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BETHESDA, MD.–Quick now, what do Tiger Woods and Danny Edwards have in common? No, it’s not that both are public activists for PGA Tour change.
Rather, Woods’ 10-under-par 130, good for a one-shot midway lead at the AT&T National, marks just the second time a double-digit score under par through 36 holes has been shot in a tournament at Congressional Country Club. Yes, Edwards was the first; he was 10 under (then 67-67) in the 1981 Kemper Open and eventually tied for sixth after a 73-72 weekend.
Don’t expect similar scores from Woods this weekend. One, he has gone on to win 31 of the 37 times he has led or co-led after 36 holes on the PGA Tour. Two, Woods said Friday he’s probably hasn’t been in better physical shape in more than 10 years.
This time, Woods is at 64-66–one shot ahead of Rod Pampling and two up on Anthony Kim–after hitting 20 of 28 fairways and 28 of 36 greens. He missed just two fairways and three greens in Round 1.
“Today I hit the ball a little bit scratchy at times, but I putted better,” he said after the second round Friday. “I need to hit the ball better (on the weekend) than I did today.”
– Jeff Rude
Posted July 3
BETHESDA, MD.–No U.S. Open hangover for Lucas Glover.
Last week, the week after winning the Open at Bethpage Black, Glover shot three 65s at the Travelers Championship and tied for 11th. And now he’s tied for eighth midway through the AT&T National after shooting 69-65 while paired with host and leader Tiger Woods.
Glover moved into contention with back-nine 30 (his front) that four consecutive birdies at Nos. 15-18. He sandwiched a couple of 15-footers around a pair of tap-ins.
And as for playing with Woods, Glover had this to say, “He’s so focused on his game, but he likes to cut up and tell stories and jokes and whatnot.”
– Jeff Rude
Posted July 3
I am waiting for Stewart Cink to call.
Over the years, I have waited many times for PGA Tour players to call. Some do, some don’t.
The phone rings. Hello. It’s Cink, telling me he can’t talk right now but he’ll call back in an hour. Goodbye.
An hour later, he calls back. I always considered Cink a real gentleman. Furthermore, I will toss his name into the hat as the best player never to win a major.
I ask Cink about grooves. As a member of the PGA Tour Policy Board, he had a vote on whether to require lower-spinning grooves for 2010 or delay the implementation until 2011.
He doesn’t waste any time. He explains why the Policy Board decided to leave the decision in the hands of commissioner Tim Finchem.
“There definitely were some vigorous discussions on both sides of the issue,” he says. “The Tour staff had a lot to say. Members of the board of directors had a lot to say. Everybody seemed very passionate about it.
“At the end of the day, there weren’t enough votes to delay it. There wasn’t enough evidence for us to do that. There was no concrete reason to push it back a year. There needed to be a strong reason, and there wasn’t. We needed something big for it to be delayed, and there wasn’t anything big enough.”
– James Achenbach
Posted July 3
Let’s clear up one matter: Over and over, the U.S. Golf Association has said the PGA Tour could implement new groove regulations whenever it felt comfortable with the change.
There was no pressure from the USGA. The ruling body did not lobby for a 2010 or 2011 date. However, the USGA did express its desire that professional tours worldwide switch at the same time. Following the PGA Tour’s decision, other tours are expected to fall in line.
The new regulations mandate smaller grooves and more rounded groove edges for all clubs with at least 25 degrees of loft. So they affect many square-grooved irons as well as wedges.
For now, the regulations will be treated as a Condition of Competition. On the amateur level, this means individual tournaments will decide whether or not to require new grooves. Most local and club tournaments are expected to allow the old grooves to be used.
In 2024 – 15 years down the road – the USGA probably will elevate the new groove regulations from a Condition of Competition to an official rule.
– James Achenbach
Posted July 2
Only four of the top 12 players in the world are playing the Tiger Woods-hosted AT&T National tournament this week.
Considering
that low turnout and the fact PGA Tour prize money rose from $65.95
million in 1996 (the year Woods turned pro) to $279.45 million last
year, here are a few questions:
Shouldn’t players, elite and
otherwise, be lined up to play Woods’ tournament as thanks for making
them millionaires and multi-millionaires?
Where’s the gratitude?
Where’s the appreciation?
What’s with the absent memories?
Appalling stuff.
I’m thinking if you line my pockets with millions, I’ll come play in your tournament at Congressional.
– Jeff Rude
Posted July 1
I have a love/hate relationship with Twitter. It is, at times, highly entertaining, occasionally informative, and always changing. I check in every couple days to make sure I’m not completely out of the loop.
Couple of nuggets from today:
• Not sure why this interests me, but nearly 1,000 port-o-lets arrived at Saucon Valley today for the U.S. Women’s Open. I'll try not to visit them all.
• Became a fan of the Ricoh Women’s British Open on Facebook because of a Tweet tease: Sign up for a chance to win a Ricoh R10 digital camera.
Starting July 3, fans will be able to participate in a creative caption photo contest. As of now, the British Open Facebook page has 125 fans (two signed up while I was writing this blog) so camera odds aren’t bad.
• Chuckled looking at a picture Meaghan Francella posted of Morgan Pressel riding her grandfather’s scooter.
Nothing earth-shattering, but then again it rarely is ...
– Beth Ann Baldry
Posted June 30
Welcome to the latest episode of “The Return of The Can’t Miss Kids.”
First it was Bryce Molder, the four-time All-American at Georgia Tech, who finished T-2 at the St. Jude Classic.
Then a week later 2002 U.S. Amateur champ Ricky Barnes lit it up at the U.S. Open before coming back to earth and finishing T-2.
And this past weekend we watched 2003 U.S. Amateur runner-up Casey Wittenberg make his first top 10 of the season at the Travelers Championship. He finished T-7, breaking a string of seven missed cuts.
I spoke with Wittenberg at Memphis, a day after he qualified for the U.S. Open and he was in good spirits. He acknowledged that it has been a challenge as a Tour rookie who graduated from the Nationwide Tour to get in many tournaments early in the season.
“You see people making a lot of money and you’re falling behind and it’s frustrating,” he said.
Most of his explanation for his struggles to date was generic: the competition is stiffer, you can’t par your way around a course, blah, blah, blah.
But it sounded genuine when he said he’s not in a rush (a big change coming from a guy who turned pro after one year in college because he couldn't wait to get on Tour), and that he was enjoying the learning process. It’s hard to forget that he’s just 24 years old. There are only six players – Jason Day, Derek Fathauer, Anthony Kim, Colt Knost, Webb Simpson, and Brendon Todd – younger than Wittenberg with a Tour card.
A string of missed cuts can pack an emotional punch but Wittenberg remained optimistic. Especially this thought that proved prophetic: “You’re never as far off as you think you are,” he said.
– Adam Schupak
Posted June 29
Jiyai Shin gets paid $1 million to wear the Mirae Asset logo on her hat and shirt. Problem is, the logo isn’t stitched on her rain jacket. Even when rain came pelting down during the final round of the Wegmans LPGA, Shin made sure the Korean financial company got its money’s worth.
“Yes, I need a rain jacket, but my rain jacket doesn’t have my sponsor,” Shin said. “So I have to open and close rain jacket.”
Needless to say, they watch closely in Korea.
– Beth Ann Baldry
Posted June 29
Youth wasn’t served at the Travelers Championship. But it was eaten.
Welcome to Fossil Week on the PGA Tour. The average age of the top three finishers was over 45. Winner Kenny Perry is almost 49, and then there are the co-runnersup, Paul (Sunshine) Goydos at 45 and David Toms at 42.
Thing is, none of that was a fluke. All three are in the midst of good runs.
Perry has won twice this year, and 11 of his 14 Tour victories have come since he turned 40. If he bags a major, keeps it up and ignores his age, he could play his way into the Hall of Fame. Only three players have won more titles in their 40s: Vijay Singh with 22, Sam Snead with 17 and Willie Mcfarlane with 15.
Perry and Toms are tied with Tiger Woods for most top-10 finishes (seven) on Tour this year. And Goydos has three top-4 finishes in his last four events.
Just goes to show that the club and the ball do not know the player’s age, particularly when fairways-and-greens ball-striking is rewarded over bomber ball.
– Jeff Rude
Posted June 29
CROMWELL, Conn. – Paul Azinger’s first tournament since March didn’t last long. One round and 68 strokes, to be exact. But with his signature still fairly fresh on his scorecard, Azinger was disqualified, cited for using a non-conforming ball.
“He was the one to ask,” said Mark Russell, the PGA Tour’s vice-president of rules, competition, and administration. “So we pulled up the (conforming) list and discovered it isn’t on it.”
The ball in question was the Callaway Tour i with one dot, several of which were in Azinger’s bag. Back in March when he last played, the ball was on the conforming list, but it was removed just a few weeks ago. Had Azinger played the Tour i with two dots, he would have been OK.
It’s not the first time something like this has happened. In fact, one of the most infamous cases involved Greg Norman right here at TPC River Highlands. Similarly, Norman was DQ’d for using a non-conforming ball.
Azinger wasn’t the only one to leave after just one round. Dustin Johnson also shot 68, but withdrew with a wrist injury.
– Jim McCabe
Posted June 25
Coming off of a disappointing U.S. Open, it appears that Ernie Els has changed his mind about the upcoming AT&T National at a course that holds a special place in his heart: Congressional CC.
Having previously indicated he would play in the tournament, Els announced on his website that “the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond (July 9-12) is my next tournament , followed straight after that by the Open Championship at Turnberry.”
Added Els: “That’s a doubleheader that I’m really looking forward to.”
But apparently, he's not looking forward to a triple-header, even though the AT&T National (July 2-5) is hosted by Tiger Woods at a course where Els in 1997 won his second U.S. Open.
– Jim McCabe
Posted June 25
Don’t be surprised if someone shoots 59 this week at the Travelers Championship. In fact, there are two “59 watches” underway as we write.
Kenny Perry is 8 under par through 13 holes at the par-70 TPC River Highlands.
And Boo Weekley, bothered by a torn labrum in his shoulder this year, birdied his first six holes.
Last week was for marathoners. This week is for sprinters.
– Jeff Rude
Posted June 25
CROMWELL, Conn. – There are smiles at every turn of the head here at TPC River Highlands. That’s because we’re not at Bethpage Black, slipping in mud, hitting in rain. No, sir. We’re back at a good, old-fashioned birdie festival.
How optimum are the scoring conditions? Consider Boo Weekley. In just five holes he has made three more birdies than he made in 36 holes at last week’s U.S. Open. Given that he made two birdies at the U.S. Open before missing the cut, it means he had made five already here at the Travelers Championship.
That’s right, five consecutive birdies out of the gates for Weekley, but he better not stay content. After all, in the morning wave alone, Paul Goydos and Charles Warren fired 63s, three others shot 64, and 20 players went for 66 or better.
So conducive to scoring was it that Kevin Stadler brushed off his morning round as if he had shot himself out of the tournament. “I shot 3-under. Not very good.”
The field average thus far is 68.395, but wait a minute, it’s going to go down, most likely. Weekley has just knocked in an 18-foot putt at the sixth to go to 6-under.
Forget 59, he’s on pace to shoot 52.
– Jim McCabe
Posted June 25
CROMWELL, Conn. – J.J. Henry sure knows how to give the home folks something more than a donut with their morning coffee.
How about a hole-out from 114 yards on the first hole to make eagle and get into the early lead of the Travelers Championship? The pride of Fairfield, Conn., treats this hometown tournament as a major and was seen on the putting green well after the final putt was holed in Wednesday’s pro-am.
His only tour victory came here in 2006, but the game has been a bit of a struggle since. If he’s hoping to improve upon his 65th standing on the money list, he’ll need more than that eagle, however. With the rain gone and humid air hanging around, TPC River Highlands is soft and looking like one big green dartboard.
It wouldn’t be a shock if the course-record 61 is in jeopardy.
– Jim McCabe
Posted June 25
CROMWELL, Conn. – Even in these rough stretches when his play is ragged and Brad Faxon struggles to keep positive thoughts going, he’s thrilled to be part of the PGA Tour.
Wednesday, he got another reminder why. The day after his annual 36-day charity event wrapped up in cold, rainy, miserable weather, Faxon learned that one of his colleagues, Boo Weekley, had chosen to give back half his prize money.
“Pretty amazing. One of the best things that’s ever happened to us in that tournament,” Faxon said.
Weekley, one of 20 players in the team event, earned $42,500, but told tournament officials they can keep $21,250.
The CVS Charity Classic hosted by Faxon and Andrade supports dozens of charitable organizations in the Rhode Island area, where those PGA Tour members were born and raised.
– Jim McCabe
Posted June 24
CROMWELL, Conn. – Hey, the man just won a U.S. Open in ankle-high mud. What’s the big deal about hitting a 3-wood with a bunch of shaving cream on your face?
“It was the funniest thing, watching him scoop two holes out of the shaving cream so he could see,” said the perpetrator, Johnson Wagner.
Wagner’s caddie and co-conspirator, Steve Hale, laughed, but then shook his head and added: “The best thing is, he had shaving cream on his face, but still piped a 3-wood down the middle.”
“He,” of course, is your national champion, the widely popular Lucas Glover. He has been on a whirlwind of sorts, paraded into New York for a series of TV appearances, radio shows, and photo ops, so when he walked onto TPC River Highlands property Wednesday morning, Glover was back in the PGA Tour brotherhood.
Wagner figured what better way to greet his friend and major champion than a whipped-cream pie. “But we couldn’t find whipped cream,” Wagner said. “Shaving cream was the closest thing.”
So, as Glover stepped to the first tee for his afternoon pro-am, the annoucer barely got to “U.S. Open champion Lucas . . . “ when Wagner popped out from behind the tee and landed the shaving-cream pie dead center.
And just how did Glover handle it? With the great composure of a major champion.
“I loved it. It was hilarious,” Glover said, walking up the 18th hole, some five hours later. “How good was that? I’m still inhaling it.”
– Jim McCabe
Posted June 24
Nationwide Tour players and caddies will show their support for Chris Smith and Skip Kendall this week at the Nationwide Tour Players Cup by wearing black ribbons.
Smith’s wife, Beth, was killed in a weekend auto accident that critically injured their two children. Kendall’s mother, Shirley, also lost her life in a car accident a week earlier.
– Sean Martin
Posted June 24
Raise your hand if you’ve heard of the following players: Tania Elosegui, Martina Eberl, Melissa Reid.
Didn’t think so.
If the European Solheim Cup team was named this week, they’d be on it. I’ve actually seen Reid play several times, and she was a talented amateur. She’s currently sixth on the LET point standings, one spot out of automatic qualification. Annika Sorenstam, however, is the one sitting in front of her and she’ll be eight months pregnant by that time. If Reid holds her spot, she’s in.
Names like those won’t strike fear in the hearts of American players since, like you, they probably haven’t a clue.
We’ve still got a ways to go before August, but the Americans are playing well. Rich Harvest Farms could be a romp.
– Beth Ann Baldry
Posted June 24
CROMWELL, Conn. – Bob Heintz was finishing nine holes while playing with four kids in the Junior Pro-Am at the Travelers Championship. Off to the side working on his flop shot was Ricky Barnes, just a little more than 24 hours removed from his runner-up finish at the U.S. Open.
Down on the driving range, Paul Azinger was hitting balls with a new set of Mizuno irons. He didn’t want anyone around, saying he was going to work in his office – “No one can come into my office.”
Further down the range, Corey Pavin had just finished hitting balls after playing nine holes.
It just seems odd, that at 6:00 p.m., two Ryder Cup captains and one U.S. Open runner-up were all working on their game.
And it’s only Tuesday.
– Alex Miceli
Posted June 23
CROMWELL, Conn. – According to a report in Newsday, the USGA made an extra $5-10 million on the extra day of play on Monday at the U.S. Open with just an added expense of $500,000. They forgot to add the $2 million they would have had to payout if they didn’t play on Monday for the Thursday ticket holders.
– Alex Miceli
Posted June 23
I’m thinking about where David Brooker might go next and Suzann Pettersen seems a likely choice. She had a PGA Tour caddie on the bag at the McDonald’s LPGA Championship, but he was there on a trial basis.
Brooker and Yani Tseng would make a fantastic team, but Tseng isn’t interested in giving up good friend Sherry Lin, who is more friend than polished looper.
Before winning 21 times with Ochoa, Brooker worked 3 1/2 years for Grace Park, before injuries knocked her off the map. He also spent one year with Mi Hyun Kim, helped Charlotta Sorenstam win her lone title at the 2000 Standard Register Ping (beating her sister and Karrie Webb), and finished eighth on the money list with Carin Koch in 2002, no small feat.
Bottom line, Brooker was a big part of Ochoa’s success. Having a substitute caddie at the next several events isn’t ideal for the World No. 1, but she needed him for the long haul (even if that’s just 3-5 more years).
Ochoa has, at times, been out of sorts this year. From where I sit, this seems like a reckless move.
They were a good team.
– Beth Ann Baldry
Posted June 23
Heading into the U.S. Open, if I were to tell you that the No. 23 player in the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index was going to be the champion, would you have thought it was possible that the 23rd-best player in the last 52 weeks (which is the time frame used to compute the Performance Index) could win at Bethpage?
If you don’t think that would be a stretch, then Lucas Glover should have been considered a likely winner.
With the victory Glover improved three spots to No. 20 this week. In the Official World Ranking, Glover improved from No. 71 to No. 18.
– Lance Ringler
Posted June 23
2009 Tour Blog archive:
Click here for the U.S. Open Blog
Click here for the run-up to the U.S. Open
Click here for the Masters Blog.
Click here for the Hawaii, West Coast and Florida Swings.
2008 Tour Blog archive:
Click here for blogs from the ends to the PGA Tour and LPGA seasons.
Click here for the Ryder Cup blog.
Click here for the runup to the FedEx Cup and Barclays, Deutche Bank and BMW.
Click here for the PGA Championship blog.
Click here for the Women’s British Open and run-up to the PGA.
Click here for the British Open.
Click here for for the AT&T National and Women’s Open.
Click here for the U.S. Open.
Click here for the run-up to the U.S. Open.
Click here for the Masters.
Click here for the Kraft Nabisco and the run-up to Augusta.
Click here for the Florida Swing.
Click here for the West Coast Swing and LPGA’s Hawaiian kickoff.
Click here for the kick off of the season in Hawaii.
2007 Tour Blog archive:
Click here for blogs from the ends to the PGA Tour and LPGA seasons.
Click here for the post-Fed Ex Cup and Presidents Cup.
Click here for the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Click here for the Solheim Cup.
Click here for the PGA Championship.
Click here for the British Open and Women’s British Open.
Click here for the AT&T National, Women’s Open and Senior Open.
Click here for the U.S. Open.
Click here for the Players Championship and the run-up to the U.S. Open.
Click here for the Masters.
Click here for the Kraft Nabisco and the run-up to Augusta.
Click here for the Florida Swing.
Click here for the second half of the West Coast Swing.
Click here for the first half of the West Coast Swing.
Click here for the kick off of the season in Hawaii.
Posted: 7/22/2008
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