About Golf

Mickelson, Woods Poised for Final Round Duel

2009-11-07T11:32:27Z

Pity poor Nick Watney. He's a member of the final threesome for Sunday's final round of the HSBC Champions, on the verge of his first World Golf Championships victory, just two strokes off the lead, and this may well be the most mention he gets prior to his tee time.

That's because his playing partners in the lead group on Sunday are Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Mickelson carded a third-round 67 to take the lead, two strokes ahead of Woods (70) and Watney (70). Ryan Moore is another stroke back, and Lee Westwood is four off Mickelson's pace (see leaderboard).

"I suppose I'm kind of the odd man out there," Watney said in his press conference following the third round. "But the goal in golf is always to improve and tomorrow will be a big step for me. Regardless of the outcome I'll get the chance to watch these guys and see how they handle themselves."

Woods-Mickelson final-round pairings are rare, but often memorable. At the 2009 Masters, they were paired and Mickelson was on fire early, electrifying the crowds (and the announcers), but they were both too far behind at the start of the day. Their battle at the 2005 Doral Open produced one of the most riveting final rounds of the last decade, especially in non-majors (Woods won by a stroke).

Whether Sunday's final round lives up to expectations - or Watney or Moore or someone else plays spoiler - is yet to be seen, of course. And if you want to see it in the United States, you'll need to stay up until 11 p.m. ET Saturday and continue watching the Golf Channel's coverage through 3 a.m. ET Sunday. The European Tour's tournament page provides television broadcast times for much of the rest of the world.

Mickelson, Woods Poised for Final Round Duel originally appeared on About.com Golf on Saturday, November 7th, 2009 at 11:32:27.

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Tiger Ahead of Phil at HSBC; Phil Takes Leads in Promoting China Golf

2009-11-06T12:00:55Z

The second round of the WGC HSBC Champions is in the book, and Tiger Woods shares the lead with Nick Watney. One stroke back, tied for third is Phil Mickelson. Someone needs to remind Woods and Mickelson that they don't have to go all the way to China to stage a head-to-head duel; we'd be happy to have them do it in America or Europe, just as well. But we'll take what we can get, and if we can get a Tiger-Phil duel down the stretch, then many golfers are likely to be staying up late to watch it. The HSBC Champions leaderboard is here.

Both superstars have talked about the future of golf in China being huge. And they are right. It's simple demographics: If golf becomes a passion in China, then in 20 years many of the best golfers in the sport will be Chinese golfers.

And both superstars have talked of wanting to promote the growth of the game in China. While Tiger leads in the tournament, Phil has pulled slightly ahead in the promotional department. Mickelson is already designing a golf course in Tianjin, but on Friday he added the news that he's going to open a golf academy in Kunming.

"In Kunming we are putting a golf academy and we are putting a par-3 course where kids can enjoy and learn at the grassroots so that 25 years down the road we build support for the game of golf in China," Mickelson said.

Mickelson's instructional DVD and book are also going to be released in Mandarin.

Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer battled for years on the golf course, and also took their battles off the course into the business world - club companies, design companies, real estate companies and more. Looks like Tiger and Phil are heading in that direction, too.

Tiger Ahead of Phil at HSBC; Phil Takes Leads in Promoting China Golf originally appeared on About.com Golf on Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 12:00:55.

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That's One! But Is It Really a Stroke?

2009-11-05T10:29:59Z

Some golfers like to waggle the ol' driver as they are stepping up to a teed ball. And when you waggle, sometimes the ball wobbles. As in, sometimes golfers accidentally bump the ball off the tee on the teeing ground.

And sometimes when this happens, every other golfer in the group shouts out, "That's one!" But does the bump really count as your first stroke on the hole? Your club did contact the ball, after all.

We are occasionally asked this question, which is why we made it part of our Rules FAQ. So does it count as a stroke if you accidentally bump the ball off the tee? Read the answer.

Wie Will Play in Dubai

2009-11-04T16:37:24Z

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are in China this week for the WGC HSBC Champions. And every European Tour player who was eligible showed up. But, the AFP points out, "USPGA Tour players are renowned for not travelling overseas out of their comfort zone, unlike many of their European Tour counterparts." At least 19 eligible golfers from the USPGA chose not to travel for the HSBC Champions, including Steve Stricker, Kenny Perry, Zach Johnson, Jim Furyk, Scott Verplank and Lucas Glover.

I doubt the Chinese will miss Glover. I doubt they'll miss any of those absentees - Tiger and Phil are there.

America's female professionals, however, aren't afraid of a little travel. They go all over the world. Many were in Korea last week, and many are in Japan this week.

And Michelle Wie will be in Dubai in December. The Ladies European Tour's Dubai Ladies Masters takes place Dec. 9-12, and it was announced today that Wie is playing. Wonder what kind of appearance fee she's getting.

Wie, currently attending classes at Stanford, will be back on the LPGA Tour the next couple weeks, too. She's entered into the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Mexico next week, and in the LPGA Tour Championship in Houston Nov. 19-22.

Wie Will Play in Dubai originally appeared on About.com Golf on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 16:37:24.

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PGA Tour Announces Full Schedule for 2010

2009-11-03T17:44:02Z

The 2010 PGA Tour schedule was announced today - the FedEx Cup portion of the schedule, that is; the Fall Series tournaments will be announced later - and despite the economic problems the tour will once again offer 41 events during the 2010 FedEx Cup series.

The doesn't mean the tour hasn't lost sponsors or tournaments. Buick is gone; the Buick Open in Michigan is dead, but the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines continues on as the Century Club of San Diego Invitational (presumably the tour will continue searching for a title sponsor). US Bank has also departed, and the US Bank Championship in Milwaukee is dead.

But the defunct tournaments are replaced by a new event, the The Greenbrier Classic at the historic Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia; and by the move of the Turning Stone Resort Championship from the Fall Series into the FedEx Cup portion of the schedule.

The dates of the 2010 majors are:

The Masters: April 8-11
U.S. Open: June 17-20 (Pebble Beach Golf Links)
British Open: July 15-18 (The Old Course at St. Andrews)
PGA Championship: (Whistling Straits)

One oddity of the schedule is the date selected for the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open. That event moves up to the date vacated by the defunct US Bank Championship, the same week as the British Open. What's odd about that? It's also the same week as the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship at Tahoe, which is played, figuratively speaking, across the street from the Reno-Tahoe Open. And the celeb tournament gets network TV coverage.

View the 2010 PGA Tour schedule

PGA Tour Announces Full Schedule for 2010 originally appeared on About.com Golf on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at 17:44:02.

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Family Golf Vacations

2009-11-03T10:22:39Z

Looking for ideas, advice or just a good story? We just started gathering our readers' tales about favorite family golf vacations and destinations - you can even add your own (with photos).

The most recent additions are Bandon Dunes - "It's a quiet, rustic environment - tough to get to, but a unique experience" - and Pebble Beach - "It was very expensive - (but) worth every penny and a favorite golf memory."

Share your family golf vacation story/pics

PGA Tour Suspends Player for Drug Policy Violation

2009-11-02T17:59:56Z

The first suspension under the PGA Tour Anti-Doping Policy was announced today: Doug Barron has been suspended for one year for violating the policy by using a performance-enhancing substance. The Tour released a brief statement that included an apology from Barron:

The PGA Tour announced today that Doug Barron has violated the PGA Tour Anti-Doping Policy's ban on the use of performance-enhancing substances and has been suspended for one year. The suspension will commence immediately. This is the first suspension under the PGA Tour Anti-Doping Program.
"I would like to apologize for any negative perception of the Tour or its players resulting from my suspension. I want my fellow Tour members and the fans to know that I did not intend to gain an unfair competitive advantage or enhance my performance while on Tour," said Barron.
The Tour will have no further comment on the suspension at this time.

What substance Barron tested positive for, when the test was administered and the results known, and other specific details are not available at this time.

Barron is a journeyman touring pro who played four times on the Nationwide Tour in 2009 and once on the PGA Tour, failing to make a cut. He has played the Nationwide and/or PGA tours since 1995, with a best finish on the PGA Tour money list of 109th in 1998. In 2005, Barron earned more than $730,000 on the PGA Tour, finishing 110th on the money list. His career PGA Tour earnings top $2.7 million.

Barron's best career finish on the PGA Tour is a tie for third at the 2005 Byron Nelson Championship. On the Nationwide Tour, Barron has five runner-up finishes, and in 2002 was third on the money list.

PGA Tour Suspends Player for Drug Policy Violation originally appeared on About.com Golf on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 17:59:56.

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Young Captain Creamer

2009-11-02T14:46:02Z

The LPGA's weekly newsletter includes a blurb today about Paula Creamer serving as American captain at The Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship this week. Sometimes it seems like Creamer has been around forever, so it might be surprising to think about the fact that she's only 23 years old.

Yet, Creamer is already serving as a team captain in an international team competition. Why not get that experience in early? We can probably say with near-certainty that Creamer is a future Solheim Cup captain, after all. But the field at The Spirit is mostly comprised of golfers in their teens or early 20s. Creamer is only a year older than one of the players on the American team, a college senior (also on the team is young phenom Alexis Thompson).

Typically, team captains for this and other international competitions are a bit more ... weathered? No, that's not the word: Experienced is a nicer way to put it. OK, older. In 2007 Dottie Pepper was supposed to serve as American captain at The Spirit, but had to withdraw and was replaced by a USGA official you've never heard of.

Another surprising captain this year is Tom Relf, a Canadian who is captaining the Mexican team. Huh? Relf is a teaching professional working in Central Texas, and over the years has gained a following among many Mexican golfers who visit north for his instruction.

If you've never heard of The Spirit International, it is in one way similar to the HSBC Champions tournament in China this week: Both began very recently, but have quickly gained great stature at their own respective levels. The Spirit was first played (it's always played at Whispering Pines Golf Club in Trinity, Texas) in 2001, when Lorena Ochoa led Mexico to the team championship.

Teams are comprised of two female amateurs and two male amateurs; individual men's and women's champions are crowned, men's and women's team championships are awarded, and an overall (combined men's and women's) team champion is named.

Creamer won the individual title and led Team USA to the team title in 2003. England has won the last two overall team championships. Visit thespiritgolf.com for more info about the event.

Young Captain Creamer originally appeared on About.com Golf on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 14:46:02.

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Welcome to the WGC, HSBC Champions

2009-11-02T10:31:23Z

The HSBC Champions takes place this week in Shanghai, China, the newest addition to the World Golf Championships rotation. And Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are there to help ring in the new WGC event, as are most of the other best players in the world.

The HSBC Champions was first played in 2005, and has been played in November each year since, so its rise to the top level of the golf world has been steep. David Howell was the first winner, holding off Tiger Woods. Y.E. Yang was the second winner ... holding off Tiger Woods. Phil Mickelson won in 2007 and Sergio Garcia in 2008. The tournament was part of the European Tour schedule in those years, co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour.

With the addition of the HSBC Champions, the WGC series is back to four tournaments. The World Cup of Golf joined the WGC fold in 2000, but was dropped as a WGC tournament after 2006.

Welcome to the WGC, HSBC Champions originally appeared on About.com Golf on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 10:31:23.

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PGA Tour Cancels Viking Classic

2009-10-31T13:22:28Z

The Viking Classic, the penultimate tournament on the PGA Tour schedule, has been canceled due to unplayable course conditions. The tournament will not be rescheduled, which means the Children's Miracle Network Classic in two weeks will stand as the last chance for those players on the money list bubble to keep or claim their tour cards for 2010.

The Viking Classic, in Madison, Miss., never got under way. The Madison area has been drenched over the past two months, with around 20 inches of rainfall. More of that rain moved through the area during tournament week. The first round was called off early Thursday; on Friday, tournament officials decided Sunday was the earliest the tournament could start. Today, they just went ahead and called the whole thing off.

It's the first time in 13 years - since the 1996 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am - that a PGA Tour tournament has been canceled due to unplayable conditions.

PGA Tour Cancels Viking Classic originally appeared on About.com Golf on Saturday, October 31st, 2009 at 13:22:28.

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