Who will win the 93rd PGA Championship

Atlanta Athletic Club website



Who will win the 93^rd PGA Championship this week at the Atlanta Athletic Club?  I cannot remember the last time I was so excited to watch the PGA.  There are a lot of great story lines leading into this event that it already has the feeling of being a great one.  Just consider what has happened in the game since last year’s PGA Championship when Martin Kaymer won his first major and DJ had the most unfortunate ending, losing out on his first chance to compete in the playoff.

Let's begin by looking back at last week’s “Caddiegate” episode with Steve Williams in his post- round interview on the 18^th green with CBS.  He made an obvious dig at Tiger and you really cannot blame the guy for the pent up frustration.  Can you imagine if Adam Scott and Tiger are paired together this week?  Now, that will make for some exciting TV.

With Irishmen Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy winning the past two majors, will they contend this week for another major?  Of course we cannot forget another Irishmen, McDowell, who can play well in any big tournament.  Paddy Harrington also cannot be overlooked this week; he could show up and be the third Irishmen to win a major this year. 

Serious consideration also needs to be given to numbers one and two in the world; Luke Donald and Lee Westwood.  They both seem poised to win their first major and they've got to be feeling the pressure.  Every time they go into the press room at a major they are asked about winning a big one.

Tiger Woods - what else do you need to say?  He is coming off of his first start since returning from injury.  Oh yeah, plus the “Caddiegate” drama I mentioned earlier.   He can win anytime, anywhere. We all know that.

Phil Mickelson has to be a favorite this week for three reasons.  First, the primary rough will be cut shorter than it was in 2001 when Lefty almost won this event.  That will favor his tendency to hit the occasional wayward drive.  Second, the word is that the greens are really firm with this new grass so his high ball flight will be an advantage for him.  Finally, he almost won this event in 2001, the last time it was played here.

Adam Scott has to also be considered a favorite coming into the PGA after winning his first WGC event last week.  However, I believe we will see a letdown from Scott this week.  Between the emotional win last week and dealing with Caddiegate questions from the media I think he may be a little worn down.

Lastly, we cannot overlook all of the young guns on tour playing well.  Remember last week at Firestone how well Jason Day and Ryo Ishikawa played?  Also, Schwartzel put on a great performance at The Masters in April.

Who do you think is going to contend at the PGA this week?

The warm up routine of Miguel Angel Jimenez

Last week in the 2011 British Open Championship at Royal St George’s Miguel Angel Jimenez from Spain offered up one of the funniest moments in golf this year.   Miguel Angel Jimenez aka "The Mechanic" (see my post of Golfers nicknames) from Spain is know for several things.  Besides being a great player he enjoys red wine and cigars.  He is very open about that and the noted cigar was present in this scene.  In the past I have written a post called “Where Have All of the Characters Gone?”  Well Miguel stepped to the plate and delivered on my request.  This Youtube Video Clip needs no commentary by me.  Watch and enjoy for yourself and a good laugh.

source; Youtube
URL:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PuO3y1DopM

Darren Clarke wins the British Open

source; BBC

Darren Clarke won the 2011 British Open Championship on Sunday at Royal St George’s in England.  Here in the USA we still call it the British Open whereas, the rest of the world calls it the Open Championship.  Clarke outlasted long hitting Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson.  I know many of the pundits were surprised to see Clarke finally win a major championship.  I am not considering his track record and career success.  Admittedly, he said the links style golf at the British Open obviously favored his game.  After all, Clarke grew up playing links golf in Ireland where he once again resides.  Another factor to consider in the win is that Clarke is very good in match play situations.  If you recall he beat Tiger Woods in the Match Play Championship in 2000 at La Costa in San Diego.  As we are all reminded that was Tigers great year when he won just about everything including the US Open by twelve shots.  Sundays final round was similar to a match play event.  Given the weather and difficulty of the golf course Clarke did not need to shoot a crazy low number to win.  He simply needed to keep pace with the field and let them make mistakes.  Since they were chasing him they needed to play more aggressively and take risks.  That was a difficult golf course to have to play aggressively.

Another amazing fact to me is how many wins the Irish have had in the past few years.  Padraig Harrington got it all started a few years ago with his Open Championship win.  It was most recently followed up by other major wins from McDowell, McIlroy and now Clarke.  It is incredible how such a little country has produced so many major winners in such a short span of time.  As I discussed in my last post “who is the best young, American golfer” it is not surprising to see another major won by a non American.  However, it was great to see Fowler, Kim and Johnson make a charge especially given the weather conditions.  They could have very easily have mailed it in and moved on to the next event but they didn’t.  They hung in there and fought hard to win as did Phil the Thrill.

Darren Clarke comes across as a regular guy.  Over the weekend in one of his interviews he made the comment that he was a regular guy who liked to share a pint.   I have no doubt he will be a popular champion and I am hoping the win will propel him to play more events in the US.  You have to pull for a guy who always seems happy and has a smile on his face.  It was Clarkes time to win the Open Championship and it is well deserved.  He now holds the record for the most appearances before a win (twenty).  The record was previously held by Nick Price who played the event fifteen times before winning. 

Do you think Clarke will win another major or is this it for him?

Rory McIlroy wins the US Open, not a surprise

source; Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

It has been several days since Rory McIlroy stunned the world with his record breaking victory at the 2011 US Open at Congressional Country Club. I say surprising not that he won. Rather, they way he blew away the field, ala Tiger in 2000. Far be it from me to analyze his performance or the records he set. As usual I will let that up to the experts who do it for a living every day.

I have to recount a phone conversation I had with my brother just after the Tiger Woods accident in November 2009.  Like all other golfers we were discussing the Tiger Slam, errrrrrrr crash and who would benefit from Tigers absence on the Professional Golf scene. He asked me who I thought would benefit the most and I told him Rory McIlroy, while he picked Phil Mickelson. He thought Phil would benefit the most because of the fanfare. Given Phil’s life situation at the time and his connection with the fans he felt Phil had the most to gain.

He wanted to know why I thought Rory McIlroy would benefit the most. First, I told him that I believed that Rory had that something special that you see in very few players. He had that extra gear that most pros do not have and cannot call on at will. We all know what that extra gear looks like as Jack and Tiger have displayed it many times in competition. Very few players can command more from their game at precisely the right moment, under pressure to win golf tournaments. Not to take anything away from the other tour players, it is just there are those special few who can take their game up a notch in majors. In my opinion, Rory is in that category. I am NOT comparing him to Tiger and Jack, all I am saying is that he has the extra gear and we saw it at Congressional.

Second, I felt that with Tiger off the tour for awhile young players like Rory would have the opportunity to grow. They would have the opportunity to win more often, gain confidence and establish themselves as champions. We all remember how intimidating Tiger was in major championships to proven tour players, let along young guys like Rory. Much of winning at the highest level is confidence and a certain swagger. You need to believe in yourself, your game and your ability to win on the back nine of a major.

Finally, I felt that Rory has an incredible golf swing, great short game and flowing putting stroke. Now, one can argue that many players have those same qualities and I would agree to a certain point. The difference is that Rory brings that game to the course just about every time he plays. Most players are “on” any given week in one or two of those three areas but not all three.

So, where does Rory go from here? Only time will tell. I am sure like most major champions he will be burdened with press obligations, hounded by fans, hire a new swing coach, get new equipment and be travel weary for the next year. I hope that does not happen. I hope he comes out at the Open Championship next month, puts himself in a position to win and we get a chance to see that young, great talent compete once again for a major.

With all that talent, much less pressure and tremendous confidence, it is going to be fun to watch Rory the rest of his career.

How do you think Rory will do going forward?

Watching the US Open

                                   Source www.veteranticketsfoundation.org

                                                                 
The US Open begins this week at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda Maryland. For Americans this is our National Championship, our oldest running competitive golf event and holds special meaning to us. I love to watch the US Open because it is a unique event in golf. Not to take anything away from the Open Championship played in Great Britain. For most American Golfers it is difficult for us to relate to the style of golf played across the pond. I have had the opportunity to attend several US Opens in person, both men’s and women’s and they are a fantastic golf event to see live.

Here are some of the reason I love to watch the US Open on TV, in person and now on the Internet;

• The US Open tests the players like no other championship. Every aspect of their game is challenged and exposed throughout the championship

• As spectators we get a chance to see some of the great golf courses our country has to offer in perfect shape and splendid color. Since most of the US Open sites are played on private golf courses this is our only chance to see them

• The Championship is a true test of golf, not a driver wedge event like some many PGA tour stops

• We get a chance to see the players struggle like the rest of us. Most weeks on tour you do not see the pros three putt, hit shots fifty yards out of the rough, make triple bogey’s and so on.

• Leading up to the Championship I enjoy watching all of the coverage of the event by the experts. You get detailed analysis about the players, course, history, injuries

• In recent years we have seen some classic Phil Mickelson dramatics at the end of the US Open, they usually come on the back nine on Sunday. Let’s see what Phil the Thrill has in store for us this week

• There are usually a few “no name” players and international players that pop up on the leader board throughout the event. It gives us a chance to see players that we normally do not see on the PGA tour

• The US Open is the only major that has an 18 hole playoff should two or more players be tied after play on the final round. Remember Tiger and Rocco at Torrey Pines? Or, Ernie, Monty and Loren Roberts at Oakmont

• The US Open produces so many great memories and shots in the history of the game. Who can forget Watson’s chip in at Pebble, TC Chen’s double hit at Oakland Hills, Corey Pavin’s 5 Wood at Shinnecock, Tigers blowout victory at Pebble, Lee Trevino throwing the toy snake at Nicklaus at Medina. The list goes on and on, feel free to add your own in the comment section

• Last but not least Johnny Millers 63 in the final round of the 1973 Open at Oakmont. Not to mention that he gets choked up every year as he talks about the US Open and usually sheds a tear while doing the telecast

So, let’s gear up for another exciting US Open and see what drama unfolds this week on another classic American golf course

What do you like about watching the US Open, leave a comment.