ragontona

Though technically, Bubba squeaked onto the PGA Tour because the top 21 got in (instead of the top 20). Jason Gore won on the PGA Tour and earned his card that way, so they expanded the eligibility requirement by one slot.

You're starting off with a good attitude. Welcome to the game.

This is pure hypothesis, but: I've got a feeling that age and gender probably have a lot to do with who does and doesn't support Wie in her desire to play against PGA players. I'd be willing to bet that if a poll were taken among men, say, 30 and older (arbitrary), the level of support for Wie would be pretty low. If that same poll were conducted among women aged 21 and under (again, arbitrary), the level of support would probably run pretty high. (And I'm aware that there are men that support Wie, and women that don't...) I'd also be willing to bet that the majority of the men who have strong opinions on this topic are golfers themselves. As a group, we tend to be a stubborn lot. Our opinions only become stronger when the issue at hand seems to contradict tradition. The casual sports fan is probably a stronger Wie-supporter, as indicated by increased television ratings and attendance at PGA events where she is playing. It has nothing to do with being a bad person -- I'm not in the position to lay judgement on who is or isn't a "jerk." I'm just saying that the vast majority of people who choose not to support Wie are probably men. Those who do are probably women... and younger ones at that.

I didn't watch, but read about it. Apparently, the "violation" was reported to the rules officials by the tv commentators? I hate that.

The fact that she's a mouthpiece for her handlers will not change when she's an "adult." There's a reason that professional athletes make boring interviews -- they're full of stock answers given to them by their agents, managers, coaches, handlers, etc. But this goes back to what I posted earlier, for the purposes of this thread (Michelle and the Ryder Cup), I thought she gave an honest answer to a question. You are part of a new breed of young women who are becoming increasingly competitive in golf - do you think there could ever be a time when women could qualify for the Ryder Cup? Hopefully I will be able to do it one day, that would be awesome. I think it is totally possible. Anything is possible in the future. I think players, both women and men, are getting better and we are starting to get stronger and work out more and are mentally tough and we can do it. I mean, what else was she going to say? I'm discovering that part of the reason that I've ended up liking Wie so much is that she irritates so many people by just existing. She can't do anything without pissing somebody off. Michelle Wie: "I think I'm going to show up and breathe some air. That'd be awesome." Wie-Haters: "She's breathing the air that a MAN would be breathing. F**k her." As an aside, I'd be curious to see what the main demographic is of the Michelle Wie Hater Camp. I have a feeling I'd know how that'd break down.

You might be thinking of Steve Jones, who won a US Open after switching to a reverse overlap grip because of a motorcycle accident injury...

Ok, so what's your question? Would love to help, but I'm not sure what you're asking.

Yep, I got the Pro Plat done on the SD1. I had them do the paintfill to match the lettering on the SD headcover, black and red. I'm in love. It's my gamer.

I know Bob Estes at least used to use it (not sure if he still does), and I know Beth Daniel did on the LPGA. Legendary ball-striker Moe Norman too. My regular playing partner uses it as well.

Might have to go with these.

I'm a transplanted Bay Area boy... Harding Park is the cream of the crop, but it's pretty expensive for non-SF residents. There's also the Presidio, but that's not terribly cheap either. Lincoln Park is a challenging layout, and reasonably priced (from what I remember).

That really depends on the condition of the putter. If it hasn't been taken care of, I'd think twice. If it looks to be in cherry condition, then it's not a bad deal. What a few of us here have been doing is buying used Scotty's that need some work and sending them in to the Cameron Custom Shop, who can perform a restoration for $110.

Same thing happened at the British Open on Sunday -- both Tiger and Sergio had to back off several times because of camera phone "clicks."

That thing is uglier than a sock full of monkey turds. That being said, if Tiger makes the switch, you'll see that mushroom stamp of a golf club in people's bags next year.

And so it happens again . Wie knew her place as a guest of the tour, and was nothing but gracious regarding the crowds. But her playing partner, Nick Dougherty, ripped into them (deservedly so, from how it sounds).

New avatar just for Rafi. Sinner.

As an unabashed Cal fan that's been rooting for the Bears for 25 years, let me say that this was possibly the most painful loss we've ever had to deal with. So many expectations out the window, plus the perception of "soft" west coast teams will live on... I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.

Congratulations. I got my Studio Design yesterday, and my Newport II today. Those guys at the Studio are amazing.

Don't worry Raf... the next avatar will send you to hell for sure. Wait and see.

You are correct in that most everyone frames this discussion to lead down a path towards "Michelle Wie talking nonsense yet again." You know as well as anyone -- context is everything. Here's the actual exchange: You are part of a new breed of young women who are becoming increasingly competitive in golf - do you think there could ever be a time when women could qualify for the Ryder Cup? Hopefully I will be able to do it one day, that would be awesome. I think it is totally possible. Anything is possible in the future. I think players, both women and men, are getting better and we are starting to get stronger and work out more and are mentally tough and we can do it. The entire interview can be found here .

What I find most interesting is that anti-Wie people are SO passionate about their dislike for everything she stands for and believes in. I imagine people, hearts racing, blood pressure rising, just seething in anger pounding out these postings like there's no tomorrow. It's almost as if she's taking a spot from you . Because you've got to ask yourself... really... how does this affect you? I'm talking big picture here -- does it really matter that a teenaged girl is playing golf against some men in Europe, the majority of which you couldn't pick out of a line-up? Why are you so offended by this? What difference does it make in your life? Do you lay awake at night, fuming that Michelle Wie is playing golf against Lee Slatery, Wade Ormsby, and Leif Westerberg? How does that idea offend you? We follow professional golf because we enjoy seeing good golf being played. We watch for the personalities. We watch because they do things we can't do. We watch because they sometimes make the same mistakes that we do. We watch for the drama in Tiger's triumphs. We watch for the agony of Monty and Phil's Winged Foot meltdowns. But does any of that really affect us? Isn't it really just theatre for us... something that we watch as it happens, ponder it afterwards, and reminisce about it forever? Same as a good book or a classic movie? Here's what it boils down to: A girl is playing golf with grown men in professional tournaments that absolutely none of us here have any chance of playing in. That's it. Nothing more to it than that. Why get so upset about it? Seriously, I'm asking.

Wha? Huh? I live in the DC Metro Area. Is this a Pro n Hackers reference?

I voted for Teenage Dream. There's really nothing more to it than that. She was asked the question about whether she'd like to play on the Ryder Cup team someday. Naturally, her answer is yes: "Hopefully I will be able to do it one day, that would be awesome. I think it is totally possible, anything is possible in the future. I think players, both women and men, are getting better and we are getting stronger and are mentally tough and we can do it." I don't see anything wrong with it. More than likely, never gonna happen. But you know, "dare to dream," and all of that. I've got dreams of working my game into enough shape to try out for the Champions Tour in fifteen years (if it's still around.) Those dreams probably won't ever come to pass. Her dreams just happen to make headlines.

None. Zero. Nada. I've been 18 inches away from acing a par four though.

Is Golden Horseshoe a bad website, or a bad course? I've been meaning to drive down to play that.