The Masters

I must admit, I've not been following the world of professional golf as much as usual so far this season.  I've had a lot of other stuff going on, and truthfully, I'm just lazy like that.  At any rate, with the Masters coming up next week, and with it being my most favoritest major championship, I can't let it slide by without throwing up a few observations.

Unfortunately this will be the first major tournament in a long time without Davis Love III in attendance.  I must admit, earlier in his career (and earlier in my maturity level) I didn't like Davis a lot.  I think it was because he was just one of those guys who unfortunately don't exhibit a lot of personality out there.  In my earlier days of growing up with folks like Greg Norman to admire, Davis rubbed me the wrong way.  I have since learned to like and admire Davis and wish that he would be in the field this week.

I don't know what's going on with Phil Mickelson this season.  Sure, he's playing well, but not well enough.  He's not playing like the superstar that he is, but just as a Regular Joe tour player who has a very good chance of winning in any given week.  This is one major difference between Tiger and players like Phil, Vijay and Ernie.  Everyone but Tiger seems to go through lulls in their season.  Tiger is a superstar 100% of the time.

I predict Tiger to win, but I also predict good weeks from Steve Stricker and Fred Couples.  Both have been playing well, and Freddie loves Augusta.  And with Stricker's good tee-to-green game and excellent putting, I don't see any way he can have a bad week.  He might not win, but I don't think he will shoot himself out of it either.

That's all I've got for now.  Hopefully more updates to come...

Tiger's Achilles?

I've been thinking about the Presidents Cup matches and have come to a startling conclusion, one that might shake the very foundations of golf. First I will submit my evidence:

• September, 2004 - Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are romped in their only appearance as teammates in Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup competition.
• February, 2005 - Tiger is beaten by Nick O'Hern in the second round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.
• February, 2007 - Tiger again falls to O'Hern in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, this time in the third round. O'Hern is annointed a 'Tiger Killer'.
• September, 2007 - Even though the US Team gets the victory, Tiger is beaten by Canadian Mike Weir in the Sunday singles matches.

Conclusion: Tiger doesn't gel with lefties when walking the same fairways in match play competition, whether as part of their team or against them. So take note of this, European and International Teams. The next time you have a competition coming up, burn one of your Captain's Picks on some left-handed dude who just won a club championship of you have to. Tiger can't beat them.

The Cup

With the Presidents Cup starting this week, as a US Team fan I have to wonder which team will show up this time. The US has a fairly good record in this particular exhibition, as opposed to their recent Ryder Cup meltdowns, but the fact remains that one just doesn't know which version of what is essentially a Jekyll/Hyde US Team will show up. And with the rise in confidence of International talent like Rory Sabbatini, Geoff Ogilvy and K.J. Choi over the past two years, and as well as they are playing right now, I can't help but feel we're in for a dogfight this time around. One thing's for sure, I want to see Sabbatini and Tiger square off in at least one match this week. Whether it be individually or as a team, I want them to play the same holes at the same time.

We Have a Winner

Looks like Tiger pretty much ran away with the inaugural FedEx Cup trophy. I mean seriously, was the really ever any doubt? I bet Tim Finchem and the Tour have been drunk for the past 2 days. I mean, what better way to "validate" your new baby than having the #1 Player in the world win it the first time out. I mean, it's great isn't it? Tiger wins, some other big names were in the hunt, they got a showdown of sorts between Tiger and Phil, new stars were born, and oh yeah, Tiger won. Seriously, with all the criticism the format has taken this past year, I can't think of a better outcome for the Tour and its fans. I really believe this thing can only get better from here. If they can figure out a way to tweak this thing just right so that the big names aren't basically making political, back-door deals to blackmail each other into playing in this thing, and actually get them interested in competing in it, it will be huge. I enjoyed watching the entire playoff series a huge amount more than I thought I would.

Next stop, Presidents Cup.

Does Solheim Beat Ryder?

As I sit here writing this post, Solheim Cup, Day 2 is in progress in Sweden. Well, maybe not. I don't know about the time difference and all. Annika might be kicked back eating dinner right now and what I'm seeing is on tape delay. But here's my point: I am watching the Solheim Cup, and I might be enjoying it a lot more than I will be enjoying the Presidents Cup in a couple of weeks. Why? I don't know for sure, but my sense is that I am impressed with how much these girls want it. The US Team, over the last two Cups, have given me the impression that I get from the European Team in the Ryder Cup matches. They appear to truly enjoy being there and really want to win for their country and for their own pride's sake. That's what the Men's US Team needs. I don't care who plays in the events. I don't care if Tiger and Phil stay home and play with their kids. I want 12 guys on our team who want to be there and want to win. If nothing else, I will get three days of seeing emotion, instead of the same stone faces that have become prevalent in the past several Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup matches.

Trying To Get Back Into It

So not a lot has been happening in my life since my last post way yonder back in June. I'm going to try to make a huge effort to start updating all of my blogs on a regular basis again. I can't guarantee anything, because I am a lazy slob by nature, but I am going to try to hold myself to at least 2 updates per week for each site. I don't have any type of schedule worked out or anything, as in "update Tech.rub on Monday/Wednesday and Rub Of The Green on Tuesday/Thursday", but maybe I should, and maybe I will. For now though, I'm just working on "twice a week, whenever the urge hits me and there's something significant to talk about". We'll see how that works for now.

FedEx Cup Opinion

I know a lot has been said about the FedEx Cup, its limitations and its flaws, but I have to admit, these last four tournaments have had me, for lack of a better term, "glued to my seat". I don't really have any excuse other than I just have this feeling as I'm watching that these tournaments somehow mean "more" than normal season-ending events. Heck, I hadn't even been watching the Tour Championship for the past couple of years, but somehow this season it seems like it's more prestigious than before. Have I fallen for what Finchem and Co. have put down; am I drinking the Kool-Aid on this?

Perhaps, but at the same time, who cares? If this little move accomplishes getting me more interested in post-major TV golf, and I enjoy what I'm seeing, what does it matter if I'm getting taken in by all the hype? It's like someone giving you a fake diet pill. If it's fake, but it does the job you want it to do even though it's all in your mind, who cares?

I know if they manage to stay with this thing, it will get better and better as the seasons go by. I don't know right now, if it weren't to be tweaked a little, if it would accomplish making the big guns play together more throughout the season and in the playoffs, but I think at the very least, based on what I'm seeing now, it has potential. And that's really all you can ask for something like this in its first season.

So How Did I Do?

Not too well, it seems.  Let's check.

• Mickelson misses the cut - I got this one, but only because of a birdie on the last hole by the eventual winner.
• Tiger doesn't finish in the top 20 - Wrong on this one.  Although you would think he would have finished out of the top 20, since he obviously must have had his daughter's impending birth on his mind.
• Johnny Miller pisses somebody else off on camera - Not sure if I got this one or not.  I'm going to give myself a point on this one, because I'm sure he ticked someone off.
• Someone shoots 88 and doesn't withdraw before finishing their round - I haven't checked this one either, but I bet I was close.
• Mark Rolfing makes me sick at least once a day because of his unquestioning devotion to Tiger Woods - I was wrong on this one.  I don't remember him doing too bad this time.
• Jim Furyk finishes in the top five and Sergio Garcia misses the cut - Right with both of these.
• Padraig Harrington is the top European finisher - Wrong here.
• Adam Scott wins - Majorly wrong on this one.  Scott didn't even make the cut.

So I was roughly 4/9, if you count the Furyk and Sergio predictions as one each.  And I might be 5/9 if the "88" prediction is true.

U.S. Open Predictions

Just a few predictions before the Open starts tomorrow:

1. Mickelson misses the cut. For anyone who reads this site, you know this one hurts me. I'm a big Mickelson fan, but I just worry about his wrist. And not so much that I think it's really that bad, but I know from recent experience how concern of an injury can haunt your mind and mess with your game. I say Phil gets in the rough one too many times and the fear of hurting his wrist more gets into his head and causes him to waste more strokes than usual. They say the rough is a 1/2 shot penalty. For Phil this week, I think it will be almost a full shot.
2. Tiger doesn't finish in the top 20. It all depends on his putter. If he's got it going, it takes a lot of stress off his tee-to-green game and it's lights out. But based on his putting in his past couple of events, and the difficulty of the Oakmont greens, I put him outside of the top 20.
3. Johnny Miller pisses somebody else off on camera. This is pretty much a no-brainer. I watched his "Open & Honest" interview on the Golf Channel last night. I like the guy and agree with a huge amount of what he says. I think the guys just don't like to hear the brutal truth sometimes. But I also think he says things sometimes just for effect.
4. Someone gets on the verge of shooting 88 or worse and doesn't withdraw before finishing their round. That's all I've got to say about that.
5. Mark Rolfing makes me sick at least once a day because of his unquestioning devotion to Tiger Woods. Seriously, is it just me, or is this guy the biggest Tiger fan in the business? Not that there's anything wrong with that.
6. Jim Furyk finishes in the top five and Sergio Garcia misses the cut. My Furyk prediction comes down to consistency. Sergio's prediction comes down to putting.
7. Padraig Harrington is the top European finisher.
8. Adam Scott wins. This is a difficult one as well for me. I predicted Scott to win the Open about 3 weeks ago, and I'm going to stick with my pick, simply because I'm stubborn. I'm not happy at all with his finishes the past couple of weeks, especially with his putting, so it's nuts to pick him based on my analysis above of Tiger's chances this week (because of putting), but I'm going to stick with my gut feeling from a few weeks back. I think Scott is "right there" as they say. If he can hold it together for 72 holes, he's got just as good a chance as anyone, in my opinion.

Sport or Not?

It's one of THE age-old questions in the game of golf, especially nowadays, with fitness getting more and more of a reputation in the elite levels: is golf a sport or not?

Truthfully, I'm a bit on the fence. I think golf is basically a sport, and that any game that requires at least some aspects of athelticism or coordination should be considered such. Is knitting a sport? No. Is table tennis? Yes. The obvious hand-eye coordination required,
combined with the mental aspects of the game, put golf squarely in the "it's a sport" realm in my eyes. But at the same time, I see the point of some folks, that if it doesn't require constant running and jumping, how can it really be a sport? Sure, being fit is better, but if
obviously fat, out of shape individuals can play at the elite levels, how can you call it a sport?

Riddle me this: I have seen some pretty overweight linebackers in my time who play quite well in the professional ranks of the NFL. Does that mean that football isn't a sport? Or if it is a sport, does it mean there are SOME athletes on the football field, but the fat guys
just don't fit into that camp?

Now, if golf is a sport, is it one of the most demanding? Not physically for sure, but I would argue that at the highest levels, it is probably one of the most demanding mentally. And of course as we all know, the great thing about golf is that it can be just as demanding (relatively) at the club level. I might not be Zach Johnson on the final day of the Masters, but I bet he and I have similar thoughts when I'm coming down the stretch of my local Club Championship.

On a scale of 1 to 10, with one being "no way it's a sport" and 10 being "it's just like rugby", I would have to put golf in the 6-7 range. Not the most demanding sport in the world, but a sport nonetheless.

Philly Mick: Is He Finally Waking Up?

That's a question I have been asking myself for a few weeks now, and am asking myself even more since Mickelson's win at the Players. Is he back and will he continue to play good golf from now on, or is this
simply the latest peak in the sine wave of his golfing career?

He's played this well before people. He played this well at the 2004 Masters, slowly reverted back to his old self for a while, got it together again for the 2005 PGA, and managed to keep it going until shortly after the 2006 Masters. Everyone likes to talk about Winged Foot, but for anyone who was following Phil at the time, we knew he was lucky to be where he was on the final day of the 2006 U.S. Open. He was playing that tournament as a schizophrenic, caught between playing "smart golf" and "Mickelson golf". His raw talent got him to the position he was in on the final hole, but he didn't deserve to win that week.

His new fitness regime has gotten me inspired that maybe he's really trying to turn it around for the long-term this time. Before he seems to have just been trying to put on a band-aid at the beginning of each season, doing the things he thought he needed to do to compete in the majors, but not really buying into the philosophy for the long term. Now he's hired a fitness guy and switched swing coaches. Does that indicate he's ready to make that long-term change everyone has been waiting for?

If that is an indication, and he does make the change, then Winged Foot was good for him in the long run. Maybe it taught him a lesson that you can't just slap on a girdle and expect it to get you through to August
and then take it off and let out your gut until next year.

I am a big fan of Phil's. I have followed his career from almost the beginning, and for that reason, unfortunately, I have to say I'll believe it when I see it.

Double T to the G

Tommy and Ashley made it to the final nine holes last night in the Big Break: Reunion. I felt bad for Big Mike, but he simply didn't play well enough to advance. He was actually lucky to get it back to a sudden death situation. Ashley let him back in it with her poorish play in the final two or three holes. In the end though, I think the right two players have advanced.

As indicated by the title of this post, I am still ultimately rooting for Tommy to take it all. I wondered a couple of weeks ago when he played in Wachovia if that indicated a level of confidence that he had gained from winning the Big Break. I suppose we will all know next week at this time. I am worried a little bit about the Tomster though. His tee-to-green game seems to be "on", but we all know most of the time match play comes down to putting. Of the two, Ashley is clearly putting better.

Will her putting allow her to take the match, or will it simply allow her to stay in the match? Will Tommy catch fire on the greens and make the last question moot? Will Barefoot Dave ever shut up? Will Bri and Tommy have a little celebration after the match, whether he wins or loses? Is the sky blue? Is Bri rooting for Tommy or Ashley at this point? Will Gary ever be as good as he thinks he is? Am I just making up stupid questions at this point because my game sucks and I enjoy living vicariously through these people?

These are the hard-hitting questions people. And the answers might someday save our lives. Or perhaps more accurately, 20 minutes after the show is over, none of us will care.

Big Break Reunion: Donny's Exit

Wow. What an excellent example of why some guys can make it on the tour and some can't. I can't believe the bonehead decisions made by Donatello in this episode, starting with the decision to actually compete in the elimination in the first place. He had a free ride, worked hard to get it, and when the time came to use it, he didn't. It didn't make any kind of sense. It's one of those episodes where you wonder if it was scripted.

And then they get to the elimination, and he did what? He chips out of a waste area? He putts from 30 feet off the green? As Tommy said, it was definitely an indication of his nervousness. And if he couldn't control his nerves, he shouldn't have even been in the elimination.

Did he get to keep the money? He got the car, but did he have to not get eliminated to win the money too? I thought I saw a graphic that said that, but at the end he said he won a car and some money. I was confused.

At this point, I'd like to see pretty much any of the remaining four in the final match. I'm rooting for Two-Gloves to make it, and then anyone besides him. I wouldn't even care to see Barefoot Dave make it, just to
see him get beat. I was actually ready for Tommy and Don to make it to the end. I think that would have been a heck of a match to see.

Tommy and Bri, Sittin' in a Tree...

I'm fresh off the latest episode of Big Break: Reunion, and I have to say, Tommy Two-Gloves needs to get his head back in the game. He's a lovesick fool right now, and right now is not the time to be lovesick foolin' all over the golf course. Don't get me wrong, that Bri is one hot chick. I've got it bad for her too, Tommy. In fact, to paraphrase one of the great quotes of all time, 'I've got a fever for Bri, and the only prescription is more cowbell'. You know what I'm sayin', ROTG'ers. She's one hot mama, and to take it to an HNL ('Hole 'Nother Level for the uninitiated), the chick can play golf too!

But I digress. This post is supposed to be about TTG and his quest for the cup. Tommy made his way through the elimination intact last night, and it was impressive how he managed to pull it together when he needed it, but this nonsense about feeling queasy and all that jazz, it's got
to go. You can't make it all the way to the end like that, Tommy. You've got Double D breathing down your back and make no mistake, he will take you down. Donny's an emotional man, but he knows how to deal with it come the end of the day. Maybe you do to. I hope so. I'm pulling for you Tommy. I'm pulling for you to win this thing, and I'm pulling for you and Bri.

I hope you two crazy kids make it, but let's hold off on the romance until you're holding the golden rock trophy of Big Break: Reunion Champion in your Two-Glove'd hands.

And Then Butch Said To Phil...

So we've all been suspecting this for a few months now, ever since we heard of Butch checking Phil's swing out at a couple of tournamentsearly on in the season. Apparently Philly Mick has left long-time teacher Rick Smith for legendary teacher Butch Harmon. Philly, Butch and Ricky all say it's a friendly separation, and that Phil only wanted to work with Butchy to get some help with his driving (his driving being what lost the U.S. Open for him last year). Isn't that the same as saying Rick can't do it, that he's not a good enough coach to get out of Phil what he needs? Is Phil looking to retool his swing, ala Tiger, or is he just looking for a few pointers, or another point of view?

My sense is that it's the latter, that all parties are essentially telling the truth when it comes to the "friendy separation" angle. I think Phil is too far along in his career to try tinkering too much with his swing. Some kind of major swing change could set him back a couple of years, and Phil hasn't got that much time left in him. He's said himself that he wants to keep going hard until 40 and then he doesn't know what he might do. Phil has always struck me as the kind of guy who
could take golf or leave it, so it wouldn't surprise me to see him all but quit competitive golf once he hits his 40's.

Return of the King

Let me start this post off by apologizing for not posting a lot lately. I have no excuses. Get over it.

Now let's get down to the meat of this post. Here's the meat, folks... IT'S SPRINGTIME. And with springtime comes the inevitable golfing weather. I've been fortunate enough to play about 3 times so far this year and I must say, the rust hasn't quite worn off just yet. I managed to put together a pretty good ball striking round last Sunday, but that was mostly because I was playing scramble format with my Dad and had him to lean on as a crutch.

I started off a little shaky, but as mentioned before, I had the luxury of a partner to help hold things together while I got things figured out. I had gone to the range the day before to try to work out what was wrong in my swing and came away feeling pretty good. But as we all know, sometimes the range and the course don't see eye-to-eye. At any rate, I was able to work things out and was hitting the ball pretty well by the time the back nine came around. Which was a good thing, because my Dad started getting tired and I had to take over, as it were.

At the end of the day, we all had a good time and most importantly, we won. Now I just have to make my good play with a crutch translate into good play on my own.

Masters Prediction

Yes, I am still alive.

Luke Donald or Jim Furyk will win.

That is all.

Times They are A'Changin'

It's really interesting to me how the fortunes of golf equipment companies seemingly come and go with the tides. About 3-4 years ago, Titleist was on top of the world, with the "#1 Ball in Golf", probably the top driver in the world, and some of the biggest names in the game pushing their products. Now, it seems fortunes have reversed, as Callaway Golf, then the company who seemed to be turning into the "Weekend Golfer Brand", is now taking away all the top names from Titleist. First they had Annika, then they took Phil away from Titleist (who had previously made fun of Monty for playing Callaway clubs), and just this week they got the Big Easy, Ernie Els.

I have no idea who is the best, and probably in truth, there isn't one. Technology is such that there's really no one solution for everyone out there. I have been playing a variety of clubs over the past several years, from Titleist, to Callaway, to Taylor Made, and can't really say any one is better than the other in terms of quality. It all comes down to how the club looks to you and how it fits your game. And with the popularity of club fitting nowadays, it probably doesn't even matter what name is on the club, because you can get them custom fit to behave any way you want them to, regardless of manufacturer.

We all know that most of the time these endorsement deals come down to who can give you the best contract. Although with players like Ernie Els, one would think that he had to have had another reason other than money to switch to Callaway. Possibly he had a disagreement with some Titleist higher-ups, maybe doesn't like the direction of the company, or maybe he fiddled around with Michael Campbell's driver at some European event and was intrigued with what he saw.

At any rate, Ernie is a Callaway man now, there are a boatload of players on tour that are endorsing Taylor Made brand, and it seems I see fewer and fewer Titleist logos on hats from week to week. Titleist will be back, of that I have no doubt, and Taylor Made and Callaway will have their down years. It's just interesting to watch the ebb and flow of endorsement dollars and ultimately how they effect the weekend golfer and the clubs we "have to have".

Black Macbook Fund

Those of you out there with an observant nature have probably noticed the equivalent of an old hat on the sidewalk has been added to the left column disguised as "Macbook Fund". It's quite simple really; I've noticed a lot of other blogs and websites out there have been begging for donations, so I figured why not me? I provide a service too, right? Okay, maybe not, but you have to admit I am pretty cool... no? Well, maybe you feel sorry for me then. At any rate, I think the button speaks for itself. I'm looking for donations to get myself a Black Macbook. That is all. Unboxing pictures (along with "thank you's" to all who donated) will be provided in the miraculous case I actually make my goal and get a 'book.

Other than your pity, I really can't offer you anything else. If you're a website and want to be mentioned here, I will readily admit that I'm for sale. Donate, and you'll get a shout-out. Heck, if I like your site, I might even say nice things about you while I'm at it.

[EXPERIMENT ON]

It's Not a Streak

Sorry, but it's just not. Byron Nelson won 11 starts in a row, and that just isn't comparable with Tiger's current 7 "PGA Tour" wins in a row. Tiger has lost in the midst of his streak, albeit not in an official PGA event. As impressive as it is, it's not a streak. His last streak ended at 5 as far as I'm concerned and his current streak sits at what... two?

Here's my take on it: Tiger is great enough without the media or anyone else trying to make up his breakage of records. What if this year or in a couple of years he actually DOES break Mr. Nelson's record (which is entirely possible)? Will it not be that big of a deal because he's already done it in some eyes? Give the man time and don't rush it by trying to grasp at straws. It just cheapens his eventual legacy.