Fifth Time Is a Charm for Thomas Bjorn

FIVE WAS THE NUMBER at the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles in Scotland. Five players—George Coetzee, Bernd Wiesberger, Pablo Larrazabal, Mark Foster and Thomas Bjorn—completed 72 holes at 11 under par. The five men headed back out to the 18th tee to settle the matter in a sudden-death playoff.

It took a while. The men played the 18th, a par 5, five times to decide the championship. The last two men standing were Bjorn and Coetzee, and then it was just Bjorn when his South African opponent couldn’t match his third straight birdie on the finishing hole.

It was Bjorn’s 12th career title on the European Tour and second victory this season.

“I’m delighted,” Bjorn said. “The way I played the last three playoff holes, I couldn’t be more proud. When I’m under the cosh I feel pretty calm and good.”

Foster was not delighted. A bogey at the 72nd hole prevented the Englishman from capturing his first tour win since 2005. Foster dropped out of the playoff after a bogey on the fourth extra hole.

While Hurricane Irene shortened The Barclays in New Jersey, fog and swarms of wasps disrupted play at Gleneagles. But the fog cleared and left a sunny Bjorn to contemplate his first-ever playoff win—and his first win since turning 40.

“If life begins at 40, then I’ve made a pretty good start!” he exclaimed.

It has been a very good year for the Dane, who now finds himself just outside the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Bjorn won the Qatar Masters in February and led the British Open at Royal St. George’s before finishing fourth. Fourteen months ago he won the Portuguese Open, breaking a four-year victory drought.

Indeed, Bjorn, which means bear in Danish, is looking strong at 40.

−The Armchair Golfer

2011 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational TV Schedule and Tournament Notes

THE 2011 WGC-BRIDGESTONE INVITATIONAL tees off on Thursday at Firestone Country Club (South Course) in Akron, Ohio. Tiger Woods returns to action after an 11-week injury layoff. Woods will be paired in the first two rounds with British Open champion Darren Clarke. A field of 76 players will compete for an $8.5 million purse. The event has no cut, assuring Woods of four competitive rounds in advance of next week’s PGA Championship.


Purse: $8.5 million
Winner’s share: $1.4 million
Defending champion: Hunter Mahan (at right)

2011 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational Leaderboard

Field
Course
Tee times
Tournament overview
Tournament news
Tournament video


TV SCHEDULE

TV coverage of the 2011 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational is
on Golf Channel and CBS.

Thu, 8/4
2-6 pm ET, GOLF

Fri, 8/5
2-6 pm ET, GOLF

Sat, 8/6
2-6 pm ET, CBS

Sun, 8/7
2-6 pm ET, CBS

SIRIUS-XM broadcast times


−The Armchair Golfer

(Photo credit: Keith Allison, Flickr, Creative Commons license)

Ghosts of Jean Van de Velde Spook Yani Tseng

THE TOURNAMENT WAS SEEMINGLY OVER. Yani Tseng stood on the 18th tee at Carnoustie Golf Links with a three-shot lead over Brittany Lang. In a matter of minutes Tseng could claim her second consecutive Women’s British Open and fifth major title at the age of 22 years, six months and eight days. No one had won five majors so soon, not even Tiger Woods.

That’s when she was visited by ghosts of the past, if just for a moment.

In 1999 French golfer Jean Van de Velde walked to the 72nd hole of The Open Championship with a comfortable three-stroke lead. Then he strolled into history, but not at all like he or the aghast onlookers expected. Van de Velde splashed into the Barry Burn with his approach shot. All he needed was a double-bogey six and his name would be etched on the Claret Jug. He made a seven and lost the four-hole playoff to Paul Lawrie.

Tseng thought of Van de Velde as she walked to the final hole on Sunday. Maybe that was a good thing. She still had to take care of business. It was no time to get sloppy.

“When you come on this golf course, you’re going think about him,” Tseng said. “But I did think about it a little bit.

“I had a three-shot lead so I’d better hit a good drive here to win the tournament. I thought, okay, let’s hit a good drive, finish here.”

And she did, leaving herself about 135 yards to the hole. Still, the ghosts beckoned.

“I hit a 9-iron, and I was thinking about Jean Van de Velde.”

But Tseng isn’t Van de Velde. The Taiwanese star flew that “juiced” 9-iron straight at the flagstick and sank the short birdie putt for a four-shot victory.

Tseng is the new dominant force, not just in women’s golf, but all of golf. With the LPGA Tour adding a major to put five on the annual calendar, Tseng is looking like a serious threat to catch Tiger Woods and even Jack Nicklaus. She is already on a record pace.

−The Armchair Golfer

Peter Jacobsen Is Recipient of 2012 Old Tom Morris Award

By Golf Course Superintendents Association of America

MULTIPLE PGA TOUR WINNER and golf course designer Peter Jacobsen has been selected to receive the 2012 Old Tom Morris Award by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA). The award will be presented during the 2012 GCSAA Education Conference at Celebrate GCSAA! presented by Syngenta on February 28 in Las Vegas.

“Peter has done much for the game of golf, and he has been an advocate for golf course superintendents,” said GCSAA President Robert Randquist. “He is a perfect fit for the Old Tom Morris Award, and we look forward to recognizing him at the GCSAA Education Conference.”

GCSAA’s most prestigious honor, the Old Tom Morris Award is presented each year to an individual who “through a continuing lifetime commitment to the game of golf has helped to mold the welfare of the game in a manner and style exemplified by Old Tom Morris.” Morris (1821-1908) was greenkeeper and golf professional at the St. Andrews Links Trust Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland. Morris was a four-time winner of the British Open (1861, ’62, ’64 and ’67) and ranked as one of the top links designers of the 19th century.

Jacobsen won seven times on the PGA TOUR and owns two Champions Tour majors, the 2004 U.S. Senior Open and the 2005 Senior Players Championship. He played for the U.S. Ryder Cup teams in 1985 and 1995. In 2003 he was PGA TOUR Comeback Player of the Year after winning the Greater Hartford Open at the age of 49.

Jacobsen is president and CEO of Peter Jacobsen Sports, a sports marketing firm he created in 1988. He also co-founded a golf course design company with Jim Hardy (Jacobsen Hardy Golf Course Design) that has developed nearly 20 courses and renovated several others worldwide since 1995.

Jacobsen also has provided commentary for various TV golf broadcasts, including recent work as a commentator for NBC and Golf Channel at the 2011 U.S. Open.

Past Winners

Arnold Palmer was the first recipient of the Old Tom Morris Award in 1983. Other winners include Nick Price, Judy Rankin, Greg Norman, Charlie Sifford, Jack Nicklaus, Rees Jones, Pete Dye, Tim Finchem, Nancy Lopez, Ken Venturi, Ben Crenshaw, Tom Fazio, Byron Nelson, Dinah Shore, Tom Watson, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Gene Sarazen, Robert Trent Jones Sr., Patty Berg, Gerald Ford and Bob Hope.

(Photo: Courtesy of GCSAA)

‘Feherty’ Premiere Sets Golf Channel Record

FEHERTY, HOSTED BY GOLF commentator and wiseacre David Feherty, debuted on Monday as the most-watched series premiere in the history of Golf Channel. The opening episode featured an interview with Hall of Famer Lee Trevino. I caught a bit of the replay last night. Trevino and Feherty are funny squared. Can you imagine having a cold one with those two characters?

The 12-part interview series continues on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET with actor Don Cheadle. Episodes with NBA Hall of Famer and hoops analyst Charles Barkley and golf legend Tom Watson are also coming soon.

Feherty’s self-deprecating humor is legendary, but the Northern Ireland native who is now a naturalized U.S. citizen could golf his ball. Feherty won five times on the European Tour and had three top tens in majors. His best finish in a major was a tie for fourth at the 1994 British Open. He also played on Europe’s Ryder Cup team in 1991.

Until he discovered his golf ability, Feherty wanted to be an opera singer. “I was always interested in music from a very early age,” he told Golf Channel. “But when I turned pro at age 17, I haven’t sung a note since. Now, I only sing to punish my children.”

Feherty retired from the tour in 1997 when CBS offered him a job as golf commentator. “I always enjoyed talking more than playing,” he said.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Photo: Courtesy of Golf Channel)

2011 U.S. Open: William Cauley In, Tiger Woods Out

A FRIEND ASKED ME last Friday at our local Lion’s Club tournament if I thought Tiger Woods would tee it up at Congressional. “I don’t know,” I said. “But I won’t be surprised if he doesn’t. Tiger isn’t right.”

I meant physically—the left knee and Achilles tendon. It’s one of multiple obstacles to regaining his form. A huge one. It seemed to me that Tiger would be smart to get healthy before playing more tournament golf, even if it meant missing the national championship.

Today Tiger announced at his website that he won’t play in this year’s U.S. Open.

“I am extremely disappointed that I won’t be playing in the U.S. Open. But it’s time for me to listen to my doctors and focus on the future. I was hopeful that I could play, but if I did, I risk further damage to my left leg. My knee and Achilles’ tendon are not fully healed.”

Tiger isn’t Superman anymore, if he ever was. He’s damaged goods. He can’t will his way around the golf course like he did at Torrey Pines in June 2008. This was the only sensible choice after the re-injury at the Masters and the forced 9-hole march at The Players Championship last month.

Tiger added that he hopes to play at his AT&T National Tournament, as well as the British Open and PGA Championship. The wait-and-see game continues.

U.S. Open Qualifying

Meanwhile, with Tiger out, a bunch of other players are in, such as the one noted in the headline—William Cauley. I picked Cauley’s name off the lengthy list of those who made it through Sectional Qualifying because he posted one of the lowest scores—132. And not just in Memphis, where he qualified, but anywhere.

Cauley tied for low man at Tunica National with 67-65 in a Sectional Qualifier that included many tour pros. One other thing stood out about Cauley: he’s an amateur.

Following are some notable (or known to me) names who are headed to Congressional.

Thomas Levet, France 66-71--137
Johan Edfors, Sweden 70-70--140
Sam Saunders, Orlando, Fla. 69-72--141
Kirk Triplett, Scottsdale, Ariz. 69-64--133
Fred Funk, Ponte Vedra, Fla. 67-68--135
Ty Tryon, Orlando, Fla. 71-64--135
Chez Reavie, Scottsdale, Ariz. 69-63--132
Brandt Jobe, Westlake, Texas 62-70--132
Robert Garrigus, Charleston, S.C. 67-66--133
Nicholas O'Hern, Australia 68-67--135
D.A. Points, Windermere, Fla. 68-68--136
John Senden, Flower Mound, Texas 68-68--136
Marc Turnesa, Jupiter, Fla. 69-67--136
Marc Leishman, Norfolk, Va. 68-68--136
Webb Simpson, Charlotte, N.C. 68-69--137
Tim Petrovic, Austin, Texas 69-68--137
William Cauley (a), Jacksonville, Fla. 67-65--132
Fredrik Jacobson, Hobe Sound, Fla. 67-67--134
Sergio Garcia, Spain 68-67--135
Brian Gay, Windermere, Fla. 68-67--135
Chad Campbell, Andrews, Texas 66-69--135
Briny Baird, Palm City, Fla. 68-67--135
Todd Hamilton, Cleveland, Ohio 67-68--135
Harrison Frazar, Dallas, Texas 72-64--136
Greg Chalmers, Colleyville, Texas 66-70--136

I was also going to list notable names that didn’t make it, but now I don’t have the desire or heart to do it.

I’m In

I’ll be at Congressional next week, my first U.S. Open as a credentialed media member. I’m not sure how I’ll cover the action. But I’ll definitely show up and post my dispatches from the year’s second major. I’ve been looking forward to it for quite a while and can’t believe it’s almost here. If you have any comments or suggestions, feel free to email me at armchairgolfer@gmail.com.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Photo credit: Keith Allison, Flickr, Creative Commons license)

Nick Price, Ambassador of Golf

CHAMPIONS TOUR PLAYER NICK PRICE has been named the 2011 Ambassador of Golf by Northern Ohio Golf Charities. Ambassador of Golf is an annual award given to a person who epitomizes the ideals of the game and demonstrates concerns for others on and off the golf course. Still very much an active player, Price was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2003 and is someone who has been described as the nicest guy you’d ever want to meet.

“Nick has been a world-class player for more than four decades and has truly been an international ambassador for the game of golf,” said PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem. “With 29 international victories in addition to his 18 wins on the PGA Tour, Nick has helped to grow the game and give back to those less fortunate since turning professional in 1977.”

Price said he was extremely honored to be the recipient of the award. “It has been a privilege for me to have played golf professionally throughout the world and I hope that I not only inspired young golfers along the way, but also set an example for them to follow as did those before me.”

Price will be honored in a ceremony at Firestone Country Club on August 3 during the Bridgestone Invitational.

Three of Nick’s career victories were majors: two PGA Championships and a British Open. He won two of them back to back when he took both the British Open and PGA Championship in 1994. As noted here yesterday, he was ranked No. 1 in the world for nearly a year.

The wins have slowed down, but Price continues to display the long game that helped make him the game’s best player in the early 1990s. He has won four times since joining the Champions Tour, including this year’s Toshiba Classic.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Photo credit: Keith Allison, Flickr, Creative Commons license)

A Comfortable Conversation with Stewart Cink (Conclusion)

FOLLOWING IS THE SECOND and concluding part of my recent interview with Stewart Cink. In Part 1, Cink talked about his own “Journey to Comfort,” which is the name of the Dove® Men + Care™ campaign that features him and Davis Love. He also discussed family life and his surprising fan base, including the Twitter explosion that resulted in 1.2 million followers.

Today Stewart talks about the state of his golf game, including his relatively new coach and swing changes, shares his feelings about the Ryder Cup, and weighs in on the current and future prospects for tour golf.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: You were talking earlier about numbers and statistics and results, and how they don’t really tell the whole story. I was wondering about the state of your game. I know you’re probably disappointed about another missed cut at the Masters. It looked like you played some good golf at Heritage. Where are things going for you right now?

STEWART CINK: The state of my game is sort of changing right now. I changed coaches at the end of last year. I worked with Butch Harmon for eight years. I’ve moved on to a new coach, Pat O’Brien. Both coaches have been great. Butch was excellent. We’re still good friends, but we just parted ways because we kind of reached a little bit of a plateau. Working with Pat O’Brien has been good, though, making a couple of little changes. So at times, very much like our very famous golfer Tiger Woods who’s making a lot of changes right now. It’s not easy to implement changes competitively when you’re on the golf course. I’m caught in between at times.

Currently, the state of my game is that I’m doing everything pretty well. I’m just not getting the ball up and down enough. That’s pretty evident in my statistics. I don’t really pay a lot of attention to stats, but I do know that if you’re outside about the top 150 in any statistical category, you’ve got a problem. There’s not always a clear definition between 100 and 30th, but way down the list there’s an issue there. So that’s where I’m working. And a missed cut at the Masters certainly hurts this year. It’s one of the most disappointing parts of my career, to be honest with you, is my performance at the Masters. I live in Georgia, I’ve wanted to be competitive there, and I’ve wanted to stroll up the 18th fairway looking at the Green Jacket, and I just haven’t been there. It just really works on me because the golf course ought to be one that really suits me, and I haven’t performed very well. Maybe just putting too much pressure on myself every year thinking about it. Every missed cut you think about it more, so you kind of just snowball.

I don’t really organize my career in a goal-setting way. I think that’s more in the results. Rewards and goals are sometimes easily confused. For me, I just try to be ready for every shot, get to the best state of my game with preparation and practice and doing the things that I believe are sound. I believe that that will end up with rewards in the form of better scores and better finishes. So I don’t really look at goals. But I know one thing, that I’m working really hard, I’m trying to get better, and stay competitive and get back to where I was when I was winning the British Open in 2009. But it’s a tough journey sometimes when you make that coaching change and you start changing things in your swing. It’s always a journey back to being comfortable in the heat of battle.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: You’ve been on five straight Ryder Cup teams. I figured it would mean a lot to play on another team, especially with your friend Davis as captain. Can you talk about that?

STEWART CINK: Yeah, it really would. I’ve been picked for three teams, and that means a lot to me. Being picked is almost the most satisfying way to join a team because the captain has a lot of guys to look at and picks you. I got picked by Hal Sutton. I got picked by Tom Lehman. And I got picked by Corey Pavin. Talk about a reinforcement of your self beliefs. Most media members who have asked me questions about being picked for the Ryder Cup have asked me if it feels like there’s more pressure. I promise you that the guy that qualifies 10th has a lot more pressure on him than the guy that gets picked. I’ve been there in both cases. But yeah, it would mean so much to me to be able to represent the United States again in the Ryder Cup, especially in the United States. In Louisville, winning on that team in 2008, was one of the very few top highlights of my career. Even though I didn’t have my best matches there—I did win a match and lost two—but that experience, being a part of a winning Ryder Cup team, was something I’ll never ever forget. It was awesome.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: We’ve seen a lot going on with the economy, a lot of change in golf. It’s been down. Now it’s coming back. We see changes at the top with the world rankings. From the Stewart Cink perspective, what’s the state of tour golf these days?

STEWART CINK: First of all, I think the tour lags behind the rest of the economy by a period of time that’s somewhere between 10 and 20 months. We’re in the same period that this dip in the economy was in about a year and a half ago. That’s because of contractual structures where companies are involved with a long-term deal that might not expire down the road for several years. When that time comes, they say the economy has hurt us. That’s when you see tournaments start struggling for sponsorships. The state of the game is good. It’s just difficult times right now because the FedEx Cup is really awesome, but it’s also caused prices to go up. Sponsorship prices are higher. The product is better, but it costs more. There are fewer companies out there that can pay, especially in the belt-tightening environment we’re in right now.

I think the tour is a little bit more of a streamlined organization than it was. We’re ready. We’re fighting hard. But it’s a tough fight. I don’t think they’re going to be able to escape losing a tournament or two over the next couple of years. I think the tour is going to come through it all right, but there will be scars. The game of golf is not going to change radically, but there have been some changes already that the players have noticed, and the fans probably won’t notice because it won’t impact golf on television or in person. We have to provide more value. The players have to interact more with the sponsors than ever before, which should have been happening forever anyway. Some of these younger players are realizing maybe I wasn’t born onto the planet with the right to play golf for $6 million a week. Maybe I have to go out and actually earn that. It’s probably a good thing for the health of the tour in the long-term sense.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: Thanks, Stewart. I appreciate the chance to talk with you. I wish you all the best with your swing changes and everything else.

STEWART CINK: OK, thank you very much. I appreciate that.

−The Armchair Golfer

Related:
A Comfortable Conversation with Stewart Cink (Part 1)
A Comfortable Conversation with Davis Love III

Louis Oosthuizen Fires 67 With Eye Closed

ON SATURDAY MORNING IT seemed doubtful that Louis Oosthuizen would tee it up in the third round of the WGC-Cadillac Championship. The reigning British Open champion has been sick for a while. Last week he withdrew from the Honda Classic after the second round. Antibiotics had helped, but the infection had moved from his left eye to his right, which was swollen shut.

“It looked pretty bad,” Oosthuizen said at PGATour.com. “It was swollen badly and I couldn’t really see through it. I just iced it and got some eye drops put in.”

The eye felt OK an hour before his tee time, so the South African decided to start the round. But he also suspected he would hang it up after a few holes. “I just wanted to give myself a chance,” he said.

Putting five birdies on his card, Louis recorded a 31 on the opening nine. “The first seven holes I could have been seven under.” He took dead aim and didn’t worry about a thing, even though his right eye was swollen and watery, blurring his vision.

Oosthuizen got to 7 under on his round at the 16th before making a pair of closing bogeys to notch a 67. Still, not bad for a player whose right eye was described as a slit when he finished. Beware the ailing golfer.

Dustin Johnson (13 under) leads by two over Luke Donald, Hunter Mahan and Matt Kuchar heading into the final round at the Blue Monster.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Photo credit: Bob Stapleton, Flickr, Creative Commons license)

Kenny Perry Heads Champions Tour Rookies

ANOTHER CROP OF FRESH 50-year-old faces is invading the Champions Tour. There’s no Fred Couples or Corey Pavin this year. But there are more than a few guys who can play. (Actually, they all can play.) Fourteen-time PGA Tour winner Kenny Perry heads the list. TV tower men Paul Azinger, Ian Baker-Finch and Brad Faxon (who NBC let go and turns 50 in August) will test their skills on the old-boys circuit. It will be interesting to see if Baker-Finch can compete. His game disintegrated a few years after winning the 1991 British Open.

There are a few other players with solid PGA Tour resumes. Mark Brooks won seven times, including the 1996 PGA Championship. Steve Pate was a six-time winner and played on two Ryder Cup teams. John Huston, Steve Lowery and Jim Gallagher Jr. are also proven winners. There are also a handful of lesser-known players who might flourish the second time around.

CLASS OF 2011
Paul Azinger
Ian Baker-Finch
Mark Brooks
Tom Byrum
Jim Carter
Roger Chapman
Brad Faxon
Jim Gallagher Jr.
Ernie Gonzalez
John Huston
Steve Lowery
Bob Lohr
Frankie Minoza
Mark Mouland
Steve Pate
Chris Perry
Kenny Perry
Lee Rinker
Greg Twiggs
Willie Wood

The Champions Tour visits Boca Raton, Florida, this week for the $1.8 million Allianz Championship. The indestructible Bernhard Langer defends.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Photo credit: ben_lei, Flickr, Creative Commons license)

Martin Kaymer’s Golf Wish for 2011

MARTIN KAYMER HAS WON a major, the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits where he defeated Bubba Watson in a playoff. Kaymer was also closing in on World No. 1 until he cooled off at the end of the 2010 season. Now what does he want? What’s on the German golf star’s wish list for the 2011 season?

A hole-in-one. Wait, a hole-in-one? Yes, a hole-in-one.

If you’re like me, you were expecting something else. I was surprised, to say the least. That’s like my daughters asking for a pair of socks for Christmas. It’s something, but not exactly ambitious.

There’s a pretty good reason, though. Are you sitting down? Martin Kaymer has never made a hole-in-one. I find that shocking. No wonder he wants one. Imagine ascending to No. 1 golfer in the world—without a hole-in-one. People would say you’re undeserving. “He’s not worthy,” they’d say. I’m joking a little. Lee Westwood gets it.

But here’s what I wonder: How does a player of Kaymer’s caliber not have a hole-in-one? Not even in practice?

“I’ve never made one in my life …” he said.

Wow. He’s playing catch up with me, of all people. I have one. It was a long time ago. I’ll spare you that story.

Kaymer said he has other goals, too. He’d like to win another major this year, preferably the British Open. He’d like to establish himself as the best player in Europe and someday rise to the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking. He figured he wasn’t quite ready for No. 1 at the end of last season.

But that first hole-in-one would be sweet. It doesn’t seem like a lot to ask.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Photo credit: blakehall, Flickr, Creative Commons license)

Golf Fix: 100th South African Open

IF YOU’RE A GOLF nut who can’t get enough golf on the tube, my tip is the 100th playing of the South African Open, this week’s event on the European Tour and Sunshine Tour. (The PGA and LPGA tours, of course, are idle. The Asian Tour is playing its season finale, the Black Mountain Masters, which is televised throughout Europe, Asia and Australia.)

Played at Durban Country Club, the South African Open field includes South African golf stars Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Tim Clark, Trevor Immelman and Louis Oosthizen, the current British Open champion. Thursday’s first round was delayed by heavy rain and will resume on Friday.

Dating back to 1903, the South African Open is one of the world’s oldest golf championships. (The oldest, of course, is the British Open, or The Open Championship, as non-Yanks call it.) Gary Player has won his homeland’s tournament 13 times. Player’s first victory came in 1956, the last in 1981. Fellow South African Bobby Locke won nine times from 1935 to 1955. Els has four South African Open titles. Goosen, Immelman and Clark have two wins apiece.

Els assessed his year and chance this week in his online diary.

“I came out of the blocks pretty fast and won twice in March during the Florida swing,” Ernie wrote, “but after the US Open my game went off the boil and it’s been a struggle to get things back on track. But, as I’ve said in my last few updates, during the last month or so there have been signs that the hard work I’ve put in has started to pay off. If I can roll the ball well on the greens this week, then I can finish the year on a high note and hopefully win my fifth national championship.”

2010 South African Open TV Schedule

All U.S. TV coverage is on Golf Channel.

Friday, 12/17
9:30 AM – 12:30 PM ET

Saturday, 12/18
9:30 AM – 12:30 PM ET

Sunday, 12/19
9:30 AM – 12:30 PM ET

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image: Harry Lime/Flickr)

The Genius of Johnny Miller

HATE HIM OR LOVE HIM, Johnny Miller is a lightening rod in the television tower and was an immensely talented player who could match shots with the best players of his generation, including Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino.

In The Genius of Johnny, Jaime Diaz profiles Miller for Golf Digest (December issue). Here’s an interesting tidbit that I didn’t know (or had forgotten). John Miller was told by his agent, Ed Barner, to go by “Johnny” to promote his image. But he grew up being called “John” and signs his name without adding the “ny.”

I remember Johnny as a player who literally knocked down the flagsticks in the mid 1970s at PGA Tour stops such as Tucson, Phoenix and Palm Springs. Sometimes faulty, my memory served me well. Diaz reports that Johnny “… did crazy-good things, like hitting the flag 10 times with iron shots while winning at Tucson.”

My favorite player was Jack Nicklaus, but Johnny Miller was the best iron player I ever saw. From January 1974 to January 1975, Miller won 10 times in a career that produced 25 PGA Tour victories, two of them majors, the 1973 U.S. Open and 1976 British Open. Johnny slumped after the mid 1970s blitz and has said he lost his desire to excel on tour as he and wife Linda raised six children.

Here’s what a couple of Johnny’s peers told Diaz.

Lanny Wadkins: “Johnny was the best I ever saw at hitting pure golf shots. I was very fortunate to play with a lot of the true greats: Jack and Trevino and Tiger, sure, but also Snead, Hogan and Nelson, who might have been past it, but not so you couldn’t see what they could do. But I can’t imagine that anyone in history has ever consistently hit the ball as solid and as close to the pin as Johnny did.”

Lee Trevino: “Johnny’s advantage was damn-near perfect mechanics. He had that extremely weak grip like Hogan, and he would set it going back and then just release it as hard as he could with total confidence. He didn’t have to re-route it or hold onto it or practice like hell, like most of the rest of us. Maybe because he grooved it so young, he was basically on automatic, where hitting the ball hard and straight and solid was actually easy. He got to a very rare place.”

Among others things, Johnny says one of his regrets is not winning the Masters, where he finished second three times. Wherever you stand on Johnny, Diaz’s profile is a worthwhile read. You’ll probably learn something you didn’t know about him.

−The Armchair Golfer

Q&A: Errie Ball Turns 100

TALKING TO ERRIE BALL is like stepping into a time machine. Ball, who recently turned 100, was befriended by Bobby Jones at the 1930 British Open, the year Jones completed the Grand Slam. The Wales native came to America at Jones’s urging and took an assistant job at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. Jones later invited him to play in the first Masters in 1934. Ball is the only surviving player from that inaugural tournament at Augusta National.

(Photo: The first Masters, left to right: G. Sargent, Errie Ball, Charlie Yates, Bobby Jones. / Chicagolandgolf.com)

Errie Ball has seen and/or played with all the greats of the last 80 years, from Harry Vardon to Bobby Jones to Ben Hogan. I talked to Errie three years ago when he was only 97. He is a treasure. Following is an excerpt from our conversation.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: What was it like playing in that first Masters?

ERRIE BALL: The first Masters, they were having a lot of trouble getting it off to a good start. It was like a friendly deal. I didn’t feel too scared or nervous at all in the first one because it was more relaxed. Bob Jones made it that way. There was a lot of liquor floating around. Of course, in those days, I didn’t drink anyway. But it was more relaxing. When I played it again in 1957 it was a different story. It was really big time.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: Bobby Jones was very instrumental in your coming to America and in your golf career.

ERRIE BALL: He was. I played in the British Open the year he won at Hoylake in England. Hoylake is my family’s course where they played, and they played Hoylake and my father played there. I played quite a bit at Hoylake. I think I played two British Opens on Hoylake. But the last time was about 1936.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: Did you ever meet Harry Vardon?

ERRIE BALL: No. I saw him in the distance and watched him. My father was a good friend of Harry Vardon. He had a beautiful swing. I know that.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: Some of the more recent golf stories that have been written like The Greatest Game Ever Played are helping people understand what a great champion he was. Most people barely know of Bobby Jones but Vardon was quite something.

ERRIE BALL: He was. It’s an entirely different game today compared to those days. They played all kinds of shots. There weren’t any 150-yard markers at all and they had to just play by sight.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: Back in those early days, like you said, the pros made their own clubs. I think I read Ted Ray only carried seven or eight sticks on the golf course. So it wasn’t at all like it is now.

ERRIE BALL: You could take a five iron and play all kinds of shots with it. Go down the shaft, play the little chip shots, or shots into the wind. You could play several shots with it. It was called a mashie in those days.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: I read you were the youngest person to compete in the British Open. In 1926, I read you were either 15 or 16 years old when you played in the British Open. Is that true?

ERRIE BALL: I’m not sure about that myself. The press wrote it up that I was the youngest, but I really actually don’t remember that. I know I played in it as a boy. I must have been about 16 or 17, something like that.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: Was that in the ’26 Open or 1930?

ERRIE BALL: 1930. I played one time in the 20s in the Open, because Hoylake was fairly close to where I lived, where my family lived anyway, so we’d go over there and play.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: The first British Open you played in was 1930?

ERRIE BALL: That’s the one I remember the most. That’s the one Jones played in on the way to his Grand Slam.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: Are you still playing golf?

ERRIE BALL: I’ve had a couple of operations, double bypass, which has taken me off the golf course and I haven’t really played 18 holes in two years. But I’ve hit a lot of balls on the practice tee and still give a few lessons. I’m feeling a lot better now but I think I’ll probably start playing soon.

−The Armchair Golfer

Tom Watson Demonstrates Bobby Locke Putting Grip

SOUTH AFRICAN GOLF GREAT Bobby Locke was born on this day in 1917.* As Tom Watson says in the above video clip, many players thought Locke was the best putter of all time. Locke’s artistry on the greens helped him to become one of the greatest players of his day, winning the British Open four times from 1949 to 1957.

After playing exhibition matches with Locke in South Africa, Sam Snead suggested Locke come to America. Sam later said his fellow pros chided him because Locke was so proficient at collecting money from American tournament purses. Locke won 15 times on the PGA Tour and was victorious in nine South African Opens over a 20-year span. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1977.

Watson offers a few more tips on the putting grip (including the reverse overlap grip), as well as pointers on putting setup. Then he sinks a slippery 30 footer. Bobby Locke would be proud.

−The Armchair Golfer

*Today in Golf History is a daily feature of USGA.org (United States Golf Association).

Kevin Streelman Works the Playoff System

KEVIN STREELMAN WILL PLAY in the season-ending Tour Championship for the first time in his career. And that’s not all. Next year Streelman will make his first appearances at the Masters and British Open thanks to a FedEx Cup playoff run that has seen him rise 73 spots in the rankings.

The top 30 will play in the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta this week. A fat paycheck awaits. The 30 players will split a $7.5 million purse. Someone will also collect $10 million for winning the playoffs points race. At 29th, Streelman was the second-to-the-last man in the field, which also gets him into next year’s first three majors.

Streelman is an example of how the playoffs can work for someone who starts at the back of the pack. The Duke grad and mini-tour veteran who joined the PGA Tour in 2007 started the playoffs in 102nd out of 125 players. He made a big move with a T5 at The Barclays. Then he followed with a T45 and T43 at the Deutsche Bank and BMW Championship, respectively, to slip into the top 30.

Hello, East Lake. Hello, Augusta.

The only time Streelman has been to Augusta National Golf Club was to watch a practice round when he was a student at Duke. But Mike Christensen, Streelman’s caddie and Duke golf teammate, has played three rounds at the home of the Masters. That’s a start. They’ll just be thrilled to be there.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image: The Gordons/Flickr)

Life After 59 Not So Hot for Goydos and Appleby

PAUL GOYDOS FIRED A PGA Tour record-tying 59 at the John Deere Classic in July. He went on to finish second to Steve Stricker. Stuart Appleby matched Goydos a few weeks later with a final-round 59 that earned Appleby a victory at the inaugural Greenbrier Classic.

Their games have cooled off considerably since, especially Goydos’.

“I haven’t even made a cut,” Paul told reporters last week at the Deutsche Bank Championship. Goydos went on to break the MC slump in Boston, finishing 70th, after missing cuts at the British Open, Greenbrier Classic and PGA Championship.

Appleby said he’s happy with the way he’s playing, even though he hasn’t broken 70 since the 59, a streak of 16 rounds. It surprised him to learn that. On the plus side, Stuart hasn’t missed a cut since winning the Greenbrier. On the minus side, he hasn’t finished higher than 50th.

“I just haven’t been able to get the magic with the putter,” the Aussie said. “I can’t get to that point where I’m tipping my cap.”

Is there a 59 curse?

Must be. Appleby can’t make a putt and Goydos is out of the playoffs. Payback from the golf gods. Trust me, you don’t want to get on their wrong side.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image: Alex Barth/Flickr)

Tiger Woods on Putting, Practice and Kids

TIGER WOODS WILL RESUME his tumultuous (and winless) season on Thursday when the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational tees off at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. Tiger spoke on a range of subjects in today’s media conference, including the state of his game, the Ryder Cup, the one time he shot 59, and, of particular interest to me, his putting woes.

Following are excerpts concerning his putting and related issues.

Q. What’s your sense on what’s plagued your putt?
TIGER WOODS: Speed. My speed has been off all year. I’ve three-putted quite a few times, which I don’t do normally. Just had to go back to basics and practice a little bit more. I haven’t worked on my putting probably as much as I should have, probably the last couple years actually, so had to go back to that.

(Photo: Tiger hopes to break out of the worst putting slump of his career / Keith Allison, Flickr)

Q. I’d like to follow up on the putting question. Have your putting problems filtered at all into the rest of your game? Sometimes guys, when they’re not putting well press, they try to hit it closer or whatever. I’m just wondering if you’ve noticed that happen to you at all or think back if it has. And also, where are you, on which putter? Have you been experimenting?
TIGER WOODS: As far as pressing, no, I play the game for what it gives me on a particular day. Ironically I said to you guys at the British Open this is the best I’ve driven it in years and this is the worst I’ve ever putted. What a game. But as far as my putter, I’ve gone back to my old one. I know all the numbers show that the Method putter does roll the ball better, technology, just does. But I went back to something that I’m familiar with and had good results with.

Q. When did you stop practicing as much putting?
TIGER WOODS: I haven’t had time. I haven’t had as much time to practice overall with the kids. Life has changed.

Q. You kind of made it sound as though whatever your practice session is, you’re devoting more to the full swing.
TIGER WOODS: No, I haven’t practiced as much as I used to, nor should I. My kids are more important.

Tiger will be paired with Lee Westwood in the first two rounds, and said he looks forward to it. “I’ve always enjoyed playing with Westy. He’s a great guy.”

I don’t expect a win from Tiger this week. I realize his record at Firestone is phenomenal. I just don’t sense that his game and head are there yet.

−The Armchair Golfer

(All quotes courtesy of ASAP Sports)

The Unbridled Emotion of Seve Ballesteros

SEVE BALLESTEROS COULDN’T MAKE the trip to St. Andrews for the reunion with 20 some odd other British Open champions. His doctors wouldn’t allow it. His health is too fragile. Nonetheless, there have been many Seve tributes this week, some that could bring a statue to tears. Rightly so.

Anyone who saw Seve play in his prime would no doubt remember his charisma, fieriness, imagination and unbridled emotion. Whether or not he was among someone’s favorites, there was no denying that Seve was a singular player who left his mark on the sport.

The above short clip is Exhibit A. Seve holed out on the final green of the 1984 British Open at the Old Course. He was the year’s champion golfer, his second of three Open crowns, and his reaction was pure joy. It’s a good way to remember him.

−The Armchair Golfer

A First Edition of ‘Only at the British Open …’

I WAS DOING OTHER things today and unable to pay much attention to the British Open. Now I’ve been reading up on what I missed and had this thought: The Open Championship is the most unpredictable golf tournament in the world, just downright nutty. Anything can happen, thanks mostly to the Jekyll and Hyde weather.

So how about a quick edition of “Only at the British Open …”? It’s the first and may not be the last. Ready? Here we go …


(Photo: Old Tom’s shop in St. Andrews / Son of Groucho, Flickr)



Only at the British Open would a 21-year-old phenom who shot a record 63 in the first round back it up with an 80.

Only at the British Open would John Daly take a swing at a potted plant after signing for a 76. (On second thought, that could happen anywhere.)

Only at the British Open would the wind go from 0 to 50 mph in nothing flat and completely switch directions in the middle of rounds.

Only at the British Open would a South African nicknamed “Shrek” set a 36-hole scoring record and lead by five.

Only at the British Open would old-guy champions Mark Calcavecchia and Tom Lehman sneak into contention, a la Tom Watson. “The old guys can hang with the young guys,” Calc said.

Only at the British Open do they talk ad nauseam about the “draw.”

Only at the British Open are greens slower than LA freeways one day and have balls blowing off them the next.

And finally, only at the British Open would Tigers Woods wave Tom Watson (who has been very critical of Woods) up on the 18th hole so the five-time Open champion could have his final moment in front of adoring fans before darkness fell. (Nicely done, Tiger.)

I’ll be watching on Saturday and Sunday because, well, anything can happen and I don’t want to miss it when it does.

−The Armchair Golfer

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