Author: Erik J. Barzeski

Luck of the Irish: Padraig Drives Away with the Honda

The luck of the Irish prevail as Padraig Harrington wins his first PGA Tour event in a playoff over Vijay Singh and Joe Ogilvie.

Padraig HarringtonVijay Singh lipped out no more than a three foot putt on the second playoff hole and the Irishman Padraig Harrington has captures his first victory on the PGA Tour four days shy of St. Patrick’s Day. Harrington, who started the day 8 back of the leaders and finished more than 90 minutes before the third-round leaders, fired a course-record 63 to Singh’s 64 to get into the playoff. Joe Ogilvie – not third-round leader Geoff Ogilvy – fired a 68 to get into the playoff, but was eliminated on the first hole with a bogey.

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Els Grabs Qatar Masters from Behind

Ernie Els storms back from five down in the final round to capture his second straight European Tour title at the Qatar Masters.

Ernie ElsErnie Els, down by five strokes going into the final round of the Qatar Masters, cranked out a brilliant 7-under 65 to storm to a one-shot victory. Els, who opened the tournament with a 73 and was in danger of missing the cut, finished at -12 (276) to capture his second tournament since winning the Dubai Desert Classic a week ago.

“I wanted to give myself a low score and as it turned out, I shot low which you don’t normally do. I got lucky and got a win,” said Els. “Things began to turn in my favour in the middle of the front nine when I made three birdies on the bounce. The wind was really playing it up at that time.”

Third-round leader Henrick Stenson started with two birdies in the opening three holes, but bogeyed two and then double-bogeyed the 14th. He later rallied with three birdies to finish second at -11, but needed an eagle at the last to match Els’ two-putt birdie to force a playoff. Richard Green and Pierre Fulke of Australia and Sweden tied for third at nine under.

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Earnings per Start

MJ has come up with an “Earnings per Start” statistic, and we’re happy to post the information here on our site. Now you can too.

“MJ” of “MJonGolf” (mjongolf.com) has been tracking an interesting statistic: PGA Tour Earnings/Start. Such a statistic accounts for the fact that Vijay Singh, for example, enters ten or so more tournaments per year than Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, giving him a great advantage on the money list.

MJ has made the data available for others, and we have been helping to test the methodology for the past few days. You can find the information below our search box on the right side of every page here at The Sand Trap, or include it in your own blog if you wish. Just follow MJ’s simple instructions.

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Wetterich Leads Janzen at Windy Mirasol

Lee Janzen, who hasn’t won on tour since his US Open victory in 1998, trails Brett Wetterich by one after two rounds at the Mirasol Country Club. First-round leader Chad Campbell is one further back.

Lee JanzenHalf of the field got a break and the other half was dealt some serious pain. Players who teed off Thursday morning in cold, wet conditions at the Honda Classic played the afternoon on Friday… just as the winds started gusting to 30 MPH. Nine of the top twelve players after two rounds had the easier go: Thursday afternoon and Friday morning.

Brett Wetterich (-12) holds a one-stroke lead over a surging Lee Janzen, and first-round leader Chad Campbell sits two back at -10. Wetterich played the first 36 holes without a bogey and fired consecutive 66s. Janzen, who has not won since his US Open victory in 1998, made five putts between 15 and 35 feet to get to -11. Campbell was tied for the lead, but bogeyed two of the final four holes to shoot 71, now tied with Robert Damron, who pulled out a nifty 65. Vijay Singh, who will not be able to regain the #1 spot in the world rankings even with a win this week, shot 69 on Friday afternoon and was at -8

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Pressure: Woosnam and Faldo Disagree on Majors vs. Ryder Cup

Ian Woosnam disagrees with Nick Faldo that the majors are more pressure-packed than the Ryder Cup. I’ll side with the guy with the better record.

Ian WoosnamAccording to an article by PA Sports, the next two Ryder Cup captains see Ryder Cup pressure a bit differently. Nick Faldo, 2008 captain, believes that the pressure to win a major is far more intense, while the 2006 captain, Wee Welshman Woosie (say that five times fast), believes Ryder Cup pressure is more intense.

Faldo recently commented that he’s concerned about the fact that no European has won a major since 1999 when Paul Lawrie won the British Open at Carnoustie. Said Faldo, “I don’t care how much we keep on talking about the amount of pressure players are under in a Ryder Cup. The fact is that if it isn’t a major, then it’s not the real thing. Winning majors is about holding your nerve under the most intense pressure.” Faldo should know, having won six to Woosnam’s one.

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Els Playing the Old V1x? No.

Ernie Els is quoted as saying he’s going to stick with the “old” Pro V1x, but it turns out that dead-tree publishers are, once again, using outdated information.

New Pro V1x“Secret sources” sent us an early copy of the April 2005 issue of Golf Magazine. Specifically, they sent page 47, which talks about Titleist’s new Pro V1 and contains a quote from Ernie Els, saying:

I’ll stick with the old ‘x’. I’ve tried the new one and with the irons it feels like the ball is flying differently, like it’s dropping out of the sky.

Dead-tree publishers like Golf Magazine and Golf Digest often come up against deadlines – April issues of magazines are often written in December and January. Our sources confirm that Ernie was playing the previous generation V1x at the Mercedes Championship, but switched to the new, improved Pro V1x at the Buick Invitational. Ernie finished T3 at the Mercedes and has continued to play exceptionally well with the new, improved Pro V1x, with a T6 at the Buick, a 5th-place finish at the Heineken Classic, and a victory in Dubai.

Here’s an image of page 47 of the April, 2005 Golf Magazine.

Signboy 2K5

Signboy is back with FootJoy, and he’s up to his usual pranks again. Provide some feedback and enter to win prizes!

SignboyMatt Grieser has made a career of playing FootJoy’s wacky “Signboy,” a chubby, talkative standard bearer who somehow manages to irk and annoy the world’s best players with tremendous ease. Signboy’s marketing appeal and schtick has elevated FootJoy commercials above others. I mean, c’mon: when’s the last time anyone talked about a golf shoe commercial?

Signboy is ready for 2005. Visitors to footjoy.com/signboy can check out Signboy’s 2K5 commercials, provide feedback, and enter to win “sweet” FootJoy products.

“In a minute, bro” gets me every time. What’s your favorite Signboy commercial?

Ballzee, the Pocket Ball Washer

It’s every man’s dream: Ballzee cleans your balls, fits in your pocket, and stays wet for hours.

Ballzee LogoWhen I was a kid playing high school golf, I was content to pick up my ball on the greens, spit on it, rub it clean, wipe my hands on my pants, and putt out. As I’ve grown older (and had to launder my own clothing), I’ve become a bit more particular about where I wipe my hands. Carrying around a little towel – or unclipping your regular towel 18 times per round – can be a bit of a hassle.

Enter Ballzee, a ball washer for your pocket.

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Bridgestone Sues Titleist

Bridgestone is suing Titleist for patent infringement. More details to come… but for now, here are the statements.

Details are just starting to roll in, but we’ve got a breaking lead on a lawsuit being filed by Bridgestone against Acushnet (Titleist) in the United States for patent infringement. Bridgestone is the leading ball manufacturer in Japan and, by a wide margin, Titleist is the leader in the United States.

Titleist Balls

Commentary follows the statements of each company in the extended entry.

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