PGA Tour golfer Jay Williamson got into an argument with his caddie in the middle of the first round of the Canadian Open and fired him on the spot. He then selected a replacement from the fans watching the tournament.
Good story in Baptist Press today about Masters winner Zach Johnson.
“Being Easter, my goal was the glorify God and hopefully I did that today,” Johnson said yesterday after winning the tournament.
I took today off work, and am getting ready to hit the links here in a little bit. One of the local golf courses has a deal to play nine holes of golf on weekdays for $5. I haven’t played in several years, so it’s probably not going to be pretty. At least it’s a nice day.
Why does the United States team stink so much in the Ryder Cup? Anybody got any ideas?
Anthony Wall is atop the leaderboard at -6 through 16 holes. Greg Owen finished his first round at -5, while a group of golfers including Sergio Garcia, Mike Weir, Ernie Els and Jim Furyk are in at -4.
UPDATE: Graeme McDowell is now leading at -6, followed by Owen, Anthony Wall, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Tiger Woods, Keiichiro Fukabori all at -5.
One of my favorite sporting events is this weekend — the British Open. Can Phil Mickelson overcome his brain freeze on the final hole of the U.S. Open? Will Tiger Woods be the old Tiger Woods again?
Play begins on Thursday.
UPDATE: Since I’m getting a lot of search engine traffic from people looking for 2006 British Open predictions, I thought I’d provide a couple of links. Gary Van Sickle of Sports Illustrated offers his odds for each player in the tournament, while SI’s Alan Shipnuck offers his picks.
UPDATE #2: Here are some more predictions from the folks at SI. Woods, Singh, Howell and Harrigton are getting some nods.
New Augusta National chairman Billy Payne said the prestigious club’s members will continue to decide who’s in and who’s not. And for the foreseeable future, that will continue to be men only.
Martha Burk won’t be happy.
Burk led the campaign for female members at the home of the Masters when she was head of the National Council of Women’s Organizations. She had hoped to open a dialogue with Payne when he takes over May 21, and said that she sent him a letter over the weekend asking for a meeting.
Payne showed no interest.
“I think I’m aware of her positions on all issues as they relate to Augusta,” Payne said. “I don’t see that any dialogue would be meaningful or helpful.”
John Daly says he’s lost more than $50 million over the past 12 years of heavy gambling.
The admission comes in Daly’s new book, “John Daly: My Life In and Out of the Rough,” which will be released next week.
In a classic understatement, Daly said, “If I don’t get control of my gambling, it’s going to flat-out ruin me.”
Let’s see, $50 million over 12 years. Yeah, I’d say that Daly’s a pretty poor gambler who could be in serious trouble if this continues.
You’ve probably heard the story by now about 13-year-old golf phenom Dakota Dowd, who competed in the LPGA Ginn Clubs & Resorts Open last week.
Dowd’s mother, Kelly Jo, is terminally ill, and her dream was to watch her daughter compete against the pros. Though Dakota didn’t make the cut in her first LPGA event, she made her mother’s dream come true.
Though I’m a couple days late in posting it, it’s still a heartwarming story.
Thanks to Mark for the link.
Tiger Woods, of course, is the favorite to win the Masters.
Do you think he’ll win it? If not, who will?
Golf Digest and Golf for Women magazines conducted a survey with an interesting question: “You have the opportunity to play Augusta National, but in exchange you will have to abstain from sex for one year. Do you accept the tee time?”
Of those who responded, 32 percent of men and 31 percent of women said yes.
Jeff Rushing has an interesting take on the results:
Meaning, nearly 70 percent of golfers are big fat liars, or aren’t serious about their golf game.
Not only would I take the tee time, I would ask if I can accumulate all the years I’ve “abstained from sex.” Let’s see … I’m 30 now … carry the two … yep, I’d be able to play 29 rounds of golf at Augusta National. Might as well make me an honorary member!
Jean Van de Velde isn’t happy that women may qualify for the 2006 British Open, so he says he’s going to try to enter the Women’s British Open.
“I’ll even wear a kilt and shave my legs,” Van de Velde said.
Given the way he performed at the 1999 British Open, I’d say Van de Velde would fit right in, but I’d hate to insult the women that way.
Phil Mickelson fired a 5-under-par 65 today and is 8-under par in the PGA Championship. He has a four-stroke lead over Sabbatini, Westwood and Love. See the leaderboard here.
I’d love to see Lefty win his second major.
David Toms disqualified himself from the British Open when he decided he had violated the rules. Apparently, on the 17th hole, Toms thinks he hit a moving ball.
“That would carry an automatic two-shot penalty,” said a Royal and Ancient spokesman. “So he was disqualified for signing for an incorrect score. I don’t think anybody else noticed — he called it on himself.”
Quite a classy move on Toms’ part. The infraction was obviously minor, and nobody would have ever known, but he took responsibility for his actions nonetheless. This is integrity in action.
It was the only way Jack Nicklaus could go out — with a birdie.
Nicklaus signed his final scorecard in a PGA major Friday when he walked off the 18th green of St. Andrews. It was Nicklaus’ last appearance in a PGA major, and it was a spectacle to see.
Throngs of people gathered around the entire 18th hole and cheered Jack each step of the way. His son Steve, who serves as Jack’s caddy, wiped tears from his eyes. Jack waved graciously to the fans all the while, and the memories and emotions he experienced had to be intense. He and Tom Watson, one of his fiercest competitors for years, exchanged a hug after Jack sank a birdie putt.
He’s one of the greats — not just in golf, and not just in sports, but in life.
Goodbye, Jack. Thanks for the memories.
