Green Posse

Phil Mickelson and Michelle Wie withdrew from their respective events today due to injuries. Mickelson evidently injured his wrist while practicing at Oakmont last week, and then further aggravated the injury in today’s first round of the Memorial. It’s too bad because I think he was primed to win this week, in spite of Tiger being in the field.
And Michelle Wie withdrew from the Ginn Tribute, citing further aggravation with her wrist injury as well. Not coincidentally, Wie was 14 over par through 16 holes at the time she withdrew. Even more interesting (and I …read more

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Both Tiger and Phil are playing Jack’s tournament, The Memorial this week in Ohio, and it’s a good place to see how ready or not, Phil and Tiger are as they head into the final weeks before the U.S. Open. There’s no doubt that Tiger really likes this tournament, simply because of the ties to Nicklaus, and he wants everything that has anything to do with Nicklaus.
However, does that mean he’s ready to tackle Jack’s course this year? Not unless Woods found some magic on the range in the last couple of weeks. I’ve said before …read more

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I was reading an article about the European Tour and its goal to become more “global” in order to compete against the PGA Tour, and I got to thinking. What if the European Tour was so bold as to schedule a European tournament (or World Golf tournament) in the United States, during a week that the PGA is at a second-tier event? Of course, it would never happen, but just imagine.
Take those tournaments that have been left off the PGA’s new FedEx Cup schedule and bring them back as European events! How about the International running the …read more

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“My goal next year is to probably get to No. 1.” – Rory Sabbatini, after winning the Colonial on Sunday. Okay, Sabbatini played very well on Sunday and took the tournament from Jim Furyk in the playoff, so kudos to Rory closing the deal. But becoming the number one player in the world by 2008? Please. I’ve said before I like his frankess (most of the time) because he’s not afraid to say what he feels, but sometimes you have to know when to shut up.
He’s got game, there’s no doubt, but he’s not in the …read more

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Eduardo Romero had the Senior PGA Championship is his grasp, but in the end, couldn’t close the deal and Denis Watson was the ultimate beneficiary. Romero, Nick Price, and Denis Watson, all hit less than stellar shots coming in, but Romero couldn’t make the clutch putts when he needed them.
Nick Price needs to get his game face back on if he’s going to compete on the Champions Tour. Price was always known for his precision iron shots on the PGA tour during his heyday, but watching him iron shots today was painful.
I won’t say Watson backed …read more

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The 2007 Senior PGA Championship is being played this year at Kiawah Island resort, location of the famed “War on the Shore” Ryder Cup matches of 1991. During those Ryder Cup matches, the course was the main attraction because it’s an extremely difficult course under the best of conditions. And it still plays difficult, but the seniors are getting to play it with tees up a little further than they were in ‘91.
After the third round, Eduardo Romero is leading Nick Price and Denis Watson two shots, but his lead should have been 4, except he bogyed 17 …read more

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Tomorrow I hope to hit a bucket of golf balls, for the first time since I was diagnosed with colon cancer, back in March. I’ve really missed playing golf this spring, but the side effects from the chemo and radiation have made life difficult at times. For those not aware, one of the side effects of chemo is that your hands and/or feet become burned (as if they are sunburned on the palms), and needless to say, this has been painful.
However, this week, my hands are starting to peel, which means the chemo side effects are winding down …read more

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Paula Creamer is learning early what Natalie Gulbis has yet to learn: you can’t spread yourself too thin with commitments, and still expect to contend each week on the LPGA. By her own standards, she didn’t have a good sophmore season in 2006 because she didn’t win. By anyone else’s standard she had a very good year: no cuts in 27 starts and 14 top-10 finishes. However, like all top-tier players, she’s out there to win, and this year she’s scaled back the number of tournaments she’s going to play (not unlike Woods and Mickelson).
And unfortunately, this …read more

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In case you missed it, USA Today had full page spread (no pun intended) on Natalie Gulbis today that featured obligatory photos from interesting angles, and a minute-by-minute diary of her day. I’ve said all along that Gulbis has tons of potential, but for now, it’s all she has. This USA Today spread literally confirms the point that she’s spending too much time marketing her looks and not enough time on the range.
Maybe she’s accepted the fact she’s this generation’s Laura Baugh. Sells tons of newspapers, calendars, and magazines, but doesn’t quite have the goods to win …read more

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I thought maybe the layoff and wrist injury might force Michelle Wie to reconsider her attempt at playing the PGA Tour, but alas, she’s coming back for another try. Yup, she’s confirmed that she’ll be the sideshow at the John Deere Classic for the third consecutive year. So even when she was at her best and 100% healthy, she couldn’t compete, but now she’s coming off an injury that, even if healed, might hamper her ability to make clean contact with the golf ball.
I know it sounds harsh, but Michelle, please go back to the LPGA and earn …read more

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