Green Posse

What’s going on in the golf world? Glad you asked! Here’s the latest:

Tiger’s Fitness Regimen (Geoff Shackelford). Intense? Yeah, a little bit.
U.S. Open & Golf courses for women (The Golf Chick). Golf For Women magazine lists its top 50 courses, and the Golf Chick is there to read and critique.
U.S. Women’s Open: Is Annika Sorenstam a Factor? (Armchair Golf Blog). A quick reminder not to forget about Sorenstam. As if anyone could…
New Woods on path (St. Petersburg Times). Tiger’s niece, 16-year-old Cheyenne Woods, is starting to get attention for her golf game.
John Garrity’s Top 50 (Golf.com). Speaking of top courses, …read more

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What’s going on at the Buick Open? The Golf Blogger is there and offers a behind-the-scenes look. Beyond how to pronounce Grand Blanc, we learn a little about the practice routine of Jim Furyk and other pros, as well as the level of skill with which they play:
It was amazing just how far and accurately they hit the ball. I saw only a couple of shots go awry, and those was only a couple of yards off. If the players performed in competition like they did in practice, the winning score would be thirty under. The fact that the scores …read more

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According to a recent AP article, testing for performance-enhancing drugs could happen depending on what the PGA decides to do. Quoth Champions Tour President Rick George:
We’ll adopt whatever policies the PGA Tour does. I certainly don’t (think it’s a problem). But I think if the tour adopts a policy, it’s important that the Champions Tour adopt the same policy.
Although this probably is a prudent move on the part of the tour, it’s also a bit odd to think that steroids would even be an issue at that level. Then again, as spokesman Michael McPhillips notes, “We do use a lot …read more

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When Frank Nobilo did his piece on the Golf Channel after the U.S. Open on Sunday, it got me thinking about ways the broadcast giants could improve golf telecasts. The first thing that came to mind was a cap-cam that a player would wear. First off, it’s understandable that most players would never wear something like this during a competitive round, but I think asking a player to wear one during a practice round or pro-am would be extremely beneficial.
Secondly, I’d give players the option of having their audio muted in between shots, so that discussions between player and caddie …read more

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The Golf Channel’s “Live From” crew did an excellent job at this year’s U.S. Open. After the final round completed, Frank Nobilo went out and demonstrated the two shots Furyk and Woods had, and how difficult they really were. Most impressive was how deep the bunker was for Tiger’s shot, and the fact that he got it out, though it rolled across the green, is a testament to his real talent.
I normally like Kraig Kann as the host/moderator of this show, but lately he seems to be treading too lightly, and working very hard not to say or ask anything …read more

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Congrats to Tiger and Elin Woods on the birth of thier first child. Sam Alexis Woods was born early Monday morning, hours after he completed the final round of the U.S. Open. I wonder what would have happned if Tiger and Cabrera had finished tied, because the USGA requires a Monday playoff for the U.S. Open. And if Tiger’s child was born sometime Monday, would he have left the playoff? Smart money says yes. He’d have been gone in a heartbeat.
Michelle Wie’s camp announced she has withdrawn from next months’s John Deere Classic. Citing …read more

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Players from America fared very well in this year’s U.S. Open and that’s a pleasant suprise for a change, as they claimed 10 of the top 20 finishing spots on the leaderboard. Bubba Watson was the only real “young gun” on the list, but he needs to feel very proud of how he finished. He took a lot of heat from the broadcast team, but overall he did very well.
The other real American surprise was Lee Janzen. He’s been struggling for years trying to get his game back, and has been using sponsor’s exemptions more often …read more

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I didn’t given Angel Cabrera enough props yesterday, and he fully deserved more than he got. I’ve been watching a replay of the final round and Cabrera played some fantastic golf, under intense pressure. Does this win make him a top-tier player? Hardly, but it may give him the confidence to win more often on the PGA Tour (when he plays). I had no idea how far the man can hit a golf ball. Simply amazing. And when he striped his tee shot on 18, that sent a serious message to Woods.
And Tiger’s press …read more

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Well, Tiger is 0-fer when he enters the final round of a major, trailing the leader. For all the great shots he hit yesterday, the opposite happened today, and he looked dazed and confused. Even more frustrating for Woods I’m sure is that this tournament was there for the taking; all he had to do was shoot even par.
I have a theory: Tiger seems to be motivated not only by the challenge of winning majors, but by the attention and adulation the top-5 (whomever they happen to be) gets when they are winning majors. Last year, …read more

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This is the U.S. Open,not the B.C.Open (with all due respect). The USGA, in my opinion, dumbed down the greens for Saturday’s third round, and let a whole bunch of guys in the tournament that really shouldn’t be there. There’s no doubt they buckled under the pressure to not duplicate the Shinnecock debacle.
The cream is supposed to rise to the top at major championships, especially the U.S. Open, but a quick look at the leaderboard, and it could be the leaderboard at the B.C. Open. Aaron Baddeley is a decent golfer, but he’s hardly a top-tier …read more

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