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