Author: Erik J. Barzeski

Golf Talk [Episode 123]

Michelle Wie may have earned her stripes at the Solheim Cup with a glittering 3-0-1 record.

Golf Talk PodcastThe U.S. team is victorious in the Solheim Cup and Michelle Wie is the leading point earner. Also, Tiger commits to Barclays, Ryan Moore wins his first, a writer coins the phrase “Slow-heim Cup,” and a whole lot more in this episode of Golf Talk.

You can subscribe to the RSS feed for our podcasts here or download Episode 123 as an MP3 file. For those who want to subscribe to us in iTunes, click here.

Note: the use of MP3 format is a one-week trial. MP3 does not allow us to create chapters, artwork, or embedded links like AAC.

For this week’s Show Notes – links to articles we discuss in the show and additional information – just read on.

Continue reading “Golf Talk [Episode 123]”

Golf Talk [Episode 122]

Tiger Woods is now 14/15 when holding the 54-hole lead in major championships.

Golf Talk PodcastTiger wins at Firestone for his seventh and seventieth, but can’t get the job done against Y.E. Yang at the 91st PGA Championship. Plus, Solheim Cup news, a timing issue, golf in the Olympics, and a whole lot more in this episode of Golf Talk.

You can subscribe to the RSS feed for our podcasts here or download Episode 122 as an MP3 file. For those who want to subscribe to us in iTunes, click here.

Note: the use of MP3 format is a one-week trial. MP3 does not allow us to create chapters, artwork, or embedded links like AAC.

For this week’s Show Notes – links to articles we discuss in the show and additional information – just read on.

Continue reading “Golf Talk [Episode 122]”

2009 PGA Championship Final Round Live Blog

Will Tiger hold on to win his fifth and fifteenth PGA and Major? Or will this be the first time in 15 tries he doesn’t take it with a final-round lead?

2009 PGA ChampionshipWe’re live blogging the final round of the 2009 PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club. Tiger Woods is poised to win a record-typing fifth PGA Championship (and his third consecutive) and his fifteenth major – each of which he’s previously won with the third-round lead as he has this year.

Will major winners Padraig Harrington (two back at -6) or Lucas Glover (four back at -4) win the title, or will Y.E. Yang or Henrik Stenson capture their first? Could someone from -3 or further possibly go low enough to win, or is this a five-horse race? Let’s put it this way: if Tiger shoots 70, Paddy and Y.E. have to shoot 67 to win, and G. Lover and Stenson have shoot 65. 67 is the lowest round of the week – and it’s only been shot by two people. They’re both playing in the final group.

Pos   Player                Tot     R1    R2    R3
---   ------------------    ---     --    --    --
1     Tiger Woods           -8      67    70    71
T2    Padraig Harrington    -6      68    73    69
T2    Y.E. Yang             -6      73    70    67
T4    Lucas Glover          -4      71    70    71
T4    Henrik Stenson        -4      73    71    68
T6    Ernie Els             -3      75    68    70
T6    Soren Kjeldsen        -3      70    73    70
T8    Ross Fisher           -2      73    68    73
T8    Brendan Jones         -2      71    70    73
T8    Martin Kaymer         -2      73    70    71
T8    John Rollins          -2      73    73    68
T8    Alvaro Quiros         -2      69    76    69

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More of the 710 Series Irons from Titleist

From the range of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, we bring you a sneak peek at the new 710 Series irons from Titleist.

A few days ago we gave you a sneak peek at Titleist’s upcoming 710 Series of irons: the CB, MB, AP1, and AP2.

Today, we present our own images, from the range at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, OH, as well as some video. Enjoy.

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Golf Talk [Episode 121]

I should have trademarked “Fortnight Slam” when I first said it. But hey, Tiger probably couldn’t care less about his Fortnight Slam if he doesn’t win at Hazeltine.

Golf Talk PodcastA woman wins the British Open barely two months after giving birth, Wie and Inkster make the U.S. Solheim Cup Team, Fred Funk wins a USGA event at 20 below par, and Tiger Woods wins the final Buick Open in Michigan. That and a whole lot more in this episode of Golf Talk.

You can subscribe to the RSS feed for our podcasts here or download Episode 121 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.

Continue reading “Golf Talk [Episode 121]”

Sneak Peek at Titleist’s Fall 2009 Irons: 710 AP1, AP2, CB, and MB

If you’re a Titleist fan – or think you could be one – then you’ll enjoy getting a sneak peek at these: the 710 Series AP1, AP2, CB, and MB irons.

Titleist AP2 710 HeroTitleist emailed us some images from the Buick Open, where they’ve rolled out their fall 2009 iron lineup to their tour staff. The 2009 lineup is essentially a tweaked 2008 lineup, with four models: AP1, AP2, CB, and MB. Those will be the model names. They’ve come to be known by their series name – the “710” series – but word is the official names are AP1, AP2, CB, and MB.

Titleist plans to begin selling the irons later this fall, though again this marks the first week that they’re rolling them out to their entire PGA Tour staff.

Titleist says that the new AP1 irons offer better feel, more forgiveness, and an improved shape with a thinner topline throughout the set and a shorter blade length in the short irons. The new feel is hotter and more lively.

AP2 improvements are similar, and Titleist feels they’ve taken a great iron and made it better. Similar to AP1, they’ve improved the feel, shot control, and ground contact – particularly in the short irons by reducing bounce by one degree. The great performance, shot workability, playability, and looks have been retained, while the feel has been improved by making the new feel a bit more solid.

A big part of that feel in both sets is likely due to the thermoplastic urethane (TPU) “arms” that stick up a bit in the 710 series of the AP irons (both models).

The new CB and MB irons are traditional 1025 carbon steel forgings, available in full cavity back (CB) and muscle back (MB) models. Word on the street is that mixed sets of the CB and MB will be readily available.

Complete details, including specifications, the typical tech callouts, features and benefits, and all that jazz should be available at Titleist.com early this fall. If you’d rather not wait that long, some additional shots are available on two posts at Titleistblog.com: here and here.

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Sun Mountain Micro Cart Review

The Micro Cart takes on the well renowned Clicgear 2.0. Who wins? Find out.

Micro Cart FoldedTalk long enough to anyone who regularly walks when they play golf and they’ll eventually tell you two things. First, walking is the best way to play golf. The fresh air, the feel of the ground beneath your feet, the perfect rhythm it creates. And second, that sometimes 14 clubs, a dozen balls, a rain jacket, an umbrella, a bag, and miscellaneous other goodies can be an awful lot to carry.

Trolleys or carts – be they of the push or pull variety – have long served as a great compromise. Golfers could walk and enjoy all that offers them while shedding the load from shoulders already burdened with making par at the last to relieve their friends of a few bucks.

Earlier this year, Sun Mountain rolled out the Micro Cart. The cart is positioned, both in terms of size and price, as a direct competitor to the Clicgear cart we reviewed about a year ago. What did we find out about the Micro Cart? Read on to find out.

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Golf Talk [Episode 120]

We didn’t even get to talk about the Waffle House this week!?!?

Golf Talk PodcastNathan Green beats Tom Wats, errrr, Retief Goosen and his lousy putter in a playoff at the rain-soaked Canadian Open, Tiger returns to the likely last Buick Open, Phil Mickelson returns, Lee Trevino speaks, and a whole lot more in this episode of Golf Talk.

You can subscribe to the RSS feed for our podcasts here or download Episode 120 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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2009 British Open Final Round Live Blog

1977 gave us the Duel in the Sun. Will 2009 give us the Return of the Sunspotted? Not quite as catchy, that.

Open ChampionshipSaturday, July 18 was both a good and a bad day for the “old” among us. The world’s oldest man died (113-year-old Henry Allingham), sure, but Tom Watson provided the good by not only maintaining his lead in the 138th Open Championship, but by increasing it by dropping the tie at the top.

Watson is one of the few guys atop the Open Championship leaderboard with experience. The others, of course, are Retief Goosen and Jim Furyk, T4 and T6 respectively. And Goosen has that weird history thing working for him, too: fellow countryman Ernie Els won the U.S. Open in 1994 and 1997 and the British Open in 2002. Retief has won the U.S. Open seven years after each of Ernie’s wins – in 2001 and 2004 – and 2009 is seven years after Ernie’s victory at Muirfield.

The leaderboard to start the day:

1    Watson     -4
T2   Goggin     -3
     Fisher     -3
T4   Westwood   -2
     Goosen     -2
T6   Furyk      -1
     Cink       -1
T8   Molder      E
     Jaidee      E

Join us as we live blog the final round of the 2009 Open Championship (starting at 8:00am eastern).

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