2008's US Open was arguably the most exciting golf I've ever seen.  It started with Tiger's double bogey on the first hole on day one (shock #1) and ending with double overtime with golf world's most unlikely challenger - Rocky Rocco Mediate (shock #...I lost count!). 

What made it so exciting, besides the fact that the world's number one was in a playoff with someone who had to qualify even to get into this major, was the fact that there were so many instances when you sat up or stood up in front of the TV and said, "DID YOU SEE THAT!"

Here are just a few things that made it the best US Open ever!

1.  Torrey Pines provided a fabulous venue - what spectacular views!  I sure hope they bring it back there again.  I know one thing - I plan to play that course next January when I'm in San Diego before my cruise.  I watched Tiger play there in February and was blown away by the course and that man's scary talent.  I can't wait to reignite the feelings of this weekend by playing there myself.

2.  Rocco took Tiger to 90 holes!  He's 45 years old and if he would have won, he would have been the oldest player ever to win a major.   He was 158 in the world's rankings.  He was 126th on the money list.  He hasn't won in the last 138 starts (I guess it's 139 now).   His last win was 6 years ago.  And what was really cool, was that the audience was cheering for him over Tiger! (according to The Golf Channel's poll).

3. Emotions were coming through the TV set. We really felt the pain of players - Tiger's knee pain (made me feel sick to watch him double over) - Phil's quad-bogey pain (my mouth went dry - I had to turn away) - Els's triple-bogey pain (I wanted to cry) - Westwood's final putt pain to miss the playoff (and Britain's chances for a win since Tony Jacklin).  And we felt their joy - Tiger's joy on making it into the playoff - Els chipping it in when he couldn't make a putt all day - Rocco's joy at just being there! 

4.  It was anyone's tournament - the scores were so close through the entire weekend.  At one point I was sure Jimenez was going to jump to the top of the leader board, then Els had many great chances (if he had just holed a few putts), then Westwood appeared to have it in the bag on Sunday. And of course, CinderFella himself, seemed to have a "leg up" on Tiger  going into the 18th playoff hole 1 shot ahead. Who would have ever guessed it would come so close? 

5.  The Golf Digest US Open Challenge was a fun addition to the event.  I had hoped for a little better outcome and more real golf, but it was still a great idea and Atkinson should be proud of the way he handled himself.  I sure hope we see a ladies event like this someday soon (wink wink GFW :))

6. For the first time, I watched a PGA event and chatted online to all the fanatics out there in golf forum land at the same time.  After every shot, someone was giving their two cents on the tournament or player.  It was like a huge chat room - very exciting - very aggravating - very tense - but lots of fun!  I felt connected with golfers all over the world.  At one point there were 192 members on the US Open thread.  That was cool!

7.  But the best thing of all was "The Hug" - Tiger and Rocco in a bear hug.  I felt like I was watching Tiger and his dad at the Masters or Tiger and Stevie when he won the Open after his dad had passed away.  Brought tears to my eyes...

Well, it's good that majors don't happen every week. I don't think my nerves could stand it. 

Congratulations to the 2 US Open champions - Tiger who now holds the trophy for the 3rd time and Rocco who captured our hearts forever.

Golfgal

www.golfgal-blog.com

Two years ago, at the age of 16, Michelle Wie finished in the top five of three women’s majors, including a tie for 3rd at the U.S. Women’s Open. She was on the top of the world until a landslide hit and she tumbled down down down, until many people felt she would never gain ground again. I have to admit, I was one of those people. I hoped for the best, but deep inside I felt it was hopeless. But like all things in golf, you just never know...

Today, Michelle is starting to show some of her old spirit, perhaps due to a new love in her life or perhaps being a bit further from the iron apron strings of her parents or maybe it's just that Michelle Wie is growing up.

In two weeks, Michelle heads to Edina for the U.S. Women’s Open and she can hold her head up high again after finishing 6th in Germany two weeks ago and then second at a 36 hole sectional this past week with a score of -4.

“It feels really good to be playing well again,” Wie said on Monday. “It feels good to have confidence in my shots again. I feel like my distance is coming back. I’m pretty pleased, and I’m really happy to be playing at the U.S. Open.”

“I’ve put in a lot of hard work and I’m really glad to see that the results are starting to show heading into the U.S. Open,” Michelle continued. “I want to be in contention again. I want to feel the confidence. I want to feel like I’m the best player out there. I want to win.”

This week, Michelle Wie will tee it up at the Wegmans LPGA event (Lorena's defending) - a tour that Wie now says she'd be "honored" to play on. It would appear that Michelle is starting to think for herself. I would love to see Michelle in contention this week and I'd be thrilled to be in the postion of having to eat my past words when I thought her career was sadly over. 

I just love it when I'm wrong :)

Golfgal

www.golfgal-blog.com

An ongoing quest to realize potential
By MARK CRAIG • mcraig@startribune.com
Star Tribune
15 Jun 2008

Michelle Wie and Kevin Garnett are friends off the course and outside the ropes, brought together byWilliamMorrisAgency, aHollywood marketing firm that also serves, among others, tennis star SerenaWilliams, actor Russell Crowe and rapper 50 Cent. And...read more...

Wie is on quest to realize potential

Star Tribune
15 Jun 2008

“I’m a big fan of Kevin Garnett’s,” Wie said. “I’ve never seen anyone with that much intensity. He just plays with so much intensity that when I see him on the court, I just think to myself, ‘I want to be like that.’ I want to make people think I have...read more...

So...how does someone who's been off his game for weeks with knee surgery, limp up to greens that other players whine about and shoot 30 on his final 9 holes on Friday?  Amazing! We watch him start with two double bogies on day 1 and end the second day like that.  Wow!  Kind of leaves you speechless, doesn't it?

But as amazing as Tiger ended his round on Friday, what I really loved was watching him, Phil and Adam Scott play the last 2 days together and all struggle at some point in their game.

It's not like I wish anyone a bad game, but I have to say that I just love watching the pros having to really really work for a living.  Makes them look human.  Those regular tournament -20 wins are just too boring.   US Open wins coming in at just a couple under par are the best!

This week...watching Phil struggle off the tee was fun.  It allowed us to see his amazing short game, which probably wouldn't have been as exciting if he's hit more fairways.  Wasn't that flop shot/long putt combo just unbelievable on number 6? 

This is what I love about the US Open. 

1.  It's OPEN - anyone can try and qualify.  Perfect for a Cinderella story.

2.  It's hard - Look at this cut list!  I'm shocked to see names like Zach Johnson, Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson on this list, especially when 3 amateurs make it into the weekend.

3.  It brings out the best and worst in players and spectators alike.

The Best: 

- Watching Jimenez shoot a 66 on day 2. 

- Watching Tiger shoot 30 on his back nine. 

- Watching Ernie finally make a top 10 going into the weekend.

- Watching Davis Love III play so well after having to qualify for this event after missing the Masters.

The Worst:

- Phil playing without a driver and altered 3 wood and missing fairway after fairway after fairway. (BTW...he's using a driver on day 3).   I liked what Judy Rankin said during the commentary - "Phil over strategizes."

- Adam Scott missing a tap-in putt by being careless.

- Adam Scott's caddie having to confront a drunken man and his son during play (and subsequently getting them arrested) - and they call this a gentleman's sport.

- Listening to the whining of some of my fave players over the poa greens. 

Stephen Ames:  "They were good this morning, but they’re going to be horrendous this afternoon."  I wonder if he watched Tiger's run at the end of the day on those 'horrendous greens' :)

Mike Weir:  “These greens are so unpredictable it’s tough to get on a real roll with your putting.  I mean, at Muirfield if you get a putt on line it just tracks right in. But here. . .’’

Give me a break!  Tiger doesn't even like poa greens and he didn't do too badly on Friday.  In fact, he doesn't play Pebble Beach in February anymore because he doesn't really like poa (or maybe he just hates 6 hour Pro-Am rounds :))

Anyway, enough of my whining :) ... it's been a great two days of play and it appears that's it's only going to get better. The leader, Stuart Appleby, is playing well and is used to these greens. Tiger's limping between shots, but there's nothing limp about his game.

It's such a tight race and anything can happen.  I wouldn't mind an upset at all - just makes the game that much more exciting.  After all...double bogeys happen more often than eagles at US Opens. 

Golfgal

www.golfgal.com   

Poa golfers in for bumpy ride at Torrey Pines
DAVE PERKINS
Toronto Star
14 Jun 2008

LA JOLLA, CALIF. United States Open greens, by definition, are supposed to be more scary than an MLSE search committee. Their speed is likened to putting down your car hood, or in your bathtub. Every year, the putting surfaces are the subject of...read more...

What is it you try sooo hard not to think about that you can't think of anything else?

We've heard it time and time again - golf is a mental game - a game of inches - ie. the 6 inches between your ears. 

We all know it.  But...do we all believe it and I mean believe it so much that we practice our mental game as much as we practice hitting our drivers at the range?

When was the last time you called yourself an idiot on the golf course?  For me, it's not a question of when, but how many times I say it during a single round.  How many times have you walked up to your ball and said to yourself, "Don't hook/slice/shank/skull this one." OR "Stay right of the water."

And what happens? ....You slice/hook/shank/skull the ball right into your "pink elephant".

Why is that?  Why is golf such a mental game?  Is it true for all sports?

Well, according to Dr. Graeme Clark, an Edmonton psychologist who was quoted in the news article below, “Most of us play fear-based golf."

Fear-based golf...hmmm...I don't live a "fear-based life", so why do I play a "fear-based" sport?  Well, according to the experts in this article, it's simple...we think too much.

If you ask any of the world’s best golfers what they are thinking about just before they pull the trigger, the answer will invariably be the same. Nothing.  It’s just target. Seeing that target and then letting the body respond.

“The simplest way to say it is to ask someone to stand up and walk across the room and have them pay attention to their walking. Guess what happens? All of a sudden, it all changes. They start going ooh and aah, noticing things they never noticed before.”

Thinking merely impedes the process. The human body is at its best when the conscious mind is turned off.  Like learning how to walk, at some point muscle memory has to take over.

So how do you stop thinking?  Imagery — positive visualization — self talk — breathing — self-hypnosis.  We've heard these solutions before.  But what I liked about this article was that they put those techniques into the pre-shot routine, basically saying that it's as important to practice these mental elements in your pre-shot routine as it is to waggle. 

I tried this mental waggle this weekend when I was playing at the University Golf Club in Vancouver.  I like that course, but it has beat me up many times.   As a high handicapper, I score usually in the high 90's leaving at least 10 shots on the course that never should have happened.  This weekend I decided to change that with a change in my attitude on the course and a better mental pre-shot routine.  Here's what I did:

1)  I started my pre-shot routine at the bag - not after I chose the club to hit, but before.  In the past, I just grabbed a club that I liked because I didn't trust the clubs that caused me trouble in the past.  So, I'd often overclub and try to hit half a swing.  Guess what happened... :-(  This weekend, I told myself to pick the "right" club and trust it - really trust it.  It's the right club - it's the right thing to do - so...do the right thing!  You can do this - just do it!

2)  Then I focused on where I wanted to hit a shot and I even said it out loud in my pre-shot routine standing behind the ball.

3)  I slowed everything down - my walking, my breathing and my swing.  I made sure my practice swing felt really really good and only then did I let myself hit the ball.  It didn't really take any longer from a time perspective, but it really helped me relax. 

4)  Then, if I hit a bad shot (which were fewer because of 1, 2 and 3 above), I'd laugh and say to who ever was listening "Now here's an opportunity to prove what a great scrambler I am."

5)  In putting, I really focused on what was happening on the green as I walked up to putting surface - looking at slope, grain, etc.  I watched as others chipped up on the green to see how their ball behaved once it landed.  So when I went to line up my putt, I had a good feel for speed and line already.  I made one practice swing, looked at the hole just once (like Aaron Baddeley does) and said to myself, "This is going in."   

Now, it was very hard for me to do all of this over 18 holes - it took discipline and a lot of focus.  But...it was worth it.   I really enjoyed the game (miserable weather and all) and I walked off the course with my lowest round ever - I shot an 86 with only 29 putts.  For good golfers, this is no big deal, but for me, it was a revelation.

We all agree that being fit is important for golf, but most of us think that's about physical fitness.  To me, mental fitness is even more important.  So, I'm going to continue to work on this mind game as much, if not more, than my physical game this year and see where it gets me.  My goal is to get a handicap of less than 20 by December.  I know I can do it as long as I think I can...I think I can... I think can...before I swing the club.   But the moment I start my back swing...all thinking stops.

Golfgal
www.golfgal-blog.com

Pink Elephant by: © Frederick Matzen | Dreamstime.com

Positive visualization is key to your game
Stories b y CURTIS STOCK EDMONTON
Edmonton Journal
09 Jun 2008

Look at all that water between me and the hole. I’ve gotta stay down or I just know I’m going to blade this one right into the water. I think I’ll use an old ball just in case. Splash. Or: Oh, no. Not another three-foot putt. I miss these all the time;...read more...

Well, just when we were about to write her off, Michelle Wie surprises us with a 6th place finish at the Ladies German Open in Munich this weekend. This was Michelle's first career appearance on the  Ladies European Tour (a sponsor invitation) and only her 3rd event of the season.

Wie posted a five-under 67 on Sunday - starting strong by chipping in for eagle and then scoring four birdies and 1 bogey to post her best score of the week.

With a 14 under final score, Wie showed some of her old game this weekend and was pleased with her performance,
"I feel a lot more confident about my game. I think a person's greed means that you always want something more. If you look at my score, 14-under-par, I'm very happy with it, but at the same time I could have done better."

Yes, I'd say that's true...the 18 year-old fell nine shots off the lead after carding a 2-under-par 70 in Saturday’s third round.  "It was very frustrating and I couldn’t get anything going," Wie said. "I hit a couple of irons a bit longer than I thought. I left a lot out there, so hopefully tomorrow I can go low."

Well, given her performance over the past year, I'd say Michelle should be pretty happy with 6th.

And...for those of you who are following the Big Break coverage, you'll be happy to know that LPGAFan shared in a comment earlier that Samantha Head and Sophie Sandolo were in the field and played well. Sam ended T16 at -10 and Sophie finished T44 at -2.

Well done ladies!  We'll see you Tuesday night on Big Break Ka'anapali.

Golfgal

www.golfgal-blog.com Michelle Wie photo by: © Photogolfer | Dreamstime.com

Wie cracks top 10 at Ladies German Open

Times Colonist
02 Jun 2008

MUNICH — Michelle Wie took a positive step forward yesterday, finishing in sixth place at the Ladies German Open. The 18-year-old Wie, who has failed to live up to the hype, shot a 2-under-par 64 in the final round. Wie finished at 14-under 274...read more...

Last month, the LPGA was in Aventura for the Stanford International Pro-Am – an event not unlike the PGA Tour’s Pebble Beach Pro-Am. A number of LPGA stars were on hand to share what they thought were the most common mistakes amateurs make.  After Cristie Kerr’s quip, “Where do you want me to start?”, these great ladies of golf shared their top ten.

Take a look and see how many apply to you.

For me, #1 is absolutely #1. I have such a hard time managing my expectations on the course. Not only do I expect to be able to take my range game to the course (which never happens), it is not uncommon for me to birdie a hole and double bogey the next because of unrealistic expectations. I once did a whole post around just this challenge, that even the pros like Mike Weir struggle with...

As for the rest, I think I regularly struggle with 5 or 6 of them.  Sigh...will this game ever get any easier?  Time for me to get back to the GFW Challenge for help.

Golfgal

www.golfgal-blog.com

What a weekend in golf!  At the risk of stealing from our good golf buddy, Clint, there was good golf (no...actually there was great golf)...there was bad golf...and there was just butt-ugly golf!

First let's start with the great.  That has to be Annika taking the LPGA's "fifth major", the Michelob Ultra Open  by not 1, not by 3, not even by 5...nope - 7 whole strokes - blowing Karrie Webb's tournament record out of the water by five shots!

And what makes it even more impressive is that the world's number one, Lorena was in the field, closing at tied for 12th (yup, outside the top 10) and Paula Creamer, last week's winner at the SemGroup Championship with a T16 with defending champion, Suzann Petterson.

I said it at the beginning of the year that Lorena needs to watch out because Annika is back!   Now before you get all out of sorts about my feelings about the great LO...no doubt... Lorena is definitely the world's number one and will be number one for the unforeseeable future.  But sometimes "hunger" is tougher than youth + talent and there is no one more hungry and more determined to prove she's still got it than Annika Sorenstam.  So let's cheer with the greatest female golfer that we've seen to date and then let Lorena take the grandstand going forward.  Today...Annika Sorenstam is Queen of the Links!

Yes, it was a great weekend for the LPGA, even if I didn't get to watch it on cable - grrrrr :-(

I heard that Australian Katherine Hull shot a 2 on the Par 5 7th hole - yup...double eagle!  It's only the 29th double eagle in the history of the LPGA Tour.  Who in the heck is Katherine Hull?  Well, she tied for 6th at this event - her best this year.  In her 9 starts this year, she's missed 4 cuts.  But hey...we all have bad days.  This week, she's going down in history.  So I say, "Enjoy it Katherine.  I hope we see you up there on the leaderboard at the MacDonald's in June.

And one more thing...before I move on to the men...I have to give a great big kudos and Internet hug to Christina Kim - one of my faves who came in tied for 2nd with Allison Fouch, Karen Stupples and Jeong Jang this weekend.  Well done CK!  I not only love you for your spunk and tenacity, you have the same initials as my golfguy :).

So the women were great this weekend even if half of North America couldn't watch them.  But the men were pretty spectacular too. 

If I had to pick anyone more hungry than Annika this week for a win, it would be Sergio Garcia who won The Players in a playoff against the very lovable and, witty and self-deprecating Paul Goydos.  I didn't get to watch today's round as I was enjoying myself on one my favorite courses in Vancouver BC - Northview Canal - the home of the Air Canada Canadian Open.  It was only 48 degrees when we teed off at noon, but it was a wonderful afternoon on a wonderful course that any tourist to Vancouver just has to play! I'll do a review of it soon and hope some day you'll get to enjoy it as much as I do.

Now back to Sergio...I have been a fan of Sergio since the first time I watched him hit a drive.  I'm not amused by his antics like spitting in the cup or whining about bad breaks at the Open, but I still think he is a phenomenal player and a passionate human being who just needs to channel his passions in the right direction.  It also doesn't hurt that he's too cute for words - Spanish accent and all!

Sergio is good - just plain and simple - he's really really good.  His putting has kept him back from reaching his real potential (last win was in 2005), but he's still really really good.  The media took him to the cleaners after last year's British Open when he lost in a playoff to Padraig Harrington, but after this weekend, perhaps they may start to eat their words.  His game was "on" - Yes...even his putting.  It appears that his short game has been rejuvinated with his new putting coach, Stan Utley, an ex-PGA winner himself, who said he was just there as Sergio's cheerleader now.  Sergio is back - Tiger - watch out.  I don't know about you, but I can't wait for the US Open at Torrey Pines.

So, we had some very pleasant surprises with Annika and Sergio winning, but...oh...let's not forget Hennie Otto winning the Italian Open today - a golfer who lost his card last year coming back to win a pretty big tournament against some of the best European golfers.. It was great to see that Cinderella story.

But we also had some pretty ugly surprises today too - like Phil Mickelson shooting a 78 on the final day.  Gulp!  The defending champion, second only to Tiger in the rankings, shot a 78!  I wish I had seen that - no...then again..maybe not.

And then our hunk of the month, Adam Scott shot an 80! Ouch!!! Okay...that really hurt.  Let's pretend that didn't happen and move on.... 

So we had some great golf and some bad golf and some really ugly golf, but what we really had was some unforgettable "Come Back Tomorrow" golf, because like the Energizer Bunny, the PGA and LPGA and European Tour just keep on ticking and ticking and ticking.

Golfgal

www.golfgal-blog.com

Sergio Photo by: © Isogood | Dreamstime.com

Recently Sports Illustrated surveyed 72 PGA Tour players, who were promised anonymity, to find out how they felt about the PGA, other players, wives of players, politics, caddies, etc.  I found some the results quite interesting.  Check these out and let me know what you think:

How would you describe Kelly Tilghman's two-week suspension by Golf Channel?
Appropriate: 43%
Not long enough: 13%
Too long: 7%
Cop-out by Golf Channel: 37%

Now what does this say?  Is Kelly liked by the a majority of players?  Given that 56% thought she should have been suspended for her comments about Tiger (even though Tiger wasn't upset), that makes me think that she's not all that well liked by the boys.  But what surprised me was that 37% thought it was a cop-out by TGC.  I wonder if the number would have been that high if the survey had not been anonymous - I highly doubt it.

Do you understand how FedEx Cup points are distributed?
Yes: 68%
No: 32%

I wish someone in the 68% would explain it to me.

Tour commissioner Tim Finchem is paid $5.2 million a year. Which best describes your feelings?
Overpaid: 30%
Appropriate: 32%
Underpaid: 3%
Don't care: 35%

Let's compare that to LPGA commissioner, Carolyn Bivens, who makes about 10% of $5.2M No, let's not - it's just too depressing.

Have you ever been hungover during a Tour round?
Yes: 50%
No: 50%

Well well well... the "YES" result is much higher than I would have expected.  Should make John Daly feel a little bit better, but worries me a tad.  We're not talking about a round with buddies - this is their career.  How many of us go to work with hangovers - Oh...right...nevermind ;) 

Do you know any pro golfers who have used performance-enhancing drugs?
Yes: 6%
No: 94%

I wonder if the 4 "yes" players are talking about themselves.

Who is the best caddie on Tour? (Can't choose your own.)
Steve Williams. (Tiger Woods): 52%
Jim MacKay. (Phil Mickelson): 15%
Others receiving multiple votes: Damon Green (Zach Johnson), Eric Larson (Marc Calcavecchia), Alistair Matheson (Geoff Ogilvy), Tony Navarro (Adam Scott), Fanny Sunesson (Henrik Stenson), John Wood (Hunter Mahan), "anyone who puts up with Vijay" (currently Chad Reynolds)

Haha...I guess Vijay isn't easy to work for.  I just love that Fanny is in this list!  I think she is so cool and seems like such a nice person.  And I love Henrik and Nick Faldo for giving her the opportunity to play with the big boys.

Who's the biggest gossip on Tour?
Caddies: 27%
Sharon (Fred) Funk: 15%
Kimberly (Brian) Gay: 15%
Charles Warren: 11%
Other receiving multiple votes: Joe Ogilvie, Amy (Rory) Sabbatini, Rory Sabbatini, Jeff Sluman

Hmmm...I definitely wouldn't want to be named in this notorious list.  Both Roy and his wife seem to be talkers - Surprise surprise!

But the question that shocked me the most, was...

Would rather you be paired with Tiger or Phil?

Woods: 87%
Mickelson: 13%

I really wish there was a "Why?" at the end of this question.  One could speculate that players expect Tiger to be in the final group and so playing with him means you're in contention OR it could mean that not a lot of players like Lefty.  There's always been rumours that Phil isn't the most loved player on the tour, but I've also seen players like DiMarco say that's garbage.   I don't know...these stats speak volumes to me.

Well, so where's the LPGA Tour survey?  I'd love to see what the ladies have to say, wouldn't you?  Maybe we should put together the questions and submit them through GFW.  I know one question I'd really like to ask the ladies...

Who's the sexiest player today on the PGA:

Adam Scott
Trevor Immelman
Ian Poulter
Sergio Garcia
Camillo Villegas
Tiger Woods
Other ___________

It always surprises me that we don't see more romances between the LPGA and PGA players given how much they have in common.  Sure their tour schedules get in the way, but they do cross paths from time to time.  Just think of baby golfers that could be produced from an Adam Scott/Paula Creamer pairing.

Golfgal

www.golfgal-blog.com

Well, it was another great golf weekend even with no Tiger or Lorena in sight.  Sure Lorena was playing in the SemGroup Championship, but she really was never in contention (I guess she can't win them all), and of course, Tiger is still recovering from his knee surgery (the 3rd on the same knee - hmmm...is age catching up to him?)

No, this weekend was for the youngsters on both the LPGA and PGA tours.

Paula Creamer, the youngest winner in the LPGA history, holed a birdie on the 2nd playoff hole against veteran Juli Inkster who was vying to become the oldest winner in LPGA history.   What a great match! 

I could only watch the LPGA highlights on TV because I can't get ESPN2 in Vancouver.  Arg! Thankfully Hound Dog provided some great video on Saturday's round on his blog.

I love both of these ladies, but I was rooting for Paula because she came so close last week, losing that playoff to Annika.  She deserved to get one back.  But it was tough to cheer against Inkster who is such as wonderful golfer and a great person and mother.  I really hope Juli wins another one this year.  She's such a terrific role model.

Now...is it just me, or did the announcers go on just a little too much about how hard Paula was on herself because of last week's lost.  Sometimes you wonder if they just play things up for TV, but it felt over the top to me.   

In my experience, people who are that hard on themselves usually blow it because they can't control their emotions.  That didn't appear to be the case this weekend.  Paula had some hiccups in her game today, but this week she was rock solid - certainly well above the field, including Lorena.  In fact, Juli and Paula were the only two players to end up under par for the week (remind me never to play that course ;)).

As for the men, well, it was 22 year old Anthony Kim all the way this weekend, beating out the field by 5 strokes and becoming the youngest winner on the PGA TOUR in six years. 

Kim came to the tour with high expectations and lots of confidence, and he received some ridicule early on for his bold AK belt buckles and cocky style.  Do you remember the story on Golf Digest's website last August?  Here's how it started...

"When Tiger Woods first laid eyes on Anthony Kim's belt buckle, he feigned disgust. "What is that?" Woods asked, gesturing to the large initials.

"Well, Nike hasn't put my initials on anything yet," Kim shot back, evoking a smile from Tiger."

It certainly is possible, maybe even probable, that Anthony would not have won if Tiger had been in the field, but there is no doubt that the young guns are coming on strong in both the PGA and LPGA tours this year.  By the first week in May, we've seen 8 wins by the "under 30" crowd on the PGA.  That's one more than all of last year. 

And on the LPGA, the world's number 1, Lorena, who shares my birth day, but unfortunately not my birth year, is only 27.   Paula's 22, Morgan Pressel 20, Natalie Gulbis 25, Suzann Pettersen 27, Yani Tseng 19, Louise Friberg 28, Jeong Jang 27...the list goes on and on...

Certainly, the veteran greats like Juli and Annika will defy the odds and continue to play with youthful exuberance, and win their share, but the youngsters are not standing by waiting for "their turn".

I do believe that Lorena has years of golf dominance ahead of her.  But one starts to wonder if Tiger's age will catch up to him sooner than everyone thinks.  The majority believes he is invincible and will remain so for another decade.  But 3 knee surgeries on the same knee makes you wonder...does he have that many years left in the number one spot or will someone like Tony, tame the Tiger before Kim reaches 30 or Tiger captures his 19th major to break Jack's record so he can retire.

Golfgal

www.golfgal-blog.com 

Paula photo by: © Daniel Raustadt | Dreamstime.com

What an exciting weekend in golf - even without Lorena or Tiger!

First, Annika Sorenstam held off Paula Creamer on the first playoff hole to win the Stanford International and the 71st title of her career.  It's heartwarming to see Annika playing so well again and win her 2nd event this year.

Next, Adam Scott, the "too cute for words" Australian, long overdue for a win, sank an unmakeable 48-foot birdie putt on the third playoff hole yesterday to defeat Ryan Moore of the U.S. and win the Byron Nelson Championship.  I thought only Tiger Woods did things like that.  But perhaps Mr. Butch Harmon was right when he said that Adam"is the only one who can challenge Tiger Woods in the next four or five years".

But the story that touched me the most, was the come back of the decade, when Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland won the BMW Asian Open with a 40 foot putt on the final hole (see Irish Independent story below).  Darren has won 2 World Championships and 9 other European Tour events, but this one was by far the sweetest. 

Not a lot of North Americans follow the European Tour, but few golfers wouldn't know Darren Clarke.  The amiable Ulster man made US headlines in 2006 when he was chosen as a Ryder Cup Captain's pick only 6 weeks after he tragically lost his wife, Heather, to cancer.  I was one of those skeptics who thought it was too soon and that he wouldn't be able to perform at the highly stressed event, but his courage and determination made him a star at the Ryder Cup.  It was one of the most emotional Cups I have ever watched and even now it brings tears to the back of my eyes when I remember Darren winning his match 3-2 over Zach Johnson on the 16th hole and breaking down into tears.  I still get goosebumps over that.

Everyone who knows him, loves Darren Clarke, with his Spike hair and a grin that would make any golf gal swoon.  Sure, he smokes a cigar on the course when plays and he can drink you under the table, but he is a dedicated professional.  He is well loved by players on both sides of the pond.  Even when Elin Woods won her court case, she donated her money to a charity in his wife's name. 

This weekend, Clarke dedicated his win to his two little boys, Tyrone and Connor.  And hearing him say it brought more tears to my eyes. 

“This is very special, probably the greatest I have achieved. It has been the toughest of them all, to try and get back up to where I feel my golf should be. It’s nice to win again, a very good feeling.  Hopefully, I have made Tyrone and Connor very proud,” said Clarke. “This was always going to be a massive hurdle for me, to get the first win since Heather had passed away.  It’s nice that I just about managed to clamber over it. Being honest, I probably fell over. [Always a joke for the media from the Irishmen :)]

I've been watching the European Tour looking for the old Darren since 2006, and this year I really felt he was coming back into his prime again.  Every weekend I looked for him on the leader board and this year he hasn't been that far off.  A year ago, he could hardly make a cut.

How many of us could go through such heartbreak and come back out the other side?  I'm not sure I could do that. I probably would have quit after last year.  Heck, I wanted to quit yesterday after a pathetic round of golf.  But Clarke, with the support of family and friends (many of them PGA Tour pros) never gave up.  He is a great role model for his kids and us adults too.

Welcome back Darren!  I will be your biggest supporter for this year's Ryder Cup team.  Given your comeback this year, I have no doubt, there's a major win inside of you, just clamoring to get out!

Golfgal
www.golfgal-blog.com

Photo by: © Isogood | Dreamstime.com

Wonder- putt secures Clarke’s ‘greatest win’

Irish Independent
28 Apr 2008

DARREN CLARKE threw his arms wide in utter elation. “Yeahhhhhhhhhh,” the Ulsterman roared, before catching his caddie Phil ‘Wobbly’ Morbey in big bear hug. “Wow,” said Clarke. Wow indeed. There could have been no more spectacular conclusion to Clarke’s...read more...

Oh oh...looks like I'm last to the party!  Golf Girl and Golf Chick are both up for this year's golf challenge and so I guess it's time for me to stop whining about the weather and get my butt in gear.

No more excuses!  Not even the snow that arrived last Friday night forcing a cancellation of my Saturday tee time is an excuse for not getting myself ready to play.  Do you believe it - snow in Vancouver in April!  Astonishing!

Anyway...I decided to start with fitness desperately needed and cracked open a new DVD called "Pilates on the Green" - Level 1 (Level 1 - sounds about my speed). 

I have never done Pilates, but I heard it was great for strenthening the core and everyone knows you need a solid core for golf.  So I invited my golfer gal friend Linda over to try out the program with me.

We spent the first few minutes trying to do the exercises and watch Moira Merrithew at the same time.  Failure big time! It was very difficult to watch and "do" at the same time.

It didn't help that I had a miniture pincer on my tummy.  Linda's pup, Ginger...always a ham when a camera is around.  So I watched the DVD and took notes while Linda did the exercises.

Once it was over, we talked about what we liked and didn't like about the DVD and here's our joint review...

The DVD is really choked full of exercises which we really liked, and we loved how Moira really focused on how to do the exercises "the right way".  I never realized how just a few inches could make such a difference. 

What we had trouble with was absorbing all the exercises and positions the first time we watched the video.  The difference between doing the exercises correctly and incorrectly was so subtle, and yet soooo important.  You had to get them "juuuusssst right".  I felt a bit like Goldilocks.

The DVD was like a cross between a bunch of training modules that you could combine into your own program and a training program itself that you could follow in your living room.  With only 4 or 6 reps per exercise, you really didn't get to experience a real "workout".  Moira moved pretty quicky from exercise to exercise, and so we had a little trouble keeping track of them all.  I'm glad I had a notepad.

Linda found the exercises which introduced the golf clubs a bit contrived. She believed you could easily do the same exercises without any prop at all.  So, the clubs weren't necessary, but they might make a golfer feel better about what they were doing. We both agreed, however, that all of the exercises would be beneficial to a golfer.

I think the exercises themselves were excellent and Moira really showed you the right and wrong way to do them - I can definitely see how they would help a golfer get into shape for her/his game.  I just need to watch the DVD more often to learn them all and learn to do them properly. 

Linda and I saw the DVD as really a reference manual of good exercises that you could go back to from time to time to make sure you're doing things correctly.  It's a DVD I will keep in my library for future reference, but I wouldn't put it on time and time again to exercise myself into shape.

Personally, I'm used to fitness DVD's where you warm up, sweat a lot, cool down and shower.  This is not one of those DVD's. After you learn the right way to perform Pilates on the Green, you have to put your own program together using the exercises they teach you.  That's good for all of those energetic and devoted fitness folks, but not for me. 

Frankly, I need someone leading the way, so I'm probably going to take what I learned and try and practice the Pilates for the Green moves, but only after I've finished my sweat workout with my favorite DVD - The Biggest Loser.

Golfgal

www.golfgal-blog.com