Sergio Injured

I just read this article about Sergio Garcia having a sprained wrist. It says he may be consulting a specialist to try to get better as it's apparently been three whole weeks and it isn't healed yet. It sounds to me that three weeks isn't very long. Especially if he's tried to swing a club in those three weeks like the article says. I've had some kind of sore spot in the middle of my right palm for months and it's never healed up. Of course, I'm right handed and I pick up everything heavy with that hand until I remember to use the other one. I think it's an electric lawn mower injury. I was fighting with that horrible corded machine all summer long. It's a lot worse than a vacuum cleaner.

A Few Minutes of the Skills Challenge

I just watched a few minutes of the ADT skills challenge. When I found out that Hunter Mahan was partnering with Fred Couples, I decided that I didn't want to watch much more. I like Fred. Hunter - not so much. But it did look warm and sunny there.

I Believe

Around these parts there's an old wives' tale that says whatever you do on New Year's Eve is what you'll do all year long. Which would be why you'd want to be kissing your one true love at midnight. Although it sounds like some myth, I have reason to believe that it's true. Last New Year's Eve, I was up at midnight buying a pilates machine from QVC. What did I do all year long? Buy stuff from QVC. So, the plan this year is to get on the treadmill at midnight and walk while putting money into a piggy bank. I need to lose weight and save money in 2010.

A First Time Winner

Richie Ramsay won down in South Africa today. This is his first win on the European tour and he had to survive a playoff to do it. In doing some quick reading on Ramsay, it appears he has had some brushes with the rules of golf. Hopefully, those problems are all behind him.

Shark Shootout

I liked watching the Shark Shootout this weekend. It was warm and sunny there and everyone appeared to be having a good time. I especially liked Ross Fisher and Ian Poulter's outfits, obviously held over from the World Cup. It was good to see Steve Stricker and Jerry Kelly win. I really like Stricker. And I'm going to have to eat more at Taco Bell after seeing that they now sponsor JB Holmes.

Pablo Martin Finally Wins as a Pro

Pablo Martin had a good week down in South Africa at the Alfred Dunhill. Coming into the tournament, he was ranked 488th in the world. He was in the lead going into the final round and despite a vicious 18th with its island green, he was able to hold on for the win. That 18th hole was incredible - one player made an 11. You don't see that too often.

So, a win for Spain and Pablo is currently leading the Race to Dubai rankings. A good start for the new year. Hopefully, the rest of the year will be really great for the Spaniards.

I Hope They Move Soon

I just read that Florida Childrens' Services stuck their nose into the Tiger Woods scandal by allegedly going to the Woods' home. Nothing I've seen or read suggests that the kids are in any danger - even Tiger's accident was not officially alcohol related, and I think it's just Florida politics at work (or maybe they hoped to take some pictures with their cell phones to sell to tabloids). I find it incredible that they would take time to harass the Woods family when there were plenty of reports a few years ago of Florida's state program employees actually losing children in the foster care program down there. I wonder if they have cleaned up their act yet as it usually takes years and years for a government to be overhauled. You have to wonder where these people were before the Casey Anthony story became a story about a child missing and being murdered.

I hope Tiger, Elin and the kids move soon and leave Florida. You couldn't pay me to live there. From the whole election trouble back in the Bush-Gore election to all of the missing kids/murdered kids down there, it just has a very bad reputation.

The Big News

I have to say a few things about Tiger's announcement regarding his indefinite break from golf.

1. He had 8 months or so away from golf after the US Open in 2008 and apparently that didn't help him focus on his family.

2. I might actually watch some US PGA Tour golf this year since he won't be around. I skipped most of the events last year because the announcers just won't shut up about him.

3. Golf needs to be Tiger Free in order to develop some new stars.

4. No matter what Tiger manages to accomplish during this break, it won't help his kids when they are old enough to Google their dad's name to see what comes up. Those poor kids are going to have problems for years.

Ballesteros Honored with Award

According to this article, Seve Ballesteros is going to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the BBC. I look forward to his farewell appearance at the Open next year. It will be a moment to remember.

Expert Analysts

I was happily watching the replay of the Shark Shootout when it was interrupted by Rich Lerner and Tiger's latest announcement from his website in which he states he's taking an indefinite break from golf. Things were going fine until Kelly Whatshername had to participate. Rich asked her about the statement and speaking on the break from golf she said something like "I imagine that depends on how things go at home." My what brilliant insight! Thank goodness for that clarity on this issue because I thought it would depend on how well his stock portfolio was doing in the first quarter of next year. Not.

If people aren't going to actually add anything new to the news story, then they shouldn't be on the air. That was a waste of time.

I turned the channel to QVC to watch the annoying host stuff her face with Pot Stickers. Thank goodness Top Gear will be on soon.

Huh?????

I'm trying to stay away from the Tiger Woods saga here on the blog. But, I just read this article that quoted Jack Nicklaus. One quote from him: "He's (Tiger) a great athlete. He'll figure it out." What does that mean? That being a great athlete is some sort of miraculous superpower that allows you to grasp the answers to life's biggest problems? He was a great athlete before all of this crap started and it didn't help him at all. In fact, it probably contributed greatly to the mess he's in. I don't think Tiger needs to be hearing that he's a great athlete right now. He needs to be hearing how horrible he is. Otherwise, he won't be learning any lessons. This "He's a great athlete" thing sounds like a free pass to me. A boys' club kind of thing.

And you know what, I bet someone once said OJ Simpson was a great athlete. Maybe they said something similar about the ear biting Mike Tyson? I'm sure people once considered Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson a phenomenal athlete as well. How about US track star Marion Jones?

Maybe the free pass would be less objectionable to me if the game of golf wasn't built entirely on honesty and integrity. It's a game where you police yourself. And it's long been a game that the whole family could enjoy. Now, the game has been tarnished, though I think tarnish is too weak of a word to describe it. The PGA Tour may still have a lot of players who are happily married, quote the bible or attend prayer meetings. But those guys never drew the headlines that Tiger did. For better or worse, Tiger defines the game right now for all of those people watching CNN, HLN and all of the other networks. And it isn't a good definition.

Still Incredible

I was surfing the web a few minutes ago and saw a picture of Tiger Woods taken at some tournament somewhere. It hit me then that all of the allegations and news are still so incredible to believe. I mean, I saw the picture and then remembered that he isn't now the same guy he was in that photo. It just goes to show you just how effective that image he projected was.

Chevron World Challenge

There was a lot of good golf in the final round. It was fun to watch a bunch of golfers trying to win for a change. Oddly enough, most of my observations come from watching the final round in HD. Graeme McDowell looks even more handsome in HD. Ian Poulter looks even skinnier. He needs some food. All of that world-wide travel must have been pretty stressful. And I could count every eye lash Jim Furyk has. That was the most fascinating part of the HD effect I think. I'll have to remember to switch over to my regular antenna to watch some HD golf in the future instead of watching the local channels on my non-HD Dish Network package.

Shark Shootout is next week. Wonder how that will look. Warmer and sunnier, hopefully.

What Cowards

I was watching a few minutes of the Q-School coverage on the Golf Channel and they had a commercial about what was coming up on the Golf Channel this week. The narrator, Kelly Whatshername, said something like "On Tuesday, John Feinstein will address the biggest news in golf". She wouldn't even say "the latest on Tiger Woods" or anything like that. If it was John Daly, you know they would be repeating his name over and over again. But for Tiger, only the most discreet, hush-hush, whisper will do. If they are going to talk about him, then they need to forget about the money, the endorsements, the influence and address the newsworthy items that should be addressed. If what you do is determined by the power of others, then you might as well be on the payroll of those people. And you sure can't profess to having any objectivity.

Personally, in terms of the Golf Channel and reporting the news of the day, I think the Tiger Woods thing shouldn't be on the table unless he loses endorsements, has to pay fines, or will be absent from the Tour for some reason. Getting into all of the details isn't golf news and should be reserved for other venues.

But it's tough for the Golf Channel. If they talk about him, they make money because more people watch. But if they say the wrong thing, then Tiger won't be nice to them anymore. Wasn't there something about a tantrum he threw after Peter Kostis criticized his golf swing? He wouldn't talk to Kostis for years after that? No one has to worry about that now. I don't think Tiger will be saying anything for about a year. I'd say even Steve Williams is going to have to learn sign language if Tiger plays and needs yardage or club info.

Real Men Wear Pink

It looks like both Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell are wearing some form of pink today at the Chevron World Challenge. They look very sharp in their outfits.

I would make a joke about letting them do their own laundry, but we all know they pick those colors specifically - LOL

Got My Answer

I'm watching the third round of the Chevron World Challenge today and they said a little while ago that Graeme McDowell got into the event when Tiger withdrew. So, that answers the question from the earlier post.

Just One Question

Amid all of the Tiger Woods drama going on, I just have one question: Is anyone taking his spot in the field at the Chevron event this week? I know he withdrew from the event, but I didn't hear if anyone else was able to join in.

I'm not going out searching for the answer because I'll just encounter all of the speculation and innuendo that's been reported as 'fact' in the media. So, if anyone knows the answer to my question, please post it in the comments section.

Italy Wins the World Cup

This is a great story - the Molinari brothers win, beating experienced Ryder Cup veterans. When is Hollywood going to do a big time movie about them? Well, maybe it should be an indie film so that some element of integrity could be maintained.

Lee Westwood Wins Race to Dubai

Westwood not only won the tournament but the whole year-long contest as well. HERE is a link to an article full of quotes and stats on Lee and the tournament.

Elvis and Golf

Yes, I am attempting to put Elvis Presley and golf in the same post. I was listening to the Elvis Channel on Sirius/XM yesterday and Golfer John Daly was on there talking to George Klein, lifelong friend of Elvis. We can thank John Daly for the new book coming out in January, written by Klein and about Klein's friendship with the King. According to the conversation on the radio, Daly helped Klein find people who could get him a publishing deal.

So, if you're a fan of Elvis, or would just like to see what John Daly might have gotten from a friendship with Klein, check out the book by clicking HERE.

Wow, It's Here...

The end of the Race to Dubai on the European Tour. I haven't been following golf these last couple of weeks (no coincidence that it was while Tiger was playing) and the final tournament on the European Tour this year just snuck up on me.

They are playing the Dubai World Championship this week. I have no idea what the stats are and who needs to do what to win, but I would like to point out that there are no Americans in the tournament. Later I will re-visit my predictions I made for the year 2009.

I did see that Sergio was in the top 10 so far in the tournament and Miguel Angel Jimenez is T11 right now. It looks like Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood are at the top of the rankings, battling for the top spot.

Of all of the players competing this week at the Dubai World Championship, I would like to single out Gareth Maybin. It looks like this is his first year on the European Tour after gaining entry through the Challenge Tour last year. To have ended up in the top 60 is a huge achievement.

What a Shame

The Golf Channel had that whole campaign about the two weeks of Tiger. Blah, blah, blah. I don't think they planned on him not winning this first one. Ha Ha Ha.


Phil Mickelson did win however. He doesn't seem to get any respect unless his family is having problems. I think it's good that he's going over to Asia to play. A lot of the American players are either spoiled or snobbish when it comes to playing around the world. And Phil probably has some of those qualities. But he does venture out beyond the US borders every now and again.

Need a Tissue

I just watched Jose Maria Olazabal's speech at the Hall of Fame Induction ceremony. Wouldn't you know I'd just have to cry.

Some Golf Was Played

Even though the US PGA Tour event was called for rain, there were two other events to follow over on the European Tour - the Volvo World Matchplay and the Singapore Open. I was quite happy to see Ross Fisher win the World Matchplay. Well, I didn't see him win. But I did read about it. And Ian Poulter won the Singapore Open.

I'm happy that daylight savings time is over. I didn't like going to Walmart at 7am and it being dark outside. At least now it will seem like I'm out at a decent hour when I shop before work.

I want to know how many school kids have been hit by vehicles while waiting for the bus these extra weeks we've had to live under Daylight Savings Time. It's my firm belief that the Congress people who voted to extend it don't wake up until 8am or later and have no idea when it actually gets light out.

Volvo World Matchplay

This looks complicated. I checked out the 'leaderboard' on the European PGA Tour website and it requires a bit of concentration. Groups A, B, C, and D with players playing more than one match. Looks kind of like a round robin kind of event. They used to do that on the ATP tour at some event in Vegas I think. Press reports kept suggesting that Anthony Kim was 'the star' of the day, but according to the European PGA Tour website, Oliver Wilson scored the same number of points as Kim.

I might watch some of this as Tiger's not playing in it. I have tomorrow off but I'm shopping in the morning.

Castello Masters Final Round

I watched the final round today and was disappointed that I only got to see Jose Maria Olazabal once. According to the announcers, Sergio was ill and he didn't play that well today. It seemed like the whole three hours of coverage was just a putting highlights show with all kinds of putts just scraping by the edge of the cup. Martin Kaymer made some great putts. And it was a good story to see Michael Jonzon win after waiting 12 years since his last win.

Castello Masters

Sergio is in second and Jose Maria is still in the top ten. I hope they both do really well tomorrow. And how great was it to see the nice warm and sunny weather over there? It's rainy and damp here.

How Happy Am I?????

Have you seen the leaderboard for the Castello Masters? Jose Maria Olazabal is in the top 10!!! I am so excited. I can't wait to watch some of this over the weekend. Oh, and yeah, Sergio is up there too. Martin Kaymer, coming off of an injury, is doing really well so far.

Checking out Stats

I got curious about the PGA Tour money list so I checked it out. I can't bring myself to report on Brad Faxon's current standing. It makes me pretty sad. But here are some other observations:

David Duval is hovering around the 120 mark. Let's all send him some positive thoughts and prayers and hope that he can finish in the top 125.

Lee Janzen is around 96 or so. That has to be a 'feel good' story that should get some good press, but probably won't.

George McNeill is approx 87th currently. So much for those renegades who have the nerve to say that the only way to get on the PGA Tour should be through the Nationwide Tour - no more Q-School. McNeill won Q-School a couple of years ago and here he is, still here.

Jeff Overton doesn't need to worry about his card this year. Or his appendix. He's currently 82nd.

Fred Couples is around 71st on the list. That's exceptional for Fred. I just hope he has one more great week at the Masters. If anyone deserves a second major, it's Fred.

Several players have played 29 weeks so far, but Brian Davis is currently heading that category with 30 weeks. Still don't feel sorry for any of them when they claim they 'need an off-season'.

I don't know how much volatility there is with the list, but I'd say if a player isn't 95th or better, he might be thinking of trying to earn a few extra dollars.

Missed Westwood's Win

I missed the Portugal event on the European Tour this weekend. I've been watching tennis and QVC. But I read that Lee Westwood won and with a final round six under par. I feel bad for Molinari. It would have been nice if he had won.

Madrid Masters

Ross McGowan won the event, but he managed to make it interesting in the final round. He started out with a huge lead but only managed a one under par final round. It was enough though to secure the win over second place Mikko Ilonen. Gareth Maybin shot -8 today and moved up 22 spots to finish tied for 4th. As for the Spaniards: Ignacio Garrido, Jorge Campillo and Miguel Angel Jimenez finished in the top ten. Sergio couldn't get anything going in the final two rounds and ended up T17. And Jose Maria Olazabal managed to finish the tournament tied for 53rd. Not bad for someone who doesn't play all that often these days. Hope he can build on this week and do better in the future.

A little bit of trivia: Stan Utley, the putting guy, played the first two rounds of this event. He didn't do well. He's down at the bottom of the leaderboard.

Now This is a Good Golf Story

I found this article about a pigeon who has seemingly fallen in love with the man who nursed him back to health. What a great story!

I Agree with Darren Clarke

I found this article regarding golf in the Olympics. It reports that Darren Clarke's view is that the Olympics to him have always been comprised of amateur sports and that's what he thinks of when he thinks of the Olympics. I agree. I personally think that if Olympic golf isn't an amateur event then it's just another week on Tour and nothing special. Not to mention that there's no competition when you have Tiger Woods playing against golfers from say Namibia. There's no real sport there and it's a complete waste of time. Dare I say a joke.

Wow!

Jose Maria Olazabal shot 7 under today to make the cut on the number at the Madrid Masters. Sergio Garcia is tied for the lead with David Drysdale. I hope I can watch some of this on Saturday and Sunday. I'm so excited for Olazabal. I hope he continues to do well.

Didn't Last Long

I saw the news on the Golf Channel a few days ago about Greg Norman and Chris Evert. Then just a few minutes ago, I saw them again on a UK Newspaper Website. While I didn't post my opinion of their marriage on this blog, I did think it wouldn't last very long. They are both too strong-willed people and I just didn't see it working out. Hopefully, this will resonate among the golfing and tennis playing public and there will more thought given to relationships before any golfer-tennis player relationships develop in the future. They don't seem to work out.

Rio Wins the Olympics in 2016

I was happy that Chicago didn't get the Olympics. There are many things I could say about it, but I think it's better to avoid political and economic discussions here and just say "Yay" for Rio and I can't wait for NBC's hours of touristy reporting segments.

We're All Winners

I watched the final round of the Vivendi Trophy this morning and it was great to see both sides hanging out together watching the other players finish up. You don't see that in Ryder Cup competition. Everyone who was involved with this team competition and who watched it are all winners today. We were treated to really good golf and really great sportsmanship.

Vivendi Trophy Controversy

Apparently a certain opinionated golfer who is experiencing a ban on this blog has created a stir with his criticism of those players who were eligible for the Vivendi Trophy but who are not competing. Golfers such as Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood apparently chose not to compete as opposed to Paul Casey and Martin Kaymer who reportedly have injuries and that certain opinionated (aka loud mouthed) golfer feels that it's just deplorable that those who were eligible chose not to participate - blah, blah, blah.

My opinion: I wouldn't get to see some of the up and coming European players if Westwood, Garcia and Poulter were playing. And, these up and comers might appreciate the extra experience that this event is giving them. Next fall when we are all talking Ryder Cup, we are going to be looking at the lists and saying "gee, a winning European team can be selected from anyone in the top 30." Without these up and comers gaining this valuable experience now, we might have to cut that list down to the top 20 or 15. It's better for Europe to give as many people as possible the experience of team competition. It's too bad that certain opinionated (aka loud mouthed) golfer's perspective is so narrow in scope that he can't see the positive side to this week's competition.

Website was Wrong?

Out of curiosity this morning, I checked the program guide on my satellite dish and found out that in fact the Golf Channel was airing the Vivendi Trophy competition despite its own website's claims that it would be aired in October. I don't know what's going on with the Golf Channel but I do know that I might have recorded the competition today had I known about it ahead of time. Maybe the Golf Channel needs to be a little more accurate on their website.

I'll just read about the Vivendi Trophy on the web instead.

Vivendi Trophy With Seve Ballesteros

Team competition returns to Europe this week (24th-27th) with the Vivendi Trophy, which pits the Continental Europe team against Great Britain and Ireland. You can read more about it by clicking here. Looks like a couple of great teams and the golf should be great to watch. I just checked the golf channel to see when this would be on tv and for some reason, they are saying October 8th thru the 11th. If they are putting this off just so they can suck up to Tiger and the Tour Championship, they might wish they hadn't. People are really going to stop watching golf if Tiger keeps getting all of the press (just like political ads during campaign season turning off tv viewers) and then where will the Golf channel be?

Great End to the Austrian Open

I watched the final round at Mom and Dad's this morning and Rafael Cabrera-Bello's final round 60 was exciting. He won by one shot over Benn Barham. This is Cabrera-Bello's first win on the European Tour. I like to see first time winners.

Olazabal Playing Again

Found this article that says Jose Maria Olazabal is going to be playing in the Austrian Open. Hope I get to see him and I hope he does really well.

Oh Boohoo....

I just checked Twitter where I follow Camilo Villegas. He had a recent tweet that said he didn't understand - every other sport has an off season but he guessed golf didn't.

That was a 'you're kidding me' moment. I believe anyone who's involved with the playoffs probably won't be playing the fall series events. That seems like an off season to me. Also, I don't think there are a lot of PGA Tour events after the fall series. Looks like there's plenty of time to lounge around.

And think about it this way - If I don't take my vacation every year, do I then say the employer doesn't offer vacation leave? That's absurd. I get three weeks paid vacation a year. It's up to me to schedule it. The office just isn't going to shut down. No one is forcing Camilo to play the whole 21 weeks he played on the US PGA tour so far this year. That's out of a possible 36. Oh, the humanity - to be forced to work a whole 36 weeks a year!

And Camilo should talk to the ATP tennis players. They think their schedule is too demanding.

In and Out

I know it's been a while, but the US Open tennis tournament was going on and I had to watch that.

So, here's a golf related post. Who's in and Who's out on the Fed Ex Cup points list? I wrote down the top 30 before the playoffs began and I just checked the list of the top 30 going into the Tour Championship.

Who's Out (Name and number of events):
Sabbatini 22
Casey - injured
Rollins 24
R. Moore 24
T. Clark 21
Hoffman 24
Kim 21

Who's In:
Slocum 26
Harrington 19
Dufner 25
Verplank 23
Leishman 25
Els 18
Senden 27

So, that's really only a change of 5 golfers (Casey's impact excluded since his injury isn't a result of a points system kicking him out). I don't know if this points system is going to make a difference. I'll be convinced if anyone in the bottom five wins the Fed Ex Cup. I'll really be convinced if John Senden wins the Fed Ex Cup. He's #30 on the list.

But I'm not holding my breath for some exciting finish. Save that for the US Open tennis tournament and Juan Martin Del Potro and Kim Clijsters.

Stricker Wins!

Steve Stricker won today and is now leading the Fed Ex Cup points list!!! Yay!!!!! You don't know how happy this makes me. And I love how he cries when he wins. He's so humble.

Caternity Leave

I haven't been posting for a while because I have a new kitten that takes up some of my time. He's currently residing in my bathroom, but soon, and I can't wait for the day, he will become an outside cat. He's just too small to put outside right now. I got him from a woman at work whose boxer, Rufus, was really looking forward to a feline snack. I've named the little kitten Parker after a character on the TNT TV show Leverage.

So, some comments about golf - Miguel Angel Jimenez had a very good tournament this week in Switzerland. I got to watch a lot of the weekend coverage. It still amazes me that you can have a playable golf course that close to a bunch of snow. I hate snow.

I watched some of the PGA event today. Luckily, Tiger had already gotten off the course so the NBC crew had to focuse on the guys who were still playing. Gee, what a concept. And I got to see and hear Brad Faxon today. I like Brad Faxon. I wish he would get back to playing really well so I could see him playing more. While I really like Sean O'Hair, I would like to see Steve Stricker win so he could take over the number 1 spot on the Fed Ex Cup points list.

I got the new issue of Golf Magazine this week in the mail. There's an interesting, but completely predictable, interview with Lanny Wadkins. Since he didn't seem too honored to get the Hall of Fame invite, I say they should rescind it. There's an article about golf in Cuba. And David Feherty's column is about the Troops First Foundation and the AT&T National tournament.

I have tomorrow off from work thanks to Labor Day so I'll be watching some sports - Tennis and Golf if Tiger gets off the course early, which he should considering how far back he is.

Well, Here's An Interesting Opinion

I found this article from the Telegraph.co.uk that features an interview with Peter Thomson whose characterization of Tiger Woods' recent behavior as 'morose and petulant' is pretty brave I think. And he also talks about Tiger's slow play and general demeanor on the course.

The article obviously branches out to Ryder Cup territory and also features some quotes by Colin Montgomerie. As I have a self-imposed Montgomerie ban here on the blog, I can't voice my opinion on that part of the article.

Whooohooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jose Maria Olazabal is tied for 5th going into the third round of the Johnnie Walker Championships at Gleneagles! I'm so excited. Hopefully I'll get to watch some of this tournament this weekend. I may have to record it on Sunday since I'll be at my parents' house for my puppies' weekly visit with their grandparents. It may be a short visit. My niece and nephew are living there now and the puppies don't like kids.

Missed A Lot Yesterday

I had chores to do yesterday so I didn't see a lot of golf. I had to bath Winnie and PJ, mow some grass, wash some dishes, do some laundry. I always leave the work for the last minute. Especially dish washing. I hate washing dishes.

But I did see Michelle Wie win her match. And I saw a glimpse of Sergio losing his tournament. Does anyone think Michelle Wie is going to be the next Sergio? Doing really well in Solheim Cup competition but not winning the big tournaments when she's on her own? Time will tell on that.

Wow - You Might Have to Cheer for Sam Torrance

Check out this article about Sam Torrance at the Scottish Senior Open. Hope he feels better and can contend for the win.

Quiet Day

I watched the Solheim Cup with the sound turned down today. Can't stand Rich Lerner. Hopefully, Judy Rankin will 'accidentally' dump some coffee on his head or something this weekend.

I also watched the KLM Open with the sound on and the Wyndham Championship with the sound turned down to start with because I figured they would spend the first few minutes talking about Tiger. Then I turned the sound up. Got to see Feherty's interviews with Sergio, Fred Couples and Brandt Snedeker.

I think David Feherty should captain the European Ryder Cup team after Olazabal has his turn. Feherty is in a good position to know all about the competition considering that he follows them around the golf course for several weeks a year. Feherty would provide some lightheartedness. And for the killer instinct to win, win, win, what else but a triumphant return of Seve? LOL.

More on Solheim Sexism

Yesterday during the discussion regarding the damaged ground issue, Rich Lerner actually suggested that the US Assistant Captain should just give in and make the US player play the ball where it was. "In the interest of good sportsmanship" he said. What? Would he dare suggest Paul Azinger do that? Or Tom Lehman? Or Colin Montgomerie? Or Ian Woosnam? Why should women have to give in and not pursue the correct ruling? Apparently when the women discuss a ruling, it's poor sportsmanship, but when the men do it, it's perfectly acceptable.

Gotta love those double standards here in 2009. Boy have we come a long way.

What's up

Well, the KLM Open is going on over in Europe. Some great players are competing there this week - Darren Clarke especially is doing well. Jose Maria Olazabal was there for two rounds but missed the cut. I really hope he gets back to full time competition. I miss him.

The Solheim Cup is going on. And on. And on. Apparently the morning matches were very long. It looked like most of them went the full 18 or near it. Good for people who bought tickets. They don't have to go home early. Probably not so good for TV. Rich Lerner on the Golf Channel is just waiting to pounce on the expected "cat fight". It's disgusting. There was a discussion today between the European team captain and the rules officials regarding some damaged ground and Rich just couldn't wait for the women to start fighting. After it was over (no fight ensued), Rich asked if this would have a lasting impact on this year's matches. Huh? He's trying to create some news apparently. If it's that boring to him, he should quit his job. Maybe a job as a Walmart greeter would stimulate him a little more. He can wait in anticipation for that annoying shoplifting bell to ding and then force some women prone to catfights to empty their purses. Women everywhere should write into the Golf Channel complaining about the negative stereotype he's promoting.

The Wyndham Championship - Chris Riley shot a 63 today and currently leads. Sergio is only 2 back and Fred Couples is only 3 back. Brad Faxon is currently T43. He might make a cut. Yay! Steve Elkington went shot 65-75. He's probably not a happy camper considering he went from 5th to T101st.

The Jeld-Wen Tradition - A Major on the Champions Tour. That's all I know about it. I would love to check out the scores on the Golf Channel website, but the website won't load for me. Why is it when a webpage doesn't load properly, the ads on that page always do?

Nationwide Tour - Christmas in October but it's August and Labor Day's coming up in a couple of weeks. The Christmas in October organization helps restores/repairs homes for the elderly, handicapped and financially challenged people in Kansas City. I haven't kept up with the Nationwide Tour this year so I don't know who's competing. But I'm sure everyone now will be humming Jingle Bells or Oh Christmas Tree thanks to this event.

Buying into Media Hype

According to this article, some gambling folks went ahead and paid out about 1.25 million pounds on a Tiger Woods victory at the PGA even before Tiger had teed off today.

How much could the media have contributed to this with their constant adoration of Tiger and their endless one-sided reporting of statistics?

Sure Tiger had some kind of statistic about leading going into the final round of a major. But every tournament is different. That's why they are played to their conclusion. Otherwise, they wouldn't even play the tournament. They would just give the trophy to whoever the stats suggest would win. Sort of like paying out the money on the bets before the final round starts.

YE Yang Wins The PGA!!

This is the second time Yang has beaten Tiger. He beat him once over in Asia and now he's beaten him in a Major. I love it. The media likes to say that all of the players are just intimidated by Tiger and that's why they don't win. Well, Yang sure isn't intimidated. He doesn't need to be with his results.

And gee, Tiger was shut out in majors this year. Hahaha.

Other notes, there were a lot of European players in the top ten of the PGA this week. Good for them.

Amateurs Only

According to this article from the Golf Channel, one proposed format for Golf in the Olympics is a field of the top 60 in the World Rankings playing a 72 hole stroke play event.

That would make it like any old tournament I could see on TV. These professionals already have tons of money. Should we use the Olympics as a vehicle to just give them more?

The spirit of the Olympics is to go farther, be stronger, and overcome all obstacles to achieve a miracle goal. Kind of hard to see a Tiger Woods battling and overcoming anything when he can hire top trainers, coaches, and travel folks to make him the best and can take about 35 weeks a year to train specifically for the 15 to 17 events a year he plays. Not like those Home Depot employees who have to work a shift at the Home Depot and train too.

It's bad enough that Olympic Tennis is open to pros as is basketball and who knows what else. Now golf may be going down that same path. The Olympics should be for amateurs. I can tell you this, if golf does make it into the Olympics in 2016 with a pros only format, I won't be watching it.

The Greenbrier Classic

While I was away at the Bridgestone Inv. it was announced that the Greenbrier (in my home state of WV) is going to be hosting a tournament on the PGA Tour for the next few years. I had joked with my boss that I could quite possibly be gone for two weeks in a row to attend this one and the Bridgestone. But I don't think I'll be doing that. If I'm going to spend money and stay in a hotel, it's going to be for a tournament where I can see all of the players I'm a fan of. I doubt if guys like Ross Fisher, Martin Kaymer, or Lee Westwood will be making the trip to the Greenbrier. They might go for one year to see the place where the 1979 Ryder Cup was held, but I don't think they'll make the event a regular stop on their schedule. And they probably won't play it next year since it's a Ryder Cup year and they won't want the added travel to tire them out.

2009 Bridgestone Invitational Pictures

Ross Fisher and Rory McIlroy.

2009 Bridgestone Invitational Pictures

Sergio Garcia, Angel Cabrera and Dennis Walters with his little dog. He just loves that dog. He would hold him up and cuddle him. It was so adorable I just had to take a picture.

2009 Bridgestone Invitational Pictures

Miguel Angel Jimenez, Graeme McDowell, Lee Westwood, Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy

2009 Bridgestone Invitational Pictures

Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy and Gonzalo Fernandez Castano.

Alvaro Quiros at 2009 Bridgestone Invitational

Picture from Bridgestone

Ian Poulter looking very dapper in his attire.

My 2009 Bridgestone Invitational Diary

Tuesday

It was partly cloudy today and windy. Nice weather to watch the golf. I had some feet and knee trouble this week. By the end of the week, the knee was fine though. The feet - they still hurt some. But it didn’t stop me from following the golfers.

As you know Tuesday is practice round day when you can take pictures, video and get autographs. I didn’t get any autographs since you can’t read them anyway. And I didn’t take my camcorder. I can get video of the golfers any time I want just by watching TV. I wanted still photos for my album so I took my camera along. Plus, I had to carry an umbrella today in case it rained and I didn’t want a bunch of things to carry.

Here are some notes and observations from today:

Pat Perez left his golf bag out in the open unattended. Seriously, it was outside the clubhouse where all of the fans were walking. He must have a lot of faith in humanity to leave it there and expect no one to touch it.

Graeme McDowell, Darren Clarke, Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood played a practice round together. They were a jolly group, talking and laughing together.

I saw Carl Petterson coming out of the clubhouse carrying his own golf bag. I don’t think anyone stopped him for an autograph. Poor guy. And he had to play with Tiger and Sergio on Thursday and Friday too. He should get the Trooper of the Week award.

Alvaro Quiros and Gonzalo Fernandez Castano played a practice round together. That was fun to watch.

Rory Sabbatini - say what you will about the media’s characterization of his personality, but he went out of his way today to sign autographs for everyone.

Paul Casey, Nick Dougherty, and Justin Rose played a practice round together. It had to be one of the longest ever since it seemed to take forever. They started around 8 or 9am and it was still going on at like 1pm? On Tuesday I thought Casey might have gotten tired since by the 17th hole, he had disappeared, but later on I found out about his injury and WD. Maybe it got its start with this practice round. Don’t know.

Miguel Angel Jimenez practiced by himself and he seemed to be in a very good mood. He took pictures with fans and signed a lot of autographs.

Once again, the merchandise tent is poorly staffed. I bought two shirts, a hat, a lanyard and a teddy bear. The cashiers think that as long as they ring up the total number of items you are purchasing then they’ve done their jobs. So, instead of ringing up a $5.00 lanyard, they rang up a $25.00 hat. But hey, they rang up 5 items and I was wanting to buy 5 items, so all is right. Not really.

There was also a very grumpy woman working in the Welcome Pavilion selling programs. Don’t they know we don’t want grumpiness when we are on vacation? I tried to treat everyone like they were on vacation while I was in Akron, from the Walmart employees to the waiters and waitresses at the restaurants to the other fans at the tournament. Who wants their vacation ruined by mean people? Not me.

I did sit for a bit at the practice range. There was a woman sitting next to me who was talking to some other people. She said her son parks cars there at the tournament for the golfers and according to her son, Phil Mickelson tipped $100 but Tiger only tipped $5.00.

Cleveland/Akron residents are made of tough stuff. On the news tonight was a story about a woman who received a little trinket box as a gift. She opened it up to find someone’s ashes inside. The reporter ended the story by saying “It’s a good day to be alive and not in a baggy.” In WV, the reporter would be all compassionate and emphasize the human element - that someone is missing the ashes of a loved one. But in Cleveland, they didn’t go there.

Improvements the Tournament could make: They need to sell milkshakes. They need more competent people working the merchandise tent, and the employees/volunteers need more pleasant attitudes.

Wednesday

My feet still hurt, as did my knee, but I wore two pairs of socks to minimize the feet trouble. The knee - I thought I would be sitting down a lot today, but when I got to the course at around 8:30am, I found out that Sergio was already out playing a practice round with Rory McIlroy so I went out to follow them. I caught up with them on #4 and followed them through the 14th hole then decided it was time for lunch. After lunch I walked out to one of the real restrooms on the course and then came back to the 18th green to wait for Sergio and Rory to finish up. I went back to the practice green after that and sat in some shade for a while to rest my feet and knee.

Sergio and Rory were a happy group. They talked and joked around and I think they were playing music - mp3 player, not a musical instrument. They signed a lot of autographs. With Sergio, it’s a walk and sign kind of thing so he’ll only get one out of every four people or so. He did make a special effort for the kids, even letting them follow him up to the tees to get their stuff. There were some very cute moments with the kids. But one moment was a dud. This one dad sent his toddler out to get an autograph from Sergio. The little boy gave some white card to him to sign and I heard the father say, not all that loudly, “No, don’t sign that one.” Of course he wouldn’t say it loud enough for Sergio to hear. I’m guessing the little white cards are now on Ebay. Parents should be ashamed of using their little kids to get autographs to sell.

Now for the crazy people segment:

This one guy was talking to two of his friends and after Sergio had hit a second ball to the green, the guy said to his friends, “The second shot’s always better. At least it is for me.” He and his friends laughed at this little joke. It could have ended there and would have been just a funny little quip. But, no. The guy repeated the first part of that quote to Rory McIlroy. I don’t think Rory found it that funny. What sounds like a funny little joke amongst amateurs/weekend golfers, probably sounds a bit like an insult to the pros. At least I would have taken it that way if I’d been a pro.

Second crazy guy: This man and his woman came up to stand next to me at the 14th tee while we were waiting for Sergio and Rory. The woman sat down on the ground to tie her shoes and the man turned his head to me and just stared at me. No blinking, no wandering eyes to check out the rest of the course. He just stared at me. He stopped when his woman stood back up.

Third crazy guy: Some guy on the second floor of the hotel stood on the balcony and watched me leave for dinner and he was still there in the same spot when I came back a half an hour later. He was also there the next day too.

Fourth crazy guy: There was an old guy who had to have been carrying $5.00 worth of jingling change in his pockets while we were following Sergio and Rory. What part of quiet please do these people not understand?

I left the course an hour early so I could rest my knee. Went to Golden Corral for dinner. The manager rang up my order but she only rang up a drink. Not the meal. I told the server about it and he got a big kick out of the fact that the manager screwed up. So, he told the manager and both of them were astounded that I was honest enough to let them know. They both said that anyone else would have kept his/her mouth shut and gotten a free meal. But I had to be honest. Unless I’m in the merchandise tent at Bridgestone. If they make a mistake in my favor, I’m keeping my mouth shut. They deserve it.

Thursday

The day began with one of the rules officials waving at me. I don’t think it was Slugger White though. If he was there, then I saw him between 16 and 17 sitting there giving people the creeps. The phrase ‘waiting for the axe to fall’ comes to mind.

I didn’t think there were any stellar groups to follow. I guess the Tiger, Sergio, Carl group would have been good if you could actually see them play. The gallery following them was so huge. And of course, I’m not a Tiger fan so I wouldn’t follow him anyway. And on the opposite side, there were two groups that could be considered stellar: the Perry, Vijay and McIlroy group and the Phil, Ernie and Camilo group. I didn’t follow any of them. Today, I followed Luke Donald, Graeme McDowell and Davis Love III in the morning and then Quiros, Holmes and Anders Hansen in the afternoon.

Today’s observations:

Brian Gay’s caddie gave a ball to a kid in the stands before the group teed off. The kid played around with the ball and eventually dropped it. It rolled under the stands and was lost forever. It reminded me of the cell phone commercial where the kid keeps giving away the rollover minutes.

The Scott-Weir-Mahan group - Mike’s caddie slapped Adam on the butt as some form of “Hi, how are you doing” greeting. I thought that was a bit strange since they aren’t football players. Mahan’s caddie gave the same group of kids a ball but this one kid was smart enough to put it in his pocket.

Mike Weir, Davis Love and Steve Stricker seemed to get the loudest applause on the tee.

Out in the rough: Rory Sabbatini and Alvaro Quiros were both outside the ropes today for a couple of shots. It’s so cool to have the player just inches away from you like that. If you all want to have a good time at a tournament, follow the guys who have the worst driving accuracy stats. You’ll get really close up to them then.

In addition to the Love-McDowell-Donald group, I followed Stricker, Fisher, and Sabbatini. Stricker and Fisher talked a lot during the round, but Rory didn’t join in.

Davis Love really needs to lighten up when he plays. When you watch him, you don’t think he even knows how to smile. And he doesn’t look like he’s having any fun.

I sat on the first tee to eat my lunch and watched Vijay-Perry-McIlroy and Mickelson-Villegas-Els tee off. After lunch I caught a glimpse of Tiger and Anthony Kim and I saw Sergio come out of the clubhouse to get ready for his afternoon tee time. Several of the players offered to sign autographs after their rounds today. I thought that was pretty nice of them since autographs are usually only on Tuesday and Wednesday.

In the afternoon, I followed Anders Hansen, JB Holmes, and Alvaro Quiros. Apparently Holmes is bothered by a lot of things, movement and sound. His caddie had some work to do to keep things quiet and still. Right before I left for the day, I dropped back and followed Harrington, Verplank, and Soren Hansen.

The hotel got pretty rowdy today and stayed that way until I left. You’d think they could keep quiet considering all of the other people who are staying there.

Friday

I followed Ian Poulter, Stuart Appleby, Pat Perez in the morning. Poulter and Perez talked a lot but Appleby didn’t join in. I didn’t know at the time that he had gotten ripped off by that ruling issue overnight. I guess he was in a bad mood.

I think it was the 11th green and Ian was trying to putt but he kept backing off. Stewart Cink’s group was walking down 13 (?) and they actually stopped just in case they were distracting Ian. Ian was facing that fairway.

Stewart Cink spent quite a bit of time talking to Christian Cevaer of France. I thought that was nice since Cink is the British Open champion. He should make nice with all of those European players.

As much as I’m not a fan of Tiger, I did manage to get close enough to the 11th green to see him, Carl and Sergio all on the green. I wasn’t on the front line of the gallery, but I did sneak a peek in between a couple of tall guys who were on the front line. I didn’t see Tiger putt, but I did see Carl’s first putt. Poulter was heading down a fairway close by the 11th green and I didn’t want to get too far away from him so I took off before Tiger and Sergio putted. I did hear the collective “oh” which I interpreted to mean that Sergio missed a putt.

Pat Perez was in the rough outside the ropes on one of the holes and I was able to get close to watch him. That was exciting.

In the afternoon, I followed Kaymer, O’Hair and Furyk. I was very happy to be able to watch Kaymer since he’s been having such a good year.

And while waiting for this group to tee off, I sat in front of Tongchai Jaidee’s family on 10 tee. They were talking almost completely in Thai but once in a while they would throw in an English word or two - like basketball.

Toward the end of the day, I watched a bit of the Rose, Lowry, Turnesa group. Justin was coming down 17 and dropped a bit of food on the ground. He looked at those of us along the fairway and said something about the 5 second rule and picked up the food and ate it. Bless his heart. Of course, the first year I went to Bridgestone I saw Fred Couples lick his golf ball to get some dirt off of it. No one said these golfers weren’t eccentric. Finally, as I was waiting at the little rope gate on the 18th green to get off the course, one of the marshals talked to some guy in the gallery the whole time the players were on the green putting. He didn't shut up once. They shouldn't let that marshal come back next year.

Summing Up:

I think I actually managed to see all of the golfers this year. Usually I miss a few. I could always take the easy way out and just sit in one spot and watch them all go by, but I would much rather follow some of my favorites and then catch the others whenever I can.

The galleries are getting on my nerves. The so-called armchair quarterbacks of the golf world are all experts and know just how to play Firestone. They can call every shot. You have to admire the golfers for not getting disgruntled. The fans cheer a shot that ends up bad. They don’t shut up when the players are trying to play. I don’t know how much the players can hear, but if they hear the so called experts describing how the course should be played, I can’t see how the players could ignore it. It’s no wonder you have strong personalities in the world of Professional Golf - those like Ian Poulter and Rory Sabbatini.

I could easily make some generalizations based on what I saw of the gallery’s behavior. The very skinny blonde women who start drinking beer at 9am. The older men on the shuttle buses who all turn and look at the strip club as we drive by - newsflash people - the women aren’t working outside at 8am. The older men who wear sandals - they need pedicures desperately. The old man who has sat behind the 10th green for 25 years but yet didn’t know that you couldn’t bring beverages on the shuttle bus. Advice to him - coffee cannot, absolutely cannot, stir up enough outrage or passion to warrant the use of the ‘G.D.‘ cuss word. You, sir, are just an angry man who is in need of some antidepressants. Going to a tournament is as much an event in people watching as it is an event in golf watching. No one should miss an opportunity to attend one of the PGA Tour events.

No Idea

I have no idea what's going on in golf this week. I know the Buick Open is taking place. Go Buick, but the 2010 LaCrosse is still ugly (says the owner of a 2008 LaCrosse).

I think the Women's British Open is going on this week - there sure is a lot of tweeting going on over there so I'm guessing it's because of the Women's Open.

A Major on the Champions Tour? I think so.

And I think the European Tour has an event this week. As does the Nationwide Tour.

I've been watching the first season of the tv show Leverage on DVD this week and have been completely out of touch with golf. I think Seve is making news too. Something about coming back to play in the British Open next year. Hope he does well.

Speaking of no idea, I have no idea why Lee Westwood popped up in the dream I had last night. It was a strange dream and I don't really remember it. I do remember windy, cloudy weather. Gee, clouds and wind and a European Tour golfer, now that isn't a bit strange. I guess this means I'll be looking to watch Lee Westwood play a little golf next week when I'm at the Bridgestone Invitational. He might be high on the list of players to watch. He's having a good year.

Two Weeks in a Row

There are news stories on the web suggesting that next year, the tournament that is being held this week on the PGA Tour schedule could possibly be held at West Virginia's Greenbrier Resort. This is very exciting to me, a West Virginian. This means I could possibly take a week off from work to go to the Greenbrier tournament and then take the very next week off to go to the Bridgestone Invitational. A two week vacation.

I told my boss about it today and said, "Just imagine, I could also go to the Memorial tournament too and have three weeks off a year."

He laughed and said I could plan my whole schedule around golf.

SAS Masters

The course is a par 73. I'd like to see someone shoot a 59 there.

Marcus Fraser is leading at -8 after the third round.

Adam Barr keeps calling Ricardo Gonzalez 'Gonzo'. Which would be fine if they didn't already call Gonzalo Fernandez Castano that. Two people can't have the same nickname. In sports, it's only acceptable if the two Gonzos are in different sports, such as: Fernando Gonzalez in Tennis and Gonzalo Fernandez Castano in golf. They won't ever been on the same coverage at the same event so no one can mix them up.

Canadian Open

Raining.


That's all I know about this tournament. I was listening to the PGA Tour network on the way home from work tonight and play was suspended due to lightning in the area.

SAS Masters

The European Tour event this week is the SAS Masters in Sweden. Ricardo Gonzalez is leading at -10. It will take a few weeks for the European Tour to regain its strength since the Bridgestone Invitational and the US PGA is coming up. But, there is still some good golf to watch and if it's even on tv, you should make an effort to watch. I've been at work these last two days and have no idea what kind of golf is on. I think the Canadian Open and some LPGA event are on the golf channel. I'm guessing the Canadian Open will be on a network this weekend.

Senior British Open

Fred Funk still leads after round two. Sam Torrance and Loren Roberts are his closest competitors, with Roberts being a whole 5 shots back.

Senior British Open

Fred Funk is leading after the first round of the Senior British Open, played this year at Sunningdale. This article provides a bit of a synopsis of the leaderboard. It's good to see Loren Roberts doing well.

World Cup Already

Folks are already talking about November's World Cup in China. In this article, we find out that Sergio Garcia will be competing as well as Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher.

The World Cup is one of my favorite events to watch. Too bad it's no longer a WGC event.

4th in Ryder Cup Standings

According to this article, Tom Watson has moved into 4th in the Ryder Cup standings and he's up to 105 in the world rankings. Maybe he can set a goal to make the Ryder Cup next year.

I'd Be Concerned....

I got my Bridgestone Invitational tickets today. You'd think that since Fed Ex is pouring a lot of money into the Fed Ex Cup and stuff that the tickets would have been shipped by Fed Ex. The last two times I got tickets, they arrived via Fed Ex.

How did my tickets arrive today?

US Mail.

Everyone talks about how the LPGA is in bad shape. Well, I'd be concerned that the PGA Tour is taking money from Fed Ex but is apparently not putting money into Fed Ex by using them to ship things.

On the one hand, the PGA Tour is apparently using a cheaper method to ship the tickets (I hope). But on the other hand, if Fed Ex isn't making money, then how can they fund part of the tour?

On a personal note, at least the mail carrier didn't just drop the tickets off somewhere in the vicinity of the house and call them delivered like the Fed Ex guy did a few years ago.

I Feel Bad for Stewart Cink

I've been reading some blogs about Cink's win and Watson's loss and I'm feeling bad for Stewart Cink. One blog said that Cink wasn't going to be very popular because he beat Watson. Another blog said that the British Open would be remembered more for Watson's loss than Cink's win. Who knows what else is being said.

Stewart Cink deserves to be praised for his win. He not only beat all of the other golfers in the field, but he had to beat practically the whole gallery who wanted to see Tom Watson set a record and win his 6th Open.

So, while everyone else is talking about the pressure Watson was under trying to win, spare a moment to consider the pressure Cink was under. Cink didn't 'not lose' this major. He went out and won it by making birdies in the playoff and finishing what, four shots ahead of Watson in that playoff?

As for him not being popular because he beat Watson? That's absurd. Watson would be the first to support Cink, and it's shame if fans don't embrace the same spirit of sportsmanship, because that's what the game of golf is all about - shaking hands with and congratulating your competitor when the day is done.

It's a good thing Cink and his family are going on vacation. They don't need to be swamped by news reports and opinion pieces.

Cink Wins the British Open

I was hoping Lee Westwood would have held on for the win, but that wasn't meant to be. I watched all of the coverage today, even the part on TNT. Up until about 10:30am est I had the sound on, but after the announcers completely botched the Ross Fisher episode, I decided to mute them for the rest of the day. Which incident am I talking about? The one on the fifth hole where he made a double bogey. Let me set the scene: Ross Fisher and his caddie were on camera discussing his options. We could hear their voices. Viewers would have found that conversation hugely fascinating. But, what did the announcers do? Did they shut up and let us get the facts straight from the player and caddie? No. Tom Wieskopf kept repeating over and over again that all you want to do is advance the ball. Paul Azinger kept repeating over and over again that in a major championship there aren't many birdie holes. Maybe not for Azinger, but Stewart Cink, Lee Westwood, Chris Wood - these guys found a few.

The announcers gave us no new insight. No wisdom. They should institute a new sliding pay scale for the announcers - you only get paid for original, non repetitive, insightful comments. If you repeat yourself, you have to pay a penalty.

As for the golf, when it got down to Cink and Watson, I was hoping for Watson to win it. Stewart Cink is okay, but he seems to always beat Sergio when they play together and that's a little frustrating. However, it became apparent early on in the playoff that Cink was going to secure the win. Watson played great for 72 holes but I guess he didn't factor a playoff into his game plan. Yesterday he did say that the game plan was for 36 holes.

Matteo Manassero, the 16 year old amateur from Italy, played spectacular golf this week. When he accepted his medal for low amateur, he was practically giddy. Sometimes you just wish they would do cartwheels or jump up and down.

I have this habit of checking out the scores of the players who finished highest in the tournaments. I'm curious to see if anyone actually shoots a low round on Sunday even though they aren't going to win and are practically at the bottom of the leaderboard. Most usually, I don't see any rounds under par from that part of the leaderboard but today I did. And it's interesting that it was at a hard course like Turnberry. The player? Ryuji Imada. He was in 64th place after shooting one under par in the final round.

The Other Part of the Open - Announcers

Time for an assessment of the ABC/ESPN announce crew:

Tom Wieskopf: "You just have to avoid those bunkers."

Gee, I'm glad they hired him to point that out. Here I've been watching golf since 1992 and thought the goal was to aim for the bunkers and hit every one.

Curtis Strange: "He (Tom Watson) was one of the best..."

I think Curtis was working on a eulogy. Last time I checked Wikipedia, it said Tom Watson was still alive. So, I would think he would still be one of the best at whatever (in this case - bunker play). To be fair, all of the player/announcers used past tense when talking about Watson.

Rick Reilly - should be working for TMZ.

Terry Gannon - How many times is he going to bring up John Daly's suspension? It's over now. If ABC wanted to get in on that story, then they should have been televising some events during the suspension. I didn't hear Gannon mention for the same number of times Daly's weightloss or his efforts in Europe when he played well. You'd think Reilly would have covered Daly and Gannon would have been talking about other things.

Generally, all of the announcers got on every player who made more than one bogey in a row, suggesting that the wheels were coming off and they were just going to fall off the radar and never recover and wouldn't be a factor. Looking back at Watson's Friday scorecard, you can see that a few bogeys in a row didn't hurt him any. This was just another case of the announcers trying to create a story instead of reporting the story that was in front of them.

Azinger: "Lawrie came from 10 shots back..."

I think Azinger keeps using this as an excuse to avoid picking a winner and then being wrong. He sure said this enough times. More than enough. I can't really see Johan Edfors coming from 10 shots back to win tomorrow.

British Open Day 3

It was a very exciting day of golf today at Turnberry. True, only five players were under par on their rounds which might suggest that it was a depressing day. But, it wasn't. Tom Watson played a steady round and didn't let anything derail him. He ended up only +1 on the day's round. Steve Marino had a bad round, but he ended on a positive note with a birdie on 18. Miguel Angel Jimenez also had a bad round and is currently at +3. And Mark Calcavecchia also had a bad day - apparently a sore wrist might have contributed to that. The top of the leaderboard looks like this:

Watson -4
Matthew Goggin and Ross Fisher -3
Lee Westwood and Retief Goosen -2
Jim Furyk and Stewart Cink -1
Molder and Jaidee at Even par.

So, what does it look like for tomorrow? Will someone come from behind and swoop in and take the Championship? I will say I doubt it. If tomorrow is another today, then there won't be anyone going low and the winner will be the one who manages his game the best. It's very likely that Tom Watson can win tomorrow. Friday and Saturday's rounds have been pretty steady and unless he develops a health issue or the weather suddenly turns really bad, I don't see him scoring high tomorrow. Maybe emotions will get to him, but they were there today and he still pulled out a good score.

Of the people who I think have a chance tomorrow, I will be rooting for Ross Fisher. I've liked him for a while now and it would be really great if he would win. My second choice would be Lee Westwood. Why not Tom Watson? Because he has some of those Championships already. Fisher and Westwood don't. If I had to root for an American, though, it would be Watson.

2009 Announcer Invitational

That's what we should be calling The British Open if you're watching the ABC coverage. Let's see if I leave anyone out: Mike Tirico, Paul Azinger, Terry Gannon, Curtis Strange, Tom Weiskopf, Tom Rinaldi, Rick Reilly, Judy Rankin, Andy North, Peter Allis (I think he's shared with the BBC so he may not count as much as the others). The first hour of today's coverage had more features and analysis than golf. In fact, I doubt if there was any real coverage of live golf during the first half hour despite the fact that there were plenty of players on the course we could have been watching.

If ABC wanted to do features and analysis, they should have begun a half an hour earlier with a preview show. But I'm sure ABC felt the need to justify hiring all of the extra people and paying for all of these announcers to travel to Scotland and stay there for several days (I think they also cover the Senior British and the LPGA British as well) so they had to give them a lot of face time.

But, the fact is, this event isn't called the Announcer Open or the Announcer Invitational. It's The Open (If you're European) and it's all about golf. So, they should be showing golf. Not each other.

In an earlier issue of Golf Magazine, they briefly interviewed Ken Venturi who said these days when he watches golf, he has to turn the sound down. There's too much talking, he says. I bet he took a nap this morning.


Update: Billy Kratzert needs added to the list of announcers

Good Sportsmanship

I found this article about Tom Watson that highlights the good sportsmanship that is present in golf. According to the article, Tom claims it was a little pep talk from Sergio Garcia that kept him going and spurred him on to his 36 hole tie for the lead.

Ross Fisher's Big Dilemma

Ross Fisher's wearing a beeper. You know what that means for a golfer. Yep, a baby's on the way. According to This Article, he plans to head home for the birth even if he's going to win.

It's easy to debate what he should or shouldn't do, and it's just as easy for everyone to say 'this is what I would do..." I don't know what I would do since I have never had an interest in children. But, if my beloved Winnie and PJ were going to have puppies, I might just have to stay home from work to be with them.

But if I would be missing say, winning the lottery, and Winnie and PJ had competent people around them to help with their puppies, I think that decision might just be a little more difficult to make.

British Open Day 2

I couldn't watch much of this since I was at work today, but I got a pleasant surprise when I got in the car tonight to come home and found out from the PGA Tour network that Tom Watson was tied for the lead at the end of day 2. With him is Steve Marino.

Mark Calcavecchia is right behind them at -4 and a whole host of people are tied at -3 including: Ross Fisher, Retief Goosen, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Kenichi Kuboya and Vijay Singh.

I think the biggest surprise though has to be JB Holmes at -2. You wouldn't think a bomber of the golf ball would be doing so well on a windy links course, but apparently JB is playing some very smart golf this week.

Also at -2 is Lee Westwood. Some European guy being interviewed on the PGA Tour network this evening said that Westwood was Europe's best chance for a winner this week. Well, Ross Fisher and Miguel Angel Jimenez appear to be pretty good hopes as well - nice how that guy just pushed them aside.

At -1 are Martin Kaymer, Angel Cabrera and Sergio Garcia. Rory McIlroy is at +3 and Soren Kjeldsen and Paul Casey are at +4 and just made the cut.

Missing the cut were Ben Curtis who was right up there at the top of the leaderboard yesterday and David Duval.

A special mention of Matteo Manassero, age 16, from Italy. An amateur, he is at +1 and made the cut. He played his first two rounds with Tom Watson. That had to be a thrill of a lifetime for Manassero. In an interview on the PGA Tour network, Watson said he was very impressed with Manassero.

I have a theory about why Watson and Calcavecchia are doing so well and why maybe some of the young guns aren't. I think it all boils down to patience and money. When Watson and Calcavecchia started out, they got paid very little. So, to make a living at golf, they had to be patient because they couldn't earn a lot of money in just a few events. That patience, I believe, carried over into their golf and they learned not to force the issue and to just play. Contrast that to the young guns who are playing today - they can make a very good living very quickly on tour so maybe they are a bit impatient. And maybe they push when they play, trying to make something happen but ending up hitting bad shots instead. I also think some of these guys have a problem with accepting that par is a good score. I wonder how many of them try to shoot a low score and end up shooting themselves out of a tournament when all they needed to do was play smart and cautious golf. Something tells me that Tom Watson wasn't panicking about all those bogeys he had today.

British Open Day 1

I'm watching a little bit of the British Open this evening. I can't tell if they will have Tiger on or not. I think they are jumping around in the replay coverage.

Some observations:

The PGA Tour network is already predicting winners - after only one day of competition. Of course, you don't see any of the PGA Network guys retiring early due to using their remarkable insight to pick winning lottery numbers. So, make what you want of the media's 'analysis'.

Rundown of some scores:
Miguel Angel Jimenez -6 (round one leader)
Tom Watson, Ben Curtis and Kenichi Kuboya -5
Lee Westwood, Paul Casey and Soren Kjeldsen -2
Gonzalo Fernandez Castano, Rory McIlroy, Martin Kaymer, Angel Cabrera and Davis Love -1
Sergio Garcia Even Par
David Duval +1

As you know I'm on Twitter now and I've been following some pretty good tweeters - Ian Poulter is one of the best. Well, I was also following former tennis player Justin Gimelstob. I say was because I had to stop following him today. He had the nerve to suggest that golf wasn't a sport because 59 year old Tom Watson was doing better than Tiger Woods. Well, I would say John McEnroe could beat several tennis players currently active on the ATP tour.

I have so many other comments I could make, but will leave them out and get on with British Open comments.

So, TNT has Curtis Strange and Paul Azinger commenting on the play. How negative and surly is that coverage going to be? Unfortunately for Mike Tirico and Judy Rankin, I may have to mute the tv.

British Open

I haven't been too interested in the Open yet. As with any tournament Tiger plays, I probably won't watch much of the Open. I have been reading tweets from Ian Poulter and Paul Casey, however. They are posting some pictures. You can find them on Twitter if you would like to see their pics or read about their practice rounds.

One thing I'm glad I'm missing is the 'who's the favorite to win' debate that is inevitable whenever the media has time to kill. They will always pick the top players in the world rankings. I have no idea who might win since I haven't been keeping up with it all. I'm guessing since there's a lot of hideously long grass there and it will probably rain, the winner would have to be someone strong enough to play out of the rough and someone who doesn't care about wet weather - sounds like a tournament made for El Pato (The Duck), Angel Cabrera.

Looking back over the last couple of weeks' results in Europe, I would look to Lee Westwood and Soren Kjeldsen to do well this week. Martin Kaymer will probably run out of steam after winning the last two events. But it would be spectacular if he were to pull off the win. Gonzalo Fernandez Castano has his putter going but he's still a streaky player so I don't know if he will do well. David Duval is in the field and it would be great if he would win again this week.

So, there are plenty of stories to follow if you want to look beneath the hoopla over the top media faves.

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.

Here's a Link for You

Obviously with my dial up access, this website wouldn't be a good one for me to visit, but you all can visit http://www.watchlivegolf.com/. According to the email the website's representative sent me, you should be able to watch live golf on all of the major tours.

A Knighthood for Faldo

Nick Faldo has been knighted by the Queen for his contribution to golf. You can read an article about it by clicking HERE.

St. Jude

Jose Maria Olazabal did really well yesterday and was holding his own throughout the second round before it was halted for a weather delay. Unfortunately, I think the Golf Channel only showed him once. But thank goodness David Toms had won this event a couple of times before or else we would have only seen Mickelson and Harrington the whole time. At least Mickelson was doing fairly well. And they did show Robert Allenby a few times, but that's only because they secretly want him to lose another tournament in which he contends because they can drag that out for a couple of days and really make him feel bad.

I had a John Daly ban going on here but since he seems to be earnestly trying to be a good boy, I'll mention him. He's looking much younger and much healthier these days since he's lost the weight and cleaned up his act. I hope he keeps this up.

A Golfing Twist to the A-Team

Just because my mind is now on the show, I thought I would try to bridge the distance between the 1980's classic and golf by casting the show with pro golfers. So, here goes and feel free to post your own suggestions in the comments.

Hannibal Smith - Rocco Mediate (plays poker so has to have good tactical skills)
Face Man - Luke Donald (should have plenty of charm to scam a plane)
Murdock - Will MacKenzie (needs no explanation)
BA - Vijay Singh (was a former bouncer)
Amy - Paula Creamer (All American girl)
Colonel Lynch - Phil Mickelson (06 US Open collapse - Classic Lynch)

Olazabal Doesn't Qualify for US Open

Here's an article about who qualified on Monday. David Duval was one of them. Good for him.

Not Golf Related but Exciting

According to BBC News, Liam Neeson is in talks to star as Hannibal in the A-Team Movie. I still think the A-Team movie will suck compared to the tv show, but I have to be excited that the show is getting this kind of support. According to the article, Bradley Cooper is rumored to be interested in the character of Face. He was really good on Alias. I kind of thought Jimmy Fallon would be a good Murdock. I have to say Jennifer Garner should be Amy Allen. And if they don't have Amy in the movie, then it will suck.

The A-Team is my most favorite show of all time. Airwolf (the first three years) is probably my second favorite show of all time.

US Open Qualifying

I found another article about US Open qualifying. This one briefly mentions Daly, Love III, Jose Maria Olazabal, but then goes on to discuss further the efforts of Spencer Levin and his father Don - both will try to qualify for the Open. That would be a good story if they both make it.

Go Jose Maria! I hope he qualifies, but the part of me that doesn't want him to get hurt by the always tough rough doesn't want him to qualify. He's just now getting back into playing after some long suffering health problems.

Celtic Manor Wales Open

Corey Pavin made the cut over there in Wales. Richie Ramsay is in the lead and Ignacio Garrido is the leading spaniard.

July '09 Golf Magazine

I got this issue yesterday and still haven't read it. I did read David Feherty's column and he is extremely angry in this edition. He was talking about Congress and the bailouts. And just a little while ago he so loved this country that he applied for citizenship.

This issue contains the British Open preview. They talk about Turnberry. They have an interview with Nick Faldo, an article about Seve, another feature on Tom Watson and they still won't cut the cord and forget about Greg Norman.

Celtic Manor Wales Open

Thomas Bjorn, Nick Dougherty, David Frost, and Alan McLean are all tied at the top of the leaderboard at -5 after the first round. Pablo Larrazabal is the leading spaniard at -4. Disappointing news: Shane Lowry who had that great run a couple weeks back and won the Irish Open is currently in a tie for 145th after the first round. Hopefully he can move up. Corey Pavin is playing in this tournament and is tied for 62nd place. It's good to see an American play in Europe. Sure there are a few of them who do regularly - Anthony Kang, and recently Ben Curtis to name a few. But, I don't think Pavin ventures out of the US that often. Of course, Pavin's visit ties in with the next Ryder Cup, but it's still nice to see.