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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Acushnet Sues Retailer for Counterfeit Balls

Academy Sports is found to be selling counterfeit Pro V1s.

TitleistThe Acushnet Company (proud parent of Titleist, Cobra, FootJoy, and Pinnacle) filed suit today in Federal District Court in Dallas against golf retailer Academy Sports. The charge? Counterfeiting Pro V1 golf balls.

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Keep on Pluggin’, Duval

Welcome back, David Duval. Your +7 missed the cut at The Masters, but you beat out some other good golfers. Keep pluggin’.

David Duval Leading MastersDavid Duval finished T13 last year at the Deutsche Bank Championship. Then, his game went south while he spent the winter snowboarding. It went so far south he barely broke 90 a few times and I urged him to go home!

Duval went home and then came to Augusta. He missed the cut by three, shooting 75-77. His +7 beat out José Maria Olazabal, Tom Watson, Sean Micheel, John Daly, Nick Price, Ben Crenshaw, Paul Casey, Shigeki Maruyama, and a few others. I took the screenshot to the right as David began playing on opening day. David Duval was leading The Masters!

Welcome back, David.

Quick Thoughts on the Masters

Augusta National gets plenty of attention year-round, but it becomes the center of the golf universe during Masters week. Here’s a look at what went down in Georgia.

Masters LogoAnother Masters Tournament is in the books. As usual, plenty of news was made at Augusta National Golf Club. Let’s take a quick run through some of the bigger topics, including Tiger (of course), Jack Nicklaus bowing out, and gamesmanship between two of the Big Four.

Tiger’s Fourth Masters Win
Where does Tiger Woods’ fourth Masters victory fit in with his previous three titles? 1997 was the most momentous, as he shocked the golf world with his domination. 2001 ranks second, as it completed the “Tiger Slam” of four consecutive major victories. 2002 is third, being most notable for making Woods only the third person to successfully defend a Masters title (along with Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo).

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Volume Four

This week, Hittin’ the Links focuses on the Masters, because, let’s be honest, what other golf coverage is there during the second weekend of April?

Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve dreamt of winning the Masters. I think if you love golf as a child, that’s the tournament you always practice winning. It has so much tradition and recognition. While watching the tournament this weekend, I was reminded of a thought I had when I was a child: isn’t the kelly green jacket a hard color to match your shirt with? Which brings a bigger question: shouldn’t you wear a golf shirt (on Sunday) that would look good with the green jacket so you’ll look good while putting on the coat?

I’ve always thought that and wonder why Tiger chooses red? Maybe he really enjoys Christmas? I don’t know, but it wouldn’t be the color I’d choose. After Volume 4 of Hittin’ the Links, I’ll share what color I would wear.

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A Win for the Changes – Tiger Takes Augusta

Tiger Woods wins his fourth Masters in dramatic fashion!

Tiger Woods, Augusta 2005Tiger Woods went 27 holes today, but it took one more to fend off the ever-battling, ever-clawing, ever-fighting Chris DiMarco. A birdie at the first playoff hole, and Tiger Woods his fourth Masters.

The rest of the field? They never factored into the play, and never got within six shots of the lead. Ryan Moore, perhaps the best amateur since Bobby Jones himself, finished T13 and will be back at Augusta next year. Trevor Immelman earned a hole in one at sixteen in the group ahead of Tiger. And defending champ Phil Mickelson? T10 with a final-round 74.

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Tiger Takes the Lead at Augusta

Tiger Woods continued his birdie streak and Chris DiMarco falls back in dramatic fashion. We have a new leader at Augusta, and his name is Tiger Woods!

Tiger WoodsOnly two hours ago, Chris DiMarco held a four-stroke lead over Tiger Woods. Play ended yesterday with DiMarco at -13 and Tiger Woods at -9. Oh how a lead can change at Augusta!

In the span of two hours this morning, Chris DiMarco double-bogeyed the tenth, bogeyed the 14th, bogeyed the 15th, and bogeyed the 17th to fall to -8. Tiger Woods continued the birdie streak he began on 7, 8, and 9 right on through 10, 11, 12, and 13 to get to -13 before bogeying 14 and 15. He parred in and finished the third round at -11 after a firing tournament-low 66 and then a new tournament low (with Trevor Immelman) 65. Tiger is now three strokes clear of Chris DiMarco, whose third-round 74 matches Woods’ first round score.

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