March 12th, 2010 by PGA Golf Art

Tiger Woods is back practicing at the Isleworth Country Club driving range, and some fellow PGA Tour pros are taking notice. So far, Charles Howell III and J.B. Holmes have both shared the range with Woods, and both came away impressed.

Howell told CBSSports.com that he spent an hour with Woods, including watching Tiger hit balls. Did Woods look rusty? No:

“… (H)e looked as good as he ever has,” Howell said. “Seriously, he seemed like he was hitting it the same as he ever did.”

Holmes watched Woods from the other end of the Isleworth range, and told Golfweek:

“I watched him hit about five or six drivers, and it looked like they all ended up in a 10-yard area. I said to myself, ‘It looks like he’s hitting it pretty good.’ “

The Masters is one month away. Between then and now, there are two PGA Tour events that Woods plays, the WGC CA Championship next week and the Arnold Palmer Invitational March 25-28. There’s also the Tavistock Cup March 22-23, an event that has been the subject of speculation as a potential return target for Tiger.

Meanwhile, Jack Nicklaus said of Woods’ possible return, “I can’t imagine in 100 years he’s going to miss Augusta.”

What do you think?

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Tiger Turning Heads on Driving Range originally appeared on About.com Golf on Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 13:42:11.

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March 11th, 2010 by PGA Golf Art

John Daly’s reality TV show on the Golf Channel debuted this week. But John Daly’s reality remains far more attention-grabbing than any reality show.

Daly is taking fire today because he used his Twitter account to post a newspaper reporter’s cell phone number, to call that reporter a “jerk,” and to urge his followers to call the reporter. Presumably not to wish the reporter a good night and a pleasant tomorrow.

Here’s the chain the events:

• Back in 2005, Daly filed a lawsuit against Morris Publishing, a media company, claiming libel.
• As part of that lawsuit, the PGA Tour was forced to turn over its personnel file on Daly. That file thus became public record.
• Last year, the lawsuit was thrown out, and Daly was ordered to pay Morris’ court fees.
• On Tuesday, Gary Smits, a reporter for the Florida Times-Union - a newspaper owned by Morris Publishing - had an article detailing the contents of that personnel file: 456 pages of transgressions by Daly (more on that in a sec).
• Late Tuesday, Daly posted three tweets that included attacks on the reporter and the reporter’s cell phone number.
• Early Wednesday, Daly removed the tweets.

But the tweets have been saved for posterity by multiple sources, including the Associated Press, which reports this is how they read: Read more…

Discuss: John Daly’s Latest originally appeared on About.com Golf on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 at 17:38:31.

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March 8th, 2010 by PGA Golf Art

How good might Rickie Fowler be? The best answer to that is: Wait and see. But the early indications are certainly very good, aren’t they?

Last year, at age 20, Fowler finished tied for second, losing in a playoff at the Frys.com Open. On Sunday, at age 21, Fowler finished solo second, a stroke behind Hunter Mahan at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

Winning at age 20 or 21 is a strong indication of greatness. I’m not sure whether there’s any correlation between multiple runner-up finishes at age 20 and 21 and future stardom. But just for fun, let’s look at who’s won at those ages.

Since 1970, the only 20-year-olds to win on the PGA Tour are:

• Seve Ballesteros (1978 Greater Greensboro Open)
• Phil Mickelson (1991 Northern Telecom Open)
• Tiger Woods (1996 Las Vegas Invitational and 1996 Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic)

Three all-time greats. You win on the PGA Tour at age 20, you’re bound for glory. But Fowler missed out at age 20, losing in that playoff.

Fowler is now 21. Here are the golfers since 1970 who’ve won at age 21:

• Ben Crenshaw (1973 San Antonio Texas Open)
• Scott Verplank (1985 Western Open)
• Robert Gamez (1990 Northern Telecom Tucson Open and 1990 Nestle Invitational)
• Sergio Garcia (three times)
• Tiger Woods (four times)

An impressive group. Tiger is Tiger, Crenshaw is a Hall of Famer, Sergio has been among the best in the world for a good portion of the time since those wins in 2001. Verplank didn’t live up to expectations, but has been a solid - sometimes very good - PGA Tour player for a long time. Gamez was bedeviled by injuries.

So if Fowler does win during his 21st year, it’s a good indicator but certainly no guarantee that greatness might await. Of course, plenty of golfers don’t win until later years and still become great. Fowler doesn’t have to win now to satisfy some sort of precondition.

But I’ll add just one more group of players. The golfers since 1970 to win on the PGA Tour at age 22 are: Lanny Wadkins, Jerry Pate, Bobby Clampett, David Gossett, Sean O’Hair, Anthony Kim, plus Mickelson and Woods. From a Hall of Famer (Wadkins) to a washout (Gossett). Clampett’s win was his only one; Kim and O’Hair have many years to go yet.

It’s not exactly going out on a limb to predict that Fowler has an excellent career ahead of him. But just how good do you think he’ll be? I think he’s going to win … 11 times on the PGA Tour. Cast your vote on Fowler’s future:

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See also:

• Rickie Fowler photos

Another Near-Miss for Rickie Fowler originally appeared on About.com Golf on Sunday, February 28th, 2010 at 20:36:23.

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March 7th, 2010 by PGA Golf Art

Two LPGA tournaments down, two wins for Ai Miyazato in 2010. The Japanese star won the season-opener in Thailand last week. Today, she claimed the HSBC Champions in Singapore by two strokes over Cristie Kerr. Miyazato began the final round tied for the lead with 49-year-old Juli Inkster, but Inkster faded to a tie for ninth.

Miyazato, too, looked like she might fade early, opening with two straight bogeys. But she recorded seven birdies the rest of the round.

The last time a player won the first two tournaments on the LPGA schedule was 1966, when Marilynn Smith did it. Mickey Wright (1963), Louise Suggs (1952) and Babe Didrikson Zaharias (1951) are the only other players to open an LPGA season with two-straight wins. That’s some mighty good company to be in.

See the HSBC Champions scores/interviews for the LPGA’s coverage.

The LPGA doesn’t play again until March 25 when the Kia Classic presented by J Golf begins. Some of the top players, however, will be in action the next two weeks, in one or both of the the ANZ Ladies Masters in New Zealand and the Women’s Australian Open. Both are part of the LET schedule and both have their strongest fields ever. And speaking of the LET, Laura Davies won the New Zealand Women’s Open today on the LET.

See also:

• Gallery: Ai Miyazato photos

Two in a Row for Miyazato originally appeared on About.com Golf on Sunday, February 28th, 2010 at 08:24:05.

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March 6th, 2010 by PGA Golf Art

Last December, about two weeks after Tiger Woods‘ post-Thanksgiving auto accident, Gatorade confirmed it was discontinuing its “Tiger Focus” line of sports drinks. The timing was coincidental. The discontinuation was actually first reported in a trade publication a couple days before Woods’ wreck.

But there’s nothing coincidental about today’s announcement: Gatorade confirmed that it will no longer be associated with Tiger. While the company said it remains committed to the Tiger Woods Foundation, Tiger himself won’t be back as an endorser.

“I can confirm that we no longer see a role for Tiger in our marketing efforts and have ended our relationship,” Gatorade spokesperson Jennifer Schmit told CNBC. “… We wish Tiger all the best.”

Gatorade joins Accenture and AT&T as companies that have discontinued their endorsement deals with Woods since the scandals erupted. Nike and EA are among the companies publicly sticking by Woods, while Tag Heuer and Gillette still have deals with Woods but diminished or (perhaps temporarily) halted Woods’ advertising appearances.

Gatorade Cuts Ties with Tiger Woods originally appeared on About.com Golf on Friday, February 26th, 2010 at 18:24:09.

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March 5th, 2010 by PGA Golf Art

Interested in viewing photos from the Waste Management Phoenix Open? About.com’s Phoenix guide, Judy Hedding, spends time at the tournament every year. She blogged about opening day at the 2010 tournament. Check it out, then check out her more than 100 photos of the tournament through the years.

Phoenix Open Photos originally appeared on About.com Golf on Friday, February 26th, 2010 at 11:47:28.

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March 4th, 2010 by PGA Golf Art

The Mojo 6 is an unofficial-money tournament on the LPGA schedule - if it were played at the end of the season rather than April, we’d call it a “silly season” event - that is using an innovative format, and some innovative marketing.

But Anna Rawson may be outdoing the Mojo 6 in the area of innovative marketing when it comes to her attempt to get into the Mojo 6.

First, about the Mojo 6: It’s scheduled April 15-16 in Jamaica, with CBS broadcasting the results May 1-2. The tournament uses a format called “Raceway Golf” in which golfers face each other in 6-hole matches. Golfers get to pick their opponents, and gain points by winning their 6-hole matches. At the Mojo 6, the 16 players in the field each play three matches on Day 1; accumulated points determine the eight golfers who advance to the championship round.

It’s that 16-player field with which Mojo 6 organizers are having some marketing fun. Fifteen of the players taking part are announced; the 16th and final spot is currently being voted on by … us. By fans. Candidates for the 16th spot in the field include Catriona Matthew, Eun-Hee Ji, Jeong Jang, Laura Davies, Nicole Castrole and Vicky Hurst. Also Amy Alcott, Lindsey Wright, Marianne Skarpnord, Sandra Gal and Bea Recari.

And Anna Rawson. And Rawson really wants your vote. Rawson has pledged to donate her winnings from the Mojo 6 to charity if she wins the fan vote for that 16th spot in the field. International Medical Corps, UNICEF and Inspire - a foundation that helps youths affected by suicide (Rawson’s mother committed suicide when Anna was five) - are the three charities that will split Rawson’s winnings should Rawson get into the Mojo 6 field.

Well-played, Anna. I’ll cast a vote for that.

Mojo 6 voting is open until March 14. Fans can vote once a day, and you must provide your email address to cast a vote. Visit the Mojo 6 Web site to vote.

See also:

• Anna Rawson photos

An Offer We Can’t Refuse? originally appeared on About.com Golf on Thursday, February 25th, 2010 at 13:29:39.

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March 3rd, 2010 by PGA Golf Art

One of the sports I’ve been watching at the Vancouver Olympics is curling. Which doesn’t mean I understand curling. Like nearly all Americans, I had no idea what was going on when I first started watching curling. I’ve picked up a little bit, however, and am a little surprised at how interesting I find it.

I’ve also learned there are some connections between golf and curling. Like Maria Hjorth, for example. Hjorth, from Sweden, has been a member of the LPGA Tour since 1998, and perennially a solid player and Solheim Cupper. She’s also a great curler. Or at least was, before she left Europe. (I imagine most curlers’ skills atrophy once they move to Florida, where Hjorth lives.)

As a youth in Sweden, Hjorth was a member of Swedish national teams. She and her teammates won a bronze medal at the 1992 World Junior Curling Championships, which she chose over a golf tournament. “I was picked for the Spanish amateur championship in golf the same week,” Hjorth said, “but chose curling.”

Hjorth continued playing, moving on into top-level curling competition in Sweden after her junior career ended. “I played in the highest division in Sweden for many years and got a bronze medal three times,” Hjorth said. “I was the skipper and had my own team.”

Hjorth joined the Ladies European Tour in 1996, and for two years split time between golf and curling. “It was not a problem to combine because the curling season finished in March,” Hjorth said, and the golf season started in April.

Only when she moved to the LPGA in 1998 did Hjorth finally fully commit to golf over curling. A couple days ago on Twitter, Hjorth wrote:

… (F)inally I get to see some curling. It is so much fun to watch being a champion myself. I miss it sometimes!

Another connection between golf and curling: Read more…

Golf-Curling Connections originally appeared on About.com Golf on Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 at 15:15:21.

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March 1st, 2010 by PGA Golf Art

A couple years ago, in early 2008, Ian Poulter caused a bit of stir when he told an interviewer he was the only golfer capable of challenging Tiger Woods. “When I play to my potential I just feel there will only be me and Tiger Woods,” Poulter said. “There’s no one else I rate that highly.”

Poulter took a few shots from fellow pros insulted by the remark, and took quite a bit of mockery from golf media and bloggers who were mostly amused by the comment. After all, at the time he said it, Poulter had never won on the USPGA and wasn’t ranked anywhere near No. 2.

Well, now he has, and he is. Poulter defeated Paul Casey to win the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship on Sunday, earning his first WGC tournament win, and official USPGA Tour victory No. 1. And the win moved him up to No. 5 in the world rankings. No. 5 isn’t No. 2, but it’ll do. For now.

Poulter has always said his remarks about Tiger were misinterpreted, that he meant no disrespect to other players. He was simply expressing a desire to be the best. But since being better than Woods is out of reach for most Tour players who are being reasonable with themselves, Poulter said he wanted to be No. 2.

“If you don’t think you can be the best - or at least second best to the finest golfer who has ever lived - you’re wasting your time,” Poulter told the British newspaper The Sun later in 2008. “And no one has ever accused me of being short of ambition or self-belief.”

Tiger, for one, got a kick out of Poulter’s “only me and Tiger Woods” remarks. Woods started calling Poulter “No. 2.” “He always greets me now by shouting, ‘How’s it going No 2?’ ” Poulter told The Sun. “And I reply, ‘It’s all great No 1.’ ”

Poulter was pretty in pink on Sunday in Arizona, beating Casey while decked out in an all-pink outfit. Poulter has always been a charismatic player, and an easily recognizable player with his interesting (and mostly successful) fashion sense. Now he’s finally a winner in America - and much closer to being No. 2.

See also:

• Photo gallery: Ian Poulter fashion

Ian Poulter Is Almost No. 2 originally appeared on About.com Golf on Sunday, February 21st, 2010 at 18:55:21.

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February 28th, 2010 by PGA Golf Art

The morning quarterfinals are over, and Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Camilo Villegas and Paul Casey are left standing for the afternoon semifinals at the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship.

Given that Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson didn’t play; given that No. 1 seed Steve Stricker went out in the first round; given that Ernie Els and Jim Furyk were among the stars who failed to go deep; given that Ryo Ishikawa and Rory McIlroy got knocked off before today, given all that … the quartet of Garcia, Poulter, Villegas and Casey looks pretty darn good.

Lots of talent and charisma in that quartet of semifinalists. Live brackets

Lots of Charisma in WGC Match Play Semis originally appeared on About.com Golf on Saturday, February 20th, 2010 at 13:43:52.

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