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Archive for the ‘PGA TOUR’ Category
Thursday, March 11th, 2010
Tiger Woods is apparently ready to make his comeback this month at the Arnold Palmer invitational. While the news is still in the rumor stages, it seems that this date would make sense if he plans to play in the Masters. It is likely that Woods would want to get a tournament or two in before the first major of the year. Many had speculated he may take the entire 2010 season off. Whenever he comes back there will still be unanswered questions. There is no doubt that he will avoid the media and reject any questions regarding the scandal or his family.
The PGA Tour can certainly gain from an earlier comeback. Woods draws larger audiences than any other golfer and a field is not considered complete until he tees off. There is no doubt that Tiger wants to catch Jack Nicklaus and obtain the one record he does not have yet, 18 major championships. If he comes back this early and is ready to play, the media circus may leave in a hurry.
Tags: Arnold Palmer, invitatioal, Tiger Woods, Tiger Woods comeback
Posted in FEDEX Cup, PGA TOUR | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010
A man playing a yellow ball and another draped in pink clothing made the Accenture quite a tournament last week. Tim Clark was playing with a new yellow Srixon ball, not sure that will catch on. Ian Poulter claimed the championship in his usual pink attire from his own clothing line. Poulter was strong all week and beat Paul Casey, a fellow Brit, in the finals. Foreign players reigned supreme with the Americans having a very poor showing. It was a week of highs, lows, sun and rain. For a brief period the wind and rain picked up and it resulted in some pretty embarrassing shots. It just goes to show that it can get cold in Arizona and even the best will pay the consequences when they are not prepared.
This week everyone heads two hours north to the Waste Management Open. It is loud, crazy, and packed with college kids and tourists. We will have a full picture review posted Thursday that will give you a little taste of the grounds and some pictures of players bags and equipment.
Posted in PGA TOUR | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
Tiger is finally breaking his silence this Friday. What will he say? It is sure to be little more than an apology and perhaps a date for his return to the PGA Tour. Given his actions and the months of silence there is not a lot that he can say that will come as a surprise to anybody. The press conference is being completely controlled by the Tiger team of media gurus and agents. There is a little chance he will take any difficult questions and given his past he will most likely say that he will never speak of the situation with media again.
The timing of the press conference is also a bit sinister. It will occur during this week’s Accenture Match Play Championship. Accenture was one of the first sponsors to drop Tiger Woods after his accident, and affairs, in November. The only good that come out of this is closure and a return to the Tour for Tiger. While he made idiotic mistakes, the game truly is not the same without him.
Tags: Accenture Match Play, Tiger Woods, Tiger Woods Press Conference
Posted in PGA TOUR | No Comments »
Monday, February 15th, 2010
The PGA Tour heads to Arizona for two straight weeks in a rare contrast of events. First up is the Accenture World Match Play just north of Tucson. It will bring the best in the world, almost, in match play format that always leads to some exciting golf. The course is long and showcases greens with more break than perhaps any other course on the regular rotation. Geoff Ogilvy looks to defend just two hours from his U.S. home.
Two weeks from now is the always crazy Waste Management Open, formerly the FBR Open. The top players who choose to stick around following the Accenture will go from a quiet mountain setting to a loud and out of control course. TPC Scottsdale will be packed with ASU students and nearly everyone else in the Phoenix area. Most days the crowds are 100,000+ strong and a quarter of those will be surrounding the always exciting 16th. The only hole on tour that looks more like a stadium than a golf course and is constantly noisy.
The next two weeks on Tour will show polar opposites in tournament and format experiences. With the first event starting with just 64 players and a couple thousand spectators to a full field party the following week.
Posted in FEDEX Cup, PGA TOUR | No Comments »
Sunday, January 31st, 2010
Ben Crane ended a five year drought on the PGA Tour with a win at the Farmer’s Insurance Open. Crane was able to hold off Marc Leishman by one stroke. Many of you may remember Leishman from his fantastic run in last year’s FEDEX Cup playoff which secured his tour card for the 2010 season. While Crane won the tournament the biggest news of the week was regarding the wedges of one Mr. Phil Mickelson. Phil decided to use wedges from Ping that are older than many of the players on the Tour this season. In a complicated loophole in the rules; a lawsuit filed against the USGA by Ping allows their Eye 2 wedges, produced in the more than twenty years ago, to be exempt from the 2010 groove restrictions.
Many people have their opinions and they range from declaring him an outright cheater, to others who believe he is doing nothing wrong. While this debate can go on forever the fact is that he is not breaking any rules according to the USGA. Other players and fans may not agree, but the bottom line is he can play them all year if he chooses. I don’t believe the groove rule should have ever been enacted so I applaud him for shoving it back in the face of the USGA, an organization that seems to make it as difficult as possible to play by the rules. Having said that it his decisions may show some poor taste given the current state of affairs on the PGA Tour. Without Tiger in the picture it seems as though the PGA may have a rough year.
I am in no way condoning what Tiger Wood’s did in his personal life. However, it does remain his personal life and it should not detract from the fact the he is the greatest golfer to ever live. He lives a life that few others have to live and clearly did not handle his personal life as many expected him to. He has let down millions of fans, sponsors and more importantly his family. It is now time to move on. The fact is the PGA Tour needs Tiger Woods to thrive. He has given golf the excitement that kept it from being considered a mainstream, or cool, sport for so many years. Tiger needs to come back so Phil can have someone to take the heat off his wedge situation.
While many have speculated that he may not return in 2010 I have to disagree. Whenever he comes back he will face the backlash for months or years to come so he might as well get it over with. I just can’t picture Woods missing a Master’s in April. So until he makes his return we will continue to talk about Phil’s wedges look for a newcomer to make a rise to the top.
Posted in FEDEX Cup, Golf Equipment, Golf Rules, Major Articles, PGA TOUR, San Diego Golf Courses | 1 Comment »
Thursday, January 14th, 2010
It appears that we may finally have some young guys on the PGA Tour that can compete with the top golfers in the world. Rory McIlroy, 20, leads the charge towards the top of the world rankings. McIlroy is currently ranked tenth in the world and is poised to have a breakout year. After a fantastic amateur career, which included a brief stint at number one in the world, McIlroy broke through last year with a win on the European Tour in Dubai. He looks to continue his rise and winning ways on the PGA Tour in 2010.
While Rory McIlroy may be at the top of the class there is no shortage of talented young players. Rickie Fowler, 21, was the top ranked amateur for some 36 weeks two years ago. At the end of last season he proved he belonged on the big stage after nearly winning in Scottsdale. Fowler will make his 2010 debut today in Hawaii.
This year on the PGA Tour appears to have all the players for a major power shift. While it seems that Tiger will never give up his top spot, and he is still the worlds best player, it remains to be seen how long he will be out. It is doubtful that he will miss any big tournaments or majors but nobody can say for sure. At the moment the timing may be perfect for a young star to steal the limelight and perhaps a sponsorship deal or two away from the veterans.
Posted in FEDEX Cup, Golf-News, PGA TOUR | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 30th, 2009
Roughly a week away from the beginning of the new season it remains to be seen just what kind of impact the Tiger scandal will have on his schedule. Given his limited number of tournaments on a yearly basis he may not be seen until the Masters, in April. Just because Tiger is missing does not mean there won’t be great golf tournaments.
Some changes have been made to the schedule, such as Waste Management taking over as title sponsor for the FBR Open and the date being pushed back a month. Two goals will hopefully be accomplished by this move; putting an end to frost delays and getting a stronger field. The Waste Management Open will now be played the week after the WGC match play which is just north of Tucson. The hope is that with the top 64 players in the world an hour away to the week before, more will stick around for the WM Open. The tournament is famous for having outrageous crowds of over 100,000 a day and some 25,000+ on the 16th hole alone.
The player to watch has to be Phil Mickelson after his strong finish in 2009. If Tiger stays away for an extended period of time and Phil plays as well as he did last year we could have a new number one golfer in the world. Adam Scott seems to be coming back after a terrible year with some solid finishes in the fall. It seems as though every year on the PGA Tour the tournaments are more exciting and the fields are more evenly matched. Look for the spring schedule to bring some great tournaments to your TV.
The 2010 USGA Groove Rule also takes effect January 1. We may not see the full extent of the change until this spring and summer when the Tour heads to courses with long, thick rough. There is no doubt that it will have some affect but it may be hard to notice to those of us watching at home.
Overall the new season will have plenty of drama. Tiger will most likely have to dodge questions for his first few tournaments and Phil is playing the best golf of his life. It all sets up for a great year for golf fans.
Posted in FEDEX Cup, Golf Equipment, Golf Rules, PGA TOUR | No Comments »
Monday, November 30th, 2009
It is perhaps the most media attention a slow speed, single-car accident has ever received. After an early morning crash last Friday, Tiger Woods has refused meetings with police on three different occasions. With rumors of prescription medicine, an affair, and domestic abuse all flying details are still at a minimum. In statement on his website, the golfer took full responsibility for the accident but failed to provide any details. It appears the Tiger camp has said as much as they are willing to divulge.
Shutting the media out after an incident of this nature typically does not work well for celebrities, but Tiger is not the average celebrity. The world’s most famous athlete guards his privacy vehemently. Something he has been quite successful with up until this point. In an incident like this in a celebrity obsessed society may be tougher to swipe under the rug. With Tiger scheduled to play, and host, in the Chevron World Championship this week it will be hard to dodge the questions and murmurs.
As of now it is a waiting game. The Florida Highway Patrol has stated the investigation will continue. It appears the media will continue to dig as well.
Tags: Chevron World Challenge, Tiger Woods accident
Posted in PGA TOUR | No Comments »
Friday, November 27th, 2009
Tiger Woods was injured in an early morning car crash near his Florida home. According to early reports he suffered facial lacerations and has been released from the hospital. The injuries were listed as serious on the police report but details are not yet available. The car he was driving hit a fire hydrant and a tree near his Windermere home, alcohol was not a contributing factor in the collision. Tiger is scheduled to play next week at the Chevron World Championship in California.
Tags: PGA TOUR, Tiger Woods
Posted in Golf-News, PGA TOUR | No Comments »
Monday, November 16th, 2009
In the past two weeks Tiger Woods made trips to China and Australia and managed to come home with a new trophy to add to his case. Playing in the JB Were Masters in Melbourne Tiger outlasted a mostly Australian field that included Geoff Ogilvy, Aaron Baddeley, Adam Scott, and Nationwide Tour ace Michael Sim. Tiger edged Greg Chalmers by two strokes finishing the week at 14 under par. After Phil Mickelson won the previous week in China, Tiger further separated the top two ranked players from the rest of the world. Tiger and Phil seem to be doing their best to match each other going into the 2010 season. Unfortunately, due to Tiger’s limited schedule, we may not see any great battles until next spring. If things continue to pan out as they did this fall it will be well worth the wait.
Posted in PGA TOUR | No Comments »
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