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UFC 107: Chieck Kongo TapouT Signature Walkout Shirt

January 19, 2010, at 2:17 am

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MMA Warehouse has it for 27.99

For more TapouT Signature shirts, check out The 3rd String Store.

PGA

2009 PGA Championship- The Preview Column

By Jordan Lauterbach

August 12, 2009, at 1:28 am

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For many, Golf ends this weekend. Not for me, of course, but for the casual golf fan the fourth and final major is the last time they will sit down and be into golf on TV for an entire weekend. This is precisely why the PGA decided to create the FedEx Cup a few years ago. It extends the golf season. But Golf fans can be relentlessly stubborn. The FedEx cup, despite the publicity, doesn’t have the cache that a major championship does. I don’t think it ever will, at least not for a while.

So while I can’t imagine this weekend being the final one of interest on the PGA Tour, I do think that it is the final “huge” one. Say what you want, the FedEx cup does not get me half as excited as a major championship does. Will I be into it? Yes, of course. Will I be standing up for big puts and changing my life around to watch every single hole? No. Those kind of weekends are special. Those kind of weekends only come once in a blue moon…or more accurately, four times a year.

This weekend is the last of those weekends for 2009. Here are some story lines I’ll be watching for at the 2009 PGA Championship.

1. Tiger Woods- Come on, its a major championship…of course it’s about Tiger. This is the last stand for Woods in 2009. For the first time since 2004, he is in danger of not capturing a major championship. That was by far the worst season of his career. He finished in the top 10 in only one of the four majors that year. This season hasn’t been nearly as bad, but he is coming off a missed cut at The British Open. Don’t think that isn’t fresh in Tiger’s mind. Yes, wins at The Buick and The Bridgestone are nice, but they don’t mean anything if he doesn’t get this one.

He’s four wins away from Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 majors. He’s five away from breaking it. While Tiger is the world’s best player, it’s no absolute guarantee that he will break that record. Including the period that he missed because of injury, five major championships have passed since Tiger notched number 14. As each one passes, that epic win over Rocco Mediate moves deeper and deeper into Tiger’s memory bank. With each Major without a trophy, the magic number of 18 floats farther and farther away.

While I do think that Tiger has more than enough to catch Jack, he has to get back on the road to 18 quickly. In golf, dominance doesn’t last forever. Even if your name is Tiger Woods.

After the British, I thought that Tiger may still be hurt. The trouble he had off the tee that week was incomprehensible to anyone who has watched him over an extended period of time. While he still struggled off the tee in the Buick, he found a way to beat one of the worst fields of the year. After taking a lead last week at The Bridgestone, Tiger allowed Padraig Harrington to climb back into the race with back to back bogeys on 13 and 14. While the performance was better than the one the previous weekend, he still had moments that made you scratch your head.

Is Tiger hot going into this weekend? I don’t think so. I get the sense that he is still struggling with parts of his game that got him in trouble at The British. It doesn’t really matter, either. Woods was “hot” going into all three majors this year and has nothing but two 6’s and a fat MC to show for it. Golf is such a week to week sport that being “hot” is a bit overrated.

I really don’t know what to expect from Tiger this week. But I don’t think he’ll win. I don’t think he’s all the way back yet.

But here’s something to hang your hat on if you’re a Tiger fan. His last PGA Championship win came when he was in danger of going major-less in 2007. Read into that what you will.

2. Is Padraig Harrington back?- I wrote this about David Duval before the British Open and he missed the cut. Hopefully for Padraig Harrington, he won’t suffer the same fate. The victim of a major swing change, Harrington has had one of his worst years as a pro. The two-time defending PGA Champion has made the cut in only eight of the fifteen events he has played in. Prior to last Sunday’s near miss at Bridgestone, Harrington’s highest finish was at the Arnold Palmer when he finished on the edge of the top ten (11th)

Last Sunday, Paddy’s fate changed. Not only did Harrington find himself in the final grouping with Tiger on Sunday, he was in the lead entering the day.

And he put up a good fight too.

After allowing Tiger Woods to bypass him on the leader board, Harrington took advantage of two late mistakes by Woods. A disaster of a triple bogey on 16 ended any hope of a victory, but the hope of returning back to form remained constant for Harrington.

Now, he must build on what he started on last weekend. Was The Bridgestone a stepping stone back relevance for Padraig Harrington or was it a cruelly optimistic anomaly. I tend to think it was the former. Padraig Harrington may be in the middle of an awful year, but in no way do I think he’s entered David Duval “end of the earth territory”.

Will Harrington win another PGA Championship this weekend? I don’t think so. Just like Rome wasn’t built in a day, Paddy Harrington’s game will not zap back to life like it never left. However, I do think Harrington will play well this weekend. A top ten finish is a reasonable estimation.

3. Will Kenny Perry give his Player of the Year campaign more gas?- Readers of this blog know that Kenny Perry is a personal favorite of mine. After he won the Travelers Championship in late June, I wrote that he was on my short list of Player of The Year candidates.

His 59th place finish at The John Deere and his 52nd place finish at The British Open certainly put a halt to that campaign, but the numbers still support Perry’s potential claim to that title. He is currently ranked fourth in the world and third in the FedEx cup standings. If not for a collapse down the stretch at The Masters in April, Perry might already have the title wrapped up.

After an 11th place finish last week at The Bridgestone, it is clear that he is playing better that he has in a few weeks.. A good showing this week would only give his argument more steam.

A win would end the conversation.

4. Phil Mickelson- If you’re worried about Phil because of his poor showing at The Bridgestone, don’t be. I made the same mistake after Phil had a poor showing at The St. Jude before the U.S Open.

Mickelson finished tied for 59th at The St. Jude, including a Sunday round of 75. The next week, he came within a few holes of one of the most heartwarming U.S Open victories in history.

What does this mean? It doesn’t take long for Mickelson to shake off the rust.

He’s been through so much in the last four months. No one would blame Phil if he didn’t play well this weekend. To tell you the truth, I’m still surprised that he’s playing.

But I think Phil will show up this weekend. If you want something to be confident about in regards to Mickelson, he shot a 70 and 69 in the first two rounds last weekend. So it wasn’t all bad.

I think Mickelson finishes in the top 10.

5. Will anything compare to Tom Watson’s run at The British?- In a word, no. What we all witnessed a few weeks ago was a truly special event. Golf fans can’t go into this weekend thinking that anything will match what happened at Turnberry. If you do that, I guarantee disappointment.

But remember, not every tournament has to be legendary to be enjoyable, or even memorable. Those special events only come around once in a blue moon.

Few moments will equal that of Jack Nicklaus winning the Masters in ’86. Few memories will be as special as the ones you’ll have of Tom Watson in July of 2009. I remember thinking “wow, there is going to be a book written about what I’m watching one day”.
You don’t get that with any old major championship.

So when you’re watching this weekend, don’t compare it to The British. It’s unfair. Nothing will compare for a long long time…

….Unless, of course, Nicklaus decides to play and wins or Sam Sneed’s ghost shoots a 59…..

The Pick: Steve Stricker

Is it out of the box? Maybe. Does it make a ton of sense? Yes.

Besides Tiger Woods, Steve Stricker has had the best year of any player on tour. He’s won twice, finished in the top three 4 times, and finished in the top 10 eight times. Stricker is second to Tiger Woods on the FedEx Cup points list and in scoring average. He is also ranked second in the world.

Stricker’s most recent win came at The John Deere Classic.

Prior to the British Open, Stewart Cink was known as the best player on tour to never win a major. That title now belongs to Stricker.

Not for long, though.

PGA

Mickelson To Return to PGA Tour Next Week

By Jordan Lauterbach

July 28, 2009, at 11:43 pm

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From Yahoo! via the AP:

Phil Mickelson will return to the PGA Tour at the Bridgestone Invitational next week, his first tournament since he tied for second at the U.S. Open.

Mickelson has been away for nearly two months because his wife, Amy, has breast cancer. She had surgery July 1. At about that time, Mickelson learned his mother has breast cancer and is being treated.

Mickelson’s decision was announced Tuesday by tournament organizers and suggests he also will play the following week in the PGA Championship at Hazeltine. Bridgestone is the third of the four World Golf Championship events of 2009.

The article goes on to say that Tiger Woods is expected to commit to the Bridgestone later this week.

I have to say, I’m pleasantly surprised by the Mickelson news. If for nothing else but precautionary reasons, I did not think we would see Phil for the remainder of the season. Hopefully this means that his wife and mother are doing well in their battles with cancer. Having had first hand experience with relatives battling this disease, I understand the extreme mental and physical tole it can take on everyone involved.

The Phil story doesn’t end with sentimental value either. The last time we saw Mickelson, he was in heavy contention for a major championship at Bethpage Black. So on top of seeing Phil play at all,its perfectly feasible to expect him to play well. Maybe it won’t come at the Bridgestone, but don’t be surprised to see him in serious contention at the PGA. Remember, his almost-perfect showing at the U.S Open came after a very average weekend at the St Judes….

…The other interesting nugget from today involves Tiger. He was a bit of a surprise entry in this weeks Buick Open field. If he indeed commits to the Bridgestone, he will be playing three consecutive weeks. It would also be the first time this season that Tiger will be playing the weekend before a major championship. I’d imagine that this stems from the fact that Tiger has been a non-factor by 3pm on any of the last three major Sundays. In the case of the missed cut at the British, he was not only a non-factor, but a non-player as well. He’s looking to turn his luck around by not taking that “prep-week” before a major.

This says to me that Tiger isn’t taking the missed cut at the British lightly. Nor should he. Because of the magic carpet ride that Tom Watson took us on, Tiger’s British disaster was swept under the rug. But it was no less troubling.

Prior to the British, I wrote a number of pieces defending Tiger Woods’ performances in Majors. No matter how hard you look, their was no defense for the way Tiger played at Turnberry. He was dreadful. He looked so frustrated that I believe his mechanics suffered as such. It’s hard to criticize the mechanics of the worlds greatest, but their is no ignoring the stark difference between his first 31 holes and his last five. For the first time in ages, it looked like something might have been legitimately wrong with Tiger Woods. That had to concern Tiger. I just don’t buy the theory that his performance can be ignored because of who he is. It was a major disappointment…pardon the pun.

Maybe he saw the mechanical flaw. Maybe that’s why he plans on turning the PGA preparation dial to 11 and gunning it. He did consult the guidance of his swing coach, Hank Haney, last week.

Any other player, you might be worried about this kind of all-out approach. Not Tiger. He’s used to playing with this kind of frequency. Until his leg injury sidelined his last year, Tiger had played three weeks in a row in every season of his career. In his 2007 triple stretch, he came out a winner twice and finished second once.

He’s obviously angry about the British. He’ll begin his revenge mission at 12:54 on Thursday.

And if there’s one thing to be weary of, its an angry Tiger.

It should be a fantastic three weeks of golf…..

PGA

Watson on the Brink of Immortality

By Jordan Lauterbach

July 18, 2009, at 5:33 pm

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Golf has needed Tom Watson before. It was the 1993 Ryder Cup and the 43 year old Watson was called upon to captain the team. At first, he was unsure about the whole thing. After all, he was only 43 and didn’t think his playing days were finished yet. He also knew how much of an honor it was.

The US was charged with defending the cup for the first time since Watson’s buddy, Jack Nicklaus, captained the team in 1983. The cup of national dominance had sat oversees since 1985. After the U.S reclaimed it in 1991, Watson knew that he couldn’t head the team that gave it right back to the Europeans. And he didn’t. Watson’s club put together a thrilling 15-13 victory to retain the cup. Watson was needed and he delivered.

Now, some 16 years after Watson was forced to take a hard look at his competitive golf longevity, golf needs him again. But this time his playing, not coaching, is the main focus. A one over, 71 at Turnberry on Saturday leaves Watson in sole possession of the lead going into the final round. With the two best players in the world (Tiger and Phil)not playing on the weekend, the British had a chance to be one of the more forgettable ones.

Watson has made it unforgettable. It almost doesn’t matter what the 59 year old does tomorrow. The golf world will be riding shotgun all the way. And 99.9% of it will be rooting for him.

How could you not at this point? Besides being on the verge of unprecedented history, Watson is still as likable as any athlete today. His face is as warm as the summer sun. His demeanor as calming as the waves that border Turnberry .

Here’s a guy who is one of the greatest players in the sport’s history (Golf Digest ranked him 10th in 2000) and he still is as humble as a young kid who’s playing in his first tournament. He admitted to assuming he would be nervous. He answered the press’ questions with both thought and insight. He is showing people that golf can be great theater, even with it’s best player throwing up a dud and missing the cut.

I could write about Matthew Goggin and Ross Fisher, both of whom sit one back of Watson. I could write about Westward, Goosen, or Cink. All on whom are well within striking distance of a man who hasn’t won a major since 1983.

But that’s not the story. It’s not even close.

The reality is that all of those players are just foils in the plan. They are the villains to Watson’s hero.

In any other week, Fischer’s story would be great. The Englishman is awaiting the birth of his first child. His wife is due any day now and he has repeatedly that he will leave the Open if she goes into labor. Great story. Not at great as Watson.

Stewart Cink would also be a guy to pull for. He joined the tour in 1997, has come close in a few majors, but never could seal the deal. He sits three shots off the pace. Major number one for Cink would be a nice story. Not as nice as Watson.

No matter what any of these “other players” do tomorrow, it won’t matter. They won’t be the 2009 British Open champion. They will be the guy who came between Watson and the greatest golf story ever.

To say Tom Watson is destined for greatness tomorrow almost seams like an understatement. Everything is working right now in Watson’s favor. Even his putting stroke, a historical bugaboo for Watson, is working. It’s nothing short of magical.

Something like this is above traditional analysis.

His ninth major would take him to another level in golf lore. We often see athletes go from good to great. We don’t often see them go from great to legendary.

With a win tomorrow, Tom Watson will become one of the legends of the game.

Tee time for Watson: 9:20am

PGA

Watson, My Good Sir!

By Jordan Lauterbach

July 18, 2009, at 3:15 am

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The story is nothing short of fantastic. In fact, WCWP favorite Ian O’Connor came out and said it on The Seth Everett Show on 1050 ESPN radio on Friday night. If Tom Watson wins the British Open, it is the greatest story in golf history. Forget Jack at the ‘86 Masters. Forget Tiger coming out of nowhere to win his first Masters in 1997, beating out the established Tom Kite by 12 strokes. Throw all of that in the garbage. A 59 year old all time great winning a Major championship would be a story incomparable to any other golf has ever seen. I, for one, don’t think the debate would be all that close either.

Yesterday, we mused if Watson would be able to compete in tougher weather conditions. For a while, it looked as if the answer was no. After a birdie at 1 that put a smile of everyones face, Watson preceded to bogey five out of his next six holes. He was showing the kind of game that everyone assumed would come on day one.

But then the magic returned, almost as if it had never left. Watson’s bogey on 7 would be his final of the day. He birdied nine and away he went. A birdie on two of his final three holes, including a phenomenal putt on 18, put him on top.

Color me impressed. I have sent in my Tom Watson believer papers. His play after a rough front nine wasn’t just remarkable, it was inspiring. Watson could have accepted his fate. He could have laid down and succumbed to the low expectations that inevitably follow senior plays around. But he didn’t do it. He didn’t fold. Watson knew that Thursday wasn’t a one-and-done deal and that he could compete in this tournament. He believed in his game and in the process made a believer out of the golf world.

It is a fact that Watson was benefited by the fact that no one had a particularly good round. But I don’t buy that he was paying any attention to the leader board. This was not the reason his play picked up in the back nine. If the course was left defenseless on Thursday, it found that defense yesterday. All you had do was look at the pantlegs to see how the wind was whipping. Although the early part of the day was sunny, rain made an appearance in the mid afternoon. And as the weather got worse, Watson got better. He was presented with his first challenge and strangled it.

With Tiger Woods gone and Phil Mickleson at home, Watson now becomes the peoples champ. Find me a person who isn’t rooting for Tom Watson and I’ll show you a person who doesn’t like golf too much. Rooting for Watson may be the easiest thing to do in sports right now. He is single handedly making what could have been a dud of a tournament into a potentially legendary one.

What’s truly ironic about this is that ABC needed Watson this weekend. After a presumed missed cut, Watson was supposed to help out with the ABC TV coverage. Now ABC needs Watson for a different reason. They need him to play as well in the next two days as he has in the previous. With Tiger Woods on his way back to his Orlando home after missing a cut, the only story that appeals to the mass audience is the Watson revival. If Watson gives it up today, it may be a bad Sunday in the ratings department.

I mean, does Steve Marino excite you? Does Mark Calcavecchia? How about Ross Fischer or Miquel “Bert Lahr” Angel Jimenez? I love golf and I cringe at the thought of waking up on Sunday to watch Calcavecchia vs Marino.

This tournament needs Tom Watson. It’s the difference between forgettable and legendary.

Sidenote: If you want a player to watch out for besides Tom Watson, keep an eye on Vijay Singh. Singh sits in fourth place, two shots off the pace.

PGA

Tiger Misses Cut at British

By Jordan Lauterbach

July 17, 2009, at 4:58 pm

One comment so far

There are some interesting story lines in the British Open. Tiger Woods, however, isn’t one of them. The worlds greatest is going home in a major for the first time since 2006.

From Yahoo!

…Woods won’t be around to see how it all turns out. He took two double bogeys on the back side, limped off with a 4-over 74 and missed the cut in a major for only the second time in his professional career….

…Woods had missed only one cut in a major since turning pro, and that was at the 2006 U.S. Open shortly after the death of his father, Earl. He tried to rally, making birdies on two of the last three holes, but wound up one stroke shy of the cut line

Tiger had this to say:

I hit some bad tee shots, a couple of bad iron shots, didn’t get it up and down,” Woods said. “I kept making mistake after mistake.”

Tiger out, Watson leading.

What gives?

More later…..

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UFC 107: Chieck Kongo TapouT Signature Walkout Shirt

2009 PGA Championship- The Preview Column

Mickelson To Return to PGA Tour Next Week

Watson on the Brink of Immortality

Watson, My Good Sir!

Tiger Misses Cut at British

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