Green Posse

We finally have a twenty-something American seriously competing come Sunday afternoon (though he’s 0-fer) and the golf experts can’t cut him some slack. He took Tiger the full 15 rounds and while he didn’t win, I don’t think he lost by a K.O. (or even T.K.O.) either. Howell III is learning how to win again and the road back has been very long and very painful at times, but I certainly see the progress he’s made.
Like many before him, he hit the tour with tons of expectations and the fact that he came from Augusta (yes that Augusta) kind …read more

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Fred Funk is in a position most 50+ year-old professionals would love to be in. He lapped the field at the Champions Tour event at Turtle Bay this past weekend and won by 11 shots. The problem is (at least for the Champions Tour) is that he wants to keep playing the PGA Tour with the younger generation. And he should by all means because he’s the first 50-year-old in a while to remain competitive on the regular tour. Remember, he won th Players Championship when he was 49.
From a selfish perspective though, the Champions Tour …read more

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Everywhere you looked today, there was someone comparing Tiger Woods and Roger Federer. Comparisons in sport are always difficult and in the end are nothing more than water-cooler fodder because you can’t really compare professionals from two completely different sports. However, I will say that number of competitors Woods has to beat in any given tournament far exceeds the number of opponents Federer has to beat.
And assuming the top 10 are in the field for a PGA event, Tiger (or the winner) has to beat them all, for four days before he can claim victory. Granted, …read more

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Tiger Woods let the rookies know who rules the tour today, in startling fashion, by winning his 7th consecutive PGA tournament, the Buick Invitational. It was a close tournament on the back nine as Andrew Buckle and Jeff Quinney appeared to have the tournament in hand. But both rookies made a couple of mental errors which led to double-bogies for both, and all of a sudden, they were tied with Tiger. Oops.
However, in fairness to Buckle, Quinney, Snedeker and Howell, it’s apparent that these youngsters just don’t seem too much in awe of Tiger (at least outwardly) …read more

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So the Golf Channel’s Big Break series has gone into virtual syndication it appears. They’ve announced the Big Break VII – The Reunion series. This time they’ve brought back both winners and losers from previous shows. 16 players total will comprise this particular instance and it will be interesting to see how the politics and strategy will play out since they all know the ropes of the show.
Let’s see if I can remember some of the names. From the first show there’s Mark (Mr-Oh-I-shanked-that-shot-on-purpose) Farnham; Don (The Mouth) Donatello from II; Cindy Miller and Valerie …read more

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I was reading some reports from the 2007 PGA Merchandise Show and Convention and it appears to me that this year, more than ever, having the latest and greatest technology is more important than just enjoying the game for what it offers. Call me old-school I guess. There are the new drivers that come in all shapes and sizes, but more importantly, they have “MOI” (moment of inertia) rating as set forth by the PGA.
And what exactly does MOI do for the average golfer? Allegedly, it optimizes the resistance to twisting on off-center hits. Wow. I’m …read more

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Okay, it’s only the third event of the young season, but is it too early to hope for a shootout between Woods, Singh, and Mickelson? I don’t think so. Primarily because Singh is playing very well (his 34th place finish at the Sony Open notwithstanding) and Tiger seems to be full of confidence this year. And you can never count Phil out.
In fact, Phil might need the incentive of Woods and Singh being in the field to stoke the fire in his belly and play well. And what about Charles Howell III? Can he recover …read more

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The golf world is abuzz with excitement simply because this week is Tiger Woods’ first appearance of 2007. And it’s at one of Tiger’s favorite tracks: Torrey Pines in San Diego. Oddly enough, there are some people who don’t feel the same excitement as most, and that’s mainly the players that have to compete against him. Do you think Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson sometimes feel they were born too early or too late in life? Without Tiger around, I’d bet Els would have at least 4 more majors, and who’s to say how many Mickelson …read more

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It’s official, finally. Hale Irwin is back in the winner’s circle after winning the 2007 MasterCard Championship at Hualalai this past weekend. Irwin left no doubt that at least on this day, he was the man to beat as Jim Thorpe and Tom Kite trailed Irwin by 5 shots when all was said and done.
I actually enjoyed watching a Champions Tour event again and it’s no surprise that Hale Irwin has a lot to do with it. Irwin was playing like a man possesed all day as he shot at pins and the made the putts when …read more

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Charley Hoffman made an unlikely eagle on the 72nd hole to force a playoff at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in Palm Desert, California. Hoffman beat John Rollins on the first hole of sudden death with a par when Rollins couldn’t get up and down after mis-hitting his 2nd shot out of a fairway bunker.
Justin Rose has got to be kicking himself yet again as he let another one slip away. It’s not that he played poorly, it’s just that he didn’t match what other guys around him were doing. Rose has game, he’s just got to …read more

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