Sun. June 20, 2004
The Golden Goosen
On a Shinnecock Hills golf course with conditions so difficult that the average score was a lofty 78.8 and no one broke par on the final round, South African Retief Goosen won the US Open by two strokes with 11 one-putt holes in the final round. Retief Reaches Summit [Newsday.com]. Now everyone -- including Tiger Woods, who was never in contention and played as poorly as anyone on the course -- is criticizing the USGA, saying they made it too hard to play. But every player was on the same course, so it was equally hard for everyone.
These guys make millions every year for hitting a little ball around in the sunshine. Suck it up and play the game. That's what Goosen did, while competitors like Phil Mickelson (double bogey on the 17th hole with a three-putt) folded all around him. I say the guy plainly deserves his victory and the others are just cry babies.
Posted by glenn at Mon. April 12, 2004
Take That, Monkey!
In the feel-good story of the season, golfer Phil Mickelson shot a 31 on the back nine at Augusta National and sank a 20-foot birdie putt on the last hole to win the Masters. Leftie Mickelson had become almost a caricature of himself over the past few seasons, marked by 10 years of exasperatingly close -- but never winning -- finishes in golf's major championships. But yesterday the smile on his face never wavered and it was a look of peace, presence and confidence which he brought with him down the 18th fairway, along with five birdies in the last seven holes. Ernie Ells, who has won three majors and whose two magnificent eagles paced the afternoon, properly said that "Phil deserved this one. He won it. He didn't lose it like some of his other ones."
Way to go, Phil. Yours truly has never been a fan, but even I was cheering for you yesterday.
Mon. February 16, 2004
Ups and Downs
This has got to be the feel good sports story of the year. John Daly, who surged into prominence in 1991 by winning the U.S. Open as a professional golf rookie, has had more than his share of troubles over the years. Well-publicized bouts with alcoholism, breakdowns televised to the entire world, three failed marriages and nary a PGA win in sight for nearly a decade. Life always had a way of bringing out the best and the worst in Daly. At times it was hard to tell which was which.
Well, big John battled his demons over the weekend to win the Buick Invitation at Torrey Pines in San Diego in a playoff. Daly's Career Gets Jump-Start at Buick [washingtonpost.com] He then broke down in tears and hugged his caddy. He may be a jerk a lot of the time, but Daly is a tremendously empathetic figure given all he has been through and his connection to common people. Way to go, John!
Mon. June 16, 2003
A Whole Other World
Tiger's Aura Rapidly Fading. Tiger Woods finished the U.S. Open somewhere well back in the field, out of contention in 20th place or so. For the first time since Tiger won the PGA at Medinah in 1999, he is not entitled, not defending, not repeating. “When you’re playing great it’s a great game,” Woods said. “When you’re playing bad, it’s a whole other world out there.”
You can’t ignore the contrasts. During his run of four consecutive majors in 2000-01, Woods played the championships in a combined 65-under par. He has played his past two majors in 5-over. It's a whole new world out there!!
Mon. April 14, 2003
Tiger Is Human
Yahoo! News - Woods Looking More Human After Masters Failure
So the Tiger-man is human after all. What did you expect? Even a master can't win all the Masters.
Funny thing, though, is that while everyone complained that his huber-dominance was uninteresting, this year's Master's Sunday was decidedly less than exciting without Tiger in the hunt.
Sun. April 6, 2003
Swing Away!
Well after three years of playing golf I took my first lesson today. It was a video lesson, hitting only into a practice net, and suggested a couple of interesting things about why the game is so fascinating. Bottom line is that golf is a game of diametric opposites.
While writing this, BTW, I was listening to Hello, Goodbye from the album "Anthology" by The Beatles.
Golf is a game that requires a lot of thinking but also none at all. That is, one must analyze the swing, conditions and course challenges, but then eliminate all or almost all thought during the swing itself. It is that clearing of the mind and elimination of thought -- like the complementary challenge of patience and relaxation -- that provide the satisfaction from a good golf shot. On the other hand, most of the mechanics involved in golf itself are counter-intuitive. So what I learned today in my first lesson was that by focusing on avoiding a slice I had created swing mechanics that reduced power and actually led to increased spin and the dreaded "power fade." So over the next few weeks I will focus on clearing the hips before impact, allowing the club head to accelerate open and see where she flies!.