Keegan Bradley, a rookie American golfer wins the 2011, 93rd playing of the PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club in a three hole play off with Jason Dufner after tying for 72 holes. Jason Dufner was five shots up on Bradley after Bradley tripled the 15th hole par 3. He bladed a short chip shot through the green and into the water and carded a six, but amazingly he regained his composure as Dufner, whose play was consistent through all four rounds, bogied three of the last four holes. While Dufner’s golf game was deteriorating, Bradley made back to back birdies, one an incredible 35 foot putt on the 207 yard par 3 17th to reach -8, which was enough to tie Dufner and the play off ensued. They were escorted by golf cart back to the 16th tee and Keegan used the momentum from his stellar finish in regulation to play the three holes in one under and beat Jason Dufner to take home the Wanamaker Trophy.

It was good to see the Americans finally halt the slide in the majors, having come up short in their last six attempts. There was a lot of red, white and blue on the leader board as the U.S. placed in 11 out of the top 20 spots, with Phil Mickelson rounding out the top 20. Two other U.S. Players, David Toms and Scott Verplank finished tied for 4th with Verplank having a credible shot at the trophy until his ball found water on one of the closing par three holes. The last American victor in a major was Phil Mickelson, who won the 2010 Masters and who finished even, T19 in this years PGA at Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, GA. Tiger Woods was also conspicuously absent on Sunday after missing the cut as he ended at +1o, and out of the top 100 for the first time in a major. The upheaval in his personal life is taking more of a toll on his game than I think even Tiger may have imagined. Playing with what appeared to be a wrist injury, Rory McIlroy also finished well back in the pack at a tie for 64th place, not where one would expect this years U.S. Open Champion.

It is good to see new names in the hunt each week, but at the same time a bit disappointing to not see the former two top golfers in the world, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods out of contention week after week, when they were the best of the best just a very short time ago. Tiger has to clear his head and rid himself of his demons before he can hope to regain his form and return as the top golfer once again. Phil is now in his forties but plenty of time left to be competitive if Tom Watson is any indication, after his near miss at the British Open at 59 just a couple of years ago. Hang in there Phil and Tiger, you will both be back if you want it bad enough.

Congratulations to Keegan Bradley who let his golf clubs do the talking as he takes home his first major trophy, The Wanamaker, in his second win of the year as a rookie on tour – Great Job! Happy Golfing to All!

Tiger Woods, who has not yet returned to true form, struggled with the putter and had to settle for a tie for 23rd with a -3 finish total on Sunday. John Daly, who was on the leader board on Thursday with a first  round sixty six, Stewart Cink, last years winner in the Open over Tom Watson, and Phil Mickelson, a fan favorite, all shot plus one and tied for 48th place, which is not so impressive for these U.S. players. I had high hopes for Phil Mickelson coming into this championship but he his play has been less than stellar since his Masters victory in April of this year.

The British Open has been the second major golf tournament in a row where the European and other top world players have stymied the United States from the leaderboard. In the U.S. Open in June, the top three places went to McDowell, the barely known Frenchman,  Havret and Ernie Els from South Africa. The outcome and lackluster performance by the American players in these last two major venues does not bode well for the U.S. in the coming Ryder Cup championship in September of 2010. Corey Pavin, the captain for the U.S. has his work cut out for him if the Amercian team is to be competitive enough to win this years Ryder Cup. I wish them the best of luck as they may surely need some this year. Our players had better get to the golf range and start hitting golf balls to prepare for the challenge they face ahead.

Congratulations to Louis Oosthuizen on a stellar performance in this years British Open. If he keeps playing in this form we may be hearing from him again soon. Happy Golfing to All!

I’m sure Jack Nicklaus,  Arnold Palmer and many of the other tour professionals have found themselves in a position where they could have easily given in to similar opportunities for sexual misconduct or other indiscretions of the flesh. I think that most males, contrary to popular belief will remain loyal to their spouses, even under the most tempting of circumstances. This action or rather non-action is what separates true greatness from the pretender. This is a valid point of contention for whether Tiger Woods can ever be the golfer he was lauded to be just a few years ago. Tiger Woods was the golf hero to a new generation and was also admired by golfers and fans from any era as his skill at golf was perhaps second to none.  In reflecting about the real history of this great sport, golf was created as a gentleman’s game. Tiger’s dalliances and many indiscretions have now ostracized him from this category. It is a true shame as I was one of his admirers and fans but Jack Nicklaus has now taken that place for good in the number ONE position in golf history, at least in my book. 

Whether Tiger Woods beats Jack Nicklaus’s record or not he will no longer be remembered as the greatest golfer who ever lived but only as the golfer who was able to win the most majors or tournaments, if he can still achieve this goal. I can still see Jack hitting golf balls on the course as if it were yesterday and I remember the Masters of 1986 very well where he was victorious at age 46 . Phil Mickelson has a better chance than many to take over the number one spot in the modern day era of golf but he must make his move now if he will ever come close to the best of the best. Jack Nicklaus will also be the first one to readily admit that although there have been many great golfers, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, Tiger Woods and the like, but the only golfer who ever can come close or even exceed his status in golf history is Bobby Jones. In his seven years as a golf professional he won 13 majors, which may very well stand forever, or at least as long as Joe Dimaggio’s 56 game hitting streak. Try beating that one Tiger. Happy Golfing to All!

There are a number of excellent golfers on the PGA Tour  and with Tim Clark’s victory at The Players Championshiphe may have broken the no win streak by the foreign players.  Since Tiger Woods is out of the picture for now, in my opinion Phil Mickelson is the main contender to win the majors this golf season. Tiger’s missed cut at the Quail Hollow Championship and his neck injury that caused him to with draw from the competition on Sunday at The Players, indicate he is definitely not in form mentally or physically to play the type of golf required to beat Mickelson or an assortment of other good players who will be in the field. I’m not saying another star player such as McElroy, Villegas, Els, Harrington or Anthony Kim could not rise to the occasion but just stating that Mickelson is the man to beat. Any of the players mentioned here can hit golf balls with the best of them but Phil Mickelson is poised to win and he may do it just it a little better than the rest. I also feel he has gained the confidence needed to maintain his poise on Sunday and not fold under the pressure as he did so blatantly at Bethpage Black in 2002 and Winged Foot  in 2006 ( see photo above) where he had real opportunities for victory in the U.S.Open.

I wish Phil Mickelson much success and hope he can be the great player he was meant to be. His sheer pleasure in victory is indicated by the smile on his face in the photo on the left as he gets his second green jacket at the 2006 Masters.  The presenter was none other than Tiger Woods who had won the previous year. Happy Golfing to All!

After winning The Masters a few weeks back, Phil Mickelson has emerged once again as the ace golfer he was predicted to be early in his career, some 15 years ago and it appears he may be ready to take possession of the # 1 spot. His victory at The Masters in 2004 and 2006 got a major monkey off his back as he was  winless in the major golf tournaments up until that point. His third Masters victory this year also solidified his place in golf history with notables like Jimmy Demaret, Nick Faldo, Gary Player and Sam Snead who also had three Masters victories during their golf careers. Only Arnold Palmer and  Tiger Woods with four and and Jack Nicklaus who has six have more wins at this prestigious golf tournament. Tiger Woods will not go quietly as he is still a force to be reckoned with and he will not easily resign himself to second place. The only way that Phil Mickelson has a chance is if he believes in himself  as he did so successfully in The Masters. He is the only player in the modern era of golf who has excelled to a point where he can possibly fill the slot that no one has been capable of achieving since Tiger’s arrival on the scene over ten years ago.

The advantage that Phil Mickelson has it that he is still a young man with all the skills he needs to win again. When Tiger Woods presented Phil Mickelson with the Green jacket in April of 2006 it was a great day in golf. The world’s two greatest golfers of the modern era shared back to back victories as Tiger Woods had won the Masters the previous year in 2005. Phil was also the victor in his second major, the PGA, that same year. His four wins in the major golf tournaments since 2004 have provided him with the confidence he needs to win more majors even though he let the U.S. Open at Winged Foot and Bethpage get away. Phil has finally found the zone and his putting stroke as he has stood toe to toe with Tiger on a few occasions recently, like the WGC last year, just prior to Tiger’s sex scandal, and this year’s Masters and has come out on top. If he can maintain this momentum he may put another major or two under his belt before this golf season is over, which is what the sport so desperately needs right now.  Tiger has lost the respect of some fans, his sponsors and his peers and justifiably so. I was a huge fan and had never expected Tiger Woods to become embroiled in such a scandal as he appeared to be almost superhuman in his golf career and personal life. Since he has shown the frailty of being a mere mortal he may have left the door open for another golf hero to emerge and I can think of none other more deserving than Phil Mickelson.  

I have also been very impressed with the play of Tom Watson and Fred Couples, who are 60 and 50 respectively and who have played some of the best golf of their careers as of late. Their performance in this years Masters is a good for instance as Fred Couples finished in sixth place and Tom Watson placed tied for 18th, an incredible feat for both of them at their age. It is my guess that Tom Watson’s spectacular showing in last years British Open at age 59, where he finished second to Stewart Cink in a four hole playoff, after tying in the final round, has given him and other players nearing or in the senior tour age bracket the confidence they need to realize they can still remain competitive regardless of their years. I wholeheartedly agree with this point of view and I know I would not allow age to affect my thought process if the skills and health requirements to hit golf balls and score well were still intact.

I have a premonition that this year in golf will be one of the best we have seen in a while where the cream will rise to the top. As I have noted in past posts I had been disappointed in the majors last year but 2010 has started off with a bang. I am rooting for Phil Mickelson, Tom Watson, one helluva golfer, and Fred Couples as they have earned the respect and admiration they deserve on and off the golf course. I also want to close by wishing Amy Mickelson well as she has been an inspiration for husband Phil and all women fighting the debilitating disease of breast cancer. Go Amy, Go Phil. Happy Golfing to All!

I had been a Tiger Woods fan since he made his first appearance on the PGA Tour in 1997. Despite the incident involving his car accident last Thanksgiving and the revelation of his dalliances and indiscretions were revealed for public scrutiny, he was received well by his peers, the media and his golfing fans. Although he put on smile for his fans and the camera he seemed distant during this tournament and justifiably so in some respects. There is no doubt that Tiger Woods is an incredible golfer, as I know of no other who could have performed so well after his four month hiatus from golf and with his personal life virtually turned upside down since last November. There was, however, something missing in his game for as incredibly as he played he could have scored better. He made some mental errors down the stretch like taking a two foot par putt for granted, missing and having to settle for bogie when he was in contention for a possible second or third place finish which was unlike his normal performance when the competition heats up.

Phil Mickelson, on the other hand, played like a man on a mission and took home the Green Jacket for himself, wife Amy, his mom and his children. His play showed the golfing skills that make him the greatest player on tour in the present day era of golf, maybe second only to Tiger Woods. I say maybe because I think the incident with Tiger exposed him to the world as the mere mortal that he is and not the superman who some perceived him to be before the incident last year. Phil is a spectacular player who is coming into his own and is finally believing in himself. Unfortunately, it may have taken a family crisis to make that happen. His wife Amy courageously made her way to the tournament with their children to be by her husbands side despite her illness and not feeling well. She wanted to share in this historic moment as she played an important role by inspiring Phil to win his third green jacket. He now shares this honor with some of the most renowned names in golf, Jimmy Demaret, Nick Faldo, Gary Player and Sam Snead. Arnold Palmer, another golf legend has four wins along with Tiger Woods. Jack Nicklaus leads with an incredible six victories at this prestigious golf tournament, The Masters. I thoroughly enjoyed this years Masters and I look forward to seeing Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods and the other great players on tour, hitting golf balls and competing in the rest of the majors in 2010. Happy Golfing to All!

In this year’s Tour Championship and Fed Ex Cup, a number of great players also had a shot at either title. Because of the new reset format it gives players who are close in the standings an even better opportunity to win the Cup. But finally the cream rose to the top. I’ve been waiting patiently all season as Major after Major have slipped out of the grasp of the world’s two best players, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. I’ve been rooting for these guys since the Masters, when Phil made a charge reminiscent of Jack Nicklaus in the 86 Masters and Tiger stayed right in the hunt with him but neither of them could seize the moment.  Phil Mickelson also had a good shot at the U.S. Open when he was playing his heart out for wife Amy, who had been recently diagnosed with breast cancer as was his mother shortly thereafter, but the distraction proved too much for him and understandably so as he dropped out of contention on the final nine on Sunday.

The Tour Championship finally yielded the One Two Punch from the world’s two best golfers, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. With many of the world’s top players in contention for both the Tour Championship and the Fed Ex Cup, such as Jim Furyk, Kenny Perry, Padraig Harrington, Steve Stricker and Sean O’Hair, the lead exchanged hands a number of times between these players but Phil and Tiger showed them why they were considered one and two ranked in the world. Phil shot a final round 65, which was 4 strokes better than the rest of the field and good enough for a three stroke victory over the worlds best player Tiger Woods. Tiger’s statistical standings in all the important categories remain intact. He is # 1 in the world ranking, # 1 on the Money List, six victories under his belt this season on tour solidify his rank as # 1 in virtually any category that matters and now the Fed Ex Cup title and $10,000,000 dollars more in his bank account. What more can you ask for? Tiger is back and with a vengeance. As much as any normal human being would be satisfied with his accomplishments for this year I’m sure he has already strategized with his golf coach, Hank Haney, on how to ensure a few more notches in his Majors Belt for next year. Tiger is still young but impatient to reach the goal he had cemented in his mindset at an early age, tie and then beat Jack Nicklaus’s record 18 majors. He is well on his way with 14 but he may have a few more years ahead to reach his goal. There are many good players on the Tour who also want to win and who will provide Tiger with some stiff competition along the way but make no mistake about it he will be victorious in the end.

Phil Mickelson worked with Dave Stockton recently on his putting stroke, which has given him some problems of late, and whatever tips Dave gave him seems to have worked as he was impeccable with his putting during the Tour Championship. The fact that his mom and wife Amy are also doing well now may also have contributed to his return to true form. Phil and Tiger, Tiger and Phil go one two in the Tour Championship and the Fed Ex cup respectively. All I can say is ” Finally!” The season comes to an end for both of them on a high note and the Tour Championship represents as close as you can get to a major without actually being one and the Fed Ex Cup denotes excellence in play for the entire season. Congratulations to Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods, the best of the best!  A very appropriate and happy ending to the season. Happy Golfing to All!

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As with the Masters I have to admit I am disappointed in the outcome of this years Open. With wife Amy awaiting surgery, and her request for a win, I thought sure Phil would pull this one out of the hat. He is as capable as any and more so than most when it comes to golf skills, but the majors still seem to elude him when he is in contention on Sunday. When he made his move and went to - 4, he appeared psyched and I thought this would surely be the one, a real Cinderella Story in the making but it was not destined to be. He missed a three footer on 15th hole and a makeable par putt on the 17th that ended his chances for his and Amy’s dream finish. Bethpage Black reared it’s ugly head and clutched victory away from not only Phil Mickelson, but Ricky Barnes and another Cinderella Story contender in David Duval. They all finished tied at -2 and a share of the second place prize. Duval, looking a bit heartier since his stellar play around the turn of the century, when he was ranked 2nd in the world behind none other than Tiger Woods had played well during this Open. Second behind Tiger was not a bad place to be at that time but he has struggled over the past four or five years and has missed quite a few cuts. He finally recaptured some of the form at Bethpage Black that made him one of the top players in the world at that time in his career. The U.S. Amateur Champion in 2002, Ricky Barnes, dropped 6 shots in his last round and just missed birdie at 18. A birdie would have put a little pressure on Lucas Glover but the putt slid by on the left side which ended any chance for a tie and a playoff. Lucas two putted easily for par and victory. Lucas Glover, a real good player with all the skills needed to win, remained the most cool, calm and collected out of the final pairings on Monday and Bethpage Black could not take the prize away from him. He did drop three shots in the final round but the Rain Man, Glover, played intelligently enough to outlast the competition. 

Tiger Woods played well and also made a run at the title but came up short this time. I can see a marked improvement in his game, since surgery, but even Tiger needs time to work his way back into true form after the knee surgery side lined him for almost 9 months. It would not surprise me in the least if he won the next two majors to end this season on a high note. We shall see over the next few months.

Congratulations to Lucas Glover for his tremendous victory in this years U.S. Open, under adverse conditions and an extremely tough venue to test ones golf skills, Bethpage Black. Happy Golfing To All !

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Had I scripted this Masters it would have gone something like this.

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson had teed off earlier and both started at -4. Phil’s rally on the front nine was reminiscent of the Nicklaus charge in the 86′ Masters and my favorite Masters to date of all time. This years Masters was a close second but anti-climactic because Phil, Tiger or Kenny were not victorious in the end. When Phil turned the front in 30 or minus 10 I thought to myself that this was far from over and could be one of the greatest Masters ever. Since I had tuned in, when Phil and Tiger first teed off, to the finale, I could not take my eyes off the TV screen. The steady and stellar play by Angel, Kenny, Tiger and Phil was riveting. The two best players in the world were going head to head and catching the the leaders after having been 7 shots back when they first teed off on Sunday morning. After Phil’s 30 on the front I knew Tiger had to make his move if he wanted to catch Phil who was now at -10. He accomplished this by eagling the 13th hole subsequent to Phil’s double bogie of 12 when he had made a mental error by not using enough club to  carry Rae’s creek and land on a safe part of the green. Tiger and Phil still both had an opportunity but they also both missed possible eagles on 15 which left them with more work ahead if they were to taste victory. Phil and Tiger had at one point reached -11 and -10 respectively and were both standing at victories door when they faltered at the end. Tiger bogied the last two holes in unTiger like fashion and Phil did not do much better. When they both came up short at 18, I was hoping that Kenny Perry, who has been playing some of the best golf of his life for the past two years or more, could become the oldest player at 48 years plus to win a major let alone the Masters. His -14 standing at the end of the 16th hole had all but sewed it up. A par on one of the last two holes would have clinched victory for him. He had not gotten a bogie for the previous 22 holes so why start now. But start now he did with two consecutive bogies to finish at -12 tied with Cabrera and Campbell and the playoff loomed. Kenny’s steady play had come to an end and the pressure of Masters Sunday finally took its toll on him. He all but handed the victory to Angel, who seemed more calm than the rest and just happy to be there in contention without succumbing as much to the pressures of the day.

Well as we know Angel Cabrera wins but wouldn’t it have been something if Tiger, Phil and Kenny had tied for a playoff on that fateful Sunday Masters afternoon. I guess we’ll never know the outcome but it sure is nice to dream about a Masters playoff scenario that very nearly was.

Happy Golfing To All !

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