Adidas Launches Tour Metal

Expect TaylorMade staff players to be sporting some new shoes in the next few weeks on Tour: the “Tour Metal” is here.

Adidas today announced the addition and expansion of their shoe line with the “Tour Metal.” Sergio Garcia, among others, has been seen in the new shoes lately, and hopes to walk in them towards his first major this weekend.

The Tour Metal combines a classic, full-grain leather upper with chrome and brushed stripes. It combines Adidas’ z-traction tread with the dual-density lugs for good traction, is completely waterproof, and utilizes the FastTwist™ spike system for quick change outs.

Adidas Tour Metal

Available in white, black, and mahogany, the Tour Metal meets Adidas’ other shoes: the Seeker, Balance Tour, Balance Nitro, and Balance Mod to fill out the 2005 lineup.

Betting Odds for The Masters

Looking to place some money on The Masters? We’ve got the latest odds right here.

The MastersLooking to place your bet at the Masters? Could you retire on a $50 bet if David Duval wins the Masters? Not quite&hellipp; but at 1000:1 odds, you could probably take a comfortable year of unpaid vacation from your vocation.

How does Ladbrokes see the tournament? Unfortunately, they see another win for Tiger Woods, who has the best odds at 5:1. Following closely behind are Phil Mickelson (7:1), Ernie Els (8:1), and Vijay Singh (9:1). Retief Goosen (16:1) and Adam Scott (25:1) may not feel they’re getting the respect they deserve, but Davis Love III (40:1) and Tom Lehman (100:1) may be wise to bet on themselves. Our best pick mirrors Ladbroke’s own: Stewart Cink, at 66:1, looks like the best chance for a quick score. A simple bet of $15,200 on Stewart Cink will net you a cool million. You can live off the interest for the rest of your life.

The longest odds? Amazingly, they’re not on David Duval. That honor goes to Ben Crenshaw and Raymond Floyd, at 5000:1.

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Jack to Play at The Masters

Jack Nicklaus, six-time winner of The Masters, has changed his mind: he’ll tee it up on Thursday.

Jack Nicklaus, Masters 1986Jack Nicklaus reminisced about the Masters Tournament today in a ceremony held in his honor. He took the opportunity to make a startling announcement: he’ll be playing this year.

A month ago, following the tragic death of Jack’s grandson in a pool accident, Nicklaus announced that he would probably skip The Masters, saying that he’d rather spend time with his family in these trying times.

Of his change-of heart, Nicklaus said “It (Augusta National) is a place that’s meant a lot to me in my life. I’m coming up here to play and fulfill a request by Hootie (Johnson, chairman of Augusta National Golf Club) and a desire on my part. I feel like I can play so I’m going to play.” Nicklaus made the remarks at the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame Botanical Gardens, where he received a key to the city during ceremonies that also honored Lee Elder for breaking the color barrier in The Masters 30 years ago.

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Mickelson Outlasts Four in a Bellsouth Playoff

Phil Mickelson defeated four others in a four-hole playoff to win the 54-hole BellSouth Classic. Tomorrow, Phil is on to Augusta.

Phil Mickelson BellsouthThe rain-shortened BellSouth Classic was only supposed to go 54 holes, but it took 58 for Phil Mickelson to come out on top. Phil birdied the fourth playoff hole to take victory away from the resurgent Rich Beem and José Maria Olazabal as well as Arjun Atwal and Brandt Jobe.

Scott McCarron, who held the second-round lead at -6, fell apart with a final-round 76. Arjun Atwal, who began the day at even par, took all of McCarron’s shots (and then some) on his way to a tournament-low 64. Finishing early, Atwal had to wait two hours to see if his final score of 8-under par would hold up. It did, but his bogey on the first playoff hole in the five-man sudden-death playoff – did not.

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Volume Three

In this battle Josh wins, wears great clothing, can’t beat a blind guy, and remembers his days of wearing headgear.

I was thinking about the Masters this weekend and trying to figure out how I can pay tribute to my favorite tournament. Since I don’t want to just offer a list of links dedicated to the Masters (but, rest assured, you’ll get plenty of those), I thought I’d take on a task of a larger scale.

For the 2006 Masters, I want Martha Burke to protest the Sand Trap’s headquarters for the irreverance, attitude, and tone of this column. Wouldn’t that be fantastic?

Martha, I’m coming for you.

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Barry Lane Broadsided at the Estoril Open

As Barry Lane and Paul Lawrie buckle, Paul Broadhurst falls into first place at the Estoril Open.

broadhurst_estoril.jpgIt seems the European Tour has the same problems that the PGA Tour has: rain delays. Three groups of players were forced to finish their third rounds Sunday morning at the Estoril Open. Paul Lawrie held the third-round lead, but England’s Paul Broadhurst went on to win the Portuguese Open after fellow countryman Barry Lane gift-wrapped the victory for Broadhurst.

Lane needed par on the last hole to claim the winner’s check; however, the events of his final hole can only be described as a golf nightmare.

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Day Three Brings Round One At the BellSouth Classic

The BellSouth Classic is finally underway after two days of bad weather. 80 of 143 players who started this morning were able to finish because of further weather delays and the onset of darkness.

billy_mayfair.jpgWeather was a factor during round one at the BellSouth Classic today as temperatures hovered below 40 degrees and winds gusted to 40 mph. Play was halted for nearly two hours as freezing rain and snow fell on the course. It was reminiscent of a ski slope with all the beanie caps worn today. Billy Mayfair said, “The hardest part is when it’s cold and you have delays, it’s hard to stay warm.” The delay prevented 63 players from finishing the first round including frontrunner Mayfair.

Billy Mayfair summed up his day by saying, “I made some nice putts.” He started with a 14-foot putt to save par on the second hole and continued with four birdie putts between 10 and 20 feet. He sits at four-under par after 13 holes. He’ll have to get out and finish his round on Sunday morning.

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Amen Corner

Amen corner explained by the Atari 2600 Guy

The best major of them all, The Masters® is upon us, and the Atari 2600 guy explains how to properly play Amen Corner (#11 White Dogwood, #12 Golden Bell and #13 Azalea) at Augusta National.

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.

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