Europe’s comeback to win the Ryder Cup: one for the ages

As the year ends (only a few hours left!–and Happy New Year, Australia), we’re wracking our brains for some of the most memorable and (un)forgettable moments of 2012. We’re going to do things a little different than 2011, and I might supplement this post with others in the first days of 2013 (people didn’t seem to mind the delay last time).

At the start of the season, I decided to go nuts and try to cover (in person) as many tournaments as possible–which, as I discovered, was crazy and I overdid it. The final tally was 33 or 34 events, if you count qualifiers. It was definitely a year to remember and I feel very lucky that I had a front-row seat to many incredible wins, not to mention just as many heartbreaking upsets. There are the obvious “best shots” or “hug-me-now” moments, but we’re also going to share some from behind-the-scenes and perhaps less mainstream, which deserve recognition.

Let’s start this by reviewing eight of the most memorable shots.  (continue reading…)

Go team!

Alright, guys, are you ready for WUP Fantasy Golf 2013? Yep, the PGA Tour season starts on Friday with the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Kapalua, Maui (and if you follow me on Twitter and Instagram, you’re fully aware I’ve been here for a few days already–tough gig but someone’s gotta do it!).

How in the world did that happen? Didn’t the season just end the other week? Pretty much! Plus

I’ve received quite a few inquiries about whether I’m running a Fantasy Golf League(s) again, and the answer is yes, of course! Apologies for only getting the details on signing up to you now, but I love how many people want to participate! (continue reading…)

Dear Readers,

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and your families and loved ones (and pets)! Hope you had a joyous day and a wonderful year. Many thanks for all your support, and I look forward to more memories and good times in the new year.

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LOLZ

If it involves Colin Montgomerie, chances are there’s drama involved or a row brewing between him and another player or the American fans. Well, Monty, who dominated the European Tour in the ’90s and was one of the most winning players in the Ryder Cup with a record of 20–9–7, will join Fred Couples, Willie Park Jr., Ken Venturi and Ken Schofield, as inductees of the World Golf Hall of Fame’s class of 2013.

The results of the International ballots were revealed on Tuesday morning by the WGHOF. Similar to the U.S. ballot, no player received the minimum 65% of the vote, so the criteria is lowered to 50%.

Montgomerie earned 51% of the vote–the bare minimum–just like Couples on the U.S. ticket. Schofield, the former First Secretary and Executive Director of The European Tour, was selected in the Lifetime Achievement Category. (continue reading…)

The New Boss Man

The U.S. Ryder Cup team will have a strong, passionate leader at the head of the table at Gleneagles in Scotland during the 2014 matches. On Thursday morning the PGA of America president Ted Bishop officially named Tom Watson as the next boss of the American squad.

Watson was the captain at the ’93 matches at Belfry, which was the last time the U.S. team won on foreign ground. The Americans have only clinched the Cup twice since then, losing seven of the past nine biennial matches against the Europeans. Yikes.

Who better to break the America’s dismal losing streak in 2014 than the five-time Open Champion Golfer of the Year? I can’t think of one. Not when the venue is in Scotland. It’s important to note that Gleneagles is not a links course, but it doesn’t matter — it’s still Scotland, a magical place filled with remarkable memories for the 63-year-old Watson. (continue reading…)

Ed. note: I started writing this post before Rosaforte’s article with the breaking news was published.

Watson saluting the fans at St. Andrews at The Open in '10 (it was quite poignant)

If you woke up this morning and thought David Toms or Larry Nelson or anyone else not named Tom Watson were the favorites to be tapped as the 2014 U.S. Ryder Cup captain, you may have changed your mind by now.

While the PGA of America won’t make an official announcement until Thursday at 8:30am EST on The Today Show (under the radar, per usual), industry insiders are putting their money on five-time Open Champ Tom Watson, who captained the last American team to win on foreign soil in ’93. Phrases like the PGA is “thinking outside the box” or “shaking it up” have been tossed around by respected journalists. (continue reading…)

Toms in action at at the Olympic Club in June.

David Toms is one of the most successful American golfers of his generation. He’s collected 13 PGA Tour victories, including the 2001 PGA Championship; played on three Ryder Cup teams; and, over a career spanning nearly 25 years, amassed a little under $40million in prize money.

And yet, if he’s named on Thursday as Davis Love’s successor to the Ryder Cup captaincy, there remains a sense the decision will have owed more to his inoffensiveness and political good fortune than golfing pedigree. (continue reading…)

Rarr! (Sydney Morning Herald)

After a great deal of sabre-rattling on both sides, the Australian PGA has struck a compromise with billionaire eccentric Clive Palmer, owner of the Palmer Coolum resort, to ensure that the association’s annual championship goes ahead as planned.

The viability of the event was called into question by a series of bizarre local initiatives, including plans to scatter 161 life-size dinosaur models throughout the property, paint advertisements directly onto fairways and festoon the venue with billboard advertising for Palmer’s latest film production, Titanic II (“100 years later, lightning strikes twice”). (continue reading…)

Dealmaker: Musta been the putting green!

Okay, considering world’s No. 1 golfer Rory McIlroy recently signed a deal with Nike reportedly worth $200 million, it’s actually not absurdly ginormous or extravagant (from what I can see of the pictures). In fact, it’s rather modest compared to his new BFF  Tiger Woods’ Jupiter home which is larger than Planet Jupiter.

Golf’s newly-anointed prince McIlroy recently purchased a luxurious home in Palm Beach Gardens with a price tag around $11 million, according to reports. (continue reading…)

Back in September I wrote a piece for the Northern California Golf Association Fall Magazine on what amateur golfers (or weekend hackers) should and shouldn’t emulate from PGA Tour and LPGA golfers. It’s funny because the next time I played golf, I realized I was guilty of many of the “Don’ts,” so perhaps I should heed to my own advice! Check it out and maybe this can even help cut down a few strokes from your game. (continue reading…)