Category: Hittin’ the Links

If you’ve been thinking that Lydia Ko’s career was going to be a flash in the pan, it may be time to reevaluate your position.

The teenage Ko has the potential, and time, to compile one of, if not the best, LPGA record of all time. While Whitworth, Wright, and Sorenstam’s totals are still far in the distance, Ko’s fast start is definitely something to take note of. She made every cut in 26 events entered in 2014. She won three times in 2014, adding to her two previous LPGA wins as an amateur (she has since won the 2015 Australian Open). Last year, she became the youngest woman in history to pass both $1 and $2 million in earnings.

Who’s the next Tiger? It just might be a 17-year-old girl from New Zealand.

Let’s hit the links.

Continue reading “Volume Four Hundred Twenty Two”

This week we saw James Hahn get his first PGA Tour win at the Northern Trust Open, Lydia Ko win her 17th event this month (still fact-checking that one), and Scott Piercy get lost in an ocean of sand traps.

Tiger Woods was ruled out of the next few events, and Josh Scobee wants in.

All that, plus an antsy Michael Jordan, a second dose of DLIII, and a bit of manufacturing innovation from PING.

Let’s get into it.

Continue reading “Volume Four Hundred Twenty One”

It seems like the golf news was dominated this week by hand wringing over Tiger’s health/golf game and Caroline Wozniaki in a swim suit, but there was quite a bit more going on. And we have a lot of questions…

For one thing, what ever happened to good front runners? It seems like being in the lead after 54-holes is about the last position you want to be in these days.

Which PGA Tour pro is an astrophotographer on the side, and which narrated a children’s book?

How good is Kim Jong-un’s golf game?

For answers to these questions and more, let’s hit the links.

Continue reading “Volume Four Hundred Twenty”

If you don’t know about Charlie Sifford, you should.

Until 1961, the PGA Tour had a “Caucasian Only” clause. It’s hard to believe in 2015, but less than 60 years ago people were excluded from playing at the highest level solely because of the color of their skin. Much like Jackie Robinson in baseball, Charlie Sifford wasn’t the first African-American golfer. He may not even have been the best at the time. But he was the one who broke the color barrier on the PGA TOUR.

By the time Sifford was allowed to measure his skill against other pros on the PGA TOUR, he was 38 (Tiger and his back are now 39). Sifford won but twice on the TOUR but his contributions and sacrifices went far beyond that. Charlie Sifford, in 1960, opened up what was then a very exclusionary sport to a new audience. Sifford endured insults, threats, and galleries who would occasionally kick or throw his ball into the rough, woods, and other bad lies.

Though there is still work to do to make golf more inclusive, Sifford’s contributions made it unlikely that anyone will endure what he did in the future, and we should all take notice and honor him.

Let’s hit the links.

Continue reading “Volume Four Hundred Nineteen”

Usually a bad round by a PGA TOUR pro is one that I would like to shoot. But 82? I’m not a great golfer, but I don’t get very excited about any score that starts with an eight. Yet, Tiger Woods, who still might be the best ever, shot an 82 Friday on his way to missing the cut by a lot.

Chip yips sounds like a tasty snack, but I don’t think they agree with Tiger. When the short game of the former undisputed top golfer looks like a 20-capper at the local muni, it’s painful to watch.

And I failed to note last week that the Most Interesting Golfer in the World notched another win on the senior circuit at the Champions Tour’s season opener in Hawaii. That gives Miguel Angel Jimenez two wins in three starts with the old guys.

Let’s hit the links.

Continue reading “Volume Four Hundred Eighteen”

Last week was golf’s annual droolfest, the PGA Merchandise Show, where the big brand names and the not-so-big roll out all of their new gizmos and doodads in hopes of getting shelf space in pro shops of North America. Twitter was buzzing with news from the event. That and the tours provided the normal expected news of the week, but the recent spate of weird news also continued. So we got that going for us.

Let’s hit the links.

Continue reading “Volume Four Hundred Seventeen”

This has been one strange week in golf.

Next week promises the PGA Merchandise Show, the annual drool fest for golf gear heads everywhere and a working week for those looking to stock the shelves of the pro shop for another year. The PGA TOUR returns to the mainland for the Humana Challenge at PGA West, while the European Tour continues it’s run in the deserts of the Middle East (Qatar this time). But back to this past week…

Just two weeks into the 2015 golf year and we have probably already witnessed the collapse of the year. A PGA TOUR pro was kidnapped, robbed, and beaten over the weekend. A golf course employee has been arrested for threatening to kill a congressman. And disturbingly, bodies seem to be turning up on courses with some regularity this year. Is this golf or NCIS?

Let’s hit the links.

Continue reading “Volume Four Hundred Sixteen”

The 2014-15 PGA TOUR season has rejoined battle for the 2015 portion of the campaign. As usual, the first January stop is Hawaii. Good choice.

Ah, Kapalua. There are few courses in the world that can rival the views at Kapalua. They could probably televise amateurs playing the course, and I’d watch at least a few holes of the coverage just for the scenery. While many of us are locked in winter’s embrace, at Kapalua it’s endless summer. There are surfers, paddleboarders, sailboats, and whales a-plenty to help us forget about the snow and ice outside at least for a little while.

While Kapalua signals the return of the PGA TOUR to the airwaves, the important tournaments are still weeks away. But isn’t it good to have some great golf to watch again? And if the competition wanes, there are always the whales. It’s a Monday finale, but Jimmy Walker and Hideki Matsuyama are tied for the lead after 54 holes.

Here is some of what you may have missed over the last several weeks. Let’s hit the links.

Continue reading “Volume Four Hundred Fifteen”

In golf last week, there seemed to only be one story. In case you missed it, Tiger Woods made his first start in four months at his own Hero World Challenge. From his new (old) swing to his chipping woes and gastrointestinal distress, coverage of Woods was everywhere.

Tiger’s play was less than stellar, shooting a dismal +5 at his old home course on Thursday. He spent a good part of Saturday throwing up on the course. Despite running a triple-digit temperature, he managed a 69 on Saturday, which turned out to be his best round of the week. (Apparently, a wounded Tiger really is more dangerous.) For the week, Woods shot 77-70-69-72 and finished at even par. Ever the gracious host, Tiger was T-17 in the 18-player field.

There’s no fighting the Tiger mania. So this week, let’s hit the all-Tiger, all-the-time links.

Continue reading “Volume Four Hundred Fourteen”