Donald and Sorenstam Each Seal the Deal

Donald now owns his first four-round PGA victory and Sorenstam defends her title.

Luke DonaldLuke Donald won his first PGA Tour event after only three rounds, thanks to two days of rain showers. Now he’s doubled both his career PGA victories and added to the number of rounds it took to win each of them. The Blonde Briton shot a final-round 69 (-3) with a clutch birdie on the 72nd after he stuck his approach to four feet and increased his lead to two. Donald believes this is just one step toward his goal, “I think it’s definitely a step in the right direction. Anytime you can win, especially out here on the PGA Tour, it’s a huge boost of confidence. Hopefully this will just keep the momentum going.”

Donald’s 72-67-68-69 was good enough to hold off Australian Geoff Ogilvy by a two-stroke margin. Ogilvy, who carded 15 birdies, three eagles, and one double-eagle, played three rounds of excellent golf, but brought home four bogies in the final round to finish outright in second place.

Why Camilo Villegas Is The Man

My simple explanation on why Camilo Villegas will enjoy enormous success in the PGA Tour.

Camilo VillegasRecently there’s been a ton of buzz surrounding PGA Tour Rookie Camilo Villegas and I believe all of it is deserved. With two T2’s in his first six tour events, Camilo has shown that he’s got the game to compete with the big boys. I started watching Camilo play golf about two years ago, when he put himself in contention week in and week out, never to seal the deal. In the following few paragraphs I’m going to outline why I so firmly believe that Villegas will make a big mark on tour.

Stellar College Career
Camilo attended The University of Florida and was the only freshman to be named as an All-American in the 2001 season, he would go on to win the honor the rest of his college career. That same freshman year he set a course record with a 64 at the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Richmond, Virginia. The University of Florida consistently produces excellent PGA tour golfers, such as Dudley Hart and, more notably, Chris DiMarco.

Honda Classic Preview

A another first time winner would be grest at the final Honda Classic at Mirasol but it would be even better to get some Love.

Honda Classic PreviewThis week there will be plenty of players to give Tiger Woods a run for the money, especially since Tiger won’t be there. I know, I know, that’s mean to say but it seems the case lately that if Tiger isn’t there to win an event then someone is there to lose and win it for him. However, this week isn’t about him, it’s about the several first time winners at Mirasol the past few years including the defending champion Padraig Harrington. Last year, Padraig blazed the field and tied the course record and his career best with a 63 and should get the credit for the win but still needed Vijay to miss a three-footer to secure the win on the second playoff hole.

Padraig isn’t the only news this week, let’s take a look at what else is in store for us this week.

Volume Forty-Nine

This week, in my first stab at Hittin’ the Links, I share with you some links to some of the guys that have literally built our game: course architects.

Hittin' the LinksI have given my first Hittin’ the Links entry much thought and consideration and have decided to dedicate it to those who are responsible for the courses we see on television and read about it books of golfing lore. These men have set the standards, raised the bar, and exceeded people’s expectations with every course they’ve designed.

Tiger Trumps Toms and Villegas at the Blue Monster

The Blue Monster produces another exciting week of tournament play with the same result in the end.

Woods at DoralThis tournament was shaping up to be an excellent one from the get-go. Tiger Woods led the way after Thursday’s opening round in which he fired a 64 the 65s of Camilo Villegas, Phil Mickelson, David Toms, Rich Beem, Zach Johnson, Scott Verplank, and Mark Wilson. Friday, Woods and Mickelson drew into a tie at -13, and both played together Saturday, with Tiger Woods once again eclipsing Phil by three as he did last year.

For perhaps the first time this year Tiger Woods seemed to be playing with at least his B+ game. He led the field in greens in regulation at 80.6% and missed only two putts within ten feet the whole week. Obviously, this one-two combo made Tiger the man to beat. And that’s exactly what the rest of the field tried to do.

Palmer, Nicklaus Speak Out Against Augusta Alterations

Arnie and The Golden Bear finally speak out against Hootie’s Augusta renovations.

Following retirement from the world of competitive golf after winning The Grand Slam, Bobby Jones entertained the idea of starting a private golf club. We all know that Bobby eventually decided to build the course that would become Augusta National Golf Club. Bobby worked intimately with legendary course architect Alister Mackenzie to create his “ideal” golf course.

Bob firmly believed that the game of golf revolved around the second shot – evidenced by the fact that when Augusta National debuted, it featured over eighty acres of fairway (more than twice as much as the average course of the day). Also notable was the fact that Jones demanded to design the course so that it would remain playable for both highly skilled golfers and those less gifted.

2006 Ford Championship at Doral Preview

Will 2006 bring as much fireworks and ratings as 2005 did? With the top seven players in the world duking it out at The Blue Monster, we can only hope.

Ford Championship at DoralWow, how time flies! Last year’s Ford Championship at Doral made numerous headlines, from the IMG memo, Tiger and Phil going head to head, Tiger setting the 72-hole tournament record with a 24-under par 264 and Tiger regaining his number one position in the World Golf Rankings.

The fans are anticipating another great event and they shouldn’t be disappointed. The event is treated almost major like by the players and fans for the degree of difficulty in the course and the quality of the field. In fact, this is the first stroke-play event this year that we get to see the top seven players in the world in the same field.

Volume Forty-Eight

With some big shoes to fill, this volume gets it started off right.

Hittin the LinksWe can all agree that Josh did a great job with this column and since this is an interim issue of “Hittin’ The Links” (before Matt takes over), I think its time to show you some garbage I’ve been lookin’ at for a while – things I’ve found interesting or things I just thought noteworthy.

Let’s get started.

Weekend Triplet: Triplett, Ogilvy, and Lee Win Events

Despite a 66-66-65 start, Waldorf can’t get the job done. Meena Lee takes Fields Open. Ogilvy wins WGC Match Play.

Ogilvy: ChampionIf the audience of the 2006 World Golf Championship Accenture Match Play Tournament has learned anything, it’s that match play is ridiculously unpredictable.

Play started Wednesday with a couple of tournament records. Tiger Woods (1) broke the winning differential record with a solid trouncing of Stephen Ames (64). Tiger managed to win every single hole on the front nine before letting up and halving the 10th for a 9&8 victory. Asked his reaction to Stephen Ames’ comment that “Anyone can win in match play… especially where he [Tiger] is hitting it,” Tiger simply responded “9 and 8.” Scott Verplank and Lee Westwood tied a tournament record by playing eight extra holes for a total of 26, an exhausting day that perhaps contributed to both players’ early exits in subsequent rounds.