Kiwi Amateur Lee toasts Classic victory
Only a few days before Tiger Woods is scheduled to make his long-awaited comeback, he is reminded of the emerging talent who want to overthrow him as the king of golf.
Foremost in doing the reminding is Danny Lee, an 18-year-old amateur from New Zealand who has claimed victory in the Johnnie Walker Classic, one of the bigger tournaments outside Europe and sactioned by the European Tour and Asian Tour.
Lee, whose ambition is to be “the next Tiger Woodsâ€, birdied the final two holes at the Vines Resort in Perth, Australia to shoot 67 for a total of 17-under 271. That was one stroke ahead of a Japan’s Hiroyuki Fujita, Ross McGowan, of England and Chile’s Felipe Aguilar.
Korea-born Lee’s name is now etched on the trophy alongside some of the biggest names in golf, including Woods, Nick Faldo, Greg Norman and Ernie Els. Lee said in an Asian Tour article:
“It feels like I’m in a dream and I hope nobody wakes me up. I have won a couple of amateur tournaments before, but this is a different feeling than that. This is a pro event, and all I wanted to do here was to make the cut and get into the top-20. That was my goal and today I played extremely well and I won.â€
At the age of 18 years and 213 days, Lee becomes the youngest winner on the European Tour and the fifth-youngest winner on the Asian Tour. He is the second amateur to win a professional tournament in Europe and fourth in Asia.
World number one Woods is due to return to action at this week’s Accenture World Match Play tournament after being out of the game for eight months because of injuries.
Another golfer telling Tiger that he is still around is Phil Mickelson. Though not part of the young brigade, Lefty showed he can win tournaments, claiming the Northern Trust Open title on the US PGA Tour.
Three-time major winner Mickelson birdied the 16th and 17th holes to recover from a mini-slump and shoot one-over 72 in the final round in Los Angeles.
Although he squandered what had once been a five-stroke lead, his closing round was good enough for a 15-under total of 269 and a one-shot victory over Steve Stricker, who scored 67 on Sunday.
KJ Choi, Andres Romero and Fred Couples shared third place on 271. For Mickelson, it was his first victory since his triumph at the Colonial last year.
In the first round, Mickelson had scored a bogey-free 63, which equals the best first round in the history of the tournament. Ireland’s Padraig Harrington, Michael Allen and Lanny Wadkins had also previously scored 63s at the Riviera Country Club.
The Games We Play- Fantasy Golf
One of the more fun nights (and there were a lot) from my years of college was fantasy football draft night. Not that I ever really participated, being Australian I had about as much knowledge of the NFL as your average Under-12 Indian cricket team. But once a year all the guys from the golf course where our team practiced came over to our house and brought with them Fantasy draft guides, flip sheets, stat charts and booze – but not necessarily in that order of course.
These nights would inevitably dissolve into drunken arguments, taunts and rants on the upcoming fantasy football season, everybody deciding one way or another that they were the John Madden, the alpha-drafter, of this particular competition. Nowadays it seems every time I log onto golfweek.com, pgatour.com or one of the other major golf sights there is a new fantasy in the golfing world. Surprisingly, this golf fantasy does not involve Natalie Gulbis.
Fantasy golf has taken off over the last few years, growing in leaps and bounds to where it has now established itself alongside football and basketball as a legitimate fantasy sport. Golfweek features a “Fantasy Aces†article early every week with several writers providing their “expert†picks for the week. PGATour.com features a similar segment every week, as does Golf Channel on their “Inside the PGA Tour†show, while yahoo.com’s Fantasy League is one of the largest in the fantasy sports.
Like football and basketball, there are several ways these competitions can be run. The way that PGATour.com and yahoo.com run there competitions is thus – each week the individual picks one or more players (depending on the format) from the A, B or C player categories. For example, this week at the Northern Trust Open I might select Phil Mickelson in the A player category, Charlie Hoffman from the B player category, and Charles Howell III from the C player category. The players can move up or down in categories depending on their current money list and world ranking, or they can just remain in those categories for the entire year depending on how the contest is run. Most fantasy leagues have limits to how many times a player can be selected per season, and the contestants earn points depending on how their selection/s perform during that particular tournament.
Another way to run a fantasy league is the way we do it at my home course in Australia. My father sends out an email to all the “tippers†each week with a list of all the competitors on the PGA Tour in whatever tournament is being played that week. Each competitor can pick one player every week from the field, however that player may not be chosen again for the rest of the year. This format poses a particular challenge in that you can’t continually pick the same player every week when they appear to be in form. After running the competition for three or four years, our tippers have learned to “save†players like Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson or Padraig Harrington for the big money events like the majors or WGC Championships. About half the field missed out on picking Tiger last year when he only played 6 events before his season ending knee surgery.
This local competition has just about overtaken the club’s rugby tipping competition for fun as well as entrants. We now have guys competing via the magic of the Internet from the United States, Australia, the UK and India. There are several wives and girlfriends competing, and the camaraderie and trash talk is now coming thick and fast via email to each and every tipper. One of the locals, who shall remain nameless, has even gone so far as to bring spreadsheets to the club every Saturday morning with each competitor’s pick highlighted for all to follow.
In the first year for the competition I selected Camilo Villegas early in his rookie season. He performed well and he got me a tie for 3rd. One of the tippers wrote me an email, “Who the HELL is Camilo Villegas!†is all it said. I thought I was pretty smart back then. Unfortunately, after a few years the competition has caught up to me, in fact, it has blown by me withincreasing speed each year. With a vast amount of research going into the selections from almost all of the tippers I managed to finish 57th in a 60 person competition last season. At one stage in the season Kenny Perry went 1st, T24, T6, 1st, 1st, 6th, T66. I decided to wait until the T66 to pick him because it was a big-money event. Smart huh?
But my favourite fantasy golf story involves a well known pro – Englishman Luke Donald. One of the guys I play with on The Hooters Tour went to Northwestern with Luke and is a good friend of his. It turns out they had their own fantasy golf league going and Luke was a part of it. Their competition stipulated a player could only be chosen four times in the season. Luke managed to pick himself the first four weeks of the year. His reasoning? “I thought I was going to win every week.†Is Luke Donald in your tipping competition? It might not be Natalie Gulbis, but that’s some pretty cool fantasy golf.
Tiger confirms comeback
Well, he’s back. Just days after his caddie says Tiger Woods is due to make his comeback in “a few weeksâ€, the word is out that, indeed, the world number one will step on to the tee next week at the Accenture Match Play Championship in Tucson, Arizona.
According to the PGA Tour website, Woods has confirmed his participation in the tournament, part of the World Golf Championships series, to Commissioner Tom Finchem, who said:
“We received confirmation today that Tiger Woods has committed to play in next week’s Accenture Match Play Championship. We are delighted that Tiger is returning to competition and look forward to watching him compete next week.â€
Woods has been out since June last year after winning the US Open at Torrey Pines. The 14-time major winner decided to give himself a break to undergo surgery on damaged knee ligaments. He also had a stress facture in his left tibia.
Golf has been poorer since Woods decided to sideline himself and miss the British Open and US PGA Championship, both won by Padraig Harrington.
Attendances have been down, TV ratings have decreased and the global credit crunch has had an effect on many of the sport’s corporate sponsors.
Woods’ return to the fold will provide golf with a huge shot in the arm because of his ability to draw in the crowds, and sponsors, wherever he goes.
Tiger has been practicing full-on for some time now and the main obstacle standing in the way of his return has already been removed – the birth of his son Charlie Axel, his second child with wife Elin.
The question remains, though, as to how he will perform once he returns. ACL injuries are cruel and athletes who have undergone the procedure rarely regain 100 per cent of their former abilities.
But even Woods at 90 per cent is the best golfer in the world. And fans still won’t get enough of him.
Japanese Teen Phenom Awarded Masters’ Invite
Get to know the name Ryo Ishikawa. Say it with me- “ROâ€, “ISH-E-COW-Aâ€. It’s a name you should probably get used to.
Ishikawa, of the ripe old age of 17 and hailing from Japan, is the latest in a line of golfing prodigies to emerge from around globe and is set to stake his claim on U.S soil very soon. The “bashful princeâ€, as he is known in Japan, has accepted invitations to the Northern Trust Open this week in Los Angeles, as well as the Transitions Championship at Innisbrook and The Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill later next month. But those tournaments will simply be a warm up for Ishikawa because his main event is scheduled for April. Yes, THAT tournament in April.
Following a tradition established by the Masters’ committee in recent years (remember Aaron Baddeley getting an invite as an 18-year old amateur?), the committee has extended an international invitation to Ishikawa in an attempt to, as Masters’ chairman Billy Payne put it, “…expose an emerging talent on a world stage and (to) fulfill our objective to grow the game.”
“At a young age, Mr. Ishikawa has shown the skill and competitiveness to make him a deserving recipient of this invitation.” Payne added when he made the announcement to the press on January 24.
So what skill has this young man displayed that has set him on the path to becoming the second-youngest competitor in Masters history? Well it may be news to a lot of golf fans, but in 2007 Ishikawa won the Japan Tour’s Munsingwear Open KBS Cup as a 15-year old amateur. That victory made him the youngest winner of any professional event on any major tour in the world. Anywhere. Ever.
If that wasn’t enough, since turning pro in 2008, Mr. Ishikawa has won three more times, finished the 2008 season 5th on the Japan Tour’s money list, and become the youngest player to ever crack the world’s top 100 players. He is currently ranked 64 in the world which means if he continues his meteoric rise, he may not have needed any help when the final Masters’ invites are sent out. Not bad for a kid who probably doesn’t even shave yet.
In a world obsessed with unearthing the “next Tiger Woods†it remains to be seen if Ishikawa can become the (more) Asian version of Tiger, or burn too bright and burn out too quick like, say, a Ty Tryon. It’s far, far too early to tell of course, but one Japanese paper has already declared the young man, “more of a genius than Woods!â€. They’re not one to hold back on hyperbole apparently, the Japanese.
Regardless of his play in the Masters one thing is for sure, this is one talented young man. And now, thanks to the soothsayers on the Masters’ committee, he’s on the world radar now. You’ve heard the name now, just don’t be surprised if you see it pop up on your TV screen in the next few months.
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Tiger To Return ‘Shortly’
Here’s some news the players on the PGA Tour really don’t want to hear- Tiger Woods is set to return to competition sooner rather than later. Woods’ longtime caddie Steve Williams told Television New Zealand in an exclusive interview that his boss was set to return to the PGA Tour in the “next few weeks.â€
“It will be anytime, shortly,†Williams said. “He’s just got a couple of little issues but when he tees it up that will be a sign to say ‘I’m ready to go’ because he won’t play unless he’s 100 percent. It’s getting closer…anytime in the next few weeks he’s going to tee it up. He definitely wants to play a couple of tournaments before Augusta so any day now he’s going to make a decision when he’s going to play.â€
Those couple of tournaments have been speculated upon since Woods underwent knee surgery following his historic U.S Open win at Torrey Pines last June. Many assumed The Masters would be his return but as always with Woods, his rehab and recovery have been motoring along at a rate better than originally expected. It is now speculated his return to tournament play will be the WGC-Accenture Match Play next week in Tucson or possibly the World Golf Championship at Doral beginning March 12.
The date for Wood’s return may have been pushed back due to the birth of his second child, Charles Axel, on February 7. Woods’ himself notes on his website that following the birth, “things have been great (except for a little thing called sleep).†suggesting that while his knee may be at full strength, his preparation may not currently be running on all cylinders.
“He’s probably 95 percent of the way there. He was waiting for the birth of his second child which just came last week so he’s ready to go. He just needs a little bit more walking. He hasn’t been able to walk too well.â€
It has been reported by close friends John Cook and Mark O’Meara that Woods has been practicing hard at his home course of Isleworth in Florida and his swing and knee look strong and back to full strength.
“He hasn’t told me personally when he’s going to start back, but I know he’s pretty much almost ready to start back, so I wouldn’t be surprised,†O’Meara said Monday after visiting Woods and his family at their Florida home. “I would say he’s better than ever. His legs bothered him for about three years and it had been pretty bad. I think the break was probably the best thing that ever happened to him.â€
Despite O’Meara’s confidence, Williams remains unsure of Woods’ ability to return to full strength straight away, but stressed it’s impossible to rule out anything when it comes to Woods.
“He’s had to modify his swing a little bit to accommodate his knee, but the guy always finds a way,†Williams said. “I’m a little nervous myself to see how he’s going to come back. Nine months out of the game after a major operation is a long time but he’s a hell of a competitor and one of the best we’ve ever seen in this game so I would suspect he’ll carry right on.â€Â
Woods has until Friday, February 20 to enter for the WGC-Accenture Match Play where he will be the No. 1 seed.
How Much Does Your Ego Play A Part In Your Game Of Golf?
Andy’s Prologue:
“As one who is prone to losing confidence whilst playing golf, I have been fortune enough to have benefited from Gail Smirthwaite’s expertise. Gail is a trainer for the PGA CPD programme and tours UK golf cubs conducting talks on ‘how to play golf with confidence’ to all standards of golfers.
Listen to Gail Smirthwaite on the Chris Evans Show on BBC Radio 2
Not only that, she coaches many individual tour golfers including Alison Nicholas who is our ex-US Open Golf Champion and who has just been announced at the 2009 Solheim Cup UK and European Captain. You can listen to her fun and entertaining appearance on the Chris Evans Show on BBC Radio 2 here in the UK, simply click on the play button above. I can’t stop thinking about yellow canoes – you will have to listen to find out why!
Gail offers top notch advice and tips, so much so ‘Glen Muir’ one of the leading prestigious golf clothes companies in the UK (these are the guys that did the clothing for the Ryder Cup) sponsor her.
So over to Gail for some solid help on not letting our egos get in the way of a great round of golf!
Gail’s Advice:
In this post I am going to talk about the role of our egos in the way we make judgments, formulate opinions and how our ego can affect our behaviour.
Social environment plays such a big role when it comes to how we handle our egos. A golfer’s interpretation of what is going on around them can potentially impact greatly on their golf play if they allow it to.
Here’s how it works! If you allow your ‘EGO’ to get involved when you play golf your level of competence becomes based on what others are saying and doing. For instance; outdoing your fellow players, always looking at how others are doing with their scores and worrying about how you look will be accompanied by the following self-talk …’Am I good enough?’, ‘How I can I avoid looking bad?’, ‘How is everyone else doing?’
If you are someone whose competence is ‘self-referenced’ and by that I mean you base your success on personal performance, mastering the skills and on your own level of effort; accompanied by self-talk such as; ‘How can I get better?’, ‘How do I do this?’ and so on… then you will be able to more readily focus on what really matters THE TASK AT HAND!
Annika Sorenstem knows a thing or two about golf and she is quoted as saying that …â€Success is measured one shot at a timeâ€.
The problem with someone who relies too much on their egos whilst playing is; should their confidence dip, which is often just around the corner in any game of golf, the ability to find the strength from within to focus will become a huge mountain to climb. You need to work on having the ability to concentrate on only that which is important – YOU and the shot you are about to play.
It may seem a contradiction in terms that in order for you not to play in your ‘ego’ you need to focus on yourself. Being self-motivated is often the quality we believe makes people ‘egotistical’. But as I said earlier the ‘ego’ is concerned with ‘appearing’ to be in control, a winner, the best etc. to others. This not only puts extra pressure on your performance, but also whilst worrying about what you believe other people maybe thinking of you may cause you to end up in an extremely vulnerable position – on and off the golf course!
Playing golf too much in your ‘ego’ lays you wide open to needing a ‘quick fix’ when your confidence dips. By looking for someone or something outside your control to help feed your confidence is a recipe for disaster. You need to be able to find that strength within so that you can control the only part of the process you are able to … how you see yourself and how you can stay focused and in the moment.
The reason I talk so often about the importance of your self-talk remaining positive is so that you can become your own ‘Confidence Caddie’™. If you do not fear losing then you will in effect be lifting a cloud from over you the whole time you play.
When Tiger Woods was asked a question what he thought the major attribute he and Roger Federer have in common he replied; ‘We don’t fear losing’.
The significance of this statement is that there is a different mentality when you look at mistakes as lessons and not as a personal attack on your self-worth.
How you see yourself is so important because if you see yourself as a really competent golfer then that is who you will be. If you see yourself as not very good at golf then that is how you will play.
Spending time on creating a good self-esteem will be helped by not worrying about what others may or may not be thinking. Remember, where does your control lie – with what you think about yourself or what others think?
For more advice and a 10 page free report on overcoming first tee nerves, controlling your emotions on the course and how to concentrate when you need to most please head over to my site at GolfMindGuru.com
Many thanks for reading.
Gail Smirthwaite
New Golf Hole At Royal Birkdale!
What do you get when you combine the tee at the par 3 12th at Royal Birkdale with the green at the par 3 7th ?
Welcome to the newest hole at Royal Birkdale!
Fantastic video production by Red Bee Media and direction by Toby Crawford. Post production was done by Concrete.
More great YouTube golf videos here and at HomeofGolf.TV
Pebble Beach wash-out gives Johnson title
Dustin Johnson spent two nights wondering how he would play the final round. In the end, all his focus and strategy was washed away by the Pebble Beach rain. The title was his.
Rain prevented play on Sunday and then wiped out Monday as well, with organisers deciding to give the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am crown to 24-year-old Johnson, who led by four shots after three rounds.
It was his second victory in the past nine weeks and puts him alongside Anthony Kim as multiple PGA Tour winners who are aged below 25.
He walked out to the course on Monday morning and one of his friends had congratulated him. Johnson said in an AP article:
“I didn’t know what he was talking about. I’ve never won a tournament in tennis shoes. Obviously, I would have liked to have played either yesterday or today. Unfortunately, the weather wouldn’t allow it. But I’m pleased with my play the first three rounds.â€
Almost two days after the last stroke was played, Johnson received his trophy. It was his because of rounds of 65, 69 and 67 over the par-72 course. His total of 201 was four better than Canadian Mike Weir, who fired 69 in the final round.
South Africa’s Retief Goosen had a two-over 74 on Saturday that shifted him out of the reckoning as he finished one stroke behind Weir on 206. Americans Bob Estes and Mark Calcavecchia tied for fourth on 207.
Johnson’s victory moved him up to 45 in the world rankings, good enough to qualify for next week’s Accenture Match Play Championship, which has a 64-man field.
James Nitties Hits The Big Time
When you’re a 26 year-old PGA Tour rookie the first few months of the year can be intimidating. The flashy rental cars, the exotic locations, the money and attention being throw at you from all angles. These distractions can add up and before you know it you’re half way through the season and you’re fighting just to keep your card. For a player who lists “partying†and “girls†under “Interests†on his PGA Tour bio, keeping that focus may prove to be just about impossible.
But James Nitties doesn’t want to hear about any of that.
Nitties, who earned his PGA Tour card with a T2 at the 2008 at Q School in December, opened the year with back-to-back missed cuts at the Bob Hope and the Sony and looked to be a victim of the early season jitters and distractions that many greenhorns suffer from. That was before an opening round 7-under 65 at the FBR Open in Phoenix, AZÂ thrust the young man from Newcastle, Australia squarely into the PGA Tour spotlight. At the tournament widely known as the biggest party on the PGA Tour, the self-confessed party boy was right at home.
Putting all the distractions aside, the former Golf Channel Big Break star went on to add rounds of 69, 70 and 68 to finish T4, just two shots out of a playoff with Charlie Hoffman and eventual winner Kenny Perry. In just his third PGA Tour event ever, the young Aussie fought tooth and nail all the way to the finish, and if he was at all nervous being in contention for his first PGA Tour victory, he didn’t show it.
“I’ve lead major events before so I tried to draw on that,†Nitties said, referring to battles with PGA Tour veterans like Robert Allenby and Peter Lonard on the Australian Tour over the past few seasons. “Sunday was probably one of the most relaxing days of the week. I felt comfortable, calm and excited all at the same time.
I was hitting it great and feeling great on Sunday. I didn’t look at the leader board until 12 but I knew I was close. When I saw the scores I was actually surprised the leaders were not going deeper.â€
Nitties came out of the gate hot on Sunday, making four birdies against no bogeys on the front nine to turn in 31 and get to -13 for the tournament.
“After my second shot went long of the green on 13 I got a little rattled.†he said, referring to a blistering 4 iron approach from almost 250 yards. “I hit a great shot and was angry walking off with par there.â€
Nitties pared the par 5 15th despite having just a six iron in for his second shot, and when Perry made birdie a group later Nitties was one shot back of the lead with two holes to play. When he failed to get up and down from a greenside bunker on 17 the resulting bogey all but ensured that he would miss the Perry-Hoffman playoff by two shots.
“Apart from the finish it was very bittersweet,†he said, reflecting back on the week. “I made a couple of inexperienced errors, but it really felt like the first proper PGA Tour event for me. It was exciting to be in contention and I was very happy with the way I handled the pressure.â€
The T4 earned Nitties $264,000 and shot him to 21st on the money list (now 26th) and 35th in the Fed-Ex Cup points race. He currently sits behind only Scott Piercy and Webb Simpson in 2009 rookie earnings. Perhaps most importantly, Nitties’ inspired play in Phoenix means he has the luxury of re-evaluating his goals for the rest of 2009.
“My goals have definitely changed. At the start of the year I wanted to get a jump on the (money list) re-rank and to secure my card as quickly as possible. Now my goals have shifted. One goal is to get into the top 100 in the world and the other is to get a win this year. I just want to stay focused and committed to those goals because is right where I want to be.â€
The PGA Tour season is a long road to hoe and with goals like those, the partying and girls may have to take a backseat for a while longer.
Stanford makes most of Wie’s stumble
Michelle Wie was agonisingly close to winning on her pro tour debut but had victory snatched away at the SBS Open in Kahuku, Hawaii.
Wie, making her debut as a full LPGA Tour member, blew a three-stroke lead with eight holes to play, allowing Angela Stanford to burst through and snatch the top prize.
The 19-year-old Wie, who earned her Tour card through qualifying school, stumbled on the final holes, eventually carding one-over 73 for a total of nine-under 207.
That was one stroke behind Stanford, who closed with two-under 70 for a 10-under 206. It was Wie’s second runner-up place in the tournament played at her home course in Turtle Bay.
Being Wie and given her history as an unfulfilled teenage prodigy, her miss may seem as another example of squandered talent. However, a runner-up finish in your first pro tour event is not bad going by any standards. Wie, certainly, sees only the bright side, as she said in an AP article:
“Missing the trophy by a little bit is going to motivate me to work even harder for the next one. I just had one bad hole. I’m kind of disappointed in that. But there’s a lot of positive things I can take from this week.â€
Wie, who hasn’t won a tournament since lifting the USGA Women’s Amateur Public Links Championships at age 13, double-bogeyed the 11th hole and that opened the way for 31-year-old Stanford to overtake her.
For world number eight Stanford, the victory is merely a continuation of the fine form that characterised her performances towards the end of last year, when she won twice and had four other top 10 finishes.
Angela Park struggled scored 75 to tie for third with South Korea’s Na Yeon Choi (69) at four-under 212, six strokes behind Stanford.
Anthony makes a name for himself in Malaysia
His name is Anthony, he is American and of Korean heritage. He has also won a tournament. And no, he is not Anthony Kim.
He is Anthony Kang, an Asian Tour veteran who has gotten the better of his namesake, and everyone else at the Malaysian Open this weekend.
Kim, the American Ryder Cup star, was the main drawcard at the European Tour and Asian Tour event but it was the other Anthony who walked away with the top prize.
Kang closed with a five-under-par 67 for a total of 17-under 271 for his first title in eight years.
The 36-year-old found birdie on a par-five 18th to prevent a play-off and win the tournament by one shot over India’s Jyoti Randhawa, Thai Prayad Marsaeng and the English duo of David Horsey and Miles Tunnicliff.
Kang was two off the lead at the start of the final round but his impressive 33 on the front nine set him up for a memorable triumph at the Saujana Golf and Country Club on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.
Anthony Kim, meanwhile, was ruing an opening round of 74 that prevented him from challenging for honours. He followed up with rounds of 65, 71 and 67 but it was only good enough for a total of 281, 10 strokes off the pace.
Kang, who has been playing in Malaysia for more than a decade, said in an Asian Tour press release:
“I actually dreamt last night that I won the tournament but I have those sort of dreams quite often! It feels great to have beaten a strong field here – it hasn’t quite sunk in yet but it is an amazing feeling.â€
The Malaysian tournament is one of several events co-sanctioned by the Asian and European tours and counts towards the Race to Dubai grand finale at the end of the season.
Rookie Wie prepares for Tour pro debut
Michelle Wie has been around for a while but she is making a debut of sorts at this week’s SBS Open in Kahuku, Hawaii.
That’s because it is her first LPGA Tour event as a full member of the Tour. The 19-year-old, already an endorsement millionaire from when she burst on to the scene five years ago, won her tour card last year at qualifying school.
She has played on invitations at various tours, including the men’s PGA Tour, but now gets a chance to tee it up as a fully fledged professional.
Appropriately for her, her pro career starts in her home event at the Turtle Bay Resort Golf Club. She said in a Reuters article:
“I’m real excited. It feels a little different than actually (being a) rookie. It’s going to be an exciting three days. I’m just glad I got to come back home.â€
She has fond memories of the Kahuku, where she tied for second in the 2005 tournament when she was just 15. Although she is a rookie, she has already played in 48 LPGA events, registering 13 top-10 finishes.
She will have some tough competition this week with Tseng Ya-ni of Taiwan, American world number three Paula Creamer and fourth-ranked Suzann Pettersen of Norway among her rivals for the title.
Missing is Sweden’s former world number one Annika Sorenstam, who has retired from the pro circuit after a stellar career that included 10 major titles.
With her teenage years almost over, Wie is now ready to dispense with the gimmicks and go for glory as a proper professional on a recognised circuit. If she plays to her potential, Sorenstam’s record is there to be broken.
How To Shake Off the Winter Rust
It’s the 2nd week of February, and depending on where you live you have already endured a long winter. If you live in a cold weather climate, you likely haven’t hit the links since the end of October. Since we already deal with a shortened golf season, there is nothing worse than starting slow and hacking your way through March (if you’re lucky) and April. Aside from traveling to a warmer destination during the winter months or grinding out range sessions in a golf dome or heated range, going into a new season with plenty of rust is something you have to deal with.
Unless your name is Eldrick or you truly are a natural, you will likely start slow once the snow melts. Very few people hit the first tee in April in mid-season form. Hopefully I can provide you with some tips or suggestions to make your first few rounds of the season a little less painful, both physically and financially.
STRETCH OUT BEFORE YOU TEE IT UP. You should be doing this before every round you play anyway, but even more so when your body is not used to the rigors of a golf swing. You really should set aside some time to hit all of the major muscle groups, but if you’re running to the first tee, a quick stretch could still help. If you are short on time, make sure to loosen up your lower back, shoulders, and torso while waiting to tee off. All three of these stretches will increase your flexibility and increase the range of your rotation.
KEEP IT SIMPLE AND CUT DOWN YOUR SWING. When you aren’t locked into a routine like you are in June or July it is more likely for backswing errors to lead to errant shots. The first few weeks of the season are a good time to feel your way back and keep it simple. The golf swing is all about timing and rhythm. Unfortunately, these are usually the last things to come back to you once you get back out and playing consistently. The longer your swing is, the more it will rely on timing and rhythm. And obviously, the further you take the club back makes it that much likely for an error. Take the club back, and turn your left shoulder until it is over the ball, and then let it go. This will provide you with plenty of power to get the ball out there. At least for now, if the club gets parallel at the top of your swing, you’ve gone too far.
DON’T THINK, JUST HIT IT. Over a long winter, you can’t fault anyone for thinking about swing changes and something new they want to do with their game in the new season. But, save those thoughts for the driving range. Bringing multiple swing thoughts to the tee box, especially early on, is a bad idea. I know from experience. You think about everything other than actually hitting the ball. This usually results in non-committed or “weak†swings that result in you trying to steer the ball as opposed to striking it. SO GRIP IT AND RIP IT and bring on the new season!
HomeofGolf.TV Goes Live – Watch The First Episode
From: Andy Brown
Currently enjoying a shot of Lagavulin after
a sunny day filming in the Home of Golf
St Andrews, Fife
Wednesday, 18:21 p.m.
Hi there,
I have finally launched http://www.HomeofGolf.TV
On 24th January I announced my idea in this blog post and on the strength of the 150 favourable comments I have produced this first episode.
You can watch it by either visiting here on the widescreen or by playing the smaller screen video below.
Finally make sure you tap here to ensure you don’t miss episode 2!
Remember it’s “Nice to be Nice!”
Cheers
Andy
P.S. I look forward to your comments!
Uncle knows best for triumphant Watney
As Nick Watney teed up for the final round of the Buick Invitational, he remembered his college days when his own uncle Mike, coach of Fresno State, refused to pick him.
He was never given a free lunch and he knew that, five strokes off the lead after three rounds, victory would have to be earned.
And he did it with a final round of four-under 68, which was good enough for a one-stroke victory over John Rollins, who was three ahead of Watney with five holes remaining.
Watney finished on 11-under 277 for his second PGA Tour title as Rollins stumbled with 74 for his 278. Lucas Glover, with 68 and Colombian Camilo Villegas (72) were joint third on 279.
The 28-year-old Watney can pride himself in the knowledge that every success he has achieved as a pro stemmed from his uncle’s lessons. He said on the PGA Tour website:
“That’s one of the things that I really appreciate that my uncle did for me. I had to earn everything. I was never a coach’s pick. I knew it wasn’t over. My uncle always told me and our team that it was never easy. Winning a golf tournament is never easy. I knew we had some good holes to play, and I definitely didn’t want to give up.â€
Although his uncle wasn’t there at Torrey Pines to witness his nephew’s victory, Watney said he would be texting him messages throughout the week, giving him words of advice or simple encouragement.
His previous victory was the Zurich Classic in New Orleans in 2007 and his latest triumph will boost his position on the money list. He was 121 before the Buick event.
Meanwhile, the Asian Tour launched its 2009 season and a rookie from South Africa emerged with an unlikely victory.
James Kamte won his first ever international pro title with victory at the Asian Tour International in Bangkok.
Kamte, who earned his tour card after finishing fourth in Qualifying School, shot five-under-par 66 in the final round for a total of 16-under 268 and a two-stroke victory over third-round leader Tetsuji Hiratsuka, if Japan.
Hiratsuka scored 71 for his 270 and second place. Thailand’s Prom Meesawat, Juvic Pagunsan, of the Philippines, Unho Park and Marcus Both were tied for third.
