Steve Williams Pitchin' A Fit

Well, there won't be any more awkward high-fives. Not really sure why this is such a huge story. Yea, yea I know...they've been together for over 12 years and Tiger won 13 of his 14 majors with Stevie on the bag. But come on! It's a G damn caddie for crying out loud. Everyone is acting like Steve Williams made Tiger Woods. Nah. It's the other way around, folks. If any other player fires their caddie - which happens all the time on tour - it gets a little blurb in the paper.

Stevie isn't reacting so well to the whole thing, and is teetering on the edge of throwing darts at Tiger on his way out the door. From a statement on Williams' website (he has a website???)

Following the completion of the AT&T National I am no longer caddying for Tiger after he informed me that he needed to make a change. After 13 years of loyal service needless to say this came as a shock.

Not exactly how you want to handle that change if you're Steve Williams. It looks pathetic. How long before this guy goes all "JetBlue" on us and just does a drunken interview ripping on Tiger. I get that he was probably shocked, but he maybe should have seen it coming when he began caddying for Adam Scott during Tiger's absence.

I know I saw it coming. If you're the caddy for the best golfer in the world, you don't ask him if you can work for someone else while he's hurt. I think Tiger saw that as a sign of Steve not being entirely on his side. Couple that with some off-handed comments made in the last 2 years about Tiger letting down his family and what not, and you've got a recipe for getting your ass fired.

Ultimately, this shouldn't change to much, though I am fascinated to see who Tiger gets on his bag next.

Also, you gotta wonder if Steve Williams is gonna get a book deal or something. I doubt it but you never know. He denies being in the know of Tiger's extramarital affairs, but who knows if that is really the case. Even without that stuff I'm sure he could write a shitty expose that a lot of people would read.

U.S. Open Wrap-Up - Bad News for American Golf

Now we know why Tiger's eat their young!

Step aside Tiger, there's a new sheriff in town and his name is Rory McIlroy. After completely unraveling on Sunday at The Master's with a 4 stroke lead after 54 holes, Rors came roaring back at the very next major and totally blew the doors off the competition for a week. He became the first since Woods to win the Open while leading wire-to-wire and posted the lowest ever U.S. Open score. Among the many records he set he also became the youngest Open champ since Bobby Jones in 1923 at the ripe age of 22.

Before the week started I would have figured that the winning score might be somewhere in the -5 to -6 range, with the course playing soft all week due to heavy rains leading up to the tournament. Never in a million years would I believe that -16 would be the winning score. (And actually, if you take out McIlroy I would have been right on the money.) That is an insane performance at the U.S. Open - soft greens or not.

Part of me thinks that because we remember so well what Tiger did just a little over a decade ago at Pebble Beach that Rory isn't really getting his due for this performance. Watching it yesterday, it felt so much more anticlimactic than Woods' performance in 2000.

Nonetheless, he's getting his due here on Dueling Couches. That was a masterpiece unlike any I've witnessed and I'm looking forward seeing many more from him in the years to come.


As for the rest of the field, Jason Day finished in 2nd after a great weekend of play. And Y.E. Yang and Lee Westwood finished in a tie for 3rd along with Robert Garrigus, and Kevin Chappel. Nowhere on the leaderboard were any of the young hotshot Americans that everyone likes to keep talking about.


Dustin Johnson: T23 +1
Anthony Kim: T54 +7
Bubba Watson: T63 +9
Rickie Fowler: Missed Cut +5
Hunter Mahan: Missed Cut +5
Ben Crane: Missed Cut +6
Nick Watney: Missed Cut +6

Disgusting. It's the rest of the world's game right now. Hell, Northern Ireland has produced the last two U.S. Open champions. The group of young American golfers mentioned above haven't done anything to warrant all the attention that they get. Between them they have a combined 17 wins on tour, but no majors - though Watson and Johnson have both been close. Kim admittedly needs to focus more on golf and Fowler seems more concerned about being a fashion icon than winning tournaments.

I realize I'm being harsh, and that winning on tour is not an easy thing for any golfer, especially with how much competition there is now. However, I know these guys have tons of game and I'm just getting sick of hearing about how this could be their big break. Enough with the Twitter and youtube. I want to see some damn trophies! Tiger spoiled us all for a long time, and that reign looks to be all but assuredly over. The world team is full of good young golfers who actually WIN tournaments and don't worry about making stupid online music videos. One of those losers made the cut this week - and he finished plus 9. Nice.

Time to put up or shut up for these guys. Only Fowler can even still be considered young. The others are in their 30s or close to it.

That's it from the golf world for now. Check back as we get closer to the British Open from Royal St. George's - a fantastic course.

U.S. Open 2nd round Update

Wow! Rory McIlroy is murdering Congressional CC. At one point he was -13, but finished his round at -11 when he double-bogeyed the 18th after a wayward tee shot and a terrible decision to try and go at the flag and dropping one in the drink. Oh, by the way that was his first bogey of the tournament!

The double bogey on 18 is a little worrisome, because it shows some poor judgement. I think his caddy really let him down at the Master's by not pulling him aside and telling him not to be so aggressive when things were beginning to get unraveled. And I think he definitely needed to tell Rory not to go at the flag on 18 today. Oh well. He's still got an 8 stroke lead.

The good news for the rest of the field? Most of them have over 2 rounds of golf remaining to get into position to challenge McIlroy.

Jason Day and Bubba Watson are two guys to keep an eye on this afternoon. They'll tee off shortly after 2 pm. Matt Kuchar is about to tee off and he's currently at +1. He's another guy that I could see making a move. Unfortunately, I don't see any story line playing out where anyone gets within less than 4 strokes of McIlroy today. As the sun continues to shine this afternoon, those greens will firm up making it really hard to go after these pin locations, even on some of the birdie holes.

This could be the beginning of a new era in golf.

U.S. Open Day 2 Preview

The 2nd round is recently underway and we are seeing history unfold. Rory McIlroy is currently at -10 atop the leader board. He is just the 5th man to reach double digits under par at the U.S. Open, and he is the fastest to reach that mark. Pretty remarkable. However, we've seen McIlroy put up these fast starts at a major before, last year's British Open and this year's Master's. So far, the young man hasn't been able to put it all together over a weekend and win a major, but if he keeps up this Tiger-like pace he should lap the field. This is reminiscent of Woods at Pebble Beach in 2000.

As for the rest of the field, there are some surprises near the leader board. Ol friend, Y.E. Yang is tied for 2nd with Zach Johnson at -3. And Sergio Garcia is back from the bowels of golf at -2. As for my contenders list, so far it is a big disappointment. Only Phil who I put at #10 is even in the Top 20 currently. My sleeper Charlie Hoffman is also in the top 20. Just more proof of how tough the U.S. Open is.

Phil actually played a pretty good round yesterday outside of his double bogey at the 10th which was his first hole - a bear of a par 3, playing over 220 yards today.

Another sentimental favorite near the top of the board is Davis Love III who played a terriffic round yesterday, that should have been even better. He missed two birdie putts by a combined 10 mm, leaving both on the edge of the cup.

Hopefully, someone can put on a charge today and get closer to McIlroy. Although watching him run away with it could be fun too. Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer and Robert Garrigus are the Americans that look to have the best chance heading into today. The course is playing soft again today from the rains overnight. Don't be surprised to see some low numbers today.

I will try to give some updates throughout the day's action as things unfold.

2011 U.S. Open Preview - Top Contenders

Well, now that hockey is over we can get to covering real sports. Nothing says summer has arrived like the start of the U.S. Open. The way The Master's marks the beginning of spring, Father's Day weekend and the U.S. Open bring to mind BBQ and bathing suits. No? Ok, but summer is here and the golf season is heating up...even if the most compelling figure in the sport is sidelined with a bum knee and a sore vagina - I mean ego.

The Open is always the toughest test of golf, with the United States Golf Association (USGA) setting up the nation's finest public courses to be a brutal examination of a player's skill and mental fortitude. From Pebble Beach to Bethpage Black these are not typically courses where you will see really low numbers on the leader board. Such is the case with the 2011 venue - Congressional Country Club in Washington, D.C. suburb of Bethesda, Maryland.

In the shadow of the White House looms a monster of a golf course that has been made even tougher for The Open. The event has not been held there since 1997 when Ernie Els hoisted the trophy and looked like he might be on his way to a monumental career before Tiger emerged and relegated Els to an also-ran. Congressional is the home for regular PGA Tour event the AT&T Classic, but will play quite different this week.

For starters there is a new finishing hole with what used to be #17. With water around the green on the long par 4 there should be plenty of drama on the final hole as the weekend draws to a close. The course has been lengthened by about 360 yards total. The sand is deeper and fluffier, with shaved grass around bunkers that will allow for more balls to trickle in. All told the course should be a very difficult, but a very fair assessment of one's golf game. There will be opportunities to take some risks and get some rewards, but those risks had better be well calculated.

As for who is going to win this week it is anyone's guess. With the force that once was Tiger now all but seemingly gone from the game of golf a plethora of up-and-coming contenders have risen up to give golf a bright future. And don't forget about guys like Phil Mickelson - still seeking his first U.S. Open title, and Ernie Els who has a very good U.S. Open track record with two titles to his name.

Don't look to the top 2 players in the world (all playing together on Thursday by the way) for a winner. Luke Donald, Lee Westwood have 0 majors between them, but that won't stop many from picking either to win. Both come in playing well in 2011, but I don't think they have the kind of game that will fair well at a U.S. Open. While the top 3 players in the world are all from foreign soil, I actually think the Americans will end their major drought this week. If you're looking to pick a winner here's my list of U.S. Open Top 10 Contenders.

1. Dustin Johnson, USA - Looking to break through with first major after two collapses last year at U.S. Open and PGA. Combo of length off tee and accuracy from the fairways will make him a favorite this week.

2. Steve Stricker, USA - Won last tournament at Memorial. He is the tour leader in avoiding Bogeys. That could be huge this week.

3. K.J. Choi, S. Korea - Choi is the kind of player who isn't flashy but on Sunday you look up and somehow he's battled his way onto the leaderboard. That is a great recipe of patience and persistence that could fair well at Congressional. He's won here before (AT&T).

4. Matt Kuchar, USA - Leads the tour in the all-around ranking, and has 8 top 10s this year. Playing well right now having finished 2nd at Memorial. Ranks 2nd to Stricker in bogey avoidance.

5. Bubba Watson, USA - A very likable guy, Watson also has game. He's a long bomber but leads the tour in greens in regulation. Not a great Open track record, but not bad either. Looking for a breakthrough.

6. David Toms, USA - After a brutal playoff loss at The Players Championship, Toms returned the next week to win at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. He ranks highly in all the accuracy stats. Might not be long enough off the tee though.

7. Luke Donald, England - He is the world #1 so it is hard to pick against him. A safe bet to be near the top, I just can't picture him winning...although it certainly wouldn't be a stretch.

8. Kevin Streelman, USA - Good record at Congressional, and one of the hotter players on tour right now.

9. Nick Watney, USA - In the shadow of other young Americans like Johnson, Fowler etc. but has 7 top 10 finishes this year. Ranks 6th in all-around, but might not have driver accuracy needed to contend.

10. Phil Mickelson, USA - What the hell? Why not? Ol' Lefty has been seeking a U.S. Open for over a decade now, and Congressional could be just the course for him to do it. I don't think he will, but you can't help but like the sentimental favorite.

SLEEPER - Charlie Hoffman, USA - If you don't know who he is, he'll be the dumpy looking guy with the blonde locks flowing from under his Waste Management hat and sinking putts all over the place. If he gets hot with the putter he could make a run at the leader board.

And who wouldn't want this guy to win?


That's Andres Gonzalez. @Andres_Gonzales He's a pretty amusing twitter follow. Check it out.

That's it for now. Be sure to check back later for a Day 1 Wrap and look ahead to Day 2.

TOP 25 UNDER 25 - #25 Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy - PGA Tour, Northern Ireland





There might be some surprise to see McIlroy, a golfer, on this list. However, he is definitely deserving of the recognition. Aside from Tiger Woods, young golfer's don't usually burst onto the scene with this kind of hype. For most golfers it takes a number of years to become stars on tour, and for many it also takes a while before they start winning. And in fact, McIlroy became the first golfer since Woods to win a PGA event before his 21st birthday.



As an amteur, McIlroy was noted for his long distance off the tee - even called a phenom by many of golf's biggest stars. He has drawn more comparisons to Tiger than any other young golfer (think Lebron comparisons to MJ).

2010 was a breakout year for McIlroy on the PGA Tour. He won his first tour event at the Quail Hollow Championships, including a course record 62 in the final round. He followed that up in July at The Open Championship (St. Andrew's) with the lowest ever opening round in the tournament. (We're talking about the oldest tournament in golf!) That score was also another course record for McIlroy. On the 2nd day he got stuck in some terrible weather and posted an 80, but recovered over the weekend to finish in a tie for 3rd overall.
At the PGA he also finished tied for 3rd, after he lipped out a putt on 15 that would have put him in a tie-breaker for the championship. The T3 at the PGA was his third Top 3 finish at a major since turning pro.

Despite all the tour accomplishments in 2010 it was probably his performance at the Ryder Cup that cemented McIlroy's status as the next big thing in golf. He played brilliantly for Team Europe after saying earlier in the year that the event was merely an exhibition and was far down on his list of priorities. Following the Europe win he sang a different tune, being quoted as saying, "this is the best event in golf by far."

He's also a bit of a brash smack talker - a quality normally lost on the European athletes. McIlroy was the one who called out Tiger woods prior to his return to golf, saying that he wasn't the best player on the U.S. team (true), and that anyone on the European team would fancy there chances against Tiger (also true).

The one downside to McIlroy (perhaps due to his new found relationship with his European teammates) is that we don't get to see enough of him on the PGA tour. He plays the majors and some other select events throughout the season, but plays more heavily on the European tour. He and fellow Brit, Lee Westwood, recently pulled out of The Player's Championship, one of the premier events on tour so that they could play another event in Europe. With so many, burgeoning young players coming from Europe - Martin Kaymer, Justin Rose, Ian Poulter, Graeme McDowell, etc. - it'd be a shame to see this become a popular trend. The two tours need to figure out a schedule that allows players from both sides to play all the premier events.

Despite his limited appearances, though, expect to see plenty of McIlroy near the tops of leaderboards throughout the season. He figures to be a factor in any event he plays. That's more than I can say about Tiger at this point.

Perfect.

Colin Montgomerie Sex Tape?

Here's how you get away with it, Tiger.

Hahahaha Before you vomit in your cereal, there is no such thing...not a tape anyway. But apparently there are illicit photos of the Euro Ryder Cup captain floating around somewhere in the U.K. The story was broken yesterday on the Dan Patrick radio show by golf analyst David Feherty - never afraid to run his mouth.

Privacy and Libel laws in the U.K. are a really big deal and carry hefty fines and sentences. Apparently, there has been a gag order put on a gossip rag in the U.K. and according to some in attendance at the press conference for the PGA yesterday, all the U.K. journalists had to phone home and speak with lawyers to find out exactly what they could publish today regarding the matter! Too bad Tiger didn't hail from there...we might never have found out about his girlfriends!

The photos are rumored to be in possession of an ex. This could get real juicy and I would be shocked if this story really never breaks. You know some good ol' USA gossip rag will pay some serious dough, and there's not much that the U.K. can do about that.

PGA Championship Preview - Can Tiger turn around his year?

Thursday marks the beginning of the PGA Championship, the final Major and last leg of golf's grand slam events. The PGA Championship has always been a distant relative of the other big three tournaments, unless a player is chasing the Grand Slam which hasn't happened in quite a while. Last year we saw, Y.E. Yang take his 15 minutes of fame beating Tiger Woods down the stretch on Sunday at Hazeltine. (This was pre-Thanksgiving Tiger...my how things have changed.)

The PGA Championship has always been a favorite of mine, often showcasing some of America's great, more unheralded golf courses. The aforementioned Hazeltine is a beauty, as are Medinah, Oak Hill and Valhalla. Let's not forget Winged Foot either.

This year is no different with Whistling Straits, located along Lake Michigan in Wisconsin. If you've never seen the course before, check it out. It is a real treat. It is a course designed by Pete Dye, of TPC Sawgrass fame, among many other gems. The Straits course, where the tournament will be played, very much resembles a course you might find in the U.K. or Ireland, nestled along a two mile stretch of the coast along Lake Michigan. It features, grassy dunes, DEEP bunkers and contoured greens. At 7,514 yards it is the 2nd longest course to ever host a major championship. Only an all-around golfer will do well here.

Which brings us to Tiger Woods, the lightning rod of golf. He came up during a recent chat I was having with DP, and I mentioned that I've begun to lose confidence in the guy. DP believes he will be fine, but I'm not so sure. The man's whole persona is gone. He used to be such an intimidating force. Other players used to fear him - even 10 strokes back heading into a weekend. As far as chasing down Jack Nicklaus, I don't think it is possible any more. He as much as intimated last week that golf isn't as important to him anymore. Take that with a grain of salt, but it did come out of his mouth. This season was a big one for him, as far as the record goes. Both Open Championships were at two of his favorite courses, in Pebble Beach and St. Andrew's, and he didn't perform to expectation. You factor in the disaster that was his 18+ finish last week, at a course where he ALWAYS plays very well, and it is safe to say that 2010 is probably a huge wash. Some have even gone as far as to suggest that he suffers from Ian Baker-Finch syndrome. Baker-Finch was a golfer who enjoyed great success, winning a major and then fell on his face... Knoblauch style. Let's get one thing straight. Woods is no Baker-Finch. 14 majors make that argument. But, I don't think we're looking at the same guy any more, and I'm seriously having doubts about him winning many more majors. But, I'm curious to know what others think. Feel free to leave comments.
P.S. I don't think he'll help the Ryder Cup team, unless he proves to be his old self this week. Mr. Pavin...leave him off the team!

PGA predictions:

The sexy pick heading into the week is Rory McIlroy who played well enough to win at St Andrew's, outside of a terrible round 2. He's got the game suited to this style of course but I just don't think he's ready this year. Next year I think he'll bag a major. Not yet, though.

I'm going with Sean O'Hair, a young golfer who is experiencing a bit of a break out this year, even if it is past due. This is the player you'll remember who was supposed to be the next Tiger quite a few years back. He had an ugly relationship with his father who made him sign a contract promising a portion of his future earnings on tour...Joe Jackson style. O'Hair - who doesn't speak with his father - has found a new lease on life and has found his golf game again as well. He had a share of the lead heading into Sunday at the Bridgestone, and finished Top 12 at both Pebble and St Andrew's. I think he's ready, and he's definitely got the game.

Rounding out my top 5 will be...

Sean O'Hair (ready to take the next step?)
Steve Stricker (hometown boy)
Dustin Johnson (long bomber, but also shows accuracy)
Jeff Overton (3rd in all-around ranking on tour)
Hunter Mahan (my new favorite golfer now that Tiger sucks, winner last week)

Louis! Louis! Louis!

Yessir! Louis Oosthuizen (as far as I can tell it is pronounced "oost-hey-zen") from South Africa won The Open Championship on Sunday. Not only did he win, becoming the 5th South African to win a major, he ran away with it, winning by 7 strokes.
Oosthuizen has fellow South African, and former Open champ, Ernie Els, to thank for his victory on Sunday. As a junior Oosthuizen was enrolled in the Els Foundation for aspiring junior players who may not have the means to pursue the game at the high level. The work paid off.
Oosthuizen, the man they call "Shrek", maintained his lead after round two and was never surpassed. When Paul Casey got close on Sunday, Louis calmly drained a 50 foot eagle putt. The youngster who had never won a tournament of this magnitude seemed cool and collected and flourished when the lights were brightest.
His victory was the topper on an eventful weekend of golf that saw Rory McIlroy shoot a record 63 in the first round, follow it up with an +8 80 in round two and battle back to finish at -8 in a tie for third. We saw Tiger start the tourney with a new putter, only to see his putting woes continue and go back to the old putter for Sunday - which didn't help anything. Phil was all over the place and the wind was a major character as usual. The 4 Major Championship trophies now rest on 4 different continents, which speaks to the global power of the game. (Phil has the green jacket, U.S.A.; Graeme McDowell the U.S. Open trophy, N. Ireland; Y.E. Yang the PGA Championship, South Korea; and now Oosthuizen the Claret Jug, South Africa)
All in all this was everything we've come to expect from an Open Championship.
The next major, and final of the year, will be next month for the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits Golf Club in Wisconsin.

British Open Update

For a handful of hours yesterday, the Old Course at St Andrew's was very vulnerable, and many players took advantage. None more so than young Rory McIlroy who shot a 63 to finish as the leader after day 1 at -9. McIlroy's 63 tied a record for the lowest opening round score in a major champiosnhip. The young stud, only 21 years old, was booming drives down the fairway and draining putts from all over the place.
Other players took advantage of the fair weather as well, including Tiger Woods and John Daly who came in at -5 and -6, respectively. Daly is a surprise to many, but he has played well at this course, winning here in 1995. However, it has been about 7 years since John Daly had a win on tour, so don't expect him to keep it up. Tiger played well but left quite a few birdies out there. He'll be hoping the new Billy Baroo can drain a few more of those today.

At the time of posting, play is about to resume in round 2 after a delay of about an hour. The leader in the clubhouse is Louis Oosthuizen, from South Africa. He's in at -12, and looks like everyone will be chasing him. The winds are howling, so don't expect too many low scores today unless it calms down or someone can manage to put up a nice score hitting low knock down shots.

I will update this post as things change throughout the day.

2010 British Open Preview

It's about time this blog got a little dignified. Leave it to Jesus to bring you a little action on the "Gentleman's Game" - although there's plenty of Tiger haters out there that might dispute that title!

Without further ado...let's take a look at the 2010 British Open, or as the Brits like to call it, "The Open Championship." *By the time this posts rounds should already be well underway across the pond, barring any weather delays.

This year's Open will take place at the storied, Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St. Andrew's - The Old Course. The Old Course is a favorite of golf enthusiasts, and always generates the most interest out of the other rotating Open sites. The earliest historical record of golf being played on these grounds is 1552! And some believe it may have happened even earlier.
There are many unique features at The Old Course, but most notably are the huge double-greens (two holes share the same green). The Course can also be played in either direction. You may think of golf when you think of Sunday, right? Well, at the Old Course Sunday play is only allowed 4 other times a year...one of which is for the Open final round if it is being played there. This is the 28th time St Andrew's has hosted the Open, with Tiger Woods winning the last two in 2005 and 2000.

No course can be affected by weather quite like the Old Course. Graeme McDowell even joked that "They should try playing the Open during the summer on of these years." Indeed, wind and rain and freezing temps can be a mainstay here, and the course can seem like two different places depending on the weather. Good weather and there will be plenty of low scores, maybe even some in the 60s. Bad weather...well that's when you start seeing a few 80s popping up. On tap for this week??? Looks like lots of rain and wind. Good luck, boys!

Las Vegas has Tiger as the favorite to win this week, and he has historically played well at the Old Course, even saying that it is his favorite major championship site "by far." Tiger though, has been playing, well, not very Tiger-like since his return from hiatus due to personal life issues. Golf just doesn't seem the same without Tiger in contention every Sunday. He has shown flashes of the brilliant old form at the two majors played this year, The Masters and U.S. Open but eventually fell out of contention over the weekend. The smaller events have been another story. He's been downright awful by his standards even going a whole tourney without a round under par, a new first for him as a pro. His loyal fans are hoping this is his comeback week.

Phil has played well this year, winning the Master's and would love to add a Claret Jug to his trophy case. However, the Open Championships in both Britain and the U.S. have eluded Phil thus far in his career. The long rough, narrow fairways and tricky greens associated with both majors have proven problematic for the risky style Phil likes to play. Like, the U.S. Open avoiding those disastrous rounds over par is what winning here is all about.

The rest of the Vegas favorites are mostly Brits or Europeans who are familiar with the links style play and have fared well in previous Opens. Out of the top 10 favorites in Vegas, only Phil, Tiger and Ernie Els are not from Europe. Lee Westwood, Paddy Harrington (2 time winner) Rory McIlroy (young phenom) Graeme McDowell (U.S. Open winner) Ian Poulter (flamboyant dresser), Paul Casey and Luke Donald round out the list.

No Brit has won at St. Andrew's since Nick Faldo in 1990, although I would put Poulter and Westwood near the top of the favorites list. Westwood has been in contention a lot in recent years and Poulter always seems to be in contention at the majors, and should get one before long.

My prediction for the Top 10.

Ian Poulter -11
Tiger Woods -10
Lee Westwood -10
Justin Rose -8
Jim Furyk -7
Ernie Els -7
Geoff Ogilvy -5
Paul Casey -4
Luke Donald -3
Camillo Villegas -3

Sleepers
Phil Mickelson (the wild card)
KJ Choi (always around the leader board)
JB Holmes (John Daly won at St Andrew's in his day, and Holmes is a big boomer with soft touch as well.)
Rory McIlroy (I think nerves will get to him on the weekend)
Francisco Molinari (St. Andrew's game, has been playing well on Euro tour)
John Daly (Won here in 1995. Can still bang it, and power players do well here.)

Tiger Woods Speaks

This is the most over hyped news story maybe ever. Tiger apologized, and said he will continue to get help for his "sex addiction". Do I believe any of it? No, of course not, but honestly who the fuck cares?

I want Tigers Woods hitting golf balls. That's it. I don't look to him for my morals. I don't care who he is fucking. All I want is to flip on SportsCenter and see Tiger Woods doing things no other golfer can.

The only thing I am bitching about here is the fact that he is not playing right away. I don't believe he has some sex addiction, and this is really just to get the press to layoff a little bit. Fuck all that, just play golf. That's why you are the first billion dollar athlete, and that's all I care about. Other then that, everyone just layoff Tiger.

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

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

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