Player says New Equipment is Ruining the Game

Gary Player wants to take away the metal clubs used by pros and put wooden clubs in their hands. My reaction? Nice knowing you, Gary. Have fun in La La Land.

Gary Player SwingingI’ve got all the respect in the world for Gary Player. His record is spotless. Oh, well, except for that cheating thing. But really, Gary Player, a brilliant guy and a great player with a good head on his shoulders. Oh, well, except for those stupid comments he made last week.

Gary Player is asking governing bodies to impose “drastic” restrictions to the equipment used on the professional tours. Says Player, a short hitter even in his prime, “There’s not even a debate. There must be a premium on driving.” New equipment is “ruining the game of golf.”

Player elaborated, saying “I play on the Champions Tour now, and there are guys on it who are shooting scores that they could never shoot when they were young men. It just doesn’t make sense, and it’s ruining golf.”

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Erik J. Barzeski, Editor in Chief of The Sand Trap, has written reviews for print magazines such as MacAddict and served as technical editor for O’Reilly for several years. He published a successful computer e-zine for four years, one of the strengths of which were solid, thorough reviews.

Lights Out First Round by Sheehan

Sheehan battles for his lowest competitive score ever in a PGA event to hold the first round lead at the Bank of America Colonial.

Sheehan looking for first PGA Tour victoryFor a moment, it seemed as if Patrick Sheehan had the ability to match the PGA Tour scoring record of 59. Instead, his luck ran out on the ninth hole with a double bogey. The ninth hole seemed to be taking place in slow motion for Sheehan. He drove into a fairway bunker, then bladed his second shot into another fairway bunker, followed by having to lay up with a wedge to avoid the water hazard. Still, Patrick Sheehan holds the record for the lowest first round score (62) at the Bank of America Colonial. Sheehan tore up the rest of the field with an amazing 11 birdies although he didn’t find every fairway or green in regulation.

First Round of the Sybase Goes to Christina Kim

Christina Kim leads the field after first round action at Wykagyl Country Club.

christina_kim_sybase.jpgChristina Kim showed the veteran tour pros how to score today. Shooting an exciting 6-under par 65, Kim birdied 1,3,5,6, bogeyed 8 then charged with a triple threat of birdies on 13, 14 and 15. At the 15th Kim’s eagle attempt came within three feet of the hole. She easily birdied that uphill putt and every putt but two from within eight feet.

Christina Kim is known for her funky Kangol caps and animal headcovers. From San Jose California, the rookie is in her third year on tour. Her first win came last year and Kim made over 600K in earnings for 2004. If Kim wins this weekend, she expects to take home $187,500, the lion’s share of the $1.25 million purse.

Bank of America Colonial Preview

Steve Flesch is defending this week at Colonial, while Phil Mickelson will be looking to win this tournament for the second time in his career.

colonial_logo.gifThe players had a chance to honor Byron Nelson in last week’s tournament, and this week they will be honoring another golf legend. When golf fans hear the name Colonial, most think of the great Ben Hogan. The Fort Worth native won at Colonial five times in his legendary career, helping to elevate the tournament to great heights. Last week at the Byron Nelson Championship, all of the members of the “Big Five” were present. That is not the case this week, but there are still plenty of big-time names that will be teeing it up when Thursday rolls around.

Sybase Classic Preview

The LPGA visits Wykagyl Country Club, one of the most beautiful venues on the tour.

sybase_logo.jpgUp close and personal. That’s exactly how attendees feel when viewing the Sybase Classic tournament. You can stand within a few feet of the practice green and watch Cristie Kerr go through her putting routine. Or you can catch a glimpse of Grace Park in the trap blasting shots out of the sand. Lady golfers are everywhere walking side-by-side with the crowd. It’s an exciting week all leading up to the Sunday crescendo. With a total purse of $1.2 million and a beautiful par-71, 6,161-yard country club course, it’s no wonder the tour pros come back year-after-year.

Nickent 3DX Driver Review

Nickent Golf isn’t yet a household name in the golf equipment neighborhood. That might change with products like the new 3DX Driver.

Nickent GolfIt doesn’t take a big name to make a big driver that is big on performance. Case in point: Nickent Golf’s new 3DX Driver. As far as the USGA and R&A are concerned, this is the largest conforming driver you’ll ever play. Is the performance in proportion to the size?

What is Vijay Thinking?

Vijay Singh may have taken a step forward with his 12 wins in the last 17 months, but he took two steps back last week with his decision not to play in the “Battle at the Bridges.”

Thrash TalkThe Battle at the Bridges has been shown on television since 1999, when Tiger Woods defeated David Duval at Sherwood Country Club. In the past couple years, however, the contest has beed played in a two-on-two format instead of the original one-on-one variety. This year, the battle will be held July 25th at Rancho Santa Fe. Tiger Woods will be there as he always has been, and so will Phil Mickelson. That makes up half of the famed “Big Four” that has ruled golf headlines so far in 2005. So IMG, the sponsor of the Battle at the Bridges, thought they had something special going and tried to get the other two members of the “Big Four” to join Woods and Mickelson.

Volume Nine

It’s never too busy to get the links out on Monday. Included in this week’s edition: Phil’s a phony, Ernie speaks, ALS bracelets are coming and more!

It’s been a busy week for me. So busy, in fact, that I haven’t even been able to test out some new clubs I just got. But, it’s not too busy to get the links to you this week.

I’m a Thief
I noticed that majorchampionships.com started doing something similar to this column. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery I guess. Plus, I can steal cool links like this from them! [link]