Category: Thrash Talk

Staff Predictions: PGA Championship 2010

Golf-crazed Wisconsin and Whistling Straits host this week’s PGA Championship, with plenty of story lines, most notably the struggles of the world’s top two players.

Thrash TalkWoe is Tiger, he’s coming off his worst tournament as a professional, he’s barely going to qualify for the FedEx Cup, and he’ll likely need to be a Ryder Cup captain’s pick. He’s struggling so badly, even the bookmakers have dropped him to double digit odds to win (12-1).

Woe is Phil, he’s had a summer full of chances to take over as the world’s number one golfer, yet balky play and a bout of psoriatic arthritis have kept him in his comfortable spot of second banana. He’s got a major on his 2010 resume, but that’s really the only highlight of his season.

With the game’s elite struggling (including world number three Lee Westwood, who withdrew with a leg injury), is now the time Steve Stricker steps to the forefront, in his home state to boot? Will it be one of the upstarts such as Rory McIlroy, Ryo Ishikawa or Ricky Fowler?

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Manufactured Drama: The Tour’s Unhealthy Obsession With “Going Low”

Without Tiger Woods in the mix, the PGA Tour needs to generate some excitement and get golf into the headlines. Cue the birdies.

Thrash TalkGoing low is all the rage, as the magic number has been achieved or threatened near weekly this summer. It was fun at first, but now it’s obscene. There’s no question the spate of birdie binges is a result of a concerted effort to inject life into the low-level Tour stops. We all know how good these guys are. How about a bit of a test tossed into their 18-hole afternoons?

As with all sports, golf’s all about the drama. When the world’s best are dueling down the stretch, that’s exciting. When they’re facing the challenge of battling themselves, holding a big lead or charging from behind, there’s a story to be told, a reason to root. But when the game is lacking any compelling story lines, what’s left? Who can make 10 birdie putts vs. who can make 11 birdie putts? It’s fake, it’s a fraud, it’s manufactured drama.

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My Dip Into Tournament Golf: A Whole New World

For years I’ve been playing a game called golf. Only now do I embark on something completely different: competitive golf. Boy do I have a long way to go.

Thrash TalkLast week, for the first time in a decade, I dipped my toe into a round of golf where every swing mattered, every three-foot putt had to fall, and I needed to sign my scorecard (and attest someone else’s) at the clubhouse. A week later, my head is still spinning. Yet I can’t wait to dive into more stroke-play tournaments, to feed that thirst for golf that really matters.

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With This Sad Crew Chasing, Tiger’s Safe at the Top

If anyone in the Top 5 had even a sliver of killer instinct, Woods would be long gone as king of the rankings.

Thrash TalkDoes anyone want to be number one in the world? It certainly doesn’t seem that way. Not the way Tiger Woods has been downing mediocre pills this season, leaving the door wide open. Not the way Phil Mickelson has been squandering one opportunity after another to take over the top spot. Lee Westwood is playing the best golf in the world, but his wins come when the rest of the field collapses.

The title of “Number One in the World” has been so elusive for so long that it would be like England declaring they’re holding a contest to replace the Queen. Would anyone be prepared to step in? The same is happening right now, as Tiger has obviously abdicated his throne. Sadly, no one wants to take over.

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Staff Predictions: 2010 British Open

Tiger Woods says his fantasy major lineup would be St. Andrew’s four times. Will the legendary links be the site where his mojo returns?

Thrash TalkSt. Andrew’s is as classic a major venue as you’ll find, and provides a familiar scene for Tiger Woods. He’s won here twice, and the wide open design may be perfect for his wild ways off the tee. On the other hand, he’ll also have to stare down the British media, which make American tabloids look as inflammatory as the New York Times.

As for world number two, can Phil Mickelson finally solve his links blues at the birthplace of golf? And just who will emerge with the claret jug?

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Not Much Difference Hunting For Homes or Birdies

Just like golf, real estate’s a painful process that you can only hope pays dividends in the end.

Thrash TalkThe wife and I just wrapped up the six-month process known as buying our first home. It was an eye-opening experience, and one that paralleled the game of golf in so many ways.

From the frustration to the obsession to the joy of finally finding what you’ve invested so much time and energy into, the similarities are eerie, for someone as mad about golf as I am. Two weeks into the new house, the most pressing question is just how much all the lawn mowing, pool vacuuming, and bathtub caulking will cut into my time at the course.

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2010 U.S. Open Staff Predictions

Will this year’s champ be a big name like Tiger or Phil? Who’s that one guy you’d never imagine on the first page? Can Pebble Beach’s greens (and its ocean views) steal the show? Our writers weigh in.

Thrash TalkIt’s been a long time since Tiger Woods entered anything where he’s not the outright favorite to win. But with all his off-course trouble and a lack of recent success, the oddsmakers have installed Woods’ chief rival, Phil Mickelson as co-favorite.

How will #1 and #2 fare this week as the U.S. Open returns to scenic Pebble Beach?

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Advice to John Daly: Suing Kids Is No Way to Win Fans

Whether his $100 million injury lawsuit has merit or not, the public is fixating on who it is he’s naming as defendants.

Thrash TalkNo matter how far his golf game has fallen, one thing about John Daly that’s at an all-time high is his inability to recognize a PR nightmare before it happens.

The latest debacle involving Daly comes via reports in the Palm Beach Post that the two-time major champion has filed a lawsuit over a rib injury suffered during the 2007 Honda Classic. He’s seeking $100 million, which is enough to get some guffaws, but in and of itself wouldn’t create any uproar. Until you find out one of the parties named in the suit is the children’s charity that benefits from proceeds brought in by the Honda Classic.

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On the PGA Tour, It’s Time To Spread the Wealth

Commissioner’s plan to make top players — aka Woods and Mickelson — mix up their schedules is a wise one.

Thrash TalkThere’s a new idea floating around the PGA Tour that would essentially require the game’s biggest stars to participate in some of the season’s lower-tier events. Detach the idea from the world of golf and I’d be standing here screaming about “free market” and “survival of the fittest.”

But when it comes to a collective entity like the PGA Tour, I’m going to say that guys like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson owe it to the Tour and to the sponsors to suck it up a week or two a year and spread the wealth.

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