Author: Jeff Smith

And now we all turn our attention to the Ryder Cup, is only a month away. The United States finally has some new talent on the roster. The new guys have tons of incentive to prove themselves worthy of the spot they fill and the old guard are tired of losing.

With Tiger Woods playing like his dominant self there is no reason that the United States won’t bring the Ryder Cup back to the United States. Unless you consider that Colin Montgomery, Sergio Garcia, David Howell, and other dominant Europeans stand in their way.

Sneek a peak with me into the history of the Ryder Cup and get my prediction for this year’s winners.

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While Alister MacKenzie and Donald Ross are recognized designers in the world of golf, you may not have heard of a certain Scottish golfer and designer named Tom Bendelow. While you may not have heard of him, you’re likely watching the PGA Championship at Medinah Country Club, one of Bendelow’s designs.

The most prolific designer in North America, having designed over 800 courses, Bendelow’s contribution to American golf have been largely unappreciated. Designing in a time when earth moving was largely impossible Bendelow’s designs incorporated what the land gave him.

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The Nationwide Tour has become a clearinghouse for the world’s best players. While not every player who plies his trade on the Nationwide Tour makes it to the big time, many of them go on to successful careers on the PGA Tour.

Excellent events in their own right, purses have gotten bigger and the level of competition better in recent years. Many PGA Tour professionals would tell you that the talent gap between the PGA and Nationwide Tours has shrunk dramatically, making the Nationwide Tour the best place to hone your skills for the PGA Tour.

Continue reading “Nine Holes on the Nationwide Tour”

The ballyhoo prior to this year’s U.S. Open reached a fevered pitch. Analysts the world over predicted that Mickelson was going to grab another major and run. He had played so well at the start of the year. His double driver strategy was sheer genius and he trounced the field by 13 shots at the BellSouth classic. That was all before the old Phil showed up on the final hole of the Open.

But let’s give Phil a little more credit. Gone are the “best player to have never won a major” days. He’s proven he can do it and one little bitty mess on the final hole of the U.S. Open won’t change that. Phil will win again.

Tiger had fallen out of favor with the media because his putter wouldn’t behave at the Masters. His father’s passing and subsequent missed cut at the U.S. Open brought further media doubt. The King of the Golf World had fallen off his throne and the heir-apparent was ready to snatch the crown.

These are the real-life battles fought by world’s top two golfers. Let’s leave the golf course for a moment and head to the 19th hole for a little behind the scenes banter. Lets get ready to rumble: Tiger and Phil square off celebrity death match style…

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Steve (or Stevie) Williams is Tiger’s fiercely loyal and dedicated caddy. Precious few can understand what goes on behind the ropes in Tiger’s life and Williams is one of them. Williams must be similar to the guys that were taming the “Wild West” because he comes across as a cowboy. He marches to the beat of his own drum while working hard for the boss.

Join me for a quick nine holes with the camera-snatching, club-pulling, car-racing boy from New Zealand.

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Easily identified by his Wilson Staff hat, thick Irish accent, and wide putting stance, Padraig Harrington has grabbed his piece of the golf pie. Many of you will remember one of Harrington’s defining moments: the 65-foot eagle putt he holed on the final hole to beat Jim Furyk by a stroke at the 2005 Barclays Classic. It was one of the best moments in 2005 even though Furyk didn’t appreciate it. “There’s no consolation,” Furyk said. “Finishing second really stinks!”

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There is so much attention given to those who can hit the golf ball a country mile that guys like Corey Pavin are largely left in the dust. Pavin was one of the best players on Tour through the 80s and 90s after having quickly established himself as a contender by winning a PGA Tour event only two years after turning professional.

Once a centerpiece in golf’s elite, we haven’t heard much from Corey Pavin in the last few years. But he is still scratching a living out of the game as he remains one of the world’s top players. A lot of us would gladly have taken his 108th place on the 2005 PGA Tour money list.

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The road to excellence and success naturally takes one through difficult experiences. Tom Watson has walked that road before on and off the golf course. “If you want to increase your success rate,” said Watson, “double your failure rate.” I suppose thats what we fans have the hardest time understanding sometimes. Examples abound: Phil Mickelson was once “the best player to have never won a major,” Tiger Woods went through his “slumps,” Greg Norman had his epic meltdowns, and Tom Watson was once thought of as a “choker.”

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