Author: Erik J. Barzeski

Forgotten Promise: Sergio ‘Singhing’ the Blues

Sergio Garcia ties the record for the worst final-round collapse in PGA Tour history by giving up six shots to Jim Furyk and Vijay Singh before losing in the playoff. Singh would go on to win his third PGA Tour event of the year.

SinghSergio Garcia promised he’d win. People have been talking about Garcia’s “promise” – and his raw talent – for years. He battled Tiger in 1999 at the PGA. Surely a wisened, seasoned Sergio could hold on to a six-shot third-round lead, couldn’t he?

In a word or three, no, he couldn’t. It only took 19 holes for Sergio Garcia to fail to keep his promise to the world of golf. A two-time winner last year in three-man playoffs, Sergio bowed out on the first hole of a three-man playoff late Sunday evening in Charlotte, NC to Jim Furyk and Vijay Singh. Three holes later, Vijay would one-putt par the difficult 18th – the same hole on which Sergio three-putted to lose the tournament that was seemingly his only a half hour before.

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SkyCaddie Review

This GPS unit can tell you the exact distances to greens and trouble. Just don’t use it in competition or you may find yourself in trouble.

SkyCaddieWe all know the routine. It’s fairly well ingrained in every decent golfer, and it goes a little something like this:

  1. Arrive at your drive and set down your bag.
  2. Wander around looking for a sprinkler head.
  3. Pace forward or backward to get a better yardage.
  4. Estimate how much the angle of your approach affects the yardage.
  5. Estimate how deep the green is and where the pin is placed, and add those calculations to the mix.
  6. Perform complex math in your head, give up, and then just guess at the correct yardage.
  7. Choose a club and hit the ball.

Imagine cutting three steps from that ordeal:

  1. Arrive at your drive and set down your bag.
  2. Look at the location of the flag on the green.
  3. Unclip a device from your belt and read a number or two from it to get the precise yardage.
  4. Choose a club and hit the ball.

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Danielle Amiee at Kingsmill

Danielle Amiee will get her “big break” today at 12:55pm EDT. Will she even break 80?

The pairings have been released, and Danielle Amiee will get her “big break” at 12:55pm EDT. She’ll be playing with Emily Bastel and Shani Waugh. Who? Yeah, exactly. The threesome will head off the first tee at the Kingsmill Golf Club’s River Course in Williamsburg, VA.

Will the loudmouth, plastic, over-confident, under-attractive, über-ego Amiee even break 80? I wouldn’t bet on it. If you’ve got an opinion, share it in our forum.

Danielle Amiee Pairing

We’ll update this story as news – and scores – become available.

Round 1 Update: +8 (79) and T135, only one shot better than dead last.
Round 2 Update: After her +6 through 11 start was wiped out in round two, she played Saturday to the tune of a 77, finished next to last, and missed the cut at +14 total. The Golf Channel will air an Amiee special on Monday, May 9, at 10pm ET. (Thanks, BogeyLounge.)

Rule 14-3b: The “Range Finder” Rule

It’s illegal to use laser- and GPS-enabled range finders on the golf course during handicap and tournament play. But should it be?

Yardage WheelGolf used to be a game of feel, and not just around the green. “This looks like a strong 6-iron,” the pro would say to his caddie (or vice versa). Elevation, wind, temperature, green contours, and even mood could change a club selection.

Years later, caddies and pros got wise and began measuring yardages (often with yardage wheels like the one shown at right). Caddies would show up on Monday and Tuesday to walk the course, measuring every conceivable yardage and writing them all down in a little booklet. They’d include numbers that indicated the carry distance of a water hazard, draw arrows indicating severe slopes and funnels on the greens, predominant wind conditions, and notes about areas in which you did not want to miss.

In the 1990s, this too faded away as caddies with yardage wheels were replaced by ultra-accurate, GPS- and laser-measured yardage guides. Every pro has the same yardage book these days, tailored slightly to suit a particular pro’s playing habits, and caddies spend their Mondays and Tuesdays without a yardage wheel in their hands.

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Tiger’s Caddie Drives as Well as Tiger

Stevie Williams, Tiger Woods’ caddie, flipped and rolled his racing car once again. This time he’s uninjured.

Stevie WilliamsTiger Woods can’t seem to keep it in the fairway, and his caddie Stevie Williams can’t seem to keep the wheels on the ground. Williams, who suffered a major injury to his hand back in February while racing his saloon car in New Zealand, has gone and done it again.

The AP is reporting that Williams flipped and roll his limited saloon car four times in a dirt-track race on Saturday. Williams was examined by trackside paramedics and released at the scene, relatively uninjured.

Tiger Woods and Stevie have one of the best relationships on the PGA Tour according to many, and both have commented that their personalities are quite similar. Fortunately for golf fans, Tiger seems to get his thrills “engaging” in somewhat safer activities.

Photo Credit: © Lucy Nicholson/Reuters.

Initial Impressions of Adidas Tour Metal

The Adidas Tour Metal – a sexy shoe that causes some rather un-sexy side effects? Our first look…

Adidas Tour MetalI’ve been waiting for some time for the Adidas Tour Metals to arrive. When the UPS guy finally dropped them by on Friday, I headed straight for the course.

The shoes are sexy, and I’m not one to throw that word around lightly. They’re stylish, they’re modern, and they’re dressy all at the same time. The rich mahogany tone (also available in black or white) coordinates well with darker browns.

The shoe, unfortunately, is a bit more style over substance than I care for in a golf shoe. The Tour Metal no padding on the tongue, typical short and thin laces, and blistered my heel by about the tenth hole. The leather is supple, flexible, and waterproof, so I’m going to give the shoes a little more time before passing judgment, but a bit more padding and bigger laces wouldn’t have hurt. Instead, the blisters did.

Expect a full review in the next two weeks.

Chris Off DiMarc as Petrovic Takes PGA Tour’s Zurich

Tim Petrovic captured his first PGA Tour victory in a playoff over James Driscoll. Chris DiMarco, third-round leader, fell to an even-par 72 in the final round to finish T3.

Tim PetrovicChris DiMarco, leader after two and one-half and three rounds at the Zurich Classic and playing in his first event since losing The Masters to Tiger Woods in a playoff, fell to an even par 72 with an incoming 39 – including a three putt from 20 feet at the last hole, to fall one shot short of a three-way playoff and two shots short of an outright victory.

Tim Petrovic didn’t exactly finish strong either. His outward 32 put him in a good position, but he barely held on while coming home in even-par 36. Two birdies – on 10 and 18 – were offset by two bogeys on 15 and 17. His birdie on 18 to get to -13 came with James Driscoll and Chris DiMarco standing in the fairway at the finishing par 5, both at -13.

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Scotty Cameron by Titleist Futura Phantom Mallet Review

Can the new Titleist/Cameron Futura Phantom Mallet replace my beloved Red X? You bet!

Futura Phantom Mallet BackhighLast fall, I switched from an old Ray Cook M1-X to a Scotty Cameron Red X. My review of the Red X reveals my findings: that it’s is a solid mallet putter that replaced my favorite club of a decade and earned a spot in my bag.

Quite frankly, I figured it would remain there for a decade itself.

Oh how things can change. And change they did when I putted with the Scotty Cameron by Titleist Futura Phantom Mallet.

I’ve never been a fan of those “funky” mallets, like the original Futura or the recently reviewed V-FOIL GT by Bobby Grace. The Ping Doc, the Ben Hogan Baby Ben – they all just look too weird. The Futura Phantom Mallet, however, blends the performance of the Futura with the more classic looks of a mallet.

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U.S. Open Qualifying

U.S. Open qualifiers take place in Japan on Memorial Day and in England on D-Day. Intentional? Nah. Funny? Sure!

ESPN proudly presents this “Did You Know…”

Did you know… that a U.S. Open qualifier will be held in Japan on Memorial Day (May 30) and in England on D-Day (June 6).

“That was not by design,” USGA Executive Director David Fay said with a laugh. Intentional? No. Somewhat amusing? You bet!