This should have been the summer when Sergio Garcia established himself as a dominant star who deserved to be talked about as the next best player in the Tiger Woods’ era. Instead, it turned into the time when Garcia’s rep was forever cemented as being one of the worst gag artists in all of sports. First, Garcia blew a PGA Championship he should have won by somehow finding the water on the 70th hole at Oakland Hills. Then, he coughed up the first FedEx Cup tournament by going into near spastic premature celebration in New Jersey, giving himself no chance in ... full post »

Paul Azinger didn’t win back the Ryder Cup for America. Azinger wasn’t the one out there making those putts - and it’s about time he remembers that. Coaches get way too much credit in all sports (except Mike Martz, that guy is a real offensive genius - just see the Detroit Lions without him). It’s part of the deal, with most sportswriters being unduly obsessed and impressed with coaches. The problem comes in when a coach tries to give himself even more credit. And that’s what U.S. captain Paul Azinger seemed to do after the Ryder Cup. “I poured my heart and soul ... full post »

Even as he won two tournaments this summer, you could count me among the Anthony Kim doubters. Everyone was so eager, desperate almost, to make Kim the next IT golfer. It didn’t help that Kim’s ridiculous belt buckles made it hard to take him seriously. After seeing Kim’s Vincent Chase Entourage act up close at the PGA Championship, I became more of a convert. The guy’s damn entertaining just rolling around a tournament’s grounds with his posse. But then, Kim didn’t do enough in the FedEx Cup to come close to saving us from Vijay Singh’s charm and Sergio Garcia’s premature celebration ... full post »

These are tough times for the elitist liberals who pat themselves on the back for every bottle water they throw into their recycling bins while driving the overscheduled kids they force to wear those hideous Crocs to every activity within a 500-mile radius. People like Huffington Post blogger Diane Tucker (she of the University of Michigan e-mail address - big shocker there, a zany crazy with Ann Arbor ties!) just don’t know what to do anymore … what with Barack Obama managing to blow almost every bit of that big lead he once held over John McCain in the polls ... full post »

In a celebrity golf architect world where two brothers wage a childish feud (hello Jones boys!) and Tom Fazio sometimes doesn’t even show up to his own course openings, sending a video of him talking about the new place instead, Arthur Hills is the rare golf architect of note whose ego wouldn’t qualify as five pieces of extra large carry-on baggage. You can hear this in host Dave Berner’s excellent interview with Arthur Hills in the latest TravelGolf.com This Week Podcast. A lot of people assume (and write) that Hills still living in Toledo, Ohio shows how he isn’t caught up ... full post »

This is about the time that golfers first start thinking of their warm weather winter golf escape. With the daylight hours evaporating like interest in the FedEx Cup, it’s easy to see why. Vancouver Island is one spot where the golf in Canada is anything but close to coming to an end for the season though. Instead, Bear Mountain Golf Resort & Spa just opened up nine holes on its new Valley Course, giving everyone a chance to get a taste of what promises to be one of the more high-profile course openings of 2009 (the full 18 is scheduled to ... full post »

Is Ohio State’s 35-3 loss to USC made any better because it was so predictable? No. But the classless fans who root for the Script Ohio because they were unfortunate enough to be born in the state that’s biggest industry is handing out speeding tickets managed to make a 32-point beatdown even more embarrassing. Buckeye backers did this by coming up with excuse after excuse long before tonight’s opening kickoff. The saddest thing about that 35-3 is that by about Tuesday of this week no one who rooted for Ohio State thought they had a chance either. So they whined about missing ... full post »

If you’ve never actually been to Chambers Bay, the Robert Trent Jones II design in University Place, Washington (near Tacoma), it’s easy to assume that it must be overhyped. It’s hard to imagine that a course that had been open for less than a year was really worthy of being awarded the 2015 U.S. Open. Now, Golf Magazine debuted Chambers at No. 8 on its list of the Top 100 Courses You Can Play - and well if you haven’t been there, you’ll probably assume that’s ridiculous too. Only, if you have seen Chambers Bay, you know that No. 8 actually ... full post »

That wrap Vijay Singh wears on his left arm isn’t for show. The 45-year-old Fijian is battling tendinitis even as he racks up wins - three in five weeks now after he blew away the rest of the field in the Deutsche Bank this holiday weekend. The ailment’s actually made Singh cut back on his usual endless hours on the practice range. It turns out the forced break is very good for Singh’s game and bank account - he’s all but clinched the second FedEx Cup and the $9 million in cash that goes with it this year (someone else would have ... full post »