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Year of the Playoffs

August 25, 2008

We should have had an idea the season would be full of overtime golf the very first week at Kapalua, when Daniel Chopra bested Steve Stricker in extra holes at the Mercedes Championship. In the wake of the marvelous playoff we saw Sunday at The Barclays between Vijay Singh and Sergio Garcia, the 11th playoff of the season’s first 34 weeks, I give you another List: Top-5 Playoffs on the PGA Tour in 2008.

  1. 1. Tiger Woods & Rocco Mediate at the U.S. Open: Two words…Nineteen Holes! Not only was the phenomenal Monday back-and-forth between Tiger and Rocco the best of 2008, it’s among the best playoffs in the history of the PGA Tour.
  2. J.B. Holmes & Phil Mickelson at the FBR Open: After hometown hero Mickelson belted a 320-yard drive on the 18th, Holmes stepped up and completely pummeled a poke 360-yards, setting up the tournament-clinching birdie. Tough to one-up Philly Mick in his own backyard, but Holmes did.
  3. Vijay Singh & Sergio Garcia at The Barclays: Talk about one-upping…Sergio drops a 27-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole, forcing Vijay to make his 26-footer or go home. Singh sinks it, and wins on the very next hole with a two-putt birdie on the par-5 17th. Great news for the Fed Ex Cup playoffs…after a lackluster opening weekend, a playoff to end the first event really gets things humming for the playoffs week-2 in Boston.
  4. Sergio Garcia & Paul Goydos at the Players Championship: The only one-holer on the list, primarily due to the great build-up from the first three rounds: “Everyman” Goydos, the week’s feel good story, taking on “young stud” Sergio. Goydos rinsed his tee-shot on the island green 17th, opening the door for Garcia’s par to win it, his biggest career victory to date.
  5. Adam Scott & Ryan Moore at the Byron Nelson Championship: After Scott and Moore matched each other shot-for-shot over the first few extra holes, Scott sinks a 60-foot bomb of a birdie putt to notch his second Lonestar State title.

One final thought on Vijay: This latest victory is his fourth win at The Barclays (formerly the Buick Classic) and 33rd career PGA Tour victory overall. He’s already in the Hall of Fame, but consider this…just since turning 40, Vijay has amassed 21 wins including a major. For his career, Davis Love III, who many consider a borderline HOF’er, has amassed 19 victories including a major. What Vijay has accomplished AFTER reaching the Big 4-0 is HOF worthy.

Lastly, with Football Season right around the corner, I must state for the record my predication for the 2008 Florida Gators: 11-1 regular season, with the loss coming to Georgia in Jacksonville, which unfortunately keeps them out of the SEC Championship. Likely bowl date with Ohio State, Michigan or Iowa in either the Sugar Bowl (best case scenario) or Capital One Bowl.

That’s what my head says, anyway. My heart says they get by the Bulldogs, win the SEC Championship, and play USC for the National Championship January 8 at Dolphin Stadium!

Ernie Knows How Laszlo Feels

August 18, 2008

Once in a generation, if we’re lucky, we get to witness otherworldly talents who transcend their sport and rewrite the record books. My grandfather had Babe Ruth, Joe Louis, and Jesse Owens. My father witnessed Hank Aaron, Jack Nicklaus and Mark Spitz. And now I have the fortune to come along during the era of Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Tiger Woods…and Michael Phelps. The previous three men I’ve known of for quite some time, but the later is a phenomenon who I had HEARD of, but not until last week did I truly UNDERSTAND.

Phelps is a freak of nature every bit as dominant as Tiger and MJ. He just rewrote the Olympic record books, winning EIGHT Gold medals in Beijing, setting SEVEN world records, and touching countless lives with his grit, determination, and ridiculously-superb talent. And just as LUCKY as we all are to live in his era, that’s exactly how UNLUCKY all of his competitors are to be competing in his era.

Ernie Els knows EXACTLY what it feels like to be Hungarian swimmer Laszlo Cseh. Throughout Ernie’s Hall-of-Fame career, he’s won more than 60 tournaments worldwide, including 16 on the PGA Tour, three of those being majors. He would have won even more were it not for Woods. Els has finished second to Tiger six times on the PGA Tour, and three more times oversees…twice in Dubai alone. Remember Tiger’s phenomenal, not-of-this-world season in 2000, when he won NINE TIMES, including the final three majors of the year…all in record setting fashion? Guess who was runner-up to Tiger in TWO of those majors? Ernie. He finished second to Woods in both the U.S Open at Pebble Beach and the British Open at St. Andrews. Were it not for Tiger, Ernie could have had his own “Season for the Ages” in 2000.

Now fast forward to 2008. Phelps enters this 29th Olympiad with a perfectly drafted plan to win eight gold medals, something that had never been done before, and he proceeds to turn Beijing’s Water Cube into a personal playground, complete with “The Star Spangled Banner” playing on a continuous loop. But he needs foils to play the villain to his shining hero. Enter unlucky men like Laszlo Cseh. Three times last week the Hungarian swimmer turned in lifetime-best performances that shattered the current world records, and three times he emerged with SILVER, playing a mere second fiddle to the smoldering luminary that is Phelps.

For every Tiger Woods, there needs to be men like Els, Phil Mickelson, and Vijay Singh. For every Michel Phelps, foils like Cseh, Milorad Cavic, and Ryan Lochte must exist. How else would we truly understand the sheer greatness of the ALL-TIMERS, if not for other Hall-of-Fame level talents that PALE in comparison by their sides?

The Pad Piper

August 11, 2008

How did we not see this coming…AGAIN?!?! Padraig Harrington has become a 12-year, overnight sensation. Perhaps we should have seen the writing on the wall during his first career major in 1996 at Royal Lytham, where the precocious 24-year old rookie finished T-18, just a year removed from aiding GB&I; to a Walker Cup victory over the Americans at Royal Porthcawl. A dozen years later, he’s only the fifth man currently on the PGA Tour with at least three career major championship victories (a sure bet for HOF induction)…and all three within the last 13 MONTHS! Nobody’s had a better year than Paddy…Barack Obama, Berkshire Hathaway, and The iPhone included!

The drama on the back nine Sunday at Oakland Hills was PHENOMENAL! Harrington and Sergio Garcia were in a constant back-and-forth, jockeying for every inch, with Ben Curtis just one group behind and also in the mix.

This was the greatest SINGLE DAY at a major of all time. Because of the weather in Detroit, we had half of the Championship play out before us during a 12-hour span on Sunday, beginning with the third round, culminating with a head spinning final round, the leading man changing by the moment: J.B. Holmes, and then Curtis, and then Garcia, and then Harrington, back to Sergio, and finally back to Harrington, who was the star of this production with back-to-back 66’s, including a 32 on his final nine…just as he did at Birkdale.

Sergio was able to match Harrington most of the way, but the Irishman was one shot better than the Spaniard at each of the last three holes: his up-and-down for par from the sand at the 16th while Sergio made bogey after rinsing his approach; after Paddy stuck his tee-shot to seven feet at the par-3 17th, Sergio followed it up with an even better swing, tucking his ball within five feet. Paddy putted first, and sank his birdie putt while Sergio’s burned the left edge; and after both men’s drives drifted right at the home hole, Paddy was able to save par while Sergio carded yet another bogie, providing the final margin of two strokes.

Garcia wasn’t hanging his head after his third career runner-up showing in major, and rightfully so. His tone was much different than it was at Carnoustie just a year ago, no longer blaming everyone and everything but himself for the shortcoming…at peace with the reality that his best simply wasn’t good enough on this particular day, but that there will be plenty more days to come. He now sounds like a man who will notch that major victory, and likely at some point very soon. I’m toying with the notion of wagering on El Nino during the majors in 2009—he’s come so close so many times, the golf gods MUST be ready to grant him his due.

Right about now, you’d be hard pressed to find many answering anything other than “PADDY!” when asked who is the second best player in the world next to “you-know-who”...and for good reason. Harrington has proven that his talent, especially his short game, is legit, and solid enough to withstand the immense heat that majors apply.

There were only eleven players who made the cut at all four majors this year. Paddy’s cumulative score of +7 was far-and-away the best aggregate of the bunch, 14 strokes ahead of the next closest, Robert Karlsson (+21). Phil Mickelson (+22) was third, followed by Andres Romero (+27), Retief Goosen (+31), Paul Casey (+33), Stuart Appleby (+34) and Jim Furyk (+34), Mike Weir (+37), Robert Allenby (+40), and Justin Leonard (+42).

This is now the second straight major with Europeans finishing 1-2. At Birkdale it was Ian Poulter playing the bridesmaid. This week was Sergio’s turn. European Ryder Cup captain Nick Faldo must be ecstatic over the way his players have performed down the stretch this season, the proceedings at Valhalla now just five weeks away. With Tiger Woods out, the Euros have not only the momentum, having won five of the last six of these, but they also have the best player.

Thanks to all who participated in the PGA Championship online contest. Below are the final results:

  1. DGold: 194. Appleby (15), Goosen (24), Jacobson (24), Els (31), Cink (100).
  2. Dan: 200. Stenson (4), Mickelson (7), Els (31), Leonard (58), Perry (100).
  3. Colin: 230. Sergio (2), Els (31), Baird (42), Kim (55), Perry (100).
  4. Kelly: 286. Sergio (2), Furyk (29), Kim (55), Westwood (100), Choi (100).
  5. Fbern: 294. Mickelson (7), Furyk (29), Leonard (58), Mahan (100), Perry (100).
  6. Russ: 315. Furyk (29), Poulter (31), Kim (55), Westwood (100), Perry (100).

Surprisingly, nobody picked Harrington again, just like a month ago during our British Open contest. Perry, Els, Furyk and Kim were the most popular picks. DGold gets a $25 Chili’s Grill and Bar Gift Certificate for winning. I get a lump of coal in my stocking for coming in DEAD LAST!

Shaky Flatstick

Aug 5, 2008

Despite his win Sunday at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational, Vijay Singh is not out of the woods yet. Nick Faldo said it best during the CBS broadcast: “If Vijay were making anything with his putter, he would be winning this tournament by 10 shots.” It’s obvious that Vijay is tormented by the flatstick, and he’s been going through this for years. And this week it was even worse…he missed a putt from 18-inches for GOSH SAKES!!! That his putter was SO BALKY makes this win that much more impressive. It was his pinpoint iron play and above average driving that carried Singh to his first victory in nearly 18 months. BUT, make no mistake, The Big Fijian is NOT a favorite going into Oakland Hills for the final major of the year. As Ian Baker-Finch astutely pointed out during the coverage, all three of Vijay’s major wins came with a standard length putter, and nobody has ever won a major with anything but a standard length – no bellies, no long putters, nothing but the pure and classic short stick…and that trend will not be changing anytime soon.

As for Phil Mickelson, who bogeyed three of the final four holes to lose by two strokes, we can add this latest disappointment to his jumbo-sized laundry list of back-nine Sunday meltdowns. Although this time wasn’t quite as dramatic as Shinnecock in ’04 or Winged Foot in ’06, Lefty again showed us that his swing gets awfully tight when it’s winning time, and that driver face tends to stay open, creating a slice that more times than not finds the left rough, or worse, OB. Just like I mentioned with Vijay, don’t even think of putting Philly Mick on your list of favorites entering Oakland Hills.

Ironically, Mickelson (2005) and Singh (2004) are the last two players to win the PGA other that Tiger Woods, meaning the Wannamaker trophy will be kissed by a stranger next Sunday in Detroit.

So who are the favorites to be kissing Wanny next week, in “Glory’s Last Shot”? I give you my Top-5 List: Most Likely to hoist the hardware at Oakland Hills in the 90th PGA Championship:

  1. Kenny Perry – he’s still the hottest golfer in the world, placing first among all active players (that means not including Tiger) in money, Fed Ex Cup points, and scoring average. His all-around ranking is sixth, AND he has a boatload of confidence right about now. Kenny appeared on The Golf Exchange this past Sunday, and he told me that even were he to win the PGA, he still thinks Tiger Woods deserves player of the year honors. I disagree. A major championship for Kenny, combined with a strong showing over the four-week long Fed Ex Cup playoffs, would equal a POY trophy for the drag racing Kentuckian. By the way, in regards to his hot rods, he told me it’s all about Chevy – Camaros, Chevels, and Super Sports.
  2. Anthony Kim – The 23-year old two-time winner ranks SECOND in the PGA Tour’s all-around category, meaning his game has ZERO flaws. He hasn’t missed a cut since April. Add to that his strengthened psyche following victories at Quail Hollow and Congressional (two major worthy tracks), not to mention a 7th place finish at the British Open, and you’ve got a man poised to break through for his first career major championship.
  3. Ian Poulter – Just this year, the brash Brit has placed second in a major (Birkdale), finished top-20 in three other top-tier events (two WGC’s and The Players), and ruffled the collective feathers of the entire golfing cognoscenti by proclaiming he’s the second best player in the world (next to you-know-who). It’s been a hectic seven months for the 32-year old, who is unbelievably still searching for his first career PGA Tour victory. It very well might come this week. By the way, Poulter will join Pat Rooney Jr. and myself this coming Sunday, August 10, at 8:20am on The Golf Exchange.
  4. Lee Westwood – Another Brit, and one who is possibly playing the best golf of his entire career. He finished one shot out of a playoff on Sunday at Firestone, just as he did in June at Torrey Pines in the U.S. Open. Westwood’s driver is incredibly hot, as he’s possibly the ONLY player in the world who can consistently hit it 340-yards plus straight down the middle. The only question with Lee is his short game, which has always been the weakest part of his repertoire. If he can chip-and-putt in Detroit the way he drives it off the tee, he could win by a half dozen shots.
  5. Jim Furyk – Many are predicting that this PGA Championship will end up as the toughest ever. With “The Open Doctor” Rees Jones tweaking the Oakland Hills setup, “Glory’s Last Shot” could look a lot like a USGA production, meaning even par will be sacred. Enter “Mr. Even Keel” Jim Furyk, who might be most comfortable when it’s all about avoiding trouble versus firing at pins and setting scoring records. I’ve said for years, ever since Furyk broke through at Olympia Fields in the ’03 U.S. Open, that he wouldn’t be another one-and-done the likes of Shaun Micheel/Steve Jones/Todd Hamilton/Michael Campbell/Ben Curtis/Rich Beem. He will notch another major victory at some point before he’s done, so why not this week in Detroit?

Just like we did for the British Open last month, anyone who’d like to enter the PGA Championship online contest is more than welcome to do so. Only change is that we’ve cut the number in half, from ten to five. Simply post your TOP FIVE picks (players you think are most likely to win the PGA Championship) on this blog NO LATER than 7:30am Thursday (the first tee time at Oakland Hills), and you’re entered. We’ll tally up the totals based on where players end up (1 point for win, 2 points for second, etc….and 100 for a missed cut), and the contestant with the lowest total wins a $25 Gift Certificate to Chili’s Grill and Bar.

Good Luck….and enjoy the PGA Championship!

Irish Eyes Are Smilin’

Jul 21, 2008

Padraig Harrington is now #3 in the world rankings following his second straight British Open victory Sunday at Royal Birkdale. Is he really the third best player in the world? I say why not? He’s the only man besides Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson to win multiple majors over the last 5 years. And he’s broken through on US soil as well, with victories at The Honda Classic and The Barclays. Does this constitute the new “Big 3”? Adam Scott is now fourth in the rankings, Ernie Els fifth. I don’t think either of them belongs in the top group, although Geoff Ogilvy, now #6, I would say belongs with Woods, Mickelson, and Harrington in a “Big 4”.

Another question: will Harrington go on to win other majors besides the British, ala European predecessors Nick Faldo and Seve Ballesteros, or end up being a one trick pony the likes of Aussies Peter Thomson or, ironically, Greg Norman?

By the way, Paddy’s 5-wood to four feet from 249-yards at the 17th Sunday was the best shot of the year, besting Phil’s wedge from the left rough, over trees at Colonial and Tiger’s 3-wood to the 13th at Torrey Pines.

As for Norman, this was a phenomenal week from the 53-year old. He might go down in golfing annals as the most star-crossed champion ever, with all the countless heartaches, specifically at The Masters. But this loss cannot go under the same category as all the others before, because the expectations were simply not there at the week’s outset. Norman will also, by the way, go down in those same annals as one of the best drivers of the ball in the game’s history, combining length and accuracy, right next to Jack Nicklaus, Sam Snead and Kenny Perry. He again showed us this past week.

Moving forward, the Shark’s T3 at Birkdale now makes him the odds on favorite for the Senior British Open this coming week at Royal Troon.

Thanks to all who participated in the British Open online contest. Below are the final results:

  1. Dan: 327. Stenson (3), Furyk (5), Stricker (7), Els (7), Leonard (16), Immelman (19), Mickelson (19), Garcia (51), Mahan (100), Singh (100).
  2. Russ: 346. Furyk (5), Els (7), Kim (7), Allenby (7), Leonard (16), Choi (16), Garcia (51), Westwood (67), Rose (70), Ogilvy (100).
  3. Colin: 386. Furyk (5), Karlsson (7), Els (7), Kim (7), Mickelson (19), Romero (32), Garcia (51), Montgomerie (58), Weekley (100), Ogilvy (100).
  4. Fbern: 486. Els (7), Kim (7), Scott (16), Mickelson (19), Mediate (19), Garcia (51), Westwood (67), Cink (100), Weekley (100), Singh (100).
  5. Geoff: 580. Stenson (3), Els (7), Ames (7), Romero (32), Garcia (51), Kaymer (80), Cink (100), Weekley (100), Wilson (100), Jimenez (100).

Surprisingly, nobody picked Harrington, although I know I didn’t because of his wrist injury going in, and I suspect most of you probably had the same reservations. Everyone picked Ernie Els and Sergio Garcia. Dan gets a $25 Chili’s Grill and Bar Gift Certificate for winning. We’ll do the same thing for the PGA Championship next month, so start handicapping the field for Oakland Hills.

Finally, I saw The Dark Knight Saturday night, and I would encourage EVERYONE to go check it out. It was PHENOMENAL. No wonder it broke the opening weekend record with $155 Million. Christian Bale is a very good Bruce Wayne/Batman, as we saw in the first installment Batman Begins in 2005. (although his strained, deeper voice while playing Wayne’s alter ego is still grating) BUT, what makes Dark Knight so much better than the first is the performance from the late Heath Ledger as The Joker. He was the best part of the film, and at times I forgot I was looking at Ledger and just saw him as The Joker. He truly made the villain a scary character. Aaron Eckhart was a nice addition the cast as Harvey Dent. The only beef I have is Maggie Gyllenhaal playing the part of Rachel Dawes instead of Katie Holmes, a major downgrade from Begins.

These two movies are head-and-shoulders above the previous collection of corny Batman flicks, with the likes of Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, and George Clooney. I can’t wait for the next one.

LIST: 10 Most Likely to Win British Open

Jul 16, 2008 -- 2:04pm

As I’ve stated before in this space, everyone loves a list, and golfers are no exception. With that I give you my Top-10 most likely to hoist the Claret Jug on Sunday evening at Royal Birkdale, keeping in mind the world’s greatest golfer (Tiger Woods) and the world’s hottest golfer (Kenny Perry) are both stateside.

  1. Ernie Els: if there’s one man that epitomizes suffrage at the hands of Tiger Woods, it’s the Big Easy. Throughout his career, Ernie would have won five additional tournaments were Tiger not in the field, including the 2000 U.S. Open and 2000 British Open. So Els has the green light for the remainder of the 2008 season, including this week. And keep in mind Ernie’s comfort on links courses, where he’s won once already (2002 at Muirfield), and had NINE other top tens. That’s the most British top tens of any active player, three more than Tiger Woods in second.
  2. Justin Leonard: talk about a comeback. At one point in early 2007, Justin had missed six straight cuts and 8 out of 11. Fast forward 12 months, and he’s since won twice, including the Stanford St. Jude Championship last month. Because of his low drawing ball flight, Leonard’s best chance in majors each year comes across the pond, where he won in 1997 at Royal Troon.
  3. Geoff Ogilvy: when Ogilvy’s on top of his game, he’s the second best player in the world next to Tiger. Better than Phil, Ernie, Vijay, or Sergio. He’s got more shots than the last three, and he’s mentally tougher than Mickelson. There’s no doubt Geoff will add to his lone career major win (2006 U.S. Open), as he thrives in the biggest events (three of his four career wins are WGC’s or majors).
  4. Justin Rose: this pick is all about “Horses for Courses”. The Englishman finished T4 ten years ago at Birkdale, as a 17-year old amateur. We’ve been waiting for this wiry talent to break through ever since, and not just as the Order of Merit Champion. What better spot to validate his game than West England?
  5. Anthony Kim: he’s the hottest player in the world not named Kenny Perry, with two wins over the last two months. He’s got the most complete game of any player under thirty, ranking 41st or higher in every major statistical category, for an overall ranking of fourth. Let me say that again: He’s 23-years old, and he ranks FOURTH in the PGA Tour’s overall category! Can you say “BOATLOAD of majors” before he’s done?!?!
  6. Sergio Garcia: hard to have any meaningful list nowadays without Sergio’s name, although there are still chinks in the armor, namely his flatstick. When Sergio’s putter is on, he’s one of the world’s five best players (ie: 2008 Players Championship). When his putter is cold, it’s an ENTIRELY different story (ie: 2004 U.S. Open, 2004 Masters, 2005 British, 2006 British, 2007 British, etc.) The million dollar question is: which Sergio will we see this week at Birkdale?
  7. Jim Furyk: hard to believe Furyk hasn’t broken through yet for a second major win following his performance at the 2003 U.S. Open at Olympia Fields. There will be a second, because he’s no Ben Curtis/Todd Hamilton/Steve Jones/Shaun Micheel. There have been a few close calls, including runner-ups at two of the last three U.S. Opens (Winged Foot & Oakmont). Add to that Jim’s three career fourth place finishes in the British (including 1998 at Birkdale), and he’s a smart choice this week.
  8. K.J. Choi: I can’t imagine Choi going without a major victory in his career, and times starting to tick for him: he’ll be 39 next spring. He had his best ever finish in the British last year, with a T8 at Carnoustie. Look for him to improve on that showing this week.
  9. Robert Allenby: another guy who will no doubt get that major victory before he’s done. Times not ticking quite as incessantly for Rob: he’s still just 37. It’s been a stellar year so far, with twelve top-25s in all, placing him 11th on the money list at $2.2 million. But still no wins, although he’s come VERY close: fourth at both The Honda Classic and Wachovia, third at the AT&T; National, and T2 by way of playoff in Memphis. Birkdale could very well be the site for his crowning achievement, for both the year and his career.
  10. Lee Westwood: he’s the hottest player in the world not named Kenny Perry or Anthony Kim, with eight top tens already on the European Tour. And don’t forget Westwood was one single stroke out of the playoff between Rocco and Tiger at Torrey Pines. Besides, I can’t have a top ten list for the Open at Birkdale and include just one Englishman, so Westwood’s the pick to join Justin Rose over Casey, Poulter, or Dougherty.

The Pink Choker

Jun 30, 2008 -- 12:36pm

At the risk of stealing the much deserved limelight from 19-year old Inbee Park, who on Sunday at Interlachen became the youngest victor ever in the U.S. Women’s Open, Paula Creamer again showed us she doesn’t yet have the fortitude to win the big events. Just this year, she left 6-foot putt at the 18th short against Annika at Turnberry Isle, and now this: a 5-over par 78 in the final round to finish tied for sixth, six shots behind Park. After this latest setback, Paula’s in danger of losing the moniker “best player never to have won a major”, much like Sergio Garcia lost it a few years back after countless squandered major opportunities, only to regain it after his victory this year at the Players. He too still must prove he can get it done in one of the four biggies.

This is for sure: Creamer will never get over the major hump if she keeps trying to convince herself that they’re like any other event. They’re not like all the others, they’re much bigger, and they require players to step up to the greater spotlight, something Paula has yet to do, evidenced by her career final round scoring average in majors of 75.

Kudos to Annika Sorenstam, for making her final swing in a U.S. Women’s Open the most memorable one: a perfectly struck 6-iron from 200 yards that found the bottom of the cup for an eagle at the par-5 18th. As I’ve stated before in this space, Annika is the greatest women ever to lace up the golf spikes, and she’s proven it more so in this event than any other, with three wins, including her very first ever as a pro in 1995, joining the very short list of other greats like Laura Davies, Walter Hagen, Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino to accomplish the feat. (By the way, Inbee is now on that list as well)

Annika will be missed, and with the absence of Tiger Woods over the golf season’s second half, there’s no doubt that the winding down of her stellar career leading up to November’s ADT Championship at Trump International will be the biggest story.

Kudos to Kenny Perry for getting the job done HIS WAY. The “job” being making this year’s Ryder Cup squad, and “his way” being playing in the events that best suit his game. With two wins and counting, and now a third place standing on the season money list, this is possibly the greatest year ever from a player 45 or older, right there with Nicklaus’s 1986 (Masters) and Fred Funk’s 2005 (Players Championship). Best thing is, Kenny’s season is only halfway over. Can’t wait to see him playing for Team USA in his home state at Valhalla, which is the second biggest story of the season’s second half.

And finally, kudos to Royal Palm Beach resident & Bear Lakes member Justin Hicks, who shot a final round two-under 69 to win the Nationwide Tour’s Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic, his first professional victory. You might have heard of Justin before this week: he was tied for the first round lead at the U.S. Open two weeks ago in San Diego. It’s fitting his first career win would come at Gretzky’s tournament: Justin’s a former hockey player from Michigan. And the golf/hockey karma was on his side this week at the Great One’s event: he was assigned locker number 99.

Ranking Tiger's Majors

June 18, 2008

With the news that Tiger Woods will undergo a second surgery on his left knee, this time to repair a torn ACL suffered while playing in the 108th U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, I have an even loftier respect for his incredible 91-hole victory over Rocco Mediate. Considering Tiger was playing on one knee, and dealing with the immense pain of two stress fractures in his left leg, I not only think this victory was the greatest of any among his 65 career wins, but I now think this is the greatest victory ever in the history of golf. The only other moment that might overshadow it? Ben Hogan's miraculous win at the 1950 U.S. Open just one year removed from a car crash that nearly killed him. Whether you rank Hogan ahead of Woods or visa-versa, the fact remains, what Tiger accomplished at Torrey further adds to the already impressive catalog of unforgettable moments that make him the greatest athlete of all time.

Depending on exactly when Tiger returns to the course in 2009, he could have as many as 12 more months left to add to the most dominating decade in golf history. Torrey was his twelfth major championship of the 2000s, further adding to a record he's had since his win at Medinah in the 2006 PGA Championship, which was his 10th, one better than Walter Hagen's 9 majors in the 1920s, two better than Jack Nicklaus' 8 majors during the 1970s. Outside the world of golf, Martina Navratilova authored the most dominating decade with 15 grand slams in the 1980s. Steffi Graf won 14 grand slams in the 1990s. On the men's side, Roy Emerson won 12 slams during the 1960s, Pete Sampras won 12 (although no French Opens) in the 1990s. Because he will miss the British Open and PGA Championship this year, Tiger has 4 more majors left in this decade to chase Navratilova's incredible mark.

Until then, reminiscing on his past 14 triumphs will have to suffice. With that, I give you my rankings of Tiger's 14 career major championship victories:

  1. 2008 U.S. Open – Torrey Pines GC, La Jolla, CA (71/7,643)
    Tiger wins in his first event back following 2-month layoff due to knee surgery, struggling with pain from stress fractures, and further exacerbating the knee with a torn ACL. Five-day marathon ending with a par on the 91st hole to defeat Rocco Mediate in a sudden death playoff. Tiger becomes only player ever to win both a major & PGA Tour event at same venue in the same year on two separate occasions. Also becomes only the second player ever (Nicklaus) to compete the career grand slam three times.
  2. 1997 Masters – Augusta National GC, Augusta, GA (72/6,925)
    Tiger's “Hello World” moment. Set's tournament scoring record of 18 under par 270, also margin of victory record, 12 shots over Tom Kite. His reaching par-5s in two with wedges leads to the “Tiger Proofing” of course, when Augusta National adds 365 yards over the next five years.
  3. 2000 U.S. Open – Pebble Beach GL, Pebble Beach, CA (71/6,846)
    Tiger sets scoring record of 12 under par 272, 15 shots better than Ernie Els and Miguel Angel-Jiminez tied in second, which sets margin of victory record. Wins in same year Nicklaus plays in his final U.S. Open. Becomes only third player ever (Hogan, Nicklaus) to win both a major & PGA Tour event at same venue in the same year.
  4. 2006 British Open – Royal Liverpool, Liverpool, England (72/7,258)
    Tiger's first major championship victory following his father's death three months earlier. Victory also followed his first ever missed cut in a major in the U.S. Open at Winged Foot. Hit only one driver all week long, sacrificing length with 3-irons, leading the field in both fairways hit and GIR.
  5. 2000 PGA Championship – Valhalla, Louisville, KY (72/7,167)
    Tiger wins a playoff vs. Bob May. Scene for one of his most famous putts, a right-to-left breaker that he chases after with a pointing finger. He sets the scoring record in relation to par at 18-under.
  6. 2000 British Open – St. Andrews GL, St. Andrews, Scotland (72/7,115)
    Tiger sets the scoring record in relation to par at 19-under, winning by 8 shots over Thomas Bjorn, a new record for margin of victory. Completes the career grand slam with the win.
  7. 2005 Masters – Augusta National GC, Augusta, GA (72/7,290)
    Tiger ends the longest major drought in his career, winless in 10 straight following his 2002 U.S. Open victory. Scene of his most famous shot, a miracle chip-in from behind the 16th green on Sunday, when the ball stops on the lip for a brief moment before tumbling in. Defeats Chris DiMarco in sudden death playoff.
  8. 2002 U.S. Open – Bethpage State Park (Black), Farmingdale, NY (70/7,214)
    Tiger's first major championship win on a par-70 layout, in the first ever major at a municipally run public course. USGA sets attendance records that stand for 6 years until the 2008 Open at Torrey Pines.
  9. 2007 PGA Championship – Southern Hills CC, Tulsa, OK (70/7,131)
    Tiger shoots a 63 on Friday to tie the lowest ever round in a major championship history, lipping out a putt at #18 for 62. Becomes the only player ever to win back-to-back PGA Championships twice in a career.
  10. 2005 British Open – St. Andrews GL, St. Andrews, Scotland (72/7,279)
    Wins same year Nicklaus plays in his final British Open. Second career victory in British Open at St. Andrews. With the win, completes the career grand slam for a second time.
  11. 1999 PGA Championship – Medinah CC, Medinah, IL (72/7,167)
    In what becomes a fabulous back-and-forth duel between two young guns throughout the week, Tiger edges 19-year old Sergio Garcia by one stroke. Win helps him regain player of the year honors, which he also won in 1997, after Mark O'Meara took the title in 1998.
  12. 2002 Masters – Augusta National GC, Augusta, GA (72/7,270)
    Augusta National further “Tiger Proofs” the layout, adding an additional 285 yards after initially lengthening the course by 60 yards following Tiger's 1997 victory. Doesn't stop him from becoming first player since Nick Faldo to win back-to-back green jackets
  13. (Tied) 2006 PGA Championship – Medinah CC, Medinah, IL (72/7,561)
    Tiger ties his own scoring record in relation to par at 18-under. Defeats Shaun Micheel by 5 shots.
  14. (Tied) 2001 Masters – Augusta National GC, Augusta, GA (72/6,985)
    Tiger wins by two strokes over world #2 David Duval.

Simply the Best

June 16, 2008

Tiger Woods has never had to work this hard for any win. He not only had to go extra holes at Torrey Pines in the 108th U.S. Open, but an extra ROUND. In the end, after 91 holes of golf over 5 grueling days, all on a bad knee that is clearly not healthy, what is clear is that Tiger is not of this world. As my esteemed Golf Exchange co-host Pat Rooney Jr. says, there must be a contract with the devil.

That Roco Mediate was the man that pushed Tiger to this limit was not the point. The point is Tiger ALWAYS delivers, no matter what is expected of him. He needed a birdie at 18 on Sunday to make the playoff? No problem. He did exactly that. He got up-and-down from 100 yards away in the right rough, capped off with a right-to-left 12-footer that bumped more than once on its way into the cup. He needed to then come back the very next day and play 18 more. And then when 18 wasn't even enough, he went one more extra hole until the job was finally finished, never once considering defeat.

The distinction that sets him apart is almost entirely MENTAL. There are probably a dozen other guys on tour that have as many shots as Tiger, but none of them believe as strongly in their skills as he does. Tiger's mental toughness is so much greater than anyone he faces, that it almost isn't fair. He's managed to transcend the physical and make it a contest of will and determination, and in the end he ALWAYS wins. It's exactly what he did this week. Physically, he shouldn't have won this tournament. His knee is 75% at best, and that was on Thursday, before he went through 5 days of intense ballistic impact on a damaged joint. Because of that bad knee, Tiger never once hit the driving range after a round during the tournament, something that kept him from correcting swing flaws. Instead he immediately retreated to his room to ice down the sore knee. His only practice all week long were the few swings on the range prior to each round to get loose. That makes this win even more impressive.

For the last few years, ever since Tiger began quickly approaching Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major victories, the question has been: Best Golfer of All Time? But now, after this victory, his third U.S. Open and 14th major overall, the question must now become: Best Athlete of All Time?

There's no doubt Tiger can't be compared to his peers playing today, whether it's Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, and Vijay Singh, or Roger Federer, Kobe Bryant, and Alex Rodriguez. He's just that much better than any of them, regardless the sport. We must instead sift through the annals to find names that truly stack up, like Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan, and Muhammad Ali. And I think his name belongs at the top of that short list.

If Tiger decides to allow his knee a full recovery and thus forgo playing in his own AT&T; National three weeks from now at Congressional, we won't see him again until the British Open. But whenever it is that he does once again tee it up, don't take for granted one second what it is we're watching: The greatest ATHLETE of all time, perfectly melding mind and body to perform at the highest level that any has ever performed in sport. PERIOD.

Tiger Is Back!

June 9, 2008

Finally, Tiger Woods is returning to the golf course! This is quite possibly the most anticipated comeback since Michael Jordan ditched his cleats for a #45 jersey. The last time we saw the striped one was at Augusta, where he limped his way to a second place finish behind Masters champion Trevor Immelman. The very next day he went under the knife, and we'll see how the arthroscopic surgery on his left knee went starting Thursday at Torrey Pines in the 108th U.S. Open.

Along with all the talk about Tiger's return is Phil Mickelson, coverboy on last week's GolfWorld U.S. Open preview, and for good reason: Philly Mick is a native San Diegan, he's won countless junior events at Torrey, not to mention three Buick Invitationals, and he still lives just up the road in Rancho Sante Fe. Considering Tiger's shaky bill of health, Phil is a no-brainer as favorite entering the year's second major.

But, I do have one note of caution: in most cases when the pre-event hype is impossibly large, the ensuing payoff usually disappoints. We need not look back much farther than one month to see a litany of disappointments strewn all across the American pop culture landscape: from Big Brown to Indiana Jones to Kimbo Slice. The point is, I wouldn't be surprised if neither man is hoisting the trophy on Sunday. Instead, we're more likely to see the first regional qualifier win since Michael Campbell in 2005. This year that list includes Carl Pettersson, Bart Bryant, Fredrik Jacobson, Nick Watney, Davis Love III, Rich Beem, Mark O'Meara, Steve Marino, Matt Kuchar, Jesper Parnevik, and Pat Perez, who oh-by-the-way graduated from Torrey Pines High School.

Speaking of Tiger and Phil, the duo again topped the list of highest earning American athletes, released last week by Sports Illustrated. Tiger checked in at #1 for a fifth consecutive year. His 2007 earnings were $127,902,706….and we know he needs that extra $706. Mickelson came in second with $62,372,685. Lebron James, Floyd Mayweather Jr., and Kobe Bryant rounded out the top 5.

I can't help but notice that Tiger & Phil aren't the only big time rivalry in full bloom among individual sports. Lorena Ochoa and Annika Sorenstam have won 9 of this year's first 15 LPGA events. No doubt their back-and-forth jostling will continue all the way through the ADT Championship this November at Trump International. And Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal just played in their FIRST of what will likely to be FOUR Grand Slam finals this season. Just hope Roger can muster more of a fight at Wimbledon than the joke of an effort he put forth in Paris on Sunday, in what was the most lopsided men's final in over 30 years.

Big time KUDOS to Tony Romo and Justin Timberlake for breaking 100 at Torrey Pines on Friday. The Dallas quarterback tamed the 7,643 yard track with an incredibly low 84, while JT barely got the nod with a respectable 98. Make no mistake: there will be dozens of PGA Tour pros shooting 84 later this week at Torrey, and we might even see a few scores in the 90's as well.

If you're wondering how the other two players fared, NBC's Matt Lauer shot an even 100, while John Atkinson, the 38-year old cancer survivor from Nebraska, carded a 43-over-par 114, which is no doubt better than what this 31-year old healthy blogger would manage on the USGA setup.

We've become accustomed to an incredibly high level of quality in both content and production from the superb sports documentaries on HBO, so it is with great pleasure that I anticipate the cable network's first foray into golf, with this week's Back Nine at Cherry Hills: The Legends of the 1960 U.S. Open. HBO's plugging of the program goes like this: "Jack Nickalus. Arnold Palmer. Ben Hogan. In 1960, three men in distinctly different stages of their lives played a round of golf for the ages." I will be glued to the couch for this one, and I already know the ending! The program airs at 10pm this Wednesday night.

Lastly, a note regarding my performance on the mound Saturday at Roger Dean Stadium, as I threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Jupiter Hammerheads took on the Dunedin Blue Jays on BankAtlantic baseball bank night.

In front of a packed house, I stepped up to the rubber, took a quick look over to first base (I almost stepped off…the runner was taking a very big lead), into the wind up, and the pitch...great zip, waist high, just off the plate to the left. The catcher caught the ball with ease. Had Eric Gregg been the ump (he of the INCREDIBLY liberal strike zone-just ask Livan Hernandez) it would have no doubt been called a STRIKE. Don't believe me? Here is photographic evidence:

Love the fact that "Budweiser" is directly behind me in HUGE lettering on the scoreboard...how appropriate…we consumed a beer or ninety-seven in the private suite that night.

Thanks again to the fine folks at Roger Dean Stadium and BankAtlantic for hosting the entire Honda Classic crew! A FABULOUS time was had by all.

LIST: TOP 50 GOLFERS OF ALL-TIME

May 30, 2008

Everyone loves a list, and golfers are no exception. The NBA compiled an all-time top-50 list for their 50th anniversary, and extended it by 10 players 10 years later on their 60th. ESPN released a top-100 list at the turn of the century, and sports fans have become accustomed to Forbes' annual ranking of athletes' incomes, both inside and outside the lines.

Although golf fans are nearly unanimous in placing Nicklaus, Woods, Palmer, Player, Nelson, Jones and company in their personal top-10, rarely have lists been compiled that went beyond that lofty upper echelon. Where to place the Faldos and the Crenshaws and the Trevinos? Who ranks higher: Mickelson or Singh? Did Hale Irwin's career exploits outrank Raymond Floyd's?

Below I have compiled an all-time top-50 list of golfers. You'll notice Tom Morris, neither Young or Old, made the cut, nor did turn-of-the-century players like Henry Cotton or James Braid. It's hard enough trying to ascertain career values of post-depression era players such as Armour and Hagen and Sarazen, where little to no video documentation exists, that I decided not to extend the rankings any farther back than that. So you'll notice a shelf life of fewer than 100 years to all the names below.

While the top-20 was relatively easy to determine, much of the bottom half was more difficult, and at some points amounted to hair splitting. There are only a dozen men who have ever won more than a half dozen majors, while the list of those with at least two is nearly 100 players long. Once you've had a chance to digest the rankings, let me know the following: Who did I put too high? Who is too low? And who did I forget?

1. Tiger Woods (64 PGA tour wins, 10 International wins, 13 majors)
2. Jack Nicklaus (73 PGA tour wins, 11 Inter. wins, 18 majors)
3. Ben Hogan (64 PGA tour wins, 9 majors)
4. Gary Player (24 PGA tour wins, 110 Inter. wins, 9 majors)
5. Byron Nelson (52 PGA wins, 5 majors)
6. Sam Snead (82 PGA tour wins, 7 majors)
7. Walter Hagen (44 PGA tour wins, 11 majors)
8. Arnold Palmer (62 PGA tour wins, 11 Inter. wins, 7 majors)
9. Bobby Jones (13 total majors including 6 amateur titles)
10. Gene Sarazen (39 PGA tour wins, 7 majors)
11. Tom Watson (39 PGA tour wins, 8 majors)
12. Lee Trevino (29 PGA tour wins, 6 majors)
13. Nick Faldo (9 PGA tour wins, 32 International wins, 6 majors)
14. Seve Ballesteros (9 PGA tour wins, 78 International wins, 5 majors)
15. Harry Vardon (7 majors)
16. Peter Thomson (6 PGA tour wins, 46 Inter. wins, 5 majors)
17. Hale Irwin (20 PGA tour wins, 45 Champions tour wins, 3 majors)
18. Raymond Floyd (22 PGA tour wins, 4 Inter. wins, 4 majors)
19. Billy Casper (51 PGA tour wins, 9 Champions tour wins, 3 majors)
20. Greg Norman (20 PGA tour wins, 69 International wins, 2 majors)
21. Cary Middlecoff (40 PGA tour wins, 3 majors)
22. Bobby Locke (15 PGA tour wins, 59 International wins, 4 majors)
23. Phil Mickelson (34 wins PGA Tour wins, 2 Inter. wins, 3 majors)
24. Jimmy Demaret (31 PGA tour wins, 3 majors)
25. Vijay Singh (31 PGA tour wins, 23 International wins, 3 majors)
26. Julius Boros (18 PGA tour wins, 3 Champions tour wins, 3 majors)
27. Tommy Armour (25 PGA tour wins, 3 majors)
28. Horton Smith (32 PGA tour wins, 2 majors)
29. Nick Price (18 PGA tour wins, 19 International wins, 3 majors)
30. Ralph Guldahl (16 PGA tour wins, 3 majors)
31. Larry Nelson (10 PGA tour wins, 19 Champ. tour wins, 3 majors)
32. Johnny Miller (25 PGA tour wins, 2 majors)
33. Ernie Els (16 PGA tour wins, 44 International wins, 3 majors)
34. Payne Stewart (11 PGA tour wins, 5 Inter. wins, 3 majors)
35. Doug Ford (19 PGA tour wins, 2 majors)
36. Jack Burke Jr. (16 PGA tour wins, 2 majors)
37. Sandy Lyle (6 PGA tour wins, 18 International wins, 2 majors)
38. Tony Jacklin (4 PGA tour wins, 25 International wins, 2 majors)
39. Ben Crenshaw (19 PGA tour wins, 2 majors)
40. Curtis Strange (17 PGA tour wins, 2 majors)
41. Bernhard Langer (3 PGA tour wins, 58 Inter. wins, 2 majors)
42. Lloyd Mangrum (36 PGA tour wins, 1 major)
43. Tom Kite (19 PGA Tour wins, 9 Champions tour wins, 1 major)
44. Henry Picard (26 PGA tour wins, 2 majors)
45. Craig Wood (21 PGA tour wins, 2 majors)
46. Hubert Green (19 PGA tour wins, 4 Champ. Tour wins, 2 majors)
47. Dave Stockton (10 PGA tour wins, 14 Champ. Tour wins, 2 majors)
48. Colin Montgomerie (35 International wins, 7 Orders of Merit)
49. Mark O'Meara (16 PGA tour wins, 2 majors)
50. Lanny Wadkins (21 PGA tour wins, 1 major)

Phil Being Phil

May 27, 2008

On Sunday, Phil Mickelson nearly lost at Colonial in the same manner he gave away the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot and the 2007 Nissan Open at Riviera: left-of-left drives on the 72nd hole. But this time, Phil saved the day with an incredible wedge shot from 140-yards out of the rough, over trees just yards in front of him, daring the water on the left and bunker fronting the green, stopping 9 feet from the hole. He went on to make the birdie putt and win by one stroke. CBS' Nick Faldo said on the broadcast that "it's the best shot of the year, no matter what happens between now and the Tour Championship". Hard to argue with that, although I do take exception to what Faldo said next: "I don't think even Tiger has that shot in his bag". Tiger has the shot, but even Tiger might not have tried it in that instance, likely instead opting to pitch out to the fairway and play for par and extra holes.

There's no doubt Phil is the most daring player in the game today, taking risky chances that pay off as many times as they blow up. He'll never win as many tournaments or majors as Tiger, especially considering the gambling way he operates. But what we saw on Sunday in Fort Worth is EXACTLY why Phil is considered the current day Arnold Palmer, a fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants risk taker, while Tiger is compared to Jack Nicklaus, a more calculating and cerebral player who's widely considered by many the greatest golfer of all time.

Phil joined Ben Hogan (1947) and Sam Snead (1950) as the only men ever to win at Riviera and Colonial in the same year. Make no mistake about it: This made-for-the-highlight-reel win makes Lefty the favorite for the U.S. Open in two weeks at Torrey Pines.

Speaking of Colonial, Tim Clark picked up $536,800 after finishing one shot behind Phil in a tie for second, the sixth career runner-up showing for the diminutive South African who's still searching for his first victory on the PGA Tour. Clark's career Tour earnings now stand at $10,677,209, and he's the only player EVER to earn more than $9 million without even a single win. For comparison's sake, Tom Watson earned $10,004,299 in a hall-of-fame career that spanned 30 years and 39 victories, including eight majors.

This is EXACTLY what's wrong with the PGA Tour today! Where's the urgency for guys like Clark to win? He's just one example in a slew of grossly over-paid, mediocre players sucking on the all-too benevolent bosom of the Tour. Stewart Cink has made $23,559,072 in his career, ninth on the ALL-TIME money list. NINTH!!!! This is the same guy who just this year cheerfully lost 8-and-7 to Tiger in the Match Play final and also melted down the stretch at PODS, squandering a 54-hole lead with a 74 on Sunday to finish—you guessed it—SECOND!!! Cink has only four career victories, and none since 2004. And HE has earned the ninth most amount of cash in the history of the PGA Tour?!? ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS!

Thankfully the greats of the game have more than money on their minds, otherwise we wouldn't have seen Phil's tremendous gamble on Sunday. Here's to the win-or-nothing mentality that guys like Woods and Mickelson and Sean O'Hair ('07 Players) show on a week-in and week-out basis.

Lastly, I will toot the horn for my esteemed Golf Exchange co-host Pat Rooney Jr., who teamed with Ibis neighbor Greg Poore over the weekend to finish second in the Fifth Annual PBCGA Mid-Senior Four-Ball at McArthur GC in Hobe Sound. (Second's okay for forty-something amateurs with children, mortgages and honey-do lists…not so much for touring pros)

Even more memorable than the duo's runner-up 74-69 showing in the first flight was Poore's 4-iron at the 180 yard par-3 17th that found the hole during Saturday's first round, the ONLY ace of the tournament. There is absolutely no doubt that Pat is the REAL golfer of the radio show. I just hope some of that mojo exhibited by the 2-handicapper rubs off on his co-host's golf game.

Annika is Best Ever

May 21, 2008

My first thought upon hearing Annika Sorenstam's retirement announcement last week was: Where does she fit among the all time greats in women's golf? The answer: NUMBER ONE! At only 37 years of age, in just 14 professional seasons, Annika has amassed 72 career victories, including 10 majors. It took Kathy Whitworth 24 years to win 88 times, and Patty Berg needed 26 seasons to collect 15 major victories. There's no doubt Annika could hold every major career milestone were that a priority for the soon-to-be bride.

The only real tough question is which of her numerous feats ranks first…is it the 59 she shot at the 2001 Standard Register Ping? (still the only 59 EVER shot on the LPGA Tour)….or maybe it was making the '95 U.S. Women's Open her first ever career victory ….NOPE. The only possible answer is the 2003 Colonial, when she teed it up against the men and missed the cut by ONLY four strokes. In becoming the first women to play on the PGA Tour in nearly 60 years, she not only raised her exposure level by quantum leaps…she did the same for the LPGA Tour. It's no coincidence that now five years later, the tour is arguably the healthiest it has EVER been. Annika's the biggest reason, and she's the best female golfer of all time.

Speaking of Annika, she and Lorena Ochoa have been in the same tournament six times so far this season. On all six occasions, one of the two has won, most recently last week in Clifton, New Jersey, where Lorena took the Sybase Classic for a third consecutive year. For the record, Ochoa has won five of the six tournaments in which both women have teed it up against each other, including the year's first major in Rancho Mirage at the Kraft Nabisco. Annika's lone victory over the stretch was her win at the Michelob Ultra Open two weeks ago.

Want another stat that FURTHER proves the ENORMOUS chasm that sits between the dynamic duo and everyone else on the LPGA? Lorena's six wins this year have come in only nine starts, the second best beginning to any season in LPGA Tour history. Annika holds the all time record for fastest to six wins, doing it in just 8 starts in 2005, en route to a 10-victory season.

This rivalry is the BEST currently in all of sports, not just golf. Too bad it will only last for another six months.

With all apologies to Mark Teixeira, Pedro Martinez, and Vladimir Guerrero, Terry McNamara might be the biggest free agent following the 2008 season. McNamara, who's been on Annika's bag for nearly a decade, is widely considered the best caddie on the LPGA Tour. Word on the street is demand's so high for his soon-to-be available services, he'll jump to the PGA Tour in 2009. One possible destination? The Ping bag of Palm Beach Gardens resident Mark Calcaveccchia, who just gifted his longtime looper Eric Larson to 22-year old uber-striker Anthony Kim.

Nice to see Morgan Pressel shook out of her missed cut funk, snapping the string at three straight with last week's runner-up finish at the Sybase. It was only her second top-10 of the year in 10 starts, sub-par by any standards, especially for an up-and-comer who arrived with her Kraft Nabisco win last season. It's time she starts heeding her grandfather Herb Krickstein's advice, offered last month at the Stanford International Pro-Am: She'll need to work much harder if she wants to be among the world's best. Translation: That means more time on the range, less time taping commercials and toying around in her Mercedes sports coupe.

Even though I'm a DIEHARD GATOR, I was still rooting for Ryuji Imada, a UGA grad, to break through for his first career win last week in Atlanta. I find it amazing that he found himself in EXACTLY the same spot he was EXACTLY one year ago, a playoff on the 18th hole at TPC Sugarloaf to decide the AT&T; Classic. Only difference: Last year he lost to Zach Johnson, this year he bested Kenny Perry, who for the second consecutive week failed to convert a final round final pairing into victory. But unlike Perry's abysmal final round 81 two weeks ago at Sawgrass, last week he was done-in by bad luck, hitting the ONLY tree within 50 yards of the 18th green, his ball ricocheting straight left more than 30 yards into the water. It was eerily similar to the bad luck Charles Howell III encountered in the 2005 Buick Invitational, hitting the flagstick at 18 on Sunday, his ball bounding backwards into the lake. He went on to bogie the hole and lose by three strokes to Tiger Woods. Had the ball stayed in the hole for an eagle-3, Chucky Three Sticks would have forced a playoff.

As for Imada, he joins the very distinguished group of men who authored their first career win by way of a playoff. The short list includes Jack Nicklaus (over Arnold Palmer at the '62 U.S. Open), Vijay Singh (over Mark Wiebe at the '93 Buick Classic), Ernie Els (over Colin Montgomerie & Loren Roberts at the '94 U.S. Open), and Tiger Woods (over Davis Love III at the '96 Las Vegas Invitational).

Anyone else think the par-5 18th holes at both TPC Sugarloaf and Torrey Pines are incredibly similar to each other? Great reachable, risk/reward par-fives with water just left of the green, and bunkers just behind to the right. Most approach shots finding the sand on both holes result in birdie putts from outside of 15 feet, as players are terrified of hitting their blasts over the green and into the water. We can only hope the 18th at Torrey for this year's U.S. Open will emulate the DRAMA Sugarloaf's 18th has produced recently, with the aforementioned back-to-back playoffs the last two years.

And we now know that the chance for such DRAMA will be possible, with USGA course setup man Mike Davis confirming just this week that 18 will remain a par-5. There was talk it might be switched to a long four. Davis has also divulged that the par-4 10th hole, which plays to 416 yards during the Buick, will be drastically shorter for the Open. The USGA will move the players forward by three sets of tees to the 311-yard distance from the golds, normally reserved for women with single digit handicaps, continuing a trend of drivable par-4's started at Winged Foot in '06. Here's hoping the 10th comes close to deciding the championship the way the 300-yard 17th did last year at Oakmont, when Jim Furyk hit driver there on Sunday for the first time all week, made bogey, and lost to Angel Cabrera by a single shot.

Lastly, a note on Camilo Villegas, as I'm contractually obligated to mention a Gator in every blog. (not really, but why not?!) The jacked Colombian finished solo third at Sugarloaf to pocket $374,000, marking his seventh career top-5 in just over two years on tour, which includes a 3rd at the '06 Players and a 2nd at the '06 Ford Championship. His first career win cannot be too far away, perhaps within the next month. He plans to tee it up at both The Memorial and St. Jude before heading west to San Diego for the Open. Don't be surprised it he notches that maiden victory by Father's Day.

Sergio's Defining Win?

May 13, 2008 -- 12:30pm

No, it's not a major, but it's close…very close. And it pays better….as in $1,710,000. That was what Sergio Garcia's check read Sunday night in Ponte Vedra, shortly after the 28-year old bested 40-something journeyman Paul Goydos on the first hole of sudden death at the 35th Players Championship. It's Sergio's first win in three years, a span that included 53 PGA Tour starts.

The Spaniard had been touted for years as "best player never to have won a major". He earned the moniker sometime shortly after scissor-kicking his way to second behind Tiger at the 1999 PGA Championship. He held the title for so long, without fulfillment, that he actually lost it to the likes of Stuart Appleby, Adam Scott, Rory Sabbatini, and, most recently following his Charlotte win last week, Anthony Kim. Ironically, this Players win might actually restore that top billing to the man recognized as the game's best ball striker, pound-for-pound. Speaking of which, his stats for the week were extremely impressive, leading the field in both fairways hit and greens in regulation (77% & 78%, respectively)….but the MOST impressive part of his victory was the putting, especially the 7 footer for par on the 72nd hole to get into the playoff. Considering all the heartache his flat stick has brought him over the years, Sergio can only hope his brilliant work on the greens this week stays with him at Torrey Pines, Royal Birkdale, and beyond. In this blogger's humble opinion, Sergio's best chance at a major title will come at the British.

The winds in Ponte Vedra on Sunday gusted to 40 mph, so conditions were understandably tough. But didn't some of those final round scores seem RIDICULOUSLY high: Phil Mickelson, Jerry Kelly, Daniel Chopra and Ben Curtis all carded 78's; Adam Scott and Davis Love III both shot 80; Billy Mayfair shot an 81; and Jesper Parnevik carded a 13-over 85!

Perhaps most disturbing? The first group off at 8:20am on Sunday, Troy Matteson and Tommy Armour III, seemingly hell bent on getting out of dodge before the rains came, got around in a combined 161 strokes, all in under three hours!

Sergio's win now puts the season-long number of twenty-something champions on Tour at 9….two more than the number from ALL of 2007. One possible reason? More tournaments are up for grabs, with only two men currently capable of putting up multiple victory seasons (Tiger & Phil). Gone are the years when Ernie, Vijay, Retief, Furyk and company would collect wins in bushels, which means more opportunities for everyone, including twenty-somethings, to pick up W's.

Case in point: Singh won NINE times just 4 years ago in 2004, en route to $10 million in earnings and Player of the Year. The Big Fijian is still looking for his first win this season, which is now 21 tournaments old.

Listen to Russ Evans every Sunday morning at 8am on Golf Exchange presented by The Honda Classic. You can email him at revans@thehondaclassic.com.