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By Jordan Lauterbach  October 9, 2009, at 10:57 am  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.
By Matt Soldano September 19, 2009, at 5:07 pm Let me give you the back story, as a member of 3rd String, I am always exposed to various MMA blogs, predictions, and funny videos of Comack yelling his head off. I will be perfectly honest, I was never a big MMA fan, never saw the allure of it all, and basically never understood why it became so damn popular so damn quickly. My best friend is a MMA nut and has tried to explain it all but most of the time I would tune him out.
So along came Anthony De Franco, who told me about the show, The Ultimate Fighter, and how Kimbo Slice, who he knew was a bromance of mine, was going to be on the show. Immediately I got excited and was finally ready to give this UFC thing a chance. On Wednesday, the show premiered, and everything that could happen that would prove my previous thoughts about the UFC true, happened. I had to sit through a ten minute fight (if that’s what you want to call it) of a man by the name of Abe Wagner get completely obliterated by his opponent.
Although it was nothing near exciting obliteration, it was more of, I will let my opponent do the same move time after time and I will spend the entire fight on my back with another guy laying on top of me just waiting for the time to expire. And oh yeah, there was the great Rampage Jackson coaching of, “Get Up, Stand Up” repeat. Maybe there was strategy to just laying on your back for the entire fight but I found it to be plain boredom.
However, I will continue to watch the show because Kimbo remains in the competition and I am the perfect example of why the Ultimate Fighter will see its ratings boost more than ever.
Then, I came across this video. Chalk up, Anderson Silva (who I hear is pretty good) to the list of MMA fighters who I suddenly covet. Any man that is going to come out for their fight to the sounds of Michael Jackson and then proceed to do a 2 minute dance is enough for me to watch a fight, no matter how boring or how quick the fight lasts.
And on that note, I never thought I would ever post anything on this site that would have the tag of MMA. Next, Jordan will have me writing Golf. The title? “Tiger Woods Is Real Good.”
By Jordan Lauterbach August 17, 2009, at 1:12 am 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.
By Jordan Lauterbach August 15, 2009, at 10:42 pm Winning a major is never an easy task, no matter how great you are. They are tournaments that bring out the absolute best in the absolute best. So maybe the talk of Tiger Woods running away with the 2009 PGA Championship with 36 holes left to play was a little premature. Maybe it was a case of the awestruck media (me included) looking for any reason at all to crown Woods king. The odds of Woods reigning on Sunday night are still high, but maybe not quite as high as they were when the day started on Saturday.
It wasn’t a case of Tiger playing poorly on Saturday, but rather, playing unspectacularly. He finished the day at one under par for the round and eight under par for the tournament. As if to keep himself amused on Sunday, Tiger pared the course for most of the day. He bogeyed only one hole and birdied two.
Sure, there was a bit of the usual drama from Woods. He made birdie at the 14th by chipping the ball in from the very edge of the green. A signature Tiger fist pump accentuated the moment, as if to say “come catch me”. His rounds ended with four straight pars.
Like any long and tedious hunt, the group pursuing Tiger has thinned out. But they were rewarded for their perseverance by an admittedly conservative leader. Surprise Y.E Yang and familiar foe Padraig Harrington both sit two shots back of the lead going into the final major’s final day.
Yang, who will play with Woods on Sunday, had the biggest move of the day. Not even thought of as a serious contender after 36 holes, he shot an impressive 5 under, 67 to bypass the falling contenders. After a bogey on 13, Yang birdied three of his final five holes. Six total birdies and only the one bogey made him one of the most unlikely contenders of the year.
But the unlikely nature of his contention comes from where he put himself after two days of golf, not because of a lack of success. Yang has had a surprisingly consistent year. The winner of this year’s Honda Classic, has three top ten finishes on his resume and has only missed four cuts in 19 starts.
Yang will be charged with trying to catch Tiger while playing right beside him and match an incredible Saturday round. It’s worth noting that Yang missed the cut in the two most important tournaments of his season, The Masters and The Players. This doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. I wouldn’t expect Yang to cause any sort of threat to Woods.
Tiger’s main competitor on Sunday will be Padraig Harrington.
What a surprise.
Harrington rebounded from a even par 72 on Friday with an impressive -3,69 on Saturday. Until a bogey on 18, Padraig was playing with a bogey-free round. Four birdies allowed him to creep into the second place tie with Yang.
After Tiger bested him last weekend, Harrington told Tiger that the two would meet again. While they may not be playing together tomorrow, it will still be a battle. Once Y.E Yang gets out of the way, it’ll be all Tiger V. Paddy. They tee off nine minutes apart, providing for what should be great major championship theater.
Of the group of Tiger hunters on Satuday, Vijay Singh had the biggest fall. Singh shot an unwatchable +3, 75 to drop all the way into an 18th place tie. Any trouble for Vijay looked to be avoidable after a fantastic chip in for eagle on seven erased a bogey on six.
But the back nine was unrelenting for Singh. He bogeyed three holes, double bogeyed another, and birdied only one of the disastrous back stretch. His problems were almost exclusively confined to the green. His putter completely gave out on him. By the end of the round, it looked to be mental more than anything else. Now, Singh’s first top three finish of the year and fourth top ten looks to be in major jeopardy.
Lucas Glover and Henrick Stenson are theoretically still in striking the distance. Glover and Stenson sit four shots off Woods’ lead entering Sunday. Stenson started the day off with a bogey and never looked back. He birdied his next two and ended the round with five total birds. The PLAYERS championship winner will have to have an even better round on Sunday if he wants to think about competing.
Like Singh, Glover’s putter was his biggest foe on Saturday. But he put himself in good position off the tee that his putting didn’t need to be great. Despite the occasional putting trouble, Glover birdied three holes and boggyed only two. While he missed a few opportunities, the U.S Open champ didn’t let it kill him like Vijay did. While he’ll probably need a miracle to contend on Sunday, a more confident putting stroke could inch him up towards the top.
But don’t kid yourself; Sunday will be about Padraig V Tiger. Woods V Harrington. Forget about Mickelson V Woods, this has quickly become the most exciting rivalry in golf. Last week, Harrington made too many pars and let Tiger pass him on the board. Then, he climbed back in it before collapsing late.
Now it’s Harrington’s turn to creep up on Tiger. If Woods doesn’t make a significant move early in the round, Harrington will catch up. I think Woods wins, but it comes down to the final three holes.
Sure, the fact that Woods has never lost a lead going into the final round has to be a daunting one for Harrington. But he can’t think like that. Knowing him, he won’t. After all, there’s always a first time.
And we thought the PGA was over…..
By Jordan Lauterbach August 15, 2009, at 2:48 am If there was ever an opening to catch Tiger Woods Friday at the PGA Championship, it came in the first couple of holes. Woods started the second round at Hazeltine by doing something that he had not done at any point in round one.
Exceeding par.
But the first hole was more of an aberration than a rule as Woods took further command of a major that, going into Saturday, he seems destined to win. After following up the mistake on the first with four pars, he birdied six and seven to erase the mistake on one. Two more bogeys and three more birds left Tiger at 2 under par for the day and seven under par for the tournament. He sits four shots up on five players who are tied for second.
I’d like to sit here and write that the tournament still has multiple contenders and the battle on the weekend will be one we’ll be talking about for years to come. Only problem is, I don’t think that’s true. The idea of Tiger being on a mission at Hazeltine looks to be coming true. A four deficit against a player this good playing this well may be too much to ask from anyone of the five “contenders” left log-jammed behind Tiger.
Padraig Harrington did not have nearly the round yesterday that he needed to in order to keep up with Woods. Harrington shot a +1, 73 to drop into the second place tie. After a slip up on the third hole, Harrington looked to be chugging along with five pars and a birdie in the next six hole. Than he stepped into the tee box at 11 and his shot at keeping pace with Woods slipped away.
Three consecutive bogeys followed by another one at 18 made the final nine a very frustrating one. I still think he has as good a chance as anyone to compete, but will need to put together two phenomenal rounds. Again, whether or not he’ll be able to do that depends on whether or not you believe that Padraig has finally fixed his game.
Vijay Singh, who’s sixth place finish at the Crowne Plaza marked his best week of the year, will get the honor of playing with Tiger later today. Singh shot a second round 72 to finish at even par in round two. It was certainly not a great round, but coupled with his day one 69, it’ll do. Singh had three birdies and three bogeys.
Today’s round will say a lot about Singh. His ability to play well with Tiger threatening to break the week wide open should be a difficult task. But besides Harrington, Singh is the most apt to handle that kind of atmosphere.
The best day of anyone chasing Tiger belonged to Ross Fischer. The Englishman shot a -4, 68 to charge up the leaderboard. Fischer was impressive all day, notching six birdies and only two bogeys. What was scary about Fischer’s round was that it should have been even better. If not for bogeys on the last two holes, Fischer was looking at sole possession of the Tiger chasing position at a number that would have been a lot less daunting than four shots back.
If you want to go for the hot hand in tomorrow’s Tiger hunt, go with Fischer. No one else played as well as him yesterday. You know you played well when -4 doesn’t do the round justice.
U.S Open champ Lucas Glover and Brendan Jones had identical -2 scores to add themselves to the second place brigade. Glover had the same amount of birdies as he did in round one, but cut his bogey count by one to march up the board.
Jones had a very steady round. It was defined by a eagle on the par four fourteenth. Never heard of Jones? I don’t blame you. He is an Australian who plays mostly oversees. The PGA is only his second tournament of the season. His first one came in February when he finished 33rd in the WGC-Accenture match play championship.
Not exactly a house hold name. I wouldn’t expect him to stay in it.
It may not matter for any of these players today. If Tiger keeps playing like he is, I don’t think any of these five can put together a round to catch him. That would have to be one incredible round. But if anyone can do it, it will be Paddy Harrington. Despite the one over round yesterday, you can see that his game has turned a corner. His round was not spectacular, but he still managed to knock in a few incredible shots. After one such shot, Woods remarked to him that he would “pay money” to see him make it again.
However, while us observing may think we see the “writing on the wall”, those five all got up this morning thinking that they can win. All of them may not completely believe it, but they all have hope.
And when your play major championship golf against a player like Tiger, that’s what it’s about.
The thrill of the chase.
By Jordan Lauterbach August 14, 2009, at 2:14 am Making rash predictions after one day of a major golf tournament can be dangerous. So much can happen in the last three days that often the board after day one looks like an absolute joke by Sunday night. However, I prey to the golf gods that this one stay the same. I prey to the golf gods that the 2009 PGA Championship at Hazeltine is about one battle and one battle only.
Tiger Woods Vs. Padraig Harrington
Here we go again. Second consecutive week, second consecutive battle between two competitors that have a budding rivalry that is only equal to the amount of respect that one has for the other. Sure, it could go down in flames. Paddy could light up today and by the time Saturday roles around he could be a forgotten competitor. Although significantly less likely, Tiger could fall down the board after the second 18 and we’re looking at another weekend comeback trail.
But let’s live in the moment. Lets hope that the one shot that separates Tiger and Harrington at the top of the leaderboard at the start of play today remains the story. As we stand, Woods leads the pack at -5.
Tiger’s 67 yesterday was his best opening round at a major this year. He was as sharp as sharp can be. Showing only the effects of two weeks worth of momentum, Tiger went bogey free through his first 18, racking up five birdies.
At the risk of sounding over-analytical, I think this was a round that Tiger needed. After his failures at majors this year, it was crucial for him to not start off the week on a down note. His first round at The British was hard to watch. His rain-interrupted round at Bethpage Black wasn’t much easier. But yesterday’s round was an absolute joy to behold. A clinic, if you will.
Obviously, what’s most impressive about the round is his lack of bogeys. Hazeltine is a dangerously long course. You thought Bethpage was long? Well, Hazeltine is longer. Although this benefits Tiger because of his excellent driving skills, I grew concerned about his play off the tee after the debacle at Turnbury and a so-so first round at the Buick. But he appears to be past all that. Maybe it’s the magic of Hank Haney. Maybe it’s a testament that even the best have a bad few weeks here and there.
Even though, I prefaced this column saying that rash predictions after round one often backfire, I don’t see how you can make a strong argument that Tiger won’t win this major. He’s got that look that we’ve all come to recognize. He’s got that swagger that is almost unparalleled in the game of golf. What aspect of yesterdays round worried you if you’re Tiger Woods. I didn’t see any. Yes, pin placement might become more of an issue as we get closer to Sunday, but isn’t that when Tiger thrives?
Maybe the only player that can hang with Tiger this week is Harrington. At -4, the Irishman is only one shot off the lead. If you were wondering whether last week’s performance at The Bridgestone was a fluke or Harrington turning the corner, choose the latter.
Paddy failed to bogey on the front nine and only had one on the back. He birdied five holes and looked as strong as ever doing so. The day had a sense of unfinished business for Harrington. Last weekend looks like it was only the start.
After the round ended last Sunday, Harrington walked up to Woods and said “We’ll do battle again soon.” At the time, it appeared to be just a sign of two men who respect each other a great deal. Who knew that by “soon” Harrington meant “next week.”
Maybe its pessimism, or maybe realism, but Harrington is the only player at the top who I can see going nose to nose with Tiger. Hunter Mahan, Vijay Singh, and David Toms are a few of the names that rest two shots back, but I question if anyone of that group has enough to go round for round with Woods. Or Harrington, for that matter.
For what it’s worth, my pick (Steve Stricker) is sitting in a tie for 69th at +2. Phil Mickelson also resides in that +2 group. Kenny Perry didn’t play much better.
So maybe the storylines will be few and far between this weekend. But as we saw with Tom Watson at The British, a major doesn’t need multiple captivating storylines.
One will do just fine.
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