Even Par Round

The Haney Hullabaloo

2012-01-22T14:35:00.001-05:00

This week we were exposed to much discussion over the new Hank Haney book called "The Big Miss." From what I understand, no one has read this book, but that doesn't keep people from commenting on it, one of which is Tiger Woods. Reportedly, Tiger has expressed his concerns over this book and some stated he called Haney's writing of it "unprofessional." Now I have two issues with this. One, wait until you read the book before you condemn it. It might not even be about you. Second, Woods is hardly the authority on professional behavior given his cussing, club throwing and tantrum throwing behavior on the course. I believe the correct course of action would have been to keep his mouth shut until after the book came out and then constructed some PR/politically correct response that would keep the media from blowing the whole thing out of proportion. By coming out now with a statement based on nothing but one man's speculation on what might be included in the book, it just makes Tiger look like a jerk. Some might bring up this 'inner circle' excuse, but there is no such thing as an inner circle in an employer/employee relationship. Haney wasn't Tiger's wing man, he was Tiger's swing coach. There's a big difference there and it's called a paycheck.

I think Hank Haney will stick to the golf theme in his book and it will be some boring golf instruction manual. I don't plan to read the book, no matter the content. I don't need golf instruction as I don't play golf. And I am not a Woods fan and could care less about what he might think would be covered in this book.

Everyone will know what the big miss is later in the year when the book comes out.

Something Went Right Today

2012-01-14T17:47:00.001-05:00

I've been doing some work on the blog today. I've selected two golfers to shine my spotlight on this year: Gary Woodland and Erik Compton. I want to add Tom Lewis but haven't gotten to do that yet. And I've added the Places To Start section in the sidebar. Finally, I've started adding back the Blogs of Note section. That one's going to take a while because I had quite a few on the old blog. Please let me know if the links don't work. On dial-up, it takes me forever to click on each one.

At least this part of my day went well. Had a huge snafu with Rite Aid Pharmacy today. Suffice it to say, I'm never shopping there again. Of course I only ever went there for one item and I can get that elsewhere. Lesson to businesses: train your freakin' employees.

Loving the Freshness of a New Season

2012-01-12T19:48:00.000-05:00

I love the beginning of the golf season. We get to learn about new players on Tour and find out what's changed with the established players. Tonight for instance, I'm learning about Bud Cauley. He might be one to watch this year and it's exciting to see someone who came out on Tour last year and earned his tour card by playing tournaments. Not Q-School and not the Nationwide Tour. I still place more emphasis on the guy who wins Q-School because I think that's really the toughest test and tells us more about the player than anything else. But Cauley's efforts last year are something to talk about.

As for the established players, the one subject always on the minds of fans early in the year is equipment switches. For some reason when a player has a really good year on tour, the first thing he does is switch equipment manufacturers. The second thing the player does is have a bad year with the new equipment.

And then there are all of the injuries we're seeing this year. Paul Casey, Lucas Glover. Granted, not as accident-prone as David Feherty (who details some of his painful experiences in the February 2012 edition of Golf Magazine), these guys should still be a bit more careful and maybe take up jigsaw puzzles for a hobby rather than physical sports.

So far in 2012, the nicest treat we received was the pairing of Johnny Miller and Nick Faldo for the Tournament of Champions coverage. They were funny, insightful, and smart enough to avoid the sensationalistic confrontations that media folks everywhere were itching to see. This was a good start to the season, despite having a Monday finish.

A Time of Change

2012-01-08T15:53:00.003-05:00

Much like the beginning of the new season of professional golf is a time for change for those playing the game, this is also a time for change for me. Blogger decided it knew better than its customers and completely changed everything about their templates and blogging programming. This means they screwed up my blog. I have no blogs of note. No players to watch. No places to start. I do have all of the website addresses saved but it will be a huge, time-consuming, endeavor to put them back in. Thanks Blogger for wasting hours of my time today for all of your 'technological improvements'. It's only an improvement in technology if it can include everything from the past into the present, not render it completely obsolete and force people to start all over.

A Great Week for Europe!

2011-10-24T20:12:00.000-04:00

Sergio Garcia, one of my favorites, won the Castello Masters by 11 shots this weekend! What a great display of golf. I wish I could have watched more of it. It was great to see him smiling, happy, and relaxed on the course. Hopefully, he will take all of these feelings with him into future tournaments and continue to do well.

Luke Donald won the Children's Miracle Network Tournament on the US PGA tour and captured the money title. Apparently, this was a full on burst of winning determination on the back nine on Sunday. Again, I wish I could have seen some of this tournament too, but I figured the announcers were talking about how great Tiger Woods is so I didn't bother watching. I do keep up on Twitter though and that's more important - I actually read the thoughts of the golfers themselves. At least those thoughts they would like to share with their fans. I would now like to see Luke Donald win the European Money title, the Race to Dubai. I want Luke, an all-around nice guy, to be a Number 1 who won both money titles. I don't care if he hasn't won a major. If majors were all that important, then those would be the only tournaments on the schedule and the golfers would spend the rest of the time practicing. Or vacationing. Wait, there's a player out there now who only plays a couple of times a year.

I've Been Neglectful

2011-10-10T10:32:00.000-04:00

Yes, I've been neglectful of the blog lately. So, let's catch up.

Bill Haas won the Fed Ex Cup and the Tour Championship. I was very pleased with this result as I've been a fan of his for a while. And he received the other Presidents Cup pick. At least there will be one selection deserving of the honor.

Greg Norman picked a couple of excellent players for his team. I think the Internationals will have a very good chance of winning the Presidents Cup. They should have more experience with that course and I think they will team up better than the US players.

The Solheim Cup was very exciting this year. I was happy to see Europe win.

Brad Faxon won his first Champions Tour event this weekend. A popular win, I'm sure.

Although Jose Maria Olazabal missed the cut this past weekend, his presence was definitely felt at the tournament as he apparently has been giving some assistance to some players. Olazabal's name was mentioned a lot during the weekend coverage. I hope I get to see him play again soon. I couldn't watch it Thursday and Friday because of that inhumane punishment called 'work'.

The golfing media went wild with the news that Tiger Woods set a course record at his home course while he's been off working on his game instead of competing. I don't see why this is so special. It would be like me being able to maneuver through my house (I've lived here 30 years) in the dark. I ought to know how to get through my house, and he ought to know where to hit the ball in his own backyard. This statistic doesn't mean anything to anyone other than those who are still trying to cash in on Woods.

The Long and Short of It

2011-09-05T11:57:00.000-04:00

So, I haven't blogged since Bridgestone. What's happened since? Keegan Bradley won the PGA which kicked off a debate over long putters that's lasted way, way too long. My opinion on the long putters is this: Check out the putting stats on PGATOUR.com. Short putters lead the stats. Therefore, long putters do no give the player an unfair advantage. The only way a putter has that kind of impact on the game is if the game is Putt Putt Golf.

Presidents Cup also made the news in the last month with Fred Couples announcing that Tiger Woods is on the team even though qualifying isn't even over yet. Nice way to disrespect all of the other golfers competing for places on the team. I don't usually get too excited about the Presidents Cup and this decision by Couples didn't do anything to change that for me. I just hope the Captains refrain from pitting Woods and Scott against each other. Since I can't rely on Couples to make a good decision there, then I shall have to appeal to the good sense that Greg Norman might have. There's been a huge debate as to whether or not Tiger should be on the team. Some say yes because of what he used to be in Golf (meaning someone who would play 15 times a year as opposed to someone who doesn't play at all now). Some say no because his game isn't competitive and can't possibly help the team win. I think the answer to this debate is to define what the Presidents Cup's purpose is. If the purpose of the match-up is to compete and have winners and losers then Woods certainly shouldn't be on the team. If the purpose, however, is to sell tickets and produce a sham of a 'competition' which insults the intelligence of the fans, then yes, put Woods on the team. I was under the impression from past Presidents Cup contests that the purpose was to identify winners and losers. I must have missed a memo.

Hurricane Irene shortened one of the FedEx Cup playoff events. That was a wise decision made by someone. And it looks like the PGA Tour will dodge the rain from former Tropical Storm Lee with this week's tournament wrapping up today. Some folks were complaining that if the playoff events were played out west, they wouldn't have had the weather problems they experienced last week. I bet there would have been a tornado, landslide, forest fire or some other natural disaster to get in the way of the events if they had been staged out west. Weather is everywhere. You just have to accept what you get. Plus, get some sponsors to make events out west possible and maybe you'll have a point. Shall I mention the fall of the International? A good tournament on a great course with a unique scoring system, no longer being contested because of various factors, such has sponsorship and the Kiss Tiger's Butt and pray he gives you an interview element - remember Tiger's event took the place of the International on the schedule. Haha, until the Greenbrier next year. That's funny.

Solheim Cup is coming up. I don't watch much of this either but it was nice to see Ryann O'Toole was named to the team. She's had a strong year and should shake things up during the competition. I want to see Paula Creamer's new little puppy dressed up in Solheim Cup outfits.

The Vivendi Trophy is coming up in a couple weeks. GB & I versus the rest of Europe. Paul McGinley and Jean Van de Velde are the captains and Jose Maria Olazabal is keeping a close eye on the event as it was so closely tied to Seve Ballesteros and is an early indicator for the Ryder Cup. I hope I can check out some of this competition because it looks like it would be very good.

Thomas Bjorn has won twice in a row on the European PGA Tour. A popular double win on tour judging from all of the tweets I've seen on Twitter.

And finally, in the latest issue of Golf Magazine you have articles on Luke Donald and Erik Compton. This issue is worth buying.

Bridgestone Invitational Trip Diary 2011

2011-08-05T21:30:00.000-04:00

This year I could only manage a day trip to Akron for the golf tournament instead of staying there at a hotel for a few days. So, I was on the road by 5:30am and drove into some rain. The Weather Channel had said the rain was on the move, but apparently it moved slower than they thought. When I got to Akron, I stopped at a Walmart and bought an umbrella, thereby ensuring that the rain was going to end. And by the time I got to the course at about 9:25am, the rain had indeed stopped. For the rest of the day, it misted and there was one light shower but that was about it. By the way, by 9:25am, people were already drinking beer. Seriously. 9:25am. There should be laws prohibiting sales that early. If you're drinking that early, then you have a problem.

I decided to attend the practice round day knowing there would be a risk of not seeing all the players I wanted to see. But at least I could take pictures during the practice round. Unfortunately, I didn’t see Sergio Garcia, one of my favorites who I always want to see every year. He had played with McIlroy earlier and I didn’t see them.

I started out at the practice green and saw quite a few players. There were a couple of funny anecdotes from the crowd around me. One, an older gentleman couldn’t quite say Bubba and called him Bubble Watson. I guess they don’t see too many Bubbas that far north. Another featured Graeme McDowell. Again, an older gentleman tried to tell his wife that McDowell was the guy who won the Masters this year. The wife asked, “Schwartzel?” The husband went on as if he didn’t hear her and said, “I think his name is Mac something… McAfee. He’s from England or Scotland. Or Wales. Not from Ireland.” Also, it looked as though Adam Scott and Ian Poulter were performing the same putting drill, using tees to mark off distances around the hole. A local reporter was interviewing some of the crowd around me (I dodged the camera) and apparently everyone around me was wanting to see Phil Mickelson. The reporter even asked about Tiger, and they said, “No, we’re here to see Phil.” Later in the afternoon, I heard a guy say “I don’t like him (Tiger) much no more.” Grammar aside, the sentiment was apparently shared by a lot of people, from the group of women waiting for the bus at the parking area, to people there at the course. The group of women at the parking area had some less than polite words regarding Tiger. I won’t print them here.

Anyway, eventually, I decided to eat lunch and then head out onto the course to find some players to watch. I ended up hopping between 8 tee and 13 tee with some glimpses at 7 and 12 greens. It’s a good spot at Firestone because there are real restrooms very close by as well as a concession stand. At the 13^th tee, I saw Ryo Ishikawa, who people thought was Rickie Fowler just because he was wearing orange. They couldn’t be bothered to read the name on the golf bag or to see that Ryo had the new short haircut going for him. I was nearly trampled by autograph seekers trying to get to Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel. The Tiger and Phil followers weren’t that aggressive.

Phil, Jeff Overton, Keegan Bradley and Brenden Steele were playing their practice round together and it looked to me like they were getting along famously. They seemed to have fun and were kidding around with each other. It was great to see and I could tell just how genuine Phil was with them. One thing I noticed was that Phil and Jeff have huge feet. I swear you could take one of their shoes and canoe across Lake Erie in it.

I was surprised to see such a huge gallery following Nick Watney, Bo Van Pelt and Bill Haas until I realized Butch Harmon was also there. I guess they could have been following Bill Haas. I certainly had him on my list of players to see this year. I was also very excited to see Dustin Johnson, who was playing with Furyk and Stricker, and Gary Woodland who I think was on his own.

One of the more curious practice round groups was Lee Westwood, Matteo Manassero and DA Points. I could see how Westwood and Manassero would know each other and might end up playing with each other, but I want to know how DA Points ended up in that group.

Lucas Glover is the most fan friendly player I think I’ve seen. On his way to the 13^th tee, he stopped for pictures with the fans and for autographs and then after he hit his tee shot, he took even more pictures with fans. Usually the golfers only stop once on the way to the tee. Glover’s caddie is also one of the most fan friendly. He wasn’t shy at all and talked to the fans around the tee while waiting on Glover.

While waiting around at 13, I met a nice lady from Canada who is Jim Nantz’s biggest fan. She lives on the East coast and had to fly into Chicago and then from there to Akron. That seemed like a long trip to me but she was excited to be there. It was her first time at a tournament, she was staying with a friend and the trip was very economical for her.

We were very happy to have survived the Tiger Woods group as they went by. The rumor had spread over the course that Tiger was only going to play the back nine so we were curious to see if he would come our way. He finally did and even though I don’t like him, I did take a couple of pictures of him on the tee, for retirement funding purposes when I get older of course. He was playing with Hunter Mahan and Arjun Atwal and it took them an awfully long time to get off the 12^th green. Tiger’s golf bag that day was a silver one with the word “fourteen” printed all over it. Probably not the best idea but then he hasn’t been blessed with many good ones. Seriously, you’d think he’d want 19 on the golf bag- you know, his goal, instead of his achievement. If I’m going to lose weight, I’m going to want to be reminded constantly of my goal, not of how fat I currently am.

After Tiger’s group went through, it looked like we weren’t going to see very many other golfers out our way so I headed back to the practice green, stopping briefly to watch Ryan Moore and Jason Day. They weren’t playing together. Back at the putting green and driving range I continued to watch the golfers and listen to the crowds. Then the skies started looking seriously gloomy and I figured I’d better head back to the parking area before it rained again. I got held up between the 10^th hole and the clubhouse for what seemed like an eternity. Players come off the course there and the marshals rope off the path so the players can get through. Well, Mickelson’s group was there signing autographs. He finally had to stop and told the crowd he would sign again after the round the next day and he got a round of applause. When did you ever hear of a player being applauded for not signing autographs? That’s how much they love Phil Mickelson. The marshals weren’t endearing themselves to me however. They actually thought about continuing to hold us where we were until the next group of golfers came through. There were some very vocal objections to that idea and they let us through, but as it was so disorganized and disorderly, I had serious concerns that someone was going to get stepped on. The tournament should really find a better solution for that problem.

Luck was with me at the parking area as I figured that morning that I would never be able to find my car, but it was all by itself when I got back to it and very easy to see. That was the last good luck I had for about 80 miles or so. I was leaving Akron during rush hour and traffic was horrible. I first thought I would stop and eat but then the traffic was a nightmare so I got back on the interstate and decided to just drive as far as I could before stopping again.

I got home around 8pm and boy were my Winnie and PJ happy to see me. As were the outside cats who were missing their supper. Hopefully, next year, I'll get to spend a couple of days at the tournament. It's nice there.

Bridgestone Invitational Pics 2011

2011-08-04T20:21:00.000-04:00

Bridgestone Invitational Pics 2011

2011-08-04T19:55:00.000-04:00

Bridgestone Invitational Pics 2011

2011-08-04T17:42:00.000-04:00

Bridgestone Invitational Pics 2011

2011-08-04T17:05:00.000-04:00

Book Review: The Swinger

2011-07-18T19:52:00.001-04:00

The Swinger is a work of fiction, written by Michael Bamberger and Alan Shipnuck of Sports Illustrated. Generally, it is about the downfall of the world's number one golfer, Tree Tremont as seen through the eyes of sports writer Josh Dutra who is hired by Tremont to be his communications guy. Women and drugs are the life-wrecking hobbies of Tremont, but in my opinion his downfall is really brought about by his own refusal to limit himself to just doing what is right in favor of doing everything wrong. Entitlement is a strong theme in this book. Tremont's father helped along the way with some very unfamily-like opinions about how one's life should be lived and even the death of Tremont's mother, while apparently affecting Tremont in a sensitive way, didn't have a lasting effect on his behavior.

Yes, there is the bikini-model wife, the two kids, the spectacular golfing career, that you think of when you make comparisons between Tremont and real life representatives of the sport. However, Bamberger and Shipnuck do an excellent job of preventing the reader from seeing this book as a biography. Their greatest tool in this effort is the character of Josh Dutra. Gradually, The Swinger becomes more about Dutra's life and how the Tremont scandals affect him rather than about Tremont himself.

As I read the book, I found myself thinking things like, "You're kidding me," "Seriously?!" and "Isn't it typical that the sports writer still finds the star athlete a hero after all of these scandals." I suppose the underlying message in The Swinger would be that no one is all good or all bad, that there's good and bad in everyone. Unfortunately, I just didn't feel that the bad part of Tree was treated with the censure that I felt it deserved. There were excuses and forgiveness all around by everyone, even the bikini model wife who whacks Tree in the head after his cell phone reveals some of his betrayals. This part didn't seem all that fictional as we've seen repeatedly in real life that sports stars are given more than one chance, more than two chances, and mostly, too many chances to screw up.

This doesn't mean I was disappointed with the book. Just that I would prefer a different kind of book. (I'm usually reading romance novels and looking forward to the happy endings.) The Swinger left me with a lot of questions about men and women and how the two sexes think about and view the same events. The book may not answer those questions, but it will have a lasting impact as I may find myself watching golf through a different set of eyes in the future.

Some aspects of the book I should mention: Martinsen and his adoptions - reminded me of Brangelina. Boy do I want to see a Brad Pitt on the golf course. The tabloid headlines playing with the name Tree. Hilarious. Salty Morton. I'll never season my food the same way again.

In conclusion, I think you should read the book. I don't know if you'll find it better or worse than Nancy Grace's coverage of certain historical events, but I hope it will make you think about the same things I did - how men and women think about things like fidelity, honesty and doing the right thing. Or you could watch the movie When Harry Met Sally. But really, why would you?

(Full disclosure: while I was offered an advance copy of the book, I bought my own copy.)

A Spectacular Open

2011-07-17T20:00:00.000-04:00

This was one of the greatest Opens I think I've seen. Darren Clarke deserved to win and played like it. He was jovial at times, patient with the fans, and his game was spot on. I wanted to see a first time winner and was rewarded by the golfing gods with a great one in Clarke.

Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson both had issues with their games that limited them to a T2 position. For a brief moment I actually thought Phil might do it, but he stayed true to his past. As for Johnson, for all of his close calls in majors, he still just isn't ready to keep his mind on track for four complete rounds of golf.

It was great to see Sergio Garcia finish with a top ten this week. And he was having some fun out there which is the most important part of the game, no matter what the media says about winning majors. Since Darren Clarke is over 40, I hope the media will ease off the whole "best player to have never won a major" debate and give Sergio a rest. Sergio has quite a few more years ahead of him and Clarke's win only punctuates that statement.

I would like to change the category from "the best player to have never won" to "the best player who has yet to win" a major. Let's stay positive and reserve the word 'never' for those who aren't playing the game any longer.

Back on the Blog

2011-07-10T15:36:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I've posted here. That darn Twitter. But I have a few things to write about that can't be summarized in 140 characters. So, here we go....

I was listening to PGA Tour Radio this morning and some guy called in about Rory McIlroy. The subject was an interview McIlroy did in which he talked about his girlfriend. The host of the show didn't understand why McIlroy would talk about his personal relationship because back in the old days when this host was playing, the 'boys' didn't talk about family or personal life on Tour. The caller's opinion was that Rory was trying to do 'damage control'. Now, I don't know what kind of damage was thought to have been done. McIlroy went to Haiti and held babies for the cameras. No one can hate someone holding a baby from a poor country. All of America cheered when McIlroy won the US Open. And he has dogs. Pets, babies, healthy relationship, and charmed everyone in a whole country as he took their Championship back to Ireland. I don't see any damage to control. My take on the Rory interview is this, in the UK the newspapers write as much about the wives and girlfriends as they do about the athletes, so it's probably not that big of a deal for McIlroy to have given this interview. Also, he probably wanted to get some information out there to keep the media from hacking his phone.

Luke Donald continues to be the most underrated World Number 1 as he wins again this week in Scotland. Finally someone on the Golf Channel said he was playing like a #1 player, with a dominance. With the way the rankings work, it takes more than being dominant for a few months, it takes two years of consistency and Donald has that. The Scottish Open was exceptional this week, unfortunately, it was mostly due to the weather. But the players had to deal with those challenges and that alone makes a tournament a tough one. The landslide on the first fairway was something to see, as was the European Tour announce crew, players and volunteers dancing to and singing "Singing in the Rain". You should go to the European Tour website to check out the video.

The LPGA is in the news this week as they finally hit a network everyone has access to (NBC) for the US Open. The conversation once again turns to the lack of star power on the Tour. I had a brief discussion with a passionate LPGA Fan on twitter about this issue. I think the Tour needs to do more to promote the tour and the media needs to do more to cover the tour. The LPGA is on Golf Channel nearly exclusively (thanks NBC and ABC/ESPN for covering the US and British Opens). And when the LPGA is on the Golf Channel, it's usually at odd times when people can't watch. Who's going to watch after 9pm or even midnight? Also, I thumbed through the July 2011 issue of Golf Magazine yesterday and I saw no mention of the LPGA at all. If you're going to call yourself Golf Magazine, then maybe you shouldn't exclude the women. After all, your title isn't Men's Golf Magazine. That isn't to say that a large portion of the magazine should cover the ladies, but a mention or two might be nice. And please, don't let that mention be the Big Break bikini squad. I still don't understand why the ladies on the Big Break have to prance around in bikinis but the men of the Big Break don't. It isn't like anyone can where bikinis on tour. There are dress codes.

I'm planning to read and hopefully review the new fiction novel, The Swinger, when I get it this week. I was offered an advance copy, but since I was planning to buy it anyway, I declined. It's written by Michael Bamberger and Alan Shipnuck and is about the world's number 1 player and the pressures and trials he experiences. I caution everyone who wants to read this novel to remember that it is fiction. It's easy with today's media leaning so much toward salaciousness rather than boring old facts to forget that a work of fiction is just that. I'm sure I'll have a hard time doing it. But it does look like a good read so I'll give it a go and see what happens. I've found several golf fiction novels on Barnes & Noble and have them downloaded to my eReader. The problem is getting the time to read them. Once again, That Darn Twitter.

As for the whole Tiger thing. My opinion is this: sit out until the leg is 100% and change the swing to keep from injuring it in the future. From what I've seen since he got with this Foley guy, the swing thing isn't happening for him. Everyone is speculating about Tiger breaking Jack's record. He only has to win what is it, 5 more to do that, but look at how hard it's been for Roger Federer to win this last year and a half. Federer's healthy and there's no reason why he shouldn't be dominating, except for the competition. I imagine it will be like that for Tiger when he's back on tour. Sometimes, despite your best efforts, there comes a time when the world passes you by. Is this time now for Tiger? Don't know. I can only say that golf has been much more exciting and personable since he's been out of the loop. I know more of the players and have seen much more emotional and exciting wins and that endears the sport to me much more than the Tiger Woods effect has ever done.

A New Number 1

2011-05-29T20:11:00.000-04:00

Luke Donald finally captured the world's Number 1 ranking today with a win at the BMW PGA Championship in England. I'm loving this era of golf in which we get treated to not just one number one player in the world but a few. Westwood, Kaymer, Donald. It's exciting to see this volatility in the rankings. I think it makes the sport healthier and bodes well for its future. And I would just like to point out that not only is Luke Donald the world #1, he's also leading the Race to Dubai rankings on the European Tour and is #2 on the Fed Ex Cup points list. That's darn near a tri-fecta and as close to perfect as we've seen in a long, long time.

Glover Wins the Wells Fargo Championship

2011-05-09T19:29:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite golfers, Lucas Glover, won yesterday. Yay for him! It's good to see him doing so well. I hope he continues on this path. I don't know what to think about the beard, but if it makes him happy, then who am I to question it. I will say that the guy at work who wears a beard always has food crumbs (and who knows what little creatures) in it. But he's somewhat of a slovenly man. Lucas looks to be very clean and well groomed. At least from a distance.

Seve Ballesteros

2011-05-07T09:04:00.000-04:00

I'm shedding many tears today, not only over the passing of one of golf's greatest players, but for those who loved him most and are feeling his loss the strongest today. My heart goes out to Seve's family and his friends, Jose Maria Olazabal, Miguel Angel Jimenez and others who treasured Seve's presence in and contribution to their own lives.

Twitter Twama (in other words, Drama)

2011-04-24T13:30:00.000-04:00

I was on Twitter this morning and read a tweet by Nick Faldo that I just couldn't agree with. It irritated me so much that I decided to Unfollow the golfing legend. What was he tweeting on about? The World Rankings System. He believed, as is his right, that Majors should carry more ranking points than non-major events. I disagree. Weighting the majors makes it appear as though world golf only cares about four tournaments, three of which are in ego-centric America. If world golf is truly wanting to expand globally and truly believes all of the propaganda it issued during its bid to be included in the Olympics in the future, then the World Rankings system cannot be too heavily reliant on the majors - ultra-exclusive tournaments that only a select few, the same select few, get to participate in.

Another factor to consider is that the golfers engage in intense preparations for the majors each year, going so far as to play the courses several times in the weeks leading up to the events. Giving these tournaments extra points when the golfers are already taking advantage of the system by playing the courses repeatedly beforehand is like a teacher giving the students the answers to a test and then when the students score 100%, the teacher gives them bonus points. It's pointless, and in my view, regressive, if the ultimate goal of world golf is to grow the game globally.

Manassero Wins Again

2011-04-17T14:42:00.000-04:00

One of the two players I've turned the spotlight on this year, Matteo Manassero, has won his second tournament before the age of 18 today at the Maybank Malaysian Open. A remarkable achievement and a great moment for golf. The final round was exciting with several players in contention, including Rory McIlroy, who kept up his level of play from last week despite the tiring travel from Augusta, Georgia to Malaysia. Manassero jumps up to about 35th in the World Golf Rankings with his win today.

Masters Thoughts

2011-04-10T20:59:00.003-04:00

What an exciting finish to the Masters. Charl Schwartzel wins with four straight birdies on the closing four holes. We're used to seeing him in contention early in the year evey time he tees it up. So, it was very exciting to see him reach out and grab the Masters win. Jason Day, Adam Scott, Angel Cabrera were also fantastic contenders. Too bad about Rory McIlroy, but those days are going to happen. And how about Fred Couples with a top 15 finish? I love the fact that so many players were in contention. I think this makes golf more exciting than the scenario we've been living with the last several years with just a couple of guys who were billed as the only contenders. Shame on you, media. See what you've been missing.

Catching Up

2011-03-27T19:22:00.002-04:00

I haven't been keeping up the blog lately so I thought I would hit some recent highlights in golf. Jose Maria Olazabal has been the subject of a few really good articles. This one talks briefly about his golf game and his plans for the rest of the year. This article goes more indepth with Olazabal and discusses his friendship with Seve Ballesteros. And Olazabal plans to play this week at the Houston Open and then the Masters. Can't wait for that. Sergio Garcia finished in the top ten of the Arnold Palmer Invitational today. Glad to see he's working his way back into good form. Martin Laird won today at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Paul Lawrie won in Malaga, Spain. Gary Woodland and Raphael Jacquelin won last week.

A Great End to the WGC Accenture Match Play

2011-02-27T18:29:00.002-05:00

I watched the Championship and Consolation matches today and was thrilled to have a few hours of pure golf to watch. Luke Donald won for the first time in the US since 2006 and it was a very meaningful win on different levels. It was meaningful to him personally, to Europe, and to the world. Luke will go to #3 in the world rankings and in doing so made it possible for there to be four European players in the top 4 spots of the world rankings since 1992. Martin Kaymer will claim the #1 spot when the rankings come out tomorrow. Lee Westwood and (I'm assuming) Graeme McDowell will join Kaymer and Donald.

Anyone who follows this blog knows I've been a great supporter of Martin Kaymer for the last few years. He has been my Player to Watch for a couple of years and it thrills me to no end to see him claim the #1 ranking. He is playing the best golf of anyone currently and deserves the ranking.

WGC Accenture Match Play

2011-02-23T20:31:00.002-05:00

It looks like it was a spectacular first day of the Accenture Match Play. I didn't watch it since I don't watch golf when Tiger plays, but I did get the highlights from Twitter. Thomas Bjorn won his match against Tiger. Matteo Manassero won his match against Steve Stricker. Other winners include Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood, Graeme McDowell. I may check out some of the rest of the event now.

Dubai Desert Classic

2011-02-13T12:52:00.002-05:00

Some excellent results this week at the Dubai Desert Classic. Alvaro Quiros won the event. Jose Maria Olazabal finished tied for 15th (a spectacular finish for him given his lack of play in the last couple of years), and Lee Westwood finished one shot better than Tiger. Sergio had a good first two days of the event, but struggled the last couple of days.

Qatar Masters

2011-02-06T13:14:00.002-05:00

Here are the highlights of the Qatar Masters: Thomas Bjorn wins, three Spaniards finished in the top 10 (Cabrera-Bello, Alvaro Quiros, and Sergio Garcia), and John Daly and Jose Maria Olazabal made the cut. Iwatched a good bit of the third and fourth rounds this weekend but was disappointed in not seeing any of Olazabal's play.

Volvo Golf Champions-Round 4

2011-01-30T14:55:00.002-05:00

Paul Casey emerged as the winner today with a score of -20. Peter Hanson and Miguel Angel Jimenez came in tied for second. It was nice to be able to watch more than just a few hours of a tournament on the weekend for a change.

Volvo Golf Champions-Round 3

2011-01-29T19:49:00.002-05:00

Today was pro-am day at the Volvo Golf Champions. One amateur joined each pro pairing and the lowest group would win the pro-am portion of the tournament, with the two pros winning cars. Paul Casey, Darren Clarke and their pro won the pro-am competition. Paul Casey is also tied for the lead with Peter Hanson. It looks to be a good final round.

Volvo Golf Champions-Round 2

2011-01-28T17:12:00.002-05:00

As this was a day off for me, I was able to watch most of the second round. The highlight of the round was Miguel Angel Jimenez using his wedge as a putter after his putter met with a tragic end. Sergio Garcia also did well, though he did have a few wayward shots. In addition, the Molinaris played well too. One disappointment was that Jose Maria Olazabal missed the cut.

The leaders going into the weekend are Jimenez, E. Molinari, Raphael Jacquelin, and Peter Hanson, all at -11. This is setting up to be a great weekend of golf.

Volvo Golf Champions-Round 1

2011-01-27T19:44:00.002-05:00

I was able to see some of this tournament, but for an upsetting reason. My dog PJ needed to make a semi-emergency trip to the vet. She's had a hernia since birth (she's almost 4 yrs old) and last night it became a serious condition. And this morning, she was in some pain over it. So, I left work early to get her to the vet. He decided she needed surgery so while she was having surgery, I was at home watching round 1 of the tournament. I caught the last hour of the coverage and got to see Jose Maria Olazabal. Looks like he's doing well at -2. Hopefully, he'll play the weekend. I understand the cut is top 60.

Hope I can watch some of round 2. I have to get out to the bank at some point tomorrow. Walking up and down my long driveway thanks to the snow.

Volvo Golf Champions

2011-01-26T19:17:00.002-05:00

This week's event on the European Tour is the Volvo Golf Champions in Bahrain. Sergio Garcia is making his return to golf in this event. And Jose Maria Olazabal is planning to play as well. I'm looking forward to watching this one and hopefully, I'll get to see Garcia and Olazabal play the weekend. Check out this brief article about Sergio's outlook for this year.

A Great Interview with Jose Maria Olazabal

2011-01-24T19:41:00.001-05:00

I found this really great interview with new Ryder Cup Captain, Jose Maria Olazabal. You should all read it. I plan to memorize it.

Wrap Up

2011-01-24T19:02:00.002-05:00

So many good things happened yesterday. Lee Westwood is still #1. Martin Kaymer won the Abu Dhabi event for the third time. He not only got to keep the trophy, he replaced Tiger Woods as the #2 player in the world. I like saying that, he replaced Tiger Woods as the #2 player in the world. Graeme McDowell broke out of the 4th place tie with Mickelson and claimed the #4 world ranking for himself. Elsewhere in the world of golf, Jhonattan Vegas from Venezuela claimed the Bob Hope Classic title yesterday in a playoff. This is his first win in only five starts on the PGA Tour. And he is the first Venezuelan to earn a US PGA Tour card. I love it when the rookies win.

Jose Maria Olazabal returned to playing golf at Abu Dhabi but didn't make the weekend. He's set to tee it up again in this week's event. Hopefully, he'll do better this week and I'll get to see him play this weekend. I do have Friday off. Maybe I'll see him on Friday's coverage.

Yippeee!!!!!!!!!!

2011-01-18T19:21:00.002-05:00

It's now official. Jose Maria Olazabal is the next European Ryder Cup Captain!! According to this article, the decision was the first unanimous one since 1987's Captain was chosen. Although I can't wait for the next Ryder Cup, I have a feeling part of me will be watching the event with my eyes covered, afraid the team might actually miss a shot. And I agree with Olazabal that the Top 10 should have special significance. I think I'm going to search Twitter to see what everyone's saying about the new Captain. Someone should talk Olazabal into joining Facebook and Twitter. He wants to stay in touch with his players and social networking is a popular way to do it.

Exciting Finish to the Africa Open

2011-01-09T13:11:00.002-05:00

I just finished watching the Africa Open and was pleased by the exciting ending. Louis Oosthuizen, Manuel Quiros and Chris Wood all battled their way to a playoff with Oosthuizen bringing home the win. I hope Quiros and Wood find wins of their own this year as they were quite deserving today.

An observation - Oosthuizen was sweating during his round today while I'm sitting here in WV freezing and watching the snow on the ground. Is it any wonder I like golf. At least someone gets good weather.

News on Olazabal

2011-01-06T19:40:00.002-05:00

According to this article, Jose Maria Olazabal will be playing in the Volvo Golf Champions tournament the last week of January. I can't wait to see him back in action and hopefully he will do well not only that week, but all year long. If anyone deserves it, it's Olazabal.

Rumor?

2011-01-05T19:35:00.002-05:00

I read this article regarding a rumor that Lucas GLover, 2009 US Open Champion and owner of the coolest voice in golf, may be quitting the game. I don't usually subscribe to rumors but I'm providing a link to this article for just two sentences. The ones about Glover's not so superstar status and his fondness for books. You'll have to click the link to see them, but trust me, they are worth it. As for the rumor, I would love to see him find success on the golf course again, but if he wants to go in a different direction, then good for him. There's no law that says you have to be what you are. There's always an opportunity for change.

Killing TV

2011-01-05T19:15:00.002-05:00

I read this news this morning in a local paper. Apparently, the PGA Tour may pair golfers up and change up pairings during a tournament with the main focus being to appease ratings watchers. I guess this means that viewers could be tuning in on Thursday and Friday and seeing the same three or four players just because some ratings people think these three or four players draw the most viewers. Yuck, yuck, and more yuck. So, here's the flipside that people haven't thought of yet - what if you've seen enough on Thursday and decide you don't have to watch the same guys play on Friday?

Everyone who reads this blog knows I rarely watch any tournament that Tiger plays in. I can't imagine being subjected to him two days in a row and then on the weekends too. At least you'd have one day of coverage without him the way they used to set the pairings. Not to mention the obvious point - the first two days of the tournament, everyone plays. It's their chance for their family and friends to see them on tv. If the tour switches to this 'winners category' thing, then some of these guys playing in the first two rounds won't be seen on tv and that's insulting to those guys. They need to get on tv to sell their sponsors' crap too.

The Tour hasn't learned anything from the Tiger issues of 2009-10. They need to be promoting the lesser known guys, not putting all their eggs in the 'winners category' basket.

Guess I'll be watching even more European Tour golf now.

The Best Time in Golf

2011-01-02T16:17:00.002-05:00

This week marks the beginning of what I believe is the best time in golf - Hawaii in January. Considering it's winter here, cold and snowy, I always look forward to the Hawaii tournaments and the warm, beautiful scenic views captured by the cameras at the tournaments.. This week's event for 2010 Champions promises to be a good one with several European players making the trip to play.

2011 Players to Watch

2011-01-01T16:21:00.002-05:00

After some consideration, I have selected two players to watch this year. Hopefully, they will experience some of the same success that Martin Kaymer, last year's player to watch, experienced. The players I've selected are: Matteo Manassero and Jose Maria Olazabal. I chose Manassero because I want to see if he experiences a sophomore slump or if he continues his good play. As for Jose Maria Olazabal, I desperately want to see him return to the game and have a complete recovery from the ailments that have had him sidelined for quite some time. So, spend a few minutes clicking on the links in the side bar and read what the European PGA Tour's official website has to say about these two exciting players.

Weekend of Golf

2010-12-05T18:58:00.002-05:00

My weekend of golf was a quiet one. Literally. That Jim Kelly who was announcing during the Nedbank Challenge was so annoying I had to mute the tv. Lee Westwood nearly lapped the field on his way to a win in South Africa. It was sunny and warm there, which made it nice to watch given the snow on the ground outside my house. But it was a bit too warm for the players and caddies I hear.

As for the US option, the Chevron World Challenge, Graeme McDowell won in a playoff against Tiger Woods. Heeheehee. I'm usually tickled by anyone who beats Tiger, but McDowell is one of my favorites and that makes me even more thrilled.

I've seen some comments about how Tiger's dominance is good for golf and should lead to rivalries etc in 2011. I'd like to know when a monopoly on anything has ever been good for anyone. It's a fundamental law that competition leads to success in any industry. Monopolies don't. Otherwise, we would have one phone company, one type of cereal to eat, one brand of soda to drink. Golf is so great right now not because Tiger actually put together a few rounds of decent golf, but because there were so many great rounds played by so many great players this year. The only way golf is going to continue to grow as a sport is if it continues to see a variety of winners.

Put it a different way - how many of you read only one book and read it over and over and over again? Eventually, you get bored and reach for something different to read. The dominance of one player in any sport can only be a positive element for so long before it starts turning away fans, just like that tired old book you've read a hundred times until you just can't stomach reading it one more time.

End of the Season

2010-11-28T08:28:00.002-05:00

I just finished watching the final round of the Dubai World Championship and it was an exciting one to say the least. Fans of the European Tour got a real treat this week with all of the great players doing so well. Ian Poulter had the championship in his grasp but just missed out at the end to Robert Karlsson.

Lee Westwood is still #1 in the world. Yay! I am a real big fan of the Tiger-less era of golf. Golf itself is so much better with his absence from the #1 spot.

Three Major Champions this year are from the European Tour - Louis Oosthuizen, Graeme McDowell and Martin Kaymer. Whoever it was a few years ago that said the Nationwide Tour was better should probably never utter another word in his life.

And finally, a few words on Martin Kaymer. My pick at the beginning of the year for the Player to Watch, he gave us something to watch throughout the year. Several tour wins, a Major Championship, Ryder Cup success, and the Race to Dubai winner for 2010.

So, now we turn our thoughts to 2011. Who will win the Race to Dubai? Who will captain the next Ryder Cup team? Who will have the best showing at the majors? Which Spaniard will have the best season? What will happen with the World Number 1 Ranking? So many questions that we fans can't wait to have answered.

The Needle in the Haystack

2010-11-14T14:51:00.002-05:00

Once every few months I check out my gmail account to see how many useless facebook and twitter emails I've received. Interspersed among them are newsletters and spam. And then, among those, I will sometimes find email from real people, website owners, bloggers, those who want to exchange links or get a little publicity here on this not so regularly updated blog. Today, I read an email from hharrison1 who asked me to check out the blog Discovering the Game of Golf. I did and found it pretty entertaining. I like the humor. So, you should also check out the blog.

Great Day on the European Tour

2010-10-31T16:03:00.002-04:00

This latest tournament, the Andalucia Valderrama Masters, was spectacular. Great golf, great players, and top 10 successes for two great competitors. Graeme McDowell won the hard-fought event. Sergio Garcia and Jose Maria Olazabal each earned a top 10 finish in their second event of their comebacks. For Olazabal, this was only his third golf tournament of the year and he scored a top 10. Proof that he is one of the all-time best golfers with some of the greatest inherent talent of any player ever.

And, the biggest news for the Tour is that Lee Westwood is claiming the World #1 ranking this week. It's about time we have a #1 player whose game actually reflects that ranking. I've said often enough the rankings system needs revamped and this time I have to question whether or not Martin Kaymer should actually be the World's #1 player, given that he's won four times this year, including a major and he's participated in the Ryder Cup. Graeme McDowell should also be considered in the discussion of World's #1.

Oh-No!!!

2010-10-24T14:40:00.002-04:00

According to this article, Matteo Manassero has actually told the whole world that he doesn't have a girlfriend. He doesn't realize what he's just done to himself. Here's some advice he should take:
1. Don't date tennis players.
2. Don't date celebrities or the daughters of celebrities.
3. Don't buy presents for the girlfriend. Pick wildflowers for her or write a poem.
4. Don't get married until you're 30.

An Exciting Castello Masters

2010-10-24T13:10:00.002-04:00

Matteo Manassero won the Castello Masters today in convincing fashion. He was great to watch and the golf was very good. There will be plenty of folks who will write volumes about what his win will mean for Italian golf, for the European Tour and for him, as he's the youngest winner on the European Tour. So, I won't go there. Instead, I'll just say it was a great tournament to watch and it leaves me with great anticipation for next week's event at Valderrama.

A so-so event for Jose Maria Olazabal this week. He met his goal of playing four rounds. But, he signed an incorrect score card and was disqualified. I haven't seen any quotes from him regarding his health today, but hopefully, he's well. The announcers said he would be playing next week. Another great reason to watch the tournament.

They're Back!!!

2010-10-20T19:53:00.002-04:00

Yiippeee!!! Sergio Garcia and Jose Maria Olazabal are back in competition this week at the Castello Masters. I really hope they both do well as I want to see both of them a lot this weekend during the tv coverage. From what I've read on various news websites, it sounds like Sergio has a new vision for himself and hopefully it will all work out for him. As for Olazabal, it sounds like he's downplaying his potential and exercising caution regarding the prospect of a successful return to golf.

Second Verse the Same as the First

2010-10-10T14:22:00.002-04:00

Once again, congratulations to Martin Kaymer who won the Dunhill Links today. This is his third consecutive stroke pay tournament win this year, four wins in a row if you count the Ryder Cup. This has been a stellar year for European Tour golf. Simply fantastic. I can't imagine what the rest of the year will be like.

Huh???

2010-10-08T20:12:00.002-04:00

I was listening to the PGA Tour Network this afternoon and they were complaining that Lee Westwood could become the #1 player in the world by not playing a tournament. They just didn't think that was fair to Tiger that he could lose his #1 ranking that way.

How about looking at the other side of that coin - exactly how fair is it to have a #1 player who has played as poorly as Tiger Woods this year? How fair is it to other players who've won two and three times this year and are higher up on the money list?

Bottom line, you people love the world rankings system when Tiger's at the top, you all need to suck it up and love it just as much when someone else is.

Interesting Comparison

2010-10-06T19:43:00.002-04:00

I'm watching Mythbusters and I just realized that Tory reminds me of Bubba Watson.

Westwood Says No to Fed Ex Cup

2010-10-06T19:36:00.002-04:00

Out today is this article which reports that Lee Westwood is not going to join the US PGA tour in 2011. Saying that he's happier to play in Europe, he cites another reason to avoid the Fed Ex Cup is wanting to spend time with his family.

Good for Lee. I think the European Tour needs its star players to play more in Europe.

I'm Not Always This Slow

2010-10-05T17:48:00.002-04:00

I thought of something earlier this morning...... If Jose Maria Olazabal was a last minute add to the European Team because of the weather's effect on the schedule, then how was it that they had a closing ceremony suit that fit him???

I'm thinking Colin Montgomerie is even more sneaky than anyone has given him credit for and there's more to this story....

A Great Win for Europe

2010-10-04T19:50:00.002-04:00

I didn't get to watch much of the singles matches today since I had to go to work, but I snuck a peek at the BBC news website and kept up on the results. I can't believe this turned into such a nailbiter with Europe winning by the skin of their teeth.

So, here are a few things that thrilled me this week:
Sergio, Miguel and Jose Maria together on the team. I am a big Spanish golf fan and I don't think I could have gotten over the absence of Jose Maria Olazabal if he hadn't agreed to help out this weekend. I'm thrilled that Miguel Angel Jimenez won his match today. He may not get very many more chances to play for the Ryder Cup and I know the win was a special one for him. And I hope being a part of the team helps Sergio Garcia regain his passion for golf and sets him back on the path to great competitive golf in the future. He's a top ten player and should always be there competing with the best in the sport.

Ross Fisher, Ian Poulter, Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy. The pairing of McDowell and McIlroy was spectacular and Fisher and Poulter have the competitive fire that stirs up the crowds. It was great watching them.

Lee Westwood and Luke Donald. How much do I love this pair who brought down the Woods-Stricker pairing? It's unquantifiable. That's how much.

The Molinaris were a great story this week and the half point they earned on Sunday made all the difference. As Colin Montgomerie said, it's that much more difficult to win that extra half a point.

The image of that huge crowd all focused on McDowell and Mahan was just stupendous. I can't imagine the pressure they were feeling. Mahan's of course wasn't as great as McDowell's, after all, McDowell was on home soil. His critics were a lot closer than Mahan's so a failure for him would be much more painful.

I really liked how the teams had to play everyone on Saturday/Sunday. It's a shame the Ryder Cup format isn't like that each time but I guess it would take away from some of the strategic element of the Cup competition.

Not as thrilling but just as interesting:

Corey Pavin didn't seem to have a problem playing all of his players. In 2006 I had a problem with how Lehman didn't play his players, including his picks. But Pavin either didn't have an issue with it or couldn't afford one due to the weather. At least he didn't project a lack of interest or confidence in any of his players and that was great.

I'm a little tired of the US captains always saying "these guys know what they need to do. I don't need to give speeches." They've lost 6 of the last 8 Ryder Cups, I suspect the players might not know what to do. But keep on believing that US captains, I would like to see Europe continue to be successful.

Johnny Miller is fantastic. I don't care what the players think about him. He makes golf watching fun and he says what other people are too afraid to say. I think Phil Mickelson would have been a very successful car salesman. He has the gift of gab and that million dollar smile that would send you away in a way too expensive SUV that you can't possibly afford. And bless Johnny's heart, he said that Lee Westwood is probably the #1 player in the world right now, never mind what the rankings say.

I always question why the Ryder Cup golfers don't play the same way when they aren't playing for the Ryder Cup. These guys this week made huge putts and hit great approach shots. You don't see that any other time on Tour (Bubba Watson might be the exception. He goes for broke every round). I wish they would take a little bit of the Ryder Cup with them back to their respective tours.

.......... So now it's on to the next European Tour event and my patient waiting for the next event that Sergio and Jose Maria play.

Another Great Day at the Ryder Cup

2010-10-03T14:44:00.002-04:00

Today's matches were exciting and tense. The fans who bought tickets got their money's worth and those of us watching on TV were thoroughly entertained. The European team whooped up on the USA team and only need 5 points to win the Cup tomorrow. I'm having to record the coverage tomorrow since I'll be at work but hopefully it will be a total European team highlight film. I may have to go out to my car a couple of times tomorrow to listen to Sirius/XM and get updates.

I love Johnny Miller's analysis and commentary. So many times when I'm watching golf on tv I ask the people on tv what tournament they are watching because what they are saying is completely contradictory to what I'm seeing (most usually it's a Tiger Love-fest). But with Johnny Miller, I don't have to ask that question.

I got to see Jose Maria Olazabal again today on tv which thrilled me to no end. And Sergio was having a lot of fun, especially following Westwood and Donald in their win over Stricker and Woods. Miguel Angel Jimenez and Peter Hanson won a point for the team and the Molinari brothers refused to be beaten, eaking out a half point for the team.

Someone in the last few days referred to Westwood as "Westy". Please don't. When you do that, I think of the little dogs.

As for the pairings for tomorrow's singles, I think Colin Montgomerie has done a great job. He's steered away from the 'sucker matches' (those that fans may want to see but strategically would be a huge negative for the team) and it looks like the line-up should hopefully earn the 5 points needed for a European team win.

I hope they do win and I hope my dvd will run long enough to record the celebration. I want to see how much a win means to Monty.

An Interview with Miguel Angel Jimenez

2010-10-02T17:28:00.002-04:00

Here's a pre-Ryder Cup interview with Miguel Angel Jimenez.

An Interview with Jose Maria Olazabal

2010-10-02T17:21:00.003-04:00

Here's an interview conducted with Jose Maria Olazabal this week before the Ryder Cup began. It's an interesting read.

I'm in heaven with Jose Maria Olazabal and Sergio Garcia serving as vice captains for Monty and Miguel Angel Jimenez playing on the team.

A Few Ryder Cup Thoughts

2010-10-02T17:04:00.002-04:00

Colin Montgomerie must feel like he's gone to Disneyland. His team is leading in all 6 uncompleted matches overnight. He now has Jose Maria Olazabal as a vice captain along with Sergio Garcia. He had Seve Ballesteros call in to talk to the team before the matches began. Montgomerie has done everything possible to realize his dream of captaining a winning Ryder Cup team, including uniting all of the European team heroes in this one endeavor this week. Now all the players have to do is win. I hope they do.

Steve Stricker must be a tired fellow after having to lug around a 200+ pound albatross for these first couple of days of matches.

Tom Lehman is an assistant captain? Yeah, I'd want someone who lost when he was captain to work for me. You'd think he could have at least helped out on the raingear debacle.

I'm glad they had the 6 match catch-up session today with all 24 golfers playing. It was a great gift to the fans who've had to deal with all of the bad weather. And of course, I think every team member should play before Sunday singles.

Kaymer Wins Again!!!!

2010-09-12T12:41:00.002-04:00

My player to watch (see the sidebar for the link), Martin Kaymer, has won again. That's three wins, including one major, and a spot on the Ryder Cup team. This has been a thrilling year for the European Tour, so many great winners and hopefully a great win at the Ryder Cup.

Hilarious Must Read

2010-09-05T20:41:00.001-04:00

You've got to read this oh so funny offering from David Feherty. I think it's some of his best work.

A Thrilling Win

2010-09-05T20:13:00.002-04:00

I was lucky enough to watch the final round of the Omega European Masters today and was thrilled to see Miguel Angel Jimenez win. Eduardo Molinari came in second and gave all of the Ryder Cup fans something to look forward to.

As for the Ryder Cup, pick Padraig Harrington missed the cut and is now out of the Fed Ex Cup Playoffs. Justin Rose missed the cut but is still in a great position to win the Cup. I hope he does. I really, really, really hope he does. A win would say so much more than any well chosen phrases could.

Ryder Cup Role for Sergio

2010-08-29T20:42:00.002-04:00

According to NBC Sports, Sergio Garcia has been named as an assistant captain of the European Ryder Cup Team. So, I have another reason to watch it this year.

2010 European Ryder Cup Team

2010-08-29T14:05:00.002-04:00

According to this article, this is the list of the full European Team:

Lee Westwood
Rory McIlroy
Martin Kaymer
Graeme McDowell
Ian Poulter
Ross Fisher
Francesco Molinari
Miguel Angel Jimenez
Peter Hanson
Eduardo Molinari
Luke Donald
Padraig Harrington

My thoughts: Harrington should be out and Justin Rose should be in. The article says it all, Harrington apparently didn't win squat in the 2006 and 2008 editions of the Ryder Cup and Rose won 3 points, two with Poulter and 1 by beating Phil Mickelson.

Just Have to Post This

2010-08-18T20:39:00.002-04:00

I was reading the newspaper at work the other day while in the attorney's office. The headline was "Tiger Can Help the US Ryder Cup Team". I said, "Well, he could pass out bottles of water."

The attorney laughed and called me cold. Insert your lawyer jokes here.

Kaymer Wins!!!!!!

2010-08-15T20:42:00.002-04:00

I am so excited that Martin Kaymer has won the PGA Championship. I have been a big fan of his ever since he first joined the European PGA Tour. If you search this blog, you'll find countless supportive posts. And if you look over in the side bar, you'll see that I chose him for this year's player to watch. And everyone watched him win today. At least he should finally get on the Ryder Cup team this time.

Bubba Watson played well today and he has a great attitude. As for Dustin Johnson, all I'm going to say is why did anyone bother with gallery ropes if they are going to let the gallery traipse all over the playing course and tear up bunkers? Why not let them trample all over the greens too while they're at it? Seems like the people in charge of the course and set-up took the lazy way out and someone got penalized for it. Didn't the announce crew say some guy was hired to count the bunkers and he quit because it couldn't be done?

When Does Is Become Was?

2010-08-11T19:07:00.002-04:00

I saw in the USA Today newspaper today that Corey Pavin said he would give Tiger a spot on the Ryder Cup team because 'he's the best player in the world'.

Really?

Right now, today, could he really beat every other player in the world?

I don't think so. He hasn't been able to beat several players all year long. Even before what the Golf Channel refers to diplomatically as his 'accident' in November, he couldn't beat YE Yang at the PGA.

I say he's in the 'was' category currently. When or if he does beat every other player in the world again, maybe he can return to the present tense.

As for the Ryder Cup. Go ahead and pick him. I'm a European Team fan and having Tiger Woods at the Ryder Cup can only be the best thing to happen to the European Team.

Sergio to Take a 2 Month Break

2010-08-08T20:36:00.002-04:00

According to this article, Sergio Garcia will be taking a two month break after the PGA Championship and will skip both the Fed Ex Cup and the Ryder Cup. The article quotes Sergio as saying he has never had a break that long in his career and he needs to be able to miss the game.

When you think about golf and all of the players, it's rare that you'll find a player with a 12 year career who hasn't had a long break. Most of the time the players will suffer some kind of injury that would force them to sit out for a while, or they will hover around the edge of retaining their tour cards or going back to Q School. But Sergio has been pretty healthy so far and dedicated to being a full time member on both the European and US PGA Tours, which requires quite a few more tournaments to play than some of the other big names' schedules in the sport.

I think it's a good idea for Sergio to take a break. To me, it doesn't sound like two months would be long enough. I don't think I'd start to miss my job if I was gone for two months. It might take six. Or six years. But I guess that's why golf is a passion and a job is a job.

As for the Ryder Cup, Team Europe will be the strongest it's been in recent years, even without Sergio. There are so many really good players to choose from. Sergio might be missed, but he knows he's leaving the Ryder Cup in the very capable hands of his fellow European competitors and he is being very generous in giving someone a chance to play in his absence, proving that Sergio is a solid, committed team player, even when he isn't there.

Bridgestone Invitational Pics

2010-08-08T07:55:00.001-04:00

The new WGC Statue, Mike Weir and JB Holmes.

Bridgestone Pics

2010-08-08T07:48:00.001-04:00

Boo Weekley, Sergio Garcia, Rhys Davies and Martin Laird.

Bridgestone Pics

2010-08-08T07:41:00.001-04:00

Graeme McDowell, Robert Karlsson, Oliver Wilson and Angel Cabrera.

Bridgestone Invitational Trip: Friday

2010-08-07T14:13:00.002-04:00

I didn't take very many notes today. So, I'll have to rely on my memory.

On the bus on the way to the course, a little kid said, "Tiger's the best player in the world. But yesterday he sucked." Haha. The kid got half of it right, Tiger did suck on Thursday. And Friday, and now Saturday.

I was sitting in the unreserved section on the first tee and a marshal brought four kids up to stand right in front of me and lean on the rail. First, they aren't supposed to lean against the rail. Second, they aren't supposed to stand. Third, they aren't supposed to block anyone else's view. And these weren't the only people to do this. There was another marshal standing right next to me and he did absolutely nothing to stop this. I hope the marshal with the kids gets the boot and isn't allowed to participate next year. He obviously only signed up so he could get some free perks.

The groups I followed today were Martin Kaymer and Tim Clark and Justin Rose and Paul Casey. But I managed to see all of the players in this section of the draw.

Looking over the pairings sheet, it looks like there were only 4 players this week that I didn't see or haven't seen in the past: David Horsey, Charl Schwartzel, Ryo Ishikawa, and Dustin Johnson. But I think I might have seen Schwartzel before and don't remember it.

Lastly, I would like to leave you with some cute little games I've thought of to amuse you if you ever go to a golf tournament and there's a lull in the action:

1. Guess the Age: No, this isn't guess the age of the trophy wife on the arm of the male spectator in front of you. This is guess the age of the really old woman drinking beer at 9am. Extra points if the woman's got an oxygen bottle or a hoverround. (My mom's on oxygen and has a power chair (although she doesn't drink) so don't think I'm being derogatory. And oddly enough, I saw two people with her chair on the grounds this week. It was neat seeing that little chair just go across the grass and tree roots.)

2. Who's Your Daddy: Using your powers of deductive reasoning, determine if the kid with the grown-up is in fact that adult's child, or a child he's rented for the day in order to get autographs to sell on ebay.

3. Hoof It: Identify the spectator's motives and objectives from their choice of footwear. Seriously, I saw women walking all over the course with stiletto heels.

The trip home was kind of tough for the first hour. I was falling asleep at the wheel thanks to the otc allergy medication I was taking. So, I pulled off the interstate and stopped at a McDonalds. I figured I would go to the restroom and get some soda to try to keep me awake. Well, the restroom only had one stall and I think a family had taken up residence in there. The woman had two mobile kids and a baby. I'm guessing she was changing the baby's diaper but she may have been breastfeeding for as long as it took her. If it was a diaper thing, you'd think she would know how those worked after the first two kids. But after that brief stop I got back on the interstate and was wide awake enough to start yelling at the traffic. I could tell the vacation was over the more irritated I got.

And then I come home to find that Terry Gannon has joined the Golf Channel? While I am very pleased to be able to hear his wonderful voice covering golf, I certainly hope he doesn't become a Tiger worshipper just because everyone else is. I hope he remains neutral and just reports the facts.

Bridgestone Invitational Trip: Thursday

2010-08-07T13:56:00.002-04:00

Looking at the notes I took, it looks like this is going to be a short post. First, it was cold this morning. The weather forecasters had the nerve to say this was a hot, humid, muggy day. Hah! Not even close.

I followed Sergio and Bill Haas for several holes today. They talked non-stop it seemed. I like seeing the pairings get along and apparently these two had some good conversations going on. Sergio's dad followed them as well and he ended up next to me a couple of times. He smiled at me once and probably would have spoken to me if I wasn't so fearfully shy. I know it's hard to believe that I would be shy given my outspokenness on the blog, but it's a lot different when the people are right in front of you. Another interesting thing about this pairing is the number of times they hit the ball the same distance. They were really well matched.

The most memorable moment following this group had to be what I like to call "Running Man". As we were all moving up to the green, I think on the 6th hole, I saw a very skinny man who was wearing only shoes and very short red silk "running" shorts. Seriously, he was darn near naked. I tried not to laugh at him but when I saw Bill Haas's caddie look over at the guy, I just had to smile. I hope someone escorted that guy off the grounds.

Later on, I followed Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher. On the 16th, Fisher hit his tee shot into the rough outside the ropes (that was #4 hit in my direction this week). I was lucky enough to stand close enough behind him to see the embroidery on the back of his pants. Did you know he's got a little fish (trout I think in honor of the manufacturer) on his pocket? So cute. And he smelled quite nice too with whatever cologne he was wearing. It was a very nice moment until his caddie tried to check the wind and threw grass on me. He didn't do it on purpose of course. It was the wind. Fate again was trying to get me to acknowledge bad luck. But I refused.

Bridgestone Invitational Trip: Wednesday

2010-08-07T13:19:00.002-04:00

Wednesday for me began at the practice range. I saw Simon Dyson, Camilo Villegas, Sean O'Hair, and Hunter Mahan. Rickie Fowler came out in pink. He looks like a 12 year old Shaun Cassidy-type. Where's his zany tv sit-com? I have figured out why the girls like him though. He decided to do a little stretching on the practice tee and bent over and wiggled his butt. Some other golfers on the practice tee: Gregory Bourdy, Jason Day, Hennie Otto, Stuart Appleby, K.J. Choi, Justin Rose, James Kingston, Alvaro Quiros, Henrik Stenson, and Ross Fisher.

On the first tee, right behind the tee box, there are a set of bleachers. What you all don't know is that there are two signs on those bleachers that say "reserved for Bridgestone until 2:00pm". So, don't think if you buy a ticket and come to the course that you'll be able to sit where you want on those bleachers. The 'special' people (sponsors) get preferential treatment. So, it isn't all about the fans.

I saw Ian Poulter today and he wasn't sporting his traditional spiky hair. He looked very traditional, if you can believe it. I can only hope it was just a case of running out of hair gel.

I also saw Jim Furyk and Peter Hanson as they walked by and followed Jason Day, Stuart Appleby and Justin Rose for a couple holes of their practice round.

Padraig Harrington hit the ball into the rough outside the ropes on 16 during his practice round, and after he played from there, he signed some autographs. That's the right kind of spirit to have out there.

In the Rose-Day-Appleby group, there was one player who it in the rough on 16 but no one claimed it. The marshal picked up the ball and gave it to the only kid around. Rhys Davies also it in the rough but he didn't play it. The marshal tossed it back onto the fairway.

That's three times a ball flew in my direction on the course. Of course, it was on the 16th hole, the most likely to have wild drives. And I figured Rhys Davies would be one of the guys to do it since he's new to the course so I stuck around to see. It happens one more time this week so stay tuned.

Bridgestone Invitational Trip: Tuesday

2010-08-07T12:32:00.002-04:00

Players I saw today: Angel Cabrera, Bubba Watson (Who ESPN referred to as Bo Watson. And they are supposed to be the leader in sports? Please boycott ESPN until they learn their jobs.), Heath Slocum, Robert Karlsson, Graeme McDowell, Oliver Wilson, Martin Laird, Rhys Davies, Sergio Garcia, Marcus Fraser, Boo Weekley, Martin Kaymer, Chad Campbell, Mike Weir, Ernie Els, Steve Stricker, Vijay Singh, JB Holmes and Henrik Stenson.

Observations:

The weather forecasters got it all wrong today. It rained off and on all day, and as I thought all three news stations couldn't be wrong, I didn't bring an umbrella. As a result, I spent a lot of time in the pro-shop looking at outrageously expensive t-shirts.

Some men must bathe in aftershave. Several minutes after one zipped by me on a golf cart, the smell still lingered. Maybe he should have just taken a real bath with soap.

Sergio and Rhys Davies actually practiced out of the rough today. Usually if players hit the ball into the rough, they will just pick it up during their practice rounds and not play it, as if there was some kind of superstition about it, tempting fate and all that. But I think they should practice more out of the rough. I mean, they should know how to play from the fairway by now.

There is a barnyard type smell here on the course. It took me a while, but I finally figured out what it reminds me of - it smells like the part of my parents' flower bed where all the neighborhood cats do their business. I'm sure that wasn't what the groundskeepers were going for, but there you have it. (It's the mulch around the trees.)

In keeping with my personal belief that rules are just suggestions, I saw a woman today with a huge purse, much larger than the 6 inch by 6 inch by 6 inch regulation that is supposed to be enforced during the event. (Actually I saw several women with huge purses during the week.) And I saw one man (a spectator) with a cell phone. I took his picture for proof, but won't post it here. There are all kinds of crazy people who would love to sue if their picture made it on to the web so the picture will stay with me. But it does make me wonder just how secure the tournament is if the rules aren't being stringently enforced. It's no wonder Sergio has security go around with him during his rounds.

On Facebook, I asked the Bridgestone Invitational folks where you go if there's inclement weather. Their answer was to leave the course altogether and get a handstamp to be able to re-enter the event when the all clear sounds. The problem with this is that there's no where to go once you get that handstamp and walk out on the other side of the gate. There are no permanent structures to take shelter in and if you arrive on a bus from the public parking area, then you're stuck waiting 10-15 minutes outside for a bus to show up. I'm sure their lawyers told them to say that to limit their liability in case of lightning strikes, but common sense will tell you that lightning doesn't recognize a boundary such as an admissions gate. The Bridgestone people have been great all week answering fans' questions, but I think with this one, they dropped the ball.

Crazy fan story: A fan yelled at Sergio, "You've got a lot of fans here this week Sergio!" To which, Sergio replied "Thank you." Then the fan said, "Hey Caddie, you want a day off?" He'll be yelling "Get in the hole!" by the end of the week.

I applaud the golfers for their patience with autograph seekers. Today the same guy got Sergio's autograph like three times as Sergio moved from one green to the next tee. The guy just kept getting back in line (and getting in front of other autograph seekers). You know this guy was just looking to sell stuff on ebay.

Other Trip Thoughts: The Red Roof Inn has the firmest beds in the world. People who sleep on slabs of rocks in the jungle are probably more comfortable than I've been. And poor Lebron James. After watching the Cleveland news, I really feel for him and wish him the best of luck in Miami. By the end of the week, you start thinking, "No wonder he left."

Bridgestone Invitational Trip: Monday

2010-08-07T12:20:00.002-04:00

Monday was a travelling day. I was happy to see that there was less road construction going on in Ohio this year. That helped with my cruise control and I averaged about 31.9 mpg. My car is rated at 18-28 mpg. Every state should lower its speed limits.

I was also fighting bad luck on this day, a theme that continued through the rest of the week. Friday I hit my cat with my car (she's hobbling around but is otherwise alert and active so hopefully she will be ok). Monday I was dropping everything.

Another theme that continued through the rest of the week was the cold. I got into my hotel room and had to turn the heat on. It was 85 degrees outside and I was freezing. I froze the whole week. It is so nice to be back in WV today and out in the sun.

Magic word of the day: Inflamed Cumulonimbus. The weather forecaster used this and the news guys were having great fun with it. Too bad they couldn't accurately forecast the weather. While they claimed it wasn't going to rain, it did end up raining some just about every day I was there. For all of you who might want to travel around the Great Lakes area - just assume it's going to rain or snow (depending on your season). Don't even bother to listen to the forecast. It did eventually become laughable when the forecasters throughout the week would say "It's going to be hot and humid folks. Really miserable." and I would be freezing and thinking, "Is this what you think hot is?"

Oh, and just a curious bit of trivia: This weekend in the Akron area you have the final two rounds of the Bridgestone Invitational, the Football Hall of Fame Induction ceremony and the Twins convention in Twinsburg.

Unbelievable!!!

2010-08-07T08:31:00.002-04:00

I was watching Golf Central this morning and Craig Kann and Frank Nobilo actually made a distinction between being the #1 ranked player in the world and being the world's best player. I am so disgusted by the media's seemingly blind ignorance of Tiger's bargain basement, worst player in the field play that we're seeing lately. The whole reason the World Rankings system was created was to identify the world's best player. For the media to blantantly ignore that system and just proclaim whoever they want to be the world's best player is so irresponsible that they should not be considered "news media" and should be renamed "agenda-promoting fan club". It's obvious that the more they talk up Tiger, the more advertising dollars they receive, some from the same companies Tiger has deals with. This is a blatant conflict of interest and could be seen as the media being on the payroll of companies like Nike.

As for the rankings system, I have been critical of it in the past. It seems like the rankings tell us more about who was #1 a year ago rather than who's #1 now and the system should be revamped to be more responsive to the current year's results. Tiger can coast with sucky play for a year before he loses his #1 ranking? That isn't a legitimate reflection of what's going on in the world of golf.

So now, thanks to the media, we are going to have the new label "best #1 ranked player to never have been the world's best player". Ridiculous.

Phil Mickelson, should he attain the #1 ranking, deserves all of the accolades that come with it. I guess I'll have to do the job the media won't and give him his due here. I urge all other bloggers to do the same.

The Greenbrier Classic

2010-08-01T19:18:00.002-04:00

I'm sure you've all been wondering why this West Virginian hasn't weighed in on the Greenbrier Classic yet. Truthfully, I haven't been watching the Golf Channel leading up to the tournament, and the newspapers I've read all say the same things. It seems the articles are just copied from one paper to the other (and one website to another on the web). But I guess I can offer some opinions:

1. People were saying the course was too easy. It looked to me like the golfers were working pretty hard today. DA Points and Jeff Overton were fighting for every drive, every iron shot, every bunker shot, every putt. If the course was so easy, why then didn't Stuart Appleby shoot a 58? Or a 57? Or that hypothetical 54 that Annika Sorenstam always thought was achievable? Yes the scores were low, but the golfers played their butts off too.

2. Where were the clowns and face painting booths? With all of the attractions and concerts, you would expect clowns, balloons, face painting etc. I'm not sure I like all of the extra stuff. Although I do support a fun hole in one prize. We need more fun on the PGA Tour. And I love the 18th hole being a par 3. After stretching things out for 17 holes and all of those shots, it's cool to have it all come down to one swing and one putt.

3. They should have done a special about how the course had been reconstructed from decades old pictures. Nick Faldo was downright giddy over the process and it sounds like it would be fascinating to learn about.

4. I'm reserving judgment on Jim Justice. As a West Virginian, I have to be suspicious of coal barons. Time will tell what he's like.

5. West Virginia papers need to try a little harder in the accuracy department. They misidentified Davis Love in a picture earlier this week. And for some reason, one of the papers thinks it's supposed to put the author's name as the jump head when putting the rest of the golf article on a different page. The article was about Paul Goydos, the jump head was the writer's name. Obviously, since I didn't know who the writer was, I missed the second half of the article on Paul Goydos. Lucky for me, I saw the whole Paul Goydos 59 thing a few weeks ago on the Golf Channel. I'm sure the local paper hadn't added any new information.

6. It's good that Sergio Garcia joined Kenny Perry in donating money to the miners' fund. I don't care what people say about Sergio's commitment to the sport, or his attitude, or his technique. His heart is in the right place and you really can't argue with that.

I'll be attending the Bridgestone Invitational this coming week. I'm taking my iPod Touch so hopefully I can check in and post a few little things on the blog, twitter, and Facebook. Not too much, though, because it's very difficult typing on those little buttons. And of course, the iPod stays away from the course. Not only is that a rule, but I'd probably lose it in the rough on 16 as well.

Another 59

2010-08-01T19:07:00.002-04:00

Every year I've attended the Bridgestone Invitational I've seen this man in the gallery sporting a shirt that says "Stuart's Stalwarts" and "Appleby's Accolytes". Saturday, I read through the list of eligible players for this year's Bridgestone Invitational and noted that Appleby's name was absent from the list. I wondered what Stuart's Stalwart would do if his player wasn't there in Akron competing this coming week. Would he still show his support and wear the shirts? Maybe Stuart wondered about him as well. It seemed like Stuart went out today with the sole goal of winning the tournament. He was methodical, automatic, and could only see through the very narrow window that allowed the ball to get from the tee to the hole with as little effort as possible. Appleby shot a 59 and still had to wait to see if he had won. If he had guaranteed his spot at Bridgestone. If his Stalwart and Accolyte would again be able to show his unwavering support. I hope Stuart's Stalwarts are out in force in Akron. I for one will be looking for them.

British Open Backlash

2010-07-18T17:26:00.002-04:00

I've been seeing some comments on the web about how this Open was boring, ho-hum, far from great. That makes me a little angry. Substitute Woods' name for Oosthuizen's and you'd be seeing comments like "the greatest exhibition of golf in the modern era". But because it's Louis Oosthuizen, for some reason, people feel justified in diminishing the greatness of his accomplishment. Shame on you nay-sayers. This final round was every bit as exciting as a playoff victory. There was just as much suspense in wondering if Oosthuizen would collapse, if Casey would surge, if the weather would beat them both. I can only hope given time for reflection, the nay-sayers will recognize the great golf that was played today. There are no asterisks, no buts, no except fors, Oosthuizen beat everyone today. He is the Champion Golfer of the Year.

A Great Open

2010-07-18T14:07:00.002-04:00

I watched most of the final round of the British Open today and was thrilled to see Louis Oosthuizen win. The announcers kept saying that he'd come from nowhere and no one knew who he was. Well, if you watch the European Tour coverage, you know who Louis Oosthuizen is. The US announcers just need to do their homework a little better. They get a little lazy, only studying up on Woods and Mickelson.

It was a sad day for Paul Casey. I was really hoping he would take it to Oosthuizen since I doubted the others could make up that many shots to be in contention. But even though that didn't happen, the final round was a good one to watch.

All's Right in Golf, Sergio is Feeling Better Now

2010-07-17T19:40:00.002-04:00

Thank goodness this moment of uncertainty has been resolved. According to this article, Sergio has thought about things and found a new attitude on Saturday. His played reflected that as he went eagle, birdie on the front nine with some nice, positive play. The article quoted Sergio as saying he still thought he needed a rest. I think that too. He's been playing year after year since he was 18-19 years old without a real break. A lot of golfers get that break by not securing their tour cards or not playing well enough to get into majors or now the Fed Ex Cup playoffs. But Sergio has been playing a full schedule for all these years now, complete with international travel which has to be grueling.

I just hope he doesn't start his break until after the Bridgestone Invitational. I'm planning to go to that tournament and I'd really like to see him.

Olazabal Has a New Gig

2010-07-17T10:26:00.002-04:00

It's been announced that Jose Maria Olazabal will be representing Nespresso coffee this year in conjunction with Ryder Cup activities. I'm happy to see Olazabal do anything these days. So happy, that I would probably buy some of this coffee if it was for sale here in my little WV town. And I don't drink coffee.

Say It Ain't So, Sergio!

2010-07-16T21:05:00.003-04:00

I just read this article that says Sergio Garcia is contemplating quitting golf! Now, I'm the first one to say do what makes you happy, but I really wish Sergio would stick with golf and just change how he feels about it. I think he's turned golf into a chore, like cleaning my cat's litter box, when he should probably try to get back to a time when golf was a fun game.

In those immortal words by the Partridge Family, "Come on get happy!"

British Open so far

2010-07-16T19:00:00.002-04:00

Early this morning I turned the tv on to watch a little bit of the British Open. Louis Oosthuizen (spelled that right without looking) was leading at -12 and I said to Winnie, PJ and Parker (my dogs and cat) that I thought -12 could be leading after round two. And it looks like I might be right on that. I didn't expect Rory McIlroy to shoot an 80 though. I figured he might be a couple under par at best and maybe a couple over par at worst. Yesterday the announcers said the golfers who had good weather on Thursday would have good weather on Friday. But from what I could tell, no one had good weather today. Some other good stories to follow this year are Mark Calcavecchia, John Daly and Steven Tiley. I'm really thrilled that John Daly is doing so well. He's worked really hard to turn his golf game and his life around and it's about time he sees some positive results.

I thought it was interesting that at the start of the day today, it only took Mark Calcavecchia's group just under four hours to play a round of golf, but on the PGA Tour network this evening, they said it was taking Tiger Woods' group over 6 hours (7 if you add in some kind of delay). I like Calcavecchia's get 'er done attitude.

Some scores so far:

Miguel Angel Jimenez -5 and T6
Graeme McDowell -5 and T6
Martin Kaymer -4 T15
John Daly -2 T28
Sergio Garcia -2 T28

I had to look up Sergio's score. I haven't heard anyone talk about him these last two days. It got to a point where I wondered if he was even playing this year, but then I remembered a picture of him in the USA Today paper on Thursday.

I might watch some this weekend. It depends on how much coverage they devote to Tiger. I liked hearing Mike Tirico, Andy North and Judy Rankin again. They really are great announcers/analysts.

Just How Good is Steve Stricker?

2010-07-11T07:46:00.002-04:00

I've had no phone service since Wednesday which also means no internet access. So, I actually spent some time watching golf this weekend. Steve Stricker is playing phenomenal golf at the John Deere Classic. He has to be one of the best all around players on tour and hopefully he will now get some of the attention he deserves.

Instead of figuring the #1 ranking on money, they should instead factor in those qualities that make a person a well-rounded, respected individual. Good values mean a lot more at the end of the day, or the end of a career, than a long number with a dollar sign in front. And I'm betting guys like Steve Stricker already know that.

4th of July

2010-07-04T19:31:00.002-04:00

Justin Rose, of Great Britain, won the AT&T National today, a rebound of sorts from last week's final round troubles. Could it be that this year we might have a Player of the Year based on heart and intestinal fortitude rather than bank accounts and political clout? I hope so. There've been a lot of good players over the last decade who haven't had the recognition they deserve. Maybe this year will be Justin's.

Over in France, Miguel Angel Jimenez won that tournament in a playoff against Canizares and Molinari. Way to go for Jimenez who hasn't been lighting up the tour lately. Jose Maria Olazabal had rounds of 82, 70 the first two days. That second round proves just what kind of spectacular player he is. He will play in the Pro-Am this week in Ireland.

Round Up

2010-06-27T20:22:00.002-04:00

Bubba Watson won his first tournament ever as a pro today at the Travelers Championship. Good for him. He's a good guy who plays golf with a "hold my drink and watch this" attitude which is way more fun for the spectators than the "ooh, better play it safe and protect my fed ex cup points" approach.

The European Tour saw a first time winner today too in David Horsey. Congratulations to him too.

Interestingly, both tournaments had third round leaders who fell back in the final round.

And according to this article, Jose Maria Olazabal plans to play in the French Open. I really hope he can put his ailments behind him and play well. Golf misses the two time Masters winner and Ryder Cup legend. So do I.

US Open

2010-06-21T06:28:00.001-04:00

Congratulations to Graeme McDowell on his US Open win. I didn't watch any of the tournament but did check out the scores periodically last night. It was great seeing two European Tour guys at the top of the board in McDowell and Havret.

Good Luck With That...

2010-05-28T19:18:00.002-04:00

I just read this little blurb that said Colin Montgomerie is planning on giving Sergio Garcia a Ryder Cup Pep Talk. This on the heels of Sergio 'reportedly' stating that if he didn't feel his form was good enough for the Ryder Cup would consider not accepting a wild card if offered one.

Is Colin Montgomerie the right guy to give anyone a pep talk? I don't think I've ever seen him happy. Well, he probably was the day they gave him the Ryder Cup Captaincy. But Pollyanna he isn't.

Personally, I think it's just fine if Sergio does in fact opt out of the Ryder Cup if he feels his level of play is not the best. Maybe Martin Kaymer might actually get on the team this time after being a little snubbed last time (yes, I know he was invited to watch the event. That's like inviting Miss America's first runner up to come and watch Miss America participate in a photo shoot with Brad Pitt.) Frankly, it's a sign of just how much the Ryder Cup means to Sergio if he makes way for someone playing better to participate. The important thing is for the team to win, not so much for this player or that player to participate.

Olazabal Wins Again!

2010-05-21T20:27:00.004-04:00

Here's a brief report on Jose Maria Olazabal's success at the Wentworth Pro-Am. I am so happy that he found some success this week while battling his ailments.

Maybe It's About Job Satisfaction

2010-05-11T16:42:00.002-04:00

I found out this morning that Hank Haney has 'resigned' as Tiger's coach. There's a lot of speculation floating around on the web, along with a lot of negative comments. Well, here's my take on it: How much satisfaction can Hank Haney actually get from working with Tiger Woods? The guy's the #1 player in the world. There isn't a lot of room for improvement there. I think Haney actually got some 'hey this feels great' emotions from working with Barkley and Romano and he's probably decided that he would rather work with really bad players so he can see that what he does is making a difference. Unfortunately, during his time with Tiger, Haney never did stop Tiger from hitting the gallery folks in the head with the golf balls. I may still need a helmet if I go to Bridgestone this year and Tiger shows up.

A Very Popular Win

2010-05-09T19:26:00.002-04:00

I got to watch both the third and fourth rounds of the Players Championship this week and I was fortunate to see Tim Clark finally get a US PGA Tour win. And what a win it is - the Players Championship. Tim played great all day, as did Robert Allenby who had a chance to win the tournament too. Lee Westwood had another tough final round and wasn't able to finish off the tournament the way he wanted to.

I had a lot of fun watching this event this year. There were a lot of good stories to keep an eye on. And I didn't hear very much about Tiger all weekend. Yes, he withdrew today with an alleged injury, but NBC didn't harp on it. They noted it and then moved on to cover the golf. NBC has the best golf coverage with the Golf Channel's European Tour announcers coming in second.

Checking out the Golf Channel's postgame coverage now. They are trying to cover the actual golf news but they did take some time to discuss Tiger's situation. It's funny how some of them are acting like Tiger betrayed them by not disclosing this injury sooner. LOL. They were very willing to do whatever Tiger wanted before the scandal. They never posed tough questions to him and never challenged him in any way. Now they think he somehow should have to answer to the media for everything. The media helped create the Tiger Woods persona they are now criticising. I think they should accept that and not act like victims whenever Tiger decides to keep some things private.

Masters Thoughts

2010-04-11T19:04:00.002-04:00

There shouldn't be too many of these thoughts since I only watched the last 40 minutes or so. I checked the leaderboard and saw that Anthony Kim was already in the clubhouse at -12 so I knew Tiger wasn't going to win and could then watch the rest of the tournament.

Unfortunately, I tuned in just before they interviewed Tiger. So, I had to switch the channel and ended up watching a little bit of Judge Judy. Which is pretty funny when you think that maybe what Tiger needs is Judge Judy yelling at him.

Where did Phil Mickelson find all of those putts? He wasn't putting like that earlier in the year. I watched the highlights of his round and it seems like this tournament/round was just meant to be for him. No bogeys and some amazing recovery shots.

Wonder if Lee Westwood had a chance to talk to Phil about his choice of wedges since Westwood had plenty to say about it earlier in the year when the whole groovy groove thing was going on.

It is fitting that Phil should win since he has such a wholesome family and relationship with his wife. This is the statement that the PGA Tour needs to be making to the world, especially the mainstream media who would have never covered any golf if it hadn't been for scandal.

And I have to single out Fred Couples 6th place finish and Matteo's low amateur honor. How great are those accomplishments?

Hey, Me Too

2010-03-17T20:40:00.002-04:00

I just read this article which reports Jose Maria Olazabal will miss the Masters this year due to his rheumatism problems. I'll be missing the Masters too but for a different reason. I have no plans to watch Tiger play. And Olazabal may actually be one of the lucky golfers by not being there to have to deal with the media circus that will undoubtedly converge on Augusta. The non-sports media may not be allowed on the grounds, but the Masters people can't control the whole town and surrounding areas. I'm sure the golfers competing this year will have to deal with a bunch of media nonsense.

And really, is the Masters really the best time for Tiger to return? Women go there to protest the unequal treatment of not being allowed to play the course. Tiger's not exactly Mr. Respect the Woman these days. I can't see this going well. Good thing I'll be missing it.

Great News!!!

2010-03-16T20:33:00.002-04:00

No, not that news that was announced today on major tv networks.

I'm talking about the news I just read about Sergio Garcia. He's going to play the Greenbrier Classic this year! Yes indeed, Sergio's coming to WV!

Now, do I go to that tournament, somewhere I've never been and would undoubtedly get lost, or do I go to Bridgestone again?

I may not go anywhere if I can't get a dog sitter.

Out of Touch

2010-03-14T20:24:00.002-04:00

I didn't watch any golf this weekend. I heard that it was raining in both PGA Tour events and I didn't want to be depressed by the rain. My mind is already on summer and warm, sunny weather.

An Update on Seve

2010-03-07T19:35:00.002-05:00

I found this article that contains an update on Seve Ballesteros. Apparently there is going to be a special 4 hole event on the eve of this year's British Open in which Seve plans to take part. I hope he continues to do well with his health and I hope he does well at this special event.

Wow, How Cranky

2010-03-05T19:18:00.002-05:00

I was watching the Honda Classic on the Golf Channel earlier and was surprised at how bitter and cranky Brandel Chamblee has become. He used to be more personable. Graeme McDowell called a penalty on himself and Brandel still chastised him. I don't know what's wrong with him but he needs to find some happiness in his life.

Olazabal and McGinley Health Concerns

2010-03-01T19:32:00.002-05:00

I just read a column from a British Online News website that discussed Jose Maria Olazabal's and Paul McGinley's health problems and how they could impact their chances at captaining future Ryder Cup teams. Olazabal is apparently still battling tendonitis brought on by his rheumatism and Paul McGinley is recovering from a knee surgery. The idea being that the captain would be chosen because he has a close relationship to the players and these two wouldn't be on tour playing due to their injuries. I hope both recover and get back out on the course. The column also suggests that Colin Montgomerie would have a problem with Ian Poulter being on his Ryder Cup team since some people think they don't get along. I really think this Ryder Cup is going to go America's way. And I'm a true European Team fan.

I would provide a link to the column but it goes on to speculate on Tiger Woods and I'm not going to promote that. You all can google it and find the column if you want to read more.

Another NBC Criticism

2010-02-28T19:58:00.002-05:00

Back in time, after 9-11, the media repeatedly showed the WTC attack video until finally they, or public backlash, decided that it was not in good taste to keep showing the video that recorded so many lives lost. This weekend, NBC brought the footage out and showed it repeatedly during a feature on Newfoundland.

I bring this up because NBC has been making a big effort to tell the viewers that they aren't going to show the luger death video whenever they talk about him (of course this was after several airings in the first day or so after the incident). I wonder just how long NBC's decorum will last this time. Probably until 2014.

They say time heals all wounds. Unfortunately, it also seems to nullify some promises too.

Darn the Stats

2010-02-27T21:51:00.001-05:00

I heard on PGA Tour Radio Network today that if Rickie Fowler wins this week he will be the youngest winner on Tour, setting a new record and knocking Tiger off that particular podium. I didn't like Fowler much before, but I might have to cheer for him this week just to see a Tiger record fall.