Volume Two Hundred Thirty Nine

Ryan Moore hates golf, Bubba finally gets to the winner’s circle, and Faldo says call me

Hittin' the LinksGood day golf fanatics and welcome again to the little column we like to call Hittin’ the Links. Anyone else out there as happy to see Bubba Watson finally win on Tour as I am? I really get a kick out of watching him play. Good for him and congratulations on his first Tour victory.

In this newest edition of HTL we begin by investigating why Ryan Moore hates golf, then find out what’s up with Seve Ballesteros, and see whats new with Torrey Pines. Also on tap we check out the club pro championship, look at the Monty-Faldo spat, and do a wrap-up up of the week’s events. Read on!

2010 U.S. Open Final Round Live Chat

Sign up now or join us later for a live chat starting at 3pm eastern time when final-round coverage of the 2010 U.S. Open from Pebble Beach begins.

Five Burning Questions for the U.S. Open (That Don’t Revolve Around Tiger Woods)

What are your non-Tiger questions? See if they stack up to ours.

Trap Five LogoWith the conclusion of sectional qualifying last Monday (and Tuesday in some places), the field for this week’s U.S. Open is set. While 156 of the world’s best and/or luckiest players in the world will converge at Pebble Beach, you can be sure that most of the world’s media will be focused on just one of them.

Still the world’s number one player, plagued this year by turmoil on and off the golf course, and a decade removed from arguably the most dominant tournament performance in golf history (at this very tournament and venue),Tiger Woods will be the big story throughout the championship. There is a very good chance that Tiger’s presence will overshadow everything else about the Open. Before things get that bad here at the Sand Trap, here are five of the big questions that should be on any golf fan’s mind heading into Pebble Beach.

2010 U.S. Open Staff Predictions

Will this year’s champ be a big name like Tiger or Phil? Who’s that one guy you’d never imagine on the first page? Can Pebble Beach’s greens (and its ocean views) steal the show? Our writers weigh in.

Thrash TalkIt’s been a long time since Tiger Woods entered anything where he’s not the outright favorite to win. But with all his off-course trouble and a lack of recent success, the oddsmakers have installed Woods’ chief rival, Phil Mickelson as co-favorite.

How will #1 and #2 fare this week as the U.S. Open returns to scenic Pebble Beach?

Volume Two Hundred Thirty Eight

Daly sues a children’s charity, Jack and Annika want the Olympics, and the Americans win the Curtis Cup

Hittin' the LinksGood day Sand Trap readers and welcome to another edition of Hittin’ the Links. Its back to back wins on Tour for the English. Congratulations to Lee Westwood for his second Tour win. It was 12 years ago when he last won on the PGA Tour, I didn’t even realize he was that old, man time flies!

In this newest volume of HTL we begin with a peek at who plays with Tiger for the first two days of the U.S. Open, find out what John Daly is up to now, and peruse the field for the 2010 U.S. Open. Also on tap, we see where Annika and Lorena are teeing it up, investigate what Jack and Annika are teaming up to do, and do a wrap-up of a couple of the week’s events. Read on!

Advice to John Daly: Suing Kids Is No Way to Win Fans

Whether his $100 million injury lawsuit has merit or not, the public is fixating on who it is he’s naming as defendants.

Thrash TalkNo matter how far his golf game has fallen, one thing about John Daly that’s at an all-time high is his inability to recognize a PR nightmare before it happens.

The latest debacle involving Daly comes via reports in the Palm Beach Post that the two-time major champion has filed a lawsuit over a rib injury suffered during the 2007 Honda Classic. He’s seeking $100 million, which is enough to get some guffaws, but in and of itself wouldn’t create any uproar. Until you find out one of the parties named in the suit is the children’s charity that benefits from proceeds brought in by the Honda Classic.

Volume Two Hundred Thirty Seven

Tiger hands out a bunch of souvenirs, Lefty hits it off the cart path, and Justin Rose takes home the hardware

Hittin' the LinksHello again golf fans and welcome to Hittin’ the Links. What is really up with Ricky Fowler’s wardrobe? Does he get paid extra to show up on the golf course looking like an orange construction barrel? Does Puma actually sell that ensemble in pro shops around the country? To each their own, but you would think they could at least find him a hat that fits, the one he wore all week looked like he had borrowed it from his older and obviously larger brother.

Anyway, in this newest edition of HTL we begin with a look at Tiger’s victims, find out what Tom Lehman learned from John Wooden, and investigate Lefty’s 15th hole on Sunday. Also, we check out the USGA’s change of heart, take a peek at a heck of a graduation trip, and do a wrap-up of the weeks events. Read on!

On the PGA Tour, It’s Time To Spread the Wealth

Commissioner’s plan to make top players — aka Woods and Mickelson — mix up their schedules is a wise one.

Thrash TalkThere’s a new idea floating around the PGA Tour that would essentially require the game’s biggest stars to participate in some of the season’s lower-tier events. Detach the idea from the world of golf and I’d be standing here screaming about “free market” and “survival of the fittest.”

But when it comes to a collective entity like the PGA Tour, I’m going to say that guys like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson owe it to the Tour and to the sponsors to suck it up a week or two a year and spread the wealth.

Five Interesting Facts about Popular Golf Apparel Makers

Nazi Germany, Jami Foxx’s intimate parts, sibling rivalries, and rewriting of history: golf apparel companies have it all and then some.

Trap Five LogoGolf does not require its players to wear uniforms: the extent of most courses’ dress code is “collared shirt, no denim.” With the relatively loose and inclusive standards of attire, it shouldn’t be a surprise that golf apparel is a broad and competitive market, whose players vary from high-end fashion houses to athletic shoe companies to discount-store private labels.

Very few of these companies started out making golf apparel; the origins of some well-known sportswear brands may surprise you. Here are five such clothing companies and the stories behind them.