Author: Erik J. Barzeski

Carolyn Bivens, Courageously Running LPGA Into the Ground

Carolyn Bivens is making a mess of the LPGA Tour, and unless she changes her attitude or someone wises up and cans her, the LPGA Tour may be headed for some bad, bad times.

Carolyn BivensCarolyn Vesper Bivens has been at the helm of the LPGA Tour for less than one year, and I am hopeful that she won’t last long enough to blow out the candles on a second anniversary cake.

Bivens’ task was perhaps one of the easiest facing any sports commissioner to date: sell the LPGA Tour to the sponsors, the media, and the fans. She’s failed miserably on all accounts.

Her failure comes at a time when the LPGA Tour might not be easier to sell. Annika Sorenstam still dominates, but youthful, energetic, and attractive gals named Paula Creamer, Lorena Ochoa, Morgan Pressel, Michelle Wie, Cristie Kerr, Natalie Gulbis, and Christina Kim have suddenly come about. Se Ri Pak and Karrie Webb have even returned to form this year, taking the first two majors of the year.

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Final Round of the 2006 U.S. Open

We’re live blogging the final round of the 2006 U.S. Open. Will Phil Mickelson rack up the third leg of a Mickelslam, or will someone else walk away with the trophy?

Geoff Ogilvy7:27 – Johnny Miller: “I’ve never seen such a finish in championship golf.”

7:11 – Phil plays the last two holes at the U.S. Open +3 to lose to 29-year-old Geoff Ogilvy.

7:07 – Phil runs his ball into the thick greenside rough from the bunker. I think I’ve seen a lot of miracles in my day, but holing out here may just top them all. It would top Tiger’s 16th-hole chip-in at the 2005 Masters. Barring this miracle, Geoff Ogilvy is the 2006 U.S. Open Champion.

7:05 – Johnny Miller: “Man, he [Phil] got a couple bad breaks on the lies, didn’t he?” Uhhmmm, no??? Only the two bunker shots in the last two holes.

7:03 – Phil hits his third shot into the greenside bunker. Par is virtually out of the question now. He has to get up and down to get into a playoff or Geoff Ogilvy will win the 2006 U.S. open. Johnny Miller again: “just crazy shot selection.”

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Golf Talk [Episode 027]

It’s U.S. Open week, and though our full wrap-up will come in next week’s episode, we touch on a few key topics this week.

PodcastRonald McDonald was in the house, but Se Ri Pak walked away with her first major in quite awhile, and in a playoff over Karrie Webb no less. Plus, a bunch of U.S. Open chatter, including Tiger missing the cut, Chris Berman doing a horrible job announcing, Johnny Miller, Phil Mickelson, Merion, Herbert Warren Wind, Oakmont and furrowed bunkers, Tadd Fujikawa, and a whole lot more. Tune in to this episode of Golf Talk for more.

You can subscribe to the RSS feed for our podcasts here or download Episode 027 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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Golf Talk [Episode 026]

Oh Michelle, the flatstick has let you down once again. When will you put in some time on the putting green?

PodcastMichelle Wie’s historic bid to qualify for the U.S. Open failed due to a faulty flatstick. We have in-depth coverage and opinion on Michelle’s latest media grab (and great play), as well as talk of Tiger and Phil, Carolyn Bivens, the Ryder Cup’s fresher face, Carl Pettersson the Swedish Hick, and a whole lot more in this week’s episode of Golf Talk.

You can subscribe to the RSS feed for our podcasts here or download Episode 026 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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Candywood Golf Club (Vienna, OH) Review

Candywood Golf Club features great course conditions and a tremendous value. I only wish the design was a bit more interesting.

Candywood FlagCandywood Golf Club is a public course just across the Ohio border from Sharon, PA in a town called Vienna. The region boasts a lot of fine, affordable golf courses ranging from Tam O’Shanter to Yankee Run and Oak Tree Country Club (reviewed here).

Director of Golf Barry Good invited The Sand Trap to play a round at his course, and we readily accepted. He described the course as “a good mixture of open and tighter holes of varying length and difficulty.” He also said that the greens were some of the best in the area.

Staff member Dave Koster’s father Ed and I played Candywood in mid-May, just as the trees were beginning to blossom and sprout leaves. What began as a cloudy day ended up turning into a perfect afternoon: blue skies salted with clouds and peppered with a slight breeze that kept things cool and proper club selection an important factor.

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Golf Talk [Episode 025]

Furrowed brows and furrowed bunkers. What do the pros want: non-penal hazards? Or maybe they just want to say ‘penal’ more frequently.

PodcastTom Pernice gets away with cheating (maybe) and Michelle Wie may need to cheat to qualify for the U.S. Open (maybe). But the big news this week is the furrowed bunkers at The Memorial, so we talk about them. Just what has Jack Nicklaus been smoking, and where can we get some? Also, Royal Precision closes down, Clinton fails to add properly, Daly’s book sells well, and Meena Lee fails to send an email, costing her a spot at the U.S. Women’s Open. This and a whole lot more in this week’s episode of Golf Talk.

You can subscribe to the RSS feed for our podcasts here or download Episode 025 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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On Furrows, Whining, and Winning

I don’t care if they fill the bunkers with aluminum pop tabs – the conditions are the same for every golfer. Just go play!

There’s no whining in golf. Unless, of course, you’re a PGA Tour pro at this week’s Memorial Tournament. This week, some (most?) pros are busy whining about the furrowed bunkers. They’re “unfair.” Players “weren’t warned.” They introduce “luck” to the game. And on and on…

Muirfield Village Range Rake
The golfers at this week’s Memorial Tournament will play under the same conditions, so what’s the beef?

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Memorial Journal, Day Two – Seeing and Being Seen

A whole lot of images from Tuesday at The Memorial at Muirfield Village.

The Memorial TournamentTuesday at The Memorial is mainly about two things: the induction ceremony for the year’s honorees and the clinic Jack Nicklaus and selected PGA Tour golfers put on for the benefit of a small crowd. This year, Bubba Watson pounded drives out of (Jack’s) sight and José Maria Olazabal demonstrated his tremendous wedge game.

Of course, neither of those events are particularly newsworth, so I ventured onto the course to take a slew of pictures. A few gigabytes heavier, I returned with a helpful dose. I’ve hand selected a few for you here. Yes, this version will be light on the commentary and heavy on the imagery, so click through and wait just a bit for the images to load. I hope you find the wait worthwhile…

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Memorial Journal, Day One – Muirfield Village’s Defenses

Muirfield Village is no pushover. Not only does the course throw 7400 yards at players, but it throws sand, water, elevation changes, and tricky greens, too. Players will have their hands full this week!

The Memorial TournamentMuirfield Village Golf Club, Jack Nicklaus’ home course in Ohio and host of The Memorial Tournament since 1976, is a playground. Nicklaus designed and built Muirfield Village, and it’s no coincidence that the tournament to which it plays host is called the “Masters of the Midwest” – many believe Nicklaus modeled much of Muirfield Village after the famous host course of the actual Masters, right down to the diagonal peanut-shaped par-three twelfth green over water.

Like Augusta National, Muirfield Village has four primary defenses: a meandering creek that sometimes widens into a pond, changes in elevation, lots of sand, and deceptive, sloping greens.

This photo essay examines the first three of these defenses. For the latter, why, simply know that last year in the first round, I watched Jesper Parnevik four-putt from 35 feet on the relatively mild second green.

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