We’re all looking to see if Vijay can win for a fourth time and third in a row at this weeks Shell Houston Open.
Vijay Singh goes into this year’s Shell Houston Open with history on his mind. Not only has Singh won the past two Shell Houston Opens, but should he win this year, he’ll accomplish something only Tiger Woods (The Memorial, Bay Hill), Tom Watson (Byron Nelson Invitational), and Stuart Appleby (Mercedes Championship) have accomplished: back-to-back-to-back wins in the same same tournament.
Last year we saw Vijah Singh defeat John Daly in a playoff with a par.
Is Phil Mickelson better than Tiger Woods? The distance between the two isn’t as much as you think.
I want to start this week by congratulating Aaron Baddeley on his victory at Harbour Town. Baddeley took advantage of a sluggish Jim Furyk on Sunday to earn his first PGA Tour win. Most of the golf media expected “Badds” to win a long time ago, but a win is a win any way you slice it. I hope this win helps elevate the young Aussie to new heights on the PGA Tour.
Now to the topic at hand. I’ve read a couple articles in the past week comparing Tiger Woods to Phil Mickelson. We even had a thread in our forum discussing the two excellent golfers, both on and off the golf course. I’ll be the first to admit I’m not a big fan of either. I would enjoy it much more if Retief Goosen was the top golfer in the world. Better yet, I would love to see Sergio Garcia, Adam Scott, and Luke Donald all making headlines at the top of the world rankings.
Distance measuring devices are now legal if all they do is measure yardage. So what are some options?
First were the bushes planted at 150 yards. Then came the 150-yard stakes. Then the yardages engraved on sprinkler heads. Then colored circles and lines painted on cart paths. And of course, finally, detailed yardage books. Now technology has come to the rescue with amazingly accurate laser range finders and GPS systems.
With the “information age” of golf yardages decidedly upon us, the USGA and R&A relented last year and agreed to make modern distance finders legal for handicapping and tournament play subject to the enactment of local rules permitting them. Huzzah! But wait… they quickly followed up with an “Oh, by the way…”
This week, it’s all about cool.
The explosion of youth in the golf world has done wonders for the game. Golf is now cool. Thanks to the young guns, golfers are now athletes and golf is considered a sport. This newfound level of awesome is unprecedented in our realm and we can all try to look the part, no matter our handicaps. This week is dedicated to cool equipment, cool apparel, and cool accessories.
Phil Mickelson and Karrie Webb win the first majors of 2006 and Tiger putts like a “spaz.”
The Masters and the LPGA’s first major are in the books. We discuss Phil Mickelson’s victory, Karrie Webb’s win, Michelle Wie’s mistakes, Fred Couples’s inability to putt, Tiger Woods’ “spazzy” putting, comments from Ernie Els regarding Phil and David Toms regarding Augusta National security. It’s a very rousing week on the Golf Talk Podcast, so join us for this and a whole lot more.
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For this week’s Show Notes – links to articles we discuss in the show and additional information – just read on.
A regular feature in the winners circle through the 80’s and 90’s, Corey Pavin is looking to win for the first time in ten years.
There is so much attention given to those who can hit the golf ball a country mile that guys like Corey Pavin are largely left in the dust. Pavin was one of the best players on Tour through the 80s and 90s after having quickly established himself as a contender by winning a PGA Tour event only two years after turning professional.
Once a centerpiece in golf’s elite, we haven’t heard much from Corey Pavin in the last few years. But he is still scratching a living out of the game as he remains one of the world’s top players. A lot of us would gladly have taken his 108th place on the 2005 PGA Tour money list.
Bobby Grace has redesigned the famous Fat Lady Swings. The new putter provides balance, high MOI and best of all, a wonderful experience on the putting surface.
Bobby Grace has been at the heart of putter design for many years and his designs have been a hit for all that time. The original design of The Fat Lady Swings was in the bag of Nick Price when he went on a tear and won the 1994 PGA Championship with it on August 14. On August 15, Bobby Grace had 25,000 orders and a legacy to uphold.
Grace then took the momentum from The Fat Lady Swings and parlayed it into a deal with Cobra to design putters. Now with MacGregor, he has taken the famous putter and given it a totally new look and feel. The result is a better looking and feeling version of the classic that some touring pros may find in their bag.
You always think about some things while watching a golf tournament. I jotted a few things down that I wanted to look at after the Masters about Tiger, Phil, Freddy and the course.
Like a lot of golf fans, I took in quite a bit of golf this weekend. What was shaping up to be a tight finish with a group of golfers, including the Big Five, within a few shots of the lead turned out to be a leisurely walk for Phil up the 18th.
This week in The Numbers Game, I’ll break down a few of the stats and numbers from this year’s Masters and throw out a few extra numbers for you to chew on.
My keys to becoming a better putter.
For amateurs, putting makes up between half and one-third of all strokes on a golf course. If you can lower the amount of putts you take by only 10%, that’s a three- to four-shot improvement.
Yet visit any golf course, and you’ll likely not see many people practicing their putting despite the obvious importance.
I used to neglect putting, but I’ve since served penance to the golf gods and am starting to get the ball to the hole a lot better than I used to. To me, putting boils down to a few basic ideas: stroke, aim, and confidence. You can make huge steps towards dropping strokes off your scorecard by practicing these three things. Read on to see how I’m doing it.
