tiger: he's still the best

I picked Tiger to win the Match Play tournament, although I perhaps foolishly had him playing Vijay in the finals. After his lackluster play the past few weeks, I can only wonder if all the hype got to Vijay...

Anyway, I didn't want to talk about Vijay. Instead, Tiger deserves his due after successfully defending his Match Play title. My fellow Golf Bloggers have been pretty critical of Tiger, one even suggested something about a slump last week. Some of the criticism has been fair, but some, not. I think Tiger's driver gets a little loose, too often. And it's true that he may be coming to grips with how to balance his golf and personal life.

But, throughout it all, one thing remains the same: Tiger is the best golfer in the world, and has been for a while. His mental game is what separates him from all the elite golfers. Unlike the rest of the competition, Tiger has the ability to will himself to win on a consistent basis -- to have the confidence to hit the clutch shots and make the money putts time and time again. He may not win every tournament, but he's the man-to-beat if he's in contention. If this were the World Championship of Poker, I'd be "all in" with Tiger.

Darren's Demise Causes Oakhaven to Lose Hopes of Winning the PILF Challenge

Standings After the Semi-finals:

Those who picked TIGER make a move... Those who thought he was in a "slump" shine at the bottom of the pack...

Managing Editor - 20 + 12 + 12 + 16 + 32 = 92*
Basement Full of Putters - 23 + 14 + 16 + 16 + 16 = 85*
Oakhaven - 21 + 12 + 16 + 16 + 16 = 81
Extractor - 19 + 14 + 16 + 8 + 16 = 73*
Lost Cause - 22 + 18 + 16 + 8 + 16 = 72
Mulligan - 18 + 12 + 16 + 8 + 16 = 70*
OSLJ - 20 + 14 + 12 + 16 = 62
Pittsburgh - 20 + 14 + 16 + 8 = 58
My Favorite Boss - 15 + 10 + 4 + 8 + 16 = 53
CrimGolfer - 14 + 14 + 8 + 16 + 0 = 52
ZellMe - 20 + 16 + 12 + 8 + 0 = 48
CWRU Dropout - 19 + 14 + 12 + 0 + 0 = 45
RobertTrentJay'30 - 18 + 12 + 4 + 8 + 0 = 42
Donald's Driver - 20 + 14 + 4 + 0 + 0 = 38
ASP Treasurer - 19 + 14 + 4 + 0 + 0 = 37
ASUGolf - 20 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 0 = 36
Bull Who? - 21 + 10 + 4 + 0 + 0 = 35
Jasholn1 - 17 + 8 + 8 + 0 + 0 = 33
Baby on Board - 20 + 8 + 4 + 0 + 0= 32

All of those with (*) picked Tiger to win. Therefore, Managing Editor is the WINNER of the PILF Challenge. Basement Full of Putters after a difficult battle comes in a close second. I'll post the final results tomorrow after the final round.

Thanks for Participating

Quarterfinals: Phil looks like typical Phil...

Round 4 Scores for the PILF Challenge. Those marked with an Astrisk(*) still have the ability to get additional points.

Good Luck.

Basement Full of Putters - 23 + 14 + 16 + 16 = 69*
Oakhaven - 21 + 12 + 16 + 16 = 65*
OSLJ - 20 + 14 + 12 + 16 = 62
Managing Editor - 20 + 12 + 12 + 16 = 60*
Pittsburgh - 20 + 14 + 16 + 8 = 58
Extractor - 19 + 14 + 16 + 8 = 57*
Lost Cause - 22 + 18 + 16 + 8= 56*
Mulligan - 18 + 12 + 16 + 8 = 54*
CrimGolfer - 14 + 14 + 8 + 16 = 52*
ZellMe - 20 + 16 + 12 + 8 = 48
CWRU Dropout - 19 + 14 + 12 + 0 = 45
RobertTrentJay'30 - 18 + 12 + 4 + 8 = 42
Donald's Driver - 20 + 14 + 4 + 0 = 38
ASP Treasurer - 19 + 14 + 4 + 0 = 37
My Favorite Boss - 15 + 10 + 4 + 8 = 37*
ASUGolf - 20 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 36
Bull Who? - 21 + 10 + 4 + 0 = 35
Jasholn1 - 17 + 8 + 8 + 0 = 33
Baby on Board - 20 + 8 + 4 + 0 = 32

The PILF Challenge Round 3

Results from the 3rd Round...

Lost Cause - 22 + 18 + 16 = 56
Basement Full of Putters -- 23 + 14 + 16 = 53
Pittsburgh - 20 + 14 + 16 = 50
Extractor - 19 + 14 + 16 = 49
Oakhaven - 21 + 12 + 16 = 49
ZellMe - 20 + 16 + 12 = 48
OSLJ - 20 + 14 + 12 = 46
Mulligan - 18 + 12 + 16 = 46
CWRU Dropout - 19 + 14 + 12 = 45
Managing Editor - 20 + 12 + 12 = 44
Donald's Driver - 20 + 14 + 4 = 38
ASP Treasurer - 19 + 14 + 4 = 37
CrimGolfer - 14 + 14 + 8= 36
ASUGolf - 20 + 8 + 8 = 36
Bull Who? - 21 + 10 + 4 = 35
RobertTrentJay'30 - 18 + 12 + 4 = 34
Jasholn1 - 17 + 8 + 8 = 33
Baby on Board - 20 + 8 + 4 = 32
My Favorite Boss - 15 + 10 + 4= 29

Round 2: Weir Loses as does EVERYONE in the HOGAN Bracket

After Weir lost, so did the hopes and dreams of the players in the PILF Challenge, at least in the Hogan bracket. None of the 19 players have anymore possible points left in the Hogan Bracket.

VJ lost which put another monkeywrench into the Challenge.

Appleby's loss has also caused many problems for the players in the PILF Challenge.

For those of you working... The Allenby v. Scott match might have been one of the best matches I've ever seen. Allenby made putts on the 18th, 19th, 20th and 22nd holes to force scott to make or continue the match. Unfortunately, Allenby could not keep it going choking on a 3 footer to extend the match to a 24th hole.

Results after Round 2

Lost Cause - 22 + 18 = 40
Basement Full of Putters -- 23 + 14 = 37
ZellMe - 20 + 16 = 36
Donald's Driver - 20 + 14 = 34
Pittsburgh - 20 + 14 = 34
OSLJ - 20 + 14 = 34
Oakhaven - 21 + 12 = 33
ASP Treasurer - 19 + 14 = 33
Extractor - 19 + 14 = 33
CWRU Dropout - 19 + 14 = 33
Managing Editor - 20 + 12 = 32
Bull Who? - 21 + 10 = 31
RobertTrentJay'30 - 18 + 12 = 30
Mulligan - 18 + 12 = 30
CrimGolfer - 14 + 14 = 28
Baby on Board - 20 + 8 = 28
ASUGolf - 20 + 8 = 28
My Favorite Boss - 15 + 10 = 25
Jasholn1 - 17 + 8 = 25

Only 3 players have both finalists left. Lost Cause (woods and Phil), Managing Editor (woods and Love), and Oakhaven (woods and clarke). So it will definately be interesting!

daly and car tournaments

First at the Buick, fourth at the Nissan, and yesterday a respectable opening round 67 at the Chrysler Classic. John Daly is doing well this year at car tournaments. Maybe next year he'll be in the top 64 in world rankings and will get to play the Accenture Match Play Championship.

Round 2 Cancelled for the Day..

Round 2 was cancelled for today and postponed until tomorrow am. I will have the results posted in the mid afternoon.

Jasholn1

tiger mentally exhausted after near loss?

More word from Tiger about his near loss to John Rollins. Tiger says he's mentally drained from the match. I'm not so sure this isn't a ploy or a bit of exaggeration. He sure looked pretty composed to me. I agree with Phil Mickelson's comment, Tiger usually doesn't do very well on the first day of any tournament, even all the ones he wins.

PILF Challenge Results Round 1

Below please find the results after the first round. Please check your email to find out your nickname or the nickname of the other participants.

Correct Choices out of 32...

Basement Full of Putters -- 23
Lost Cause - 22
Bull Who? - 21
Oakhaven - 21
Donald's Driver - 20
Pittsburgh - 20
ZellMe - 20
ASP Treasurer - 20
OSLJ - 20
Baby on Board - 20
Managing Editor - 20
ASUGolf - 20
Extractor - 19
CWRU Dropout - 19
RobertTrentJay'30 - 18
Mulligan - 18
Jasholn1 - 17
My Favorite Boss - 15
CrimGolfer - 14

I'll breakdown the field lateron!

Jasholn1

tiger almost knocked out by rollins?

Well, if you missed it, Tiger struggled against John Rollins (who was the last seed in the tournament, No. 64th in the world). Tiger trailed most of the round by 1 down (and at one point by 2 down almost on its way to be 3 down). Walking to the par 3 17th, Tiger was 1-down with 2 holes left to play. Who, me, worry?, he must have been thinking.

I saw the end of it, and John Rollins let things slip away. It's hard to find too much fault with him, though, when his opponent is Tiger Woods. I think any person who's ranked No. 64 in the world would feel the nerves in trying to close out the No. 1 in the world.

But it still wasn't pretty watching what happened: Rollins three-whacked (and I mean whacked) the 17th green, forcing himself to concede Tiger's 2-and-a-half footer for birdie. After their second shots, Rollins and Tiger were both about 98 yards on the par 5 18th. Tiger hit his sand wedge about 25 feet away -- yeah, pretty unspectacular. Rollins then took a pitching wedge and tried to 3/4 quarter it but ended up hitting it long into the bunker. By then, Rollins's nerves looked shot and he chunked his bunker shot onto the fringe. Rollins's chip had a chance at the cup but missed. Tiger then drained his birdie putt, to take the lead for the first time in the match -- no problem.

Well, Tiger does not seem to do well in the first round of most tournaments. In fact, last year at this same tournament, he barely got by 16-seed Carl Petterson (2-1) in the first round. Tiger's mental strength, however, is incredible. He always seems unflappable. I think even he would admit, though, that he's going to have to play much better if he plans on defending. The driver going right is becoming a much too-often sight. Where's Butch?

Handicapping the Accenture Match Play

Well, I thought I'd take a bit of time and handicap the Jones Bracket and later tonight handicap the others.

The Jones Bracket:
Woods(1) v. Rollins(16) -- I think there is not much Rollins can do to win. Maybe he could hit on Tiger's fiance or something, but I think Tiger will roll in this match.
Immelman(8) v. Maruyama(9)-- Maruyama is hot after his performance from the Nissan Open. I expect him to win easily.
Bjorn(4) v. Hoch(13) -- This match should be called the Choke Bowl! Bjorn at last year's British and Hoch at the Masters. I have a feeling that Hoch won't Choke and will win on the 18th.
Jacobson(5) v. P. Price(12) -- I think that Jacobson's clothing will distract Philip Price and will allow Fredrik to win.
Toms(2) v. Fasth(15) -- Similar to LSU in the Sugar Bowl, Toms should roll.
Casey(7) v. Micheel(10) -- Micheel, using his 7iron, stakes it on 18 to win a close match.
Harrington(3) v. Izawa(14) -- Harrington and his Wilson hat slides through to the next round.
Verplank(6) v. Estes(11) -- If Verplank wears a white wristband, then he will distract Estes and will win. If he goes with black, Estes wins because he is a better putter. Too close to call, but I favor Verplank.

2nd Round
Woods(1) v. Maruyama(9)-- I have Tiger winning here. For some reason, Tiger's fiance does not distract Shigeki like she would to most men, but Tiger actually gets his game together for this match and wins 2&1.
Hoch(13) v. Jacobson(5)-- Hoch used to wear clothes that looked like Jacobson's back in the day. Hoch is also a bulldog on the course and after winning the Choke Bowl, he continues on his wining ways to face Tiger.
Toms(2) v. Micheel(10) -- Micheel can hit is 7iron closer to the hole than Toms can hit a wedge, so I expect Micheel to come through for Cleveland golf and win in 20 holes.
Harrington(3) v. Verplank(6) - Gotta love Wilson golf. Paddy wins 4 & 3.

3rd Round
Woods(1) v. Hoch(13)-- I'm going for the upset here. Hoch is not on Cialis so he won't have a 4 hour erection with Tiger's fiance around, and if he does, he'll need to call a doctor. Hoch also won't be intimidated by Woods and I think that Woods is still not ready to win. He needs to find the correct balance.
Micheel(10) v. Harrington(3)-- The shaft of Micheel's 7iron wears out and has to rely on his driver and loses to Harrington who goes to the bar and buys a pint of Guiness to prepare for 36 the next day!

Quarters
Hoch(13) v. Harrington(3)-- Hoch, the Gonzaga of this tournament, finally meets his match after he misses a short putt on the 17th hole to move the match to the 18th.


Harrington WINS the Jones Bracket!


HOGAN BRACKET
1st Round
Weir(1) v. Beem(16)--Beemer is one of my favorite players, but I don't think this week he'll be throwing a party at his country club. Weir sings "O Canada" onto the next round!
Leaney(8) v. Funk(9)-- Funk has the perfect game for match play. He is one of the best drivers of the golf ball in the world. Thus, hitting many shots from the fairway he should have an easy time taking this match.
N. Price(4) v. Montgomerie(13)-- Monty will have to use some of his superpowers to win, but I hope that he does. He has never played extremely well in the US, unfortuately this will not be his time. Price strokes his Precept into the hole and beats Monty 3 & 2.
Choi(5) v. Cink(12)-- Cink shot 129 in the US Open qualifier in Columbus last year. He's been playing well and Cink will Cink Choi.
Goosen(2) v. Huston(15)-- This might be the most interesting match on the board. Goosen is 3-4 in this event and Houston can make birdies with the best of them if he gets hot. I think Houston win in 20 holes.
Lonard(7) v. Mediate(10)-- Rocco is another of my fave golfers. If his back doesn't act up, he could go a long way. Plus, he looks really tough under his Oakley's and Lonard crumbles under the pressure.
Kaye(3) v. Waldorf(14)-- This match pairs the tough guy versus the guy who gives his golf balls to his kids to draw on. Duffy will try to dress extremely well for this occasion and distract Kaye, but Kaye is as extremely tough and wins BIG.
Riley(6) v. Poulter(11)-- Riley in on the brink of having a career year and I think he wins this match. Poulter will have blue hair, but he'll look really stupid after he loses.

2nd Round
Weir(1) v. Funk(9)-- I like Weir in this match. Funk will get tired, but if his putter gets hot, he could in. But, I think Weir wins in 19holes.
N. Price(4) v. Cink(12)-- Cink calls out A10 and Cinks Price's battleship! Price loses too many Precepts and loses the match.
Huston(15) v. Mediate(10)-- Huston runs out of birdies and the Florida Southern Grad defends Division II golf and walks on through to the next round 5 & 4.
Kaye(3) v. Riley(6)-- Kaye rubs his soul patch and intimidates the fairly calm Riley who three putts 2 of the last 3 to lose 3 & 2.

3rd Round
Weir(1) v. Cink(12)-- O Canada! The lefty keeps the momentum from the Nissan Open going and shows America why he is better than Phil!
Mediate(10) v. Kaye(3)-- Mediate loses a bit of thunder and Kaye gets tough like he did earlier in the year at Phoenix. Kaye wins a close match 1up.

Quarterfinals
Weir(1) v. Kaye(3)-- Weir and Kaye battle it out for 20 holes. Kaye hits it into a bunker and Weir makes birdie to win!

Weir WINS the HOGAN Bracket!


PLAYER BRACKET

1st Round
Singh(1) v. Katayama(16)-- If I hit as many balls as Vijay, I'd be #2 in the world. Shingo has no chance. Vijay rolls.
Kelly(8) v. Garcia(9)-- Kelly looks back to his hockey days and watches Happy Gilmore on Tuesday night. He goes to his happy place and beats Sergio who is still looking for Martina Hingis and his swing somewhere in the crowd.
C. Campbell(4) v. Herron(13)-- Even though the commentators might get confused as to which player is which, Lumpy smokes one to many cigarettes and cannot beat one of the best golfers in the world. Chad finds his form from the Player's Championship and wins big!
Haas(5) v. Roberts(12)-- Jay has found a bit of spark because his son, who plays at Wake Forest, is able to beat him on a regular basis. Loren Roberts can putt his ball, but the course is going to be too long for him because of the rain. Haas, who should be on the Champions Tour, is the champion in this match.
Perry(2) v. Sluman(15)-- Kenny Perry wears a shirt depicting the sunrise, and it not only looks horrible on TV, but Sluman cannot concentrate. Perry wins big!
Faxon(7) v. Flesch(10)-- Faxon plays his Titleist and puts it into the hole quicker than Steve Flesch. Fax wins in 2 & 1.
Clarke(3) v. Romero(14)-- Clarke has gotten on a workout program and has lost a bit of weight. Edwardo looks like he could lose some to, but unfortuately, he only loses this match.
Leonard(6) v. Cejka(11)-- Leonard in true Leonard fashion makes 40 footers on 3 of the last 5 holes and wins 4 & 3.

2nd Round
Singh(1) v. Kelly(8)-- They run out of balls on the range, because the range is too short. Vijay is unable to hit enough warm up balls and decides to pick up balls by hand. Vijay gets tired and Kelly continues to find his "happy place" and upsets VJ!
C. Campbell(4) v. Haas(5)-- Haas is "livin the dream" and finds his game for this match. He shoots -6 and wins 4 & 3.
Perry(2) v. Faxon(7)-- Perry pulls out a shirt depicting a mountain. Faxon has never seen a mountain and cannot focus on his putting stroke. Since Faxon has to putt his ball well to win, Perry wins easily.
Clarke(3) v. Leonard(6)-- Leonard continues to roll in the bombs and Clarke decides that drinking Guiness in the 19th hole is "Brilliant". He loses badly, but goes with a smile to the 19th hole.

3rd Rounds
Kelly(8) v. Haas(5)-- Today Jay discovers that he is over 50 and has a difficult time playing Jerry Kelly. Kelly is in his own happy place and since Chubbs is with him, he'll win again!
Perry(2) v. Leonard(6)-- Kenny Perry digs deep and finds the most beautiful pictoral of a man fishing. Leonard decides that he'd rather be fishing and loses his concentration. Perry uses his horrific putting stroke and wins big!

Quarterfinals
Kelly(8) v. Perry(2)-- Perry knows that he has to play 36 holes today if he wins. So he choses a shirt depicting the Austrialian outback. Kelly gets upset because his caddie picked up his cracker ballmark and is charged a 2 shot penalty. Upset, Kelly cannot stay in his happy place and loses.

Perry WINS the PLAYER Bracket


SNEAD BRACKET

1st Round
Love III(1) v. Baird(16)-- Call me crazy, but this is the biggest upset in the first round. Briny Baird shoots another 62 like he did at Riviera and DLIII doesn't know what hit him.
Tway(8) v. Couples(9)-- Couples has rededicated himself to playing golf, and Tway has not been heard in a long time. Couples helps television ratings and decides to stay around for another match.
Allenby(4) v. Davis(13)-- Allenby, or is it Appleby, beats Davis.
Scott(5) v. Jimenez(12)-- Adam Scott shows Miguel A. Jimenez that it is nice to be young and flexible. Scott puts the final nail in the coffin on 15.
Mickelson(2) v. Westwood(15)-- Phil starts his run to prove that he is one of the best players in the world. Unfortunately, he is not, but Westwood decides that he enjoys England more than the US and gets his wish bowing out early.
Howell III(7) v. Curtis(10)-- I wish I could vote for my hometown boy, but CHIII wins big.
Appleby(3) v. Rose(14)-- Appleby knows his heritage and is still upset that England used Austrialia for the Crooks. Appleby opens a can of whoop ass and beats Rose.
DiMarco(6) v. M. Campbell(11)-- M. Campbell is the doormat of this field. DiMarco pulls out the claw and it is over before it starts. DiMarco 4&3.

2nd Round
Baird(16) v. Couples(9)-- Freddy finds his old form and Briny cannot follow up his 62 against DLIII and loses big.
Allenby(4) v. Scott(5)-- Robert wants Stuart and beats his countryman to do move onto the next round.
Mickelson(2) v. Howell III(7)-- This will be a great match to watch. Howell is a stick and can hit it a mile. Phil has a great short game but cannot make a short putt. Howell refuses to give Phil a 3 footer on 18 and Phil yanks it hard left giving CHIII the W.
Appleby(3) v. DiMarco(6)-- Appleby keeps his hot streak going and also wants to have the US figure out that he is "Stuart APPLEBY" and not "ROBERT APPLEBY". DiMarco similar to the FL Gators doesn't make it to the finals.

3rd Round
Couples(9) v. Allenby(4)-- Couples realizes that his time is up and his back gets sore. Allenby sees his Austrialian buddy in the group behind him and beats Couples!
Howell III(7) v. Appleby(3)-- Appleby wants his boy Allenby. CHIII realizes that his Callaway Irons are like Rocketlaunchers and loses to Appleby.

Quarterfinals
Allenby(4) v. Appleby(3)-- Maybe the fans in the US will finally figure out who these players are. Appleby wins this match after playing 20 holes. They shake hands and go to Outback for a Bloomin Onion after the match.

Appleby WINS the Snead Bracket!

SEMIFINALS
Harrington(3) v. Weir(1)-- Weir continues his quest to sing "O Canada" Paddy does not understand why there is a red leaf on their flag and loses the match.
Perry(2) v. Appleby(3)-- Since Perry is wearing a shirt depicting the Austrialian outback, Appleby feels right at home and wins big!

FINALS
Weir(1) v. Appleby(3)-- Appleby goes down to the local Appleby's and has a Brewtus. Weir unfortuately loses his voice and can no longer sing his country's national anthem. Since Weir lost his pride, he also loses the match.

Appleby WINS the ACCENTURE MATCHPLAY 4 & 3...

february madness: get out the brackets

Here are the pairings for the Accenture Match Play Championship. This is a fun tournament because it's match play. Tiger won last year, but it will be tough to defend because, well, it's match play.

tiger tunes

Tiger Woods may not be dominating golf as he did in 2000 -- maybe no one should be held to that incredible standard. He's found love and now seems to be a more mature person, talking in a way about golf that seems to be quite different than before. It's clear that golf's no longer the sole passion in Tiger's life. All the other golfers who are vying for wins should thank Jesper for introducing Tiger to his future wife.

shout out: ernie els

Shout out to Ernie Els, who withdrew from this week's Accenture Match Play Championship, so he can be home to see his 5-year-old daughter off to her first day of 1st grade in London. Here's someone who has his priorities straight. Maybe he can be a substitute teacher and teach math on his time off this week, just like that funny PGA commercial.

P.S. Are London schools just starting their school years, or did Ernie and the family just move over there?

weir-d: The Golf Blog magic

Mike Weir staved off Shigeki Murayama's late charge in rainy L.A. weather to defend his Nissan Open title. John Daly finished a very respectable fourth, beating Tiger Woods for the second straight week.

So here's what's a little weird: if you notice on right, The Golf Blog has links to "hot shot" websites of golfers who have their own sites. Well, if you scroll down the list, there's Mike Weir, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, and John Daly -- all winners this year (although I think I put the links in after Ernie's win). OK, so maybe it should be expected that Els and Weir would win this year, and maybe Mickelson even though he had a really bad year last year. But Daly? I threw him in there because he has a nice site and he's good and exciting for golf. Maybe there's some magic with "hot shots" on The Golf Blog? That would mean Tiger, Justin, and Jim are all due this year. I'll add Aaron Baddeley soon to make things more interesting (he's got that pretty cheesy commercial -- badds!).

UPDATE: here are Mike Weir's clubs.

Time for slump talk?

After a Saturday round which will ensure Tiger will play early on Sunday, I wonder if it is time to get the slump talk started. Of course, this is only Tiger's third event this year, and he's still making cuts and making money. But, given his play of late, I think one could (should?) start saying that Tiger is no longer the favorite in any event. I might even say that, as of this moment, I'd take the field against him at this year's Masters (but I want to reserve the right to delete this post if he finds his game in March).

daly double?

So is it possible John Daly can win back to back tournaments, after not having won a PGA tournament in 9 years (he did win in Germany and Korea during that time)? Well, don't look now, but John shot a 64 at Riviera and is now 10 under after two rounds. He's trailing Mike Weir, who's at 12 under. Tiger is way back at 4 under.

Of his 64, John said it was the best ball striking in his life. And he seems to be rolling the putts incredibly, averaging a little over 25 per round. Frankly, if John Daly is this year's Kenny Perry and pulls off multiple wins, it will be the biggest story in golf. The only thing that could top that is a major by Phil.

My current theory on John's amazing play: his new Dunlop irons, putter, and golf ball. (The driver and 3 wood are Taylor made, and sand wedges by Cleveland.) As luck would have it, Dunlop just signed Daly to a contract last month. He's only had these clubs for a short time, but he said today that he's hitting everything pure and the distances are perfect. When you are lucky to find clubs that seem to fit you immediately -- the look of them and the feel of them just seem right, you can gain amazing confidence of being able to dial in your shots. Daly apparently has found his "perfect" clubs. This could be an amazing year for him if he keeps it all together. Visit Dunlop's site for more about his new clubs. Dunlop lucked out with Daly's win.

marriage is bliss

You probably think you've heard it all about John Daly's personal life, especially about his current and former wives. Well, you're wrong. This story about some of the recent spats between John and his wife Sherrie (accused of money laundering) is news to me. Turns out Sherrie put a choke-hold on a female stripper after the woman, who apparently had no clothes on, sidled up to John too closely at a charity event in Little Rock. Maybe the life I lead is too boring, but do things like this really happen, ... and at charity events?

Tiger in Round 1 at Riviera

I'm sitting here and watching golf instead of doing my work, and I am sick of watching Tiger already. Misses a green, drops his club. Hits the 6th green and whines and moans. Yes he is emotional, but there is a reason why I stand behind Vijay. He's always cool and collected. If he is playing well or poorly, you'd never know it looking at his person. Vijay is always like calm, cool and collected, and that is why he's been playing so well.

Maybe Tiger will get it going and post a good score, but right now I'd be telling my young child to watch Vijay rather than Tiger.

College Golf for Northern Teams...

Having played college golf at Ohio Wesleyan University, I am very aware of the issues involved with trying to dodge the snow and actually get some practice time in for tournaments as early as the first week in February. College golf is a very different NCAA sport because it has a clear split season. Golf is played during the fall and the spring in order to allow the student/athletes to obtain the proper number of tournament dates. There have been proposals to make golf a completely spring sport, but that would involve having schools participate as soon as the calendar year turned, and unless you live in Florida or Arizona the weather is fairly hit and miss.

So do Southern schools to have an advantage over Northern schools in college golf?

Personally, I believe early in the season they do, but once the student/athletes actually get some time to hit golfballs off of grass instead of artifical turf in some indoor facility (if they're lucky), the field is level. Minnesota won the NCAA's two years ago and University of Wisconsin Eau Claire won the DIII championships during my college days. Ohio State which is in cold Columbus, Ohio has also produced a few NCAA Champions as well as a few good golfers. Jack who?

Anyways, there is really no good solution, but just something to consider, especially if your son or daughter wants to play college golf. I can proudly say that in my 4 years at Ohio Wesleyan: I played in snow, sleet, ice, rain, wind, and sunshine.

john and phil

So another interesting part about John Daly's win on Sunday: Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods at one point were within a stroke or two of the lead. In fact, Phil had the low round on Sunday (67) and was within striking distance until a costly double bogey at the 12th. Tiger also had trouble on 12, with a bogey that seemed to stall his charge.

One of the things John Daly said during his interview was that this was the first tournament he won that Tiger Woods was in the field, and that made it all the more special. But, for me, the more interesting comparison to draw is between Phil and John.

Their games have a lot of similarities: a lot of power, plus amazing short games (perhaps Phil's is stronger or at least more creative), and a "gambler" mentality. But their careers have a lot of differences: Phil's won plenty of tournaments and been a consistent Top 5 player (except for last year), but no majors. John, on the other hand, has won only 4 tournaments on the PGA tour, but 2 of them were majors (the PGA and British). Be interesting to consider whether Phil would trade some of his wins for 1 of John's majors? Both golfers obviously have a world of talent, and both probably have "underachieved" to a certain extent given their talent. One stat on CBS that was pretty telling: almost every one of the instances in which John Daly has had the lead after the 3d round, JD has closed out the deal and won (now it's, I believe, 4 out 5 opportunities). For all of the criticism JD receives for his "wild thing" persona, he displays a tremendous ability to seize any opportunity of winning that he has. My wish this year: Phil does that at one of the majors.

jd

Hurray for John Daly! He gutted out a playoff win over the up-and-coming Chris Riley and Luke Donald.

For those of you who missed it, it was something special. Saying it was his most special of all his wins (including the 2 majors), John broke down in tears when interviewed by Peter Kostis. I knew the golf gods were looking favorably on JD when he sliced his 3-wood pretty bad on the 9th and was stuck behind some trees. To get under the tree branches, Daly hit a low worm-burner that ricocheted off a tree root and bounced over the bunker and onto the green about 12 feet away from the hole. Although John missed the putt for birdie, a par really saved his round. One or two holes later, John almost missed a 1-footer for par -- the ball did a 360 around the cup and fell in. The ball just seems to bounce right when you need a good break to win. It was a gutsy performance by John. He clearly was not playing as well as he did yesterday, and he admitted afterwards he felt the nerves more than his younger days. But John played smart all day and he deserved his hard-earned victory. Congrats, JD!

UPDATE: from the Golf Channel, here are the clubs John used to win the Buick. John gets a lot of attention for his driver, but that 60 degree Cleveland sand wedge was his Mr. Reliable club.

UPDATE 2: Blogger Vance has correctly corrected me that John Daly's amazing tree root shot occurred on the 9th hole, the long par 5 over 600 yards (that makes sense because he had the 3 wood out). For those of you who missed the shot, click here and go to behind the trees way on the right side of the hole maybe 40 yards before the green. That's where Daly was. In jail. But he got out.

everybody loves daly, but not CBS

John Daly eagled the 18th at Torrey Pines to pull into the lead at the Buick Invitational. The guy played near flawless golf. It reminded me of his play at the 1991 PGA at Crooked Stick when he blasted onto the golf scene as the 9th alternate, after Nick Price couldn't make the tournament. That win by Daly ranks in the top 3 of my all-time favorite tournaments. (Nicklaus '86 Masters is, hands-down, No.1.)

Unfortunately, I -- like millions of others on the east coast -- could not see the most important shots of the day -- the leaders finishing up on the 18th. CBS, for all of its infinite wisdom, has some contractual agreement, it says, to end precisely at 6 p.m. That's a stupid agreement, especially when the leaders had already driven off the 18th and had only to complete the hole. I could understand if the golfers were way behind and the coverage would run way over if CBS stayed with golf. But here John Daly, Stewart Cink, and Steve Flesch were walking up the 18th. It would have taken another 10 minutes at most. Instead, Jim Nantz invited the viewers to catch the finish on CBS's sports website. I checked it out and you can't really "catch" anything. There is a paid subscription service with the PGA; otherwise, you're stuck with seeing the scores updated. So bravo to John Daly, but boo to CBS.

UPDATE: I heard John Daly say after his round that he just started playing with new clubs this week: Dunlop. The driver is called Loco, perhaps aptly named in John's case. It's good to see some golf manufacturer has finally sponsored Daly again. Take a look at the Dunlop website -- you'll have to click "enter" to see this amazing picture of John's swing. It shows you close-up how far he takes it back. Pretty astounding! I could never get the club back on plane from there! More about Dunlop's clubs here.

john daly

I don't believe in jinxes, at least not from The Golf Blog -- Friday the 13th may be a different story. So today, Valentine's Day, we should send a little love to John Daly, who is only 2 strokes back at Torrey Pines. He shot a 66 yesterday. The only shot I saw him hit on TV was a 3-iron on a par 5 from 260 yards, which he hit on the green. Amazing! He barely missed the putt for eagle.

John is sort of the lovable people's champion, warts and all. If you've ever been to a tournament where he's playing, you'll know how many fans flock to see him play. It's great. And during practice rounds John is one of the best golfers at signing autographs. You can tell he really likes to give back to the people. I'm rooting for him this weekend. Let's hope he continues his solid play.

The Golf Blog Jinx?

On Wednesday we blog about Vijay getting closer to Tiger, and two days latter he misses his first cut in nearly a year. Well, maybe the jinx will work in reverse for Duval and he'll win his first tournament back.

david duval

Speaking of David Duval, this year he's not entered in any of the events -- no doubt he's hoping to cure his golfing problems before coming back out. The last time he won was the 2001 British Open. Last year, he missed 16 of 20 cuts, and all of the cuts at the majors. By comparison, in 2001, he made 18 of 20 cuts, and missed only 2. In 1998, he won 3 tournaments; in 1999, 4 tournaments (including the TPC and shooting 59 at the Bob Hope); and 1 tournament in 2000 and 2001. Now, he has terrible trouble driving the ball off the tee.

Who knows what precisely are the causes for Duval's slippage? Chronic injuries? Change in golf clubs from Titleist to the relatively seldom used on the tour Nike clubs and driver? Loss of confidence? His workout regimen? Maybe a combination of these things?

I do know this: Golf can sometimes, if not often, be a very humbling game. There are other greats who lost the magic after incredible years when they seemed to be able to do no wrong. Johnny Miller, Ian Baker Finch, Corey Pavin, and Hal Sutton come to mind. Of these, only Hal really came back better than he was before -- but that took more than a decade. Let's hope David can fare better in recapturing his old magic while he's still young.

singh and woods on wie

Vijay's had an apparent change of heart from his comments on Annika. Now he says invite all the women you want; none of them can beat him.

Tiger, on the other hand, has more words of praise for Michelle, but sticks by his advice that she should "learn how to win" at a lower level.

3.08

3.08 represents the point spread between Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh for the No.1 ranking. It's the smallest gap between Tiger and No.2 since 2001. Official rankings are here.

The last time Tiger was not No.1 was when, well, David Duval was No.1 -- but that's another story.

this week: torrey pines

For the first time since the Mercedes Open, we'll have most of the big names competing at the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines in San Diego. Apparently, car tournaments draw the big golfers.

Here are some of the golfers: Tiger (defending champion and Buick spokesman), Vijay, Phil, Sergio, Darren Clarke, Stuart Appleby, Robert Allenby, Fredrik Jacobson, Thomas Bjorn, Jose Maria Olazabal, Jesper Parnevik, John Daly, and Lee Westwood.

Here's what I want to know: Where's Ernie? He should put this on his list. This is where the competition is at. No more playing against just the young Adam Scott or the elder Greg Norman.

singh and els

This year is really shaping up to be one of the best in recent memory -- "best" in the sense that the big guns seem fired up. Vijay Singh won impressively at Pebble Beach for his first of the year, while Ernie Els won (barely hanging on, though) the Heineken on the European Tour. Throw in Phil Mickelson (who has won once and placed third at Pebble) to the mix, and now we're talking.

Who's Tiger's most serious competition? Well, probably all three of these guys. Vijay's consistent play week in and week out dating back to last year (12 straight top 10s!) makes him the leading No.2.

UPDATE: vote in our new poll on this issue!

UPDATE 2: hear more about Vijay's amazing play in this article at cnnsi.com. His fellow golfers and the golf press are definitely taking notice!

michelle wie makes men's cut

In case you missed it, Michelle Wie made the cut at a men's pro event the Hawaii Pearl Open. She finished a respectable 2 under par. She's already on her way, I rest my case.

tiger spotting

I found Tiger. He's not at Pebble, but he's close by at the Stanford basketball game -- with fiance Elin and good pal Jerry Chang. Priceless pics (from Yahoo) are here.

Update: So I just saw the highlights of the Stanford-Arizona game. Stanford won on an incredible last second 3 point shot by Nick Robinson, who was scrambling in a mad dash up the court after a steal. The 35-foot shot is better to see on replay, but here's a pic here, with Tiger again in the background! Stanford's 20-0. Go Cardinal!

pebble

Oh, it's February and I'm stuck in the cold of the Midwest. How did I end up here? Not too long ago (my memory is fading), I lived in the Bay Area and was a regular at the AT&T Pro-Am Golf Tournament at Pebble Beach, which starts today. I would trek from the Bay Area down to Pebble Beach at 5 am with my sister visiting from out of town (yes, she is a golf fanatic). The tournament is, hands-down, the funnest you can attend in golf.

What sets this tournament apartment (besides the sometimes iffy weather) are: (1) the total "be-seen" scene with the celebrities, which regularly include: Clint Eastwood, Bill Murray, Ray Romano, Kenny G, Samuel L. Jackson, Craig T. Nelson, Kevin Costner. Most of them freely and eagerly sign autographs for fans. Some are quite good golfers, too. And Bill Murray's just hilarious.

(2) The sheer beauty. The tournament is played on 3 amazing courses: Pebble, Spyglass, and Poppy Hills. All are majestic, not to mention quite difficult. I have not seen a more awe-inspiring course than Pebble. It is a work of art.

The only big disappointment this year is that Tiger appears to have taken Pebble off of his schedule. Hopefully, it's not for good. He played one of the years I was there, and, of course, everyone remembers his amazing comeback victory over Matt Gogel. Tiger holed one from the fairway on 16th (I believe) and then turned to his playing partner Jerry Chang and said: "Right back in it." Well, I wish he were right back in it this week, or at least I were right back in it.

Is golf really a sport or just a game?

Having played golf competitively on many levels (High School and College (2002 Graduate)), I bring what I consider a different view of golf. My views have developed from having played golf for many years and watching people succeed and fail. I have played many of the great golf courses in the country and I have been brought up as golf as my backbone. So knowing that, here is my first post...

Growing up in the time when football and soccer were cool and golfers were considered losers (that is pre-tiger), I have constantly been posed the question is golf a game or a sport. So what is it?

When people think of sports: baseball, soccer, football, and basketball normally come to mind. And when people think of games: chess, monopoly, checkers, poker normally come to mind. So where does golf fit into this spectrum?

Well, if we take what most people consider sports, I believe the item consistent with all of them is that they are reactionary. When LeBron James, Warren Sapp, Roger Clemens, and Beckham all participate in their respective profession, I strongly doubt that LeBron thinks about whether his shoulders are square when he shoots a 3-pointer. I would bet that Warren Sapp thinks about whether he keeps his head up when trying to sack the quarterback. I doubt that Roger Clemens worries about how far the catcher is from the pitcher's mound. And, I seriously question whether Beckham thinks about how his leg is going to kick the ball into the upper right corner of the net. They all just do it. It is reactionary.

Now, let's take a look at what people consider games. These games are not reactionary. You don't just touch a piece and move it in chess or checkers. You think about each move and its consequences. In monopoly, you don't always buy every piece of property that you land on. And playing 7-card stud you would not go all in on a 2 -7 off suit. You contemplate what you should do and then perform.

So what is golf a game or a sport? Do you think Tiger thinks about if his left elbow is bowed out or do you think he just clears his mind and swings? Does Davis worry about whether he keeps his head down when he strokes in the 5 footer for birdie after stuffing a wedge or does he just go through his routine and putt it in? Using the reactionary/non-reactionary distinction, I think that for the best golfers in the world or at your country club, golf is definitely a sport. The elite players don't worry about many of these things. It is completely reactionary. I think this is why children are such good putters. They don't think about whether it is going left or right, they just stand up and whack it in. But for most golfers, Golf is a game. They worry about the water left and then hit it into the water or hit it out of bounds right. It is not reactionary.

If you don't believe me, try this:

Take 5 golf balls and a trash can. Place the trash can 30 yards or some distance away from you. Now, try to throw the balls into the trash can. I would bet that after you have thrown a couple thinking about how far to throw it and what trajectory was needed, your mind clears and you start to make them into the trash can. You go from thinking about it to being reactionary. And I bet that if you try to make the game more reactionary, you will definitely improve!

So for you, is golf a sport or just a game?

shark bite

Greg Norman said that women shouldn't be playing on the men's tour, especially not if they're getting sponsor's exemptions. For a guy who's running a multi-million dollar business himself, that's a pretty ridiculous comment. The sponsors should have the right to choose whoever is qualified to play and can generate more ticket sales for the event -- which, in turn, goes to paying the huge paychecks for the golfers. Annika and Michelle Wie both brought in thousands more people to the event, and both performed competitively with the possibility of making the cut. Frankly, if you put Annika or Michelle right now head-to-head against Greg Norman, my money would be on one of the women.

Curb Your Enthusiasm

This week, in one of the funniest episodes of HBO's consistently funny "Curb Your Enthusiasm," Larry David's favorite golf club was placed into the casket of a soon-to-be-buried, recently deceased acquaintance. (If you do not watch the show, this partial description no doubt sounds weird; if you watch the show you know this is standard fare.)

The episode was entitled "5 Wood" because that was the club involved, and it got me to thinking about (1) how many people actually get buried with a golf club, and (2) what club I would choose if I were to take one to the afterworld. Thoughts?

hello, world: I am Michelle Wie...

Well, get ready for something special this year. Michelle Wie has already received 7 sponsor invitations to play in men's PGA events. If she agreed to play all of them (which I don't necessarily suggest), I'm pretty sure she'd make at least 1 of the cuts. (See my earlier post on Michelle, below.)

big slice, big hook: same result

On Sunday, I saw two big chokes: One by Thomas Bjorn as he squandered his lead at the Johnny Walker Open by slicing his drive way right and into the water on the 14th. The other, at the Super Bowl, when the normally sure-footed John Kasay pulled the last kickoff way right (he's left-footed) and out of bounds. I never enjoy watching professional athletes choking on shots that they probably could pull off blind-folded if the pressure were not on. Bjorn did this at least once before when he took 3 to get out of the bunker at the British Open last year, so maybe his meltdown shouldn't be a big surprise. But John Kasay -- when's the last time this guy a pulled a duck hook out of bounds from a kickoff?

Welcome!

Welcome to the inaugural week of The Golf Blog, the premier golf blog on the Net. Our mission is to provide all golfers and golf fans with thoughtful commentary about the happenings in the world of golf. Will Phil finally win a major? Does being a golfer help a presidential candidate? Will Michelle Wie win on the women's tour this year or maybe even on the men's tour one day, and what does her success mean for the future of the women's tour? Will Tiger shatter the myth of his so-called "major slump"? We will analyze these and a host of other issues over the coming season, which is already shaping up to be one of the most exciting in golf.

We at The Golf Blog hope to hear from you, our readers. You can post your own comments to any of our postings simply by clicking on the "Comment" link, and you can do so anonymously if you prefer. We also will conduct polls in which we will let you, our readers, vote on a hot issue. The first issue is one that was sparked by Phil Mickelson's win last week: Will this be the year Phil wins a major?

So if you've ever got up at 5 a.m. to make an early tee time, or stopped in a sports bar on a Sunday and asked a total stranger, "How's Tiger doing?," or experienced the thrill of sinking a putt or the low of chunking a shot into the water, stay tuned. This blog's for you!

Ed, Douglas, Jason
The Golf Bloggers