Perspective on Vijay’s Season

Is Vijay’s 2004 better than Tiger’s 2000? We don’t think so… and the numbers back us up.

Not to take anything away from Vijay’s amazing season, let’s take a look at a few facts and compare Vijay’s 2004 to Tiger’s 2000:

  • Tiger won three majors, Vijay one.
  • Tiger won two of his majors (the US and British Opens) by record margins.
  • Tiger closed in the PGA with a 67; Vijay with a 76.
  • Tiger’s year-long scoring average was 67.79 – a full stroke below Vijay.
  • Tiger averaged $459,000/event, Vijay is averaging $382,000.
  • Tiger had a 2:1 money lead on #2; Vijay 1.8:1 (both times Phil Mickelson).
  • Vijay’s last victory was his 24th, 16 shy of Tiger’s total. Vijay is 13 years older.

Of course, both Tiger and Vijay have nine-win seasons, something Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer never accomplished. When comparing Vijay’s season to any other 41-year-old’s in history, 2004 may be the best ever, but Tiger still holds the lead in our minds for the best season of all time.

Satterfield Surprise

Kirk Satterfield of Manhasset, N.Y., became the second member of the Deepdale Golf Club staff to win the TaylorMade-adidas Golf PGA Assistant Professional Championship on Sunday. Satterfield roared from eight shots back to defeat V.J. Trolio by a shot.

Kirk SatterfieldKirk Satterfield of Manhasset, N.Y., fired a 6-under-par 66 in Sunday’s final round to capture the TaylorMade-adidas Golf PGA Assistant Professional Championship at PGA Golf Club. Satterfield entered the round eight strokes back in a tie for seventh at 4-under 212 before leapfrogging the competition, winning by one stroke over V.J. Trolio of West Point, Mississippi. V.J., it seems, could not play like Vijay.

“I knew that I needed to play well and I felt that if I put some pressure on the field early, then I had a chance to make a move,” said Satterfield, assistant pro at Deepdale Golf Club in Manhasset, NY. “I am happy with my round, especially since I played a bogey-free final round.”

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PGA Tour Puts on Pressure

Ernie Els – no longer a member of the PGA Tour? It could happen if Finchem and his cronies don’t back off a little.

Ernie ElsIncoming European Tour front man George O’Grady has described the pressure being put on Ernie Els to play more events in the US as “extraordinary.” Els was clearly angered two weeks ago when he told reporters that the PGA Tour had sent him a letter demanding more appearances if he wished to retain his PGA Tour membership.

“It seems like quite an extraordinary pressure to put on a player of his level who plays usually 17 or 18 tournaments in the United States anyway,” said O’Grady. “He’s always prepared to listen if we need him to play somewhere, but he’s a very hard man to tell to do something. You do ask him, usually politely, and sometimes he says yes.”

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Singh Is PGA Tour’s $10 Million Man

Vijay Singh becomes the first player ever to top $10 million in a single season.

vijay_singh_pump.jpgIf there was any doubt earlier in the season about who should win the PGA Tour Player of the Year, it has been erased. Vijay Singh won his ninth title on tour this year at the Chrysler Championship pocketing $900,000 for the effort and becoming the first player ever to eclipse the $10 million earnings mark for a single season.

Singh’s win this week was a convincing one. After shooting a 4-under-par 67 on Saturday to take the lead (and to win the Crestor Charity Challenge for the fifth time this year), Singh birdied the first two holes on Sunday and never looked back. He poured in five more birdies and only had one bogey en route to a 65 that put him five strokes ahead of Jesper Parnevik and Tommy Armour III, his widest margin of victory since winning by six at the 2002 Houston Open.

Next week at the Tour Championship, Vijay Singh will go for his 10th win. His current nine wins ties him with Tiger Woods for the most victories in a single season since Sam Snead won 11 times in 1950. It took Singh 173 tournaments over eight years to earn $10 million for his career. He has surpassed that with one incredible season, his victory at Innisbrook pushing his total to $10,725,166. That’s more than $5 million more than Phil Mickelson, who is second on the money list and more than Tom Watson’s career earnings.

“It’s hard to swallow it right now,” said Singh “It’s incredible. I leave tomorrow to go to Atlanta so there’s no time to celebrate. I’ll get my time.”

Park Wins CJ Nine Bridges Classic

Grace Park banishes the memory of her Samsung collapse by winning the CJ Nine Bridges Classic in convincing fashion.

Grace Park TeeingSouth Korean native Grace Park shot a 7-under par 65 on Sunday to win the CJ Nine Bridges Classic by five strokes. Coming off a final-round collapse two weeks ago, Park closed this one in style, saying “I can’t describe my happiness with words.”

Park, who described her play as “really good today,” and her eight birdies in the final round helped her to repel the likes of Annika Sorenstam, who beat her two weeks ago at the Samsung. Sorenstam carded a 67 to finish in a tie for second with fellow Swede Carin Koch at 200. Defending champion Ahn Shi-hyun shared fourth place with Lorena Ochoa and Jeong Jang, six strokes off the pace.

This tournament was conducted at Jeju Island, South Korea. Stops on next year’s LPGA Tour include Mexico, Canada, and South Korea as well.

Out to Pasture

Pasture Golf. While the term is generally regarded as a derogatory remark describing the upkeep of a local course, these gentlemen like it au naturale.

I think it’s safe to say that while most golfers, including myself, love to take in the natural beauty of a lush, well–kept track, there are some adventurous souls out there that like to rough it. They take it back old–school style. Not 1970’s old–school, more like 1570’s old–school.

These sheep–herders enjoy Pasture Golf. While the term pasture golf is generally regarded as a derogatory remark describing the upkeep of a local course, these gentlemen take it as Pasture Golf a compliment.

More power to ’em, but the only cows I like are the ones on the grill.

Fun at the Chrysler Championship

Taking in a PGA Tour event in person is quite different from watching it on TV.

chryslerOn nothing more than a whim, I decided to take in Saturday’s action at the Chrysler Championship at the Westin-Innisbrook Golf Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida. What follows here are merely a bunch of observations from a half day’s adventure on the course. It was only a half day because we got stuck at a car dealership in Orlando in the morning.

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Trick or Treat

Apply a little pressure to your practice by setting up a mini punishment/reward system.

Apply a little pressure during your practice. For example, if you’re practicing five-foot putts, the following might be an example:

Make < 40%: clean out the garage
Make 40 – 60%: good job
Make > 60%: treat yourself to a nice big steak and a beer

The net time, maybe you bump the percentages to 45/65. Find the point at which rewards are truly rewarding – and difficult to achieve. As with the regular game of golf, you are your own referee. Be honest or your game won’t improve as it should.

Eyes Over the Ball

Are your eyes over the ball when you putt? Try this quick drill to find out.

Where are your eyes when you putt? Commonly, putting problems start when a golfer’s eyes move too far inside the ball. To find out where your eyes are, take a normal putting stance. Hold a ball between your eyes and then drop it. If you’re properly aligned over the ball, the dropped ball should strike the ball you would putt. If the balls miss each other, adjust your stance until your eyes are over the ball.