PGA Tour's J.B. Holmes vs Annika Sorenstam in Golf Skins and Skills Game

 PGA TOUR Pro J.B. Holmes is coming to the aid of former Ryder Cup Captain Paul Azinger at the Forsgate Foundation Charity Golf Classic, Sept. 27-28, at Forsgate  Country Club in Monroe, N.J.  Azinger is temporarily sidelined from playing golf due to a rib injury so Holmes has agreed to take his place in this highly anticipated two-day charitable e vent pitting himself against Annika Sorenstam. 

 

Holmes will mingle with guests at the Live/Silent Auction on Monday, Sept. 27, and join LPGA Legend Annika Sorenstam on Sept. 28, at 2 p.m., for the Charity Classic’s Skills Exhibition and the nine-hole Bud Light Skins Game at 3 p.m. 

 

A member of the victorious 2008 USA Ryder Cup team, Holmes ranks No. 25 on the 2010 PGA TOUR money list with over $2.3 million in earnings.  This year, H olmes posted three, top-10 finishes in official PGA Tour events, including a tie for second at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am where he finished one shot behind winner Dustin Johnson.  Holmes, who routinely crushes the ball over 300 yards, is ranked fourth in driving distance on the PGA Tour and is the winner of the 2006 and 2008 FBR Open.  

  

“We are thrilled that J.B. Holmes was able to make arrangements to be here,” says Forsgate Country Club General Manager Det Williams.  “Classic participants and golf fans will surely be excited to listen to J.B.’s ‘inside story’ of the Ryder Cup experience, impress us with his notorious long-ball driving at the Skills Exhibition and see how he does in a  ‘head-to-head’ skins game against the legendary Annika Sorenstam.

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Although Sorenstam no longer plays competitive golf, she still keeps busy with interests  as varied as the Annika Golf Academy, a wine label, Callaway equipment, the Annika fragrance, golf course design as well as her newborn...(whew).

  

Since 2003, The Forsgate Foundation Charity Classic has raised over $200,000 for worthwhile causes.  This year, the primary beneficiary of the event will be The ANNIKA Foundation, a not-for-profit organization founded by Sorenstam in 2007, one year prior to her retirement from competitive play.  The ANNIKA Foundation teaches children the importance of living a healthy, active lifestyle through fitness and nutrition and offers aspiring junior golfers opportunities to pursue their dreams.

 

The Forsgate Foundation will also support local New Jersey children’s charities with any further proceeds from the event.

 

For the second consecutive year, The Charity Classic will raffle off a new Mercedes (E350 Coupe), courtesy of Mercedes-Benz of Princeton.  The $100 raffle ticket includes admission into the Sept. 27 Live/Silent Auction.  Exciting auction items include a Yankees Dream Day as well as the opportunity for a child and two chaperones to attend a Derek Jeter Kids Clinic.  For more information, please call (732) 656-8911, log on to www.forsgatefoundation.org, or visit us on Facebook.

 

 

Gallery Tickets are only $15 and include admission into both the Skills Exhibition and the Skins Game.  Tickets are available by calling (732) 656-8911 and may also be purchased on-site.

Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous

Golf Channel's Social Media Experiment needs tweaking.

Some golf fans enjoyed Golf Channel's social media "experiment" on Saturday while others claimed that the format just "did not work" but one thing is for sure; kudos go out for trying!

Golf Channel's Twitter acknowledgment that their announcer-lite format might need work, "Don't worry we have announcers today," was merely a response to angry viewer commentary on the Q and A forum. Sound issues from mic noise and the lack of narration from the broadcasters actually detracted from the Nationwide Tour's Boise Open.


Here are a few fan complaints about the Golf Channel announcer-lite Satuday:


Mark Boyd Said on 09/18/2010, at 6:18 PM EST

“This simply does NOT work!! Should have learned after the NFL tried this tears ago - didn't work for them either!!!!”

albegolfin Said on 09/18/2010, at 6:15 PM EST

“we watch golf every weekend. Commentary free golf is "for the birds". As I timed it, we only get to see about three golf shots and then a whole bunch of commercials. As the cook of the family, I cannot go to the kitchen and listen to what I am missing. When a shot lands on the fairway, we have no information about yardage or obstacles in the players way. Are the players really this quiet in reality? We won't be watching any more of these. PS We do agree with the Johnny Miller comment. We have been muting him for years. ”

bigbwana1 Said on 09/18/2010, at 6:13 PM EST

“No comentary! Who had this bright idea? If I wanted just to watch the golf, I would mute the TV. I especially like to hear what each shot is likely to accomplish, given the condition of the lie, elevation to the green, the slope of the putting surface etc. PLEASE bring it back to normal!!!!!”

In all fairness, some golf fans thought the announcer-lite format worked well:

Shizzle Said on 09/18/2010, at 6:04 PM EST

“Hi Jerry and Curt, I like the format today. It's nice to hear the players thoughts and when they are joking around it's like they are human, not just superhuman! So, can you tell me which player on the Nationwide Tour is the practical joker?? Hunter seems funny... Thanks, Kirk Carter, Elk Grove, CA ”

boardsnower Said on 09/18/2010, at 5:51 PM EST

“This no annoucer format is GREAT! Nothing against Kurt and Bryan but this is how golf was meant to be watched. PLEASE, PLEASE continue with this format more often!!”

As with most new ideas, Golf Channel probably went a bit overboard with this one but perhaps a bit of tweaking will improve this "announcer-lite" format in time for the 2011 PGA Tour season.


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Will the Golf Channel Social Media Twitter Experiment be a success?

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Golf Channel will go "non-traditional" in it's Nationwide Tour coverage this Saturday; light on the announcers and heavy on the social media interaction.

“If it works, it could be to golf announcers what reality TV was to actors," according to Golf Channel announcer Stephanie Sparks.


Sparks and Kay Cockerill will be on the 13th and 15th tees doing player interviews and Jerry Foltz and Curt Byrum will limit their comments on air but will interact with viewers "via social media channels such as Twitter," according to a network release.

You will also hear commentary directly from the caddies and players as the final four pairings will be equipped with a boom microphone.

Will this Twitter, Facebook social media experience have golf fans frantically typing away on their smart phones interacting with announcers or will the experiment prove to be a flop? Television commentary has been known to be dry at times so why not spice it up, chatting back-and-forth with an extended audience? And, isn't it better to experiment at the Albertsons Boise Open than open up all social media communications right before the Masters?

In comparison to John Daly whose Twitter following is about 71,000 (31,400 Facebook) and Stewart Cink who has amassed over a million Twitter followers, Golf Channel currently has about 19,000 followers on Twitter and about 28,000 Facebook fans. With this interactive take on golf, it will be interesting to see by how much Golf Channel's followers increase.

Foltz mentioned that his bosses claim that this isn't a long-term plan but, if Golf Channel's social media 'announcer-lite' pure golf experiment improves numbers on Twitter and Facebook, I'll bet the broadcasting team will be cracking their knuckles for another event in the near future.

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