59 at 59
/Thanks to readers Kevin and JohnV for the heads up on this story covering Roy Vucinich's amazing 59 at the age of 59
In golf construction art and utility meet; both are absolutely vital; one is utterly ruined without the other. GEORGE THOMAS
It’s back!
Twenty years later Tatra Press has kindly allowed me to bring back Grounds For Golf now that golf architecture is of more interest to the masses. A new Introduction looks at what’s driven the interest growth and two new chapters I had a blast adding (plus a few edits to keep things up-to-date).
The Amazon purchase page for the book arriving June 15, 2026.
Nicklaus: "If the USGA is unable to make an effort to move the ball back, then we need to do something on our own"
/The Columbus Dispatch's Bob Baptist pens an extensive story on the Ohio Golf Assocation ball that is being used today and tomorrow at Springfield's Windy Knoll. Thanks to reader Tom for the head's up.
Plenty of interesting quotes here, starting with Jim Popa of the OGA:
"The PGA Tour stats will tell you that in the last 25 years, (average) driving distance has increased 30-some yards," Popa said. "The (United States Golf Association) says new equipment has only added 20 yards. They say there’s only 5 yards’ difference between (drives produced by swings speeds of) 110 and 125.
"We know that’s not true. The faster you swing at the new balls, the farther they will fly, and it’s not 5 or 10 yards (farther), it’s 100 yards, 125 yards. That’s what we’re battling. That’s what we think is ruining the game, or going to ruin the game."
Love this line from Baptist, which of course, the USGA will love.
The two most influential governors of tournament golf in the United States, the USGA and PGA Tour, have historically declined to hold the line on technological advances in equipment for fear of being sued by manufacturers. Instead, they have lengthened many of the courses on which their tournaments are played.
And now for Jack's lastest comments:
"I am happy to see that someone is taking the bull by the horns and is saying, ‘Hey, our golf courses cannot handle this golf ball,’ " Nicklaus said in an e-mail interview. "If the USGA is unable to make an effort to move the ball back, then we need to do something on our own."
Alan Fadel, chair of the OGA's ball committee:
If distance is not reined in, Fadel envisions dire consequences for the game: everhigher costs to build bigger courses or expand existing ones, and a lack of incentive to play for youngsters who aren’t as big and don’t hit the ball as far as others their age.
"I feel for the kid who’s 15 playing high school golf who hasn’t had his growth spurt yet," Fadel said. "A couple of them were (Tom) Watson and (Ben) Crenshaw, two of the best players who ever played the game. That guy is not going to have the opportunity in the future."
One of those kids was Mark Brooks, who was one of the top players on the PGA Tour in the late 1980s and early ’90s despite standing only 5 feet 10 and weighing 150 pounds. He won the 1996 PGA Championship and lost a playoff to Retief Goosen in the 2001 U.S. Open.
Brooks says the distance specifications of modern balls could remain the same if only manufacturers were forced to return the balls’ spin rates to what they were 10 or 12 years ago. If that were the case, the harder and higher a ball was mis-hit, the farther off line it would hook or slice, Brooks said, and "I think the guys would self-throttle" to protect against that happening.
"If direction and trajectory aren’t brought back in as highly integral parts of playing this game, then (the game) changes. And for the better? No," Brooks said.
"You end up with a very stereotypical type of golfer who will be big, tall and have a 120 mphplus club-head speed. Or, if he’s little, he’ll be a freak, someone like an Ian Woosnam, who is small but can pound it."
Looks like Mark Brooks will be added to The List.
Popa and Fadel said the OGA’s experiment is being watched with interest by not only other amateur golf associations but the very bodies that have resisted action to this point. Popa said he has discussed it with representatives of the USGA and Augusta National.
"Most changes in golf come from the amateur sector, and most from the grass roots. They don’t come from the PGA Tour; they’ve got a product they have to sell," Popa said.
He recalled the criticism of the OGA in 1994 when the Ohio Amateur was the first tournament in golf to require all participants to wear turf-friendly, non-metal spikes. Ten years later, 99 percent of courses in the United States had banned metal spikes and only 30 percent of tour pros were wearing them, according to a 2004 article in Golf World magazine.
"We stuck by our guns on that and it turned out pretty good," Popa said.
"I have the same feeling for this. I think it’s time a tournament ball be identified. It’s probably going to be best for the game in the long run to have a standard ball.
"What we hope to show is that we’ve given everybody the same ball and they’ve all been able to play the ball successfully and they come off (the course) and say, ‘I can do everything with this ball I can do with my own ball.’ "
Low Scores A Wake Up Call?
/Readers of the Future of Golf or this site know that I'm not a fan of gauging a tournament's success based on the winning score when so many elements are in play (weather, conditioning, etc...).
And it's particularly annoying when the course setup is so obviously being used to create a "respectable" final tally, whatever that is.
However, the record scoring at Medinah and the 60 fired Monday at the U.S. Amateur are bound to turn some heads.
Or at least quiet those who have declared that scoring hasn't changed, so all is well in the world of golf.
So will action on the distance issue only come about because of record low scoring?
I guess it's wishful thinking on my part that people would wake up based on the costly impact on the everyday game or the death of strategic architecture or the emerging drug issues. Maybe low scoring will shame the governing bodies and Tours into action.
Donegan On The U.S. Team
/Lawrence Donegan in Tuesday's Guardian, writing about Tiger and Phil's absence for next week's U.S. practice rounds at K Club:
As an exercise in preparing his squad for what lies ahead, the trip could not be faulted but as a statement of American team unity it had a fatal flaw: his two best players will not be there.
And...
Lehman said he hoped the Irish public would be allowed into the K Club to watch his team's practice sessions - another savvy public relations move on his part - although it did raise the question of how many would take him up on the kind offer, especially as his squad contains four players whom most casual fans would be hard pressed to pick out of a Garda Siochana line-up.
"These guys all deserve to be here. They all played themselves on to the team and I am extremely happy that they did," the US captain said when asked about the presence of the Ryder Cup rookies JJ Henry, Vaughn Taylor, Brett Wetterich and Zach Johnson.
Nor is there likely to be a rush at Dublin airport to get the autographs of Stewart Cink and Scott Verplank, the two players chosen by Lehman as his captain's picks. "Stewart has played steady golf throughout his career. He hits the ball great, is a strong putter and a great chipper of the ball," he said of Cink.
Another Scoring Record Falls
/
From ESPN:
Florida sophomore Billy Horschel shot a USGA-championship record 11-under-par 60 Monday to take the first round lead in the U.S. Amateur stroke play qualifying at the Chaska Town Course.
Horschel fired his round at the 6,753 yard, par 71 Arthur Hills 1997 design.
He breaks the USGA championship record by two strokes.
For more on the Am, USAmateur.org has some great coverage.
Woods Win and Low Scoring=Great Ratings
/According to AP:
Tiger Woods' victory at the PGA Championship helped the TV ratings increase 22 percent from last year.That's quite a contrast to the U.S. Open, which saw its worst ratings in 12 years. The USGA will blame Tiger, but the buzz at Medinah brought on by birdies had to help too.
CBS' final-round coverage Sunday drew an average overnight household rating of 7.2 with a 16 share. That's up from last year's 5.9 rating with a 13 share for Phil Mickelson's victory. This year's rating was the highest for the final round since 2002, when Rich Beem's one-shot victory over Woods earned an 8.0 with a 17 share.
2006 PGA Tour Driving Distance Watch, Week 33
/
The PGA Tour driving distance average jumped from 289.0 yards to 289.1 yards after the PGA Championship.
Tiger Woods jumped from 304.1 to 305.5 after finishing second in driving distance at the PGA.
Sal Johnson notes, "even though he only hit the driver about 25% of the time on 14 driving holes, he was 2nd in driving distance average at 318 yards."
MacDuff's Final FedEx Cup Points List
/
Thanks to reader MacDuff for keeping this tally on the 2006 season of a mythical FedEx Cup points race, which he is ending now that the PGA Championship has been played (and the close to when the 144 "playoff" contestants will be determined next year.
As you know, MacDuff awarded the same points at each event, as opposed to the Tour's system of adding extra points at majors, WGC's and of course, the fifth of four majors, The Players Championship THE PLAYERS. And sadly, David Duval did not make it in either the MacDuff or Tour systems.
Thanks MacDuff for giving up so much food for thought!
1 Furyk 26112.5 17
2 Mickelson 25071.5 17
3 Singh 23321.87 17
4 Gf. Ogilvy 21562.5 15
5 Cink 21171.33 17
6 T.Woods 20084.37 10
7 Pettersson 19983.33 17
8 Weir 19959.37 17
9 Glover 19604.16 16
10 Pernice 19312.5 15
11 A.Scott 19175 13
12 B. Quigley 19133.33 15
13 Donald 19026.87 13
14 Toms 18771.87 13
15 Z.Johnson 18537.5 16
16 Appleby 18025 15
17 Immelman 18012.5 13
18 Bohn 17938.33 17
19 Pampling 17905.83 17
20 Funk 17875 19
21 D.Wilson 17731.25 17
22 Verplank 17425 15
23 C.Campbell 16862.5 15
24 Senden 16375 15
25 Van Pelt 16340 18
26 Choi 16318.75 15
27 Jerry Kelly 16200 14
28 Mayfair 16141.66 17
29 Goosen 16125 13
30 Els 15885.83 14
31 N.Green 15858.75 18
32 Gay 15675 16
33 Austin 15525 18
34 T.Clark 15460 15
35 Flesch 15243.21 19
36 Allenby 15162.5 13
37 Vn Taylor 15075 14
38 Sabbatini 14829.16 13
39 Oberholser 14712.5 14
40 Sluman 14650 18
41 Olazabal 14537.5 12
42 J.Ogilvie 14509.28 15
43 Chopra 14458.07 17
44 Ames 14387.5 12
45 Sean O'Hair 14212 15
46 Hoffman 13800 15
47 JJ Henry 13787.5 13
48 Garcia 13762.5 11
49 Love III 13662.5 14
50 Imada 13542.5 16
51 Villegas 13500 14
52 Warren 13454.16 17
53 Slocum 13325 15
54 Crane 13322.5 14
55 Stricker 13037.5 11
56 Lehman 13025 12
57 Micheel 13025 13
58 Pavin 12962.5 12
59 Kenny Perry 12700 14
60 Herron 12660 13
61 Harrington 12450 10
T62 S. Maruyama 12450 12
T62 Rollins 12450 12
64 Palmer 12441.66 15
65 Branshaw 12433.33 14
66 Rose 12416.66 15
67 Purdy 12375 12
68 Barlow 12200 14
69 Watney 11935.71 14
70 JB Holmes 11883.33 12
71 Andrade 11807.5 13
72 Bertsch 11731.25 16
73 Poulter 11612.5 11
74 Leonard 11533.33 13
75 Wetterich 11525 10
76 DiMarco 11371.87 11
77 RS Johnson 11230 11
78 Gove 10987.5 11
79 Waldorf 10975 14
80 Bryant 10944.5 12
81 Hart 10830 12
82 Parnevik 10767.5 12
83 Baird 10642.5 11
84 D. Maruyama 10641.07 12
85 Lonard 10610.71 13
86 Sutherland 10550 14
87 Bub Watson 10400 10
88 Frazar 10350 12
89 Leaney 10300 11
90 D. Howell 10250 10
91 Lickliter II 10150 12
92 Jobe 10067.5 12
93 Curtis 10025 13
94 Dickerson 9991.07 14
95 Lowery 9987.5 13
96 Sindelar 9975 14
97 Maggert 9900 11
98 Olin Browne 9875 16
99 G. Owen 9850 10
100 Mahan 9837.5 14
101 Beem 9806.25 12
102 Gronberg 9762.5 12
103 F.Jacobson 9675 10
104 Estes 9650 12
105 Azinger 9450 12
106 Br.Davis 9342.5 11
107 Howell III 9187.5 14
108 Gore 8703.57 9
109 Goggin 8600.25 7
110 Kent Jones 8600 11
111 Cook 8575 10
112 Couples 8437.5 10
113 B. Haas 8437.5 12
114 J.Smith 8425 12
115 M.Wilson 8415 11
116 Durant 8368.75 15
117 Calcavecchia 8321.66 16
118 Kaye 8225 12
119 O'Hern 8200 6
120 Faxon 8150 11
121 Fischer 8137.5 12
122 Franco 8112.5 9
123 J.Byrd 8100 6
124 Overton 8003.57 13
125 Kendall 7873.21 10
126 Cabrera 7862.5 7
127 Bjornstad 7742.5 11
128 Riley 7725 12
129 Armour III 7687.5 9
130 Langer 7641.66 10
T131 Moore 7575 9
T131 Atwal 7575 9
133 Geiberger 7506.25 12
134 Trahan 7400 8
135 Baddeley 7312.5 9
136 Triplett 7208.33 9
137 Westwood 7150 7
138 Brehaut 7150 11
139 JL Lewis 6937.5 11
140 Sheehan 6850 12
141 Barron 6606.25 9
142 Gamez 6537.5 11
143 Petrovic 6525 9
144 K. Cox 6466.66 8
T145 Tway 6412.5 12
T145 Ridings 6412.5 12
147 Pat Perez 6350 8
148 Stankowski 6315.5 11
149 S.Jones 6280 11
150 Bob May 6250 8
151 Celka 6082.5 10
152 Allen 6075 10
153 H.Stenson 5975 6
154 Matteson 5925 10
155 David Duval 5875 9
156 Gutschewski 5843.75 6
157 Jimenez 5525 6
158 WMacKenzie 5525 10
159 Garrigus 5505 9
160 Ws Short Jr 5462.5 11
161 Huston 5431.25 7
162 C. Beckman 5427.5 6
163 M. Brooks 5337.5 6
164 Uresti 5325 5
165 D.Clarke 5275 5
166 McDowell 5237.5 7
167 Couch 5212.5 6
168 Danny Ellis 5175 8
169 Dawson 5050 9
170 BJ Staten 4800 7
171 Goydos 4687.5 7
172 Greg Kraft 4642.5 8
173 Hjerstedt 4527.5 4
174 Spiky Elk'ton 4517.75 6
175 Bateman 4362.5 8
176 Nick Price 4300 4
177 Axley 4262.5 7
178 Veazey 4225 6
179 Hansen 4187.5 8
180 Damron 4179.16 8
181 McCarron 4112.5 7
182 D. McKenzie 4077.37 8
183 Dn. Stiles 4075 5
184 Chris Smith 3956.25 8
185 Craig Parry 3887.5 4
186 Mize 3812.5 6
187 Chalmers 3787.5 6
188 Walker 3750 7
189 Riegger 3650 4
190 Driscoll 3650 8
T191 JP Hayes 3600 5
T191 Casey 3600 5
193 Coceres 3587.5 4
194 Daly 3575 7
195 Delsing 3537.5 4
196 Levet 3537.5 8
197 Whittaker 3525 6
198 Points 3487.5 5
199 Janzen 3350 6
200 Jay Haas 3312.5 5
Cink and Verplank Are The Captain's Picks
/Ryder Cup Tom Lehman says Stricker, Love and Glover were the next three he agonized over, and that his emphasis was on guys who put the ball in play and who can chip and putt.
PGA Clippings, Final Edition
/
Brad Klein, in his pre-PGA Medinah review:
Medinah has length. What it doesn't have is a lot of trouble around (or on) the greens. The modestly sloped greens don't unduly punish approaches that are short-sided. With the par 5s vulnerable and little trouble elsewhere, expect lots of low rounds and a tight bunching of the field.
But after 7,500 yards looked so slight, does anyone really think that courses will look at Medinah and say, "we need to inject more of an intelligent purpose to better test the players." You know, like more short grass around greens, leaving the blind shots, and in general, asking players to think their way around (as much as you can until today's equipment is reigned in).
Nope, 8,000 yards and 15-yard fairways, here we come!
That said, the best player won, and Medinah should be proud of producing a great leaderboard.
Here are a few stats off the bat, starting with Tiger Woods and his record on par-72's v. 70s and 71s.
Par No. Victories
Par 70 16 1
Par-71 6 1
Par 72 17 10
Total 40 12
And this from the PGA Tour:
Year Rd 1 Rd 2 Rd 3 Rd 4 Cumulative 36-hole CUT
1999 73.557 73.336 73.581 73.781 73.524 146 (+2)/74 players
2006 72.723 72.591 72.071 73.186 72.635 144 (E)/71 players
You can look at the final results and money here. The course stats mess is still unresolved. PGA.com has these, PGATour.com has this listing. Basically, we'll have to wait for Golf World stat package.
Doug Ferguson has the details on Tiger's performance, including yet another first you might not know about: "He became the first player in history to go consecutive years winning at least two majors."
AP's Jim Litke describes a surreal moment on the first hole with Luke Donald, Tiger and the tournament.
Lawrence Donegan delivers the European perspective in this game story.
He also reports that Darren Clarke has been offered one of the two European captain's picks. He also says Ian Woosnam's pick issues may lead to Paul McGinley not making the team, which is a minor problem compared to what Tom Lehman faces.
If Woosnam faces difficult decisions ahead, however, they are nothing to the selection worries of his American counterpart. Tom Lehman, who will announce his team later today, has been hidebound by a selection process that has given too much weight to victories in weaker PGA Tour events, with the upshot that many on the fringes of his team are rookies or players whose records suggest that they may be capable winning a tournament in Albuquerque but might crumble under the pressure of the Ryder Cup.
He also writes about David Howell's shoulder injury, which contributed to a final round 82 and has him doubtful for the WGC at Firestone.
Alex Micelli looks at Tom Lehman's Ryder Cup options and says Love and Cink are the likely picks, with Corey Pavin having an outside shot.
Leonard Shapiro also reviews the possibilities and the Pavin pick idea. Pavin sounds a lot more enticing than other alternatives.
John Huggan writes about at a resurgent Mike Weir.
And finally, back to Tiger, Gary Van Sickle says he is on his way to another Tiger slam and offers other notes, though I don't agree with this line:
4. Just for the record, Medinah No. 3, the course that supposedly turned into a birdie-fest, finished with only eight players in double figures under par. While the purists were screeching about the abnormally low scoring not befitting a major, golf fans savored the telecasts.
No, the purists want the players to be allowed to play and shoot the lowest score possible.
The purists just wish the course were firmer with greens designed to provoke thought and creativity.
But hey, the best man won. Again.
Notes From TNT, Vol. 3
/This arrived as TNT was signing off at 11 a.m. Pacific, meaning the PR folks didn't waste their day laboring over TNT's first three hours of coverage looking for stellar quotes.
And why would you, when there was this wealth of wisdom and Borscht Belt wit.
Clampett on Stewart Cink making the Ryder Cup team: “I think he’s a shoe-in for a captain’s pick. I think he is the one guy who is a shoe-in. The reason is that he’s been playing very well lately, he’s had three top five finishes this summer.”
And here I was thinking Cink would be picked, too.
Clampett on Sean O’Hair: “I think this is a kid who’s a real up and comer, once he figures out where his swing is and how to swing shots. He’s a hard worker, a disciplined kid, thinks well on the golf course and has all of the natural features of being a great player.”
"How to swing shots?" Hey remember, all I do is hit copy and paste. TNT does the transcription.
Clampett on the low scoring at Medinah: “Some of the members here (at Medinah) are really upset about the scores, how low they are. I’ve heard some talk about that… I just don’t think anyone wants to admit how good these players really are.”
Or we could just roll back the ball and actually make them shape shots and think a little more? Then it's a win-win for everyone!
Clampett on announcing at the PGA Grand Slam of Golf, played in Hawaii and broadcast on TNT: “It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it.”
Ha ha, bang fist on table, lololololololol.
Clampett on Sergio Garcia’s apparel at the British Open: “I think the reason why Sergio (Garcia) wore that canary yellow shirt at the British Open is because he wanted to make a lot of birdies.”
I really feel bad that I ever complained about Steve Melnyk's announcing.
Tiger's Post Final Round PGA Press Conference
/Decent questions today from the scribblers, except one from a foreign land.
TIGER WOODS: Thanks. It was a special day out there. I just had one of those magical days on the greens today. I just felt like if I got the ball anywhere on the green, I could make it. It's not too often you get days like that, and I happened to have it on the final round of a major championship. So it was a really neat feeling to have.More modesty...
I was just trying to get the ball in the fairway, trying to get the ball anywhere on the green, and I knew that I felt like I could make anything. It's a special day on the greens today, and I just happened to make some nice bombs early in the front nine to stay ahead.
Q. You told us years ago the fact that you'd tape Nicklaus' records on the wall when you were a kid. Well, you're approaching him now, become No. 2 in majors. Can you discuss that, and is that 18 majors now like the big goal now that you've done everything else?The lack of root structure seems to be the developing theme with regard to the greens...
TIGER WOODS: Well, it's still a long way away. It's not something I could get next year. You know, as I said, it took Jack over 20 years to get to his. It's going to take a career, and I've just got to keep plugging along and keep trying to win these things.
These are the most fun events to play in, the major championships. I just thoroughly enjoy coming down the stretch on the back nine with a chance to win it. That's why I practice as hard as I do and what I live for. That to me is the ultimate rush in our sport is on that back nine on Sunday with a chance to win a major championship.
To answer your question, I've still got a long way to go. 18 is a pretty big number.
Q. Some players talked about the greens and said they were really able to hold them well, and the reason being is because they're only a few years old and the root structures hadn't set in there. Wondering what your opinion on that is.
Also, you said you prefer major championships to be single digits. Having won at 18 under, do you take that? Is that okay, too?
TIGER WOODS: I'm never going to say no if I win. No, the guys are right. The root structure wasn't there, and every ball is just splashing and bringing up making huge ball marks. We're bringing up dirt. You're never going to get balls bouncing on these greens at all, this week, and then with the rain this week it just made it worse.
You just had the feeling early in the week even when you played the practice rounds that guys were going to make some birdies this week. All the par 5s with good drives, except for 14, so basically three of the four par 5s were reachable, pretty much for all players. You knew that guys were going to be bunched up making a bunch of birdies. Then you had the soft greens, and guys were going to continue making birdies.
One thing they never got this week is they never got the greens quick. Even if you had downhill putts you were never afraid the ball was going to run out. You never were cautious on a downhill putt, you thought you could still ram it in there and knock it in there. That's normally not the case in most majors. But this week it just happened to be an aberration.
It will be interesting to see if anyone parades this next quote out in defense of the state of the game and equipment (they will be ignoring the millions people spend to get golf courses playing somewhat similar):
...I played it basically the same positions I played in '99, just the ball has changed since '99. The ball is going a lot further. But I'm basically hitting 3 wood or 5 wood to the same exact spots I hit 3 wood or 2 iron the last time we played. I basically played it to the same spots I did last time and accepted that, didn't try and cut over any of the doglegs with driver. For instance, today on 5, it was blowing down off the right so I went with 3 wood off the tee because if I hit driver I would have to take it over the corner of the trees down there and I wouldn't have any room. I could run it in a far bunker so I laid it back. That's basically the way I played the golf course in '99.
And what would a week at a tree lined inland layout be without a "right in front of you" quote from Tiger...
TIGER WOODS: Well, as far as the first part of your question, Medinah Country Club is one of the neat places. I've played here a few times actually, as well as in the '99 PGA. And 2006 PGA I've come out here with M.J. and we've played a little bit. I've always loved playing here. It's a straightforward golf course. We don't get to play golf courses like this. That's why guys love Charlotte, love playing at Firestone next week, why guys love playing Riviera.
These are golf courses that are straightforward, classic golf courses that are just right in front of you. They're difficult but they're not tricked up like how most of the modern golf courses are now. It's a very straightforward the membership has done a fantastic job of getting prepared for us and having open arms and just having a great event this weekend.
This was funny...
Q. What did you first think when you saw that Luke came out wearing a red shirt today? And can you recall the last time anyone wore a red shirt when paired with you on Sunday at a major?
TIGER WOODS: I don't recall, no. No, sorry. I didn't think anything of it. I thought it was kind of weird to have a blue belt with it (laughter).
Here's why Tiger is a saint. I don't care how bad this person's English is, lost in translation is no excuse for first askig this question, and then following up obnoxiously.
Q. When I was out there on the putting green, I found that Phil Mickelson signed autographs for kids every day all the time and you seldom did or never did. What's the reason? And does that mean you don't like kids or you love golf more than kids?
TIGER WOODS: I sign at the range, but I didn't do it around the clubhouse, no. There are too many people, and kids get run over. It actually gets pretty dangerous. We had a barricade go down this week. It gets a little dangerous at times.
Q. And a follow up, I know that you will come to China this November for HSBC Championship. Will you give more autographs to Chinese kids than last year? I think you did it once or twice.
TIGER WOODS: Trust me, I did more than that.
Q. I'd appreciate it.
TIGER WOODS: You got it.
Like I said. A saint.
Micheel On Tiger
/The PGA runner-up sums up Tiger pretty nicely here...
Q. It's obviously no secret that Tiger is back on a roll again. I'm just curious what your take is on where his game is in relation to everybody else right now, and is it getting to be sort of a 2000 ish feeling again with what Tiger is doing?
SHAUN MICHEEL: I suppose. He's obviously well, he's still an incredible putter, and he's just such an intimidating force, really. For him to go out and I said this earlier, for him to hit 11 out of 14 fairways on this golf course where you basically are having to hit wood off the tee at the Open Championship, I don't know how many drivers he hit, probably not more than oh, he hit one, okay. So he's hitting a lot of 2 irons, and he was just in control of his game.
That's what you've got to have. You've got to have control of your golf ball. When you pull the driver out, sometimes you lose that control, but he wasn't forced to do that. I don't know how many drivers he hit this week, either. He probably wasn't forced to hit as many because I know the 7,500 yards was the longest in PGA history, but it really didn't play that because there's a lot of doglegs and there's a lot of holes you can kind of cut some yardage off. He's going to be dominating whether he's playing well or not. Tiger has a unique ability to play well when he thinks he's not playing well. I mean, we all kind of smirk and laugh when he says he's got his B game, but that's better than most of our A games. He's just that good.
He doesn't do anything silly. He doesn't make any mistakes. He's so mentally tough there, I'm not sure anything ever bothers him. I wish I had that feeling just once.
Ryder Cup Picks?
/Brian Wacker blogs at GolfDigest.com about the Ryder Cup picture "clearing up" thanks to so-so PGA play by Lucas Glover and Jerry Kelly.
In other words, no one made a move points wise, meaning the Ryder Cup points roster did not change. That's right, J.J. Henry, Brett Wetterich, Vaughn Taylor and Zach Johnson have made the U.S. team.
Who would you pick? I'd take Cink and Stricker.
Tom Lehman announces his picks at 9 a.m. EST Monday.
Live Blog Sunday, PGA
/
All times Pacific...here we go...
10:37 - Tiger Woods finally arrives at the course, Stevie nearly runs over Bob Bubka. Tiger gets out of the car looking like a prize fighter heading to the ring. Total focus, though he does acknowledge the sizeable crowd there to greet him. Oh, and he already has his glove in his back pocket!
11:03 - "The humidity is down, but the air is thick with anticipation." -Jim Nantz
11:14 - Lanny: "Geoff Ogilvy is the guy to watch."
11:52 - Ogilvy birdies No. 1 to get within 2.
12:02 - Tiger birdies 1. Donald pars. Rout is on?
11:53 - Who dresses Sergio? He looks like a USC football coach, circa 1976.
11:54 - Ogilvy hits it in the water on 2. The wind appears to be having an impact on play.
12:10 - Tiger nearly chips in on 2, which would have sent me to the beach. But..he doesn't, so it's not over. And hey, Weir birdies 4 to get within 2.
12:20 - Ogilvy four putts 3, drops to -9. Tiger two putts 3, coasting. Donald pars 3, one back.
12:38 - Donald in divot on 4 fairway, misses green left, doesn't get up and down. Tiger two putts, lead is 2 over Weir and Donald at -13. Sergio is -12, Micheel and Scott -11, Ogilvy -10.
12:47 - Weir makes 4 at No. 5 to get one back, but Tiger follows it up by hiting green in two. Donald hits his third shot tight out of the rough, USGAers see poster child shot for grooves regulation.
12:51 - Nantz says Michael Jordan is a 4.8 index golfer, translating to a 7 at Medinah.
12:52 - Tiger two putts for birdie on 5, lead goes to two again. Donald misses his birdie putt on 5.
1:05 - Tiger drains a long one on 6 to take a three shot lead, going to -17. It's over.
1:08 - Tiger pulls out driver on 7 to work on his driving distance average and bombs it into the oaks. Oh well, he's still over 320 for the week. It's all that roll!
1:18 - Lanny says he doesn't think Medinah has played its 7500 yard yardage this week. It's the roll!
1:22 - Donald and Tiger par No. 7. Weir pars 8. Did I mention it's over?
1:25 - Phil has his second rough whiff of the year.
1:26 - Lanny on Scott: "If he can post something you never know, there's trouble on the back nine par-3s, that's about it."
1:28 - Sandy Tatum tells girl of Asian descent that she reminds him of Bobby Jones. Yes, it's official, the commercials are more entertaining than the golf.
1:31 - Tiger drains a bomb on 8! Wow. We're moving into record score territory now. Will he get to -20?
1:46 - Tiger saves par from the bunker on 9. Remains four ahead. The beach is sounding better and better.
1:47 - Scott reaches 14 in two, has eagle putt to get to -14, within four of Tiger. Don't turn it off yet!
1:48 - Tiger misses 10 fairway again. Oh well, he tried using 3 wood. Bet he pars it today.
1:55 - Lanny is still trying to convince us that there is enough trouble on the back that Tiger could lose this. Now I'm definitely thinking of heading to the beach! Confirmation that it is over.
2:01 - Weir misses 11 green from 141 in the fairway, I'm outta here! Going to listen to Lanny and the boys at the beach.
