2.58

All that separates Vijay Singh from overtaking Tiger Woods for No.1.

say it's not so, jack

Jack Nicklaus is strongly suggesting he's just about ready to stop all his competitive golfing. There's a time for everyone, but I guess it will still be sad if it's true. The Golf Bloggers will be sure to make the Memorial Tournament this year.

So here's what I wonder: when you're the greatest golfer to play the game, can you get the same enjoyment playing golf with your sons or buddies once a while on the weekend. Or do you just hang up the clubs for good, and ride into the sunset of babysitting granchildren?

michelle wie in SI

Michelle Wie was just about to make the cover of this week's Sports Illustrated. The events in Iraq and former NFL player Pat Tillman's death, however, overtook her story. The article about Michelle is still being published this week, though. I haven't seen it yet, but it should be good.

Had she made the cover, I think that would have been the 1st thing she beat Tiger in. Tiger didn't adorn an SI cover until age 20. Michelle has 6 years left to break that record. I have no doubt she will.

Dudley Hart is the big story at Houston

Needing a top 14 finish to keep his card (because of a medical reasons), Dudley Hart finished T4th at the Shell Houston Open. Pretty neat considering that he was playing for his career needing to make over $95,000 in the last two tournaments, Dudley made enough money to keep his card! Way to go Dudley!

my monday idea: standard ball tournaments

So here's an idea for a golf tournament: once a year, one tournament should be chosen to have only 1 ball manufacturer's golf balls used by all the golfers. The idea would be similar to tennis, in which they play the entire tournament with one kind of tennis ball. I'd give some leeway and allow manufacturers to have several different kinds of balls -- e.g., Titleist Pro-v1 and Pro-v1x -- that might suit different players. But the idea would be making 1 tournament a year more "standard" in equipment. Each year a different manufacturer would get its ball used.

Just think how fun it would be see the pros hitting Top-flites! (Speaking of golf balls, what ever happened to the orange golf ball popularized by Jerry Pate?)

vijay wins houston open

Just when I was going to put out another APB for Vijay Singh (the guy who was supposed to be challenging Tiger for No. 1), Vijay wins the rain-delayed Houston Open. The weather really screwed things up for the golfers, and viewers -- I didn't get to see any of the tournament. I heard John Daly was in contention until fading on the back nine. But it's nice to see Vijay getting back into form. Maybe Tiger will be next?

on the lighter side: fit for a dog

OK, so as my fellow Golf Bloggers are out golfing, I came across this funny story about a German Shepherd that swallowed 28 golf balls. After surgery, the dog is fine, and its master has some fodder for the shag bag.

not purdy, again?

Shame on The Golf Channel for continuing to give air time to debate Stewart Cink's clearing away of pebbles from the waste land area on the final hole of the playoff last Sunday (which he birdied). And shame on Mark Lye and Brandle Chamblee for suggesting that what Stewart did initially did not sit well with them. And shame on Ted Purdy for his phone interview suggesting that Stewart violated some rule. I felt sorry for Purdy on Sunday for his collapse, now I just feel disgust.

Stewart Cink acted perfectly within the rules. As the two PGA rules officials explained, the 18th waste area is NOT a sand bunker or a hazard -- Pete Dye designed the course at Harbour Town to have a waste area. Stewart Cink specifically asked a rules official on the 18th what was permissible. The rules official said he could remove loose impediments (meaning the pebbles), lightly ground his club, and even take a practice swing. All that Stewart did was remove the loose impediments. This was all within both the letter and spirit of the rules. For The Golf Channel to air most of its Pre-Game show to this trumped up "controversy" with none of its commentators really standing up for Stewart Cink is a complete travesty.

UPDATE: for Purdy's own words, visit here.

email from Tiger

I received another email from Tiger yesterday. Honestly! If you go to his website and sign up, Tiger will start sending you emails. It's very cool. In his latest email, Tiger recaps his days at boot camp, although he says some of it has to remain secret.

Tiger also congratulates Phil for winning the Masters, and then reveals that he has "picked the brains" of Rick Smith (Mickelson's coach), Hank Haney, and David Leadbetter. Tiger also says that Mark O'Meara is one of his best friends, but NOT his swing coach. What this shows is that Tiger is reading all the press about his falling out with Butch Harmon. Who knows, maybe Tiger's reading The Golf Blog?

Here's a brief excerpt from Tiger:

Hats off to Phil Mickelson for winning. He did what he had to do to win the tournament and made the putts he had to make, especially at 12 and 16. I'm sure it will boost his confidence to know that he's proven he can do it under pressure.

You have to have a little luck on your side, and he caught a big break on the last green when Chris DiMarco putted from almost the exact same line. Then, his putt didn't lip out, which it easily could have. When things go your way, that's the only way you can win a major. Every one I've won, I've had some great breaks.

As for my swing, I honestly believe it's close to where I want it. The driver is really coming around; it just takes time and work.

I have always picked people's brains, everyone from Rick Smith and Hank Haney, to David Leadbetter. That's the only way you can grow. Ninety-percent of the information I throw out immediately; five-percent I try and discard; and five-percent I retain. I just take little bits and pieces, and sometimes it works.

Some people have suggested that Mark O'Meara is my second set of eyes. That's what I have a video camera for. He's not my swing coach. He's one of my best friends and is like a big brother to me. And, as anyone who has a big brother will attest, you don't always agree on things.

My game is on the right track; there is no doubt about it. If you watch me hit shots, I'm hitting shots that I haven't hit in a long time. I got stuck on one golf shot the entire week at Augusta, and that's pretty good.

Talk to you next month.

For more, please visit Tiger's site and sign up. It's all free!

not purdy

So when you've never placed in the top 10 in a PGA tour event, but are sitting on a 4 shot leading going into the final round, I can only imagine what kind of mental gremlins haunt you during the round. Well, Ted Purdy faced this situation at Harbour Town ... and he wilted (although not a lack for trying and chomping on gum like there's no tomorrow). Stewart Cink shot an incredible 64, to post 10 under par (he was 3 under to start the day!).

When Cink finished his round, Purdy had just made the turn and was at 12 under, but bogeyed 2 holes on the back. Purdy had a birdie chance on the 18th and missed. Once they had to go to a playoff, I knew things were not looking purty for Purdy. But hats off to Stewart Cink. It's good to see him in winner's circle after that near miss at the U.S. Open a couple years ago. With the smooth swing that Cink has, he should be winning more.

And in case you're wondering, Stewart Cink's swing coach is none other than Butch Harmon.

trump, the apprentice, and carolyn kepcher

So I must confess I haven't seen The Apprentice. Sorry, I barely have time to watch TV, and my only reality show is American Idol. But I've just discovered how much golf is a part of Trump's empire. He owns 2 exclusive golf clubs, for which you might be able to get on the waiting list if you have $300,000 to throw around. And on the finale of The Apprentice, I've heard that Bill, the winner, was offered 2 possible jobs: (1) managing one of Trump's golf courses or (2) managing a 90-story building project in Chicago. Bill chose (2) -- what an idiot... he should be fired for that!

BTW, Trump is reportedly a 5-handicap. And his fetching lieutenant Carolyn Kepcher is the chief operating officer of Trump National Golf Courses. For more on Trump's views of the importance of golf, visit here.

tiger finishes boot camp

Tiger has finished his military tour at Fort Bragg. After 3 days of boot camp, he has a better understanding of what his father did. This may not help Tiger straighten out his drives, but he should at least be commended for his time at the junior golf clinic helping the youngsters out. Now, if only we can persuade Tiger to go to 3 days of Butch camp.

city of augusta illegally blocked protest last year

Here's a victory for free speech. A federal court of appeals ruled that the City of Augusta violated the First Amendment in its effort to block Marth Burke and others from protesting last year.

I can't wait till Michelle Wie gets older, and better, and in Hootie's lifetime.

follow your own advice

So I just came back from Barnes & Nobles. Already on the newstands is the May issue of Golf Digest. On the cover is none other than Tiger Woods, telling us how to "take control of your tee shots." Is he following his own advice? Pah...leeze, this is too ironic. Time to cancel my subscription.

Phil on SI cover

Great photo of Phil.

phil sleeps with green jacket

Here's a mental image to remember: Phil Mickelson sleeping with wife Amy and . . . his green jacket.

Hey, he earned it.

Who is now TBPNTWAM?

So now that Phil no longer holds the title of The Best Player Never To Win A Major, who does? I guess Colin Montgomerie is one possibility, but he seems past his time to "deserve" this label. Same goes for Jay Haas and Scott Hoch. Conversely, Sergio Garcia still seems too young to merit this label. Other candidates perhaps include Padrig Harrington, Darren Clarke, Thomas Bjorn, Brad Faxon, Kenny Perry and John Cook. Thoughts?

Ironically, a player will emerge to claim clear possession of the title TBPNTWAM only after he wins a number of non-majors and/or finishes in the top 10 in a lot of majors without breaking through. In other words, lots of great golf can earn you perhaps the worst title in golf.

top moments from Sunday

9. Chris DiMarco taking 2 to get of the sand on the 18th and blasting his second bunker shot right past Phil Mickelson's marker, setting up Phil for the perfect read. Phil actually tapped DiMarco on the tush, to thank him for the set up.
8. College freshman Casey Wittenberg shoots 31 on the back 9, even par for the tournament, placing 13th.
7. Phil's near eagle on the 14th, almost draining his 8 iron.
6. Sergio Garcia's near 65, with his last monster putt falling one ball short
5. Padraig Harrington's hole in one on 16
4. Kirk Triplett, playing in the next group, acing 16
3. KJ Choi's 5-iron approach on 11 that rolled straight into the cup for eagle
2. Ernie Els's approach shots on 8 and 13, both from over 200 out, setting
up eagles from within 10 feet
1. Phil's birdie putt on 18th, circling around and in

monday recap: fulphilled

What an Easter Sunday to remember! If you did not catch it, you missed one of the greatest showdowns the PGA Tour has seen. What was most impressive on the back 9 at Augusta was that two world class players, Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els, played pretty much flawless golf, matching each other birdie for birdie (or 4 Mickelson birdies for 2 Els eagles). The intense drama was made all the more riveting by K.J. Choi's eagle on the 11th from 210 out, and then Padraig Harrington's and Kirk Triplett's consecutive hole-in-one's on the 16th. By the loud roars of the patrons at Augusta, it seemed as though something spectacular was happening every minute.

But what made this Sunday most special was Phil's first major win. After Arnie's poignant farewell on Friday, Phil made a masterful (re-)introduction as one of the top and most popular golfers in the world.

Phil looks a man who is now completely fulphilled. To see him with his kids and wife Amy after the round was uplifting. After a dismal year on the tour in 2003 during which his wife and newborn son survived a difficult, life-threatening delivery, Phil has taken 2004 with the confidence and calm of someone who has seen the bad days and come out a better man for it. Phil's withstood so much criticism and scrutiny from the press for his aggressive style of play in the past, and has worn the moniker of "best player not to win a major" ever since Duval won his. Well, those days are over, or at least passed on to to the likes of Sergio (who shot a remarkable 66 yesterday, the lowest round of the tournament).

We at The Golf Blog want to congratulate Phil Mickelson for his fabulous performance. Dave Pelz says you'll have 3 majors by the end of 2005, so see you at Shinnecock!

Greatest Masters Ever?

Only the fourth time a Masters has finished with a winning birdie on 18, an incredible number of eagles on the back nine on Sunday, and a truly gaudy final page on the leaderboard. If not the best Masters ever, certainly one of the best. And how can you not be happy Phil won.

What a shame we have to wait 2 months for the next major. Oh well, only 7 weeks until the Memorial.

PHIL WINS AND SO DOES OAKHAVEN!

WHAT A GREAT FINISH... FINALLY PHIL HAS THE MONKEY OFF HIS BACK...

Final Results from the Masters' Pool...

Oakhaven - 225
CWRU Dropout - 233
ASUGolf - 258
My Favorite Boss - 280
Zellme - 301
Augusta Todd - 303
Ohio St. LJ - 309
Trump's Driver - 315
Trout Club - 320
Crim Law Journal - 322
Jasholn1 - 331
Extractor - 375
Magicwandflyrods.com - 407
Basement Full of Putters - 446

Thanks for playing... $35 donation to First Tee of Columbus!

Masters Leaderboard

Here's the 2nd round leaderboard. I've inserted coaches, too.

1. Justin Rose (-6) (David Leadbetter)
2. Alex Cejka (-4)
2. Jose Maria Olazabal (-4) (Butch Harmon)
4. K.J. Choi (-3) (Phil Ritson)
4. Phil Mickelson (-3) (Rick Smith, Dave Pelz)
6. Fred Couples (-2) (Butch Harmon)
6. Chris DiMarco (-2)
6. Ernie Els (-2) (David Leadbetter)
6. Charles Howell III (-2) (David Leadbetter)
6. Davis Love III (-2)

11. Sergio Garcia (-1) (his dad)

14. Tiger Woods (E)

Masters Pool

Results after the Cut of the Masters Pool for First Tee

44 Players made the cut. CWRU and Oakhaven takes the early lead having only 2 players missing the cut!

CWRU Dropout - 160
Oakhaven 160
Jasholn1 - 240
Crim Law Journal - 240
My Favorite Boss - 240
ASUGolf - 240
Augusta Todd - 240
Zellme - 240
Ohio St. LJ - 320
Trout Club - 320
Extractor - 320
Trump's Driver - 320
Magicwandflyrods.com - 320
Basement Full of Putters - 400

good luck!

tiger: any questions?

None. He answered them with a 69, 3 under par, to pull even at the Masters. He's 6 strokes back of Justin Rose.

I don't want to toot my own horn, but a fellow member of The Golf Blog said to me today (while we were playing golf) that Tiger may not make the cut. I said no way, he can shoot a 68 and be right back in it. So I was off by 1 stroke.

As for my own game, this was my 1st time out this season, and let's just say I'm glad there was no camera to catch all of my bad swings. I didn't start getting my rhythm until the round was almost over. Maybe it is I who needs to see Butch Harmon.

tiger's 40

I saw a brief recap of Tiger's day in which he shot 40 on the front nine. That number is pretty decent if it were me playing, but it's pretty depressing for Tiger. Imho, he's swinging too hard on his drives, and his lower body is getting a lot more movement than there should be. Today, there were clearly signs of frustration, if not exasperation, on Tiger's face. I know he's a slow starter and usually doesn't score well on the 1st day (in fact, didn't he also shoot 40 on the first day of the first Masters he won?). But his swing just seems to be out of synch, and not in balance, particularly on his drives. His driver used to be his weapon. Now it's his nemesis. Maybe we should also do a poll on whether to dump Nike and get some new clubs.

masters flash: Jack even at 11th hole

The biggest news story of the day is that Jack Nicklaus is even par after the 11th hole. Jack is tied for 12th place.

Tiger is 4 over for the day off to his typical slow start, chronicled already by the The Golf Blog. Play has been suspended due to lightning.

a picture is worth a thousand words: tiger 2000 v. tiger 2004

Golf swing guru Jim McLean offers a photo by photo analysis of Tiger's swing from 2000 to 2004. I will let the pictures do the talking. It's an amazing photo analysis. What I want to know is whether the 2004 photo is just of one bad swing, or is representative? From the golf analysis I've seen already on the air during Tiger's tournaments, I suspect it's pretty representative.

UPDATE: Tiger's neighbor John Cook says that in the past week he's watched Tiger play and that his swing is real close to his 2000 form. During his interview, Tiger said that he's almost there, back to his 2000 form, although he conceded his takeaway and setting up at the top are not as consistent. But he's almost there. Well, this puts things back to where Vijay left it. Tiger's Tiger, and he may be having swing problems or he may come out and win the Masters, we don't know.

UPDATE 2: The most priceless moment of the Masters so far. Tiger Woods hit a hole in one in Wednesday's Par 3 Tournament, with none other than Arnold Palmer standing right next to him in his group. Tiger didn't win the Par 3 Tournament, but he probably didn't want to. No one who's ever won that tournament has gone to win the Masters. But I'm sure this will be one of Tiger's most special moments of his career.

the king and I

I never had the privilege of seeing Arnold Palmer play in person. Nor did I have the privilege of ever seeing any of his golf tournaments from his heyday, at least not more than a clip. I feel, in many respects, deprived. Deprived of beholding the greatness this man brought to the game of golf. The best I can settle for are the memories I have of watching some of those Skins Game matches against Jack, Tom, and Lee.

But I do understand what Arnold Palmer brought to the game of golf. His army, the throngs of fans, the "I'm all in," go-for-broke mentality, the signature follow-through, and, most of all, his graciousness and identification with the people. In many ways, he is what you would get today if you crossed a little bit of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and the people's champion John Daly. But, even then, that would not be enough to replicate the man that people have long called The King.

Well, this week will be Arnold Palmer's last Masters tournament. He's 74, playing in his 50th consecutive major. Yes, 50 in a row. His grandson will be caddying for him, and I'm sure other family will be watching. It will be a sentimental moment. The Golf Blog wishes Mr. Palmer the best of luck! Thank you for helping to make this game all that it is today.

UPDATE: excellent SI article on Arnie and his place in history.

vijay on tiger

Here's a nice quote from Vijay Singh about Tiger: “You know, Tiger is Tiger. I don't know if he's not playing well now or he just is waiting for the majors, I have no idea. I just speak for the rest of the guys; I think our play has gone a step higher, and that's closed the gap, if there was one.”

So true. Just when the media are all frenzied about Tiger's swing problems, Tiger may come out like gang busters and win at Augusta. He loves that course.

news flash: phil receives tip from butch

This appears to have happened after Tiger split with Butch. Phil Mickelson, who's coached by Rick Smith and Dave Pelz, sought some advice from none other than Butch Harmon last year. Looks like Lefty is pretty serious about his game.

more on the split between tiger and butch

Well, I hate to dwell on the Tiger-Butch split, but the more I hear about it, the more it makes me think there was some serious rift between the two. Tiger says he and Butch are still friends, but he won't ask him for help. He in fact called Butch to tell him to congratulate Adam Scott. And, when interviewed by the press, Butch said that he's never seen Tiger struggle with his swing the way he has now. Wow.

Possible theories:
(A) Butch and Tiger had a difference of opinion on the swing mechanics;
(B) Butch and Tiger had a difference of opinion on Tiger's practice ethic; or (C) Butch and Tiger had a difference of opinion on whom else or how many others Butch was coaching; or
(D) All or some combination of the above.

john daly: meet the in-laws

Just as John Daly's golf game is back on track, his personal life has taken a turn. His 4th and current wife Sherrie and her parents -- yes, you read that correctly, parents -- pleaded guilty to federal charges. Sherrie had been charged with drug and money laundering charges, but pleaded to some lesser offense that may give her only 6 months home detention and 5 years probation. Sounds like a sweetheart deal to me. Maybe the US attorney is a golfer!

opening day, masters' week

Daylight savings tells us that spring has finally arrived. So too, Opening Day in baseball, and, of course, the week of the Masters this week. But the forty degree weather and few flecks of snow yesterday make it difficult for me to really feel spring in the air. But I know it's coming, and soon.

So, in anticipation, I finally caved in. I decided to spring for new clubs, no pun intended. I bought a set of Titleist 822 OS irons, steel shaft. They look absolutely gorgeous and are much lighter than my old Hogan Edge's. I had my Hogan's for 15 years. That's a long time, but I really loved them. There was one stretch in college when I hit so many pure shots with those clubs -- I just loved the feeling.

To be honest, those days are long past. The magic of my Hogans have faded. But I finally hung up the Hogans not because of my play, but because I screwed up my rotator cuff last year. It got to the point where I almost had to have surgery. So this year, I decided I need to get something lighter, some new technology. The Edges are pretty heavy by today's standard.

Well, on Saturday (before things turned cold), I hit my new set of Titleists -- serious golf clubs for the serious golfer. It was very windy, so I don't know for sure how well I was hitting, but I can already tell I love the feeling. The Hogans I will put on the shelf, but I will still keep them near and dear to my heart. Thanks for the sweet shots, and even the shanks, Ben Hogan!

annika

Annika won her 50th professional tournament on Sunday. It's pretty incredible. I really think she should play a few more men's events.

tiger and hank vs. mickelson and daly

The Battle of the Bridges has been set.
Tiger and Hank Kuehne will go up against Phil and Big John Daly.
What a match.

Here's my dream match-up:
Tiger and Michelle Wie or Annika Sorenstam
versus Vijay Singh and Greg Norman or Fuzzy Zoellar.

ken venturi says he didn't say arnold palmer "cheated"

Ken Venturi apparently has a received a lot of flak for his comments in his book basically accusing Arnold Palmer of committing a rules infraction in the 1958 Masters that would have given the title to Venturi, not Palmer. Venturi's sticking by his story, but now says he never said Palmer "cheated."

My take: Venturi is now forced to rely on the kind of hair splitting that was common in the days of Bill Clinton. I guess it all depends on what your definition of "rules infraction" is. I think we need to introduce Mr. Venturi to another rule: let bygones be bygones.

slam dunking

The only thing I love more than seeing someone (sometimes myself) rip a 300 yard drive is seeing someone slam dunk. Well, this incredible woman Candace Parker, a high school student, really takes the cake. Bravo!