Kerr Takes the Lead in Second Round at Kingsmill

Cristie Kerr moves into the lead with a 3-under 68 during a Saturday second round at the Michelob Ultra Open.

cristie_kerr_squattingSunshine shone gloriously through the clouds at the River Course after rainswept winds stopped play on Friday, allowing the ladies to play their second round today. Cristie Kerr led a charge going 3-under par and tying her first round of 68. Three bogeys were speckled among her six birdies.

And, good news for Annika Sorrenstam… she has made the cut! Whew, that was close! Actually, Annika rebounded beautifully from her less than perfect opening round, posting a 4-under 67 today and is currently tied for 26th place with 11 other golfers . Sorenstam made her charge from the 11th to the 15, with birdies on 4 out of 5 holes. “I just needed a few birdies to get me going,” said Sorenstam. “A few more would have been great to get on the leaderboard and tell them I’m still here.”

Continue reading “Kerr Takes the Lead in Second Round at Kingsmill”

Sergio Pulls Away From the Field in Charlotte

Sergio Garcia will take a six shot lead into the final round at the Wachovia Championship.

Quail Hollow Club is playing almost like a major championship venue this week, but that obviously isn’t affecting Sergio Garcia. He shot a third round 67 to take a commanding six shot lead going into the final round Sunday. Garcia used a stellar 32 on the back side to gain a huge lead in Charlotte. He started off the day with a birdie on the first hole. He had a double bogey on the fourth hole, and that dropped him back a little. But after that, he played one of the best ball-striking rounds of the year. He finished up by carding three solid pars on the last three holes at Quail Hollow, which have taken shots from just about every guy at the top of the leaderboard this week.

Continue reading “Sergio Pulls Away From the Field in Charlotte”

Sergio Hangs on to Lead at Wachovia

Sergio wasn’t able to go very low today but still maintains his two shot lead going into the weekend.

Sergio Garcia at WachoviaSergio Garcia is enjoying the lead after two rounds at the Wachovia Championship in Charlotte, N.C. He had a record-setting back nine yesterday and complemented that good round with a one-under 71 today. He was one over at the turn but was able to gain a couple back before his round was over. Garcia’s best finish this year was T8 at the Bay Hill Invitational. He has a total of three top-ten finishes this year and is hungry for a win.

Said Garcia:

I am swinging it well and shots like the one on 18 tell you how confident I am with my swing. I mean, that two iron from 226. To hit it that close, its good to see. I’ve been playing well and I’ve finally been able to make a couple of putts here and there and you know that gets you going a little bit. On a day like today when you know that you’re going to have some four or five footers for par if you manage to make most of those it just keeps you up.

Sergio’s 66 on the first day was remarkable as the Quail Hollow Club is not a golf course that historically gives up low scores.

Continue reading “Sergio Hangs on to Lead at Wachovia”

SkyCaddie Review

This GPS unit can tell you the exact distances to greens and trouble. Just don’t use it in competition or you may find yourself in trouble.

SkyCaddieWe all know the routine. It’s fairly well ingrained in every decent golfer, and it goes a little something like this:

  1. Arrive at your drive and set down your bag.
  2. Wander around looking for a sprinkler head.
  3. Pace forward or backward to get a better yardage.
  4. Estimate how much the angle of your approach affects the yardage.
  5. Estimate how deep the green is and where the pin is placed, and add those calculations to the mix.
  6. Perform complex math in your head, give up, and then just guess at the correct yardage.
  7. Choose a club and hit the ball.

Imagine cutting three steps from that ordeal:

  1. Arrive at your drive and set down your bag.
  2. Look at the location of the flag on the green.
  3. Unclip a device from your belt and read a number or two from it to get the precise yardage.
  4. Choose a club and hit the ball.

Continue reading “SkyCaddie Review”

A Big Break for Annika Sorenstam and Danielle Amiee

Torrential downpour stopped the ladies from playing their Friday round at the Michelob Ultra Open at Kingsmill.

Originally postponed at 10:37am and officially cancelled at noon, the second round of the Michelob Ultra Open at Kingsmill will start over on Saturday morning. “The golf course is just not playable,” LPGA Rules Official, Jim Haley said. “We felt like, to be fair to everyone, we would scratch the round and start over.”

Although the newly renovated River Course greens were in good shape this morning as the first golfers took the field, the fairways and tee boxes quickly filled with water, which delivered over a half-inch of rain.

Continue reading “A Big Break for Annika Sorenstam and Danielle Amiee”

Garcia Holds Two Stoke Lead at Wachovia

Sergio Garcia breaks the back nine scoring record at Quail Hollow to finish with a first round score of 66, holding the lead by two shots.

garcia_putt.jpgWhile most of you were busy tracking the Big Break III winner Danielle Amiee on the LPGA Tour today, you missed a very entertaining first round at the Wachovia Championship. Spain’s Sergio Garcia lit up the first nine holes by shooting 30. He finished his first round at Quail Hollow with a 66, of which he was disappointed. Garcia said, “I’m happy about the round, but at the same time, I look at it and say, ‘This could have been amazing.’ I didn’t make as many putts as I deserved. I could have easily shot 61 or 62 – easily could have shot that.” A “disappointing” 66 was still enough to hold the two-shot lead.

Continue reading “Garcia Holds Two Stoke Lead at Wachovia”

Danielle Breaks 80, Annika Struggles at the Michelob Ultra Open

Annika finishes her Thursday round at the Michelob Ultra Open only a few shots ahead of Big Break III attraction Danielle Amiee.

sorenstam_kingsmill.jpgToday was Sorenstam’s worst round since the second round of the 2002 British Open. In all fairness, she’s been out of the loop for several weeks, taking it easy. Annika’s 5-over 76 today and tie for 107th place puts her nine strokes behind another Swede, Catrin Nilsmark (67) and Italian import Silvia Cavalleri (67). Only the top 70 players and ties make the cut, and 82 are now at 2-over or better, so it’s up to Annika to step it up if she doesn’t want to miss the cut.

Danielle Amiee (79) now has just about the same chance of making the cut as Annika. It would be interesting to see Amiee make a move tomorrow and prove herself. Who knows? The two blondes could even be duking it out to see who stays in for the weekend!

Continue reading “Danielle Breaks 80, Annika Struggles at the Michelob Ultra Open”

Danielle Amiee at Kingsmill

Danielle Amiee will get her “big break” today at 12:55pm EDT. Will she even break 80?

The pairings have been released, and Danielle Amiee will get her “big break” at 12:55pm EDT. She’ll be playing with Emily Bastel and Shani Waugh. Who? Yeah, exactly. The threesome will head off the first tee at the Kingsmill Golf Club’s River Course in Williamsburg, VA.

Will the loudmouth, plastic, over-confident, under-attractive, über-ego Amiee even break 80? I wouldn’t bet on it. If you’ve got an opinion, share it in our forum.

Danielle Amiee Pairing

We’ll update this story as news – and scores – become available.

Round 1 Update: +8 (79) and T135, only one shot better than dead last.
Round 2 Update: After her +6 through 11 start was wiped out in round two, she played Saturday to the tune of a 77, finished next to last, and missed the cut at +14 total. The Golf Channel will air an Amiee special on Monday, May 9, at 10pm ET. (Thanks, BogeyLounge.)

Death of the 1-Iron

Golfers choosing fairway woods and hybrid clubs are overlooking the 1-iron, making it obsolete on store shelves and golfer’s bags.

1-IronThe 1-iron, also known as the driving iron, is becoming extinct. Golfers opting for the latest hybrids and fairway metals are leaving their 1-irons at home, not trusting the club’s ability to get the ball in the air. Are there any golfers who still use this club?

Joey Sindelar, PGA tour pro, finally did the unthinkable. He removed his 1-iron, a Tommy Armour 845, from his bag at the MCI Heritage after 15 years of service. “I’m a very stodgy, slow-to-move, dumber-than-a-rock kind of guy. I’m very slow to change clubs,” Sindelar said. “But this had to happen.”

Continue reading “Death of the 1-Iron”