Thursday, June 26, 2008
Buick Open 2008

Isn’t it nice to see people looking on the bright side?

Some overzealous doom mongers think a season without Tiger is going to make golf implode. Not Greg Johnson. This level headed journo for the Grand Rapids Press has come up with some reasons why Tiger’s absence from this weekend’s Buick Open could actually benefit spectators.

He asserts this is the 50th anniversary of the Buick Open, which means it has pulled off an event 42 times without Woods at Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club. It will pull off another, and honestly, there are reasons to venture here this week, or at least watch on television.

Here’s his list:

Saving Money
No Woods means less money for parking because of less demand and more supply, and that means you save money before you get in the gate.

Then, the crowds are down, so you can actually move around and not fight thousands of people for good spots along the ropes.

The real golf fans -- as in the ones who liked the sport before Tiger -- should be very pleased with this access to the action.

Parking was just $5 Tuesday. It will go up each day, but it shouldn't skyrocket. Don't forget to car pool. Gas was $4.08 in Flint on Tuesday.

Rocco Is There
Rocco Mediate won here in 2000, and each year he stays with Grand Blanc resident Steve Purtis, who is a friend of his from high school.

Sure, he is tired of talking about taking Tiger to task at the U.S. Open only to fall when the King of Golf Drama put him away, but he promises to be engaging, entertaining and excited to play.

He's the guy golf fans can watch instead.

I played in a pro-am with him before, and he couldn't have been a better pro partner. He told me once that golfers have to remember they exist only because the fans exist.

John Daly Is There
Sure, he's a human car wreck waiting to happen much of the time, but he has wowed the crowd here before with his grip-it-and-rip-it approach to the game. He has attracted galleries that rival Tiger's followers in previous visits.

A few years ago, Vijay Singh was winning, but everybody on Sunday was following Big John. Simple reason: He's fun to watch.

Car wrecks make you look when you go past.

Billy Casper Is There
Sure, some of the younger golf fans have never heard of him, which is reason to come.

Call it golf history 101. Casper was the winner of the 1958 Buick Open, the first Buick, and local golf fans should remember he was a former champion in Grand Rapids after he helped bring the Senior PGA Tour to town for an 18-year run.

Casper also won two U.S. Opens, a Masters and was on eight Ryder Cup teams while winning 51 PGA Tour events. He signs autographs, and he remembers names.

All valid reasons I’m sure you’ll agree. So if you're knocking about the streets of Michigan with nothing to do get involved.

We wanted to post a video of some great moments from the Buick Open but found this video was more fun. Click the image to check it out.



6/26/2008 12:36:43 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 

  Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Funny Ha Ha

An oldy but a goody.

Alan Partidge waxing lyrical about everyone's favourite shot maker.

It leaves us in hysterics every time.



6/25/2008 3:53:06 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 

  Tuesday, June 24, 2008
The World Matchplay Moves To Spain

Golf’s richest tournament has scarpered to sunnier climes.

The World Match Play Championship, which has been held at Wentworth in England since its inception in 1964, will not take place this year but is to move to Spain in 2009 under a round-robin format.

The International Management Group said on Tuesday the event, with a prize fund of $5 million, would be staged at the Finca Cortesin club near Marbella with a new sponsor, Volvo.

This year's season-ending Volvo Masters in Valderrama will be the last, to be replaced in 2009 by the Dubai World Championship forcing Volvo to get back on the sponsors merry go round and switch backing to a revamped Match Play.

A field of 16 will be split into four groups of four over the first two days over 18 holes with group winners progressing to the 36-hole semi-finals on the Saturday.

"Now I have to get up three hours earlier."

Arnold Palmer won the first Match Play title in 1964. South African Ernie Els, last year's champion, has a record seven victories to his credit dating back to 1994.

We suspect the ‘Big Easy’ will be a bit gutted about the move. Some put his success to the fact the tournament was played in his back yard.

We imagine it would help.


Els feeling mardy about the move. Probably. To be fair we haven’t talked to him about it.


6/24/2008 12:43:18 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 
Golf Sale

A golf ball more than 170 years old and stuffed with a top hat's worth of goose feathers is expected to fetch £25,000 when it is auctioned next month.

We wish we’d have found it when looking for one of our wayward balls.

The feathery “midget”, smaller than a modern golf ball, dates from 1835 and is believed to be the only one of its type in existence. The ball used to belong to Harry B. Wood, a friend of “Old” Tom Morris and predates the introduction of gutta-percha balls by 15 years.

The sale is to take place on July 12 at Ludlow racecourse in Shropshire. We’d suggest if you fork out 25 grand for the antique golf ball you don’t tee it up for crack at the 17th at Sawgrass. If it ends up in the drink you’ll be right ticked off.


Pricey and old, much like the Italian squad.


6/24/2008 12:37:23 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 

  Monday, June 23, 2008
Kids What Are Better Than Us

Kids eh? If there not boring you to death at their school play they’re being much better than could reasonably be expected at golf.
 
A twelve-year-old boy will lead Tanzania’s team of six players to the 2008 East African Nation Golf Classic series grand finale at Muthaiga Golf Club in November.

Victor Joseph, an orphan who knew nothing about golf eight months ago, beat a field of 139 players with a superb 39 stableford points to emerge the leading qualifier of the East African Nation Golf Classic Tanzania edition at the tough playing Dar es Salaam Gymkhana Club.

Joseph, currently playing off 18, fired five over par 22 at the front nine despite double-bogeying thee par three-ninth.

He later posted 17 points at the back nine which included three double-bogeys and a three back to back bogeys at the last three holes.

“I am very excited that Joseph has won this event. I started off with these boys on September 28 last year and not only are they playing well but they are likely to be single figure players by the end of the year,” said Dar es Salaam resident professional and golf administrator Charles Farrar.

Elsewhere Tommy Fleetwood, from Southport, lost three and two to Reinier Saxton, of the Netherlands, in the Amateur Championship final at Turnberry on Saturday, but the calmness and touch shown by the 17-year-old on and around the greens will stand him in good stead when he joins the professional ranks.

He has convinced two members of the Park Golf Club, Southport, where he learnt the game and hit a course-record 65 last year, to place a £500 bet on him becoming Open champion before his 27th birthday.

They have been given odds of 66-1.

After his semi-final win on Friday, Fleetwood had said that the biggest plus of his winning streak was that he got to play Turnberry for free. He got two more rounds on Saturday and could have become the youngest winner of the Amateur, but having been one up after 19 holes, he faded on the closing stretch.

Fleetwood was a gallant loser. “He just played much better than me,” he said. “Tee to green he was much better. I can't be disappointed - I did better than 286 other golfers.”



6/23/2008 12:17:13 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 
Cink Triumphs At Travelers

Stewart Cink shot a three-under 67 to win the Travelers Championship on Sunday, 11 years after he claimed his first PGA Tour title at the event.

Cink got up-and-down for par on the 18th hole to squeeze out a one-shot victory over Tommy Armour III and 2007 champion Hunter Mahan. It was the fifth PGA Tour title of his career and first since he won twice in 2004.


Stewart Cink yesterday.

Stu's victory followed a good, but winless, season that saw him post six top-10 finishes, including two runner-ups and a tie for third place at the Masters.

For the man fro Florence Alabama, it was his first win since the 2004 NEC Invitational, a lucrative World Golf Championships event. He moved from seventh place on the FedEx Cup points list to third behind Woods and Mickelson.

But with Woods sidelined for the rest of the season following his U.S. Open win, Cink is, for all intents and purposes, second on the list to Mickelson.




6/23/2008 12:11:42 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 
Kaymer Comes Through

Despite our best efforts to curse him on Friday Martin Kaymer survived a final-round collapse to win the BMW International Open in Munich with a play off victory over Anders Hansen.

The 23 year old led by six shots going into the last day but he struggled in the final round, even carding a triple bogey eight at the 11th.


Martin Kaymer and his retro car phone.

He needed a birdie at the 18th to match Hansen's target of 15 under.

And on the first extra hole, a birdie four from Kaymer was enough for victory after Hansen found two bunkers.

The win pushed Kaymer up to sixth place on the European Ryder Cup ladder.




The Ryder Cup ladder (left).


6/23/2008 11:49:07 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 

  Friday, June 20, 2008
BMW International Open 2008 - Round 2

Things are hotting up nicely in Munich. A couple of rounds in Martin Kaymer is top of the pile which reminded us why he won Rookie of the Year in the 2007 GOLFPUNK Staunch awards.

In December last year Editor Shaun McGuckian wrote..

"At the Dunhill Links I was stood watching the golf with an agent when we watched one player monster a drive, stiff his chip, hole the putt and then hit a tee shot to two feet at the next hole. The agent remarked with knowing guile that no-one had yet signed the man. That man was Martin Kaymer.

To those in the know, Martin Kaymer’s form has not come as a surprise. Unfortunately, Mr Kaymer was the only one who knew. He joined the European Tour this year after attacking the Challenge Tour in 2006 like a Tasmanian Devil. He played only eight events, winning two and finishing in the top five another four times, claiming fourth place in the rankings. The year before that he shot a competitive 59.

The 22-year-old German is unfazed by grand arenas and that is why he took to the European Tour with the same gusto as he attacked everything else. In his first full season he easily saw off his nearest rival in this category, Anton Haig, and Anton won an event! More astonishing than his 41st place finish is the fact that Kaymer is currently ranked 76th in the world and only going one way. By the way he has now been signed to a management company.

It says enough about his meteoric rise that you guys know who he is and have applauded his achievement by voting him the rookie of the year. The next step is surely to the bookie counter..."

Perceptive even if he says so himself (which he did). Now that's Sergio Garcia isn't rubbish at golf, Danny Willet is well good at golf and Martin Kaymer could be a star that the man from Holywood has gotten right.

Hardly makes him a soothsayer. He hasn't got anything right before or since.

Hopefully we haven't cursed the lad.



6/20/2008 9:03:18 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [1] 

  Thursday, June 19, 2008
Just In

Callaway FT-5 TH

£529

Imagine a Callaway driver where the face wasn't set forward from the shaft, that wasn't closed faced, and had a traditional looking hosel? It wouldn't be a Callaway driver that anyone would be familiar with. But times have changed. The New FT-5 TH has been designed as part of the Tour Authentic range on recommendations from their Tour Staff. The TH stands for Tour Hosel, and it's amazing how adding a traditional hosel to the design has made this look so much more classical than the current FT-5. It's already being used on tour by Thomas Bjorn and Anton Haig, and you'll be able to get hold of one in July.




6/19/2008 3:37:51 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 
Vintage Mario Golf

Now we've gone into a bit of a Mario frenzy, what with the release of the new Mario Kart. So when one of the team brought these golfing Mario Brothers complete with matching NES controllers, back with him from a recent trip to Kuala Lumpar, we knew we had to show you them. But we think Mario and Luigi need a session with Claude before they play again. They've got no backswing, they grip weaker than a chicken korma,  and they keep double hitting. To top it off, we can't think of too many places that would let you on without spikes and a collar.




6/19/2008 3:31:23 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 

  Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Knee, Jerk, Reaction

You know what it’s like. You make a flippant comment with your tongue in your cheek and then it spectacularly backfires on you. Yes, we’re looking at you Retief Goosen.

Goosen was quoted saying: "Nobody knows if he (Woods) was just showing off". When asked if he thought Woods might have been faking the extent of his knee pain, he replied: "I think he was."

Cue many a raised eyebrow. Everyone knows what happens if you make a Tiger angry. You get eaten 10&8 in your next match-play face off.


Retief, hoping the cage will protect him.

However, Goosen told Reuters before playing in the BMW International Open pro-am that he had not been serious.

"I was joking, really. I mean, how do I know? I never spoke to the guy," Goosen said.

"He's got a sore knee, yes, and at the end of the day it's a great achievement by Tiger winning his 14th major.

"But I wouldn't really know how sore or not his knee was. Obviously if his knee was really bad he would have withdrawn.

"I won't say I knew he was faking it. How would I know?

Well Retief the proof is in the press release. Woodsy is going to have another op on his knee and miss the rest of the season. The World’s number one said, "Now, it is clear that the right thing to do is listen to my doctors, follow though with this surgery, and focus my attention on rehabilitating my knee."

Now that’s taking the charade a little far. It’s also been revealed thatieve these are yoursTiger has a double stress fracture in his leg. That’s right he won the US Open with a bum knee and a broken leg.

We’re thinking with his ridiculous pile of cash and friends in high places Woods could get a bionic replacement. Just call him Leads Majors the Six Billion Man.


The person for resposible for mocking this up has been fired.


6/18/2008 5:33:30 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 
Ritter Tip - Putting

Do you worry about your tiddlers?

Stop sniggering at the back. This isn't  another spam advert claiming to 'enhance' your best bits to impress the ladies.

This is about nailing those short putts. Funk doctor Ritter is going to give you some sage advice on making those pesky five footers. If Rocco Mediate read this a few days ago he'd have a major in his over sized back pocket by now.

Short Putt Success

Drop Anchor

Short putts are all about accuracy. That means keeping your body quiet and steady as you stroke. To remedy excess body movement, “anchor” your weight on your front foot, feeling nearly your entire weight pressing into the turf.

Take Dead Aim

The right attitude makes all the difference. Watch Tiger putt the short ones and you’ll see a player who treats a short putt like an NBA player treats a slam dunk. Take “Dead Aim” and knock it right into the back of the cup.

Hit and Hold

Club face control is your number one asset to getting your ball rolling on your intended line. Get in the habit of “holding your finish” so that the putter face square to your target line.



Jeff Ritter is a bonafide legend and Director of Instruction at ASU Karsten Golf Academy.

Reach him at www.golfbydesign.net





6/18/2008 2:48:31 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 
This Video Is Kaka



Frankly this is a rubbish advert and it’s eight months old, but I’ve only just seen it and we love Kaka, so there.




6/18/2008 2:29:29 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 

  Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Woods - 14 Down 4 To Go

What a fitting finish to a cracking tournament. Tiger Woods ended Rocco Mediate's bid to become the oldest player to win the U.S Open on the first hole of a sudden death playoff yesterday.

Mediate could have walked away with so much more had it not been for Woods, who despite playing on a badly hurting left knee birdied the 72nd hole to force a playoff and repeated the feat at the 90th hole to force a sudden-death playoff.

The two, who shot even-par 71s in the 18-hole playoff, went to the seventh, where Mediate failed to make par and had to settle for the title of runner-up to the man with so many titles.

"I'm coming to get you Tiger."

"I just about got him," Mediate, 45, said. "He had to birdie the last again; and, again, he did it.

"I can't give any more, I really can't. I almost got it done."

Said the man who almost pulled off one of sports' greatest upsets.

"Tiger is so hard to beat, he's unreal. I would have loved to have won, it was a great day.

"The crowd was unbelievable, the putt I made at 18 just to stay in it - I handled it, I was nervous as a cat but I handled it.

"I can't really complain, I did the best I could. It just showed me that I can still compete. I got what I wanted, a chance to beat the best player in the world and I came up just short."

But Woods overcame to claim what he described as his "greatest major championship."

"I think this is probably the best ever," Woods said. "All things considered, I don't know how I ended up in this position, to be honest with you. It was a long week."

After making eagle on the hole to take the lead into the fourth round, Woods arrived at the 18th tee on consecutive days knowing he needed a birdie to tie. Each time he delivered.

"So Rocco, you were saying?"

"Well, it's pressure; there's no doubt," Woods said. "I was nervous and that's a good thing. That means you care."

Woods cared so much he ignored his doctor's orders not to play golf so he could compete in the Open at one of his favourite courses.

"I'm glad I'm done, I really don't feel like playing any more.” Said Woodsy.

"The atmosphere kept me going, it could have been very easy to quit, but I couldn't quit in front of these people, it wasn't going to happen."

Asked when he would play again, he replied: "Not for a while, I'm going to shut it down for a little bit and see what happens."

We’re hoping Woods is back in action at Royal Birkdale in Southport for the Open Championship, starting on July 17th.

"I'll take a little time off," he said, before being asked if the Open would be his next tournament.

"I hope so," so do we Tiger.

Congratulations Tiger and good on you Rocco. You’ve re-ignited our love affair with the US Open. After a sterile three days at Augusta this is exactly what golf needed. Some were saying that the Masters was turning into the US Open, after this five day feast of excitement is the US Open the new Masters?

Nope?

Didn't think so.


Superman's daughter takes her first flight.


6/17/2008 11:21:31 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [1] 


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