Monday, August 01, 2011

Is Yani Tseng the next Tiger Woods, Annika Sorenstam?

Tiger_Woods_Bridgestone
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_british_open
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

Can baseball MVP Ken Griffey Jr. defeat LPGA great Annika Sorenstam in golf event?

A nine-hole celebrity skins challenge will decide whether an LPGA former number-one golfer, Annika Sorenstam, still has the sharp skills needed to defeat baseball legend Ken Griffey Jr., who is said to be a one-handicap golfer.

Sorenstam, the former number-one LPGA golfer in the world and now in charge of the ANNIKA brand of businesses, will host the ninth annual Charity Golf Classic at Forsgate Country Club in New Jersey this October. Annika has not played professionally since her retirement/baby announcement but that doesn't necessarily mean that her skills are rusty. I give the slight edge to Griffey, though, who plays golf regularly in celebrity outings.

Charity golf events at Forsgate Country Club have always attracted the finest PGA and LPGA Tour professionals including Palmer, Trevino, Lopez and even John Daly to the two challenging and distinct Palmer and Banks courses. The Banks Course is listed as a "Top-Fifty Course" in the Metropolitan area in The Met Golfer Magazine and the Country Club has received many accolades for service and value, most recently by GolfStyles Magazine.

From experiencing the Banks Course personally at this year's Writer Cup (and from prior Forsgate golf events), I can say that the very deep soft-sand bunkers, blind holes and the links design make the golf course deceptively difficult for most amateur players. For top golfers like Sorenstam and Griffey, struggles may come from the "heavily-sculptured contours on the putting surface", as stated by golf journalist Dave Donelson.


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The first hole on the Banks Golf Course at Forsgate Country Club


After a terrific round of golf on the well-maintained Banks Course and a delightful dinner on the patio (oh those lobsters are delicious!), golf writers received a personal video message from Sorenstam asking us to tweet her with the winner of the day's event and invited us to join her at this year's Classic. Yes, I sent her a tweet but not seeking congratulations as the NJ/Philadephia team of writers took home the honors once again.


Forsgate_country_club
Hmmm...My favorite part of our yearly MGWA Golf Outing?


You too can join Sorenstam and Griffey at the 9th Annual Forsgate Golf Charity Classic which, in addition to the celebrity skins exhibition and challenge, also features its Golf Classic on the Banks Course with silent auction and reception to follow.


There are several ways in which to secure tickets to the Sorenstam/Griffey Golf Charity Challenge.

Visit Forsgatecc.com, call (732) 656-8911, log on to www.forsgatefoundation.org, and/or visit them on Facebook.


Voice your opinion on Twitter at Golf4Beginners ...who will win, Sorenstam or Griffey Jr.?