Author: Cody Thrasher

What is Vijay Thinking?

Vijay Singh may have taken a step forward with his 12 wins in the last 17 months, but he took two steps back last week with his decision not to play in the “Battle at the Bridges.”

Thrash TalkThe Battle at the Bridges has been shown on television since 1999, when Tiger Woods defeated David Duval at Sherwood Country Club. In the past couple years, however, the contest has beed played in a two-on-two format instead of the original one-on-one variety. This year, the battle will be held July 25th at Rancho Santa Fe. Tiger Woods will be there as he always has been, and so will Phil Mickelson. That makes up half of the famed “Big Four” that has ruled golf headlines so far in 2005. So IMG, the sponsor of the Battle at the Bridges, thought they had something special going and tried to get the other two members of the “Big Four” to join Woods and Mickelson.

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A Golden Finish for the Golden Bear

Jack Nicklaus will be playing his final competitive round at the British Open at St. Andrews.

Jack NicklausIt seems only fitting that Jack Nicklaus to end his competitive golfing career at the famed St. Andrews, the birthplace of golf. The Golden Bear let the media know today that he was planning on bowing out after the British Open in July. The last time he played The Open Championship was in 2000 when it was also held at the Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St. Andrews. He had hinted that he was winding down earlier this year at The Masters, when he referred to the fact he just wasn’t competitive anymore. Why did he choose St. Andrews for his final tournament? “I love St. Andrews. It’s been a great part of my career.”

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Tiger Won’t Be On The Prowl This Weekend

Brett Wetterich and Sean O’Hair share the lead in Texas, while Tiger misses his first cut in over seven years.

Brett WetterichIt was a crazy day in Irving, TX, to say the least! Tiger Woods missed his first cut in 142 events, dating all the way back to 1998. He holds the record for most cuts in a row, and it will more than likely stand for quite some time, if not forever. “I just didn’t quite have it,” Woods said. He also had this to say when the media asked him what the worst part of the streak ending was. “I don’t get that opportunity to win the tournament.”

With that being said, Mr. Woods wasn’t the only story at the Byron Nelson Championship on Friday. Two guys who are basically “unknowns” share the lead at one of the top events on tour. That is right, Brett Wetterich and rookie Sean O’Hair sit atop the leaderboard going into the weekend and will play in the final group on Saturday.

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EDS Byron Nelson Championship Preview

The “Big Five” battle it out for bragging rights in Texas.

byron_nelson_tourney_logo.gifThe sun has set on a record-setting final round at the Wachovia Championship, and it is time to move on to the great state of Texas for the Byron Nelson Championship. This tournament is the only one on the PGA Tour that is named after a Hall-of-Fame golfer, and it is definitely one of the special events on tour. This will mark the first time the “Big Five” have all played in the same tournament since The Masters. Tiger Woods is still the top-ranked golfer in the world, but Vijay Singh inched ever so close to the top spot with his playoff win Sunday at the Wachovia Championship. Tiger is sitting at 13.02 points, and Vijay is now up to 12.88 points and will surely regain the number one position with a win this week.

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To Play Or Not To Play

Should teenage phenom Michelle Wie be playing in PGA Tour events without qualifying?

Thrash TalkMichelle Wie is just your everyday 15-year-old female golfer. Well, apart from the fact that she has played in two PGA Tour events and in the final pairing with Annika Sorenstam on Sunday in an LPGA major.

Wie played in the PGA Tour’s Sony Open the last two years and her upcoming appearance in the John Deere Classic via sponsor’s exemption looms in early July. Wie’s two rounds of even par to miss the cut by just one stroke at the 2004 Sony Open prompted Tom Lehman, who played with Wie in a pro-am, to give her the nickname “Big Wiesy.” Michelle is already six feet tall and has a swing that resembles Ernie Els, “The Big Easy.” That is a lofty nickname for a teenager.

However, not all is well in Wie’s world. She’s undergone quite a bit of scrutiny and endured a bit of controversy lately. Is the world taking Wie for granted, or is Wie taking advantage of the world?

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Sergio Pulls Away From the Field in Charlotte

Sergio Garcia will take a six shot lead into the final round at the Wachovia Championship.

Quail Hollow Club is playing almost like a major championship venue this week, but that obviously isn’t affecting Sergio Garcia. He shot a third round 67 to take a commanding six shot lead going into the final round Sunday. Garcia used a stellar 32 on the back side to gain a huge lead in Charlotte. He started off the day with a birdie on the first hole. He had a double bogey on the fourth hole, and that dropped him back a little. But after that, he played one of the best ball-striking rounds of the year. He finished up by carding three solid pars on the last three holes at Quail Hollow, which have taken shots from just about every guy at the top of the leaderboard this week.

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Wachovia Championship Preview

Three members of the Big Five tee it up this week in Charlotte.

Wachovia LogoTiger Woods is in the field this week for the first time since his triumph at Augusta last month. He isn’t the only big name that will be in Charlotte for the Wachovia Championship. Tiger will be joined by two more golfers in the top four, Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson. Vijay has played very consistently since The Masters, including his win two weeks ago at the Houston Open. The race for the number one world ranking will once again be a hot topic entering the week. Vijay pulled closer with his win in Houston, and he looks to gain even more ground on Tiger this week.

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Where Did You Go DL3?

Will Davis Love III ever regain his status as one of the PGA Tour’s best players?

Thrash TalkDavis Love III walked up to the 72nd hole of the 1997 PGA Championship with his first elusive major championship in his grasp. He then made one of the most memorable putts I have ever witnessed. With a rainbow in the background, he rolled his ball into the hole and captured his first ever major championship. Winged Foot Country Club was the course he won it on, and at the time, DL3 was known as the best player in golf without a major. Since that victory, he has won six more tournaments on the PGA Tour, including a dominant win at The Players Championship in 2003. He won a total of five events in 2003, including the Target World Challenge in December of that year.

But what has happened to Davis Love III since his great year in 2003? He actually started 2004 off with a bang, the same way he did the previous year. But after placing in the top-10 in four out of the first five events in 2004, he really went in a “consistency” slump that still continues to this day. Since 1996, Davis has been in the top ten in the world rankings at the end of every year, including his inconsistent year last year.

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Atwal Takes the Lead Down in the Bayou

Arjun Atwal used a second round 68 to take the lead by one heading into the weekend.

Arjun Atwal PuttingThe India-born Arjun Atwal fired another solid round Friday in New Orleans to put himself in great position to win his first PGA Tour event. He had six birdies and two bogeys en route to his 68. Atwal was tied for the lead after the first round with Chris DiMarco but now finds himself atop the leaderboard all on his own. He leads J.J. Henry by one shot heading into the weekend, and DiMarco and Tim Clark are three shots back at eight under par. Lucas Glover sits at -7 and rounds out the top five going into Saturday’s action.

Vijay Singh, who won last week in Houston and is also the defending champion this week in New Orleans, shot a 71 on Friday and remains near the top of the leaderboard in striking distance. The other notable at the top of the leaderboard is Padraig Harrington, who also had a so-so round of 71 to stay in the hunt. These two will both be looking to go low tomorrow on “moving day” to put pressure on the leaders.

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