Which is More Meaningful - American Century #Golf Championship or The Open? #ACCgolf

From Mike Eruzione to Annika Sorenstam, sports and television personalities are lending their powerhouse celebrity statuses to the 25th annual American Century Championship golf tournament. What makes this such a popular event...and more important than The Open?

Fans know many of the celebrities on this week's ACC leaderboard but I wonder how many people recognize the name Jim Stowers?

Cancer survivor, philanthropist, and founder of American Century Investments and the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, the late Mr. Stowers, with a dedicated team of scientists, continues to make "a significant contribution to humanity through medical research by expanding our understanding of the secrets of life, and by improving life’s quality through innovative approaches to the causes, treatment and prevention of diseases."

Too early...too challenging research? BioMed Valley Discoveries tackle these illnesses every day.

Sounds like a mouthful and it is! Basic cellular abnormalities which cause Cancer, Alzheimer's and unconventional medical research are at the heart of this scientific investigation - Stowers and his wife gave their common stock in American Century Investments to fund the research and the celebrities come out each year to stand behind this great cause - Profits with a Purpose.

Click the link to watch The Stowers Institute for Medical Research video.

Back to golf...

So the American Century Championships and The Open, are two great golf events which appear totally different in nature but are they?

Both events are major events in their own categories. Some folks call the ACC, "The Superbowl of Celebrity Sports". The Open is one of the four majors of the year. Although The Open is a much older event (1860) with a winner's Share of $1,660,000, twenty-five years of the American Century Championship charitable event makes for a good beginning and, with a record purse of $600,000, there will surely be as much fiery competition here as at The Open.

The one difference between these two great golf events? Which will be more meaningful in the long run...?

When you are watching The Open at 4AM and switch over to the ACC in the afternoon, think about what these celebrities are playing for -  a much greater cure than what a few good rounds of golf will bring!


The 25th annual American Century Championship, July 15-20, 2014, is the premier celebrity golf tournament that airs on NBC Sports. American Century Investments is the title sponsor of the tournament. The first round of the #ACCgolf starts this Friday, July 18! Friday, July 18          
Saturday, July 19        NBC                3-6 p.m. ET / Noon-3 p.m. PT (Live)
Sunday, July 20          NBC                3-6 p.m. ET / Noon-3 p.m. PT (Live)

Golf Channel will re-air the broadcasts Saturday-Monday.

Are you going to watch the American Century Golf Championship? Voice your opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and on our Golf for Beginners blog.

This post was created in partnership with American Century Investments. I have received compensation for this post. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Tiger Woods the Sexiest Golfer at 2013 British Open?

If you watch enough golf, you'll hear or read EVERYTHING, including a recent survey from a website where women have selected Tiger Woods as the Sexiest Golfer at the 2013 British Open!

No, I am not a proponent of infidelity but a press release was sent to Golf for Beginners by the site Victoria Milan, Europe´s original discreet social network, which asked members who they believed to be the hottest golfer at The Open and, out of over 3,225 cheating ladies, Tiger Woods came in first with 27% of the votes. Adam Scott was a close second with 25% of the votes and Sergio Garcia held the third position with 14% of the ladies.

Tiger, it is believed, earned his rank based on his history of high-profile infidelity. Woods' divorce from Elin received worldwide attention and is notorious as one of the most expensive break-ups the world has ever seen. 

Considering Tiger's "bad-boy" image and the site's penchant for infidelity, I wonder how Adam Scott got to 2nd place...oh yes, that was his finish in the 2012 Open ;-)  And Sergio? Another bad boy but, certainly not tops on the sexy list of golfers IMO.

Company founder and CEO Sigurd Vedal stated: 

“It makes perfect sense that golf captures the senses of cheaters! The quiet tension builds hole by hole until it's broken by wild applause, and the 19th hole parties are legendary. And, of course, the sport itself represents luxury and opulence. Our members are definitely going to be found in the British Open crowd!”

*Results of the Survey conducted 3225 female members.

Tiger Woods 27%

Adam Scott 25%

Sergio Garcia 14%

Luke Donald 11%

Justin Rose 9%

Graeme McDowell 6%

Nicolas Colsaerts 3%

Phil Mickelson 2%

Ernie Els 2%

Rory Mcilroy 1%

Should Tiger Woods be flattered by this distinction? 

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Why De Rigueur Tartan is Fashion Forward Golf Clothing for The Open Championship

Scots call the pattern Tartan and use it ceremoniously as a symbol of Scottish history and pride; Americans named it Plaid while taking on a lighter approach to this centuries old textile weave. 

Both sides of the Pond do agree that, when it comes to golf, Tartan is a must-have fashion statement for players at The Open Championship.

From the ever spiffy Ian Poulter who has themed his golf clothing and his brand, IJP Design, around the tartan pattern to European Team Captain Paul McGinley who has graciously added his personal touch to a specially-made model to commemorate the 2014 Ryder Cup, tartan has made its way from a Gaelic lineage to a cultural phenomenon.

You might even spot Tiger Woods wearing the bold pattern on the golf course one day as Nike has recently registered its own Tartan "Clan Colors" in May at the BMW PGA Championship. 

The Nike Golf clothing range of tartan fashion includes everything from the expected Nike Golf shorts and pants to Nike Tartan Golf Bags!

Too casual for Tiger Woods on the Golf Course but okay at the NBA Finals

With The Open Championship announcing "Thursday is Tartan day", the majority of players will be dressed in the Tartan pant.  

This Nike Golf Plaid Pant in Squadron Blue is a good example how a player can not only look good on the golf course but feel comfortable during the entire round. A lightweight, Dri-Fit fabric combined with an understated design provides function and fashion wow:

Check out more fashion-forward golf clothing from Function18.

Photo Credit: GolfbyTourMiss.com

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Adam Scott moonwalks while Ernie Els takes leap forward to win The Open Championship

Ernie Els showed his true mettle during the final round of The 2012 Open Championship as Adam Scott did the golf "moonwalk", serving up four bogeys in the last four holes of the tournament and ending another major bid. Here are a few pictures that I took while watching The Open hoping to capture the final breathless moments of this third major of 2012.



In his approach to the 18th green, Ernie Els needed a single stroke to induce a playoff with Adam Scott who, although not having a comfortable lead, was still in the lead.

Ernie Els birdied the 18th hole using a joyous fist pump as an exclamation point, probably thinking, at least at this point, that he had a chance at a playoff with Adam Scott.

Ernie Els spreads the good word about his amazing birdie putt on the 18th green while waiting patiently for Adam Scott. I noticed Ernie looking a bit anxious, perhaps wondering if he should practice or nosh on a sandwich; he wound up doing both.

Adam Scott, in the meantime, was walking up the 17th with caddy Steve Williams. Did Steve do everything he needed to as Adam's caddy to help Scott in his time of need?

With not a breath in the air, fans watched as Adam's Scott's chances of winning The Open Championship faded.

This picture of Adam Scott, in my opinion, caputred the agony of defeat. So taken with the sad ending to this tale was SportsBettingOnline which sent out a press release announcing that management was refunding all players who lost money betting on Adam Scott.

"With so many of the favorites including Woods not cashing, it was a good day for sportsbooks. But that wasn’t the case for those who dropped money on Scott,” stated Dave Johnson, head oddsmaker for SportsBettingOnline.ag.  “We feel it’s our duty to refund the players for taking such a bad beat. His collapse was historic and we know the bettors who had him must feel as awful as he does.”

And so the final tally had a reserved Ernie Els taking rightful ownership of the Claret Jug as Adam Scott shook his head in disbelief stating, "I let a great chance slip through my fingers today, and I know it."

PS: The title of this golf blog is dedicated to Sally Ride, the first U.S. Woman to travel into Space. Although Ms. Ride never moon walked, she forever "changed the face of America's space program."


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photo credits: WABCTV

Does the designation of British in The Open diminish the Championship?

I don't understand what all of the hullabaloo is about regarding adding the term "British" to "The Open Championship" yet it seems to be a sticking point for some golf fans.

When I posted this question on my Golf4Beginners Twitter page, "British Open or The Open Championship?" the responses came at me fast and furious. 

There were those folks who were adamantly against adding the term "British" such as @ray_matthew, " according to the R&A it's #TheOpenChampionship end of story" and the @Mobitee golf rep who said, "The Open Championship is what's on their site so that's what it's called."

While it is true that The Open Championship has officially been in existence since 1860, people on this side of the pond add "British" simply as an identifier to assist the more casual fan and is in no way, in my opinion,  a sign of disrespect nor does it lessen the importance of the event.

 hat being said, when I questioned the group as to how Golf Channel and NBC Sports continually preface The Open Championship with "British", @Matt_Dart91 responded, "Just because they work in TV doesn't mean whatever they say is correct. It's The Open, nothing else." 

Tiger Woods and Bubba Watson are two PGA Tour golfers who use the term #BritishOpen both with hastag and conversationally:

Tiger Woods, on his official website states, “You can have so many different weather conditions. You just don’t know. That’s one of the unique things about the British Open and why it’s my favorite Major championship.”

Tweeters who agreed with Tiger and Bubba were equally as vocal on the subject:

@rdjames01 commented, "I call it the British Open because I live in the US! Drop the country when you are from there!" and @LVGolfInsider who stated, "official name for sure is The Open Championship but leaves room for confusion here in States...Name Confusion for casual fan, speaking as one who writes about the game..."

@MilesDowsett claimed, "It's obviously The Open as it was the first one and thus oldest.....case closed."

But is the case really closed? Just because Ford was the first mass produced automobile, does that make it "The Car" with all other autos having name designations?

 In my opinion, I think anything that identifies a tournament to attract the most viewers is good for the game. I guess whatever makes the fans tune in is the best name for The Open Championship. Would I officially change the name of this major tournament? No, but I personally like adding "British" to the name. When I hear the name "The Open" I often wonder which Open?

“What’s in a name?

That which we call a rose      

By any other name would smell as sweet”  …Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare.

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Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous

Will Phil Mickelson hang up his golf shoes for cleats?

Although FedEx golf rankings show Phil Mickelson in ninth place with a chance to win ten million dollar prize at the end of the 2012 season, his weekly record is not so good begging the question, "Is Phil Mickelson making his last stand in golf?" Is it time for Lefty to move on to his next adventure...in baseball?

PGA Tour golf tournaments from January through the present show an uneven season at best for Phil with one win at Pebble Beach, two cuts and one withdrawal at the Memorial in May. Although Mickelson played admirably at the Masters, he considers Augusta National to be one of his favorite and "fun" golf courses to play in spite of course changes which he believes to have hampered his birdie-making abilities.

The U.S. Open, on the other hand, was a complete disaster for Phil this year finishing in a tie for 65th position.

The European Tour may help to put Phil's golf game on the right track for the Open Championship. Mickelson left his family in Rome to grab the last sponsor's exemption in the Scottish Open hoping that preparations here will lead to a win at Royal Lytham next week. Lefty struggled yesterday stating, "I’ve played very poorly, and I added this week because I need to play a bit more,” Today Phil rebounded with a 64 to lie five shots off the pace further proving his uneven tendencies.

So what is a professional golfer who is playing poorly supposed to do? If it's Phil Mickelson, hedge his bets and buy into a baseball team!

Although it has been in the news for weeks that Mickelson wants to buy into the San Diego Padres along with an investment group that includes former Dodgers owner Peter O'Malley, the deal said to be at $800 million is close to finalizing with Phil excited at the prospect of ownership and creating  "a personal involvement with the players and the community."

Is Mickelson planning a move on to the next stage of his life, namely a career as a baseball team owner? Well, Phil cited fatigue when he W/D'd at the Memorial and he has Psoriatric arthritis which hampers his ability to play golf. Mickelson is also in the 'over-forty" crowd on the PGA Tour with young guns easily pumping out 350 yard plus drives, forcing Phil to work harder at playing safe, which is not in his DNA.

That being said, I think that if the San Diego Padres deal goes through, expect to see Phil Mickelson sporting a baseball cap in 2013 and ditching his KPMG logo (although there's still plenty of room for that sponsorship on his cap too!)

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photo credit: BittenandBound.com

Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous

Ten of the Best Open Championship Golf Performances

Do you think Darren Clarke or perhaps Phil Mickelson's golf performance at Royal St. George's should be added to this list of the top ten Open Championship appearances? Does a golfer have to win in order to be listed or do collapses count too? The public loves to see a meltdown.

According to BestOnlineColleges.com, Jack Nicklaus' performance at St. Andrews in 1970 and Tom Watson with "one of the finest displays of golf in a major championship" at the 1970 Open Championship rank among the top golf on this list. Watson also displayed a third round this week worthy of a second look. At sixty-one years-old, the five-time British Open Champion "vaulted ten spots up the leaderboard" but I think it was his hole-in-one that gave fans a Champions Tour golfer to cheer for this week!


Seve Ballesteros has two spots in these top rankings with John Daly and, naturally, Tiger Woods making the cut. Woods was added to the list because of his performance at St. Andrews "winning the Open by eight strokes over Ernie Els and Thomas Bjorn."


Here is a list of the top-five: check out the rest of the best on their website, complete with great golf videos and see if you agree and who you would add or remove:


1.  Old Tom Morris, Prestwick, 1862

2.  Ben Hogan, Carnoustie, 1953

3.  Jack Nicklaus, St. Andrews, 1970

4.  Tom Watson, Turnberry, 1977

5.  Seve Ballesteros, Royal Litham & St. Annes, 1979


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