The Sand Trap: now with a tad less news and a bit more commentary on the news, right alongside a new schedule and a dose of new columns.
Over the past few months, The Sand Trap has wandered a bit off course. For example, our daily recaps of PGA and LPGA action. That’s news you can get elsewhere.
The Sand Trap is heading in a new direction. Instead of news, you’ll get commentary on the news. We’re moving to a new publishing schedule, and I’d like to step through it with you. Comments are welcome.
Padraig Harrington sinks an 65-foot eagle putt on the last hole to edge Jim Furyk by a single shot and capture his second PGA Tour victory this year.
Balls were going into the hole all over the place at the 18th green today. First, Birdie Kim holes out from a bunker on the 4.7-stroke average 18th hole at Cherry Hills. Then Padraig Harrington holes an 65-foot eagle putt for a one-stroke win over Jim Furyk. Harrington, who began each of his nines by going +3 on holes 1-3 and +2 on holes 10-12, finished the nines with a birdie (7, 14) and an eagle (9, 18) to finish at -10.
Continue reading “Two Eagles Pay off for Padraig at the Barclays Classic”
The Callaway Big Bertha 454 may not be Callaway’s top of the line driver now that the FT-3 is out, but it’s a solid everyman’s driver that’ll keep you in the fairway.
I’m a Titleist guy. I admit it. I’ve gone to counseling and it’s not helped. I’ve undergone shock treatments, withstood bribes, and watched Tiger Woods win major after major with “inferior equipment” following his move away from Titleist to Nike. I even saw Phil Mickelson shoot 59 after switching from Titleist. Still, I’m a Titleist guy.
But at the core, I’m a golfer, and one who plays fairly well. The line that separates “good enough” equipment from “perfect” equipment is a blurry one. I’m always looking for a bit of an advantage, and the Callaway Big Bertha 454 has gotten some rave reviews. Though Phil and Annika are playing the next Callaway driver (the recently introduced FT-3), the 454 promises to be an everyman’s driver – good technology that doesn’t require the ability to shoot 59 to handle it.
A reader writes in with some poignant thoughts on the 105th U.S. Open and the media reaction to a Campbell victory.
We received an email from The Sand Trap reader Bruce Hardie on Tuesday, and we’d like to share it.
I’m a fan of The Sand Trap and you and the rest of your writers should be congratulated.
I’m surprised, and maybe even a little hurt, by some of the reactions to Michael Campbell’s win. Some of the press seem to think that he was some second rate scrub who got lucky.
Ned Barnett says “Campbell’s win was great for his career, his bank account and his family, but it wasn’t great for golf… The leaderboard was full of little-known international players who are little-known for a reason.”
The PGA Tour gets a re-made website, and LPGA players leap onto your desktop. How can final-round action at the U.S. Open possibly hope to compare with this news!?
Two quick tidbits today. First, thanks to BogeyLounge for pointing out these LPGA Tour desktop pictures. The LPGA Tour, as fourteen people (or fewer) know, has a new PR campaign. The catch phrase: “These Girls Rock.” Funny how far “rock” has come in its own evolution, as golf is probably the last sport to “rock,” but there you have it. Grab some desktops of your favorite LPGA Tour players in 800 x 600, 1024 x 768, and 1280 x 1024. I guess I’m out of luck (1920 x 1200).
Next, there’s a new pgatour.com out there, and the new design “will take you inside the ropes and alongside your favorite players. PGATOUR.COM’s focus on the sport of golf, players and competition will be unparalleled by any other site.” Or something like that… The new PGATour.com does feature in-depth statistics, including ShotLink statistics. More information is available here or, you know, at pgatour.com.
The Bushnell PinSeeker 1500 is a $449 range finder that measures yardage and slope. How much would you pay to have an exact yardage to every pin?
Tiger Woods has long said that the secret to good golf is always being pin high. When you’re pin high, you don’t have to worry about water hazards, bunkers, or steep slopes beyond the green. You may miss right or left, but if you don’t short side yourself, you’ll likely be putting most of the time.
Though devices such as the Bushnell PinSeeker 1500 (and the SkyCaddie) are illegal for competitive play, they’re acceptable and legal for informal and handicap play. In fact, if you attend a professional tournament during a practice round, you’ll see plenty of caddies using the PinSeeker to double-check yardages.
Michael Campbell, who once held the 54-hole lead at a British Open, out-dueled Tiger Woods and a flailing Retief Goosen to capture the 105th U.S. Open.
Many said it was Retief Goosen’s U.S. Open to lose, and lose it he did. Opening the day with a three-shot lead, the unassuming South African made one birdie and limped home to a final-round 81. His playing companion, fan favorite Jason Gore, fared no better, carding a +14 84, finishing T49. Olin Browne, who like Gore began the day at even par, carded an 80 to finish T23.
The winner? Little-known New Zealander Michael Campbell. Campbell holed a bunker shot on the difficult 17th hole yesterday to get into the next-to-last pairing at even par and made the most of it today, firing a one-under 69 on a day that yielded only four sub-par rounds.
One advantage of getting swallowed in the crowds following Tiger Woods: you don’t have to listen to Johnny Miller.
This report comes to us from Pinehurst #2 courtesty of Dave Koster, scratch golfer, North Carolina resident, and friend of The Sand Trap.
Moving day. The day where players try and set themselves apart from the rest of the field. As most of you saw on TV, not many players wanted to do that. This was a day that the players just wanted to get through 18 and hide in the clubhouse. Word of the day: survive.
Continue reading “On Location at the 2005 U.S. Open – Saturday’s Third Round”
The word of the day: people. Tiger Woods’ group was huge. The other word of the day: money. Guess why.
Pinehurst is still a special place. That didn’t change since yesterday, but there is a new word of the day: people. There were people everywhere. The 20,000 spaces in the stands filled up before 10:00 and most of the other people on foot were following Tiger.
As soon as we walked through the gate, Tiger’s throng was amassing around the 11th hole. As my friend and I walked over that way, we got to watch the Els group hit their tee shots down the 12th fairway. After that, it was a blur. We went over to 11 to watch Tiger, back to 12 to see his tee shot, over to 13 again to stay ahead of him, then to 14 green to watch Els’ approach shot. We stayed there to wait for Tiger (who hit a monster drive on 14 by the way), and catch our breath.
Continue reading “On Location at the 2005 U.S. Open – Thursday’s Opening Round”
