I hope you caught the final round of the Colonial. It was was very entertaining with Tim Clark, Rod Pampling, and Phil Mickelson all tied for the lead on the final hole. Pampling and Clark both par, but Phil hit an amazing iron shot over trees to 9 ft from the flag and sank the putt to win. The announcers didn’t even think it was an option and that he would either chip out or pay a big slice. Phil is going to miss sometimes and it is those few times that he failed spectacularly that are remembered. Still, it is moments like these that make us all realize Phil still has it and is willing to take risks (necessary or not) to win.
This has to give him good feelings going into the U.S. Open next month. If you missed the coverage, here are some highlights:
Golf is such a great sport. In a time of overpaid athletes being arrested and acting unruly in their lives off the playing field, we were given a picture of how much a Master’s Championship would mean to those who play for the title on Sunday afternoon.
I congratulate Trevor Immelman on his green jacket. He will be an excellent role model to kids and I have no doubt he will be a big star.
At the same time, I was truly taken back by Brandt Snedeker the whole week. What a great story he is. He loves the game, appreciates the fans, and plays his heart out. His show of emotion afterwards truly shows how much this tournament and other majors mean to the players. I have a feeling Brandt will have a few green jackets to hang in his closet before he hangs up his clubs.
While we can all argue about how many Tiger will win by, I am going to choose the field over Tiger this week.
In my heart of hearts I think Tiger will definitely be in the top 5, but I really feel like someone is going to step up this week.
Honestly, I am rooting for Ernie Els. He wants a Green Jacket awfully bad and I think his time has come. He has had Butch Harmon take a look at his swing recently and this could be just the right recipe for Ernie going into the tournament. I don’t see Ernie running away with it, but possibly dueling with someone down the stretch. If I had to choose someone that Ernie would go head to head with, it would be Adam Scott. He is just playing too good right now and I think his game suits this course very well. If he can drop some putts, he’ll be in it on the back nine on Sunday.
I love the Masters because it reminds us that golf season is actually here.
I also looking forward to the expanded coverage we can all view on masters.org with live coverage of Amen corner as well as other parts of the tournament throughout the day tomorrow.
After watching a segment on Elk vs. Bubba on TGC I had a few thoughts of my own.
For background, Elk (Steve Elkington) apparently was walking while Bubba (Watson) was swinging during a round (I believe Friday) at New Orleans. Bubba then happened to throw a fit which TV cameras happened to capture. I am not sure how much of it Elk caught, but it was not very gentleman like for Bubba to respond in such a way. Elk is not without blame either and walking during a players swing where Bubba can see with his peripheral vision is not proper etiquette. After all, the gallery is asked to stand still, why not Elk?
At the end of the round, Elk simply walked off the 18th without sharing a handshake with either Bubba or Shigeki Maruyama. Cameras then caught Elk and Bubba arguing in the scoring shack. This is a bit more private, but they could have waited until they each got to the clubhouse where they could air their grievances man on man.
Frankly, if I were Finchem, I would fine them both 5k for not acting in accordance with tour values (not sure if that is the proper language, but I am sure there is a rule for players out there Finchem could use). I find both of their behavior in poor taste and they do a disservice to the Tour.
From what the commentators were saying on TGC (The Golf Channel), neither are well liked on tour and after a display like this it is easy to see why.
Andres Romero held on yesterday to win the Zurich Classic. I enjoyed watching his swing and thought other amateurs should take notice. His inside-out back and forward swing is a picture many amateurs, especially ones that come over the top, need to embed in their minds.
The inside out swing allows for a more consistent hit due to the heavier reliance on bigger muscle groups in your core. It also produces a low draw which is far more consistent than most fade shots. Few people can control a fade with consistency, Nicklaus for one.
**Update:
Tiger as well as all affected players were flown on a private jet from Miami to Orlando and by helicopter landing right on the golf course. Tiger landed at 1242pm, teeing of less than an hour later. He must’ve been bushed, but Isleworth still had a great day.
As most of you know, the WGC CA Championships will be completed tomorrow (Monday) with the leaders still having nine holes to play. What is interesting is that some of the players are also supposed to play at the Tavistock Cup in Orlando on Monday as well.
A press release today from the Tavistock Cup states they are pushing back their start times 2.5 hours to account for the WGC delay. Still, this only allows Tiger Woods two hours and ten minutes to get from Miami to Orlando and on the first tee at 142pm. Tiger is slated to go out in the first group with John Cook as his playing partner.
Other players who are going to have to beat feet to Orlando from Miami are Retief Goosen (230pm tee time), Nick O’Hern (218 tee time), and Daniel Chopra (206pm tee time). Justin Rose was able to finish today and will most likely only be a bit tired when he tees it up tomorrow. Ben Curtis is also scheduled to play and he is traveling back from the Puerto Rico Open tonight. I imagine he’ll also be dragging.
Congrats to Greg Kraft on winning the Puerto Rico Open. I am sure he is on cloud nine after going through all he has in the last few years.
I am really looking forward to Sunday on the PGA TOUR. Sure, I’ll flip to basketball at commercials, but let’s face it Tiger is playing and he is behind. My hope is that Ogilvie challenges Tiger and we have a finish as exciting as last week at Bay Hill.
I was also quite entertained watching the Puerto Rico Open. There are some great young players and these secondary tournaments allow for a glimpse at who else can play. It is notable that Ryan Blaum is in contention. He was a former 1st team all-american at Duke in ‘05, but holds no status on any tour this year. He was a Monday qualifier for this event and is playing with a lot of confidence. Bo Van Pelt seems to be stringing together some good rounds and I’ll be happy for either player to win.
For all of you who have watched their brackets blow up, give golf a chance tomorrow.
The Tiger lovefest continues. I am going to have to go with Tiger for this weeks event at Doral. Other players seem to wet themselves when Tiger gets within five shots, so until someone steps up to the plate, I am keeping my bets on Tiger.
I would also watch out for Sean O’Hair. He has been playing well of late and I get the feeling he might be the one to step up in the near future. Obviously, he didn’t do it last week, but I think all the ingredients are there.
If you missed the last 9 holes of Bay Hill today, you missed a treat. There was nothing terribly spectacular until Tiger came to the 18th tied with Bart Bryant who was in the clubhouse. Tiger hit a perfect 3-Wood up the left side of the fairway leaving him a decent angle into the pin.
Tiger’s second shot was well executed taking the water in mind and leaving him with a chance for birdie from a little over 20-feet. In such a fitting way to close the tournament, Tiger was able to make the only 20 foot plus putt he made all week and navigate about 18 inches of break to lag the ball into the hole on what might have been its last revolution.
I hope everyone realizes what Tiger is to the game and how we may never see anyone else in our lifetimes play at this lever. His play was magnificent and it was a pleasure to watch.
