Author: Cody Thrasher

Bunker’s Dozen: October 2006

The European Ryder Cup team battles Tiger Woods for this month’s top spot.

Thrash TalkThe month of September was dominated by two things in golf: Tiger’s continuous stroke-play winning streak and the European Ryder Cup domination. Tiger won the Deutsche Bank Championship the first week of September and the WGC-American Express Championship the last week of September (it actually ended October 1st). Tiger said his streak ended when he lost in the World Match Play Championship, but it’s actually still going strong at six in a row.

The 36th playing of The Ryder Cup was just as impressive in the month of September. The hype was higher than ever, and the performance of the Europeans was better than ever. Europe beat the United States in a landslide en route to winning The Ryder Cup for the third straight time.

Was Tiger’s play good enough to outlast the great play of the European Ryder Cup team? Also, who else performed well in the month of September? These questions and more are answered in this month’s Bunker’s Dozen. If you have anything to add, feel free to comment below or discuss it in the forum. I hope everyone enjoys the list!

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The Race to The Tour Championship

The race to the season-ending Tour Championship is heating up with only four events left.

Thrash TalkTiger Woods won his sixth consecutive stroke-play event, and he did it in convincing fashion. The race for the player of the year award was over a month ago, and Tiger really has nothing left to prove in 2006. We will probably see him one more time on the PGA Tour this season.

That one start will be the season-ending Tour Championship. That also leads me right into this week’s topic. Tiger may have nothing left to prove, but that’s not the case for so many outside the top 30 on the money list. The golfers outside the top 30 want to make one last push to get into the grand finale. Playing in the Tour Championship can make or break a season for many of the world’s best.

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Ryder Cup Rundown

The Europeans thumped the United States for the third straight time, and I’m tired of it.

Thrash TalkI still haven’t recovered from the Ryder Cup beatdown the Europeans gave the United States this past weekend, but there really isn’t anything I can do about it. The European team was favored, so the result shouldn’t be that shocking. The final score was the same as it was in 2004 at Oakland Hills, 18½ to 9½. The complete domination is what really blows my mind, and it’s quite obvious some things need to change for the Americans.

The United States team didn’t play great golf, but they certainly played good golf. The Europeans, on the other hand, played lights out. Anything the Americans did, the Europeans did even better. I have never seen so many holed long putts and chip-ins in my life, at least in a three-day period. I take my hat off to the golfers from across the pond. They handed us a third consecutive beating, and all the credit should go to them.

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2006 Ryder Cup Predictions

The staff makes their predictions. Who will look like a fool and who a wise man at the end of the week?

Thrash TalkRyder Cup week has finally arrived! The major championships in golf are awesome, but something about The Ryder Cup makes it even more special. The event has gained a lot of steam over the past decade or so and has truly become one of the greatest sports spectacles in the world.

The United States team usually comes in as the favorite, but that’s no longer the case. The European side thumped the U.S. team two years ago at Oakland Hills. The margin of victory was one of the largest in the event’s long history. The two teams are once again set for battle, and there are a lot of storylines to keep us entertained for the next week.

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It’s Time for a (Rules) Change

The rules of golf are sacred to most, but they shouldn’t be exempt from change.

Thrash TalkI’m happy Jim Furyk won the Canadian Open this past weekend, and I’m even happier he moved up to second in the Official World Golf Ranking. Other than that Tiger fellow, Furyk is the best on the planet right now. He held off a pretty tough field en route to his second win of the season.

While Furyk earned the biggest paycheck of the week, Jonathan Byrd took a pay cut in the final round.

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2006-2007 College Golf Preview

The Sand Trap opens its new college golf section in style with a special season preview.

College GolfMost of the professional tours are starting to wrap up their respective seasons. The college golf season, on the other hand, has just begun. Last season’s national champion was crowned just a few months ago, and it’s time to get it started again. Between now and next June, the top programs in the country will fight it out for supremacy.

The Sand Trap will be covering college golf from now on, and rightfully so. Many of the world’s best, including Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Jim Furyk, made their way through the college ranks before striking it rich at the professional level.

There is no better way to get the ball rolling than a season preview. I’ve put together my top-20 rankings, as well as my prediction for national player of the year, freshman of the year, and national champion. Sit tight and enjoy.

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Random Tour Thoughts

Thrash Talk goes inside the ropes of all three major professional tours this week.

Thrash TalkI hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend. In Oklahoma, it hasn’t stopped raining since I got off work Friday, so I’ve had the chance to watch a lot of television. I can’t gripe because we needed the rain, and there was plenty to watch on the tube. Golf fans received an added bonus this weekend. We got to see some of Vijay Singh’s 61 at the Deutsche Bank on Sunday, and we got to see a Vijay-Tiger pairing on Monday.

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Bunker’s Dozen: September 2006

Tiger Woods is on top of his golf game and this month’s Bunker’s Dozen!

Thrash TalkTiger Woods ruled the golf world in July… and August. Woods claimed his second major championship in a row and the twelfth of his career. He also won the next week at Firestone for his fourth consecutive tournament victory. The talk of another Tiger-slam has already started to heat up.

Other than the domination by Eldrick, Richie Ramsay became the first Scottish-born golfer ever to win the United States Amateur Championship. Was that enough to put him on this month’s list? How about Phil Mickelson’s struggles? Did his shaky play finally knock him off the Bunker’s Dozen? Find these things out and more in this month’s list.

If you have anything to add, feel free to comment below or discuss it in the forum. I hope you enjoy!

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TaylorMade r7 Draw Driver Review

The TaylorMade r7 Draw Driver is supposed to help cure a slice and add distance, but so say many other drivers. Does this one have what it takes to cure this slicer’s problem?

Taylormade R7 Draw Driver HeroThere is no mistaking TaylorMade’s popularity when it comes to drivers. They are a consistent driver count leader on the PGA Tour. There’s a reason for that. The r7 driver is the latest in a long series of drivers released by TaylorMade, makers of the first metal driver. The latest iterations in that series, the r7 425 and 460, were reviewed positively earlier this year.

Fast forward to the present. TaylorMade’s latest r7 driver is the “r7 Draw.” After reading about the r7 Draw driver at TaylorMade’s site, I felt that I understood what the club offered. As a slicer, I was filled with hope.

Reading about something on the Internet is one thing. Playing with it is another. After spending a few weeks with the driver, it didn’t take me long to find my answer. Read on to find out if TaylorMade’s newest release is hit or miss.

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