Birdie and Gulbis Ousted, Annika Survives Round 1

Number 1 seeded, Annika Sorenstam needed 17 holes to defeat the 64th seeded Joanne Morley in the first round of the HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship, at Hamilton Farm, New Jersey. Annika started off slow tying the first 6 holes and then went one down when Morley birdied the par 3 7th. Annika quickly squared the match with a birdie on 8. Annika won the 13th hole with a par and the 15th hole with a birdie. Morely ended up running out of holes and lost 2 & 1.

US Women's Open Champion and No. 6 seed Birdie Kim lost her first round match to Sophie Gustafson, the 59th seed, one down. Kim battled back to get the match all square with a birdie on the 15th hole, but lost the match when Gustafson birdied the 18th hole.

No. 5 seeded Natalie Gulbis was unable to maintain her momentum from the US Women's Open and lost her first round match against 60th seed Marisa Baena. Gulbis birdied the first hole to get a quick 1up lead, but gave that lead back with a bogey on the 5th. Gublis then birdied the 6th to retain her 1up lead. On the 10th, Gulbis gave back her 1up lead with a bogey. On the 11th, Baena and Gulbis tied the hole with birdies. Tying holes 12-17 with pars, the match was tied going into the 18th hole. Baena, then birdied the 18th to win the match 1up, ending Gulbis's quest for the second richest purse on the LPGA tour.

Overall, the lower seed (the supposed better player) won 15 of the 32 matches, which shows some of the parity in women's golf. Also, Lorena Ochoa, the 3 seed, lost her match 2 & 1 to Laurie Rinker.

It should be an interesting tournament, the second round matches can be found, here.

Western Open: Ben Curtis spotting, JD too

Ben Curtis sits atop the leaderboard with Jim Furyk at -7 af the Cialis Western Open. John Daly made his first appearance at the Western since 1996, drawing huge crowds. JD's at -2. Leaderboard here.

Here's a classic photo of a John Daly swing -- talk about extension!, by Marc Feldman via TGC.

redux: Tiger and John Daly support Michelle Wie

Both Tiger Woods and John Daly support Michelle Wie's decision to play on a sponsor's exemption at the John Deere Classic in 2 weeks with the men. Todd Hamilton expressed some question about the wisdom of Michelle playing men's events, though. Story by The Golf Channel here.

Someone should tell that guy named "Big Dog" on the 19th Hole on The Golf Channel, who questions at every moment he can Michelle's decision not to stick to junior events. Look, Big Dog, we know your opinion. Move on to other topics. Frankly, I'll trust the advice of David Leadbetter (Michelle's coach) over yours anyday. And the advice of Natalie Gulbis is not so bad, either.

UPDATE: Bob Harig has an article on ESPN.com discussing the question on Michelle Wie. Harig believes that Wie should stick to amateur events, where she will be a prohibitive favorite and be subject to other young players who are gunning to bring her down. Under Harig's approach, "Go out every day facing an opponent who wants nothing more than to beat you ... now that's pressure. And it will only help Wie in the future."

It's a very thoughtful article and I love to read Harig's writing, but I respectfully disagree. My point is not necessarily that Michelle's current approach is the right way. I agree with Natalie Gulbis that there is no one "right way" of doing things: each person has to make the decision for herself, in consultation with her coach and support group. Any approach could backfire; every approach can be second guessed. We never know ahead of time. What happens if Michelle sticks to amateur events and loses a couple events to some unknown players due to the enormous expectations that Michelle should dominate those events? Might successive losses at amatuer events you are expected to win cause more loss to your confidence than placing second or in the Top 10 at LPGA events, where you are not necessarily expected to win?

People will point to Michelle's 82 in the final round as evidence that she needs to stick to amateur events. But, hey, if Retief Goosen and Ernie Els can shoot over 80 in U.S. Opens, why do we expect a 15-year-old won't? And, if Annika Sorenstam can shoot +12 at the U.S. Open, why are people clamoring so much about Michelle Wie shooting +12 at the same open? No golfer is immune from bad play or bad shots, even if they "learned how to win" before. Just ask Lorena Ochoa, Nancy Lopez, Greg Norman, Phil Mickelson, and every top tour golfer out there about the 1 shot that they would've liked a mulligan in a major.

Luke Donald, the artist

Luke Donald is not only a good young golfer, he's a pretty good artist as well. His painting of Stephen Ames (winner of last year's Western Open) is quite impressive (see here), and is the tournament's official artwork this year. Donald (originally from the UK) got a degree in art while at Northwestern. If he wins this week, maybe next year he'll have to do a self-portrait.

St. Andrews Unloaded

It's hard to believe that the (British) Open Championship is only 2 weeks away. If you plan on going and haven't made your travel arrangements yet, well ... good luck.

In contrast to Augusta adding more difficulty, the Old Course at St. Andrews is getting at least one change to reduce some of the perceived unfairness of the infamous pot bunker on the Road Hole, No. 17. Story here. Yes, that's the same pot bunker that David Duval got into in 2000 and almost never got out (taking 4 to get out).

By the looks of it, St. Andrews has now flattened the pot bunker and made the front embankment shorter by almost a foot, if not more. The bunker was made a bit more bowl shaped in the center, to help avoid balls getting stuck right next to the embankment. The R&A says, however, more balls should find their way into the bunker, with the changes. Yeah, but it will be easier to get out -- which is not necessarily a bad thing, given the severity of the bunker in the recent past.

Related story
Redux: Augusta Reloaded - bad idea, says Tiger

Redux: Augusta Reloaded? - bad idea, says Tiger

Say it's not so? Hootie Johnson announced that 6 more holes at Augusta (1,4,7,11,15,17) will be lenghthened for play by 2006. The revamping of Augusta will put it at 7,514 yards, apparently the second longest in major history.

I don't like this trend. I'd rather see limits on the technology and equipment, before they start revamping holes at hallowed golf courses. No. 4 will become a 240 yard par 3. No.11 will become a 505 yard par 4. What's next? Will signature No. 12 become a 200 plus yard par 3?

UPDATE: Tiger Woods has spoken. As reported by The Golf Channel, Tiger doesn't like the proposed changes, either. I think he makes an excellent point: "They’re trying to get it to play like it used to play. But they fail to realize the greens are running at 12 (on the stimpmeter) now. They used to run at, what, 7 and 8? When we went into this year’s Masters, we thought that over par could probably win the tournament, and it rained. It softened the golf course up, and there were (still) only a handful of guys under par."

North Wins $350,000 and the ING Par 3 Shootout

Andy North, who is an on-course analyst for ESPN and ABC and former US Open Champion, won the 2005 ING Par 3 Shootout at Treetops in Gaylord, Michigan. North won the tournament after making birdie on the 12th hole (3rd hole of the 2nd day) and then making par to "validate" on the 13th. The birdie on the 12th and validation was worth $220,000 and 11 skins, which was more money than North earned during his most lucrative year on the PGA Tour in 1985 ($212,268). North also won $60,000 on the first playoff hole, when he made a 35-footer for birdie. Gary McCord won 3 skins and ended up with $90,000 to finish second, while Phil and Freddy tied for third with $50,000 each.

It was very interesting to see how good the "old" guys were on a course where distance was not a factor. Obviously, Phil and Freddy would most likely destroy North and McCord on a typical PGA length golf course. North said after the round, "We wouldn't want to play Phil and Fred on a 7,800-yard course, [but on] this course, it's more about controlling club distance and spin."

For a local write up on the tournament, click here.

LPGA: Revenge of the Teens

Jerry Potter of USA Today has a cool article about "Talented Teens Waiting in LPGA Wings," discussing Morgan Pressel (17), Paula Creamer (18), Michelle Wie (15), and Brittany Lang (19). (It's an article on "teens," but it seems a little incomplete to talk about the bright future of American women golfers without mentioning 22-year-old Natalie Gulbis, who's No. 5 on the money list.)

Money line: "They're too young to fear failure, which might explain why they've done well in the Open, the most challenging event in women's golf. 'I think they are the answer to what has happened to American women's golf,' [Dottie] Pepper says. 'They're teenagers now, but their future is pretty bright.'"

Review: "Rescue" me

The back-to-back-to-back majors (LPGA, US Open, US Open) are finally over. Thank goodness - we can finally get some rest and hit the links! Perfect time to test out TaylorMade's new Rescue Dual club over the holiday weekend. Stay tuned for The Golf Blog's review of Rescue Dual next week.

Sneak peak: Just took a sneak peak at the Rescue Dual. On looks alone, it's a pretty stylin' club, especially the bottom of the head, where you can see your reflection and can adjust the setup with screws. So this is what they mean by "new technology."

So close...yet so far

Being a Marketing professor, I had mixed feelings about the finish to the Women's U.S. Open. While I am extremely happy with the increased ratings, and loved the gutty performance of Birdie Kim (an unknown underdog if there ever was one), a slightly different result could have catapulted women's golf to the next level.

Birdie Kim made a one-in-a-million shot on the last hole. Anyone who plays golf loved it, since it was drama related only to the game that we love. However, I am willing to bet that the casual fans who were watching were pulling for the American teens (any of them) or Gulbis, who put on a terrific show at the end. I'm guessing that Votaw and Bivens, secretly, were pulling for them as well.

Votaw and Bivens (the new LPGA commish) must have felt like they had been gut-punched watching that finish. They had the brass ring in their hands, and they knew it. A win by one of the American youngsters would have brought millions of advertising and sponsorship dollars to the sport, and set up rivalries that could have been strategically exploited for the next fifteen years. Instead, they got an anonymous winner, impossible to build a marketing campaign around.

The sickest thing about all this? It is a perfect example of how marketing and money can affect sports. Instead of celebrating Birdie Kim's achievement and the beauty of the game we love, people like me are wishing for a different result because of the marketing implications.

ING Par 3 Challenge, Day 1: Andy North can play

After the first day of the ING Par 3 Challenge, 2-time U.S. Open Champion Andy North is currently in the lead. As I mentioned before, the ESPN coverage was very interesting. A few things caught my attention: First, the ESPN crew had an urge to give standard definitions to words, such as "steal" and "validate", and then define the words in terms of the Challenge. It almost reminded me of the final rounds of the Scripps Howard Spelling Bee, which is covered on ESPN. Second, ESPN and Bushnell are using technology which determines the so-called "Effective Yardage." Basically, the effective yardage is what the hole actually plays. For instance, the 3rd hole is 205 yards but since it is so downhill, it only plays 155 effective yards. Thus, players were hitting 8 irons on the hole instead of 4s or 5s. Anyways, it was a pretty neat technology. Finally, I love watching golf tape delayed, as long as there are no "leaks" in who wins. Today, for example, there was an hour long rain delay, between holes 6 and 7, and I did not have to watch bad re-runs of last year's tournament.

Since I described the rules earlier, I'll just get into Day 1.

On the first hole, North started off hitting it 5 feet 5 inches to the first hole, winning $10k for being closest to the hole. After everyone else missed, North converted the birdie and had to validate on the 2nd hole. After the first hole, North - $10,000; Fred Couples, Gary McCord, and Phil Mickelson - $0

On the second hole, North kept up his good play hitting it 5' 6" and winning another $10k for closest to the hole. After no one else made birdie, North made birdied and validated his first hole "skin" for $20k. After the second hole, North - $40k; Couples, McCord, and Mickelson -$0.

On the third hole, North had the opportunity to validate his 2nd hole for $20k. However, Couples won closest to the pin, hitting it 8'1". Couples made birdie, while North was only able to make a par. Thus, Couples stole North's $20k and had an opportunity to validate for $40k on the 4th hole. After the third hole, North - $40k; Couples - $10k; McCord and Mickelson - $0.

On the fourth hole, Couples hit his ball right of the green, yet got a nice ground hook leaving himself a 12 footer for birdie. Couples, however, was unable to convert his birdie putt. Mickelson hit is 5'3" to win closest to the pin and $10k. Both McCord and Phil made birdies, invalidating Couples' chance for $40k. After the fourth hole, North - $40k; Couples and Mickelson - $10k; McCord - $0.

On the fifth hole, which was worth $80k, Couples wins $10k for closest to the pin and Mickelson and McCord birdie again. Carrying the $80k over to the sixth hole. After the fifth hole, North - $40k; Couples - $20k; Mickelson - $10k; McCord - $0.

On the sixth hole, worth $100k, North hit an amazing "ground fade" off of a mound left of the green to 3'8" to win his third closest to the pin of the day. North makes a birdie and has the opportunity to validate on the seventh hole for $100k. Unfortunately for North, there was a rain delay before he was able to attempt to validate on the 7th. After the sixth hole, North - $50k; Couples - $20k; Mickelson - $10k; McCord - $0.

On the seventh hole, which is famous for Lee Trevino's hole-in-one in the 2001 Par 3 Challenge, North hit a very poor 8 iron into the fescue and after his second shot was left with a 20 footer across the green to validate his 6th hole win. McCord started to ride North a little bit about having a lot of pressure on him and one of the ESPN commentators mentioned the fact that North probably had not had many putts for $100k in his lifetime. Anyways, North misses and the hole was tied with pars. Couples won the $10k for closest to the pin beating out Mickelson by nearly 6 inches. After the 7th hole, North - $50k; Couples - $30k; Mickelson - $10k; McCord - $0.

On the eighth hole, worth $120k, North wins closest to the pin with a shot 11' 10". The hole was tied with pars, making the 9th hole worth $140k. After the eighth hole, North - $60k; Couples - $30k; Mickelson - $10k; McCord - $0.

On the ninth hole, Mickelson wins closest to the pin for $10k and the hole was tied with par.

Thus, the standings after the first day:
North - $60k
Couples - $30k
Mickelson - $20k
McCord - $0.
10th hole is worth $180k

Overall, it was a fairly calm day. I honestly expected more chatter out of McCord, but he did not play all that well, so I do not think that he had much to talk about. North surprised me with his game, considering that he commentates now instead of playing full-time. Phil seems to still be struggling with his game. And Freddy, I believe, is about ready to make his move and win the whole shibang tomorrow.

Summer beach (or make that Myrtle Beach) reading?

It is now officially summer, and thus time to think about summer beach reading. With a trip to Myrtle Beach only a few weeks off, I am eager to find a light and enjoyable golf book for my vacation. A years ago, I found a great summer fit in Bud, Sweat, & Tees, the book about 2002 PGA champ Rich Beem's interesting journey. I have no interest in an instructional book, and I think I prefer non-fiction to fiction, but I am open to all suggestions.

Recommendations?

ING Par 3 Shootout...

Tonight (June 26) and Tomorrow (June 27), ESPN2 will be airing the ING Par 3 Shootout at Treetops. This is one of my favorite "prime time" events of the year (even though it is tape delayed from earlier during the day). In the 2005 version, Phil Mickelson, Fred Couples, and rookies Andy North and Gary McCord will battle for the $540,000 purse. Also, if someone makes a hole-in-one, he will receive $10,000. Roger Twibell, Charlie Rymer, and Bill Kratzert will comprise the ESPN broadcast team, which will be a nice change from listening to Johnny Miller all weekend. For those of you who have never watched the Shootout, here is a description of the format:

Each hole is worth $20,000 and there is a $10,000 bonus for the player hitting his shot closest to the pin. If a hole is tied (2 tie, all tie), the money carries over to the next hole. If a hole is won, the player with the lowest score must "validate" his win on the next hole. In order to "validate", the winning player must either win or tie the lowest score on the next hole, or the money carries over as if the hole were tied. And there is no required validation, if the tournament goes into a playoff.

This is a great event, because the players will be wearing microphones and will be interviewed after winning a hole. McCord and Phil are always interesting to listen to, and Freddy is a pretty funny guy as well. North does on course analysis for ESPN and ABC, so it will be interesting to actually watch him play golf. Anyways tune in and watch ESPN2 tonight and then check back to The Golf Blog after the first round for my post round coverage.

US Women's Open TV Ratings Soar

With all of the storylines and hype around the U.S. Women's Open, NBC earned a 3.2 rating with a 7 percent share of television viewers. According to the AP, this year's tournament had a 68% higher rating than last year's tournament.

I'm currently trying to figure out if the U.S Women's Open had higher ratings than the Barclay's Classic (the PGA event), but I have been unsuccessful so far in my quest.

thank you, Annika

So Annika's quest for the Grand Slam fizzled out last week. And, already, a number of media have been quick to suggest a passing of the torch to the teen phenoms and twenty somethings who were on the leaderboard for most of the U.S. Open. We, at The Golf Blog, are not so ready to pass the torch. Annika's still got plenty of domination in her. You'll see.

We wanted to thank Annika for making us realize, not too long ago, that we need to cover the LPGA much more than we did in the past when our focus was on the men (see here). The interest in Annika's quest for the Grand Slam last week was proof positive what one remarkable athlete can do for an entire sport, like what Michael Jordan did for basketball. All the young guns and teen phenoms will have Annika to thank for the rising emergence of interest in the LPGA. She may not be the most flashy golfer (ala Tiger Woods), but she has displayed a level of excellence and grace that is unmatched.

Solheim Cup standings

With her T-4 finish at the U.S. Open and her T-5 finish at the LPGA Championship, Natalie Gulbis has been the "big mover" on the Solheim Cup standings (akin to the Ryder Cup), climbing all the way to 6th. Current Top 10 -- man, Cristie Kerr has some serious points:

Cristie Kerr (669.0)
Meg Mallon (385.0)
Rosie Jones (374.5)
Juli Inkster (374.5)
Laura Diaz (333.0)
Natalie Gulbis (318.5)
Christina Kim (305.0)
Pat Hurst (292.5)
Dorothy Delasin (273.0)
Michele Redman (268.5)

U.S. Open pic

Here's a better pic of Birdie's sand shot on 18 (taken by Jack Dempsey of AP, via SJ Mercury). As the San Jose Mercury reports, Birdie is not usually a good bunker player:

"Actually, I am not a real good bunker player," said Kim, who entered the Open at just 32.6 percent in sand saves this season. "Also, I changed my sand wedge about two weeks ago. That club is not used to me yet. So I had a lot of misses this week with bunker shots. Finally, I made it."

Kim was asked to guess how many tries it might take her to duplicate that shot if she went out to that bunker and just kept dropping balls in the same spot. She laughed.

"I think more than 50," she said.

My take: how about 100? But, hey, it only matters when it counts.

U.S. Open parting shots

Wow, what a wild day at Cherry Hills. The way things were heading, we were close to getting a playoff at +5 - yes, plus 5 was about to be the winning score of the U.S. Open - with 2 teenage phenoms and a 23-year old South Korean who's only made 10 cuts in 34 starts. Instead, we got a miraculous and memorable sand shot that probably saved the tournament from mediocrity (see U.S. Open: Birdie time). Here are a few random parting shots.

1. Cherry Hills. The second winner of the U.S. Open was Cherry Hills, the longest course in U.S. Open history. I thought it was a great, traditional track -- deep rough, narrow greens and fairways, visually impressive. Final hole wreaked havoc on the nerves and produced one of the most memorable sand shots in recent history. There's no question that Cherry Hills provided a stiff test. In the final round, only 1 golfer Lorie Kane broke 70 (69); only 2 golfers shot even par 71 -- Brittany Lang and Natalie Gulbis. Winner Birdie Kim shot 72.

2. Wither Annika? Annika finished at +12, tied for 23rd with Michelle Wie and others. The finish is surprising. Annika's accuracy and distance should've suited Cherry Hills well. If Annika had been anywhere near the leaderboard in the final round, the tournament would've been far more exciting.

3. Michelle Wie's 82. Guess if it can happen to Retief and Ernie in the final round of a U.S. Open, it can happen to the Big Wiesy. Michelle should be commended for showing considerable composure throughout her difficult round. And she showed true class when she hugged Birdie Kim in congratulations after Birdie pitched in on the last hole. Pic here.

4. Morgan's emotions. Morgan played beautifully for most of the round. Watching Birdie pitch in from the sand (a 1 in 100 shot, at least) must have been hard to stomache. But probably would've been better for Morgan to take the Tiger approach and try to keep her emotions in check and focus on her next shot. Morgan seemed so rattled that you kind of got the sense that she didn't have a prayer of making birdie or par. Pic here.

5. Lorena Ochoa's quadruple on 18. Jason reported it here. Had Lorena parred 18 (easier said than done), she would have hit a 68 and tied for the lead at +3. Hard to believe Lorena would duck hook it into the water, esp. after showing she can close tournaments last week.

6. Go Dottie! Last week, NBC golf analyst Dottie Pepper called Michael Campbell's birdie on the 12th hole (see here). Today, she almost called Birdie's sand shot. When Johnny Miller said that Birdie wants to change her name to "Par Kim" before her sand shot, Dottie Pepper replied, "No, she wants to be Birdie Kim right now."

U.S. Open: Birdie time

A South Korean golfer from the second last pairing won her first LPGA tournament -- only it wasn't Michelle Wie, it was her playing partner Birdie Kim. Birdie changed her name to Birdie last year, to distinguish herself from the other Kim golfers. Well, good name change!

Birdie, who was in or tied for the lead most of the back nine, made a miraculous birdie on the final hole, the most difficult hole of the tournament. Birdie hit a 30 yard sand shot, that was a low slider that headed straight for the hole. It was only the 4th birdie surrendered on the 18th all week, where the stroke average was 4.7. The birdie put Birdie at +3, leaving the dejected Morgan Pressel (who had been tied for the lead at +4) back in the 18th fairway in complete disbelief and close to tears. TGC's pic of Birdie's shot here and celebration.

Final Leaderboard - Top 10
+3 Birdie Kim
+5 Brittany Lang
+5 Morgan Pressel
+6 Natalie Gulbis
+6 Lorie Kane
+7 Karine Icher
+7 Young Jo
+7 Lorena Ochoa
+8 Cristie Kerr
+8 Angela Stanford
+8 Karen Stupples
Full leaderboard here (TGC).

Larry Mize at the Masters??

Birdie Kim hit her 2nd shot on 18 into the bunker and looked as though she might have to get up and down to get into a playoff. Kim, who had gotten up and down 6 out of 27 times all year from the bunker, holed out on the 18th hole for birdie to finish at +3 with Morgan Pressel in the 18th fairway. Looking at the TV, Brittany Lang just shook her head is disbelief.

It was one of the greatest shots that I've seen in a long, long time.

Well, Pressel knows what she needs to do. MAKE BIRDIE!

Update: Pressel made a bogey on the 18th. Pressel and Lang tie for 2nd at +5. ESPN.com's coverage is here.

Harrington Beats Furyk on the 18th Hole

In another crazy finish, Padraig Harrington made a 65 footer for eagle on the 18th hole to beat Jim Furyk at the Barclay's Classic. Furyk, who was in the lead going into 16th, bogied both the 16th and 17th holes to fall into a tie with Harrington.

On 18, Furyk missed the fairway and was forced to lay up. Harrington hit the fairway and put his second shot onto the front edge of the green. Harrington then stroked a 65 footer, which went over a ridge and went in dead-center.

Furyk, then makes his birdie, but loses to Harrington by one shot.

Harrington's father was striken with cancer for the 2nd time, and this has to be a great thing for both Padraig and his father.

Lang... The Next Chuasiriporn??

It is 4:50pm and Brittany Lang hit an awesome shot on 17, setting up an easy birdie and is in the middle of the fairway on the 18th.

This makes me wonder if we'll see another battle like we did in 1998, when Jenny Chuasiriporn made a 40 footer to get into a playoff with Se Re Pak. Pak ended up winning the 1998 US Women's Open, but who does not remember Chuasiriporn jumping into her caddie's arms after making the putt on the 18th.

Update: Lang bogied the 18th hole after hitting it into the green side bunker. Lang seemed to hit a great putt, but unfortunately misread it. She currently is the leader in the clubhouse at +5.

Birdie Kim is at +3 with 3 holes to go and Morgan Pressel is +4 with 4 to go.

Michelle Wie is +11 for the day with 3 holes to go.

What the Heck is Going On??

I just got back from a round of golf and missed the first hour of the Women's US Open Coverage. However, I've turned it on and it looks like this has just turned out to be a blood bath.

Lorena 'Ocho'a hit one of the worst drives with a three-wood that I have ever seen from a professional. Ochoa got up on the 18th tee and looked like a Sunday hack, snap-hooking her drive into the water. Currently, she is in tears while being interviewed, and literally seemed to be still in shock from making an 8 on the final hole of the tournament to finish at +3. Johnny Miller gave her a 75% chance of winning if she had just parred the hole, but 'Ocho'a folded like a deck of cards.

Now, NBC coverage is looking for something to show and a new story to come up with. They have started to follow on of thegolfblog.com's interviewee's Natalie Gulbis, who is +5 playing the 18th hole, while -1 for her round. Gulbis has just missed the green on the 18th, appearing to hit it in the greenside bunker. Gulbis hit it to about 6 feet and has a putt to be the leader in the clubhouse at +5. Gulbis hit a good putt, but unfortuantley made bogey, finishing at +6. Gulbis is tied with Lorie Kane, who has the only under par round of the day 69.

NBC is also starting to follow Brittany Lang (a), who will be a Junior at Duke next year, if she does not turn professional. She is currently even par for the day and has an even par round through 16. Lang just hit the 16th green and has the par 5 17th to play.

The leaders are currently limping around the golf course. Birdie Kim just birdied the 11th hole to get to +2, and Kim leads Morgan Pressel (a) by 1 shot.

Annika's dream for a "Soren"slam is over. She's +5 for the day and +11 for the tournament.

Leaderboard at 4:23pm EST.

Kim (+2) Thru 11
Pressel (a) (+3) Thru 10
Lang (a) (+5) Thru 15
Jo (+5) Thru 12
Stupples (+5) Thru 10
Gulbis (+6) F
Kane (+6) F
Kung (+6) Thru 14
Stanford (+6) Thru 13
Creamer (+6) Thru 12

U.S. Open, Sunday preview

Jason gives an extensive rundown of what to look for today in the final round of the U.S. Open, where Michelle Wie, Morgan Pressel, and Karen Stupples (last year's British Open champ) share a tie for the lead at +1. Let me add a few pitch shots.

1. Tournament is still wide open. The final round is up for grabs, just as it was for the men's U.S. Open at Pinehurst. 12 players are within 4 or fewer shots of the lead. If 1 player pulls a Michael Campbell and gets under par for the day on the back nine, that player will likely win.

2. Annika's got a shot, but needs to go low and get help. Yes, Annika's heard about Arnold Palmer shooting 65 to win the U.S. Open in 1960, from 7 strokes back. 65 is a tough score to hit on Cherry Hills. 68 is the best score this week, and 69 is a little bit more doable. I'd say if Annika can make some noise with a 67, to get to +2 for the tournament, some of the leaders may start getting a little tight down the stretch.

3. Youth is served. No doubt about it, the story of the tournament is the emergence of teen phenoms Michelle Wie, Morgan Pressel, and Paula Creamer. I would've liked to see Morgan and Michelle paired together today in the last pairing -- that would've been electrifying, but unfortunately, they are split in the final two groups: Michelle and Birdie Kim at 1:50 p.m., Morgan and Stupples at 2 pm. Pairings. NBC Coverage 3-6 pm.

Don't expect any of the teens to pull a Jason Gore -- or Retief Goosen -- today in the final round. Sure, it's possible, but not likely. Two weeks ago, Michelle played in the final pairing with Annika in a major and played well, finishing second. Last week, Paula Creamer (who's won once already) played in the final pairing with Lorena Ochoa (who went on a birdie train to win). And Morgan is the No.1 ranked amateur, with a lot of moxie (although she's apparently afraid of the swans on 18). Maybe one of the teens might have a bad round, but I expect at least two of them to be in thick of it in the back nine. Day 3 Leaderboard.

Related posts
1. Preview - U.S. Women's Open - Round 4

Furyk and Harrington Tied for the Lead Going Into the Final Round

Jim Furyk, who has been leading since the first round, was caught today by Padraig Harrington at 9-under par 204. Both are tied for the lead going into the final round of the Barclay's Classic. Brad Faxon and Brian Gay are two shots back at 7-under par 206. Faxon shot the round of the day, a 5-under 66, which included 7 birdies and 2 bogeys.

Ryan Moore, who just turned professional, shot 2-over par 73, which included an eagle 2 on the par 4 10th hole. Moore currently stands at 5-over 218 and is tied for 58th.

For real-time scoring, check out PGATour.com's new website and leaderboard, which features some pretty cool stuff.

Preview: US Women's Open - Round 4

As noted here by Mulligan, tomorrow's final round of the US Women's Open will have many young females having the opportunity to win. Looking at the leaderboard, I wonder how many golf viewers had to ask someone what the (a) meant next to players such as Michelle Wie or Morgan Pressel. Many golf fans tend to watch the PGA Tour where amatuers infrequently compete, and when amateurs do play, they rarely appear on the leaderboard. I have written a post about what it means to be an amateur which can be found here.

Now for Round 4. For those golfers who really like side stories, tomorrow's final round at the US Women's Open will be for you. Tomorrow's tee-times have been set, and in the last three groups, you have 3 of the "next" LPGA Tour players (Paula Creamer, Wie, and Pressel). Creamer is the only of the three who is actually an LPGA Tour member, and she just graduated high school. These three women will be the future of the LPGA, including players like Natalie Gulbis and Grace Park.

For those of you who do not know, Pressel is the number one ranked women's amateur player in the United States, according to Golfweek. (Duke Junior Brittany Lang is ranked #4 and Wie is ranked #7). Pressel, who plans to attend Duke in the fall of 2006, is a bit of a hot head, as noted here by fellow blogger Mulligan, and feels that she lives in the shadow if Michelle, even though she is higher ranked. In her post round interview today, Pressel discusses her relationship with Wie:

Q. You are a pretty accomplished amateur but Michelle seems to get a lot of attention. Is there a part of you that says, hey, look at me, I have done pretty well for myself?

MORGAN PRESSEL: Well, you know, I probably haven't gotten as much opportunities in the bigger events that she has, but we're tied going into the last day and I mean, if I play well tomorrow I think I will get my share of attention, so.....

Q. On that note, do you think that you should have been getting more attention or as much attention as Michelle, have you tried and failed or has this just been by choice that you have been going down the path you have gone?

MORGAN PRESSEL: I don't think attention is something that you can choose, whether you have it or not, I don't mind the attention. I like the attention. I like playing in front of big galleries and but I think it helped me because I had a lot of attention when I was young and I kind of lost it a little bit and now I have been able to work hard on my game kind of under the radar more so.

Unfortunately, Wie was not asked a similar question about her rivalry with Pressel, but she was asked some interesting questions:

Q. You and Morgan are both co-leaders 17 and 15 year olds. What do you think this does for golf for teenagers, do you think a lot of people will be tuning in tomorrow because you guys are so young?

MICHELLE WIE: I think so. It's going to attract a lot of attention. I think it just shows how much better amateurs are these days, and you know, it's great to have Morgan in contention tomorrow. I am just really focused on my game tomorrow.

Q. If you add the ages of you and Morgan, you get the age of Stupples, what do you think of just the fact of living experience, disparity between how long you and Morgan has lived with what Karen has been through, will factor in what happens in the pressure tomorrow?

MICHELLE WIE: We just won't tell her that you said that. I just think that in some moments age doesn't matter. I just -- we are all playing the same game. Of course, she played it a lot longer, of course she's a lot older than I am, but I still think that we're still playing golf tomorrow and just -- it just comes down to who plays best.

Q. No matter how you do tomorrow is there anything you have left to prove as an amateur?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I mean, in any tournament that I enter into I don't feel like I have anything to prove. But I am just having a lot of fun as an amateur. It's a lot more care free.

Pressel also discussed the "youth" movement on the LPGA:

Q. With you and Michelle [Wie], Brittany [Lange], Paige Mackenzie shot a 69 today. Young pros like Paula and everybody it looks like a tennis tournament out here with all the teenagers and everything. Is that a statement of the great youth programs that you have had that have really improved over the course of time in the States and everywhere else?

MORGAN PRESSEL: Oh definitely. I have got people say, oh she's only 17 but I have had so much experience whether it's playing -- you know, AJGA events are so they give you so much experience, you play on such great courses. There's so much competition through the younger generations through the juniors and the amateur, the young people who are in college. You come out here and you have played against people that are almost just as good.

It's great experience playing in all those events it's really helped me a lot, definitely.

Tomorrow will be a great day for women's sport. Annika is +6 and only 5 shots back. There are 22 players including Annika and Gulbis who are within 5 shots of the lead. There are 4 amateurs in the top 25. It looks like there could be some good golf coming down the stretch and hopefully the women will not disappoint.

My prediction is that Morgan Pressel wins. She seems to be wanting it the most, and she's got a bit of fire in her that others do not seem to have. But, I just hope that it is not an blow out or a bloodbath, where no one deserves to win.

Amateur Status...

Over the past couple of weeks, thegolfblog.com has been noting many players moving from the amateur ranks into the professional ranks. However, thegolfblog.com has not discussed exactly what it means to be an amateur, and with many (a)'s next to player's names at this week's US Women's Open, now is a good time to discuss what it basically means to be an amateur.

So for those golfers or viewers, who are unaware of what exactly it means to be an amateur, the USGA has a set of 9 rules on what it means to be an amateur. According to the USGA and R&A, "An 'amateur golfer' is one who plays the game as a non-remunerative and non-profit-making sport and who does not receive remuneration for teaching golf or for other activities because of golf skill or reputation, except as provided in the Rules."

Basically, everyone is an "amateur golfer" unless fail to follow the rules, in which they lose their amateur status and become ineligible for amateur competition. For most golfers, the thought of "amateur status" does not cross their mind. However, for those golfers who compete in "bigger" amateur competitions or former professionals who want to become amateurs again, maintaining or regaining their amateur status is important.

Put in layman's terms, amateur golfers cannot collect any prize money for placing in an event. Rule 3-1 states:

An amateur golfer must not play golf for prize money or its equivalent in a match, tournament or exhibition.

Note: A player may participate in an event in which prize money or its equivalent is offered, provided that prior to participation he irrevocably waives his right to accept prize money in that event. (See USGA Policy on Gambling for explanation of playing for prize money.)

Thus, if Wie or Pressel win tomorrow, they will not be able to accept any of the purse. Amateurs are able to accept mechandise with a retail value no more than $750, other than a "symoblic prize," and this is why most amateur tournaments give out "gift certificates" instead of cash prizes. And for those of you who have made a hole-in-one for a new car, there is an explicit exception for those. Rule 3-2 states:

An amateur golfer must not:

a. Accept a prize (including all prizes received in any one tournament or exhibition for any event, or series of events, in which golf skill is a factor) of a retail value greater than $750 (except for symbolic prizes);

b. Accept a prize of money or the equivalent of money;

c. Convert a prize into money;

d. Accept expenses in any amount to a golf competition (except as provided in Rule 4); or

e. Because of golf skill or reputation, accept in connection with any golfing event:

(i) money, or

(ii) anything else, other than merchandise of
nominal value provided to all players.

Also, if Wie or Pressel win, they will only be able to accept the trophy, a so-called "symbolic prize" (a trophy made of gold, silver, ceramic, glass or the like that is intended for display purposes only and has no significant utilitarian value) and will have to forgo the prize money they would have won if they were professional.

There are many more rules on amateur status, which those interested should feel free to check out the USGA's 9 rules on Amateur Status. But, now when watching the US Women's Open tomorrow, you will be able to understand what the (a) means next to some of the player's names.

U.S. Open, Day 3: revenge of the teens

A 15-year-old and 17-year-old amateur tied for the lead? An 18-year-old only one stroke back? Is this really the U.S. Women's Open, or the U.S. Women's Amateur?

Leaderboard:
+1 Michelle Wie (A)
+1 Morgan Pressle (A)
+1 Karen Stupples
+2 Paula Creamer
+2 Young Jo
+2 Birdie Kim
Tied for 16th, with others: +6 Annika Sorenstam
Full leaderboard here (via TGC)

Is the dream for the Sorenslam over??

Annika has just turned at Cherry Hills and posted a 38 (+3) on the front nine, putting her at +7 for the championship. The front nine included a "hackers" favorite 4-putt 5 on the 6th hole.

It is going to take one heck of a comeback to continue the quest for 3 straight majors.

U.S. Open pics, Day 2

AP has posted (on SF gate) some cool pics of Michelle Wie, Nicole Perrot, Annika Sorenstam, and Paula Creamer here. Check out the pic of Annika losing her cool.

U.S. Open interviews, Day 2

The U.S. Open has posted 2nd round interviews here. Best questions and money lines below:

Q. What time did you have to get up this morning?

MICHELLE WIE: 4:15.

Q. Is that a normal wake-up time for you?

MICHELLE WIE: Okay, let's put it this way, my school starts at 8:30, I wake up at like 7:10, 7:15, so kind of early. I am a very big sleeper.

Q. You said you got up at 4:15 in morning. You are most likely to have a very late tee time tomorrow, what will you do now --

MICHELLE WIE: Thank God.
====================================
Q. How do you feel just in general with your position now? Obviously the first two rounds you tried to position yourself for the weekend. Obviously six shots back you don't think is too far. Do you feel pretty good? Obviously your game is good --

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Yeah, I mean, I probably -- if I would have finished with three pars, I probably would have been ecstatic. But then again 36 holes, is a lot of golf left, and six shots behind is nothing. That can change in nine holes, can change in four holes. I have been there I have done that. I know what it feels like. So obviously I have got to make some putts, got stay in the fairway. I have to play some good golf, no doubt about it. But I am a fighter and I am not going to give up until the end.
====================================
Q. Are you famous back in Chile yet? I know golf is not a real big deal, but are they even going to notice what you are doing up here?

NICOLE PERROT: I look like? (Laughs). Yeah, pretty much, yeah, for sure. Very popular person back home. I think, I mean, getting with the years, growing up more and more, I think we have been working hard on that, too, because the sport is growing. I feel like with a big responsibility of making that little girl opportunity to do what I am doing.
=====================================
Q. Yes. Is your family here this week?

LORENA OCHOA: Yes, I have my parents are here. My older brother, I have good friends from Mexico, and also my sponsors came to watch me play. So it's been fun. They enjoy a lot.

It's hard to watch me when you play with Annika, yesterday they told me, "It was so hard to follow you and enjoy the game because too many people." But they are here. I really feel their support and it's great to hear some voices in Spanish.
======================================
Q. Where is the Solheim Cup in your list of goals?

NATALIE GULBIS: Very high. It's definitely something I think about every day, whether it's listening for a message from Nancy Lopez to knowing that it's out there, seeing other Solheim Cup players that are already on the team, they are kind of rooting you on, too, to be on there.

Q. How often is Nancy calling?

NATALIE GULBIS: After good rounds. Yep, it's always good to get a call from her.

U.S. Open, Day 2 leaderboard

-2 Nicole Perrot
E Lorena Ochoa
E Michelle Wie (A)
+1 Paula Creamer
+1 Rachel Hetherington
+1 Angela Stanford
+2 Karine Icher
+2 Morgan Pressel (A)
+3 Natalie Gulbis
+3 Cristie Kerr + 11 others
+4 Annika Sorenstam
+4 Brittany Lang (A) + 4 others
Full leaderboard here (via TGC) .

Women's US Open: lots of intrigue on Day 2

Befitting a US Open, par became a very good score for the women during the second round at Cherry Hills. Only one player, Nicole Perrot finished the day under par, coming in at -2. On her heels are Michelle Wie and Lorena Ochoa at even for the tourney. Amazingly, Annika closed with three straight bogeys to finish the day at +4 and placing her Grand Slam quest in serious jeopardy. Annika's uphill battle, together with the fact that three amatuers are in the Top 10 at the half-way point, seem to me to be the biggest stories.

U.S. Open interviews, Day 1

The U.S. Open has posted the interviews of the leaders here. I would've clipped the "money" lines from the interviews, but, unfortunately, there weren't any. The Open also has an article on Natalie Gulbis (by Dave Shedloski) here.

If you live in Denver and want to catch Natalie tonight, she's throwing out the first pitch at the Colorado Rockies game. Natalie will be teeing off at 7:22 am, so apparently she'll have some down time later. Money line from Natalie on her blog, "Aside from the long hours on the practice facilities I’m looking forward to Friday night where I have been invited to batting practice and have the opportunity to throw out the first pitch at the Colorado Rockies Game. The pitch should not be too bad, but I’m a little nervous about batting practice. My only experience is tee ball as a kid and a few celebrity softball games..." If I had to throw out the first pitch before thousands of fans, I probably would air mail it way over the catcher's head or throw it into the dirt.

Morgan's Meltdown

17-year old amateur Morgan Pressel was leading the U.S. Open today, at -5 at one point, only until she bogeyed her 13th and 14th hole and later double bogeyed and bogeyed her last two holes. Scorecard here. Apparently, Morgan threw an fit on the last two holes, and then broke down in tears while signing her card in the scorer's tent. Story by the The Golf Channel here. Growing pains -- someone tell Morgan to get a grip, you've got 3 rounds left and even par is a good score.

Random silly question

I played my home course today after a week in the Carolinas, and a silly question struck me when I realized a subtle distinction in the courses I have recently played:

Which kind of ball washer is better, the one requiring cranking where the ball travels in a little circle, or the one that goes up-and-down?

I think I have a preference for the crank variety, since you can wash more than one ball at a time. And, thanks to google, I can link here and here and here to websites with more information on this critical issue.

U.S. Open update

Amateur (and Duke Blue Devil) Brittany Lang shares the lead at -2, with Angela Stanford (with Michelle Wie, still on the course). Thanks to a rain delay and Mountain time, I got to catch some of the play this afternoon. My two biggest reactions so far:

1. Cherry Hills is a beautiful, traditional track: thick rough, sculpted fairways, narrow greens, some dangerous water holes -- No. 18 is absolutely fantastic! A 459 yard par 4, with water on the drive and approach, playing to a 4.728 stroke average and surrendering no birdies, but 14 doubles or worse, including a 12 by Dina Ammacapane. For those complaining about the monotony of Pinehurst No. 2, this will only fan the fire!

2. The women certainly get to take more liberties with their golf attire than the men. But who's complaining?

Standings as of 7 p.m. (MT)
-2 Brittany Lang (A)
-2 Angela Stanford
-1 Natalie Gulbis
-1 Karine Icher
-1 Michelle Wie (A)
-1 Liselotte Neumann
-1 Young Yang
-1 Nicole Perrot
-1 Maria Hjorth
E Annika Sorenstam
E Morgan Pressel (A)
E Meg Mallon
E Sophie Gustafson
E Birdie Kim

Full Leaderboard here (via The Golf Channel).

U.S. Women's Open, Day 1

The women hit Cherry Hills (the longest course in U.S. Open history at 6,749 yards) for the first round of the U.S. Open. This well may be the most exciting time for the LPGA, given Annika's quest for No. 3 of the Grand Slam, Michelle Wie's rise, and the host of young up-and-comers who will make the LPGA's future very bright. To get you warmed up, here are some pitch shots:

1. Annika had her press conference yesterday. Best Question: "A lot of people talk about the consistency of your ball-striking. Ben Hogan, probably the most consistent ball-striker of all time, used to say, in any given round there were only maybe two or three shots that turned out exactly the way he intended them to. For you, how is that in any given round how many shots turn out the way you want them to?" Money answer by Annika: "About 100 percent. [Laughter]. Give or take. [Laughter]."

2. Ron Sirak of Golf World (one of my favorites) writes this amazing article We Should Appreciate Annika Now. Money line: "Early this year, one of the young stars-in-waiting with designs on Sorenstam's label as best in the world said: 'She's a great player, but she's on a bit of a hot streak right now.' When that comment was relayed to another player, the second player said: 'Yeah, she's on a hot streak. It's called her career.'"

3. Tom Spousta of USA Today has another excellent article on Annika. Money line from David Leadbetter: "She psyches most players out before they tee it up. It's a natural response, like the way players reacted to what Tiger did in 2000. When you win as much as she does, that aura rubs off on other people." Still, Leadbetter sees a different mind-set among younger stars like Natalie Gulbis, Paula Creamer and Wie, who view Sorenstam as the standard rather than unbeatable. "They don't want to be like her some day," he says. "They want to be like her this week."

4. Natalie Gulbis has posted again on Nat's journal. Money line: "The golf course is very difficult, I think similar to the men’s Open; par is going to be in the hunt. The rough is very long and thick. We can only advance the ball about 40 yards from a good lie. Better stay out of it!!"

5. AP has a story on Michelle Wie. Money line, when told that Arnold Palmer drove the 1st green at Cherry Hills en route to winning the 1960 U.S. Open and beating amateur Jack Nicklaus, Michelle replied: “A lot of people have told me many times before, and it’s great. I mean, it’s really wonderful how he hit that hole with the persimmon wood. I could have never imagined hitting with a wooded head driver.”

Ah...the beauty of youth.

redux (from Tuesday): oh no, not another Major...

Yes, it's true. The women's U.S. Open is this week, at Cherry Hills in Colorado. By some genius planning, the women get 2 majors within 3 weeks, and in between is the men's U.S. Open. I'm sure there's some good reason for the LPGA to throw its 2 majors so close together, but right now, it escapes me. Of course, the big story is can Annika capture Major No. 3 of the year. Side story is can anyone like Michelle Wie, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr sneak in and capture her first major. Today, pals Paula, Cristie, and Natalie Gulbis played a practice round together.

U.S. Open pairings are here. A few notables:

1. Most exciting pairing (8:28): Annika, Lorena Ochoa, Rosie Jones
2. 2nd most exciting (1:43): Michelle Wie, Laura Davies, Brittany Lincicome
3. C, K pairing (1:21): Cristie Kerr, Christina Kim, Carin Koch
4. P pairing (8:17): Morgan Pressel, Nicole Perrot, Se Ri Pak
5. Columbus + world pairing (7:33): Mollie Fankhauser (OH), Jana Peterkova (Czech Republic), Nadina Taylor (Australia)

Sabbatini Not So Bad of a Guy...

Rory Sabbatini presented a check today to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund in the amount of $42,750 to fulfill his promise to donate $250 per birdie and $1,000 per eagle that he makes in competition on Tour this season. He also is wearing camouflage pants every Thursday on Tour to promote awareness of the Fund.

For those wondering, $42,750 breaks down into 159 birdies and 3 eagles.

Personally, I think that Rory is not a bad guy and just got a bit of bad rap for his "slow play" debacle (thegolfblog.com related links here and here) with Ben Crane. And anyone who can pull of Camo like Rory can is ok in my book...

Woods #1 on Forbes List for Top 25 Athletes

In the July 4th Forbes, Tiger Woods was ranked #1 as the highest-paid athlete. Woods collected an estimated $87 million last year, which outpaced F1 racing star Michael Schumacher ($60 million) and boxer Oscar De La Hoya ($38 million).

Phil Mickelson was ranked 12th earning $26.8 million (most of which from Callaway Golf).

Annika ranks 3rd among women athletes earning $7.3 million.

For a complete list and discussion of the Top 100 Celebrities, see the Forbes article here.

Jason On Jason - US Open Style

After taking a bit of a vacation from blogging and playing in a couple of tournaments (1st and T-16), I am back to blog about a couple of happenings in the golf world. However, I figure that I need to be honest with our readers of thegolfblog.com and myself by reviewing my 2005 US Open predictions, which can be found here.

Prediction - Winner: Jim Furyk -

Jason On Jason - I was unable to predict that Michael Campbell would win, which was true for 99.9% of all handicapers. Nevertheless, Furyk did finish T-28, which was not a bad prediction. With rounds of 71 - 70 - 75 - 75, Furyk was in contention after two rounds, but his last two rounds took him out of contention.

Prediction - Winning Score: 281 (+1)

Jason On Jason - The winning score was 280 (E). I was fairly pleased with this prediction, and if Campbell had not made a couple clutch putts coming down the stretch, 281 would have been right on the money.

Prediction - Best Dressed: Ian Poulter.

Jason On Jason - Poulter was around for 4 days, but I was unable to watch much of the tournament so I did not get to see much of his fashion. But, Tiger's pink shirt on the first day needs to be retired fast! Also, no one wore Knickers, which was a bit disappointing.

Prediction - Best looking wife/girlfriend/partner: Woods. This is the only thing that Tiger has going for him this week.

Jason On Jason - Maybe Tiger needs to get a putting lesson or something, but Tiger was remarkable finishing 2nd even though he ranked 80th in putting (averaging 32 putts per round or 1.78 per hole). However, I was right on with the fact that Woods had the best looking wife in the field.

Prediction - Levin or Moore: Moore. Ryan Moore also is the low amateur for the tournament and will be the only amateur to make the cut. Moore is the complete package and Levin will not be making holes-in-one this year to get him into the hunt.

Jason On Jason - Even though Moore did beat Levin, Moore was not the low amateur. Moore was defeated by Florida Junior Matt Every, who finished T-28. Moore has turned pro and will compete in this week's Barclays Classic.

Prediction - Highest Round: With much dismay, I'm going to have to choose Ben Curtis. After watching him win the Open Championship at Royal St. Georges, my man from Ostrander wearing the NFL Colors (like Payne used to) will unfortuately shoot the highest round of the tournament, which I'm going to guess will be 85.

Jason On Jason - I did pick the highest round, an 85, but I did not place it with the right man. However, I have no problem with Paul Casey being honored with this distinction. Casey, who is better known for "Hating Americans", withdrew after posting the highest round of the tournament!

Prediction - Lowest Round: 65

Jason on Jason - I thought that with the technology changes between 1999 and 2005, that someone would shoot 65. Peter Hedblom did come through with a 66, which was a US Open low on Pinehurst No. 2, but unfortunately no one was able to post a 65.

That is Jason on Jason for the 2005 US Open. I'm trying to keep myself honest and plan on reflecting on my 2005 Predictions for the PGA Tour season in the weeks to come.

down time: tiger

So what do you to unwind from a grueling U.S. Open? If you're the winner Michael Campbell, you do an appearance on David Letterman. If you finish second, you still go to N.Y. to unwind. Tiger met friend Kevin James for the Yankees-Devil Rays game. It was a pretty crazy game: Randy Johnson got torched for 7 runs and was yanked after 3 innings. But the Devil Rays gave up 13 runs in the 8th inning, to lose the game 20-11. Tiger probably left before then.

US Open final round pics

The Golf Channel has posted pics from the final round. Here's a sample:

Agony of defeat
1. Jason Gore
2. Retief Goosen
3. Tiger Woods

Thrill of victory
1. Michael Campbell, pic 2.
2. This pic might be confused for the agony of defeat, but it's not.

US Open: second chances

What's great about Michael Campbell's U.S. Open victory was that golf gave the then- 80th ranked player in the world a second chance after injuries and years of doubt -- and Michael seized the opportunity.

In 2000, Michael was a golfer on the rise, winning 3 tournaments on the European tour before heading into the Accenture Match Play tournament, where he faced none other than Tiger Woods in the first round. The "hype" swirling around that matchup proved to be bigger than what happened. As I recall, Tiger won easily. And perhaps the strangest thing I remember about the match: Michael was attired in Nike golf hat and gear, which looked remarkably similar to Tiger Woods that day. The next year, Tiger beat Campbell again in the final round at the 2001 Deutsche Bank-SAP Open. In 2002, Michael finished 2nd to Tiger at the Bay Hill Invitational. Of that event, Michael said: "I've been in awe of players like Tiger Woods for so long, I just seem to tense up when I play over here."

Well, yesterday, Michael put to bed some of his past demons. It will be nice to see his career in the next stage: Major champion winner. Michael's now 23rd in the world ranking with his victory. For more about "Cambo," visit his website -- which we'll soon include under our "Hot shot" links. The New Zealand Herald also has a nice write-up about Michael today.

U.S. Open: Monday parting shots

After a night to recover, here are a few random parting shots about the U.S. Open:

1. Class act: Michael Campbell proved he is one class act. He gave an emotional acceptance speech, thanking his family. And he "corrected" the idiot fan who yelled, "Tiger's no good!" during his post-round interview. Michael stopped his answer and replied into the mike, "No, Tiger's good. He's damn good!"

2. Best call of the tournament: New NBC on-course golf analyst Dottie Pepper, who was following Campbell's group, saying right before his 25-foot birdie putt on the 12th hole: "Michael's been rolling the ball beautifully. I would not be surprised if he rolls this in." About 5 seconds later, Michael did. Dottie, that's money.

3. What comes around, goes around award: Retief Goosen. Last year in the last round at the U.S. Open, Retief was in the final group with Ernie Els, who shot 80. Retief drained every putt in sight. Well, this year, Retief shot 81 and, after the round, he admitted: "I couldn't make a putt today if my life depended on it."

4. Class act 2.0: Tiger's caddie Stevie Williams (who sometimes gets into a rub with photographers on the course) waiting on 18 green to congratulate fellow countryman (New Zealand) Michael Campbell after the round.

A few more thoughts about the US Open

After Bart Bryant made a series of great one-putts on the last five holes at Muirfield Village to win The Memorial, in this post I brought out the old cliche about driving for show and and putting for dough. Well, darn, if today's finish at the US Open did not prove the point again. I was truly awed by Tiger's ball striking down the stretch, but it was Michael Campbell's ability to roll in the putts which meant a relatively calm stroll down 18 to secure the championship.

I enjoyed watching the US Open on TV even more because I had seen the course in person. But I still thought all the holes felt and looked the same on TV. I know the USGA is in love with Pinehurst, but I wonder if others think the US Open should return to this venue again and again.

US Open: Michael Campbell defeats Tiger

Well, we finally got what we were looking for. After 3 so-so rounds, the final round was filled with high drama on the back nine. While Retief Goosen, Jason Gore, and Olin Browne were all self-destructing with rounds of 81, 84, and 80, Michael Campbell played some solid golf and made some incredible putts on the back nine today.

Meanwhile, Tiger Woods was making a semi-charge, pulling himself back from +5 to +1 at one point. Tiger then proceeded to do something that we've almost never (if ever) seen him do in a major: he shot himself in the foot, with two bogeys on 16 and 17 after screwing up a chip and 3 putting the next green. Tiger birdied the 18th to make things a little interesting, but Michael Campbell birdied the 17th a minute or two later to seal the deal on his first major. After winning the tournament, Michael was in tears. He said it meant so much to him, everything he's being working for all these years. During the post-round interview, he admitted that he was nervous basically the entire back nine.

E Michael Campbell
+2 Tiger Woods
+5 Sergio Garcia
+5 Mark Hensby
+5 Tim Clark
+6 Davis Love
+6 Vijay Singh
+6 Rocco Mediate

U.S. Open: Moving (backwards) day

Absolutely brutal: only 1 person has shot under par so far, Peter Jacobsen, and he needed a hole in 1 to do it. Jake shot -1, and +4 for the tournament, tied for 12th. Every hole today seemed to be a double bogey waiting to happen. Retief is making a strong comeback after going bogey/double bogey on 12 and 13. He just went birdie-birdie on 14 and 15, and is sitting tight for a makeable birdie on 16 -- he just missed. His scorecard here. Qualifier Jason Gore, ranked over 800 in the world, just drained a birdie on the final hole to pull back to even.

Current leaders:
-2 Retief Goosen
E Jason Gore
E Olin Browne
+1 Mark Hensby
+1 Michael Campbell
+2 Lee Westwood
+2 KJ Choi
+3 Tiger Woods
+3 Peter Hedblom

Full leaderboard here.

Johnny Miller: call 'em like he sees 'em

NBC golf analyst Johnny Miller is opinionated, and not one to mince his words. Just ask Justin ("stay at home") Leonard and Craig ("puke" swing) Parry. Johnny also let it be known this week that he was the one who told (or just about ordered) the USGA last year to syringe hole No. 7 at Shinnecock on Sunday morning during the round because it had become unplayable. According to Johnny, he told USGA official David Faye he wouldn't have a U.S. Open if play continued as is on No. 7. Well, the USGA listened and started watering the green during play.

Well, this year, Johnny seems to be firing on all cylinders again. In this careful analysis in Golf Digest, he's predicted Retief Goosen will win. That prediction is looking pretty good right now, as Retief has pulled into a tie for the lead at -3 with Rocco Mediate. Leaderboard here.

UPDATE: Speaking of predictions, The Golf Blog Doug's morning prediction (see below) seems to be playing out: only 14 of 154 golfers are currently under par for today's round, and only 6 are under par for the tournament. And Jason's prediction of Ben Curtis shooting the high round of 85 was close. Paul Casey shot 85, the high round. Ben Curtis only shot 80.

Changing fortunes

I spent the afternoon out at #2 yesterday, and it was a wonderful experience. Though in the early rounds it is impossible to follow leaders like you can on TV, you get to see a lot of other smaller story lines play out. I had an especially good time watching players close their rounds in dramatically different ways.

For example, we saw Tommy Armour III finish birdie, birdie to turn a solid round into one of the best of the day at even par 70. And this morning, as of this writing, Armour is even through 11 holes, which could mean a late afternoon tee time on the weekend if he can keep it going. Meanwhile, we saw Brandt Jobe hit a perfect drive on 16 and was standing on the fairway at -4 and clear of the field. Then the wheels started to fall off, with ugly bogeys at 16 and 17. Throw in a +2 start this morning, and Jobe is back to even.

But the biggest changing fortunes stories right now involves Phil Mickelson, who was a pre-tourney favorite of many. After a very solid 69 on Thursday, he has posted a +6, 41 on his first nine this morning with 6 bogeys (scorecard here). The cut line might become an issue if Phil can't finish his Friday round strong. Leaderboard here.

UPDATE: Not long after I wrote this post, Armour made a double, and Jobe and Mickelson made birdies. I predict no more than a handful of folks in the red by the end of the day, and I am starting to think even par will win the championship.

U.S. Open: Day 1 recap

Olin Browne shares the lead with Rocco Mediate at 3-under. Olin's the same guy who almost withdrew from the U.S. Open qualifier after shooting 73 on the first day. Well, he didn't, and shot 59 the next day. The Big 5 are all lurking on or near the first page of the leaderboard.

Second round play has already begun. Leaderboard here. Today's pairings here. Webcast here, if you want to watch on the Net holes 9 and 15. For TV coverage, go to ESPN from 10-3, NBC from 3-5, ESPN from 5-7. If that's not enough, get on a plane to North Carolina.

more U.S. Open pics

Sports Illustrated has posted more pics of yesterday's round. The quality of these are outstanding. Great job, SI and their photographers. Here's a sample:

1. Tiger Woods putting and driving
2. Chris DiMarco out of bunker
3. Ernie Els out of bunker
4. Luke Donald driving
5. Retief Goosen teeing off

Poulter Complains About Cup...

According to CNN/SI.com, Ian Poulter felt that the hole liners were not deep enough causing him to miss a putt on the hole #1. Granted, I've only personally seen a ball jump out of the hole one time because of a liner which was not deep enough, I would assume that at a US Open the USGA would get the course set up as perfectly as possible.

My take: Come on Ian. The cup was fine and don't be bitter that you shot 77, just pull out the Stars & Stripes tomorrow and put up a 67!

What a father...

On this Father's day weekend, Corey Pavin deserves extra props for his ability and decision to fly back to see his son's graduation. As SI.com reported, Pavin played his first round shooting a solid 73 and then proceeded to fly back to California in a private plane in order to watch his son, Ryan, graduate from high school. Luckily for Pavin, he had an early tee time on Thursday, which means that he will have an afternoon tee time on Friday. Even though I enjoy rooting for Pavin, his ability to be there for his son is just another reason to root for him this week.

In other news, David Toms' wife is scheduled for a C-Section on Monday morning.

U.S. Open pics

The Golf Channel has posted pics of Thursday's round, including:
1. Tiger Woods (in new pink shirt), and hitting off the path,
2. David Duval (apparently returning to old form, so to speak),
3. Rory "rambo" Sabbatini,
4. Leader Rocco Mediate.
Apparently, pink is the hot color. Besides Tiger, I just saw Sergio Garcia flashing a pinkish hat and slacks. As I said below, Michelle Wie and Paula Creamer have stiff competition for their color. More about Michelle here.

Lots of red numbers

I have been watching the morning groups play on ESPN before heading out to Pinehurst #2 for the afternoon pairings. With still a few holes to go for most of the morning folks, there are a lot of players in the red. As of this writing, 8 players are under par and Olin Browne (who shot a 59 in a qualifying round) is the leader in the clubhouse at -3 after shooting a 67. (Also at -3 right now is KJ Choi, who has drained three monster putts in the last hour alone.) Here is a link to the leaderboard.

As for the big 5, Retief Goosen is at -2 right now, Tiger is even, and Els is +1. All three are doing exactly what they need to do on Thursday to make sure they are in the hunt on Sunday. I'll get to see in person if Mickelson and Singh can do the same this afternoon.

U.S. Open: watch at work?

The U.S. Open is webcasting play on holes 9 and 15 today and tomorrow. Go here. This raises the dilemma for millions of fans: can I multitask and watch this at work?

The webcast works pretty well: Tiger just hit a bad shot on the par-3 15th. Is he really wearing a pink shirt, or is it fuchsia? Someone tell Michelle Wie and Paula Creamer: their colors are no longer safe.

U.S. Open: Handicapping the Field

ESPN's Jason Sobel has a cool rundown "From 1 to 156" of the U.S. Open field. Sobel puts Tiger at No.1 and David Duval at No. 156. Frankly, I think not many of us wonder about David Duval anymore. We've sort of accepted his fate.

The Golf Blog's own Jason gave his predictions on the field yesterday -- take a look here. Our Jason is not so kind to Mr. Woods. It's a little after 7 am, but the championship has already begun! Enjoy.

The joys of Carolina golf

Today was a very full day of Carolina golf: out of the house at 8am to spend the morning on Pinehurst #2 watching the pros practice, and then an afternoon back at my Dad's Robert Trent Jones track for 18 holes through the pine needles. I did not get a chance to see many big name golfers at the Open practice round today, but I did get a good feel for the course and the challenge it will present for the pros. (I did see David Duval, who perhaps is no longer a big name, but he has gotten bigger in other ways.)

I was at the 2002 Open at Bethpage Black, and I must say that it was a much more impressive looking course than Pinehurst #2. I am inclined to describe Pinehurst #2 as an unextraordinary course in an extraordinary setting. With no water in play and most of the holes having the same basic character, the course layout underwhelms; my Dad likes calling it the most overrated course in the world, and yesterday Sergio Garcia was quoted as saying that Muirfield Village and Congressional (the last two tour stops) are better tracks. But the narrow fairways, long par fours, and the fast, turtle-back greens will still make the course, as it was in 1999, a stern test for the world's best golfers.

Also, it was very hot out there today, and thus the players' physical conditioning could play a role this week. However, one interesting and notable aspect of #2 is that many of the greens and following tees are very close together (which is not surprising for a course built when everyone walked). And, because the forecast is for a bit of cooling come the weekend, I would not yet count out John Daly on conditioning grounds alone.

Perhaps watching the pros proved somewhat inspirational, since I was able to post a 75 on the links myself this afternoon (though playing a course 1000 yards shorter than the pros will be facing). This was the first day this season that I have played in hot weather, and I proved to myself again that I am a warm-weather player.

2005 US Open Predictions...

On the eve of the PGA Tour's second Major, I figured that it would be a good time to make some predictions on this year's US Open. (Note: The Open Championship is the British Open and not the US Open)

I thought I would make some predictions about this year's US Open, including some other random predictions, which could stir some discussion.

First, I've got to start with the boring one.
Winner: Jim Furyk - The man, with a swing plane only a mother could love, will keep it in the fairway and back off enough putts to win this week. His game and composure are perfect for this week and I cannot wait to see him win!

Next, winning score.
281 - (+1). This par 70 venue will eat the players alive. John Daly has predicted that +7 will win, but the man has not played a pracitice round yet because it was too hot.

And some others:
Best Dressed: Ian Poulter. The man is a true classic when it comes to fashion. I expect him to pull out the stars and stripes pants this week. However, I hope and pray that someone wears Knickers this week in memory of Payne Stewart.

Best looking wife/girlfriend/partner: Woods. This is the only thing that Tiger has going for him this week.

Levin or Moore: Moore. Ryan Moore also is the low amateur for the tournament and will be the only amateur to make the cut. Moore is the complete package and Levin will not be making holes-in-one this year to get him into the hunt.

Highest Round: With much dismay, I'm going to have to choose Ben Curtis. After watching him win the Open Championship at Royal St. Georges, my man from Ostrander wearing the NFL Colors (like Payne used to) will unfortuately shoot the highest round of the tournament, which I'm going to guess will be 85.

Lowest Round: 65

I'm sure that there are more predictions that could be made, but I'll leave it to my fellow bloggers and the comment section to include those. And the link to the pairings.

Thank you, Natalie Gulbis

While we have a little time to catch our breaths before the start of the U.S. Open, The Golf Blog wanted to extend a more formal thank you to Natalie Gulbis for giving us the opportunity to interview her. Natalie's interview was our first, and we believe it was the first interview of a pro tour golfer on a blog site.

For us, what made the most lasting impression about Natalie was not her golf or the glamour that seems to follow her. We knew about her talent and ability even before we interviewed her -- which was confirmed by her stellar play last week. And it's hard not to be aware of some of the "hype" that surrounds a female golfer who has her own swimsuit calendar and reality show. What we didn't know, however, was Natalie's personality. She is incredibly generous with her time, and cares a lot about her supporters. Of course, the naysayers will say that's just her marketing. Well, we doubt it. There would've been no reason for Natalie herself to keep in contact with us after the interview (which she did) if all this was just about marketing. The biggest thing we learned about Natalie behind the scenes during and after the interview is this: we could not have interviewed a sweeter, nicer golfer on tour. And she's quite funny, too!

Report from Pinehurst, U.S. Open

As indicated yesterday (US Open: Off to Pinehurst), we'll have a report from Pinehurst after the practice round. Stay tuned.

Michelle Wie qualifies for men's U.S. Amateur Public Links

Michelle Wie tied for 1st in a sectional qualifier in Ohio for the men's U.S. Amateur Public Links, shooting a 1-over for 36 holes in rainy weather. This is a small step for Michelle to try to make the Masters, where traditionally the winner of the U.S. Amateur Public Links is invited to play.

U.S. Open: Off to Pinehurst

My dad retired to a community (around two golf courses) that is only about an hour from Pinehurst, and he is a US Open volunteer this year. I am about to finish packing for the trip to his house for a week of watching (and playing golf). Should be a great week.

I plan to walk all of the Donald Ross-designed No. 2 during Wednesday's practice round, and I hope to attend at least two of the tournament rounds. You can check out No.2 here. After I see the course, and read a few items on this official US Open site, I will have my predictions. (Preview: I do not think any of the Big Five will win.)

U.S. Open pairings

The pairings for the U.S. Open are out. Someone seems to have put together some interesting threesomes.

1. Masters replay: Tiger Woods, Chris DiMarco, Luke Donald

2. I'm Not a One-Hit Wonder: Rich Beem, Ben Curtis, Shaun Micheel

3. I'm the Best Player over 47: Peter Jacobsen, Jay Haas, Bernhard Langer

4. I'm Not a One-Hit Wonder, either: Bob Tway, Steve Jones, David Duval

5. Major Runner-up is not bad: Thomas Levet, Len Mattiace, Rod Pampling

Double Chip...

In recent news, Spencer Levin has decided to turn pro today. He will be sponsored by MacGregor Golf. Levin finished 13th last year at the US Open and thus automatically earned an exemption into the tournament and plans on cashing a check, thus turning pro.

In another crazy turn of events, Tiger Woods has captured the No. 1 spot in the World Golf Rankings (click here for Rankings). I don't know how he did it (technically I believe I do), but there is nothing like capturing the Number 1 ranking while not playing. But, that is one of the main gripes with the rankings.

Interesting Technology From Football (Soccer for those American fans)

According to SI.com, FIFA is considering putting microchips in soccer balls for the World Cup in 2006. This would help them decide whether the ball actually crossed the goalline. Having read this article, I wonder if adding a microchip to a golf ball would add anything to the game of golf.

Here are some of the things that I came up with:

1. Adding a microchip to a golf ball could help you find your ball faster, because you could use a device that could track your "chipped" ball.

2. The chip could help you determine whether your ball is out of bounds from the tee, ensuring you hit a provisional. (not that anyone who reads this hits the ball out of bounds).

3. You could determine how far you hit it, to impress your friends. Also, you could probably determine things such as: Ball speed, club head speed, spin rate, etc.

Any other thoughts on what the chips could be used for?? Please use the comments.

Rory Sabbatini apologizes

In my book, the Rory Sabbatini-Ben Crane "incident" at the Booz Allen is over. Rory's apologized to Ben, the PGA, and the fans, for what he called his "inappropriate" conduct. It's clear that, in the heat, Rory had a meltdown on the 17th. Hopefully, Rory will never let that happen again. Case closed.

For those who don't know much about Rory, he's not a bad guy. He donates money to the families of soldiers fighting in Iraq for every birdie he hits in the first round of every tournament.

Watching the Booz Allen Made Me Want to "Booz"

This past Sunday was supposed to be an enjoyable afternoon. I woke up early (5:30am) to play a quick round of golf with some buddies before my law school graduation ceremony. After my graduation ceremony, I went back to my apartment to shower before going to dinner with some friends and family. However, my shower was delayed when I turned on the Booz Allen Classic on ABC. What I saw was by far the most bizarre event that I’ve ever seen in golf.

I turned on the TV after Rory Sabbatini hit his second shot on the 17th hole into the water over the green. Apparently Sabbatini, who is one of the fastest and most tempered (meaning hotheaded) players on Tour, was upset that he and his playing partner Ben Crane, potentially the Tour’s slowest player, had been put on the clock on the 14th hole because Crane took forever to make his bogey. Sabbatini after his second shot, walked to the back of the green, took a drop, chipped onto the green, and finished the hole out almost before Crane arrived at the green. After finishing out, Sabbatini walked over to the 18th tee and waited for Crane to finish the hole. All of the ABC commentators were upset and dumbfounded, as they had never seen anything of the sort, including usually level headed Paul Azinger.

After hitting their shots onto the green on the 18th, Sabbatini was booed while Crane was cheered. It was the first time I had ever heard anyone “booed” in a golf tournament (other than the 16th at the TPC of Scottsdale, when the drunkards bet on whether the players hit or miss the green). Crane took his jolly time lining up his putt on 18, taking nearly 3 minutes to line up his 40 footer, and made it. Sabbatini waiting impatiently quickly two putted and walked off the course, appearing to say a few choice words to Crane or the fans.

In an interview with The Golf Channel, Crane said, “As most everyone knows, Rory is a fast player and I am a slow player. The only reason we were on the clock was because of me. Is Rory out of line? No, not really because I'm the one that got us on the clock. It's really an unfortunate situation and I understand how he feels. I do feel bad we got put on the clock." Honestly, I think that Rory was completely out of line and should be reprimanded for his actions. I just wonder what Nike thinks about one of their “stars”, who performs like that.

As the tournament ended up, Sergio did hold off one of the best fields on the PGA Tour (leaderboard here), fighting the daemons from a few weeks ago when he blew a fairly substantial lead in the final round. Notables in the top 10 included: DLIII, Adam Scott, Els, and Appleby, while DiMarco and Donald finished T-13. It looks like this week’s US Open at Pinehurst No. 2 will be a great event!

Related posts:
1. Monday recap: Sergio wins Booz-Allen

UPDATE: ESPN.com has a nice article about how Sabbatini's actions taking a different viewpoint. Stuart Appleby made an interesting comment stating, "Rory made an interesting decision to speed up play and didn't invite Ben along." At least someone has been able to make a bit of humor out of the situtation.

Chip Shots

Over the past few weeks, there have been some stories related to golf, which have not been posted on thegolfblog.com...

First, last week two women scored a hole in one on the same hole in the same group. According to SI.com, Golf Digest stated that the odds of a hole-in-one by two people in the same group is nearly 17million to 1. Granted, I've been lucky enough to have my own, but I could not imagine having two holes-in-one in the same group.

Second, Payne Stewart's family lost their case against Learjet for being responsible for the airplane crash that killed Payne in 1999. According to the AP, the Stewart's had been seeking $200 million in damages, even though their intentions were to provide for more aircraft safety instead of the money.

Third, Ryan Moore, the 2004 US Amateur and US Public Links Champion, has decided to turn pro after the US Open at Pinehurst No. 2. According to thegolfchannel.com, Moore will enter the Barclays Classic after the US Open to begin his professional career.

Monday recap: Sergio wins Booz-Allen

Sergio Garcia shot a 65 on Sunday to win the Booz-Allen tournament at Congressional Country Club, recapturing some of the lost magic with the putter after Adam Scott gave him a putting tip this week. As irony would have it, Adam Scott placed second, along with (poor) Ben Crane and Davis Love. On the 16th hole, Adam received one of the most unkind and unbelievable bounces I've ever seen. His approach shot was fading left, and hit a mound with a few geese around it. The ball then proceeded to bounce in the bunker, but then -- incredibly -- bounce out of the bunker and into the water. It was a weird sight to behold. Bad bounce. Credit to Adam, though, for firing straight at the pin on the water-lined par 3 18th to go for the hole in one, which he needed to tie. The shot was great, but not an ace.

LPGA post-round interviews

Photos from today's round have been posted by The Golf Channel, including a classic one of Annika, Michelle Wie, and Paula Creamer with Ronald McDonald. (More pics from LPGA.) Who says you can't have fun at a major?

Interviews of Annika Sorenstam, Michelle Wie, and Paula Creamer are posted on the LPGA's website. The rivalries are already brewing -- here are a few "money" lines:

Q. On different levels, what Michelle did, is that as impressive as it is for you to win this? Is it as impressive for her to do what she did?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I don't really know how she feels about her game. I'm sure she's very happy with her finish. You know, I'm not going to compare my results with hers. I think I was under totally different pressure. This is what I wanted. I came here and I won. Michelle had an outstanding performance. There's no doubt about it.
======================================================================
Q. What do you think the odds would have been at the start of the year that Annika could win the Grand Slam, and what do you think the odds are now?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, you know, I think she put a lot of pressure on herself last year saying she wanted to win the Grand Slam. This year she has a very high possibility. She has two more left, but I think all the other players, including me, are going to practice harder trying to stop her. I really admire her. Her goals are really high, but, you know, I'm trying to go for one major, too, so maybe she can win three.
======================================================================
Q. Did you see Michelle's (Wie) name up there at all or did you even look at the leaderboard?

PAULA CREAMER: I did. I'm a leaderboard kind of girl. I'm trying not to do it as much, but it's at the top so you can't miss it.

======================================================================
UPDATE: Natalie Gulbis recaps her fine 5th place showing here. As we report below, Natalie's finish pushed her onto the Top 10 for the Solheim Cup. She goes out of her way to thank her family and friends -- all those "people call me after good and tough rounds, and I can never thank them enough, or be able to tell them how much I appreciate their support day in and day out."

Annika wins LPGA Championship; Wie 2nd

Playing a little conservative today, Annika Sorenstam walked away with her 2nd major of the year, shooting a 1-over 73, to go -11 for the tournament. Annika was never in danger of being caught.

Two teenagers had the most impressive rounds of the day. 15-year-old Michelle Wie -- sporting her favorite color, fuchsia -- shot 69, and finished in solo second at -8. So are there still any people out there who say Michelle shouldn't have been given a sponsor's exemption? Meanwhile, 18-year-old Paula Creamer shot her best round of the tournament at 67, to go -6 for the tournament. She tied Laura Davies for 3rd.

Natalie Gulbis bogeyed the last hole for a 73 today, -4 for the tourney. Natalie didn't seem to have the same kind of ball striking as she did on Thursday and Friday playing with Annika. Natalie tied for 5th with Lorena Ochoa. It's a really impressive leaderboard -- the LPGA has a bright future ahead of it. Now, it's time to turn our attention to the men and Pinehurst No.2 - the U.S. Open pairings have been posted.

Annika Sorenstam -11
Michelle Wie -8
Paula Creamer -6
Laura Davies -6
Natalie Gulbis -4
Lorena Ochoa -4
complete leaderboard

UPDATE: With her Top 5 showing, Natalie Gulbis inched her way onto the Top 10 for the Solheim Cup standings for the U.S. team. Paula Creamer moved up to No. 16. The Top 10 go, with 2 captain's picks by Nancy Lopez this year.

Tom Kite: back to the future

55-year old Tom Kite is trying to become the oldest man to win a PGA tournament. He sits atop the leaderboard at -10. Kite rolled in some impressive birdies down the stretch, after which he did his own version of the fist pump. You go, Tom!

He has a 1-stroke advantage over Ernie Els, Luke Donald, Stuart Appleby, and Lee Westwood, who are at -9. Leaderboard here.

Annika: at a different level

Annika Sorenstam widened her lead to 5-strokes, going 12-under at the LPGA McDonald's Championship. Annika is the only women to hit all 3 rounds in the 60s. She again seems to be playing at a different level. If Annika were not in the tournament, it would be really close, with twelve golfers within four strokes of each other. No tournament is over after Day 3, but Annika's a great closer and in prime position to capture leg 2 of the Grand Slam.

At one point, in the back nine, though, Laura Davies appeared to be closing the gap (at -8), but then a costly bogey and double bogey on the last hole ate up her round. She's tied for 3rd at -5. Young Kim is 2nd at -7.

Natalie Gulbis, Michelle Wie, Moira Dunn, and Jeong Jang are also tied for 3rd at -5. Natalie made a valiant attempt to salvage her round, after bogeying 3 of the first 4 holes. Natalie ended up with 4 birdies, but a couple more bogeys for a 73.
Leaderboard here.

LPGA Championship: Moving day, mid-day report

There's been plenty of movement on (and off) the Leaderboard at the McDonald's Championship. Annika's at -11 now, with a 4-stroke lead. Most of the golfers, inluding Annika, are still out on the course, so expect these numbers to change. But here are some of the big movers:

Cristie Kerr shot 67 today, going -3 for the tourney. Young Kim has moved to -7, and is now in 2nd. Lorena Ochoa and Jennifer Rosales are both -4 today, -4 for the tourney and tied now for 7th.

Michelle Wie is -1 for the day and -5 for the tourney, and now tied for 3rd after 8 holes of play.

Natalie Gulbis and playing partner Il Mi Chung appear to have gotten off to a bad start, with Natalie bogeying three of the first four holes and Il Mi hitting a double and a bogey. Laura Davies also is having a rough start, with 3 bogeys, 1 par, and 1 birdie in her first five holes, to go -5 for the tourney. Complete leaderboard here. TV coverage begins on CBS in a few moments at 3:30.

update from Natalie Gulbis

So if you're 22 years old and close to the top of the leaderboard at a major championship, how do you spend the down time in between rounds? Well, if you're Natalie Gulbis, you blog on your online journal about the round. See here.

Here's a flavor: "In the third hole of the day I had the tee and hit a 8 iron to inside 10 feet on a downhill par three. Annika gets up and knocks it inside of me to 5 feet. Gloria [Park] gets up and knocks it in the hole...Hole in one -the crowd goes nuts. Unfortunately there was no car or trip or skin...what a bummer."

So why does Natalie spend the time on her website during tournaments? We asked her that question in part 2 of The Golf Blog's exclusive interview with Natalie earlier in the week.

Related posts
1. Natalie Gulbis - The Golf Blog interview, part 1
2. Natalie Gulbis - The Golf Blog interview, part 2

UPDATE: The Golf Channel has posted photos from the second round.

Annika captures lead at LPGA Championship

I was lucky to catch The Golf Channel's afternoon coverage of the LPGA McDonald's Championship. Annika Sorenstam put on a clinic with her pinpoint precision drives and iron shots, shooting a -5, 67. Annika's accuracy is almost mind-boggling -- she couldn't place her shots any better, even if she ran on the fairways and dropped the ball where she wanted to. Annika is at -9 for the tourney. Laura Davies shot -2 today, going -7 for the tournament and in second place.

Meanwhile, Natalie Gulbis is in third place, at -6. Natalie had a great ballstriking day, hitting 13 of 14 fairways and stuffing some really close approach shots. Natalie's pretty aggressive with her driver, and really makes a great pass at the ball. The Golf Channel has this excellent pic of what I'm talking about. Frankly, her so-called "unorthodox" swing is looking pretty smooth. But the "hammy" putter was not as hot as yesterday. Natalie missed short birdie putts on 14, 15, 16, and 17. An errant 6-iron on the final hole almost cost her. But, after pitching on, Natalie stepped up big and drained a 25-footer for par. "Hammy" time.

Michelle Wie is tied for 8th, at -4, after shooting -1 today.

Complete leaderboard here, or here.

commercial break: the Natalie show

As soon as more of the players finish their second round, we'll have an update on the LPGA McDonald's Championship, where Annika has climbed into a tie for the lead. Leaderboard here.

Meanwhile, if you want to check out a commercial for Natalie Gulbis's reality show, you can find it here or here.

LPGA post-round interviews

Post-round interviews of Laura Davies, Natalie Gulbis, Laura Diaz, Annika Sorenstam, Paula Creamer, and Michelle Wie are here. A sample of some of the revealing questions:

Q. What made you feel terrible?

MICHELLE WIE: I feel really stupid saying this, but I ate too much. I ate too much, and going into the heat, walking just caused a little indigestion. It was pretty bad, and then, you know how when your stomach hurts everything else hurts, like your back, and then if it wasn't for the siren, I think I might have quit, because every time I breathed in, and when I breathe out it felt like barf was coming out with it, too. Sorry for the picture. Either the break helped me a lot and the Back 9 felt really good.

Q. Are you going to watch what you eat?

MICHELLE WIE: Definitely. No more. I'm going to eat just a sandwich, and after I eat I should be hungry, not full. That's my new rule of eating.
================================================================
Q. What did Butch tell you about your swing that you didn't know?

NATALIE GULBIS: I never had a lesson before I went to Butch. I'm a field player. My father was always my instructor. I didn't know anything about the swing.

Q. Do you see yourself as one of the rivals [to Annika] among the younger players?

NATALIE GULBIS: I think I'm getting closer with my game, but no, right now she's still a better player.
================================================================
Q. What exactly was the injury [you have recovered from]?

LAURA DIAZ: I had four tears in my tendon and a torn ligament in my left ankle.
================================================================
Q. Annika, would you like to have a rivalry‑type deal again like maybe you had with Karrie and Se Ri Pak then?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, I'm pretty happy how things are. No. I mean, I come out here and play my own game, and it's very challenging for me to be out here. I'm very pleased the way things are, and I wouldn't want to change it. Again, it is fun to play with someone, like today Natalie, she rolled in a putt on the last hole, and I wanted to make mine. I wanted to show her, hey, you might be younger, but I can putt too.

LPGA Championship report: Natalie Gulbis tied for lead

Paired with Annika Sorenstam (and Gloria Park), Natalie Gulbis shot a first round 67, -5 at the LPGA's second major of the year, the McDonald's Championship at Pete Dye designed Bulle Rock Golf Course. Natalie closed with 5 straight birdies! Fantastic first round. Natalie's scorecard here.

Natalie's currently in the lead. In the afternoon, Laura Diaz and Laura Davies also shot 67 to tie for the lead with Natalie. Annika, who shot 68, is now tied for fourth at -4, along with the likes of 18-year-old Paula Creamer. Michelle Wie posted an impressive -3. Leaderboard here.

If you don't know who Natalie Gulbis is (where have you been?), see her 2-part interview with The Golf Blog below. In it, you'll see that Natalie loves playing with Annika -- which was proven again today -- and that Natalie has worked really hard for this moment. And to those naysayers who questioned why we've been following Natalie's play this year, we rest our case.

UPDATE: Baltimore Sun (registration required) has an audio clip from Natalie Gulbis's and Annika Sorenstam's post-round interviews. Here are links to pics of Natalie and Annika from today.

Natalie Gulbis - The Golf Blog interview, Part 2

Natalie Gulbis

The Golf Blog's exclusive interview with Natalie Gulbis, Part 2.

The Golf Blog: Everything about you seems very distinctive – your style, your fashion, your swing, your putting, your reality show, your website, your calendar - the list goes on. Do you realize how distinctive you are from the crowd?

Natalie: Yes, I do know ... you point that out ...

The Golf Blog: Well, we're more than happy to be at your service.... One of your distinctions, Natalie, is unfolding as we speak: You will be the first golfer ever to have her own reality show, which will air on The Golf Channel, July 19. Many golfers – Tiger Woods is the best example – like having their personal lives out of the limelight. Why did you decide to do the Natalie show? Was it your idea?

Natalie: It is so exciting!! I am really looking forward to the premiere of the show in July. It was my father’s idea and we looked at several TV stations and thought The Golf Channel was the best fit.

The Golf Blog: It will probably become The Golf Channel's most watched show... Are you a fan of any of the reality shows on TV?

Natalie: I enjoy watching Fear Factor, Newlyweds and American Idol as far as reality TV shows go.

The Golf Blog: You are also one of the few LPGA pros to have a website. Yours - Nataliegulbis.com - is very impressive; it even has music. And sometimes you post entries to your “Nat’s Journal” while at tournaments, such as during the rain delay at the Michelob Open. Why are you so involved in your website, more so than most pro golfers?

Natalie: I really enjoy the website, and I have had a great response from fans who have enjoyed checking it out. As far as my journal, I want to share tour life with my fans. It’s so exciting for me - every week it's great to share some of the fun events and stories. I am very lucky to have fans who really enjoy it. Uncommon Thinking does an amazing job with the site.

The Golf Blog: Thanks for your time, Natalie. Good luck on the rest of the season!

Natalie: Thanks, great questions!!!!

Related post
Natalie Gulbis - The Golf Blog interview, Part 1

Natalie Gulbis - The Golf Blog interview, Part 1

Natalie Gulbis

The Golf Blog's exclusive interview with Natalie Gulbis, Part 1.

The Golf Blog: You are only 22 years old, but are having a breakthrough year: Top 10 in money, 4 top 10 finishes, including a tied for 3rd at the Michelob Open. What’s the main reason for your success this year?

Natalie: I have worked hard to improve my consistency in my driving, irons, short game, and putting. Trying to work on cutting down my mistakes.

The Golf Blog: Your swing has already received much attention, but your putting style is also different. You use a standard length putter with a long grip, and separate your hands on the grip. We’ve heard it called as the “hammy” putting style. Can you explain your putting style and why you switched?

Natalie: It is called the hammy and it is a split grip putting style. Very similar to a hockey stance, my feet being very open. For me it takes my hands out of my putting stroke.

The Golf Blog: You recently played with Annika Sorenstam at the Michelob Open. While your friend Cristie Kerr won the tournament, Annika’s been having another spectacular year. What did you learn from playing with Annika? Do you think she has an “intimidation factor” on tour similar to the kind Tiger Woods did when he was blowing away the field in 2000 and 2001?

Natalie: I played with Annika today. I love being paired with her. She does not make many mental mistakes, and she has the ability to repeat her swing over and over and wears people down.

The Golf Blog: Do you have advice for teenagers who are hoping to make it one day on tour? Should they focus on learning how to win and dominate at the junior level as Tiger Woods did, or should they test out pro tournaments early in their careers if they have the talent and opportunity, as Michelle Wie appears to be doing?

Natalie: My advice for Jr. players would be to play as much competitive golf as they can. I really learn a lot from testing my game during competition and having the opportunity to compare my game and stats to other players. As far as what path to take, it’s all over the board. I stopped playing in Jr. events when I was 12 and played women’s. It's whatever is good for you.

[Tune in tomorrow for Part 2.]
Related post:
Natalie Gulbis - The Golf Blog interview, part 2

Drive for show, putt for dough...

My fellow blogger has in this post provided the major highlights from the exciting finish at The Memorial this past week. I add this post just to highlight what a great example the final stretch of holes provided of that old aphorism that you drive for show, but putt for dough. Bart Bryant made a series of great one-putts on the last five holes at Muirfield Village, which enabled him to play those holes -3 despite a tee ball into the creek on 18. Meanwhile, Freddie Couples rode a hot putter to the top of the leaderboard through the 14th hole, but then missed crucial putts on 15 (for eagle) on 16 (for par) and on 17 (for birdie). Relatedly, David Toms continued his brilliant ball-striking on the front nine yesterday, but dropped off the board after an ugly 3-jack on 9 and some ugly misses over the next few holes.

Of course, as we head toward the US Open, we can recall that Retief Goosen's hot putter allowed him to make a series of remarkable pars to help capture the 2004 title (while Phil Mickelson found a way, yet again, to miss just enough putts to keep him from claiming a national championship). The old aphorism is always current and never goes out of style (and also highlights why I know better than to ever play for serious money).

Major Monday

The Golf Blog had an editorial meeting of sorts at the Memorial yesterday. We're all excited about the next two weeks. This week the women will have their 2nd major of the year, the McDonald's LPGA Championship. Annika has won back-to-back and goes for a 3-peat this year, fresh off a victory last week (see yesterday's post). Then next week, the men go to Pinehurst for the U.S. Open, where Retief Goosen gets a chance to defend.

To get you geared up, The Golf Blog will be running an exclusive interview with Natalie Gulbis this week. Next week, one of our writers will be at Pinehurst to give a report. And, looking ahead, we also hope to get out to St. Andrews for the British. But that's getting ahead of ourselves. Check back this week when we get the reality from Natalie. Enjoy.

Natalie Gulbis -- The Golf Blog interview

Details soon.

US Open Sectional Qualifying "Begins" Tomorrow...

Tomorrow will "begin" the qualifiers for the US Open held at Pinehurst #2. (there was one qualifier already played in Japan).

This is a typical event for those players who play at The Memorial to play in Sectional Qualifying the next day. The list of those participants can be found here.

Also, for those of you who might consider playing in the US Amateur, you can find tournament information here. The deadline for application is June 29th at 5pm.

Most Dominating Athlete??

Annika does it again. Winning her 5th out of her last 7 tournaments on the LPGA Tour. This week winning the ShopRite LPGA Classic by four strokes on Sunday. Annika concluded her final round with an eagle to ensure her 61st career victory on the LPGA Tour.

Grass Clippings:
In the same tournament, Jimin Kang made LPGA history carding a 27 on the back nine. This score is an LPGA record and beats 10 other players who had shot 28.

Memorial, Final Round

It was a steamy Sunday at The Memorial. 42-year-old Bart Bryant won his 2nd PGA tournament, shooting 68 and -16 for the tournament. The winner's check of $1 million will surely make his career. Said Bryant, "It's huge. It's a real honor to win here at Jack's tournament. That was history in the making with what happened Friday, and I'm glad to be part of it."

Bryant pulled off a pretty impressive par 4 on the final hole. His 5-wood drive bounded too hard and into the hazard (staying on the bank a half foot from the water). Luckily, Bryant could drop his ball (after taking the penalty) on the fairway for his drop. He then stiffed his approach shot to 15 feet away. Using the claw grip, Bryant rolled his putt in, sneaking the ball in on the low side.

Fan favorite Fred Couples placed second at -15, shooting 69 today. Fred made some quality shots and big birdies on the back nine, but seemed to lose some steam down the stretch. He missed a 5-footer downhiller for eagle on the 15th, which probably would've won the tournament had it gone down. Fred did make birdie. But, after a bogey on the next hole, Fred missed a makeable birdie on 17th from about 15 feet. On the 18th, Fred was DOA after he airmailed the green.

Biggest surprise: Adam Scott shooting 81 today, going from -8 to +1 for the tourney. Apparently, it wasn't a good day for Butch Harmon's crew with Freddie coming up short again. Not to be outdone by Adam Scott, Bill Haas shot 80. Leaderboard here.

Getting my priorities straight on Memorial week

It has been much, much too long since I have last posted, and the only excuse I have is that I have been working too hard. But, with The Memorial in my backyard this week, I am starting to get my priorities straight. I made it out to the tourney for part of a practice round and for three of four tourney rounds. And today I had the pleasure of a morning with two of my fellow bloggers, and I then I dragged my youngest daughter out to the back nine for a few hours (where she almost picked up Tiger's ball when he blocked his drive far right on 13).

I'm now watching on TiVo, amazed to see the second page of the leaderboard with most of the big names right now. At this moment, I would be surprised if this does not go to a playoff, but the same prediction I made in 2003 did not come true when Jim Furyk separated himself from a huge pack by making eagle from the bunker on 15.

Memorial, Day 2

Jeff Sluman hung onto his lead, at -8. Tiger shot an impressive -4 today, to get into a tie for second with four others, including Lucas Glover. After following Lucas on Wednesday for a few holes (see here), it's nice to see him do well. Leaderboard here.

Biggest surprise: Vijay missed the cut, tying for dead last.

Memorial, Day 1

The Memorial Tournament had a few surprises today (although b/c of work, I wasn't there to see them). Jeff Sluman is leading at -7, shooting an impressive 65. Leaderboard here.

1. Surprise No. 1: Vijay shooting +5, 77. Wow, maybe he does need a mulligan. See yesterday's post.

2. Surprise No. 2: Lucas Glover shooting -5. Yesterday, I got to see a bunch of people. One foursome had 4 young "unknown" players. One of them stood out to me. It was this guy who had a Southern accent and who clearly knew the course b/c he was telling his playing partners where to hit it. And the guy drove the ball a mile, with a swing that had a slight out-to-in, 2 plane track. Well, I looked on his bag: and it was Lucas Glover. Apparently, he's 11th in Driving Distance on tour.

3. Surprise No. 3: 22-year-old Sean O'Hair (who finished runner up at the Byron Nelson) shot a -3, 69, tied for 13th with Tiger Woods and others.

Of course, Day 1 doesn't necessarily mean much unless you dig yourself a big hole like Vijay.

report from the Memorial practice round

It was a fun day at Muirfield Village during the Memorial practice round. I was hoping to post some pics, but (silly me) I forgot to reload the battery after charging it. Oh well.

Anyway, here are some random impressions from what I saw:

1. There's no wonder how good Jack Nicklaus is. Jack smoked a driver on the 7th tee right down the pipe and in the fairway, after which he said with a straight face: "I think I pulled it by 10 yards." That comment drew a laugh from the crowd, and smiles from teacher Jim Flick and Fred Couples. Jack was serious though, again saying he pulled it by 10 yards. I'm sure he did, but what was funny was the precision with which Jack knows his game.

2. Paul Azinger launched a huge drive on the 7th, after which he said to Vijay Singh: "See if you can top that, big daddy." Meanwhile, some guy in the stands either had a mechanical device or used his own voice to make it sound like a robot. I couldn't hear it all, but it was something to the effect: "Don't choke." That brought a chuckle from both Zinger and Vijay. Vijay had trouble keeping from smiling as he was trying to tee off. He turned to Zinger and said: "I get a mullligan if this doesn't go well." Zinger replied: "No mulligan." I couldn't tell where Vijay drove it, but I don't think he hit it that well given the crowd reaction. And he didn't get a mulligan.

3. Oddest moment of the day: Stuart Appleby was playing with fellow countryman Robert Allenby. He was walking up 10 fairway after his drive eating an apple. By the time Stuart got to the crosswalk, he apparently had finished the apple. So what does he do? He chucks the apple core right into the pond on the golf course. If you've ever watched David Letterman's segment "Will it float?", well, the answer is: yes, an apple core does float. It was a very surreal moment. All the fans at the crosswalk were kind of stunned. Nobody tell Jack.