news flash: tiger and butch make up

Tiger Woods called Butch Harmon and cleared the air. Well, this could change everything. Maybe I shouldn't have ruled out going back to Butch. We'll see...

what driver's in the bag?

Going into the comment bag, we received a thoughtful post from one reader suggesting that there shouldn't be a big difference between the Nike driver and the Titleist driver. Tiger's driving woes won't be corrected by the Titleist driver, the argument goes.

I disagree. First, sometimes a change in clubs is good to get out of a rut. Second, other than Grace Park, I have yet to see any professional golfer hit the Nike driver consistently well. Next to Tiger, the biggest Nike golfer is -- or was -- David Duval. Then there's Rory Sabbatini, who's 133d in driving accuracy. Tiger's 142d. Need I say more?

Of the top 25 golfers in the World Rankings, only Tiger is using the Nike driver. By my count, here are the drivers being used by the Top 25 players:

1. TaylorMade - 9
2. Titleist - 8
3. Cleveland - 2
4. Nike, Wilson, Callaway, Golfsmith, Ping, Bridgestone - 1 each

4 out of the top 5 golfers use Titleist. I'm a numbers guy, and I don't think these numbers lie. I'd go with the manufacturers that focus exclusively on golf. They know how to make clubs -- that's all they do. Tiger Woods's Nike contract allows him to use any club he wants. He did switch back to Titleist last year, but only back to the old Titleist 975D he used before. I'd switch forward to the new Titleist technology, or maybe TaylorMade, at least to try out on the range.

more on michelle

I saw some highlights -- or lowlights -- of Michelle Wie's loss this weekend. She played poorly on the final 18 holes of match play, and ended up sobbing on her mom's shoulder. Not a pretty sight, but she's proven she still is just a kid.

more on tiger

I was out in sunny California over the weekend, and just about every one of my friends (most who don't even play golf) wanted to know what I thought about Tiger. It's amazing how much legs this story has.

Well, here are a few more thoughts I have about the Tiger situation.

1. I won't defend Tiger's decision to go without a swing coach. If I were in his position and my driver were consistently acting up, I would get someone to help me fix it. I would not call Butch Harmon, though. That relationship appears shot.

2. I would get rid of my Nike Ignite driver and switch back to Titleist, serious clubs for serious golfers. 983K.

3. As a student of the game, Tiger should know well what happened to Nick Faldo, a 6-time major winner. Faldo revamped his swing in 1985 under David Leadbetter, which took about two years of adjustment. Faldo then won 5 majors in 5 years. After he fired his coach David Leadbetter in 1998, Faldo never won another major again, his last being the Masters in 1996.

Sound familiar? I think Tiger's got more game than Faldo ever did, so the situation is a little different. And Faldo was 41 years old at the time of the split. 28-year old Tiger has too much talent and too many different shots, particularly in the short game, to be in a slump for too long. But Tiger can't just rest on his laurels. He's losing precious years in his 20s by not having a greater sense of urgency with his driving woes. If Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson are keeping it in the fairway more often, it's time to make a change.

michelle wie fails to defend

14-year-old Michelle Wie failed to repeat as Women U.S. Amateur's Public Linx Champion, succumbing to 15-year-old Ya Ning Tseng. Wie was 4 up at one point on the first 18 holes of match play, only to have Tseng chip into the lead and cut it down to 2 up after 18 holes. In the 2nd 18, Wie played pretty poorly by her own admission. After she lost, Wie sounded almost shell shocked, failing to keep her "concentration."

Well, maybe this is what Tiger recommended in learning how to win...

A different putting contest

I understand the complaint -- and basically agree -- that the U.S. Open set up turned last week's major into a glorified putting contest. But is this week's PGA event, the Booz Allen Classic, where you basically had to shoot two rounds in the 60s to make the cut, really any better? Since you have to go so low, you cannot afford to two putt much if you want to to keep up with the leaders. Though it is nice to see pros make some birdies, it's a bit crazy when shooting two rounds in the 60s still means a morning tee time on Saturday.

tiger's email

I received another email from Tiger. Here's a snippet of what he had to say:

"The first concerns Butch Harmon, my former swing coach. All I can say is that I'm disappointed Butch decided to speak publicly about our split. I simply decided to go in another direction and thought he understood. I plan to speak to Butch face-to-face and not communicate through the press."

My take: A reader sent in a thoughtful comment that Butch Harmon's comments were benign. I, too, saw the interview of Butch Harmon on British TV and on NBC, and I stand by my original post. Butch's comments about his former student crossed the line. At one point, Butch said: "For him to stand there in every interview and say he is getting close and he feels really good about what he is doing I think he is in denial. I just think Tiger Woods is not playing well. He is not swinging the golf club well and he is not working the right things." To NBC, Butch said: "In the past when Tiger had a poor round, like he's had numerous times this year, he would tell you: `I played really poorly. My short game saved me. I'm going to go to the range and figure it out.' We don't hear that anymore."

A good teacher doesn't go around taking pot shots at former students, saying he's in "denial" and questioning his work ethic and self-honesty. How can Butch say Tiger's not working on the right things when he admits that he doesn't even know what Tiger's been working on? In the past month, Butch has let loose with other barbs against Tiger, not about his swing but his "controlling" personality. The Golf Blog reported them here and here. "I have no desire to go back to the same situation where I spend all my time at tournaments with Tiger Woods," Harmon said in Golfweek magazine. "If he wants to come here (Las Vegas), that's fine. I sat on that hot seat for 10 years, and now someone else can sit in it." I think it's obvious that there's more going on with Butch's comments than objective swing analysis. It's personal. Butch's defense that "I'm just doing my job" is flimsy. This is one time when the teacher could learn something from the student in how to conduct himself.

retief goosen

I watched a little of The Golf Channel's replay of the U.S. Open -- don't ask me why, I already had watched it live. But the replay was very nicely done, perhaps even better than the original. The Golf Channel interspersed clips of Kelly Tilghman's interview with Retief Goosen, to provide commentary on his play. They also had other interviews mixed in, which really added to the actual footage of the championship. If The Golf Channel does replay it again, you may want to catch a look.

I was struck by one thing: Retief Goosen is not flashy and doesn't yet have the star power as Ernie (maybe he should), but he's more engaging than his somewhat reserved persona on the course might suggest. He's soft-spoken, but seems very modest and genuine. And we all know what kind of game he has. He may give Ernie his run for his money as the best player from South Africa. Congratulations, Retief!

two for tuesday

Some guys have all the luck ... but apparently not me. I played golf on Father's Day with my dad. It was a great day, with beautiful weather, but, oh, what could have been...

Within the span of about 2 1/2 hours, I came within 1 foot of hitting 2 holes-in-one. Unfortunately, neither ball went in. On the 167 yard 5th hole, I hit the purest 6-iron I've hit all year -- it felt sweet the moment I hit it. The ball was directly on line with the pin and hit about a foot above the hole, then rolled back with backspin hitting the pin but ricocheting to the left about 1 foot away. I had to settle for birdie.

Then, on the 170 yard 16th hole, I hit a soft 5-iron (I was a little tired by then). The ball was not directly on target like the 5th hole, but had some cut to it, veering to the hole. The ball ended up pin high, a foot to the left. Another birdie. Oh well. For the record, I'm still looking for my first hole-in-one. Had one of these balls ended up in the cup, I could have just about hung up my clubs for the year and called it a success. Had both ended up in, well, I can keep dreaming...

cat fight: butch v. tiger

In case you missed it, things hit an all-time low between Butch Harmon and Tiger Woods during the U.S. Open. Acting as a sports analyst for British TV, Butch was highly critical of Tiger's swing and his attitude. Butch basically said that Tiger's been making some bad swing changes, which he's been very secretive about. Butch also said that Tiger's been in "denial" about how bad his swing really is right now.

When asked about Butch's comments this weekend at the U.S. Open, Tiger said he didn't understand why Butch would say such a thing: Butch doesn't know what he's been working on and he hasn't ever called Tiger to talk about them.

NBC then followed up with Butch, who stood by his critical comments, saying that it's part of his job as an analyst.

My take: This is really ugly for golf. I think it's really in bad form for Butch Harmon to be taking pot shots at one of his former students. It's OK for Johnny Miller to make highly critical comments of Tiger's swing, but Johnny wasn't Tiger's teacher. The things that Butch has been saying are self-serving and tinged with petty vindictiveness. Being a teacher (in another discipline) myself, I think it crosses the line to publicly criticize a former student's ability, his mental state, and work ethic. If you really think the path Tiger's on is that bad, your former student of 10 years deserves to hear from you first. Whatever you think about his swing, Tiger's right on target on this one.

Cuban Wants To Be The Donald's Caddy...

In an upcoming charity golf outing, Mark Cuban, the billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks, former manager of a Dairy Queen, among other things, has asked Donald Trump to hire him as his caddy for the tournament. As the story goes, Cuban will be auctioning off his caddying services for the tournament. Cuban will also match all of donations, which support families of soldiers who have died or been injured during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Personally, I think it'd be a trip to see Trump fire Cuban!

Talk about a power struggle between a couple of the richest people in the world!

I can see the following conversation occur on a par 3 over water with the pin in front of the green...

The Donald: Please hand me the 5 iron...
Cuban: You know Donald, I heard Trump National has a golf hole that cost $13 million dollars. I bet this hole is more difficult.
TD: Just give me the damn 5 iron.
Cuban: In fact, I bet you $50,000 that you'll hit it in the water.
TD: ARGH!!!
Cuban: So what do you guys think?? (referring to the crowd) Don't you think that "The Donald" will hit his ball into the drink?
TD: Give me the damn 5-iron.
Cuban: Ok Donald, (handing The Donald a 5 wood) here is the 5-iron
TD: You idiot! You're Fired!

The Donald then addresses his ball, and while taking his club back, Cuban asks, "So how does it feel to be poorer than your caddie?"

CHUNK!!

The Donald, hits his ball into the water, runs his hand though his comb-over, and proceeds to throw his club into the water.

Cuban, then walking away says: "You know Donald, you keep throwing clubs and putting balls in the water, this hole might become worth $13 million..."

Oh to be there to experience this one...

2nd Highest Stroke Average In US Open History

Has the USGA screwed up?? Or is Shinnecock that difficult??

ESPN.com had an article about the high scores in the final round of the US Open.

The last round at Shinnecock had none of the best players in the world finish under par for the day. Robert Allenby shot even par 70 and moved up to 7th place. Many of the best players failed to break 80.

There are many questions/concerns I have about this year's US Open; however, having been to the Open Championship last year at Royal St. Georges (where hitting the fairway and landing on a mound that was 8 feet tall and having your ball go 90 degrees left or right), Shinnecock was just that difficult.

But, why water the 7th green between some groups and not all?

Why double cut and roll a green that was not supposed to have been double cut at all?

Is it good to watch the best players in the world not be able to hit directly at a green from 140 yards and have to pitch out?

I guess it depends on who you are... I thought that Goosen's putting performance on the last 18 holes was unbelievable and even though my house was rooting for Phil, I'd say it was about as close to Jack in 1986 at the Masters, as I'll ever see...

JJ's Crazy Round..

So what do you do when you shoot 75 - 69 = 144 in the US Open??

Well if your name is JJ Henry, you post 86.

5 4 4 6 8 5 4 5 3 3 5 3 5 5 5 6 4 6 = 86

The amazing thing about his round is that he only made 1 par, which occured on the 3rd hole. So with 1 par, 3 birdies, 3 doubles, 1 triple, and 10 bogeys, 86 is probably not all that bad of a score.

Also, how cool will it be for Jay Haas to finish and then be able to watch his son play the last 3 holes at the US Open. It'll be a pretty cool father's day!!

My prediction is that -1 will win the tournament, and it'll be the first to post.

Too much?

Though, as I've said before, I like when a course is set up to make shooting par an accomplishment, there were moments watching Round 3 of the U.S. Open when I felt that the course was unfair. The par 3 7th hole really was crazy. Shigeki Maruyama was the only player in the final groups to hit an approach that stayed on the green and then his approach putt rolls down a hill 30 feet and off the green! And, after watching that craziness, Phil Mickelson can't keep his six foot putt from above the hole from rolling 12 feet past. Wow!

That all said, it's pretty cool when an even par round can move you up a pro leaderboard. And if Tiger had just avoided that goofy double on 10, he would still be in position to make a final round charge.

Though this might look like a foolish prediction in 24 hours, I bet that the first golfer in the clubhouse posting a red number wins the championship. And Tiger could do that by shooting 65, and Sergio could do it by shooting 68. And don't forget about Mike Weir.

shinnecock: whither the wind?

After Day 2, Phil Mickelson and Shigeki Maruyama are tied for the lead at -6. Most of the big names appear in contention: Retief at -4, Ernie at -3, Vijay at -2. Some others are having great tournaments: Jeff Maggert at -5, Fred Funk and Angel Cabrera at -4, and Corey Pavin at -2. Tiger's at +1. Full scores here.

I watched Phil's 2nd round and he's playing extremely in control of all of his shots. He looks solid.

So one thing the USGA and tournaments officials are wondering in their prayers: where did the wind go? Shinnecock Hills hasn't "defended" itself yet. But who knows when the forecast will be for gusting winds. If the wind doesn't show up, then the leading scores will stay well under par. That's OK, but it would sure make this U.S. Open a tad less interesting.

Brian Gay did not have such a Gay Day... 4 Amateurs make the cut!

Brian Gay, who has been infamous for fading in the final round, put a nice 79 to go with the 69 he shot yesterday. Similar to him, Chad Campbell played the last 3 holes in 5-over to miss the cut.

Personally, I'm very impressed with the fact that 5 Amateurs making the cut.

Bill Haas (son of Jay) and Chez Reavie finished at +5 and made the cut. Also, Casey Wittenberg, who just finished his freshman year at Oklahoma State and is know for being low amateur at the Masters, made the cut at +2. The story amateur is probably Spencer Levin, who made a hole-in-one on 17 last night during Golf Channel Coverage. His father played in the US Open in the past and was on the Bag. According to his interview, Spencer wanted to hit hard 8 and his father wanted him to hit a soft 7. Spencer went with 8 and hit it in the hole. I guess you should go with hard 8!

Should be a very interesting weekend...

the coolest thing: ESPN is webcasting US Open

Well, here's one way to do work and watch the U.S. Open. ESPN is webcasting it over the Internet. Go here and then click on "Webcast." Bravo, ESPN! BTW, Phil Mickelson is leading.

is one major enough?

After day one, not all the golfers completed their first round at the U.S. Open, due to the weather. Jay Haas, Shigeki Maruyama, and Angel Cabrera are tied for the lead at -4.

There are plenty of interesting subplots so far -- perhaps none bigger than Jay Haas, at 50 years old, leading the tournament. Jay hasn't won a major yet, so is he the best player not to win a major? But then why is there so much hullaballoo over winning 1 major? Shouldn't the true test be winning at lesat 2?

Here's a list of the 1-time majors at the U.S. Open and their scores:

Phil Mickelson -2 (16)
Ben Curtis -2
Corey Pavin -1 (13)
Mike Weir -1
Retief Goosen E (13)

Shaun Micheel +1
Bob Tway +1 (14)
Jim Furyk +2
Tom Kite +2
David Toms +2
Justin Leonard +3 (13)
Rich Beem +4
Paul Lawrie +5 (15)
Fred Couples +5 (13)
Davis Love III +6
David Duval +13

By the way, I'm glad to see Corey Pavin scoring well at the site of his only major, and 54-year old Tom Kite shooting a respectable first round. I'm also impressed with Ben Curtis's play. Maybe the British Open was no fluke.

If I could write a compelling story line to this U.S. Open, it might be either Jay Haas winning his first major or Corey Pavin winning his second at the same site where he won his first 9 years ago. Wouldn't that be cool?

david duval, a different man

If you did not get to see David Duval's press conference, you missed a lot. It's quite clear to me that David is a changed man in his golf and in his life. He talked about his former No. 1 status and then British Open Championship almost as if they were unfulfilling. "Is this it?" he asked after he won. Now, he's found his new love, Susie, whom he married and whose 3 kids he's now stepfather to.

But don't think David isn't passionate about golf. "I was in tears when I called home Saturday night when I was out golfing and said that I was going to New York and I've been in and out of tears ever since," he said.

He also admits he's really nervous. Said Duval, "Since I made the decision Saturday night to come, I've been nervous. Susie has been saying all along that she was feeling that this was where I was going to play, and I didn't know it. I really didn't know it."

Frankly, it's good to finally hear David open up, and come out from behind those wrap around sunglasses. It seems a long shot if David will ever pull off the magical run of tournament wins that brought him to No. 1 in the world. But it's clear that's not his priority any more. He's got his family now, and he just wants to have fun again playing golf. Let's hope he does this week.

UPDATE: As might be expected, David is struggling in his opening round. He's 7 over par after 13 holes. Hope he hangs in there.

tiger quips

If you are a true golf fan, you can't help but get excited with anticipation about the U.S. Open this week. I can't wait. I love the look of Shinnecock Hills. It looks fantastic, almost like an old British course.

Just to whet your appetite, here's a quote today from Tiger's interview. When asked if he was the biggest celebrity in the Hamptons, Tiger replied:

"I'm just a golfer, man. I chase a little white ball around and work on my farmer tan, that's it."

the right to defend: jim furyk to give it a go

Joining David Duval from golf hiatus at the U.S. Open will be defending champion Jim Furyk. Furyk is coming back from wrist surgery and 6 months of rehab. It's sooner than projected, and it may be sooner than medically advised. But Jim explains, "It’s the U.S. Open, it’s Shinnecock, and I’m the defending champion. Otherwise I would’ve waited.”

Personally, I think Jim should wait. The rough at Shinnecock can be knee high. Tiger injured his wrist the first time he played there. I watched the highlights of the last U.S. Open played there, and the golfers were wick-wacking it out of the rough.

But I also understand Jim's desire to defend his championship. If he wants to give it a go, he's earned that right.

weekend recap: annika wins 7th major, sergio wins 2nd PGA event

Flipping between the PGA and LPGA events on TV, I turned the channel at the right moment. I saw Annika Sorenstam hit a 94 yard sand wedge over a group of towering trees from out on the 15th fairway back to the hole she was actually playing, the 16th. She got it up over the trees and hit it on the green, with backspin to put it within 5 feet of the hole. She birdied and cemented her 7th Major of her career, winning again the LPGA McDonald's Championship. The shot was miraculous. Tigeresque. If you missed it, try to catch it on highlights on the Golf Channel tonight. It's worth it. One of the best shots I've seen this year.

Then I saw some of Sergio Garcia's Sunday charge at Westchester. The only problem: ABC pulled its coverage after the 1st playoff hole leaving east coast viewers and even some west coast viewers completely hanging. Sergio credited his win to Brad Faxon's putting tips that week. That's awfully nice of Brad, and way to go, Sergio. That's 2 wins in the past 6 tournaments. Now, on to Shinnecock!

news flash: duval to play U.S. Open

At long last, David Duval is coming out of a self-imposed golf hibernation. David's game slipped considerably in the past 2 years and got to the point where he couldn't hit his driver anywhere close to the fairway. Part of it was injuries, but eventually it became to be a complete loss of confidence. Meanwhile, his personal life had a couple ups and downs. He broke off his engagement to his long-time girlfriend, but then eventually found a new love and married her.

Well, now, it appears David has been doing more than making cameos at Tiger Woods's house for a Nike commercial for the new Ignite driver. (Funny commercial, though. Frank, Tiger's headcover, quips after Duval breaks Tiger's car window on a practice swing: "That's the best swing you've made all year, Duval.")

David now says, "I'm ready to go play." Welcome back, David.

Goofy Trivia Question: Fewest Pars by Champ

Here's a strange (but I think intriguing) trivia question for everyone to ponder (and perhaps research):

What is the fewest number of pars carded by a professional golfer en route to a championship in a 72-hole PGA event?

Obviously, when a golfer posts a very low score he will have a lot more birdies than pars on his card --- e.g., David Duval had only 6 pars when shooting his famed 59). But golfers can often have quality roller-coaster rounds with even fewer pars --- e.g., Fred Couples had only 5 pars when shooting 69 in round 2 of last week's Memorial.

Without doing any serious research, I'd bet someone has won a PGA event with only about 20 pars. Other thoughts?

"Proper" winning score?

Among the many reasons I love the U.S. Open is that the score of par takes on renewed significance. Any score in the red numbers typically is in contention, and rarely will anyone get close to the double-digit under par scores which are so commonplace for nearly every other tour event. Perhaps because I like seeing pros make bogeys or because a different scoring reality changes the players likely to succeed, I am always glad when even par can put a player in contention for a title.

But can there be too much of a good thing? Here's an article about the course hosting the PGA this year, with predictions that the winning score may be double-digits OVER par. I seriously doubt that will happen, but I'd kind of like to see it (if only for the reactions generated).

This all leads to the central question: What "should" be the winning score relative to par for a great pro event?

kite flying

Tom Kite, who is 54 years old, qualified for the U.S. Open to preserve his streak of consecutive Opens at 31 straight. Kite's only major was the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, where he was able to withstand gusty winds. At the qualifier, Kite beat out young gun Trip Kuehne for one of the last spots. It's always amazing in golf how age is much less of a factor than in other sports. Could you imagine a 54 year old playing basketball or tennis?

butch, more bitter than sweet

More news about Butch Harmon's breakup with Tiger Woods dribbles out. Here's one story (and I mean story because how do we know it's true): at the TPC, Phil Mickelson jokingly told Butch Harmon on the driving range not to answer his cell phone if it has an Orlando area code. Orlando is where Tiger lives.

Later, at the Masters, Butch saw Phil again. As allegedly retold by Butch, "When we got to Augusta, I saw Phil on the range and he said, 'He didn't call, did he? I said, 'No, Phil, you're safe. You're going to win this week."'

If this is true, you know Tiger's blood must be boiling by now, if it hasn't already.

New Equipment...

For some reason, I love to fiddle with new equipment and have pretty much hit every club on the market. I have grown up with golfers and I have a couple of good friends, who are just as hot about golf and have enough money to spend on golf that I get to try many clubs with them. I'm about a 2 handicap, so take my comments for what they are worth to you.

I found this article on PGATour.com about the new Titeist and Cobra line of clubs. I just hit the Cobra composite model of woods this week. Personally, I wasn't a big fan of the feel, but the way the club set-up, I could see this line become a big seller. Cobra has always made a good line of metal woods and this line will probably be a hot seller as well. The composite model combines metal and graphite for a bit of extra love. I wasn't a big fan of the stock shaft they had in the driver, but that is just personal preference.

The new titleist irons are amazing. The 704.CB irons are forged, cavity back, non-offset, standard size, "low handicap" version. The 804.OS irons are oversized, with offset depending on club, and forged. These would be for your "stock" golfer. The aid of offset allows people to hit the ball a bit higher and decreases the fade spin on the ball. I have hit both and love them. If I did not just spend $600 on a set of Cleveland TA7 Tour irons last year, I would have a set of these in my bag. I was a big fan of the 704.CB short irons and the 804.OS long irons. Maybe I could get Titleist to make me a "rainbow" set. Or maybe I could find a way to make a bit more money and time to spend on golf.

I'll be hitting the new Taylormade R7 series driver next week. I have a buddy who just got one and wants me to try it. Now, if you haven't seen it, it definately looks like something out of Caddyshack. With screw in weight ports and different settings (which you cannot change during a "round"), you are able to control spin rate, ball flight, trajectory, etc.

Here is an article in USA Today about the R7 series Driver.

Next thing they are going to come up with is a club that just hits itself. I'll give you more information after I've hit it.

U.S. open

The U.S. Open is 2 weeks away. It will be played at Shinnecock Hills in New York, the site of Corey Pavin's one major.

Meanwhile, this past Monday and Tuesday, there were 10 qualifiers around the country. There were plenty of big names trying to qualify, along with all those other golfers who dream to play the U.S Open. Some did, others didn't. But what's striking about the qualifiers is that you may increase your chances dramatically by playing in one of the less popular sites. Hawaii, Oregon, and Pennsylvania had only 1 spot but less competition. Columbus, OH, appeared to be the worst site, with the most PGA tour players there (following the Memorial) trying to qualify. How would you like to be teeing up against Aaron Baddeley, Mark Calcavecchia, Alex Cejka, or Duffy Waldorf?

Notables Who Qualified
Nick Faldo, Dudley Hart, Dennis Paulson, Kevin Stadler, Mark Brooks, Matt Gogel, Rory Sabbatini, Dan Forsman, Skip Kendall, Mark Calcavecchia, Duffy Waldorf, Alex Cejka, Tom Pernice, Jeff Maggert, Aaron Baddeley, Carlos Franco, Joey Sindelar, Pat Perez, Bill Haas

Failed to Qualify
Mark O'Meara, Jesper Parnevik, Paul Azinger, Len Mattiace, Loren Roberts, Billy Andrade, Notah Begay, Robert Damron, David Gossett, Kevin Na, Robert Gamez, Paul Stankowski, Matt Kuchar, Harrison Frazar, Tom Lehman, Luke Donald, Frank Lickliter, Scott McCarron

news from tiger

Tiger sent me his newsletter today. He sounds pretty confident about his swing changes. Here's a brief excerpt:

"I keep telling people my game is close, but apparently some don't believe me. Unless you watch me hit shots every day, it's impossible to understand how much progress I've made. I felt very comfortable with my driver at the Memorial, and the rest of my game is coming around.

In short, I've been making baby steps. Slow and steady progress. When you change things, it doesn't happen over night."

Well, Tiger, I watched plenty of your shots at the Memorial. I agree.

kudos to karrie

Karrie Webb used to be the No. 1 golfer on the women's tour a couple years ago. Then, she pulled a David Duval and seemed to disappear from the leaderboard. Meanwhile, Annika Sorenstam has dominated the women's tour, with Karrie rarely in contention.

This past weekend, Karrie finally regained some of her old form to win the Kellog Keebler Classic by 5 strokes. Her bogey free final round was impressive. Let's hope this a sign of things to come from Karrie. Now where's David?

a memorable memorial

Ernie Els won his first Memorial Tournament today, fending off a revived Fred Couples and Tiger Woods. The Memorial definitely had a "major" championship atmosphere out there. (Someone tell Phil Mickleson -- even though Muirfield may not set up for lefties, it's worth his while.)

Because of the generosity of a fellow Golf Blogger, I had the pleasure of following Tiger most of the day, and then Ernie and Fred for the final 4 holes. Here are some highlights:

1. Tiger's game is getting closer: his driving accuracy was much improved this week. A couple loose tee shots on the back nine really hurt his momentum, though.

2. Tiger's flop shot on 14 to a downhill green and in the hole was the most incredible golf shot I've seen in person. The roar of the crowd was deafening. (At the time, though, I did not realize it was for par, not birdie.)

3. Fred Couples outdrove Ernie by 15 or more yards on 17. Fred acquitted himself well for a person who has not been in contention much in recent years. His clutch putt on the 17th from off the green was incredible (but too little too late). Hopefully, this will springboard Fred's season ... maybe into the Ryder Cup.

4. Ernie Els's putting was stellar. His 20 footer to save par on 16 was money. Ernie showed a lot of determination out there. The one slight hiccup for Ernie on the final holes was his two pulled shots on 15 and 16. He should thank the spectators he nailed or it could have been worse.

5. Jack Nicklaus shot -1 for his round today. Incredible.

6. After the tournament, I got to walk on the fairway and green. Both are absolutely pristine. The greens are cut extremely close.

7. The highlight of the week for me: I got Jack's autograph, the one I wanted most. He's a great man and runs a world class tournament.

good day for golden bears

Cal Berkeley won its first NCAA men's golf championship, coming out of nowhere. Meanwhile, Jack shot a very respectable +1 today, to make the cut at the Memorial. Way to go, Golden Bears!

The golf orgy continues...

Another great day of great golf overload: a strong morning round (73!) at Champions -- a municipal course with a fantastic layout -- followed by an afternoon watching the pros finish round 2 of the Memorial Tournament.

A few more insights to share:
(1) three putting is the single most annoying way to waste strokes;
(2) many pros play really slow -- it shouldn't take good golfers 5+ hours to play;
(3) the three finishing holes at Muirfield Village are really, really hard.

Cicadas...

For those of you who are not in the Columbus area. The Cicadas are definitely back and making the loud screeching noise 24 hrs a day. Here is an article from ESPN.com about the bugs.

Hopefully, they will mind their own business and not cause a golfer to hit a few poor shots.

memorial, day 1

Ernie Els (now with hat) and local boy Ben Curtis (in Bengals outfit) are atop the leaderboard at -4 at the Memorial. Tiger is even, after a round with 4 birdies and 4 bogeys. Jack is 2-over.

Under the radar: It's nice to see two relatively unknown golfers who shot -3 near the top of the leaderboard. The first is John Rollins. The guy had Tiger by the tail at the World Match Play Championship, only to falter on the final hole. At the practice round, no one around me recognized who he was, so no one asked for his autograph. I hope he does well.

The other player is up-and-coming Zach Johnson, who's already won the Bellsouth Classic this year. Zach is playing with Jack, so I hope Zach and Jack both play well.

Come on Craig!

I was watching Golf Central on the Golf Channel and was pissed off to hear that Craig Stadler drove home under the influence after going out to drink for his birthday party. He has withdrawn from this week's Champion's Tour Event and hopefully will realize that if you drink, make sure you don't drive!!

Never enough golf (or enough short game)

After a three-day weekend of grading and other work, I'm rewarding myself this week with a lot of golf time while the pros (and my family) are in town. Yesterday I played 18 with the family in the AM and hiked out to Muirfield Village for the tail end of the last practice round. This morning I was able to watch some of the early groups play their front 9. The highlights included (1) making a closing birdie to card a season-best 74 (and beat my dad by 4 strokes) when my home course was playing pretty tough, (2) talking with Corey Pavin about the loud cicadas as he played a late afternoon practice round, and (3) watching Ernie Els this morning make eagle look relatively easy on the 560-yard 7th hole.

I've drawn two broad insights from the last 36 hours: (1) I never tire of either playing or watching golf, and (2) you can never have too much short game. Though the pros are amazing ball strikers and hit it much longer than I could ever dream, I think it is their ability to sink putts and get up-and-down which separates them most from us mortals.

Also, the green at Muirfield Village are really slick and will be lightning fast if we do not get any real rain this week.

more from the Memorial

Here are a few more tidbits from the Memorial.

1. Ernie Els is going hatless.
2. Retief Goosen wears metal spikes.
3. Zhang Lian-Wei is the first Chinese golfer at the Memorial.
4. Ben Curtis will be wearing NFL outfits for both the Browns and Bengals.
5. Ryder Cup Captain Hal Sutton was there, even though he's not playing.
6. Barbara Nicklaus is very impressive looking and nice in person.
7. David Leadbetter was there, coaching Aaron Baddeley and others.
8. Lee Trevino received an Honoree award.
9. The cicadas (which come out only every 17 years) are loud and freaky.

butch harmon on the breakup with Tiger

Butch Harmon told an Irish newspaper new details about why he no longer works -- or cares to work -- with Tiger. Here's one zinger:

"Tiger has become a person who likes to control everything he does himself. He's changed over the years. He's matured. He now likes everything to be his decision, his idea. It hurts when you read an article in GolfWeek magazine when he says he worked with Butch and threw out 90% and kept 10% of what he was told. He and I know that's not true. It's a different Tiger Woods. He likes to be in total control. Everything is his idea. That's fine. He's grown up. Really, it's allowed me to spend more time with players which I've really enjoyed. I have no desire to go back there."

Wow.

tiger's practice round

I'm reporting today from the Memorial Tournament practice round. Designed by Jack Nicklaus in 1974, Muirfield Village Golf Club is absolutely one of the most majestic courses. Of the courses I've walked or played, I place it second only to Pebble Beach.

Today, I followed Tiger on the back nine. (Since he teed off at 6:30 a.m. when I was still in bed, I missed the front.) He played with Orlando neighbor John Cook, and a man who appeared to be a golf coach was walking in the group (if I find his name, I'll update). There were probably a couple hundred people following Tiger's early practice round -- yes, people are pretty fanatical about golf in this part of the country.

Tiger's iron shots, short game, and putting all looked pretty fluid. Everything looks so easy, especially in a practice round. He did not hit as many drivers, choosing to go with the 3 wood more often off the tee. But he did hit an amazing driver "off the deck" from the fairway on the par-5 15th, from 235 yards out and onto the green. I have it on tape and will try to post it.

I've followed Tiger a number of the times in the past, but today I appreciated more exactly what he has to deal with being Tiger. He's like a rock star, drawing huge fans who flock to see him in an almost mob-like atmosphere. Today, only John Daly and Jack Nicklaus generated the same kind of "buzz" among the fans as Tiger, but Tiger's following appears to be the largest or at least most intense. No doubt he tees off early to avoid the crowds and finish early. The security detail plans out Tiger's getaways, just so he can leave the course.

But it's good to see Tiger hasn't lost his sense of humor. After he struck a good shot on the 215-yard par 3 16th, one spectator asked Tiger, "What did you hit?" With a straight face, Tiger replied, "The ball." And then he cracked a smile.

tiger on front page of USA Today

Tiger adorns the front page of USA Today for his philanthropic work for his Tiger Woods Foundation. Two interesting tidbits from the article:

1. Ernie Els says the days of Tiger's domination are over: "That big gap that Tiger has had, I don't think that's going to happen for a while again. The way he played in 2000, it was just impossible. He's not playing like that anymore."

2. Tiger reveals his allergies have been bothering him, so he's doubling up on Claritin. For you allergy sufferers, The Golf Blog published an article about how bad this season has been.