for 23rd and was the runner- up at the LPGA Championship. She also tied for 14th at the Nabisco Championship, tied for second at the Evian Masters in France and tied for third at the Women's British Open.

Despite her success, Wie still plans to continue her education.

"My first priority is school," Wie added. "I know that I am going to graduate high school and hope to achieve my goal of graduating college."

Wie cannot officially join the LPGA Tour until she turns 18 years old, but can play as many as eight events in each of the next two years on exemptions. She is also expected to continue playing against men on PGA Tour sponsor exemptions.

She has also decided to donate $500,000 to victims of the recent hurricanes.

World Golf Rankings

KJ: from 47 to 30
Shigeki: from 49 to 36
Jason Bohn: from 100 to 79

Final Round Observations

KJ Choi won the Greensboro event. Shigeki Maruyama came in second and Jason Bohn and Brandt Jobe tied for 3rd. Justin Rose tied for 6th and Sergio Garcia was tied for 13. Charles Warren shot the low round of the day with a 65 and it looks like KJ Choi and Carl Pettersson were the only ones to have all four rounds in the 60's. I think maybe KJ and Shigeki were saying something about not being picked for the President's Cup team with these great performances.

Another Mention

I found another blog that mentioned this blog. Check out Sara5's Links.

3rd Round

DJ Trahan and KJ Choi are leading with Jason Bohn and Shigeki Maruyama one back. Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia are right in there. Robert Gamez had the best round of the day with a score of 9 under par. I'm happy that Justin and Sergio are doing well and it looks like tomorrow will be pretty competitive.

A New Mention

The good folks at Golf Punk Magazine have included my blog in their Blog Roll, so I thought I would add them to the side bar. Check out Golf Punk Magazine.

2nd Round

I didn't get to see much of the golf today and none of it yesteday. Here's what I noticed from looking at the leaderboard: Stewart Cink missed the cut, but Adam Scott and Peter Lonard made the cut. So, some of the President's Cup folks are doing well this week. Justin Rose is 10 under and two shots out of the lead. Several people scored the low round of 7 under including Justin and Brandt Jobe, Chris Smith, Jason Bohn, and Shigeki Maruyama. Another interesting note - Paul Azinger made the cut. I don't know how he will be comentating on Sunday and playing but I guess he will manage. Maybe they will mike him while he's on the course. But then, that might not be the best of ideas. He seems to be the kind of guy who has to watch what he says :)

Gavin Coles

From The Australian:

AUSTRALIA's Gavin Coles, back after missing six weeks with a cracked rib, resumed the battle to keep his USPGA Tour card with a four-under-par 68 first round at the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro yesterday.

Coles sustained the injury while hitting a tee shot at a tournament in July.

"I'd hurt my back two weeks prior and it progressively got worse," said Coles, who ended the day tied for 15th with compatriot Geoff Ogilvy, six strokes behind American leader Charles Warren at Forest Oaks, North Carolina.

"All of a sudden (a rib) snapped.

"I finished the round and played the next round as well after they drugged me up. It was probably not the right decision but I don't think I could have done more damage."

Coles was sidelined for six weeks and has only made one cut since his return, falling to 174th on the money list. It means he has much work to do in the final month of the season to jump into the top 125 on the money list and keep his card for 2006.

But yesterday was a step in the right direction as he matched Ogilvy, who has no such problems, not having missed a cut since March.

"I played really well. I could have had two or three better if I'd made a few putts, but all in all I'm very happy," Ogilvy said.

In Tucson in February, he scored his first professional victory, and top-six finishes at the British Open and US PGA Championship stamped him as a player to watch in the majors.

"I'm driving it better than I used to, and golf's a lot easier when you're playing from the fairway more often," he said.

"A few years ago I was an awful driver. I could drive it well for a week, but not for months."

The other Australians were further back. Steve Elkington and Robert Allenby shot 70, Peter Lonard and Brendan Jones 71, Steve Allan 72, Adam Scott 73 and Scott Hend 74.

Paul Gow shot 81, but was disqualified for signing for an 80. He made bogey at the par-three fourth hole, but signed for a three.

Huston Leads the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro

REUTERS

3:11 p.m. September 30, 2005

NEW YORK – American John Huston returned an error-free six-under 66 to grab a one-shot lead over South Korea's KJ Choi midway through the second round at the Greensboro Classic in North Carolina on Friday.

Huston, who began the day at Forest Oaks Country Club four shots back of overnight leader Charles Warren, has had just one bogey through two rounds to sit on 12-under 132.

Choi had just one blemish on his card mixing a bogey on the par-four fifth with four birdies for a three-under 69 to reach 11-under 133 at the midway point of the $5 million event.

Sitting three-shots off the pace are South African Tim Clark (69) and 2003 champion Shigeki Maruyama of Japan (65) at nine-under 135.

Warren, who opened with a course record 62, slipped back into the pack with a two-over 74 joining Swedes Carl Pettersson (67) and Daniel Chopra (69) at eight-under 136.

Spain's Sergio Garcia, the world number six, stayed in contention returning a three-under 69 for the second consecutive day to sit six back of the leader on six-under 138.

Update on Greensboro

Apparently Davis Love has withdrawn from the event. Click here to read the article.

A New Website (And Possibly a New Friend)

I received an email from Doug Farrick who said some very complimentary things about this blog and then asked if I would be interested in featuring his website on this blog. I checked out his website, GolfDash: The Intelligent Golf Directory, and decided that I would feature it. It seems to have a lot of information and it looks like someone puts in a lot of hard work to make it so encompassing. So, Check out Golf Dash. I will be adding it to the sidebar.

This Week on the PGA Tour

Is the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro. It airs on the USA network and on ABC on Sunday apparently. Some of the participants include: Sergio Garcia, Adam Scott, Justin Rose, Davis Love and Peter Lonard - at least that's what the website says. It's no accident that among those in the list above, I highlighted some President's Cup participants. I think it will be interesting to see them play this week after last week. And I think it's good to have this kind of celebrity in an event like this to bring more people out to watch the tournament. Personally, I'm hoping Sergio Garcia does really well. I haven't seen enough of him lately. And Justin Rose will always get a favorable mention here since he was nice enough to respond personally when I sent him a friendly email on his website.

News from the Valero Open

Gamez makes big jump in World Rankings

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Robert Gamez won the Texas Open on Sunday snapping a massive drought and in doing so moved up 113 places to No. 148 in this week's Official World Golf Rankings.

Gamez went 394 events without a victory until yesterday. The 15 years and six months between wins was the longest stretch in PGA Tour history. Butch Baird held the previous record of 15 years and five months (May 1961-October 1976).

Outside of Gamez' big jump, there was little movement in the top-20 in the world. That is due impart to the fact that there was a pair of team, match- play events this past weekend, The Presidents Cup and the Seve Trophy.

Tiger Woods maintained his large lead at the top of the world rankings despite his singles loss to Retief Goosen in The Presidents Cup. Woods was followed by Vijay Singh, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Goosen.

Sergio Garcia held on to the sixth spot while Adam Scott, Chris DiMarco and Jim Furyk followed again.

The first change came in the 10th spot as Angel Cabrera moved to 10, while Kenny Perry slipped to 11th. David Toms and Padraig Harrington exchanged slots as well with Toms now 12th and the Irishman sliding to 13th.

Luke Donald and Michael Campbell held steady at 14 and 15 respectively. Darren Clarke moved up one to 16 as Davis Love III dropped one notch to 17. Tim Clark and David Howell kept their 18th and 19th positions from one week ago.

Thomas Bjorn inched back into the top-20 at 20th this week and Fred Couples dropped to 21st despite his heroics at The Presidents Cup.

America Wins!

America won the President's Cup today and I would just like to point out that the three matches I suggested you keep an eye on were all important wins for the US. Fred Couples beat Vijay Singh on the last hole and his reaction was worth watching the whole event. He was so excited and happy. And Davis Love's big hug when he congratulated Fred symbolized what the President's Cup is all about. Team spirit. Have I mentioned that I have been completely, absolutely, unabashedly in love with Fred Couples since 1992?

The next most memorable moment I think is Chris Dimarco's win on the 18th hole. He was just as excited as Fred and with good reason. When the day started there were a lot of arm chair captains on tv second guessing Jack Nicklaus' decision to have Dimarco and Mickelson anchor the team today, but Jack's strategy proved to be correct and he proved the tv people wrong. It's good to see Dimarco get the winning point; he seems to really love the team concept. And he reminds me of Fred Couples, which isn't a bad thing. I did have an interesting thought while I watched Dimarco today. In the local paper there is a Bull Dog puppy for sale. And I thought, "if I owned that dog, I'd name him Dimarco". Chris Dimarco just reminded me of a scrappy bulldog who wouldn't give up without a fight. Of course I could name a pet Stewart or Nick and cover four or five golfers all at once. I did name a couple of calves Fred and Payne once. I think they ended up being someone's dinner.

I guess the big elephant in the room, so to speak, is Tiger's loss to Retief Goosen. I don't find it that surprising. Tiger isn't number 1 in the world because he can play the best all the time. He's number 1 because he can string together enough good rounds in every tournament to beat the others. Today, he only had one round to play and Retief was killing him with those long putts. I will admit I didn't root for Tiger the same way I did for Davis Love or Fred Couples. But I didn't root against him either. Mainly I just kept telling the tv (aka Tiger) "You're the number 1 player in the world, you'd better win this." That's as supportive as I think I could be.

All in all, this was a very exciting President's Cup. I'm almost tempted to order the official tape of the event.

Yesterday's President's Cup

I'm late in posting my comments. I was dying my hair again last night. It came out better than Tiger's new Do. Anyway, here they are:

I like the Alternate Shot format. That's much more exciting to see how the team mate plays your game and vice versa. And it encourages more teamwork than just playing your own ball. As for the teams, Dimarco and Mickelson and Leonard and Verplank could be the next Love-Couples iconic pairing. It's great that they are doing so well. Tiger and Vijay are still competitive bordering on hostile at times. Good thing Jim Furyk was there to calm Tiger down a bit and remind him that it's team competition. I'm glad to see the NBC folks pointing out how great Jim Furyk did yesterday. It was one of those rare days that they weren't wearing the Tiger blinders and just mindlessly touting Tiger's greatness even though he kept missing his drives. There was some honest comentating yesterday. Goosen and Scott were phenomenal and as I've already alluded to, very easy on the eyes. I'm glad Goosen is doing well. It seems like after the US Open thing, everyone just started commenting on all his mistakes and never remarked on any of his good shots. True, he went through some rough patches after the US Open, but I think he won two tournaments back-to-back just recently. In the afternoon matches I was confused with the Couples and Love match. On the one hand, they were doing great, but on the other hand, they weren't doing great. It was weird. But it was great to see them paired together. Another handsome team. A lot was made about Vijay changing putters from one week to the next, but I think I saw Phil Mickelson change putters between the morning and afternoon matches. Maybe Phil should start using Michael Campbell's eyesight drills and leave the putter alone. I don't play golf but I would think putting has more to do with the green and less to do with the putter. Don't they all have a flat surface that hits the ball? I'm sure that's oversimplifying the game a bit :)

Ones to watch today:

Furyk vs Scott
Couples vs Singh
Dimarco and Whoever he's playing

Early Observation

Of today's President's Cup matches:

The most handsome match of the day: Goosen and Scott vs Leonard and Verplank.

The Valero Texas Open

I took a look at the leaderboard and here are some observations:
David Duval and Michael Putnam have made the cut. Yay for them! Michael Putnam just turned pro a few weeks ago and had that amazing run at his first pro event. And David Duval was one of the world's best a few years ago and is gradually making his way back to good form.

Dean Wilson is leading the event and shot an 8 under round today. I think that was the best round of the day too. Jeff Maggert, John Senden, Olin Browne, Woody Austin, Bob Heintz, and Robert Gamez are close behind and could provide some great entertainment this weekend.

And apparently Rita may have an impact on the event. It will be interesting to watch to see what happens.

It's All A Blur!

I missed the beginning of the President's Cup matches today. I was helping Mom and Dad with their new house. So, unfortunately, I had trouble getting into the matches and keeping track of everyone. And I missed all of the matches from yesterday. Hopefully, I can follow it all tomorrow, but I think I'll be missing about a half an hour or so in the morning to work out. I will try to find some news stories about the President's Cup and the Valero Texas Open on the web and post them here. I keep wondering if Rita will affect the Valero event.

Valero Texas Open

San Antonio Express-News

Crane, others exit: Ben Crane's gain at last weekend's 84 Lumber Classic in Pennsylvania was the Valero Texas Open's loss.

Crane, one of the PGA Tour's hottest golfers over the second half of the season, was one of several late withdrawals for this week's Open. A third-place finish at the 84 Lumber, worth $299,200, brought to almost $800,000 Crane's earnings from the past two tournaments.

With his bank account flush, Crane joined Tim Herron, fourth at the 84 Lumber, Brandt Jobe, Kevin Na, Justin Bolli, Danny Ellis, D.J. Trahan and Joey Snyder III in dropping from the field.

Alternates who have been added to the event include Brenden Pappas, Glen Day, Matt Kuchar, Craig Bowden, John E. Morgan, Arjun Atwal, David Peoples, Per-Ulrik Johansson and Richard S. Johnson.

Rested and ready: Defending tournament champion Bart Bryant teed off for his practice round early Tuesday, and came off the course pronouncing himself fit and prepared for Thursday's opening round.

Bryant, who owns the La Cantera resort course record with a third-round, 10-under 60 last year, has been nursing a sore wrist. But he stayed home the past three weeks and said the pain has subsided.

Cameron crows: Cameron Beckman's tie for fifth at last week's 84 Lumber, worth a season-high $154,500 payday, has moved him to 159th on the money list at $361,281 overall. Beckman is working to move into the top 125 to secure his PGA Tour card for next season.

Money matters: Two-time Open champion Duffy Waldorf is one of three golfers who have raked in seven figures in winnings at the event. Justin Leonard, with $1.40 million, and Loren Roberts, with $1.27 million, are the only competitors ahead of Waldorf's $1.01 million total.

- Richard Oliver

The President's Cup: Thursday's Matches

USA	Scoring	International
Woods		Scott
Couples	1:10 pm ET	Goosen
Funk		Singh
Furyk	1:20 pm ET	Hensby
Mickelson		O'Hern
DiMarco	1:30 pm ET	Clark
Leonard		Lonard
Verplank	1:40 pm ET	Appleby
Love III		Campbell
Perry	1:50 pm ET	Cabrera
Toms		Immelman
Cink	2:00 pm ET	Weir

President's Cup: Tuesday, Part 2

Campbell targeting team success

Campbell seals Wentworth win

US Open and World Match Play winner Michael Campbell will captain the International team taking on America in the Presidents Cup from Friday.

The New zealander is aiming to lead his multi-national outfit to a first-ever victory over the US on home territory.

He said: "I've taken on a lot of new responsibilities since I won the US Open, and this is one of them.

"Their big advantage is playing on home soil. But we've got eight guys in the top 30. That's a pretty strong team."

Campbell leads an International squad which includes Fiji's Vijay Singh, Canada's Mike Weir, Argentina's Angel Cabrera and South Africans Tim Clark, Trevor Immelman and Retief Goosen.

Adam Scott is among five Aussies in the line-up, but he said: ""It doesn't matter where you are from - we're all under the same flag this week.

"Hopefully we can contribute points."

Compatriot Nick O'Hern added: "The great thing about this week for us is it's pretty much a team feeling.

"We're all pretty good friends and we're going to have some pretty good parties - not parties, dinners - this week."

The sixth edition of the biennial Presidents Cup is taking place at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club at Lake Manassas, near Gainsville, Virginia.

President's Cup: Tuesday

Scott enjoying his game again
By Robert Lusetich in Manassas, Virginia
21sep05

ADAM Scott caught the flu in Singapore and it won't go away, but it has been a small price to pay.

As he prepared to practise for the Presidents Cup with some of his International team-mates at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club on Washington's outskirts yesterday, Scott, 25, was in buoyant mood. Seven-stroke wins - even in the Singapore Open - tend to encourage it.

The last time we saw Scott, at the USPGA in New Jersey, playing golf seemed to hold the appeal of root canal surgery.

"Yeah, it got to the point where it just wasn't fun for me any more," Scott said.

He left Australia at the start of the year and had simply burned out from living out of a suitcase, shuffling from tournament to tournament, for eight months.

"I just really needed a break," he said. "It's one of those things where I had to listen to my body but listen to my mind more importantly. My mind wasn't in the game.

"I put too much pressure on myself ... I was playing well [but] I just wasn't scoring well and it was so frustrating."

The antidote was, oddly, to go home to the Gold Coast and play golf. Not just golf: he surfed, played tennis and chilled out, too. But mainly, he spent his days on the links with mates.

"Yeah, it's bizarre that I ended up playing a lot of golf at home with my mates but all of a sudden it was relaxing. It was fun again," he said.

"Normally for me it's fun to play out here but those last couple of weeks, at the PGA and the NEC (World Series of Golf), it was a grind. Anyway, a few weeks back home and I went to Singapore and it was back to the old frame of mind and I really enjoyed it."

This week, during the sixth Presidents Cup which starts tomorrow (US time), Scott predicted he would need to draw on that experience often against the US team.

"You have to be so mentally tough for this event because there's a lot of pressure. You're not just playing for yourself out there, you don't want to let anyone down," he said.

Scott, who finished with a 3-2-0 record at the Presidents Cup in South Africa two years ago, will need to do a lot of heavy lifting with Ernie Els sidelined with a knee injury.

"Look, there's no question that Adam, and a lot of the other players, will need to do more because not having Ernie Els here hurts us a lot," International captain Gary Player said yesterday.

Scott said the external pressure couldn't be greater than that which he puts upon himself, but felt confident he would answer the challenge.

He also said that the Presidents Cup, still in its relative infancy, had already grown in stature, in part because of the thrilling 17-all tie in South Africa, which finished with Els and Tiger Woods trading long putts in near darkness on the third and final play-off hole.

"The event in South Africa was awesome, the whole week," Scott said. "And then the finish was unbelievable. It's one of my favourite memories. It was the most exciting play-off you'll ever see. It really pissed me off that it was a draw, but it was awesome anyway. If this can tap into that, I think this event will take off."

He also disputed the widespread belief that the US players did not care much for it. Scott cited David Toms, who collapsed on the course last week.

Toms was diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia, an electrical problem in the upper chamber of his heart that can be treated with medication and fixed by surgery, but he put off an operation until after the Presidents Cup.

"Now it's an anticipated event for (US players). I think it got off to a start where it was a pain in the arse for them to play it, but I think it's got something about it now," Scott said.

The US has won three of the five Presidents Cup, losing once (in Melbourne seven years ago) and drawing.