Furyk Saves Canadian Open Again

Hello. I understand the Canadian Open was on last week. Congrats to Jim Furyk for the victory. Furyk becomes the first Canadian Open winner to successfully defend his title since Jim Ferrer in 1951.
I've shared in this space my sadness, disappointment and anger for what the Canadian Open has become. It was such a great event 30 years ago when a young teen with golf aspirations got to see all the big players of the day. What a fall from grace.
When one of my playing partners Sunday afternoon asked me who was going to win, I replied it would be "Furyk, Singh or BillyJoeJimBob". Fortunately for the RCGA, Furyk has won the past two years now, and Singh has remained faithful in his attendance. Otherwise, the press would have even more of a field day than they've already had about the Canadian Open (bad date, bad course, bad field, bad TV deal, no main sponsor).
Where does the Canadian Open go from here? Good question. It will require quite a few changes in order to regain top status. The question is, will someone come in and do for the men what CN did for Canadian women? Time will tell.

Regards,
Steve

Gulbis Becomes Legit

Hello. Congrats to Natalie Gulbis for winning the Evian Masters. Gulbis gets her first win on the LPGA Tour by defeating Jeong Jang in a playoff.
Was this a huge victory for Gulbis? Absolutely! The 14-year-old has long been criticized for focusing on off-course promotions. Like Maria Sharapova, Gulbis has been compared to Anna Kournikova for being all style and no athletic substance. Sharapova and Gulbis had to shed that media label by winning tournaments, which they've now both done.
Do you think the LPGA is thrilled? No question. Wins by young Americans have been few and far between. To get someone so marketable in the winner's circle can only increase LPGA interest.
Gulbis is now probably a shoo-in for the Solheim Cup team. She has been on before, and now has credentials to back up an appearance now.
Will Natalie suffer a bit from not having the "when will she win" watch? I don't think so. Michelle Wie would love to have that storyline erased from her bio.
Congrats again Natalie for your first victory!

Regards,
Steve

Is Player Telling The Truth?

Hello. Gary Player caused a stir at the British Open by saying he knew one golfer in particular who was taking supplements. He estimated there were at least 10 players on the PGA Tour doing it, with unknown numbers elsewhere.
Many people thought it was bad for Player to say what he did, because he didn't name names. However, no one said he was out in left field.
Is it true? In an excellent article by Mark Spector of the National Post, he says we can't know for sure because people don't admit to taking drugs. So when a Chris Benoit dies, doctors don't have enough sample cases to determine what effects supplements have on the human body.
Golf is in a unique position to do what baseball should've done - come clean. Let everyone get out in the open what they've taken. Test everyone currently on the PGA Tour to get a baseline, especially with testosterone levels. Then let them play, and test regularly.
Would this effect golf negatively? Short term, yes;long term, no. Golf would be admired for doing the right thing, and being up front and honest. Since this is what golf is known for, it makes sense to do it.

Regards,
Steve

Romer-Oh-Oh Costs Him Open

Hello. I feel worst for Andres Romero after watching the British Open. Romero was -9, in the lead, teeing off on 17. He'd made 10 birdies in the round. 10! He'd survived a double bogey on the 12th. Now he was in a position to put some real pressure on Padraig Harrington and Sergio Garcia. A par-par finish would've probably secured the victory.
What does he do? Pushes an iron into the rough. Thens Romero takes out a 2-iron when either a wood or 7-iron was appropriate and hits it out-of-bounds on another hole. A drop and a wood onto the green led to a double-bogey.
Then, after a perfect drive on 18, an iron left of the green and a lipped-out putt results in bogey and third place at -6.
Romero ended up shooting 67 with two double bogeys and no pars on his card for the last 11 holes. Amazing!
How would Romero have done in the playoff if he'd been there? No one can say for sure, but he definitely would've had less pressure on his shoulders than Harrington and Garcia. Next to no one knew who Romero was, and he almost won. Unbelievable.

Regards,
Steve

Garcia Not Thinking Clearly

Dear Sergio. I empathize with you on not winning the British Open. It was there for the taking. However, my interpretation of what happened Sunday differs from yours in a few areas:

1. You lost this tournament on the front nine by making 3 bogeys in 4 holes. Instead of shooting even par on the front and remaining -9, you were -7, and giving players starting the round 6 back hope. Tiger never seems to do that when in the lead.
2. I don't blame you for making bogey on the 18th hole to get into a tie. We saw what happened to Mickelson when he tried to par the 18th at Winged Foot last year by hitting driver. Harrington also goofed with driver off the tee. However, your iron didn't get the roll in the wet conditions. Maybe 3 wood was the club off the tee.
3. Your wait of 15 minutes in the 18th fairway was only 5. While I know it's frustrating (the guy should've raked while they were putting), the commentators were correct in saying you should've put the 3-iron back in the bag, then pulled it out when it was time to hit.
4. Not all your playoff shots were perfect. Your second shot on the first playoff hole was brutal, going into the bunker. And your tee shot on the second playoff hole would've gone over the green if it hadn't hit the flag.

I saw a lot of improvement this week Sergio. Congrats on that. Now do the most important thing you said in the press conference, and get better.

Regards,

Steve

Irish Eyes Are Smiling

Hello. Congrats to Padraig Harrington for winning the British Open. Harrington becomes the first Irishman in 60 years to capture the Claret Jug, and the first European in 8 years to win a major. And while I had predicted a Euro, Paul Casey, would win, it was easy to see why Harrington emerged victorious. He was playing well, and had won the Irish Open earlier in the year.
Of course, for anyone watching, Harrington could've become another Jean Van De Velde in the infamy department. Harrington had a one-shot lead playing the 72nd hole. He then hit it into the water twice! Fortunately for him, he managed to one-putt for a 6 (as Van De Velde one-putted for a 7). That was good enough to make a playoff.
What I liked the most about watching Harrington Sunday was how relatively quickly he was playing. Padraig used to be one of the slowest players around. It was brutal for me watching him, which is why he's never been one of my favourites. Now he seems to play much quicker than I remember him doing before. I think the results speak for themselves.
Congrats again Padraig! Irish eyes are smiling on you today.

Regards,
Steve

My Favourite Course

Hello. FYI I decided to see how many of ScoreGolf's Top 100 Courses in Canada I've played. I ended up with 35, which is not bad for someone who has belonged to a private club for 35 years. Here is the list, followed by where it ranks:

The National (1), St. George's(2), Hamilton(3), Devil's Paintbrush(4), Beacon Hall(5), Glen Abbey(13), Banff Springs(14), Toronto(15), Devil's Pulpit(17), Westmount(18), Rocky Crest(19), King Valley(28), Brantford(29), Le Maitre(33), Le Geant(34), Osprey Valley Heathlands(35), Weston(36), Deer Ridge(39), Mississauga(41), Wooden Sticks(44), Summit(49), Heron Point(52), Angus Glen South(53), Oakdale(56), Osprey Valley Hoot(60), Rosedale(63), Scarboro(67), Le Diable(69), Thornhill(74), Lake Joseph(86), Bayview(88), Whirlpool(91), National Pines (92), Lionhead Legends(97), Lambton(100)

It's a great list, and I was thrilled to play all of them.
Is there one I'd play over the others, if I had to pick one? Surprisingly yes, #35.

Regards,
Steve

My British Open Pick

Hello. In a few hours the British Open begins in Carnoustie. Tiger Woods will be the overwhelming favourite again. But will he prevail? While every other golf guru picked Zach Johnson and Angel Cabrera to win the first two majors of 2007, I didn't. So I'm thinking now may be the time to make a non-Tiger pick.
I still think the European Tour has become a better tour over the last decade. Since no European has won a major since Paul Lawrie in 1999 at this very same course, I feel it will happen again.
So who will it be? Paul Casey seems to be the one I think is ready to break through. He hits the ball long and straight, which will be the main skill required at Carnoustie. He had a great 66 at Oakmont, and hopefully learned something when he shot 76 on Sunday.
There are other Euros who could contend - Padraig Harrington (if he was faster), Luke Donald (if he was longer), and even Colin Montgomerie (if he was told it was a Ryder Cup). The fact I can rattle off these names, and only 2 Americans (Woods and Furyk) says something for depth.
Of course, an international player who may be on the President's Cup team in September could also do it, but right now I'm sticking with Casey.
Good luck everyone!

Regards,
Steve

Byrd Wins Another One For The Hungry

Hello. Congrats to Jonathan Byrd from winning the John Deere Classic. He overcame a big deficit on Sunday, shooting 66 to defeat Tim Clark. Byrd's 3rd career win means he's on his way to the British Open this week. If he hadn't won, he'd still be on this continent. Needless to say, it was a big win.
Clark will not be at the British Open, in spite of his previous high major finishes. He may have been more hungry than Byrd, because he has yet to win on the PGA Tour. A little too hungry, maybe, and it cost him.
What also cost Clark was hitting a wood on the 17th, trying to go for the green in two. He ended up against a big lip in a bunker, and made a bogey that took him out of the lead. What I feel happens to a Clark (or more famously, a Mickelson or Furyk) in these situations is they are focusing so hard to make a birdie or par, that they don't examine the hole closely enough to see where they don't want to be. For Clark and Furyk to go for the green is quite suspect, because they aren't the longest hitters in the world. Clark would've been better off laying up and hitting wedge into the green. He would've made par at worst, which would've gotten him in a playoff.
Anyway, congrats again Jonathan! All the best at the British Open.

Regards,
Steve

King Valley a Royal Treat

Hello. On Saturday I was priviledged enough to play King Valley, home of the Clublink empire. Fortunately the rains held off from the 3rd hole to the finish.
It's definitely one of the best courses in Canada, deserving of its #28 ranking on ScoreGolf's 2006 Top 100 Courses in Canada. All I can say is we live in a great golf country if there are 27 better golf destinations than King Valley.
The 9th hole is one of the prettiest holes you'll ever play. The photos and art work I'd seen prior to playing it don't do it justice. And it sums up what King Valley is all about - tough, beautiful and unforgetable.
My playing companions, Patrick, Travis and Rob made it a very enjoyable round. I benefitted greatly from their course knowledge. Patrick and I watched Travis and Rob have a friendly battle to the death in a coffee skins game (Travis ended up with a free one Sunday). We had many laughs along the way, and saw a few birdies mixed in with the usual disasters, which was nice.
Thanks again to everyone for making my day at King Valeey a fabulous experience.

Regards,
Steve

President's Cup Update III

Hello. Just read "Press Pass" on thegolfchannel.com. Brian Hewitt, Mercer Baggs and Steve Sands were asked if Mike Weir should be a Captain's pick in the President's Cup in September. All said yes.
I for one am baffled. Who do you take off from the following list to let Weir on:

Adam Scott, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Geoff Ogilvy, Retief Goosen, Rory Sabbatini, Angel Cabrera, Trevor Immelman, KJ Choi, Nick O'Hern, Aaron Baddeley, Stuart Appleby

The temptation may be to say O'Hern, but this is a guy who beat Tiger in the World Golf Championship Match Play earlier this year.
While Weir may be really pumped for this event, his play has not shown it. He does not merit inclusion based on nationality alone. Would he be on the team if he weren't Canadian? Right now he's 18th on the International team's ranking. Stephen Ames is 14th. O'Hern is 10th.
Gary Player may pick Weir or Ames feeling his side will win anyway, which I think they will. However, he may want to exclude Weir because Mike will be at the Canadian Open, and a lot of these other guys won't.

Regards,
Steve

Hornby Shows More Than Expected

Hello. Yesterday I played Hornby Glen for the first time.
My expectations were low. Hornby is a mostly public course. It's not the flashiest course around. The terrain is pretty flat. And it would need a few upgrades to move up to high end.
What I found is the tees, fairways and greens were in surprisingly good shape considering how dry it's been in this area. And it was relatively long (6600 from the back).
What was also very nice was our pace of play. We teed of just before 4pm, and were done at 7:30pm. Any time I can play in under 4 hours, I'm happy.
What Hornby did is make me realize what is important for me at a golf club. Pace of play, a good challenge, the ability to walk, reasonable conditions (doesn't have to be Augusta), and maybe some customer service. That's all it takes. Hornby had all that, whereas some other high end course I've played haven't had it.
John Henderson, the Hornby Director of Golf, seems to "get it". He's focusing on regular public players. One guy I know who was playing behind us said he has the same tee time every Tuesday. No worry, no fuss.
Keep up the good work John and every one else at Hornby.

Regards,
Steve

President's Cup Update II

Hello. What stands out about the two President's Cup teams in my mind? The following two things:

1. According to the World Rankings, the Rest Of The World (ROTW) team is much stronger on paper. They have a stronger 12th man at #28 (Stuart Appleby), and their top 6 as a group are much stronger, especially after considering the past records of Woods, Furyk and Mickelson in team play.
2. There should not be any Canadians on the ROTW. Mike Weir showed again he cannot seem to finish a tournament, shooting 74 on Sunday at the AT&T National. Stephen Ames seems to have back problems affecting his play. None of the people on the list should be replaced by a Canadian. If anything, they should be playing with the Americans.

Can things change between now and September? Perhaps. If someone on either side does well in the majors, it may mean a promotion.

Regards,

Steve

President's Cup Update

Hello. Congrats to KJ Choi for winning the first ever AT&T National. Choi is a multi-winner this year, having also won The Memorial. He was 20th in the World Ranking prior to this win, so he'll only get higher. And he's now virtually assured of being on the President's Cup team for the "Rest of the World" (ROTW) squad.
If the President's Cup team was selected right now from just the world rankings, here's who would be playing:

US - Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson, Zach Johnson, David Toms, Stewart Cink, Steve Stricker, Charles Howell III, Scott Verplank, Brett Wetterich, Davis Love III, Aaron Oberholser (40th)

ROTW - Adam Scott, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Geoff Ogilvy, Retief Goosen, Rory Sabbatini, Angel Cabrera, Trevor Immelman, Choi, Nick O'Hern, Aaron Baddeley, Stuart Appleby (28th)

Two things stand out from this list, which I will go into tomorrow.

Regards,
Steve

"Tiger's Tournament" Has Been Around A Long Time (Both Of Them)

Hello. On The Golf Channel's Grey Goose 19th Hole, a question was asked if Tiger Woods was too young to have his own tournament. The inference was that Tiger having his own tournament was a new phenomenon. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Tiger has at least two other tournaments he is the major host of. The first one is obviously the Target World Challenge played in mid-December. Tiger and 15 of his peers play in California for bragging rights. If Tiger wasn't involved in this tourney, it wouldn't exist. No small coincidence the Tiger Woods Foundation is the main beneficiary.
The other is the Deutsche Bank Championship held on Labour Day weekend. Again, the Tiger Woods Foundation is the main beneficiary, and Tiger is a guaranteed entrant. Thsi tournament was created because Tiger didn't like flying over to Germany in mid-season to compete in it, even though he had appearance money thrown at him.
To think the AT&T National starting today is Tiger's first tournament, and that it will be his last, is to be misguided. In fact, it's in a tournament's best interest to make Woods part of the operation. If they don't, they'll fall by the wayside, a la the Canadian Open.

Regards,
Steve

Bateman Proves Once Again Only The Hungry Win

Hello. Congrats to Brian Bateman for winning the Buick in Michigan. Bateman has been through many grinds (Q-School, Nationwide, minitours, etc). This win is a career changer. He is now exempt through 2009 and can play in the Masters. The $800,000+ first place cheque doesn't hurt either.
This win proves once again that given a choice between a "hungry" player (ie about to lose their card) and a "full" player (someone who is secure and exempt for the big tournaments), I'll take the "hungry" player every time. Someone like Sergio Garcia has no incentive to win anything other than a major (and even that's questionable), because he has endorsements and money list earnings coming out of his ears. Meanwhile, Bateman and others are one bad finish away from being back in the minors competing will a lot of other hungry players for a chance to get on the PGA Tour.
Is this incentive the reason foreign born players have won the last 4 US Opens? I believe so, along with the fact PGA Tour players are not used to the USGA setups. European Tour players are used to playing in tough conditions.
Congrats again Brian!

Regards,
Steve

Kerr No Longer in "BPTNWAM" Running

Hello. My apologies for not writing yesterday. I was observing Canada Day.
Congrats to Cristie Kerr for winning the US Women's Open. She shot rounds of 69-66 on the weekend to win by 2 over Lorena Ochoa.
Kerr is no longer in the running for the "BPTNWAM" (Best Player to Never Win a Major)award. It must be a huge relief. While Kerr had won many tournaments prior to this one, the big prize had always eluded her. Now she has the career distinction of a US Women's Open champion.
And what of Ochoa? She was already the frontrunner in the "BPTNWAM" race. Now those questions will pop up again. Why hasn't she won a major? It's about the only thing missing from her resume.
While I didn't see the final round, all I'll say is Ochoa did the same thing Tiger Woods did in the Masters and the US Open - fail to come from behind to win a major. Tiger has never done it either, so why dump on Ochoa? Her time may be as soon as St Andrews.
Congrats Cristie!

Regards,
Steve