Author: Cody Thrasher

Bunker’s Dozen: July 2006

Major championships shake the foundation for this month’s Bunker’s Dozen!

Thrash TalkThe month of June was much better than May when it comes to quality golf. The PGA Tour and LPGA Tour held their respective second major championships of the season in June, and both came down to the last shot. They left impressions on the golf world and the Bunker’s Dozen.

Will Lefty’s collapse at the 72nd hole at Winged Foot hurt his ranking? Was Geoff Ogilvy’s U.S. Open win enough to vault him to the top spot? Also, what effect did the LPGA’s second major have on the list? These questions and more will be answered in the latest edition of the Bunker’s Dozen. I hope you all enjoy!

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2006 Mid-Season Awards

The PGA Tour season has passed the halfway point, and it’s time to give out some early awards.

Thrash TalkIt’s really hard to believe that July is right around the corner. The PGA Tour season is more than halfway complete, even though there are a lot of big tournaments left on the schedule. Two major championships have come and gone, and golf fans already have a lot of great memories from this season. Some of the memories are good ones, while some are pretty hard to think about a second time.

I’ll be giving out awards for player of the year, rookie of the year, disappointment of the year, etc. Hopefully this will even stir up some debate here at The Sand Trap. Let’s get to the Thrash Talk 2006 PGA Tour mid-season awards.

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A Win for Winged Foot

The U.S. Open was awesome this past weekend, and I’m here to break it down.

Thrash TalkGeoff Ogilvy is the U.S. Open champion! How many people would have guessed that after the young Aussie trailed Phil Mickelson and Colin Montgomerie by a shot with two holes left? Ogilvy then backed himself into a corner at the 71st hole before boldly chipping in to save par. Still, it looked like he was headed for a third-place finish at best.

That’s when the wheels of fate began to turn. A wild collapse from Monty and Lefty mixed with a gutsy up-and-down at the 72nd hole for Ogilvy combined to give the golf world a brand new major champion. The young Aussie is quickly turning into one of the world’s best, and this major won’t be the only one in his career when it’s all said and done.

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Nike Slingshot OSS Irons Review

The Nike Slingshot OSS irons were on the Golf Digest 2006 Hot List, but do they really belong?

Nike Slingshot OSS HeroGood iron play is often overlooked, but other than putting, it could very well be the most important part of a golfer’s game. I’ve only had two sets of irons since I started playing golf in the summer of 1997. I had a set of knock-off Cobra clubs called “King Snake” irons that got me through my first seven or eight years of golf. They were all I could afford, and I was happy with them.

Last year, I started playing with the big boys. I got a set of Titleist Forged 804.0S irons, and I’ve been a new golfer ever since. The move to brand-name irons has improved my play and outlook, and needless to say, it will be tough to find a set of irons worthy of replacing the 804.0S.

That’s where the Nike Slingshot OSS irons come into play. I’ve been playing with these irons for the past few months, and I’m definitely happy with what I’ve seen so far. The Slingshot OSS irons were on the Golf Digest 2006 Hot List, so they were very heralded from the start. Let’s take a look at what they have to offer.

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2006 U.S. Open Predictions

My fellow Sand Trap staff members join me this week for U.S. Open predictions.

Thrash TalkU.S. Open week has finally arrived, and The Sand Trap is the place to be for top-notch predictions. None of us picked Phil Mickelson to win The Masters earlier this year, but we are ready to bounce back and get things right this time around.

Winged Foot is the site of the 2006 U.S. Open, and it appears to be in great shape. This tournament will once again test the nerves of the world’s best, and par will be a great score. The rough has received the most attention so far, so it’s fairways and greens once again. The golfer who consistently hits fairways and greens along with rolling in a few putts here and there will more than likely walk away the 2006 U.S. Open champion.

The Sand Trap staff members have had plenty of time to contemplate the options, but the time for thinking is over. It’s time for all of us to put up or shut up. As always, feel free to post your predictions below or discuss them in our forum.

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Bunker’s Dozen, June 2006

Who could possibly be in the top spot this month after a sub-par golf month?

The month of May has come and gone, which means it’s time for the June edition of Bunker’s Dozen! In May’s go-round, Phil made his way to the top of the rankings after winning the season’s first major championship. The female golfers maintained their swagger last month, but the big guns of the PGA Tour fizzled a little. Add to that the fact that a lot of lower-ranked golfers won events last month.

The combination of these things makes this edition of Bunker’s Dozen the most unpredictable one yet. Also, a member of the Champions Tour makes an appearance for the first time ever. I hope you all enjoy!

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U.S. Open Sleepers

All the big guns are favorites to win at Winged Foot, but which golfers have a chance to sneak up on the field and win their first major championship?

Thrash TalkI want to start off this week’s Thrash Talk by congratulating my Oklahoma State Cowboys on winning another national championship in golf. The men’s team outlasted the Florida Gators en route to winning their 10th national championship in the sport. On top of that, redshirt freshman Jonathan Moore won the individual title for the Cowboys. Needless to say, it has been a great weekend for this proud Okie.

Now that my personal pride is out of the way, it’s time to start the U.S. Open talk. The season’s second major championship is a little over a week away, and I’m definitely ready for it. The last time a PGA Tour major was played at Winged Foot, Davis Love III won in memorable fashion. Love’s putt on the 72nd hole is still one of my fondest golf memories of all time.

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Messy Month of May

As good as April was for the PGA Tour, May was that much worse.

Thrash TalkThe month of May for the PGA Tour has come and gone, and it’s time to move towards the U.S. Open at Winged Foot. That’s definitely a good thing because the past month has been less than spectacular for this golf fan. The Masters was awesome once again at the beginning of April, and I figured things would continue to pick up heading into the summer.

Unfortunately for golf fans, that wasn’t the case. The Wachovia Championship was the first tournament of May, and it lived up to the hype. The great course and strong field made for another great finish at Quail Hollow. Jim Furyk outlasted Trevor Immelman in a playoff en route to claiming victory. That was the only high point on the PGA Tour this past month.

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LPGA Ups and Downs

The LPGA season is in full swing, and it has definitely seen its ups and downs so far.

Thrash TalkThe ladies of the LPGA Tour are three months into their 2006 season, and there have been a lot of things to talk about so far. The season’s first major championship, the Kraft Nabisco Championship, may have produced the best finish of any golf tournament in the world this year. There were a lot of big-name contenders fighting for the victory, including past stalwart Karrie Webb and young guns Natalie Gulbis and Michelle Wie.

The Kraft Nabisco Championship was one of many bright spots for the LPGA this season. However, there have been some disappointments along the way as well. I’m going to break down the early season into the good, bad, and ugly.

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