PGA Tour players twitter on Wives golf game

The golf world went a-twitter yesterday as Tour Pros caddied for a cause at the annual PGA Tour Wives Golf Classic at Sea Pines Resort in South Carolina.

Hosted by The Heritage, the goal of the friendly 9-hole shootout was to raise over $100,000 for charity. Hilton Head Heroes in South Carolina will receive half of this week's bounty with remaining donations distributed by the Association.

Among the notables, Jason Day drove the golf cart for Ellie and Pat Perez looped for wife Athena (@athenaperez12).



Ellie and Jason Day: Found in Keith Allison's photostream

Nimbled fingered Jeff Klauk (@JEFFKLAUKpga) was busily snapping photos as PGA Tour rookie golfer Scott Stallings (@stallingsgolf) showed the world how his wife Jen (@jwhitestallings) marks her Titleist golf ball.  http://yfrog.com/h65gzqj

Yfrog and Twitvid were "off-the-grid" busy, with up-to-the minute updates to record all of the action.

Picture credit: @stallingsgolf

Although Sportscaster Steve Phillips (@StevePhillips) maintained that it was, "More fun than I usually have in a bunker," with @StallingsGolf uploading a picture that looked more like a day at the beach than a serious golf tournament, the real question to ask is:

Do the ladies have game?

Although there were plenty of mulligans given and a fun day had by all, the objective of the PGA Tour Wives Assn is to make a difference in the lives of others. That being said...



PGA Tour Pro Bobby Gates' wife, Lauren Gates @LmjGates "cleaned house" winning (as mentioned by @stallingsgolf) "all the prizes in the PGA Tour Wives golf tournament" which were "the closest to the pin prize with a great 4-iron and then the longest drive." His team finished "a mere 9-under thru 9-holes."

Here is the Twitvid that Brian Gay (@BrianGayPGA) uploaded of his wife (@Kimberlygay1) off the first tee:
http://www.twitvid.com/VFAUL


Although Kimberly tweeted that she had a fun day playing golf with her husband, when she told him, "We should start playing together for kicks, Brian said, "Probably not."

Although Bubba Watson is usually one of the nimblest tweeters on Tour, I don't believe he or his wife attended the event. For those who are curious to see the golf swing of Angie Watson, PGA Tour golfer Bubba Watson's wife, here she is at the Bob Hope Classic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncx5ANZdAuA




Plaid and argyle will probably now make a "statement" on the PGA Tour, especially since the winner is awarded a plaid jacket, but I think the pattern definitely is more appealing on the ladies!

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PGA Tour players share golf tips in Men's Fitness

Although I rarely have reason to flip through testoterone-laden magazines such as Men's Fitness, after hearing that a section was dedicated to improving aspects of the golf game, I took a look.

Yes, there are plenty of "buff" males in the May 2011 issue but I kept focused on the task at hand, thumbing through the pages until I came across the golf tips.

After passing segments entitled "Gut Check", "Fast Lane" and the "Cardio Workout from Hell", I came upon Rickie Fowler dressed in bright green golf clothes and three pages jam-packed with golf exercises, tips and tricks designed to transform "lifters" into "players".


In MF Golf '11's "Own the Green", Scott Riehl offers up a golf-specific training routine to help improve balance while working the torso. There are also quick fixes if you're tight or erratic. Camilo Villegas' tip, "I don't care what position your club is in, you have to be able to repeat the same motion over and over."

The segment which I enjoyed the most was "The Clinic", where a few better-known PGA Tour golfers shared their do's and dont's for warm-up and during the round.

Zack Johnson, the 2007 Masters Champion offers, "When you warm up, hit twenty to twenty-five wedges, a few middle irons and ten to fifteen 3-woods and drivers," giving yourself ten minutes to putt.

Johnson also mentioned that the secret to regularly hitting crisp chip shots and maintaining solid distance control is by keeping your hands in front of the golf club. "That's how the club is designed to be struck," Zack mentioned. "The only time you let the club past your hands is on a flop shot...when you're hitting sand or turf below the ball."

Although this "monthly" is great for guys who want to see Lady Gaga's pants painted on or to achieve the ultimate arm workout, Men's Fitness is definitely not a magazine that I would subscribe to, now or in the future. I do receive the ladies' version called "Fitness" but I think it was sent to me in error (did I click send in Publisher's Clearing House by mistake?) Still, the only thing I learned from it was how to do a handstand: I nearly broke my kneecap the first time I tried it so now I've become wary...

That being said, the golf section was okay but, if you want to read magazines about the sport, stick with Golf Digest or Golf World.



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The Caddie Who Won The Masters-more golf suspense at Augusta

After watching the dramatic finish of The Masters, I couldn't help but feel a longing for more visions of Augusta National Golf Course. The azaleas in bloom, the walk through Amen Corner, the history that surrounds this golf mecca has me wishing the first major of the season was just beginning and not at an end.

For book lovers who also wish to prolong the magic of The Masters golf tournament, John Coyne has written "The Caddie Who Won the Masters" a suspenseful novel about a middle-aged amateur’s seemingly impossible quest to win the prestigious Masters at Augusta National Golf Club.

Although this very brief synopsis cannot do the book justice, it may entice you add this to your summer reading list.


A college English professor from Southern Illinois reawakens a dormant golf game that had earned him a scholarship to Wake Forest University and, more recently, a ticket to Augusta, Georgia. With suitcase in hand and golf clubs on his shoulder, the aging muni-course player finds himself walking down famed Magnolia Lane toward every accomplished golfer’s dream—a coveted spot alongside the world’s best players in the Masters field.

Seven-time bestselling author and creator of the highly acclaimed caddie novel series that includes The Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan, The Caddie Who Played With Hickory, and the newly released The Caddie Who Won The Masters, former caddie and caddie master John Coyne has authored more than twenty-five books of fiction and nonfiction. The New York author also maintains a single-digit handicap and tries not to lose distance off the tee!

John Derr, award-winning golf journalist and CBS-TV announcer who covered 62 Masters Tournaments, said about John Coyne, “I am impressed with Coyne’s ability to so clearly depict the nuances that make Augusta National such a different shrine. His description of situations—the unique, the weird and the nearly unbelievable—mirrors many I have seen over the years. Some rarely seen.”

Roland Merullo, Author of Golfing with God stated, “John Coyne knows golf and golf history, and he understands the intricate workings of the human heart. Anyone who loves golf — and  many readers who don't know a five-iron from a free-throw — will appreciate his skill and be happily drawn into this fine story.”

In his most recent blog, "Our first "Homebred U.S. Open Golf Champ, Johnny McDermott", John Coyne mentions that he collects stories about great players from the past; stories from when golf was more of a game, less of a television show. The same is true with "The Caddie Who Won the Masters" as Coyne's style uniquely blends his deep knowledge of golf and Masters tradition with his affinity for the supernatural to spin a riveting tale.

The Caddie Who Won the Masters is available at Amazon.com and downloadable on your Kindle.

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Tiger Woods not among some Masters golf picks

I entered into a Masters Pool in which I had to assemble a "dream team" of eight golfers: if my "team of eight" racks up the most prize money, I win the golf pool. Although I cannot say who started the pool, I can show you who I chose as my top finishers (not in any particular order). As an interesting note, twenty entries out of fifty-four did not include Tiger Woods which is this particular golf pool's record.

Here is my dream team of top money winners with quotes relating to how they feel going into The Masters.

 

 

1. *Phil Mickelson:  After shooting weekend 63-65 win the Shell Open.
 “It was a big confidence-booster,” Mickelson said. “To have that performance heading in here feels really good. It reminds me of 2006.”

*My pick to win the Masters

2. Tiger Woods: "Been using my new app to prepare. I’m loving it – what do you guys think?" http://t.co/Qw8VEEe (Another sales pitch...ahem)

"Logging so many hours heading into Augusta this week. Nervous, excited, hoping the hard work pays off."  5 days ago, Tiger Woods on Twitter

3. Martin Laird 

4. Hunter Mahan during par-3 contest, talking about Palmer, Nicklaus and Player, It doesn't get better than these legends!!

5. Dustin Johnson: "I've had a few opportunities to go play (Augusta), just a casual round. I didn't really want to because I wanted to earn my way into it."

6. Bubba Watson "A little rusty on the golf course today. Need to hurry up & get good before next Thursday!!"  Twitter, 1 Apr

 

7. Ryo Ishikawa:  "My goal is to be in contention here at Augusta National," Ishikawa said Tuesday, after being grouped with three-time major winner Padraig Harrington and Bill Haas for the first two rounds.

‘‘But I don’t want to just contend. I want to fight it out with Woods for the title some day."

8. K.J. Choi:  "I just need to be 100 percent focused to the very last shot and the last hole on Sunday and stay patient," said Choi.

"There's no room for small mistakes and I'm not just referring to the shots you hit on the golf course. The Masters is more than that. I failed to do that last year during the final round." Choi finished in 4th place at the 2010 Masters.

 

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What are the odds that Mickelson or Laird will don the Masters Jacket?

Two weeks ago I wrote an article about how the next Masters champion may come from a win at either Bay Hill or Redstone based upon what I believed to be circumstances of "fate". With Mickelson coming from behind to win at the SHO this week, a green jacket reality moment at Augusta National is settling in with oddsmakers as well.

To recap the ESPN.com analysis:

There have only been six instances since 1960 when a player won an event either one or two weeks prior to winning the Masters. It's happened just twice since 1990 and in five year increments: Tiger Woods in 2001 (The Players Championship) and Phil Mickelson in 2006 (won the BellSouth the prior week).

This next five-year increment is at hand and so it stands to reason that either Mickelson or Martin Laird could become the 75th Masters Champion.

Humble Phil feels confident after a SHO-ing this week that he can win the first major of 2011. "It feels really good for me to have played well and gained some momentum heading into next week," Mickelson said. "I needed to have a week where I kind of put it together."

But even Mickelson mentioned after his round that there were a few holes in which he lost "focus". Focus and rolling in the putts are the keys (in my opinion)  to winning any golf tournament.

If in fact rolling in the putts is any indication of a win, then according to Colin Montgomerie, Laird has the potential to be a "world star."

 

Martin Laird with Arnold Palmer at Bay Hill

 

Monty said, "He (Laird) had a putting lesson from Dave Stockton and it's clearly worked because if you saw those last four putts he holed at Bay Hill, every one was dead centre. If he can putt half as well as that at Augusta he has a chance."

In spite of Montgomerie's "cooing" over Laird's ability on the golf course, Mickelson's odds currently stand at 5-1; Laird's odds are at 66-1.

Traditionally, the winner of the Masters had assistance with putting on his green jacket. Phil won last year so if he wins again the question is, "Will Mickelson don his own Masters jacket?"  It certainly would be memorable but, in the old-world tradition of the event, other likely candidates to give Phil a hand would be:

 

Angel Cabrera (2009), Trevor Immelman (2008), Zach Johnson (2007) or Tiger Woods (2005).

Photo credits: ESPN.com, GulfDailyNews.com

 

As in past years, live coverage of the Masters Tournament, April 4-10th, will be available from Amen Corner holes No 15 & 16, the Practice Range and the par 3 contest on Masters.org.

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Autism Speaks in Sports and Colors

"Autism is a developmental disorder that appears in the first three years of life and affects the brain's normal development of social and communication skills"

 

Although Ernie Els speaks out for Autism in the golf community, the world of sports will be joining forces to officially kick-off Autism Awareness Month. To shed light on the fight against autism, sports landmarks across the country will illuminate in blue April 1st and 2nd as part of Autism Speaks’ Light It Up Blue campaign (LIUB).

 

Light It Up Blue, now in its second year, has garnered the support of over three-hundred iconic buildings and landmarks across the globe.  These structures will illuminate in bright blue to shine a spotlight on the growing autism health crisis, which now affects one in one-hundred and ten children, and one in seventy boys.

 

A few of this year’s confirmed LIUB participants include:

Mercedes-Benz Arena - Shanghai, China

Amway Center (Orlando Magic) – Orlando, FL

Meadowlands/Giant Stadium – East Rutherford, NJ

Mets Citi Field – Flushing Meadows, NY

Madison Square Garden – New York, NY

PNC Ball Park – Pittsburgh, PA

Pittsburgh Penguins and CONSOL Energy Center – Pittsburgh, PA

Bradley Center (Milwaukee Bucks) – Milwaukee, WI

Qwest Field (Seattle Seahawks) – Seattle, WA

 

Additionally, the NBA will show its support of the Light It Up Blue campaign, as broadcast teams will sport Autism Speaks pins at all nineteen nationally and locally televised games on April 1st and 2nd.  The NBA has created PSAs with NBA superstars like Dwight Howard, Chauncey Billups and Deron Williams to be broadcast during those three games as well.

 

Other celebrity events raising money to find causes and a cure for Autism include an auction that last year secured almost $10,000 to fight the neural disorder. This year, Yoko Ono's signed Lindt gold bunny seems to be all the rage.

 

The Els for Autism Golf Challenge takes over right after Autism Awareness Month officially concludes with a national amateur golf competition that combines challenges on well-known courses like Doral with its fundraising efforts. The first event in the Challenge begins on May 1st in Florida and concludes in October in Las Vegas.

 

 

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