leonard: hope springs eternal

Justin Leonard came from 3 shots back to overtake Joe Ogilvie to win the Bob Hope Classic. Here are several interesting factoids:

1. The Hope is the only PGA tournament that is 5 rounds (I believe). Had it been 4 rounds, Joe Ogilvie would have won wire-to-wire.

2. Justin Leonard has switched clubs from Hogan to Nike, and balls from Titleist to Nike. Very interesting because I saw Justin demo'ing a new driver at the Memorial last year, and it appeared to be made by a Japanese manufacturer. Maybe the deal fell through. Anyway, Justin is a real shotmaker, so his use of Nike clubs adds greater "street cred" to the clubs and may compensate for Duval's dramatic fall.

3. The past 2 winners of the Masters - Phil and Mike Weir -- had won the Hope in the same year. Justin says he's scribbled that down in his yardage book for the Masters.

Duval... The Next Beck, Baker-Finch??

I cannot believe that I am writing this post, but sometimes you need to step off the bandwagon and just be very honest.

I remember a few years ago when David Duval won the 1999 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic shooting a beautiful and stunning 59 to win. He was sponsered by Titleist, hid behind is Oakley Sunglasses, and was a man of utter confidence.

Today, when I was looking at scores from Duval's group from the 2005 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, I saw:

First Round: 40 - 42 = 82
Second Round: 41 - 38 = 79
Third Round: 36 - 49 = 85

and I thought to myself... Did pgatour.com screw up and put in a member from his Pro-am team or were these David's scores? Then I thought to myself, I wonder what I would do if I beat a former British Open Champion in a Pro-am, when I pay a large sum of money to hopefully win nice prizes with the tournament? What would I do if I played and whooped on David?

I know that he has had many problems in his life and now is finally for the first time "happy," but for one of my idols when I was playing Jr. golf to probably being a worse player than I am now, it just makes me sad.

I hope that David finds what he wants in life and hopefully will fill my life with more 59's instead of back nine 49's.

Go David!!

crossing the line

Today, I have to cross the line -- over into the tennis world. The reason: I am so peeved by the utterly pathetic and biased commentating of Mary Carillo and Dick Enberg at yesterday's match at the Australian Open between No. 4 Maria Sharapova and No. 7 Serena Williams. It reminded me of 2 things: (1) how easy it is for TV commentators to "pile on" athletes when they're down (just as they did with Tiger) and (2) how much better golf commentary is than tennis.

So here's what happened yesterday, if you missed it. Serena pulled out a gutsy 3-set victory over the rising star Sharapova, (2-6, 7-5, 8-6), which included staving off 3 match points.

But the real story was how biased Mary Carillo was. If you didn't know better, you would have thought Carillo was in love with Sharapova, with all the gushy praise she heaped on Sharapova. From the beginning of the match, she emphasized how technically sound Sharapova's form was - from all strokes. But that wasn't enough: Carillo then proceeded to criticize Serena's forehand and serve as being "bad" -- that was her exact word. She also spent about 5 minutes goading her sidekick Dick Enberg and then Pam Shriver to agree with her that Serena's skills are in "decline." She also suggested that Serena should be looking at videotape of her own self, to see how much work she needs. And then Carillo gushed about how great Sharapova's game was, with inane "oohs" and "aahs" from Enberg after her shots.

Of course, it was easy to say all this when Serena was losing the 1st set pretty badly (2-6). But is it fair? I don't think so. Serena is a Grand Slam champion and former No. 1 in the world. Because of injuries and the murder of her half-sister, she hasn't been at the top of her game lately. What really crossed the line was Carillo's constant praise for Sharapova and criticism of Serena. It continued all throughout the match. Only begrudgingly did Carillo say something good about Serena's forehand or serve, after she had laced several winning shots past Sharapova at key moments in the match.

But, at the end, after Serena had just beaten Sharapova, Carillo even had the audacity to say something along these lines: "I think Sharapova is still the better player." Not even the sharp-tongued Johnny Miller would ever say something as biased as that. Someone needs to tell Carillo that the commentator's role is NOT to pick who the "better" players are -- the match determines that.

UPDATE: I corrected an error: the lifetime record between Serena and Maria is now 2-2; Maria had won the last two. Here's an excellent article from Australia about Serena's mettle.

Lehman Misses 18 inch putt

Now I know that Lehman is supposed to be a pro golfer, and as a pro golfer should have nerves of steel. But, Tommy Boy needs to say a prayer next time he gets over an 18 incher for $170k.

I know I've missed many putts in my life during a $1 or $5 game, from short range, but $170k from 18 inches is the reason why I'm in school and not playing on the PGA Tour.

I feel bad for Tom, but come on Tom! You are going to lead our US Squad up against the Europeans in the Ryder Cup, and you need to believe in yourself enough to give our team confidence on an 18 incher to win the Cup!

tiger hangs on for win

Tiger's back...well, sort of. Tiger did not have his "A" game or maybe even "B" game, but grinded out a victory, with a little bit of luck on the last hole. Tiger hit his 2-iron approach so bad, it probably should've have ended up in the water. It didn't, though, because the shot was so bad it went too much to the right to reach the water. Commentator Nick Faldo said it best when he remarked, "What was that?!" With his excellent swing analysis, Faldo pointed out that Tiger's still got some kinks in his swing.

Yesterday's marathon 31-holes at the Buick Invitational proved to be quite grueling down the stretch. Tiger ended up winning by 3 strokes, but it really was very close until the last hole, which Tom Lehman bogeyed. Charles Howell finish tied for second, too, but things could have been different. He pured a sand wedge into the 18th hole for what could have been eagle, only that it bounced out and off the green into the pond. He bogeyed the hole. Such is luck.

sorry, dean

Two days ago I pointed out the stellar play of Dean Wilson from Hawaii. Well, I hope I didn't jinx him. He mistakenly failed to sign his scorecard after the second round and was DQ'd. He said that was the 1st time that ever happened to him as a pro.

fog delay, tiger good play

For the past two days, fog in the San Diego area has wreaked havoc at the Buick Invitational, causing long delays in the tournament. On Saturday, Tiger Woods only played 6 holes, but he managed to jump into a tie for the lead with Tom Lehman, at -14. The golfers will be going out 7:30 am on Sunday to complete round 3, with the hope of finishing the tournament on Sunday -- provided the fog goes away. Leaderboard here.

north-south

Ryder Cup Captain Tom Lehman showed us all he can still play, shooting a 10-under 62 at the Buick Invitational after birdieing the last six holes. He was playing, though, on the easier North course. Most of the big guns were on the more difficult South course and did not score as well. Ernie got the easy course and shot 7-under. Tiger's at -3, Vijay -1, and Phil and JD are Even. Here's the Leaderboard.

One name of interest on the leaderboard: Dean Wilson, who shot 9-under, 63. He also showed some good play at the Sony last week. He's the same guy who played with Annika Sorenstam at the Colonial; now, they're buddies and keep in touch by email. Maybe he will have a breakthrough year, this year.

daly double?

John Daly will be defending his championship at the Buick Invitational at the storied Torrey Pines in San Diego (site of the US Open in 2008). It will be tough to repeat with all the big guns out in force -- Vijay, Ernie, Tiger, Phil. I'd really like to see JD play well.

what will phil do next?

Ron Sirak and Bob Harig debate whether Phil's skipping the Mercedes and Sony in Hawaii will affect his play this week?

Well, if Phil's been practicing during this time, I don't think it will affect him one bit. It may in fact help to skip Hawaii, where you have to putt on Bermuda greens. Having just played in Hawaii myself, I can tell you that putting on Bermuda greens will affect your stroke. They are typically slower and less true in roll than bent grass. Michelle Wie's from Hawaii, and they still drove her bonkers last week.

UPDATE: Phil says he's a little rusty.

lehman selects pavin and roberts

Ryder Cup Captain Tom Lehman selected Corey Pavin and Loren Roberts as his assistants. The selection of Corey Pavin is just what the Americans need. Pavin, nicknamed "the Bulldog," was absolutely tenacious during his Ryder Cup play, boasting a record of 8-5-0. I loved his heart and tenacity. The guy made so many clutch putts and shots in the Ryder Cup. Hopefully, it will rub off on the players.

talent

During his week off, Tiger was shooting film for another of his video games. The camera crew told him to hit the ball toward the camera. Tiger did. Only it was right into the camera, breaking the lens. That's talent.

michelle wie to play LPGA championship

Michelle Wie will play in this year's LPGA Championship, and probably the other 3 women's majors. She's had a little more success on the women's tour, so I'm not as opposed to her entering these events as I am with her playing in the PGA events too soon in her career.

vijay: sorry, ernie

The round of the Sony tournament was shot by Ernie Els yesterday. The Big Easy shot an 8-under, 62, tying the tournament record. Els went birdie, birdie, eagle on the final 3 holes. But it wasn't enough to hold off Vijay Singh, who birdied the last hole after crushing his drive over 300 yards. I've never seen Vijay swing so hard on his drive before. He even lost his balance. It reminded me of, well, Tiger.

wie, growing pains

Michelle Wie missed the cut, by a lot, shooting 9 over par for the 2 days. Even though Michelle did tie or beat 16 male PGA golfers (including the highly touted youngster Kevin Na), this year must have been a huge disappointment for the precocious 15 year old year. Last year, she shot 1 over par and missed the cut by only 1 stroke. This year, in more difficult conditions, she could never get anything going. I watched her round yesterday: it was not pretty. Hole after hole, you could see the frustration on Michelle's face as she could never find the range, putting on the beguiling bermuda greens.

I'm a huge fan of the Big Wiesy, but I'm getting a little uneasy that, maybe, the expectations are getting just too high, too soon. All the strain of the tournament reportedly left Michelle in tears by the end of the round, needing consolation from her mother. Not even Tiger had this kind of media attention and expectations so early in his career. It showed in Michelle's demeanor, and her play. After the round, Michelle admitted: "I think I tried too hard. After missing the cut by one last year, I think I took for granted I would play better. Last year, everything went too easily."

Everyone (including Michelle) needs to let her be a teenager and have fun playing golf. The PGA can wait.

UPDATE: Michelle says she wants to play Sony again next year, and Ernie thinks she should. Both Leadbetter students, Els is a pretty vocal defender of Wie: "Look, let's put this in perspective," Els said. "She's 15 years old. She's a girl. She's playing on the PGA Tour. Tiger Woods, I don't think he ever made a cut on tour except maybe in the Masters."

michelle: "at least not in last"

On a very windy day in Honolulu, which made for tough scoring, Michelle Wie shot 5 over par (a 75) at the Sony Open. She took comfort in not finishing last. She knows she will have to go low to make the cut today.

75 wasn't a bad score, given the difficult conditions. To put things in perspective, Michelle is a 15-year old and in the 10th grade. Three time major champion Ernie Els is double her age, and he shot a 71 yesterday, only 4 strokes better. Michelle tied or did better than 24 male golfers, including the likes of Paul Casey, Fred Funk, Scott Simpson, Thomas Levet, Matt Gogel, Zach Johnson, John Rollins, and Len Mattiace. Not bad, for a high school student(not even considering she's the only woman).

jason sobel on michelle wie

Here's the stroke of ambition from teen phenom Michelle Wie:

"Growing up, I never wanted to be known as winning 50-some-odd tournaments. I always wanted to be known as doing stuff that no one ever thought of. I just want to push myself to the limit. I want to be known as [someone] that changed the world and changed how people think."

More here from ESPN's Jason Sobel.

interesting twosome: ben roethlisberger and natalie gulbis?

The best rookie quarterback in years, Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers, is reportedly friends (and according to some reports, of the romantic sort) with the flamboyant Natalie Gulbis of the LPGA. If true, the pair might rank right up there with the Sergio-Monica Hingis romance.

Oh, by the way, The Steelers play the Jets on Saturday, at 4:30. I shouldn't be partisan, but I'd like to see Big Ben and Jerome Bettis have a good game.

the big wiesy

Michelle Wie will be back in action in the Sony Open, where she missed making the cut last year by 1 stroke -- on the men's tour. The course is on Oahu, at Waialee, where Michelle's played many times growing up. So she probably has the best chance of making the men's cut here. When asked about Michelle, Tiger said that she has all the talent and he'd be keeping his eye on the highlights to see if she makes it. If she does, it probably would end up being in the top 3 golf stories of the year.

appleby repeats

The first tournament of the year finished the same as it did last year. Stuart Appleby stormed back in bad weather to win back-to-back Mercedes Championships, shooting a 6-under to finish at -21. The winds and rain made were the real story. Uncharaceristically, Vijay triple bogeyed the 13th after hooking his drive and never could really rebound. Ernie was a shot back on the 18th, only to slice his drive OB. Jonathan Kaye had a chance to tie on the par-5 18th, but kinda a flubbed his chip shot. Tiger ended up tied for third at -19.

Given his year last year, it's pretty rare to see Vijay blow a comfortable lead on the last day. Might being No.1 harder than we think?

vijay, at it again

Vijay stormed to the lead at the Mercedes Championship at Kapulua in Maui. He shot a 7-under, 66. Tiger's 2 back at -5, along with Sergio and others. Leaderboard here. I played Kapulua once on a windy day -- it was quite the adventure, but an absolutely beautiful course. Today the wind was pretty tame, so the scores were low.

Tiger seems to be liking his new 400-cc driver, bombing one drive 377 yards and hitting the driver twice off the deck. If I used a 400-cc driver off the fairway, I'm not sure the ball would get airborne. This weekend should be interesting given the names on the leaderboard.

Predictions for 2005

Thursday begins the 2005 PGA Tour Season and I am personally very excited to watch the Mercedes Championships in prime time. (Hopefully, it will be better than the Orange Bowl).

I think this year Ernie Els will be making his statement on the PGA Tour this year. I expect him to win 2 majors this year. (Masters and US Open)

I believe Tiger will continue to be in his "so-called" slump and will not break through until after the US Open. But, once he breaks the slump, I expect him to win 3 or 4 times.

Phil will slowly fade away as he decides that he wants to be more of a family man than a golfer. I can see him becoming the next Freddy Couples, the king of the "extra season" events.

The US will get spanked in the President's Cup

Vijay will win 3 events and no majors.

Ian Poulter will wear Pink Pants again at the Masters and Union Jack Pants at the British Open

Sergio will continue his slide and become an unknown like his old girlfriend Martina Hingis.

The long shots of 2005:
Monty wins a PGA tournament
Justin Rose wins the Open Championship
Jack makes the cut at the Open Championship
The USGA and R&A make a ruling that limits the distance that pros are able to drive the ball.

The tap ins of 2005:
Titleist will still be the Number 1 Ball in Golf and on Tour
Callaway will continue to make metal woods which aren't worth the metal they are comprised of
The Europeans will continue to push the fashion of golf
Augusta National still won't have a woman member
The Golf Blog will still continue to bring you a different perspective on many issues golf.

Hope 2005 brings you many fairways, birdies, and fun!!