The Oddball Out

The WGC-World Cup isn’t living up to the expectations set by the other three World Golf Championship events.

Thrash TalkThe World Golf Championships events have provided some great memories the past five or six years. The Accenture Match Play Championship is held in February, and the event is one of my favorites every year. It’s no secret I love the match-play events, and the Match Play Championship has provided a change of pace since its beginning in 1999. Tiger has won the event a couple times, and there have also been some surprises along the way (Steve Stricker and Kevin Sutherland).

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Wie Wows Japan and Tiger Woods

Trying again for a professional win Michelle Wie travels to Japan to play in the Casio World Open.

Michelle Wie at CasioMichelle Wie is fine-tuning her language skills this week as she ventures to the remote island of Kochi, Japan to play in the $1.2 million men’s Casio World Open. She will be playing her first professional event since being disqualified at the LPGA Samsung World Championship over a month ago after signing an incorrect scorecard.

Several hundred people were at the airport to greet Wie as she stepped off the private jet flown from her home in Honolulu to Japan. “Konnichiwa, I am very much moved by your welcome,” the sixteen-year-old said in Japanese. “I will do my best and please cheer for me!”

Since her parents are originally from South Korea, Michelle is already fluent in Korean. The Wie’s settled in Hawaii in the 1980’s. The younger Wie is currently taking up both Chinese and Japanese as “Wie Inc.” expands into an ever-growing Asian market.

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Golf World Scottsdale Invitational

If you’re looking for some golf and sun as the dreariness of winter sets in, check out the Golf World Scottsdale Invitational.

Golf World magazine has asked The Sand Trap partner GolfWRX.com for some help in promoting the Golf World Scottsdale Invitational, so we’re pitching in as well.

Golf World Scottsdale InvitationalRegardless whether your season has ended or is just about to peak, Golf World is offering an incredible and unique opportunity to shake the Holiday blues and get back into the sun through a special GolfWRX members only registration for the upcoming Golf World Scottsdale Invitational Tournament. This is the second year in Scottsdale and the event is hosted on four premier courses, including the TPC of Scottsdale, home of the FBR Open.

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Grand Slam of Golf Preview

The 2005 major championship winners, along with Vijay Singh, do battle in Hawaii.

PGA Grand Slam of Golf LogoOne of the many perks of winning a major championship on the PGA Tour is getting the opportunity to play in Hawaii at season’s end against the other major championship winners. The golfers get to showcase their respective talents on national television in a two-day event. The four men will play 36 holes over the two days, and the winner will walk away $400,000 richer.

There is no better place to start than at the top, and that is Tiger Woods. Woods is scheduled to play in the Grand Slam of Golf, but an ankle injury may force him out of the event. Woods has had the injury for about a month, and the cold weather in Japan this past week made it worse. As of now, Woods is still in the four-man field, and we will update you if there are any changes. For now, let’s assume Tiger will be playing.

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Winterizing Your Clubs

Like it or not, Old Man Winter is next on the tee for northern golfers. Here’s some help for getting your clubs ready for the off-season.

Bag DropIf you’re reading this in the Sunbelt of the United States, or anywhere else in the world where the weather’s good enough to tee it up year-round, you can sit this one out. (You lucky so-and-so.) This week’s edition of The Bag Drop is all about how to get your clubs ready for a long winter’s nap.

That’s right, those of us in the North are coming to the realization that the golf season is either fading fast or already gone. But before your forced hibernation begins, be sure you show your clubs some love so they’re ready when Mother Nature is in the spring.

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Volume Thirty-Six

Hopefully these links will give you an appetite for Turkey Day!

Hittin' the LinksHas anyone had a chance to play any golf lately? I haven’t played at all. In fact, I’m beginning to plan my Christmas list and it needs to have a bunch of golf equipment. Does anyone have any recommendations of new and hot equipment I should add to my list? Leave it in the comments.

Now, on to the links.

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Sorenstam Claims Fourth ADT Victory

Annika Sorenstam’s 2005 LPGA tour season ends the same way it started… with a victory, what else!

Annika Sorenstam at the 2005 ADTI have often wondered whether or not Tiger Woods is human or some sort of alien by the way he crushes his competition and lays claim year after year to the number-one spot on the PGA Tour. Even when he struggles Woods finds a way to win just as he did in Japan this weekend.

Now I’m beginning to speculate similar thoughts about Annika Sorenstam.

The men on the PGA tour have said they needed to elevate their game to keep up with Woods. Will the women make the same commitment as their male counterparts next season? Even Paula Creamer, number-two on the Official Money List, will have to try much harder to topple Annika off her perch. The “Pink Panther” is $1 million behind the dominant Swede even after a stellar rookie season.

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Tiger Defends Dunlop, Defeats Duval

A hobbled Tiger Woods won his second straight Dunlop Phoenix Open in Japan, but in dramatic fashion as it took him four playoff holes.

Tiger Woods in JapanDavid Duval – yes, the very same David Duval I implored to just go home earlier this year before he missed all but one cut on the 2005 PGA Tour, was the first-round leader with a 64. After three days, he was within two shots of the lead. But in the end, it was the same old story: Tiger Woods the winner, Duval, a final-round 75.

Tiger Woods didn’t do it easily, though. He was taken to the limit by Japan’s Kaname Yokoo before birdieing the fourth playoff hole to defend his title in the $1.7M event. Woods reached the par-5 18th, the fourth playoff hole, and two-putted for the birdie while Yokoo missed a 12-footer to extend the match. On the first playoff hole, Woods saved a par but twisted his ankle on his tee shot. He limped through the remaining playoff holes, but managed to birdie all three of them.

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Episode 004

Tune in this week as we bash Natalie Gulbis’ dad, call Annika Sorenstam a dirty cheat,

PodcastIt’s here! The fourth episode of our podcast is now available. You can subscribe to the RSS feed for our podcasts here or download Episode 004 as an MP3 file. For those who want to subscribe to us in iTunes, click here.

This week, we hand out end-of-year grades to Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Danielle Aimee, Charles Howell III, and many more golfers. We talk about feel-good stories and guys who don’t care who wins a PGA Tour event. For this week’s Show Notes – links to articles we discuss in the show and additional information – just read on.

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