RSS

The GolfLink Blog



Bay Hill Proves Tough Test

Posted by Mike Scarr
March 28th, 2011 04:03 PM Pacific

Arnold Palmer is known to prefer a thorough test of golf.

As host of the invitational that bears his name, Palmer, like Jack Nicklaus at the Memorial, is the guiding influence over the course set up at Bay Hill and he wasn’t disappointed in giving players a fair dose of what the average hack sees on as regular basis.

No one in the last three groups broke par this weekend and the six players combined to finish 19-over.

Further evidence was provided by Martin Laird’s final round 75.

Martin Laird survived Bay Hill to collect second career victory. Photo Getty Images


It was the highest last-round score by a winner on the PGA Tour since Trevor Immelman also shot 75 to win the 2008 Masters. Laird went from three strokes up to three down Sunday before sinking a par for a one-stroke victory over Steve Marino.

… Phil Mickelson played his way out of contention at Bay Hill with a second-round 75 while Tiger Woods starting beating the ball around on the weekend, shooting 74, 72 to stall whatever momentum he’d built with his 68 on Friday.

Read More


LPGA Getting It Right

Posted by Mike Scarr
March 21st, 2011 12:03 PM Pacific

The LPGA has struggled to make money over the last several years so it decided to do the next logical thing.

Give some away.

Handing cash over to charity is simple when it’s a tax dodge or when there is plenty of surplus but the real meaning of charitable giving carries a little more impact when it stings a little.

And such is the case for the professional women’s golf tour that has seen its schedule slashed, corporate sponsors take flight and resident players compete for a relative pittance when compared to their male counterparts.

But you rarely grow in business if you don’t tweak the model and so the inaugural Founders Cup was held this weekend in Phoenix, where Karrie Webb forged her second straight victory.

Karrie Webb won the inaugural Founders Cup. Photo Getty Images



The unusual twist to the first event of the season played on American soil was the entire purse went to charity.

Read More


Tiger Looks Ready; Phil, Not So Much

Posted by Mike Scarr
March 14th, 2011 02:03 PM Pacific

The side match that was Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson at face value would seem to indicate a trend.

Woods bested Mickelson by a whopping 12 strokes this past weekend at Doral with Tiger’s final-round 66 accounting for most of the spread.

While Tiger was making at least a good impression of his former self and Nick Watney was capturing his third career victory, Phil was mostly looking forward to his earliest opportunity to split though that didn’t come until he was forced to sign for his 76.

So, the quick money would seem to move to Woods and away from Mickelson as the player most likely to win his next major title.

Up first on the tee is the Masters in April and Mickelson is the defending champion.

Mickelson’s T-55 at the just concluded WGC event is his worst this season and he has yet to win on the year. But in 2010, he was showing the same lack of consistency with just two top-10s before winning at Augusta.

This year, Mickelson’s best finish is a second in San Diego and a T-9 at Pebble Beach.

Phil Mickelson is looking to put it together. Photo Getty Images



Woods tied for fourth in the Masters last year, but that was his season-opener after a self-imposed, five-month layoff and his schedule this year has only been slightly more active.

Doral was his third event of the PGA Tour season and fourth overall; Woods also played in Dubai, where he posted a T-20.

Read More


Chirkinian Made Golf Worth Watching

Posted by Mike Scarr
March 7th, 2011 02:03 PM Pacific

Anyone who plays golf for a living, needs to stop and give a quick thanks to Frank Chirkinian.

And the PGA Tour, and the golf manufacturers and even the sponsors who will pay big money to make even bigger money through exposure on golf telecasts.

Their sport is everywhere.

One can find a golf tournament on TV on any weekend across the calendar.

There is a cable channel that runs 24/7 covering nothing but the sport.

Players earn millions by simply hitting a golf ball.

And they can all thank Chirkinian, who made the game watchable.

Chirkinian died Saturday after a bout with lung cancer at age 84, but the mark he left on the game will be there forever.

Frank Chirkinian helped bring golf alive for TV. Photo Getty Images



So much that he was fast-tracked to the Hall of Fame a month ago while he was still around to enjoy it.

Without Chirkinian there is no blimp cam, or mics on the teeboxes or roving reporters on the golf course.

All standard stuff now, but unheard of at a time when scores on TV were given as running totals and not in relation to par.

Read More


Europe Remains Unified Atop Board

Posted by Mike Scarr
February 28th, 2011 03:02 PM Pacific

Martin Kaymer scaled to the top of the world golf ranking, but Luke Donald’s win this weekend made it complete.

The Europeans are in charge.

Kaymer supplanted Lee Westwood in the No. 1 slot of the Official World Golf Ranking by getting to the final of the WGC Match Play event in Tucson.

Parlaying a victory to reach third was Donald, who vaulted from No. 9. Holding in the four-hole is Graeme McDowell.

For those repositioning the flags, the order would be: Germany, England, England and Northern Ireland.

In a free fall that shows no sign of gaining any lift is Tiger Woods, who checks in as the fifth-ranked ranked player just a few points ahead of fellow American Phil Mickelson.

Luke Donald won WGC Match Play and moved to No. 3. Photo Getty Images


Woods hasn’t been ranked this low since a week before he won his first Masters.

That was 1997.

Read More


Couples Endures Cruel Reality Of Time

Posted by Mike Scarr
February 20th, 2011 06:02 PM Pacific

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — Fred Couples will have plenty of opportunities to win.

He’ll earn a pile of new titles and add to his collection of trophies.

Only problem is, those will most likely be Champions Tour victories.

No shame in that.

The money is good and the play is still highly competitive.

It’s a fortunate place to keep the career going while enjoying the company of friendships forged over the long haul as a professional on the golf tour.

But Couples would likely trade any of the titles he might win this season for one more shot at the big tour.

Fred Couples gives props to winner Aaron Baddeley. Photo Getty Images


That’s the PGA Tour, where Couples became a star with 15 victories. He also won a Masters.

Over the last four days, Couples had that chance.

Read More


Final Round At Riviera CC

Posted by Mike Scarr
February 20th, 2011 10:02 AM Pacific

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — Aaron Baddeley fired a two-under par 69 on Sunday to win the Northern Trust Open.

His 12-under total was two strokes clear of runner-up Vijay Singh and earned the Australian his third career victory on the PGA Tour and first since the 2007 FBR Open.

Crowd favorite Fred Couples took the early lead with three consecutive birdies on the front but he followed a bogey at the sixth with double at the seventh and could not recapture the form of his early holes.

A 38 on the back prevented any chances of recovery and he finished in a tie for seventh with K.J. Choi at 7-under.

Kevin Na was alone in third with an even-par round of 71 that left him 9-under for the championship.

Robert Allenby, Ryan Moore and Jimmy Walker all tied for fourth at 8-under.

… David Duval shot a bogey-free 32 on the front to get to 5-under. A bogey at the closing 18th was his lone blemish of the day as he finished with 67 for a 6-under total.

… A solid start in California was on the wish list for Phil Mickelson, but he’ll leave the state without a victory this season. He nearly won in San Diego but could not overtake Bubba Watson.

Lefty drew a Sunday tee time from the 10th for the final round at Riviera and went out in 35. Mickelson did not break 70 until shooting a 68 in the final round to finish 1-over for the tournament.


Riviera’s Book Ends

Posted by Mike Scarr
February 18th, 2011 04:02 PM Pacific

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — The finishing hole is one of the great walks in golf, but this week’s tournament course on the PGA Tour might have the best opening and closing holes in the business.

The first at The Riviera Country Club is a par-5 with a teebox tucked close to the clubhouse that requires a drive down to the fairway that stretches out below. It’s an open invitation. …

The first hole at Riviera. Photo Getty Images



The gallery is afforded a great view of No. 1 from the clubhouse. …

Crowds perched above first tee at Riviera. Photo Getty Images



The 18th at Riviera rivals any closing hole. It features an uphill tee shot that funnels through eucalyptus trees to a raised fairway with the green encircled by a natural amphitheater.

Not a bad seat in the house at Riviera's 18th. Photo Getty Images


Riviera is one of the classics, truly representative of great course architecture.


Couples Leads Old School

Posted by Mike Scarr
February 18th, 2011 01:02 PM Pacific

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — He lives in the desert, he’s 51 and he’s got a bad back.

Other than that Fred Couples doesn’t believe he’s all that interesting, so there is no need for him to enter the social mediasphere.

“Is it called Twittering or Tweeting?” Couples asked, when the question was posed if he has a Twitter account.

That would be no, and Facebook also holds zero appeal to Couples, who confessed to seeing “Social Network” but took little from the film.

Couples did say he texts, but aside from that he’s not sure he’s got much to say.

“If you guys write well enough, they’ll know that I’m in good shape going into tomorrow,” Couples said to reporters. “I don’t need to Tweet anybody.”

Fred Couples, at 51, leads in LA after two rounds. Photo Getty Images

Good shape would be a fair lead for Couples’ first two days at Riviera as the long-time pro leads the Northern Trust Open by a pair of strokes over J.B. Holmes, John Senden and Spencer Levin.

How he got there was simple. He eagled the first hole, courtesy of a 94-foot putt, and then negotiated a bogey-free round that included birdies at 9, 12 and 15 for a 66. Couples is eight under.

Couples is just a part-timer on the regular tour these days, given he’s crossed the threshold to be a card-carrying member of the Champions Tour.

With Couples in front at the midway point of the tournament, the possibility is gaining momentum that a plus-50 player will capture another title on the PGA Tour.

The last time that happened was 2007, when Fred Funk won the Mayakoba in Mexico. Sam Snead holds the distinction as oldest to win a PGA Tour event with his 1965 Greater Greensboro title at age 52.

At issue are whether two things will hold — the golf course and Couples’ back.

The powerful and cold Pacific storm that threatened all day Friday finally arrived by late afternoon, and darkness stranded 26 players on the course. Play is scheduled to resume Saturday morning to conclude the second round.

It’s not likely to be any better Saturday, though, as rain is forecast at least until the afternoon.

Less predictable for Couples will be his lower back, something that has bothered him for years. These days he basically hits a few balls to warm up and then plays. He doesn’t practice — says it’s too painful to bend over.

Hitting irons on the range is out. His warm-up routine is mostly a few drivers and maybe his five-wood or rescue club.

Then it’s to the first tee.

Couples said he drove the ball well Friday and confidence with his iron play at Riviera is an advantage. He also said he was able to sink a few putts.

Sounds like a simple recipe for a 66. Post round, his plan was fairly simple, too, and all with keeping his back at ease.

“I’m going to kick my feet up and watch a little of this (tournament on TV),” said Couples, who has an MRI scheduled for Monday. “And then I’ll probably go do something, relax a little, eat dinner and then go to bed.”

Couples opted for Riviera this week, despite being the defending champion at the Champions event this weekend in Naples, Fla. Couples won that tournament and three others last year in his “rookie” season on the senior circuit.

But Riviera, like Augusta National, is close to Couples’ heart.

“This is a very, very special spot to me, and I love playing here,” Couples said. “When I get to be a little older, there will be Naples every year to play.”

Of his 15 PGA Tour titles, two came in the LA event, the last in 1992. That was also the year Couples won the Masters.

A third victory would place him in select company for the tournament that was first played in 1926. Ben Hogan and Arnold Palmer each won the event three times.

But the last time Couples tasted victory among the flat bellies was 2003 at the Shell Houston Open.

At Riviera, Couples likes his chances.

“I’ve played 150 rounds on this course probably,” Couples said. “I don’t think anyone in this field has played as many rounds as I have. So that’s an advantage for me.”

Couples is clear about what he needs to do over the weekend.

Just don’t expect to get any Tweets.

Mike Scarr is the editor of Golflink.com. He can be reached at golflinkeditor@demandmedia.com.


Tears In His Eyes, I Guess

Posted by Mike Scarr
February 14th, 2011 02:02 PM Pacific

In the end, it wasn’t in the hole but it didn’t matter.

Carl Spackler finally put all that practice, swinging at chrysanthemums to use.

His putter did not turn into a garden hose.

McFiddish didn’t tell him to mow the practice green.

The caddie won.

Bill Murray negotiated 72 holes at the famed Monterey Peninsula in the tournament still wistfully called the Clambake and came out a winner as he and pro partner D.A. Points captured the pro-am portion of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Bill Murray and partner D. A. Points on the 7th tee at Pebble Beach. Photo Getty Images



Filing his own Cinderella story was Points, whose spikes were fitting of those of a champion. The title won Sunday was his first on the PGA Tour and gains him entrance into the Masters.

Carl is certain to be quick with a tip.

As long as it’s not: “Cannonball comin’.”

Read More

Older Posts »