I can’t even say his name let alone acknowledge his victory at the British Open but Oostuizen’s  performance and final total score of -16 speaks for itself. The next player, Lee Westwood, finished seven shots back  at -9 which is an indication of how well  Oosthuizen really played for this prestigious tournament at the world’s oldest and most revered golf venue, St. Andrews. I have to admit this years Open was a bit boring for golf fans in the United States as the top American player, Sean O’Hair finished at -6, ten strokes back and tied for seventh place. None of our players even sniffed at  a chance for the top three spots, which is unusual for the U.S. team.

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!

Since his arrival on the golf scene in 1997, and his dramatic win at The Masters, where he beat all comers by 12 shots, he has exuded superior golfing skills to the other players on tour. Over the last few years Tiger has seemed out of sorts at times and faltered during competition where that would have never occurred prior to that time. It became blatantly and painfully obvious during the PGA Championship last season when he lost to Y.E. Yang on the back nine on Sunday after being in the lead after 54 holes. It has now become clear what caused the lack of concentration and his unprecedented collapse at the PGA. His distraction and pre-occupation with his personal life has exposed his shortcomings and frailty to his peers and he has let the door open for another great  player to potentially fill that void. Great people and players rise to the occasion when the opportunity arises and he provided that possibility to happen.

Despite his shortcomings it will be no easy task to dethrone Tiger Woods as the # 1 golfer as he is still a great player no matter what turmoil has befallen him in his personal life. Besides his divorce proceedings which are underway and his neck injury which caused him to withdraw from The Players Championship, he has just split with his long time golf coach, Hank Haney.  The split was initiated by Haney and understandably so. Tiger will have an uphill battle to regain the justification of  his place in golf immortality but also to reacquire the respect of his peers, his at one time many fans and his sponsors. His ability to hit golf balls is perhaps matched by no other, but it takes more than skill to make a man the gentleman he is supposed to be in order to participate and compete in this centuries old game of golf! 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!

The Masters Tournament will be the first time Tiger will be interviewed by the media since his hiatus from golf last year. His many fans are curious as to how he will perform after his exposure as a sex addict and his subsequent enrollment in a sex addiction treatment clinic to overcome this complusion. He has his golf clubs in hand and is prepared to show the world that he will  overcome this setback and return to the game he loves. In a few days we will learn if Tiger’s layoff has affected his game or if it is business as usual. Tune in and Happy Golfing to All!

The big question on the minds of his peers, his golf fans and the media is will his personal problems and the lay off from golf competition affect his performance in The Masters? This is a very tough venue for Tiger to make a first appearance after such a layoff and it will be a true test of how his leave of absence from the PGA Tour and personal problems have affected his golf game. It should be quite apparent by how he is hitting golf balls in the first two rounds if he will be around on Sunday to make a run at a fifth Green Jacket. What are your thoughts? Fell free to send in your opinion and comments. Happy Golfing to All!

This goal has been in the forefront of Tiger’s mind since he first held a golf club in his hand as a youngster. In a few short weeks, beginning on April 8th we will see how the layoff and his personal dilemma has affected Tiger and his golfing skills. Will he return in true Tiger form or will he miss the cut at Augusta, one of the toughest major venues on the PGA roster? Either outcome is possible but I’m looking forward to his return to golf and to watch him hitting golf balls again as he does like no other since Jack. Happy Golfing to All!

Tiger Woods

I’m sure it will be difficult for him at first to face his golf fans, his peers and the press if he appears for the first time in public at The Masters which commences play April 8th but warm up rounds will most likely begin Monday the 5th, which is a few short weeks away. If we know anything about Tiger Woods he will be looking to make a statement by staying in contention from the start to finish of The Masters. We will soon see if the lay off has hurt his chances for victory or if he will be back in Tiger form hitting golf balls and competing again in the game he loves. At this stage of his career I can’t see him foregoing such an important opportunity to edge closer to golf history and Jack Nicklaus’s remarkable 18 major record. Happy Golfing to All!

In Tiger’s case one may speculate that he was alone, away from home and the male ego got the better of him. Or maybe he was bored and the excitement of the chase and the possibility of getting away with it was the driving force behind his actions? Could it be that there is something missing in his relationship at home or a void he is trying to fill since the loss of his dad a short time ago? The possibilites for what has occurred are endless so let us speculate no further. This incident occurred and I’m sure he’s sorry for his actions as he’s already expressed openly to the public. I wish him much success in his efforts to mend his relationship with Elin. Tiger has a long road ahead but I am still a huge fan and the world of golf would be remiss if they did not forgive and forget this unfortunate occurrence in the life of the world’s finest golfer. His sponsors should cut him some slack to give him the benefit of the doubt and forgive this digression from his long standing status of role model for the golfing public. What is the saying ? “To Err is Human, To Forgive Devine.” and he deserves another chance. Having his reputation tarnished in this manner and the repentive road back to mend his relationship with his wife and family are punishment enough for him to deal with at this critical time in his illustrious career.   

I’m looking forward to Tiger’s return, with his golf clubs in hand, as his presence on the links would be sorely missed if he could not overcome perhaps the greatest challenge of his career as a sports legend. Tiger, we wish you well. Happy Golfing to All!