Thank you for stopping at my golf blog. I am currently in the process of redesigning the blog to provide more features. Please check back on January 1, 2010 to see the new site and new articles/features.

Thank you!

In the most intriguing match of the session, Stricker and Woods were paired against Ishikawa and Yang, who had also gone 3-0 in the first three sessions of the competition. The match was all square for the first two holes. On the third hole, Stricker birdied to give the U.S. a 1-up lead. However, on the very next hole the International team got the match back to all square.

It is at this point that Stricker took over the match. He birdied six of the next eight holes to put the U.S. team 6-up after 12 holes. Stricker seemed to have everything clicking – hitting fairways, great iron play and making putts. And it was clearly one of the best individual performances of President’s Cup history.

In the later stages of the match, Ishikawa and Yang put together a run by taking the 13th, 14th and 15th holes, but Woods closed the door on the 16th with a great 2nd shot (hole was conceded). Stricker and Woods ended up winning the match easily 4 and 2. For Stricker, he again proved that he belongs in the conversation as one of the premiere players on tour.

Tiger Woods
Woods has been playing some really solid golf in the FedExCup playoff tournaments and the week off will serve him well. He has been putting very well and I don’t know how anyone can pick the field over Woods with so much on the line. Woods is my pick for winning The Tour Championship and claiming his second FedExCup.

Padraig Harrington
It could come down to Woods and Harrington to decide yet another tournament in 2009. And if that happens, we are in for an exciting weekend of golf. Without a doubt, Harrington has proven that he can hold up to the pressure and has the best chance of overtaking Woods to claim the FedExCup.

Steve Stricker
A win by Stricker would cap off a fantastic season. He has played some of the best golf on tour this year. The key to Stricker winning the FedExCup is to keep his emotions in check on Sunday. Also, Stricker can wrap up Player of the Year honors, if he hasn’t already, by finishing ahead of Woods this weekend.

Jerry Kelly
Kelly is my long shot pick to win The Tour Championship, but he really isn’t that big of a long shot. Kelly worked his way into 29th in the FedExCup points standings, and he has played very well in four of his last seven tournaments. He has the ability and could bring it all together this weekend.

1. The FedExCup playoffs provide fans with the opportunity to watch the tour’s best players compete for four straight weeks. The way the playoff system is set up, players could find themselves on the outside looking in if they miss a tournament. For that reason, golf fans get to enjoy Tiger Woods, Phil Mickleson, and whoever else you follow without having to wait two or three weeks in between.
2. I like the way the FedExCup is set up. First of all, to qualify for the playoffs a player must have accumulated enough FedExCup Points to rank in the top 125. Those 125 golfers get to play in The Barclays. After The Barclays, the field for the Deutsche Bank Championship – the second tournament of the playoffs – is trimmed to the top 100 in the FedExCup standings. The field is trimmed again after the Deutsche Bank Championship to the top 70 players, who get to tee it up at the BMW Championship. And finally, the field is trimmed after the BMW Championship to the top 30 players in the FedExCup standings to play in The Tour Championship.
3. These four tournaments can have a big impact on the PGA Tour Player of the Year, especially in a year where we have four different major tournament winners such as 2009. No one can deny that Steve Stricker has played his way into the conversation for player of the year, and his Deutsche Bank Championship victory could be the edge he needs to win it.
4. The players appear to have bought into the playoff system. Throughout the year, the participation of events where FedExCup Points get awarded are attended by the stars of the Tour. And when the playoff events arrive, the players do too. Okay, I admit that the $7.5 million purse for each event is probably a big draw too, but I think you’re getting my point.

And although I am not ready to promote it to the year’s fifth major, I do enjoy the four straight weeks of watching the Tour’s best battle it out. Plus, it is an excellent bridge to get us to the President’s Cup or Ryder Cup.

The FedExCup is great for golf, and even better for golf fans.

Couples selected Lucas Glover and Hunter Mahan to join the ten automatic qualifiers on the U.S. Team that include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickleson, Steve Stricker, Kenny Perry, Zach Johnson, Stewart Cink, Sean O’Hair, Jim Furyk, Anthony Kim and Justin Leonard.

The pick of Glover makes sense because he was the only 2009 major winner that was not an automatic qualifier. I really like the pick of Hunter Mahan, as you may remember was one of my picks to contend for the PGA Championship title,  to round out the U.S. Team. Brian Gay was ranked ahead of Mahan on the President’s Cup points list, but Mahan is currently 14 spots higher than Gay in the world rankings. Plus, the experience of the 2007 President’s Cup for both Glover and Mahan, who were rookies, will prove invaluable.

Norman tabbed Adam Scott and Ryo Ishikawa to join his International Team qualifiers of Geoff Ogilvy, Vijay Singh, Camilo Villegas, Retief Goosen, Ernie Els, Angel Cabrera, Mike Weir, Robert Allenby, Y.E. Yang and Tim Clark.

The International Team selections made by Norman were not nearly as easy to understand. Scott was ranked 14th on the President’s Cup points list, behind Rori Sabbatini, Jeev Singh and Shingo Katayama. Plus, Sabbatini’s world ranking is 43rd currently, while Scott’s is 53rd. Scott’s best finish in 2009 was second place early in the season at the Sony Open in Hawaii and has only had one other finish in the top 30. What does appear to be in Scott’s favor is that he has participated in three previous President’s Cups where as Sabbatini has only appeared in one (2007). Plus, Norman is probably more familiarity with Scott as they are both Australian.

The most controversial pick was that of Ryo Ishikawa. Ishakawa has won three times on the Japan Golf Tour. However, that success has not translated to the PGA Tour, where he made six appearances and missed the cut four times. In addition to those already mentioned, a President’s Cup veteran K.J. Choi was passed over for the 17 year-old Ishikawa. If Norman was looking to make a splash with a potential star of tomorrow, why not select Alvaro Quiros who is ranked 41st in the world and has a dynamic game that entertains the fans.

Norman may be looking to the future with Ishikawa by getting him a taste of the President’s Cup competition in 2009. But as far as giving the International Team the best team to compete for this year’s cup, he may have been better served with Rori Sabbatini and Shingo Katayama.

Either way, the U.S. Team from top to bottom appears to be the stronger team and should defeat the International Team to capture its third straight President’s Cup.

Prediction:
U.S. Team               20.5
Int’l Team               13.5

Congratulations Steve Stricker!

The round Woods put together though made us all wonder why he wasn’t playing in the final groups this week. For a while this afternoon, it appeared like Woods could challenge his best competitive round of 61 or even go as low as 59.

His round started with a par at one. Then he rattled off three straight birdies. After a par at five, Woods made the shot of the day on the par-4 sixth when he holed out from the fairway for an eagle two.  He followed that up with a birdie at seven and was out with a 30 on the front nine.

Woods’ back nine began with another birdie on 10. On the 11th, he got his first blemish on his scorecard. Woods alternated pars and birdies on the next five holes. On 17, he had a poor first putt that quickly turned into a three-putt when he missed the eight-footer he left himself. Woods then closed out his final round at the Deutsche Bank Championship with a birdie on the par-5 18th, and he was in the clubhouse with a 33 on the back nine.

It was a significant round with all that has been surrounding Woods the past few weeks. Several questions that were beginning to be raised in the media, including:

• Where has Tiger’s putting stroke gone?
• Has Tiger lost his focus?
• Are Tiger’s emotions becoming too great for him to continue his dominance?

In his final round today, Woods’ had a resounding answer to these questions. He appeared to have his putting stroke working again after making every putt within fourteen feet until the 17th. He remained “playful” during his round as he talked about what he needed to do to shoot 59 with his caddie, Steve Williams, but he looked more focused than earlier in the week. His emotions were more in check than they have been throughout these playoffs, as he collected himself from a frustrating 17th to come back with a birdie on 18.

Next week, he will again need to answer these three questions. We now need to wait until next week’s tournament to find out if Tiger Woods is truly back to the dominant player we have come to expect week in and week out.

Stricker pulled into a tie for the 54-hole lead with Retief Goosen and Sean O’Hair after a spectacular second shot on the par five 18th hole that set up a short eagle putt. His third round 65 was the best of the day, and he again appears to be hitting on all cylinders.

If anyone hasn’t noticed, Stricker has become a force to be reckoned with since the introduction of golf’s version of a playoff system. In 2007, he finished second in the FedExCup behind Woods. That year, he played 23 events and had 10 top-ten finishes along with one win that earned more than $4.25 million. In 2008, Stricker finished lower in the FedExCup rankings, but he still had 6 top 10 finishes and earned more than $2.3 million.

And finally, 2009 could be Stricker’s best year ever. Stricker has already won two tournaments, finished in the top 10 nine times and earned more than $4.25 million. That does not include what may happen Monday at the conclusion of the Deutsche Bank Championship. He is currently projected to become the leader in the FedExCup and will be a key participant in this year’s President’s Cup.

No matter what happens on Monday, Stricker will be a top contender for winning the 2009 FedExCup with just two events left. Additionally, Stricker should be considered as the favorite for the PGA Tour’s Player of the Year.

However, the more important victory for the LPGA is the positive attention the Solheim Cup generated over the weekend. The event, which was played at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois, brought out record setting crowds. Prior to 2009, the highest attended Solheim Cup was at Crooked Stick in Indiapolis in 2005. This year’s Solheim Cup saw more than 120,000 people attended throughout the week.

Not only did the LPGA see more traffic attending the event, but they also had more traffic on their website (lpga.com). During the Solheim Cup events, the website had nearly 6.5 million page views. The website traffic was up a whopping 205% compared to the last time the event was held in 2007. The traffic is also up 53% from record-setting 2005 event hosted in the U.S.

It is important for the LPGA to get past the obvious mismanagement of former LPGA Commissioner Carolyn Bivens and ride the Solheim Cup wave of momentum into a brighter future.

My putting has become a sore subject at the end of rounds. Over my last 27 holes of golf, I have used the flat stick 53 times! To make matters worse, my 53 putts include a round where I chipped in from off the green and carded no putts on a hole. As it is, my scores have ballooned from my poor putting. My average over the past 27 holes is 44 for nine-holes.

Another thing I have noticed is that when you are struggling with your putting stroke, you seem to notice the bad breaks more. For example, on the first hole of my last round, I had a 25-foot putt go in the left side of the cup and spit back out at me from the right side. It did a full 360, but didn’t drop.

One thing that I have learned over the years is that a person’s short game is a fickle thing. If you don’t play enough or spend some time on a practice green   rounds, your chipping and putting will dissolve faster than the Alka-Seltzer you need after a poor round.

In my estimation, the only way to improve and maintain a great short game is to practice and play regularly. Expecting to put like Tiger Woods (Sunday at the PGA Championship not withstanding) is unrealistic if you only play once every other week.