Rain Rain, Go Away! Still no Shots at the BellSouth

More golfers withdraw from the BellSouth classic Friday after rain once again cancelled play. Looks like a Monday finish for the BellSouth Classic!

bellsouth_delay.jpgLast week at The Players Championship, fans wondered if the tournament would ever end. This week, the questions seem to center around whether or not the tournament will ever begin!

Play was once again suspended today before any golfer had a chance to hit a single shot. Play is set to resume Saturday morning at 7am ET. Right now, the schedule is to play 18 holes on Saturday, 18 holes Sunday, and then finish by with 36 holes on Monday. A Monday finish looks to be in the cards again, but this week is much different than last week. The Masters is scheduled to begin next Thursday, and you can bet all participants in The Masters will want to be at their best when the first major of 2005 rolls around.

Cleveland Golf’s Got a New Owner

Cleveland (and Never Compromise) are being bought by a surfing company? What the… It’s true.

Cleveland LogoAfter a few months of speculation, word is spreading that outdoor apparel company Quiksilver is buying Rossignol, the parent company of Cleveland Golf and Never Compromise. Consolidation is nothing new to the golf business, but what can golfers expect to see out of these two brands once they’re under new ownership?

Estoril Open: Round 1 and 2 Recap

Paul Broadhurst and Jose-Filipe Lima share the lead at the Estoril Open, while Simon Dyson, who set a course record with a second round 64, and Barry Lane trail by one shot.

paul_broadhurst.jpgAt the half-way point of the Estoril Open, England’s Paul Broadhurst and Portugal’s own Jose-Filipe Lima share the lead. Both players are at -8 and one shot ahead of Barry Lane and Simon Dyson, both of England. Dyson set a new course record shooting a second round 64.

On Thursday, the players met heavy winds as Markus Brier of Austria shot 65 to take a two-shot lead over Titch Moor, Stephen Schahill and Mads Vibe-Hastrup. Brier executed some brilliant shots in his opening round, hitting his long and mid irons close. Brier hit a six iron to five feet on the sixth to begin a string of three consecutive birdies.

Spring is Sprung: Prepare Now!

Spring is here, and with the blossoming of trees comes our guide to preparing for the oncoming golf season. Get ready!

Spring BlossomsI live in Erie, PA. After yet another long, cold winter, spring has finally arrived! Sure, I kept busy putting on my indoor putting green and hitting balls in a nearby golf dome, but nothing compares to the feel of real grass beneath your feet, the breeze in your face, and an actual green in front of you.

Of course, you don’t just leap out into spring. You can do a lot in the first week or two of spring to ensure you have a successful season. Here, for your enjoyment, is the Official Sand Trap Guide to Spring.

Tiger’s “Secret” Ball: The Platinum

Tiger’s been tricking the Darrell Survey and playing a new ball: the Nike One Platinum.

Nike PlatinumBogeyLounge points us to the Detroit Free Press and a story about Tiger’s “secret” ball: the Nike One Platinum.

We’ve known about the Nike One Platinum for awhile now, or suspected it, but now it’s in the news. Good enough for us, eh? Tiger’s “Platinum” ball has been stamped “Gold” for as long as six to nine months. The “Gold” stamp “hides” the new ball from the Darrell Survey – and industry insiders and competitors.

Throw Me A Life Ring!

The PGA “Rain” Tour continues as play is halted yet again because of inclement weather.

Bellsouth RainTPC at Sugarloaf couldn’t take what nature dealt it Thursday as tournament officials cancelled play because rain fell for nine straight hours during the morning and early afternoon. Phil Mickelson said “What a surprise. We’ve had such great weather all year.” The “good weather” Mickelson spoke of could very well delay the tournament further as the forecast is calling for more thunderstorms on Friday. About the only good news is that Saturday’s forecast is clear.

The Players Championship may have finished on a Monday, but a Monday finish for the BellSouth Classic could be deadly: The Masters is next week, and Mickelson and others are certainly going to want to be well-prepared.

Be a PGA Tour Caddy for a Day!

PGA Tour professionals are helping charities by auctioning off practice rounds on their bags this season. You could tote the bag for World #1 Vijay Singh!

bernhard_langer_with_caddy.jpgCEO and veteran PGA Tour caddy Russ Holden describes Caddy For A Cure as “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for golf enthusiasts to be “inside the ropes” with their favorite Tour player, one-on-one.” What a great idea! You can spend an entire day with a famous Tour pro, help with their club and shot selections, and walk a famous course during an official event! Imagine assisting worthwhile causes while watching the best golfers on tour, up close… and everybody benefits!

Kyle Bugge, recently on the bag for Bernhard Langer (photo at right), had this opportunity. As he wrote recently after a day of caddying for Langer “thank you for giving me the chance to live my dreams.”

2005 Masters Invitations List

The invitations to the 2005 Masters have been sent out, and we know who will be checking their mailboxes.

The MastersThe 2005 Masters invitations have been sent out, and we know who should be checking their mailboxes. Players qualify for the Masters in one or more of seventeen unique ways. Though technically an “invitation-only” tournament, The Masters has published the criteria it uses for determining who should get an “invitation” for the past 20 or more years.

For example, if you win the Masters you’re welcome to come back and play as long as you’re alive. Winning another major earns you five years of invitations, and winning The Players Championship nets three yearly passes to Augusta. The current US Amateur, the runner-up, the British Amateur, the US PubLinks, and the US Mid-Amateur champion are all invited, along with the top 16, 8, 4, and 4 players from the previous year’s Masters, US Open, British Open, and PGA Championship, respectively. The final spots are reserved for folks who are ranked highly on money lists or Official World Golf Rankings.

BellSouth Classic Preview

Players look to fine-tune their golf games one last time before heading to Augusta National next week.

bell_south_classic.gifWith the first major of 2005 looming, the players coming to the BellSouth Classic are hoping not only to win the golf tournament but also to get one last boost of confidence before The Masters! The top three ranked golfers in the world are not in the field this week, but that does not mean there aren’t any guys in the field that can’t get the job done. Phil Mickelson and Retief Goosen, ranked fourth and fifth in the world respectively, have both won this tournament in the past five years. Mickelson won here in 2000 and Goosen won here in 2002. They’ll be teeing it up come Thursday.