Category: PGA

If Phil Mickelson could set a course record at Spyglass Hill on day one of the Clambake, why not set another record on day two? After setting a 36-hole scoring record at Poppy Hills with a 62, Phil scrambled his way to a 5-under 67 at Poppy Hills. His current total of -15 breaks the previous 36-hole tournament record by two.

If Phil’s highlight reel from today did not include flawless execution, it did include great recoveries. He holed a 30-foot putt for par on the tenth and hit a 7-iron through the trees to the green on the par-5 12th, finishing the hole with a two-putt birdie. His birdie was impressive after hitting a tree off the tee. Phil did what it took to get the job done and sits four strokes ahead of his nearest competitor, Mike Weir.

Continue reading “Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Round 2”

What will Phil do next?

How about tying or setting a second course record within a week. His 60 tied the course record last Friday at the FBR Open, and now he’s beat the previous course record at Spyglass Hill by 2 with a blazing 62. Some 62s had been shot in the past, but only under lift/clean/place provisions. Phil’s 62 beats the old course, a 64 by David Berganio in 2001, by two.

The AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, or “The Crosby Clambake” for all you ol’-timers, is contested on three courses: Pebble Beach, which hosts two rounds for those who make the cut, Poppy Hills, and Spyglass Hill. Historically, Spyglass Hill plays the hardest, making Phil’s feat – and his resulting leap to the top of the leaderboard – all the more astounding.

Continue reading “Clambake Round 1: New Week, Same Leader”

It’s February, and that means once again the PGA Tour will make a stop in Monterrey, California for the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. First held in 1937 by Bing Crosby and dubbed the “Clambake,” the event has become infamous for its huge draw of top pros and A-list celebrities. The field of amateur-pro teams will compete on three different courses for the first three days: Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill, and Poppy Hills. After Saturday’s round, the low 60 pros and low 25 amateur/pro teams will compete for the title at Pebble Beach. Vijay Singh, last years champion, will be defending his title. However, the field is loaded with other big names such as FBR Open winner Phil Mickelson, Davis Love III, Mike Weir, Jim Furyk, and Fred Couples.

Continue reading “AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Preview”

Phil Mickelson, who has had (and by most accounts continues to have) gambling problems, would have been able to safely bet on himself today as he walked away with the Phoenix FBR Open. His final-round 68 left him five shots clear of second place.

Youngster Kevin Na, the youngest player on the PGA Tour at 21, shot a 69 to finish in a tie for second with Scott McCarron at -12. David Toms, Steve Flesch, and Tim Herron – none of which could mount a charge at all – finished at -11, six strokes back.

Continue reading “Phillin’ Good: Mickelson Wins the Phoenix”

It wasn’t a 60, but it was good enough to extend his lead to 4 shots over youngster Kevin Na heading into the final round of the Phoenix FBR Open. The likes of K.J. Choi, Kenny Perry, and Steve Flesch remain within five, but this is now Phil’s tournament to win or lose.

Going into the 15th, Na and Mickelson were knotted at -12. From 238 on the par 5 hole and a bit unsure of the wind direction, Na yanked his approach just a bit left, ran through the bunker, and trickled into the water. He wedged his penalty drop to four feet and missed the par putt, while Mickelson played safely after a poor drive and parred. On 16, Na three-putted to Phil’s good save from the deep, deep bunker. On the short par-4 17th, Phil birdied and Na made an ordinary par, a situation that repeated itself on 18.

Continue reading “Phils Like Home”

The Phoenix FBR Open began rather mundanely for Phil Mickelson with a +2 round of 71 in the strong, gusting Thursday winds at the TPC of Scottsdale. Friday’s round was anything but mundane: a blistering 60 put Philly Mick in a tie for the lead heading into weekend play at the rowdiest stop on tour.

Mickelson, an Arizona State alumnus who lived in Scottsdale before moving to California, tied the course record (Grant Waite in 1996, Mark Calcavecchia in 2001). He birdied his last five holes of the round, so 59 was never really a tangible possibility, but the round marks Phil’s best ever PGA Tour score. Many recall the 59 Phil shot in last November’s Grand Slam of Golf. Said Phil of his 60, “It was a wonderful day. No complaints here.”

Continue reading “Phil Leads in Phoenix”

PGA.com touts tomorrow’s Phoenix FBR Open as “The Party’s On.” This tour stop, more than any other, is an event unto itself. The raucous crowds sure know how to throw a party, and they do so all across the TPC of Scottsdale’s 18 holes.

The party’s hot spot is undeniably the 162-yard par-3 16th, a bowl-shaped hole in typical stadium course style. 7,000 noisy (and quite often drunk) fans gather round, jeering and booing golfers who don’t go at the pin and hollering for the ones who do.

Fans sing college fight songs, “Happy Birthday,” and “O, Canada” for Mike Weir. They shower the tee with hundreds of beer cups, as Tiger Woods found out at the 1997 event. Tiger hasn’t been back since 2001 when an orange thrown by a fan narrowly missed his head as he putted on the ninth. In 1999, a heckler was removed and later found to be carrying a loaded pistol in his fanny pack.

Continue reading “Phoenix, errr, FBR Open Kicks Off”

Ernie Els, quoted in The Scotsman Evening News as saying Tiger Woods, who won eight majors between 1997 and 2002, will not be able to dominate as he did before.

Everybody has become better players and technology has brought everybody closer together. He’s had a very good start (to the year), but I can’t see him being dominant again. The guys out there are a lot more confident and they’ve stepped up their games. No one is hitting it 30 or 40 yards past everybody else.

Els added that “at the moment, he is playing better, and more confident. But other guys will be right there.” Other guys weren’t there when Woods overcame the flu to win at the Buick Invitational, and only two players bested Tiger in his only other event of the season, the Mercedes Championship.

Els also said that “technology has changed the game – 12 or 15 years ago, before titanium drivers and new golf balls, it was a different game.” Some quick math reveals that neither 2002 nor 1997 were even 12 years ago, but that’s beside the point, we suppose.

Els could simply be expressing confidence in his own game, or the games (and fitness routines, and equipment) of others. Golf fans are in for a treat regardless.

Steve Williams, caddie to Tiger Woods, recently made the news due to a crash while racing a saloon car (video of such races can be found on Williams’ personal website). Said Williams, “There was a massive amount of blood… I was looking down at my hand and saw bone… It’s a pretty damaged hand. I’m going to have to make some sort of adjustment. I might have to have a little assistance from Tiger.”

Obviously, we should be glad that Williams wasn’t injured more significantly, and we wish him a speedy recovery. However, one has to wonder how much longer Woods will employ Williams, given his tendency for making headlines. If you recall, Williams has had several well-publicized run-ins with on-course photographers. Additionally, Woods has shown little tolerance in the past for similar behavior, separating ties with former caddy Fluff Cowan and former swing coach Butch Harmon when their respective persona became too large for Tiger’s liking.

In June, at the height of the flap over Williams run-in with photographers, Woods stated that Williams, “probably went too far.” It will be interesting to see how long Woods is willing tolerate his caddy’s antics.

Photo Credit: © Lucy Nicholson/Reuters.