Twitter Updates for 2009-09-24

• Oktoberfest at Dove Canyon CC (Orange County, CA) – Friday, October 9th starting at 5 p.m. Click for full details http://twitpic.com/ivrfs #

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Rain Soaked PGA Tour Championship

One lucky golfer will get paid $2.5 million per round at this week’s Tour Championship at East Lake. The FEDEX Cup is up for grabs because of changes made and several top ranked golfers have a chance to win it all. Heavy rain and flooding have soaked the Atlanta area in the recent days and will certainly give an advantage to the long hitters. Players like Jim Furyk and Zach Johnson may struggle to keep up with Tiger, and it may provide an opportunity for underdog Dustin Johnson to contend.

After Tiger Woods dominated the last FEDEX Cup event everyone is looking at him to win the Tour Championship and seal yet another Player of the Year award. He will have to fight for the title however. This year has shown that other players are ready to step up and compete with the world number one. Rookie sensation Marc Leishman looks to continue his magical run after a tie for second and the BMW to get into this weeks field.Padraig Harrington can still win the cup even though he has not won up to this point in the season.

There is no doubt that everyone is gunning for Tiger this week. With this being the last event of the season for many of the top ranked golfers many players will be leaving everything on the course. Add a $10 million check to the mix and we should get one interesting week of golf.

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Stay sharp this off-season

Unfortunately for many golfers in the north the season is coming to close. Many find that is takes months every spring to get their game back and the long winter months. This off season take a little time and keep your game sharp. It can be done indoors and will make your comeback easy next spring. If you are able to play during the winter months don’t worry about what you shoot. It is very possible to lose quite a few strokes when the game gets rusty. It is best to concentrate on the quality of shots rather than stressing over the score. Get out as much as possible, even if it just for a quick nine holes.

One of the best off season activities is simply hitting putts in the living room. In fact it is beneficial to work on your putting stroke without worrying about making putts. There are basically two factors that go into making putts, the stroke and the ability to read greens. By perfecting your stroke in the off season it leaves one less thing to worry about come spring. There are many great putting aids that can be used indoors. Find one that works on the plane of the stroke. This will help you keep, or learn, the feel of a consistent stroke this off-season.

Another great aid is a pack of table tennis balls from the sporting goods store. These are great for practicing chipping inside. Always be sure you have enough room to swing without breaking anything valuable. Practice hitting low and high chip shots and hitting them into a waste basket or onto a chair or couch. They are great because they react much like a golf ball but only travel a few feet. This is also a great way to practice new chip or flop shots.

The last is the simplest of them all. Swing a club as often as possible. Even if it is in your garage on a piece of old carpet. This will help keep the feel of a solid swing fresh throughout the winter.

By following these simple steps you may find that weeks, or even months, are saved when the season rolls around. A good short came can make up a lot of strokes so take the time to learn how to hit a new chip or pitch this off-season. The results will be well worth the small amount of effort.

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New Ground For Tiger

For the first time ever a healthy Tiger Woods is simply getting out played. Poor putting, by his standards, has allowed Steve Stricker to take over the FEDEX Cup points lead heading into the BMW Championship. In a season with five wins, but no majors, Tiger can’t seem to find his typical magic on the greens we have all become so accustomed to. Tiger and Steve Stricker will play together for the first two days as the pairing are arranged by the points rankings.

Stricker has been impressive in the playoffs once again with a win and a second place finish. Stricker had two wins on the season, and opportunity for several more, has been nailing the shots under pressure to not only catch but pass Tiger Woods. The golf world has been waiting for someone to compete with Tiger for years. Perhaps now there is a group of players that can do just that. It seems as thought the rest of the PGA Tour is finally starting to see that Tiger can be beat. Something that he never allowed in the past.

With two weeks remaining before the Cup is handed out, along with the $10 million winners purse, and Tiger has plenty of time to rebound. While his putting stroke looks as strong as ever his reading of greens seems to be the problem. Perhaps returning to Cog Hill, where he has won in the past, will give him the confidence to regain the points lead.

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Stricker Strong as FEDEX Cup Continues

Steve Stricker continued his playoff run with an eight under round at the TPC of Boston. Playing with Tiger Woods and Heath Slocum, Stricker carded eight birdies to take the early lead. Heat Slocum, who made a par putt to win at last weeks tournament, joined Woods and Stricker and shot a very respectable two-under round with Woods finishing at one-under.

Ninety-nine players will fight for seventy spots for next weeks event at Cog Hill outside of Chicago. The field will be narrowed down to thirty spots for the Tour Championship the following week.  The FEDEX Cup points system was changed again this year to put an emphasis on the four playoff events. Anyone in the top five can win the Cup with a win at the Tour Championship. The new point system also allows players to make huge jumps in the points race. Last week Heat Slocum jumped from 124th to 3rd on the list with his win in New Jersey. He made the playoff tournaments by one spot and will now play in all four events. These changes were introduced to create a closer race and the end of the playoff run.

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Twitter Updates for 2009-09-02

• NY & NJ Golfers: Come Support Tee It Up for The Troops Golf Tournament at Beaver Brook CC – Monday, October 19th. http://twitpic.com/g4a0j #

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