Ian Baker-Finch won 16 international titles and a major. He's just 48, but hasn't made a PGA Tour cut since 1994. His career as a golfer bottomed out just at a time (his mid-30s) when many players come into their primes.
What happened? His could be a cautionary tale for other players.
After his win at the 1991 Open Championship, he began to be paired with more long hitters. Naturally, he started trying to add length. He made swing changes that made him wild off the tee and actually cost him distance. He fought injuries and lost his confidence.
As Baker-Finch puts it: "I couldn't handle the pressure, and didn't like the fact I was playing poorly. So I said, 'Hey, why do I put myself through this? I'm going to go do something I enjoy.'"
Disclaimer: I freely admit that I am a latecomer to the practice of attending LPGA Tour events. With this in mind, the persons and events recounted in the following may seem commonplace or (dare I say) par for the course, to some. From the minute I walked into the gates of Corning Country Club, however, I had the distinct feeling of having entered a parallel universe.
John Daly, Amy and Phil Mickelson, Zach Johnson, Rory Sabbatini, Michelle Wie, Paul Casey, MacGregor, the 2009 PGA Tour season, the Ryder Cup, and a whole lot more in this episode of Golf Talk.
Hello and welcome to another exciting edition of Hittin' the Links. Well the mood was somber this week after the news about Amy Mickelson broke. I think we all wish the Mickelsons all the best and will keep Amy in our thoughts.
Simon Johansson has been playing off an on for 20 years and has only recently rediscovered his passion for the game. Now, he practices for close to 20 hours a week hoping that he can one day:
Well, my golf game is officially a mess this week. My number one trick this spring is to only play decent golf on one nine and blow up on the other… as in 10 strokes or more over the other side. What the heck?
This is one of our off weeks from doing the Golf Talk podcast, so I wanted to take the opportunity to talk about the recent release of some golf statistics software - 
The folks at 
