With a shortage of daylight, and a bunched up leaderboard, the new CIMB Classic had to go a Monday finish. Ryan Moore and Gary Woodland found themselves a top the stacked field when Sunday came to an end. On Monday in the playoff, Ryan Moore made a quick birdie on the 18th hole (first playoff hole) to defeat Woodland. This is Moore's third career win on the PGA Tour, and is slowly becoming one of the best players in the world.
Moore had a great amateur career winning the US Amateur, the Western Amateur, and the US Pub Links all in 2004, as well as the NCAA Individual title that year. This capped an astounding senior year of college for Moore, and he turned pro in 2005. He turned pro right after his made cut in the US Open, and the played the next week as a professional. Moore had finished low amateur earlier that year at The Masters with a T-13 finish. He also won the Haskins Award that year for the most outstanding collegiate golfer in the nation. Moore has struggled through out his career with wrist issues having to have surgery on it, and missing many tournaments because of it. But Moore has fought through the health issues, and is becoming a star.
With many players around the top, Moore slowly climbed up the leaderboard on Saturday, and was in contention all day Sunday. Another player who was in contention from the very start was Kiradech Aphibarnrat. "Aphi" is not a PGA Tour member, but has shown us a lot in 2013 proving he can play with just about anyone in the world. It is hard not to root for him, and he is fun to watch. Too bad he didn't get a win this week, but Moore and Woodland are very likeable players on the Tour as well.
The CIMB brought a lot of excitement to the early 2014 PGA Tour season,a nd brought out a lot of the stars. This tournament seemed to get a lot of popularity this year, and will get a lot more after what happened this year. For Moore, it is a great week, for others like Woodland and Aphi, close but no cigar, but it is still a good way to start the season.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Sergio woes at the CIMB
Sergio finished T-11 at the PGA Tour's CIMB Classic in Malaysia. This is the third PGA stop this year, and the first tournament for Garcia.
Sergio has had a very good 2013, making all 17 cuts in the 2013 season, and is now one for one in 2014. Sergio, who is a very talked about player, had some struggles off the field in 2013, but that seemed to have no affect on his play.
At this weeks stop, Sergio had put himself in contention after the first couple rounds, and was four back going into Sunday. Sergio struggled the final round, shooting even par,72, and dropping to six back. After the first round of 66, Sergio finished the tournament 71-71-72 and fell down the leaderboard. Though a tough finish for Garcia, this was good finish for him as he tries to get back to where he once was.
Winner, Ryan Moore, defeated fellow American Gary Woodland in a playoff Monday with a birdie on the first playoff hole. This is one of Ryan Moore's few wins on the tour, and it is always good to see him finish well. After a great amateur career, Moore struggled with injuries, and is slowly getting back to where he once was in the game of golf. Like Sergio, he is slowly rebuilding and is starting to reach the top of the game.
Sergio, one of my favorite in the game of golf, has had an up and down last few years. With a very good 2008 season, winning The Players, but had poor '09 and '10 seasons. With many good looks in majors, maybe 2014 is finally the year. It would be great to see Garcia win one next year, just to prove all of the people that say he will never win one wrong. He is really coming on strong, and his chances keep getting better to finally win one.
With a bunched leaderboard, and an exciting finish the 2013 (2014 season) CIMB Classic was a success for one of the new tournaments. This tournament also attracted many of the games best, and is looking to be a popular stop in the years to come.
Sergio has had a very good 2013, making all 17 cuts in the 2013 season, and is now one for one in 2014. Sergio, who is a very talked about player, had some struggles off the field in 2013, but that seemed to have no affect on his play.
At this weeks stop, Sergio had put himself in contention after the first couple rounds, and was four back going into Sunday. Sergio struggled the final round, shooting even par,72, and dropping to six back. After the first round of 66, Sergio finished the tournament 71-71-72 and fell down the leaderboard. Though a tough finish for Garcia, this was good finish for him as he tries to get back to where he once was.
Winner, Ryan Moore, defeated fellow American Gary Woodland in a playoff Monday with a birdie on the first playoff hole. This is one of Ryan Moore's few wins on the tour, and it is always good to see him finish well. After a great amateur career, Moore struggled with injuries, and is slowly getting back to where he once was in the game of golf. Like Sergio, he is slowly rebuilding and is starting to reach the top of the game.
Sergio, one of my favorite in the game of golf, has had an up and down last few years. With a very good 2008 season, winning The Players, but had poor '09 and '10 seasons. With many good looks in majors, maybe 2014 is finally the year. It would be great to see Garcia win one next year, just to prove all of the people that say he will never win one wrong. He is really coming on strong, and his chances keep getting better to finally win one.
With a bunched leaderboard, and an exciting finish the 2013 (2014 season) CIMB Classic was a success for one of the new tournaments. This tournament also attracted many of the games best, and is looking to be a popular stop in the years to come.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
The chances for maize and blue this year?
This is the first of many blogs I will have for the rest of the college football season covering Michigan football, and then will probably cover some Michigan basketball.
Currently the Wolverines are 6-1 (2-1). With their one loss coming against Penn State in 4OT, but this season, with their record being good, isn't as successful as Brady Hoke was hoping. They've squeaked out three of their six wins so far. Two of them against Akron and Connecticut, which are struggling teams this year. So what are Blue's chances of holding their own with the Buckeyes this year and knocking them off their throne?
This week the Wolverines play, a should be ranked (6-1) Michigan State team. The inner-state rivalry should be a very good test for Michigan, and if they play to their ability realistically they shouldn't have a problem with State. But as proven this season, it doesn't matter what school, program, or quality of team, they could pose a threat to Blue.
Then the next week Michigan gets #25 ranked Nebraska (Mich. is currently #24). So, according to the rankings, this should be a battle. But as I said earlier, if the Wolverines can play to their ability they can handle the Huskers, but you never know what to expect with this years team.
The next two weeks after Nebraska, Michigan gets a good but injured Northwestern team, then a weak, but surprising Iowa team. Northwestern like State and Nebraska could pose a risk, but Michigan can handle them. Then there is Iowa. As a local, I am hoping Michigan beats Iowa 91-0, but if Iowa brings what they brought to OSU, then it could be an unexpectedly close game. Michigan easily and should be able to get through these four teams without a loss, and then they face the almighty Buckeyes for The Game.
The Game. The biggest rivalry in college sports. That is what awaits both Michigan and Ohio State at the end of their regular seasons each and every year. These two teams have played 108 times and Michigan has 14 win lead over the Buckeyes. Ohio State has won most of their most recent visits, but his year could be different. OSU is currently undefeated, and up there for the nation's top team, but Michigan is also ranked with only one loss coming in the fourth OT. This year The Game could be a battle to the finish, but Michigan's good team needs to show up, or else it will be a murder scene.
Michigan has a lot of talent this year with an explosive offense, but this year has met their goals, until they beat Ohio State. If Michigan can win their last five games, then they will get a chance for the Big Ten Championship, then the Rose Bowl, but they've got an uphill battle to get there.
For current Michigan news and upcoming events visit: http://www.mgoblue.com/sports/m-footbl/
Currently the Wolverines are 6-1 (2-1). With their one loss coming against Penn State in 4OT, but this season, with their record being good, isn't as successful as Brady Hoke was hoping. They've squeaked out three of their six wins so far. Two of them against Akron and Connecticut, which are struggling teams this year. So what are Blue's chances of holding their own with the Buckeyes this year and knocking them off their throne?
This week the Wolverines play, a should be ranked (6-1) Michigan State team. The inner-state rivalry should be a very good test for Michigan, and if they play to their ability realistically they shouldn't have a problem with State. But as proven this season, it doesn't matter what school, program, or quality of team, they could pose a threat to Blue.
Then the next week Michigan gets #25 ranked Nebraska (Mich. is currently #24). So, according to the rankings, this should be a battle. But as I said earlier, if the Wolverines can play to their ability they can handle the Huskers, but you never know what to expect with this years team.
The next two weeks after Nebraska, Michigan gets a good but injured Northwestern team, then a weak, but surprising Iowa team. Northwestern like State and Nebraska could pose a risk, but Michigan can handle them. Then there is Iowa. As a local, I am hoping Michigan beats Iowa 91-0, but if Iowa brings what they brought to OSU, then it could be an unexpectedly close game. Michigan easily and should be able to get through these four teams without a loss, and then they face the almighty Buckeyes for The Game.
The Game. The biggest rivalry in college sports. That is what awaits both Michigan and Ohio State at the end of their regular seasons each and every year. These two teams have played 108 times and Michigan has 14 win lead over the Buckeyes. Ohio State has won most of their most recent visits, but his year could be different. OSU is currently undefeated, and up there for the nation's top team, but Michigan is also ranked with only one loss coming in the fourth OT. This year The Game could be a battle to the finish, but Michigan's good team needs to show up, or else it will be a murder scene.
Michigan has a lot of talent this year with an explosive offense, but this year has met their goals, until they beat Ohio State. If Michigan can win their last five games, then they will get a chance for the Big Ten Championship, then the Rose Bowl, but they've got an uphill battle to get there.
For current Michigan news and upcoming events visit: http://www.mgoblue.com/sports/m-footbl/
Sunday, October 20, 2013
McIlroy ties for 2nd, Kang wins over Kim because of rules violation
A struggling Rory McIlroy found some success at the Kolon Korean Open finishing in a tie for second. McIlroy dropped to 10 shots back after three rounds, but fired 4-under 67 on the final round to finish one back.
The big story this weekend was the rules violation that cost Kim Hyung-tae the victory to friend, Kang Sung-hoon. Similar to Dustin Johnson at the 2010 PGA Championship, Kim ground his club mistakenly in a hazard. This penalty was assessed well after Kim had finished the round, due to him and the rules officials going out to the hole and discussing the penalty and watching the video. But, in the end, Kim was assessed the penalty, and Kang got the win.
Kim and McIlroy both ended up in a five way tie for second place. This wasn't the ideal outcome for McIlroy, but its progress, and after a very poor 2013 season, McIlroy will take anything that will lead him in the right direction. McIroy is looking for a good 2014 season to get him back on his record-pacing career.
At the age of 24, is one of the only 24 year olds in golf history who has had as much success as he has. Two majors, and being ranked number one in world for some time are pretty big accomplishments at this young of an age. But I don't think McIroy is satisfied with his career as it is, he is looking for more and better accomplishments.
McIroy who had once stood toe-to-toe with Tiger Woods, and on his good days was better, was clearly out played by Woods in 2013, with five wins, and McIroy zero. These two were once the biggest and upcoming rivalry in golf, but there hasn't been much action it that due to Tiger not playing like Tiger when Rory's playing good, and Rory playing very poor when Tigers on. We as a golfing community would love to see these two, preferably at a major in 2014, go head to head playing their best, and see whose the best. But that isn't as easy to see with how poor Mcilroy's played recently.
Mcilroy looks to be going in the right direction, but the hill is very steep. For Kang, its time to celebrate, for Kim its time to move on.
The big story this weekend was the rules violation that cost Kim Hyung-tae the victory to friend, Kang Sung-hoon. Similar to Dustin Johnson at the 2010 PGA Championship, Kim ground his club mistakenly in a hazard. This penalty was assessed well after Kim had finished the round, due to him and the rules officials going out to the hole and discussing the penalty and watching the video. But, in the end, Kim was assessed the penalty, and Kang got the win.
Kim and McIlroy both ended up in a five way tie for second place. This wasn't the ideal outcome for McIlroy, but its progress, and after a very poor 2013 season, McIlroy will take anything that will lead him in the right direction. McIroy is looking for a good 2014 season to get him back on his record-pacing career.
At the age of 24, is one of the only 24 year olds in golf history who has had as much success as he has. Two majors, and being ranked number one in world for some time are pretty big accomplishments at this young of an age. But I don't think McIroy is satisfied with his career as it is, he is looking for more and better accomplishments.
McIroy who had once stood toe-to-toe with Tiger Woods, and on his good days was better, was clearly out played by Woods in 2013, with five wins, and McIroy zero. These two were once the biggest and upcoming rivalry in golf, but there hasn't been much action it that due to Tiger not playing like Tiger when Rory's playing good, and Rory playing very poor when Tigers on. We as a golfing community would love to see these two, preferably at a major in 2014, go head to head playing their best, and see whose the best. But that isn't as easy to see with how poor Mcilroy's played recently.
Mcilroy looks to be going in the right direction, but the hill is very steep. For Kang, its time to celebrate, for Kim its time to move on.
Rulings change because of call ins, is this right?
Now that it's happened to Tiger,
and a couple years ago it caused Dustin Johnson to lose the PGA Championship.
You would think that the rules committee for the PGA and USGA would discuss a
rule against call ins. The real question is if it can't happen in football or
basketball, then how can it be legal in golf.
You don't see call ins in professional or collegiate football and basketball. You don't see a foul in basketball that wasn't called, or a holding in football down the wire, where a fan calls in, and they change the outcome of the game. So why can you see a player get penalized by a fan seeing the player unknowingly ground his club in a questionable bunker on television. It’s idiotic, golf is a game of integrity. For as long as golfs been around it has been the players vs. the course, not and the spectators.
My biggest objection, is that they only show a select amount of the players. Unlike basketball or football where they show the whole field and all of the competitors, they don't show every single player and every single one of their shots. So in my eyes, the ability to call in a penalty or an infraction on one player isn't fair to him or to the field. This especially hurts the better, more popular players aka Tiger Woods because they show every single one of his shots, and the players in contention because they also show a few of their shots when not showing Tiger.
I feel like the call in against Tiger at the 2013 Masters was the last straw. Tiger, who had just hit a great shot, but was too good and hit the pin and rolled back into the water on #15, decided to drop from the same spot. Tiger ended up dropping about 3-4 feet in front of where he originally hit his shot, the rule is you have to drop the ball as close to the original spot as possible. Tiger should have known this, he is the greatest golfer to live, but he made a simple mistake, not one worth of a post round penalty, and luckily one that didn't get him disqualified. How could they penalize him, not knowing if any other golfer that day had done something similar, it's not right, and it needs to be changed.
No other sport allows the ability of fans watching the game to call in and penalize a player. The other thing is, you don't know who the person calling in is, they could be someone who hates the player that they are calling against. This is just unfair to the players in the tournament. Golf is a game where the players have to be honest, and usually the players are. The call ins are taking that great aspect away from the game.
You don't see call ins in professional or collegiate football and basketball. You don't see a foul in basketball that wasn't called, or a holding in football down the wire, where a fan calls in, and they change the outcome of the game. So why can you see a player get penalized by a fan seeing the player unknowingly ground his club in a questionable bunker on television. It’s idiotic, golf is a game of integrity. For as long as golfs been around it has been the players vs. the course, not and the spectators.
My biggest objection, is that they only show a select amount of the players. Unlike basketball or football where they show the whole field and all of the competitors, they don't show every single player and every single one of their shots. So in my eyes, the ability to call in a penalty or an infraction on one player isn't fair to him or to the field. This especially hurts the better, more popular players aka Tiger Woods because they show every single one of his shots, and the players in contention because they also show a few of their shots when not showing Tiger.
I feel like the call in against Tiger at the 2013 Masters was the last straw. Tiger, who had just hit a great shot, but was too good and hit the pin and rolled back into the water on #15, decided to drop from the same spot. Tiger ended up dropping about 3-4 feet in front of where he originally hit his shot, the rule is you have to drop the ball as close to the original spot as possible. Tiger should have known this, he is the greatest golfer to live, but he made a simple mistake, not one worth of a post round penalty, and luckily one that didn't get him disqualified. How could they penalize him, not knowing if any other golfer that day had done something similar, it's not right, and it needs to be changed.
No other sport allows the ability of fans watching the game to call in and penalize a player. The other thing is, you don't know who the person calling in is, they could be someone who hates the player that they are calling against. This is just unfair to the players in the tournament. Golf is a game where the players have to be honest, and usually the players are. The call ins are taking that great aspect away from the game.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Jimmy Walker takes home Frys
Jimmy Walker gets his first PGA Tour win at the first tournament of 2014.
Walker has struggled over the years getting into the winners' circle, but maybe 2014 is his year. I mean, the man is undefeated, when it comes to events in 2014. Some one had to be.
Walker is a former Web.com Tour champion, getting his most recent win at the National Mining Association Pete Dye Classic. The only difference between his win Sunday and that one is $792k. So to say that the win on Sunday was big for Jimmy, would be an understatement.
Walker finished the tournament at -17, the next closest competitor was tour-veteran Vijay Singh, who finished the week at -15. Singh has been playing a little on the Champions Tour, now that he's turned 50. But this was a big week for Vijay because this ties for his best finish since 2007, where he won three times, and got two second place finishes.
Other notables who made it onto the leaderboard were former star Kevin Na, who tied for third with up and rising star, Hideki Matsuyama, and two others. The 21 year old Matsuyama finished at -14, and this was his best career finish on the PGA Tour. Matsuyama was on the losing end of the Presidents Cup, but it is just impressive that he was there. Matsuyama has shown us some great things so far, and we can expect to see even more out of him.
For Walker, the 2014 season is looking very bright. Maybe this is the year he really breaks out on the tour. But for others, the struggles have already began one week into the season.
Mike Weir, Robert Allenby, John Huh, and Bud Cauley were four of the six who finished in last place of the players who made the cut. While, Gary Woodland, Aaron Baddely, and Billy Horschel are three of the biggest names that didn't make the cut. This is not the start of the season these players were looking for, but one tournament doesn't define a season.
Walker and many others are satisfied with their start to the season, but players like Billy Horschel are looking for a better start next week at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.
Link to the Shriners leaderboard: http://www.pgatour.com/leaderboard.html
Link for information of the Frys: http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/frys-com-open.html
Walker has struggled over the years getting into the winners' circle, but maybe 2014 is his year. I mean, the man is undefeated, when it comes to events in 2014. Some one had to be.
Walker is a former Web.com Tour champion, getting his most recent win at the National Mining Association Pete Dye Classic. The only difference between his win Sunday and that one is $792k. So to say that the win on Sunday was big for Jimmy, would be an understatement.
Walker finished the tournament at -17, the next closest competitor was tour-veteran Vijay Singh, who finished the week at -15. Singh has been playing a little on the Champions Tour, now that he's turned 50. But this was a big week for Vijay because this ties for his best finish since 2007, where he won three times, and got two second place finishes.
Other notables who made it onto the leaderboard were former star Kevin Na, who tied for third with up and rising star, Hideki Matsuyama, and two others. The 21 year old Matsuyama finished at -14, and this was his best career finish on the PGA Tour. Matsuyama was on the losing end of the Presidents Cup, but it is just impressive that he was there. Matsuyama has shown us some great things so far, and we can expect to see even more out of him.
For Walker, the 2014 season is looking very bright. Maybe this is the year he really breaks out on the tour. But for others, the struggles have already began one week into the season.
Mike Weir, Robert Allenby, John Huh, and Bud Cauley were four of the six who finished in last place of the players who made the cut. While, Gary Woodland, Aaron Baddely, and Billy Horschel are three of the biggest names that didn't make the cut. This is not the start of the season these players were looking for, but one tournament doesn't define a season.
Walker and many others are satisfied with their start to the season, but players like Billy Horschel are looking for a better start next week at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.
Link to the Shriners leaderboard: http://www.pgatour.com/leaderboard.html
Link for information of the Frys: http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/frys-com-open.html
Sunday, October 13, 2013
High School Golf: a tragedy
As a high school golfer, my team has finished second the last two years in the state meet. Not exactly our goals we were looking to achieve.
With all of us being juniors, we will have our best chance of winning the title next year, but these last two years we've walked away with state runner-up, when we easily could have been champions.
Two years ago we went to state ranked fourth in the state, and with the number one team being very dominant we were playing for second place. After very cold and windy conditions, we stood alone in first place by one shot over two teams after day one. I battled very hard, shooting low for our team the second day, but our efforts fell just short, as we were nudged by one of the teams one shot behind us. We had been beat by a single stroke. One missed putt, one easy up and down that wasn't converted, one stroke.
After last years defeat, we were thinking we could play with anyone this next year. We had a record amount of win, beating the previous years new record with an impressive 101-7 record. Going into the state meet we were ranked third, but this time we felt we were better than our ranking. Upon hearing that the team who beat us by one the year before, and this years number one ranked team, didn't qualify, we were very excited for the possibility of this years title. But after day one in windy conditions, we found ourselves short by seven strokes. The next day our game plan was to run the table. As a whole most of us came out swinging jumping to hot starts, and myself being one under through 2 and all the way through 11, once again in very windy conditions. But after struggling on the tight back nine our teams title sites were once again not in our hands. And with strong finishes by it's players the team who was leading after day one, ended up getting us by nine overall.
Our team will be starting six seniors in all six varsity spots next year, and we will surely be back to make another run for a state title. But heartbreak is tough to recover from, and it may take some of our players a little time to recover. In the long run these second place finishes will make us stronger, but at the moment we are all still a little hurt.
Next year will be different, our rivals who edged us by one will most likely qualify with three of their top four being seniors next year, and it will surely be a battle of the best. As of now, our team is working on fixing their weaknesses, so we will be a major force next year. Our goals are to improve our record from the year before, and maybe give an undefeated season a run. But the state title is definitely our biggest goal after letting it slip from our grasps the past two years.
With all of us being juniors, we will have our best chance of winning the title next year, but these last two years we've walked away with state runner-up, when we easily could have been champions.
Two years ago we went to state ranked fourth in the state, and with the number one team being very dominant we were playing for second place. After very cold and windy conditions, we stood alone in first place by one shot over two teams after day one. I battled very hard, shooting low for our team the second day, but our efforts fell just short, as we were nudged by one of the teams one shot behind us. We had been beat by a single stroke. One missed putt, one easy up and down that wasn't converted, one stroke.
After last years defeat, we were thinking we could play with anyone this next year. We had a record amount of win, beating the previous years new record with an impressive 101-7 record. Going into the state meet we were ranked third, but this time we felt we were better than our ranking. Upon hearing that the team who beat us by one the year before, and this years number one ranked team, didn't qualify, we were very excited for the possibility of this years title. But after day one in windy conditions, we found ourselves short by seven strokes. The next day our game plan was to run the table. As a whole most of us came out swinging jumping to hot starts, and myself being one under through 2 and all the way through 11, once again in very windy conditions. But after struggling on the tight back nine our teams title sites were once again not in our hands. And with strong finishes by it's players the team who was leading after day one, ended up getting us by nine overall.
Our team will be starting six seniors in all six varsity spots next year, and we will surely be back to make another run for a state title. But heartbreak is tough to recover from, and it may take some of our players a little time to recover. In the long run these second place finishes will make us stronger, but at the moment we are all still a little hurt.
Next year will be different, our rivals who edged us by one will most likely qualify with three of their top four being seniors next year, and it will surely be a battle of the best. As of now, our team is working on fixing their weaknesses, so we will be a major force next year. Our goals are to improve our record from the year before, and maybe give an undefeated season a run. But the state title is definitely our biggest goal after letting it slip from our grasps the past two years.
Lexi's back in the winner's circle
Lexi Thompson, after being on the losing side of the Solheim Cup, comes out of Malaysia with a win, and some momentum.
Though only being 18 years old, Lexi has been around for quite some time. And the win at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia, is her second career win.
It seems like she's been around a lot longer than three years, but after a 14 year old has won multiple times, Lexi doesn't seem that young. But neither did Michelle Wie. We've seen Lexi battle through the thick and the thin. I've seen her when she looked like a dominant force on the tour, and I've watched her hit two consecutive shanks. Is Lexi finally going to break out?
No one knows the answer to that question. You can never tell on the LPGA Tour. Its been proven that almost anyone can win on that tour, but we've seen some dominant players go through slumps where they can't win for multiple years. I believe it will still be awhile before an American player becomes a dominant force on this tour because there are just too many good young players from Asia, that have been outplaying the American's for the last five years.
I may be wrong, and Lexi may be the one. But in my eyes one win over in Malaysia doesn't tell me if a players back or not. But a win is a win, and I'm happy for Lexi. We as American's need someone to step up, or else ladies golf will continue to be dominated by foreigners.
Some of the notables that Lexi beat were Suzann Petterson, who finished third, and seven strokes back of Lexi. Stacy Lewis finished in a tie for sixth, Michelle Wie ended up in a tie for 12th, and Paula Creamer tied for 15th. There was a strong showing for American golf, but it definitely needs some help and young stars too bring it back to the glory days.
Lexi Thompson and Jessica Korda are just two of the many young American talents that could restore the dominance of American golf, but these golfers need to step up, and step up now. The call has been sent, and it hasn't been answered yet. Maybe with this win from Lexi is the start, but there needs to be more of it.
Though only being 18 years old, Lexi has been around for quite some time. And the win at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia, is her second career win.
It seems like she's been around a lot longer than three years, but after a 14 year old has won multiple times, Lexi doesn't seem that young. But neither did Michelle Wie. We've seen Lexi battle through the thick and the thin. I've seen her when she looked like a dominant force on the tour, and I've watched her hit two consecutive shanks. Is Lexi finally going to break out?
No one knows the answer to that question. You can never tell on the LPGA Tour. Its been proven that almost anyone can win on that tour, but we've seen some dominant players go through slumps where they can't win for multiple years. I believe it will still be awhile before an American player becomes a dominant force on this tour because there are just too many good young players from Asia, that have been outplaying the American's for the last five years.
I may be wrong, and Lexi may be the one. But in my eyes one win over in Malaysia doesn't tell me if a players back or not. But a win is a win, and I'm happy for Lexi. We as American's need someone to step up, or else ladies golf will continue to be dominated by foreigners.
Some of the notables that Lexi beat were Suzann Petterson, who finished third, and seven strokes back of Lexi. Stacy Lewis finished in a tie for sixth, Michelle Wie ended up in a tie for 12th, and Paula Creamer tied for 15th. There was a strong showing for American golf, but it definitely needs some help and young stars too bring it back to the glory days.
Lexi Thompson and Jessica Korda are just two of the many young American talents that could restore the dominance of American golf, but these golfers need to step up, and step up now. The call has been sent, and it hasn't been answered yet. Maybe with this win from Lexi is the start, but there needs to be more of it.
Taylormade, the most innovative company yet
Taylormade is starting to be a very popular company when it comes to golf equipment. They now are in business with Adidas and Ashworth. So they are getting their name out on clothing, and in the last few years they have just started to make putters and balls. And both of them are booming.
The new Taylormade putters contain contrast colors of white and black for better alignment, and also counterbalance for a smoother stroke. Some of their new putters are:
Daddy Long Legs
http://www.petecarlsonsgolf.com/golf-products-2/taylormade-ghost-spider-daddy-long-legs-putter/
Spider Blade
http://www.thehackersparadise.com/forum/showthread.php?44045-TaylorMade-Spider-Blade-Putter-Forum-Review/page8
Taylormade came out with the spider a few years ago, and was originally a black mallet. Then it became a white mallet. Then a white and black mallet and blade.
Taylormade's new golf balls have struggled at times, but have become very popular over the last few years. The TP Black and TP Red were Taylormade's first somewhat popular ball. But after them came the very popular Penta TP, and then the Penta TP5 and TP3 were even more popular. This years Lethal is supposed to be even better and more of a controlling ball. The new innovation of Taylormade has led them to a very successful company, and mostly because of their drivers.
Taylormade's latest driver is the SLDR which is innovative for its adjustable weight to change the ball flight. The reason Taylormade's drivers are so successful is mostly because of the R-series. Which featured the R5 through the R11S, and then the R1. These drivers featured innovative technology from interchangeable weights to white heads.
Taylormade built it's name off of its drivers, and is now become very successful on all sides of the golf industry. The innovations of today keep getting better and better.
The new Taylormade putters contain contrast colors of white and black for better alignment, and also counterbalance for a smoother stroke. Some of their new putters are:
Daddy Long Legs
http://www.petecarlsonsgolf.com/golf-products-2/taylormade-ghost-spider-daddy-long-legs-putter/
Spider Blade
http://www.thehackersparadise.com/forum/showthread.php?44045-TaylorMade-Spider-Blade-Putter-Forum-Review/page8
Taylormade came out with the spider a few years ago, and was originally a black mallet. Then it became a white mallet. Then a white and black mallet and blade.
Taylormade's new golf balls have struggled at times, but have become very popular over the last few years. The TP Black and TP Red were Taylormade's first somewhat popular ball. But after them came the very popular Penta TP, and then the Penta TP5 and TP3 were even more popular. This years Lethal is supposed to be even better and more of a controlling ball. The new innovation of Taylormade has led them to a very successful company, and mostly because of their drivers.
Taylormade's latest driver is the SLDR which is innovative for its adjustable weight to change the ball flight. The reason Taylormade's drivers are so successful is mostly because of the R-series. Which featured the R5 through the R11S, and then the R1. These drivers featured innovative technology from interchangeable weights to white heads.
Taylormade built it's name off of its drivers, and is now become very successful on all sides of the golf industry. The innovations of today keep getting better and better.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
2014 Tour Preview
The 2014 season starts next week. But it's still 2013. Yes, we know, but due to the new changes, the fall events are apart of the next years season.
I agree completely with the new decision, and am anxious to watch some golf the rest of the season. The main reason I am excited for the fall events is because they actually matter now, they aren't just throw away events for Web.com Tour players. There will be better fields, and much more pressure.
Now, I'm not saying that we are going to see a lot of Tiger, but we will see a lot higher ranked players than normally in the fall season. That is going to bring a lot more spectators to the tournaments, and add suspense to them.
Who will be the big players to watch this season?
Tiger Woods. Well no crap! Tiger is coming off of a five win season, but no major. Maybe 2014 is the year that Tiger gets back on track to catching Jack's major record. It would be nice to see Tiger at least win one major, so there is still talk about him beating the record.
Hunter Mahan. Mahan had a good but not great 2013 season. He didn't get a win, but made the Tour Championship and President's Cup. Mahan has played very well in the last two match play events, so look for him making a charge in February at the WGC. Mahan missed out on the last Ryder Cup team by a sliver after a three win season. So don't be surprised if Mahan earns his spot easily after a heartbreak of not being a captain's pick in 2012.
Rory McIlroy. After a less than stellar 2013 season, McIlroy is looking for a recovery season. He was not close to making it into the field of the Tour Championship, and really didn't seem to get anything going at anytime in the season. McIlroy, who is a former number one, was supposed to be the one to challenge Tiger. But after Tiger's return to number one, McIlroy hasn't challenged him. The golfing world would love to see this young star make a big return, and challenge Tiger for his thrown.
The 2014 season is set to bring a lot of suspense, and we can't wait to watch.
I agree completely with the new decision, and am anxious to watch some golf the rest of the season. The main reason I am excited for the fall events is because they actually matter now, they aren't just throw away events for Web.com Tour players. There will be better fields, and much more pressure.
Now, I'm not saying that we are going to see a lot of Tiger, but we will see a lot higher ranked players than normally in the fall season. That is going to bring a lot more spectators to the tournaments, and add suspense to them.
Who will be the big players to watch this season?
Tiger Woods. Well no crap! Tiger is coming off of a five win season, but no major. Maybe 2014 is the year that Tiger gets back on track to catching Jack's major record. It would be nice to see Tiger at least win one major, so there is still talk about him beating the record.
Hunter Mahan. Mahan had a good but not great 2013 season. He didn't get a win, but made the Tour Championship and President's Cup. Mahan has played very well in the last two match play events, so look for him making a charge in February at the WGC. Mahan missed out on the last Ryder Cup team by a sliver after a three win season. So don't be surprised if Mahan earns his spot easily after a heartbreak of not being a captain's pick in 2012.
Rory McIlroy. After a less than stellar 2013 season, McIlroy is looking for a recovery season. He was not close to making it into the field of the Tour Championship, and really didn't seem to get anything going at anytime in the season. McIlroy, who is a former number one, was supposed to be the one to challenge Tiger. But after Tiger's return to number one, McIlroy hasn't challenged him. The golfing world would love to see this young star make a big return, and challenge Tiger for his thrown.
The 2014 season is set to bring a lot of suspense, and we can't wait to watch.
Presidents Cup Final
Well, I can't say it was a surprise.
The U.S. who was pretty heavy favorites won the President's Cup, but it may have been a little closer than they expected, and the general public may have thought.
Tiger clinched the cup with a 1-up victory over the relatively unknown, Richard Sterne. This match was probably wasn't supposed to go to the 18th hole, but a win is a win. And the champion U.S. team isn't thinking any different right now.
The International team won the singles, but they had put themselves in too big of a hole going into singles. The International's dominated the singles winning 7.5 points, to U.S.'s 4.5. Some of the bigger upsets earlier today were Marc Leishman beating the match play stalwart, Matt Kuchar. Kuchar beat fellow teammate, Hunter Mahan, in the WGC Match-Play earlier this year. Mahan the past champ of that event, won his match over the up and coming Asian-sensation, Hideki Matsuyama. Another big upset was Angel Cabrera beating Phil. Though the cup had already been decided, the match still went on, and a win is a win.
One of the biggest reasons that the U.S. won was that they had depth. The lowest amount of points contributed by a player for them was two, from Spieth, Snedeker, and Mahan. The international team had two players who didn't contribute any points (Grace and Sterne). As well as two contributing 1.5 each (Matsuyama and Oosthuizen).
For the International team to have success in the future, and to actually start contending at this, they need to be able to compete with the U.S. in all three categories (alternate shot, best ball, and singles). For that to happen, they need to find good pairings within their team, and find chemistry amongst their players.
It has always seemed to me that the U.S. has always been united, and treats this as kind of an exhibition before the Ryder Cup. And never has made this event as serious as it could/should be. But why should they? They blow out the International's every time. If the U.S. can keep being much more united than the International's, than they will have no problem with the Presdent's Cup in the future.
The International team has always seemed like they were just thrown together with little unity. Yes, there are some pairs like Oosthuizen and Schwartzel that seem to be very comfortable with each other, and a good duo. But that's it, there's always one or two good groupings, but not more than that. If the International team can find the same chemistry as the Europeans in the Ryder Cup, and start to play with a little chip on their shoulder. Then maybe they can start to make this a match, but not until they start to make this a big deal to them.
This President's Cup like many, has shown how dominative the U.S. is over the International's. Hopefully in the future the President's Cup will become more competitive, but this years didn't show that in the near future.
The U.S. who was pretty heavy favorites won the President's Cup, but it may have been a little closer than they expected, and the general public may have thought.
Tiger clinched the cup with a 1-up victory over the relatively unknown, Richard Sterne. This match was probably wasn't supposed to go to the 18th hole, but a win is a win. And the champion U.S. team isn't thinking any different right now.
The International team won the singles, but they had put themselves in too big of a hole going into singles. The International's dominated the singles winning 7.5 points, to U.S.'s 4.5. Some of the bigger upsets earlier today were Marc Leishman beating the match play stalwart, Matt Kuchar. Kuchar beat fellow teammate, Hunter Mahan, in the WGC Match-Play earlier this year. Mahan the past champ of that event, won his match over the up and coming Asian-sensation, Hideki Matsuyama. Another big upset was Angel Cabrera beating Phil. Though the cup had already been decided, the match still went on, and a win is a win.
One of the biggest reasons that the U.S. won was that they had depth. The lowest amount of points contributed by a player for them was two, from Spieth, Snedeker, and Mahan. The international team had two players who didn't contribute any points (Grace and Sterne). As well as two contributing 1.5 each (Matsuyama and Oosthuizen).
For the International team to have success in the future, and to actually start contending at this, they need to be able to compete with the U.S. in all three categories (alternate shot, best ball, and singles). For that to happen, they need to find good pairings within their team, and find chemistry amongst their players.
It has always seemed to me that the U.S. has always been united, and treats this as kind of an exhibition before the Ryder Cup. And never has made this event as serious as it could/should be. But why should they? They blow out the International's every time. If the U.S. can keep being much more united than the International's, than they will have no problem with the Presdent's Cup in the future.
The International team has always seemed like they were just thrown together with little unity. Yes, there are some pairs like Oosthuizen and Schwartzel that seem to be very comfortable with each other, and a good duo. But that's it, there's always one or two good groupings, but not more than that. If the International team can find the same chemistry as the Europeans in the Ryder Cup, and start to play with a little chip on their shoulder. Then maybe they can start to make this a match, but not until they start to make this a big deal to them.
This President's Cup like many, has shown how dominative the U.S. is over the International's. Hopefully in the future the President's Cup will become more competitive, but this years didn't show that in the near future.
Super strokes? -Whats the big deal??
By now you've probably seen the picture. Yes, Tiger using a Super Stroke putter grip.
I was very surprised as well. I guess you can't blame the man for experimenting with new things to fix his putting. But if you remember he's the one who spoke out very profoundly about how belly putters were cheating. So I would expect the person who is very critical about new techniques, and new methods to putt very traditionally.
Here's a link to an article about Tiger demoing the new grip: http://www.golfwrx.com/140885/tiger-to-change-to-a-superstroke-putter-grip/
Tiger isn't the only person to switch recently. Phil, the arch-rival of Tiger, switched to it at the end of last year. Phil's putting has gotten quite a bit better with the switch, including a major win this year. Phil copied a lot of his style from Sergio who switched a couple years ago, and went to a claw grip on it. Phil and Sergio have been using the claw with a Super Stroke for a while, and both of them were in the top-10 this year for strokes gained putting. So is Super Stroke the key to good putting?
What a Super Stroke grip does, is it takes your wrists out of the stroke by being an oversized grip, and by being multiple times heavier, which makes it harder to flip your wrists. Two of the players on my high school team use Super Strokes, which makes that a third of the players on my team. So are Super Stroke grips going to keep popping up? Is there going to be an even bigger boom with them?
I'm not really sure. In the tournaments I play in I'd say I see about ten Super Strokes, out of fields of 70-80. Jason Dufner was one of the originals to use it, and he has finished second in a major, and won a major after he appeared on tour.
The innovative design is very big to players that struggle with putting. This new grip might be just the thing to make bad putters, decent putters. I don't think a grip can take a person from a bad putter to a great putter. But if you consider Tiger a bad putter, then don't be surprised if he becomes a great putter.
I was very surprised as well. I guess you can't blame the man for experimenting with new things to fix his putting. But if you remember he's the one who spoke out very profoundly about how belly putters were cheating. So I would expect the person who is very critical about new techniques, and new methods to putt very traditionally.
Here's a link to an article about Tiger demoing the new grip: http://www.golfwrx.com/140885/tiger-to-change-to-a-superstroke-putter-grip/
Tiger isn't the only person to switch recently. Phil, the arch-rival of Tiger, switched to it at the end of last year. Phil's putting has gotten quite a bit better with the switch, including a major win this year. Phil copied a lot of his style from Sergio who switched a couple years ago, and went to a claw grip on it. Phil and Sergio have been using the claw with a Super Stroke for a while, and both of them were in the top-10 this year for strokes gained putting. So is Super Stroke the key to good putting?
What a Super Stroke grip does, is it takes your wrists out of the stroke by being an oversized grip, and by being multiple times heavier, which makes it harder to flip your wrists. Two of the players on my high school team use Super Strokes, which makes that a third of the players on my team. So are Super Stroke grips going to keep popping up? Is there going to be an even bigger boom with them?
I'm not really sure. In the tournaments I play in I'd say I see about ten Super Strokes, out of fields of 70-80. Jason Dufner was one of the originals to use it, and he has finished second in a major, and won a major after he appeared on tour.
The innovative design is very big to players that struggle with putting. This new grip might be just the thing to make bad putters, decent putters. I don't think a grip can take a person from a bad putter to a great putter. But if you consider Tiger a bad putter, then don't be surprised if he becomes a great putter.
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