Podcast: Will Phil Mickelson be any competition for Tiger Woods in the FedEx Cup race, Sorenstam "flip-flops" on baby issue, a look at GolfSpan Mobile

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Vijay Singh began the golf season at the Mercedes-Benz Championship where he showed great form after the holiday layoff.

Second in the PGA Tour rotation was Phil Mickelson, who, although a bit rustier than Singh, provided viewers with more than just a glimpse of his spectacular drives and relaxed demeanor.

Finally, the time that golf fans have been waiting for is over: Tiger Woods is making his 2007 debut at the Buick Invitational. Taking the "gone skiing" notice from off of his front door, Woods readies himself for the long road ahead where he'll be challenging both Singh and Mickelson for not only top position on the money list but also for the lion's share of FedEx points.

Is a $10 million deferred bonus enough to make Tiger Woods get his head into the game or...

Could this tournament mark a change in interests for the reigning number-one golfer on the PGA Tour now that he has a child on the way? Will he be able to defend this week's title for the third time? I'm not so sure. Tiger Woods exclaimed on his website recently, "I just haven't been able to prepare. I usually spend one week working on my game before a tournament, and have been unable to do that this year."

Barry and I examine not only Mickelson and Woods' debut but also LPGA superstar Annika Sorenstam's retraction of a comment she made to a Swedish newspaper where she claimed she was ready to retire and have children.

Also on this week's broadcast, we take a look at GolfSpan Mobile, a new technology in which you can learn golf right from your own cell phone with the assistance of top PGA professionals such as Hank Haney, Jim McLean, Jane Blalock and more. Is this video technology too advanced for current wireless networks? We'll give you the pros and cons from our perspective.

Finally, we offer up a golf tip which is useful whether you're a beginner or even a professional golfer!

Continue sending your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com.

Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or through iTunes. Nextel/Sprint cell customers type http://www.mymbn.com/podcast/ in your browser and click on "sports casts". Our station number is 1955.

You can also download our previous Golf for Beginners episodes by clicking here.

Podcast: Michelle Wie gets "plutoed", which Phil Mickelson will show up for his 2007 debut and stop chunking, chip with a hybrid

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While it's unlikely in the foreseeable future that Michelle Wie will make a cut in a PGA Tour event, we do not necessarily agree with Tim McDonald either. Barry and I talk about how Wie went awry, from her wrong choice of clubs right down to allowing the tournament pressure to get the best of her.

In stark contrast, 16-year-old Tadd Fujikawa showed fans that having fun has its advantages as he became the second youngest golfer in PGA Tour history to make the cut. While Tadd is probably relishing this new "factoid", Vijay Singh is cringing at Sam Snead's record. Thank goodness that television cameras focused on this up-and-coming golfer who, at 15, also qualified for the U.S. Open at Winged Foot.

Could someone as vertically challenged as Fujikawa be the next Tiger Woods?

Everyone except Tiger, watch out ! My golf hero, Phil Mickelson, is making his 2007 debut at the star-studded Bob Hope Chrysler Classic this coming week.

Whereas I ask the question, "Which Mickelson will be in attendance...safe or aggressive Phil", Barry wants to know if "dumb shot Phil" will show up instead?

Hybrids are hot on tour and are quickly replacing long irons in our golf bags. With the help of Golf Digest Magazine, we tell you how to eliminate chunking your chips with the use of these clubs.

Continue sending your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com.

Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or through iTunes. Nextel/Sprint cell customers type http://www.mymbn.com/podcast/ in your browser and click on "sports casts". Our station number is 1955.

You can also download our previous Golf for Beginners episodes by clicking here.


P.S. The word "plutoed" was chosen as the 2006 word of the year by the American Dialect Society.