The Rogers News

Tag: pga tour

  • 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.

  • Funny Quotes From Boo

    Book Weekley, one of the guys representing the U.S. in the Omega Mission Hills World Cup played in China November 22 – 25, is notorious for his quotes. Here’s a recent sample:

    Q: Boo?
    BOO WEEKLEY: I’m excited to go over there, and like Heath said, it’s an honor to represent your country. I wouldn’t have gone by myself, though; it’s not that I didn’t want to represent my country, but I ain’t into traveling, especially during hunting season.

    Q: What season is it?
    BOO WEEKLEY: Deer.

    Q: It would be deer season if you were at home now?
    BOO WEEKLEY: I would have gotten up at 4:30 in the morning, and I’d probably still be in the woods right now.

    Q: You would be looking around and —
    BOO WEEKLEY: I’d be up a tree, about 35, 40 feet.

  • The PGA Tour Season Is Cooked

    The 2007 PGA Tour season is cooked. Done. Finis. The Fall Series has finally limped to a close and the top 125 spots are set. You would have had to win at least $785,180 to make keep your card. Even more impressive, ninety-nine players made over $1,000,000 this season. I don’t know what the expenses are, but even after taxes, travel and caddy expenses, they’re making a good living. (Their job is golf – I would kill for that.)

    Stephen Ames won at Disney yesterday. He seems like the kind of guy who should win “Disney.” Nice, big smile – really big smile.

    So, what now?

    I suggest you take some time away from the boob-tube and play some real golf. If it’s too damn cold out, here’s the Silly Season line-up:

    ADT Skills Challenge – Played on November 5 -6, but not aired until December 29 -30. This is like The Golf Channel’s Big Break with PGA Tour pros.

    Why I’ll watch: Greg Norman is slated to play.

    Wendy’s 3 Tour Challenge – November 12 – 13. I’d like to see more tournaments that pit the three major U.S. professional golf tours – PGA, SPGA, LPGA – against one another. Or some combination thereof. It’s fun to see the strengths and weaknesses of the women vs seniors vs men.

    Why I’ll watch: Cool to see the three tours playing on one course.

    OMEGA Mission Hills World Cup – November 22 – 25. This isn’t so silly, but it’s not that big of a draw for players. Boo Weekley, who would rather be hunting, and Heath Slocum will represent the U.S.

    Why I’ll watch: The event is being played in China.

    LG Skins Game – November 24 -25. This is the grand daddy of all the off season. It’s like the off season major, but it means absolutely nothing, except maybe to Freddy Couples who dominates this event year after year.

    Why I’ll watch: Couples is playing. Again.

    Merrill Lynch Shootout – December 7 – 9. Greg Norman hosts as player-pairs vie for silly season glory in three rounds of alternate shot, better-ball, and scramble play.

    Why I’ll watch: Good field and fun format to watch.

    Target World Challenge – December 13 – 16. This is Tiger’s tournament and it will be his first appearance after his longest break as a professional. The purse is $5.75M for a invitational field of eighteen.

    Why I’ll watch: Tiger Woods will be playing.

  • Fry’s Electronics Open

    The Fry’s Electronics Open starts today in Scottsdale, AZ. Phil Mickelson is a playing, so that’s kind of a reason to watch a Fall Series event. If you care about who keeps their tour card, then that’s another reason to watch. A lot of golf blogs are smothering the issue of what players are on the bubble.

    Use your imagination to make the remaining few weeks of the PGA Tour’s 2007 season matter.

    These guys’ lives are on the line. If they don’t make the cut, they’re either heading back to Q-School or hunting around for sponsor’s exemptions for a year. Their livelihood is at stake. A guy could be having a baby and need to secure his card to feed the kid. Or he could be waiting on that big win to buy an engagement ring for his sweetheart.

    The failure or success of these pursuits is televised. Live. Love could go unanswered. Children could starve. Tune in.

  • Where Have All The Characters Gone?

    One of my favorite TV shows lately is HBO’s “Deadwood,” a Western set in the 1870s in what later became South Dakota. The strength of the show lies with its characters, the prime example being Al Swearengen, a saloon owner and general overseer of the town. Al’s authenticity jumps off of the screen. He is cruel, funny and intelligent all at once. And that’s before he’s opened his mouth to swear at you and offer you a drink.

    When I watch golf, I’m watching for entertainment. As a good golfer, the players’ performances go a long way towards accomplishing that goal. However, to a less dedicated golfer or to a non-golf fan, golf is very unwatchable. The players performances cannot be appreciated and golf doesn’t seem to conjure up that universal nostalgic feeling that baseball does for many folks. Instead, non-golf fans are left with dorky commentary and an abundance of quickly clipped shots of various no-name golfers.

    Part of the reason I became so enamored with golf in the first place was because some of the players of the past had such strong characters. They put their personalities on display instead of tucking them neatly into the side-pocket of their golf bag along with their watch and other valuables. Guys – who seemed more like guys than professionals or men – like Chi Chi Rodriguez and Lee Travino had fun with the game. They joked with the gallery and seemed to genuinely enjoy what they were doing. Even Arnold Palmer would hitch his pants for the gallery.

    You don’t see players’ personalities anymore more unless it’s in a made for TV special. Only then might they cautiously reveal that they’re wine connoisseurs or they like to snowboard. Whoopie. But, get them back on the course and it’s like they’re in a business meeting – a focus fest – an anti-smile-a-thon.

    Well, they’ve raised a lot of money lately. Maybe it’s time to give some back. Crack a smile guys. Give a fan a high-five. It’s good for the game and who knows, maybe you’ll inspire some other nine-year old kid to pick up a club and start talking up his game on the range.