G-Mac sporting the tartan jacket that comes along with winning the trophy at Hilton Head
Graeme McDowell, one of the most popular players (especially in the interview room and at his recently-opened tavern, Nona Blue, in Orlando), returned to the PGA Tour winner’s circle at last week’s RBC Heritage Classic. Let’s take a look at how G-Mac won, along with a quick peek at Adam Scott’s victory at the Masters.
[*Ed note: Sorry this is a bit late -- it's my fault, not Shoshana's. Please forgive me!]
G-Mac attack
In a playoff between two U.S. Open champs, Graeme McDowell beat Webb Simpson in the first extra hole, the par-4 18th, to claim the tartan jacket at the RBC Heritage.
While Webb missed just right of the pin, G-Mac went flag hunting and left himself an uphill 12-footer for birdie. He had a similar putt for par in regulation, but he left it short to post his first bogey of the day, which is pretty incredible considering the tough conditions on Sunday at Harbour Town Golf Links, with strong winds, including gusts up to 41 mph. (continue reading…)
Haas likes Riviera
Defending champion Bill Haas outplayed the rest of the pack, firing an impressive seven-under 64, three shots better than the next lowest round — which is the second-largest margin of the season (Phil Mickelson was four clear of the rest when his putt for 59 lipped out in the first round in Phoenix).
Haas kicked off the day in a ho-hum style, parring the first hole, which is playing the easiest this week, at Riviera. He opened with four straight pars before he appeared to get his rhythm going with birdies on Nos. 5 and 7. But the game-changer was rolling in a tough 30-footer for birdie on No. 9, chipping-in for eagle on No. 10 and getting up-and-down (for birdie) on No. 11, and then he made some good par saves to keep the momentum going. (continue reading…)
Bubba Watson & his caddie Ted Scott have some fun: Teddy assists Bubba by holding the ball in place.
The forecast at Kapalua’s Plantation Course continues to plague the 2013 Hyundai Tournament of Champions with strong winds and gusts up to 50mph. Not much has changed from Friday when the PGA Tour’s season-opener was supposed to kick off. For the third day in a row, play was delayed, suspended, and eventually called at 12:12pm on Sunday.
The new (tentative) plan? To return on Monday morning and play 36 holes and 18 on Tuesday. The goal is to complete 54 holes — otherwise it’ll count as an “unofficial” event, meaning it won’t count as an “official” win and the champion won’t get the chance to defend his title in 2014, but it will reward “official FedExCup points/money/75% OWGR points. In other words, it would cause more harm to the already endangered venue for the event. Which would really suck. (continue reading…)
Scott Stallings weathering the extreme conditions
The 2013 PGA Tour season didn’t exactly start with a bang. Well, depending on how you see it, and actually, it technically hasn’t officially began. Usually–at least in the past two years I’ve covered the Hyundai Tournament of Champions at Kapalua’s Plantation Course–it’s 80 degrees and sunny with beautiful vistas of the Pacific Ocean with the wind blowing around 10-15mph and gusts of maybe 20mph.
Not this year, unfortunately. At least not since January 1st when golf in Maui felt more like Scotland. (It was gorgeous last week. I played last Friday and there was virtually NO wind, which was strange, and the sun was almost too hot.)
24 of the 30-player field had teed off on Friday morning before play was suspended. Due to gusts up to 42 mph, sideways rain and balls blowing off greens, PGA Tour officials decided to not only cancel play but completely wipe out the scores and start anew on Saturday morning. That’s right — bizarre, huh? (continue reading…)
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…)
Keegan to USGA: Fine, I'll deal with it.
On the eve of the joint teleconference by the USGA and R&A on Wednesday morning from 8:30 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. (EST), it’s widely purported that golf’s governing bodies will announce that the decision has been made to ban “anchoring,” aka the putting method used with belly and broomstick putters. Which allegedly will not go into effect until 2016 (because the USGA reviews the Rules of Golf every four years, don’t ask me why).
The short of it via industry chatter and insiders: Anchoring against the fulcrum (body) will be illegal, but golfers will still be allowed to anchor the putter against the arm — a la Matt Kuchar. You can use a long putter as long as it isn’t propped or wedged against a part of the body. The actual wording of the rule will be interesting because of the gray area that comes up in this game and the potential lawsuits. (continue reading…)
Irish people: visibly uncomfortable in direct sunlight and temperatures above 60 degrees.
A four-under-par 67 from overnight leader Padraig Harrington proved enough to see off the challenge of Webb Simpson and clinch the PGA Grand Slam of Golf in Bermuda yesterday evening.
The result brings to an end the Irishman’s two-year wait for a tournament victory (yes, it’s definitely asterisk-worthy). (continue reading…)
Not jealous. At all.
One wonders quite how far down the list of potential invitees organisers of the PGA Grand Slam of Golf, panicked by Ernie Els’ sudden withdrawal, had to travel before happening upon the name of Padraig Harrington.
Major-less since his victory at the 2008 PGA Championship, the 41-year-old was a late and perplexing addition to the four-man field in Bermuda this week, but exhibitied few insecurities en route to carding a five-under-par 66 to lead the event after Tuesday’s opening round. (continue reading…)
Charl Shorts-zel
What’s that smell in the air? Money grabs! Yep, it’s silly season, which might be the best part of the year for some players — it’s laid-back, unofficial and lots of money for just showing up. (I wish the same rule applied for the press, even though I’m not in Turkey this week!)
Besides collecting a guaranteed check, with last place receiving $300,000, there are other perks, such as wearing shorts. (Yes, shorts!) The pros, who must wear pants at nearly every other event (except the U.S. Open qualifier), were given the option of showing off their dangerously-pasty legs this week. (continue reading…)
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