Volume Three Hundred Thirteen

Fowler gets #1, Rory gets back to #1, and Tiger steps in #2.

Hittin' the LinksHello there golf fanatics, and welcome to the three hundred and thirteenth volume of Hittin’ the Links. I can’t help thinking that the Sponsors of the Wells Fargo Championship were a little disappointed with the play of some of the elite players in the field at Quail Hollow. With Tiger, Keegan Bradley, and Bill Haas missing the cut and Lefty and Lee Westwood making it on the number it was looking like possibly a rather dull weekend. Good thing for everyone that was certainly not the case as Quail Hollow ended up hosting what I think was some of the best weekend golf of the year. Congratulations to Rickie Fowler on his first PGA Tour win.

In this edition of HtL we begin by analyzing Tiger’s media stunt, then check out a player doing it the hard way, and find out what has Ryan Moore so upset. Also on tap, we take a look at a very famous foursome, investigate a Bubba absence, and do a wrap-up of the week’s events. Read on!

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Callaway RAZR X Black Driver Review

The latest driver from Callaway packs a big punch at an extremely affordable price point.

Callaway RAZR X Black DriverI must admit, when I was first asked to review this driver, I was very excited. I had heard about the new Callaway RAZR X Black from advertisements and in golf magazines. I am an avid Callaway driver user; I have the 2011 Callaway RAZR Hawk and the Callaway Diablo Edge Tour driver as well. The RAZR X Black is this season’s new hot club following in the footsteps of this years RAZR FIT driver. At my local golf store this club is on the shelf, but there are not very many on display because it is selling quite well.

Callaway has gone through a bit of a lull but I think with the latest line of drivers they are coming on strong. Let’s see how the RAZR X Black driver stacks up, shall we?

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Volume Three Hundred Twelve

Dufner breaks through, Bubba connects with his fans, and Tiger takes some questions.

Hittin' the LinksWelcome again golf fans to yet another edition of Hittin’ the Links. It’s been quite a month for Masters Champion Bubba Watson. First, he and his wife adopt a new baby boy, then he wins the Masters, goes on a media tour, tweets about 100,000 times, and he even finds some time to get home and change a few diapers. It’s no wonder he showed up in New Orleans this week with bags under his eyes. He didn’t play too bad either, aside from a wayward shot or two that found their way into his eagerly awaiting gallery of fans.

In this edition of HtL we begin with a look at PGA Tour Rookie John Huh, then turn our attention to a golf scientist of sorts, and then check out how Bubba “connects” with his fans. Also on tap, we see how some Tour players went old school, find out what the R&A has in store for this year’s Open, and do a wrap-up of the week’s events. Read on!

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Why Bubba Won’t Win Another Major

Trying to predict Bubba Watson’s future.

Trap Five LogoFor the seventh major championship in a row, the victor of this year’s Masters was a first-time major winner. Not since Phil Mickelson in 2010 has someone won their second major, and by my count that is the longest such streak ever. With Tiger Woods perpetually on the mend and endlessly ineffective, and Phil Mickelson often too headstrong for his own good, Bubba Watson is another in the line of new entries to the major winner’s circle.

Bubba, as a sold player but not of Hall-of-Fame caliber, faces stiff competition. Never before has there been so many players that match his level of play.

In addition to the state-of-the-sport challenges Bubba faces, his game has some glaring holes. While it would be a disservice to say Bubba was handed the Masters, he didn’t exactly steal it away until that famed shot from the tress (and even that was only a par). Bubba has missed the cut in about a third of the events he has played over his career, and while his relatively homegrown swing might make him a nice poster-child for the anti-instructor movement, it could prove to be his ultimate undoing.

I have nothing against Bubba personally (he seems like a good guy and I did a ProFiles article about him last year), and watching his go-for-broke play is very entertaining, but I don’t see him winning another major championship.

Read on to find out why.

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From Glory to Horror, in Just One Foot

Recently we witnessed the shortest putt ever missed to win a major championship, but where does it rank in the history of missed short putts?

Thrash TalkI was watching the event live, I saw the birdie putt slip past the hole about a foot and I went for the remote. I had entered the new channel and just as it was about to change I saw the putt horseshoe around the hole. I frantically switched back, but by that time they were hugging and beginning to walk off the green. Watching I.K. Kim miss that one-foot tap-in makes you begin to ask yourself where this miss ranks in the history of golf.

Of course those of you who don’t follow the LPGA, I.K. Kim would lose in the playoff to a birdie on the first playoff hole but at that point the damage was done. Expecting her to sum up any amount of strength to play the playoff hole was a difficult ask. My first thought after she missed it was that she still had a chance, but after watching her walk off the green I could tell that the miss destroyed her and she would have no chance.

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New ATV Wedge and Ghost Manta Putter from TaylorMade

New products from TaylorMade hope to have you sinking more putts and putting it close from any lie.

Bag DropIt seems that every few months TaylorMade has some new piece of equipment coming out. Usually it is some new driver or iron set but this time it’s a new putter and some new wedges.

The new putter, the Ghost Manta, continues TaylorMade’s use of white putter heads and promises to make alignment simple. For the wedges, the company has dropped the xFT (exchangeable face technology), and has introduced the ATV (or All Terrain Versatility) wedge which can be hit from nearly any lie.

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Volume Three Hundred Eleven

Sean Foley says be nice to Tiger!

Hittin' the LinksHello out there fellow duffers, and welcome to another Hittin’ the Links. Is it me or does the TPC San Antonio look like a complete nightmare of a golf course? I mean a bunker in the middle of a green, really? Greg Norman must have been having a bad year when he designed this atrocity. I guess that’s why nobody we care to watch showed up to play this week and Tour players consistently rank it in the bottom of Tour courses.

In this edition of HtL we begin with a look at Sean Foley, then check out a record breaking 13 year-old. and find out who has Bieber fever. Also on tap, we investigate Kevin Na and a chainsaw, take a different look at Augusta National, and do a wrap-up of the week’s winners. Read on!

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The Big Miss: A Book Review

Hank’s book is pretty revealing, but mostly about himself.

Thrash TalkI must admit, the day Hank’s book came out I went out and bought it. It was not really the excerpts that got me interested but listening to the interviews Hank gave, he gave the impression not of a rat that everyone had made him out to be, but someone who had a story to tell.

After reading the book, I have very mixed feelings, but I will say it has cleared up some real misconceptions in my mind about both Tiger and Hank. I really didn’t learn anything new about Tiger. Hank paints him as a troubled, self-centered, egotistical, golfing genius. All those things are not news, I have always thought those things about Tiger. The big revelation was that Tiger lied to the media… yeah, I knew that too. I would rather watch paint dry than a Tiger press conference, he never says much new and looks like he wants to be there less than I want to watch him. So all in all not much learned about Tiger.

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Callaway Introduces HEX Black Tour Ball, Odyssey Metal-X Putters

Callaway rolls out its new five piece ball while Odyssey introduces the Metal-X putter with a two layer face insert.

Bag DropCallaway Golf has always been on the leading edge of golf. The new HEX Black Tour ball continues Callaway’s use of the HEX dimple pattern but adds a host of new features, which the company says separates it from every other ball available, while Odyssey (Callaway’s putter division) introduces yet another face insert for their new line putters.

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