and this link is a great way to see this hallowed piece of golfing history.
Enjoy.
http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/article/0,28136,1725665,00.html
Archive for Golf Tournaments
A winter golf update…
So,
Went to Qatar last week ostensibly for work, however, I spent most of my time at the Doha Golf club watching the Commercialbank Qatar Masters.
Interesting tour is the EPGA. I actually found that I enjoy watching it more than the PGA. You get much closer to the players, they are more acceptable to autograph seekers, and they actually take the time to speak with you. The paranoids on the PGA tour, (read Americans) think that everyone is out to get them, or a piece of them. Sad really. The fans, like fans everywhere, pay for those enormous winnings someway or another.
Now, the Qatar Masters, presented by Commercialbank, doesn’t even charge admission to the event!! Can you imagine??
Anyhow, I spent a very agreeable 4 days there. Missed Friday’s round, but did see the Pro-Am, and all the rest of the rounds. Watched Adam Scott shoot 61 (course record) on Sunday to come from behind and win by 3 strokes. Gorgeous round, and history made.
Apart from that, here’s what transpired.
On Wed., I was wandering down the range and bumped into Michael Campbell. Shorter than on TV, and way more tanned. Very nice person to talk to though, and he signed my hat. Proceeded to wander and spent a short period of time watching Luke Donald hit shot after shot perfectly. Frustrating really, but I did learn something from him, Lee Westwood and Sergio. They all set up their iron shots to the hosel end as opposed to the middle or the toe. Something that I will try next week when I am in the dome.
So, finished with Luke, (no signature as he was in the middle of his practice) and started back to the 9th lounge when who should I see but Miguel Angel. Dressed nattily in his street clothes and talking with some of his fellow pros about this and that. Have to add as an aside, there seems to be a ton of camaraderie and good sportsmanship over on the Euro tour. Good to see actually.
Back to MAJ. I motioned to him with a signing action, and he beckoned me on to the driving range. On the good side of the ropes, FINALLY!!!!
I asked how he was, and how his round was, and also how many stogies he smoked today. He chatted a bit, signed another hat, we had a laugh, I wished him all the best, and off I went. A happy golf fan.
Also met David Probyn sitting on a golf cart. No, didn’t expect you to know who he is. Just the tournament director for the EPGA. Powerful man. And also bloody nice.
So, Sunday comes and I am poking around and this is what went on.
Watched Luke again, and got his autograph before he started his practice. Watched Lee Westwood for a while, but didn’t get a signature. No worries, I figure I earned more respect that way for not interrupting.
Got Nick Dougherty to sign, and had a chance to chat with him about football later on when he was going to the chipping green and the first tee.
Saw Fanny (Henrik Stenson, Nick Faldo) and got her to sign, and then got Henrik. talked to him a bit about Sweden and Dubai. Nice guy. Also apologised that I got Fanny to sign first, but he smiled and made a joke.
Watching Sergio hit for a while, and then out of the corner of my eye I see burberry clothing. Who but Adam Scott? So, I slowly made my way out onto the pathway and asked him nicely if he would sign. He said sure and did so. We chatted a bit about clothes and clubs, I showed him my 1eyeron belt which he liked, and then I told him about the request from BC. Sorry man, no picture. Didn’t have my camera. However, he is coming for dinner next week.
So, what other name can I drop? Colin of course and he remembered me from the Skins. Yes he did. And, he loved Canada and is coming back to the Skins this year out west. Phillip Archer. Stephen Dodd. Rory McIlroy. Sergio after his round. Showed him the belt and he said to say hi to Alistair. Hi Alistair.
Apart from that, it was fun. I firmly believe that Adam won because he signed for me that morning, and I am sticking to it.
So, there you have it GOLF fans. That was my little adventure in the desert and in the world of the men who actually play the game like it should be.
Till then,
Keep it in the short grass,
Boomer
BC & Boomer at the TELUS World Skins Game
I had forgotten to mention that Boomer and I attended day two of the TELUS World Skins Game at The Raven at Lora Bay last week [Dennis was also to attend, but got lost and spent seven hours in the car before turning around and going home]. John Daly, Retief Goosen, Stephen Ames, Geoff Ogilvy and Colin Montgomerie battled it out around the course, with Daly chipping in for eagle to win $220,000 and the championship. It was an extremely intimate setting to be involved in – these guys are ten feet away from you sometimes – and we got up-close looks at their drives, fairway shots and putting strokes. I don’t think I really had much of an appreciation for just how *good* these guys are before seeing them up-close.
The best part of the day was a conversation, though, between Boom-Boom and Colin Montgomerie. It went like so:
KEVIN [at the ropes, holding out a "Montgomerie- Dubai" hat for him to sign]: Colin! Read the hat!
MONTY [reading it]: Ahh, that’s nice to see! Have you played there?
KEVIN: Yes! I used to be a member.
MONTY: What happened?
KEVIN: I came back here. But I’m going back.
MONTY: Good! I need your money!
Laughter all around and good times had by all. Stephen Ames also signed my hat, which was nice, while Daly passed over signing my John Daly driver head cover a couple of times. Again, the intimacy is high at these things, and I would definitely go back and see it again. $75 seems a little steep, but you’d play twice that to play at The Raven anyhow, and it’s a rare occassion to see PGA golfers up close and personal. It’s a great day, and very enjoyable.
- BC
World Match Play, or how Boom-boom gets the Muffin back.
So, the WGC brackets have been set and we are taking on all comers as to who will win this. Obviously TW has to be a favourite, but I like Furyk, Weir and pick an unknown.
Here is the link to the bracket for your perusal, and check back daily for the updates and BC’s comments and my rebuttals.
Happy Bracketing!!
B-b
Testing Out Purefit [And BC Wins A Muffin]
Yesterday, Dennis brought over two Purefit 6-irons that Kevin had his buddy make up for me to try out. Purefit is a small Malaysian outfit that makes some really nice clubs for a fraction of the price of the big-named outfits, and I’m interested in a new set. I took ‘em to the range and knocked around a hundred balls to decide which set I liked better.
The Purefit 308SI are a set of game-improvement irons that have really big blades and really deep cavities. This 6-iron had a TrueTemper steel shaft and some really nice Acculfex grips that felt great. I hit it alright, but I’m just a duffer, and the ball seemed to drop off for me in power really quickly near the end of it’s flight. Pretty quality club, though.
The ID Tri Cavity was exceptionally forgiving. I’ve not played with graphite shafts before, and the Accuflex shaft was a little stiff for me, but the ball really sprung off the club face. Every bad shot I made seemed to be because of something I did, and some of them seemed genuinely corrected by the club itself. I really enjoyed this club, and it’s the one I chose. It’s pretty, too.
So I’ve ordered up a set through Croucher, and I’ll take ‘em to the range Saturday and Seaton on Sunday. The Purefit id RAW driver looks incredible, by the way, and Kevin showed me a Purefit wedge he played with that he absolutely loved. Clicke Purefit’s link, and take a look: I’m betting that next week I’ll be able to report that they were totally worth the minor investment.
***
With his win at the American Express Championship today, Tiger’s now the first player in PGA Tour history to win at least eight times in three seasons. He crushed the field by eight strokes, and I’m starting to wonder if God sometimes picks up a nine-iron and pretends to be Tiger Woods when no one’s looking. [That's a joke, by the way. I don't believe Tiger Woods actually exists.]
So while that wins me a muffin, I think I’m still down a pumpkin-spiced latte from the Ryder Cup. I think the Chrysler Classic’s up next, and Tiger’s taking a break after playing something like seven of the last nine weeks, so predictions ought to be a bit more difficult this week coming up.
- BC
Seaton Golf Course Review; World Golf Predictions Part II [BC's Gettin' A Muffin!]
Here’s the current leaderboard after Round Two at the American Express Championship. If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t think too much of it, but it’s Tiger and I’ve got to think I’m winning a muffin. Of course, it’s only fair to point out that picking Tiger to win a tournament is like picking Lance Armstrong to win the Tour. It’s not like I’m going out on a limb here. Any Moving Day Predictions, anyone? Feel free to comment.
Anyhow, as Tiger looks to deny Furyk AGAIN on Sunday, I figure I could fill in some time with another Ontario golf course review.
***
SEATON GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB
2665 Brock Road
Pickering, ON L1V 2P8
Clubhouse: 905-683-3822
CATEGORY / RATING [out of 5]
Beauty – 3.5
Strategy – 3
Challenge – 3.5
Design – 3
Par 3 Holes – 3
Par 4 Holes – 4
Par 5 Holes – 3.5
Conditioning – 4
Fun – 4
Course Service – 3
Pace of Play – 3.5
Value for Money- 4.5
Food Quality – 3
Walkability – Good
Over All Rating – 4
For Scoregolf‘s Course Rating, click HERE
NOTES: I’d better come clean by saying that I consider Seaton to be our foursome’s home course, and therefore I’m obviously a biased fan of it. Amir doesn’t like it all that much, but the rest of us do: for $55 on a Sunday morning with cart, it can’t be beat, baby.
There’s some challenging little holes [Croucher has great local knowledge here he'll share with you, but the 7th is the toughest, and the 6th through 10th can really test you], and in general Seaton’s a great bang for your buck. If you’re like me and unable or unwilling to play $100+ golf courses around Ontario, you’re probably going to enjoy Seaton as much as I do. There’s no really stupidly-designed holes, the pin placement is almost always fair to us duffers, and the food at the clubhouse is edible. It’s a 6018 yard, par 70 course, so it’s walkable, and it’s not overly hilly, so you won’t feel like you need a mountain goat to carry your bags like you might at Dentonia. Here’s a course outline:
The bottom line at this place is that if you’re a weekend golfer looking to have some fun and be challenged a little bit without feeling beat up on by the course, Seaton’s worth the drive from anywhere in the GTA.
If you’re going, tell Mark that Kevin Croucher and his gang sent you. It probably won’t do you any good, but it might get us something!
CROUCHER’S LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: SEATON G&CC
[Kevin originally posted his words of advice as a comment, but it deserves it's own section.]
Stay to the left-centre of #3 and you will be rewarded with an easy chip to a longer than wide green.
IF you have the cojones for it, stay down the roadside of the fairway on #4. This will leave you with a nice approach into a very undulating green. If you do go up the right, be smart, chip back to the front edge of the green area, get up and down, and walk away with a 4.
Don’t be a hero on #5. Hit it to the 150 marker and stay to the left of this green. It runs away towards the east, and it is protected by a steep faced bunker.
Right is might on #6 if you have to bail anywhere, and oh yeah, stay below the hole. You may as well, because if you don’t and you hit your putt too hard, you will be there anyhow. Save a stroke, play smart.
On #7 you have three choices. Be scared by the trees in front and to the right. Let the trees on the left, and the hydro wires make your tummy turn, or you can block them all out, hit a club that will get you to the other side of the hill, shading to the left a bit, (not too far though as you will see when you get up there) and hit an easy second shot into a fair green and walk away with a par. Really easy to type, not so easy to do.
#8 is a nice, all carry Par 3 with a protecting bunker, and a hidden from the tee, very long, flat, fast green. Tight tee shot with trees on both sides, so hit a club that you can either carry 200 yards (from the blues) or bail to the landing area on the hill side. Either way, if you get a 4 on this hole, high fives all ’round, and walk quickly to #9.
#9 is about 310 yards fom the back tees, and if you stop and think about it, you can get a four on this hole without too much trouble. It looks hard, seems hard, but if you hit whatever club can get you to the 150 marker, hit another one that can get you 150 yards on an uphill track, then the only thing you will really have to worry about is the green which is quick front to back. So you get a 5. Take it and get to the clubhouse for a snackie-poo and you have made your turn.
# 10 is fairly straight forward. A 400 yards or so Par 4 that you should play on the right-center of the fairway. Longish green with a little slope at the front. Should be a nice 4/5.
I like #11, especially standing on the green during the fall and looking back up the hill. Gorgeous colours and a nice view. This is a downhill Par 4 that you can let it all out on. Play down what seems the right, but is really the centre of the fairway. Although, you can play down the left and your approach shot isnt that hard either. Big green that has a few big slopes on it. If you come in from the left you can land on the hilly side of the green and run the ball down to somewhere near the pin.
I HATE 12!!! Therefore, I say never speak of it again.
13 is a good Par 5 that you need to have your brain-cells meshing on. Out of bounds all the way down the right, and a pinched in fairway near the 150 marker with a freaking stupid big tree right in the middle up by the 100 yard pin. And if that isn’t enough, a bloody pond is to the left of the green that is deceptive. Hit your tee shot to the leftish center of the fairway. If you can hit a 3-wood or 5 wood long, then go at the green. If not, then be smart, hit it somewhere up near the 150-125 yard mark, and hit a high wedge into the green. You do that, and you can walk away with a par. Don’t do it, and you walk away with a double.
On 14 go at the 150 marker off the tee. Really. Downhill from there with a big green that is fast and runs away to the back.
# 15 is an all carry Par 3 that you will love in the Spring/Fall and hate in the Summer. This green slopes dramtically to the front so hit it high, land it soft and walk away quickly if you get anything less than a 5.
We are now in the home stretch. The tee shot on 16 needs to be more left than right, as the hole is a 90 degree dogleg right that will punish you for being a Republican. Just for this hole be a centrist, or even, dare I say it, a small L, liberal. The green, when you get there runs faster than Ben Johnson from left to right, so be smart. Play to the swale in front, and putt it in.
# 17 you can almost drive if you can hit it 300 or so. If not, stay in the middle, land your approach in front (not when it is wet though,) and keep in mind this is a small green that is very quick. Flat, but quick.
Let it all hang out on 18. You can get home from really anywhere in the fairway. (I said ‘fairway’ Tim). Big flat green, with only a few little bumps.
- Kevin
World Golf Championships. American Express Championship. Tiger Woods Championship?
Awrite, fellas… it’s prediction time again. And this time, it’s about the American Express Championship.
Tiger’s won five tournaments in a row now, if you don’t include the European Tour’s World Match Play event he crapped out on, and if you don’t count the Ryder Cup, which is obviously a team effort. Tiger himself considers the streak over tournament-wise, but not Tour-wise, which might say something about his confidence in defending the American Express title this weekend. As I write this, he’s just hit an eagle on 18 to take the lead with a -8; Padraig and Poulter are -7 apiece.
Stewart Cink’s been playing well [Ryder Cup play aside, team-wise], and he’s sitting at -6 with Ernie Els, who’s body maybe isn’t as healed as he says it is. Furyk, Karlsson and Scott are sharing a -4, Donald’s in at a -3, and Trevor Immelman – who’s beaten Woods on Tour this year, and who’s bound to start breaking through regularly soon - is also 3 under.
So, let’s hear it: is Woods taking another one? Even after the Match Play and Ryder events, I’m saying yes to that one. I invite all opinions.
- BC
It’s A Ryder Cup Rout
So The Ryder Cup ends once more, and congratulations are in order for the Euros. Woosie, Monty and the lads from across the pond continue to dominate the American contingent, and deserve all of our respect. At 18.5 to 9.5 in points when it’s all said and done, I don’t suppose we can say we’re overly impressed up here in the Great White North with our American neighbours – in truth, I’m sure that a lot of us were rooting for Europe from the get-go, being as multi-cultural as we are – but as the Maple Leaf fans like to say, there’s always next year [or at least, the year after that, anyhow]. I’d have liked to see it closer, but I suppose the Europeans are just plain better at team play.
Instead of focusing on the downside for the Americans, however, let’s talk about the brightest spot of the tournament. This picture, I think, says it all.
From John L. Byrwa’s article at www.rydercup.com:
[Darren] Clarke, a captain’s pick by Woosnam, was sensational in the face of unimaginable emotion. His 3-and-2 win over rookie Zach Johnson gave Clarke a perfect 3-0 mark here and also was his first-ever singles victory.
And while the victory will go miles in cementing Europe as a clear-cut favorite when the 2008 matches move to Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Clarke, who was unsure if he would even play in the event and went nearly two months without playing following his wife’s death, struggled to put into words what the victory and his experience here will mean for him personally.
“It’s done a lot for me,” Clarke, the father of two sons, Conor, 8, and Tyrone, 5. “It’s done a lot for people to show me how much they care and how much they care about me. It’s done a lot to show that they cared about Heather, and that means everything.
“To be here all week, my team have been unbelievable. The American guys have just been … the support that they have shown me, and their wives, has just been incredible. And the crowd on Friday morning will be something I cherish forever.”
So will we, Darren.
- BC
Ryder ‘Til It Hurts [Predictions, Round II]
RYDER CUP PREDICTIONS [ROUND II]
kcrouche said,
Match 1
Stewart Cink/J.J. Henry 3 a.m. ET Paul Casey/Robert Karlsson
I like Europe in this one, I see it 2 and 1.
Match 2
Phil Mickelson/Chris DiMarco 3:15 a.m. ET Sergio Garcia/Jose Maria Olazabal
Have to go with Europe again on this as I think that the US is tired, but Phil and Chris may surprise.
Match 3
Tiger Woods/Jim Furyk 3:30 a.m. ET Darren Clarke/Lee Westwood
Eager to recover from Friday morning, DC and LW will storm this match. I see it going back and forth, but 1 UP to the Europeans.
Match 4
Scott Verplank/Zach Johnson 3:45 a.m. ET Henrik Stenson/Padraig Harrington Europe sweeps the morning matches to take a 9 to 3 lead.
Big Clumsy said,
Match 1
Stewart Cink/J.J. Henry 3 a.m. ET Paul Casey/Robert Karlsson
Given the first round, I like a split here. TIE.
Match 2
Phil Mickelson/Chris DiMarco 3:15 a.m. ET Sergio Garcia/Jose Maria Olazabal
I’m going to take the Spanish Armada again. EUROPE.
Match 3
Tiger Woods/Jim Furyk 3:30 a.m. ET Darren Clarke/Lee Westwood
Eager to recover from Friday morning, DC and LW will storm this match. I see it going back and forth, but 1 UP to the Europeans.
Agreed. EUROPE.
Match 4
Scott Verplank/Zach Johnson 3:45 a.m. ET Henrik Stenson/Padraig Harrington
My pick’s EUROPE, but not a 9-3 lead with the split tie.
Ryder? I Hardly Even… Well, You Know The Rest
RYDER CUP PREDICTIONS!
The Ryder Cup is set to begin, and for some of us fans, that means it’s the best time time of the [next two] year[s] as far as golf goes. While I love the Open, the U.S. Open, the Masters and all the rest, the Ryder Cup holds my interest more than any other golfing event. And so, it’s prediction time! Feel free to join in with a comment and your own predictions, and we’ll see if we can’t get Croucher to do a little head-to-head predicting here, with a Pumpkin Spice latte at Starbucks going to the winner.
FOURBALLS
Friday, September 21st
Colin Montgomerie and Padraig Harrington vs. Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk. Despite their Ryder Cup records and all the talk about how the Americans only care about money events, I think it would be unwise to pick Monty and Harrington over Woods and Furyk in any event whatsoever. Tiger and Jim are a one-two punch that’s tough to beat… especially if you’re Monty and Padraig. BC’S PICK: America.
Stewart Cink and JJ Henry vs. Paul Casey and Robert Karlsson. Cink and Henry. Cink has played really well lately, and while I think Henry was a questionable choice, Karlsson’s a rookie here [albeit one with a solid partner]. BC’S PICK:America.
David Toms and Brett Wetterich vs. Sergio Garcia and Jose Maria Olazabal. Garcia and Olazabal sound like a hell of a pairing to me, so good on Woosie for putting them together. Toms is Toms, and I never hear about Brett these days. I’m thinking the Spanish lads are going to open a can of Inquisition here. BC’S PICK: Europe.
Phil Mickelson and Chris DiMarco vs. Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke. You know, this is the toughest pick for me, because my head says one thing and my heart says the other. Mickelson is uncanny and DiMarco really solid, but I like Westwood’s style, and Darren Clarke is a personal favourite of mine. I think Clarke is what tips the balance here, too: he’s incredibly likeable, and after suffering the tragedy of his wife passing away very recently, he’s an Irishman who’s going to have the crowd on his side DOUBLE-strong. In the end, the heart wins out. BC’S PICK: Europe.
- BC
