Lonard Goes Low at MCI Heritage Amid Windy Conditions

Peter Lonard completes the round of his life to take the lead during the first round of play at the MCI Heritage.

Peter LonardHarbour Town Golf Links is the site of this year’s MCI Heritage. None of the world’s top ten players are competing in this event and I’ve got a hunch that no one in this year’s field is missing any of them.

There is a good chance that no one in the top ten could have bettered Peter Lonard’s performance today as he posted an impressive 9-under 62. If Lonard hadn’t had a bogey on the first and last holes he’d have some bragging rights as he was only one stroke off the course record of 61. His eleven birdies in one round aren’t too shabby and it was good enough for the lead. In his four years on the PGA Tour, Lonard’s only PGA win came in 2003 at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship at La-Costa.

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First Round Action at the Takefuji Classic

With winds howling and branches literally falling off the trees, the 2005 Takefuji Classic began from Las Vegas, Nevada. The early tee times got a bad break today starting their rounds with savage winds in opening round action.

karriewebb.jpgThe 2005 Takefuji Classic in Las Vegas started out this morning with winds howling and branches literally falling off the trees. The early tee times got a bad break today with savage winds in opening-round action. As fair skies moved in both Wendy Ward and Karrie Webb shot opening rounds of 7-under 65 to share the lead.

Webb was disappointed with her early-round action. “I got off to a bit of a shaky start. I bogeyed the first. I made about a 6-footer for par. Well, I bogeyed 10. I made a six-footer for par on 11.” Once she got comfortable, Karrie knew it. “When I made birdies at 13 and 14 I finally settled into the round and played a really good back nine which was obviously the front nine for me” said Webb, speaking of starting her round on the tenth hole.

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Vistoso Golf School

Vistoso Golf Club has a great golf school. Book through tucsongolf.com for a great golf package.

VistosoForum member Rafcin recently visited the Vistoso Golf Club for a three-day golf school. Here is his report.

Booked Through: www.tucsongolf.com
Location: Tucson, AZ
Course: The Vistoso Golf Club
Dates: April 1st through 3rd (Fri-Sat-Sun)

Daily Schedule:

8:00 - 9:00           Breakfast, Meet the Pro
9:00 - 12:00          Lessons
12:00 - 1:00          Lunch
1:00pm - dusk         Unlimited Golf

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Yes! Olivia Mallet Putter Review

Yes! putters have a fanatical following, and now they’ve got some new toys: removable weights in a classic mallet putter. Sink more putts and sound unique doing it? You bet.

Yes Golf LogoI’m a mallet fan. I rated the Titleist/Scotty Cameron Red X highly and I’ve really been enjoying Titleist/Cameron’s new Future Phantom Mallet (review coming soon). But recently, I’ve been carrying another putter around in my bag: the Olivia from Yes! Golf.

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MCI Heritage Preview

Davis Love III is looking to win for a sixth time at Harbour Town.

MCI Heritage LogoThe Masters is now in the past as far as the tournament itself goes, but the memories of Sunday afternoon will stick with the fans for much longer. Davis Love III chipped in at 16 in the final round of The Masters once, but his memories are likely to be far stronger at this week’s PGA Tour stop at Hilton Head for the MCI Heritage. Davis Love III has won five times here, after all.

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Cristie Kerr Vying for First Victory of 2005

After a two-week hiatus, the LPGA travels to Las Vegas for the 54 hole, 2005 Takefuji Classic. With a $1.1 million purse a full field, expect to see an exciting tournament. Cristie Kerr, last year’s champion, will defend her title during the three-day event.

LPGACristie Kerr, the number two ranked LPGA golfer on the 2005 ADT Money List, attempts to defend her title for the second straight year this week at the Takefuji Classic. Kerr went into the final round of last year’s competition with a 4-shot lead but watched it slip away as Seol-An Jeon carded a 69 to force a sudden death playoff. Seven holes later, a struggling Kerr finally won the tournament for her second win on tour. Currently 22nd in overall career winnings (4 million) and with four starts this season but no victories, can Kerr break through and win this week?

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Hootie’s Balls

The Masters is past, but there is still an important subject to discuss that cropped up before last week’s action at Augusta. Should Hootie Johnson get to tell the players what ball they should use?

Masters BallAnother mesmerizing major championship week has passed, but the Masters is still on my mind. So before we start looking ahead to the U.S. Open, I’d like to spend a little time talking about a topic that now seems to resurface every year at Augusta.

It’s the delicate subject of Hootie’s balls. No, you’re right, that doesn’t sound good. It shouldn’t. And I really wish he’d stop talking about them.

The Masters always brings a mix of the sublime and the ridiculous. The 2005 playing of this great event had both. The ridiculous quotient was achieved by Augusta National Chairman Hootie Johnson before the tournament even started. Good thing Tiger Woods and Chris DiMarco provided such a sublime finish to the actual event to help us momentarily forget some of the silly things Hootie had to say.

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Sports Bloggers Live

Stacy Solomon talks about Ryan Moore on Sports Bloggers Live. Check it out.

Sports Bloggers Live

Last night, Stacy Solomon proudly represented The Sand Trap on Sports Bloggers Live. After following up with Tubby from Putts from the Rough (and his lovely “Els/Garcia” Masters picks), Stacy got the chance to talk about the amateur Ryan Moore:

Ryan Moore has a future. He will definitely be seen as a leader. As all beginners on Tour do, he’ll be surprised at the level of competition. It’ll take him a few months or a year to get his “sea legs.” I think he’ll break through and have his moment in the sun and win a major. He seems to feel comfortable at The Masters, so that might be his tournament.

You can listen to The Masters segment here (RealPlayer required) or visit sportsbloggerslive.com to listen to the whole show. Stacy appears at about the 48-minute mark.

SBL is recorded every Monday at 7pm ET.

America’s Love/Hate Relationship with Phil Mickelson

When Phil Mickelson is in the spotlight, rest assured that there will be plenty of clamor from the galleries. Whether that talk is good or bad, make no mistake: Phil is going to be a force on the PGA Tour for a long time, so get used to it!

Mickelson.jpgGolf fans are a fickle bunch. They cheer their favorite players on to victory or demoralize them when not playing up to par. So goes the story of Phil Mickelson, whose fan base has stuck by him during the highs and lows, from the time Phil was called “the only top PGA Golf Pro never to have won a major” up to his win at the 2004 Masters Tournament. However, the love/hate relationship between golf fans and Phil borders on strange, to say the least. Out of the hundreds of well-known PGA Professionals on tour, why do many golf fans constantly pick on Phil?

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