Category: PGA

Wie Washes Out in Hawaii

In only her second tournament as a professional, Michelle Wie battles the men at the Sony Open and nearly makes the cut. The third time at this event wasn’t much of a charm.

More people were following Michelle Wie on Thursday and Friday than any other golfer at the Sony Open. They were more intrigued with the 16-year-old girl who can drive a golf ball upwards of 275 yards than tried-but-true PGA Tour player Jim Furyk, the guy with the funky swing. Both battled the same windy conditions and both golfers live and play in Hawaii but today Furyk headed into the clubhouse in the lead while Michelle headed home.

Michelle Wie Sony OpenMichelle took issue with the weather and Jim played through it. The struggle took its toll on Wie at the beginning of the first round causing amateurish mistakes which, when Michelle replays the tape, should reveal that she has much more work to do on both the physical and psychological aspects of her game. It looked as if two different Michelle Wies came to play between the first and second days of action. I’m still wondering if the shaky, unsteady youngster who scored horrendously on the first nine holes of play is the same one who scored seven birdies in second-round action.

Will the real Michelle Wie please stand up?!

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PGA Tour Finalizes Television Agreements

Starting in 2007 the PGA Tour is well positioned to increase its appeal to the Tour’s fan base with the help of The Golf Channel, CBS and NBC.

PGA Tour LogoOn Wednesday PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem and the PGA Tour announced the new television terms for the 2007-2012 seasons. The new PGA Tour schedule is a part of those changes, and many of the events will be seen on different networks than we’ve become accustomed to. Two new six-year deals were reached with CBS and NBC to provide weekend coverage of the PGA Tour FedEx Cup for the 2007-2012 seasons. What’s even bigger is an unprecedented 15 year agreement with The Golf Channel to be the exclusive cable partner for the PGA Tour, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tours. The new agreements will also allow The Players Championship to move to a May date and air without commercial interruptions.

We are also delighted with the financial benefits of these agreements. We achieved our primary objective of securing continued solid growth in financial benefits to players. Under the new agreements, total prize money and other financial benefits to players will increase approximately $600 million over the term as compared to the previous six years, a 35-percent increase.

So let’s see how the event coverage will break down.

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Big Wiesy Tries Again at Sony Open

Michelle Wie attempts to make the cut for the third time at the 2006 Sony Open. Is the third time a charm for the eager teenager?

Michelle Wie at the Sony OpenMichelle Wie is undoubtedly the most popular female golfer in Hawaii. She has been given her third sponsor’s exemption into the Sony Open and has created an atmosphere which resembles more of a circus than a traditional golf tournament.

PGA Tour Vice President Ric Clarson isn’t complaining. “We’re in the entertainment business, it’s more than just a golf tournament, so when a player like Michelle plays in the Sony Open, it creates national and international attention.”

So what’s next Ric? Maybe we should rename the Sony Open to the “Michelle Wie Open”?

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Sony Open in Hawaii Preview

Vijay Singh looks to defend his Sony Open in Hawaii title this week in Hawaii and can Wie make the cut this year as a pro?

Sony Open in HawaiiNot much has changed from last years Sony Open in Hawaii Last year the big question was “Will Michelle Wie make the cut?” this year it’s the same question but with a twist, “Will Michelle Wie make the cut and is she worth the 10 million?” After making a disappointing professional debut by being DQ’ed at the Samsung World Championship, she is looking to make a statement especially in front of her home town crowd.

Vijay Singh is also looking to make a statement of his own by successfully defending his title at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Last year he won the event while ranked the #1 player in the world and it was the first win of his four win season. Now we’ll have to see if last week’s playoff loss at the Mercedes Championship has shaken his confidence.

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2006 Mercedes Championship Recap

Stuart Appleby fends off a charging Vijay Singh for a successful title defense and three in a row at the 2006 Mercedes Championship.

2006 Mercedes Champion: Stuart ApplebyWow did I get my money’s worth this past weekend at the 2006 Mercedes Championship. This was my first PGA Tour event that I attended and luck have it, I had front-row seats to two fantastic finishes at the 18th hole on the Plantation Course at Kapalua. Vijay finished the first time with a tap-in birdie to go eight under and force Appleby to also birdie the 18th hole to go eight under and force a playoff. The players were promptly shuttled back to the 18th for the first playoff hole where both players matched drives in the center of the fairway but their second and third shots are what really created the drama. Alas the playoff was won by Appleby when Vijay missed his crucial putt (again) and left Appleby with a two-footer for his third consecutive win.

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Target World Challenge Preview

Tiger Woods hosts some of the world’s best golfers in this annual showdown.

Target World Challenge LogoThe 2006 PGA Tour season is less than a month away, but there is still a little golf to be played in 2005. The world’s best golfer, Tiger Woods, plays host this week to some of his peers from around the globe in the annual Target World Challenge. Also, the course (Sherwood Country Club) is great, and the prize money is even better. All of these things add up to a pretty special event.

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Grand Slam of Golf Preview

The 2005 major championship winners, along with Vijay Singh, do battle in Hawaii.

PGA Grand Slam of Golf LogoOne of the many perks of winning a major championship on the PGA Tour is getting the opportunity to play in Hawaii at season’s end against the other major championship winners. The golfers get to showcase their respective talents on national television in a two-day event. The four men will play 36 holes over the two days, and the winner will walk away $400,000 richer.

There is no better place to start than at the top, and that is Tiger Woods. Woods is scheduled to play in the Grand Slam of Golf, but an ankle injury may force him out of the event. Woods has had the injury for about a month, and the cold weather in Japan this past week made it worse. As of now, Woods is still in the four-man field, and we will update you if there are any changes. For now, let’s assume Tiger will be playing.

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20 Questions With Grand Slam Fantastic Four

20 questions with the Fantastic Four 2005 major winners.

PGA of AmericaPlaying 20 questions with today’s top golfers has always been a personal dream of mine, aside from playing wiffle ball on the floor of the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. Well The PGA of America has beat me to it. They were able to ask the 2005 Grand Slam of Golf participants, being the winners of this year’s four major tournaments Tiger Woods, Michael Campbell, Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh, 20 questions about their interests. With questions from their favorite golf hole inside of the U.S. and outside of the U.S. to their favorite male and female athlete.

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Live Blogging Tim Finchem’s Speech

We’re live blogging Tim Finchem’s speech on the changes coming to the PGA Tour season in 2007.

PGA TourPGA Tour.com is carrying a RealAudio stream of Tim Finchem’s announcement (see previous coverage here), so we’re going to do something a little different: live blog it.

10:05 – Someone can’t figure out how to use the microphone, as it’s on. We are treated to interesting talk about how we’re going to leave the A/C off until Tim is done with his talk.

10:08 – Casually late, Tim eases into his speech.

10:10 – Tim says “we’re not gonna talk about the details of our schedule today.” Someone in the back groans.

10:15 – Tim, despite saying we’re not going to talk about it, talks about it. Details include:

  • “If you consider that we don’t have a strong finish like in other sports, or a playoff system, we wanted to create one.”
  • “And you want to create a dramatic finish with a year-long points competition.”
  • “… on better courses and with better fields…”
  • “… and a real season…”
  • “January-through-September, based on points structure to be determined.”
  • “FedEx will be the sponsor of the ‘FedEx Cup’.”

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