Something has been bothering me about the Wie-Creamer-Pressel blog threads of the last two years, and I am proud to announce that I have finally outsmarted myself and figured out what it is: the bottom line. Roll tape back fourteen years to when Tiger first played in the LA Open at Riviera. He missed the cut. He missed the cut again at age 17 and a third time at age 18. He has never played well at Riviera. Since he had a junior record of win after win after win, no one questioned his ... full post »

I’ve just finished Somewhere in Ireland a Village is Missing an Idiot, by the renowned slav, David Feherty. He puts forth his belief that the well-aimed and well-deserved curse should not be shrunk away from, but rather, embraced. His reflections gave me pause, and I thus swore, errr, promised to write a blog on the nature of swearing in golf. In a nutshell, here it is. Swearing in golf part one: reflexive. The most common type of swearing in golf is the self-aimed curse. When angered by one’s shortcoming(s), one curses oneself, one’s ability, or (in Spain) ... full post »

I am irked, perturbed, riled up, down and sideways. The Euros have grabbed the edge again. The European Union launched the Galileo satellite today from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Galileo, for the untutored, will surpass our Global Positioning System (GPS) by nailing object positions down to 3 feet. The GPS standard is 16 feet. Here’s the rub. My wheel house for short putts is three feet. I don’t mind them at all. Sixteen feet, however, is another ball of Baikonur. Can you imagine all those Europeans laughing their arses off when our ... full post »

How often have we heard them begin a sentence just that way? Maybe you and I are part of that “they.” If it’s not our home course, then it’s another local track that everyone rates the best this or the best that. And if it were simply the course that mattered, then all would be well and the 2010 US Open would be contested over the Nuestro Favorito Golf and Country Club, in Pueblo Mio, USA. But that’s not all that matters, is it? Everyone shoots for the top, and thinks US Open. Viewer Greg Pinelli, in an ... full post »

1-2. Golf In The Kingdom, The Kingdom of Shivas Irons Michael Murphy, Michael Murphy Mike Murphy’s two volumes on Shivas Irons are modern classics. The second volume was his response to the multitudes who, like Area 51 fanatics, reported Shivas sightings from 1975 until 1995, when Murphy finally put to rest the questions about his hero. Like the final Star Wars, you can’t believe it’s over. You wish it would go on in a magical forever. 3. Fearless Golf Gio Valiante We amateurs all stink. We border on suck. Do you know why? Because we never prepare the ... full post »

Anyone For Tee is my third-favorite website, after TravelGolf.com and BuffaloGolfer, of course. While trolling their veddy English pages, I stumbled against a wall of golfing quotations that outduels any other compilation of appropriately-witty citations. There is one quote among the multitude that is so earnestly sweet, so reassuring, that I will use it as my mantra in 2006. It was worth the effort to uncover; I had to scroll all the way back to September 3rd to find it. It is attributed to the great Dr. Cary Middlecoff, twice Open champion of the United States of America. ... full post »

The first invitations have gone out (thank you, SI.Com!) Here are my early picks on, oh heck, a bunch of interesting elements: Five New Guys Who Should Not Unpack: Clay Ogden, Edoardo Molinari, Kevin Marsh, Dillon Dougherty, and Brian McElhinney (All right, that wasn’t fair. They’re all amateurs.) Five New Pro Guys Who Should Not Unpack: Jason Bohn, Lucas Glover, Vaughn Taylor, Carl Petterson, and Bart Bryant. Five Old Guys Who Should Not Pull A Billy Casper: Seve, Gay Brewer, Jr., Arnold, Doug Ford, and Billy Casper (in case he forgot last year.) Linguists’ Pairing Of The Year: Edoardo Molinari and Jose Maria Olazabal–That’s ... full post »

This confession is so sacrilegious, it is akin to admitting five years ago that you despised the Atkins Diet. However, I must cleanse my soul, rehab my kharma, and set thing right with all two of my readers: I despise hybrids. I cannot hit the little technological pickles on a stick. I’ve tried a bunch of them, and cannot get the ball off the freaking ground. I’ve gone both ways, with the iron-hybrids and the metalwood-hybrids, and flat-out suck with them. They feel so good with my eyes shut, nice weight and all. Then I ... full post »

“Teach-the-Teacher Clinics on the Show Floor PGA Director of Instruction Rick Martino and renowned golf instructor Butch Harmon will present new “teach-the-teacher” clinics. The seminars are designed to provide teaching professionals with the tools they need to become better teachers, build their client base and increase teaching revenue.” The citation above is brought to you from a PGA of America press release on a new feature of the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando this January. It’s about time. One of the great misnomers of the early days of the PGA Tour was the linking of the great tour players as representative ... full post »

I love Jennifer Mario, and would love to have her pick out holiday gifts for me. I feel the need to suplement her list, though, with one of my own. I call it, warmly, holiday shopping for golfers on the edge. Traditionalist that I am, I will ennumerate with Roman characters. I. New Golf Bag–Ogio. Dudes make skate and snow board stuff, as well as BMX and Motocross gear. Enough said. Check out the Grom bag, the lime green one. II. Wedges–Bad Ass Golf. Beside their hard-hitting name is a tricked-out website that ... full post »

I was finishing an article by my favorite living golf writer, Jan Denkins, in the storied, some might call hoary, publication on the game we all love, Golf Indigestion. Jan had taken to task my favorite target, Mister I’m Above The LPGA Tour Officials (and integrity is my middle name), Bichael Mamberger, in that unique way that only he can do. Then, onto the newest Indigestion ranking did I stumble, the oxymoronic Best New Remodel. This category is a laugher. Best New Remodel. Known far and wide under two nicknames: We Didn’t Get It Right The ... full post »

Bandon ruined me. I’ll come clean. When my wife mentioned a sweet trip to commemorate my 40th in 2005, I didn’t think twice. Monterrey, Orlando, Michigan, New Mexico all took a back seat to the southern coast of Oregon. Then, the event surpassed the anticipation. From the wonderful people of the town of Bandon to the folks at the resort, from the 1st tee at Bandon Dunes to the 18th green at Bandon Trails, the endeavor reawakened the wanderlust that all have felt. It gets better. The extended family had an outer banks (N.C.) trip ... full post »

The law firm of Creamer, Pressel and Wie has officially opened its doors, with the majority of its clientele figuring in the LPGA Tour, with occasional forays into PGA events. The three principals, while each saddeled with the ego of the world-class competitor, agree to display their skills in highly-unique ways, those most useful to the firm. A rival firm, Sorenstam and Self, declined comment on the announcement. All sources indicate, however, that Sorenstam herself is keeping a close eye on matters, and plans to remain in the foreground of client acquisition, and the background of notoriety. In an unrelated ... full post »

So this guy, Wolfrum, claims that a Euro player will win a major in 2006. Only trouble is, he fails to name names, make predictions, etcetera. OK, here is my prediction: a two-legged homo sapien will win a major in 2006, and he will be of anglo, latino, or swahili descent. I like El Lobo, but he needs to stand tall with this prediction and name names. Therefore, the Mon of Ron (ron means rum in Spanish, you know … ummmm) boldly goes where no lupine has gone today–the realm of european most-likely-to-but-won’t for 2006: Masters: ... full post »

Oh my god. I made the list. I am no longer relegated to the third string. I am above Jennifer Mario. I can see Baldwin’s bottom, and it’s within reach. Christenson, Wolfrum, Shanks, Daily, watch out … I’m shooting for Balls Out! Yes, it’s true. The once and future RonMon has been assigned a place of honor on the TG Bloggers masthead. There I am, all pasty-white faced (ghastly, you know, even for Buffalo), yellow-t-shirted, unshaven me. I need a new photo. One thing I will never do is right non-golf material. I don’t ... full post »

Tis the season to be jolly … if your name is John B. Holmes, Alex Cejka, Nicholas Thompson, D.A. Points, Tom Byrum, Nick Watney, Daisuke Maruyama, Michael Allen, Hunter Mahan, Will MacKenzie, Robert Garrigus, Marco Dawson, John Engler, Jeff Overton, Henrik Bjornstad, Bubba Dickerson, Ron Whittaker, Ian Leggatt, Ryan Hietala, Brian Bateman, Matt Hansen, Alex Aragon, Greg Kraft, Mike Sposa, Bill Glasson, Danny Ellis, Michael Connell, Brett Wetterich, B.J. Staten, Frank Lickliter II, Bill Haas, or Mathias Gronberg. These guys survived a bloody Monday to earn unconditional playing privileges on … da’ tour, episode 2006. Awards as follows: Stud Six-Pack: B. Holmes, ... full post »

Think that a few guys between seven and seventeen under aren’t sleeping well tonight? Me too. The way I see it, -14 will be the magic number for top 30 and full playing privileges on the PGA Tour in 2006. Exactly 30 guys are at -11 after five rounds, and my guess is that -3 will be enough to get you through. We’ve seen two 64s already, so -7 or -8 is not out of the realm of the possible, which brings those around -7 into the picture. At the same time, we’ve seen the ... full post »

Six guys at -7 or better. A dozen more at -5. That’s what I call a moving day. If you shoot even par today, you might drop from first to fifth, like Michael Allen has so far, or from T2 to T13, as is the case with Danny Ellis. The volcanic Ryan Hietala, he of the 66-78-66 start, is -3 for the day, but can only muster a 1-position improvement. It seems like going low is the only option. Unless some weather blows in, the world’s best-in-waiting are poised to shred the Orange Country ... full post »

Ryan Hietala showed his mettle on Friday by reversing the riptide that pulled him out to sea. The stretch of holes that punished him in eight strokes over par on Thursday, found him four under on Friday, on the way to a 66. Moving from t2 to t73 to t19 in the course of 36 hours is not recommended for the faint of heart. Hietala is made of stronger stuff, and it is gratifying to see one of such fibre at the cauldron of PGA Tour School. Guys we’re gonna miss (as in, they won’t make the cut): ... full post »

The typical press release that comes across the wire extends to club debuts, consumer reactions, and player victories. So it was with special attention that I opened a release on November 22nd whose subject read: Major Crackdown on Counterfeit Golf Products. The title continues: Chinese Government Launches Major Crackdown on Counterfeit Golf Products. Evidentally, a host of US-based golf club companies, under the umbrella of the U.S. Golf Manufacturers Anti-Counterfeiting Working Group, is working with the Chinese government to put a dent in the burgeoning counterfeit club industry. The players in this cast are Acushnet Company, ... full post »

Ryan Hietala … looks like a cool dude. Blond hair, short and spiked, little bit of facial hair … Shot six-under the first day at Q-School, eagled his first hole of day two, stood 8-under with 69 holes to play, then the meltdown began… bogey-bogey-double-triple-bogey … Eight shots over par in five holes. What the hell happened? Who ever knows at this level? Did he pull a muscle? Strain his brain? Realize what he was doing? Let’s hope his back nine is an absolute reversal in fortune. full post »