Got home early from bowling last night - about 10:30pm EST - and flipped on the tv while I was winding down. Seems I can’t ever just walk in the house and go directly to bed. Much to my surprise I stumbled across the delayed broadcast of the Chrysler Classic of Tucson on the USA cable channel. Don’t suppose I have to tell you that I stayed up way too late watching some of this, do I? It reminded me of my first exposure to professional golf in 1979 when the PGA Tour moved the Kemper Open to Congressional CC near ... full post »

If you live in a warm climate, you’ll have little understanding of the pure delight derived from the golf trip that kicks off a new golf season. My boys, my chums, me mates, my friends, mon amis and I are heading south to Pinehurst for a little 4-day golf soiree. Up in the vicinity of Washington DC where I live, temperatures are currently hovering between 30-45 degrees F on average. While only about a 5.5 hour drive from my area, the temps down there are 10-15 degrees warmer. So the courses are in fair condition even though it’s late February. ... full post »

Much of the golfing world will be watching with interest this first fight between the heirs-apparent to Annika Sorenstam’s throne. Morgan Pressel will come out fast in the early going but settle into another top 20 finish. Michelle Wie will counter with a surge of strong play through the first 45 holes, aided by an advantage in local knowledge. But it’s steady as she goes for a fierce Paula Creamer, who will pull away on the back nine to claim her first title of 2006. Well, maybe. Or maybe not. That’s what I think. What about you? full post »

Choking is going to be a subject we will routinely discuss in this column. Admit it or not, everybody gives in to being nervous sometimes. Well, except maybe Tiger. In golf, it is the proverbial elephant sitting in the living room that nobody wants to mention. And, boy, were we treated to a blue-plate special of it this past weekend. Roarin’ Rory Sabbatini’s guts were spilling out all over Riviera Country Club during the final round of the Nissan Open. (By the way, I don’t care what GQ says, Rory Sabbatini is the most disliked golfer on the planet since ... full post »

Don’t look now but David Duval’s comeback is gaining altitude out in Los Angeles on the strength of a hot putter. Riviera CC (also known as Hogan’s Alley) is considered one of the ultimate ball-striker’s courses on the PGA Tour. Funny thing is, he’s doing it while missing more than half of the fairways and almost half of GIR. Duval turned a small corner in Japan at the end of 2005 and has seen steadily improving play so far this year. Besides getting around some nagging health issues, much of this turn-around could easily be because of the contentment that Duval ... full post »

Some of you know that I have predicted great things for Ernie Els this year. He continues to get healthier and so far, most facets of his golf game are looking good. He played well in a couple of season opening events in South Africa, limping around while winning once and finishing second to a birdie, birdie finish by Retief Goosen. Then it was a couple of weeks off before two European Tour events in the desert. The first was a so-so (for him) 13th place finish in Qatar. The following week in Dubai, Els bested a tremendous field ... full post »

Morgan, Morgan, Morgan ….. you are the feisty one, aren’t you? One of the primary reasons that the LPGA will gain in popularity is because of the budding rivalries amongst the young members. This week, Morgan Pressel has fired another shot over Michelle Wie’s bow. In a conference call about next weekend’s LPGA season opener in Hawaii, Pressel said that Michelle Wie should not be given an exemption into this year’s U.S. Open. Whether or not you agree with her contention, it is plain to me what is going on here. Pressel is looking for an edge. She wants ... full post »

What a breath of fresh air! J.B. Holmes no doubt captured a legion of fans with his stunning knockout victory over the field at the FBR in Phoenix, AZ. If it was a fight, they would have stopped it on Sunday after the 15th hole. His progress from here will be an interesting story to follow. What we have here is a genuine, small-town, long-knockin’, country hero from Kentucky. After an excellent - but not dominant - college career which culminated with J.B. playing in the Walker Cup, he turned pro, accepted an exemption into the Southern Farm Bureau Classic ... full post »

Little John pulled another stunt Friday at the FBR in Phoenix. It was bad enough that he begged off of the Wednesday pro-am, citing illness. This, after a week where the Golf Channel has aired ads for the new Daly reality show where he tells the world how much he hates practice rounds. After a 3-over par 74 in the first round of the FBR, he shoots a 4-over par 40 on his first nine holes Friday, then bolts for the parking lot at the turn. His official response was that he was still ill but don’t you believe it. ... full post »

Funny how things change, yet remain the same. In 2000 Karrie Webb was clearly the No. 1 female golfer in the world, and only 25 years old. In 2001 at age 30, Annika Sorenstam started working long & hard in the gym to Tiger-ize her body and it paid off in spades by 2002. What Annika has done in the last 4 years has left everyone scrambling to see who can be number 2. It’s not even close. While Annika’s game has hit stratospheric heights, Karrie’s has gone the other direction. Until now. Word from Down Under is that Karrie has finally ... full post »