With lackluster performance, why is Tiger Woods still the biggest draw in golf?

Despite lackluster performances and a huge slip in the golf rankings, Tiger Woods continues to be the fan and media favorite. Even if Woods were to pull off a top-five finish...or a win, will he ever regain the momentum which made him the number-one golfer in the world? This is one question that only Tiger can answer and which keeps fans hanging on the edge of their seats for a response!



Although PGA Tour golfers Molder and Baird should have received more press and accolades for the exciting six-hole playoff this past week at the Frys.com Open, news outlets and golf blogs proved that, in order to get readership, it is imperative to give Woods the story.

A tie for 30th position at Frys.com Open last week is hardly cause for celebration, especially when Tiger proclaimed that he had " probably one of the worst putting rounds I've ever had," missing three putts inside six feet in round-one of his comeback to PGA Tour golf. Good news is that Woods is playing golf again, possibly turning a corner in his own personal debacle and making golf his number one priority.


Tiger Woods is now a longshot in the event, no longer sporting the best odds, but with a new outlook (and a new caddie) and fans are desperately looking forward to a success story.

The Australian Open, the Presidents Cup and the Chevron World Challenge will help fans decide whether to continue to cheer for Woods, the current "underdog", or to find a new idol amidst a crowd of young golf superstars on several very competitive tours.

Tiger is on the comeback trail for sure, barely squeaking into a spot in the Chevron World Challenge, his own tournament, and is eager to reinvent himself now that, as Woods said, he has "no points coming off, so I can start rebuilding."

This is just what the fans want and need to hear from their fallen hero, who is happy to be playing golf and not just banging balls on a driving range.

Woods has also become more accessible to fans. Putting himself squarely in the public eye, from a contest to share the cover of his EA Sports game to inside-the-ropes putting opportunities, Tiger is creating opportunities for support and for a more dynamic return.

Is Tiger Woods "back"? This seems to be the Twitter question of the week. To his fans he has never left, just gone on hiatus; as for his golf game, we can only wait and see.


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photo credit: nypost.com

Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous

No slam-dunk for former WNBA President leading Golf 2.0 initiative

The PGA of America has engaged former WNBA President Donna Orender as a consultant to lead the Golf 2.0 "Connecting with Her" strategy, a key component in the industry's overall goal of reaching forty million golfers by 2020. 

Golf 2.0 is the new long-range strategic plan for the golf industry to substantially increase the number of golfers, the rounds of golf played and the revenue generated from golf over the next decade among current and potential consumers of the game with three core strategies: "Retain and Strengthen the Golfing Core;" "Engage Lapsed Golfers;" and "Drive New Players" to the game.

If Orender wants to be successful in reaching her goal, start by attracting more women to the publinks. According to Greg Nathan, VP of the National Golf Association, "When women are made to feel as welcomed and comfortable at public courses, their play will go up.” Women also bring with them the "power of the purse" which will increase revenue in other areas of the sport such as clothing and golf  equipment.


Although I feel welcome, I am in the minority as I am comfortable with my level of play. I also actively make it my business to go out as a single golfer and meet and greet other players. Most women feel more confident playing golf with their peers, playing from the same tees. Waiting at the front desk of a public course, you will see about one in every ten golfers is a woman. 

In order to reach potential women golfers, it's also not enough to provide TV coverage hoping that women will see other women playing a sport and want to play it themselves. This new consultant is going to have to cross the great divide reaching out to sports fans in tennis and basketball to make golf more visible, fun and easy to start for non-golfers interested in fashion, travel, and exercise for example.


Orender, who served as Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) President from 2005-10, after working 17 years with the PGA Tour, is the founder of Orender Unlimited, a marketing, media and strategy company in Jacksonville Beach, Fla.

During her tenure with the PGA Tour, Ana Leaird, PGA Tour’s Director of Public Relations and Media Operations said of Donna Orender, "Since she’s been here, tremendous opportunities have opened up for other women. I call it the ripple effect.”


Does she play golf? Not that it's necessary for Orender's new position but, in my opinion, it's important to be able to identify with the core group you will represent in order to understand their needs and desires. And, the answer is yes, she does, according to her tweets, @DonnaOrender.



 In her consulting role with Golf 2.0, Donna Orender will:

• steer industry efforts to grow women's golf participation;
• identify and shape female-specific programming;
• create a welcoming environment for more women to enter the game.
• guide the establishment of partnerships with top women's organizations to leverage knowledge and resources in support of facility adoption and programs. 
• position golf as an anecdote for women achieving balance in their busy lives, all the while pursuing good health, business networking, and family time in a fun-filled environment.

Perhaps Orender should also be working with Mike Whan and the LPGA to stop the losses of golf tourneys?

According to Golf Digest’s Ron Sirak, "women will have played a woeful 23 contests this year -- only 11 of which fielded 144 or more golfers -- and competed for the fewest dollars since 2001."

"The PGA is thrilled to retain Donna Orender to lead in the strategic development of our 'Connecting with Her' initiative for Golf 2.0," said Darrell Crall, PGA senior director, Golf 2.0, for The PGA of America.  

"Donna's expertise in steering the growth of women's sports at the highest level will be critical in guiding the golf industry, as we tap new initiatives to appeal to women, who represent our game's fastest growing demographic."  

Among Orender's many accolades are being named to the 2005 Sporting News' Annual Power 100, 2005 Fox Sports.com's 10 Most Powerful Women in Sports, and the 2007 BusinessWeek's Power 100 Sports lists. 

"Donna Orender's name is synonymous with the growth of women's sports nationwide," added Crall. "We are delighted that she will serve as an advocate in the development of new programs for women to positively connect with the game of golf." 

"I'm excited by this incredible opportunity to make a difference in people's lives through the game of golf," said Orender. "Our goal is to build dynamic and engaging growth-of-the-game programs that passionately appeal to women on both a personal and professional level."



Will Orender be successful retaining/bringing more women into golf?
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With end of Tiger Woods reign, has golf entered a brave new world?

Heading to the WGC-HSBC Champions for the last big showdown of the stroke play season, all of this season’s Majors and World Golf Championships titles are in the hands of first-time winners at that level. That’s never happened before. Tim Maitland investigates whether it means the sport has truly entered a new era.

Something is happening in the golf world: ten of the last eleven Major winners have been first time winners.  Six of the last seven WGC-HSBC winners have also been new to winning at the highest stratosphere of the world game.

photo: European Tour and news.maars.net

Since the WGC’s were introduced in 1999, the titles have never all been simultaneously in the hands of newcomers to that echelon of winning. Since the end of World War II only three other years have ended with the Majors claimed by first-time winners: in 2003 (Mike Weir, Jim Furyk, Ben Curtis, Shaun Micheel), 1969 (George Archer, Orville Moody, Tony Jacklin, Raymond Floyd) and 1959 (Art Wall, Billy Casper, Gary Player, Bob Rosburg). Clearly, something is going on.

For all the fuss made of Tiger Woods' failure to qualify for Shanghai, it might be more significant that the tipping point for these statistics hasn’t been his achievements.

It’s not Tiger’s last Major – the 2008 US Open – but Angel Cabrera’s 2009 Masters that, statistically at least, seems to herald the end of one era and the start of another. It’s not Woods' last WGC – the 2009 Bridgestone Invitational – but Phil Mickelson’s win a few months later at the HSBC Champions that heralds a shift towards a new type of winner.

Has golf entered a brave new world? Is it not just Tiger, but a generation of his rivals that are being ushered out? Is this just a brief lull in the Tiger era? The answer probably depends on your point of view.

Not Since The ‘50s

The only comparable time to this era – where only Phil Mickelson (2010 Masters) and Ernie Els (2010 WGC-CA Championship) have struck blows for the established names – is the period from 1957 to 1959. Back then, in a run of nine Majors, apart from Peter Thomson of Australia winning the fourth of his five Open Championships, the rest of the champions were newcomers to the upper echelon of tournament winning. 

In fifty years time some of our recently crowned champions may have drifted into the relative obscurity of Lionel Herbert, the ethnic Cajun, who won the last match play PGA Championship in 1957, or “Terrible” Tommy Bolt, who may have added fourteen other PGA Tour wins to his 1958 US Open title, but only remains a household name in the most golf-obsessed of families.

In fifty years time, it’s fair to assume, some of our recently crowned champions will be remembered in the same way we remember a couple of those first-time Major winners from back then. Like 1958 Masters winner Arnold Palmer or 1959 Open Champion Gary Player, it’s quite possible that a Martin Kaymer, a Rory McIlory or maybe a Keegan Bradley will be legends too!

Perhaps those times were just as confusing for golf fans who were yet to fully comprehend that Sam Snead (’54 Masters) and Ben Hogan (’53 Open) had won their last Majors nor realized what the precocious then-amateur called Nicklaus was going to do to their game.

Europe’s Golden Age

What is clear right now is that Europe, and the European Tour in particular, is dominant… or at least enjoying a period of unrivalled parity with the US. In the last two years three Northern Irishmen (Graeme McDowell, 2010 US Open; Rory McIlroy, 2011 US Open and Clarke) have claimed their first Majors along with Germany’s Martin Kaymer (2010 PGA Championship). Tour members Louis Oosthuizen (2010 Open) and Charl Schwartzel (2011 Masters) have done likewise for South Africa.

England’s Luke Donald, Kaymer (8 weeks) and Lee Westwood (22 weeks) have each held the number one spot in the Official World Golf Ranking since Woods relinquished top spot in Shanghai last November. Donald, fellow Englishman Ian Poulter (respectively, the 2011 and 2010 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship winners) and HSBC Champions titleholder Francesco Molinari have all claimed their first WGC titles.

The facts are easier to relay than the reasons: although Westwood argues that the debate doesn’t have to be complex.

“We’re just very good at the moment. There’s no other reason than that. You don’t need another reason other than that. I just think European golf is really strong at the moment. We’ve got a lot of good players, so if you play well you’re going to win. A lot of the players at the moment have been around a while, but also a lot of the good young players have just come through and are getting comfortable too,” says Westwood.

“It’s not something I really think about too much; I’m getting bored talking about it to be honest.”

Not everyone finds the discussion so tedious. Alvaro Quiros, the flamboyant 28-year-old Spaniard, whose Dubai Desert Classic triumph in February guaranteed his place in the field for Shanghai, is far more excited about the situation.

“I think it’s an amazing time, because at the same time we’re playing great golf courses and great events with the best players of both of the main tours. Now is coming out the truth of the golf of both sides; obviously European golf is in a great moment and maybe the only time where European and American golf has been at the same level. We are in different stages, right now. It’s like soccer in Spain. Barcelona is the best team in the world right now… by far, but five years ago it was Real Madrid by far too,” Quiros points out.

Sharing the American Pie

However the shift is not just in Europe. During the PGA Tour’s regular season there were 12 first time winners ranging from 40-year-old Harrison Frazar who popped the champagne after 354 futile attempts having all-but decided to retire – “I hate to say it, but I had pretty much given up!” – through to five rookies, something that has only happened one other time since 1970.

“If you look at this year it’s been the strangest year from rookies winning to veterans winning. It’s amazing. It just goes to show the diversity of golf; all different ages are winning right now, which is crazy!” exclaims 23-year-old Australian Jason Day, whose Filipino roots would have added a whole new level of diversity to the winning equation had he converted either of his second place finishes at this year’s Masters and US Opens into a maiden Major win, but has still emerged this year as the second youngest player frequenting the world’s top 10 after Rory McIlroy.

“I think this is a tremendously exciting time, but not especially because of the shift in power from the USA to Europe,” declares Giles Morgan, HSBC Group Head of Sponsorship.

“There are some far more significant longer term shifts. Firstly, the sport is appealing to a younger generation in a different way. Whether you look at the media profile of Rory McIlroy, the impact Martin Kaymer’s success has had in generating a new generation of golf fans in Germany or the way that Rickie Fowler’s image is resonating with teenagers… they’re all touching a new demographic. We’ve got boys competing on the HSBC National Junior Championship in China who are cultivating his look: to them Fowler is making golf seem cool! All over the world that’s going to keep a lot of boys in the game instead of looking for other places where they can express themselves,” he adds.

“The other thing that excites me is how the game is growing geographically. Look at the season the Italians had last year, culminating with Francesco Molinari winning in Shanghai! Look at the impact that Jhonattan Vegas becoming the first Venezuelan to win on the PGA Tour had! Look at France being awarded the chance to host its first Ryder Cup and what that will do for the game there! Golf is pushing into new frontiers. We’re certainly seeing it at our tournaments in Rio, Abu Dhabi, Singapore and Shanghai… and it’s only going to accelerate the closer we get to golf’s return to the Olympics in 2016.”

Tiger Woods' 30 Per Cent

The steady internationalization, however, doesn’t help make sense of the PGA Tour 2011 winners, which appear to be a swirling void. Perhaps it’s best to regard it as exactly that. Tiger’s dominance, almost unprecedented, ended relative suddenly by injuries and his off-course issues has created a void and the swirling vortex of winners has yet to settle into a recognizable pattern.

“Tiger was special. When he was winning so much he had something that changed the opponents mind and everything was going his way. But now everything is not going his way. There are periods in professional golf that are really tough to understand,” says another of the bright young things, eighteen-year-old Italian Matteo Manassero, who has been lurking around the top thirty in the world since winning the co-sanctioned Maybank Malaysian Open earlier this year.

One of the most compelling explanations for why the golf map seems so confused at the moment is the ratio of Tigers' wins to appearances at his peak. In the Majors, from the 1999 PGA Championship to the end of 2002 he won seven of the thirteen tournaments. From 2005 until the famous 2008 US Open that he won on a broken leg he claimed six of fourteen.

In total, from the start of his rookie season in 1996 through the end of 2009, Tiger Woods played in 239 PGA Tour events and won 71 times. That's a winning percentage of nearly 30 per cent… even before you start to refine the numbers for the periods when he was at his red-hot, red-shirted, fist-pumping best.

Relatively few of the current top professionals will give much credence to the argument that the decline of US golf, at least when it comes to winning the top tournaments, may be the result of Tiger simply denying so many other players the opportunity to work out how to win. Statistically it seems significant.

“One in three years! One in three seasons was stripped away!” exclaims Australian veteran Stuart Appleby, a nine-time winner on the PGA Tour, who booked his ticket to this year’s WGC-HSBC Champions by winning the JB Were Australian Masters at the end of last year.

“Then also, you wonder about the subliminal message of how do I beat this guy? When Tiger’s was on his best? I don’t think people are thinking like that. They’re probably a bit more back into their own thing. You can imagine what it was like when Byron Nelson had his run many years ago when he just went win, win, win, win! For the ladies tour, they’ve been experiencing that kind of thing with Yani. What have you got to do? It can be deflating. What are you going to do?”

Learning to Win

The psychological impact of one player’s domination might not be the biggest factor though. The simple reasoning is this; while Tiger taking 30% of winning experience out of the pool isn’t a topic that the pros tackle with any enthusiasm, to a man they seem to agree that winning at the highest level has to be learned.

“I think so. I think it’s a process that a lot of people have to go through. There’s very few that come out and just go win. Learning how to win is a process and most guys don’t come out and win golf tournaments: there’s been very few to do it. There’s definitely a learning curve on learning how to win,” insists Rickie Fowler, who at twenty-two, is in a similar situation to Jason Day in trying to put the final piece into the jigsaw and turn prodigious talent into victories.

“Being in contention: you don’t get those nerves and feelings just from a normal day of playing in a tournament. It is a new feeling and you have to get comfortable with it and learn how to deal with it.”

Another American PGA Tour Rookie Keegan Bradley, who this year, as well as winning the Byron Nelson, became only the third man in the entire history of the sport to win a Major at his first attempt when he claimed the 2011 PGA Championship, says while his wins as an Amateur and on the mini-tours helped they don’t begin to get you ready to win at the highest level. The 25-year-old New Englander agrees that you have to experience getting to the point where you can barely hold a club before you can work out how to overcome it.

“Definitely! The most nervous I’ve ever been was the second stage of PGA Tour Q-School. I was so nervous coming towards the end. I was way more nervous then, than when I was contending to win at the (Byron) Nelson. It’s one of those things where you almost black out. I don’t remember some of the shots and that’s a huge part of it; you’re just so into it. I was in a play-off (at the Byron Nelson) and I don’t remember my second shot in the play-off. It’s a pretty intense experience. It’s a feeling that only people in sports can experience; it’s just intense!” Bradley says.

“It’s everywhere. It’s physically and mentally, especially mentally. You’re fighting off so many thoughts like getting to play Augusta, the Bridgestone, China things like that. There’s a lot going on in your head that you’re going to have to block out,” Bradley adds.

“It’s tough! It’s tough! You’ve never been there. You’ve been working to be there but you feel different kind of things inside you,” agrees 28-year-old Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal, who bounced back into form this year to beat Sergio Garcia in a play-off at the BMW International Open.

Larrazabal burst onto the European Tour having won his card for the 2008 season. He’d win his 16^th tournament that year, but in only his third event, the Joburg Open, he started the final round two shots off the lead and discovered just how surreal an experience being in contention can be:

“I played very badly. I struggled a lot. You can’t describe the feelings. You need to feel them. It’s something special that you can’t explain with words. You need to feel it and conquer it.”

Golf’s New Democracy

The reality is that, in the void left by Tiger Woods, all kinds of golfers have been given the opportunity to work out how to win. Whether it’s rookie Keegan Bradley who, in less than two seasons, jumped from winning on the Hooters Tour to becoming a first-up Major champion or Harrison Frazar who in his 17^th season as a pro finally figured out what all those people who told him he was trying to hard actually meant.

There’s Rory McIlroy, who has perhaps indicated that he has the mental strength to be the player that emerges from this confused period the way that the other Player and Palmer emerged from the late 1950s; given the way he bounced back in such a short space of time from blowing up in the final round of the Masters to win the US Open in such masterful fashion.

Then there are also some very talented young players who are just a step away.

“I’ve got to learn to win. Once I do that I can hopefully move on. I’m in the top 10 in the world right now and I’d like to win on a regular basis; that would be nice,” says Jason Day.

“It’s not technique; it’s just time and experience. I’ve come close a couple of times to winning Majors this year. It is a different experience. It’s just time and experience, getting myself into contention and being there, over time I’ll learn how to do it and once I do it hopefully I learn how to do it more on a regular basis. So far, it’s probably been a bit of inexperience; making wrong decisions at the wrong time. A bit of mental toughness would be in the little mixture of that. It’s just a bit of experience I need to have.”

Young Americans

The Americans will bounce back once they’ve accumulated some of the knowledge of winning that Tiger’s 30 per cent seems to have denied them. Dustin Johnson, at 27, has started winning the bigger PGA Tour events and has been right in contention in the 2010 US Open, the 2010 PGA Championship and the 2011 Open Championship. A Major can’t be far away.

Then there’s Rickie Fowler whose tie for fifth at the Open and runner-up finish in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational added further fuel to the fire of those who argue that a substantial triumph is on the cards for the 22 year old.

“I like my chances. I need to work on the first win. It's more something I feel like has to fall into place, you know, not something where I can go out and try and force the issue. I can't go out there and push myself to win. It's something where I just focus on playing well, something I've been doing lately, and if it's my time to win, it's my time,” says Fowler, who believes he won’t be the only young American to emerge.

“There’s a really good young group of players in the US, guys who are playing right now and some guys that are about to turn pro in the next couple of year, so the young generation of golf in the US is strong. If a few guys get some wins under their belts we’re going to have some good players. Dustin Johnson is one of my favourite players to watch play as a young American. Nick Watney has a few wins under his belt, Bill Haas, and then younger guys. There are some good young players coming out. I was telling people in the last couple of years that there are a couple of guys in college that are going to make some noise real soon; there’s been a couple to win some Nationwide events and a couple of others who are playing well. Peter Uihlein, Morgan Hoffmann, Kevin Tway… Russell Henley’s won a Nationwide event; Harris English won a Nationwide event: both were amateurs.”

Lee Westwood himself has no doubt that American golfers will soon be back to winning their share of Majors.

“European golf is very strong at the moment and we’ve played well in the right events. The Americans are playing well as well, they played well at the Open; it’s just a matter of time before it goes full circle,” he says.

All that is left to wonder is just how much more global the game will have become by the time that circle is completed, which of the first-time top-level champions might emerge from this period in the way that Player and Palmer did in the late 1950s… and the fact that the twelve first-time victors among the PGA Tour’s thirty-seven regular season events represent Tiger’s number: thirty per cent of the wins.

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Major winners since 2009 (1^st time winners in bold)

2011

PGA Championship: Keegan Bradley (USA)

Open Championship: Darren Clarke (NIR)

US Open Championship: Rory McIlroy (NIR)

Masters Tournament: Charl Schwartzel (RSA)

2010

PGA Championship: Martin Kaymer (GER)

Open Championship: Louis Oosthuizen (RSA)

US Open Championship: Graeme McDowell (NIR)

Masters Tournament: Phil Mickelson (USA)

2009

PGA Championship: “YE” Yang Yong-Eun (KOR)

Open Championship: Stewart Cink (USA)

US Open Championship: Lucas Glover (USA)

Masters Tournament: Angel Cabrera (ARG)

World Golf Championships winners since 2009 (1^st time winners in bold)

2011

WGC-HSBC Champions:

WGC-Bridgestone Invitational: Adam Scott (AUS)

WGC-Cadillac Championship: Nick Watney (USA)

WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship: Luke Donald (ENG)

2010

WGC-HSBC Champions: Francesco Molinari (ITA)

WGC-Bridgestone Invitational: Hunter Mahan (USA)

WGC-CA Championship: Ernie Else (RSA)

WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship: Ian Poulter (ENG)

2009

WGC-HSBC Champions: Phil Mickelson (USA)

WGC-Bridgestone Invitational: Tiger Woods (USA)

WGC-CA Championship: Phil Mickelson (USA)

WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship: Geoff Ogilvy (AUS)

2011 PGA Tour – 1^st time winners

Webb Simpson (USA) Wyndham Championship, North Carolina

Aged 26 ranked 55 in the world at the time of his win.

Scott Stallings (USA) Greenbrier Classic, West Virginia

ROOKIE Aged 26 ranked 224 in the world at the time of his win.

Chris Kirk (USA) Viking Classic, Mississippi

ROOKIE Aged 26 ranked 106 in the world at the time of his win.

Fredrik Jacobson (SWE) Travelers Championship, Connecticut

Aged 36 ranked 110 in the world at the time of his win.

1st win in his 188th PGA Tour tournament

Harrison Frazar (USA) FedEx St. Jude Classic, Memphis, Tennessee

Aged 39 ranked 583 in the world at the time of his win.

1st win in his 355th PGA Tour tournament

Keegan Bradley (USA) HP Byron Nelson Championship, Texas

ROOKIE Aged 24 Ranked 203 in the world at the time of his win.

Brendan Steele (USA) Valero Texas Open, Texas

ROOKIE Aged 28 ranked 231 in the world at the time of his win.

Charl Schwartzel (RSA) Masters Tournament, Georgia

ROOKIE Aged 26 and ranked 29 in the world at the time of his win.

Gary Woodland (USA) Transitions Championship, Florida

Aged 26 ranked 153^rd in the world at the time of his win.

D.A. Points (USA) AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, California

Aged 34 and ranked 167^th in the world at the time of his win.

Jhonattan Vegas (VEN) Bob Hope Classic, California

ROOKIE Aged 26 and ranked 187^th in the world at the time of his win.

World Golf Championships: All-time Winners

16 – Tiger Woods (USA)*

3 – Geoff Ogilvy (AUS)

2 – Phil Mickelson (USA)

2 – Ernie Els (USA)**

2 – Darren Clarke (NIR)

1 – Adam Scott (AUS)

1 – Nick Watney (USA)

1 – Luke Donald (ENG)

1 – Francesco Molinari (ITA)

1 – Hunter Mahan (USA)

1 – Ian Poulter (ENG)

1 – Henrik Stenson (SWE)

1 – David Toms (USA)

1 – Kevin Sutherland (USA)

1 – Steve Stricker (USA)

1 – Jeff Maggert (USA)

1 – Mike Weir (CAN)

1 – Vijay Singh (FIJ)

1 – Stewart Cink (USA)

1 – Craig Parry (AUS)

*plus 2000 World Cup

**plus 2001 World Cup

HSBC Champions

Format: 72-holes, stroke play, no cut
Field: Approximately 78 players, consisting of tournament winners from around the world and the best players from the International Federation of PGA Tours, as dictated by each Tour’s money list, order of merit, etc.

2010 – Francesco Molinari (ITA) 269 (-19) (Sheshan International GC, Shanghai, China)

2009 – Phil Mickelson (USA) 271 (-17) (Sheshan International GC, Shanghai, China)

2008* – Sergio Garcia (ESP) 274 (-14) won on second hole of play-off with Oliver Wilson

2007* – Phil Mickelson (USA) 278 (-10) won on second hole of play-off with Lee Westwood and Ross Fisher

2006* – YE Yang Yong-Eun (KOR) 274 (-14)

2005* – David Howell (ENG) 268 (-20)

* = Before granted WGC status

Bridgestone Invitational*

Format: 72-holes, stroke play, no cut
Field: Members of the most recent United States and International Presidents Cup teams and the United States and European Ryder Cup teams. Players ranked among the top 50 on the Official World Golf Ranking. The past year’s Major winners.

2011 – Adam Scott (AUS) 263 (-17) (Firestone CC, Ohio, USA)

2010 – Hunter Mahan (USA) 268 (-12) (Firestone CC, Ohio, USA)

2009 – Tiger Woods (USA) 268 (-12) (Firestone CC, Ohio, USA)

2008 – Vijay Singh (FIJ) 270 (-10) (Firestone CC, Ohio, USA)

2007 – Tiger Woods (USA) 272 (-8) (Firestone CC, Ohio, USA)

2006 – Tiger Woods (USA) 270 (-10) (Firestone CC, Ohio, USA)

2005 – Tiger Woods (USA) 274 (-6) (Firestone CC, Ohio, USA)

2004 – Stewart Cink (USA) 269 (-11) (Firestone CC, Ohio, USA)

2003 – Darren Clarke (NIR) 268 (-12) (Firestone CC, Ohio, USA)

2002 – Craig Parry (AUS) 268 (-16) (Sahalee CC, Washington, USA)

2001 – Tiger Woods (USA) 269 (-12) (Firestone CC, Ohio, USA)

2000 – Tiger Woods (USA) 259 (-21) (Firestone CC, Ohio, USA)

1999 – Tiger Woods (USA) 270 (-10) (Firestone CC, Ohio, USA)

*From 1999- 2005 known as NEC Invitational

Cadillac Championship*

Format: 72 holes, stroke play, no cut
Field: 65-70, including 44 of the top 50 from the Official World Golf Rankings and leaders of the six Tours' Official Money Lists/Order of Merit.

2011 – Nick Watney (RSA) 272 (-16) (Doral, Florida, USA)

2010 – Ernie Els (RSA) 270 (-18) (Doral, Florida, USA)

2009 – Phil Mickelson (USA) 269 (-19) (Doral, Florida, USA)

2008 – Geoff Ogilvy (AUS) 271 (-17) (Doral, Florida, USA)

2007 – Tiger Woods (USA) 278 (-10) (Doral, Florida, USA)

2006 – Tiger Woods (USA) 270 (-23) (The Grove, Hertfordshire, England)
2005 – Tiger Woods (USA) 270 (-10) (play-off) (Harding Park, San Francisco, California, USA)

2004 – Ernie Els (RSA) 270 (-18) (Mount Juliet Conrad, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland)

2003 – Tiger Woods (USA) 274 (-6) (Capital City Club, Atlanta, Georgia, USA)

2002 – Tiger Woods (USA) 263 (-25) (Mount Juliet Conrad, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland)

2001 – Cancelled (Bellerive, St. Louis, Missouri, USA)

2000 – Mike Weir (CAN) 277 (-11) (Valderrama, Spain)

1999 - Tiger Woods (USA) 278 (-10) (play-off) (Valderrama, Spain)

*From 2007-2010 known as CA Championship

From 1999-2006 known as American Express Championship

Accenture Match Play Championship

Format: Match Play

Field: Top 64 available players (Based on the Official World Golf Ranking)

2011 – Luke Donald (ENG) 3&1 vs. Martin Kaymer (Dove Mountain, Arizona, USA)

2010 – Ian Poulter (ENG) 4&2 vs. Paul Casey (Dove Mountain, Arizona, USA)  

2009 – Geoff Ogilvy (AUS) 4&3 vs. Paul Casey (Ritz-Carlton GC, Arizona, USA)

2008 – Tiger Woods (USA) 8&7 vs. Stewart Cink.  (Ritz-Carlton GC, Arizona, USA)

2007 – Henrik Stenson (SWE) 2&1 vs. Geoff Ogilvy (Gallery, Arizona, USA)

2006 – Geoff Ogilvy (AUS) 3&2 vs. Davis Love III (La Costa, California, USA) 

2005 – David Toms (USA) 6&5 vs. Chris DiMarco (La Costa, California, USA) 
2004 – Tiger Woods (USA) 3&2 vs. Davis Love III (La Costa, California, USA) 
2003 – Tiger Woods (USA) 2&1 vs.  David Toms (La Costa, California, USA) 
2002 – Kevin Sutherland (USA) 1 up vs. Scott McCarron 1 up (La Costa, California, USA) 
2001 – Steve Stricker (USA) 2&1 vs. Pierre Fulke (Metropolitan GC, Victoria, Australia)
2000 – Darren Clarke (NIR) 4&3 vs. Tiger Woods (La Costa, California, USA) 
1999 – Jeff Maggert (USA) 38 holes vs. Andrew Magee (La Costa, California, USA) 

Note: From 2000 to 2006 the World Cup was a WGC event. Winners as follows:

2006 - Germany (Bernhard Langer/Marcel Siem) 268 (play-off) (Sandy Lane, Barbados)

2005 – Wales (Bradley Dredge/Stephen Dodd) 189 (Victoria Clube, Algarve, Portugal)

2004 – England (Paul Casey/Luke Donald) 257 (Real Club, Seville, Spain)

2003 – South Africa (Rory Sabbatini/Trevor Immelman) 275 (Kiawah Island, South Carolina, USA)

2002 – Japan (Shigeki Maruyama/Toshimitsu Izawa) 252 (Vista Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)

2001 – South Africa (Ernie Els/Retief Goosen) 264 (play-off) (Taiheiyo Club, Shizuoka, Japan)

2000 – United States (Tiger Woods/David Duval) 254 (Buenos Aires GC, Argentina)

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Could the Presidents Cup benefit from a golf tailgate party?

With the kick-off of football season and the golf year winding down, attention is turning to fans hanging out in arena parking lots, barbecuing and reveling in team spirit.

With regards to golf, except maybe for the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale, a.k.a. the "loudest hole in golf", the sport has always been more "refined" than football... except when Tiger Woods and Team USA get ready to challenge the rest of the world!

The Presidents Cup in November could be the perfect opportunity to give the sport a boost of adrenaline, actively involve current fans and add new supporters to golf with an all purpose "tailgate party" atmosphere!

Andrea Woroch, a nationally recognized consumer and money-saving expert for Kinoli, Inc. recently sent me her "Thrifty Tailgating Tips to Kick-Off Football Season on a Budget". I would like to share a basic "recipe" for success while, at the same time, attempt to make these tips work for a golf tailgate party, whether watching from New York or celebrating down-under in Melbourne, Australia!

For those lucky individuals who will be driving to see the Presidents Cup, Andrea says the atmosphere at a major tailgate party is all about community. Team-up with your friends; assign a couple of people to drinks, several to snacks, and you take care of the grill and meat. Potluck works wonders and cuts costs for everyone. Beer and burgers may be okay for football but in golf where the crowd may be less rowdy(?), how about adding pates, paired wines and cheeses? Andrea also suggested Tailgating.com which has dozens of free, fan-submitted recipes.

Don't forget the supplies. Tailgating requires a lot of supplies and preparation before the big day, from carrying oversized coolers and pop-up canopies to folding tables and chairs. Before heading to the store to buy whatever gear you're lacking, find out if you can borrow from friends, neighbors or coworkers.

One of the signs of a high-quality football tailgate party is "a team flag flying high and jerseys as far as the eye can see." The Presidents Cup is the perfect opportunity to profess your national unity. Golf is a global game, so let's all be proud to see every nation's colors fly!

Woroch also suggests that fans "get their game on!"

Whether you find yourself grilling in a parking lot and/or gathering in front of your 60" big screen TV and Weber man-sized grill, include a few games in your plans. Sure it's easy and a great idea to bring along a football to toss around but how about incorporating games like Cornhole and Ladder Chipping golf games? Pull out a few putters and a prefab putting mat too.

For those fans like me who will be watching the Presidents Cup from home, you get the best seat in the house, a better barbecue grill, refrigeration and multiple hi-def replay angles from your large LCD display. You won't have to choose which golfer to follow, the golf tailgate party won't involve cars and parking lots and you won't be fighting traffic either!

 

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Nike golf shoes let Michelle Wie, Anthony Kim show true colors on the course

Nike Golf Pays Tribute to Iconic Nike Dunk Shoe with the Introduction of the Nike Dunk NG
 

There will be a familiar iconic shoe showing up on the feet of Nike golf Athletes Michelle Wie and Anthony Kim. Both young athletes will be sporting the new Nike Dunk (NG) Golf shoe. Wie will debut the colourful shoes at this week’s Women’s Canadian Open and Kim will wear them in the coming weeks on the PGA Tour.

Note: As I mentioned in a previous Golf for Beginners post, Tiger Woods recently chose the new Nike FREE golf shoe because helped to improve his stability while offering him mobility during training sessions. Where the Nike FREE was originally utilized as a training shoe, the Nike Dunk NG was first a basketball shoe and has been transformed for golf afficionados: the addition of spikes and waterproofing makes it a choice for matching golf clothing and broadbase appeal.

A Nike brand franchise with a wide appeal, the Dunk has history, heritage, and a consumer cultural connection that Nike Golf respects and celebrates. The new Nike Dunk NG, which inspires individuality and personal expression, will be available in two colours for golfers from January 1, 2012 and further colours from March 2012.
Staying true to the original Nike Dunk which was created 25 years ago, Nike Golf has kept the original last to ensure that the Nike Dunk NG feels just the same as the Dunks that people have grown to love without compromising performance for golf. With golf specific spikes on the outsole and golf specific waterproof leather, the Nike Dunk has been transformed to perform on the course.

Keeping in line with the strong personality and attitude of the Nike Dunk, the Nike Dunk NG allows athletes to show their true colours on the course. The energy of Soar Blue, Safety Orange, Court Green for men and Spark, Orange Glow and Mint for women allow consumers to have a bold, athletic look while coordinating with the apparel from the Nike Golf Sport Collection.

The Nike Dunk NG comes with two sets of shoelaces, allowing athletes to either accentuate the bright colour of the shoe or to opt for traditional white. With full-grain waterproof leather, the Nike Dunk NG can battle the elements of poor weather conditions. The Scorpion Stinger Spikes ensure that traction is not an issue for the Nike Dunk NG.


A TOUCH OF NIKE DUNK HISTORY
The original Nike Dunk was created as a basketball shoe in 1985. After it was introduced to the world, the Nike Dunk started a commotion when basketball teams began wearing them to match their uniforms. New to the scene and already making a lasting impression, the Nike Dunks enjoyed a widespread following and massive popularity almost instantly. This new expression of style lasted through the years and Dunks have become the prized shoes for sneakerheads as well as fashion statements for anyone looking to add vintage style to their shoe collection. Now the Nike Dunk enters golf.

Key Features:

Full-grain waterproof leather
2 sets of shoelaces
Full-length contoured sockliner
Rubber cupsole
Authentic Nike Dunk fit and feel
1-Year Limited Waterproof Warranty
Scorpion Stinger Spikes and tri-LOK system

Released By Nike Golf Story found at Press4Golf.com Authors Name:Anneli Lort (Nike Golf) Photo credit: Nikeblog.com Voice your opinion and follow Golf4Beginners on Twitter and friend us on Facebook Find golf blogs on Golf for Beginners

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Tiger Woods spurns pals, do fellow golfers want him back?

Although sports media is quick to report splits between Tiger Woods and caddie, former swing coaches, management and friends, PGA Tour and European Tour golfers have been standing together to welcome the former number-one golfer back onto the fairway.

PGA Champion, Martin Kaymer said it best, "We need him, we really need him. He's the best player who ever played that game."

Darren Clarke, winner of the 2011 Open Championship and paired with Tiger Woods for the first round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, commented, "Tiger Woods could be a hard man to beat because of his record around this golf course. He loves it so much and has played so well here before. I wouldn't be surprised to see him have a really, really good week."

But Rory McIlroy, fresh off his latest twitter escapade involving golf writer Jay Townshend, appeared a bit ambiguous and on-the-fence about his true feelings regarding Tiger Woods taking center stage, "It’d be maybe a little intimidating if you knew for sure if [Woods] was going to play the way he did in 2000, 2001, but no one knows that."



With Tiger Woods' return to golf this week, internet sports have been abuzz with sorrowful tales of short-lasting unions between sports celebrities...sniff...

Could it be that Tiger Woods really wasn't great friends with sports legends like Charles Barkley and Roger Federer, or even really tight with caddie Steve Williams? As outsiders, fans tend to receive snippets of information as if we were playing "Telephone", an old game where a sentence is whispered to many, one-by-one, and is spewed out differently than it started. The media also enjoys photo-ops and creating buzz around sports superstars, so hanging out at a club "gambling and partying" could easily have been misconstrued.

A true friend, Charles, does not change his cell phone number without sharing it with you...as Barkley continued, "I’ve been trying to get to him and can’t get to him,” he said. “It’s very frustrating.” ..hint, hint

Convenience has a way of playing a role in many people's lives. Roger Federer, for example, was number-one in the world of tennis, Woods was the top golfer in the world; so easy to create a relationship built on similarities. With both Woods and Federer slipping from their respective perches, their friendship might have ended along with the "back-patting." This would explain the ease and apparent readiness in which Woods separated himself from his former "pack".

With Tiger Woods clearing his head and life of distractions, it is only a matter of time before the former champion shows signs of greatness. Champions are made, not born.

As the great golfer Sam Snead once said, "The mark of a great player is in his ability to come back. The great champions have all come back from defeat."



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Is Yani Tseng the next Tiger Woods, Annika Sorenstam?

The WGC-Bridgestone Invitational is where Tiger Woods has decided to make his first comeback since opting out of the Players Championship after the first nine holes.

Woods has conjectured that he might also play golf in the Australian Open as well as the Presidents Cup. Just for attending the Australian Open, Woods is expected a huge payday thanks to their government.


Questions abound:

Is Woods feeling better, just tired of sitting on the sidelines or is he in it for the payday?

Why the Bridgestone? Confidence? Tiger has won the event seven times in fourteen years.

Are his injuries healed?

Who is...Why did...Tiger Woods choose childhood friend and head of his golf course design company, Bryon Bell, as his new caddie? Can he take the place of Steve Williams?


Another big golf story this week comes from the LPGA/LET and all of the ladies in the game. Meet Yani Tseng, number-one golfer on the LPGA Tour and considered by many to be the next Annika Sorenstam and/or the new Lorena Ochoa of the game.

Yani Tseng holding the British Open trophy Zimbio.com

Watch out when Tseng is in the field; she is proving herself to be a force during any (major) golf tournament. With her come-from-behind win this weekend at the Women's British Open (she won last year's Open too), Yani has won four of the last eight major tournaments and five overall.

And, Yani Tseng is only twenty-two-years old!

Comparisons to Tiger Woods and Annika Sorenstam abound.

As a matter of fact, according to an article on ESPN.com, "Sorenstam was thirty-two when she won her fifth major title, at the 2003 LPGA Championship. Tiger Woods was twenty-four when he won his fifth, at the 2000 PGA.

What can Yani Tseng learn from Tiger Woods?

According to her first American golf instructor, Glen Daugherty (and this great article in GolfDigest.com), "Her place in history is likely dependent not only on her health, but also her putting."


Daugherty continued, "The sky's the limit for her (Yani), but you have to putt well consistently. That's the tool that bails players out."




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Tiger Woods photo: Wtam.com

Without Tiger Woods can American golfers rally at The Open?

The latest headlines read, "Tiger Woods out of AT&T National". Notah Begay has postponed his charity event until the former number one recovers and is now suggesting that Woods may also step away from the British Open. Although American PGA Tour golfers, without Tiger Woods in the field, are winning their share of weekly events, they have handed over the last five majors to European Tour golfers, leaving American "grinders" shaking their heads in disbelief.

PGA Tour golfers like Nick Watney are fed up and tired with their sub-par level of play, saying that it's time for Americans "to step up.”

Scott Verplank, being "very honest and very American" plainly stated, "It’s just that Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and those guys are playing better than us.”

Even Steve Stricker is disappointed with his inability to win majors, stating after the 2011 U.S. Open, "These major championships are kind of new to me. I’m going in with kind of low expectations." 

With Stricker (etal) not expecting to mount much of a contest, he surely won't.

Without Tiger Woods in the field challenging the level of play, the PGA Tour is undergoing major restructuring, stating on their website, "nearly one-third of 2011 TOUR winners are first-timers."

Has the lack of one popular (almost super-human) golfer, the level of play and the sport itself been depleted as Ed Berliner states, "falling in popularity behind billiards, MMA, and the Wii version of "Duke Nukem: Guns & Gusto at Augusta”? If so, are Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy the only golfers who can save it?

Fans need a hero who can delight and excite the crowd...and they want to cheer on a "likeable guy".

Being "very American" myself, allow me to mention two players who have made waves in golf this weekend.

Nineteen-year-old Patrick Cantlay took low amateur honors at the 2011 U.S. Open and shot a course record of 60 during the Travelers Championship, the lowest round ever for an amateur on the PGA Tour. He's young, collegiate and the future of the sport.

Nationwide Tour golfer Eric Compton, has overcome two heart transplants to win this week's Mexico Open. Enough said, as this golfer already has the fans "hearts."

The Americans are out there grinding (even if a Swede did win this week), as a group they just have to band together, raise their collective expectations, step out of the shadow of Tiger Woods and prove their mettle. New faces are constantly emerging: whether it be from the PGA Tour or European Tour, one golfer will eventually come forward to take over where Tiger Woods left off: it has happened before, it will happen again.

Having said that, golf is becoming more of a global sport with each event won on either side of the pond. Many European Tour golfers have studied/bought property, played golf in the U.S.A. and conversely, PGA Tour players like Mickelson have shown up to play in events such as the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship. Fans should cheer their favorite player (as they did with Tiger Woods) and not where he or she heralds from in order to get the most out of the game.

But, since fans still 'root for the home team', will an American PGA Tour golfer playing in The Open capture the Claret Jug and end the drought? If so, will his name be quoted in numerous articles as the next Tiger Woods?


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