Padraig Out of the Open

Padraig Harrington has withdrawn from the 2005 British Open due to the death of his father, Paddy.

Padraig HarringtonPadraig Harrington, two-time winner on the PGA Tour this year, has withdrawn from the British Open at St. Andrews due to the death of his father. More information is available here.

Paddy Harrington, a former policeman and an affable fellow, has been ill since February when throat cancer was found once again. Paddy had a bout with throat cancer three years ago as well. Some say the death is a blessing, as Paddy has been clinging to the last threads of life for quite some time. Those close to Padraig know that he is happy his father hung around long enough to see him win on the PGA Tour, but he’ll be saddened by never yet having won a major.

The Sand Trap would like to wish the Harrington family all the good in the world, and the best of friends and support in these trying times.

Photo Credit: © AP.

The British Open Breakdown

This week’s article talks about everything you need to know but may not want to hear about the British Open at St. Andrews.

Thrash TalkThe old course at St. Andrews is often referred to as the home of golf, and it’s always special when the Open Championship is played there. This year will be no different, and I am here to tell you who will contend and who will pretend. When St. Andrews hosted the British Open in 2000, the players got the best of the course throughout the week. Tiger Woods etched his name into the record books with his brilliant performance. Woods finished with the lowest score in relation to par in British Open history (-19). He also won by an astounding eight strokes. Who will walk away British Open champion this Sunday? You are going to have to keep reading to find out what I think.

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Volume Seventeen

Here are nine links to get you pumped for the Open, cry for little Michelle Wie, or to waste your time at work with.

This week, golf blogs and golf news sites from around the net are going nuts with everything from Wie stories to the British Open hoopla. Here’s linkage of that, with some other non-sense thrown in.

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British Open Predictions

British Open winner, sleeper and disappointment predictions from The Sand Trap staff.

The Open Championship is just a few days away. Regarded by many as THE Open, it is one of those events that is worthy of more than just a cursory examination. The staff here at The Sand Trap thought it fitting to wax prophetic about the British Open and, therefore, I humbly submit to you our “2005 British Open Predictions.”

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Titleist Performance Institute Begins New Season Tonight

The Titleist Performance Institute kicks off its 2005 season with 10 new episodes. When? Tonight!

Titleist Performance Institute TpiThe Titleist Performance Institute kicks off its 2005 10-episode season tonight on The Golf Channel. The first episode of the season, “Lower Back,” airs tonight (June 11) at 8:40pm EDT.

In its second season on The Golf Channel, Golf Fitness Academy Presented by Titleist offers a wide range of useful tips that directly relate to producing a more efficient swing, from conditioning exercises for all golfers which improve upper and lower strength, flexibility and endurance to identifying obstacles and prescribing solutions for specific categories of golfers, such as women, juniors, and players with bad posture.

Basically, it’s something you rarely see on The Golf Channel: informative, helpful programming that isn’t catered towards rich old guys or Tiger Woods fanatics. Perhaps the TPI will release a free DVD like they did last year… The full press release – and a guide to all of the shows and guests – can be found here at titleist.com.

Hybrids Take Hold

Smaller companies like Sonartec and Tour Edge have been big winners as hybrid clubs have taken off. Now the big names of the business have taken notice and are firing back.

Bag DropHybrid clubs are an overnight success more than five years in the making. While these clubs – which combine design features of irons and woods into a small, fairway wood-like package – have caught fire at retail over the last year or so, they’ve been around for a while. And now that the big boys of the OEM world are getting into the game, it looks like the hybrids are more than hype.

Hybrid iron-woods started out as an option for golfers who didn’t have the swing speed or skill to get their long irons airborne. Esthetically, they aren’t that different from the “bulger” woods of a century ago, sporting a clubhead that is relatively long from heel to toe and fairly compact. But, like most clubs in the bag, they have benefitted from recent changes in golf technology.

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The Distance Debate: Which Side are They On?

The distance debate is all about two things: the golf ball alone or all of technology. Some like things the way they are.

The distance debate has split the golf world in two. Some want to blame everything on the golf ball. Others want to blame “technology” in general. Some are fine with things the way they are.

The motivations are many. Former players may not like seeing the stature of their records diminished. Architects don’t like building longer courses because they cost more. And your average weekend duffer loves hitting the ball 270 yards when they really catch one (which, naturally, they rarely do).

This list doesn’t aim to look into all of the reasons behind someone’s choice of a side, but merely to list the side they’re on based on public comments and current events. The list will start out smaller and grow as we build upon it, oftentimes linking to our own stories here at The Sand Trap as “proof” of a person’s association.

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Norman, Nicklaus, and Watson on the Ball

Greg Norman, Jack Nicklaus, and Tom Watson think that the golf ball goes too far, and they’re not shy about telling people either.

They may not be “on the ball” in terms of playing well, but that doesn’t stop them from talking about “the ball.” Specifically, the golf ball and how far it flies these days.

Greg Norman
In the latest edition of T&L Golf, Greg Norman authors an article called “A Ball Just for the Best?” In short, Norman proposes bifurcation – having different rules for different classes of players. A shorter ball for pros and the ball we all enjoy today for the rest of us:

In my opinion, the game of golf should have two standards for balls: One for professionals and another for amateurs. Sure, there would be some gray areas (which ball would top amateurs, including college players, use?), but the powers that be could sort out those questions.

The devil is in the details, and Greg Norman is far too saintly to tackle those. Greg, whose career is best summarized by a “c” word that rhymes with “poker” has added another title to his repertoire: blathering talking head, complete with unsubstantiated assertions like “The distance that pros hit the ball now is affecting the long-term vitality of the game.” Or try this on for size: “And lengthening and toughening courses is adding to the expense and time required to play the game.” Proof of either statement? Nowhere to be found.

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Amstel Iceland Open

The Amstel Light Iceland Open, the yearly tournament where people play golf in the middle of the night.

The Amstel Light Iceland Open was recently held outside of Reykjavik, Iceland from June 22-25, 2004. This is the famed, yearly tournament where people play golf in the middle of the night. One can do this, because at this time of year, Iceland apparantly has daylight for 20–some–odd hours per day.

What could be better than whacking the ball around at some of Iceland’s best golf courses at one in the morning? Possibly bathing in the hot springs with a bevy of local young ladies, but I digress.

Maybe someday I’ll make the trek over.