Month: February 2012

Nine Holes With the History of Golf Part Two: The King, The Bear, and The Tiger

We round out the sport’s history with a review of the last half-century in golf.

ProfilesOne of the best things about the game of golf is the vast history. Golf has had transcendent athletes almost constantly over the last 150 years, and as I attempted to categorize them all I found myself writing, and writing, and writing. (I tried to do this with baseball, and all I got down was “Yankees, then… more Yankees, and a little more Yankees. And then the Red Sox won. And then the Yankees…”) In classifying the history of golf, these last 50 years are where it got tough, as I had to figure out what do do with Jack Nickluas. Jack had legitimate rivals in Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson at completely different ends of his own expansive career. I ultimately decided to combine Nicklaus and Watson, and give Palmer his own era. I’m sure they won’t mind.

Anyway, without further ado, we are back again this week with the most recent eras in golf, starting with The King and ending with El Tigre.

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Volume Three Hundred Five

Mahan wins in the desert, Stanford wins in Singapore, and Huh wins in Mexico.

Hittin' the LinksHello again golf fans and thanks for joining me for another hittin’ the links. After all the excitement caused by McIlroy vs. Westwood, the final of the Accenture Match Play seemed somewhat anti-climactic. Congratulations has to go out to Hunter Mahan though, maybe now everyone will begin to forget that chip in the Ryder Cup two years ago.

In this edition of HtL we begin with Rocco Mediate discussing golf, then check out some good vacation spots, and find out what has Keegan Bradley in hot water. Also on tap, we check out what Trump is doing now, look at FedEx signing up for five more years, and do a wrap-up of the weeks events. Read on!

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Volume Three Hundred Four

Accenture pairings, John Daly withdraws again, and Johnny Miller knows it all.

Hittin' the LinksHello golf nuts, thank you for joining me for another Hittin’ the Links. While I was definitely rooting for Phil to pull off his second win in a row on Sunday, I have to give it up to Bill Haas and that clutch putt in the play-off. One minute it looks like he’s scrambling to stay in the game, and the next he is holding the hardware; it was pretty awesome.

In this edition of HtL we begin with a look at the Accenture pairings, then we investigate the final destination of one of Phil’s tee shots, and check out Natalie Gulbis in a bikini. Also, we find out what’s wrong with John Daly, investigate what Johnny Miller thinks about most everything, and do a wrap-up of the weeks events. Read on!

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Nine Holes With the History of Golf Part One: Pre-Palmer

We take a look at the last 150 years in golf.

ProfilesUnlike sports like baseball or football, golf’s eras have been primarily defined and dominated by a key one or two players. While baseball is divided into eras based on the differences of the game (Dead and Lively Ball Eras, Integration Era, Free Agency Era, Steroid Era) and football and basketball are mostly defined by mergers, golf’s era are most easily divided by the dominant player, and these great players actually cut up the history of golf up quite well. Because 150 years of golf is tough to cut down, today we’ll look at everything before Arnold Palmer, right up to and including the Nelson/Hogan/Snead Era.

From the ancient history of the early Open Championship days, to the relative parity of the 1980s and early 1990s, to the modern Tiger Woods era, golf is just begging to be split up and defined. So let’s do it.

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Volume Three Hundred Three

A slow play injury, Phil pummels Pebble, and Lee’s mum is disappointed.

Hittin' the LinksHello sports fans and thank you for joining me for another Hittin’ the Links! How about Phil Mickelson! I have always been a fan of Phil, but I really root for him now that I am over 40. I always like it when the older guys take home a title. Nothing against the young guns, I just can’t always relate.

In this edition of HtL we begin with a phone call from Lee Westwood’s mom, then investigate a interesting golf injury, and take a look at a golfers’ dictionary. Also, we check out the Donald’s newest feud, find out why America should forgive Tiger, and do a wrap-up of the week’s events. Read on!

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Five PGA Tour Rookies to Watch For in 2012

We take a look at 2012’s incoming freshmen.

Trap Five LogoAt the beginning of the season last year, I was trying (just as I am now) to write a column documenting the various rookies on the PGA Tour. And while there were a few nice stories, there simply just wasn’t enough to fill out a whole article. Fast forward to the PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club, when Tour rookie Keegan Bradley was in the mix, and I began lamenting not writing the column. Bradley would to be the main fixture of the article, because while he didn’t start with the highest of expectations, I knew more about him than most people, since we went to the same high school. (For the record, the other names I had written down were Jamie Lovemark, Justin Hicks, Kevin Chappell, Nate Smith, and Michael Thompson).

Unfortunately, there was simply not enough there, and a year of lamenting that fact has led me to this. Luckily, 2012 has provided us with a few more big names (a full list can be found here), as well as some nice stories, so without further ado, here are five Tour rookies likely to make a splash in 2012.

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