2007 Accenture Match Play Predictions

Find out who will contend, pretend, and surprise at this week’s Accenture Match Play Championship.

Thrash TalkIt only took Charles Howell III four and a half years to win his second PGA Tour event, but the long wait was well worth it. Howell III caught and outlasted one of the world’s best golfers, and he did it at one of the best courses. He had flirted with victory twice this season, and the third time was definitely the charm. I’m glad I never hopped off the bandwagon!

Now that the personal boasting portion of the article is out of the way, it’s time to get down to business. One of my favorite events on the PGA Tour is the Accenture Match Play Championship, and it starts tomorrow. All the big guns are in the field this year, and it should be a shootout to the finish. All eyes will be on Tiger Woods as he attempts to win his eighth consecutive PGA Tour event.

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Titleist Launches New Pro V1 and Pro V1x Golf Balls

Here comes the next generation of top line golf balls from the industry leader.

Bag DropEver since well before I took up the game 47 years ago, Titleist has been the most popular ball among the best players and, for most years, the best seller. That’s a remarkable run when you consider all the changes in design and manufacturing over those many years.

It’s also amazing when you consider the many competitors who have come and gone as well as the many who still scrape for a sliver of market share. According to Golf Datatech, a market research company, last year the Pro V1 and Pro V1x had an on-course market share greater than Bridgestone, Callaway, Nike, TaylorMade, Top-Flite, and Maxfli combined.

That kind of market dominance is no accident. Titleist rules because they continue to refine and innovate and produce a superior product. So, based on their overwhelming market share, here’s the story on the balls most of us will be playing this season…

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Volume Eight-Six

The demons of Winged Foot or just a freakish drive? You decide.

Well, that was quite an exciting bit of action on Sunday as one of the PGA Tour’s young guns pulled the victory rug right out under old Philly (nice drives on 18, buddy). Could we have a new challenger to Tiger? Ha, just joking.

This week we have a recap of the Nissan Open, the return of the LPGA, the new Wandering Golfer, and some visual help for you rules aficionados.

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Golf Talk [Episode 047]

Bill Murray at Pebble: fun a decade ago. Danny Gans today? Just shoot me. I’d rather watch college basketball.

PodcastPhil Mickelson may not be able to dress his son properly, but he does know how to win a golf tournament when he’s hot. This week in Golf Talk we discuss Phil’s win at Pebble, Michelle Wie’s new ADT opportunity, slow play, Bill Murray and the incredibly annoying Danny Gans, the loss of The International, Tiger’s design work, and a lot more.

You can subscribe to the RSS feed for our podcasts here or download Episode 047 as an MP4 file. For those who want to subscribe to us in iTunes, click here.

For this week’s Show Notes – links to articles we discuss in the show and additional information – just read on.

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Bunker’s Dozen: January 2007

A very familiar name starts off the season in style and also tops this month’s list.

Thrash TalkIt’s hard to believe the 2007 PGA Tour season is already a month and a half old, but it’s the truth. It’s been a year of close calls for many of the world’s top young golfers. On the other hand, Vijay Singh and Tiger Woods have already found the winner’s circle. The inaugural FedEx Cup is off to a great start, and it will be interesting to see how things work out throughout the season.

The European Tour is also in full swing, while the Champions Tour and LPGA Tour are dragging behind a little. How will all of this impact the first Bunker’s Dozen of 2007? Keep reading to find out. If you have anything to add, please comment below or discuss it in the forum.

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Early Season Disappointments

The FedEx Cup is off to a solid start, but a few things have kept it from being even better.

Thrash TalkAfter Phil Mickelson missed the cut at The FBR Open, I was ready to write his season off. Lefty bounced back this past weekend at Pebble Beach and proved he still has what it takes to seal the deal. He is obviously in better shape physically and mentally, and it was nice to see him win his 30th career PGA Tour event.

Mickelson officially put his name near the top of The FedEx Cup standings and will more than likely be a contender most of the season. After six events, Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, and Lefty have all found the winner’s circle. That is great for ratings, and it will keep fans more involved throughout the inagural FedEx Cup season. It’s just unfortunate all three won’t be in the same field until the Accenture Match Play Championship in two weeks.

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Adams Golf Launches Insight Drivers and Fairway Woods

Contrary to some opinions, MOI doesn’t stand for “Mighty Odd Implement.” It means “Moment of Inertia” and Adams has joined the race to deliver more of it.

Bag DropAs we wrote in last week’s Bag Drop, MOI appears to be this year’s marketing battleground for drivers with most manufacturers opting to offer two different models.

While some companies have come up with some very odd shapes to increase MOI and thus forgiveness and resistance to twisting on off-center hits, others, like Adams Golf, are introducing high-MOI drivers that actually look like a golf club.

Adams new Insight lineup of drivers and fairway woods keeps to the current trend of multiple model introductions. In fact, there are three versions within the line… BUL (Big, Ugly, and Long), BTY (Beauty), and Belle (for women). Despite the BUL moniker, it doesn’t look anywhere near as odd as some others. Here’s the story…

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Volume Eighty-Five

This week we have a Phil sighting, the Pink Panther at Hooters and the end of funky scoring system known as the Stableford.

Hey, a Phil Mickelson sighting! Phil got to hoist a trophy and accept a large cardboard check this weekend! Has he excised the demons of the final hole of the 2006 U.S. Open?

This week we have a recap of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Wie’s bad break, and death of the Stableford scoring system on the PGA Tour.

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Nine Holes with Lee Trevino

Golf has had its characters and Lee Trevino might be the most quotable of them all. Hop on the cart and join me for a quick nine with Trevino.

ProFilesElected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1981, Trevino is truly a memorable character in golf lore. His ability to distill truth into a Trevino-ism is well known. His ball-striking exceptional, his ability to talk in the middle of a swing a little odd, and his PGA and Champions Tour records have cemented him as one of the very best to have stalked the fairways.

Trevino once said, “I’m down in the top 30. I won six majors, but I wasn’t dominant, wasn’t long enough for courses like Pebble and Augusta.” And while he doesn’t give himself much credit, history will make up the difference. He is one of a kind.

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