Posts tagged Tiger
Questions surround Tiger Woods entering Masters, which starts Thursday | Golf
Apr 2nd
Tiger Woods at the Masters is every bit the mystery he was a year ago.
No one knew what to expect when Woods showed up at Augusta National last year without having played in five months, more vulnerable than invincible from the public humiliation of a sex scandal.
No one is quite sure what to expect from the 35-year-old when the Masters starts Thursday.
His wife has divorced him. He changed coaches and decided for the fourth time to rebuild his golf swing.
Woods lost his No. 1 ranking and has dropped to fifth in the world. Off the golf course, he has not replaced major corporate sponsors who left him.
Perhaps most glaring of all, Woods is not winning.
Not even close.
“It’s strange,” 58th-ranked Stewart Cink said. “We got so used to seeing him win.”
Woods tied for fourth last year at Augusta, remarkable by any standard but his own. It raised false hopes he could put his game back together quickly and resume his pursuit of history. But with each tournament, he resembles the guys he once routinely beat.
In 69 rounds since the Masters, Woods has broken par 31 times. In 14 of 18 tournaments, he has finished at least seven shots out of the lead. In the 18 tournaments before his downfall, that happened three times.
At Firestone, where Woods had won seven times and had never finished out of the top five, he shot the highest 72-hole score of his pro career (298) and finished 30 shots behind the winner. In his first start this year at Torrey Pines in San Diego, where his seven victories include the U.S. Open on a shattered leg, he finished 15 shots out of the lead.
The gap between his 14 major titles and the record 18 won by Jack Nicklaus looks like a gulf.
“I’m surprised that he has not bounced back by now,” Nicklaus said. “He’s got such a great work ethic. He’s so determined to do what he wants to do. I’m very surprised that he has not popped back. I still think he’ll break my record. We’ll see.”
About all anyone can do when it comes to Woods is wait and see.
The divorce provided for shared parenting. Woods is about to move into a new home he is building in South Florida, not far from where his ex-wife, Elin, will live. There have been tales of his 2-year-old son, Charlie, already swinging a golf club.
Woods keeps these details to himself, along with when and where he spends time with daughter Sam, who turns 4 in June.
Asked recently why he wasn’t playing more tournaments to get his game into shape, Woods said, “Because I have a family. I’m divorced. If you’ve been divorced with kids, then you would understand.”
Rumors and gossip continue to dog him. Who is he dating? When is he moving?
The question of greater substance is his health, and Woods has been coy about addressing the topic.
His agent confirmed in December that Woods had a cortisone shot in his right ankle to relieve lingering soreness. Woods surprised the media at the Masters last year when he revealed he injured his right Achilles tendon while recovering from knee surgery.
There was a time when few dared to criticize Woods. Not anymore.
Masters chairman Billy Payne wagged his finger at Woods last year — “It is simply not the degree of his conduct that is so egregious here. It is the fact that he disappointed all of us,” Payne said. And 21-year-old player Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland wrote in an essay for Sports Illustrated: “I’m not sure we are going to see him dominate again the way he did.”
Woods used to answer such critics with the kind of golf that left no doubt who was the best in the game. These days, he talks about “the process” of getting better and how this swing change is the most comprehensive yet.
“It’s finally starting to come around,” he said last week at Bay Hill.
It was his final tournament before the Masters. He tied for 24th place.
Woods is only part of the picture at the 75th Masters.
Defending champion Phil Mickelson has finished better than eighth once in seven events this year. But Lefty shot a 9-under 63 Saturday to share the Houston Open lead with Scott Verplank after three rounds.
Englishman Lee Westwood, the runner-up by three shots a year ago, has taken over the label as the best player without a major title. Not only was he No. 1 in the world for 17 weeks, he has placed third or better (including ties) in all but one of his last five majors.
From seattletimes.nwsource.com
Tiger boys golf team finishes sixth at Canby Invitational
Apr 2nd
CANBY — Newberg battled the elements to place sixth out of seven teams at the Canby Invitational on Tuesday at the Willamette Valley Country Club.
Senior Andrew Grove paced the Tigers with an 82 that placed him in a tie for fifth individually.
“(Grove) played pretty well considering the conditions,” head coach Branden Thompson said. “It rained pretty hard all day and some of the greens became flooded. It was a tough day, but I think it was good for the kids to battle the conditions.”
Newberg finished at 371, while the host Cougars won their own event by 10 strokes with a 317, thanks to medalist Bradley Kleinstuber (74) and runner-up Benson Winklebleck (79).
Westview was seco
nd at 327, followed by McMinnville (350), Gresham (356), Crescent Valley (357), Capitol of Olympia, Wash. (364), the Tigers and Wilson (400).
Rounding out the top five individually were Westview’s Nick Baines in a tie for second at 79, as well as McMinnville’s Grant Geelan and Gresham’s Austin Spicer, who tied for fourth at 80.
Steven Bell shot an 89 and Drew DeHaven posted a 96 for Newberg, but fellow sophomore Taylor Teich had to withdraw with an injury. Freshman Nolan DeHaven fired a 104 to post the Tigers’ final score.
“(Teich) had a sore shoulder and couldn’t complete his round, so that put some pressure on Nolan DeHaven in his first varsity event,” Thompson said. “I was pleased with how he responded.”
Newberg will return to Pacific Conference play Monday with a league meet at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Course in North Plains.
From www.newberggraphic.com
Experts say Tiger won’t win but can an Aussie?
Apr 2nd
It’s that time of the year again when true golf enthusiasts wake in darkness to watch on TV what is happening half a world away at Augusta National Golf Club where the azaleas are blooming.
The Masters is the only major an Australian has never won and, each first week of April, we live the dream of our golfers but so often it has become a nightmare. How Greg Norman has dispirited us.The Shark led into the final round but his boyhood hero, Jack Nicklaus, came home on the back nine in 30 to shoot 65 and beat our Greg and Tom Kite. But we forgave the Golden Bear, then the Olden Bear at 46, as he was the greatest. It was Nicklaus’s sixth green jacket, 23 years on from the first, and surely his most memorable.
Then there was 1996 when Norman lost the unlosable. He led by six going into the final round but was the victim of a clinical assassination by Nick Faldo – and his own nerves. Norman has three runner-up finishes, six top-threes and eight top-fives. His destiny, as the first Australian to win at Augusta, remains unfulfilled and always will.
We’ve had others who have finished second best – Bruce Crampton to Nicklaus in 1972 and Jack Newton to Seve Ballesteros in 1980. Craig Parry led by two with just 16 holes to play in 1992 but disintegrated under the vocal pressure for playing partner Fred Couples.
This year, we have Geoff Ogilvy, Aaron Baddeley, Robert Allenby, Stuart Appleby, Jason Day and Adam Scott but there is an added dimension to the 2011 Masters – Tiger Woods, a four-time champion at Augusta but winless in a major since the 2008 US Open. His has been a fall from grace in so many ways. Woods is again favourite with the bookies, has been since he won the 1997 tournament by a record 13 shots, but surely it is erring on the side of cautiousness. He is paying $9 to win with TAB Sportsbet, triple his odds of previous years; defending champion Phil Mickelson is next, on $12.
The Sun-Herald asked Australia’s foremost golf commentators – Ian Baker-Finch, Jack Newton and Peter Thomson – three questions, and they were unanimous in two – Woods cannot win, nor can an Australian.
Is Woods a sleeping Tiger or in terminal decline?
Newton: He’s in a bit of a mess both with his golf swing and his head. I don’t like the way he is swinging the golf club and I think it’s going to take him some time to sort that out. Plus there are the other issues like his kids, etc. No, I don’t seem him being a threat.
Thomson: Woods will never return to the dizzy heights of before and I’d give him a 20-1 chance to win the Masters. He’s not concentrating like he did prior to his crash and he is playing faster, which makes it obvious that he is not giving it the full study that he once did. I don’t know what’s in his head, I couldn’t possibly guess, but they are certainly not the thoughts he had a year or two ago.
IBF: I wouldn’t say Woods’s game is in terminal decline, I think he will come back to playing great golf again like he was in 2007-2008 and before that in 2000-2001. But I don’t think he’ll come back to that level because all his competition know he is human now. Intimidation was the 15th club in his bag – he knew that they knew he was better than them. It was almost like he knew he was going to win even before he won. He could tee it up knowing he had already won. And, it is not Tiger’s swing he has now. I could write a book, and I will one day, on all the things I tried with a lot less capability than Tiger Woods. At the moment it’s not his swing, he doesn’t have ownership of his swing.
Why hasn’t an Australian won at Augusta, and who are our best chances this year?
Newton: I always thought Greg [Norman] was a monte to win the Masters. He was a good driver of the ball and basically hit a draw that you need. The ideal way to play Augusta is to draw your driver and fade your irons. That is not easy to do with the modern equipment compared with older clubs where you could shape your shots. Plus, every year they tinker with the course, so some of the younger players who have only played one, possibly two, Masters, go back and find a different set of circumstances. The greens are slick so you have to have some pretty steely nerves with some of the putts. Adam Scott, for instance, certainly strikes the ball well enough, but there are question marks over his putting. I’ve always thought an Australian would win at Augusta as it is typical of our courses. Geoff Ogilvy should do well there, but his form has been a bit up and down. Aaron Baddeley is playing better now he’s gone back to [old coach] Dale Lynch and he’s probably the best putter we’ve got. Jason Day is a rough show for a big performance as he’s got the length and hits the ball high.
Thomson: There’s no particular reason why Australians haven’t won there. Geoff Ogilvy is our best chance as he has the game that should fit Augusta, hitting the ball high as he does. His putting comes and goes though.
IBF: What is happening is the pressure is building on Australians [when in contention] coming up the last few holes. We saw that with Stewie Appleby four or five years ago. That pressure becomes intense as not only is it the Masters and a green jacket, a major, but to be the first Australian to win – history beckons. None of the Australians are in sparkling form, though Aaron Baddeley won the Northern Trust Open [in February] and he’s got his old swing back, which I love. Appleby and Ogilvy would be our next best chances. I’m excited about Jason Day, he’s going to be like a bull at a gate in his first Masters.
Who do you think will win?
Newton: It is probably the most open Masters in years. A good each-way bet is Jim Furyk. He also seems to put himself thereabouts in the big stuff on difficult courses. And, I think Martin Kaymer is the best I’ve seen for a while. I’ve been predicting he’ll be No.1 [as he is now] for a couple of years. He would be my pick, but then there’s Dustin Johnson. Technically, he doesn’t look that good, he grabs the club like an axe, but the boys tell me he is frighteningly long and when he puts it together he can shoot low numbers.
Thomson: The winner will be one of those young Americans. There’s a batch of them playing exceedingly well, like Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, Nick Watney, Matt Kuchar and Dustin Johnson. One of them will win it. And Martin Kaymer, he’s a much-admired player. I think he’s a beauty but I think you’ve got to play Augusta a few times before you can win there.
IBF: You can’t count out Phil Mickelson, who has won three times and is defending champion. He hasn’t been great so far this year, just showing flashes, but I know he has been working hard with [coach] Butch Harmon. I think he’ll put up a good defence.
From www.smh.com.au
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 Tees off for IOS
Mar 29th
As comedian George Carlin once said, “Golf is a game that might possibly be fun, if it could be played alone.” Now thanks to EA Sports, you can compete against the PGA’s biggest pros without leaving the comfort of your own home.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 marks the first version of the long-running golf game that’s available for iOS, with versions for the iPad and the iPhone and iPod touch.
The game not only lets you play as the great ones, but also lets you create your own golfer from the spiked shoes up and then tee off against some of the strongest pros this side of the fairway, including Camilo Villegas, Jim Furyk, and Paula Creamer.
Virtual golfers can also challenge their friends over a Bluetooth or local Wi-Fi connection, and even compete in a “Closest to the Pin” Facebook competition that pits players against the world on a new par-3 course twice a week.
The title also includes four new game modes and the Tiger Challenge, which includes over 20 mini-games that will challenge your virtual putting, driving, and chipping skills. Each will help you earn money to join PGA tour events or upgrade your custom golfer.
The course lineup includes the traditional favorites such as TPC Sawgrass and Greenbriar’s famous Old White Course and fantasy favorites including the all new infamous-sounding Predator course.
The full version for the iPad requires iOS 3.2 or later and costs $10; the iPhone and iPod version costs $7 and requires iOS 3.0 or later. EA has also released a free version that includes three holes from the TPC Sawgrass course.
From www.pcworld.com
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters (PS3) Review
Mar 29th
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters is finally upon us. As the name suggests, the biggest addition to the Tiger Woods franchise is the inclusion of the historic Augusta National Golf Club for the first time ever. So instead of wasting space in the intro on a bunch of bad jokes and subtle jabs referencing Tiger’s personal life, ex-wife and crashed Cadillacs, let’s jump head-long into this one. We’ll leave the jokes for the other sites since we know there will be plenty.
The first thing gamers will notice, besides the addition of the Masters, is that things are more streamlined and integrated when compared to previous versions of Tiger Woods. Now the Career mode takes all the jumbled challenges and quests and ties them together into one nice and neat package. Once you get into your career, you’ll wonder why they never did this before. Previous editions seem like a jumbled mess of modes in comparison to 12.
The pacing is much better now too. Flying through the amateur tour, I had built up XP and had my drive and spin exactly where I needed it to be when I finally hit the PGA Tour. Just like everything else, you’ll hit the tour much faster. Don’t take the rapid pacing as a sign that there isn’t a lot of fun to be had or that the depth is gone. Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters is as deep, if not deeper than any previous edition. It’s just that this time around, I never got the feeling that the game was dragging along while I grinded out XP just to make my golfer competitive. Again, this is a testament to the restructuring that EA Sports did to the game.
Even unlocking and acquiring the tools of the trade is different this time around. You’ll get your goodies by completing the sponsorship challenges that await you within various matches. Just like the career mode itself, this new approach to getting equipment helps moves things along at a faster pace. Another advantage this time around is your new caddie. This helpful fellow isn’t just here to carry your clubs though. He provides some valuable information like hitting percentages and approaches. While it’s nice to get your caddie’s help, be aware that he’s not always spot on. Despite helping me choose some safer routes to the green, the caddie’s advice on the hitting percentage (power of your stroke) was often a little off. There wouldn’t be a challenge if he just told you exactly what to do though.
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters looks pretty good, but isn’t the most beautiful game. The advantage it has, along with every other golf game, is that there’s not really a lot happening at once. Swings are smooth and clean allowing for players to accurately utilize the percentage and power of their stroke. Augusta looks great too. Obviously there’s not a lot you can say about the graphics that han’t been covered in the reviews of every previous edition this generation.
If you’re wondering whether or not you should pick up Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters, it comes down to a simple question – do you enjoy golf games? With the nearest competition being the poorly received John Daly downloadable golf title released last year, there’s not really a question here. Plus, that’s only “near” this game because it’s the same sport. PGA TOUR 12: The Masters trumps previous Tiger releases thanks to the streamlined career and pacing which results in more fun. If you’re not a big fan of golf, at least rent this one. You might just find that the RPG aspect of building up your golfer and reaching the green in one stroke is more rewarding than shooting aliens.
Graphics
8.5
Golf has never pushed hardware to the limits and this is no different.
Audio
7.5
You can hear the wind? Commentating is well done.
Single Player
9.0
The new Career Mode is leaps and bounds ahead of previous versions.
Multiplayer
N/A
Review play conducted prior to retail release.
Replay
8.0
There are plenty of reasons to keep you coming back to The Masters.
Overall
9.0
There aren’t a lot of golf options out there. Thankfully this fills the void.
From gameplaytoday.com
Phil Mickelson: ‘I’m Much More Emotional’ Than Tiger Woods
Mar 28th
In these exclusive extras from PARADE’s March 27 cover story, Phil Mickelson opens up about his family, game, and Tiger Woods.
What’s in store for 2011.
“Last year was not a great year other than winning the Masters. That saved the year. I didn’t accomplish a lot of things I had wanted to, and to be fair, I was derailed for some other reasons. I’m really confident in 2011. I’m excited for a couple of reasons: I feel great and I’m able to practice and work on my game and not have that affected, and my strength is back.
“Also, I’ve been working with Butch for four years and a lot of the changes we’ve implemented have taken effect–my golf swing is my golf swing and where it is today is where it’s going to be for the rest of my career. I’m not going to be making any changes, trying anything different. All I’m going to try to do is refine it. Enhance my touch, keep my short game sharp, enhancing my shot making, hitting fades and draws and stuff with irons -being able to get to different pins. And my driver is my driver. If I want to hit it in the fairway, I’ll hit a 3-wood or an iron off the tee. I’ll hit a reasonable amount of fairways with my driver, but if I’m a little bit erratic, that’s just the way I’m going to play. So what’s exciting to me is that it’s not a year of change it’s a year of refinement and I see that as an opportunity to try and be creative, hit shots, shoot low scores and not worry about the technique.”
The biggest difference between his style vs. Tiger Woods’ style.
“Throughout his career he’s been able to maintain a level of high performance consistently, whereas I’m much more emotional. I’ll have highs and I’ll have lows and I’ll be much more up and down. He is very even keeled and somehow he’s been able to be even-keeled at the highest level of performance. For me, I need emotion and adrenaline and excitement to get me to those highest levels and then consequently, there’s always at some point going to be a fall out. I’ve never been able to stay at the highest level for a sustained period of time, whereas he has found a way to do it.”
He’s never going to be a conservative golfer.
“No, because I like winning. I’m not the kind of person that accepts getting a paycheck for a top ten finish. That’s doesn’t do anything for me. I love and really enjoy winning and to win on the PGA Tour you have to take risks, that’s the only way. There are way too many guys that are too talented and too good for tournaments to be handed to players because everybody else failed. That’s not what’s going to happen and I think it holds some of these young guys back from wining more tournaments because they’re either afraid or tentative to take on risk to take on shots or they just don’t enjoy the challenge, they fear failure. You can’t fear failure in this game because you’re going to fail a majority of the time. It’s the successes that you’d rather dwell on. That’s part of my overall belief in being successful on the tour.”
From www.golfdigest.com
Tiger Woods sinks deeper into irrelevance at Bay Hill
Mar 27th
Great news from Bay Hill: Tiger Woods is no longer holding the Arnold Palmer Invitational hostage.
We are all free to see other people. This just isn’t working out.
The media won’t have to chase Tiger round-for-round today. Fans can bunker down with some other worthy players. And the inquisitive folks in cyberspace can go back to prying details about his new girlfriend.
The details from Bay Hill reflect the obvious: Tiger has spurts of his old fiery self, and spurts of a guy still missing his rhythm.
It adds up to an ordinary/average scorecard, or one-under total of 215 heading into today’s final round.
Martin Laird and Spencer Levin are at the top of the field, with Laird taking a two-stroke lead into the final 18. Tiger is somewhere in Kissimmee on the Bay Hill leader board, miles away in a tie for 29th.
He came in with a puncher’s chance on Friday after shooting a 68, but then shot a three-day high of 74 to bury himself out of contention on Saturday. For all the fancy clubs in Tiger’s Nike bag, he neglected to bring a mask, snorkel and fins. All would have come in handy to try to find the two balls that plopped in the water.
“I hit the ball much better today with the driver,” Woods said. “Iron play was pretty good, actually. But again, a couple loose shots here and there and a couple water balls added up.”
The gallery at Bay Hill tried hard to drown away Tiger’s unsettling moments. “You look great in purple Tiger!” one guy said on the 18th green, complimenting Tiger’s purple shirt.
Tiger’s purple reign will have to wait for another tournament.
Woods is dealing with his own version of March Madness: The yin and yang of a 73 on Thursday, followed by that 68 and the 74. And so the ongoing storyline of the world’s former No. 1 player whose personal life imploded — along with his game — continues on the storied greens of Augusta in early April.
The unpredictability factor with Woods is part of his new world order.
Woods isn’t the only guy who has lost it. David Duval could provide excellent comparative material for Woods to digest on this matter.
Golf is crazy that way. You rarely see other professional athletes having to reset their mechanics and get back to basics. Chuck Knoblauch, once a second baseman with the New York Yankees, struggled with erratic throws to first base for three seasons. Mark Wohlers, once a dominate pitcher with the Atlanta Braves, lost his control after an injury in 1998.
Golf is much more nuanced, of course. Woods is now working with his third swing coach as a pro, continuing to tinker, and sometimes overhaul. Some of it is physical, in deference to knee injuries. But some of it is all a heads’ game — the average hack wonders why the guy who was once the best player in the game needs to change anything.
Point of reference: Arnold Palmer never changed a thing during his career. That seemed to work out pretty well.
“My father was my swing coach, and I saw him at least once a year for about 70 years, and he never changed anything,” Palmer said.” He watched me for five minutes and went home. It’s like he put my grip on the club and my hands on the golf club when I was six years old and he said, ‘Boy, don’t you ever change it.’
“Well, I haven’t changed it. And I’m 81-years-old.”
Tiger is only 35, and should have plenty of game left. Assuming he finds it again.
“I feel very good,” Woods said. “Each day my irons have been pretty good, unfortunately just a couple loose shots…”
On to Augusta, everyone.
gdiaz@tribune.com Read George Diaz’s blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/enfuego
From www.sun-sentinel.com
Tiger Woods sinks deeper into irrelevance at Bay Hill
Mar 27th
ORLANDO, Fla. – Great news from Bay Hill: Tiger Woods is no longer holding the Arnold Palmer Invitational hostage.
We are all free to see other people. This just isn’t working out.
The media won’t have to chase Tiger round-for-round on Sunday. Fans can bunker down with some other worthy players. And the inquisitive folks in cyberspace can go back to prying details about his new girlfriend.
The details from Bay Hill reflect the obvious: Tiger has spurts of his old fiery self, and spurts of a guy still missing his rhythm.
It adds up to an ordinary/average scorecard, or one-under total of 215 heading into Sunday’s final round.
Martin Laird and Spencer Levin are at the top of the field, with Laird taking a two-stroke lead into the final 18. Tiger is somewhere in Kissimmee on the Bay Hill leader board, miles away in a tie for 29th.
He came in with a puncher’s chance on Friday after shooting a 68, but then shot a three-day high of 74 to bury himself out of contention on Saturday. For all the fancy clubs in Tiger’s Nike bag, he neglected to bring a mask, snorkel and fins. All would have come in handy to try to find the two balls that plopped in the water.
“I hit the ball much better today with the driver,” Woods said. “Iron play was pretty good, actually. But again, a couple loose shots here and there and a couple water balls added up.”
The gallery at Bay Hill tried hard to drown away Tiger’s unsettling moments. “You look great in purple Tiger!” one guy said on the 18th green, complimenting Tiger’s purple shirt.
Tiger’s purple reign will have to wait for another tournament.
Woods is dealing with his own version of March Madness: The yin and yang of a 73 on Thursday, followed by that 68 and the 74. And so the ongoing storyline of the world’s former No. 1 player whose personal life imploded – along with his game – continues on the storied greens of Augusta in early April.
The unpredictability factor with Woods is part of his new world order.
Woods isn’t the only guy who has lost it. David Duval could provide excellent comparative material for Woods to digest on this matter.
Golf is crazy that way. You rarely see other professional athletes having to reset their mechanics and get back to basics. Chuck Knoblauch, once a second baseman with the New York Yankees, struggled with erratic throws to first base for three seasons. Mark Wohlers, once a dominate pitcher with the Atlanta Braves, lost his control after an injury in 1998.
Golf is much more nuanced, of course. Woods is now working with his third swing coach as a pro, continuing to tinker, and sometimes overhaul. Some of it is physical, in deference to knee injuries. But some of it is all a heads’ game _ the average hack wonders why the guy who was once the best player in the game needs to change anything.
Point of reference: Arnold Palmer never changed a thing during his career. That seemed to work out pretty well.
From www.bostonherald.com
Gregson on golf: The Masters will tell us much about Tiger
Mar 26th
York, PA – It was 25 years ago and, for sheer drama, it was one of the greatest Masters ever played. Many will say it was THE greatest Masters, and I will not disagree.
Jack Nicklaus, at age 46, made a magnificent stretch run with a back nine 30 and captured his sixth Masters title in 1986.
The roars at Augusta National were at their loudest as Nicklaus eagled No. 15 and followed it up with birdies on 16 and 17 to come home in 65 for a 279, one stroke lower than Tom Kite and Greg Norman.
This year, as always, The Masters will provide more dramatic moments. Will Tiger Woods return to the championship form that has earned him four green jackets, the last one in 2005? Will one of the youngsters on the tour, Hunter Mahan, Rickie Fowler, Nick Watney or Mark Wilson, be able to solve the tricky greens that usually require some course experience to play well?
This Masters may go a long way toward determining if Tiger, who has 14, will have a realistic shot in the future of surpassing Nicklaus’ 18 major championships. His last win at Augusta was six years ago, although he’s finished no worse than sixth in his appearances since then. If he’s in the top three this year, I’d say he still has a good chance to eclipse Nicklaus, even though Woods is already 35. Can you believe he’s 35 already? Where does the time go?
Phil Mickelson may have a lot to say about who will wear this year’s green jacket, but you could be in good shape if you said the winner’s last name will begin with “W.” That gives you Woods, Nick Watney, Bubba (and Tom) Watson, Mike Weir, Lee Westwood, Mark Wilson, Ian Woosnam and Gary Woodland, the youngster who won last week’s Transitions Championship at Innisbrook.
If you want a long-shot pick, I keep getting this hunch about David Toms. He’s already 44 and this year could help define his golfing future. He loves duck hunting with his dad in Louisiana but he’ll be hunting for birdies and eagles at Augusta National. It’s been 10 years since Toms’ only major championship, when he outdueled the much-longer-hitting Phil Mickelson down the stretch by laying up on the par-5 18th at Atlanta Athletic Club to win the 2001 PGA Championship. His 265 total remains the lowest absolute score in a major.
* * *
YCAGA season: The YCAGA Spring Better Ball gets things started on a countywide basis April 17 at Bon-Air. That course is one of the better tracks local golfers play and should be in its usual fine condition. The application deadline is April 4, the same deadline as for the Amateur and Senior Match Play championships, which span the golfing season.
The Interclub is set for May 15 at Briarwood and the Seniors June 12 at Out Door. In July, the York County Amateur Championship travels to Hanover Country Club.
That’s the first part of the YCAGA schedule. We’ll go over the rest in two weeks, including a pleasant surprise for the local golfing community. Of course, if you’ve already visited the YCAGA website, it’s no surprise to you.
Full slate on the links: Country Club of York will have a busy women’s schedule during the summer season. The WYCAGA Amateur championship will be June 14-16, the USGA Women’s Amateur qualifier takes place July 18 and the Pennsylvania State Women’s Amateur Championship will be held Aug. 15-19, according to CCY head professional Kevin Muldoon.
Honey Run update: Joe Martin has moved to Honey Run to take over the head pro position. The Run has new drainage installed around all the greens. GM Carol Russell says, “We’re looking forward to a good season.”
Heritage Hills update: Head pro Bill Brander tells me he will mainly do teaching at Heritage Hills. Kevin Bankos will handle shop duties while Shane Stell takes care of league play. Kevin Pratt is on board as Golf Operations Manager.
From the bookshelf: I recently finished an interesting book that centers around golf but is more about handling people in chance situations. It’s called “Invite Yourself to the Party” by Michael Patrick Shiels. Shiels has played some of the more exclusive courses in the world, all because of an inventive mind and amenable manner. I’ve played a few rounds with Michael and know that everything he talks about in his book is possible. All you need is a positive attitude.
Al Gregson writes a golf column for the Daily Record/Sunday News. Reach him at algregson@verizon.net.
From www.ydr.com
Golf-Levin stays on top at Bay Hill, Tiger closes in with a 68
Mar 25th
American Spencer Levin maintained his position at the top of the leaderboard in the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Friday while Tiger Woods moved into contention.
Three shots in front overnight, Levin fired a two-under-par 70 in glorious sunshine at Bay Hill where Thursday’s gusty winds had vanished.
“Two under won’t be a great score but it won’t be a bad one,” Levin told reporters after bogeying the par-three 14th and the short 17th before signing off with a birdie at the last for an eight-under total of 136.
“I didn’t leave many (shots) out there but I bet you will see guys shoot five or six under, for sure.
Compatriots Steve Marino and Charles Howell III put themselves strongly in the frame for the weekend with respective rounds of 67 and 65, ending the day two strokes off the lead with around half the field still out on the course.
Six-times champion Woods, seeking his first win since November 2009, surged into contention with a five-birdie 68, finishing five off the pace alongside Spaniard Sergio Garcia, who also carded a 68.
“I’m right there, there is a long weekend ahead of us … unfortunately I left a lot of putts dead centre short,” said Woods. “There were about five putts that were dead centre. It could have been a pretty special round.”
From uk.eurosport.yahoo.com
