Question to Ponder

Has anyone else ever drawn a comparison between William Shatner and Colin Montgomerie? I was watching a Priceline commercial and started remembering how people claim Shatner has an ego and such. In fact I read that he thinks his Kirk should be in the new Trek movie even though it's a re-boot and his Kirk is dead. How does this compare to Montgomerie? Well, he never stopped talking about or criticising Faldo and the Ryder Cup, as if he alone could have made all the difference.

FBR Open

I'm finally watching some of this tournament. Unfortunately for the PGA Tour, this week coincides with the Australian Open tennis tournament and I had to watch Nadal, Federer etc instead of the FBR Open. But today is a break as the Women's final was on this morning and I didn't watch it or want to watch the replays. The men's final is early tomorrow morning at like 3am or something and I think it will be replayed at around 9am tomorrow.

Anyway, the FBR Open. I don't like the 16th hole. I'm sure it's a lot of fun and all, but it isn't really golf. Traditional golf. Man communing with nature, competing against himself and the elements kind of golf. The 16th hole is about beer. And booing people who play better than the boo-ers any day of the week. When I first started watching golf back in 1992 it was all about peace. I watched and went "Ahhh.... it's so quiet and tranquil." And it was wonderful. For raucus behavior, I could watch pro wrestling.

At least I can depend on the Masters folks to keep golf quiet that week.

Speaking of Pro Wrestling, I was at walmart one morning this week, killing time, and reading an issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated. I can't believe how many children of old wrestlers are competing these days. Curt Hennig, Ricky Steamboat, Dusty Rhodes, Ted DiBiase and a bunch of other legends have kids in the business now. I just hope the offspring have learned from all of the untimely deaths that have happened in the wrestling business and are living healthy lives.

Part of Round 3 of Dubai Desert Classic

Round three hasn't been completed yet, but here are some current scores:

Rory McIlroy leading at -15 thru 10
Louis Oosthuizen -13 thru 10
Justin Rose -11 thru 10
Sergio Garcia -7 thru 11
Gonzalo Fernandez Castano -8 thru 11
Martin Kaymer and Paul Casey -10 thru 12

Quick Comments on the Dubai Desert Classic

Rory McIlroy shot a 64 to currently be in the lead - they had to suspend play and some people haven't finished their rounds. It looks like Charl Schwartzel has a chance to catch him. He's a 6 under, only 2 off the lead, with 4 holes to go. Sergio Garcia and Jose Maria Olazabal are 2 under par and still have quite a bit to play.

Mark O'Meara is playing in Dubai this week, but he's not doing well. He's at +5.

Some other scores: Robert Karlsson -7, Gonzalo Fernandez Castano -6, Paul Casey and Louis Oosthuizen -4.

I said this would be quick - I'm freezing and my fingers aren't wanting to type. But I had to highlight Rory's 64 today. Good for him!

Colin Montgomerie is the Next Ryder Cup Captain

2010 will see Corey Pavin vs Colin Montgomerie at Celtic Manor. I only hope Montgomerie can keep his mouth shut and not insult anyone in the next two years. I also hope he doesn't continue to try to convince people he can play golf. Sure he finished 27th on the Money List in Europe last year, but he isn't in the top 50 of the world rankings and the last time he won anything was in 2007.

He was the logical choice for captain this time, but I don't like how he criticized Faldo's 2008 effort. In my mind, Montgomerie had better win and win convincingly, or else he deserves all of the negative comments he will get and more. And I hope Faldo has plenty for him.

You know that old notion that you can say anything you want about your family, but no one else can? Well, that's how the Europeans should be about their team and Montgomerie wasn't having any of it. Not a good example of team work when he criticizes the team he will be captaining in 2010.

Quiros Wins the Qatar Masters

There was a reason why I highlighted Alvaro Quiros in every update I posted this week. I thought he would play well given how well he played last week. And he made me look good by winning today with a total score of -19. Oosthuizen and Stenson finished tied for second at -16. And there were a total of 4 Spaniards finishing in the top 10: Quiros, Jimenez, Fernandez-Castano, and Sergio Garcia. The really cool news is that Quiros is now reportedly in the top 30 in the World Golf Rankings (moving up from 74) and he'll be in the World Match Play and probably at the Bridgestone Invt. - so I might see him in person if I go to the Bridgestone this year.

Some other scores:
Adam Scott -8 Tied 21
Rory McIlroy -3 Tied 46
Ross Fisher -2 Tied 50
Danny Willett -1 Tied 56
Oliver Wilson +3 T64

After Round 3 of the Qatar Masters

Here are some scores:

Alvaro Quiros -16 (Leader)
Louis Oosthuizen -15
Aaron Baddeley -9
Sergio Garcia -9
Miguel Angel Jimenez -9
Rory McIlroy -2
Danny Willett -1
Oliver Wilson Even
Ross Fisher +2

Good news: I can now spell Oosthuizen without copying it from the European Tour website.

He May Not Get a Grammy

I just saw Sam Torrance singing on a Visit Scotland commercial which aired on the Food Network. It might be on Youtube if you're interested. He only sings a few words and then the next famous Scot sings a few words.

Qatar Masters, Round 2

Obviously, Louis Oosthuizen wants us to learn how to spell his name. For the second week in a row his good play has brought him to the forefront of the golf talk. He's leading at the Qatar Masters with a score of -12. Here are some other scores through the second round:

Alvaro Quiros -8
Miguel Angel Jimenez -7
Chapchai Nirat -6 (has to be one of the funnest names to say out loud)
Aaron Baddeley -4
Sergio Garcia -4
Oliver Wilson -2
Martin Kaymer -1
Adam Scott -1
Rory McIlroy Even
Danny Willett Even

Missing the Cut:

Paul Casey (last week's winner)
Brand Snedeker
Justin Rose
Boo Weekley

Olazabal in 2010

According to this latest news item, Jose Maria Olazabal has indicated that he would captain the European Ryder Cup team in 2010 if he was chosen. Leading up to this news, Olazabal has said that he would rather play than captain. I don't know how much this change in thinking was because of his love for the Ryder Cup or his own estimate of his health as it pertains to playing enough golf to make the team in 2010.

Even though I absolutely love Jose Maria Olazabal, I would rather see him Captain in 2012 in America. He's had quite a bit of experience playing in America and doing well in America. I think that would be a big asset to the European Team. Better Olazabal to captain in 2012 and Monty to captain in Europe whatever year the committee wants him to. Monty's had no success in Ameria and I think would be a bad choice for captain if the event's played in America.

Update on Seve

Seve Ballesteros has updated the world on his condition following the first round of chemotherapy. He's doing well and is encouraged by the results of the latest tests. You can read the news report by clicking HERE and you can also check out his website by clicking on the link over in the sidebar.

Qatar Masters

Here are some first round scores:

Miguel Angel Jimenez -6 (tied for the lead with Coltart and Stenson)
Louis Oosthuizen -5
Lee Westwood -5
Aaron Baddeley -4
Alvaro Quiros -3
Charl Schwartzel -3
Oliver Wilson -3
Sergio Garcia -2
Oliver Fisher, Ross Fisher, Martin Kaymer all -1
Brandt Snedeker Even
Adam Scott +1
Danny Willett +1
Paul Casey +4
Rory McIlroy +4

Too bad I missed the coverage today. Hopefully I'll get to see some good golf on Saturday and Sunday.

Zach Johnson Wins the Sony Open

That's the news from the Sony Open. The criticism of the event has to be Golf Channel's very negative attitude toward Tadd Fujikawa. Saturday, he was their little darling with his 62. Sunday, he had some trouble and boy did they turn on him in a hurry. Criticising every shot he made. In fact, they were negative about everyone on Sunday. Johnson, Howell 3, Toms, Scott - they were all the subject of very negative criticism. I felt bad for the players, but at least when they are playing they can't hear what's being said.

More on the media: I'm currently watching ESPN2 and the Australian Open. Across the bottom of the screen, they are supposed to keep you updated on other sports. What do they have for golf news? Tiger gives a 2 minute 'political' speech supporting the military. Give me a break. If Tiger's not playing a tournament, hosting one, or releasing an update on his expected return to golf, then it isn't golf news. I guess in the summer, the football news on ESPN will be that Dan Marino continues to use Nutrisystem to keep his weight in check.

Casey Wins at Abu Dhabi

Well, I said yesterday that it could be a close final round and it turned out to be pretty exciting coming down the stretch. Casey lost his considerable lead on the back nine and ended up winning by just one shot over Martin Kaymer and Louis Oosthuizen. The winning score was -21, Kaymer and Oosthuizen were at -20. Oosthuizen's final round was a 64 and Kaymer shot a 67. Again, yesterday I said someone could challenge with a low round. Although, I said it might be Kaymer. If I could spell Oosthuizen without having to write it down every time from the European PGA Tour website, I might have predicted him to have a good round. Some other scores: Sergio shot up from a T20 place to T8 with a 64 in the final round. Rory McIlroy finished T5 with a round of 65. And Danny Willett also finished T8 with a 67 and he gets into Qatar. As he's a rookie, apparently he's having to get into events by way of top ten finishes. So, great for him!

More on The Secret

A short while back, I posted a review of a book called The Secret. It's about the law of attraction and how anything you think about, you bring about. Since reading the book, I've been paying attention to things around me to see if the The Secret really is in action in the world. Well, here's an interesting little anecdote for you to consider: a co-worker said repeatedly in the last few years that she just knew she had thyroid cancer like her mom. She just knew it. She never went to be tested or checked out by a doctor until just recently. Guess what. She has it. It seems to me that she just willed it to happen by saying it over and over again.

Gives you something to think about. Hopefully, something good and positive - like "gee I'm perfectly healthy and feel great." I think in golf terms, you could say that rather than chanting "be the ball" over and over again, you might want to chant "be the result" since this Law of Attraction gives you what you ask for in life.

Sony Open

How exciting is it to see Tadd Fujikawa shoot a 62 today? Hopefully, he can earn some serious money this week. His career since turning pro hasn't been great. They just said a top 10 could get him into the FBR Open and I hope he makes it. But why stop there? How about hoping that he wins the Sony Open?

Yes, I Watched Some Golf This Morning

I've been pretty quiet about the golf this week. With the cold weather and the snow/ice issues, I've been busy making sure I have extra water in case my pipes freeze and trying to stay warm and get to work when I needed to. But today I did get to see some of the Abu Dhabi tournament. I was very confused just a few minutes ago (around 7:20pm Eastern) when the Golf channel said the leading score over there was 11 under. I was sure I saw Paul Casey well under that earlier today. So, I went to the European PGA Tour website and checked out the scores. I was right. Paul finished the third round leading the tournament at -19. I guess while the Golf Channel was busy cashing in on the not so big Obama connection to Hawaii (he didn't represent Hawaii in Congress, you know), they didn't think to run the accurate scores for Abu Dhabi across the bottom of the screen.

Anyway, back to Abu Dhabi, some news and notes:

Alvaro Quiros had a hole in one and won a free stay at one of the big, ritzy hotels over there. I don't know if I'd want that prize. It might depend on how much snow I have to deal with any other time.

Martin Kaymer is in second place, 4 shots behind Casey. I like Kaymer and thought he should have been chosen to the Ryder Cup team last year.

Some other scores:
Johan Edfors -12 World Ranking 173
Oliver Fisher -11 World Ranking 217
Danny Willett -11 World Ranking 469
Rory McIlroy -10 World Ranking 40, Race to Dubai 6
Sergio Garcia -8 World Ranking 2, Race to Dubai 1, Moved up 20 places from rd 2 thru rd 3
Richard Green -7 Dropped to T28 from T1 from rd 2 thru rd 3
Oliver Wilson -6 World ranking 39, Race to Dubai 2
Ross Fisher -4 World Ranking 29, Race to Dubai 91
Aaron Baddeley Even World Ranking 36

Yes, that's right, Aaron Baddeley is playing there this week. You don't see him play much on the European Tour. Must be checking out the Race to Dubai.

Tomorrow should be a very interesting final round. Casey is leading due in part to a third round 63. That looks to be the low round of the tournament so far and I don't think Casey would be able to duplicate it tomorrow. But that doesn't mean Kaymer can't match it. So, that four shot lead could evaporate and we could see some real competitive golf.

Latest Issue of Golf Magazine

I received the February 2009 issue in the mail the other day. Here are some highlights:

An interview with Geoff Ogilvy - timely considering he won the Mercedes-Benz last week.

An opinion piece on the Fed Ex Cup - here's my opinion: why is there such an uproar over Vijay winning it so convincingly when Tiger was just as dominant in 2007 and everyone loved him?

There's a feature article about a Vietnam veteran who returned to Vietnam for many reasons, one of which was to play golf? Apparently there's something called the "Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail" over there.

There's also an interview with Darren Clarke, and David Feherty's column is about how George Lopez is not going to be the host of the Bob Hope this year. Like him or hate him, people need to give Lopez credit for being one of the most hard working people involved in promoting that event and trying to make it the best it can be.

Anders Hansen Wins the Joburg Open

Anders Hansen won the event with a birdie on the last hole. Other notes from the Joburg Open - Danny Willett, English rookie, finished in the top five and now gets into the Abu Dhabi event. Retief Goosen made a double eagle on the 18th. And Richard Sterne, who was trying to win three straight tournaments, finished at 9 under par in a tie for 12th.

Royal Trophy :(

Congratulations to the Asian team on their win at the Royal Trophy. Jose Maria Olazabal and his team did have their work cut out for them for a couple of reasons. One, the Asian team are very accomplished and talented golfers. I think there may have been only one name I didn't recognize when the list was announced. Two, the Asian team is probably more comfortable playing at that venue.

Hey, New Golf This Week

There's some new golf going on this week. I forgot about Hawaii until Friday. I've been watching the Discovery Health Body Challenge and QVC. So, I watched a little bit of the Mercedes Benz last night. It was very nice to see warm and sunny Hawaii. You forget who all won tournaments on the PGA tour last year until you see them at this first event of the year. Contrastly, it's raining and blah at the Joburg Open on the European Tour. And the most depressing news is from the Royal Trophy - Jose Maria and his team are not doing well at all. I suppose after this, everyone will be campaining for Sandy Lyle to be the next Ryder Cup captain. That isn't a bad thing since Jose Maria really wants to play and not captain.

Speaking of QVC, I ordered a pilates machine on New Year's eve and I finally got it set up last night. I was on it today and it's the best thing ever. I spent 50 minutes working out and it just flew by. Not like 50 minutes on a treadmill. But QVC is dangerous. I decided I was done spending after New Year's but the other night I ended up buying a 3 cd set of Elvis gospel music.

Birthdays

Sergio Garcia has a birthday in January. Happy Birthday!

And today we celebrate the birthday of the greatest entertainer of all time. Yes, I'm talking about Elvis Presley. He would have been 74 today. QVC got to me with their Tribute show. I ordered some cds.

I Don't Think I Like The 2010 LaCrosse

Buick showed off the 2010 LaCrosse at the Detroit Auto Show and it has tons of new bells and whistles. There are plenty of pictures and descriptions on This Website. I don't think I like it. What I like about my LaCrosse is how the hood accentuates the headlights. The 2010 version doesn't have that cool look. And I think my side windows might be bigger. Anyway, it's apparently supposed to be a super-cool car with all kinds of stuff - ambient lighting, 8 inch touch screen, gps, blue tooth, heads up display, road following headlights, and a pop up rear sun shade - which I will admit might be tempting to me. There are many more extras. You all should check out the website since Buick is a current sponsor on the PGA Tour.

This Week On the European Tour

There are two events going on this week - the Joburg Open and the Royal Trophy. My choice is the Royal Trophy because Jose Maria Olazabal is the European Team Captain. But the Joburg Open looks to be building up some suspense as Richard Sterne tries to win three consecutive tournaments.

Golf Damages Hearing

According to this article from BBC News, playing golf can damage your hearing. The culprit is apparently thin faced titanium drivers. And that's probably the only time I'll talk about golf equipment like I know what I'm saying. Doctors recommend using earplugs, but many golfers use the sound of the driver to judge how well they hit the ball. Just think, in a few years, Kevin Hall could have a definite advantage over many of his competitors. But at least those pesky grooves will have been dealt with by Golf's ruling bodies.