Month: April 2009

An Open Letter To All Anti-Tigerites, Part Two

I am sure the golfing world has been waiting with bated breath for the second half of my letter. Here it is.

Thrash TalkI strongly considered responding to some of the more interesting comments affixed to part one, but I’ll remain the catalyst for mudslinging and not a participant in the action which I provoke (which usually seems to be calling me and/or my writing “pointless” or “stupid”).

It’s nice both to hear words of encouragement and dodge the tomatoes which are being hurled my way. Keep it up. Before I get to the other major points, I’d like to say that one of the main reasons for all the specific “anti-Tiger” complaints is the man’s sheer overexposure, and indeed many of his flaws (foul language, relative scarcity, photographer abuse) stem, I think, for his overexposed status. That is, he’s asked to don a persona, which is mostly his creation, but which is, to some extent, a washed out facade, all the time.

True, there are great rewards in being “Tiger Woods,” but the man also exists within very apparent boundaries, which seem to be ever encroaching, thus his inherently defensive posture. This isn’t so much of a justification for behavior, but rather an attempt to identify root causes, for what it’s worth.

Anyway, on with the rest of the letter.

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Golf Talk [Episode 111]

Angel Cabrera wins: did Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell choke it away? Some think so…

Golf Talk PodcastThe Masters is over, and Angel Cabrera is your winner. We dissect the course, the playoff, the contenders, Tiger and Phil, the entire shebang and a whole lot more in this episode of Golf Talk.

You can subscribe to the RSS feed for our podcasts here or download Episode 111 as an MP4 file. For those who want to subscribe to us in iTunes, click here.

For this week’s Show Notes – links to articles we discuss in the show and additional information – just read on.

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2009 Masters In Photos

It might have been a bit cold and windy, but it was still a great first time at the Masters.

I had a chance to go to the Tuesday practice round of the Masters this year. It was a bit cold, so not all the players were out there on the course, but the usual suspects made an appearance even if it was just at the range or the putting green.

Scoreboard
This is the first thing that greets you when you step on the course. Not a bad sight.

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Volume One Hundred Eighty Five

It’s a green jacket for Angel Cabrera and a good bye for Fuzzy and Gary

Hittin' the LinksHello again and welcome to another edition of Hittin’ the Links. We are back after a week off and a very entertaining Masters. It’s about time the people at Augusta National set up the golf course to allow for some scoring. I was so happy to hear those roars coming from off in the distance as players again made birdies and eagles in an attempt to chase down the leaders. It was like the Masters of old.

In this most recent volume of HTL, we first take a look at some stories coming out of Augusta, turn our attention to John Daly, and then look at who are the recent inductees into the Golf Hall of Fame. Also, we look into the Tiger, TV ratings connection, see who took their last swings at Augusta, and investigate the Rory McIlroy bunker shot uproar. Read on!

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2009 Masters Final Round Live Blog

We’ll be live blogging the final round. Join us while you watch and comment along.

MastersJoin us later today as we live blog the final round of the 2009 Masters.

The day begins with 18 people at -4 or better (and only five major winners among them in bold, three of which are one-time winners):

T1    -11    Angel Cabrera
             Kenny Perry
 3     -9    Chad Campbell
 4     -8    Jim Furyk
 5     -7    Steve Stricker
T6     -6    Rory Sabbatini
             Shingo Katayama
             Todd Hamilton
 9     -5    Tim Clark
T10    -4    Sean O'Hair
             Ian Poulter
             Lee Westwood
             Tiger Woods
             Phil Mickelson
             Nick Watney
             Stephen Ames
             Hunter Mahan
             Anthony Kim

Can Tiger Woods overcome 17 others to win his fifth green jacket, or will he – like last year – simply succeed at clawing away at Jack’s record for second-place finishes in majors? Can Phil Mickelson – paired with Tiger today – overcome the same number of people? Will Kenny Perry win his major after giving a few away in the past (cough, PGA, Valhalla, cough)? Or will the lamest (fan interest-wise) major winner of recent years – Angel Cabrera – grab another one?

The first person to post the winner and the correct winning score in the comments prior to the start of TV coverage (2:00pm EST) will win a free copy of Scorecard 2.0.

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2009 Masters Staff Predictions

Check back in a week to see who has egg on their face and who has the bragging rights.

Thrash TalkThe 2009 Masters is about to begin, and as we’ve done in the past, we’re here with our staff predictions.

This year we’re changing things up a little bit. We’ll still predict the winner and the winning score, but beyond that, we’re looking at Greg Norman, the younger contingent, and the course setup, as well as a few other things.

Check our predictions, post your own in the comments, and come back for bragging rights – or to eat a little humble pie – when the Masters concludes this year.

P.S. Check back Sunday for our live blog of the final round of the 2009 Masters!

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George Promenschenkel Analysis

I compare George’s golf swing is to the swing of Tiger Woods… but that’s not necessarily a good thing.

Swing CheckGeorge Promenschenkel is about a nine-handicap golfer, but his scorecard can include anywhere from birdies to snowmen. We need to change that – at least the snowmen part. His goal is to become a five handicap and based on his swing, I think he is a lot closer than he realizes.

After analyzing his swing I have identified two problems – one which we have seen before and one that we haven’t – which must be dealt with simultaneously.

Read on to see George’s swing and the fixes I’ve outlined for him.

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Nine Holes with Bobby Jones

There has only ever been one true Grand Slam of golf.

ProfilesBobby Jones is one of the truly legendary figures of golf. Among other things, he helped found Augusta National and the Masters, but he will always be best known for the Grand Slam of 1930.

Jones was successful on and off the course, but it was his play that has made him immortal. There are really just three names that come up in a discussion of the greatest golfer of all time: Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and Bobby Jones. While Jones may be trailing in comparisons these days, it’s difficult to dismiss all he did in a short (and amateur) career.

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An Open Letter To All Anti-Tigerites, Part One

I’ve been called a Tiger lover; I might as well be out with it.

Thrash TalkTo Whom It May Concern:

I am not an entirely shameless and uncritical worshipper of Tiger Woods. There are things about the man that I don’t like, both on and off the golf course. On the course, it annoys me when he refers to himself as “Woody,” when he insists on two possible hat and shoe combinations (white and white or black and black), when he and Steve Williams interact like they are angry school teachers, when he blows snot rockets or expels worse: an unbelievably generic post-round interview.

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