The PGA Tour is now in its summer session. It’s the time of year for what I like to call the Hometown Swing. You know, it’s the B.C. Open, the Milwaukee Open (forget the corporate logos splattered all over the place), etc. It’s the time of year when all the so-called big names abandon the tour to sit home and count all the money they’ve made in the first half of the year. But that’s okay. It gives us the opportunity to reacquaint with some old names. Just glancing over the list of participants ... full post »

Just a variety of thoughts about golf in general that Eye On Golf has been collecting as time goes by… In some of his thoughts on golf architecture Donald Ross says, Take advantage of the opportunities, and you may secure holes with distinct interest that will furnish a constant joy to those who play them. While his thoughts are directed at architects, I think it’s important to look at this comment from the player’s point of view. Do you, as a player, view each hole separately assessing its challenges as you step to the tee? If you just stick your peg ... full post »

In case you haven’t noticed, a little more than six months of 2006 have passed and with it half the golf year. So how has Jan-Jul 2006 gone for the PGA and LPGA Tours? Obvious answer: It’s the year of the commissioner. Unfortunately, despite the trials and travails of Phil Mickelson and the heroics of Karrie Webb, Se Ri Pak, and Annika Sorenstam, Mr. Finchem and Ms. Bivens have been commanding the lion’s share of the attention. Were it not for Tiger (three victories and the passing of his father) and Phil (a Masters victory and a U.S. Open ... full post »

We are extremely fortunate to be located in Wyoming for the summer. There’s a moderate altitude (4600 feet) to keep the temperature comfortable at night and make your tee shots soar and a marvelous golf course for our playing and viewing pleasure. Plus, from our secret communications hideaway we are able to listen in on a plethora of telephone conversations – all this on our $.99 cell phone. Actually it started at $99.99, but with 27 separate rebates we were able to reduce the cost, minus the price of stamps, of course. Anyway, immediately following the British Open our golf ... full post »

Finally, six and a half months into the 2006 golf season, it is beginning to appear that the golf world is getting back to normal. The stars are beginning to align. At this moment, midway through the second round of the British Open, Tiger is back on top of the leader board in a major championship. By the time we awoke here in Wyoming, located the remote, hit the power button and surfed up to the dynamite station, Tiger had just about completed his round. Thank goodness TNT showed highlights of his round several times. ... full post »

The Open, as it’s called in the rest of the golf world, was the first of the major championships. It turned up in 1860 at Prestwick. It is the quirkiest and thus the most interesting of the four, always played on seaside links courses which are quirky in themselves (one quirky bounce can determine the winner). Thus, at the Eye On Golf prediction meeting, we came up with the following: The guy American fans love to hate but still wouldn’t mind seeing win The Open: Colin Montgomerie. Come on, Monty, just once for the homeland, please! Best choice to hit a corporate ... full post »

In case you haven’t noticed, six months of 2006 have passed and with it half the golf year. So how has Jan-Jun 2006 gone for the PGA and LPGA Tours? Obvious answer: It’s the year of the commissioner. Unfortunately, despite the trials and travails of Phil Mickelson and the heroics of Karrie Webb, Se Ri Pak, and Annika Sorenstam, Mr. Finchem and Ms. Bivens have been commanding the lion’s share of the attention. Were it not for Tiger (two victories and the passing of his father) and Phil (a Masters victory and a U.S. Open debacle), the ... full post »

I have been writing about golf for twenty years: newspapers, magazines, books, newsletters and now blogs. And one bit of knowledge I have caught onto very quickly, despite my advancing years, is that Da Blog is totally different than any other medium. The basic truism is thus, although there are exceptions: The shorter the blog entry, the more comments you will receive. Here’s what I mean. If I only say “Michelle Wie may well never win an LPGA event before she is eighteen. She just doesn‘t have the killer instinct,” I will be brutally castigated by blog-reading. ... full post »

Congrats Bri-Li (with thanks to Mr. Wolfrum)! First you KO the supposed No. 2 player in the world, then dispense 2006’s leading money winner with a clutch putt on the 19th hole, and finally finish off the job by dominating one of the LPGA’s all time greats. Pretty good weekend, I’d say. full post »

True Grit is the only word to describe Juli Inkster. She is the John Wayne of the golf world - no fear. Yesterday she shot down the top female player in the world (maybe the top female player of all time) in the HSBC Match Play. And she did it with true grit. Two down with five to play, she birdied fourteen, birdied fifteen, birdied sixteen (chip-in to tie), left a birdie putt on the edge at seventeen, and then birdied eighteen to defeat Annika Sorenstam 1 up. Whether she wins today or not is almost irrelevant. Fact is, she ... full post »

Browsing through the chasms of the internet golf sites, I came across this little gem on the opening of Liberty National GC in northern New Jersey: Teeing off in Jersey City. Take a look. It’s quite interesting. Frankly, I find this side of golf disgusting and virtually no good for the game of golf. full post »

Could there be two more contrasting golfers than Annika Sorenstam and Pat Hurst in today’s playoff? Annika is the great swing technician, the golfing robot. You get three repeating swings for a quarter. Pat is all feel. She gives you that John Daly grip-it-and-rip-it look. If you met her on the first tee of your local muni, you’d say, “Damn, another day of looking for some broad’s golf ball.” That’s right before she cleaned out your wallet. Annika is the fitness fanatic, probably has sweats in her golf bag. There’s no doubt that she’s is perfect shape physically and mentally. ... full post »