Boom, baby!
Well, this is shaping up to be a great Players Championship (take that, Vijay!), with Sergio Garcia leading and Tiger Woods right behind him. Garcia, who won here in 2008, had a sizzling second nine (teed off no. 10), rolling in five birdies in a row at one point and matching his career low at TPC Sawgrass with a seven-under 65.
Sergio actually played better on his first nine, but he just didn’t score. Imagine if he had! (continue reading…)
The oldest and youngest participants at this year’s Masters
First of all, my sincere apologies to 14-year-old amateur Tianlang Guan for predicting he wouldn’t break 80 in the first round of The Masters. I am more than happy to be wrong, though. What a performance by the kid, who received an invitation to play at Augusta after winning the Asian Amateur, shooting a one-over 73 in his major debut.
Hello there! This evening I’m joined by Oliver Horovitz, author of “An American Caddie in St. Andrews.” We talk about the highlights in the first round of this year’s edition of The Masters. If today was a preview of things to come the rest of the week, then we’re in for an epic finish! We have a 14-year-old, 53-year-old and Sergio Garcia, among others as first-round storylines. It doesn’t get much better!
After Deadspin posted this legendary picture of Jason Dufner hanging out with kids at a charity event in Irving, Texas, #Dufnering has become a trending meme on the internets. Here are some of the best from the pros, along with others around the Twittersphere…
Yes, that is indeed Bill Murray, sporting an interesting beard!
Of course that’s a reference to Bill Murray’s facial hair. The Pebble Beach National Pro-Am regular is making a scene, per usual. He’s partnered up with D.A. Points, who won the event in 2011 — the pair were also victorious in the pro-am portion of the tournament.
Murray and Points played at Monterey Peninsula Country Club’s Shore Course on Thursday, and posted a team effort of five-under 65, putting them in a tie for 51st after the opening round.
Here’s a closer shot of Murray’s beard: (continue reading…)
The Westwoods: Father-son bonding
The first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am kicked off this morning at the three different venues: Pebble Beach Golf Links, SpyGlass Hill Golf Course and Monterey Peninsula Country Club, Shore Course. Rookie Henrik Norlander is off to a fast start — he’s five-under through 11 at Pebble. Hunter Mahan is five-under through nine holes at Pebble. So is Matt Every, who has three holes to play.
There are some tidbits from the pre-tourney festivities that I wanted to share before we get into the tournament. (As you may have read in previous posts or tweets, I don’t have internet at the motel I’m staying at this week, so good news is I can’t work once I leave the media center, and bad news is I can’t work once I leave. Ah well — life goes on.)
Bill Murray wore this two years ago at the event. Seriously.
We saw some entertaining antics that veer from golf’s usual decorum at the Waste Management Phoenix Open last week. Well, the “fun” continues at Pebble Beach, where the rich and the famous play with the pros for the “pro-am” portion of the event.
It’s probably just me, but it seems like there are more bold-faced names than usual on this year’s list, which can be found here — though I have an updated version below, with additional entries, like Jim Harbaugh (the brother who was on the losing side of the Har-Bowl Super Bowl) and Condoleezza Rice. Also, I’ve noted their pro partner in parenthesis.
Zach Johnson: Beware the sick golfer
The first full-season event of the year reminds me of the first week of school. Walk out to the practice areas, which are compact and conveniently located at Waialae Country Club, and it’s packed with players, caddies, reps and the rest of the Tour circus, exchanging hugs and bro handshakes.
The vibe is chill but enthusiastic. Most the rookies aren’t hard to spot because they’re the ones with their eyes wide open and taking in the scene. Everyone is chatting happily and smiling. After all, it’s the start of a fresh year and just look around — you’re in paradise.
The rookies and the veterans are all raring to get their seasons started. Twenty of the thirty who managed to play–and walk–54 holes on Monday and Tuesday to complete the wind-plagued Hyundai Tournament of Champions are also in the field at the Sony Open. They didn’t get much rest, either, since they were required to play in the pro-am on Wednesday. (continue reading…)
Hi, my name is Shoshana. You may know me on Twitter as @Shosheak or from the comments section. I’m a stats geek and researcher. In the spirit of the new season I’m (hopefully) debuting a series that will look back at the previous week’s tournament from a numbers perspective. I’d like to make this a weekly column (if all goes well and Stephanie gives the thumbs-up), so please share any comments, questions, and bitter invectives (well, maybe not so much the last!).
Side-by-side from a stats standpoint
Dustin Johnson has a new nickname: The 54-hole Specialist. With his victory on Tuesday at the 2013 Hyundai Tournament of Champions, he’s now won the last three times a Tour event has been shortened to three rounds due to weather (the 2010 Barclays and the 2009 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am).
He’s also the under-30 master, with seven career PGA Tour victories compared to six for Rory McIlroy, of course, Dustin (28-years-old) also has a few years on Rory (24). (continue reading…)
Stricker eyes semi-retirement…
That headline isn’t exactly breaking news. Everyone knows Steve Stricker is an incredible human being, but now with the recent announcement of his semi-retirement already in effect at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, I’m feeling sentimental. At least he’s easing into it, so we won’t have to worry about extreme withdrawals.
When I think of veterans that I look up to and respect the most, first two names that come to mind are Stricker and K.J. Choi.
Stricker is your genuinely nice and down-to-earth Midwesterner. As a person and a golfer, Stricker never ceases to amaze me. The more you’re around him, the more you like him. He’s one of those guys who remind me the world doesn’t totally suck, and there is, in fact, hope for human kind. (continue reading…)
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