Tiger Watch ’16 continues.
Speculation continues at a fever pitch for when we will next see Tiger Woods playing competitive golf. The deadline to enter Quail Hollow has passed, but rumor has it that Team Woods has made lodging arrangements for both the Players and the Memorial. That could mean he believes he’s ready to play again, or it could mean that he has more than enough to be willing to risk a few security deposits just in case he’s ready by then.
Let’s hit the links.
Can a hybrid be workable and forgiving? The Callaway Apex aims its sights high.
Callaway trumpets the Apex Hybrid as the first hybrid for the Apex and Apex Pro player, meaning folks that use the company’s top line of irons (XR Pro players probably would count, too). However, that line ranges from “game improvement” with the Apex CF 16 to the “you-better-be-darn-good” Apex Muscleback, that’s a fairly wide range, and a tall order to fit that span of abilities with a single club.
Such a club would need to be reasonably easy to hit straight, and yet still be workable. It should get the ball airborne easily and let the player to control the trajectory when needed.
Does the Callaway Apex Hybrid deliver? Let’s find out.
Happy birthday, Lydia!
Lydia Ko turned 19 Sunday. She has 12 professional wins, including two majors. Had she won in San Francisco, it would have been her third consecutive win at the Swinging Skirts. Instead, she had to settle for 6th.
Speaking of great golfers, Tiger Woods is back in the news, and he may or may not be finished. We might or might not see him in action as soon as Quail Hollow. If we do see him, will he or won’t he be able to compete again? Questions remain.
Let’s hit the links.
I took a six on a par 3 this weekend in support of Jordan Spieth.
With Masters weekend past, all of the major tours were in action this weekend giving the golf fan plenty to watch.
Jason Bohn returned to play for the first time since his heart attack, and made the cut; celebrities and those with deep pockets gathered in Myrtle Beach for the annual Monday After the Masters golf tournament/party; and those bitten by bad luck or bad play at Augusta licked their wounds while the media and fans pondered what it all means. And most importantly to me personally, Spring found the Midwest again and the golf was good!
Let’s hit the links!
Jordan Spieth lost the 2016 Masters by making a number of really bad swings. I take a deeper look into his collapse.
Winning a major golf tournament is an effort many years in the making. All of the practice fine tuning your swing, studying the course and pin positions. All of it take hard work. In 2015 Jordan Spieth had the golf world by the tail. He had won the season’s first two majors and was in the conversation at the British and PGA. It was a masterful year. All the hard work he had put in was paying off.
At the conclusion of the 2015 season, Jordan stated that he wanted to make some changes to his swing along with a workout plan to hit the ball farther. Nick Faldo, the guy who pretty much invented the long-term swing change, immediately came out and said Jordan should be careful to tinker too much.
Why would you go at a right pin on #12 with a lead?
For seven straight rounds over two years, Jordan Spieth led the Masters. Then over less than 60 minutes, he dropped six strokes (and two balls into Rae’s Creek). The safe play to #12 has always been the middle of that green, especially when playing with a lead on Sunday in the Masters. So did he really flare it that badly or was he shooting at the pin and wiped it?
Either way, an uncharacteristic series of mistakes by Jordan Spieth helped a charging Danny Willett emerge victorious for his first major and first win in the United States (he has four previous wins in Europe). Willett shot a bogey-free 5-under 67, that bested runners-up Spieth and Lee Westwood by three strokes. The last player to arrive in Augusta this year, Willett is a new father of less than two weeks, and the expected due date was to be Sunday, April 10. Right date, different coming out party.
Let’s hit the links.
It’s time to start the first major of golf’s 2016 season, let’s see what the staff expects for this years event.
Hello Friends, it is time for a tradition unlike any other, the Masters. I know for me watching golfer walk around such a beautiful setting like Augusta National is really a great way to get the spring season in gear.
This season has all sorts of intrigue with almost all of the young guns peaking at just the right time. Jordan, Rory, Rickie, Jason, all have either won, or been very close to winning and look primed to win the seasons first major. Even though Tiger will miss out, Phil looks ready to hold up the flag for old guard and might be a sleeper pick from the SandTrap staff.
Let’s see what the staff expects for this season.
Yes, sir!
Despite the fact that it snowed here in Central Ohio this weekend, Spring has arrived. I know, because the Masters starts on Thursday.
The annual Drive, Chip, and Putt contest kicked off the week at Augusta National, giving us a first look for the year at those Georgia pines and beautifully manicured grounds. The anticipation is just going to build until those ceremonial tee shots fly Thursday morning.
The women held their first major of the year in California and the same teenager who won the last one picked up where she left off.
Let’s hit the links.
Jason Day is really having his, well, day.
Austin Country Club had a good showing at this week’s WGC Dell Match Play. The short holes worked well in the format, and there were some ridiculously long downhill drives. As is typically the case with match play, big names fell at the hands of not so big names, but in the end the player on the hottest streak won.
We’re two weeks out from the Masters. Just a quick stop in Houston to go before that annual rite of Spring tees off on the hallowed grounds of Augusta National. Golf’s big three are playing well, as are a number of other top names. It’s going to be fun.
Let’s hit the links.
