The wind was really howling on the Old Course at St. Andrews in the Open Championship and the bulk of the field went backwards. Louis Oosthuizen leads by 5 over Mark Calcavecchia, but Louis has never lead a major before and Mark plays on the Old Farts Tour. I’m thinking Tiger is really only two back of the real leaders, Paul Casey and Lee Westwood, who are at -6.
Yesterday, I played my first round of golf in over a month at Stonebriar on the Fazio course. I was worried that the muscle spasms in my back would keep me from playing; instead, the heat seemed to be good for my back and I had no problem at all. We played a two best ball shamble (everyone tees off, then plays their own ball from the best drive). Our team finished out of the money at +9, but I was pleased how well I played considering I’ve barely practiced at all. My driving was pretty good; I hit 9 of 14 fairways and didn’t have any penalties with the driver. I did put two balls in the water on par-3 holes, though. I hit 5 GIR, all on the front nine and got up-and-down 4 times for par. My putting wasn’t great, as I had 34 putts, which is better than I’ve had in a while (I have put the Odyssey 3-ball putter away and went back to my TWGT S2R putter). On the scorecard, I had a 92 (45 on the front and 47 on the back). Of course, since this was a shamble, not all the drives I played from were mine. Also, since we were counting only two balls and no scores over double by the rules of the tournament, my actual score would have been about 94. Anyway, I was pretty happy.
This morning, I went to the Byron Nelson tournament. I arrived around 11AM, got some lunch in our suite, and then went to the driving range, where I watched players warm up. I watched John Huston hit quite a few balls. I really like his syrupy smooth swing. I spent about 45 minutes watching a wide range of players. Jeev Milkha Singh had all sorts of gadgets on the range. The most interesting was some sort of swing aid that made sounds like beads in a shaft when he swung the club. He had some other gadget attached to a wedge. I saw Justin Leonard warm up; he was hitting 30 yard pitches and making the ball stop on the second bounce. Really, watching these guys warm up was really cool. I don’t know why I’ve never done that before, as this is the fourth or fifth time I’ve been to the Byron.
After that, I stopped back by the suite to get a bottle of water and went to the first tee. I watched John Huston tee off on #1; his ball flew over my head and ended up behind a tent. He took relief from the immovable obstruction; I was pleased that I determined before he arrived at the ball exactly the place he would end up taking a drop. He hit a nice shot onto the green from there.
I then watched another group (I’ve forgotten who was in that group) play #2, then skipped ahead to #3, a very long par-4 hole. The tee was up, and the wind was behind the players, so they weren’t even hitting driver on this hole. I walked #4, catching up with the group on that hole as they were playing their approach shots. I didn’t recognize any of the players on that hole, though one was possibly Bobby Hutcherson. He hit a nice long drive on this hole (one of his playing partners put one left into the water on the left), and then hit a wedge that struck the flag stick and spun back down the hill onto the front fringe. I found myself next on the bridge beside hole #5 and the tees for #10 and #16. I watched the group of John Sendon, Stuart Appleby and Chris DiMarco tee off on #10, then watched a group tee off on #16 consisting of Jarrod Lyle, Aron Price and Chris Wilson (these guys were really far behind the group in front of them). Next up on #10 was Michael Bradley, Will MacKinsey, and Brad Faxon.
The reason I was waiting here was I wanted to follow the young teenager, Jordan Spieth, for a few holes and see how the 16-year-old from Jesuit High School could play. I’d heard on PGA Tour Radio, while driving to the tournament, that he was at -2 and might make the cut.
And yes, this kid can play. I was right behind the tee on #16, an absolutely perfect spot to watch the players tee off on that hole. His group was right behind the group in front, and there was a massive crowd following that group, easily as big as those I’ve seen before at the Byron following Tiger Woods. All three players hit fine tee shots into the fairway; Jordan’s shot was maybe 5 yards behind the other two players. By the time they were to hit their approach shots into the green, I was already up by the green. Jordan hit first and put his into the deep bunker to the right of the hole. Next, David Lutterus hit a spectacular shot about 12 feet behind the pin, giving him an easy putt for eagle. Finally, Blake Adams (at the time -9 for the tournament) hit a shot into the same bunker as Jordan. Both of them hit excellent bunker shots and were able to make birdie on the par-5 16th.
Next, I positioned myself behind the tee box on #17 to watch the players hit their shots into that tricky little par-3 hole. The kid played safe and hit the ball into the right side of the green, away from the water on the left. He two-putted for par.
Next, on #18, Jordan hit a fine drive onto the left side of the fairway on this dogleg left hole with water lurking. He hit a nice shot from there and two-putted for par to finish at -3 and make the cut.
And that was my day at the Byron.
Christina Kim’s book, Swinging from My Heels: Confessions of an LPGA Star, is out. Here she is, at a party thrown by her publisher at Chelsea Piers in NYC. She has a better swing in 5″ heels than I’ve ever had.
Via Wei Under Par.
Simply an astounding finish by young Rory yesterday at Quail Hollow, going 5 under on the last five holes to crush the field by 4 stokes. Who needs Tiger?
An amazing golf score by Ryo, but please note that the course was only 6,545 yards, about the same length off the tee that I play every month in the Grapevine Golf Association tournaments.
via PGATOUR.COM – Ryo Ishikawa shoots 58 to win Japan Tour event.
Ryo Ishikawa shot a 12-under 58 — the lowest score ever on a major tour — to win The Crowns on Sunday for his seventh Japan Tour title.
The 18-year-old Ishikawa tapped in for par on the par-4 18th after his 15-foot birdie try slid inches by the cup. He had 12 birdies in his bogey-free round on the 6,545-yard Nagoya Golf Club course.
“I always dreamed of getting a score like this but didn’t think I would do it so fast,” Ishikawa said. “It hasn’t really sunk in yet, but I’m sure it will after a few days.”
… and I can’t see the tournament I’d like to watch, as the LPGA isn’t broadcasting the Tres Marias Championship, where Michelle Wie leads after the 2nd round (go girl!). And since Tiger missed the cut by 8 strokes in the Quail Hollow Championship, that tournament has lost its luster.
My back is improving, but it is still not well enough for me to get out on the range yet.
The golf gods hate me.
For weeks, Tiger has been dragged through the scandal sheet grinder, and will take a break from the tour.
Probably a good idea to take a break.
Tiger Woods to take ‘indefinite’ leave from golf – Tours & News – Golf.com.
Tiger Woods is shifting his focus from winning majors to saving his marriage.
Two weeks after Woods crashed his SUV into a tree outside his Florida home, setting in motion a swift fall that featured reports of rampant extramarital affairs, golf's biggest star delivered a stunning development of his own. He temporarily is walking away from the game that made him the first $1 billion athlete.
“After much soul searching, I have decided to take an indefinite break from professional golf,” Woods said Friday evening on his Web site. “I need to focus my attention on being a better husband, father, and person.”
Michelle finishes 2nd in the Dubai Ladies Masters and manages a B+ in her statistics class after taking the final while in Dubai.
Wie makes charge, finishes second in Omega Dubai Ladies Masters.
Honolulu’s Michelle Wie put on a show and a strong rally to finish second in the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters at the Emirates Golf Club in Dubai.
Wie, who started the day six shots back of leader and eventual winner In Kyung Kim, shot a bogey-free 7-under-par 65 to finish with a 15-under 273.
Kim of South Korea shot a 4-under 68 for a four-round total of 18-under 270 to win by three shots.
Michelle Wie won the Lorena Ochoa Invitational tournament today by two shots over Paula Creamer.
Let the Michelle Era begin!!!
Michelle Wie wins Lorena Ochoa Invitational | Tours & News | Golf.com
The Michelle Wie era has, at long last, begun. After years of injury and controversy, too much hype and money and not enough birdies, Wie won her first pro tournament Sunday afternoon at the LPGA's Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Guadalajara, Mexico. Typical of Wie's highly melodramatic career, the win didn't come easily, as she survived a final round dogfight with a half-dozen of the game's biggest names, ultimately making five straight nerve-jangling pars and then a gorgeous birdie on the final hole to close out a two-stroke victory over Paula Creamer.
Along the way Wie displayed both her awesome talent and enduring starpower, reminding everyone what all the fuss was about in the first place. It was a deeply personal triumph, capping a period of tremendous maturation on and off the golf course.
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