It was 10 years ago today that one of the most remarkable comebacks in golf history occurred at the 33rd Ryder Cup match in Massachusetts. It was dubbed the "Battle of Brookline" and saw the American team rally from four points down on the final day of play.
With Ben Crenshaw telling everyone that he had a feeling about Sunday's finale his team charged out on Sunday and won the first seven matches to take a 13-10 lead. Jim Furyk defeated Sergio Garcia and Justin Leonard halved his match against Jose Maria Olazabal with an incredible putt on 17 to seal the biggest come from behind win in Ryder Cup history.
With the Cup secured with a 14.5-13.5 win, Payne Stewart conceded the final hole to Colin Montgomerie in a sportsmanlike gesture that would be the pinnacle of Stewart's career as Stewart would perish in a plane crash just one month later.
Even now, 10 years and four Cup matches later, the magic of that day carries forward. It will likely be remembered for many years to come and may very well go down as the greatest match in the history of the Ryder Cup.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Off week still eventful
So we take a week off from the chase for the FedEx CUp in the PGA and you think that means all's quiet on the golfing front do you?
Not so fast.
A 57-year-old Southern California man decided to pay tribute to fallen duffers everywhere by throwing golf balls out his car window while driving through Joshua Tree National Park, located in the Mojave Dessert just northeast of Los Angeles.
By the time park rangers discovered who had been tossing the golf balls in the park, Douglas Jones had deposited nearly 3,000 golf balls in the dessert. Park rangers, who had to pick up each golf ball, along with some other items Jones left in the park for various reason, were not amused.
Jones, who started his unique tribute in 2007, faces possible jail time and fines for his littering ways, which included tennis balls, cans of fruit and vegetables and park produced literature.
Jones, who lives in La Quinta, CA, no doubt collected his high number of golf balls for high speed pitching from his place of employment - a nearby golf course.
His case is pending.
Meanwhile, half a world away, 64-year-old Ruth Day is being hailed by many, and probably cursed by others, for carding two holes-in-one. In the same round.
Playing the Whitley Bay Golf Club on Sept. 9, Day aced the 149-yard third hole and repeated the feat on the 161-yard 13th hole. Day, a retiree, took up the game just 10 years ago.
It took me 26 years to card my first and, so far, only ace. ESPN columnist Rick Reilly played for 38 years and went to extraordinary lengths to get his first ace. So we can appreciate just how special Day's feat is.
For those golfers still looking for their first ace, they are no doubt grumbling in the 19th hole beers about how one golfer gets two aces in the same round while dreaming about the glorious day to come when the finally get their first ace.
Keep firing folks, if duffers like Reilly and I can do it, you can too.
Not so fast.
A 57-year-old Southern California man decided to pay tribute to fallen duffers everywhere by throwing golf balls out his car window while driving through Joshua Tree National Park, located in the Mojave Dessert just northeast of Los Angeles.
By the time park rangers discovered who had been tossing the golf balls in the park, Douglas Jones had deposited nearly 3,000 golf balls in the dessert. Park rangers, who had to pick up each golf ball, along with some other items Jones left in the park for various reason, were not amused.
Jones, who started his unique tribute in 2007, faces possible jail time and fines for his littering ways, which included tennis balls, cans of fruit and vegetables and park produced literature.
Jones, who lives in La Quinta, CA, no doubt collected his high number of golf balls for high speed pitching from his place of employment - a nearby golf course.
His case is pending.
Meanwhile, half a world away, 64-year-old Ruth Day is being hailed by many, and probably cursed by others, for carding two holes-in-one. In the same round.
Playing the Whitley Bay Golf Club on Sept. 9, Day aced the 149-yard third hole and repeated the feat on the 161-yard 13th hole. Day, a retiree, took up the game just 10 years ago.
It took me 26 years to card my first and, so far, only ace. ESPN columnist Rick Reilly played for 38 years and went to extraordinary lengths to get his first ace. So we can appreciate just how special Day's feat is.
For those golfers still looking for their first ace, they are no doubt grumbling in the 19th hole beers about how one golfer gets two aces in the same round while dreaming about the glorious day to come when the finally get their first ace.
Keep firing folks, if duffers like Reilly and I can do it, you can too.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Can I have a mulligan?
Ok, I shanked one into the weeds and need a do-over.
I had forgotten that the points would be reset after the BMW Championship with anyone in the Top 30 still having a mathematical chance to claim the FedEx Cup on Sunday when The Tour Championship concludes.
I'll take my medicine on that one and write down a double-bogey.
One player happy with that format is Steve Stricker, who would have needed to win The Tour Championship to have any chance to overtake Tiger Woods after Tiger's impressive performance at the BMW Championship this week. Without the reset, Tiger would have gone into the event with a nearly insurmountable lead over second-place Stricker.
Instead, Stricker only trails by 250 points and has a few other scenarios that can unfold this week and still allow him to collect the coveted Cup.
Of course, if Woods keeps rolling along like he did in Chicago, the only hope Stricker has will be to finish Sunday on top of the leaderboard at Atlanta.
So while Stricker brushes up on his tournament-winning skills I'll be hitting the books. I think I'll start with "FedEx Cup playoff format for Dummies."
I had forgotten that the points would be reset after the BMW Championship with anyone in the Top 30 still having a mathematical chance to claim the FedEx Cup on Sunday when The Tour Championship concludes.
I'll take my medicine on that one and write down a double-bogey.
One player happy with that format is Steve Stricker, who would have needed to win The Tour Championship to have any chance to overtake Tiger Woods after Tiger's impressive performance at the BMW Championship this week. Without the reset, Tiger would have gone into the event with a nearly insurmountable lead over second-place Stricker.
Instead, Stricker only trails by 250 points and has a few other scenarios that can unfold this week and still allow him to collect the coveted Cup.
Of course, if Woods keeps rolling along like he did in Chicago, the only hope Stricker has will be to finish Sunday on top of the leaderboard at Atlanta.
So while Stricker brushes up on his tournament-winning skills I'll be hitting the books. I think I'll start with "FedEx Cup playoff format for Dummies."
Friday, September 11, 2009
Mr. Woods got the memo. Mr. Stricker?
Coming into Round 3 of the FedEx Cup, both Steve Stricker and Tiger Woods needed to just finish in the top 10 to all but secure that one of them would win the Cup this year.
Tiger got the memo, currently tied for first after 36 hole of the BMW Championship at Cog Hill in Chicago. Woods usually does well at Cog Hill, so it is really no big surprise to see his name atop the leaderboard on a Friday evening. And while Tiger cannot clinch the Cup with a win this week, he certainly can put a huge amount of pressure on the current Cup leader Stricker.
Maybe that is why Stricker is struggling horribly after two rounds this week.
After 36 holes, Stricker sits 10 shots behind Woods and is tied for 51st. If Stricker does not make a huge move up the board, and assuming Woods goes on to win this week, Stricker would go into next week's final round needing to win and probably have Woods finish no better than third.
Playing on the PGA Tour is tough enough, playing knowing you have to win or watch $10 million go up in smoke will likely lead to a poor performance that Stricker cannot afford.
As he starts his round Saturday, Stricker needs to put any thoughts of winning this week aside and focus on running down as many of the 50 players ahead of him as he can.
Saturday's third round is traditionally called "Moving Day". For Stricker's Cup chances, he'd better bring a big moving van along with his bag to the first tee.
Tiger got the memo, currently tied for first after 36 hole of the BMW Championship at Cog Hill in Chicago. Woods usually does well at Cog Hill, so it is really no big surprise to see his name atop the leaderboard on a Friday evening. And while Tiger cannot clinch the Cup with a win this week, he certainly can put a huge amount of pressure on the current Cup leader Stricker.
Maybe that is why Stricker is struggling horribly after two rounds this week.
After 36 holes, Stricker sits 10 shots behind Woods and is tied for 51st. If Stricker does not make a huge move up the board, and assuming Woods goes on to win this week, Stricker would go into next week's final round needing to win and probably have Woods finish no better than third.
Playing on the PGA Tour is tough enough, playing knowing you have to win or watch $10 million go up in smoke will likely lead to a poor performance that Stricker cannot afford.
As he starts his round Saturday, Stricker needs to put any thoughts of winning this week aside and focus on running down as many of the 50 players ahead of him as he can.
Saturday's third round is traditionally called "Moving Day". For Stricker's Cup chances, he'd better bring a big moving van along with his bag to the first tee.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Two-man horse race?
Barring an amazing back-to-back win performance over the next two weeks, the chase for the FedEx Cup has pretty much become a two-man race between Steve Stricker and Tiger Woods. Based on their play over the past two weeks, Stricker goes into this weeks' BMW Championship outside of Chicago with the advantage.
Stricker's win on Monday at the Duetsche Bank Championship put him in first place by 909 points over Woods. While Woods usually does well at Cog hill, the simple fact is he is struggling with his game, Monday's 8-under, 63 notwithstanding. Woods' balky putter either runs red-hot or ice-cold and it not only cost him a chance to put the FedEx Cup out of reach, it has opened the door for Stricker to cruise right on by.
Stricker has been the more consistent of the pair in recent weeks by far and now only has to make sure he finishes no worse than tied with Woods at the end of the next two tournaments to claim the $10 million bonanza.
Unless, of course, one of the players currently running in the Top 25 catches fire and wins the next two events and collects 5,000 points in the process. British Open champion Stewart Cink is currently 25th at 1,435 points, trailing Stricker by 4,170 points.
Back-to-back victories by Cink would force Stricker or Woods to finish in the top 5 in both of the next two events to capture the Cup.
So while it looks pretty good for Stricker and Woods right now, there is still enough time and points left in the chase for a dark horse to steal away with the Cup. Remember, Camilo Villegas won the last two FedEx Cup events last year, so it is not unprecedented.
Which naturally begs the question: Which of the players from No. 3 Heath Slocum on down to Cink has the best chance to pull off the miracle comeback?
I'll put my money on Jim Furyk and his eight Top 10 finishes this year. But realistically I don't see Stricker giving up this lead too easily and I will go out on a limb and say that Stricker will wrap up the FedEx Cup this week in Chicago.
Stricker's win on Monday at the Duetsche Bank Championship put him in first place by 909 points over Woods. While Woods usually does well at Cog hill, the simple fact is he is struggling with his game, Monday's 8-under, 63 notwithstanding. Woods' balky putter either runs red-hot or ice-cold and it not only cost him a chance to put the FedEx Cup out of reach, it has opened the door for Stricker to cruise right on by.
Stricker has been the more consistent of the pair in recent weeks by far and now only has to make sure he finishes no worse than tied with Woods at the end of the next two tournaments to claim the $10 million bonanza.
Unless, of course, one of the players currently running in the Top 25 catches fire and wins the next two events and collects 5,000 points in the process. British Open champion Stewart Cink is currently 25th at 1,435 points, trailing Stricker by 4,170 points.
Back-to-back victories by Cink would force Stricker or Woods to finish in the top 5 in both of the next two events to capture the Cup.
So while it looks pretty good for Stricker and Woods right now, there is still enough time and points left in the chase for a dark horse to steal away with the Cup. Remember, Camilo Villegas won the last two FedEx Cup events last year, so it is not unprecedented.
Which naturally begs the question: Which of the players from No. 3 Heath Slocum on down to Cink has the best chance to pull off the miracle comeback?
I'll put my money on Jim Furyk and his eight Top 10 finishes this year. But realistically I don't see Stricker giving up this lead too easily and I will go out on a limb and say that Stricker will wrap up the FedEx Cup this week in Chicago.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
FedEx Cup - Round 2
With the first round of the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston set to tee off tomorrow, the second round of the FedEx Cup begins with one big question.
Such as, just how does a guy who compiled just 355 points in 24 events suddenly find himself in a position to win the Cup and the $10 million prize that goes with it?
Heath Slocum barely got into the field of 125, starting last Thursday's opening round of The Barclays at 124th, 3,076 points behind Tiger Woods. When his final putt sank to the bottom of the cup in the 18th on Sunday, Slocum had leaped up 121 places in the standings to third and finds himself just 1,526 points behind the first-place Woods, and just 250 points behind second-place Steve Stricker.
If Slocum is getting hot at the right time and pulls a 2008 Vijay Singh by winning this week, he could find himself in the lead with two events to play and likely only needing to make sure he finishes no worse than tied with Woods at the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship to seal the deal.
But, while Tiger has won at the Deutsche Bank Championship (2006), Slocum's best ever finish here was last year's tie for 15th and that does not bode well for his chances.
One player who has thrived in Boston is Vijay Singh, a two-time winner of this event (2004, 2008), who comes into the week in 78th in the Cup standings and 3,734 points behind Woods. A successful defense of his title would put Singh right back into the mix.
One player to keep an eye on this week is the Big Easy, Ernie Els. Els has only played this tournament once, a third-place finish last year, and is coming off a solid effort last week in New Jersey. If Els, who starts play on Friday in 11th place and is 2,698 points behind Woods, can carry over that play to this week he could put himself right on Tiger's tail.
Of course, there could be another Heath Slocum lurking somewhere in the tall grass at the TPC Boston, looking to deal himself into the mix as well, which should make for some great golf viewing over this holiday weekend.
Enjoy.
Such as, just how does a guy who compiled just 355 points in 24 events suddenly find himself in a position to win the Cup and the $10 million prize that goes with it?
Heath Slocum barely got into the field of 125, starting last Thursday's opening round of The Barclays at 124th, 3,076 points behind Tiger Woods. When his final putt sank to the bottom of the cup in the 18th on Sunday, Slocum had leaped up 121 places in the standings to third and finds himself just 1,526 points behind the first-place Woods, and just 250 points behind second-place Steve Stricker.
If Slocum is getting hot at the right time and pulls a 2008 Vijay Singh by winning this week, he could find himself in the lead with two events to play and likely only needing to make sure he finishes no worse than tied with Woods at the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship to seal the deal.
But, while Tiger has won at the Deutsche Bank Championship (2006), Slocum's best ever finish here was last year's tie for 15th and that does not bode well for his chances.
One player who has thrived in Boston is Vijay Singh, a two-time winner of this event (2004, 2008), who comes into the week in 78th in the Cup standings and 3,734 points behind Woods. A successful defense of his title would put Singh right back into the mix.
One player to keep an eye on this week is the Big Easy, Ernie Els. Els has only played this tournament once, a third-place finish last year, and is coming off a solid effort last week in New Jersey. If Els, who starts play on Friday in 11th place and is 2,698 points behind Woods, can carry over that play to this week he could put himself right on Tiger's tail.
Of course, there could be another Heath Slocum lurking somewhere in the tall grass at the TPC Boston, looking to deal himself into the mix as well, which should make for some great golf viewing over this holiday weekend.
Enjoy.
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