Author: Erik J. Barzeski

Golf Talk [Episode 062]

Pine Needles may be a better course for top female and average male golfers than Pinehurst #2. It certainly has more character.

Golf Talk PodcastTiger Woods has a kid, but that’s not nearly as exciting as the finish on the PGA Tour this week as Jay Williamson and Hunter Mahan battled it out. Also this week, Lorena Ochoa, drug testing on the PGA Tour, golf course real estate, and Michelle Wie opting out of the the John Deere. That and more in this week’s episode of Golf Talk.

You can subscribe to the RSS feed for our podcasts here or download Episode 062 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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Darby Creek Golf Course (Marysville, OH) Review

Darby Creek is a great example of a small diamond in the rough, except by “rough” I mean “nowhere near signs of modern civilization” and by diamond I mean “a moderately priced venue that exceeds expectations.”

Darby Creek LogoTo get to Darby Creek, you drive through a few towns the likes of which you’ll be surprised still exist. You’ll hang a right at a driving range in the middle of nowhere, drive another few miles, then take another right. A golf course appears, and suddenly you’ve arrived at Darby Creek.

The course takes its name from a stream which is two miles from the course itself. Designed in 1993 by the design tandem of Brian Silva and Geoff Cornish, Darby Creek blends a bit of the old and a bit of the new, just like the designers themselves (Silva graduated from college in 1973, Cornish was born in 1914).

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Golf Talk [Episode 061]

Angel Cabrera had an up-and-down final round, but it ended after 69 shots and with the U.S. Open trophy.

Golf Talk PodcastThe U.S. Open at Oakmont is over, and Angel Cabrera dusts Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk in the final round. Angel also birdied his last hole Friday to bump Phil Mickelson from making the cut. Full analysis of the course, the players, and the 107th U.S. Open and more in this week’s episode of Golf Talk.

You can subscribe to the RSS feed for our podcasts here or download Episode 061 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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Tiger is a Father

Sam Alexis Woods was born early on June 18, less than 24 hours after Tiger disappointingly finished T2 at the U.S. Open.

Elin and TigerTiger Woods announced today on tigerwoods.com that early on June 18, his wife Elin gave birth to the couple’s first child. They’ve named the girl Sam Alexis Woods and Elin and the baby are resting comfortably.

Tiger has said previously he may not play in the British Open as the due date was reportedly around July 10. If accurate, Sam arrived three weeks early. We hope all is well, and on a selfish note, we hope Tiger will play at Carnoustie in a month.

U.S. Open at Oakmont Journal: Sunday

Angel Cabrera wins the 107th U.S. Open. Here’s my account of a 14-hour day in the 18th hole grandstand.

2007 U.S. OpenWhat follows is a transcription of my notes from the grandstands near the 18th green on Sunday at the U.S. Open.

4:30 am – I showered the night before, so I wake up, put my clothes on, deflate my bed for the week, and get in the car for the short drive to Oakmont.

5:10 am – I arrive at my destination for the day – the grandstands overlooking the 18th – and find that I’ve been beaten to my ideal spot by six people. The sun isn’t up yet, and people are in the 18th grandstands. My ideal spot was the back left corner, which offers views of the ninth/practice green, the 10th, 12th, and 15th tees, and the 11th, 14th, and 18th greens. With binoculars, you can see even more including the second, 15th, and 17th greens. I will be here for the next 14 hours.

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U.S. Open at Oakmont Journal: Friday

Phil plays the “bang and blame” game, Tiger hacks his way around the easy second hole and makes perhaps the best five I’ve seen in a long time, and Angel Cabrera relies on the Big Break to hold the lead?

2007 U.S. OpenI attended the U.S. Open yesterday and sat behind the first green for about five hours. Then I went to the ninth green for about three hours.

I saw one birdie: a chip-in by Justin Rose at the first. I saw Ian Poulter’s long putt from off the green nearly fall and Shingo Katayama’s chip from the fairway rattle the pin before rolling a few feet away. He would later miss the par putt.

Friday I sat behind the 18th green. Though the hole was blocked by a large tree, reasonable views of the tenth, twelfth, and fifteenth tees as well as the ninth green (if you’re on the railing). Sitting in the shadows of the trees, and with the wind whipping, the location was less than desirable: walking the course until about noon is advised for those coming on Saturday or Sunday.

Anyway, here are my observations…

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2007 U.S. Open Staff Predictions

You’d think we’d all just pick Tiger Woods and go home, but that’s not the case.

Thrash TalkThe 107th U.S. Open Championship returns to Oakmont, hosting the national championship for a record eighth time.

As usual, our staff has gathered our thoughts into an article. We’re putting our money where our mouths are, so to speak. More likely, we’re setting ourselves up for eventual ridicule, but hey, we can take it!

Read on to see how right – or how incredibly wrong – we may be as we predict the winner, score, and some surprises at the 2007 U.S. Open.

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U.S. Open at Oakmont Journal: Tuesday

The Pelzmeter exists, and despite a ten-minute conversation on the fifth green with its inventor, Fred Funk ain’t buyin’ it.

2007 U.S. OpenWhen I arrived at lunchtime yesterday, Lot C was half full. Today, at 7am, I parked in the first row. As you might have guessed, the course was relatively empty as well, and in fact the last four or five holes didn’t even have new cups cut yet or flags installed.

Tiger Woods teed off today with Bubba Watson just as I arrived, and we eventually caught Tiger on the eighth hole as I walked the course backwards getting architectural shots. Read on for the rest of my journal notes from Tuesday at the U.S. Open.

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U.S. Open at Oakmont Journal: Monday

Birdie holes at a U.S. Open? Yeah, I believe there are.

2007 U.S. OpenI arrived at about lunchtime at the U.S. Open’s first official practice round today. Though, as a member of the media I am in a different lot than the one used by the majority of the fans (who are being scuttled off I-76 exit 39 to the “Red” and “Blue” lots), I must say how surprised I was at how few people were attending and how much room was available. Sunday will no doubt be mad crazy, but Monday and I would suspect Tuesday and Wednesday are great days to see some golf.

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