PGA Tour goes low
Watching Thursday's round at Harbour Town, I couldn't help but think how happy all those guys must have been to be out of Augusta. Just about everyone was putting up a good number on a course that wasn't playing nearly as tough as the one they were on a week ago.
It's hard to say which is better for the game. Would fans rather see golfers tear up a golf course and go as low as they can or would they prefer to see the world's best grind on a difficult course and struggle to stay near even par? It's hard to say.
Personally, I like seeing the guys fight the course. I think a difficult course truly brings the best players to the top because they have to think their way around the course and decide on a course of action.
Let me know what you think. It's likely that we're in for another battle when the US Open comes along because Oakmont will be set up tough once again.Labels: golf, PGA Tour
Annika out for a month
I know we usually cover more PGA Tour news here in the Travel Blog, but word is that Annika Sorenstam will miss the next month because of back pain. What will that mean for the most dominate female golfer of the last decade?
Likely, a drop in the rankings.
With several women already gaining ground on her (Sorenstam has already dropped to second in the world rankings), it seems likely that she could slip even more. Lorena Ochoa, Morgan Pressel and Karrie Webb are all playing well and will move up with solid performance this week.
Sorenstam withdrew from the Ginn Open following her pro-am round. Doctors in south Florida discovered a ruptured disk and a bulging disk. She said she would see a neurosurgeon in Miami later Thursday to figure out what to do next.Labels: annika sorenstam, golf
The Masters: Congrats Zach Johnson
As everyone knows by now, Zach Johnson got his first major victory by holding off a late charge from Tiger Woods and Justin Rose to win the 2007 Masters. Congratulations to him!
My only comment from the tournament is how disappointed I was in the broadcast team as they made excuses for Tiger Woods. Coming down the stretch, the praised him and called his eagle on 13 a 'shot in the arm'. But two holes later, after his ball bounded into the water, one said Tiger must be sick because he's not playing well today.
Make no mistake, Woods is the best golfer on the planet, but he's never come from behind to win a major and I'm not sure why anyone expected that to change Sunday. There were plenty of skilled golfers at the top of the leaderboard as the tournament wound down, but only one of them was able to play mistake-free as needed.
After this close loss, Tiger will probably come back with a vengeance and win the US Open, but let's not make excuses for him if he doesn't. Golf is a tough game and sometimes you've got it, sometimes you don't. We're just used to seeing the world's top player on more often than not.
Labels: golf, the masters
The Masters: Palmer still involved and in color
Arnold Palmer said Tuesday that he'll be the tournament's seventh honorary starter. The four-time Masters champ, who last played three years ago, will hit the opening tee shot Thursday.
"The time has come," Palmer said Tuesday. "I think all of you know what Augusta means to me."
Palmer was the dominant player of the 1960s, winning seven major championships.
In other news, CBS announced that they had colorized the film from the 1960 Masters Tournament and will show it an hour before their coverage begins on Sunday afternoon. The film has never been shown on television before, only highlights from it.
Labels: golf, the masters
Golf for Computers
Bilquist Elementary School in Milwaukie is planning its second annual PTA golf scramble. All proceeds will help fund a new mobile computer lab for the school. The event will take place Saturday, April 21 at the Eagle Landing Family Gold Center, located at 10220 SE Causey Avenue in Happy Valley.
Participants will have their choice of an 18 hole golf game for $26 or 18 holes of putt-putt golf for $19. Lunch is included for all participants and prizes will be awarded for the best overall score.
Participants, sponsors and door-prize donors are urged to contact event organizer Christine Jeibmann at 503-721-2463.Labels: fundraisers, golf
The Masters: Practice Rounds and Preparation
Here's a quick rundown of the things we've been hearing from the hallowed grounds of Augusta National as players prepare for this year's Masters.
- Defending Champion Phil Mickelson got himself all revved up after making a hole-in-one on the par three 16th during a practice round Sunday. He chose to skip the popular day of practice on Monday and is back out on the course today.
- Gary Player is set to make his 50th start in The Masters, a number that will tie Arnold Palmer. Player got his practice round in on Sunday as well.
- Augusta National Chairman Bill Payne said there would be a few subtle changes to the course this year, including a wider fairway on the 11th and three fewer trees.
- The professionals and their kids will be out Wednesday for the annual Par Three Contest.
- Tuesday night marks the annual Champions Dinner.
Don't forget to visit KXL.com and enter for your chance to win a Nike CPR Rescue Wood!
Labels: golf, the masters
Masters Week gets underway
In just three days, the world's best golfers will tee it up at Augusta National. With that in mind, we'll have little Masters tidbits all week long.
First, NewsRadio 750 KXL is featuring complete tournament coverage at KXL.com. That includes pictures, links, trivia and an interactive course guide. You can also take your shot at picking the winner of the Masters and end up winning a Nike CPR Rescue Wood.
Champion's Dinner: Defending Champion Phil Mickelson has decided to have a Southern feast for this years dinner. The annual meal, held on Tuesday night, will include southern fried chicken, baby back ribs, beef brisket and smoked sausage. If that's not enough, vanilla ice cream will be served for dessert.
After winning the 2004 Masters for his first major, Mickelson served lobster ravioli in a tomato cream sauce, Caesar's salad and garlic bread at the champions dinner.
Along with choosing the menu, the defending champion also picks up the tab.
Labels: dinner, golf, the masters
Big weekend for young golfers
Two of the 'Next Big Thing' golfers hit it big over the weekend. Aussie Adam Scott held on to win the Houston Shell Open, and 18-year-old Morgan Pressel became the youngest to win an LPGA major.
In a sport where fans are always looking for the next great golfer (aka, someone to regularly battle established stars like Tiger Woods and Annika Sorenstam), we may have finally gotten a glimpse into the future.
Scott, currently ranked fifth in the world, has finally started to shake off some of the rust from his recent hiatus from the TOUR. He was able to grind out a win despite hitting his final tee shot into the water.
Pressel, who graduated from high school just months ago, has shown an amazing amount of talent since stepping into the spotlight. However, she's just one of the many young guns that have become competitive on the ladies circuit.Labels: golf, LPGA, PGA Tour
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