Tag: Golf

Masters’ Week Coverage

I’ll be covering the Masters from my living room. My inside sources will be the ESPN / CBS television broadcast and anything I can read online. I figure if I keep my clubs nearby it’ll be better than being there. Now if I could just get my hands on a pimento cheese sandwich.

Here are some good places aside from The Yugflog Blog that you can keep up on the latest Masters news:

Masters.org – They have a great customizable live leaderboard I use every year. Also, they stream Amen Corner live as well as holes 15 and 16. If you can’t watch on TV, or if you want to supplement your TV, this is the place to go.

GolfDigest.com – They have some good “now and then” and “coming of age” stories.

Geoff Shackelford will be writing in to locations – the usual blog posts which pick apart the interview transcripts beautifully and also on a GolfDigest special called Dateline Augusta.

ESPN, of course, has some coverage, but they shuffle most of the work off to Masters.org.

If you’re visiting Augusta or, like me, trying to channel the Augusta experience to your living room, you should check out Augusta.com. They have tips on getting around Augusta, how to rent a house, and golf coverage, too.

Finally, the PGA of America has some cryptic coverage. Best thing about their site is the countdown clock.

Do you know of any other great sites to watch?

Tiger’s Threat

Tiger Woods made the following comment during the final round of the CA Championship last weekend when a photographer took a shot in his backswing:

The next time a photographer shoots a f****** picture on my backswing I’m going to break his f****** neck.

He apologized for the threat, but not the language. That sounds about right. I don’t have an issue with cussing, especially when playing a competitive sport. It’s just not a big deal. I’ve never sat courtside at a professional basketball game or stood on the sideline of a football game, but I would imagine language can get a little uncouth.

Golf being tagged as a “Gentleman’s Game” is a blessing and a curse. On one hand the visual is anything but that of what you would imagine fierce competition to look like. There’s a bunch of men in khaki pants and tucked-in shirts that can’t even carry their own bags a few miles. On the other hand, there is no other sport that demands so much of a player and, more importantly, fans and media.

There is a huge burden to shoulder as a golf fan. You have to be conscious of when and where you move at all times. Especially, if you are a photographer inside the ropes late on Sunday.

The photographer failed last Sunday and Tiger didn’t handle it well.

Looking Ahead to the Presidents Cup

It’s safe to say that the 2009 Presidents Cup will be different from any we’ve experienced to date.

The first big change is the venue. Harding Park, a municipal course owned by the city of San Francisco, will host in 2009. The Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virgina has hosted on the four occasions the Presidents Cup has been played in the United States since its inception in 1994.

Second, each team will have new captains. Freddy Couples will lead the U.S. against Greg Norman’s International team. They’re shaping up to be very different personalities than the former captains, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. While Freddy and Greg are capable and deserving of the roles, they don’t possess the same golfing gravitas that Jack and Gary do.

When asked who he was considering as an assistant captain, Freddy’s response was:

I’ve mentioned Michael Jordan as an assistant, assistant, assistant. Lately I’ve mentioned Robin Williams and the reason I say that is as Greg mentioned earlier, we’re not on any teams when you’re in the locker room. And you have people come in when you’re in the team room, I think, first of all, I love Michael Jordan, I’ve been around him. He does some things in Santa Barbara. A lot of our players know him. He’s at these events. So that’s why I bring his name up because as a team player, there’s no one any better. And I think that’s what’s the fun part.

Now the challenging part is when you’re sitting around and you’ve got nothing but time, I would like a guy like Robin Williams there to keep us loose, and that’s why I say that. Whether they are there or not, I don’t know, but I do have a great friend in mine mind to play as my teammate and hopefully pick some good guys and get some good pairings. (Link)

Possibly topping that off was Greg Norman hinting that he might select his fiancée as his assistant.

We’ve got the Ryder Cup this year, a couple FedEx Cups, eight majors, seven WGC events and about 60 PGA Tour events before the Presidents Cup is set to be played. But it’s shaping up to be an interesting tournament already.

I Picked the Winner

I was scared watching the first round of the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship. Tiger Woods looked like he was going to confuse his number one world ranking with the timing of his exit – an upsetting first-round loss to the lowest ranked player in the tournament. But, when you’re a maker of golf history, as Tiger Woods tends to be, you don’t confuse such things. Instead you tease those with lesser ability. You lure the television audience into thinking they’re seeing a historical upset, then just before it’s too late you turn it on. You light it up. You blind them with your ability.

That’s just what Tiger Woods did in his first round match against the formidable J.B. Holmes. Then he beat Aaron Oberholser 3 and 2, took two extra holes to squeak past another Aaron (Baddeley), defeated K.J. Choi 3 and 2, and disposed of the defending champion Henrik Stenson 2-up. All of the matches were close. All of the opponents gave it their best — and came up short. Two had already won on tour this year, an accomplishment possible only when Tiger Woods is not in the field.

The final match was over as soon as it started. When I woke up Sunday morning, Tiger was already two up and they’d only played four holes. The lead would only grow throughout the day until the point where Stewart Cink, eight down with seven holes to play, gave Tiger Woods a conciliatory fist-bump when Tiger’s birdie putt to tie Cink’s lipped out. Tiger closed out the match 8 and 7 on the next hole. It was the largest margin of victory in the history of the event. Only fitting that the record was set by Tiger.

With 63 PGA Tour victories, Woods has now surpassed Arnold Palmer to take fourth place alone. He’s chasing Sam Snead with 82, Jack Nicklaus with 73, and Ben Hogan with 64.

Me the Fan of Golf

The World Golf Championship Accenture Match Play is this week. Match play, for those of you who don’t know, is essentially heads up golf. Instead of trying to shoot the lowest score, golfers go head-to-head. The winner of the match moves on. Think March Madness college basketball format.

I filled out a bracket and selected Tiger Woods to win the entire tournament. He did so in 2004 and 2005, but has come up short in the last few years. You can follow my selections and comments on the tournament at my Yugflog golf blog.

Yugflog, by the way, is “Golf Guy” spelled backwards. Now you know.

Tiger vs. Federer

Who is more dominant, Tiger Woods or Roger Federer? Tiger is 30 years old. He’s been playing on the PGA Tour for ten years and has twenty years to go. Roger is 26 years old. He’s been playing on the ATP Tour for eight years and could have five to ten years left.

When we look at majors in golf, Jack Nicklaus holds the record with 18. Tiger has won 13 in ten years. Pete Sampras holds the most major titles in tennis with 13. Roger has won 12 majors in eight years as a pro.

In half as much time since his first major win, Federer has accumulated just one less major championship title than Woods. Federer has also won three majors in one year three times. Tiger has done that just once.

For four years running, Federer has won two or more majors. Tiger has only won two majors two years in a row in 2005 and 2006.

It looks like Federer is more dominant, but it is unlikely he will finish his career with more majors than Tiger. After all, the Champions Series, which is the tennis version of the Senior PGA Tour, has a minimum age of 30. The minimum age for the SPGA is 50.

Gun Blued Wilson 8802

I received my gun blued Wilson 8802 in the mail today. It looks amazing. The top-line and back are matte black. The face and sole are polished. The original putter was satin chrome. I played with it throughout high school, and it showed a great deal of wear (and abuse).

Kevin at Colbert Putter Plating did the work. There are several finishes you can choose from and you can have custom engraving and paint jobs done. I am very impressed, and can’t wait to have the putter re-shafted.