Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Weekley Daily Diary

He didn’t play in the 2007 Masters, but Boo Weekley was the first guy they invited to this year’s tournament due his win at the Verizon Heritage, a week after Zach Johnson slipped into the green jacket last April. He’d have been first on our list too, regardless of his performances, because we just love his country charm. He shocked us when he didn’t know anything about the Open when he came over to play Carnoustie last year (he shot 68 on the first day and finished tied 35th) but it turns out he doesn’t know anything about the Masters either. In a diary he is writing for the Augusta Chronicle, he is sharing his experiences at one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world of golf. Though despite the history, tradition and pressure, it seems he just wants to get on with playing the game...

Legend.

Here’s the highlights from today’s entry.

Boo on the course ranked 5th in the world:
“We just walked around out there and hit it, just like we do at every other golf course.”

Boo on his method for tackling Augusta:
“I just play it as I see it. It's caveman golf. Hit it, find it and hit it again.”

Boo on the most famous run of 11th, 12th, and 13th holes in the world:
“I couldn't tell you what three holes were Amen Corner, to tell you the truth.”

Boo on the par-three contest:
“I signed up to play with Heath in the Par-3 Contest. I heard about the Par-3 jinx from Joe Durant. Don't win.”

Boo changing his mind on the par-three contest:
“Sooner or later somebody's going to win that Par-3 and then go on and win the tournament. It's going to happen. It might not happen this year, but sooner or later it will.”

The full version of the diary can be found here.




4/8/2008 2:20:57 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [1] 
Get Involved

So what you up to on 28th April?

If the answer is nothing why not get involved with the Fraser Waters Testimonial Golf Day?

For more inofrmation call Fran on 07870 638305 or click the image below for a larger version.




4/8/2008 2:04:41 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 
Camo Have A Go If You Think You're Hard Enough

Froghair are bringing out a golf shoe for everyone who thinks of their weekend quest for birdies as stepping into the trenches.


These lovely little footwarmers are not available yet but you can keep upto date by checking out www.froghair.co.uk


In the meantime have a think about all the benefits of having hard to spot shoes. You're more likely to get away with using the '*leather wedge' for a start...



GOLFPUNK and Froghair would never condone the use of the leather wedge. What's wrong with you people.









4/8/2008 11:22:14 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [2] 

  Monday, April 07, 2008
GolfJunk Special 2008

To celebrate the 2008 GolfJunk Special we've put a little teaser on the blog. Click the image to see more or visit www.golfpunkonline.com/golf-junk

Go on, it's stick central.

Callaway FT-I  I-Mix
£299
Callaway’s do-it-yourself driver has over 1,400 possible shaft and head combinations. Already used by Ernie Els on tour, the look of the I-Mix may appeal to good golfers. The grey is a throwback to Big Bertha’s of old, while the titanium screw gives the appearance of a hosel at address. We’ve sneakily hit it and can’t see any discernible difference to the standard FT-I. Shafts start from £99.


www.callawaygolf.com



4/7/2008 3:54:41 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 
Howeller Of A Chip Hands Victory To Bourdy

He hasn’t had a finish inside the top 25 on the Tour so far this season, but you wouldn’t have believed it watching Grégory Bourdy at the Portugese Open this weekend. He started his round on Sunday with four and six shot leads over the pair he eventually faced in a playoff, but a poor font-nine saw him drop three shots in five holes. He showed the mental strength of a champion though, making four birdies on the back-nine to put himself back in the frame with David Howell - who shot 64 on the day – while playing partner Alastair Forsyth birdied the difficult final two holes to card a 66 and sneak into the three-way shootout.

Forsyth’s wild tee shot at the second extra hole ended the Scot’s hopes for victory, while Howell’s approach from the middle went through the green on the third. A duffed chip and missed putt was all she wrote for the man from Swindon, as Bourdy made his third solid par to clinch the title.



"I was focused on my game and am so happy to win." Said Bourdy, whose maiden European Tour victory was the Mallorca Classic last season.

Although Howell eventually had to settle for tied second, it will have come as a huge relief to be contending again after his incredible form in 2006 was followed by a season plagued by injury last year. Watch this space – 2008 could well be time for his triumphant return.




4/7/2008 2:50:17 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 
Let The Games Begin

Where top-level sport is concerned, there’s nothing like a fierce pre-competition squabble to ignite a flame of contention between two opposing sides.

And while we’re not condoning the likes of Mike Tyson’s infamous “I’m gonna eat your children” jibe at Lennox Lewis back in 2002, the latest instalment of sporting spattery has well and truly whet our appetite as the 2008 Ryder Cup nears.

It involves US captain Paul Azinger, and recent comments made about his old foe, and opposing skipper Nick Faldo.

Now, though the two auld adversaries won’t lead their troops into battle at Valhalla for another six months yet, Azinger drew first blood in the war of words this weekend, suggesting “Players don’t want anything to do with” Europe’s captain.

Azinger went on to doubt Faldo’s aptitude for the job, hinting that the 6-time Major winner will not opt for Ryder Cup legend Colin Montgomerie as one of his wildcard picks this summer, because of personal differences.


"Why I oughta..."

“I hope he (Monty) plays against us,” said Azinger.” But I’m worried he won’t – he and Faldo don’t seem to get along and there’s no way he (Monty) will be awarded one of the wildcards.”

Azinger and Faldo’s rivalry goes back Donkey’s years. The relationship is thought to have first deteriorated after the 1987 Open at Muirfield, when, having pipped Azinger to the Claret Jug, Faldo’s words of ‘comfort’ were not appreciated by the American.

The pair’s on-course enmity went on to create some of the most compelling Ryder Cup battles ever in the 80s and 90s, before the proverbial hatchet was buried as they teamed up in commentating for ABC, the American TV network.

Now, however, the stage is set for one last bitter contest. Roll on September.




4/7/2008 10:50:03 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 

  Friday, April 04, 2008
Can Lorena Be The Tigress She’s Hyped As?

Until last August, Lorena Ochoa might have been compared to Monty rather than Tiger. She’s led Women’s golf since the start of the 2006 season, racking up an impressive 16 victories – just two less than Woods has in the same period. But when she won the Women’s British Open at St Andrews in August, she broke a duck that – if it had continued for another 15 years or so – would have been similar to Monty’s lengthy, yet majorless domination of European golf. But now her name is more often heard in the same breath as Tiger’s, Ochoa has work to do. If she’s going to become the best golfer of her gender that the world has ever seen (as Tiger has every chance to) she’ll need to exorcise some demons, starting at the Kraft Nabisco this weekend.

Tied second going into round two, Lorena is well placed and obviously playing well. But as she found out last year, one bad hole can wreck a day’s, week’s, or even a season’s worth of hard work. As the Masters is only held at Augusta, the Kraft Nabisco is only ever held at Mission Hills, California. Although she loves the course (she enjoys huge support from Mexican flag waving fans there) in the past two seasons she has melted down on the back nine after looking like a safe bet for the win.

But Lorena is only 26 and she’s without doubt a phenomenal talent. If she can overcome the memories of spurned opportunities in recent years, victory in the first major of the season would mean more than just a win for Ochoa. It would be proof that she can exorcise demons and perform to her full capabilities on the biggest stage. St Andrews was proof she could win a major, Mission Hills could be proof that she can win many more.


Can Lorena kick Tiger's tail?


4/4/2008 3:56:06 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 

  Thursday, April 03, 2008
Royal Flush

For all you gear geeks in the know out there, you'll be familiar with Sonartec. Beautiful clubs, they made amazing fairway woods and hybrids that have been used in multiple major victories. But unfortunately they've gone into liquidation. Boo. Hiss.

However help is at hand. Sonartec had a Japanese Sister company called Royal Collection. And Made in Japan Golf have got the exclusive UK rights to bring them in. Here's the spanking new driver for your perusal. Find out more in the June issue, where we'll fill you in on all the juicy details after our exclusive first test.


Oooooh


Ahhhh

La la la la la


4/3/2008 4:26:48 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [1] 
Everybody's Golf World Tour

GOLFPUNK Towers is a cracking place to work. Not because of the pay (which is frankly awful) or because of the staff (who are again frankly awful) but because of the perks. Between lessons from Claude Harmon and cups of tea from the Bunker Babes we had the chance to play Everybody's Golf World Tour on the PS3.

All I'll say here is this. Get. Involved.

To find out more click the image, or here and here.




If you're feeling lucky you can win yourself a copy, click on the game to find out how.



4/3/2008 12:34:24 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 
War Of The Words Continues

Thai golf star Prayad Marksaeng has spoken out against Colin Montgomerie’s comments about Asian players receiving invitations to play in the Masters. Yesterday we reported on Monty’s claims that the invitations were awarded to certain players in an attempt to boost the tournament’s profile, as well as TV revenue in China, India and Thailand. Marksaeng disagrees however.

"I believe they invite Asian players because golf and golfers in Asia are developing fast, and Asian golfers are playing better and better in big tournaments," Said the player, who is currently ranked 93rd in the world. But Marksaeng didn’t leave it there. Clearly offended personally, he went on to attack Monty’s attitude towards Asian players on tour.

Prayad Marksaeng, not happy.

"I have no idea why he (Montgomerie) said that, but maybe he dislikes Asian players - he never talks to Asian players anyway.”

Monty’s manager, Guy Kinnings has been trying to diffuse the situation since the Scot made his original comments.

"Colin completely understands Augusta's right to promote themselves. The last thing he would want to do is show disrespect or tell them who they should or should not invite.”

"He's done everything he can to be there, including changing his schedule, and he's just very disappointed because he values the tournament so highly. He does, though, feel he makes an important contribution around the world in promoting golf."

Is this the end of the argument, or will it be handbags at dawn? We’d back Monty in a wrestling match against most of the players on tour.




4/3/2008 10:45:56 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 

  Wednesday, April 02, 2008
10 Story Lines In Golf Going Into The Masters

Scouring the web for interesting golf chat we came across this interesting list. Doug Ferguson at USA Today gives you 10 reasons to get excited at the beginning of Majors season.



‘For some, golf does not begin until Arnold Palmer's ceremonial tee shot to start the Masters. Here are 10 issues that have developed in the three months leading up to the Masters:

1. Tiger Woods

Even with his high standards, Woods caused a stir when he said in January that the calendar Grand Slam was "easily within reason." Then he won his first four starts of the year, including a back-nine charge at Dubai on the European Tour. Along the way, he surpassed Arnold Palmer and caught Ben Hogan on the PGA Tour's career victories list.

2. Drug Testing

Golf does not begin drug testing until July, but mandatory meetings to outline the process was such an eye-opener that some players have begun asking about the need to form a union. Augusta National is part of the World Golf Foundation, meaning drug testing likely will take place at the Masters next year.

3. Slow Play

The PGA Tour has twice changed its cut policy to limit the size of fields on the weekend, particularly the final round, which has led to outrage among players who feel as though playing opportunities are being taken away. But it has renewed focus on the real problem - slow play - and more players are being singled out as the culprits. Two getting the most attention are J.B. Holmes and Sean O'Hair.

4. Phil Mickelson

He remains an enigma on the golf course. Mickelson appeared to hit his stride when he won at Riviera, giving him a victory at every PGA Tour stop in California and winning for the 16th time on the West Coast. But he didn't get out of the second round at Match Play, and he didn't finish inside the top 20 at Bay Hill or Doral.

5. The Golf Channel

It won't be a part of the Masters telecast, but it drew the wrong kind of attention in January when anchor Kelly Tilghman, responding to Nick Faldo's suggestion that players gang up on Tiger Woods, suggested they "lynch him in a back alley." It took four days for Golf Channel to act, suspending Tilghman for two weeks. The editor of Golfweek magazine lost his job for putting a noose on the cover. Woods forgave Tilghman, saying she meant no harm.

6. K.J. Choi

He emerged with a new title after winning the Sony Open - best Asian to have never won a major. Choi finished a career-high fifth on the money list last year after winning tournaments hosted by Jack Nicklaus (Memorial) and Tiger Woods (AT&T National), and his victory at the Sony Open was his seventh on the PGA Tour, and fifth since 2005. He comes to the Masters among the top 10 in the world.

7. Vijay Singh's meltdown at Pebble

It was only one tournament and it has happened to all great players, but it was no less shocking to see Singh blow a three-shot lead with five holes to play at Pebble Beach. He made two straight bogeys from the middle of the fairway and eventually lost to journeyman Steve Lowery in a playoff. Singh now has gone more than a year without winning, his longest drought since 2001.

8. Ernie Els

The Big Easy had gone 3 1/2 years and 47 tournaments without winning on the PGA Tour when he finally broke through at the Honda Classic, posting a score and letting everyone else tumble behind him. A week later, he revealed that his son has been coping with autism, and Els now has an "Autism Speaks" logo on his bag.

9. Masters criteria

The change back to awarding Masters invitations to PGA Tour winners has been a big hit. Daniel Chopra (Mercedes-Benz Championship) and Sean O'Hair (PODS Championship) were as thrilled about going to Augusta National as winning. Big-hitting J.B. Holmes earned his first trip to the Masters by winning in Phoenix.

10. Ryder Cup

There typically is more conversation about the Ryder Cup on the other side of the pond, but this year is different with the new selection criteria for Americans. It is based on money, leading to wild fluctuations in the standings. One point is awarded for every $1,000 earned on the PGA Tour, and the Masters will be the first time those points are doubled.




4/2/2008 10:02:33 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 

  Tuesday, April 01, 2008
It's Your Party But I'll Cry If I Want To

Remember when one of the popular kids at school had a birthday party and everyone opened their invitations excitedly in the playground? Remember walking up to that kid, empty hand outstretched, with a nervous but hopeful expression on your face, only to be pointed out and laughed at? No, it never happened to us either, but poor old Monty is obviously feeling a bit left out after not getting picked in PE.

After failing to make the top-four finish he needed in Miami (he came tied 65th) the Scot found himself outside the top 50 of the world rankings (75th in fact), and as a result without a spot in the Masters. But the thing that’s really got him angry is that the tournament organisers have given three invitations to Asian players Liang Wen-Chong (China), Prayad Marksaeng (Thailand) and Jeev Milkha Singh (India) – who are all ranked lower than Monty - with the intention of boosting the tournament’s profile in their homelands.

Monty shoots from the lip.

"We think the interest in golf in each country will heighten when these players compete in the Masters," said tournament Chairman Billy Payne. He also described the three players as, "outstanding representatives" for their countries.  

Monty though, isn’t happy. "It would be easier to swallow if no one was invited and the entry list was based on sporting and not commercial criteria." He said. In that case Monty, we’ll ask them to invite the 51st, 52nd and 53rd ranked players, which still leaves you 22 places short.




4/1/2008 3:39:36 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 

  Monday, March 31, 2008
GOLFPUNK Against The World

What were you doing when you were 19? Not competing at the business end of big boys tour events we’re guessing.

GOLFPUNK diarist Oli Fisher came within a whisker of winning his first European Tour event yesterday when Thomas Levet overhauled him at the first hole of a sudden-death play-off at the Aloha Golf Club

Fisher played beautifully for four days and had rounds of 70, 68, 67 and 67 for a 16-under-par total of 272. Levet said: “I was very lucky with my long putt on 17, but my experience helped and I was very calm.”


As is his wont, Levet had time to heap praise on the vanquished, even going so far as to compare our Oli to the game's greats. “I feel so sorry for Oliver because that was tough on him,” he said. “He's a great player, powerful and concise.

“I would say he's the next Nick Faldo. His game is unbelievable and in two or three years, he could be at the level of Tiger Woods, he's that good.”

This was Fisher's best finish in less than two years on tour and earned him £88,000. It moved him to 32nd on the Order of Merit virtually guaranting his playing rights for 2009.



3/31/2008 10:11:56 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 

  Friday, March 28, 2008
Tiger Art

Buick are selling some car so in way of publicity they’ve roped in Tiger Woods to drum up some interest. This time they’re not sending him to the moon, making him stand next to lesser sportsmen or making him do trick shots. Nope. They’re getting Woodsy to make art.



The ‘piece’ comes from paint-filled golf balls that the world's No. 1 player launched at canvases for a Buick television commercial, which will be auctioned off for charity at the Buick Open in Grand Blanc this June.

We wonder what Luke Donald, the only history of art student on the PGA Tour, would make of all this?

“It looks like Pollock’s”, we assume.




3/28/2008 11:11:12 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [1] 
Star Wars

No explination needed.

Just check out the Star Wars golf gear.





3/28/2008 11:07:50 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [1] 
Tiger Snaps After Being Snapped

If there’s one golfer we wouldn’t want to annoy, it would be Tiger Woods. Firstly because he’s built like a brick outhouse, and secondly because we’re still slightly suspicious that he’s actually a Terminator-like android who shows no mercy to those who stand in his way. So why people keep taking pictures of him during his swing is beyond us. It happened again in the WGC in Doral on Sunday, when on the ninth-hole a photographer fired his shutter during Tiger’s downswing. He was understandably furious, letting out a rant - that included threatening to break the next offender’s neck - punctuated with profanity. Eyebrows were raised, but can you blame him? It’s the fourth time it’s happened this year, and on three of those occasions (including this one) he went on to make a bogey. It’s not only this season that it’s been going on either, remember the 2002 Skins Game when his caddy, Steve Williams threw a spectators camera into the lake by the 18th green after disturbing Tiger while he was playing a crucial bunker shot?

The problem is, can you stop it from happening? We need pictures from golf tournaments, so banning photography entirely is out of the question. We’ve come up with some possible punishments for the guilty snappers…

1. Force the culprit into an Ultimate Fighting match against Steve Williams.

2. Confiscate the camera and let Tiger use the lens as a tee on the range.

3. Make the snapper play the shot himself – and see if the sound of a shutter (or several) puts him off.



4. Woodsy could rugby tackle them and crack them in half like this.
If you can think of anymore, add a comment to this blog and we’ll see just how devious you can be.

If you can think of anymore, add a comment to this blog and we’ll see just how devious you can be.


3/28/2008 10:59:53 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [1] 


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