The Tiger report: U.S. Open

Tiger officially announced (here) he will play in -- and has been practicing hard for -- the U.S. Open. He also tells a humorous story about Pres. Bill Clinton's generous scorekeeping for himself versus Tiger (here).

"President Clinton rolls one in the bushes, then hits another one off the tee ... right in the middle of the fairway, hits a nice little wedge shot up there to about, I don't know, 6-7 feet.

"I hit a bad pitch, I blasted it by about 12 feet. ... Then all of the sudden, he does one of these, [picking up the ball]. It was 6-7 feet and he walked off the green. ... So I'm sitting in the cart. He's writing down the numbers, I happen to kind of [see on the scorecard]...Woods 4, Clinton 3."

TGB emailbag

We've received some more email from our readers:

1. From Mike Pedersen, a fitness/swing trainer, who says he has a way to "Perform Better Golf" (here).

2. A new blog on the Ryder cup (here). Wow, these guys are really early.

summer fun: mini-golf

Map Muse has sent us an email describing their directory for mini-golf courses in the U.S., otherwise known as "putt putt." For all you with kids out there, go here.

John Daly, the bestseller

John Daly bares all in his book My Life in and out of the Rough, telling of physical abuse from his father, his own battles with alcohol and excessive gambling ($60 million), and even his sexual romps with his second wife (10 times in one day).

Sure enough, JD's now a bestseller. No. 9 on the WSJ nonfiction list. More from USA Today here.

A player to root for at the Memorial

Despite my recent confession, I am still continuing to look for exciting and interesting new players to follow and root for this year at the Memorial. Today's local newspaper notes about the tournament make one choice obvious this year:

Cincinnati native Kevin Hall, who has been deaf since age 2, was the first black golfer to win a scholarship to Ohio State. He won the Big Ten championship, by 11 strokes, as a senior. Two years later, he’s still earning his bones as a professional. He’s a regular for the Monday qualifiers on the Nationwide Tour and a frequent mini-tour competitor. This week, he’ll get his first chance to participate in the Memorial after
receiving a sponsor’s exemption. "I’m hitting it fine," Hall said. "On paper, the goal is to make the cut. When I’m out there, the goal is to play solid and stay in the present and let the outcome take care of itself."

More background on Kevin can be found in this article from last year when he made his first appearance on the PGA Tour.

My Memorial confession

Today kicks off The Memorial Tournament week here in my hometown, and I have a confession. Though I used to look forward to this week all winter long, I am no longer excited about having a great pro tournament in my backyard.

Having attended the event almost every year for a decade, the novelty has worn off. I no longer make sure I buy weekly patron badges, and I no longer plan my work schedule around the ideals days and times to attend. I feel as though I have already seen every type of shot made by every type of golfer on every hole, and I actually now have a slight preference for watching the event on TV from the comfort of my living room.

Perhaps when my kids get a little older and get into golf, I will have the joy of sharing the event with them. But, right now, I have become a bit of a Memorial Tournament scrooge. Is there something wrong with my golf-loving gene, or is this perhaps actually healthy?

The Tiger report: still out

Tiger won't be playing next week at the Memorial. More here.

The Wie report: my threesome

USGA just announced Michelle Wie's threesome for the sectional U.S. Open qualifier starting on June 5. She'll be playing with 1999 US Amateur Championship David Gossett (who has won 1 PGA event but has since lost his card) and club professional Rick Hartmann.

Already sensing how many media and fans will be following Michelle's group, Hartmann stated: "What did I do? Why does Rick Hartmann want to play with Michelle Wie? There are 150 (players). There was no way I thought I was going to be put in her group." More here.

The Tiger report

Still much speculation about whether Tiger will play in next week's Memorial tournament -- and even some about the chances of him not playing in the U.S. Open. More here.

The Wie report: uh-oh

When Michelle Wie attempts to qualify for the U.S. Open at the Canoe Brooks Country Club sectionals in New Jersey, she will face some stiff competition. More here. Only 15% of the 156 entrants will qualify, but here are some of the pros whom Michelle will be competing against for a spot:

Bernhard Langer
Mark O'Meara
Billy Andrade
Briny Baird
Ricky Barnes
Jonathan Byrd
José Coceres
Robert Damron
Len Mattiace
Tom Pernice
Brett Quigley
J.J. Henry
Kevin Stadler
Vaughn Taylor

2006 NCAA Women's Championships Begin Today

For those college golf fans, the NCAA Women's Championships started this morning at the newly redesigned Scarlet Course at The Ohio State University. (Ohio State's Coverage)

I am sure that we will have coverage of the changes and events happening in Columbus on TGB, but for those who want up-to-date coverage check out the scores at Golfstat.com

As for my quick prediction, you cannot go against the Duke Women... They are really, really good!

Pics from Patrick: Ladies European Tour

Patrick Micheletti, a reader of TGB and photo blogger, sent us some more of his high resolution photographs he took this weekend at the Swiss Open. Go here. Gwladys Nocera (interesting spelling for the first name) won her first tournament.

Two classic photo of Nocera's victory celebration are here and here. Capturing the champagne splash is pretty cool, but whose hand is that on Nocera's, er, bum?

The Lorena report

Thanks to mulligan for reminding me to cover Lorena Ochoa more. Let me start by directing you to her website (we've always linked to it on the right column), which has been updated to include even more stylish photos than before. Still no blog, though.

I hadn't realized just how sensational Lorena was in college at Arizona, where she overlapped one year with Natalie Gulbis. Here's what Lorena's website says about her accomplishments:

"Despite competing on the collegiate level for only two years, Lorena Ochoa's accomplishments place her atop the list of all-time elite college players. In 20 starts, she won 12 times, finished runner-up six times and never placed out of the top-10. In the 2001-2002 season, she won the first seven events of the year and finished with eight wins in 10 events, finishing runner-up in the other two. Easily earning NCAA Player of the Year honors in 2001 and 2002, Ochoa set the single-season NCAA scoring average record as a freshman at 71.33. As a sophomore, Lorena surpassed her own mark by almost two strokes per round with a 70.13 average."

Frankly, this sounds better than Tiger at Stanford. Forget about Michelle Wie, is Lorena Ochoa the heir apparent to Annika?

TGB Monday numbers: the hottest player in golf

1 - Lorena Ochoa's rank on money list.

2 - Number of victories Lorena has this year after winning Sybase yesterday.

5 - Number of second place finishes Lorena has this year.

8 - Number of Top 10 finishes Lorena has (out of 10 tourneys); 80% proficiency.

24 - Age of Lorena.

66 - Final round score of Lorena (Annika shot 74).

1,114,888 - Dollars Lorena has won so far.

Postscript: If these stats aren't enough, see why Natalie Gulbis says, "Nobody is hotter than Lorena is right now." Here.

The joy of Myrtle Beach golf

I just returned from a four-day golf fest in Myrtle Beach, the so-called golf capital of the world. I was hoping to blog about all four courses we played while down there, but limited internet connection kept that from being possible. Instead, I will just urge every golfer to find the time for a Myrtle Beach excursion, and suggest that two courses for any must-play list are Tidewater and Kings North.

Because my golf game is rusty from the winter lay-off, I did not play especially well down in Myrtle Beach. But the weather and the courses were so nice, I still felt like I was in golf heaven. Indeed, I would not be troubled if the afterlife simply involved having unlimited time and money to play the 100+ courses that the Myrtle Beach area has to offer.

I could go on, but instead I would like to hear from readers about some of their favorite Myrtle Beach courses.

Sybase: Annika back

Annika also must have taken exception to mulligan's post about her lackluster play this year. She shot a 67 today (after a rain delay for the second round), and is 1 back of leader Gloria Hee Jung Park, who's currently at -4. Leaderboard here.

David Duval on Colonial leaderboard, sort of

DD is tied for 32nd place, at -3, 7 strokes back of leader Rod Pampling at the Colonial. Either DD is inspired by Karrie Webb's comeback, or he's mad at mulligan's comparison between Karrie and him (see here).

Sybase: Natalie Gulbis tied for lead

Just when I started thinking, Is Natalie Gulbis cooling off from her hot start, she takes a share of the first round lead at the Sybase Classic along with Beth Bauer and Hee Won Han.

Natalie's round of 68 included a holed 100-yard sand wedge for eagle on the 8th hole, and 4 birdies including a chip-in from 60 feet. Said Nat: "When I holed that wedge it changed my momentum and I played well on the back nine. I like this course because it plays like a major. Players are not going to be able to shoot 62, 63 out here."

After beating out Natalie for 2002 Rookie of the Year, Beth Bauer's game has dropped off considerably. I saw her last year at Wendy's flub-dub her way to a triple bogey on the last hole. She shot +13 for two days and missed the cut. Good to see Beth back on form. More here.

NCAA Regionals Begin Today...

For those college golf fans out there, the NCAA Men's Regional Championships begin today and go through Saturday. (NCAA.com article listing teams and regions). In each of three regions, the top 10 teams and top 2 individuals not on those 10 teams will qualify for the NCAA Championships to be held at Crosswater Golf Club at Sunriver Resort in Sunriver, Oregon, May 31-June 3.

For up-to-date standings from Golfstat.com for the:
Central Region - Click here
East Region - Click here
West Region - Click here

The Pat Perez report: Phillies batting practice?

On the mend from his elbow injury, PP has a new blog post up today on his blog here.

Here's a flavor: "After eight days in Diego, I'm home tonight and off to PA in the morning. Headed out to stay with Burrell through the weekend. The Phillies are playing the Red Sox and I haven't gotten to see the kid play there yet, so definitely looking forward to it. He called me this morning and told me to get the elbow ready because I'm going to take batting practice. They're making me up a #1 Phillies jersey and hopefully I'll have someone out there to take some pics of the event."

Cambo: Wie should win before playing European Masters

As we reported here, Michelle Wie received a sponsor's exemption to play the men's European Masters on September 7. Reigning U.S. Open Champion Michael Campbell takes issue with that selection (here).

"I can be politically correct and say it's wonderful to see Michelle Wie at a European Tour event. She is a wonderful talent, I've heard she hits it as long as the guys. But she needs to prove, to herself more so than anybody else, that she can win on the ladies' tour before she can actually come out and make a cut on the European or US Tour. It's great for the Tour but I think it takes away a sponsor's invite for a guy who is struggling to actually regain his card."

Then 5'4" Ian Woosnam added: "The sponsors are entitled to invite whoever they like. She's a fantastic little player - well, not little, she hits it by me a long way. Unfortunately there's always going to be criticism. It's going to take a spot away from another player."

So what these guys forget is that Michelle's got a bunch of LPGA tournaments left to play before the September 7 European Masters. With Annika off her game a little, Michelle probably has a better chance than ever to capture her first LPGA victory. Let's see how the summer shakes out. The sponsors may end up looking like geniuses.

But the biggest thing I wonder about: what Freudian slip caused 5'4" Ian Woosnam to refer initially to 6'1" Michelle Wie as "little"? C'mon, the "little" girl's over a half a foot taller than Woosie.

The King Withdraws... Palmer that is

The USAToday is reporting that Arnold Palmer is withdrew from the Senior PGA Championships because he felt that he would not be competitive. Granted, I do not remember the last time Palmer was competitive in a tournament, I am glad that Palmer will allow another player who might compete to enter the tournament in his spot.

Also, I am ready for the other "King" to lead the Cavs tonight over the Pistons... I am a witness!

Golf going high tech

USA Today article on how pros like Justin Leonard are using computer swing analysis to help pick their equipment. Article suggests you should, too.

Take a mulligan: the Sorenstam slump?

History seems to repeat itself. Just as people started clamoring that Tiger went into a "slump" after his amazing run in 2000 and 2001 (and 0-11 in majors), now it's time to start at least asking whether Annika has fallen into a slump (see here). "I think I'm playing good golf, but nothing is happening," Sorenstam said after missing her first cut since 1994. "I'm just not making anything. I really don't know what to say. It's just not going my way at the moment."

What's different -- and more unnerving -- about Annika's possible "slump" compared to Tiger's is that Tiger was beginning to revamp his swing -- so he knew what was causing his fall off in scoring. It appears that Annika doesn't yet have a handle on what's affecting her scoring.

Young bombers: Villegas, J.B., and Bubba

This month's Golf Digest has a great swing sequence comparison of the three young bombers on tour: Camilo Villega, J.B. Holmes, and lefty Bubba Watson.

Here's Villegas. For someone only 154 lbs. and 5'9", this guy can really crank it.

Here's JB. Appears to pick the club up at the top, but it works.

Here's Watson. The most ferocious swing on tour, No. 1 in driving distance. More here.

The Pat Perez report

Double P's elbow is getting better, according to his blog: "Perez hit a few dozen balls with his newly tweaked irons and took one swing with his Taylor Made R7 driver. At day's end, the elbow felt fine and PP even half joked that he was thinking about heading to Texas for the B of A Colonial this week." More here.

After a pretty successful spring, we're sure that Double P is dying to get back out there. We'll be glad to see him out at The Memorial.

The Wie report

Michelle won her local qualifier to move on to the sectionals to qualify for the (men's) U.S. Open. More here.

Meanwhile, Michelle got an exemption from the USGA to play in the U.S. Women's Open. "Michelle's case was more cut-and-dried, when you looked at the numbers,'' USGA rep Marcia Luigs said. "If she had been on the LPGA Tour, she would have been exempt. Even though she is a professional and has won enough money to have an exemption, it's not on the LPGA money list.''

Michelle also received an invite to play in the men's European Masters on Sept. 7. More here.

TGB Monday numbers

1 - Number of victories Annika has this year.

2 - Number of victories Karrie Webb has this year, including 1 major.

5 - Number of 1st time winners on the PGA Tour after Brett Wetterich won the Byron Nelson. And the number of 2nd place finishes Lorena Ochoa has this year.

10 - Number of times John Daly had sex with his 2nd wife in 1 night, according to his book. Same guy who said he lost close to $60 million in gambling.

68 - Number of consecutive cuts (women's tour) Annika had made before last week.

Reversal of fortune?: Karrie v. Annika

Just imagine if David Duval were able to regain the World No. 1 ranking again, wresting it away from Tiger Woods. OK, before you ask me to take a drug test, you better shift your attention to the LPGA. Karrie Webb was the David Duval of the LPGA. Back in 1999, 2000, and parts of 2001, Karrie was better than Annika -- winning 5 majors in that period. Then, Karrie's dominance began to wane, and Annika's began to grow. And we all know how amazing Annika has been for the past few years.

Well, this year things have started out different. Karrie won the 1st major of the year, and Annika has been off her form as of late. Today, Karrie is leading at 8-under at the Michelob Ultra Open at Kingsmill. Annika is in 75th place, with a +4, playing in the same group with Karrie.

More comparisons: Karrie has 4 of 7 Top 10s, which includes 1 Major victory and two tied for seconds. Annika has 3 of 5 Top 10s, which includes 1 victory and a tied for second. Karrie is 2nd on the LPGA money list; Annika, 4th.

UPDATE: Karrie won by 7 strokes. Annika missed the cut, her first missed cut since 2002 -- ending a streak of 68 consecutive. The sage Douglas asked this question earlier, Is Annika slipping? (See previous post.)

Mickleson playing hooky

Phil Mickelson pulled out of the Byron Nelson Classic at the last minute, in order to get some R 'n R. Sure enough, Phil's smiling face was plastered on ESPN's coverage of the Clippers - Suns game in LA. The guy still had the sheepish grin going.

The Big Easy report: still recovering from injury

Overall I’m swinging the club well, but every now and then as I’m coming through the shot I tend to shy away from the left knee where I had the injury. That’s where the bad shot comes in. I’m basically not getting my left side out of the way and I’m kind of out of sync as my arms are coming through the hitting area. So I have to keep working on that. There’s still some pain in my knee here and there, but it’s now at that stage where it’s mainly about getting the brain to trust it. My fitness trainer is travelling with me most weeks now, so my strength is good and I’m working hard on my fitness. It’s getting there. I guess the mental side just takes a little bit longer. As I’ve said in some of my recent reports, though, like the rest of my golf game it’s really close. (more here)

Casey Martin to coach Univ. of Oregon men

The golfer who took the PGA to the Supreme Court and won the right to play with a cart is moving back to collegiate golf to coach the Ducks at Oregon. More here.

Ron Sirak on the paths of Wie v. Woods

An amazing article here from an amazing writer. Here's a flavor:

Simply put, Earl's strategy was to set a reachable bar, have Tiger clear it, then move the bar to the next reachable level. His plan was to develop a mindset of domination in his son through a series of successes. B.J. Wie's vision is to set the bar high and have Michelle run and jump at it continually, improving with each effort, until she finally clears it. * * *

Two special talents might get to the same place by following very different paths. That, after all, is what makes the journey special.

TGB Monday numbers

0 - Number of pro victories Michelle Wie has this year. Same for Morgan Pressel.

4 - Number of second place finishes Lorena Ochoa has this year (in addition to her 1 victory) out of 8 starts.

6 - Place on the Ryder Cup standings that Lucas Glover is now tied for.

8 - Number of feet the par putt was on 18 for Jim Furyk to force a playoff, which he won.

22 - Place that David Duval finished at Wachovia, his best this year.

165,000 - Dollars that Cristie Kerr won at Franklin American Mortgage Championship.

1,134,000 - Dollars that Furyk won at Wachovia.

50,000,000+ - Dollars that John Daly says he lost gambling.

Take a mulligan: Wie will be back

Michelle Wie tied for 35th against the men in South Korea, after making her first cut against the men. "I was really, really happy I've passed the first stage," Michelle said. "Now I want to make the next step." She plans on trying to qualify for the men's U.S. Open and play in 2 PGA events this summer.

Some have said that Michelle should be playing more LPGA events. Why, that's silly . . . Michelle is only allowed to play 8 LPGA events, and she's already maxed out on those events. Playing in Korea this week was much more than playing against the men. It was obviously tied to returning to her parents' homeland -- Tiger Woods did the same thing early in his career, playing in Thailand as a promise to his mother. By all accounts, the Korean people adore Michelle -- and will even stop on the side of the highway (kinda reminiscent of the O.J. Simpson chase?), just to get a glimpse of her. So you can't fault Michelle for agreeing to play a tourney in Korea.

Others were a bit underwhelmed by Michelle's making the cut on the Asian Tour. Fair enough. It all depends on your expectations. Apparently, Michelle, a 16-year-old in high school, has already raised the expectations of many spectators to a very high level. What other high school girl in America would have the same expectations placed on her?

But therein lies the Catch-22 for Michelle: some criticize her for trying to compete with the men, while others won't be impressed until she makes a cut on the PGA tour. Some want her to win against the women, but others wouldn't even see that accomplishment as a really big deal. Apparently, Michelle won't please these critics until she wins on the LPGA tour and makes a cut on the PGA tour. Well, she's going to try: 8 LPGA tourneys and 2 more PGA events this year (in addition to Sony). Get ready for the ride -- it should be one exciting summer. Wie will be back. Stay tuned.

UPDATE: ESPN's Eric Addleson has this report on how "ridiculously good" Michelle Wie is.

Cristie Kerr back in the win column

In Franklin, Tennessee, Cristie Kerr shot a 5-under 67 to win the Franklin American Mortgage Championship. Angela Stanford squandered a four-shot lead, shooting a 73.

In a Yogi Berrism, Kerr remarked after the round: "You can really only control what is in your control, and I just tried to play a solid round of golf." More here.

Looks like Wie made it!

After making the cut at the men's SK Telecom Open, an exuberant Michelle Wie said, "It's just wonderful. Great. I feel really, really happy. Now I want play well tomorrow. It's not over yet."

Michelle's 5-under par, and currently in 17th place. More here. ESPN's Eric Adelson has this excellent report from Korea, including the following:

"Then there was the 14th hole, and one of the oddest situations in her young career. The fairway rides along a major highway to the airport, and fans had parked their cars along the shoulder to catch a glimpse of Wie. Dozens of vehicles lined up -- like a scene from 'Independence Day' without the aliens -- as Wie got to the green."

The Wie report: -2 for round 1

Michelle Wie shot an opening round 70, to go 2-under and 5 strokes back from the lead at the men's SK Telecom Open in South Korea. More here. So far, so good.

Earl Woods dies from cancer

More here. There was a lot to admire about Earl Woods. His nurturing (with wife Katilda) of young Tiger, from age of 2, to blossom into the golfer -- and person -- that he is today is a gift that Mr. Woods has left to us all. Not a bad legacy to leave.

No words better describe Earl Woods' life than the ones he wrote in his autobiography: "My whole life is about being positive. It's about dreaming, and then taking steps in your life to achieve those dreams. It is about overcoming obstacles and stereotypes, such as bigotry and prejudice. Life is about giving and about sharing and caring for others, standing up and being counted for what you believe in, being a spokesperson and a role model, and being an inspiration."

More tributes
SI's Gary Van Sickle
Golf Digest's Tom Callahan
Golf Digest's Pete McDaniel
Golf World's Ron Sirak
The Orange County Register's Curtis Zupke

Golf Digest's 2004 interview

The Wie report

Michelle's in South Korea to try to make a men's cut again. The last woman to do so was Babe Zaharias in 1945. Good luck, Michelle, you're going to need it.

The Perez report

After receiving a second opinion on his injured elbow, Double P plans on playing in the Byron Nelson next week (see here).

redux: Is Annika slipping?

With Tiger taking a break and not much PGA excitement until the US Open nears, my thoughts turn to the LPGA and the many interesting stories to be found on that tour. For example, I have been noticing that last year's break-out star Paula Creamer has not been in contention in too many events (although she was still in the Top 10 on the LPGA money list before this week).

But after today, I think the story needs to be whether Annika Sorenstam is in decline. She went into today's final round of the Florida's Natural Championship as the leader and posted a +3 score of 75 to finish two back. (Leaderboard here.) Perhaps everyone is catching up, but today's effort suggests she is slipping.

UPDATE: The chatter around the LPGA has picked up. As Cristie Kerr says, "Maybe it's changing." More here.

Daly trouble

John Daly's new book "My Life in and out of the Rough" is not even out yet, but already PGA Commish Tim Finchem has called JD in for a "talk." The reason: the book apparently is filled with JD's escapades, including his battles with alcohol and gambling addiction. As AP's Doug Ferguson describes it, "He said he has lost between $50 million and $60 million during 12 years of heavy gambling, and owed $4 million to casinos until he won the 1995 British Open, which enabled him to pay off the debt. Daly says Callaway Golf took care of a $1.7 million gambling debt when he signed an endorsement deal in 1997, after his second stint in alcohol rehab."

One shocking revelation: "Daly says he lost $1.65 million in five hours -- mostly on a $5,000 slot machine -- after losing in a playoff against Tiger Woods at a World Golf Championship last year in San Francisco."

I'm a huge JD fan, but this has altered my view of him somewhat. If what JD says in his book is true, then there's something a little unsettling about selling a book with these reported sensational accounts. Are the stories all 100% fact, or a little fiction to make more sales? And either way, what's to stop JD from using the money he makes from the book to go gambling again?

TGB Question of the Month: best fan website?

OK, we're finally back with a Question of the Month. This one is easy. What is the best golf fan website. We've done canvassing of our own and have found these nice sites? But you can recommend others, and we'll post any good ones.

The Ultimate K.J. Choi fan site.com

David Duval 2006.com

Natalie Gulbis fans.com

Miss Michelle Wie.com

Tiger Woods is god.com

TGB Monday review: the last-second shot

OK, so I must confess I got too engrossed in the Lakers-Suns game to watch the final round of the Zurich Classic. If you missed the Lakers game, Kobe Bryant hit two incredible last second shots, one to force overtime and one to win it. Poor Steve Nash (who almost won the game) made two costly blunders at the end of regulation and at the end of overtime, although maybe he did try to call time-0ut but the refs did not hear it.

Anyway, I enjoyed seeing the highlights of the Zurich Classic in New Orleans, which ended with two "last second-shots" of its own. First, Fred Funk drained a 25-footer on the 18th hole to shoot a 62. Meanwhile, journeyman Chris Couch could barely get his ball out of the green-side bunker because his ball was near the back lip. Luckily for Couch, the ball squirted out onto the rough. Couch then chipped on and into the hole! What a dramatic finish! But it's hard to top the Kobe finish.