The Plight of the Runners-Up From Royal Lytham and St. Annes

Recapping the 141st Open Championship.

Trap Five LogoErnie won his second British Open and fourth career major last Sunday, but for much of the week Els was absent from the top of the leaderboard. Though I enjoyed ESPN’s coverage the first three days (day four’s coverage was downright horrible), the fact the we saw very few Els shots was something I pointed out in the forum and on the Sunday chat.

Els remains one of the world’s great ballstrikers, and though his 72nd-hole birdie putt put the pressure on Scott, if you were to go by ESPN’s coverage you would think all Ernie ever did was miss 15-footers.

Coverage gripes aside, the 2012 British Open was several times more enjoyable than last year’s, mostly thanks to the guys that didn’t win. First off was Adam Scott, the 18-hole, 54-hole, and 71-hole leader. Brandt Snedeker led after the second round, and matched the Lytham and St. Annes British Open course record that Scott set on Thursday.

For Tiger Woods the theme of the round was “gameplan.” Tiger routinely laid back off the tee, leading to 220-yard approach after 220-yard approach and a lot of long birdie opportunities. Closing out the top five and ties are Graeme McDowell, who spent most of the final round in second place, seemingly Scott’s only competition, and world number one Luke Donald, who picked up the Lee Westwood gauntlet of backdoor top tens.

The 2012 British Open will likely be remembered in large part for the players who didn’t win, so here are their stories.

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Volume Three Hundred Twenty Two

Ernie Els, 2012 Champion Golfer of the Year.

Hittin' the LinksWhat a finish to the British Open! Heck, even the engraver had almost started on Adam Scott’s name before he began his already famous collapse. Congratulations has to go out to Ernie Els. He is a good guy and since he is older than I am, that makes me like him even more!

In this newest edition of Hittin’ the Links we begin with a look at Rory’s problems, and then find out who Andres Romero had as a caddy, and peruse Suzann Pettersen in the buff. Also, we investigate what is on the horizon for belly putters, take a look at the seven biggest chokes of all time, and do a wrap-up of the week’s events. Read on!

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2012 British Open Final Round Chat

Join us for a live chat about the 2012 British Open from Royal Lytham & St. Anne’s!

Can Adam Scott hold off the challengers to win his first major? Can Tiger Woods mount an improbably comeback to capture his 15th? Or will someone else sneak in and snag the victory?

2012 British Open: Staff Predictions and Five Questions

The Open Championship heads to Royal Lytham and St. Annes, see who the staff thinks the winner will be.

Thrash TalkThis year the Open Championship moves to the site of David Duval’s only major victory – Royal Lytham and St. Annes. I truly enjoy the Open Championship because I can start watching the action as I sit down for breakfast in the morning and by lunch time the majority of play is over. The build up for this years event is great as well. Tiger is really hitting his stride aside from his missed cut at the Greenbrier, Phil cut his vacation short to play in the Scottish Open and played decently, all the big names are hitting their stride. With that lets see what the staff predicts for this year’s tournament.

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Tiger and the Media – Time to Cut Their Losses?

Is it time for an overhaul?

Thrash TalkA frosty relationship between Tiger Woods and the media is nothing new. Several times a week Tiger Woods walks up the microphone, does his best Bill Belichick impersonation, and spends 30 minutes speaking words devoid of meaning. He’s not a Michael Jordan (despite what Michael Lusetich of Fox would like you to believe), and if he wasn’t the undisputed best golfer of his generation, he would be much more comfortable being a Jonathan Byrd, the guy who only had to give an interview when he jumps out to a first-round lead before fizzling on the weekend.

I bring this up because recently, at his pre-Greenbrier press conference, Tiger called the golf media’s incessant “are you back, now?” line of questioning “a little annoying.” That sparked a small firestorm among media members because, well, they have been annoying. This is just the latest in a recent string of cold-shoulders given to the media by Tiger.

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My Thoughts on The Dan Plan

Dan is trying to become a professional golfer, does he have any chance?

Thrash TalkI was first turned on to the The Dan Plan by a friend of mine who is a member at the same club Dan has been using for his practice sessions. He did not provide me much detail so I looked him up on the web. He has a blog and a video diary which for the most part I have been keeping up to date on.

For those of you who don’t know Dan has given up his regular day job to test the theory that after 10,000 hours of deliberate practice one can achieve an elite level within that given activity. The 10,000 hour number came from Anders Ericsson and was then popularized by Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers. Dan had never picked up a club prior to this endeavor and has aspirations of becoming a touring pro after 10,000 hours of dedicated practice.

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Volume Three Hundred Twenty One

The John Deere Birdie-fest, Bubba saves the day, and The Open Championship.

Hittin' the LinksIt was a birdie fest at the John Deere Classic this week. As usual the field had to take it low to compete. And what a shot by Zach Johnson Sunday afternoon to win the playoff. After tying the first hole with a pair of doubles, he almost makes a two out of the very same bunker he was in previously. Now the golf world will turn its attention to Lancashire, England for the third major of the year. I do not believe we will have quite the number of birdies this coming week.

Welcome to Hittin’ the Links. In this edition we combine a couple of weeks and begin with a look at an amazing young man, then look into Lee Westwood’s unlikely injury last week, and check out the official site of the Open Championship. Also, we investigate a golf program in India, find out how Bubba saved the day, and do a wrap-up of the last two week’s events. Read on!

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Volume Three Hundred Twenty

It’s number three for Tiger!

Hittin' the LinksWhile his major finishes have left a little to be desired so far this year, Tiger’s performances otherwise have been pretty good. He looked very much in control of his game this weekend as he won the tournament he hosts with a solid round on Sunday. I am telling you, it’s only a matter of time until he gets that 15th major.

Welcome to Hittin’ the Links, in this volume we begin with a name change, and then see who is doing their part for charity, and find out who is a badass. Also on tap, we look back at the spectator-less third round at the AT&T, look into some Ryder Cup assistants, and do a wrap-up of the weeks events. Read on!

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Who Introduced You to Golf?

There are many memories that all of us treasure, your introduction to golf is likely one you will never forget.

Thrash TalkFor many golfers, the answer to this question is their father. Likely your father was a semi-serious golfer who enjoyed the game and taught you to enjoy it as well. Of course there are many of you who like me had another family member do the introduction. For some, maybe it was a friend even a friend’s dad. Maybe you found the game on your own. Whoever it was, the day you finally beat that person is something that sticks in your memory bank forever.

My father didn’t play golf. My mother sold his clubs a few months after I was born and she told me she did it because he never used them. He came home one day from work and they were gone. To many of you this is an unforgivable sin, but my dad shrugged it off and later said she was right, he never used them. Much later on in my golfing career he joined me a few times for scramble events. He liked to play in scrambles because there was no pressure and he could enjoy himself. He did not swing much past his waist and did not hit it very far. Looking back, though, he was in his sixties and not doing much stretching at the time. He claimed he was a good putter, but I never actually saw that.

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