Will Woods Surpass Nicklaus?

photo credit: Ed (supergolfdude) The upcoming 2013 Masters Championship will give Tiger Woods yet another opportunity in his efforts to surpass the record held by Jack Nicklaus for most PGA Major tournament victories.

Woods needs only 5 more Major wins to beat Nicklaus who holds the record at 18 Major victories.  Woods’ last Major title was the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines way back in 2008.

Will Tiger Woods surpass the Nicklaus record?  Perhaps, however, this writer is betting against it happening.  Since Woods self destructed in his personal life he went through many changes in his game including the firing of his long time caddie, Steve Williams.  It has been one struggle after another to get his game back in order.

Woods has stiffer competition in the Majors today than he did 5 yrs. ago.  Furthermore, Woods has completely lost the “intimidation factor,” which was held over the heads of all of his competitors.  He is no longer the Knight in shinning armor who walks on to the field, clean cut and gleaming with victorious pride.  Now, he’s just a “money machine” for the business magnets and media moguls.

Many golf enthusiasts will be hoping Nicklaus’ record remains unbroken, count me as one of them.

Phoenix WM Open -28 Under?

photo credit: corkboardmedia Phil Mickelson won the Phoenix WM Open with a blazing score of -28 under par including a, near record breaking, first round score of 60.  No one can deny Mickelson had a stellar performance, however, his score does raise two questions:  # 1)  are courses such as the Scottsdale TPC set up too easy for tournament play?  # 2)  could low scoring be contributed to improvements in equipment design?

Most will agree that it is more interesting to watch players on a course that truly tests their abilities.  Drives that fly 350 yards are commonplace on the PGA Tour and can be contributed to new improvements in clubs and golf balls.  Have these improvements made golf less interesting?  Is it time for the PGA to establish guidelines for the set up of Tournament courses?  The excitement from watching a tournament comes from watching good players struggling to play well on a difficult layout.

2012 PGA Championship

photo credit: Aaron_S. Over two years ago, on this site,  I predicted that Rory Mcllroy was destined to be golf’s new superstar.  Mcllroy’s win, in the 2012 PGA Championship verifies my prediction.  With every major player in the world competing, Mcllroy once again showed that he has what it takes to be a proven and consistent winner.

There was one surprises in this year’s PGA event.  Adam Scott once again crashed and burned as he did in The Open Championship only a few short weeks ago.  Everyone expected that Scott would have learned a lesson not to play in a tentative fashion when in the lead.  Apparently he could not overcome the jitters and fell back in the field.

Mcllroy topped his nearest opponent David Lynn  by 8 shots finishing at -13 on the tough Kiawah Island, S.C., Ocean Course.  In so doing, he beat Jack Nicklaus’ old record which proves once again that Mcllroy is bound for stardom in the world of golf.

My view that Mcllroy’s career will be stellar is based on the fundamentals of his excellent golf swing and of course, his mental attitude.  He’s amiable, humble, appreciative, friendly to the spectators and will be a perfect ambassador for the game of golf.  Add it all up and you get superstar!

Bubba Watson “The Shot!”

photo credit: pocketwiley Bubba Watson could be the best thing that happened to the game of golf in the last 10 years.  This 33 year old Floridian, who never took a lesson in his life, has now shown every hacker that ever played the game what the will to win is all about.  He accomplished this by winning the most coveted tournament in golf, The Masters.

Watson won the tournament on the second playoff hole with what is now being called “The Shot.”  He pulled his drive in the deep woods on hole No. 10.  There was no way even the best of shot-makers could get on the green from the lie that Watson had.  Watson made “The Shot” which led to his win.  He duck-hooked  his ball 40 yds. to the right, landed on the green and made two putts for the win.

It was refreshing to see this 33 year old man actually cry after his victory.  It was heart warming to see so many of his fellow players running on the green to congratulate him.  Not many players would show the kind of raw emotion that Watson displayed.

If you are an every day golfer like most, it’s a new day for you.  Big Bubba proved that you really don’t require golf lessons to be a champion.  He also proved that real men can cry and people will respect them even more for it.  He also proved that you don’t always have to say the right thing or look the right way to be accepted by your peers or fans.  Thank you Gary “Bubba” Watson for one of the most exciting finishes in the history of The Masters.  Enjoy your victory. . . you certainly deserve it !
photo credit: pocketwiley

The State of Play on the PGA Tour

photo credit: zzazazz  

The year 2011 will be known as the year the PGA became an international enterprise instead of an American tradition.  

As Tiger Woods walked off the course, after missing the cut in the PGA Championship, it seemed to be an ominous sign that the PGA Tour has a serious problem.  American players no longer dominate the tour which is obviously bad for business.  Furthermore, as far as players are concerned,  there are no real glimmers of hope on the horizon.  The word “superstar” is no longer used in the world of professional golf.

The PGA Tour has lost much of it’s popularity with the literal disappearance of Tiger Woods as a competitive tour player.  During the PGA Championship television announcers tried to, once again, puff the participation of Woods in the tournament.  The wind came out of the press’  bubble as Woods missed the cut and was seen pouting as he walked to his car.  As Woods left, it seemed to be an ominous sign for the PGA Tour.  Factoid:  after two rounds, Woods was beaten by four non tour players (club professionals that had entered the tournament).

The PGA has got to do something to bring back viewers.  They’ve got to get out of their old stale mode and try something new.  New types of tournaments, perhaps match play events.  If they don’t think out of the box by trying new venues, they may lose their fan base for good.

Make no mistake, the game of golf itself is healthy it’s the PGA Tour that needs help.

Rory! Rory! Rory!

photo credit: Brian J. McDermott   The 2011 US Open Championship ushered in a new era on the PGA Tour.  The days of Tiger Woods' dominance over the game of golf are forever gone.  The door has opened for a new breed of young golfers led by Rory McILroy, the 2010 US Open Champion.  The “new blood” has been a long time coming and it will be a welcomed change over the preoccupation the media had with Tiger Woods.

Nearly two years ago, in a post on this blog-site, I predicted that Rory McILroy would be the new dominant force on the PGA Tour and the US Open proved my assumption.  McILroy smashed a bevy of US Open records with his brilliant 72 hole performance.  Every spectator became a part of history in watching the youngest US Open champion ever, walk down the 18th fairway to victory.

McILroy is a class act.  He respectfully removed his hat on his walk down the 18th hole.  He handed his father his trophy while saying “happy father's day Dad!”  Rory is a welcomed change over the make-believe phony persona of Tiger Woods.  It's about time kids everywhere have a new champion to look up to, someone who is the real deal and who is a proven great player.

Is it Time for a Change?

photo credit: Justin Tallaksen     Ever since Tiger Woods' career blew up,  the ratings of televised golf have deflated like a flat tire.   Let there be no mistake about it, Woods created the biggest boom in golf since Arnold Palmer and his army of loyal fans.   Now what?

The PGA needs to take a hard look at how they can stimulate more interest in the game.   They need to leap out of the stagnation of the same old venues and get creative.   One of the ways to do so might be to hold several tournaments that pit the PGA Tour against the Champions Tour and/or the LPGA Tour.

Another way to stimulate viewers is to hold match play events.   Why not hold tournaments that include club pros?  

The PGA should realize it's time for some major changes.

Tiger’s Pre-Masters Interview

photo credit: Keith Allison     On Monday April 5, 2010, Tiger Woods will make his first regular press conference, where he will be faced with questions from the press, since his departure from the game in November, 2009.

Since this is a “news conference” Woods opens himself up to the unscrupulous questioning of the press.   He should have to “face the music” but since the press (puppets of big business) are allies of Tiger, don't expect any big news to come out of this Q & A period.  

At present, Woods' primary goal is to restore some sort of credibility with the public.   It's a pre conceived effort to get back into public favor.   You can expect the “sex addict” excuse to be played like a broken record.   Don't expect much from this interview!

No. 17 Sawgrass vs. No. 16 Scottsdale TPC

photo credit: nsaplayer     The two most famous par 3's in the world are the 17th TPC Sawgrass (“the island green”) and hole no 16 at Scottsdale's TPC.   These little giants have earned their reputation as “game changers.”  

The 17th at Sawgrass is 130 yards but the landing area is tiny (15 to 20 yards) by tour standards.   The green sits deceptively at only 3 feet above the water.   This little par 3 has got  to be the most costly hole in golf

The 16th at Scottsdale's TPC is known as the “stadium” hole and can intimidate even the most confident golfer.   The attendance usually tips the scales at 20,000 wild and woolly fans.   Booze, boos and cheers flow as the golfers enter the amphitheatre.   The 16th is what  the game is all about, pure fun.

GOLF DIGEST US Open Challenge

photo credit: mihirvaze     The GOLF DIGEST Challenge is a yearly contest which requires the contestants to tell, in 60 words or less,  how playing in the Open Challenge would change  their lives.    Contestants may describe their game and what  they think  they would shoot on a US. Open  setup at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California.

Tiger Woods made a famous statement before the first US. Open Challenge where he said “I  doubt any average golfer can break  100 on a course that's set up for the US. Open Championship.”   It's probably safe to assume that you have to play a respectable game.   Players can enter the contest by going to www.gdopencontest.com.    

The winner will  play  a round with celebrities which will be broadcast on national TV.

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