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If There’s One I Love…

By Jordan Lauterbach

October 9, 2009, at 10:57 am

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It’s more golf! and in 2016, 2020 we’ll have it.

From Yahoo!

After more than a century on the sidelines, golf will return to the Olympics at the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro. Rugby, last played in 1924, is coming back as well.

Both were reinstated for the 2016 and 2020 games after a vote Friday by the International Olympic Committee….Golf will stage a 72-hole stroke-play tournament for men and women, with 60 players in each field

I’ll be interested to see what this feel likes. Will it have the Major Championship feel or the Ryder Cup feel. My guess is the later.

Either way, it’ll be better than the John Deere or the Wyndham Championship.

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Yang’s All Good; Upset At PGA

By Jordan Lauterbach

August 17, 2009, at 1:12 am

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It always seams to be that the unlikeliest of accomplishments in sports are done by the unlikeliest of competitors. If someone told you on Wednesday that Tiger Woods would be leading the fourth and final major of the year through 56 holes, only to be upset down the stretch, who would you assume the foe would be. Phil Mickelson? Padraig Harrington? Lee Westward? Steve Stricker?

How about Y.E Yang?

Before you broke out in laughter, you would probably ask one question. Who is Y.E Yang?

He’s only the 110th ranked player in the world. A guy who missed the cut at The Masters and didn’t even give it a go at the U.S or British Opens. After winning The Honda Classic in March, Yang didn’t see the top ten again until three weeks ago at the RBC Canadian Open.

Even on Thursday and Friday, Yang didn’t seam like anything more than an afterthought. It was only after a Saturday round of 67 did he appear to have a shot at the title. But even then, could you really see Y.E Yang doing something that no one has ever done before? Could you really see Y.E Yang knocking Tiger Woods out of the lead on Sunday of a major championship?

The shock on the front nine on Sunday wasn’t that Yang was playing so well, it was that he was hanging in with Tiger Woods. So many times, we have seen golfers succumb to the pressure of playing with Woods on Sunday. It is unbelievable intimidating to be standing next to one of the games greatest players, knowing that his goal over the next four hours is to beat you.

But it didn’t bother Yang. He matched Woods par for par, even creeping up on him with a birdie at four. A bogey at five was followed by eight consecutive pars. Often times for players of Yang’s stature, mistakes on a major Sunday can have a domino effect. One can lead to another and before you know it, you’re out of contention.

Not Yang. Unfazed by the one mistake, he kept chugging along.

Much like his round on Saturday, Woods stood even for most of the day. He bogeyed two holes on the front nine and pared the rest. But round number four for Woods had a definite feel of frustration. He was missing birdie putts left and right and mercifully leaving to door open to come catch him.

On Saturday, the round for Tiger had more of a ho-hum feeling. Fifteen pars felt like an invitation for someone to come out and play with him on Sunday. But when Woods wanted to stop playing games, his putter couldn’t close the door. A few made birdie putts and Woods could have made the turn comfortably, instead the round was spent waiting for the other shoe to drop.

On fourteen, Y.E Yang’s destiny began to sprint towards the door that Woods had left open. It was there where Yang hit the shot of the tournament when he chipped a shot for eagle. Suddenly Y.E Yang was leading the PGA Championship with four holes to play.

This looked to have awoken a Tiger who had been asleep all day. Woods’ birdie on 14 was only his second of the round and fourth of the weekend. But, surprisingly so, that was it for Tiger. Two pars and a last chance boggy on 17 made his final bogey on 18 a mere footnote. Yang had already won to tournament with a final hole birdie.

In many ways, Yang was fortunate. Fortunate that Woods didn’t take advantage of a boggy on 17, instead matching it. Fortunate that Tigers’ putter convinced itself that the tournament was in the bag no matter what. Fortunate that the others pursuing the top never really made a serious bid.

But with all Yang’s good fortune, immense credit is due. He showed that shooting the ball all over the course is not a prerequisite to playing with Tiger on a major Sunday. He showed that even the most unlikely of contenders can, every once in a while, shock any player on tour.

Even Tiger Woods.

Next Week: The Wyndham Classic- Not much of a field in this one as the tour revs up for the FedEx Cup playoffs in two weeks. U.S Open champion Lucas Glover headlines the group. Glover was in contention at the PGA before bogeying five of the final thirteen holes.

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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.

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Tiger Woods To Be Fined For Comments (Reportedly)

By Jordan Lauterbach

August 11, 2009, at 11:27 am

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From The AP:

Tiger Woods will be fined by the PGA Tour for his public criticism of a rules official after winning the Bridgestone Invitational, a tour official said Monday.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the tour does not publicize fines.

Woods was bothered after his four-shot victory Sunday because he and Padraig Harrington were put on the clock at the par-5 16th. He said that caused Harrington to rush three difficult shots, leading to triple bogey.

European Tour chief referee John Paramor told Woods and Harrington they were being timed.

Woods said he told Harrington after it was over, “I’m sorry that John got in the way of a great battle.

This is absolutely ridiculous. What is the PGA Tour trying to prove by fining Tiger Woods? That Tiger isn’t “bigger” than the tour? Too late. He is.

I’ve always had a problem with leagues fining owners, coaches and players for honesty. It strikes me as unnecessary and totalitarian. Does the perception of the general public change because of something Tiger Woods said? I don’t think it does.

I wonder if the PGA is more upset that Tiger criticized the decision to put his group on the clock or that he revealed the fact that they were put on the clock. That revelation makes the tour look worse than the criticism does. Anyone who knows anything about the sport can see the problem with putting the last group of the day on Sunday on the clock, especially if the group has the only two players in contention. It makes the tour look bad. It cheapens the golf.

Referee John Paramore did get in the way. He did ruin a great match. He is at fault. Who knows if Padraig Harrington’s collapse had anything to do with the clock. But it certainly would make a lot of sense if it did. The fact that Tiger Woods, of all players, would mention it gives you an indication that it was a big distraction.

Fine Tiger all you want, PGA, but it doesn’t change the fact that you looked like morons for trying to mess with a great Sunday.

It doesn’t change the fact that Tiger was right.

Update (3pm)- Tiger Woods says that he was not fined by the PGA Tour…

If thats true, I wonder where the original report came from…seems a bit odd to me…..

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Woods Outlasts Harrington to Win For 70th Time

By Jordan Lauterbach

August 9, 2009, at 11:27 pm

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Tiger Woods is two for two…and four for four.

After a four stoke victory over Padraig Harrington on Sunday at The Bridgestone, Tiger Woods won the second tournament of his three consecutive week run. That run comes to a mighty crescendo next week when Woods goes for his first major of 2009 at the PGA Championship at Hazeltine.

But Woods also won something else on Sunday, something that may not be a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but is still something to mention: The Major Tune-up Grand Slam. Woods has come out on top in each of his four final pre-major starts. But so far, it hasn’t worked out so well. What good is winning at The Arnold Palmer, The Memorial, or The AT&T National, if you toss up a dud when it really counts?

Usually that logic would be perfectly sound. But I think that this win for Tiger means a lot. After his disaster at The British, Tiger’s game was in as much flux as the best player in the world’s can be. He was struggling off the tee and looked to be mechanically out of sinc. But thanks to a summit with swing guru Hank Haney, Woods has seemed to have weathered another rain storm in his career in brilliant fashion.

As predicted, Sunday at The Bridgestone was about the battle between Tiger Woods and Padraig Harrington. Two players with multiple majors in their trophy cases. Two players who have experienced struggles at times this year. In the case of Woods, the struggles were isolated to one week in Scotland. In the case of Harrington, the struggles have been almost constant.

After a season of missed cuts and unimaginable frustration, Padraig Harrington finally found himself in a position to win on Sunday. It was a position that must have felt a little strange and nostalgic for the Irishman who has failed to qualify for the weekend seven times this season.

It looked like Paddy didn’t have enough to keep pace with Tiger on the front nine. Harrington didn’t make any mistakes, but he didn’t make any birdies either. When Tiger Woods is breathing down your neck, you can’t keep making pars and expect to keep the Tiger in his cage. It was only a matter of time before Woods took the lead. It looked like curtains for Paddy. Nice try, see you next time.

But than something strange happen. On the precipice of yet another kill, Tiger Woods let up. Consecutive bogeys on 15 and 16 found the two stars of the day tied at the top with four holes to play. A tournament once thought to be over now had a ton of juice. It was conceivable that one birdie on the final four holes could win the weekend.

Harrington put an end to that two holes later. At 16, Paddy’s magic ran out with a triple bogey that was downright painful to watch. After a Woods birdie on the same hole, the tournament was over.

The most interesting subplot to the triple at 16 was revealed during Tiger Woods’ press conference. Woods said that the two were put on the clock in the later stages of the round. This means that the group were told that they were playing too slow and may be fined and/or penalized if they did not speed up. Woods mused that Harrington may have hit a shot or two that he wouldn’t have otherwise if the players were given free range to play at their own pace.

This is funny because the round did seem to be going a bit slower than normal, but nothing that raised my eye in terms of “unusual”. I don’t understand why the last group of the day would be given this sort of warning. Who exactly are they “holding up”? The CBS Evening news?….Please.

For tournament officials to mess with a fantastic Sunday of golf is both mind-boggling and discouraging. Who knows if this played a major part in Padraig’s collapse on 16. But it would be extremely plausible to think that rushing players late on Sunday would affect a player who has struggled all season. Considering that no one has been penalized for slow play in 20 years, the timing of the warning was extremely poor.

Tigers win was more than just one more for the trophy case. The win was his 70th ever. This moves him into third place all time behind Sam Sneed and Jack Nicklaus .

But like anything in golf, Tiger is not measured by how many times you win at Bridgestone, Congressional, or any other non-major course. It’s what you do in Majors.

The final test in that regard comes next week for Woods.

Next Week: The PGA Championship- Major #4! It’s the last chance for Tiger to get one in ‘09. After missing the cut at Major #3, this would be a great story. This will also be the first major this season that Tiger hasn’t taken a week off. How will that affect him? We know that the weekend off didn’t treat him well last time….Look for full converge here and on wcwpsports.com all this week

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The Resurgence of Padraig Harrington

By Jordan Lauterbach

August 9, 2009, at 3:06 am

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So it’s finally working for Padraig Harrington.

Fully entrenched in one of the most (if not the most) frustrating season of his entire career, Padraig Harrington finds himself with a three shot lead over Tiger Woods in the Bridgestone Invitational.

Harrington, the subject of a complete swing overhaul, has looked like a different person this season. The same guy who won back-to-back major championships last year has missed seven cuts this season. His best finish came at the Arnold Palmer Invitational when he tied for 11th. His best finish in a major came at The Masters when he tied for 26th. In defending his British Open title, he allowed over 100 players to finish ahead of him. And don’t even mention Bethpage Black. Padraig was slammin’ the old Irish trunk after the second round.

Who is this guy?!?!?

But like your parents always told you as a kid, never underestimate the power of hard work. It would have been understandable for Paddy to abanden the swing change and go back to what won him the last two majors of ‘08. But golfers are nothing if not tinkerers. Harrington knew that eventully the persistance would pay off.

It looks like the change is begining to show dividends.

After shooting a 64 on Thursday and a 69 on Friday, Paddy split the difference with a 64 yesterday. He had two hicups during the third round and recovered nicely from both of them. After a boggey on 4, Harrington parred the next seven holes. The par streak halted with birdies on 12 and 13. After a boggey on 16, he birdied 17 and parred 18 to get to -10 for the tornament.

Now its time to watch something we haven’t been able to see for quite a while. Padraig Harrington with a lead. Not only that, but Padraig Harrington with a multiple shot lead.

And as if trying to hold a lead for the first time all year wasn’t enough for Harrington, Tiger Woods is making a charge up the leaderboard like only Tiger can. Woods had six birdies and one bogey yesterday to move to -7 on the week. He looked to be playing as well as he had all season on the back nine, hitting beutiful approach shots and birdieing 3 of the final four holes and four of the final six.

With Tiger lurking, I don’t see anyone else getting back in this tournament. Jerry Kelly sits five shots back and ten players (including all three ‘09 major champions and blog favorite Kenny Perry) at six shots back.

Today is about one matchup. It’s Harrington vs Woods. Can Paddy hold off those doubts that have plauged him all year and the best player in the world? The three shot lead helps, but its no secuity blanket. If their is one man who can shed a three shot deficit without batting an eye it’s Tiger.

And if there is one player in ‘09 who lacks confidence- It’s Harrington.

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If There’s One I Love…

Yang’s All Good; Upset At PGA

2009 PGA Championship- The Preview Column

Tiger Woods To Be Fined For Comments (Reportedly)

Woods Outlasts Harrington to Win For 70th Time

The Resurgence of Padraig Harrington

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