One of the worst-kept secrets in golf equipment this year is that Callaway Golf has a new ball being tested on the pro tours. While the HX Tour ball has been a staple on tour for more than a year, Phil Mickelson has been very public in his praise of this new prototype ball, code-named HX Tour 56.
While the HX Tour 56 ball is generating a lot of buzz, not many details about the ball have come out. But The Sand Trap was fortunate enough to score a few sleeves of the new ball for some testing prior to the HX Tour’s scheduled mid-summer retail release. Did it live up to the HX Tour reputation?
Continue reading “First Look at the Callaway HX Tour 56 Golf Ball”
Just being on the same golf course as Annika Sorenstam is enough to intimidate most LPGA golfers. Calendar-girl Natalie Gulbis didn’t feel that pressure today even though she played alongside of Sorenstam showing confidence as she birdied her five closing holes to grab a share of the lead at 5-under par 67.
Annika Sorenstam is looking to secure yet another entry into the annals of history. Her challenge this week is to defend last year’s McDonald’s LPGA Championship trophy and become the only golfer to stand in the winner’s circle three years in a row.
Golf fans get a special treat this week at the Booz Allen Classic. It is very rare to find a strong field the week before a major championship. That is not the case this week at Congressional, as eight of the top ten players in the world will be ready for action a week before the U.S. Open heads to Pinehurst #2. Tiger Woods and David Toms are the only players in the top ten that will not be playing this week. The Booz Allen Classic, formerly known as the Kemper Open, is usually played at the TPC at Avenel. Avenel is undergoing evaluation this year, so the tournament had to pick another home. 
For once in my life, I’ve remembered Father’s Day (Sunday, June 19) far enough in advance that I can get my dad something nice. Normally, my dad get’s a phone call on that day, nothing more because I never actually remember it being Father’s Day. The same thing happens to my mom, so it’s not like I’m picking favorites or anything. Since my dad is a huge golfer, I decided that I’d find something golf related for him. Surely, he’ll enjoy that, he’s the one that taught me the game.
The changes began when Ernie decided to sell his Gulfstream IV jet after arriving at the Byron Nelson Championship. Flying an average of 100,000 miles per year can be exhausting without the right plane and the G-4 can only take a professional tour pro so far. “The Big Easy” bounces back and forth regularly from his home in Orlando to addresses in London, the Bahamas and his native South Africa.
The top of the leaderboard going into Sunday at Memorial had names like Toms, Couples, and Woods on it. It was Bart Bryant, however, that outlasted all of those guys to pick up his second career PGA Tour victory. His first victory came last year at the Valero Texas Open on the same day the U.S. was beaten badly by the Europeans in the Ryder Cup. Bryant stayed steady all day long, making clutch par saves throughout the round. He and Fred Couples began to separate themselves from the pack on the back nine at 
When Annika Sorenstam is at the top of the leaderboard it’s almost a given that she will reign victorious on Sunday. Annika has won her previous five matches where she either led or held a share of the lead going into the final round so it was no surprise that the 34-year old Swede would take control on Sunday. Sorenstam has six top-ten finishes out of the seven events she has played this year and is tied with Hall-of-Famer Betsy King for the most wins in this event.