THIRD GREEN JACKET FOR LEFTY

As Phil Mickelson and his caddy were going over the strategy for his second shot at the par five thirteenth, my friend Pat looked at me and said, “He’s gonna stuff one.” I politely disagreed but inside I was screaming, “ARE YOU FREAKING NUTS??? IT WOULD BE JUST AN ACCOMPLISHMENT TO GET IT BACK IN THE FAIRWAY!! WHY WOULD PHIL EVEN THINK ABOUT DOING THAT? PHIL, LAY IT UP YOU CRAZY BASTARD!!”

Well, Phil did not lay up. Instead, he hit the greatest shot he has ever hit in his career. Classic Phil.

A Day like yesterday is why the Master’s is the greatest tournament.

Wow.

Where do we begin?

Might as well start with Tiger.

BAD FATHER BELOW


After putting together a solid first two rounds, Woods’ swing and demeanor began to change over the weekend. His tempo with the driver was horrid. His distance control with his irons was mediocre. The token tantrums started to commence. He basically looked like a guy who was really a good player who hadn’t played in a tournament for five months because his personal life was revealed so he had to go to sex rehab. That’s how he looked.

But with that, Tiger never ceases to amaze me. He shot a 69 yesterday. How? I have no idea. He probably saw places on that course yesterday that he didn’t even know existed. He was missing left, missing right, hitting pop ups, quack hooks, high slices going on expeditions through the woods, flubbing easy bunker shots. He even three putted from a distance Ray Charles could’ve managed. It was like he was drunk, you know what I mean? But still there were spots of his greatness. Through a three hole stretch he went eagle, birdie, birdie that included a hole out on from the rough. He had another eagle on fifteen and ended the day with a picturesque iron shot over the flag at eighteen and then making a sneaky ten foot downhill putt. He shrugged the putt off sheepishly, but I know Tiger has got to be thinking to himself, “What if?” He easily could have won this thing. I’m not sure what his schedule is the next few months, but we now know that Woods doesn’t need to be playing in tournaments to be mentally prepared for majors. Going into Pebble Beach this June, you have to like his chances to win the US Open.

The other main characters in yesterday’s Master’s were Lee Westwood, Fred Couples, KJ Choi and Anthony Kim.

There is usually one guy every year who makes a run early before the leaders reach the back nine. This year that guy was Anthony Kim. Starting the day seven shots behind the leader, Kim put the pressure on the frontrunners by going five under in a four hole stretch starting at thirteen to get himself to twelve under par. Parring the last two holes, Kim’s total of 276 would usually be a winning score at Augusta, but yesterday you knew that wasn’t going to be enough.

In 1992 Fred Couples hit his tee shot at the twelfth and watched in fear as the ball came up short right and looked doomed for the water. However, the ball stopped short, and Freddy was able to get up and down and go on to win his only green jacket and only major. Yesterday he was not as lucky. After hitting a similar looking shot at the same hole, Freddy's ball came up short of the green, and the ball made it’s way into the water. Double bogey. Tournament Lost. Too bad. The fifty year old former Master’s champ was playing fantastic golf and was at ten under par going into the eleventh. A bogey there dropped him to nine under, but with the par fives lurking ahead Freddy was still in prime position to make a move. But after his tee shot at twelve, his quest for his second green jacket was over.

The one guy who has to be kicking himself is K.J. Choi. Choi had the burden or blessing with playing with Tiger Woods every day of the tournament. And yesterday, going into to the par five thirteenth, Choi was at twelve under par and looking to distance himself from the field. But on his second shot the ball ended up in the back left bunker - a place you don’t want to be - and ended up making a bogey six where it looked like it was going to be a four if not a three. A huge swing. On Sunday’s at Augusta you can’t bogey the par fives. If you do you’re giving away shots to the field. After that Choi bogeyed the fourteenth and really didn’t have a chance after Phil’s incredible shot from the pine straw at thirteen. I love K.J. and up to the mistake on thirteen he played wonderfully. He also had to play with Tiger all four days and didn’t show any signs of nerves or pressure. I hope if he get’s himself a major.

Lastly, there is Westwood. Westwood ended up shooting a one under par 71 and was in it all the way to the end. He never gave up and played solidly throughout the tournament. In the past two years he owns top three finishes in all four majors including missing out on both the 2008 US Open playoff and the 2009 British Open Playoff by a single stroke. There’s nothing really missing from his game, but it doesn’t seem like Lee goes for the jugular like Woods or Mickelson do when they’re in contention. He is as steady as they come under pressure and I expect him to win at least one major in the next two years.

But yesterday belonged to Phil.

Along with his miracle shot on thirteen Phil birdied four other holes on the day including the last to shoot a bogey free 67.

It wasn’t easy though. Early on he was having trouble finding the fairway and made some miracle par saves at nine and ten. And after making a nice birdie at twelve, the stage was set for the shot at thirteen. After killing his drive through the fairway Lefty stood in the trees and only had a small opening to get his ball through if he wanted to advance it toward the hole. After deciding to go with a six iron from 207 yards on pine needles, Lefty was, to quote Tin Cup: “define the moment or let the moment define you.”

I have to say that although the shot was successful, I still disagree with his decision.

After the round Phil justified his thought process by saying that he needed to make birdies to catch up with all the other guys. I get that, by why risk making a bogey or a possible double bogey in the process? Yes, that risk paid off yesterday and won him a major, but I bet I could argue that if you look back at his career, decisions like those cost him at least two or three more majors.

But Phil is Phil, and throughout his career these are the high risk maneuvers that have made him a superstar and perennial fan favorite. Love him or hate him, Lefty’s swashbuckling style of play may leave you with you scratching your head sometimes, but it will never leave you asking for more.

Lefty is now the holder of three green jacket’s, tying golf legends Jimmy Demaret, Sam Snead, Gary Player, and Nick Faldo. Jack Nicklaus has the most with six, while Arnold and Tiger both have four.

There are still some great players out there who don't have a green jacket. Guys like Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Steve Stricker and Sergio Garcia.

Another guy who hasn't won at Augusta?

Mr. Perfect.


-The Diesel

FIVE KENTUCKY PLAYERS HEADING TO DRAFT

Freshmen John Wall, Demarcus Cousins, Daniel Orton, Eric Bledsoe and junior Pat Patterson are all set with amateur athletics and have declared themselves eligible for the NBA draft. Along with a few seniors graduating, this leaves Kentucky with just five players coming back next year.

I knew this was going to happen and I shouldn't be too upset but I am. I hate this. And it isn't anyone's particular fault but it kills me that this is the type of stuff that is going to be happening as long this rule enforcing kids to wait a year is in place.

I made a comment about a week ago on someone's post asking "are John Calipari's Kentucky teams just going to be loaded with one year mercenaries every year?" Apparently he is on that path.

Hey, listen, I get it. If there wasn't a rule in place John Wall and Demarcus Cousins would've most likely been in the NBA. But they can't and they have to do something for a year so they might as well screw around at some college. Again, no one's fault. But isn't something imperatively wrong here? I don't about you DC fans, but I love college basketball and I hate to see it be a made a mockery of by this age rule. With every diaper dandy that takes off to the NBA, especially when they leave a Calipari coached squad, I feel like the integrity of the game, the heart of and soul of the game, whatever the stuff is that makes the NCAA tournament pure and fun, is simply winked at with a wry smile that says "what a joke." I don't know, it just gets under my skin a little bit.

Back to John Calipari. Hey, I don't mind the guy, but I'm not a big fan of his either. Let's set a few things straight: 1. He looks like an asshole. And people who look like assholes usually turn out be assholes and therefore have asshole tendencies. 2. He's a token college coach scumbag. UMASS and Memphis have had their best season's stripped away because of NCAA infractions that this clown apparently didn't know about. 3. Great recruiter, not a great coach. He's a car salesman who knows about basketball is the way I look at it. At the end of tough games against good teams when it matters, his team breaks down and loses.

I shouldn't be mad at John because the rules allow this stuff but it makes me feel better to rant on him. And, I think most people would agree, that this sucks. It shouldn't be like this. But it is what it is as someone once said, and that's the way it's going to be.

So, Kentucky fans, get ready! Because next year you're probably going to have a top five recruiting class and be ranked in the top ten to start the year! It's going to be sick! (Just don't get too attached to the players. Because after the season is over they are going to go in the NBA and make millions of dollars and crack jokes about what a waste of time it was playing in college)

You know who won't be leaving college anytime soon..The Undertaker. He just became 18-0 at Wrestlemania. One more and he'll do something the Patriots couldn't do.



-The Diesel

March Madness Awards from The Diesel

After going over Jesus' awards and still carrying some rage from my poor performance in DC's bracket challenge, I thought I'd give my take on this years madness following Jesus' award system.

Best Individual Performance:

I got to go with Omar Samhan from St. Mary's vs. Nova. He was unstoppable. He was like 13-16 I think from the field. DP and I watched this together and couldn't believe how easy it was for him to score, even when they sent 2 guys on him.

Best Team Performance..

I'll go with Northern Iowa over Kansas. Great team defense and clutch shooting leading to the defeat against the best team in the land.

Best Game...

Waaaaay too many to pick from. Jesus pretty much named them all, but another one in the 1st round was the Robert Morris-Villanova game. Awesome game and Robert Morris should've won.

Best team..

I agreee with Jesus. Butler. I guess they are all sophomores and juniors so they should be strong next year.

Best Coach...

Like Izzo a bunch, but I'll go with Brad Stevens. Beat Cuse, Kansas St, Michigan St and almost had Duke. Even in the Duke game, Butler controlled the tempo of the game and somehow even had more rebounds than the Devils who were clearly bigger up front. Also, remember that timeout call when the game was 26-20 Duke? Butler game out gunning and took the lead by one. He's going to get a championship at some point.

MOP..

Even though I hate Duke..props to their big 3 of Smith, Scheyer and Singler. I have to say entering the tournament I had zero respect for the Dukies and their game. I thought they were hands down the weakest number one seed. But after watching their last two games they were for real and the play from their big three was outstanding so I'll give that trio MOPs.

Worst Choke..

How about the Big East as a whole. What the Fuck? I had them doing some serious work in my bracket and by Sunday night after the first weekend I think only West Virginia and Cuse were left standing. Syracuse couldn't make it to the elite eight and Duke owned West Virginia. Just pathetic.

Dog Shit Team..

Villanove. I completely agree. Just pathetic. They should've lost in round one and they got their asses handed to them by St. Mary's in round two. I have no idea what happened to them the last month of the season. They should've been in the NIT with URI. I had them going to the championship. What the hell was I thinking??? I did do weed muffins for the first time about a week before the tournament began. Maybe it was that.

DST Individual..

How about that tall, worthless, piece of garbage from Notre Dame - Luke Harangody. What the hell was all the hype with this guy about? He is awful. He really tore it up against Old Dominion with his stat line of 4 points and 7 rebounds. I mean, when I think of historically great defensive teams, Old Dominion always comes to mind. LEARN TO SHOOT THE BALL WITHOUT LOOKING LIKE YOU"RE TAKING A DUMP!!

That is not a good image. So let me leave you with a nice shot of the cast of Family Matters..



That's better.

Celtics vs Hawks Preview

Well, let's just say it. The Hawks own us.

If the Celtics are like the old guy at the gym who plays fundamentally sound and never makes a mistake, then the Hawks would be the lengthy, athletic seventeen year old track star kid who who doesn't necessarily have great basketball skills but due to raw athleticism somehow dominates the game.

Bottom line, the Hawks are a team the Celtics do not match up well with.

Although I'll be the first to admit I never thought the Hawks would ever be a serious threat, I shouldn't be surprised. A couple years ago the Hawks pushed the Celtics to a game seven as the eighth seed and now what has happened since is the Celtics are older while the Hawks are hitting their primes as athletes. They're core foundation of Bibby, Crawford, Williams, Smith and old friend Joe Johnson have jelled nicely and as a Celtics fan, I would much rather see a Cavaliers or Magic then the Atlanta Hawks.


For the Celtics, this game may or may not have come at a good time. Last night's game against the Magic the Celtics dominated but at the end their offense seemed a little stagnate and with JJ Reddick actually doing something productive the Magic pulled off the W. NBA teams in general are little sluggish on the heels of back to back games, but with last nights loss and knowing the Hawks have owned them thus far, hopefully the Celtics come out thinking they got something to prove.

However, with that said, I like the Hawks in this game. I see Joe Johnson doing work on offense and Josh Smith adding a few signature breakaway dunks.

The Celtics are 4-6 in their last ten games and overall have not played ideal since their terrific start. Not a big deal, but something to think about.

-The Diesel

Diesel Preview of Finals

ORLANDO or LA?...I don’t know about any other Boston fans out there, but when the Celtics lost I thought I would slowly tune out the rest of the playoffs and get ready for the off season. But, like many others, I caught most of the games and I think somewhere in the back of my mind I was intrigued by the potential Lebron-Kobe showdown. Now although that didn’t happen, we are still going to have one hell of a series and I cannot wait to see how this plays out. But until Thursday this is how I see things...

The Magic and Lakers are both playing their best ball and are coming off arguably their best games in the post season so both teams should feel very confident about their chances. However, overlooking their postseasons I don’t like LA’s series against Houston. They simply didn’t show up for some of those games and if that happens against the Magic they will not win. I also was not impressed with this series over Denver. Denver was a good team, but does anyone remember the KGless Celts going into Denver and blowing them out? When I think of Denver, that game sticks out in my mind.

Now Orlando has shown that home court is not an issue. They beat the Cavs badly in six games and barring a miracle by King James it would’ve been a sweep. The Celts took seven games but the Magic easily could have won that in five had they not fooled around in the fourth quarter. Since that game seven win in Boston “fooling around” in the fourth hasn’t been an issue.

KEYS TO VICTORY:

For the Lakers...

Forget about Dwight Howard, he is going to get his points and rebounds because he is a freak, but what can’t happen is a dunk contest. Keep Dwight somewhat contained. The bigger issue is letting guys like Pietrus, Lewis, Hedo and Rafer get wide open three point shots. This has been a KILLER in the Magics last two series...

Pau, Andrew and Lamar..please show up..Gasol has been playin real well so I shouldn’t bring him down with the likes of these other two clowns Bynum and Lamar...But these guys are going to be guarding Dwight and either Hedo or Lewis, and I am not convinced they are physical enough to stay interested defensively in games.

Kobe do work...Last year the Celts were all over Kobe like Kobe on Colorado hotel employees, and this manifested itself into what Bob Ryan I believe dubbed a “six game sweep.” I don’t think the Magic can play that good of D like the Celts did..Lebron had his share of points in the series, but that is because his supporting cast is terrible...If Kobe can get going early he is capable of winning the series by himself

Lastly, show up, give a shit, play with some attitude...Last year, especially in the last game they did not want to be on the court. They blew a couple big leads, and you can just visibly see them collapsing under adversity...If they play hard and smart basketball for 48 minutes, they are the better team and will win the series

For the Magic...

Control the paint...If you are Dwight Howard or whoever guarding Gasol and Bynum, don’t let them get comfortable..Pau can get in a groove if he gets going..and Bynum looks like he would rather be playing badminton so it doesn’t take much to get him disinterested.

Like Howard, Kobe is going to get his points. But don’t be like the Toronto Raptors and stand there and watch him score 81 points...I wonder if the Magic are going to watch any of last years tape to see how the Celts kept him in check...So harass him as well as you can and make the other guys beat you...

Easy Skip to my Lou...He has been really solid for the Magic, and a matchup with Jeff Fisher he should dominate like Aaron Brooks did with the Rockets..but he can’t get too selfish...he has to remember the scorers on the team and that he is the point guard, not the shooting guard

Keep Making those threes...the 3 pointer has been a tremendous weapon for the Magic..but everyone knows the saying, “live by the three, die by the three.” Get the ball to Dwight, and from there wide open threes should open up

Can they really be playing this well?..Can the Magic keep playing at this level, can Hedo be counted on in the clutch in the NBA finals...Being in the finals might be overwhelming for the Magic, especially Stan Van...I can easily see him losing it over something trivial during the series..

My pick?

Lakers in seven...this is my pick, but there are so many reasons to like Orlando..and if Orlando had home court I would pick Orlando in six..either way, it is going to be a great series...

-The Diesel

Speechless

I really don't know what to write about. There was everything. First off, congratulations to Angel Cabrera, 2009 winner of the Masters, out dueling Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell in a playoff.

But unfortunately I am literally speechless about the conclusion because Kenny Perry, ladies and gents, simply choked at the end. CHOKED. There is nothing more to say than that. Two up with two to play and all of a sudden he hits the ball like some weekend hack. He was in complete control. Driving the ball perfectly...laser like irons...putting with nerves of steel...and then the choking started...

At fourteen under par and after hitting the greatest shot of his life on the sixteenth hole, Perry stepped up to the seventeenth tee two ahead of Campbell and Cabrera. He then hit a so-so drive that stayed in the fairway but from here on it was choke city. Pulls a six iron over the green, then skulls a chip and ends up with a bogey five. On the eighteenth he takes out his driver and puts it in the bunker. Then he hits his next shot waaaay left and leaves himself an impossible chip shot. He chips it well past the hole, couldn't make the putt and bogeyed, leaving him tied with Chad and Angel. Words can't describe this.

I like Kenny Perry, and usually if some pompous bitch pro like Mickelson choked I would be all over him. But in this case, I really feel bad for the guy. For 70 holes he was the champion and deserved the jacket. But for the last few swings he simply sunk under the pressure of winning the Masters. I really don't feel like writing anymore...


Woods and Mickelson early on put on an exhibition of brilliant golf then burned up at the last few holes. Lefty really had a chance to win until he made a bonehead decision on 12 to hit a nine iron instead of an eight which resulted in a double bogey. He would go on to miss shorts putts on fifteen and seventeen and ended up at nine under.

I wish I could write more, but I really wanted Kenny to win and the way he finished makes me melancholy. I hope all our loyal readers here at duelingcouches.com had a wonderful Easter.

-The Diesel

Halfway Thru

So it's the halfway point of the Masters and here is what the top of the Leader board looks like:

1. Chad Campbell -9
Kenny Perry

3. Angel Cabrera -8

4. Todd Hamilton -6

5. Tim Clark -5

6. Anthony Kim -4
Rory Sabbatini
Shingo Katayama
Jim Furyk
Sergio Garcia


Singh, Mickelson and Ogilvy head a group at -3 and Tiger Woods once again bogeyed the 18th and headlines a group finished at -2.

Woods hasn't looked the sharpest and has never won a major by coming from behind but I still wouldn't count him out seven strokes back.

Interesting top 10 names up there...

Campbell and Perry are both looking for their first major, each coming close to winning the PGA championship in the past. Campbell has had the 36 hole lead before at the Masters while Perry has never finished better then 10th at a course one would think he would play well at.

Angel Cabrera has played well here before and when he is on he is fun to watch. A unique swing with a lot of moving parts the Argentinian can hit the ball a long way and has tremendous touch with the putter. A winner of the US Open a couple years ago, he is prime position for the green jacket.

South African Tim Clark is one of those whose names who pops up at majors but can never seem to be in the hunt on Sunday. Todd Hamilton at -5 hasn't really done anything since winning the British Open five years ago and I'll be shocked if he takes it down.

The group at -4 could actually produce the champ...Kim today had a record breaking 11 birdies and if the course gets tough a guy like Jim Furyk always seems to be in the thick of things. And Rory Sabbatini is a piece of garbage so I am not going to comment on his chances.

On a side note this was the last Masters for Gary Player. If you are a twenty something casual golf fan you don't know who he is but this man is a legend. Nicknamed the "black night" for his signature black wardrobe, Player is one of only five men to win all four majors, nine in total including three Masters.

-The Diesel

The Masters

Ladies and Gentlemen, "A tradition like no other" is back. Yes, I am talking about The Masters. The only major in golf that plays on the same course every year at the legendary Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.

This is the best major of them all and the one everyone wants to be associated with especially if you're an American. Then again the U.S. Open is pretty damn bad ass as well. But with that said lets talk the main players and what to expect.

First off, with Tiger's huge comeback win last week he is the obvious favorite. Looking for his fifth green jacket and fifteenth overall major, Woods seems to be back in full stride and I expect at least a top 5 finish. If anyone has watched the last two years, Woods hasn't play good at all but somehow manages to stay up on the leader board. If he has a good start Thursday and Friday, just give him a jacket and get ready for Easter.

Second guy to talk about is Phil Mickelson. Lefty did not play well last week but he is sporadic and has frequently rebounded from tough stretches his whole career. The key for Phil is to get off to a good start because he is not a type of guy to make a charge on Sunday at a major. Lefty is a two time Masters champ and if he doesn't pull his well known blow ups, he could definitely win.

Padraig Harrington...this is the guy who has won the last two majors. Woods wasn't there, but this is not the type of player would choke under Tigers pressure. Paddy won the British Open in some of the most ridiculous conditions remembered and then gutted out a two stroke victory at the PGA championship. The worse the weather conditions are, the better chance Padraig has to win. Precision with the irons is not exactly the wheel house of Paddy like it is with Woods and Mickelson (when he is playing well he may even be better than Tiger..big if though), so I actually am not a big fan of Paddy in this major as I am the others.

The last two champions of the this event are relatively unknown to casual golf fans. Trevor Immelmen from South Africa is the defending champ and America's Zach Johnson won it a two years ago. Now if they hadn't won this before I would think they would have no chance, especially someone like a Johnson who's ball flight is relatively low compared to most tour pros. But if the course is playing hard rather then soft, it gives more people like Zach Johnson a chance.

My dark horse to win is Geoff Ogilvy. Thanks to a choke from Phil, he won the US Open a couple years ago and plays well on tough courses and against top fields.

On a complete different topic I am presently listening to the main theme of one of my favorite movies, THE TEN COMMANDMENTS starring Charlton Heston and Yul Brenner. This movie is an EPIC...something like 220 minutes. But it is well worth it and they play it every year the day before Easter on ABC...



-The Diesel

LEAVING ARIZONA

Tiger Woods was eliminated by Tim Clark earlier this afternoon in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. As a casual golf fan you may think this is a big deal but it really isn't. Woods has won this chamionship multiple times, but he has been ousted early before, even losing to Australian Peter O'Malley in the first match in 2002.

Don't know who Tim Clark is, he is this guy:




For Woods, even though he almost certainly is displeased with outcome, is probably happy that he is finally back playing golf again and can concentrate on winning majors rather than his knee.

Now, for those out there who think Tiger Woods is done because of this loss, I would like to remind you that this type of format anything can happen and even Tiger Woods can go down. If he doesn't have his best day, he doesn't have the next day to make up for it like a usual tournament. Remember, its one loss and your done, just like March Madness.

Although Woods is out, this tournament, especially Saturday, its unique to the tour and you should tune in. The players knock out two rounds in one day, reminiscent of the old days when Bobby Jones was playing and tournaments took only two days with thirty six holes apiece.

Anyway, Woods it out, and I'm not exactly sure what event he plans to play next but look for him to bounce back strong.



-The Diesel

Return of the Tiger

We can now go back to watching golf on a somewhat serious basis.

Tiger is back.

Yes, tomorrow kicks off one my favorite events as the PGA Tour does their own take on March Madness at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. Top 64 in the world, all matched up in four different brackets ranked one to sixteen, sound familiar? But make no mistake: the return of Woods is far more important to this sport. Without Woods I really didn't pay attention to any of the events because they simply aren't worth talking about unless Tiger is in them. It is like having an NBA Season without Kobe, Lebron, Wade and the Big 3. Tiger is Golfs superstar. I know there is "Lefty" Phil Mickelson, but he is just another guy compared to the living legend.

There are so many questions: Will he be the same? Will he be even more dominant? Did he come back to early? Don't be concerned with any of these sports fans, Tiger is just fine. He's not Boobi Miles in Friday Night Lights. If there is anyone that we can trust to have the discipline to come back when he thinks is fit, it is Tiger. And you know what, even if he isn't one hundred percent we know he can win anyway. The mental toughness thats Woods has shown through all his sixty plus wins and fourteen majors is unprecedented. Bottom Line: If he thinks he is ready, he is ready.

Tomorrow Tiger will have an opening match against a fairly unknown Australian named Brendan Jones and after his first tee shot or after last putt the world of golf will be back to normal and people like myself will be watching.

In case you are wondering what known players aren't in the top sixty four and will be doing other things this weekend, here a few: John Daly, Rocco Mediate, David Toms, Woody Austin and the Big Boss Man...



-The Diesel

Perez sets new two day scoring record

Pat Perez starts off the fiftieth Bob Hope Classic with a ridiculous total of only 124 over the first two days of competition. Perez started Wednesdays round with a sick score of 61, followed by a nine under par 63 effort on Wednesday. What did it get him? Not much, as currently he is tied for the lead with Tom Pernice Jr. and a slew of players right off the lead.

I've always thought Perez had the potential to be somewhat of a force on the PGA. He is strong, has a great swing, but unfortunately his temper gets the better of him. Hes been on the tour since 2002, has a handful of top tens but no wins. With this "record," which I don't think is a big deal, it just shows that any golfer on the PGA at anytime can become hot and post ridiculous numbers. The great ones, excluding Tiger because we already know, have the ability to make cuts and be consistent week in and week out. For instance, take a guy like Jim Furyk. If you don’t follow golf, you might not know who he is, but all he does is make money. Since 2001 this guy averages over a win per year along with a total earnings that has never been less than $691,000 because in 2004 he was hurt. His swing is absurd, take a look…



In those years where he wasn’t hurt the least he made was 2.5 million, most was 7.2 MILLION in 2006…GET PAID. Furyk has a US Open Championship to his name, and can always be found somewhere sitting quietly in the top 15 of the world rankings. People who aren't in the top 15? How about David Duval, John Daly and this guy...Tim Hardaway





-The Diesel

Ogilvy takes down the Mercedes

While most Americans were tuning into the NFL playoffs, this weekend marked the kickoff of the 2009 PGA tour at the Plantation Course at Kapalua in Hawaii for the Mercedes-Benz Championship. The thirty three man field composed of last years winners is filled with today's who's who except for the world's number one, Tiger Woods. Woods, still recovering from knee surgery, appears to still be uncertain about when his return will be. It is speculated that his return will be sometime before the first major at Augusta.

But this week it was all about the Australian, Geoff Ogilvy, who 67, 68, 65, 68 to finish at -24 and leaving the second place finishers, Anthony Kim and Davis Love III, six shots behind at eighteen under.

Ogilvy made it look pretty easy all weekend, and besides a few hiccups on the front nine yesterday, he nearly played flawless golf.

He went into yesterdays final round with a six stroke lead, which he admitted would be a new experience. After a few poor shots, his lead was cut to one after eight holes. But then the young Aussie made an eagle on the ninth and never looked back.

This is now Geoff's fifth PGA tour victory, which of course includes a U.S. Open championship. Geoff also won a couple tournaments in his homeland at the end of last season, so this young man is hot right now and should be a factor in the upcoming majors. He is 31 years old, so statically speaking he is entering the prime of his career.

Also not in the field besides Tiger were Phil Mickelson, Padraig Harrington and Bret "the hitman" Hart...




-The Diesel

MERRY CHRISTMAS

I hope none of you have seen this before, but if you have it doesn't matter

The Tiger Hunters

With Tiger Woods injuring his knee and missing most of the 2008 season, it opened the door for other players around the world to showcase their talents. A few stepped up to the plate and these are three of the guys I expect to give Tiger a run in the major tournaments and close that humongous gap in the world rankings between number one Woods and number two Mickelson.



Padraig Harrington stepped up big time in 2008 winning the last two majors and displayed great nerve while doing it, particularly at the British Open. During those horrendous conditions, Harrington bombarded the back nine with birdies and eagles alike for a come from behind win over the shark Greg Norman. But...could Harrington have left his best game behind him? Possibly, but I don't thing Padraig is like that. His game isn't about overpowering the course with long drives but rather with precision accuracy with irons and clutch putting under pressure which cannot be taught. Lets just say Harrington would have enjoyed himself more in World War I rather than World War II. Expect Harrington to win a US Open before a Masters.



Anthony Kim. I am very much looking forward to this young mans career. Kim can do it all, and after blowing out Sergio Garcia at the Ryder Cup, I expect Kim feels he has the game and the attitude to win multiple majors. He's young (23 years old) and hes cocky. The talent is certainly there, but does he have the discipline that Woods had at his age. Kim won twice on tour this year, notably at the AT & T National, who's field consists of all the top pros.



Sergio, Sergio, Sergio....Sergio has been a "young gun" now for about ten years ever since he burst on to the scene in 1999 challenging Woods at the PGA Championship, eventually losing. Since then he has had a number of close calls, but still no major victories. I expect this to change over the next two seasons. However, let me make this very clear....GARCIA IS A LITTLE BITCH....Wanna see something cool? How about Mr. Garcia spitting in a cup after missing a putt..



But, the man can golf his ball, and its only a matter of time before he loses his major virginity.

-THE DIESEL

USA WINS THE RYDER CUP

Ok, so I have been a little lazy of late about writing because my lap top at school is all porned out and no longer works, which constitutes in me only using the schools computer. Now because my car isn't working properly, this is kind of a pain in the ass. But my boss, DP, gave me a little words of encouragement on my facebook wall so here I am writing about the Ryder Cup which the US took down yesterday.

It was a spectacular of golf all the way around. Birdies left and right, long putts, hole out, everything as a golf fan you could ask for even without the greatest player on the planet Tiger Woods.

The Americans simply rose to the occasion while the usual sturdy Euros just couldn't keep up with them. Yesterday the score was 9-7 USA going into the final round needing to get to 14.5 points to win the cup and they did, finishing with 16.5 to Europes 11.5

It all started with Anthony Kim's disposal of Sergio Garcia in the first match. Kim was simply outstanding and Sergio had some token missed short putts which killed him on the back nine.

Hunter Mahan then hit the putt that probably was the putt of the day, when on 17 he drilled a 30 footer that would have rolled 10 feet by the hole if it hadn't gone in. At that point in the match he was all square with Paul Casey, with Casey tucked much closer to the hole. Mahan however made the putt and completely turned the momentum in the US's direction for the rest of the day.

If anyone is to be remembered for yesterdays Ryder Cup, it is Boo Weekly. The good ol' boy from the south was keeping the media's attention with his Booism's about greyhounds and hunting. But Boo can play some golf. Along with with his normal prominence in ball striking, Boo was making putts and keeping the gallery entertained. Every time he hit a shot, the gallery would scream BOOOOOOO ala YOOOUK like Red Sox fans.

Kenny Perry, the native Kentuckian, also had his moment and saying afterward it was like a dream come true. Perry was a 48 year old Ryder Cup rookie, who built his whole schedule around making this team. It was a good idea because Perry had a streak in which he won 3 out 5 starts. He ended up winning his match yesterday 3 and 2.


This win must've been pretty sweet for the captain Paul Azinger. The other captain, Nick Faldo, is one the most decorated players of recent memory, and talent wise had the deeper team. But Azinger had a clear cut strategy and stuck to his guns throughout the match. His approach to yesterdays final round was brilliant. Sticking his most aggressive players to start the day, the guys from the south in the middle, and then the steady pros in the back. Faldo, to the contrary had Harrington, Paulter and Westwood in the last three groups which was I thought rather dumb. They were his best three players, and by the time they get to the back nine the match could be over. I guess he thought that if it was tight, he would have the guys to bring it home. Whatever, it didn't work that way.

Nonetheless, the US team rallied around each other and won without Tiger Woods. Congratulations to them and also to team Europe for some great theater and giving me something to watch besides that Pats - Dolphins. Wow, that was awful.

The Diesel

VIJAY THE GREAT

Vijay Singh once again is in the winners circle and now has a commanding but not impenetrable lead in the Fedex Cup. Singh, who won last week at The Barclay's, now owns his second Deutsche Bank Championship and did it in dominating fashion finishing a ridiculous twenty two shots under par. Canadian Mike Weir finished in second at seventeen under, and the Big Easy Ernie Els came in third at fourteen under par. Other notables: Sergio Garcia, who lost in a playoff last week to Vijay finished tied for fifth, and former US Open champion Jim Furyk ended up tied for seventh.

I didn't get to see much of this tournament unfortunately, and I have still haven't had the chance to see it live which is something I've wanted to do since they started having the tournament in Norton, Massachusetts. But I've had the privilege of playing the course they play at once cause one of my friends' dad is so rich that he doesn't use napkins but instead twenty dollar bills. I shot a 91, which is not bad at all for a hacker like myself. Anywho, I did catch a little of the first two rounds where Mike Weir and Tim Clark flirted with the omnipresent score of 59. Weir ended up with a 61 while Clark bogeyed his last two holes and shot 62.

With the scores around fifteen under par going into to the last two rounds I thought the winning number would be 21 under. Vijay topped that with 22 under. It was disappointing to see however that the nearest person was only at 17 under. Looking at the scores many players that were in contention going into Sunday didn't break 70 and some couldn't break par on a course that giving up numerous scores in the low 60's. This is not a surprise. Many of the PGA tour players just don't have heart or balls when it comes to the final round. And if Tiger Woods is winning, you can forget it, that tournament is over. The pressure gets to these guys so bad that they simply roll in the fetus position and hope to finished second.



Here are the top 10 in the Fedex Cup standings going going into the BMW Championship:

1. Vijay Singh
2. Sergio Garcia
3. Mike Weir
4. Justin Leonard
5. Jim Furyk
6. Kevin Sutherland
7. Anthony Kim
8. Phil Mickelson
9. Kenny Perry
10.Ben Curtis

Also the Ryder Cup teams were named this weekend. I will have more on this later today or tomorrow. Let me say now that US team isn't lookin too good.

On a personal note, I'll be heading back to school today in Newport, RI at Salve Regina University. I live right by Newport Country Club and if I am in the right mood I may try to sneak on to play.

-The Diesel

Why Not show Kermit the Frog flipping out like he's Bill O' Reilly

- The Diesel

Chad Javon Ocho Cinco

Apparently, Cincinnati Bengals star wide out Chad Johnson LEGALLY has changed his name to Chad Javon Ocho Cinco.



Yeah, I really don't have much to say about this except that this isn't really that surprising or shocking. Chad, you're a good receiver and sometimes you can be funny, but this is just a little to outlandish for most people. Obviously Chad you are trying to get attention and you will. But don't expect it to be too long pal, this move by you was simply the next step in the ladder of ridiculousness that you have established in Cincinnati these past few years. And plus, this kind of stuff is old news. Vince McMahon and the XFL? Been there, done that.



But with that said, wouldn't it be cool if someone like John "Way Back" Wasdin could have "Way Back" on his jersey. Or how about David Robinson have "The Admiral" on the back of his. That's pretty cool. Or Kobe Bryant have "Unfaithful" on the back of his United States of America Olympic jersey. Something to think about anyway.

-The Diesel

The Bush Era and Beyond by a Political Enigma: PART ONE

As the Presidential Campaign is heating up, and as politics is shoved into our faces, I, a person who really only knows nothing about politics and besides catching the news once in a while is completely oblivious to what is going on in our country, would like to sum up the George Bush era from my eyes.


I am a college student, a 23 year old whose daily worries involve finding my keys and getting laid. Pretty much after that, as far as the real world goes, I don't know what is going on. But I do know a couple things that happened during the Bush era that I am sure you will remember.

The first is the tragedy of September 11th, 2001. You probably know where you were when you first heard the news, as do I, in my English class taught by Mr. Brennan. Accoridng to Wikipedia, 2,974 died that die, and 24 people are missing and presumed dead. We all know what happened: a expertly crafted coordinated attack took place involving groups of men hi-jacking airliners and then driving them into familiar, symbolic American landmarks such as the Twin Towers in New York.

Now, you have to admit, as a person that that plan was a pretty damned good plan for doing what it was intended to do. Obviously it took a lot of time, patience, hard work, devotion and the willingness to die for what you believe (any of that sound familiar).

Now apparently from what I've heard, again, I don't really know, Bush knew about this, even the Clinton administration knew something like this may happen and didn't react to it properly and because of this Bush takes some shots. Well you know what, I mean, what the fuck are you going to do? I mean PEOPLE HI-JACKING PLANES WITH FREAKN BOX KNIVES AND THEN KAMIKAZEING INTO BUILDINGS!!!! Not one person ever thought that would be possible until that happened.

Talk about gettn fucked over, Clinton turns the White House into the Dallas Cowboys' white house of the Michael Irvin days and gets off scotch free. Bush, who seems like a good character guy, gets 9/11 dropped on him literally out of the blue. Now that just sucks and isn't fair. You might say as President he should be ready for these things. Well you know what, even though he had that Rache Caldwell "Oh shit, that just happened" look on his face when he was in Florida with a bunch of kids, WHAT THE FUCK WAS HE SUPPOSED TO DO? TAKE OFF HIS SHIRT AND TIE AND UNVEIL THAT HE IS SUPERMAN AND STOP THE TERRORISTS AROUND THE WORLD.




There are other people in the government you know, and as far as I'm concerned they did the best they could do to handle that situation. Face it America, Al-Qaeda clearly saw something they thought they could exploit and they did, nothing you can do there. Props to those on United 93 by the way, those people along with the firefighters and volunteers are real heroes, not Michael Phelps.

Stay tuned in for Part II titled "Katrina: Don't build cities under water with shitty levees."

-The Diesel

Vijay the Victorious

Vijay Singh (-8), a winner a couple weeks ago at the World Golf Championships, defeated Sergio Garcia (-8) and Kevin Suthlerland (-8) in a playoff to take down the Barclays Championship for the fourth time in his career. With this win in the first round of the Fedex "playoffs," Singh has vaulted himself into first place in the Fedex Cup standings with Garcia and Sutherland behind him respectively.

On the first playoff hole Vijay and Garcia exchanged birdies, kicking Sutherland out of the playoff. Then on the second hole Garcia found trouble with his drive, while Vijay found the fairway and subsequently found the green on his next shot at the 577 par 5 seventeenth. Singh easily birdied the hole, and Garcia almost nearly holed a chip to tie, but it was not to be.

With this tournament out of the way, here is the new top 10 in the Fedex standings:

1. Vijay Singh
2. Sergio Garcia
3. Kevin Sutherland
4. Phil Mickelson
5. Justin Leonard
6. Anthony Kim
7. Kenny Perry
8. Ben Curtis
9. Stewart Cink
10.Jim Furyk

Not many big changes there beside Sutherland basically jumping into third from pure obscurity. Perry was second last week, and after a average effort is now down to seventh. Padraig Harrington, who has won the last two majors and one of my picks to win the Fedex Cup, decided he was mad cool this week and missed the cut dropping him to 23rd. And Tiger Woods, without taking one swing, is now in 15th.

We are now down to 120 players, and after this weeks tournament be down to 70. This week folks the greatest players in the world are coming up to Massachusetts, specifically Norton, Mass, to play in the Deutsche Bank Championship. Past winners include Vijay and Phil Mickelson, so expect them to play well.

In other news, eighteen year old Danny Lee won the prestigious United States Amateur Championship by beating Drew Kittleson 5 & 4 in 36 hole match play competition.


Lee also made the record books by being the youngest ever to win the event. The previous youngest? Tiger Woods.



So that is pretty awesome for Danny. Now Tiger won the event three times in a row, and I wonder if Danny is eager to match that or turn pro early to GET PAID. Time will tell, but winning the US Amateur is a big deal so look out for that name in the future.

On the Nationwide Tour Scott Piercy took down the pretty much irrelevant Northeast Pennsylvania Classic. Last week's winner Brendon de Jonge came in second two shots back. Piercy, along with the glamor of being champion, won $94,500. Vijay Singh for his victory? How about $1,260,000.

-The Diesel