Friday, September 26, 2008

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Faldo FTW

I just wanted to give quick props to Nick Faldo for his handling of the European Ryder Cup loss last weekend. He was very gracious after the loss, even though you could see it was killing him behind those cool Adidas shades he was wearing. Top that with all the criticism he has been receiving across the pond, yet he still shows up and does his job graciously and professionally on the five hour block of Golf Channel coverage of the Tour Championship yesterday. It had to be eating him alive to have to hear the constant comments and questions from his partner Kelly Tilghman, as she constantly referred back to last week's events. That's no knock on Kelly. It's her job, and she would have done the same in any other week.

I always thought Faldo was a class act, and this week has only solidified my opinion.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

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Gator Cup, 5-4

So my team ended up losing the inaugural Gator Cup this weekend, 5-4. It was quite competitive though, moreso than I thought it would be. It actually came down to the approach shots of the final match of the final day to find out if we were at least going to tie, in which case I had planned on having a chip-off to determine the winners.

In a way though I was glad to see a clear winner crowned. I was thinking as I was watching my partner hit his approach into 18 that it would be a shame to decide it with a chip-off, considering the battle both teams had gone through for the past 3 days. It was fitting that there was a winner crowned, and I think anyway that a good time was had by all.

We have already started planning next year's rematch, with others giving input into how they think the matches, rules and so forth should be tweaked to make it even better for next year. In my eyes, that's a clear sign that everyone had a good time with the whole experience, because they are already excited about next year's rematch. I for one can't wait.

I wonder if I can get Boo Weekley to show up and play for my team?

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

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Anthony Kim

Cup debut means more to Kim than Tour titles

I have to say, I'm liking this kid's action more and more every day. I understand that he's got one of those 'like him or hate him' personalities, but these days with Tiger's dominance, I have to give props to anyone who comes out and shows that they are actually hungry to win, rather than just make a living. His comment in the BMW a couple of weeks ago only solidified him as a player in my book... "well, I'm not playing for second."

That attitude will serve him well, in my opinion.

And the guy he was chasing, Camilo Villegas, seems to be the same kind of player. Again, he's one of those 'like him or not' kind of guys, and he obviously thinks a lot of himself, but I think that's the attitude you have to have on the modern tour... if you're going to win that is.

I like both of these kids, and I hope to see more just like them in the future. Competition for Tiger can only be good for the game in the long run.

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News Conferences

I suppose in a way the Ryder Cup starts today, albeit not officially. News conferences start today, for most of the afternoon both today and tomorrow, and although I have my DVR set to record them, I have a feeling I will be skimming through most of the coverage, as I will quickly realize that all I'm going to hear is the same five points over the roughly five hours of coverage. Those points being:

- Phil absolutely must play well, and hopefully his pairing with Anthony Kim will inject a little life into his game (but the fact that Phil doesn't play well is not because he doesn't want to be here, because he loves the Ryder Cup, even though everyone knows he doesn't).

- The Europeans need to find someone for Lee Westwood to get drunk with because Faldo was dumb enough not to take Darren Clarke as a Captain's pick.

- The US Team absolutely has to win this year, but there's no pressure on them at all and no one understands why they play "not to lose".

- Azinger set the course up for our long hitters, because even though we should win because we are more talented individually, we are the underdogs because we can't keep a drive on the golf course.

- J.B. Holmes and Boo Weekley are just "good ole country boys" and everyone gets a kick out of them, especially Boo.

Monday, September 15, 2008

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Day 1 Results

In reference to my earlier post about our Ryder Cup style match, Day 1 was yesterday, and I thought I would post results.

Yesterday was 9 holes scramble, and 9 holes better ball, 1 point available in each match. We were playing in windy conditions, so I thought some of the group might want to delay the match until another day. But everyone was game, stating that it was fair for one and all.

The front nine match was a barn-burner, with the lead passing back and forth between teams all morning. In the end, our team managed to win the eighth hole to go 1 up, and we were conceded the ninth for a 2 up win on the front.

At this point I was extremely happy, as my only goal for the entire matches was not to get swept.

On the back, we started out strong, with me winning the 10th hole and my partner winning the 11th. My partner had a 4 footer on the 12th to go three up, but it broke off the world and he missed. At that point, I totally left the game for about three holes. I couldn't get a drive to stay on the course. I put a lot of pressure on my teammate, and we subsequently found ourselves 1 down going into the 16th hole. At that point the wind started kicking up like crazy, and both teams were fighting for their lives for the last three holes. We managed to win the 17th to bring the match back to even, but they won the last for a 1 up victory and a point in match two.

So after Day 1, the matches stand tied at 1-1.

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Wind Damage at Valhalla

Wind Damages Ryder Cup Site

Looks like there's been a little shake-up at Valhalla even before the beginning of the festivities this week. I have to say, I live in Kentucky, played golf yesterday, and it was brutal conditions. Anyone with half a brain would have stayed home, but I've never been accused of having that attribute. Most of Louisville is apparently without power today. I hope everyone is okay and hope that the Ryder Cup goes on without a hitch.

Friday, September 12, 2008

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Cup

Okay, I will freely admit that I've not gotten a lot done at work today, because I have been working on a Ryder Cup style match for my regular weekly foursome.

I'm really excited to spring it on my playing partners Sunday, even though I know my team won't have a chance in Hades on winning. I have ordered trophies to be presented to the winners so that they may display it proudly for the next year as "bragging rights". I plan on this being a yearly event in which the trophies are traded back and forth between winners. I have pretty much conceded this inaugural event to our opponents, but with the knowledge that in the coming seasons, my partner, who is a beginner, will improve exponentially. He's already shown marked improvement this season, so I am already looking forward to next year.

I know no one who reads this probably cares, but I am very excited about this little match I have devised, and had to write about it. More as the competition develops...

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

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Why Can't the US Win?

I saw an interesting special on the Golf Channel last night, a 30 minute examination of the past several Ryder Cups which should have been titled, "Why Doesn't the US Dominate Like They Are Supposed To?"

Probably my favorite part of the program were the interviews with the Captains, and with Paul Azinger in particular. He addressed the comments that the US doesn't seem to have fun and gel as a team. He essentially says it's not because they are individuals and don't know how to play as a team, it's simply because they have not been winning. It's the chicken and egg thing. A lot of people think we are not winning because we don't have fun, but Azinger says we don't seem to have fun because we're not winning. It's a valid argument and one that I happen to agree with.

The sad thing is, if Europe ends up winning, Azinger's methods and opinions will probably be thrown out with the trash, just like Hal Sutton's pairing of Tiger and Phil in his year as Captain. Tiger and Phil will likely never be paired again, simply because it didn't work the one time. I think I've posted here before that I think the pairing didn't work because both weren't playing well at the time, Phil in particular. It wasn't because they don't like each other. They might well hate each other, I don't know, but they are both professionals and I guarantee you both of them wanted to win just as much as their opponents.

I hope Jack Nicklaus finds his way back to Captain again in either the Ryder Cup or the Presidents Cup. He's the only one I can think of who would have the guts to pair the two together again. And he would be able to put them out there with the right attitude, that at the end of the day, it's just a competition and win or lose, it's not the end of the world.

Monday, September 08, 2008

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The Evil of Golf

Why is it that you can be playing your best one minute, and the next you play as if you've never touched a club?

That's what happened to me yesterday, and what's been happening to me for the past couple of weeks actually. I had a round going, it wasn't a great one, but I managed to hold it together for 15 holes. My driving and putting was off all day. I had given up par to bogey on more holes than I could count, but I was holding it together. But I reached #16 tee and all of a sudden I couldn't put club to ball. It was disasterous. I felt like I was 14 again and had just picked up a golf club for the first time.

It all started on #3 actually. I played the first two holes pretty well, and found myself behind some trees on the right side of the fairway on the par 5. I had a shot over the trees, which would have allowed me a realistic chance to get on the green in regulation, or I could have chipped out safely and taken probably a couple more to get on the green safely. I would have had a decent shot at par, and probably an easy bogey. I had picked up a couple of shots on my competitors on the first two holes though, so I decided to take my shot over the trees. I took an eight on the hole, and from that point on my game was in shambles.

I can't say that hole stayed with me mentally the whole rest of the round. I didn't consciously think about it. But once the round was over and I had lost, thinking back at my day, I could trace the wheels coming off to that one moment when I decided to go over the trees instead of taking the safe chip-out.

Golf is an evil game, but the evil comes straight from our minds. It's not the game's fault. It's not our equipment's fault. It's not our playing partner's fault. At the end of the day, it's our fault and ours alone.

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Back Into It

Obviously I've not posted in a long, long time. I don't really have much of an excuse, other than life has been getting in my way these past months. I am going to make an effort to post on a much more regular basis from now on, hopefully a couple of times a week or more. I can't promise anything, but that is my intention.