More Crack Smoking

For those of you who frequent this page, the writings are usually about the occurrances, nuiances, and challenges we amateurs face on the golf course in our quest to stay sane. It's usually very lighthearted, with interesting anecdotes we can all relate to. Sometimes the writing is deep, sometimes is just a few scenarios that have happened during a recent round.

That brings us to winter time when there is no golf here in New Jersey. Not playing golf causes some angry writing, which is what you have just seen in the previous post.

This new post will be no different. It's no secret that we're in an economic crisis given the news every day telling us about which billion dollar government bailout they're deciding to implement. Of course of all the choices they have, none of them will help us, the middle class, hard workers who actually do pay their bills. Ok enough about that. My point is that at the moment, money isn't just being thrown around (except for AIG hosting million dollar seminars even though they got government bailout money).

That was until I noticed that there was a 4 man golf tournament over 2 days in Australia called the Kiwi Challenge. Anthony Kim (millionaire), Brandt Snedeker (millionaire), Hunter Mahan (millionaire), and Adam Scott (multi multi millionaire) competed in the 2 day tournament in which the total prize fund was $2.6 million. The winner getting $1.5, and guy taking last getting a mere $250,000.

Can you see what I'm getting at? All this money is given to millionaires who don't even have to work for it. Do they really deserve to earn this type of payout for not even really competing??? Why not grab 4 amateurs and let them play for this type of money. You could change 4 peoples lives. And don't tell me it wouldn't be good TV. 90% of the golfing world are amateurs and we would like nothing more than to watch people make the same mistakes that we do.

It's absolutely absurd that there's an event like that given the economy at this time. But don't worry, there will be no lessons learned as in a few weeks there will be the LG Skins Game. You remember playing skins with your foursome right? You're pissed because you just lost a 3 hole carryover which costs you $3. But there's a difference. The people that are competing in this Skins Game don't have to pony up any money at all. They only have to win it because all the money is provided for the tournament. It's once again 4 multi millionaires who don't have to work another day in their life who get the chance to win over a million dollars.

It's enough to make me wanna hang up the sticks out of sheer disgust.

This Would Make the Pope Smoke Crack

Sorry guys, it's been a while but there hasn't been anything exciting going on in pro golf or my amateur debacles. As a matter of fact, we haven't been on the golf course since August. Golf certianly loses it's luster after August considering it gets absolutely pummeled by football.

Well there was that whole Ryder Cup the US won which was actually pretty exciting. I'm re-capping from memory but we had a few young guns in Hunter Mahan, Anthony Kim, and Boo Weekley who could be a permanent fixture over the next few Ryder Cups. If you haven't seen it, check out the youtube video of Boo Weekley doing the Happy Gilmore 'Bull Dance' after teeing off on the last day of singles. If you're too lazy to visit youtube, Weekley had his driver in his hand and after he walked off the first tee, he threw it between his legs and began to ride it like a bull, whipping it as it bucked back at him. Anthony Kim manhandled the US Ryder Cup nemesis, Sergio Garcia, even calling out the Spaniard on an unplayable lie/stance that Sergio tried to ask the rules officials for a free drop on. After much debate in which Kim wasn't budging, he replied to Garcia, "just do what you need to do." Basically using my signature line, "if you can sleep at night". It was great to get the Cup back to the Americans.

Getting back to what will piss off all 6 of you who read this website. A few months ago Golf Digest profiled an amateur golfer who improved his game tremendously over about a 6 month period. During this time his handicap dropped from an 18 to a 12 and they provided a detailed summary of how he improved his game.

Here's the summary and how Golf Digest is proud of this amateur for improving his game. I don't remember his name so we'll call him Mr. Douchebag. Well Mr. Douchebag made himself quite a profit over an 8-9 year period writing bad mortgages and taking advantage of low rates to write mortgages that weren't ever thinkable 15 years ago. Mr. Douchebag profited big time when all his interest only mortgages he wrote finally hit the 5 year mark. At the 5 year mark, people's mortgage payments doubled and even tripled, thus padding Mr. Douchebag's pocket at an alarming rate. Well, when the mortgage crisis hit, and the consumers could no longer afford the tripled mortgage payment for Mr. Douchebag, the forclosure rate went through the roof and the houses were being returned to the bank. This still gave Mr. Douchebag about a 5 year window where he saw nothing but extreme profit so even though the mortgage crisis had hit, he was still sitting pretty on unethical, collected funds. It gets better.

In the interview Mr. Douchebag explains that when that crisis hit, he had some time on his hands. He basically had about a year where he didn't have to work and still had plenty of funds in reserve. How do I know this without him never specifically saying that? Well in order to kill all that time he had, he spent his days and nights at the country club he belonged to. He also spent a ton of time with the head pro and was able to get a month of lessons. Mr. Douchebag had enough money to spend on lessons, and keep his membership current, and practice all those shots the magazines tell us to practice. The head pro gave him all the lessons he needed and he could play golf every day to see if his game was improving. If you're not getting pissed off at the absurdity of this I'll continue.

Golf Digest actually awarded Mr. Douchebag with the 'Most Improved Amateur' because he lowered his handicap that much in such a short time. They included all of the information that I wrote, obviously in a different manner and actually praised this horrible person. This is just another example of just how out of touch with reality the golf people really are. They went on to say that he was a great example of how practice and hard work can improve your game. At this point, I'm ready to go on a shooting spree.

Here's the real summary that Golf Digest never realized they wrote. If you lie, cheat, or steal to put yourself in a good financial position, you can take a year off from work and play golf every day. Join that country club you've been wanting to join, and get to know the head pro real good by paying about $150 an hour for lessons. Then practice every day and make sure you follow up with the pro so you don't get back into your bad habits. But don't worry, you've made enough unethical money that there's plenty in the tank and you don't even have to look for a job yet. Besides, getting better at golf is really important for an amateur. Ignore all those headlines that talk about a 'borderline depression' or an 'economic crisis' because not only does that not apply to you, if you think about it, you're not concentrating on lowering your handicap.

Mr. Douchebag please put the clubs away. Golf, while it will always be a rich mans sport, is for people with integrity and honor. Yes, even poor people like me and the guys in my foursome pony up a few bucks once a week to play golf. And while we'll never have the luxury of playing every day, getting lessons once a week, and having the resources to practice all the shots we're supposed to, we can lay down at night and know we still have our integrity. Golf is not for people like you Mr. Douchebag. It's not for people who feed off the poor, or take advantage of the weak. I'm not one to wish ill will on anyone but one thing I do know, and I've already seen it recently, what goes around, comes around. That's not a threat, it's a fact.

Ok folks, let's have some comments on this one. I'm just curious to see if it's just me that finds this absurd.

Fedex Cup

Here we enter into the 2nd year of the 'so called' playoffs in golf as the quest for the fedex cup has begun.

I think the PGA definitely has the right idea with this to get ratings out of golf after the last major and there are definitely still kinks to iron out. That being said, the unfortunate thing is I doubt the players really care about the fedex cup.

Tour players care about winning tournaments, plain and simple. What we're going to see in the next couple years during this playoff run is complaining from the golfers about just how unfair some things are with it for the guys on the cusp. You know, the guy who is ranked 150th in money and is angry because he didn't get a chance to advance beyond the first round yet still made $1.5 million for the year.

As I said, there's still a lot to iron out in the format and they might have a foundation for something successful. They're always gonna miss out on one key ingredient, players who actually give a shit. They're millionaires folks, just for playing a game.

Until there's more emphasis on the fedex cup it'll never be more than a post major side show. The PGA is trying to broaden the dynamics of the Tour and have everyone's support except the players. Of course the players will tell you how great it is and that they love the competetive atmosphere of playoff golf. But they don't. They don't because there's nothing in it for them. Except money but not enough by their standards.

The tour members care about winning tournaments and that's it. Granted, that's all they were supposed to care about but the playoffs will be more about excuses and 'woe is me' than it will be about golf. That is for the next couple years until they iron it out.

The tour is onto something with the playoff idea and maybe in 15 years it'll be something great. Until then, the tour members will keep telling you the stuff that's wrong with it.

Just remember this, they're millionaires who will never have to work a real job for the rest of their lives. Do not, and i repeat, DO NOT feel bad for them.

Newsflash: Padraig Harrington is for Real!

Sorry about the lag in posts but been busy and not too angry at golf lately.

That being said, Padraig Harrington putted his way to the Wanamaker trophy at the 90th PGA Championship for his 2nd major in as many tries, and 3rd major out of the last 6. He's one of only 4 people to win the British Open and PGA Championship in the same year, joining Tiger Woods (2000, 2006), Nick Price (1994), and Walter Hagen (1924).

The final round was pretty uneventful for a while, and I took it well considering it was gonna be tough to duplicate the excitement of the last 2 majors, the US and British Open. Things were just plodding along until the 2nd to last group (Padraig Harrington and Sergio Garcia) got to the 16th hole.

That's when Harrington made a string of 1 putts that only a champion can make. He made a 12-footer for par on the 16th to tie, a 10-footer at No. 17 to take the lead and a 15-foot par putt at the end that won him the championship. It helped that Garcia landed in the drink on 16, and had his putter fail him on the last 2 holes. Garcia had been putting very well over the last month and showed confidence on the greens during the tournament.

Harrington was just too much for Garcia, and Ben Curtis.

The PGA Championship turned out to be an exciting 3 holes which absolutely made the tournament. Harrington turned into Tiger for a couple majors as he made shots that champions make. Harrington is for real folks and he will probably win another major in his career.

Oh yeah, one last thing. Tiger who?

Was That Horrible Golf or What?

Well this is what golf fans and the media were wondering was gonna happen without Tiger Woods. Bad golf.

Bad golf was certainly on display at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational this past weekend. People moaned about the tour without Tiger and I remained optimistic that as long as we were treated to good golf, the story shouldn't suffer. Based on the level of play during Sunday's final round you can tell that these guys have made their money, and are pretty worn down from the season.

It was as if they just didn't care. After all, the WGC's are invitation only events in which there is no cut so it's a payout just for teeing it up. Or it was just practice rounds for upcoming PGA Championship.

Either way, it was seriously bad golf.

This is the first time this year that the tour suffered due to Tiger not being in the field. He usually doesn't play in events the week prior to major's but he usually plays in the World Golf Championships. One thing's for sure, he would have run away with this win because he seems to be the only guy who wants to win every time.

I get it, it's a long season, but you could see that they were just going through the motions and were looking at next week. It's not as if they're hurting for money so it was just hole out and get outta dodge.

The golf was bad and made it not fun to watch. Not to mention I'm a guy who can watch golf for days on end. Mickelson bogey's a few holes at the end to lose the tournament, Vijay (who won) couldn't make a putt longer than 4 feet and just about blew the tournament. As a matter of fact, he was 9-19 on putts between 4 and 8 feet, even missing an 18 incher on Saturday. US Open runner up Lee Westwood made a run at it but faltered on the last 2 holes.

Folks this was a course that was setup for low scores. It was there for the taking. Short rough, nice greens, pretty wide fairways. It's just that no one wanted it.

It's a bit of sour grapes that a 16 handicap (me) is bitching about the guys who shot 71 but there should have been a bunch of 64's.

We've been treated to some really good golf and some awesome stories too, even without Tiger. Kenny Perry resurrected his career and is gonna play the Ryder Cup in his hometown. Rocco Mediate can still bring it, as can Greg Norman. There was a David Duval sighting and Paddy Harrington hit 2 career shots in his final round of the Open Championship.

I guess it's a bit unfair for me to criticize but it was painfully obvious that they didn't want to be there. Stuart Appleby provided some good golf but it wasn't enough to overcome all the lousy golf. I also do understand that there is always lousy golf, we just don't see it because they're from the early tee times. But Sunday afternoon golf shouldn't ever be this bad.

Who knows when Tiger will even be able to return? Maybe it won't happen but maybe it will but more bad golf like Sunday's and golf will definitely lose a bit of an audience. Especially since their playoff's run into football season.

Are they just spoiled and don't care or do we chalk it up to the long season? Let's see your comments on this.

Another Treat: Harrington Wins the Open Championship

Folks it appears that great golf doesn't necessarily need one key ingredient (Tiger). As long as everyone takes their role seriously, the great theater and drama will unfold as it certainly did at the 137th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

When all was said and done it was Padraig Harrington who won his second consecutive British Open Championship by firing a four day total of 3 over par, 4 strokes better than Ian Poulter, and 6 stokes better than Greg Norman and Henrik Stenson. The leaderboard may have read a 4 stroke victory, the tournament was much, much closer than that. Harrington made some seriously clutch shots down the stretch into winds that reached up to 40 mph.

Greg Norman, still on his honeymoon, held the lead at the turn but faltered a bit on the back nine with a balky putter as Harrington began to charge.

The story of the entire weekend was Norman and his spectacular play. There is no way you can categorize his squandered lead as another major lost in the final round. He made the shots that 98% of the tour couldn't and that's without practice. However, with his 3rd place finish, he now has to practice because he secured a spot in the Masters next year. Not only was this not a squandered lead, this was a statement that Norman can still bring it. The magic lasted about 65 holes but Harrington made ridiculous shots that no one could have competed with.

Speaking of those shots, they're going to be talked about for years to come. Given the circumstances, the conditions, and the setting of the oldest Major, they were unbelievable. Pars were difficult to come by and Ian Poulter made a late charge forcing Harrington to go low. With only a one shot lead over Poulter and standing in the 15th fairway, Harrington hit a 3 wood into the wind and landed on the green of the monster par 5. He two putted from 40 feet for birdie to give him a 2 shot lead, which is certainly not safe with the way the winds were howling.

That's when Harrington hit the shot of the decade. He had a 2 shot lead heading to the 17th which was basically the only hole that was down wind. The 17th is a 570 yard par 5 which was the scoring hole for the week and Harrington did just that. He hit a 3 wood off the tee and into the fairway while Norman hit driver past him and just into the first cut. His next shot was the most clutch shot given the magnitude of the situation, considering Norman could make eagle and still be in the match. While standing a mere 27o yards away, he hit a 5 wood that landed just over a huge bunker, rolled onto the green, over a ridge and stopped 4 feet from the cup. He made the putt for eagle and enjoyed the walk up the 18th fairway. Norman missed the green, landing in a pot bunker, got out and 2 putted for par. Harrington hit the fairway on 18 and stuck the green just past the pin. The pressure was off at that point but he still hit an awesome shot. He 2 putted for the win.

That 5 wood should be talked about for years to come. He barely carried the bunker and had he landed in it, it's a whole different story. It was a ridiculously hard shot and he made it look like a simple wedge.

The classy Harrington waited for Norman to walk with him to the 18th green and take part in the ovation, which was equally for both. Harrington even told Norman he was sorry that his story wasn't going to be told. Of course he wanted to win, as you can bet so did The Shark. Harrington went on to praise Norman for being a gentlemen the entire round, regardless of good shots or bad, he was a perfect model of how you're supposed to behave on the golf course.

So our annoying voiced Irishman becomes only the 5th player in the last 50 years to win back to back Open Championships and he deserved it. He mentioned he was sorry for the story to not be Greg Norman's but no apology was necessary. The story is and will be Greg Norman's, and it will also be Padraig Harrington's. Norman didn't lose the tournament, Harrington won it. In fact you could make a good case that The Shark made Harrington win the tournament.

After witnessing a disappointing Masters for the 2nd year in a row, the 2 following majors more than made up for it. This one had everything, again. Drama, stories, theater, weather, tradition, and ultimately the appropriate winner.

Padraig Harrington captures the Claret Jug, wins the gold medal, and, (this is the greatest title ever), is The Champion Golfer of the Year.

The 137th Open Championship - Halfway Home

Most people thought that once Tiger Woods went down for the season the golf season would go down with him. I'm here to tell you that hasn't been the case at all.

While it's next to impossible to duplicate what transpired at the US Open at Torrey Pines, there are plenty of tremendous stories that are developing at the midway point of the 137th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

There has already been weather problems, a few complaints about the course setup, withdrawals, a few sightings, and awesome unpredictability.

I guess we'll start with the obvious. Greg Norman is in 2nd place at even par, one stroke behind leader K.J. Choi who shot a 3 under 67 to jump ahead of The Shark. It's not that Norman doesn't have the talent to compete, he just doesn't really want to. He recently married former tennis pro and 18 time major champion Chris Evert and has been spending most of his time on his business ventures. But after back to back 70's, you have to root for the snake bitten Aussie.

Rocco Mediate is making another run at a major championship in only a month after posting a two day total of 2 over par, leaving him in a seven way tie for 4th. Among those he's tied with is a guy I've written about in the past as to how he was a major force BT (Before Tiger). Also during the beginning of Tiger's dominance.

That golfer is David Duval. Yep, there's a serious David Duval sighting and except for a couple errant drives, he's striking the ball exceptionally well and most importantly, riding a hot putter. Already the analysts are saying Duval won't be a factor and that he's forgot how to actually win but I'm not certain you can count out the former number 1 player in the world. Duval may have lost his game but he's gained peace due in part to his family which is something he never really had. That could make winning become secondary for a guy who knew how to do it at will in the past. Duval has said that he didn't work on his game to become mediocre and he has the spark to become great once again. You just can't count out a guy who has won so many times in the past.

Defending champion Padraig Harrington finished up eagle, birdie to vault up the leaderboard to also be one of the seven players tied for 4th. He's nursing a sore wrist and was a game time decision as to whether or not he was gonna even defend his title. His concern wasn't so much the pain but he hadn't had much time to practice prior while his wrist was healing and let's be honest, this isn't the course where you wanna just show up without tuning yourself up. I mean c'mon, this isn't Torrey Pines where Tiger takes 6 weeks off, just shows up and wins. Harrington is an all around good guy out there too so, even though he's got the most annoying voice in the world, it's pretty easy to root for him.

Jerry Kelly missed the cut and some of it was due in part to the course setup and the weather. I usually get annoyed when guys complain but Kelly had a bit of a point. They knew how bad the weather was going to be yet left the tees back on most of the holes, making it tough for the early tee time golfers to even reach the fairway, all but eliminating par for those holes. It was Bethpage Black all over again. A golfer shouldn't be punished for hitting it short and Jerry Kelly was. Having a setup like that doesn't test a golfers skill and that's a problem I have. A simple solution would have been to just use the forward tees given the forecast and it seemed like they wanted to make the players look bad. Length isn't usually an issue at the British Open and it would be ruining a hundred years of tradition if they made that a factor. On the 6th hole, a 478 yard par 4, Vijay Singh teed off with his driver, then hit driver again from the fairway and was still short of the green. Both balls were well struck too. Again, that doesn't test a golfers skill. The issue is always the weather, wide fairways, pot bunkers, flat greens, fescue, and gnarly rough. Don't let it be any more than that.

Another guy in contention who you can bet your ass I'll be rooting for is the infamous Jean Van de Velde. The Frenchman, famous for his comical collapse at Carnoustie in 1999 was actually on the leaderboard Friday, just two shots out, until struggling on the back nine. He wound up with a 71 and at 4-over 144 was only five shots out of the lead. For those of you who don't know it, Van de Velde held a 3 shot lead going into the 72nd hole when he had the greatest meltdown in major championship history. It was a drama filled, 14 minute hole that when the strokes were tallied he had made a triple bogey 7 and lost in a playoff to Paul Lawrie. Van de Velde has maintained a great sense of humor when discussing his collapse, even playing the exact hole a couple years later with only a putter. He made a double bogey 6.

Rich Beem decided to withdraw after his front nine of 12 over which included a penalty stroke which was debated upon with the officials for over 8 minutes. Beem was getting ready to putt and made a few practice strokes when a gust of wind moved his ball. That's where the debate began and I'm on Beem's side with this one. The rule states that if you're standing at address to the ball (ready to hit or putt it), and the ball moves it's a stroke penalty. Fair enough. But in this instance Beem wasn't at address, yet. After his practice strokes he grounded the club behind the ball, without setting his feet at all. As soon as he grounded the club he noticed the ball moved and he backed away, calling a rules official over to explain what had happened. Tour players are known for calling penalties on themselves so when a golfer says there shouldn't be a penalty called, they're probably right, or at least they're being honest. The rules official told Beem that as soon as he grounded the club he was addressing the ball and forced him to take the stroke penalty. However, the specific definition for addressing the ball is when the player has taken his stance and has also grounded the club. It's not as if Beem was going to be a factor in this tournament but when you're playing that bad and you have something like that happen to you, it just sucks the rest of the life out of you. Beem withdrew gracefully however, saying he loved the course and was sorry for his performance. That being said, he's absolutely right to be pissed by that poor ruling.

In other news, John Daly finished dead last with a two day total of 29 over par shooting 80, 89. He made some comments about Butch Harmon this week and after two rounds like that, Daly doesn't have any credibility anymore when it comes to calling someone out. Daly said that Harmon's lies destroyed his life for a little bit. He was then quoted as saying, "I don't know what his problem is, but he needs to stay away from me as far as he possibly can." Daly is just a lost soul right now and unfortunately it might take something bad to happen, again, for him to get his game back.

Ok guys, this is what we have to look forward to this weekend. The forecast is calling for seriously unpredictable weather. It's definitely gonna rain, and it's definitely gonna be windy, and we might be treated to the craziest two days of a major championship ever. Remember, it's gonna be on early so set up the tivo and don't miss this party.

One last thing, Tiger who?

Tiger Woods Out for the Rest of the Season

Right about now it's old news but Tiger Woods is having major reconstruction surgery and will be out for the rest of the 2008 season. In fact he won't be making any quality swings in probably over 9 months. That's just my opinion given the damage that was done.

Tiger's drive and determination may have been his undoing. Now we also know that he really did win his 14th major not only in spectacular fashion but on only one leg. His prior surgery was essentially a 'patch and fix' to hopefully get him through the rest of the season, with more surgery on the horizon. Given the swing speed and torque that Tiger generates, the knee just couldn't hold up through that kind of repetitive trauma.

I mention his drive because the guy really doesn't know when to quit which is why golf fans and golf pro's are fascinated with him. He continually wants to win and is always stepping on the gas (as well as his fellow tour members throats). He was explaining in an interview on ESPN after he won the US Open that whenever he was exercising the theme was always '4 more'. It was 4 more reps, 4 more minutes, or 4 more swings. 4 wasn't just a number he decided to pick, 4 meant forever. He was going to work out forever, he was going to run forever, and he was going to work on his swing forever. It even gets a fat guy like me pumped up a bit. Unfortunately it was that mentality that brought him to this.

Tiger Woods will be back and he'll once again dominate the tour but if he doesn't be careful he's going to be the Pedro Martinez of golf. Dominant early but may just fall apart. I seriously doubt that's gonna happen but after so many surgeries, the arthritis which will definitely set in is guaranteed to hinder his ability to train with the same intensity he did 5-10 years ago.

You can bet that the entire PGA Tour breathed a collective sigh when they realized Tiger was gonna be out for the year. Not that they want him injured but now they have a chance. The talk is now that the tour won't be exciting for the rest of the year but that's not the case at all. Tiger usually only played in about 14-18 events all year anyway. 4 of them were the majors so he played in a little over 1/3 of the regular tour events. Which makes it even more amazing that he's the leading money winner every year considering he plays in about half the events that everyone else plays in.

The guys on the PGA Tour have a golden opportunity to shine and establish themselves. No one can blame the fact that the scoring average of Tiger's Sunday opponents is well over 73 either. We may not see the impossible but there's still plenty of great golfers out there and I doubt the golf will suffer. The playing field is a bit more level which could lead to some great battles down the stretch so step it up boys, here's your chance.

PLEASE TELL ME YOU WATCHED THAT!!!!!!!!!

Folks, I'm spent. Just absolutely spent and I couldn't imagine how Tiger and Rocco Mediate feel at this moment. If you did miss the US Open, you missed the absolute greatest golf tournament EVER!!!!!!!!

It had everything and anything a golf tournament could ask for. I'm still at a loss for words because we've seen Tiger do so many amazing things in the past that you just have to wonder how he still does it? Not to mention, everyone, including Rocco Mediate, knew he was gonna make that birdie putt to force the playoff.

The playoff was just a continuation of the best reality show we've ever seen. Everything was real. The theater, the drama, the pain, the crowd, the guts, the grit. I can't say it enough but it was the greatest spectacle we might ever see. I hope I don't offend any traditionalists because I don't know enough about the tournaments of the past but that was the best of the best. The 18 hole playoff (or should I say 19 hole playoff?) could have been a rout when Rocco made bogey on the 1st hole and Tiger made par but they both grinded out an awesome round that needed to go an extra hole.

I didn't forget about Bob May at Valhalla in the 2000 PGA Championship. That was the playoff where Tiger actually chased the birdie putt into the hole and pointed in what has become my all time favorite putt. Because that was probably my favorite up until this point. But honestly, that doesn't hold a candle to what we were priveleged to witness this weekend into Monday. Neither guy would back down and both were on the ropes a bunch of times.

Rocco Mediate is a fan favorite who was the perfect adversary to Tiger. He was the right guy because he was ecstatic to be there and you knew he wouldn't let Tiger get in his head like he does with anyone he plays with. In fact, the fans were rooting for Rocco more so than Tiger on the back nine. They were whistling the theme from 'Rocky' as he was walking to the tee on a few holes on the back nine. Rocco even had a set of balls by wearing Tiger's Sunday colors which was just awesome.

But more than anything, the fans were rooting for golf. They just wanted more golf and so did I. This is an instant classic and will be talked about for the rest of our lives. Once again, just appreciate what we've gotten to witness.

On a side note, it won't be talked about but Lee Westwood hung with Tiger all day sunday finishing only one stroke back when he parred the 18th. He didn't implode due to being paired with Tiger in the final round as most guys do. He deserves a bit of accolades but got lost in the theater of Rocco and Tiger.

Wow, I'm still exhausted but I'll always remember the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines, or simply 'The Greatest Golf Tournament Ever'.

The Best U.S. Open Course?

This is a very pre-mature post as the third round has just begun but already I'm ecstatic with this year's US Open Course at Torrey Pines. The rough is rough but there are a couple cuts, thus not eliminating the golfer after one errant drive, and the greens are rolling fantastic.

The US Open has been traditionally the toughest course setup which penalizes you for the smallest mistake made. While I believe the pro's should be penalized when they don't hit it straight, I also believe they should be rewarded for making good shots. That hasn't happened in the past.

Over the years, the golfer who made the least amount of mistakes, and got the most breaks won the US Open. It wasn't always the best golfer either. But it was the fault of the USGA for fluke winners or eliminating 3 quarters of the field with extended length and lightning greens.

In my opinion, if you make a quality shot and hit the fat part of the green, you did your job. That being said, a lot of Open course setups were flukie and penalized you for doing such. A big mistake was at Bethpage in 2002 when it was a 220 yard carry just to reach the fairway and during a monster rainstorm, only a few guys were able to reach it. These are the best in the world and now they're being penalized for hitting straight but too short. That should never happen.

Also who can forget that ridiculous pin position on the 18th hole at Southern Hills in 2001 where Retief Goosen and Stewart Cink looked like kids on a putt putt course by 3 putting from 4 feet. It wasn't a lapse of concentration by any means, the hole was on a slight angle and the greens were cement. Yes, it's supposed to be tough but that's just too gimmickie.

The worst thing that happened was at Shinnecock in 2004 when they had to water the 7th green after every group hit because they cut the green so tight they lost it. How the hell could the USGA let that happen? The problem with that was that green putted completely different than all the other ones. The 17th green took a beating as well. If you remember, Phil and Goosen were tied going into the 17th hole, a par 3. Both guys hit the green but while Goosen's stayed, Phils bounced on the hard green and took off way past it. A perfect example of hitting a good shot and getting penalized. This wasn't just a bad break, it was a mistake by the USGA. Phil went on to make double bogey and Goosen won the tournament by 2 strokes.

It seemed that as of late, the USGA was just trying to make a fool out of the guys on the PGA tour during this major. They thrived on scores over par and it wasn't a true test of who was the best golfer. That all changes with this course at Torrey Pines. It's by far the most fair, yet difficult course that we've seen a US Open played on in about 15 years. Hopefully the USGA will take notes on the setup of this course.

That's enough for now, enjoy the 3rd and final rounds!

Now This is Some Luck Golf

The time has come folks. It's foot long rough, ridiculously long holes, cement greens with no bail out whatsoever. No, I'm not talking about the new Masters, I'm talking about the U.S. Open. The major where one single mistake can take you out of a round or even the tournament.

This has always been the most difficult major with scores rarely going below par. The U.S. Open traditionally has been the short hitters major because while they're short, they're straight and safe. That all changed at Bethpage when the USGA decided to make the fairway a 230 yard carry. They haven't made it that bad since but it's now a bombers course because the length has given the short hitter long irons into greens. Of the recent champions during the technology boom, only Jim Furyk would be considered a short hitter and he's not Corey Pavin short.

That being said, it's the biggest field and it's America's 'Open' Championship. Anyone can try to qualify for this tournament. I'm not certain why an amateur or young pro would subject themselves to this torture but if they make the cut and make a run at it, it's instant fame. Remember how great a story it was when Jason Gore was in the final group on Sunday, only a couple strokes back of Retief Goosen. He was a lovable Nationwide member who got into the Open through sectional qualifying. He also fell back to 40th position during a final round in the 80's but was back up on the PGA Tour in about a month having won 3 straight Nationwide events. An achievement that gets you an instant pass onto the PGA Tour.

There's also been some serious heartache at the U.S. Open in recent years. It's been touched upon in many posts on this website but we can't forget the infamous 'Mickelson Meltdown' on the 72nd hole at Winged Foot. I've said it before and I'll say it again, he just hasn't been the same since that hole. Not to mention he was on his way to winning 3 straight majors, his 4th of the last 9, and finally becoming the serious threat to Tiger he always thought he could be. That all ended when he carded a double bogey 6 on the 72nd hole handing the crown to Geoff Ogilvy. Hey, I'm rooting for lefty but he really needs another major to get his head back on straight.

The great thing about the U.S. Open is as long as you make the cut, you have a chance. Big scores are carded at this tournament and the leaderboard changes with just about every hole. Because the scores are so whacky, every shot is exciting and important. Usually the tournaments don't take shape or develop stories until late Saturday (moving day). But this major has drama and excitement every single day, which is why the coverage is so extensive for Thursday and Friday.

The talk is that the course may yield a winning score of just under par. There is a first cut of rough that gives the player to still advance the ball possibly on the green but the second cut is still jail, forcing the player to wedge his way back out to the fairway. But the greens will be lightening and it will be fun to watch.

The talk is Tiger is a shoe in to win this tournament but I wouldn't put my money on it. That long of a layoff from competitive golf can get anyone rusty and there's a bunch of guys who are playing well right now. Plus any time Tiger takes time off his ball striking suffers. That means he has to make putts and he didn't make a single putt at the Masters, his last competitive round of golf. It's no secret that you need to be in the fairway so the winner is gonna be which ever guy's putter catches fire. On these greens, getting a few to fall is gonna make the difference.

So sit back, relax, and watch the pro's humbled by the course that's been given the dubious distinction of hosting the most difficult major, the U.S. Open.

We're Just at a Disadvantage

Golf has gotten to a point with technology that you really need to be a trust fund baby to figure out what equipment suits your game.

I'm only going to rant for a bit on this one but in last months Golf Digest they did an article on Phil Mickelson expanding his golf bag by being able to hit different shots with the same club. I think that's a great skill to be versatile with your clubs but there was one part that got to me once again.

Mickelson was talking about the new Callaway drivers and how he can just change the heads with a simple wrench and have a different shot in the bag. Use one club head and hit a fade, simply change the club head, make the same swing and hit a draw. He changes depending on what course he's playing. Well where's the skill in that? The skill in golf was to be able to work the ball with the same club. Again, I don't have the luxury of affording 3 different club heads so I'm a bit jealous and that's where my rant comes from. Shouldn't you have to fade and draw the ball with the same club?

So what Phil is telling us is that we're only as good as our equipment matches up with us. While that's somewhat true he's taking the element of 'golfing' his ball out of the equation. Not all of us can be fitted for clubs, have our swing measured, and have a launch monitor at our disposal. The hole point of golf was to have a square club face at impact with the ball, thus hitting it straight and into the hole in the least amount of strokes. Now it's finding the equipment that matches the course you're playing.

Basically they're taking an already impossible game and making it harder for us amateurs. We're the very people that need the game to be easier.

What really bugs me is Mickelson ho hums it about changing the club heads. Dude, does he really think we all have that luxury? Once again, it's how out of touch with reality these people really are. Hell, I spend about $4o a year in golf magazines and I already know that's worth a round of golf because I'm on a golf budget due to the costs being so high.

I understand that golf technology has made it easier for amateurs like me to hit the ball longer and straighter but now with all these different options, how in the world are we supposed to know if we're even using the correct equipment? We don't get to do testing like the pro's do. Our test is going out to the course and seeing if we hit the ball better than with the club it's intended to replace. Even that is probably a total of 8 swings. And don't give me this b/s about going to the driving range and testing it out. Every club is a winner on the driving range and one of these years I will prove that as a scientific fact (just need some government funding for the test). The only real test is playing conditions on the course and that's just a luxury we don't have.

As I wrap up this jealous rant it ends with a few simple questions. Should we feel better about our game knowing we're using equipment not suited for us? Should that discourage us from practicing with our current equipment knowing there's a strong possibility that a couple clubs in our bag are never gonna agree with us due to our swing?

I ask this because right now I'm fighting my driver and 3 wood off the tee. These are clubs I've hit well in the past and still do so on occasion (won the long drive in an outing just yesterday). Unfortunately I have no clue where the ball's gonna go each time I swing these clubs. Are they just not suited for me? Am I just getting lucky when I do hit them good or did my swing click those times?

Ah yes, the life of an amateur golfer. Let's read what you guys have to say about this topic!!

Samuel L. Jackson Has an Awesome Golf Swing

Would you guys like to know why Samuel L. Jackson has an awesome golf swing? Well I'll tell ya. It's because he's rich, spoiled, and has every lesson, tip, coach, pro, range, advise, club, ball, glove, hat, manufacturer, gadget, course, and situation at his disposal.

Dude, he got to be on Playing Lesson's From the Pro's with David Toms. That's bullshit. Why can't I get a 'Playing Lesson From a Pro'? I care about golf as much as him and maybe even more. So because he gets to fake his way through his career (that's what acting is, isn't it?), he gets to have a caddy who just so happens to be on the PGA tour.

Well listen up dude, if I had that at my disposal, I'd be shooting some seriously low numbers and would have an awesome swing too. As a matter of fact, if you're rich, and like to play golf, you have no business sucking. And if you do suck, it makes you even more of a douche because you don't even appreciate the resources that you have. You're just abusing your privileges and it's an insult to guys like us who work hard and play golf as a reward.

Honestly, it's a really tough game, there's no doubt about that. But if we had the luxury of some of these guys we'd be shooting in the 70's. A lot of us have crawled our way into the 80's (without cheating, because you know how much I, and guys that I tee it up with, despise cheating), and that's an accomplishment by itself.

I just wonder how much better we would be if we didn't have those little subtleties that the normal person has such as a job, family, time. Then again, you can have plenty of time and a family but if you don't have a ton of money you're not gonna be able to afford all the resources those spoiled bastards in Hollywood have to be a better golfer.

Here's what we need to develop. This is for all 7 of you that read this website but this is the groundbreaker. We need to develop a new league. This is what will get this website started and a brand new television market.

It's called the AGA. The Average Golfers of America. It humms just to read doesn't it? Think about it folks. The AGA will showcase average golfers like us, so we all know that we're not alone. It will be a spectacle, with galleries, camera's, commentary, and average scores. The way I figure it, once every month or two would be good for this scenario. We can watch the pros for a month, then watch a bunch of ham n' eggers like us take a shot at it. The market is almost too easy and the idea will already be patented by me so don't get any ideas.

Yeah I know wise ass, the PGA Tour hosts pro-ams before every tour event for average golfers like us. Well how many have you played in? How many guys do you know have played in one? How many guys do you know that can even afford to participate in one? Exactly.

Wouldn't it be great to watch golfers on tv play like us? Of course it would. It would generate a HUGE market. It'll bring back the amateurs like us who don't watch the pros because they're on such a different lever and it's frustrating for them.

You guys heard it hear first. Don't be surprised to see the AGA within the next 50 years. Ok, maybe not that quick. After all, Rome wasn't built in a day.

Hit em straight boys.

Outbursts!!!

Anyone who has teed it up before knows there's a bit of swearing on the course. Outbursts are quite common when there are errent shots. But listen, if you suck, you have no right to get mad. This game is way too hard for amateurs like us to get mad. I only mention this because it happens a lot with guys who think they're way better than they really are.

Sometimes the shots aren't even that bad and guys are dropping f-bombs all over the place. Look dude, you're lucky you didn't lay the sod over the ball. You're a 25 handicapper thinking you're a 10.

I absolutely refuse to torture myself for 4 hours with someone like that. That's my time to relax and if you take that away from me, you will be blackballed from my foursome.

I began to think what made people like that play golf. I wondered where the outbursts and piss poor etiquette came from. Nothing good comes out of it. If you need to get mad at yourself, do it quietly or occasionally, but not every damn shot.

I might catch a bit of flack for this but I think it might start from the tour. I liked rooting for Woody Austin, especially after his super clutch play at last years President's Cup, but his antics are growing old. He was known mostly for smashing his putter over his head and bending it, and not for his golf. He was offended by that and he had a right to be but it wasn't as if he was setting the world on fire due to his play.

So after battling Tiger at the PGA last year he became a fan favorite due to his fiery spirit and competetiveness. I didn't even have a problem with him saying he outplayed Tiger yet lost by 6 strokes on the round because he seemed like a straight shooter and not too delusional. So far this year he has done nothing but scream, rant, yell, blow up, and be delusional. He's crossing the line between competing and whining and I'm not certain if he's already lost his fan base he developed last year because no one can decide if he's fiery or a dick.

Another thing I'm already sick of is screaming at your ball on every single shot. I don't mind a 'sit!', or 'go!', or 'be the stick!'. But you don't have to scream on top of your lungs on every shot Sergio. Yep, I'm bitching about our favorite majorless player, Sergio Garcia. Hey don't get me wrong, he played awesome at the TPC at Sawgrass and congrats but man he's an annoying bastard. He hit the ball on the screws every day, even made a few putts, yet was still screaming at his ball on every shot. Nothing terribly bad but every shot was "SIT...SIT....SIT.....SIT....SIT...SIT!!!!!!!!!!" Or it was "GO......GO.........GO.........GO......GO!!!!!!!"
Or it was 'Bite' 7 times, or 'Cut' 7 times. No matter what he wanted the ball to do, he screamed it a minimum of 5 times.

Yo Sergio, once is ok. Even twice is almost understandable, but there's no need to scream the same thing over and over again every shot. And this is coming from a loudmouth like me. If I'm noticing you're too annoying you've got some serious problems. Not to mention he believes that the entire world is out to get him. A gust of wind, a missed putt, any bad break and he blames the entire universe. Dude, it happens to everyone, quit being a chump.

Which brings me to my current b/f, Tiger Woods. Stop swearing so loud. Hey, we all do it but there's a way to do it quietly and still get the word out. There's cameras all over the place dude, they're gonna pick it up.

I can't stand when the commentators almost praise him for it. He'll belt out a few adult words and the announcer says, yeah that's just Tiger being a fierce competitor. Does that mean everyone else who manages to swear under their breath isn't a competitor. Sometimes these people are just in a magic, fantasy world of flowers and balloons.

I can swear like a trucker on the course but if I shoot 100 I'm still gonna enjoy those 4 hours on the course.

It's Not Just Me Who is Scrutinizing the Masters

This is an article from espn.com. It was originally from April 14th but with the hoopla of the TPC at Sawgrass, ESPN's Bob Harig wrote this article and ESPN has reposted the article this morning. I'd leave the link but the page might not be there after a few days so here's the article exactly as it's printed.

Longer, tougher Augusta National has led to battles of attrition

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Roars have been replaced by moans, birdies by bogeys, thrills by chills. Maybe it is the blustery weather, a big factor in the past two Masters. But something is definitely missing at Augusta National, and perhaps it is as simple as subtraction by addition.

The golf course first made famous by Bobby Jones and where South Africa's Trevor Immelman claimed the green jacket on Sunday is a beast that measures more than 7,400 yards. It has rock-hard greens, extra trees and a "second cut" of rough that at one time did not exist.

And it once again did a pretty good job of beating up the best players in the world.

"You don't shoot low rounds here anymore," Tiger Woods said last week, three days before he would finish runner-up for the second straight year. "You've just got to plod along."

Immelman's 75 matched the highest final round for a winner in tournament history -- yet he still managed to increase his third-round lead by a stroke. Only four Sunday rounds were under par, with just two in the 60s.

Of the top 22 players on the leaderboard after 54 holes, none broke par. The top 15 averaged 75.07 on Sunday, with just three players -- Woods, Phil Mickelson and Stewart Cink -- matching par. Brandt Snedeker, paired with Immelman in the final group, shot 77. The next-to-last group saw Steve Flesch shoot 78 and Paul Casey shoot 79.

Even with decent scoring conditions Saturday, only seven players shot in the 60s. Of the top 16 finishers, only two broke par, none in the top seven.

In the past two Masters, there has been just a single round of 67. Since 2002, there have been just four scores of 65, the past two coming in 2005 -- by Immelman and Woods.

"It's more like playing a U.S. Open than a Masters," Woods said.

"They've taken away a lot of choices," said 1988 Masters champion Sandy Lyle. "Before, there was always a little cherry dangling. For instance, on the first hole it was 265 yards over the bunker, so you looked at the wind at the pin position and decided whether to go for it. If it came off, you got your reward. Now it's 320 yards to carry that bunker, and it's scary.

"So I think they've spoiled the course a little bit and, although it doesn't necessarily play into the hands of long hitters, it means fewer guys can be competitive out here."

The first hole is not the only one that players have questioned. Since the par-4 11th has been stretched to 505 yards with trees added along the right side, it has received plenty of complaints. It played as the most difficult hole this week, averaging 4.306.

The seventh also got plenty of attention. Once a relatively short par-4, it has been stretched in recent years to 450 yards, despite having one of the tiniest greens on the course. For a good part of the tournament this year, tees were moved up because of windy conditions.

"It's too long," two-time Masters champion Ben Crenshaw said of the seventh hole. "Seven is one of the greatest greens I've ever seen, but it just doesn't have to be that long."

I think what has changed the golf course immeasurably is one hole, and it's No. 7," said Mickelson, who won in 2004 and 2006. "… The whole thought process of playing the golf course used to be, 'Get through the first six holes around par, and you can birdie [Nos.] 7, 8 and 9' … you turn at under par and then you shoot under par on the back side and you have a great round.

"Now 7 is one of the two toughest holes on the course. Between 7 and 11 -- those might be the two toughest pars on the course."

Gone, seemingly, are the back-nine charges we saw as recently as 2004, when Mickelson rallied with five birdies on the final seven holes to defeat Ernie Els, who managed only two birdies. Neither made a bogey on the second nine that day.

Ten years ago, Mark O'Meara birdied three of the last four holes to win by a stroke. In 2005, Woods shot a third-round 65, then Chris DiMarco shot a 68 in the final round to tie him and force a playoff.

The past two years, however, have produced battles of attrition. Snedeker's 77 still earned him a tie for third. Flesch's 78 tied him for fifth. Is that what Masters officials want? Or did the weather conditions make it unavoidable?

"They've taken the fun out of it," said former Masters champion Fuzzy Zoeller. "You got going around Amen Corner, you could make a run. Standing up at the clubhouse, you used to hear those roars, and the ground would rattle. You don't hear that any more. It's a different place.

"The fast greens have always been a part of this place. But it's very difficult to get the ball close to the holes for a decent birdie putt. Everybody's playing in that defensive golf mode, trying not to make mistakes."

"People want to hear roars," O'Meara said. "That's what I think is so great about the [British] Open Championship. They don't mess with the course that much. The weather and conditions dictate what the scoring is going to be like."

In some regards, that has been the case at Augusta the past two years. Cold conditions led to high scoring in 2007. A windy day Sunday meant more indecision and soaring scores.

But when conditions were nice on Thursday and Friday, scoring was not considerably easier. Nobody went lower than 68 on Thursday or Friday, and Flesch's 67 came on Saturday.

Billy Payne, the Masters chairman, said in his pretournament news conference that he was pleased with the setup of the course. But he also acknowledged that he keeps close tabs on every hole. And no doubt his ears will tell him that his tournament was not as loud this year.

"There was disaster around every corner," Immelman said.

"The course needed to be changed," Crenshaw said, alluding to the length added in the past decade. "[But] I really don't think it's as interesting to play as it used to be. To be very honest, I don't think it is. But they've had to do a lot of things in defense of the game and the course."

Some would suggest they've gone too far.




This is exactly what we've been talking about. It's not to sound like a broken record but it bothers me because this is a lot of people's, mine included, favorite tournament. Let the US Open be the brutal course that tests the players resolve. Let guys go low at The Masters.

Regardless if it's Phil or Tiger, having the course decide the winner of the tournament instead of the players and their clubs takes all the drama out of the Masters. I don't care if it's Nick Watney and Dean Wilson coming down the back nine as long as they're battling.

Golf fans know good golf when they see it and as long as a few guys are grinding it out to win instead of just trying to not let the course win, the roars and excitement will soon return. If nothing is done, get used to having winners shooting over par and extremely conservative play in the final rounds.

How Would We Shoot???

We're in the midst of being treated to some awesome tournaments. We've had The Masters, the Wachovia Championship, this week is the TPC at Sawgrass (also known as the 5th major), the AT&T Classic, and next month the US Open. The awesome golf we've been witnessing got me to thinking about something. It's no secret that the pro's do things with the golf ball that we only dream we could. There are golfers that we've never heard of that can go out and shoot 65 at any moment so the point isn't to discredit any professional or low handicapper.

However, how would we shoot when the course conditions are perfect???? How would a 15 handicap shoot when the fairways are soft and spongy, the rough is actually rough and not patchy, and the greens rolled true and weren't a matt of hair compined with aeration or rolling marks? Length would still be an issue for us amateurs so I'm not being ignorant but there isn't a bald spot, bare patch, pitch mark, or tractor print anywhere on the entire course the pros play on. They wouldn't stand for it.

We, on the other hand, play on some dog tracks where the course conditions vary by the day. Yet we stil play the ball as it lies and we go through some rotten lies. I'm talking rotten lies in the fairway or not too far off it. Just once I'd like to play a course in tour like conditions just to feel what it's like to not hit off of any hardpan or have a putt that doesn't bounce 40 times before it comes to rest no where near it was aimed. Obviously not a course that's set up for a major or something like that. A course like the John Deere Classic with normal greens and mediocre rough.

Think we would shoot lower or do they play courses that are really that difficult?

Update: John Daly is Just No Good for Golf

Once again, John Daly is back in the news and once again, it's not for making a cut. The only plus side is it's not for withdrawing from a tournament either. Our lovable, regular guy gave an interview last week during a practice round of golf wearing no shirt or shoes.

JD is representing exactly how not to behave on the PGA Tour and is making an absolute mockery of everything the tour stands for. This is a guy that we all loved to root for but it appears he's lost just about every last fan he had. To actually give an interview without wearing shoes and a shirt is absolutely ridiculous and insulting to the PGA Tour standards and the USGA regulations. It's also insulting to every golfer, pro or amateur, to behave like that.

We all loved JD because he was a guy that a lot of us could relate too. But his antics are a far cry from what even regular guys act like. I guess you don't need a shirt when you don't have any sponsors to represent either.

In another twist, JD also mentioned that his former coach Butch Harmon had called and apologized for dumping him. Daly had told reporters that, "I called (Harmon) the other day and he said he realized he didn’t get the facts right and felt bad about it."

Daly was referring to Harmon’s decision to stop working as Daly’s swing coach last month. At the time, Harmon cited, among other things, Daly’s refusal to get help for his drinking problems.

Harmon refuted Daly's claim and had this to say when contacted by The Golf Channel on Wednesday:

“John Daly called me on Thursday and said he had lost all of his endorsement contracts because of me and my statements and asked if I could print a retraction. I said, ‘John, you lost your contracts because of you and not anyone else….you need to quit blaming everyone else….I wish you well and I hope you play well.’ ”

It's just really tough to root for him now and at this point I can say I won't be until he at least starts acting more like a professional and not a waste of talent. He has always been a big draw but you can bet that people are more than fed up with him at this point. I had touched upon this situation on March 11th when Butch Harmon fired Daly and the only thing JD has done since was prove my point.

Not to mention, the tour has a new lovable character in Boo Weekley.

A Solution for the Masters

It pains me to be typing about my absolute favorite tournament but there's a logical explanation for the lack of drama recently at the Masters. An explanation that goes a bit deeper than the 2nd cut of rough, the increased length, and the cement greens. Although those 3 things have already eliminated half of the field before anyone steps on the tee which is cause for concern by itself.

The real reason is a very simple one. The best players don't even get invited to play in the Masters. The tradition of the Masters is one of the main reasons it's a favorite of the PGA Tour members. To be able to put on the coveted Green Jacket, a staple forever linked to the winner of the Masters, is what any golfer dreams to do. However, the best golfers aren't always even in the field.

The Masters field is already limited to a select number of golfers, usually around 100. Only golfers who are on top of their game at the moment are invited. If you've had a bad year, you're a lost soul. It's a 'What have you done for me lately?' formula at the Masters. Unless, of course, you're a past winner. Or if you've won some amateur sectional qualifier the year prior. I'm not exactly sure of the breakdown but it's only about the best 40-50 golfers in the world that are in the field. The other golfers are past winners and a couple golfers who won some qualifiers. These are tournaments that any golfer ranked 75-100 in the world would win but they're not in those tournaments.

Again, I'm all for tradition but I don't think past winners who have no shot at winning the tournament should be in the field and taking spots from guys who have proven they can compete at a high level. Craig Stadler, Fuzzy Zoeller, Gary Player, Larry Mize, Tom Watson, Sandy Lyle, Raymond Floyd, guys like that have no chance of winning. Hey, it's great to see the legends of the game out there but you're talking a tough track already and these guys couldn't win on the PGA Tour in a regular tournament if they tried. Also guys like Jose Maria Olazabal and Mark O'Meara who aren't on top of their game shouldn't be invited just for being past champions. O'Meara isn't winning on the Champions Tour and Olazabal just isn't up to form yet. He's usually a competitor but if you know your game is rusty, you should give it up to someone who is competitive.

It wasn't fair to not have reliable guys like Fred Funk, Billy Mayfair, Corey Pavin, Kenny Perry, and Rocco Mediate in the field. Even guys like Rod Pampling, Tim Herron, and Jeff Maggart are reliable golfers who have shown to be consistently competitive no matter the tournament. Hell, Chris DiMarco finished in the top 5 of the Masters in 2004 and took 2nd in 2005 and wasn't invited. He had surgery in early 2007 and didn't have enough tournaments to get a high ranking on the tour. Yet had he won he would be invited no matter how bad he sucked. Something is wrong with that.

So between the length, second cut of rough, cement greens, past champions, sectional qualifiers, and 'what have you done for me lately?' conditions, the Masters will only have about 15 guys who have a legit chance of winning the tournament each year. That's where the drama went. I hope things change but this could be an ongoing tradition at the Masters.

If anyone does know the breakdown of who gets invited into the tournament please comment and I can re-post to check for accuracy.

What Happened to the Masters?

This is a painful post to write but it seems that my favorite tournament has been turned into a lot of luck and a bit of skill. Because of the new length, second cut of rough, and plexiglass greens, the Masters has become a tournament in which the best golfer doesn't win, but the guy who makes the least amount of mistakes wins.

You can say that's true for most majors but the Masters has always been different. The greens have always been slick but they were also there for attacking. The saying behind this major was that the tournament doesn't start until the back nine on Sunday. Trevor Immelman won the Masters going wire to wire. I'm not saying he didn't deserve it but where was the drama?

Where has the drama been? The Masters is turning into the other majors. Even the PGA Championship has become a crap shoot as of late. The Masters was supposed to be the tournament where length didn't matter. It was about angles, ball position, imagination, creation. Now it's whether or not a golfer can make par on the last 3 holes. Guys just can't go low on Sunday anymore. Due to the length and second cut of rough, guys can't get close enough to be aggressive on their approach shots to attack the traditional Sunday pins.

The proof is in the winners. I will never discredit anyone that wins a golf tournament but it's becoming a cinderella story every time just like the other majors.

Trevor Immelmon, Zach Johnson, Angel Cabrera, Geoff Ogilvy, Michael Campbell, Shaun Micheel, Rich Beem, Ben Curtis, Todd Hamilton, Paul Lawrie. These guys are all past major winners. Who are they? Ok we know Geoff Ogilvy because he has some serious potential and he'll probably win a few more majors. Rich Beem is a good dude but is never gonna win again. Shaun Micheel is a KISS fan so he's got my vote but will never win a major, let alone a golf tournament again. Michael Campbell has completely fallen off the earth. Todd Hamilton may have lost his exemption but I'm not sure. Paul Lawrie benefited from the biggest meltdown in major history when Jean Van de Velde made a triple bogey 7 on the 72nd hole at Carnoustie to let Lawrie (and Justin Leonard) into a playoff. Van de Velde just couldn't recover from that hole and Lawrie won. Ben Curtis, Zach Johnson, and Trevor Immelman will win again on the PGA tour but I would almost guarantee it won't be a major.

The Masters was a major where a bunch of people could go low on Sunday and that's just not happening anymore. Obviously mother nature has a say in the matter but that's why length wasn't supposed to ever be an issue. The greens have always been super slick and that's the way it should be but the Masters was the one major where you never didn't get rewarded for a great shot. This year the Masters had great scoring conditions, and the best players in the world couldn't score. Sure, there was a little wind but that's to be expected. The other majors have such thick rough and burnt greens on occasion that even shots that would land right near the pin would roll back or bounce way off the green.

It's a bit of sour grapes on my part because I've watched my favorite tournament the last two years be as boring and anti-climactic as watching flies have sex. Guys are supposed to go low at the Masters. It's not like the US Open or PGA where if you're off the fairway you're in 6 inches of rough. Or the British where the fescue can grow up to 3 feet. Again, the British has always been like that and length isn't the issue. Bobby Jones wanted the Masters to be the American version of the British Open. The British also had it's cinderella stories through history, along with the other majors, but never the Masters.

This is Billy Payne's second year as chaiman at Augusta, after replacing Hootie Johnson, and it's also been 2 years of a boring tournament. This can't happen. Granted, if Tiger could sink a putt in the last 3 Masters we wouldn't even be posting this.

Bobby Jones wouldn't want this. Neither do the fans of Augusta National. Jack and Arnie were very critical of the new layout last year and at first it looked like they were just a couple of guys who the game past by (even though they design golf courses). Now it looks as if they were right on the money in their criticism of the new look Masters. While the grumbling amongst the tour players has been minimal, be ready for it to grow if the next couple years produces the same thing.

I'll never say it's a fluke for a golfer to win a tournament. 4 rounds of spectacular golf is never by accident. But now it's getting to be who gets the most breaks wins. Don't take the game out of the players hands. Let them win or lose because of their own clubs, not because of the course. The one thing about the Masters was that there was always one true winner. Unfortunately for the last two years, the winner was Augusta National.

The Masters is Upon Us

Well folks, it's that time of the year when the greatest golf tournament begins. Today marks the first round of the Masters, the youngest major yet the most rich in tradition. Bobby Jones created this tournament in the 1930's to be the American version of the British Open. He wanted to emphasize angles and accuracy instead of power and length. Unfortunately that's changed a bit but the tradition remains.

The Masters tournament is the only major that's played at the same course every year. It's played at the legendary Augusta National in Augusta Georgia. The caddies still wear white jumpsuits, everything is wrapped in green and not labeled. The prices of consessions are comparable to 1950 prices. Nothing is labeled because not one thing will be more important than the tournament.

Another group of the best players in the world will vie for the coveted Green Jacket that the eventual winner of the Masters receives. The course has been lengthened over the past few years to about 7,400 yards, more than 400 yards than it was just 10 years ago. Some traditionalists will bark about Augusta changing it's landscape, however, with the technology boom in golf, they had no choice.

Either way, the tradition of this course will never waver due to its landscape. Ask anyone on tour which tournament they dream of winning and they'll say The Masters. Sit back, and enjoy the greatest golf tournament on the face of the earth.

It's time for The Masters!

The Only Man to Rival TIger

Over the years there have been a few guys who were almost gonna dethrone Tiger as the number 1 ranked golfer. Phil has been the most talked about since the early 2000's. Vijay took him over in 2004 but was never a serious threat to maintain the throne. Ernie Els sniffed it a bit but besides winning the 2002 British and coming close in the 2004 Masters, he hasn't played up to his talent. Retief Goosen was also a threat with his always competitive play during the majors. The 2 time US Open champ always competes well in the majors. He was in the final pairing with Tiger in the 2002 Masters, was also in the final group in the 2005 US Open but shot in the 80's with Jason Gore to fall out of contention as Michael Campbell (who?) won.

They have all shown some sort of flash but the only guy who has put up numbers similar to Tiger Woods is.............. are you ready for this??????????


David Duval. He put up numbers for a 2 1/2 year stretch that were comperable to Tiger's. Between the end of 1998 and beginning of 1999 he won 5 out of 7 tournaments he competed in and was closing in on the number 1 ranking. In the meantime, he became one of the few guys who shot a 59 on a Sunday when he won the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in 1999.

After winning the British Open in 2001 he hasn't been seen. He developed vertigo which altered his mechanics. Then found new love by re-marrying, enduring his wife having a troubled pregnancy, enjoying life by snowboarding and having family time.

At the moment, Duval can't recapture the magic he had back in the late 90's. He's a good guy to root for too. Only because he said he doesn't need golf to be happy, but for his life and family to be healthy to be happy. He's since lost his exemption to play on the PGA tour, except for a couple sponsor's exemptions.

That being said, I'm always gonna be a fan of David Duval simply because he's a great underdog that can hopefully regain some of the fire that propelled him to the top ranks.

The Mickel-Slam: What Could Have Been??

It was only 2 years ago when there was just about a changing of the guard in regards to the best golfer in the world. It wasn't any secret that Tiger was still the best but he had been going through a bit of mental anguish with the health of his dad. In the meantime, Phil Mickelson was quietly becoming a threat to Tiger's invincibility.

Phil Mickelson was one hole away from winning 3 straight majors and on his way to completing the Mickel-Slam, having won all four majors in a row. He had won the 2005 PGA Championship, the 2006 Masters, and needed just a par on the 72nd hole to win the US Open at Winged Foot. Lefty's double bogey on that hole set a chain of events that set golf back to the way it was in the early 2000's.

But what if Mickelson had simply made a par on the 72nd hole? Was he about to get into Tiger's head and was the landscape of golf about to change? These are the questions that will never be answered due to Mickelson's inconsistent play ever since that meltdown. He's managed a few tour victories as well as the 2007 TPC at Sawgrass but has yet to return to pose a serious threat to make a run at the majors.

Mickelson was forever known as the best player to never win a major. That all changed when he won the 2004 Masters. Once he shed the stigma of never winning a major he became a serious threat at every major and he certainly came full circle by the end of 2005. He had finally gotten over the hump and was also a serious threat to Tiger's stranglehold on golf.

That all changed on the 72nd hole at Winged Foot in 2006. Mickelson has been in a funk at the majors ever since. He's yet to post a top 10 in any major since that tournament. So the questions will forever be out there for as long as Mickelson goes winless in future majors. Did that hole change Mickelson? What would have happened if he wins the US Open? Does that challenge Tiger to work even harder? Does Mickelson gain the mental advantage over Tiger?

Well they're all moot points now because Tiger's not only regained his form since he missed the cut at Winged Foot, but is going forward full throttle. It's only gonna take that much more from Mickelson in order to get to that peak once again. Can he do it? This week might give us a hint as the greatest tournament in golf is upon us. The Masters.

And If You Play Golf, You're My Friend

Harvey Penick wrote the above titled book and it began where his 'Little Red Book: Lessons and Teachings from a Lifetime in Golf' left off. Both books are bestsellers, with the Little Red Book as the highest selling golf book ever.

He relates to golf and life as they're synonymous with each other. His teachings go way beyond the actual game of golf. It was how to be not just a better golfer, but how to be a better person. There are bad breaks in golf, just as in life, and it's not about what you score, but how you respond to the situation. Harvey Penick knew the game so well that over the course of a round, there's a bunch of scenario's that don't go your way on the golf course. He could measure a person's character by how he or she dealt with the situation. He also learned that how you react to situations on the golf course is directly proportional to how that same person would react in life.

There are a ton of bad breaks in life, a lot of bumps in the road that we deal with each and every day. Golf puts you in those same scenario's only they're not as important. Again, he never emphasized the score when faced with adversity, but how you dealt with it and learned from it. Not every shot is makable in golf, nor is everything in life makeable. The most important thing is to rise above the adversity, and do it without cheating.

There's never going to be a time where I don't follow Sam Snead's quote, "If you cheat at golf, you cheat at life." There's a reason golf is so hard and it's to test your integrity. It's very easy to fluff the ball when you got a bad break, but is the score that important to you? Is that the answer to golf or life? To cheat? You will never learn anything about yourself if you're a cheater, nor will you ever build any character or integrity. The scorecard doesn't reflect your character by any means. It will show you the rewards of your character if you play by the rules. Sometimes you should just go out and play a round of golf without even keeping score.

Golf is way bigger than the scorecard ever will be. That's why life has no scorecard. In life, you keep your own score by being the person golf will test you to be. The person who plays for the honor, tradition, and integrity which started this great game over 100 years ago. That's why golf has the richest camaradie and that's also why, if you play golf, you're my friend.

Let's Get This Website Going!!!

Catchy headline right? Well there's a reason I've baited all you 6 people who venture onto this website. The reason is we have to let the golfing gallery know that there are 4 words that are absolutely destroying golf.

Those 4 puke inducing words are:

GET IN THE HOLE!!!!!!!!

Those words are absolutely killing golf as we know it. It wasn't too bad 10 years ago when a putt was really tracking and someone yelled it out but really folks, the ball isn't going in the hole from the tee on a par 5. Not to mention, they're screaming it .008 seconds after the clubface hits the ball. They will forever be known as the 4 words we don't speak of.

I've been ranting about those 4 words we don't speak of for about 3 years but finally, just yesterday, the announcers made a comment about how abnoxious it is for the fans to scream that. Why can't the marshalls do something? Why can't they kick out every douchebag that screams those 4 words we don't speak of at ridiculous times? Can they put up signs that say, "Jerkoffs will be escorted from the premises"?

It's insulting a bit to the integrity of the game to have it made a mockery of in that fashion. Maybe I'm looking a little too deep into it but there's just no need for it. Golf is a game of quiet, of concentration, of nerve control. This is the only sport where you need to keep your excitement in check or you won't be able to perform.

This is the reason we need to spread the website so people can read this post and the agreeing comments that you, the reader, will provide. This way people who are screaming those horrible 4 words we don't speak of can realize how stupid they are. If that doesn't work, we need to get some low flying planes with banners attached to them reading to not scream those words.

This is the only sport that people can actually learn lessons in life by playing by the rules. This sport teaches honor, integrity, and humility. Let's try to preserve it and get rid of idiots who are trying to tarnish this great game. If you're ever around someone who likes to scream those 4 words we don't speak of, be sure to let them know how much of an idiot they sound like and how they're disrespecting over 100 years of tradition. If golf can have rules for every single scenario in the world, they can sure as hell get rid of those 4 words we don't speak of.

On another note, why can't photographers wait until the golfers are finished with their swing before they take the picture. Someone is going to get seriously hurt one of these days, and legitimately. Not like John Daly who can hurt himself getting off the toilet. There are so many muscles that are utilized in the golf swing that a simple distraction can do some serious damage.

So clicking cameras are just as big a nuisance as those 4 words which we won't speak of. Let's get rid of both and get golf back to normal.

Some People Still Don't Get It!!!!

Bart Bryant is a journeyman on the PGA tour and had a chance to win his 4th career title last Sunday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. He fell short when Tiger sunk a 25 foot snake for birdie to beat Bryant by a single stroke.

While he was gracious in defeat saying how amazing Tiger has been playing and what he's doing right now is unbelievable. Also saying he's never seen anyone play like that in his life.

However, I was a little taken back by his other comments about taking second place. He mentioned that because he didn't win, he wasn't gonna be invited to Doral or to the Masters. He kind of bitched about it. He said it's great to finish second but it's unfair that he doesn't get an invite for taking second place.

And here's my problem. Dude, you just got a check for $650,000 for playing golf. You've already made $861,642 just this year. You've also made over 8 million dollars for your career. Yeah, cry me a river Bart. You get paid to play a game that we have to pay to play. So you didn't get invited to play at Doral or at the Masters. Take the couple weeks off to chill out. Maybe play some golf with your time off. But remember who's watching this. It's amateurs, people that would kill to be in your position.

Bart Bryant is known as a journeyman yet has made 8.1 million dollars in his career. Not bad for a journeyman. These guys need to get a grip on reality. Then again, when you're spoiled your whole life you have no clue of reality.

So you're gonna have to find some other people to cry for because you're not gonna get any sympathy from us for not getting to play in those tournaments. Maybe you should have played better in other ones. So take your $600,000 and go buy something nice for yourself. Maybe that will make you feel better. Now go get a life and realize how good you have it chump.

Windy Golf

Well we trudged out for a round of golf yesterday and the winds were up to 50 mph. It was absolutely insane and it did whatever it wanted with your ball. It was just a helpless situation yet a ton of fun. The insane thing is we've played in worse conditions. Back in November of 2003 we decided to grab one more round in before the season finished. During that round, a 25 year old Christmas tree uprooted and toppled over next to the 18th fairway as we were on the adjacent 10th fairway.

Anyway, back to our thumping. It was a lot of fun in the sense that you really had to concentrate on your target and it was all the more rewarding when you made a good shot. Hitting into the wind was particular brutal for me because I have a notoriously high ball flight. Even with these so called 'low trajectory' irons I will still hit my 5 iron higher than you hit your pitching wedge. I was able to keep the ball a bit lower than normal playing a few knockdowns when we were into the wind. When the wind was at our backs it was 'get the ball up there and let it play'. Basically it was a lot of luck.

Club selection was fun also givin the wind conditions. I witnessed my playing partner crush a 3 wood that traveled only 190 yards. He's a beast and he averages at least 265 with his 3 wood. That's no exaggeration either. I, on the other hand, hit a 9 iron 175 yards with the wind at our backs. It was fun having to calculate how much the wind was a factor. Even in cross winds you could play your target way left of the green and the wind would carry the ball to the complete right side.

I got outta there with a respectable 92 and we'll just say I was the low round of the group. Being forced to not go for the career shot kept me in play. That score also includes a lost ball quadruple bogey on the 9th hole so it could have been better.

I also know that the pros play in some windy conditions overseas and sometimes here in the states and they still shoot under par. That's why these guys aren't given the credit they deserve. They play in these conditions and can still work the ball to almost take the wind out of the equation. They'll hit knock downs (wind cheaters) with wind in their faces, hit draws against a left to right cross wind, and hit fades against right to left crosswinds. It's so hard to do that yet they make it look easy.

Those commercials that say "These Guys Are Good" doesn't even to them justice. Those guys are on another planet.

A Perfect Season????

Tiger Woods is in such a zone right now that there's actual talk of him having a 'perfect season'. The media, and other golfers, are tinkering with the idea that a perfect season is attainable. Does anyone realize how much you have to dominate in order for that to even get brought up? The scary thing is, he just could do it. The chances are slim but it's the first time in the history of golf that the chances ever reached as high as slim.

It's very far fetched to think he could but you really can't bet against it. This guy hasn't lost since before the PGA Championship which was in August of 2007. He's unconscious. He hasn't lost in so long that he almost doesn't know what it's like. It's that type of mentality that just could propell him to an undefeated season. Hey, if he loses this week at Doral, where he's won the past 3 years, then this is a moot point and we go back to the grand slam talk. It should be far fetched to even talk about a perfect season. It used to be if you won 2 or 3 times in a year, you were considered for player of the year. 3 wins in a year, and if one of them was a major, you were the top dog. Tiger isn's satisfied with 7 or even 8 wins. He wants to win every single time.

It was only 2 years ago that Phil Mickelson was 1 hole away from winning the first half of the grand slam, winning 3 majors in a row, and 4 out of the last 10, when he inexplicably melted down on the 72nd hole at Winged Foot and lost the US Open by a single stroke. He was finally getting compared to Tiger and the rivalry was starting to take shape. In fact, Tiger missed the cut at Winged Foot (due in part to his fathers death) for the first time in a major in his career.

Well look what's happened in those 2 years. The best thing that happened to Tiger, and the worst thing that happened to the rest of the guys on the tour, was him missing the cut at Winged Foot. Ever since then Tiger has been unstoppable. He was 2 strokes from winning 3 of 4 majors last year. He finished tied for 2nd at the Masters, 2nd at the US Open, tied for 13th at the British (the only major he didn't factor in) and tied a record for lowest round ever in a major while winning the PGA. He hasn't looked back since.

How about these stats. It took Tiger to get to 64 wins in 219 starts. It took Arnold Palmer over 400 to get to 62 wins. Only Ben Hogan has a winning percentage even close to Tiger's. That's out of every single one of the all time greats. Jack Nicklaus also had well over 400 starts to get to 73 wins. It won't take Tiger more than 300 starts to overtake the all time wins record which stands at 84.

Will Tiger Woods have a perfect season this year? The answer is I doubt it but you can't say no. Will he win the grand slam? Probably. Winning the grand slam hasn't been discussed as often as it is with Tiger playing, and having a perfect season has never been discussed, EVER. These posts are getting a bit redundent but it's impossible to not talk about what this guy is accomplishing. He's battling 150 people every week not to mention the golf course. These aren't just 150 average Joe's, these are the best golfers in the world. Guys who at any moment can go low. Tiger just goes lower.

The grand slam, a perfect season, closing in on the all time career wins mark and he still has the drive and determination to go out there and dominate. He will never be content and that is bad news for the rest of the tour.

There's Just Nothing Left to Say

Once again Tiger Woods won a PGA tour event, this time tying Ben Hogan on the all time career wins list with 64. Next up is 'The Golden Bear' Jack Nicklaus with 73 wins. But that's not important right now.

This time Tiger let the field sort of hang around a bit until he decided to drop a 25 foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to beat journeyman Bart Bryant by a single stroke to win his 5th straight tournament. It marks the 3rd time in his career that Woods has had a winning streak of at least 5 wins in a row.

Tiger was going against a stacked field at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. This tournament ranks just slightly below the TPC at Sawgrass in terms of importance and toughness. It's also known for some brutal holes at the end of the course. Numbers 16, 17, and 18 have been known to cause some serious heartaches for players over a number of years. A bunch of guys hung around with Tiger but for the most part they were no-names. Vijay Singh and last weeks winner Sean O'Hair were the ones expected to give Tiger a challenge. The others were either newer tour members with a 'too happy to feel the pressure' attitude, or some seasoned vets who had the 'I'm not even expected to contend' attitude.

While no one really pushed the pace, no one disappeared either and there were at least 8 guys within 2 strokes of the lead at any time during the final round. Going into the 72nd hole, he was tied with Bart Bryant, who was already in the clubhouse, with the lead at -9. He played his approach shot to the center of the green which had a right, front tucked pin directly over the water (the traditional Sunday pin location). The announcers just so happen to bring up the fact that Tiger hadn't made a putt of over 18 feet all day. Well duh, he made the 25 footer which rolled in on the very last revolution. He exploded as the putt fell, spiking his hat into the ground and then facing the crowd demanding them to rise.

The crazy thing is I don't think anyone was surprised that he made the putt. That's just what Tiger does, he does it often, and he does it better than anyone who has ever played. You got that right folks, we're watching the absolute greatest golfer in the history of the game. Everyone should absolutely appreciate what we're getting to witness in golf. We will never see anyone dominate this game the way Tiger is doing. Honestly we won't see anyone even come close to playing at the level he does every time he's in a tournament. Take Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh. Those 2 guys are all world golfers. They, at one time or another, have shown some serious flashes of dominance on the PGA Tour. Vijay having recently attaining the #1 world ranking for a brief period in 2004. They have also won a lot on the PGA tour. Yet their combined number of victories doesn't equal that of Tiger's number of wins.

Tiger Woods now brings his win streak to Doral and the Blue Monster which doesn't bode well for the rest of the tour. Not only is he the defending champion but he's quite possibly playing the best golf of his career. It's not often that in mid March a golfer has won every tournament he's entered. There's actually some crazy talk of a 'perfect season'. Obviously that's never going to happen but it's also never even been talked about. Tiger is playing so perfect that he's giving the media a reason to talk about it. So sit back, relax, and watch the greatest ever play the game during what could be the greatest season ever.

On a side note, a classless heckler was in the stands and the announcers barely touched on it. Vijay was in the middle of the fairway on the 18th hole, only 2 strokes back, and had to go directly over the water to hit the green. In the middle of his backswing, not after he swung, a douchebag screamed out, "Hit it in the water Vijay!" Vijay hit a great shot to the center of the green which showed the heckler up. There is no place for that in golf, and why no one did anything about it is beyond me. His caddie or a marshall should have found out who it was and forcefully escorted the sap out of the gallery. Vijay gave a harsh glare into the area of where it came from but still had to remain focused on his upcoming putt. At that point he still had a chance if he made a birdie by forcing the guys in the groups behind him to make par. He made a 2 putt for par and showed a lot of class by not even bringing it up in his post round interview. There is no place for that in golf and I can tell you now, the Golf Gods will get that jerkoff back in a big way. I, for one, will not feel bad for whatever they have in store for this classless, yuppy bastard. Say goodbye to your golf game chump!!

For everyone else, we'll see you after Doral.

Why Golf is the Greatest Sport

In every other sport there's a degree of cheating that goes on. That's why there's referrees or umpires that have to police the players in every sport. Without them, the games would be total anarchy. There would be no way to even keep track of what's going on.

Let me explain:

There isn't a single football play that doesn't have cheating going on. Besides the infractions the ref's actually see and call, there's holding on each and every play. Not to mention coaches have been trying to steal signals, another mess now.

In basketball, there are fouls called on every other play, and if a player gets touched with just a finger, they jump in the air, scream, and throw the ball way up in the air with their arms flailing because they got hit so hard. Not to mention they're crybabies.

Hockey and soccer are kind of the same way. I used to play hockey years ago so I'm not bashing the sport but I'll tell you why. In hockey and soccer, some players try to draw a penalty so bad (known as taking a dive, and is cheating) that they drop to the ground as if they were shot. Yet they weren't even touched. They'll drop down, grab an area they think could be hurt and flop around like a fish out of water. It's really bad in soccer, whereas it's mildly bad in hockey.

Baseball is just full of cheaters-period. I won't even go into the whole steroids thing either. Most of the other sports have a ton of juice heads too so it's across the board and not worth going into. But baseball has been known for it's cheating since the beginning of the century. Pitchers were doctoring the ball any chance they could, and got into the hall of fame no less. Gaylord Perry and Don Sutton were notorious for scuffing, greasing, and sanding the ball, anything to get the edge. There's a lot more than that going on but I guess it's not cheating if you don't get caught. They will also try to steal catcher's signs and peak to see where the catcher is setting up for a pitch. That's more of gamesmanship than anything and the players will control that but for the most part there's a great deal of cheating.

Now before you're steamed because I'm ripping on these sports because they do need referree's for more than cheating. All these sports are very physical, very fast, and things happen in the blink of an eye. There's more than cheating that the ref's are looking for because all the action that's going on. They're in a way protecting the players as well. But they're looking for cheaters, there's no doubt about it.

So getting to golf, the action is much slower so there isn't a reason to have ref's to call flagrant fouls, or to make sure an injury isn't going to happen so I understand the reason for ref's and umpires. However, golf is awesome in the fact the players call their own penalties. If you're reading this and know nothing about golf you might say, 'that's stupid, just don't call the penalty on yourself', and that's the beauty of it. There isn't a golfer on any tour that would ever not call a penalty on themselves. Even if no rules officials are around and no one was there to see the penalty, they'll call over a rules official just to make sure they're applying the rule properly. No matter what position there in, how important the tournament is, they will undoubtedly call the penalty on themselves.

Golf teaches you honor and integrity. Such that a golfer wouldn't be able to sleep at night if they committed a penalty and didn't enforce it. Sergio Garcia (who is not a favorite of mine or most people) was asked about a ruling that he inquired about. It appeared that he was entitled relief from a storm drain which was affecting his stance. Garcia was, in fact, entitled to a free drop but for some reason it came into question whether or not he should have been allowed the free drop. He was adamant that he was and even called a rules official to confirm. You could tell he was telling the truth and did correctly enforce the rule. He then said, "I'd rather shoot 85 by the rules then shoot 69 by cheating. That's just not how it is in golf." Even though I can't stand the guy, that was a pretty good synopsis of how golfers think.

Play the ball where it lies folks.