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PGA Tour Rookies Hoping to Shake Jitters at Sony Open

January 13, 2011   Mick Elliott   No comments

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There are 26 rookies, 11 of them playing in their career first PGA Tour event, teeing off Thursday the Sony Open in Hawaii, the year’s first full-field event.

In a related story, drug stores in the Honolulu area reported a recent spike in antacid sales.

Anybody’s first step is usually the toughest. In addition to playing the Waialae CC for the first time, the season’s newcomers arrive at their new work place carrying a live well of human emotions that certainly include doubt, raw nerves and a degree of insecurity.

That’s OK. Eighteen years ago, Jim Furyk made his rookie debut on the very same course and now has 16 career PGA Tour wins, a U.S. Open title and is the reigning Player of the Year.

That does not mean he hit the ground running. Actually, far from it.

 

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Sony Open Preview: Test for the New Guys

January 12, 2011   Mick Elliott   No comments

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Steve StrickerNow, everybody gets to play.

The Sony Open in Hawaii, the PGA Tour’s first full-field event, tees off Thursday at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. After last week’s winners-only Tournament of Champions got the season started, now everybody gets to play — well, at least a field of 144.

The field has attracted only Steve Stricker (No. 6) and Jim Furyk (No. 7) from the World Golf Ranking’s top 10, but has 22 of the 34 players who competed last week in Kapalua, including winner Jonathan Byrd and defending tournament champ Ryan Palmer.

There’s also Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Davis Love and Zach Johnson, giving the field more than a fair share of glamor names.

The week is also the annual coming-out party for the season’s rookie class. Twenty-six of this year’s 35 rookies will make their debut , 15 of them age 25 or younger.

Jamie Lovemark, 22, will get much of the fresh-face attention. Lovemark, out of the University of Southern Cal, was the youngest-ever winner of the Nationwide Tour Player of the Year last season. He won once and finished runner-up three times to surpass Stewart Cink (1996) and Nick Flanagan (1997), who both turned 23 the year they won the award.

 

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Golf’s Storylines for 2011: Tiger’s Major Rebound, PGA Tour’s Health in the Mix

January 03, 2011   Mick Elliott   No comments

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Back from a short winter nap, the PGA Tour returns to Hawaii this week to start another season, bringing with it an assorted shopping list of questions, needs and challenges.

After play begins Thursday at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Kapalua, the new season will drag out for more than 11 full months. If history tells us anything, the long grind will produce new chapters to old stories, fresh faces, surprise winners, disappointing losers, great shots, miserable meltdowns and a fair share of ambivalence.

And when it is finally over, there will be a handful of stories, players and issues that shape the year and impact 2011′s place in golf’s history book.

Here’s 11 for ’11.

1. Tiger Woods — Old news or a new start?

Woods went winless in 2010, the first shutout of his professional career, because of a number of reasons — including bad golf.

The swing can be rebuilt. He’s done it before. The work with new coach Sean Foley, which began in August, should be ready to pay dividends by the time Woods makes his season debut (probably late this month in San Diego).

But can Woods, who turned 35 last week (Dec. 30), again show the mental toughness and confidence that distinguished him on the way to 14 major championships and almost six consecutive years as the world’s No. 1 player?

Woods remains four behind Jack Nicklaus’ all-time record of 18 major championships and the march that once seemed destined now makes for a good debate.

 

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Monday Movers: Ernie Els Rules South African Open Again

December 20, 2010   B.J. George   No comments

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Ernie ElsStock Up

Ernie Els

The smooth-swinging Els won his fifth South African Open title Sunday by one stroke over Retief Goosen. His first win in this tournament came 18 years ago, which speaks of his longevity in the game. Despite opening with back-to-back 65s, Els’ best round might have been his third. After opening with three bogeys through his first five holes, he finished with seven birdies and maintained his lead over Goosen entering Sunday.

Player of the Year Honors

The Golf Writers Association of America announced its Players of the Year on Friday. The Male Player of the Year went to Graeme McDowell over Jim Furyk and Martin Kaymer in the award’s closest race. Bernhard Langer took home the senior version after winning back-to-back majors and five Champions Tour events in 2010. Yani Tseng, who won two LPGA majors this year, was named Female Player of the Year with 69 percent of the vote. All three players are first-time winners and will be honored at Augusta next April.

 

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Rickie Fowler Wins Rookie of the Year; Lee Westwood Rants on Twitter

December 07, 2010   Mick Elliott   No comments

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Rickie Fowler did not win on the PGA Tour this year. He did have seven top 10 finishes.

Rory McIlroy had one victory, and five top 10s — two of them, however, runner-up finishes in majors.

Fowler finished 32nd on the PGA Tour money list. McIlroy 36th. Both played in the Ryder Cup — Fowler for the U.S. and Northern Ireland’s McIlroy for Europe.

And on Saturday Fowler was named PGA Tour Rookie of the Year.

You have a problem with that?

A number of people do. Among them world No. 1 Lee Westwood who went off on Twitter. We cleaned up the abbreviations to make it more readable, but even if not, Westwood’s message was clear.

“Sorry 140 letters is not going to be enough for this rant!” he ranted. “Just seen Rickie Fowler has been given rookie of the year! Yes he’s had a good year but Rory McIlroy third in two majors and an absolute demolition of the field at Quail Hollow! Oh yes and on the winning Ryder cup team! Please! Is this yet another case of protectionism by the PGA Tour or are they so desperate to win something! Wouldn’t have something to do with Rory not joining the tour next year?”

 

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Tiger Woods Stalls Again in Shanghai

November 05, 2010   Mick Elliott   No comments

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Tiger Woods‘ golf game continues moving along much like an expensive five-speed sports car (red, of course) being driven by somebody still learning to use the clutch.

He. Just. Can’t. Keep. It. Accelerating.

After a promising opening-round 68, Woods on Friday followed with 72 in the World Golf Championship-HSBC Champions in Shanghai, China. That means the former world No. 1 failed to open a tournament this entire season with back-to-back rounds in the 60s — a first in his 15-year professional career.

“Well, today struggled a little bit,” Woods said. “Didn’t hit it very good and had a couple three putts there, and had five lip-outs. So score could have been worse, but also it could have been a lot better.”

Now, he’s five shots back of tournament leader Francesco Molinari‘s (65-70 — 135) 9-under two-round total. Among others who Woods also trails are new world No. 1 Lee Westwood at 8 under, and Ernie Els, 7 under after Friday’s 65 — the day’s low round.

Woods struggled through the round with his swing and on the greens, so frustrated at the end of his round that he kicked his driver after a poor shot on the 18th.

 

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Monday Movers: Jonathan Byrd Makes History in Las Vegas

October 25, 2010   B.J. George   No comments

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Jonathan ByrdEach week, Monday Movers will look back on the previous week in the golf world to see whose stock is rising and who will likely be heading back to the range.

On the Rise

PGA Fall Series — The final leg of the PGA season goes relatively unnoticed to the casual golf fan, but two of the year’s best finishes have occurred in successive weeks. Last week, Rocco Mediate holed out for eagle on 17 and followed with a birdie on 18 to win the Frys.com Open and secure his PGA exempt status. This week’s finish at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals Open was even more improbable.

Standing on the tee at the 17 with sunlight nearly gone, Jonathan Byrd, Martin Laird, and Cameron Percy discussed whether they could finish the fourth playoff hole. They agreed to one more, but it turned out to finish quicker than they expected. In the most dramatic of fashions, Byrd, pictured right, stepped up first and aced the 204-yard par 3 for the walk-off win. Not even Vegas could have established odds for the PGA’s first ever hole-in-one on a final shot to win.

 

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Monday Movers: Jonathan Byrd Makes History in Las Vegas

October 25, 2010   B.J. George   No comments

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Jonathan ByrdEach week, Monday Movers will look back on the previous week in the golf world to see whose stock is rising and who will likely be heading back to the range.

On the Rise

PGA Fall Series — The final leg of the PGA season goes relatively unnoticed to the casual golf fan, but two of the year’s best finishes have occurred in successive weeks. Last week, Rocco Mediate holed out for eagle on 17 and followed with a birdie on 18 to win the Frys.com Open and secure his PGA exempt status. This week’s finish at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals Open was even more improbable.

Standing on the tee at the 17 with sunlight nearly gone, Jonathan Byrd, Martin Laird, and Cameron Percy discussed whether they could finish the fourth playoff hole. They agreed to one more, but it turned out to finish quicker than they expected. In the most dramatic of fashions, Byrd, pictured right, stepped up first and aced the 204-yard par 3 for the walk-off win. Not even Vegas could have established odds for the PGA’s first ever hole-in-one on a final shot to win.

 

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For Phil Mickelson, Stakes Soaring in Tour Championship

September 22, 2010   Mick Elliott   No comments

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Phil Mickelson, Tiger WoodsATLANTA — It’s safe to say Phil Mickelson has not gotten nearly as much out of the 2010 PGA Tour season as he would have liked.

Big hopes soared when everybody’s favorite Tiger foil won the Masters in April — Phil’s fourth career major — to position himself for ownership of golf’s world No. 1 ranking for the surprising first time in a wickedly good but not-totally fulfilled career. Except, Lefty hasn’t won since and Woods, despite a season to which only a Democratic incumbent could relate, remains top ranked.

“The Masters kind of made the year for me,” Mickelson said. “It meant a lot to us emotionally; it meant a lot to me personally. I look back at the year and it really comes down to that one event.

“There were other events I played OK in, but I haven’t won any events (since). For me the year was kind of salvaged by that Masters win.”

Along the way, Mickelson continued to deal with wife Amy’s fight with breast cancer, while also revealing health issues of his own — psoriatic arthritis.

If that doesn’t cut Mickelson some significant slack, what would? Nevertheless, a golden opportunity may have slipped away for the 40-year-old star. Woods’ game isn’t going to be mentally incapacitated forever. Also, a rich stock of young talent like Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler seems determined to alter golf’s immediate landscape.

It just might mean Mickelson’s shot at No. 1 is now or never.

 

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Ernie Els First Ballot Golf Hall of Famer

September 22, 2010   Milton Kent   No comments

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Ernie Els has been elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot.

Els, 40, received 66 percent of votes cast by Hall of Fame members, golf officials and golf journalists. The South African native has won three majors and 62 tournament wins in his 20-year professional career. He will be inducted May 9 at ceremonies at the World Golf Village in St., Augustine, Fla.

Els, who is currently ranked No.3 in the world, will be joined in the induction ceremonies, by Doug Ford, a 19-time PGA Tour winner, who captured the Masters and the PGA Championship, as well as Scottish golfer Jock Hutchison, who, like Ford, was voted in through the Veterans Committee.

In addition, former President George H.W. Bush received a Lifetime Achievement award and will also be enshrined.

 

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