Larry says it as well as we could, so just go read his story. Colin Montgomerie will be a force to reckon with in the Ryder Cup now, mark my words!
Monty’s Divorce is Final
Colin Montgomerie is officially divorced.
Yardage Calculator
An online yardage calculator… that’s useless.
This is just about the lamest thing I’ve ever seen: a yardage calculator.
Today’s tip of the day is a simple one: take enough club. Most trouble is at the front of a great. Very rarely are there bunkers and water behind the green. 90% of the time, amateurs come up short. Often, perfect ball-club contact would result in the proper shot, but 90% of the time perfect club-ball contact is not made. Choose the club that’s most likely to get you to the hole, imperfect contact and all. If that’s a 7I from 150 instead of a 9I, hit it. The confidence you’ll have in the club will do more for you than swinging harder at a weaker club.
Of course, this is an affront to our masculinity, is it not? We all want to hit 9Is from 150, right? It’s great to say to our partner “I’ll just hit an easy 9I” from 150 yards. But unless your playing partners are watching you very carefully, saying you hit an easy 9I is completely independent of the soft 7I you just hit. Besides, there’s a rule against giving advice. 🙂
To summarize today’s tip: you’re a bigger man 10 feet from the hole with a stronger club than the guy who hits it into the front bunker with a weaker club.
Torrance: Europeans Have an Edge
Sam Torrance says that the Europeans have an advantage playing the Ryder Cup abroad.
Sam Torrance, former captain of the European Ryder Cup team, said Wednesday:
There’s a little bit less pressure playing away from home than playing at home. In front of your home crowd, everyone’s cheering you on and you feel like you have to play well.
A bit of gamesmanship? A bit of truth? Americans play well in the British Open, yet the reverse is not true.
You know the crowd’s going to be on the Americans’ side. You just have to use it and not let it get you down. When the USA chant starts, just let it annoy you. Let it build you up, let it make you mad and play better golf.
Good advice indeed. The US side, of course, can just as easily use the chant to boost them. But this is why we adore the Ryder Cup so much: because it is a battle. Because the underdog has a real chance every time. Because it shows a man’s will – a team’s will – more than any other tournament or competition. Raw competitiveness, raw humanity on display. That’s the Ryder Cup.
Mickelson Drops Titleist, Signs with Callaway
Over the Labor Day weekend, Phil Mickelson signed an endorsement deal with Callaway Golf, dumping Titleist early.
Over the Labor Day weekend, Phil Mickelson, the #4 ranked golfer in the world, signed an endorsement deal with Callaway Golf to use a prototype Callaway HX ball and a prototype model of Callaway’s Fusion driver at this week’s Canadian Bell Open.
This move comes just a week after prematurely dumping a Titleist contract. Mickelson had been with Titleist the past four years.
Continue reading “Mickelson Drops Titleist, Signs with Callaway”
Tour Round-Up
Round-up from last week’s tour events.
It’s finally happened. Tiger Wood’s 334-week reign atop the World Rankings is over. Vijay Singh won the Deutsche Bank Championship to claim the top spot, making him only the twelfth golfer in 18 years to hold that position.
The only three European Ryder Cup members to enter the Omega Eurpoena Masters took the top three places (well, Sergio Garcia finished tied third), Luke Donald winning by five from Miguel Angel Jimenez. The only thing more impressive than Donald’s final round was Jimenez’s curly mullet (aka the Spafro).
Luis Carbonetti from Argentina won the European Senior Masters at the Duke’s Course in Woburn, England. In last place, however, was Nigel Mansell, the former Formula 1 and Indy Car world champion, finishing at 28 over. Apparently, despite trying to keep his game on track, his rounds were plagued by bad driving, leaving him well off the pace (ahem…).
Double-D David Duval: T13
David Duval makes a cut – and finishes tied for thirteenth.
Let’s not overlook David Duval this week. David not only made the cut – something he’s failed to do for 14 months or so – but he finished T13 with a 4-under 67 on the closing day of the Deutsche Bank Championship. This is his best finish since T6 in a 2002 event in Las Vegas.
David will win a tournament in the next two years. That’s my prediction and I’m sticking to it.
Singh Number One
Vijay has taken over the World #1 ranking. How long until Tiger gets it back?
Vijay Singh is now the number one golfer in the world, according to The Official World Golf Ranking, by a slim margin: 12.72 to 12.27.
Congrats to Vijay. Hard work does pay off.
Now, the question being asked is simply this: how long until Tiger gets it back? He played really well last week…
Moe Norman Dies
Moe Norman is dead at 75.
Moe Norman, the eccentric Canadian golfer with a “Natural Golf” swing, has died.
The two-time Canadian Amateur champion died of heart failure in a Kitchener hospital, Royal Canadian Golf Association spokesman Victor Cui said. Norman had battled heart problems since having a heart attack two years ago.
It’s tough to say whether Moe Norman’s swing or eccentricities will be missed more, but both will be missed quite a good deal.
Vijay Gets Medieval in Boston
Vijay pulls out the pliers and the blowtorch and put Tiger’s hopes of remaining on top of the Tour in the hurt locker.
After starting off today down three strokes to the top player in the world, Vijay Singh turned on the heat today at the Deutsche Bank Championship. Vijay shot a tournament-low 63 today to couple with yesterday’s 68 and leave him at 131, two strokes ahead of Tiger Woods, Bill Haas and Richmond, VA native John Rollins.
While he’s turning up the heat on Tiger, Vijay’s playing it cool as a cucumber. “Yeah, if I win this tournament, I’ll be No. 1. Fine,” said Vijay. “But what would that change for me? I’m going to go out there next week and do it all over again.”
Vijay started off his round with an eagle, and made the turn with three more birdies and only one bogey. He kept the pace up on the back nine, with five birdies and another bogey, bringing him to eight-under for the day. Haas was equally strong today with a second-round 64, while Rollins remained consistent, turning in a five-under 66 to accompany yesterday’s four-under 67. With two rounds to go, it looks like the field will be playing to catch Vijay.
The tournament continues with the third round tomorrow at the TPC of Boston.