By Tim McDonald,
National Golf Editor
For those of you unfortunate enough to live in the North, you must be salivating at the thought of the spring golf season.
Hold on, Tiger. You ain't the man you used to be. You can't just jump up and go straight to the golf course after a long winter of sloth and mold.
Now, you will find any number of charlatans willing to sell you their total golf fitness regimens. These sleazoids always assume you're a golfer interested in a cleaner, healthier way of living and golfing. I've seen you out on the course, and I know that's not the sort of thing you're "into."
So here is my total golf fitness regimen for the "real" golfer:
• For God's sake, you have to strengthen your core! This involves eating really hard food, like jawbreakers. Eat a bag of those and have your neighbor punch you in the gut to see if your core is all it can be.
Options: Month-old fudge, Purina Dog Chow, pine bark.
• You also have to really work your obliques, I mean really work the hell out of them. Here's the perfect exercise for that. Lie flat on your back with knees bent slightly wider than your hips. If you have really fat hips, you're either going to have to really stretch your knees like in a cartoon, like The Elastic Man from India, or just skip this exercise. In fact, if you have really fat hips, just skip playing golf, nobody wants to see you out on the course.
Now, you slim-hipped people reach your hands to the ceiling like you're crying out for the Lord Jesus Christ to spare you from your miserable existence. You can hold light hand-weights, or not. What do I care? Lift your head and chest toward the ceiling and rotate to reach both hands just outside of your fat, right knee. Repeat on the left side. Now, take a breather. Ask Christ for forgiveness.
• Breathing exercises: Breathing properly and deeply is critical, especially for those tense moments on the course when normally you would start crying.
This deep-breathing exercise involves attending your local adult movie house, or calling up one of those sites on your Internet browser. Follow your instincts. It's either that or follow mine, and then you're looking at jail time.
• Horizontal abduction/adduction: I can't give you much help here, because I always get "horizontal" confused with "vertical," and I have no idea what adduction is. Who came up with that word, anyway? It's a stupid word and should be eliminated from the English language, if it's even English.
• Standing hip rotation: Don't do this. It makes you look like a girl.
• Alcohol fitness: How many times have you lost $2 Nassaus because while you were getting hamboned, your playing partners were just holding up that bottle of Jack Black pretending to drink?
Well, no need to waste good liquor. You can still drink and maintain your competitive edge. You just need to build up a tolerance. Stand upright in a dark closet, with a wide stance, and suck it down. Keep drinking until your wife leaves you.
• Aerobics: Ha! Don't make me laugh. This is golf!
• Putting: Don't bother to practice putting. Putting in golf is overrated. I play golf maybe 200 times a year and I've yet to meet anyone who can putt. You either make it or you don't. If you miss, just keep putting until the ball goes in the hole. Simple.
• Seniors: As we age, our bodies react differently, so seniors must prepare for golf differently than young punks. An important thing to remember is that there is an inverse relationship of increased ear hair to laughably short drives off the tee.
So keep those ear hairs trim and neat. If you're proud of your thick mane of ear hair, don't sweat it. If you're short off the tee, you're probably small in other areas, and I think you know what I'm talking about.
• Excuses: A healthy psychological outlook is a must for Better Golf. If you can convince yourself that the snap hook you hit into the weeds over there is not your doing at all, you'll retain the confidence needed to excel in the game.
The first time you smack one of your all-too-typical lousy shots, turn to your playing partner and snarl," "Will you stop that!" Look at him, looking all hurt and everything. Who would have thought golf fitness could be so much fun?
• Torque development in the downswing: This is so important, I can barely contain myself. This is vital to any golfer who has ever wanted to improve his score. You could even say it is absolutely critical in terms of reaching your full potential as a golfer and knowing what it is to be truly human.
• Alignment and posture: Face the target squarely and stand erect, with your rump jutting out slightly. Feels a little silly, doesn't it? Can you think of another situation in life where you would position yourself in such an odd manner? I can't.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Sunday, April 6, 2008
PING/ASU Invitational Features Loaded Field
Ten top-25 teams will be standing in the way of another top-three finish for the No. 19 Cal women's golf team this weekend when it travels to Tempe, Ariz., for the PING/ASU Invitational.
The field of 17 different squads converging on the par-72, 6,230-yard course at the Karsten Golf Course includes all eight Pac-10 schools-No. 1 UCLA, No. 3 USC, No. 4 Arizona State, No. 11 Arizona, No. 24 Stanford and unranked Washington and Oregon State.
The Bears are coming off a third-place finish at the Duck Invitational in Eugene, Ore., last week.
Cal was led by freshman Pia Halbig, who nabbed a top-20 finish in Eugene.
The Bears will send Halbig along with juniors Shannon Yocum and Allison Goodman, sophomore Roseanne Niven and freshman Andrea Waters.
The three-day event begins today at 8 a.m. and will run through Sunday.PING/ASU Invitational Features Loaded Field
Ten top-25 teams will be standing in the way of another top-three finish for the No. 19 Cal women's golf team this weekend when it travels to Tempe, Ariz., for the PING/ASU Invitational.
The field of 17 different squads converging on the par-72, 6,230-yard course at the Karsten Golf Course includes all eight Pac-10 schools-No. 1 UCLA, No. 3 USC, No. 4 Arizona State, No. 11 Arizona, No. 24 Stanford and unranked Washington and Oregon State.
The Bears are coming off a third-place finish at the Duck Invitational in Eugene, Ore., last week.
Cal was led by freshman Pia Halbig, who nabbed a top-20 finish in Eugene.
The Bears will send Halbig along with juniors Shannon Yocum and Allison Goodman, sophomore Roseanne Niven and freshman Andrea Waters.
The three-day event begins today at 8 a.m. and will run through Sunday.Saturday, March 22, 2008
UCLA Men Ranked #3
Adjusted Avg.
Division Scoring Drop Versus#
Team *Record Average Score Top 25 Wins@
1 Alabama, U. of 289- 0 71.32 76.99 23- 0 5
2 Georgia, U. of 288- 1 71.35 76.45 19- 1 2
3 UCLA 287- 2 72.24 76.57 13- 2 2
4 Charlotte 286- 3 71.34 75.37 16- 3 4
5 Southern California 285- 4 72.64 76.80 15- 4 1
6 Oklahoma State U. 281- 8 72.64 76.72 13- 6 1
7 Georgia Tech 281- 8 72.09 77.98 11- 8 0
8 Florida, U. of 280- 9 72.67 77.65 14- 9 1
9 Stanford University 280- 9 72.41 76.88 8- 8 1
10 Tennessee, Univ. of 279- 10 72.25 77.01 12-10 2
11 Duke University 278- 11 72.70 76.99 11- 9 1
12 Florida State Univ. 277- 12 73.16 76.94 10-11 2
13 Auburn University 275- 14 71.88 76.17 10- 8 1
14 Wake Forest Univ. 275- 14 72.69 77.66 9-11 1
15 South Carolina 275- 14 72.61 77.51 9-12 1
16 Clemson University 271- 18 72.77 77.51 3-14 0
17 Mississippi, U. of 269- 20 72.50 78.53 4-10 4
18 UCF 269- 20 73.04 78.55 5-18 1
19 Tenn.-Chattanooga 269- 20 71.92 76.40 2-13 2
20 UNLV 269- 20 71.71 75.96 3-13 2
21 Indiana University 268- 21 73.39 77.62 4-13 1
22 UAB 266- 23 72.69 77.87 6-11 1
23 Texas Tech Univ. 266- 23 72.69 77.31 3-15 3
24 Louisville, U. of 265- 24 72.92 77.42 6-10 1
25 Michigan State U. 264- 25 73.64 77.60 3-13 1
Friday, March 21, 2008
When Will Tiger Play In The Bay Area Again?
By Eric Pinkela
Mercury News
Mercury News
It's time to get mad, Bay Area golf fans. We have lied to ourselves too long. We said it was OK that we don't get to see Tiger Woods in person anymore. That it was OK to watch greatness from afar.
But now it is becoming clear that we aren't just missing out on greatness, we're also missing out on history.
The Great One takes a pass on the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am each year because he bristles at the celebrity-obsessed crowds and six-hour rounds. Fine. But, despite his hatred of the AT&T format and Pebble Beach's bumpy greens, he has dominated tournaments there just like he does everywhere.
This week, Woods plays in a World Golf Championships event at Doral in Florida that was, for one year, the American Express Championship at Harding Park in San Francisco. You might remember that 2005 yawn-fest: Woods beat John Daly in a playoff when Daly famously gacked a three-foot putt.
At the time, we were promised that the PGA Tour would be back soon. We're still waiting. Oh, yeah, the Presidents Cup is coming next year to Harding and we'll get to see Woods (maybe) wearing a tacky shirt and playing with a partner. Whoopie!
If (when?) Woods makes history with a perfect season, or a Grand Slam, Bay Area fans should be able to say, "I was there." Instead, we'll be stuck with saying, "Thank God for high-definition. I felt like I was there."
• Australian pro Adam Scott, on a conference call with reporters this week, confirmed his membership in the Tiger Fan Club. Scott was asked about Woods' winning putt Sunday at Bay Hill. Scott said he was in the air when Woods sank the 25-foot birdie putt, but saw the highlight later. "You could see his eyes; he looks down the whole putt," Scott said. "He reads putts beautifully." • Scott took a sneak peak at Augusta National this week, playing a round with swing coach Butch Harmon and fellow pros Fred Couples and Nick Watney. He said the course was in fantastic shape even with the recent changes to holes 7, 9 and 11. Couples, the 1992 Masters champion, looked impressively comfortable, Scott said. "Playing at August with Freddy is such a great experience," Scott said. "He just knew exactly where to hit every shot." • The Western Intercollegiate (beginning Wednesday at Pasatiempo Golf Club) will put the spotlight on some changes in the college playoff system. Beginning this season, the NCAA regional tournaments will fill their fields strictly by the Golfstat rankings. That means that after conference champions take their spots, there will be no mystery. If your team is ranked high enough, it's in, assuming you have at least a .500 record (also a new twist). In years past, a selection committee would place the remaining teams in the field, leaving the picks up to subjective criteria. Santa Clara men's coach Rob Miller said the new system means that high-profile teams won't limit themselves to the highest-profile events because they'll need to bolster their records. In the past, it was more important to play against top-flight competition than to have a solid record. For instance, Oklahoma played in Santa Clara's tournament this season and invited the Broncos to its tournament in Oklahoma. "No way would we have gotten invited in the past," Miller said. The Western Intercollegiate field has weakened in recent years, at least in relation to its glorious past. But this year, most of the area teams will play there, the notable exception being sixth-ranked Stanford. • The Northern California Golf Association began a Junior Tour this year and Matthew Miller of Pleasanton has won both boys events, including last week's stop at Stevinson Ranch in the Central Valley. Emily Childs of Alameda, fresh off a win at the San Francisco City Golf Championship, won the girls flight in a playoff over Kercia Brakel of Acampo. Tap-ins Martin Trainer of Palo Alto won the San Francisco City event this month at Harding Park, beating former champion Randy Haag of Burlingame 2-up in the 36-hole final. Trainer, 16, became the youngest winner of the City. Jim Knoll of Sunnyvale won the senior competition. . . . Scott Travers, a walk-on sophomore at Santa Clara, was named the West Coast Conference player of the month for February. His strong month included a win at the UC-Irvine Anteater Invitational. . . . Christina Corpus, a sophomore at San Jose State, was named the Western Athletic Conference golfer of the week. Corpus finished fifth at the San Jose Spartan Invitational, the best result of any of the 20 WAC golfers in the field. . . . Sign-ups for adult golf classes and junior golf camps at Sunken Gardens in Sunnyvale have begun. For more information, call (408) 739-6588.
Friday, March 14, 2008
UCLA Golfers Finish Third at UCF Challenge
The second-ranked UCLA women's golf team finished third at the UCF Challenge Tuesday and two Bruins placed in the Top 10 individually.
UCLA posted the best team score of the day -- 286 (-2) -- and finished with a three-day total of 863 (-1). Duke won the tournament with a score of 851 (-13), followed by Purdue at 860 (-4). Florida placed fourth at 865 (+1) and USC was fifth at 868 (+4).
In the final round, three Bruins posted scores under par, led by freshman Maria Jose Uribe and sophomore Sydnee Michaels who carded rounds of two-under par 70. Uribe tied for seventh at 213 (-3) and Michaels tied for 18th at 217 (+1). Freshman Glory Yang signed for a 71 (-1) and tied for 36th at 221 (+5). Junior Tiffany Joh carded a score of 75 (+3) and tied for 10th at 214 (-2). Junior Ryann O'Toole tied for 67th at 227 (+11) after posting a score of 77 (+5).
Duke's Alison Whitaker won the event with an eight-under par score of 208. She posted an even par score of 72 in the final round.
For complete results, click here.
Monday, March 3, 2008
UC Davis Posts Strong Placings At Riverside
BEAUMONT, Calif. - Jee Park finished in a tie for sixth place, Katie Sisler tied for eighth and Lauren Dobashi tied for 10th as UC Davis golfers finished high on the leaderboard on Tuesday at the Lady Braveheart Classic, hosted by UC Riverside at the par-72, 6,089-yard Oak Valley Golf Club.
Six UC Davis players competed individuals in the 36-hole tournament, gaining experience after seeing limited action in the fall. Four Aggies finished among the top 17 places at the 17-team tournament.
Sisler, who was tied for 14th after Monday's first round, had UC Davis' best round of the day on Tuesday, shooting a 6-over 78 to finish in a tie for eighth with Natalie Todd of Cal State San Marcos at 14-over 158.
Park was the highest Aggie on the leaderboard, tying for sixth at 157 after carding an 82 in the second round. Dobashi also had an 82 on Tuesday, tying for 10th at 16 shots over par. Kelsey Fischer tied for 17th after her 82 gave her a 162 while Eryn Williams tied for 28th at 21 over after shooting 85. Jessica Yam tied for 55th at 173.
Stephanie Yocum of Cal Poly put rounds of 75 and 76 together to grab medalist honors at 7 over while Kaitlin Troop of the
Cal Poly, which had a 10-shot advantage after the first 18 holes, won the tournament title by 16 strokes over runner-up
UC Davis will make its team debut at the Fresno State Kitahara Invitational in two weeks.
LADY BRAVEHEART CLASSIC
par 72, 6089 yards
Final results
TEAM (top 3 only; UC Davis did not compete as a team)
1. Cal Poly, 313-316-629
2.
3.
INDIVIDUALS (leaders plus UCD)
1. Stephanie Yocum, Cal Poly, 75-76-151
UC Davis
T6. Jee Park, 75-82-157
T8. Katie Sisler, 80-78-158
T10. Lauren Dobashi, 78-82-160
T17. Kelsey Fischer, 80-82-162
T28. Eryn Williams, 80-85-165
T55. Jessica Yam, 82-91-173
Siebert Wins at Kitahara Invitational
Junior Taylor Siebert clinched her first collegiate win at the 2008 Kitahara Fresno State Invitational Tuesday. Siebert led the Bulldogs who tied for sixth at their annual home tournament at Copper River Country Club.
The no. 31 ranked
Siebert, the
"I don't look at scorecards because I don't want to get ahead of myself," said Siebert. "I just thought they were excited that I made the putt."
The 18th hole played the hardest and Siebert's birdie was the only one off the hole throughout the tournament. Siebert posted a 73-71 - 144 to break even in the two-day tournament.
"It's exciting because I have worked so hard to get ready to win," Siebert said. "It's a great way to start the spring season. I have more confidence now to go out and win again knowing I have one under my belt."
"I'm so proud of
Laura Luethke tied for 20th with two back-to-back scores of 75 to finish 6-over par. Hali Coppin (77-75 - 152) tied for 30th and Pia Escandon (74-84 - 158) tied for 50th place. Angeliica Villareal (82-86 - 168) finished in 84th place.
"We saw some good things today," Cates said. "We know what we need to do to keep improving and after watching
Playing as individuals Tiffany Derksen tied for 46th place with 13-over 157 and Chelsea Czinski tied for 50th with 14-over after improving with a 76 in the second round. Whitney Yano tied for 71st place with a 80-82 - 162 and Marissa Patterson withdrew from the second round.
"Join the State -
De Soysa, Moston Named Golfers of the Week
De Soysa, a junior from Columbo, Sri Lanka (Pendleton Academy), won the individual medalist title at the eighth annual Rice Intercollegiate with a three-round total of 217 (74-71-72), one stroke ahead of two golfers. De Soysa bested 62 other competitors in the 12-team event and shot a final round even par 72 to come from behind to win. De Soysa had to record a sand save on his final hole of the third round to win the individual honor. It was his first career collegiate win, surpassing his previous best finish of fourth place at the 2006 Hal Sutton Intercollegiate.
Moston, a junior from Belmont, Calif. (Notre Dame HS), tied for second at the Qdoba Invitational hosted by the University of Miami with a four-over par 220 (74-75-71). Her final round 71 matched the low 18-hole total for the tournament. Moston finished second at the tournament for the second year in a row, and it was her second top-five finish this year as she was third at the Ron Moore Invitational during the fall.
The other men’s nomination was
The other women's nomination was
Fresno State's Siebert Wins Kitahara Invitational
Junior Taylor Siebert clinched her first collegiate win at the 2008 Kitahara Fresno State Invitational Tuesday. Siebert led the Bulldogs who tied for sixth at their annual home tournament at Copper River Country Club.
The no. 31 ranked
Siebert, the
"I don't look at scorecards because I don't want to get ahead of myself," said Siebert. "I just thought they were excited that I made the putt."
The 18th hole played the hardest and Siebert's birdie was the only one off the hole throughout the tournament. Siebert posted a 73-71 - 144 to break even in the two-day tournament.
"It's exciting because I have worked so hard to get ready to win," Siebert said. "It's a great way to start the spring season. I have more confidence now to go out and win again knowing I have one under my belt."
"I'm so proud of
Laura Luethke tied for 20th with two back-to-back scores of 75 to finish 6-over par. Hali Coppin (77-75 - 152) tied for 30th and Pia Escandon (74-84 - 158) tied for 50th place. Angeliica Villareal (82-86 - 168) finished in 84th place.
"We saw some good things today," Cates said. "We know what we need to do to keep improving and after watching
Playing as individuals Tiffany Derksen tied for 46th place with 13-over 157 and Chelsea Czinski tied for 50th with 14-over after improving with a 76 in the second round. Whitney Yano tied for 71st place with a 80-82 - 162 and Marissa Patterson withdrew from the second round.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Fresno State's Doverspike Named WAC Golfer of the Week
Fresno State's Grant Doverspike was named the WAC Golfer of the Week for Feb. 11-17.
Doverspike, a sophomore from Bakersfield, Calif. (Stockdale HS), won the CSU San Marcos Invitational with an 8-under 208 (70-69-69). He won the event after playing through a sprained thumb. This is his second win of his collegiate career. His effort also helped Fresno State to the team title in the tournament.
The other nomination was Utah State senior Jeremy Pack.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am
Pebble Beach has often been a place for redemption.
Add Steve Lowery to the list of AT&T National Pro-Am champions who found their way back to the winner’s circle after a long absence - in Lowery’s case, 199 tournaments and seven years.
“I couldn’t play the front nine any better than I did. I made birdie on 1 with a really tough pin placement, and I played some good shots there on 7, 8 and 9 to make birdies. I think that was probably the key of the round, shot 5-under on the front nine with the wind blowing,” Lowery said regarding his front-nine 31.
The champion was helped by the stunning collapse of third-round co-leader Singh. After a Lowery bogey on the par-five 14th hole left Singh three shots up, the three-time major winner proceeded to bogey the next three holes. Lowery’s birdie on 17 gave him a one-shot cushion. Singh’s best shot on the incoming nine was a stiffed 50-yard wedge on the 18th that set up a tie and the first playoff in the AT&T since 1992.
Vijay Singh’s shaky play on the back nine cost him
the championship.
But Lowery was able to capitalize on more sloppy play from Singh as the two competitors played Pebble’s 18th hole a second time, making birdie as Singh hit into two bunkers. The Birmingham, AL native was playing on a medical exception and was given eight tournaments to earn $282,558 to keep his card. The $1.08 million winner’s check made short work of that. The championship also comes with a two-year PGA Tour exemption and an invitation to the Masters in April.
Lowery joins past champions such as Johnny Miller (1994), Peter Jacobsen (1995) who found some form of redemption by winning the AT&T. A year ago, champion Phil Mickelson rejuvenated his career by jump-starting his 2007 season after a tumultuous end to his 2006 campaign. Mickelson missed the cut after a disatrous 11 on Pebble’s 14th hole during the third round.
At age 47, Lowery becomes the oldest AT&T champion in the event’s storied history. The win is the third of his career, all three coming in playoffs.
Third place was shared by another veteran with major-championship pedigree, 48-year-old Corey Pavin, and second-year player John Mallinger of Escondido, who placed in the top five at the AT&T for the second straight year. Mallinger and Pavin finished one shot out of the playoff at 9-under-par.
View a photo gallery from first-round action at Poppy Hills.
Stanford Men's Golf takes tourney crown
By 
Enlarge
#gallery http://daily.stanford.edu/image/full/8519
The No. 10 Stanford men’s golf team captured its first tournament crown of the season last week at the 18th annual University of Hawaii-Hilo Invitational in Kona, Hawaii. The Cardinal finished with a three-round 16-under-par total of 813, just three strokes ahead of the two runners up, No. 46 Arizona State and No. 8 Southern California.
Enlarge #gallery http://daily.stanford.edu/image/full/8519 Senior Rob Grube lines up a drive at a tournament in 2007. Grube shot just 199 at the University of Hawaii-Hilo Invitational, tying with teammate Sihwan Kim for 2nd indiviually.
After concluding a tough first round in fifth place, Stanford came through in the clutch in the later rounds to solidify their place in the top spot. Rounding out the top five of the tournament were No. 4 Georgia Tech at 824 and No. 16 Texas Tech at 829.
“The guys were playing great all week,” coach Conrad Ray said. “It was the type of course that, if you got momentum, you could shoot a really good score which we talked about after the first round. The guys have the ability to make birdies and after the first round we just focused on getting each day off to a good start.”
The Cardinal’s victory can be attributed to substantial individual improvements made in the second round of the tournament by all five golfers. Most notably, freshman No. 20 Sihwan Kim, after getting off to a slow start in the tournament, shot a seven-under-par score of 63, which launched him up the individual ladder into a four-way tie for third place with fellow teammate, senior No. 65 Rob Grube. Kim kept up with Grube for the rest of the tournament, concluding the final round with a three-under-par performance which secured his place in a two-way tie for second with the senior captain.
Grube showed his familiarity with the course and played consistently throughout the tournament, helping lead his teammates and carrying the Cardinal to its first tournament victory as a team. He started off strong with a five-under-par score of 65, placing him in the runner-up spot in the individual competition. Grube cemented his rank at number two by scoring a three-under 67 in both the second and third rounds. He was runner-up last year in the individual competition as well.
Sophomore No. 102 Jordan Cox was undaunted by the strong 18-program field and he remained at par throughout the tournament, shooting an even 70 for each round. His consistency landed him in a tie for 26th.
Junior Daniel Lim and freshman Steve Ziegler tied for 34th, concluding the tournament with a one-over-par total of 211. Ziegler showed improvement from the first to the second round. He started off slow with a five-over score of 75 for the first round but cut ten strokes off the next day to seize a five under score of 65.
“Hats off to the guys,” Ray said. “Steve came back and made his score count as this was only his second collegiate tournament. He definitely helped to contribute. We really counted on Sihwan and Rob, who made the majority of our birdies.”
The Cardinal showed no sluggishness after the long winter break, winning in its first competition since the fall season. This is the second year in a row that Stanford has taken the Hawaiian crown. It was the first collegiate tournament win for Kim, Ziegler and assistant coach Matt Tight.
“The results of this week really showed that we put in a good team effort,” Ray said. “It was really close coming down the stretch. The guys were really into the tournament and wanted to win.
“I think that we have had a competitive team throughout the year, but wins are hard to come by, no matter how good you are. It’s exciting to see that we have some depth to the team this year. The guys and I feel good about moving forward in the spring.”
Stanford next competes at the Ashworth Collegiate Invitational on March 3 in Westlake Village, Calif.
PGA TOUR - NORTHERN TRUST OPEN
PGA TOUR - NORTHERN TRUST OPEN, Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, California - An old home has a new name as the tour returns to Riviera this week for the Northern Trust Open.
Northern Trust takes over for Nissan as the title sponsor of the event Hogan's Alley. That moniker comes from Ben Hogan who posted three wins and a second- place finish here, all in the 1940s.
As the tour returns to Riviera, the best of the best of the PGA Tour are coming out as well. Eight of the top 10 and 17 of the top-20 players in the world will tee it up this week.
Missing will be World No. 1 Tiger Woods, who has never won here. However, European stars Lee Westwood and Paul Casey, as well as reigning British Open champ Padraig Harrington, Adam Scott and Sergio Garcia are all playing this week. All but Harrington are making their first PGA Tour start of the year.
Scott won here in 2005 when the event was shortened to 36 holes due to weather problems. He has already won this year, firing a final-round 61 to win the Qatar Masters.
The PGA Tour has had back-to-back playoffs and three in the first six events this year. This event needed a playoff in two of the last three years to determine a winner.
Last year, Charles Howell III closed with a 65 last year, then parred the third playoff hole to beat Phil Mickelson. Prior to Howell's win, seven of the previous 10 winners were foreigners.
The Golf Channel and CBS will again split coverage this weekend. There are two events next week with the first being the first World Golf Championship event of the year.
Nicklaus/PGA teaching grants awarded to 18 chapters of The First Tee --CA Chapter is Recipient
To date, 155 of the 206 active chapters of The First Tee nationwide have been recipients of either a PGA of America or Nicklaus/PGA teaching grant. The combined PGA and Nicklaus/PGA grants total $1,810,000.
Since 2001, The PGA of America and Nicklaus have partnered to create a $2 million endowment to provide teaching grants to certified chapters of The First Tee that utilize PGA Professionals for instruction.
"The PGA of America is proud to kick off this New Year with our partner Jack Nicklaus to extend Nicklaus/PGA Teaching Grants coast to coast," said PGA of America President Brian Whitcomb. "The wonderful messages and reports we receive are that these grants continue to produce success stories in communities. The First Tee momentum has helped grow the game of golf and brought many young people into the game."
The program continues to highlight The PGA of America's commitment to partner with its PGA Professionals to grow participation in golf.
The current Nicklaus/PGA teaching grants totaling $5,000 each have been awarded to The First Tee Chapters in California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Washington.
Since its inception in 1997, there are 206 chapters of The First Tee in operation and 264 golf-learning facilities that have introduced the game of golf and its values to more than 2.2 million participants and students (which include the students of the National School Program). The focus is to give young people of all backgrounds an opportunity to develop, through golf and character education, life-enhancing values such as honesty, integrity and sportsmanship.
The PGA Growth of the Game Program is one of a number of initiatives administered by The PGA of America through its PGA Foundation
The PGA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity, is dedicated to enhancing lives through the game of golf. The Foundation provides people of every ability, race, gender, and social and economic background an opportunity to experience the game and learn vital life lessons. The PGA Foundation achieves its mission through programs which provide instruction and access to playing the game of golf along with enriching those lives by providing educational, employment and scholarship opportunities.
For more information about the PGA Foundation, visit www.pgafoundation.org, or call (561) 624-7612.
Nicklaus/PGA of America Teaching Grant - $5,000 awarded to each chapter
The First Tee of Greater Trenton - Hamilton, N.J.
The First Tee of The Tri-Valley - Pleasanton, Calif.
The First Tee of Myrtle Beach - Myrtle Beach, S.C.
The First Tee of Columbia Basin - Pasco, Wash.
The First Tee of New Orleans - New Orleans, La.
The First Tee of Albany - Albany, Ga.
The First Tee of Clearwater - Clearwater, Fla.
The First Tee of Modesto - Modesto, Calif.
The First Tee of Metropolitan NY/Essex County - Newark, N.J.
The First Tee of Northern Nevada - Reno, Nev.
The First Tee of Eagle County - Edwards, Colo.
The First Tee of Idaho - Boise, Idaho
The First Tee of the Lake Norman Region - Cornelius, N.C.
The First Tee of Central Louisiana - Pineville, La.
The First Tee of Harford County, Md. - Aberdeen, Md.
The First Tee of Metropolitan NY/Nassau County - East Meadow, N.Y.
The First Tee of Metropolitan NY/Golf Club at Chelsea Piers - New York, N.Y.
The First Tee of Brazoria County - Lake Jackson, Texas
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Golf Community: Madison Club
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A day at the Madison Club is an experience to be savored with all the senses | ||
By Jonathan Abrahams Give a golf course architect a blank slate and a limitless budget, and there’s a real danger of ending up with the golf course equivalent of a blinged-out Cadillac Escalade: a towering waterfall here, the longest par 5 in the state there, a mini-volcano, etc. Which is why Tom Fazio deserves some credit for his restraint at the Madison Club in La Quinta, California. He created a stern but ultimately fair test that feels more like a monument to its members than its developer. And why not: The 225 folks lucky enough to join are required to shell out up to $5 million for homesites—on top of hefty initiation fees and dues. Not that the course lacks flashes of extravagance. Madison has massive refrigeration systems buried under each green to cool the heat-hating bentgrass on the putting surfaces that Stimp at 12. But on the whole, the course is more substance than flash. “We wanted to create something with an old-school feel in the mold of Bel-Air or Riviera,” says Michael Meldman, CEO of Discovery Land Company, which developed the 500-acre Madison for a cost of about $200 million. “If you look at those clubs, the houses are high above the golf course, so not only are the views beautiful, but there’s a sense of privacy for residents and golfers.” Those L.A. clubs lack desert surroundings—as does Madison, in defiance of its location. Fazio moved more than 5 million cubic yards of dirt and imported 3,500 mature deciduous trees to create a lush, rolling sanctuary. Consider the par-5 18th hole: A creek tumbles down the right side into a tranquil pond. A 50-foot elm guards the narrow, undulating green. Golfers play their approach shots against a backdrop of the snow-capped Santa Rosa mountains and a vintage railroad-style bridge that leads to the classically styled clubhouse, which, when completed, will sit high on a hill. “The idea from the beginning was to make people forget they’re playing in the desert,” says Meldman. Fazio received a similar directive when he manifested Shadow Creek Golf Club out of another desert landscape outside Las Vegas in 1989. And yet, because of the residential element of Madison, it was a completely different process. “There will be lots of talk about all the dirt we moved to make this course,” says Fazio. “But we began by trying to figure out how much dirt we had to move in order to create 225 outstanding lots.” To do so, Fazio carved a series of huge channels in the desert. The homes are sited between the channels and look over the course, laid out in the shallow canyons below. “It’s nice when the native land gives you some hints on what to do, but that also comes with some complicated realities,” says Fazio. “You see a lake that you’d like to build a dogleg around, but environmental laws tell you not to do anything within 70 yards of it. So you’re making compromises. At Madison, there were no compromises. We just built the lakes ourselves.” At more than 7,400 yards, Madison challenges every club in the bag without being ridiculously punitive. Fazio’s trademark mounding gives the course some receptiveness off the tee, while the undulating, well-bunkered fairways and greens provide obstacles from the approach shot in. Dipping in and around the hillocks and ponds here is a bit like listening to a symphony; there are plenty of beautiful elements, but the combination is what’s most memorable. And one tends to forget that it’s all man-made. The subtly orchestrated trio of holes closing out the front nine reflects the entire experience. After a 200-yard carry over water and sand to the par-3 7th tightens the screws, the gently ascending par-5 8th seems to offer options, if not relief: A bubbling brook splits the fairway, creating a narrow chute on the left for those who want to go for the green, and a wider landing area to the right for laying up. Any sense of comfort is fleeting: The maddeningly small, undulated green demands a precise short game. When the construction is finished in the fall of 2008, there will be multiple restaurants, a spa and fitness center, and a pool designed in the mold of the see-and-be-seen hotspot at the Beverly Hills Hotel. It’s Vegas meets the Kennedy compound, and one gets the sense that if the Rat Pack were still around, they’d hightail it down Highway 111 from Palm Springs and make Madison their joint. For example, the first four holes are beautiful and challenging. But before the 5th tee is a “comfort station” that is more like a Bacchanalian feast crammed into a small hut. Aside from any drink imaginable, the offerings include sopressatta, homemade beef jerky made from filet mignon, and something called duck crackle—thick, delicious chunks of marinated duck that clamor for a glass of Chardonnay and a shady spot under an oak tree. (With rarely more than 50 rounds a day, it’s unlikely there would be anyone around to object.) While Meldman is the visionary, many details come from general manager Mike Abbott, who has a more pragmatic take on his boss’ philosophy: “The truth is, most people get out on the golf course and don’t play well,” says Abbott. “We just figured we ought to make the experience enjoyable anyway.” Mission accomplished. Golfers who find themselves with an invitation to Madison should not pass it up; it just might be the most enjoyable golf experience money can buy. | ||
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