Luke Donald

A better example for the average player than many of the bombers on Tour, Luke Donald has quietly and steadily improved in the short time he’s played golf in the States.

ProFilesSince joining the PGA Tour in 2002 Luke Donald has steadily improved. Entering his fifth year as a PGA Tour pro, his scoring average has gone from 70.64 to 69.33, a notable drop and he continues to be a consistent force week in and week out. Woods, Singh, and Furyk were the only ones ahead of him in that statistical category.

Intense focus, attention to detail, calm nerves, and lofty goals all describe what Donald brings to everything he does. The guy who makes a list of everything he needs to do on his off weeks and gets them all done is perfect for the kind of work he’s in. Course management and a cool head are very important for a guy who doesn’t play driver wedge into long par-fours.

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F2 Wedge Review

Can a club really help you you hit the ball to within 10 feet of the pin twice as often, from 100 yards in.

Face Forward TechnologyAccording to Face Forward Technology there has not been a major innovation in wedges in the past 50 years. Taking a look at all the wedges in golf shops today and you’ll surely agree that although there are subtle differences that none really stand out.

Enter the F2 Wedge and its radical design. In fact, the first time I had these out on the range a few passers-by even paused to take a look at this odd looking club. According to the company “both human testing and robotic testing proves that the F2 gets you into the Scoring Zone more often than any other wedge tested.” We’ll see about that…

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Tiger and Annika

Tiger and Annika are the most dominant players in the world. If you compare one against the other though, Annika dominantes a bit more but Tiger still leads in major victories.

The Numbers GameTiger and Annika. Annika and Tiger. Either way you look at it, they are the two most dominant golfers in the game today. Period.

My question is who is more dominant? While you can’t send them both out on the course against one another (sorry ladies), you can look at how they did against their peers. I’ve done that, and the results are interesting.

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Pebble Beach Pro-Am Preview

Phil Mickelson has a chance to defend another title this week but must fight off many top player and rising rookies to do so.

AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-AmIt’s time again for the stars to shine this week at the 2006 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in beautiful Monterrey, California. The event dates back to 1937 with Bing Crosby hosting the “Crosby Clambake” and brings top pros from the PGA Tour and A-list celebrities together. Over the years the tournament has become wildly popular with fans as the tournament is a much of a show as it is a tournament with stars like George Lopez, Samuel L. Jackson, Ray Romano, Bill Murray and even The Donald. The tournament also allows the long ball hitters to shine and history tells us so since six of the last eight winners have been big hitters. After J.B. Holmes earned his first win at the FBR Open last week, fellow big hitters Bubba Watson and Camilo Villegas are chomping at this bit for their big break.

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Shiperio Golf Card Game Review

Add Shiperio to the short list of good golf games you play off the course and at a table.

ShiperioGood table games based on golf are as hard to find as birdies on the Road Hole at St. Andrews. In fact, outside of the truly addictive GOLO dice golf game, I’ve never played one.

Until recently, that is, when I had a chance to play a couple “rounds” with a card game called Shiperio. Aside from the obscure name (after a few beers, it became more like “Shipiro” with my playing partners), this card game is fun whether you are an avid golfer or not.

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Nickent and Tour Edge Ready to Make the Jump?

What do Nickent and Tour Edge need to do to join the biggest players in the equipment business?

Bag DropESPN writer Bill Simmons has one of my favorite sports phrases. He likes to watch for young players who are ready to “make the jump,” meaning they’re ready to take their game to the next level.

That was the phrase I had in my head at the recent PGA Merchandise Show when talking about equipment companies Nickent Golf and Tour Edge. Both companies have similarities, and both look poised for potentially bigger things in 2006.

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Volume Forty-Five

Grab some coffee and a chair and tuck in to this week’s edition of Hittin’ the Links.

Hittin' the LinksI loved watching J.B. Holmes win this weekend. It’s great for the game to see some young guns play well on the Tour. He and Bubba Watson have created what seems to be the beginning of a change in the game and it couldn’t be better in timing. Just think about how Tiger is 2-for-2 and these guys are starting to gain confidence and experience. This could get interesting.

Now, on to the links.

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Episode 012

The Super Bowl is oh-so-close and there are plenty of things to talk about as the PGA Tour is in full swing so listen in!

PodcastErik, Everardo, and Jeff weigh in on Tiger’s winning ways, Cambo’s frustration, a double cut, Monty’s ex-wife, and a variety of other issues. Erik places bets on the Super Bowl and Everardo dishes dirt in this week’s installment.

You can subscribe to the RSS feed for our podcasts here or download Episode 012 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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Fred Funk

On the verge of his 50th birthday, Fred Funk had an outstanding 2005 and remains a fan favorite going into the 2006 season.

ProFilesThe media and fans alike are rabid with envy and gossip when it comes to the longest hitters in the field. Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Long John Daly, Tiger Woods, Hank Kuehne, and this year’s bomber “Bubba” Watson are center stage in the drama that is the PGA Tour. While the distance debate rages in the hearts and minds of avid golf fans some players make a pretty good living by keeping it in the first cut.

Fred Funk one such “accuracy over distance guy” who is coming off his best season ever. He hit 74.9% of fairways in 2005, second only behind Q-School graduate Jeff Hart, and earned $2,830,046, good enough for 11th on the money list.

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