My fellow bloggers have been talking a lot lately about Michelle Wie and her sponsor exemptions. Should she get them? Should she accept them? Is it nothing more than a publicity stunt? Yada yada yada. Well maybe it is nothing more than a publicity stunt. But guys, don’t you get it? Women’s golf needs publicity. Really badly. Annika’s up there breaking every record, winning 59 tournaments and no one’s batting an eyelash. But put a 15 year old on the PGA tour and suddenly everyone sits up and takes notice. So maybe Michelle does risk becoming the next Anna Kournikova—a media darling who’s ... full post »

If The Big Break III were American Idol, Pam would’ve cleaned Danielle’s clock. But it’s not American Idol, it’s golf, which is decided on the course, not as a popularity contest. Too bad, because Pam’s pretty popular. And Barbie isn’t. But Pam just didn’t get it done. The announcers can say what they want about Barbie’s amazing comeback, but really it was more Pam’s loss than Barbie’s win. Her attempts to play the mental game caused her actual game to suffer. But give Pam a year or two, and there’s no telling what she’ll be capable of. I bet we haven’t ... full post »

Ever have a guy give you the news about a friend’s new baby? Here’s what he’ll say: “hey, the baby was born.” If you’re lucky you’ll find out if it was a boy or a girl. Here’s what a girlfriend would tell you: the baby’s gender, name, weight, length, general health, the date and exact time of birth, the number of hours of labor, the condition of the new mom, what type of delivery it was, whether or not the mom got an epidural, how many flowers she’s received, and maybe if she’s especially astute, your girlfriend might mention the décor ... full post »

Forgive me, golf gods, for I have sinned. The other day I was playing golf with my long-suffering husband. Most unexpectedly, I was en fuego. I opened with a bogey, nothing special. But then came a par. Then out of the blue, a birdie. Followed by bogey, par. Five holes in, and I was only one over. Suddenly, tragedy struck. In the form of me observing aloud, “wow, we’re five holes in, and I’m only one over!” Ah, what fools we mortals be. The golf gods, who had been lying dormant until that point, were roused, and not at all amused. Angry at being ... full post »

Retief Goosen has officially broken my heart. MSNBC reports that he has joined the ranks of Vijay Singh and Greg Norman in decrying sponsor exemptions from PGA Tour events for women. He’s quoted as saying, “If they qualify for the tournament, they go through qualifying school…then it’s fine. But just to keep giving invites away is probably not the right thing.” Hold on a second. Retief, are you saying that sponsors shouldn’t give away ANY exemptions? No one had any problem with sponsor exemptions before they started handing them out to women. Unless Retief, Vijay, and Greg (jeez, I really hate putting ... full post »

It’s not too late to catch the finale of The Golf Channel’s The Big Break III: Ladies Only. If you haven’t been paying attention, here’s the rundown so far. Ten ladies, each vying for a spot on the LPGA tour, compete against each other each week, through a series of various golf challenges. The winners move on. The loser gets the boot. It’s like “Apprentice,” but with a Vince instead of a Donald. We’re now down to the final two: Pam and Danielle—both Futures Tour players, and both girls with game. For added drama (which TGC is milking for all it’s worth), ... full post »

After a painfully long winter break (this is North Carolina, and although we talk about being able to play year-round, we don’t really mean it), I took my golf game off the shelf, dusted it off, and took it out on the course. That was two weeks ago. And boy, let me tell you, this spring’s game, compared to last fall’s game, kinda sucks. During my hibernation, my 87’s had turned into 97’s. Why is that? And what to do? I decided I needed professional help. So I bit the bullet and got a lesson yesterday. My instructor checked out my swing from ... full post »

Phil didn’t pass the green jacket on to Chris DiMarco, but perhaps he did pass on the epithet, Best Player Never to Win a Major. What are the qualifications to hold that title, anyway? Surely DiMarco is at least in the running. Check out these stats: He’s been in the top 20 of the PGA money list for five years straight. He entered the final round of both the 2004 and 2005 Masters in the final pairing. He’s finished in the top twelve in three of his four Masters appearances. In 2001 he led after 18 and 36 holes, and ... full post »

Or, Dress Codes, Mis-Hits, and Man-Boobs Much discussion took place at the Masters Cookout Party I attended Sunday over Tiger’s choice of final-round golfwear. Correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t Augusta National, like most country clubs, have a collared-shirt dress code? On any other day, Tiger would’ve been taken aside and asked to change. I guess they made an exception for the guy going into the final round with a three-stroke lead. As it should be. So what was with that mock turtleneck thing? Or was it more of a mock mock turtleneck? I thought only women could get away ... full post »

A year ago I didn’t know what a blog was. Now TravelGolf.com has asked me to start one of my own. As any golf writer would be, I’m delighted to join TG’s blogosphere and lend my two cents to the topic of the day. So where to begin? First, we stand on the shoulders of those who come before us. Thus, I owe a thank you to all the bloggers out there, golf and otherwise. And of course, thank you to the PGA and LPGA players who give us something to write about. But the largest thank you I reserve for ... full post »