At this rate, Tiger Woods will easily surpass Jack Nicklaus. Woods won his fourth Buick Invitational Sunday by backing into yet another win. Jose Maria Olazabal misses a four-footer in the sudden death playof. Rookie Nathan Green looks like a deer in headlights and stubs a chip shot. Phil Mickelson is mired in a three-putt derby. Sergio Garcia implodes. It’s as if no one feels they have a right to win with Woods in the field. This isn’t the first time it’s happened. Woods seems to win quite a few tournaments, not due to thrilling heroics on his own, but because of ... full post »

Here’s some semi-depressing news for all of us traveling golfers: we’re getting old. Or, maybe we’re just feeling guilty. In any event, “buddy trips” are down and family golf vacations are up. That’s the latest news from the 2006 PGA Merchandise Show and Convention in Orlando. A study by PGA Magazine and an Orlando-based ad agency revealed, at the show, some interesting tidbits about those who like to travel and play golf. We’re not hitting the road with four or five buds, playing 36 holes a day and going on late-night Hooters benders as much. We’re taking our wives, children and ... full post »

The PGA Tour is finally getting started this week. Yeah, I know, it’s been in Hawaii, but that was just the warmup, the preseason if you will. Now the big guns are coming out. Tiger Woods’ season debut at the Buick Invitational is enough to get everyone nuts, but add big Bubba Watson to the mix and now you’ve really got something. Watson, the big left-hander out of the Florida Panhandle, wowed people last year on the Nationwide Tour, and it looks like he could be another John Daly or Jason Gore. Woods talked about him at his Buick press conference, ... full post »

It normally irritates me when Europeans lecture us Americans about anything. But, a Scot named W. Eric Laing has some good things to say about the ridiculously slow pace of play in the U.S. “Slow play has become a universal curse in American golf and is talked about on every course in the country,” Laing writes in his book, “America! What have you done to the Auld Game?” What’s worse, Laing says, is that we are exporting our excruciatingly slow pace to other countries. Among U.S. culprits allowing and even encouraging slow play are televised golf tournaments. The reasoning is ... full post »

Fernandina Beach, Fla. is a great place to go to get away from the urban blues of Jacksonville, and get in some good golf to boot. I used to go there for the annual Shrimp Festival until it got too commercial. Still, it’s a beautiful, little town, close to the ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway, about 45 minutes north of Jacksonville. The downtown, historic district is a 50-square block area of stately Victorian and Queen Anne architecture, and quite a few of the old homes have been converted into bed and breakfasts. The Ash Street Inn is one of the ... full post »

I said it once and I’ll say it again – the Jacksonville, Florida area matches and maybe even surpasses Myrtle Beach as a golf destination. The only reason Myrtle Beach is more popular is because of its superior marketing. The best courses along Jacksonville’s First Coast are as good and better than the best at Myrtle Beach. Plus, Jax is easier to get to, at least for those golfers in the South. Jacksonville doesn’t have that herd ‘em in, hered ‘em out attitude, and it has only about 20 or so fewer courses. Look for the full column on this soon, in ... full post »

There is a segment of Michelle Wie fans, the more deluded, sometimes refereed to as Wie-wannabes, that are crowing about the 68 she shot at the Sony Open Friday, as if that somehow makes up for the embarrassing 79 she ballooed to on the first day of competition. That’s the whole point. She shot a 68 AFTER the pressure was off, when she and everybody else knew she had no chance of making the cut. The girl is in too deep. She hasn’t learned how to deal with pressure yet. Now, that shouldn’t be held against her – again, she’s only a ... full post »

I have all the sympathy in the world for Michelle Wie, as well as big hopes. But, I’m starting to think she should put off this goal of trying to make a cut on the PGA Tour. She came apart Thursday at the Sony, making three double bogeys on the front nine for a 42. Hell, I can shoot a 42. It got worse. She tried to switch out her ball on one hole, only to be told “uh-uh” by her playing partners and a rules official. This is her third straight year trying to make it at the Sony. She’s ... full post »

Sorry to disappoint you,but this blog is NOT about Michelle Wie. Hey, I’ll wait til she misses the cut at Sony and then I’ll speak up. Meanwhile, anyone notice the TV deal with the PGA Tour? There are little signs the game isn’t as healthy as Tim Finchem tries to lead us to believe. Yes, they signed six-year deals with NBC, CBS and the Golf Channel, but ABC and ESPN walked away from the talks. Not interested. Also, Ford did not renew its sponsorship at Doral and prize money, which has reached ridiculous levels, has reached as high as it is going ... full post »

So, the PGA Tour starts off not with a bang, but with a whimper. Actually, it doesn’t seem that much time has passed before the end of the 2005 season. Maybe Tim Finchem’s new schedule will help that. In any case, the watered-down Mercedes Championship is more notable for who isn’t there than who is. Tiger Woods, Phil Michelson, Retief Goosen and Paddy Harrington, the nucleus of the world’s top layers, all took passes. Nor is Ernie Els, who didn’t win on the tour last year because of a serious injury, playing. I liked the way ESPN highlighted its coverage of ... full post »

What’s the biggest difference between college football and golf? Well, quite a few actually, but for our purposes here I think it’s all about the kids. Golf at least makes an effort at trying to keep the game attractive to youth, with all its various youth programs. College football does everything to prevent young fans from getting into the game. Last night’s national championship game, for example. The Texas-Southern Cal was a great game, by all accounts. But, I doubt seriously there were many youngsters allowed to stay up late enough to watch all of it. This game should have been played ... full post »

The golf industry in the Gulf Coast is starting to react publicly to being left high and dry by lawmakers who snubbed them –along with massage parlors, liquor stores and gambling establishments – in its bill giving tax breaks and other relief measures in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. “To be singled out like this – as though the owners and operators of golf courses in this region are not part of the mainstream business community and do not make significant contributions to local economies – is outrageous,” said Mike Hughes, CEO of the National Golf Course Owners Association. “Golf is ... full post »

I know, I know, - predictions are like assholes and elbows: Everyone has them. But, I can’t help myself. Tiger Woods and Annika Sorenstam will not be as dominant on their respective tours in 2006. They will both emerge as “players of the year,” but they won’t just trounce everyone in sight. Ernie Els will be the main reason on the men’s tour. He’s the only that comes close to matching the kind of talent and moxie that Woods has, and it looks like he’s coming back nicely from his injury. Phil Michelson has the talent, but not the grit, Retief Goosen ... full post »