3-Year-Old Boy Hones Game for Q-School

WHEN ALEXIS THOMPSON RECENTLY turned professional to play on the LPGA Tour at the age of 15, some questioned whether she was too young for the rigors of tour life and openly wondered about the potentially damaging attention she might receive. But Thompson is a grizzled veteran compared to a 3-year-old Arizona boy who may enter the PGA Tour’s Qualifying School this fall.

The boy’s agent told ARMCHAIR GOLF in an email that his young client got an even earlier start in golf than Tiger Woods and other golf prodigies. The boy began making arm movements in his mother’s womb that simulated a golf swing and has aspired to play on the PGA Tour since he was 1. That was when he watched Woods beat Rocco Mediate in a 19-hole playoff to win the U.S. Open.

“He’s that good,” the agent said, “and he has a great attitude. Nothing keeps him down for very long.”

One large roadblock that stands in the boy’s way is the PGA Tour’s age rule. A player can enter Q-School at any age but isn’t allowed to become a PGA Tour member until his 18th birthday.

“We’re looking at it and talking to Ponte Vedra,” the agent said. “That’s all I can say right now.”

Apparently, business opportunities are also available. Golf-related companies and mega brands are always on the lookout for the game’s newest star players.

“Several potential sponsors are interested in signing him. He’s a great kid. He really is.”

For now, the boy’s parents and agent are guarding the boy’s identity should they decide to enroll him in preschool and forgo the Q-School bid until he’s 4.

−The Armchair Golfer

(This is an ARMCHAIR GOLF spoof.)

(Image: The Geary’s/Flickr)

Joe Ogilvie and the Dreaded De-Greener

“Last week at Hartford I had two de-greeners, and that’s never a good thing.”
—Joe Ogilvie, on Thursday at the AT&T National

JOE OGILVIE IS PUTTING much better. And that, along with the Fourth of July, is cause for celebration. Because poor putting sucks, especially when you make your living by said putting.

How bad has it been for ol’ Joe? He explained it to the press after carving a 66 out of Aronimink Golf Club for a share of the first-round lead with Arjun Atwal, Jason Day and Nick Watney at the AT&T National.

“Last week at Hartford I had two de-greeners,” Joe said, “and that’s never a good thing, to have one. I usually have one maybe every three years, and to have two in the same tournament—for those of you at home, de-greeners is where you hit the green and putt it off of it.” (Laughter in the media center.)

De-greeners! That’s just perfect. I hadn’t heard that one, but it’s priceless as that credit-card empire likes to say. If Joe and his PGA Tour comrades don’t mind, I will give de-greener the acronym “DG” and file it in the ARMCHAIR GOLF acronym list with my recent addition, “SPD” (Sudden Putting Disaster). Actually, I think they’re cousins.

“So this was a lot better,” Joe said, finishing his thought. “I’m feeling more and more comfortable over my putter.”

And that makes me feel more comfortable. And probably you, too.

−The Armchair Golfer

Related:
Paul Lawrie and the Eight-Putt Green

The Strange Disappearance of Bill Rogers

TODAY I WAS WATCHING highlights of the 1982 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, that Tom Watson caper where he stole Jack Nicklaus’s fifth Open title. Poor Jack. Tom had his number.

Anyway, I saw a name on a caddie bib flash across the screen: B. ROGERS. B. Rogers. Anybody remember Bill Rogers? You would have to be a certain age, or a student of golf history.

Bill Rogers played with Watson that Sunday at Pebble in 1982. In fact, Rogers led on the final day before falling into a tie for third. No one would have been shocked had he won, for Bill Rogers was the reigning British Open champion. He captured the title at Royal St. George’s at the age of 29. He went on to win four titles in 1981 and was awarded player of the year honors. And he was a member of the 1981 U.S. Ryder Cup team that trounced the Europeans 18½ to 9½, the most lopsided defeat in Cup history.

Everyone expected more big things from Rogers. From 1979 to 1982, he had three near misses at the U.S. Open: a second, a third and a fourth. He won the 1982 PGA Grand Slam of Golf. Then it was over. Beginning in 1983, he slowly vanished. After only making three cuts and winning a scant $5,000, 36-year-old Bill Rogers left the tour in 1988.

What happened?

Burnout preceded a loss of confidence. Rogers lost his desire. According to Lanny Wadkins, Rogers never liked the rigors of tour travel and missed his family back home in Texas. His rise in the golf world was steep and relatively fast. So was his fall.

“Starting in ’86,” Rogers told The Independent in 1993, “I hardly ever played a round of golf that I didn’t wish I was doing something else. That’s a miserable existence.”

Rogers took a job as director of golf at San Antonio Country Club. “Selling sweaters and giving lessons,” as The Independent called it, suited the former golf star. Rogers was content again. Since turning 50 in 2001, he has played in more than 50 events on the Champions Tour. He never regretted his decision to leave the tour, telling Art Stricklin, “I don’t think I was ever meant to be a lifer on the PGA Tour. I think I outsmarted the system by leaving when I did.”

−The Armchair Golfer

U.S. Open Special Exemptions Started with Ben Hogan

HOW DOES THE USGA determine who gets a special exemption into the U.S. Open? However the USGA championship committee wants to.

Each situation has a different set of circumstances. Tom Watson was granted a special exemption this year based on the strength of his 2009 British Open performance at Turnberry. Plus, old Tom has some compelling history at Pebble Beach, where he snatched the national crown from four-time U.S. Open champion Jack Nicklaus in 1982. (I wish I had a buck for every time I’ve seen Tom’s chip-in for birdie on 17. Jack must still have nightmares 28 years later.)

Watson is a former U.S. Open champion and eight-time major winner, a sentimental favorite who can also contend at the age of 60. That’s an ideal set of circumstances for granting a special exemption.

Awarded a special exemption today, three-time major winner Vijay Singh is a fuzzier choice for me. I’m not saying I’m opposed to it, but the injury-plagued Veej, still an everyday PGA Tour player, certainly caught a break from the USGA after falling out of the top 50 in the world golf rankings. The special exemption will allow Singh to bypass a 36-hole sectional qualifier. Those aren’t fun. And his consecutive majors streak is still alive at 63 and soon to be 64.

Ben Hogan was the first player to be granted a U.S. Open special exemption in 1966. Hogan was 53 and still a good player who had the twitches on the greens. A 36-hole qualifier was out of the question 17 years after a head-on collision with a Greyhound bus banged up Hogan so severely that walking was a minor miracle. In fact, Ben had not played a U.S. Open since 1961 when he teed it up at the Olympic Club in June of ’66. How’d the old warhorse do? He finished 12th.

There were no more U.S. Open special exemptions until 1977. Now they’re doled out on an annual basis.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image: Steve and Sara Emry/Flickr)

2010 Crowne Plaza Invitational TV Schedule and Tournament Notes

THE 2010 CROWNE PLAZA INVITATIONAL is underway at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. Jeff Overton, Jason Bohn and Blake Adams share the first-round lead at 7 under.

Purse: $6.2 million
Winner’s share: $1.116 million
Defending champion: Steve Stricker

The field
The course
Tee times
The live report
Tournament news
Tournament website

2010 Crowne Plaza Invitational Leaderboard

TV SCHEDULE

Nine hours of weekend TV coverage are on tap for the 2010 Crowne Plaza Invitational.

Fri, 5/28:
GOLF 3p - 6p ET

Sat, 5/29:
CBS 3p - 6p ET

Sun, 5/30:
CBS 3p - 6p ET

PGA Tour radio coverage

−The Armchair Golfer

Calling in Sick to the Senior PGA Championship

THEY’RE PLAYING THE SENIOR PGA Championship this week near Denver and I was just noticing all the fellas who won’t be teeing it up for mostly health and injury reasons. At the risk of picking on the old guys (because I realize younger players also drop out each week at PGA Tour events), here’s the list of no-shows for the year’s first Champions Tour major:

Paul Azinger - flu
Hal Sutton – hip
Peter Jacobsen – illness
Jerry Pate – knees
Scott Hoch – wrist
Craig Stadler – medical reasons
Mark McCumber – back
Tom Pernice, Jr. – playing on PGA Tour this week

(Photo: Paul Azinger withdrew from Senior PGA / supergolfdude via Flickr)

So, Pernice is the only one playing elsewhere. Everyone else would need a note from their mother if they were skipping school. If you consider how much tournament golf those 50-something guys have played through the years, you can imagine the buildup of nagging aches, pains and injuries and why their bodies are wearing out. It’s not like the golf swing is a natural motion. It puts ridiculous stress on the back. Hands, wrists, shoulders, knees and hips are also vulnerable.

Years of travel, tossing around clubs and luggage, riding long hours in wheeled and winged vehicles, and sleeping on strange mattresses take a toll. Playing the tour looks glamorous, right? I guess it can be. It can also be drudgery—tough on bodies and relationships.

“Don’t ever get old,” muttered an aching Ben Hogan as he withdrew from the 1971 Houston Open, his final tour appearance. Fine, but that was before there was a Champions Tour with generous purses and a high-tech fitness trailer at every stop. Still, I can see Ben’s point.

−The Armchair Golfer

Golf Was Last Resort for Blake Adams

I GUESS WHEN YOU exhaust all your other sports options—and bust up your body in the process—you can always turn to golf. That’s been the case for Blake Adams.

Adams is the cat who played in the final group with winner Jason Day at the HP Byron Nelson Championship and finished in a tie for second. He’s a 34-year-old rookie on the PGA Tour who competed in seemingly every sport but golf until his body wouldn’t let him. He became a golf professional at the ripe old age of 25.

“I was better at football, baseball, basketball growing up,” Adams said at the Byron Nelson, “and golf was something I did in the summertime and something that I always had some success at but it just wasn’t my sport. But after you tear your rotator cuff twice your baseball career is pretty much done, and football, too.”

Not that golf is easy for Blake. The man has a thick medical file. “I wake up like I’m 80 … I creak and crack,” he said.

Adams has the arthritis of a 60-year-old. Plus three bone spurs, a bulging disk in his back and a cyst. There’s more. He was also told he needs new hips. He has broken his left ankle and nearly every finger on his left hand. I’ve surely missed a few things. Did I mention he’s 34? Goodness gracious.

SI’s Gary Van Sickle called Adams “Tin Cup” and wrote that “he lives in a small town in south Georgia where he practices by hitting balls on a dirt road and shagging them himself with the help of his Labrador retriever.” I like that. (Hey, I wonder if his Lab is that blind, three-legged dog named Lucky.)

The rookie is just glad to be playing on the PGA Tour and cashing checks like the fat one from the Byron Nelson. About his health woes, Blake said, “I don’t know what’s next, but we’ll just fight through it whatever happens.”

I’m sure he will. And if golf doesn’t work out, there’s always billiards.

−The Armchair Golfer

2010 Players Championship TV Schedule and Tournament Notes

THE 2010 PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP is underway at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Lee Westwood is the current leader at 12 under.

Purse: $9.5 million
Winner’s share: $1.71 million
Defending champion: Henrik Stenson

The field
The course
Tee times
The live report
Tournament news
Past winners

2010 Players Championship Leaderboard

TV SCHEDULE

Sixteen hours of weekend TV coverage are on tap for the 2010 Players Championship.

Friday, May 7, 1-7 p.m. ET - GOLF CHANNEL

Saturday, May 8, 2-7 p.m. ET - NBC

Sunday, May 9, 2-7 p.m. ET - NBC

PGA Tour radio coverage

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image: nsaplayer/Flickr)

Video: The Players Championship Memorable Moments

“BE THE RIGHT CLUB. Be the right club today!”

That was Hal Sutton talking to his approach shot (3:07 mark) on the final hole of the 2000 Players Championship when he held off Tiger Woods. Whatever you think of Hal, that has to be one of the coolest ball-in-air comments ever. In fact, I may use it the next time I hit a 5-iron that covers the stick. Only I can’t do it with that Shreveport, Louisiana, accent.

This is a fun highlights package. It begins in 1982 with Jerry Pate stiffing his orange golf ball on the 72nd hole to win and then—you’ll have to watch it to believe it—Pate tosses then commissioner Deane Beman, the brainchild of The Players Championship, into the drink—sport coat, tie, wire rims and all. Jerry’s not through. Next he throws course designer Pete Dye into the water. Then JP makes his famous dive.

A bunch more clips: There’s Greg Norman torching TPC Sawgrass, Fred Couples making an improbable eagle on 16 and birdie on 17, and Craig Perks (remember him?) incredibly holing out on the final three holes to win his one and only PGA Tour event in 2002. And there’s also 48-year-old Fred Funk shaking his head and saying in 2005, “I can’t believe I won this thing. I just can’t believe it.”

The Players Championship is one of those tournaments that I tire of the hype. The fifth major. How many years have I heard that? Too many. But I have to admit that the tournament itself often exceeds my expectations. There’s been a lot of excitement over the years. And a lot of sweaty palms and wet golf balls.

Who will win this year?

−The Armchair Golfer

The Rules Geek: Phil Mickelson and the Proper Drop

Editor’s note: The Rules Geek is an occasional and potentially annoying feature at ARMCHAIR GOLF.

ONE OF THE MOST common rules situations on the PGA Tour and other tours is the drop without penalty. It happened on Sunday at the Quail Hollow Championship. Phil Mickelson got relief on the 15th hole when his errant drive came to rest near a cart path. The tour official was summoned and the dropping and re-dropping began. The interaction between player, tour official and caddie is a well-choreographed little dance and always seems to take longer than necessary.

It’s a free drop. Seems easy enough. But who can take the drop and what is the proper technique? Let’s have a look at the rule, shall we?

Rule 20-2. Dropping and Re-Dropping a. By Whom and How states “A ball to be dropped by the Rules must be dropped by the player himself. He must stand erect, hold the ball at shoulder height and arm’s length and drop it. If the ball is dropped by any other person or in any other manner and the error is not corrected as provided in Rule 20-6, (THE FOLLOWING PART IS PRINTED IN RED) the player incurs a penalty of one stroke.”

(Interestingly to the Rules Geek, Rule 20. Lifting, Dropping and Placing; Playing from Wrong Place is one of the most detailed and lengthy rules, taking up seven pages in The Rules of Golf.)

It’s odd to think that improper technique could cost a player a stroke, but that’s the rule. Phil dropped with his left arm extended, and on television it appeared that he used proper technique on each of his drops. (Bones even asked the tour official if it was OK to pick up the ball when it rolled away each time. Pros and their caddies take absolutely no chances on a possible rules misstep.)

After completing the drop (he eventually placed the ball and that’s another issue), Phil launched his second shot with a utility club and nearly reached the green 265 yards away. He went on to finish second to Rory McIlroy.

The Rules Geek salutes all players who stand erect and hold the golf ball at shoulder height and arm’s length when dropping and re-dropping.

The Rules Geek sez rules were made to be followed. Got a rules-related tip or story? Send it to The Rules Geek at armchairgolfer@gmail.com.

Related:
Abnormal Ground Conditions Aid Amateur
Hunter Mahan’s Driver Replacement

(Image: Sheldon and Marci/Flickr)

America the Birdieful: Rory McIlroy Romps at Quail Hollow

Editor’s note: Brian Keogh is a golf correspondent for The Irish Sun and a regular contributor to The Irish Times, Golf Digest Ireland and other golf publications. The following piece is excerpted from his blog, Irish Golf Desk. 

By Brian Keogh
Special to ARMCHAIR GOLF

RORY MCILROY ANSWERED HIS CRITICS in emphatic fashion when he closed with an incredible run of six successive threes to win the Quail Hollow Championship by four shots from Phil Mickelson—smashing the course record by two with a scintillating, bogey-free 10 under par 62 to secure his maiden PGA Tour victory in grandstand fashion on 15 under par.

The Holywood star, who does not turn 21 until Wednesday, became the youngest winner on the PGA Tour since world No. 1 Tiger Woods claimed the Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic at age 20 years, nine months and 20 days in 1996.

Flabbergasted that he had played the last 36 holes in 16 under par, McIlroy said: “I just got in a zone and didn’t realise that I was going eight, nine, 10 under. I just knew that I got my nose in front and I was just trying to stay there.”

Asked if he’d dreamt of such a day as a youngster, he said: “I did. Ever since I was 10 or 11 years old I wanted to be a professional golfer. It’s been a crazy run to up this point and I am just delighted to get here and get my first win in the US on a course like this is really special.”

As for his closing 62, which featured 12 threes, he said: “It’s ridiculous. I shot 61 around Portrush when I was 16 in the North of Ireland and it felt pretty similar today. I was just seeing my shots and hitting it and seeing the line of putts really well and everything was going in. It was one of those days where everything went right.”

Congratulated by Padraig Harrington, Lee Westwood and Jim Furyk at the finish, McIlroy beamed: “I just said to Westwood: ‘That’s how you finish off a golf tournament! Padraig said, ‘That was some bit of stuff.’ I appreciate the guys that stayed around to see me in. It means a lot.”

Tied with the lead with Angel Cabrera heading down the stretch, McIlroy was six under for the day when he birdied the 14th to go two clear of a chasing pack that included the Argentinian and Masters champion Phil Mickelson. But the best was yet to come as he spectacularly eagled the par-five 15th to go three clear, birdied the 16th from four feet, lipped out with a 54-foot birdie try at the dangerous par three 17th and then capped a remarkable performance by draining a long bomb from 42 feet for a roof-raising birdie at the 18th.

Weekend Turnaround

Just three weeks after threatening to take time out to sort out his head after missing the cut at the Masters, McIlroy stormed home in 30 blows to underline just why players like Woods, Ernie Els and Geoff Ogilvy have hailed him as a world No. 1 in waiting.

After missing the cut in his last two starts, his season changed utterly on Friday when he eagled the par five seventh, his 16th, to make the cut on the one over par mark. After that he was off and running and no one could live with him.

He fired a six under par 66 on Saturday to scorch up the leaderboard and go into the final round just four strokes behind overnight leader Billy Mayfair on five under par. But in the final round he was simply unbeatable as he tore Quail Hollow to shreds with one of the greatest final round performances ever seen on the PGA Tour.

He birdied the fourth from 10 feet and then moved into top gear with a hat-trick of birdies from the seventh, surging to the top of the leaderboard alongside two-time major winner Angel Cabrera on nine under par. He failed to birdied the par-five 10th and Cabrera, who was playing in the group behind, took advantage there to edge a stroke clear. But McIlroy had the bit between his teeth and after a 142-yard wedge to three feet gave him a birdie at the 11th and a share of lead with the Argentinian, he found an even higher gear. After a par four at the 12th, he finished with an incredible run of six successive threes to complete a victory for the ages.

Cabrera missed a four foot birdie chance on the 11th and then fluffed a delicate chip at the 12th and bogeyed to leave McIlroy alone at the top. McIlroy then drove into the greenside bunker at the 284-yard, par four 14th, splashed out to ten feet and rolled in the putt with a clenched fist salute to go two clear of Cabrera, Brendan de Jonge, Bo Van Pelt and Mickelson on 11 under. His lead was reduced to just one shot moments later when Cabrera birdied the driveable 14th but McIlroy responded with one of the shots of the season at the par-five 15th. After a 325 yard drive, he rifled a 207-yard five iron at the pin and watched as the ball took the slope and rolled up to just three and a half feet, setting up a facile eagle three which put him three clear on 13 under. But there was more to come. At the 16th he drove into a fairway bunker but clipped a perfect 167-yard seven iron to four feet and rolled the putt home.

For a while it looked as though Harrington would set a formidable clubhouse target when he birdied the sixth, eagled the par-five seventh and then racked up three birdies on the trot at the 13th, 14th and 15th to get to eight under par. But the Dubliner, who was seven strokes behind Mayfair starting the day, failed to get up and down for par at the treacherous 16th and 17th, carding a 68 that eventually left him tied for seventh on six under par.

Harrington: ‘It’s a Big Deal’

Harrington was one fo the first to slap McIlroy on the back as he walked off the 18th. But as he waited to see if McIlroy could close the deal, Harrington said: “I think it means a lot for him. We can talk about European golf afterwards, but it’s a big deal for him to come over here and start winning over here.

“He wasn’t contending, wasn’t winning, and if he can get across the line it makes it a lot easier for him going forward, and I think it could make a big difference to his career.

“It’s a lot of pressure on him, a lot of focus on the home, and it’s putting him under enormous pressure to deliver, and obviously every week that he doesn’t deliver, it’s getting on him. But you know, if he can win here, it eases it all off.”

Brian Keogh covers golf for The Irish Sun and contributes to a variety of golf publications. Pay him a visit at Irish Golf Desk.

(Image: nsaplayer/Flickr)

Backswing Watchers

“SO, THAT’S WHAT MY backswing looks like.” This is PGA Tour player Kevin Na taking what might have been an admiring look at his backswing on the practice range at TPC River Highlands, the site of the Travelers Championship. Or maybe not. Maybe, instead, Na was thinking, “What is going on here?” Or: “Where’s my swing coach?” Or: “I’m definitely firing that guy.”

Are you a backswing watcher? I’m not talking about watching the backswings of others. No, I’m talking about watching your own backswing. Taking it back slow and studying your shoulders, arms, right elbow, hands, wrists, trajectory. Checking your position at the top. Wondering about your swing plane. All that swing mechanics stuff.

A friend of mine who was a collegiate golfer was a backswing watcher. Russ could really stripe the ball. When he was hitting the ball well with his woods and irons, he would hit it high with a pretty little draw. When he wasn’t hitting it well (for him), that pretty little draw turned into a hook or a pull hook. And as Lee Trevino once said, “You can talk to a fade but a hook won’t listen.” I played as Russ’s partner in tournaments over the years, and he’d check his backswing a lot. I marveled at this, thinking I could never get that focused on my mechanics without it messing with my mind. I had a pretty good idea what Russ was doing. He was trying to get a little more upright on the backswing. If he could get the club in the right slot, the rest would take care of itself. At least that was the plan.

I remember Nick Faldo being a backswing watcher. Sir Nick always seemed like he was fidgeting with his swing between shots. Many other players are backswing watchers. I think some are rehearsing, some are correcting and some are probably completely stumped and trying to figure out how they’re going to get to the clubhouse with that mess of a golf swing.

I’m not a backswing watcher. I don’t want to see it or over-think it because I’m predominately a feel player rather than a technical player. I usually focus on a swing key or two and go from there. When my ball is flying in the wrong direction or I’m not striking it solid, I’m decent—not great, but decent—at self-correcting. Sometimes it’s my takeaway and sometimes it might be something as simple as shortening up my backswing. But I don’t watch it. That would be too scary.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image: RGlasson/Flickr)

2010 Quail Hollow Championship TV Schedule and Tournament Notes

THE 2010 QUAIL HOLLOW CHAMPIONSHIP is underway at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. Bo Van Pelt is the current leader at 7 under.

Purse: $6.4 million
Winner’s share: $1.152 million
Defending champion: Sean O’Hair

Inside the field
Inside the course
Tee times
Tournament overview
Full tournament news
Quail Hollow Championship Web site

2010 Quail Hollow Championship Leaderboard

TV SCHEDULE

Twelve hours of TV coverage are on tap for the 2010 Quail Hollow Championship.

Thu, 4/29:
GOLF 3p - 6p ET

Fri, 4/30:
GOLF 3p - 6p ET

Sat, 5/1:
CBS 3p - 6p ET

Sun, 5/2:
CBS 3p - 6p ET

PGA Tour radio coverage

−The Armchair Golfer

Stuff I Dug Up on Jason Bohn

I DIDN’T WATCH THE Zurich Classic. I did read about it online and checked the scores, but I never flipped on CBS. (I could tell you more about the Lakers-Thunder series.) Still, like other golf fans, I wonder about the Jason Bohns of the PGA Tour. When they shoot 18 under and win a Valero Texas Open or a Zurich Classic, I ask the same basic question: Who is this guy?

Of course, I’ve heard of Jason Bohn (this wasn’t his first PGA Tour win—he won the 2005 B.C. Open). I’ve seen Bohn’s name on leaderboards and noticed the “Bohn Identity” wordplays on golf sites. (Hey, Mat Damon. Want to play another golfer?) But I honestly couldn’t tell you three things about Bohn. Until now, of course. Please follow along because I spent at least 10 minutes looking up this stuff.

Bohn just turned 37 and worked his way through the minors to get to the PGA Tour. He won twice on the Canadian Tour and once on the Nationwide Tour at the Chattanooga Classic. Here’s something that caught my attention. Bohn won the Canadian Tour’s 2001 Bayer Championship by shooting a 58 in the final round. Double wow. In 2008, he finished third at the Wachovia Championship (bodes well for this week). Last year Bohn was in a three-way playoff at the Wyndham Championship won by Ryan Moore.

Jason (I think we’re on a first-name basis now) lives in Georgia and his special interests are music and camping. He attended the University of Alabama where he majored in finance. His wife’s name is Tewana and they have two boys, Connor and Cameron. Now that I know him so well, I’m going to say it: I think Jason will win again on tour. And if he and Tewana have another child, I’m going with Cherylin if it’s a girl and Carter if it’s a boy.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image: Keith Allison/Flickr)

Final Report on My Puerto Rico Golf Trip

Eileen Earley (Ogilvy), Chi Chi Rodriguez and yours truly at a reception
at the Gran Melia Golf Resort (photo courtesy of Rob Hayashida)

IT HAS BEEN ABOUT a month since I traveled to Puerto Rico for the Puerto Rico Open as a member of a press tour hosted by the Puerto Rico Tourism Company. Golf travel and destinations are not my normal beat, but I was grateful for the opportunity to slip away for a PGA Tour event in the Caribbean, especially after such a long stretch of cold, snow and ice in the Mid Atlantic. As a huge bonus, my wife came along while our two school-age daughters stayed with friends, a rare weeklong getaway.

We stayed at the Gran Melia Golf Resort Puerto Rico in Rio Grande, which is just a John Daly 5-iron from the Trump International Golf Club where the tournament was played. I read some reviews on Trip Advisor before we left and was a bit concerned due to comments about the service and food. However, I thought the service was consistently good and at times excellent. For the most part, the staff was genuinely friendly. There are five restaurants on the property, a combination of cuisine options in casual or more formal settings. My favorite was Pasion−I dined there two nights in a row. I tried mofongo, a native dish featuring mashed plantains, and ordered the fresh grouper on my second visit. I also consumed massive quantities of decadent chocolate desserts on both evenings. Life was good. And very fattening.

The property has nearly 500 suites and a handful of villas, including the presidential villa where I believe The Donald was staying (he was on hand for tournament festivities), although it was hush-hush with the resort staff. The suites are spread out and connected by a large loop of sidewalks. Unless you really enjoy walking (I did), getting around is by golf cart. (The staff is always driving the loop and eager to pick up people as they drift out of their suites.) Our suite was large and comfortable. My only problem in the room was wireless reception, which was spotty.

The resort is on the ocean and has a beach area that I was told will be overhauled with new sand. We didn’t swim in the gigantic lagoon-style pool because the water was a little chilly. I liked seeing the iguanas everywhere. They seem to be as common on the island as squirrels are in the States. Some are larger than cats. Really. Other resort amenities include a casino, small store, bars and live entertainment.

Tours and Stuff

While I did my golf thing, which included press conferences, presentations, the tournament and various tours of local golf courses such as Rio Mar, my wife took tours to Old San Juan and the nearby El Yunque rainforest. My one regret was not getting to Old San Juan. Maybe next time.

Don’t leave San Juan on a Sunday unless you have no other choice. Apparently, all the cruise ships return and tourists flood the airport to fly home. I’ve never seen a more crowded airport in my life. It was overwhelming, and some of my fellow stand-in-liners were not dealing well with travel adversity. But my wife and I made are flights.

I also should mention that I enjoyed the company of Eileen Earley (Ogilvy), Marta (Puerto Rico tourism rep), Rob Hayashida (Sandbox8), Stacy and Barry Solomon (Golf for Beginners), Steve Ellis (The Golfer), Art Stricklin (Sports Illustrated) and Tony Korologos (The Golf Space and Hooked on Golf Blog).

It was my first trip to Puerto Rico and I’d definitely go back. Maybe I’ll be there next year for the 2011 Puerto Rico Open.

−The Armchair Golfer

Read more about my Puerto Rico trip:
Gusty Breezes and Missed Putts at the Puerto Rico Open
Skip Kendall Is the Early Leader in Puerto Rico
How to Blow Dry Trump International with a Helicopter
It’s Raining Cats, Dogs and Iguanas at the Puerto Rico Open
Opening Media Conference and More Chi Chi Rodriguez
Chi Chi Rodriguez: Puerto Rico’s Golf Ambassador

2010 Zurich Classic TV Schedule and Tournament Notes

THE 2010 ZURICH CLASSIC is underway at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, Louisiana. Jason Bohn is the current leader at 7 under.

Purse: $6.2 million
Winner’s share: $1.116 million
Defending champion: Jerry Kelly

Inside the field
Inside the course
Tee times
Interviews
Tournament overview
Full tournament news
Zurich Classic Web site

2010 Zurich Classic Leaderboard

TV SCHEDULE

Twelve hours of TV coverage are on tap for the 2010 Zurich Classic.

Thu, 4/22:
GOLF 3p - 6p ET

Fri, 4/23:
GOLF 3p - 6p ET

Sat, 4/24:
CBS 3p - 6p ET

Sun, 4/25:
CBS 3p - 6p ET

PGA Tour radio coverage

−The Armchair Golfer

Furyk Wins Plaid, Davis Wins Praise

2010 Verizon Heritage Recap
Winner: Jim Furyk
Score: 13 under, 271 (67, 68, 67, 69)
Quote: “I think my confidence level is obviously very high.”
Fact: Ranks 4th all time in career PGA Tour earnings.
Thought: Are the recent and soon-to-be 40-year-olds (Els, Mickelson, Furyk) taking over?

I SPENT PART OF SUNDAY afternoon (and evening since I watched the replay on Golf Channel because I didn’t see the last few holes) wondering about two things: 1) Is Jim Furyk going to win again so soon? 2) Who the heck is Brian Davis?

Let’s start with the latter. After the CBS crew explained that Davis had finished second on the PGA Tour three times, I felt as if I should know something about the Englishman. But it didn’t rattle anything loose in my brain. Turns out he finished 43rd on the PGA Tour money list in 2009 and has won twice on the European Tour. Maybe I should have noticed. It’s a reminder that there are a bunch of Brian Davises, top 100 players who are good enough to win on tour at any moment. One good week can change everything.

Furyk is a prime example. He ended a three-year win drought a month ago at the Transitions Championship, and now he has another. Home of the Verizon Heritage, Harbour Town Golf Links is old-school golf, not a long track by any means (under 7,000 yards, actually) but narrow, breezy, sandy and watery, perfect for the boring, down-the-middle, short-knocking style of golf Furyk plays. I’m impressed, not just because Furyk won again so soon but because he did it the week after missing the cut at the Masters with ugly rounds of 80 and 76. Talk about shaking it off. Just throw the clubs in the trunk and head to the next event. Tomorrow is always a new day. Furyk demonstrated perhaps the most important attribute in golf: a short memory.

Getting back to Davis, we now know something else about him. He called a penalty on himself on the first playoff hole, certainly a laudable thing to do. Davis suspected a loose impediment moved in the hazard on his back swing and immediately called over the PGA Tour’s Slugger White after the ball came to a stop on the far side of the green. When the situation was finally sorted out, Davis was assessed a two-stroke penalty and Furyk was the new owner of a plaid sport coat.

The self-called penalty seems to be the bigger story in the tournament’s aftermath, and I get that, sort of, since it came at such a highly visible, climactic moment. But wasn’t Davis just doing what most golfers would do under the circumstances? I hope so. And do there really need to be so many lofty commentaries about the integrity and honor of golf? We know this.

I like the quote I saw at ESPN Golf about Bobby Jones, who called a penalty on himself during a playoff in the 1925 U.S. Amateur. When he was praised afterwards, Jones said, “You may as well praise a man for not robbing a bank.”

So I say well played and well called, Brian Davis. And I say the same to you if you’ve ever called a penalty on yourself on the golf course, even if it didn’t cost you the club championship.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image: Keith Allison/Flickr)

2010 Verizon Heritage TV Schedule and Tournament Notes

THE 2010 VERIZON HERITAGE is underway at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. K.J. Choi is the first-round leader at 7 under.

Purse: $5.7 million
Winner’s share: $1.026 million
Defending champion: Brian Gay

Inside the field
Inside the course
Tee times
Tournament overview
Full tournament news

2010 Verizon Heritage Leaderboard

TV SCHEDULE

Twelve hours of TV coverage are on tap for the 2010 Verizon Heritage.

Thu, 4/15:
GOLF 3p - 6p ET

Fri, 4/16:
GOLF 3p - 6p ET

Sat, 4/17:
CBS 3p - 6p ET

Sun, 4/18:
CBS 3p - 6p ET

PGA Tour radio coverage

−The Armchair Golfer

Els on Masters Readiness: ‘Whole Package Is There’

ANYONE ELSE READY TO fit Ernie Els for a Green Jacket? He’s a popular pick this week after two impressive wins in Florida. When I first heard that Ernie had made a caddie change (from Ricci Roberts to Dan Quinn), I thought it was an April Fools’ joke. Then I learned more and it made sense.

I asked PGA Tour caddie Mark Huber what he thought about the change. “These guys have been off again on again throughout Ernie’s career,” Mark said in an email. “This was an arrangement agreed upon before the year and if I know Ricci he’s more than satisfied with the schedule. Augusta is the toughest walking major course and he would probably want to work Pebble and St. Andrews instead. Ricci will probably be at Augusta, but enjoying the nightlife instead of trudging the fairways.”

Ernie said in his weekly diary that Ricci and Dan are happy about it and so is he. “I've been to Augusta so many times that I don’t think anybody can tell me anything more about this golf course than I already know.”

The Big Easy also said he rolled down Magnolia Lane with more confidence and game.

“I honestly can’t wait to tee it up. This year I’m going in with a fair bit more confidence and momentum than I have had for a while. You know, I think the whole package is there. My mindset is a lot better. I’m hitting the ball well and the key thing is my short game and putting are both a lot sharper than they have been for a couple of years. Obviously that is the key ingredient to success at Augusta. You’ve got to chip and putt really well to compete here. I’m looking forward to it.”

This will be Ernie’s 17th start at the Masters, and there have been many Aprils that I thought he might break through. But he never has. It’s unfortunate, because I’ve always thought his game was tailor made for the place. Did you know Ernie hasn’t made a cut at Augusta since 2006?

Maybe this will be his year. Fingers crossed.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image: scotchollie/Flickr)

2010 Shell Houston Open TV Schedule and Tournament Notes

THE 2010 SHELL HOUSTON OPEN is in progress at Redstone Golf Club Tournament Course in Humble, Texas. At the moment, the leader is Bryce Molder at 9 under. Molder shot a 66 on Friday. There’s still a long way to go.

Purse: $5.8 million
Winner’s share: $1.026 million
Defending champion: Paul Casey

Inside the field
Inside the course
Tee times
Full tournament news
The live report
Photo gallery

2010 Shell Houston Open Leaderboard

TV SCHEDULE

Ten hours of weekend TV coverage are on tap for the 2010 Shell Houston Open.

Fri, 4/2:
GOLF 4p - 7p ET

Sat, 4/3:
NBC 1p - 5p ET

Sun, 4/4:
NBC 3p - 6p ET

PGA Tour radio coverage

−The Armchair Golfer