Woods Tries, but Vijay Too Much at the Buick Open

Tiger Woods might be the best player in the world, but he did not have enough to catch World #2 Vijay Singh today at the Buick Open. Vijay successfully defended his title finishing at -24 winning by 4 over Woods and Zach Johnson.

Woods turned at even par 36, but then turned it to another level for the back nine. Some of the highlights included:

Tiger driving the 341 yard par 4 14th into the group of Olin Brown and Steve Lowry. Olin was lining up his birdie putt and was forced to mark Tiger's ball before he could putt. Tiger then made the eagle putt, for a tournament tying 3rd eagle of the week, and his second on the 14th during the week.

Tiger also made a birdie on the 17th and after making it, cupped his ear, Hulk Hogan style trying to hear the crowd. Thus, only needing a par to shoot 29.

Vijay putting like a true amateur, leaving many putts in the hole and 4 feet short.

Overall, there was a lot of hype, but Tiger bogied the 18th hole and the tournament fell flat on its face. Vijay had a 4 shot lead going into 18, made an easy par, and won his 16th PGA Tour event after the age of 40.

In his post round interview, Vijay said, "I'm playing better this year than I did last year. I'm excited. I just hope I can follow what I did last year. It's going to be almost impossible, but I'm going to give it a shot." Hopefully, Vijay will be able to put it together during the PGA.

Women's British Open leaderboard

Full leaderboard (via TGC) is here. At 12:50 UK time, Cristie Kerr has climbed onto the leaderboard at -5, (-6 for the day) after shooting a stellar 66. She currently is in 2d behind leader Louise Stahl at -6.

For one of the best, most revealing golf articles I have read this year, take a look at this Golf for Women article by Ron Kapriske entitled The Swan. It chronicles the amazing transformation of Cristie Kerr, in terms of both body weight and course personality. If you didn't know about Cristie's story, you will be amazed.

Money line from Kapriske: "The old Cristie Kerr's only desire was to be a professional golfer. The new Cristie Kerr wants to open her own wine bar in Manhattan or Scottsdale. The old Cristie Kerr was egocentric. The new Cristie Kerr raises money for breast cancer research as a tribute to her mother, who has battled the disease. The old Cristie Kerr wore a size 16 dress, thick eyeglasses and had a tight perm. The new Cristie Kerr wears a size 4, has ditched the specs and the perm and is, in the words of her good friend and fellow LPGA member Natalie Gulbis, 'a hottie.'"

Michelle Wie's wit

At 15 years old, Michelle Wie has already mastered the art of the sound bite. If you've been following The Golf Blog's "Money lines" from interviews (yesterday's interviews here), you'll know that Michelle usually comes up with a zinger or two at every press conference. Here's one from yesterday:

Q. Where exactly were you on 11?
MICHELLE WIE: I was in the pot bunker. That was extra special.

Women's British Open: brutal weather = bad scores

So is this fair: the men get to play in summer like weather for 4 days at St. Andrews, while the women get stuck with wet, wintry weather at Royal Birkdale? How bad was it? Only 6 people managed to shoot under par.

Annika, who shot 1-0ver, said: "It was obviously very, very difficult today — rainy, wet and cold. We had it all." Annika's assessment was shared by Michelle Wie, who bemoaned: "I have played in rain before. I have played in wind before. I have played in cold before, but not all put together... They were the hardest conditions I ever played in." Michelle wasn't kidding, just look at the winter hat she was wearing: pic here. She better tell Jesper Parnevik to said some warmer clothes! (See here.)

Despite the bad weather, South Korean Jeong Jang managed a stellar -4 round to capture the first day lead. Lorena Ochoa was not so fortunate, shooting an 85 for +13 and near dead last. Ouch.

Leaderboard - (full board here)
-4 Jeong Jang
-3 Sophie Gustafson
-2 Nicole Perrot
-1 Liselotte Neumann, Kim Williams, Emily Klein
-------------------------------------------------
+1 Annika, Cristie Kerr + others
+2 Laura Diaz + others
+3 Michelle Wie, Paula Creamer + others
+4 Natalie Gulbis + others

+8 Birdie Kim + others
+13 Lorena Ochoa
+18 Laura Cabanillas

Women's British Open, Day 1 pics

The Golf Channel (through WireImage.com) has posted a few pics from Day 1. Since the weather was so bad, they don't have many, it appears. But here are 2 stellar pics:

1. Natalie Gulbis under umbrella
2. Michelle Wie in winter hat

hot PGA rookie: Sean O'Hair

We should've been writing more about 23-year-0ld Sean O'Hair weeks ago, although we certainly haven't ignored him (see here discussing 1st victory at John Deere, here discussing 15th place at British Open, and here discussing 2nd place finish at Byron Nelson classic).

So this PGA tour rookie is 17th on the money list (over $2 million), has made 15 of 19 cuts, with 2 Top 10s, 6 Top 20s, including 1 win, 1 second, and 15th at the British. Today, he shot -2 at the Buick, currently in 20th place (better than Tiger by a stroke).

And Sean's dealt admirably with his domineering (if not maniacal) father, who today announced that he's releasing Sean from the LIFETIME contract he supposedly secured from Sean to share 10% of all future professional earnings with his father for the rest of Sean's life. Sean's father, no doubt, did that out of the goodness of his heart. More from TGC here.

Women's British Open, Day 1

At 8:13 UK time, the women have just started. With only a few holes played, Michelle Wie and Annika Sorenstam are tied (with others) for the lead at Even par. Full leaderboard here.

Women's British Open pre-tourney interviews

LPGA has posted interviews of some of the big names. Money lines below.

Q. As far as Tiger do you ever make any wagers with him when you play?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Always.

Q. What kind of financial penalties are involved?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: Well, we always have to have something riding on the bet. I think that's what keeps him motivated to beat me. But, you know, for me it's actually more the pride than anything. Because always when I leave, I always tell him, you know, when I beat you, I can say it and he always makes sure it doesn't happen.

Q. Do you give him credit?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: No, we pay up front.

Q. Whose side is more full?

ANNIKA SORENSTAM: I would say his, for many reasons. (Laughter).
========================================================
Q. A lot of people when they turn pro, the first year, they find things in their game that are not comparable to being pro, have you identified the areas of your game that you need to work out now that you're a pro?

PAULA CREAMER: I will get longer in the fall; I think that definitely needs to happen. Just creativity. My putting has gotten better because I've been able to putt on similar greens week-in and week-out, which is a huge thing for myself because I don't come from very good greens. Now I have great greens to practice on. I think just being able to work the ball left and right. I pretty much only hit one shot, which is straight or draw. I don't fade the ball. So things like that would probably be most important.
=========================================================
Q. Nancy Lopez says you would be better served playing and beating your peers, how do you look at that?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, a lot of people don't know about how I won every single one in Hawaii, and I can't like pay to go to Geneva and pay to play in these kind of events. It's the same deal. It was that -- I tried to play in AJGA events. They wouldn't let me. I was too young and so I qualified for it and I really started liking it and I started playing it. I mean, you can learn the art of winning out here, too, and that's what I'm trying to do out here, too.

Q. You're wearing a wind protector; is that a problem?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I like it. I like it very much. I think it's very pretty. Before I game here, I forgot to pack warm clothes because I wasn't smart enough to know it was cold here. So I didn't have any sweaters or anything like that. So when I came here, I found a box sent by Jesper Parnevik and I'm like, oh, this is so neat, I'll wear it.

Q. Traveling like you do, what will be the first thing you do when you get back home?

MICHELLE WIE: Well, I think I'm going to go to the beach.

Q. Just hang out with your friends?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah.

Q. When were you last in Hawaii?

MICHELLE WIE: End of May.

Q. Do you talk to your friends when your away?

MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, I do, but I can't talk with them while n I'm in Europe, so it's kind of a bummer. My dad's hogging the computer, so I don't really have any time.

Women's British Open pairings

OK, it's time again for some Precious Pairings. Full list here.

1. Triple S pairing: Se Ri Pak, Sophie Gustafson, Sherri Steinhaur
2. Wie CC pairing: Michelle Wie, Catriona Matthew, Carin Koch
3. Double Super Cool pairing, or Virtual Repeat pairing of LPGA Championship: Annika, Natalie Gulbis, Ai Miyazato (see here)

4. M 'n' M pairing: Marisa Baena, Janice Moody, Meg Mallon
5. M 'n' M pairing 2: Mi Hyun Kim, Minea Blomqvist, Michiko Hattori
6. 3 syllable pairing: Beth Daniel, Maria Hjorth, Jill McGill

7. Marquee pairing 1: Paula Creamer, Karen Stupples, Lorena Ochoa
8. Marquee pairing 2: Laura Davies, Cristie Kerr, Lorie Kane
9. J pairing: Jenna Daniels, Judith Van Hagen, Joo Mi Kim

British No. 3: Weetabix British Open

Have you had enough British Opens after the men and seniors in consecutive weeks? Well, you get the Women's British Open this week at Royal Birkdale. TGC's write-up here. The LPGA's coverage here and here.

So after failing in her bid for the Grand Slam at the U.S. Open, Annika had a so-so week at the Evian Masters last week. Uncharacteristically, Annika threw her club after one of her bad shots, clearly out of frustration when she knew she could not catch Paula Creamer. For the first time this year, Annika has gone without a victory for two consecutive weeks. Can she recapture her winning form this week? Karen Stupples attempts to defend her championship after having a good start at the U.S. Open, but faltering down the stretch. Michelle Wie will be the star amateur in the field.

news on Natalie Gulbis's show: reality in November?

All of you disappointed Natalie Gulbis fans will have to wait a little bit longer to see her reality show. The Sacramento Bee reported yesterday that the show has been postponed until at least November. Amazing it has taken over 1 week from the canceled debut show for any explanation to be given. The reason is somewhat sketchy. Shay Noggle, a program scheduler at The Golf Channel, gave the official explanation: "There are production issues and it's on hold until at least November. I've just been told to tell people that there are production issues between different parties and we have to wait for them to be resolved until we can air it."

Well, let's hope the "different parties" can work out the "production issues," and let's hope that lawyers don't have to get involved. All of the Natalie Gulbis fans out there, I'm sure, would love to see the show.

Related post
Back to reality: the Natalie show

UPDATE: Tiger/Daly no match for Phil/Retief

The Battle of the Bridges is back tonight, with Tiger and John Daly teaming up against Phil and Retief. Apparently, it's the last of these kind of prime-time events because Tiger's just tired of them (who could blame him?). The coverage starts on ESPN2 at 7pm, and then ABC at 8pm. Hopefully, it will be good.

UPDATE: Retief Goosen got hot on the back 9 and birdied 5 of 7 holes. Goose and Phil closed out the match on the 15th, 5-3, after both Tiger and John Daly hit poor drives. ESPN's coverage here. Just like the Skins Game, this Battle of the Bridges is in desperate need of some rest and then major revamping. What about Tiger-Sean O-Hair v. Annika-Michelle Wie in some format? Or maybe it's better to let sleeping dogs lie?

New feature: TGB Go Clubbing

TaylorMade R5 dual driver.

After a very hectic June and July, The Golf Blog will soon be adding another new feature called "Go Clubbing." As you might guess, we'll be reviewing golf product. First on deck: TaylorMade's R5 dual driver. Stay tuned.

St. Andrews

18th hole, St. Andrews

Part of the beauty of St. Andrews is that it is a public course, cherished as an open space by the local Scottish people. When people are not playing, you can go out and just walk the course, as I did here on Hole No. 18 following the British Open. Where in the U.S. can you find such open public golf course -- fitting for The Open.

Myrtle Beach report: a great worldly (gimmick) course

The plan to play at the TPC at Myrtle Beach on Sunday afternoon was disrupted by a shotgun event, and as a result I had a chance to have a remarkable (gimmick) golf course experience by playing instead the World Tour Golf Links. The World Tour track is composed of "golf holes inspired by the great courses of the world" such as Augusta National, Pine Valley, St. Andrews, Winged Foot and many more

We played the Open Nine and the Championship Nine, which gave us a chance to experience replicas of Augusta National's Amen Corner, the island green hole of TPC Sawgrass, Royal Troon's postage stamp hole, and a number of other famous holes. Some of the replicas were quite imperfect and all of the holes, even from back black tees, were clearly more user-friendly than the originals. Nevertheless, every hole was an interesting adventure, and I had more fun playing this (challenging but fair) course than any other resort course I have played in many years.

A lack of local knowledge and a few three-putts cost me some strokes, but I still managed to card an 80 from the back tees. (I hit the island green, but three-putted, and I almost made a birdie 2 on the replica of Augusta #12.) Helping my cause was my success getting out of the tee box with the help of TaylorMade's R5 driver, a club I will discuss at length in a forthcoming post.

more on Paula Creamer: pretty in pink

It's pretty amazing to think that Paula Creamer has just graduated from high school, but she has already won two LPGA events. OK, so some of the top guns were not playing the tournament, the Sybase Classic, where she won her first victory. But all the big guns, including Annika, were at the Evian Masters this week. And Paula lapped the field by 8 strokes. Wow.

Unfortunately, Paula won her 2nd tournament in the same week that Lance Armstrong won his 7th Tour de France (way to go, Lance!). Otherwise, I'd be screaming at Sports Illustrated for not putting Paula on the cover. When is the last time an 18 year old won two LPGA events?

If you want to learn more about this wonder teen, her swing coach David Whelan analyzes her swing here in Golf Digest for Women. And if you are one of Paula's growing fans, you can check out this cool fan site/blog devoted solely to Paula Creamer.

Related posts
1. Evian Masters: paula, paula, paula (July 22, 2005)
2. paula, paula, paula (May 22, 2005)

Sr. British Open: Sir Watson wins British No. 7

While on the PGA, Tom Watson won a remarkable 5 British Opens. Last week, at St. Andrews, 55-year-old Tom made the cut and finished at a respectable -1. Is Tom perhaps the best links golfer ever, at least from the U.S.?

Well, yesterday, he shot a stunning 64 at Royal Aberdeen in Scotland to take the lead at the Sr. British Open (which he has won once already). Full leaderboard here.

UPDATE: Tom Watson pulled off the victory today, winning a 3-hole playoff to defeat Des Smyth. The two finished regulation tied at -4, while Greg Norman was 1 behind at -3.

Evian Masters pics: who's got the best midriff?

The Golf Channel (via WireImage.com) has posted cool pics of the Evian Masters in France. Apparently, there was some competition, not only for the lowest score, but the best bare midriff. You be the judge:

1. Michelle Wie
2. Ai Miyazato
3. Paula Creamer
4. Grace Park

At the golf mecca

Aided by a beach house with a wireless network, I am able to report on a week at the golf mecca that is Myrtle Beach. Because I have the whole family with me, I expect I will only get in 3 rounds of golf, but I am excited to be able to live and breath golf in this setting even when not playing. To shop at Martin's Superstore is worth the trip alone.

Inspired by the recommendation in the comments to this post, the plan for tomorrow afternoon is to play at the TPC of Myrtle Beach.

Evian Masters: paula, paula, paula

18 year old Paula Creamer shot a 6-under 66 today at the Evian Masters, to take a commanding 7 shot lead at -14 over Karine Icher and Laura Davies. Annika, who is 8 back at -6, shot a lackluster even par 72 today. Paula, who just graduated from high school this past year, will be going for her second tour victory this weekend. Full leaderboard here.

UPDATE: Paula cruised to victory today, shooting a 1-under 71. Michelle Wie shot 68, to tie for second with Lorena Ochoa. Annika struggled with a 75. She might be feeling a little bit tired of all these teen phenoms by now. The Golf Channel's coverage here.

post-British email from Tiger

Tiger has emailed about his British Open victory. As we've already blogged in this post, Tiger deserves credit for undertaking some swing changes that have now finally paid off.

1. Money line about his swing changes: "People don't really understand how much hard work went into winning the Masters and the British Open this year, nor do they have to. I just know that I've worked so hard on getting to this point with Hank. We received a lot of criticism last year and part of this year. But then again, we're starting to enjoy the fruits of our labor now. I've got two major championships and I finished second in the U.S. Open finishing 80th in putting. So, that's very, very exciting."

2. Money line about Jack's 18 major record: "I've often been asked if I can catch Jack's record (18) for major championships and it certainly is possible, but we're a long way from getting to that point. It's taken me a while to get to this point - eight years. It's not a short term project; this is a career. Hopefully, I can be better in my 30's than I was in my 20's."

We will have more analysis on the prospects of Tiger catching Jack. Stay tuned.

Related posts
1. Tiger's swing changes with Hank Haney
2. The Open: more mulligan kudos and more "Big" Five frustration

TGB Featured Tourney: The International Tournament (Aug. 1-7)

As you may have heard already, The Golf Blog will be offering a new feature called TGB Featured Tourney. We will periodically profile a non-major tournament, and tell you all the good things it has to offer. Most of you already know about the majors, but there are a number of other great tournaments that may escape some people's attention.

The Golf Blog's first TGB Featured Tourney is The International Tournament in Castle Pines Golf Club in Denver. You can visit The International website here, and we already have a semi-permanent link to The International site on our menu to the right. As the tournament approaches, we will be blogging about the field, the scoring system, and the tournament. The people at The International have been kind enough to link to The Golf Blog, so you can conveniently jump back and forth between our sites. Check it out!! And stay tuned for updates on The International!

Tiger's swing changes with Hank Haney

Yes, Tiger received a lot of flak during the past two years, after dropping Butch Harmon, coaching himself, and then enlisting Hank Haney as his swing coach. Well, now, Tiger deserves credit for his recent successes in implementing the swing change to the more 1-plane system of Haney (see Golf Digest May 2005 for more about Haney's swing plane philosophy). The Golf Channel has an excellent article chronicling Haney's involvement with Tiger's swing.

Money line: “He’s not going to ever be satisfied with getting there,” Haney said. “He’s not looking for ‘getting there.’ He’s looking for getting better. That’s what he looks for every day.” Whatever it is, Woods appears to have found it.

Heading to Myrtle Beach, seeking course recommendations

I am very pleased to report that I will be spending next week at public golf's mecca, Myrtle Beach, where you can find over 100 courses on the Grand Strand of all shapes and sizes and prices. I have been going to Myrtle Beach nearly every year for over a decade, so the area and its many golf courses are generally familiar. But I am still eager to hear course recommendations from readers.

I have some traditional/personal favorites, such as Caledonia and Heather Glen and the Legends, but I am always eager to hear others' favorites. Please chime in.

The Supreme Court and golf

President Bush nominated D.C. Circuit judge John Roberts to the Supreme Court yesterday. Judge Roberts is conservative, and incredibly smart and also gracious. In his law practice before becoming a judge, he was a veteran Supreme Court and appellate litigator in D.C., and was tremendously well-respected among lawyers for his ability.

So how does this relate to golf? Well, Judge Roberts is an avid golfer, and, as I recall, a pretty good one at that. Back when Dan Quayle was VP, the two used to play together. I'm not sure who won. If confirmed by the Senate, Judge Roberts will join Justice Stevens as the serious golfers on the Supreme Court. Retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor also played a few rounds. More about Judge Roberts's nomination in the NYT today.

back to reality: the Natalie show

Well, it's finally here. Natalie Gulbis's reality show. Tonight, on The Golf Channel, at 7:30 EST. There's no better way to unwind from a Major weekend than to catch the debut show tonight. If you want to see a preview, go to Natalie's site and click on "Natalie The TV show" on the left hand corner. That'll take you to a brief preview of the show, with glimpses of Natalie, Pittsburgh Steeler QB Ben Roethlisberger, and Butch Harmon. Enjoy tonight.

UPDATE: Sorry, for whatever reason, Natalie's website people changed the link today. I don't know why -- now all you get is an FHM video clip instead of the reality show clip. We ran a link in June that may still work -- click here and then, once you get to the June post, click on the second "here." If it doesn't work, we're out of luck. Just have to watch tonight.

British Open: Monday musings

After a train, plane, cab, and bus ride, I had time to reflect more about The Open Championship. I agree with Douglas's post below: there's no need to talk about the "Big Five" anymore. It's back to Tiger and everyone else.

Some final tap-ins about The Open:

1. Sorry, Jack: Tiger Woods will be forever linked and compared to Jack Nicklaus. In ways that would be fitting of a Greek epic, Jack's poignant farewell at St. Andrews was punctuated by Tiger Woods' reassertion of power and the claim to be the most dominant player in golf (sorry, Annika). This was the passing of the torch -- Tiger's now passed the halfway point to Jack's record 18 majors. Tiger should thank Jack for retiring this year because The Open wouldn't have been at St. Andrews (Tiger's all-time favorite course) this year, except to honor Jack. Instead, Tiger effectively knocked Jack out of the tournament by raising the cut line -- had Tiger not been playing, Colin Montgomerie's 7-under would have been top score and Jack would've made the cut on the 10-shot rule. Sorry, Jack.

2. Thanks, Jack: Jack Nicklaus is a true class act. After his farewell dinner at St. Andrews, which ended around midnight, he reportedly invited some of the 50 or so fans who had waited for more than 5 hours to join him inside. He graciously signed autographs for the fans, even some of the £5 notes issued by the Royal Bank of Scotland to honor him.

3. Oldies, but goodies. Hats off to fine showings from these "experienced" golfers: Tom Watson (-1), Greg Norman (+1), Sandy Lyle (-3), Bernhard Langer (-7), Tom Lehman (-4). All of you beat (except 1 tied) Phil Mickelson (+1). Especially Sandy, it was good to see you back on the leaderboard.

4. Sean O'Hair. Wow, what can you say about this 23-year-old PGA tour rookie? 2nd at Doral, 1st last week at John Deere, tied for 15th at The Open this weekend. The guy is built like a tooth pick (6'2", 165 lbs), but his swing is solid. Can he give Tiger a challenge in two years?

5. Golf friends. What is amazing about golf is, no matter what level of player you are, you can make new golf friends based just on the common bond of enjoying this fine sport. I met a number of Scottish people (at restaurants, on the course, and on the street) who impressed me with their golf knowledge, as well as friendliness and hospitality. Caryn and Chris, my hosts for the tournament at the incredibly charming Annandale Guest House, you have my deepest gratitude for a great stay. I also met a number of serious golf fans from the U.S., U.K., and Canada. I hope we keep in touch, although you are probably sick of hearing about "blogging."

The Open: more Mulligan kudos and more "Big" Five frustration

AllCarry in this post gives Mulligan some props for predicting Tiger would win at least 2 majors this year, but he also asserts that Mulligan is "usually filled with hot air." I am writing primarily to defend Mulligan's honor, particularly because I found all of his reports from St. Andrews to be fantastic reading adding real value to my experience watching the event on TV. (I've linked all those posts below.)

I also write to assert that those looking for hot air should just look to any commentator who continues talking about the "Big Five." With the exception of Tiger (and perhaps a little Retief relief for 3 days at Pinehurst), the Big Five have been mostly a big bust in the majors this year. I continue to want to believe that someone -- anyone -- will make a Sunday charge at Tiger, but it has been the likes of Chris DiMarco and Bob May that have pushed Tiger to find his best golf on the final rounds in the majors.

I suppose I should not be frustrated that Tiger has, yet again, separated himself from other golfers of his generation. And, as my Dad put it today, Tiger's return to greatness now means it is fun to root against him again.

Mulligan's great reports from The Open:

• British Open: Tiger 10 down, 8 to go
• British Open: commercial break
• report from St. Andrews: moving day, Day 3
• report from St. Andrews: The Old Course
• report from St. Andrews: Tiger on top, Jack's farewell
• British Open, Day 2: Big 5 all now in red numbers
• British Open, Day 1: it's over
• Let The Open begin: Tiger off to fast start
• British Open: Tiger and Jack

British Open: kudos, mulligan

Mulligan will soon be on a plane, so I've decided to give credit where credit is due. Mulligan's usually filled with hot air (or at least some of us here think so), but sometimes even Mulligan can get lucky and be spot on. Well, here's what Mulligan said way back on March 7 of this year after Tiger (who before then was believed to be in a "slump" after going 0-10 in majors in 2004 and 2003) beat Phil at the Ford Championship:

"If Tiger's play yesterday is any indication of his play this year, he will win at least 2 majors. Yesterday may be the day that we look back and say: Tiger finally returned, not only to No. 1, but to his 2000 form (revamped by Hank Haney and Tiger). Phil, Ernie, Vijay, and Retief better be hitting the driving range right now."

Related post
more on Tiger (March 7, 2005)

British Open: Tiger 10 down, 8 to go

Tiger Woods won Major No. 10 today at -14, shooting a pretty safe yet impressive -2, 70. For only 5 to 10 minutes, things got somewhat close, with Colin Montgomerie closing the gap to 1-stroke at -11. But Colin was undone again by the "loop," suffering two quick bogeys on 11 and 13. Jose Maria Olazabal also stayed in contention for the front nine, but his driver had the hooks today and eventually ate him up. Tiger then sealed the deal with a birdie on 12. Game over. No one else made any charge to speak of. Final leaderboard.

Some parting chip shots from St. Andrews

1. Pairings make a difference. One of the biggest changes from yesterday's raucous Ryder Cup-like environment today: Tiger was not paired with hometown hero Colin Montgomerie. Believe me, that changed everything in terms of the mood. It was very subdued in Tiger's group, which I followed. No loud rooting against him, like yesterday on a couple occasions. Even when Monty made a semi-charge to get to -11, the cheers were noticeable but did not affect Tiger's group. It was night and day from yesterday.

2. Biggest surprise: no charges. I was most surprised that no one of the big guns -- Retief, Vijay, Sergio, Jose Maria Olazabal, Michael Campbell, John Daly -- could mount a serious charge at Tiger. Monty was close, but he faded again (see above). The weather was cooler, but there was very little wind to speak of. I would've thought one of these world class players would've applied greater pressure today.

3. Tiger's extra gear. I've followed Tiger basically since his amateur days. What sets him apart is his tremendous focus and then ability to execute "must make" shots when he needs to. Today, Tiger knew exactly where he stood and what he needed to do. For the fleeting moment that Monty got close, Tiger put it into another gear, leaving everybody else in his rearview mirror.

4. Tight lies. If you don't like tight lies, well, you won't like St. Andrews because every lie at St. Andrews is a tight lie. By the way, St. Andrews is a public course, so you can play it if you want.

5. Golf nirvana. This place and tournament are magical. My favorite used to be Pebble Beach, which makes more use of the ocean as a backdrop for the course. But the history and majesty of St. Andrews are unmatched. And the Scottish people are so hospitable, friendly, and golf knowledgeable that it's the closest thing to golf nirvana on this planet. Cheers.

British Open: commercial break

Being in a family of avid golfers can be a blessing and a curse. Today, I had to fulfill my familial obligations in bringing back some Open souvenirs. I got there "early" around 10 am, thinking the crowds would not be bad. I was wrong. It was chaos, with hordes of avid golf fans scrounging up the last things in stock. I was told that they had 40,000 pieces on site, but most of it has been sold (sales had been brisk starting on Wednesday). If you wanted an official hat, well, that's been long gone (although unofficial vendors still sell them). And golf shirts, well, they're only in black and dark blue, so you probably won't wear them in the States until the fall. Of course, some of the more expensive outerwear are still left. My wallet took an absolute pounding -- no pun intended --today in Scotland. If you're interested in official gear, it's possible you can still order some on the only U.S. site of selling official gear, via Adidas. These guys must be raking in the dough.

Oh, as far as the course, the number of fans looks like it will be even larger than yesterday. All of Scotland will be here, and possibly half of Spain (with Ollie and Sergio in contention). It will be a madhouse.

report from St. Andrews: moving day, Day 3

I've followed Tiger Woods plenty of times in the States. Today, it was a quite different experience: the fans at St. Andrews were overwhelmingly cheering for the Scottish hero Colin Montgomerie. I don't know how many times I heard "C'mon Monty!" today. At the beginning, I'd say it was 90-10 percent fan support, Monty-Tiger. By the end of the round, after the heat and probably many beers, the fans were far more boisterous in favor of Monty -- probably 95-5 percent. Unfortunately, some fans starting cheering when Tiger made a bogey on the backside. The fist pump -- or overhand right -- Tiger threw on 17 when he saved par probably was in part a response to the boisterous crowd.

Retief had a great round (66) today to go -9, and Ollie posted a nice 68 to pull into second at -10. Monty played pretty well, and seemed to have great momentum after birdieing 9 and 10. At that point, Monty was -10, only 1 behind Tiger. A bogey on 11, and a squirrely drive on 12, derailed some of that momentum for Monty. Like Monty, Tiger played up and down today. Tomorrow will be a horse race, with many big names within contention.

Some chip shots about Day 3:

1. Drivable par 4s: Today, there were 3 drivable par 4s -- holes 9, 12, and 18. If the same holds true tomorrow, these holes can be pivotal. Monty got some major momentum by driving hole 9, right after Tiger stuck his drive in the gorse. Both Monty and Tiger drove 18 to make birdie.

2. Micro-climates: The temperature and wind can change dramatically by hole and by the minute. Tiger and Monty started out with a brisk, chilly wind -- much harder than the morning times. But, over the course of the 18 holes, the wind and temperature changed back and forth between summer like and slightly chilly. At the very end, it was windy, but very hot.

3. Hard to see: Being the oldest golf course in Scotland (if not the world), St. Andrews wasn't made for modern spectating. Given the parallel tracks with front and back nines adjacent to (if not on top of) each other, fans can really only stand on the outside perimeter. This means one side of the hole is cut off from spectating for just about every hole. So just imagine when all of Scotland was following Monty today -- the lines were at least 5 rows deep and oftentimes 10 deep. Oh, and I forgot to mention the exceedingly large entourage of TV crew (with Andy North), photographers, foreign and UK press, and marshals following Tiger's group. Some of the marshals were attired in Nike gear, but only in Tiger's group -- what's up with that? Sometimes, you just have to depend on the crowd noise to determine the shot, good or bad.

4. Keep your eyes open: So the surprise of the day for me: I was waiting at the crossover for the fairway to get to 11 green. The marshal had us roped off, and the wait seemed to be a long time. I was kind of dazed or daydreaming, waiting there in the heat, but then I looked up at the pants worn by the woman in front of me: It said "Carin K," meaning the designer (Carin Koch, I'm assuming), and made in "Sweden." Then I looked up at the blonde hair and Nike hat and sunglasses, and then down at the Nike shoes. I had been standing behind none other than Mrs. Tiger Woods for about five minutes.

Day 3 Leaderboard
-12 Tiger
-10 Jose Maria Olazabal
-9 Monty, Retief
-8 Sergio, Brad Faxon
-7 Vijay, Michael Campbell
-6 John Daly, Sean O'Hair, Soren Hansen, Sandy Lyle, Darren Clarke, Kenny Perry, Maarten Lafebar

Full Leaderboard here

report from St. Andrews: The Old Course

I walked 18 holes of The Old Course at St. Andrews this morning, following Justin Leonard and Mark Hensby, and then Tom Lehman and Chris DiMarco. The Old Course is elegant in its simplicity: the holes run on parallel tracks -- first nine closer to the water runs one way and then the inward nine runs back alongside the previous holes, eventually running alongside the fife's road at the end. If you tend to overcook your drives left, you will be in the other fairway all day. In several areas, the greens are right next to each other, or pretty close. If you were playing alone for the first time, you might not know which green was yours.

Biggest impressions: simple, elegant layout, protected by many bunkers, undulations, and, depending on the weather, the wind. There's no tree to speak of, very few water hazards, and the greens are not as fast as Augusta's. Today, it's pretty summerlike -- hot with some, but not much wind. (I kind of wish for some more wind, to see how the golfers respond.) The scores should be low. Also, the Road Hole on 17th is visually stunning, as is No. 18, given the backdrop of the historical buildings in St. Andrews. The other holes are traditional links style holes that tend not to be as visually breathtaking, but certainly are filled with tremendous character and history. Here's a hole by hole summary of the course.

Now I have to go recharge my batteries, to get ready to follow Tiger and Monty at 3:05 (UK time). Real time Open Leaderboard is here. Enjoy the coverage on ABC and BBC.

Playing for second, Monty?

Though Jack and Tiger are understandably getting all the headlines after day two at The Open, I think Colin Montgomerie's showing is perhaps the most surprising story of the championship at the half-way point. But, sadly, this AP article suggests Monty does not have the fire needed to really give Woods a challenge over the weekend: "Montgomerie said, if Woods plays like he can 'second place is what we are doing.'"

C'mon Monty, how about a bit more intensity? How 'bout saying: "Winning my first major by chasing down the world's #1 player would be especially gratifying."

more about Jack's farewell

Ron Sirak (one of my all-time favorite golf writers) of Golf World has penned this amazing essay in tribute to Jack Nicklaus on espn.com. Frankly, just about every line in this moving essay is a money line, but I had to pick one:

"When Nicklaus made the turn for home on the Old Course, striding up the 17th known as the Road Hole, the love poured from the grandstands and those lining the fairway. His walk up the 18th, across the Swilcan Bridge and into the shadows of the stately clubhouse that marks the home of golf, will rank as one of the most memorable moments in the history of the game. Players who had finished their rounds hours earlier waited to watch. Titled British nobility shed the same tears as caddies, clerks and cab drivers.

"This moment in time was much more than July 15, 2005. It was the end of an era. "

If you are a true golf fan, you will take 5 minutes of your day to read this fitting tribute to the "Best Golfer Who Ever Lived," as we like to say where I'm from.

report from St. Andrews: Tiger on top, Jack's farewell

I just arrived at St. Andrews. The place is teeming with spectators. St. Andrews is very small, basically only 3 streets, so it looks like golf fans have overtaken the streets -- with lots of beer being served. The weather was nice, so low scores were had on Day 2. A local told me that it was a poignant, emotional farewell today for Jack Nicklaus. In classic Nicklaus fashion, Jack birdied the 18th hole to shoot a respectable even par for the day and +3 for the tournament. The cut line was at +1 (which playing partner Tom Watson made). The Golf Channel's story on Jack here. The Open Official Leaderboard is here.

Tiger is poised to walk away with this tournament, at -11. The nearest competitor is four shots back, at -7 -- Colin Montgomerie. A bunch of others are at -6. I'll be following Tiger and Monty tomorrow. Oh, what fun!

Day 2 Leaderboard (Big 5 in bold)
-11 Tiger
-7 Colin Montgomerie
-6 Vijay, Scott Verplank, Jose Maria Olazabal, Peter Lonard, Trevor Immelman, Brad Faxon, Robert Allenby
-5 Sergio, Fred Couples, Bo Van Pelt, Bart Bryant
-4 John Daly, Stuart Appleby, Tim Clark, Hiroyuki Fujita
-3 Ernie, Phil, Retief, Michael Campbell + others

+1 Tom Watson + others
----------------------
+3 Jack Nicklaus (final farewell)

Wie's Ride is Over

Michelle Wie lost today to Clay Ogden, 5 and 4, in the quarterfinals of the US Amateur Public Links Championships. Unfortunately for Wie, she ran into a red-hot Ogden who was 4-under par when the match ended on the 14th hole. Wie was only 2 over par, which was not too bad.

Even though she got beat today, Wie has qualified for the 2006 Pub Links by making it into the quarters. And at that tournament, she'll have the chance to attempt to qualify for the Masters again.

British Open, Day 2: Big 5 all now in red numbers

The weather at St. Andrews was nice yesterday, so some very low scores were posted. The R&A, I'm sure, is hoping for some nasty winds today. Forecast is for 10-15 mph winds. I will be off to St. Andrews today, so the posts from me will be suspended until tonight. You can find the Official Real Time Open Leaderboard here.

Today, Vijay, Ernie, and Phil all have made upward movements, capitalizing on the favorable morning times. And, lo and behold, there's been a Shark spotting, with Greg Norman getting to -1. As of 10:33 am UK time, the Day 2 leaderboard looks like this (with the Big Five in bold):

-6 Tiger
-4 Retief, Vijay, Fred Couples, Jose Maria Olazabal, Luke Donald, Peter Lonard, Eric Ramsay (A), Scott Verplank, Tino Schuster, Chris Riley, Trevor Immelman
-3 Sergio, Michael Campbell, Thomas Levet, Bob Tway+ others
-2 Adam Scott + others
-1 Ernie, Phil, Greg Norman, John Daly, Bernhard Langer, Colin Montgomerie, Mark O'Meara + others
---------------
+2 Todd Hamilton + others
+3 Jack, Tom Watson + others
+6 Ben Curtis + others
+8 Jim Furyk + others
+9 David Duval + others

Wie into the Quarterfinals at USAPL

Wie defeated her third round opponent Jim Renner 3 and 1 at the US Amateur Public Links Championship at Shaker Run in Lebanon, Ohio. Thus, Wie is only 3 wins away from a Masters appearance.

Wie played very well and for the second match in a row, she never trailed. Wie was 1-under par through the 17 holes, which included a double bogey 5 on the 214 yard 5th hole.

Wie will play Clay Ogden, a junior at BYU, in her quarterfinal match.

In an interview with ESPN.com, Ogden said, "I was kind of joking and I actually said that I hoped I play her, . . . And here we go." It'll be an interesting match.

The quarterfinals and semifinals are on Friday and the 36 hole finals are on Saturday.

See related posts:
1. Danny Green is Done
2. Redux: Wie Wins 1st Match of Publinx
3. U.S. Amateur Public Links: Michelle Wie, plus 8
4. Wie off to faster start
5. 15 Year Old Wie vs. 15 Year Old Tiger??

British Open, Day 1: it's over

Says Gary Van Sickle of SI here. Money line: "[T]his is the Tiger Woods who's looking more and more like the Tiger Woods of 2000 every day. He may not go unchallenged this week, or win in a rout the way he did when he made the Old Course look like the Royal & Ancient Miniature Golf Course five years ago, but he's going to win."

Related posts
1. British Open, Day 1 pics
2. Let The Open begin: Tiger off to a fast start

British Open, Day 1 pics

The Golf Channel has cool pics of Day 1. Some favorites:

1. Tiger, Frank, Stevie and what appears to be all of Scotland
2. Jack, contemplating and with Tom and going down 18
3. Ian Poulter, with Claret jug
4. Watson bending his shaft
5. Why is this man smiling?

Related post
Let The Open begin: Tiger off to a fast start

15 Year Old Wie vs. 15 Year Old Tiger??

As Chuck asked here, Wie vs. Tiger at the age of 15.

Straight up.

Who wins?

I would have to say Tiger, but I am not quite sure.

Wie off to faster start...

Michelle Wie has birdied 3 of the first 7 holes to go 6 up against C D Hockersmith in the US Amateur Public Links. Yes, that's 6-up after 7 holes, with 3 birdies. You can see real-time scoring here of the match and here for the second round.

Again, it looks like another guy is going to never hear the end of it, if Wie can hold on.

Update: Wie won her match 6 and 5 and plays either Tyler Neal or Jim Renner this afternoon. Renner is currently 2 up through 15.

Related posts
1. Danny Green is Done
2. Redux: Wie Wins 1st Match of Publinx
3. U.S. Amateur Public Links: Michelle Wie, plus 8

Let The Open begin: Tiger off to fast start

Ah, yes, it's finally here. The Open Championship. Need we say more? The official site for The Open Championship is here. If you are not across the Pond for the tournament but want some cool hats and memorabilia, here's the only site in the U.S. selling official stuff. Man, my wallet's going to be a lot lighter after this weekend. Oh, well...

Real time Open leaderboard is here. As of Day 1, the leaderboard looks like this (with the Big Five in bold):

-6 Tiger
-5 Mark Hensby
-4 Retief, Jose Maria Olazabal, Luke Donald, Peter Lonard, Eric Ramsay (A), Scott Verplank, Tino Schuster, Chris Riley, Trevor Immelman
-3 Vijay, Fred Couples, Michael Campbell, Thomas Levet, Bob Tway+ others
-2 Sergio, Adam Scott, Ian Poulter + others
-1 John Daly, Bernhard Langer, Colin Montgomerie, Mark O'Meara, Thomas Bjorn + others

---------------
+1 Justin Leonard + others
+2 (T-73) Ernie, Phil, Todd Hamilton + others
+3 (T-104) Jack, Tom Watson + others
+6 (T-140) Ben Curtis, Chad Campbell, Jim Furyk + others
+8 (T-150) David Duval + others

Danny Green is Done...

The comments of Danny Green, which have created a bit of buzz on thegolfblog.com, unfortunately were not backed up. Green today lost to Roger Welch 2 and 1.

Oh well Danny, maybe next time.

Wie is onto round 2.

I feel bad for Will Claxton, who lost his match to Wie on the 18th hole. I am sure that his buddies are never going to let him hear the end of the fact that he got "beat by a girl." Especially a 15 year-old.

Sorry Will...

Redux: Wie wins 1st match of Publinx

As detailed in this article, Michelle Wie's score over two rounds of stroke play at the US Public Links Championship was good enough to get her field of 64 players moving on to match play. The full brackets are here, and it will be interesting to see how Wie and her competition fare in the days ahead.

UPDATE: Michelle Win won her first match against a male golfer, 23-year-old Will Claxton, going 1-up after birdieing the final hole. Scorecard here. TGC's recap of the close match here. Maybe we shouldn't let her play this men's event -- after all, she's a girl, right?

Related post
U.S. Amateur Public Links: Michelle Wie, plus 8

Jack's so money

How do you know you have clout in Scotland? Your picture is put on a 5-pound note by the Royal Bank of Scotland. See Jack's picture here.

British Open: Tiger and Jack

So here's an interesting pattern reported today by Reuters