Welcome to the Tour Blog, where Golfweek reporters Jeff Babineau, Jeff Rude, Rex Hoggard, Dave Seanor, Alex Miceli, Alistair Tait and Beth Ann Baldry deliver the latest inside news and happenings on the PGA Tour, LPGA and European Tour.
Editor's note: This is the archived material from the second half of the West Coast Swing at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, the Nissan Open and the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, as well as the SBS Open and the Fields Open on the LPGA.
His first WGC trophy by his side early Sunday evening after a long, grueling week in Arizona, Henrik Stenson said he was "too tired to be happy." Guess he wasn't kidding.
On Monday, he withdrew from the Honda Classic.
A guy can't get docked FedEx points for that, can he?
– Jeff Babineau
Posted Feb. 26, 2007
MARANA, Ariz. – Perhaps the most interesting thing about the low-key Henrik Stenson, besides his powerful game, is this nickname being submitted for consideration: Hennie Stennie.
He pulled off numerous impressive shots over the week, but I'm thinking the next time he thrills the interview room with a signature quote, it might be the first.
Hennie Stennie, a potential superstar in the making, probably needs a speech writer more than a politician or CEO does. Or at least as much as this chopper needs a swing guru.
– Jeff Rude
Posted Feb. 25, 2007
MARANA, Ariz. – Just curious. What with the yearly buzz that greets the PGA Tour's only match play gathering coming to a close, should the volatile format be used more often?
TV types, gutted by Tiger Woods' early exit and a final four that features just one player ranked in the top 10 in the World Ranking (and it's not Geoff Ogilvy), have likely had their fill of the win-or-go-home style, and most players, even the successful ones, say once a year is plenty.
"At the moment, yeah there should be more," joked Ogilvy after his semifinal victory over Chad Campbell. "No, for a lot of reasons match play wouldn't work every week, but it's nice to have it once or twice a year."
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Feb. 25, 2007
MARANA, Ariz. – All right, if Henrik Stenson wins in Dubai and Tucson in the same month, does Johnny Miller finally surrender the Desert Fox nickname some three decades later? Does he hop out of the TV tower and hand it over?
– Jeff Rude
Posted Feb. 25, 2007
MARANA, Ariz. – A couple of grizzled hacks in the press tent were carrying on a few minutes ago about how they think Henrik Stenson resembles Annika Sorenstam's sister, Charlotta. I don't know if they're right or wrong, but it got me wondering if the two Swedes have ever been seen at the same time at the same place?
– Jeff Rude
Posted Feb. 25, 2007
MARANA, Ariz. – Henrik Stenson entered the second 18 with a 2-up lead over Geoff Ogilvy and a chance to move up to fifth on the Official World Ranking. If Stenson were to reach that perch, the World Ranking then would have two players in the top five who have never contended in a major championship: Stenson and Adam Scott.
What does this mean?
Perhaps it means that computers don't bleed. Sometimes going by feel works better than going by numbers, particularly when it comes to dating, 150-yard shots into a two-club wind and Hall of Fame voting. That's a lot to chew on, but who says you can't get a five-course meal in three paragraphs?
– Jeff Rude
Posted Feb. 25, 2007
No wonder Henrik Stenson is having so much success at the WGC Match Play this week. Judging by the overhead shots of The Gallery viewers are getting via the blimp on Golf Channel and NBC, I'm guessing he still thinks he's in Dubai ...
– Jeff Babineau
Posted Feb. 25, 2007
MARANA, Ariz. – As you may have heard, Henrik Stenson, Trevor Immelman, Chad Campbell and Geoff Ogilvy made the Final Four. This, of course, is probably not what TV types, TV watchers and golf aficionados would have preferred, but as we know match play isn't dream friendly.
I'm thinking if this were college basketball, these guys would be George Mason, Gonzaga, Texas Tech and Arizona.
– Jeff Rude
Posted Feb. 24, 2007
MARANA, Ariz. – The hottest players at the WGC-Match Play Championship are on a collision course at Dove Mountain and Trevor Immelman can thank a last-minute equipment change for his continued success.
Prior to the South African's quarterfinal bout with Justin Rose, he switched back to a putter he's used with some success in the past. Immelman put the Odyssey White Steel 2-Ball SRT model he used to win last year's Western Open in the bag Saturday. He was nearly perfect with it in the quarters, rolling over Rose, 5 and 4.
"It's an old faithful," Immelman said.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Feb. 24, 2007
MARANA, Ariz. – The perfect golfer may have been done in by a grassy imperfection. If nothing else, he figures that contributed to the loss of The Streak.
Tiger Woods doesn't miss much, but he said he missed a ball mark in his line on a 4-footer that would have eliminated Nick O'Hern on the first playoff hole in the third round. Woods said his ball hit the left side of an unfixed ball mark and caromed off to the right.
To hear him, he was more upset with not noticing the pitch mark than with losing his streak that extended seven consecutive PGA Tour starts.
"It's not the streak," he said when asked about his disappointment level. "I'm disappointed I didn't pay attention to detail, something so simple. I got so enthralled and so focused like I normally do on the line, and something so simple like that escaped me."
O'Hern would win with a par on the next hole and enhance his image as a Tiger Killer. He also beat Woods in this tournament two years ago.
"Something to tell the grandkids, I guess," the lanky lefthanded Australian said.
– Jeff Rude
Posted Feb. 23, 2007
MARANA, Ariz. – The question some have asked in recent years is, Where are the kids? Where's golf's next generation?
Well, here's the answer: They're here. In the final stages of the WGC Accenture Match Play.
The Elite Eight features six players age 32 or younger. The Sweet Sixteen had four more players 31 or under.
The kids are growing up.
– Jeff Rude
Posted Feb. 23, 2007
MARANA, Ariz. – Just when it looked like Nick O'Hern would be a Steve Scott, he turned out to be a Brian Barnes.
– Jeff Rude
Posted Feb. 23, 2007
MARANA, Ariz. – You say there were eight third-round matches Friday in the WGC Accenture Match Play. I say it felt like there was one.
No, not Stenson-Baddeley.
– Jeff Rude
Posted Feb. 23, 2007
MARANA, Ariz. – This isn't La Costa, where wet, spongy greens make any putt outside a foot a hit-and-hope adventure.
The greens at The Gallery for this week's WGC-Match Play Championship have been called perfect, which has led to a more liberal policy among players when conceding putts.
That was, however, until Trevor Immelman's third-round dance with Ian Poulter. Poulter had his South African opponent, who was clinging to a one-hole lead at the time, putt out a 2 footer for par.
"I'll have to speak to Ian about that," said Immelman, who closed out the match a hole later. "I wasn't real happy about that, but considering how I was putting I guess I can't blame him."
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Feb. 23, 2007
MARANA, Ariz. – Tiger Woods went 6-5-6 in the middle of his front nine Friday against Nick O'Hern. I'm no stat man, but I'm thinking the last time he went 6-5-6 was when he was 6 years old or when playing Keno in Vegas.
656 sounds more like an area code in central Minnesota than an entry on a Tiger Woods scorecard.
But that's what can happen when your ball finds water and desert. Speaking of water and desert, Woods was in the desert so often on the front nine, he needed a canteen.
– Jeff Rude
Posted Feb. 23, 2007
MARANA, Ariz. – For all the strategic adjustments players make for the Tour's annual match play soiree, the format presents an equal number of challenges for TV types.
For the Golf Channel crew of Kelly Tilghman, Nick Faldo and Co., the absence of leaderboards and scoring averages presents a dramatic departure from the norm.
"In a stroke play event you're talking about score, player, hole," Tilghman said after the second round. "Here, you're talking about score, player, hole, situation, where the match stands. It really keeps you on your toes."
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Feb. 23, 2007
KAPOLEI, Hawaii – Meaghan Francella posted a rather adventurous 3-under 69 Feb. 22 that included a triple-bogey and an eagle to start the Fields Open.
Or wait, make that a 68. Over an hour after Francella finished her round, her score changed to 4 under on LPGA live scoring. Francella was in the player hospitality tent watching coverage on the Golf Channel when she realized her score was listed incorrectly. The North Carolina grad says she triple-checks her scorecard and knew she was right, but was "a little nervous when she saw 3 under on the TV."
Turns out her walking scorer marked her down for a par on the par-3 eighth hole when Francella had made birdie.
It was a wild day for Francella, who was four under through 10 holes and then went triple-bogey, bogey to drop to even par. But she rebounded with an eagle on the fifth hole (her 14th) and then made two more birdies to finish where she started her second nine, at 4 under par.
"I know I'm not a quitter," said Francella. "I knew that before I started today, but I think that just proved it even more."
– Beth Ann Baldry
Posted Feb. 22, 2007
MARANA, Ariz. – Believe it or not, an American actually beat a European in match play Thursday. That qualifies as world news, shocking world news. As you may recall, Europe has won the last two Ryder Cup by 100 or so points, and in the first round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play here, Euros won all four matches they played against Americans.
Stewart Cink of the U.S.A. reversed this trend by defeating Padraig Harrington, 1 up. It is unclear whether Harrington will be allowed back onto the European continent or, for that matter, in Ireland ever again.
– Jeff Rude
Posted Feb. 22, 2007
MARANA, Ariz. – Tiger Woods moved at least one step closer to an eighth consecutive PGA Tour victory on Thursday. Not only did he play well in winning in the WGC-Accenture Match Play second round, other heavyweights bowed out.
Let's start with world No. 2 Jim Furyk. He's gone, having lost to three closing birdies by Chad Campbell. What's more, the four others from the obsolete Big Five of a couple of years ago are out of town. Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh and Retief Goosen were ousted Thursday, just as Ernie Els was on Opening Day.
All No. 1 seeds besides Woods are gone.
All No. 2 seeds are gone.
And it's not even Friday. This is good for Woods but not for the Tucson Chamber of Commerce.
So it's lonely at the top for El Tigre. Of those ranked in the top 10 in the world, only he and No. 8 Henrik Stenson are still in the running. Woods could meet Stenson, who beat him while winning in Dubai a couple of weeks ago, in the fourth round.
Next Woods has the thin and lanky Nick O'Hern, who eliminated Woods in this tournament's second round two years ago at La Costa. Another Woods giant killer, Shaun Micheel, remains as well. Micheel, the surprising 2003 PGA champion, took down Woods last September in the HSBC World Match Play at Wentworth in England, 4 and 3.
Still, it doesn't take a seasoned bracketologist to figure out the favorite in the Sweet 16.
"The way that one guy is playing, it will probably be him again," said Stephen Ames, a 9-and-8 loser to Woods in the first round last year. "Mr. Woods, by the looks of it. ... He should be there."
Ames is also in the running on the other side of the bracket. If he gets a rematch against Woods, it would be in the final.
"Oh, boy, you guys would love that, wouldn't you," Ames said, laughing with reporters. "That would be such a field day in the news."
Yes. Yes it would be.
Ames was told that this match would have to go more than 18 holes because the final is scheduled for 36.
"I hope it would go 18," he said, smiling. "Can it go 18? Yeah, it can."
– Jeff Rude
Posted Feb. 22, 2007
MARANA, Ariz. – Usually when a player loses, his time is spent with the PGA Tour travel agent making arrangements to get out of Dodge, or in this case Marana. But Stuart Appleby, who lost to Charles Howell III, 4 and 3, in the first found, stuck around.
While his caddie Joe Damiano made the travel plans back to Orlando, Appleby beat a minimum of four bags of balls on the driving range with his instructor Steve Bann.
Appleby was all over the map with his driver and after four bags of balls - it didn't seem to get any better.
– Alex Miceli
Posted Feb. 22, 2007
MARANA, Ariz. – Butch Harmon took a look at Phil Mickelson on the range the other day at the WGC-Accenture Match Play, and once word leaked out, inquiring minds wanted to know what this business about getting a second swing opinion was all about.
"I'm not going to go there," Mickelson said after winning his first-round match at the Gallery South Course at Dove Mountain. "We've been friends a number of years."
Both Harmon and Rick Smith, Mickelson's longtime swing coach, downplayed the deal. The same thing happened three years ago at this same tournament, what with Mickelson asking Harmon to take a look.
"Same tournament, same circumstances," Harmon said Wednesday night. "He wanted my opinion on how to eliminate the right side (on shots), which is what he did when he won his first Masters. That's all it was. I saw a couple of things he had done on TV and let him know what I thought."
As in 2004, Harmon told Mickelson to let Smith know about their session.
– Jeff Rude
Posted Feb. 21, 2007
MARANA, Ariz. – Tough format, this match play. Thirty-two slightly bruised Tour pros headed out of town Feb. 21. Some in a huff, others in a hurry.
One-and-done is bad business at the NCAA basketball tournament and WGC-Match Play, and agitation was etched appropriately into nearly all of the three dozen faces that were bounced on Day 1 at The Gallery Golf Club.
"Let's get down to business," Brett Wetterich said to the Tour's on-site travel agent following his 4-and-3 Lap 1 loss to match play magician Chris DiMarco. "I need to get to West Palm Beach (Fla.) quick."
Some consolation: A top 40 to pad their stats (first-round losses at the Match Play count as a T-33), 85.723 FedEx Cup points (in case you're keeping track at home) and $40,000.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Feb. 21, 2007
MARANA, Ariz. – American golf finally found a way to beat European Ryder Cuppers at match play: Pair the Euros against each other in an Arizona desert.
Let them eat each other.
And so it was on Day 1 of the WGC Accenture Match Play. Padraig Harrington eliminated Lee Westwood in 19 holes, Sergio Garcia beat fellow loud dresser Darren Clarke in 19 holes and Luke Donald sent Miguel Angel Jimenez back to Spain, 3 and 1.
Not that the Europeans didn't feast again on Americans. They did. Just to let you know the world is spinning properly on its axis, Euros won all four of the matches that pitted them against Yanks. Henrik Stenson edged Zach Johnson, 1 up, in a meeting between 2006 Ryder Cuppers, Ian Poulter beat Bart Bryant (5 and 4), Niclas Fasth defeated Joe Durant (1 up) and Jose Maria Olazabal took out Paul Goydos (19 holes).
All four of those Europeans have played in the Ryder Cup before. So their triumphs were hardly surprising to anyone who has noticed that Europe has won the last two Ryder Cups by nine points apiece.
– Jeff Rude
Posted Feb. 21, 2007
Not to get too far ahead of ourselves, since the WGC Match Play is harder to predict than Phil Mickelson's travel itinerary, but should Sergio Garcia be the last man standing at The Gallery Sunday – and certainly he has enough game, though he's never even made it into the quarters in five previous attempts – this is the roster of conquests he potentially could leave in his path:
• First round: Darren Clarke, former WGC Match Play champion and a Ryder Cup stalwart.
• Second round: Charles Howell III, No. 16 in the world, and hottest player on the planet not named Tiger.
• Third round: Phil Mickelson, No. 3 in the world, and second hottest player on the planet not named Tiger.
• Fourth round: Ernie Els, No. 5 in the world and a terrific match play force on any course not named La Costa.
• Fifth round: Tiger Woods, No. 1 in the world, and the hottest player in the world who IS named Tiger.
• Sixth round: TBA. (Fill in your own opponent here.) Curiously enough, this could be Garcia's easiest match – at least his "easiest" opponent – of the week.
That, of course, would only be if he gets through golf's version of Murderer's Row.
Then again, he could be one and done and on a plane Wednesday night.
Ah, the beauty of match play . . .
– Jeff Babineau
Posted Feb. 21, 2007
MARANA, Ariz. – – If you're not a faithful follower of tiny type, you may be surprised at some of the people who have taken up residence in the upper limits of the Official World Golf Ranking.
For instance, Paul (Sunshine) Goydos is in the 64-man WGC-Accenture Match Play, but 2006 semifinalist Tom Lehman isn't.
Yong-Eun Yang is here, but Justin Leonard isn't. Jeev Milkha Singh is here, but a 2006 Ryder Cupper, Vaughn Taylor, isn't.
Yes, this elite field not only has a few players the Great Unwashed has never heard of, but also some guys longtime golf junkies wouldn't know with a couple of hints.
For example, I wouldn't be able to identify Yong-Eun Yang at the Seoul airport if, say, he yelled out, "Hey, it wasn't that long ago I took down Tiger and the Goose in China." Especially if he was speaking Korean.
Nor is there any way I would know Jeev Milkha Singh if he jumped up and down on a table in a New Delhi restaurant and screamed, "I am not Vijay, and I'm OK with that."
But they're here, among the proud 64. And this is big stuff for them. I mean, Yong-Eun Yang has never finished better than 47th in a PGA Tour event, and Jeev Milkha Singh never better than 59th. And now both have a chance to be a giant killer this week.
Jeev Singh plays Stewart Cink in the first round. There are a lot of possibilities that could come out of that. The winner could end up playing Vijay Singh in the third round. In other words, Cink could be the first Georgia player with a hairy chin patch to beat two guys named Singh in the same match-play tournament. I qualify that with "Georgia player with a hairy chin patch" because there might be a few players in Asia or India who have bagged a pair of Singhs the same week.
The third round also could produce a Singh-Singh duel. That opens the possibility of an even match on 18 when one of them drives the ball in jail en route to defeat and declares, "I am in Sing Sing."
– Jeff Rude
Posted Feb. 20, 2007
KAPOLEI, Hawaii – Is it OK to blog about somebody else's blog? Because the LPGA rookie blogs are a good place to get to know some of the tour's up-and-comers and I just read a LOL (laugh out loud) entry from Becky Lucidi. Since her amateur days, Lucidi has been one of golf's most entertaining interviews. Turns out she's even funnier in front of a keyboard.
The former U.S. Women's Amateur champion tried to Monday qualify for this week's Fields Open in Hawaii, but shot 76 Feb. 19 and failed to get in. Don't worry, she's still got her sense of humor.
In Lucidi's first blog entry, she talks about the unwritten "guidelines" to travel. Everyone out here is on the road at least half the year between tournaments, sponsorship obligations and vacations. Chances are these ladies have just about seen it all when it comes to airports and hotels.
Lucidi shares with us her top eight things travelers should never do, beginning with "Men should NOT be allowed to wear tank tops on airplanes. ... Nothing worse than a man's shoulder hair rubbing up on you." Amen to that.
Next up Lucidi says she'll tackle "fun things to do to annoy the other passengers" on international flights. Stay tuned ...
– Beth Ann Baldry
Posted Feb. 20, 2007
Without a real match play record, and not many players in the modern era have much of a mano-a-mano resume, there are few indicators as to how the world's best will fare in the game's premier win-or-go-home gathering. In fact, absent an misguided and ill-timed perceived slight of Tiger Woods (think Stephen "9-and-8" Ames), picking a potential winner at the WGC-Match Play Championship has all the scientific trappings of a round of rock, paper, scissors.
Exhibit A: In the eight-year history of the event, the No. 63 player has a better overall record (9-9) than the No. 5 player (6-8). World ranking, money lists, FedEx Cup points (In case you haven't heard in the last 5 minutes, Charles Howell III is leading the $10 million cash grab with 9,625 points) mean nothing when the lucky 64 submit their fates to the vagaries of 18-hole match play.
There is, however, one measure of success that transcends lucky bounces, chip ins and buried lies – putting. With that in mind, we'll take Padraig Harrington over Justin Rose – the two highest-ranked players in this week's field on Tour in putting average – in Sunday's final match.
Or, maybe we'll keep it simple. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe . . .
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Feb. 20, 2007
Five matches I'd pay to see this week at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona:
Round 2, Match 42: Sergio Garcia vs. Charles Howell III
The skinny: Two young players in good form at Nissan collide head-on in a birdie-filled shootout that could be a classic. Howell seems to have straightened out his putting woes; what say you, El Nino?
Round 2, Match 45: Tiger Woods vs. Robert Allenby
The skinny: Last week, Rod Pampling said he thinks it will be an Aussie who will end Tiger's PGA Tour run. Was this what he had in mind?
Round 3, Match 56: Vijay Singh vs. Jeev Singh
The skinny: The Tour is looking to extend its fan base, so how about this: an all-prison match-up? Go with me on this one. Singh-Singh. Get it?
Round 5, Match 61: Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson
The skinny: Hey, everyone wants to see this one, right? Tiger vs. Phil, mano a mano. The only thing better would be if the two met in the finals, not semis, but since the Match Play did not re-seed using the latest World Rankings – which begs the question: Why not? – we don't get to see this one play out as the final act. This match, of course, depends on Woods getting past Match 45 (see above). Woods wins in a thriller.
Round 6, Match 63: Tiger Woods vs. (envelope please) Stephen Ames!!!
The skinny: Ames is out for revenge and to regain a little pride after last year's 9-and-8 shellacking, which prompted even his own dad to poke fun at him. However, the night before the 36-hole final, Ames' infamous 2006 words on Tiger are played over and over and over, and Tiger comes out Sunday as fired up as ever. Final result: Woods, 19 and 17.
Actually, I'm seeing an Allenby-David Toms final in a Match Play Upset Special ... maybe I just need a little Windex for my crystal ball. We'll see. Buckle up. It should be fun.
– Jeff Babineau
Posted Feb. 19, 2007
First thing that crossed my mind when I checked out the WGC Accenture Match Play bracket is that it would behoove J.J. Henry not to get lippy before he plays Tiger Woods in the first round Wednesday. As you may recall, Stephen Ames got lippy before his opener against Woods last year and it didn't turn out well for Ames. A steamed Woods launched him back to Trinidad or Tobago or both. The score was 9 and 8, which is almost impossible in 18-hole match play at the PGA Tour level unless someone with a rusty game from a Calgary winter gets lippy about a world No. 1 who has an excellent memory.
Actually, Ames didn't get all that lippy. He just said what a lot of other people were thinking, that it was remarkable how well Woods was doing in tournaments despite some of the odd places he was hitting his tee shots. So, J.J. Henry should know not even to venture into the neighborhood of a backhanded compliment.
Henry would be best served not to say something like, "It appears you are playing only one stroke-play event on the 2006 Tour before mid-March. What, you semi-retired or just saving your energy for the FedEx Cup playoffs?"
Nor should he say to Woods, "By the way, big boy, what happened on that opening drive at the Ryder Cup, you know, the one that splashed like Shamu at Sea World?"
– Jeff Rude
Posted Feb. 19, 2007
I watched the Nissan Open playoff and last hole of regulation and noticed that when they got around the greens, Charles Howell III and Phil Mickelson seemed to change bodies. Or, at the least, hands. I mean, Howell kept on getting up and down down, and the lefthander with the all-world short game, save for the first playoff hole, looked like a 10-handicapper from just off the green.
And it seemed that Mickelson was in a hurry, as if he had a charter flight to catch.
– Jeff Rude
Posted Feb. 19, 2007
It was nice to see Tom Watson wiggle in a 3-footer at the last hole at the Outback Pro-Am Sunday to win again on the Champions Tour after going winless in 2006.
I happened to be over in Tampa earlier this week, and when the forecast called for unseasonably cold and breezy – temperatures dipped into the 20s – well, who makes a better pick than Watson, one of the all-time tough weather mudders? Even if, amazingly, he never had won in the Sunshine State before.
In fact, I asked Watson if his goals ever change as he gets older, and he said no, his goal on the Champions Tour this season is the same as always. To win again. Soon.
Speaking of Watson, he showed a week ago at Pebble Beach, when he hung around the leaderboard deep into the weekend with the regular Tour boys, that tee to green he still can compete out there on many tracks. His woes always have come on the greens with the short stick.
I'll never forget a scene involving Watson at Doral in the mid-1990s. He stuffed a marvelous shot close at the Blue Monster's daunting 240-yard 13th hole, but alas, missed the putt for birdie. A Miami-area columnist was talking to Watson on the resort's back steps after the round, and sheepishly told Watson, "Tom, I'm not even a good player, but I think even I could have made that putt."
Watson could have bitten the man's head off, but instead kept his Kansas City coolness about him, smiled that Huck Finn grin of his and said, "Maybe you could. But can you hit the 2-iron from 240 yards to 3 feet?"
Touche.
– Jeff Babineau
Posted Feb. 18, 2007
LOS ANGELES – Jim Nantz recently invited me and 15-20 other writers to watch the 1960 Masters at Bel Air Country Club ... with the winner, Arnold Palmer. So, I made the trek from Riviera, which as the crow flies is probably not more than 3 miles, but by L.A. traffic standards is 30 minutes.
Once I pulled in, the valet said my shorts were not permitted in the club and I would need a pair of pants. I told him I wasn't going back out in that traffic for a pair of pants, so it was on to the pro shop.
I was clearly not the first person to visit the pro shop in need of pants – there was a wide assortment. The next hurdle came at check-out. They don't take cash or cards and was told they would have to put it on Mr. Nantz's bill. As tempting as that was, I couldn't do it. Eventually, I found that my membership number at my club could work, so I bought my pants and headed to the feature presentation.
With my new pants on, I had some breakfast and settled in to watch CBS' new colorized version of the event with Nantz and The King. Considering that he had been up since 4 a.m. and had to fly back across the country to Pennsylvania, Palmer looked pretty spry. He vividly recalled his shot at No. 16 that year that hit the pin and hopped out.
Despite the pants problem, it turned out to be a fantastic morning.
– Alex Miceli
Posted Feb. 17, 2007
LOS ANGELES – It's 2:53 EST, just before the broadcast on Saturday. You would be hard pressed to find a better leaderboard anywhere:
Phil Mickelson (-13)
Padraig Harrington (-11)
Rich Beem (-8)
Ernie Els (-8)
Charles Howell III (-8)
Vijay SIngh (-7)
Rory Sabbatini (-7)
Jim Furyk (-7)
Robert Allenby (-7)
Sergio Garcia (-7)
Tiger Who?
– Alex Miceli
Posted Feb. 17, 2007
OAHU, Hawaii – The Ai Miyazato media spectacle never gets old. It's fascinating to watch dozens of reporters and photographers clamor to record the Japanese sensation's every move.
As Japanese television crews began firing questions to Miyazato after a 4-over 76 in the second round of the SBS Open, she stood at attention with her hands tucked neatly behind her back. Now I don't speak a word of Japanese, but I had no problem understanding the word "putter" in the first question.
Miyazato had 66 putts in two rounds and finished at 7 over par. With all of Japan anxiously awaiting her first LPGA victory, a missed cut in her opening event surely invited even more pressure for her sophomore campaign. In her first year on tour, Miyazato played in 21 tournaments and missed only two cuts.
"My face was a little closed," said Miyazato of her putting stroke. "These things are good for me. I like the pressure. It's just the start."
Miyazato then flashed that mega-watt smile and walked into yet another media frenzy.
– Beth Ann Baldry
Posted Feb. 16, 2007
OAHU, Hawaii – The tournament hub at the SBS Open isn't a clubhouse or pro shop. Several unassuming white tents surrounding the putting green and driving range provide shade and house refreshments for players, caddies and their guests. The 1st and 10th tees are within shouting distance as well as the ninth hole.
Basically if you hang around that area long enough, random information will come your way. For example, I recently learned that Leigh Anne Hardin and Tom Creavy are getting married this September.
Creavy, Se Ri Pak's longtime instructor, runs a golf academy out of MetroWest Golf Club in Orlando, where Hardin also lives.
Hardin isn't in the field this week. In fact, the 1998 U.S. Girls' Junior champion took a job in pharmaceutical sales and might play in a few Futures Tour events this year just for fun. Last season on the Futures Tour the Duke grad made 10 cuts in 17 events and earned $3,369.
Guess those 18 AJGA titles and that USGA hardware doesn't necessarily lead to a pot of LPGA gold. That Duke diploma sure is coming in handy though.
– Beth Ann Baldry
Posted Feb. 15, 2007
I'm sitting here playing darts, passing the time the way some in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., might. I'm throwing darts at the U.S. map on my wall to see what other cities the PGA Tour could move the old Western Open to.
Let's see, commissioner Tim Finchem, the man responsible for pulling Tour golf out of Chicago, has the Western (now BMW Championship) going to St. Louis is 2008 and Indianapolis in 2010. That means Chicago has exactly one Tour event between July 2006 and September 2009. It doesn't matter that Chicago is the nation's third largest market and perhaps its best golf city, all things considered. It doesn't matter that the Western is our country's second oldest tournament.
Tradition doesn't matter to Ponte Vedra.
Corporate logos do.
I'm a bit surprised Finchem hasn't tried to convince the green coats to move the Masters out of Augusta.
Now word is that the old Western may be headed to Harding Park in San Francisco twice next decade – in 2013 or '14 and perhaps again between 2015 and '19. The Tour has a contract with San Francisco to have four events at Harding before 2020. And what with the FedEx Cup playoffs in September, there is no more WGC-American Express Championship in October, like there was at Harding in 2005.
The Western-to-San Francisco is developing even though Finchem told the Chicago Tribune last August that the Tour was rethinking the idea of leaving Chicago every other year because it had received a lot of criticism.
Apparently he changed his mind.
Hence, my little game of darts.
The first throw hit Broken Arrow, Okla. So it makes sense the old Western goes there in 2012.
The second throw hit Fargo, N.D. Let's move the old Western there in 2013 or '14.
The third throw hit Augusta, Ga. If Finchem somehow can get the Masters out of there, maybe there'll be room for the old Western by 2015.
– Jeff Rude
Posted Feb. 15, 2007
So, now that Phil Mickelson got that 6-ton gorilla off his back by winning at Pebble (Winged Foot hangover? What hangover?), which prominent player most needs a PGA Tour victory sometime soon?
I'm saying Ernie Els. The Big Easy hasn't won a PGA Tour event since the 2004 AmEx in Ireland, and hasn't won on U.S. soil since Memorial in mid-2004.
Nissan marks 36 events since Jack Nicklaus handed him that trophy in Ohio, and when you're Ernie Els, 36 starts represents an eternity. Obviously he dealt with a serious knee injury late in 2005 and looks as if he's swinging better and getting to his left side far more effectively than a year ago, but if he's going to be a force at Augusta – and he wants so badly to win there – he definitely could use an injection of confidence with a victory between now and then.
He's playing this week at Nissan, then the Match Play – I'm sure no one was more relieved to the move from La Costa – and after a week in Thailand (oh, the trips we could take with his miles on Air Easy!), he's in Florida to play Bay Hill and Doral.
Speaking of Ernie's usual hectic schedule, here's guessing he might have been just a little relieved to see The International's exit this July. Though he loved the event and had committed to play Castle Pines as a favor to the Vickers family, it would have meant traveling from Germany (BMW) to Denver (International) and back to Scotland (Scottish Open) in the weeks leading to the British Open at Carnoustie.
If he's serious about adding a few more major trophies to the three he already has, then Big Ernie, who turns 38 this year, needs to pace himself a little better than that.
Especially considering this year's first two major stops (Augusta and Oakmont) are places he's shown he can play quite well.
– Jeff Babineau
Posted Feb. 14, 2007
OAHU, Hawaii – Walking off the plane in Honolulu Monday night, a flight attendant donned a lei and said "Aloha, welcome to paradise!" I know, covering the start of the LPGA season is such a rough gig.
One of the first players I ran into in paradise was Kimberly Kim. The smiling teen received an invitation to play in the SBS Open thanks to a new LPGA "modification" that allows the tour to offer a sponsor exemption to the U.S. Women's Amateur champion if an LPGA event is held in her home state.
Conveniently, there's not one, but two, LPGA events for the Hawaiian native to sharpen her skills on. If they can't get Michelle Wie to play in her home state, then the youngest player to ever win the U.S. Women's Amateur isn't a bad substitution. Call it the K-Squared Rule.
After speaking with Kim for 10 minutes, it didn't seem like she'd let her newfound fame go to her head. She still beats herself up over a bad shot and has much too little faith in her abilities.
When asked how she'd grown since her historic victory last summer, the 15-year-old offered these words: "I think I've matured more. Not! Just kidding."
Kim Kim may have turned 15 since she hoisted the Women's Am trophy, but she's totally, not like, changed one bit.
– Beth Ann Baldry
Posted Feb. 13, 2007
LOS ANGELES – On one of the nicest days anyone can remember at Riviera, Fred Couples' streak of 25 consecutive Nissan Opens ended.
Plagued by a left leg injury, Couples concluded his amazing streak. He has played in one event in 2007 – missing the cut at the FBR Open – and withdrawn from the Bob Hope and Pebble Beach. He says the injury happened while out walking at the FBR. But whatever it is, Couples must be in some serious pain to miss out on Riviera.
– Alex Miceli
Posted Feb. 13, 2007
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Late night, random musings after writing for
Golfweek print ...
Phil Mickelson will be a force this year. He's fit. He's enthused. He believes he's playing better than ever. And the Winged Foot monkey is off his back. If Lefty contends at Riviera, a place that's given him fits in the past, watch out.
Keep an eye on Kevin Sutherland. After a T-14 at the Buick Invitational and runner-up finish here, he's brimming with confidence. Which can be potent when combined with his kind of experience.
Not sure we'll be seeing much more of John Mallinger in PGA Tour media centers. If we do, let's hope his cheering section stays outside. I understand their excitement about him earning so many FedEx Cup points, but girlfriends, family and buddies shouldn't be allowed to sit in on interviews if they can't keep quiet.
Nice to see Smilin' Matt Kuchar back on the scene. Kuchar and Ryan Moore, both U.S. Amateur champions, matched Mickelson's closing 66 at Pebble. Kuchar tied for sixth. Moore blistered the front nine in 29 en route to a T-19.
Did you know that Tommy Armour III has made fields twice this season via Monday qualifiers? What a throwback. He tied for 44th here. (But he wasn't low Armour. Rookie Ryan Armour, no relation, finished T-9 in his fourth career start.)
How about Corey Pavin playing his final 38 holes bogey free. That included a 67 Friday at Pebble – before the wind really began to howl, but still pretty impressive – followed by 70 on Sunday. He tied for 6th.
– Dave Seanor
Posted Feb. 11, 2007
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Gotta feel for poor Jim Furyk. He got totally hosed by the draw here at the AT&T.
I spent most of Saturday at Poppy Hills, but got back down to Pebble in time to watch the Chris DiMarco/Emmitt Smith and Billy Andrade/Tom Brady (or the "impossibly handsome Tom Brady," as my 23-year-daughter refers to him) play a couple of holes, followed by the Furyk group.
An hour was enough for me to get soaked and chilled to the bone. Furyk, who began the day as co-leader with Phil Mickelson at 12-under par, was out there for 6 hours, 40 minutes. Starting at 9:50 a.m., Furyk caught the worst of conditions, shot 76 and fell six shots behind Mickelson and Kevin Sutherland after 54 holes.
"The last three holes were miserable," Furyk said. "The last six were really tough and the first 12 were hard."
To his infinite credit, Furyk stood in the rain another 10 minutes after his round and patiently answered questions from the handfull of reporters who ventured from the media center.
"I hit about four really bad shots today, and they were all right, kind of flares to the right," Furyk said. "I have to figure that out for tomorrow."
But he wasn't headed to the range. "You'd have to shoot me before I did that," he said.
– Dave Seanor
Posted Feb. 10, 2007
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Corey Pavin sure caught everyone's attention with his third-round 67 at Pebble. He said he drew from experience.
"It always helps when you have seen the course in different conditions and you understand what you can and can't do, and where you need to put the ball to make pars," he said.
Pavin acknowledged that he dodged the weather bullet. Things didn't get nasty until he reached the 17th hole.
"I was kind of fortunate I teed off at 8:10 today," he said. "There are guys who still have nine holes to play almost. That's going to be brutal."
– Dave Seanor
Posted Feb. 10, 2007
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Yikes! T.R. Reinman lost his Blackberry!
Reinman is Phil Mickelson's facilitator for media relations. You don't get to Lefty unless you go through T.R.
Meaning a misplaced personal communications device could constitute a firing offense.
Fortunately for Reinman, his "lifeline" simply fell out of his pocket during the shuttle ride from Spyglass Hill to the media center at Pebble. The car looped back and T.R. was back in business in time to coordinate Phil's post-round conference call via cell phone.
– Dave Seanor
Posted Feb. 10, 2007
Now we know what was plaguing Phil Mickelson the first month of the season: Three coats of rust piled on during months of inactivity.
The remedy did not come in the form of rustoleum but from repetition, practice, playing in his beloved California and a return to a place, Pebble Beach, where he has won twice.
So those who might have been wondering whether Phil was Phinished have their answer.
Mickelson's first three days at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am remind us again about the main reason he has won 29 PGA Tour titles.
Talent.
– Jeff Rude
Posted Feb. 10, 2007
It was a sad week for golf, and not because Tiger Woods decided not to play in next week's Nissan Open.
It was a sad week because family and friends said goodbye to George Burger, the PGA Tour VP who has run Presidents Cups, helped governors get elected and made countless people smile.
It was a doubly sad week because of the news that The International won't be played this year. So in a matter of a few months, the Tour no longer is associated with two of America's prominent businessmen: Jack Vickers, founder of The International tournament in 1986, and Joe Hardy, the 84 Lumber chief whose event near Pittsburgh folded up after last year's staging.
The tournaments of Vickers and Hardy had a common thread: They treated players like kings. The carpet they rolled out was red and long.
Their departures make one wonder whether this is the beginning of a Tour trend or just a blip during difficult economic times.
Know this: Players are watching and wondering, and commissioner Tim Finchem might be feeling more heat than he ever has.
There is a scientific solution, but cloning Tiger Woods isn't practical.
– Jeff Rude
Posted Feb. 10, 2007
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Kevin Sutherland, who lit up Spyglass Hill with a second-round 63, is now the only active pro golfer in his family.
Sutherland's younger brother, David, has quit the game and is working on his secondary teaching certificate.
"If he wasn't playing golf, I'm sure he would have gotten his Ph.D. in history," said Kevin. "That's his true passion."
David Sutherland, 40, made only three cuts in 17 starts on the Nationwide Tour last season.
– Dave Seanor
Posted Feb. 9, 2007
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Word is the Tour lightened Vijay Singh's wallet with a five-figure fine Thursday. Seems the Veej couldn't find a parking place before his opening round at Spyglass Hill, and gave grief to a Spyglass staffer who was trying to sort out the traffic problem.
He picked the wrong guy. The man whose competance Singh questioned was Spyglass head pro Bill Sendell, who promptly informed Tour officials of the episode.
– Dave Seanor
Posted Feb. 9, 2007
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Followed USGA president Walter Driver for a couple of holes Friday. Paired with Michael Putnam, Driver is playing off a 2 handicap here.
On the 8th at Poppy Hills he yanked his drive into the trees left, pitched out, then hit a wedge from the center of the fairway – he probably had 115 yards to the flag – that spun back off the green with all the juice you typically see from a Tour player. No wonder they're fretting over square grooves in Far Hills.
(For the record, Driver was hitting a TaylorMade R7 driver, Mizuno T-Zoid irons and Titleist Vokey wedges. )
At the 9th, Driver hit a terrific 5-wood approach, 195 yards into the wind, to about 16 feet. Alas, he missed the birdie attempt.
– Dave Seanor
Posted Feb. 9, 2007
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Phil Mickelson, who eagled his final hole (the par-5 ninth at Poppy Hills) to shoot 7-under-par 65 for a share of the first-round lead at the AT&T, says he's so excited about his improved play off the tee that he wants to enter the Nissan Open at Riviera, which would be the fifth of six starts in as many weeks.
Lefty said he wants to test himself at "a course that's tight, tree-lined with doglegs, and maneuver shots all over."
He said he's eliminated the errant tee ball that cost him the U.S. Open, and wants to play at Riviera "because of it."
Mickelson said he needs to reschedule some commitments in order to play the Nissan. Regarding the six consecutive starts (Hope through WGC Match Play), the notorious homebody said it "doesn't feel like I'm traveling" if he can commute by car or plane from his home in San Diego.
– Dave Seanor
Posted Feb. 8, 2007
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Sometimes things work out for the best.
Adam Machala, club professional at Somerset Hills in New Jersey, came to the AT&T to caddie for a Somerset member, Brian Storms, who is CEO of Marsh USA.
Machala had brought his golf clubs, in hopes of getting in a round at Cypress Point. That didn't happen, and he was relegated to walking with Marsh and three friends on Tuesday as the others played the acclaimed Alister Mackenzie track.
For the AT&T, Storms was to partner with Fred Couples, who has an endorsement deal with Marsh. But minutes before they were due on the first tee for Round 1 at Poppy Hills, Couples – who had warmed up for 90 minutes on the range – made an odd move on the putting green and threw out his oft-injured back.
Couples made his way to the first tee, where he told Machala: "Take my clubs. You're playing."
Machala's first reaction: "No way."
"We thought he was putting us on," said Storms.
He wasn't. There was no time to locate the Tour member who was first alternate, so Machala, 36, had little choice but to answer the bell. As a concession to the circumstances, Tour officials let Storms' foursome, which included Jose Maria Olazabal, flip-flop starting times with the group immediately behind, allowing Machala time to fetch his clubs and shoes from Storms' rental car.
"There was no way I was going to be able to hit Freddie's clubs," Machala said. "They were blades, and I play about 10 rounds a year during the season. I needed to get my clubs."
Machala and Storms have their work cut out for them. They opened with 80, which was 20 shots behind co-leaders Kerry Gordon/John Mallinger, and Harry You/Phil Mickelson. (Among the pros, Machala played as a marker for Olazabal.)
"We were caught a little bit by surprise, to say the least," said Storms.
As for Couples, "He's in some serious pain," reported his caddie, Joe LaCava, who filled in for Machala as Storms' looper.
– Dave Seanor
Posted Feb. 8, 2007
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Tour bigwigs can be excused if they appeared preoccupied Wednesday evening during the soiree here toasting their partnership with CBS. They've got their work cut out for them over the next few weeks as they try to plug the hole caused by today's announcement that The International has been euthanized.
Word around Pebble is that Washington, D.C., is the best bet to gain from Colorado's loss. Commish Tim Finchem has some fence-mending to do in the nation's capital. Could there be a more fitting date to offer than Fourth of July week?
The Canadian Open, which suffers from its position immediately after the British Open, supposedly is lobbying hard to move up three weeks in the schedule and fill The International void. Whatever happens, Tour officials insist there will not be a hole in the 2007 dance card.
– Dave Seanor
Posted Feb. 7, 2007
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Overheard on the range: A prominent Tour veteran gleefully telling the story of fleecing one pro invitee, his amateur partner, and a third-year Tour member during a practice round money game.
Seems the story teller was down $1,100 with a couple of holes to play on Poppy Hills. He hit his tee shot stiff at the par-3 17th, "went alone and doubled down." He made the birdie putt, which none of the other three could match. End result? Story-teller wins $1,200.
– Dave Seanor
Posted Feb. 7, 2007
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Local merchants love it when the well-heeled powerbroker/celebrity crowd comes to Pebble for the AT&T.
At Golf Links to the Past, an antique shop that overlooks the putting green at Pebble, an 1850 reprint of the famed painting "The Golfers" (1847) was purchased by a visitor from Ireland this week for $17,500.
What figures to be a hot item for collectors arrived Wednesday at the shop: One-of-a-kind Scotty Cameron putters, made exclusively for Golf Links to the Past. Sold only at the Pebble shop, with an allocation of three to five putters a month, the Cameron creations are priced at $9,500 each.
"They're not something anyone is going to put in his bag," said Eddie Papczun, president of Golf Links to the Past. "These are works of art."
– Dave Seanor
Posted Feb. 7, 2007
John Daly is playing the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am this week with Darius Rucker (Hootie and the Blowfish) as his partner. But he says Rucker's single-digit handicap is too low for them to win.
"I told him to get his handicap up so we'd have a chance," Daly said. "You need someone with a handicap of 12 to 18 who basically lies about his handicap."
– Jeff Rude
Posted Feb. 7, 2007
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – A PGA Tour members meeting had been scheduled for Tuesday evening at Pebble, but it was postponed until the Nissan Open because of the death last week of Tour executive George Burger.
It was a somber yet somehow upbeat contingent of PGA Tour brass – including commish Tim Finchem – that checked into Spanish Bay around 6:30 p.m., after attending Burger's funeral and wake in the morning at Ponte Vedra, Fla., then flying cross-country on the Tour jet.
Judging by the way Dave Pillsbury and Charlie Zink talked about Burger over drinks in the Spanish Bay bar, the former tournament director of the Presidents Cup made a lasting impact on his colleagues during an all-too-brief tenure at the Tour. His was a life to be celebrated as much as the loss was mourned.
Vince Gill sang at the funeral and Finchem wept as he delivered a eulogy that Pillsbury and Zink described as truly inspiring for its depth and sincerity.
– Dave Seanor
Posted Feb. 6, 2007
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Not many guys on the range at Pebble as the sun set Tuesday. One of the few was Brandt Snedeker.
He obviously was trying to figure something out, but stopped for a few minutes to yak with Jim McGovern. Which struck me as interesting, considering McGovern is at least 15 years older than Snedeker.
The connection, of course, is the Nationwide Tour, where Snedeker earned his PGA Tour card by finishing ninth on the 2006 money list, and McGovern – who tied for second in his first '07 Nationwide start in Panama – is attempting to earn his way back to the big show, his stage from 1991-99.
Snedeker said the Nationwide circuit is nothing more than a big fraternity. He was a pledge last year, and McGovern was something of a mentor.
"It's a two-way street," Snedeker said of the friendships that are forged on the Nationwide between journeymen and newbies. "Everybody wants to see each other do well. There are no real egos out there."
– Dave Seanor
Posted Feb. 6, 2007
Road warrior, I'm not. HQ paper shuffler is more like it.
Hence the missed flight this morning – Orlando/Atlanta/San Jose – despite three alarm clocks going off within minutes of 4:30. As it turned out, the reroute through Salt Lake City was scheduled only a half-hour later, and afforded the opportunity to catch up with Golf Channel's Kelly Tilghman, who was on the same flight.
This girl is clearly loving her new gig. She said the biggest adjustment as co-anchor of PGA Tour telecasts with Nick Faldo has been the amount of homework it takes to prepare for each round, as opposed to simply reporting on events of the day on the Post-Game Show.
Tilghman is trying to nail down the nuances of frequent travel, too. (Couldn't swing the upgrade this time.) She marveled at the pace Faldo keeps.
"He's an animal," she said. "He went to China last week (between Phoenix and Pebble) to check on a course (design) project."
– Dave Seanor
Posted Feb. 6, 2007
The perks of being a PGA Tour player are often too decadent to count, but that doesn't mean the card-carrying set doesn't appreciate the little things.
Gavin Coles teed off at 7 a.m. (PST) at Pebble Beach Golf Links Feb. 5 in near darkness but savored every minute on the venerable seaside course.
"There was no one in front of us, the sun was shining and we played in three hours. We enjoyed the ocean and the views," said Coles, who played his AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am tune-up round with Omar Uresti. "It was unbelievable."
It's always refreshing to see that the important things aren't dollars, decimal points or FedEx Cup points.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Feb. 5, 2007
Posted: 4/29/2007
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