Majors
Stay tuned, we're just hitting the back 9 on Sunday in the greatest rivalry ever and witnessing the beginning of the next one!
First, let me congratulate Keegan Bradley on a very impressive win. I want to make sure that anyone reading the rest of this blog doesn't think I'm demeaning Keegan in any way, shape or form. Playing the Atlanta Athletic Club course as he did, and considering who he beat and how he beat them speaks volumes about what a terrific golf talent he is.
This last week's PGA has proven to me that I don't understand much about the modern game of golf. First, I don't understand the pro game and world rankings. The top 3 ranked golfers have never won a Major. This isn't an indictment of the golfers. It's ...
For those who were really paying attention, the game of golf taught us a lot about itself during this year's British Open. Golf is not an easy game. There's a big gulf between the very good and the great. The old courses can hold up quite nicely to the best in the world. Losing doesn't mean choking. Putting is still the most important part of the game. Golf is one part physical and two parts mental.
After that the field is filled with old and young, decorated and not. Even Phil and the young English amateur are within striking distance. Tomorrow should sort things out a bit if the wind blows and we see some rain. Who's got thick enough skin to be patient and not panic?
So why might this Open signal a turning point?
Given Tiger's time away from the game this year already, I don't expect him to be win anything in 2011 even if he does come back. It's going to take a full off season of getting ready and a decent early season schedule for him to return to form.
As we all know by now Rory is off to a rip-roaring start at the
US Open. He is simply playing flawless golf. We'll see where he lands on Sunday and whether or not he can shake those recent Sunday Master's demons behind for good.
When I have caught segments of the Open so far this week I have heard a lot of comments on the beauty of Rory McIlroy's golf swing. And it truly is a thing of beauty. He has everything - speed, power, total synchronization, touch - it's all there. But as most of us fall into the amateur status, what things can we learn from watching ...
For the rest of the players there are more questions than answers. That seems to be the state of things in professional golf and doesn't look to change for awhile. I'm not sure how many great players there are, but there are a lot of very good players. Looking at the new major, the U.S. Open, who's going to win. I have no idea, but I'd venture there are at least 15 to 20 guys who might win that wouldn't be a surprise to anyone.
Some excellent action yesterday at the Masters! Rory is roaring ahead, Jason Day had an amazing 64 yesterday, Freddy is well positioned and Tiger is right back in the thick of it after shooting a stellar 66. You can see the
scoreboard leaders.
This is really shaping up to be an exciting Masters! There just seems to be so many different players who could win. Even players just a bit farther down on the board, like: Westwood, Yang, Fowler, Oglivy, Furyk or Donald.
What's nice this year is the mix of the old guard and the new. It'll be fun today to watch Ricky Fowler play with Fred Couples. We're talking ...
My dark horse pick after day 1 is Matt Kuchar. He's been up as an amateur and then down for quite awhile as a pro before turning it around. He's dealt with adversity and survived nicely. He's perfected his swing, won big last year and is off to a good start this year. He's comfortable in his own skin and has no undo pressure on him at Augusta. Plus he looks to be enjoying himself. He also has the short game and putting skills that Augusta demands. He just may be heading for Butler Cabin on Sunday afternoon.
