This Week at TravelGolf.com: July 5, 2006

Grading pro golf's best for 2006

As we travel slightly past the mid-point of the professional golf tours, it's a perfect time to reflect on the players that have wowed and disappointed us thus far in 2006:

Best male golfer: Tiger Woods. Just to mess with Phil Mickelson's head a little more.

Best male golfer (really): Phil Mickelson. Okay, the guy channeled his inner idiot on the 72nd hole at Winged Foot in the U.S. Open. But a second-place Open finish wedges in nicely with a Masters win and the top spot on the money list. Add to that his charitable work with Birdies for the Brave and a smokin'-hot wife, and Lefty has been the man.

Best female golfer: Lorena Ochoa. Annika Sorenstam's U.S. Women's Open victory puts her right back in the chase for player of the year and tops on the money list. But Ochoa has spent the year just blistering the LPGA Tour, as the Mexicana has 10 top-10 finishes in 14 events entered. Look for the former University of Arizona star to continue her excellence.

Biggest disappointment - female: Paula Creamer. Two victories and a Solheim Cup berth in 2005 seemed like a launching pad for Creamer. Now, she's sitting at No. 13 on the money list, which is just mediocre for someone of her skills. The "Paula Creamer is better than Michelle Wie" arguments are now on permanent hiatus.

Biggest disappointment - male: John Daly. Remember when people started whispering that Daly could be a captain's pick for the Ryder Cup team? They aren't anymore, as Daly sits 167th on the money list and appears to be ready to make the career switch to full-time loon.

Best golfing nation: Australia. Geoff Ogilvy and Karrie Webb have won majors. Two Aussies are in the top 5 of the money list. Plus, Anna Rawson is Australian. Add the Socceroos to the mix and it's been a heady year Down Under.

The only golfer that really matters: Michelle Wie. The phrase "I'm not a golf fan, I'm a Michelle fan" is suddenly in vogue. Mi-Wie failing to qualify for the men's U.S. Open earned 100,000 times the press coverage and fan interest that Ochoa has received for her entire marvelous campaign. Still no wins, but Nike and her other sponsors are doing back flips over her consistent top-5 finishes, that keep her on TV all weekend. We are watching the future, and this far, the future is looking pretty darned good.

As always, TravelGolf.com welcomes your comments.

Carolina's Outer Banks, golf in
Tahoe-Reno, Lefty's driver
woes, author Geoff Shackelford

Host Dave Berner heads to the Outer Banks of North Carolina to find great links style golf. Chris Baldwin on his golf trip to the Lake Tahoe-Reno High Sierra area where he found good golf and perfectly crazy towns including the golf haven of Graeagle, Calif. Geoff Shackelford on his latest book "Lines of Charm." He shoots down the myth that the master designers were were uber serious. "They were very funny guys." And Kiel Christianson breaks down Lefty's Open breakdown.

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Forced carries over subdivision streets:
Pete Dye has fun with resort courses

Never let it be said that Pete Dye doesn't have a sense of humor. Charged with creating a pure resort layout at Mission Hills in Palm Springs, Calif., the notorious hacker-tormentor sunk his teeth into the resort-course format itself. Dye stamped the Pete Dye Resort Course here with his ingenuity while keeping it resort-player friendly. It's not the most challenging or entertaining Pete Dye you're going to play but it's still more challenging and entertaining than most courses.

Also: Hear Chris Baldwin on Palm Springs golf's new image