Joey's Golf Bag

This afternoon, I played a nine-hole Skins Game with three friends. We went off around 3PM and finished up as the sun was going down. The weather was excellent, about 70 degrees, with a soft breeze from the southwest.

My round:

• First hole. I hit a five-iron off the tee into the right fringe, about a foot off the fairway. I hit a 7-iron onto the green, but I three-putted from about 35 ft for bogey. No one won the hole outright.
• Second hole. I hit a 5-wood with good distance over the left bunker. I had 240 left to the hole, so I hit a layup shot to about a 100 yd shot just in front of the first greenside bunker. From there, I hit a fat approach wedge short of the green, but I hit a really good chip to about 6 ft and hit the putt for par, to win the hole and two skins.
• Third hole. I hit a poor tee shot short and right. I chipped poorly to about 20 ft, but ran the downhill putt well by the hole and ended up three-putting for double. Dean won the hole outright with a bogey.
• Fourth hole. I hit a long tee shot with the 5-wood, but it kicked right into the ditch on the right side of the fairway. From there, I chunked a 7-iron into the pond, took a drop, chunked a 9-iron into the pond and took an X on the hole, since one of my competitors was on the green in two. Dean, who hit the green in two, two-putted for birdie to win the hole outright.
• Fifth hole. Hooked my tee shot out of bounds left. My third shot was hit thin and left. My fourth shot was on the green, and I two-putted for double. Dean won the hole with par.
• Sixth hole. I hit a good tee shot just to the right of the fairway bunker, hit my approach pin-high, but left of the green. I hit a poor chip well past the hole and two-putted for bogey. John hit a nice putt from the fringe to win the hole with par.
• Seventh hole. I hit a 7-iron onto the green 25 ft below the hole, and two-putted for par to win the hole. All three of my competitors ended up in the left hand bunker and they weren’t able to get up and down to tie the hole.
• Eighth hole. I popped up my drive, which ended up in the left hand rough. I hit a five iron into the right hand rough, then hit a poor lob wedge short, hit a mediocre chip and two-putt for double. Two of my playing companions tied on the hole, so no one won the hole.
• Ninth hole. Hit my drive right near the out-of-bounds. Hit a 5-iron right, where it hit a mound and bounced into the center of the fairway. My third shot with the approach wedge was on the green 30 ft left of the hole. I two-putted for bogey and won the hole outright for two skins.

I ended up winning five skins. I was pretty happy with the way I played, given that I’ve been able to practice due to my sore shoulder until yesterday.

… because he wore “cargo shorts”.

Obama Kicks Off His Vacation With a Round of Golf.

Obama, a left-handed golfer, sported black shades and wore a white polo shirt, brown cargo shorts, short white socks and golf shoes. About midway through the course, Obama stopped by the snack bar, where he purchased two hot dogs, two passion-orange sodas, one Powerade and one Coke. He also bought two Spam musubi, a sushi-like Hawaiian delicacy consisting of Spam and fried egg on a slab of rice, all held together with a dried seaweed wrap. He paid a total of $17.75, but it was unclear whether the president-elect ate a Spam musubi.

At the clubhouse, Obama unexpectedly bumped into a pool of reporters, who asked how his game was going. He smiled and conceded: "I'm not that good."

For the record, I voted Libertarian.

Monke wins Sorenstam’s final tournament by three shots in Dubai.

Germany’s Anja Monke triumphed at Annika Sorenstam’s farewell tournament on Sunday, shooting a final round of four-under-par 68 for a three shot victory at the Dubai Ladies Masters, the season-ending event on the Ladies European Tour.

The 38-year-old Sorenstam signed off in joint seventh place after a final round of 71. In typical style, she rolled an eight foot birdie putt into the cup on the 18th hole before a packed gallery of her golfing colleagues.

There were whistles and cheers from the gallery as she finished, before raising her putter in the air and hugging her caddie of nine years, Terry McNamara. There were only a few small tears and Sorenstam kept her composure.

Annika: We’ll miss you (though maybe not for long…).

Michelle Wie finally proves she belongs on LPGA.

Michelle Wie has been playing LPGA Tour events since she was in the seventh grade, drawing the biggest galleries because of her youth and power, but earning little respect from players because of her preferential treatment.

In the 62 tournaments she has played over the last seven years, Wie received 53 exemptions or invitations.

The next time the 19-year-old from Hawaii tees it up, she finally can feel like she belongs.

Wie opened with three straight bogeys before settling down in blustery conditions Sunday for a 2-over 74, easily finishing among the top 20 players at the Q-school to become a card-carrying member of the LPGA Tour.

“It's a good feeling,'' Wie said. “I really earned it. I legitimately went through Q-school. I took my medicine. And I got it. It feels good. It's like high school graduation.''

Good job, Michelle. See you on the tour next year!

Yesterday, I played my first tournament in the Grapevine Golf Association in a individual stroke play event. We played on the Bluebonnet and Pecan courses. My scheduled tee time was 9:51AM, but there was a long frost delay, so it was about 11:30AM before I went off. In order to get everyone off, the groups went off the first tees of both the Bluebonnet and Pecan courses. We went off the Bluebonnet first, though it was second on the scorecard.

There was a pretty big group of golfers at the first tee, various members of the GGA board introducing themselves to newbies like me, as well as a couple of foursomes waiting to tee off. My first tee shot was quite bad, a low snap hook into the trees. Fortunately, I had a clear shot back into the fairway, though I hit the ball a bit long and into the first cut on the other side. I did manage to scratch out a bogey on the hole, though, barely missing my par putt. I was pretty happy with that, since my only goal for the day was to break 100. Surprisingly, my shoulder injury didn’t really affect me at all during play, though my lack of practice while healing the last three weeks certainly did.

I played pretty well, considering, on the Bluebonnet course, even though I hit only two fairways and two GIR, scoring a 47. I had one penalty on the par-5 fifth hole, where I saved double bogey by hitting a 35 foot putt. My best shot of the day was on the par-3 eighth hole, where I hit a 7-iron to 12 feet (just missed the birdie putt). I got up and down twice, though not for par.

On the Pecan course, I started out well by getting up and down for par on the 1st hole and bogeying the next two holes. My game fell apart after that, my best score on any remaining hole being double bogey. I carded a 58 on the Pecan course, my worst nine holes since I first started golfing. I can’t blame by shoulder injury, except to say that it kept me from practicing and my putting and short game really fell apart, along with my approach shots.

I wasn’t trying to sandbag, trust me on that…

All in all, though, it was good to get back on the course.

Michelle Wie poised to earn LPGA Tour card.

Michelle Wie is in the final group at a golf tournament for the first in more than two years, this time without the pressure of trying to win her first tournament as a pro.

Wie saved par on three of her last four holes Saturday for a 4-under 68 that left her one shot behind former NCAA champion Stacy Lewis at the LPGA Tour qualifying tournament, where the only goal is to leave LPGA headquarters with a full-time job.

Better than being in second place, Wie was nine shots clear of the cutoff for the top 20 players to earn their cards.

Very good job at Q-School, Michelle. One more round and the job is done!

Michelle Wie’s 72 leaves her in decent shape at Q-school.

Michelle Wie offset her mistakes with enough birdies Friday, shooting a par 72 that left her two shots behind and still in good shape at the LPGA Tour qualifying tournament.

Mollie Fankhauser shot a 66 on the tougher Legends course, host of all the top players in the third round, and finished at 12-under 204. She has a one-shot lead over Japan's Shiho Oyama, who had a 71.

Wie was another shot behind at 10-under 206 with Stacy Lewis, who made 12 straight pars until finishing with a birdie for a 71. Lewis won an NCAA title at Arkansas on the Legends course at LPGA International.

Michelle recovered nicely from a double bogey with birdies on the next three holes. Hang in there, Michelle!

My shoulder hurts…

I hit balls for the first time today since I injured my shoulder about 3 weeks ago. I spent most of the practice putting (which went very well), ran the sand drill with the lob wedge, chipped with the lob wedge and approach wedge, and then hit half of a bucket of balls (badly).

My first tournament is tomorrow, and I’m just going to bunt the ball around the course with 3/4 swings, which is the most I can do right now. I’m not even taking the driver with me, I’ll stick to the 5-wood off the tee, although I’ll have the Thriver in the bag as well.

My goal is to break 100, but given the state of my game, that may be a long shot.

Michelle Wie shoots 65 at LPGA Tour Q-school.

Weaving her way through a narrow hallway next to the grill room Thursday, Michelle Wie was stopped by a woman who asked if she would pose for a picture with her young daughter.

Focusing her camera, the woman asked how she played.

"OK," Wie said with a smile and shrug.

If that were an honest assessment, Wie should be in good shape at the LPGA Tour qualifying tournament.

Changing her tactics off the tee on the more forgiving Champions course at LPGA International, the 19-year-old from Hawaii hit driver on all but two holes and ran off four straight birdies late in her round for a 7-under 65 that put her in a tie for the lead with Shiho Oyama of Japan after the second of five rounds at Q-school.

Michelle, you’re kicking butt! Keep it up!

… due to a shoulder injury, caused by, you guessed it, hitting golf balls.

I am going to play in my first tournament on Saturday at Grapevine Golf Course sponsored by the Grapevine Golf Association. I’ve not been able to practice, aside from putting and chipping, for about 3 weeks, so breaking 100 is my goal for the tournament. It’s a stroke play event, 18 holes.