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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DiMarco Leads, Tiger Lurks, and 27 to Go at Augusta

Tiger Woods made a charge, firing nines of 33, 33, and 31, to get within four shots of Chris DiMarco heading into the final 27 holes at the 69th Masters.

Chris Dimarco Masters LeanChris DiMarco fired a second straight 67 to finish off his second round in the morning, then came out firing in the afternoon with three birdies and no bogeys to get to -13. Tiger Woods, who finished off his morning with a tidy little 66, birdied five holes against no bogeys in the opening nine of the third round to get to -9.

Jack Nicklaus made news as well, noting that he would be playing in his last Masters. “I knew it was my last time walking up the fairway,” said Nicklaus. “Obviously, I had made up my mind. This is just too tough for me. I just can’t do this.” He tipped his hat to the gallery at the ninth – his last hole – and received a round of applause. This year marked the 45th Masters for the Golden Bear, winner of six. He finished at 153, +9 and five off the cut.

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Friday At Augusta Brings More Rain

The second round at Augusta was suspended just about as fast as players could finish their first round.

Donald, DiMarco, HowellWhen play resumed Friday morning at The Masters, players hoped to finish their first and second rounds before going into the weekend. Play was suspended due to darkness Thursday evening, leaving 68 golfers still out on the course. The weather forecast once again called for rain showers on Friday, which is nothing new for the PGA Tour in 2005. The day started off positive, however, as everyone at least finished their opening round.

But once again, Mother Nature had the last laugh on this day. The players were called off the course at about 12:40 pm, and play was officially suspended for the day around 4 pm. The guys will be teeing off Saturday morning at 8:30 am, and they will once again be asked to get as much golf in as possible. The goal is to get The Masters back on track by getting in the second and third rounds tomorrow, leaving the final round for Sunday.

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