The 23-year-old aced the 17th on Thursday and repeated the feat on Friday. Said Todd, “It’s just pure disbelief. It was a stroke of good luck, twice in a row. I guess it’s like catching lightning in a bottle.”

The last time a player hit two aces in the same tournament during a PGA-sanctioned event was in 2004 when Graham Marsh did it during the Senior British Open.

(photo credit:Newscom)

Post from: Green Posse

Tom Watson, the two-time defending champion, will head a professional field of 70 players, including Tom Kite (pictured above), Hal Irwin, Fuzzy Zoeller, and Craig Stadler.

The Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am will be televised Friday on the Golf Channel from 1230pm to 230pm and on NBC Saturday and Sunday from 4pm – 6pm and 1pm – 3pm, respectively.

(photo credit: Newscom)

Post from: Green Posse

The 2009 Masters Tournament may be history, with 39-year-old Angel Cabrera from Argentina taking the green jacket, but just how much do you know about the lowest-ranked player to ever win the Masters?

* Cabrera, who regularly plays on the European Tour, has two PGA wins–the 2009 Masters and the 2007 US Open

* Cabrera is nicknamed “El Pato,” the duck

* Cabrera has five wins on the European Tour

* He turned pro in 1989

* Cabrera is married with two sons, one of whom periodically caddies for his dad

* Cabrera makes his home in Cordoba, Argentina

(photo credit: Newscom)

Post from: Green Posse

It was a tough second round today at the Masters Tournament in Augusta. Just ask Ernie Els or Stewart Cink. They were just two of the top players that failed to make the cut and qualify for this weekend’s rounds three and four. Others going home include 2007 Masters champion, Zach Johnson and K J Choi. Some of the older players also have played their last Masters round, at least for this season. Veterans not qualifying for the final rounds include Greg Norman, whose good showing in the British Open last year delighted golf fans, Fred Couples, and Fuzzy Zoeller, who says this will be his last Masters.

Still there are plenty of interesting side stories to keep golfing fans tuned in. Can Tiger Woods rebound from two lackluster early rounds to challenge for the title. Can current co-leader, Kenny Perry (at 48) become the oldest player to win the Masters? We’ll just have to watch and see.

(photo credit: Newscom)

Post from: Green Posse

PGA pros all over the country are offering free 10-minute golf lessons during the month of May. Last year, more than 6600 pros gave more than 115,000 lessons.

To find a participating course near you, visit the PGA’s “Free Golf Lesson” Web site.

Admittedly, there’s a limit to how much you can learn in 10 minutes, but it’s a great way to see if golf lessons are for you or to concentrate on one aspect of your game.

^{(photo of Palm Beach Gardens golfer, Denis Johnson getting a lesson from PGA Pro John Kasper © Newscom.com)}

Post from: Green Posse

This is especially welcome news to golf fans. The ranks of the LPGA and PGA are increasingly peopled by foreign nationals and golf is one sport where ten years is a rather short career.

The move can only be good for competition in golf and other sports, such as baseball and basketball, that feature prominent foreign players.

Post from: Green Posse

Phil Mickelson went into the final round of the Northern Trust Open with a five stroke lead, but that narrowed to just one stroke over Steve Stricker by the 18th hole. Just as Stricker was steeling himself for a playoff, however, Mickelson sunk a tough putt for par on the 18th green. Fred Couples, playing in his last PGA season, Andres Romero, and K J Choi tied for third place.

This is Mickelson’s 35th career victory and first time in the top 20 in the last three tournaments.

^{(Photo © Newscom)}

Post from: Green Posse

LPGA sweetheart, Natalie Gulbis is slated to compete on the latest season of Donald Trump’s “Celebrity Apprentice,” according to NBC. The 26-year-old golfer is one of 16 contestants on the second season of the reality show, which begins on Sunday, March 1. Others vying for the title of “Celebrity Apprentice” and money for their favorite charity include country singer, Clint Black; Heisman Trophy winner, Herschel Walker; comedienne Joan Rivers and her daughter Melissa; and skating champion and commentator, Scott Hamilton.

^{(photo © Newscom)}

Post from: Green Posse

Since retiring in 2005, golf legend, Jack Nicklaus has mostly remained out of the spotlight, choosing to play only father-son tournaments. However, spectators and fellow competitors at the Delray Dune-Bethesda Hospital Pro-Am tournament in South Florida got a treat on Monday as Nicklaus joined their ranks for a good cause.

He wasn’t the only legend there. Tom Watson, Lee Trevino, and Gary Player were among those in attendance, but the 69-year-old Nicklaus, who won 18 major titles during his PGA career, drew a eight-person-deep crowd as he practiced at the driving range. Said Nicklaus,

“I don’t know what they’re going to see; they’re just going to see an old man walk around a golf course and shoot 75, or more.”

The man is too modest; I’d have liked to have been among that crowd.

^{(photo © Newscom)}

Post from: Green Posse

Michelle Wie, the 19-year-old golf media darling who has yet to live up to her potential, is making her debut as a full LPGA tour member with a strong start. After the first day, she is just one stroke behind leader Angela Stanford at the SBS Open on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, Wie’s home state.

This is the first professional start for Wie since she was disqualified in July at the State Farm Classic. Wie earned her LPGA tour card in December by finishing seventh in qualifying school. Previously, she had played LPGA events on sponsors exemptions.

^{(© Newscom)}

Post from: Green Posse