Golf Great Byron Nelson Dies At 94

This is truly a sad day for all who love the game. Byron Nelson, who had the greatest year in the history of professional golf when he won 18 tournaments in 1945, including a record 11 in a row, died Tuesday. He was 94.

If You're Not First, You're Last

I really don't know what to say. The US has been beaten for the third straight year, and beaten 18 1/2 to 9 1/2 for the second straight year. It is embarassing to say the least. What will it take for the US to get back their Ryder Cup mojo? Who knows at this point? It's been talked about over and over, with the so-called 'experts' coming up with everything from "we have to play more loose" to "we have to find Tiger a partner". Nothing has worked and at this point, I don't see anything that will work. The Euros have the momentum going into each Ryder Cup and they are able to build on that momentum as they continually dominate us in the team portion of the competition.

But the idea that "they've always been better than us in the team format" is no excuse. There's no reason for that that I can see. Why can't we be just as good as a 2-man team as the Euros? Do all of our players hate each other or something? I don't know, but I don't think so.

It's a strange, strange thing that no one has managed to figure out and that no one is likely to figure out in the near future, or so it seems. Perhaps we need to name a Captain that demands more respect from his team, someone they can use as a rallying point, someone they will listen to and not have it go in one ear and out the other. That's no disrespect to Tom Lehman. I think he did a fine job this week. But in terms of legendary status, he's not up there with the likes of Jack, Arnie or Tom. I say ask one of them to lead our next team, or heck, ask them all to be Co-Captains. We need all the help we can get at this point.

Lefty and the Cat

Much has been made about then Ryder Cup Captain Hal Sutton pairing together Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson and them getting their butts handed to them by Monty and Padraig Harrington. It was said to be a mistake, as reportedly Phil and Tiger don't really like each other and therefore didn't mesh well as a team.

While that may be true, it's also true that at the time, neither was playing their best golf. Phil had just made an ill-advised equipment change (ill-advised for the timing of the change, not for the equipment itself), and Tiger was in the middle of his now famous swing changes. To me, that was the biggest catalyst for the fact that they didn't play well as a team, not the fact that they do or don't like each other.

The fact is, they are professionals. Each was playing their own ball and their feelings for each other, in my opinion, was not that big of a deal at the end of the day. Also, let's give Monty and Padraig a little credit here. They're not too shabby when it comes to the game of golf.

While it probably will never happen again, I think it's a possibility that should be explored again, if for no other reason so that Phil and Tiger can prove that they can win as a team.

Star of the Week

I wonder who will rise up as the star of this year's matches? Right now I'm focusing mainly on the US side. Of course Tiger will get his usual press and praise, as will probably the numbers 2 and 3 in the world, Jim Furyk and Phil Mickelson. Chris DiMarco has proven himself over the last few years in these types of team events, so he is a good candidate. But it's also possible that one of the rookies will arise as a force. If Cap'n Lehman can manage to match up the rook's with the right partners, it can build the confidence in them that they will need to go into the Sunday singles.

My personal opinion? I think if the US manages a win, the star of the week will be none other than Captain Lehman himself. I was a little hesitant when I heard that he had been named Captain a couple of years back. I didn't think it was time yet for him. After all, he's still got enough game to have made the team himself, and he probably would have if it hadn't been for the Captain's duties that he's had to deal with over the past two years. But he has changed my mind. He wants this. Sure, it's a friendly competition, an exhibition, but make no mistake about it... he wants this win.

New Nano in the Hizzouse!!

I've always wanted to talk like that. While the title is not exactly true (I'm still waiting for the FedEx delivery... I think FedEx has been bought out by someone's grandma, or perhaps some Amish folks who are delivering packages on a horse and carriage), I have ordered one of the new black 8gb iPod Nanos (black is the new black, folks, in case you didn't get the memo).

I can't wait to receive my new toy, but it does leave me in a bit of a pickle. Counting my new purchase, I will have a total of 4 iPods... a white 30gb 5G iPod, a 2gb black Nano and a 512mb Shuffle. My plan is to sell off everything but the Shuffle, so if anyone is interested, shoot me an email (my address is at the bottom of the left-hand column). I can say that both the 30gb and the 2gb are in excellent shape. I added Power Support Crystal Skins to both soon after purchasing them, and they have each been in cases as well. Also, I have the original boxes for both. Pictures available upon request.

Ryder Cup Diary

I think I've mentioned before that the Ryder Cup might be my favorite week of golf, in close competition with the Masters for tops on my list. I'm sure the folks at Augusta and the PGA are in a bitter fight for my attention. Anyway, thanks to a kind email from a friend, I have stumbled upon a nice little site called Ryder Cup Diary, which offers up some nice tidbits for those curious about the history of one of the best weeks in golf.

Ben Curtis: The Closer

Okay, so I'm not saying Ben Curtis is Tiger Woods-like in his ability to close out a tournament when he's in the lead... what I'm saying is that, of late, it seems that the Benster has a talent for winning tournaments that are not coming back next year. From Yahoo! Golf:

"For the second time in three months, Curtis won a tournament that's not scheduled to return next year, stringing a series of big putts down the stretch to claim the 84 Lumber Classic title by two shots Sunday over Charles Howell III."

It's a pretty good way to get a win if you think about it. You get the notariety of winning and the winning check, and you don't have to commit to playing in the same event next year.

Tiger Throws Match Play

This just in: Tiger has thrown the World Match Play in the first round in order to rest up for the Ryder Cup next week. I reported a few weeks ago that Tiger was taking more of a leadership roll on this year's team. This proves his commitment. Jim Furyk followed suit, deciding he only wanted to play 32 holes before moving on to the K club next week. If this kind of commitment is what we have to look forward to from our veterans, the Europeans don't have a chance next week.

One More Thing...

Apple had its big "It's Showtime" event earlier today, announcing several new products including:

• iPod goes from 60gb to 80gb with better screen resolution and battery life, but still no widescreen format.
• iPod Nanos get new colors and form factor, get bumped to 8gb at the high end and the 1gb Nano is retired.
• iTunes 7 released with an updated layout and gapless playback (translates to iPod too).
  
• Movies now available for download from iTMS.
  
• A new set top box dubbed iTV that will help marry iTunes on the computer to the living room (available Q1 2007).
  

Nothing that surprising, considering the name of the event. I think all those "in the know" predicted the movie store at least, and the rest is just a natural extension of that. For me personally, the thing I'm most interested in is the new Nanos. I could care less about watching movies on an iPod and the prices seem a little steep to me ($9.99 to $14.99). I would have hoped they would be significantly cheaper than buying the DVD, maybe $9.99 as a top-line price.

But the new Nano is interesting to me for the fact that they have now been increased to 8gb, and also because they have gone "old school" a little bit and brought back the design element of the former iPod Mini. I think this is a good move, as it gives the Nano its own personality, so to speak. I just hope the new Nano is as durable as the Minis were.

They also revealed a new iPod Shuffle, which looks like an aluminum version of the iPod remote. It's cute and all, but it doesn't really interest me personally.

Kerr Takes Down Annika

Props to Christie Kerr for staring down World #1 Annika Sorenstam this weekend and coming out on top. It's nice to see an Amercian player able to bring out her 'A' game when it counts.

Tiger Lets Furyk Win

In a show of ultimate selflessness, Tiger Woods decided to take in the U.S. Open this weekend and let someone else win a golf tournament for a change. Not only that, according to his instructor Hank Haney, he talked to Tiger Sunday morning and Tiger predicted that Jim Furyk would win. I think this demonstration of generosity and psychic ability proves my earlier theory that Tiger has in fact risen to More Than a Man, Less Than a God status.

Dvorak Was Right

Once again, it looks like famous curmudgeon and whipping boy of most of the western tech world, John C. Dvorak was right. Digg is being gamed and it's not even big time gaming. It's gaming that doesn't even matter. It's just so some dude in East Philly can go to bed at night knowing he's one of the coveted 'Top 100' on the site. What happens when, as Dvorak mentions, someone with an agenda tries to game the system to get one of their stories promoted to the all important front page? It can be done. The Digg Powers That Be (DPTB) have admitted that they are contstantly having to tweak the secret algorithm that says whether a story is promoted or not.

Kudos to them for doing what they can to keep Digg as democratic as they can, but the fact remains that as long as there is someone out there who wants to use a site or an idea like Digg to their advantage, they will eventually figure out a way to do it. Right now it doesn't really matter. The gaming taking place is apparently all about ego at this point. But some day, it will be about more than that, and that's when the Digg crew will have a real problem on their hands.

What the Heck is a Stimp Meter?

Anyone who has been playing or watching golf for any amount of time probably has heard of the Stimp Meter. You may have heard the term, but do you really know how it works? Here's a good description of what exactly a Stimp Meter is:

"A stimp meter is the device used to measure the speed of the greens. To get the stimp rating, a ball is rolled down a little ramp (the stimp meter) in eight different directions. The stimp rating is the average distance the ball rolls once it touches the greens. For instance, a course with a stimp rating of 12 is a course in which the ball rolled an average of 12 feet once it hit the greens. Most Professional Golfers Association courses run at a 10 to 12 stimp rating. The higher the number, the faster the course. Most municipal golf courses have an average stimp reading range from 7 to 10."

Click to read more.

More Than a Man, Less Than a God

From my understanding, it was confirmed late Monday afternoon that Tiger Woods has been promoted to 'God-like' status, indicating that he is indeed more than a man, but less than a God. Over his past five tournaments, Tiger has not lost. It's certainly not something that hasn't been done before, but it's damn impressive nonetheless. What blows my minds is that from what I have observed, I don't personally think he's playing as well as he can. If he ever puts together his 'A' game, he might achieve full-blown 'God' status.

Chances Are...

What I love about the game of golf is that it is so complicated, yet so simple. If you have sufficent talent and practice enough, you can physically execute the shots that are needed in pretty much any given situation. But as any golfer knows, executing the shots and actually pulling off the shots at the right times are two very different things.

You can practice for as long as you want, for as many days in a row as you want, play practice rounds to your heart's content and work on your game until the cows come home, but if you can't pull it off when it counts, golf can destroy you. Golf is the master and we are the students and that will never change.

Practice makes perfect. We all know that. I firmly believe in the theory that if you can practice, practice, practice, develop a routine and stick to it on every shot, that in pressure situations you will pretty much go into automatic mode and the routine will act as a calming mechanism to help you execute the shot. I know this because I've done it. I have been able to execute shots in what for me are pressure situations and I can look back and know without a doubt that the mindset that the routine put me in is what helped me through it.

But before the shot, before the routine comes the decision making process. For me, decision making is beginning to come with age and experience. I can stand over a shot now and run the scenarios over in my head and most of the time I can come up with a decision that I am confident in. Harvey Penick called it 'controlled agression'. If you want to take chances, you can, but you want to be sure to put yourself in a position where the percentages are in your favor when you take that chance.

If I'm a professional gambler and I don't play the percentages, I won't be a professional gambler for very long. It's the same on the golf course. You and you alone are in control of when it's best to take the chance and when it's best to lay up. If you always take the chance no matter the situation, you're not a 'Riverboat Gambler', you're just a high handicapper with delusions of grandeur.