| Monty continues to push for Ryder Cup consideration | Friday 8/29, 5:10 PM CT |
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Colin Montgomerie carded a 2nd-round score of 70 today at the European Tour's Johnnie Walker Championship, enhancing his chance of a Ryder Cup selection.
Our View: Montgomerie, the veteran of eight Ryder Cup teams, needs a victory or close to it to persuade European captain Nick Faldo to make him one of the two wild-card picks on Sunday. The Europeans will defend their Ryder Cup title against the Americans next month at Valhalla near Louisville, Kentucky. He moves forward in a tie for 13th, five strokes off the lead. Darren Clarke, another Cup veteran seeking a wild card, struggled on the greens and shot a 73, missing three putts from within 2 feet in a round that included 34 putts. |
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| Singh keeps the putter straight, shoots 64 at Deutsche Bank | Friday 8/29, 5:07 PM CT |
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Fresh off an outstanding win at The Barclays last week, the first of four tournaments serving as the playoff venues for this year's FedEx Cup, Vijay Singh continues to swing a hot set of sticks, posting a round of 64 (-7) in 1st-round action at the Deutsche Bank Championship. "I've been hitting the ball pretty much like that for last week, as well, and on the practice range, it feels good," Singh said. "If you're going in with a short iron and the pin is very accessible, you can actually go ahead and hit it."
Our View: The strong start was Singh's best opening round in a tournament since carding a matching 64 in the 1st round of the 2006 Buick Open. Singh entered the clubhouse one stroke ahead of Eric Axley, and three shots ahead of playing partner Sergio Garcia, whose 41-foot birdie attempt lipped out on No. 8, his penultimate hole of the day. However, Mike Weir was on the mark as well and bested Singh with a score of 61 (-10). |
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| Weir ties TPC Boston record, takes 1st-round lead | Friday 8/29, 5:03 PM CT |
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Mike Weir's day on the links of TPC Boston was full of birdies as the Canadian duffer tied the course record with a score of 61 (-10) to take a three-shot lead after the opening round at the Deutsche Bank Championship.
Our View: Weir was one of our suggestions as a player to target for the week, in large part due to the noteworthy success he has found on the greens after introducing a new putter to the bag. He has continued the trend of top-shelf work with the short stick, evidenced by the tremendous effort today. Getting started hot is often followed by disappointment, thus we must suggest caution for the three rounds that lie ahead, but it appears Weir is on the mark and capable of making a strong effort for the win. |
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| Isenhour gets probation, fine for killing eagle | Friday 8/29, 4:59 PM CT |
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Pro golfer Tripp Isenhour has pleaded no contest to charges he faced for killing a protected hawk, according to the Associated Press. Attorney David de Armas said Friday that Isenhour agreed to one year of supervised probation, four hours of anger management classes and 100 hours of community service. Forty hours must be performed at a wildlife or animal shelter. He also must pay a $500 fine.
Our View: Isenhour was charged with animal cruelty and killing a migratory bird. He was accused of hitting the bird with a golf shot when its loud chirps interrupted the filming of an instructional video in Orlando. |
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| Tiger up and swinging... sort of... | Thursday 8/28, 5:06 PM CT |
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The world’s top-ranked golfer has been sidelined since winning the U.S. Open in June, recovering from surgery on his left knee to repair a torn ligament. However, new reports indicate Tiger Woods is swinging with regularity and has his game on point for big rewards... in video games, according to the Associated Press. Woods said in a telephone interview that he plays friends in tournaments on EA Sports’ Tiger Woods PGA Tour game. He plays as self-created characters: “One’s a really buffed-out dude,” another is pudgy. “I do play quite a bit,” Woods said. “A heck of a lot more now.”
Our View: EA Sports launched the ‘09 version of the game this week, and also announced a partnership with Gillette. Woods is one of the “Gillette Champions” in marketing for the shaver maker. Woods said he actually learns from playing the virtual courses. He expects to be out swinging real golf clubs in January, but said it’s too soon to know when he’ll be able to compete again. |
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| Poulter promised Ryder Cup spot? Casey says "no" | Thursday 8/28, 5:03 PM CT |
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Paul Casey does not accept Nick Dougherty’s claim that Nick Faldo must have promised Ian Poulter a place on Europe’s Ryder Cup team, according to Sports Ticker. Casey said he has “no clue” who captain Faldo is likely to choose as his two wild-card picks, and nor does he think Poulter has any idea which way the captain is leaning to round out the squad that will take on the U.S. at Valhalla next month. Poulter made a late decision to pull out of this week’s Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles - his final chance to make the team automatically - to instead play in the United States at the PGA Tour’s Deutsche Bank Championship. That decision prompted Dougherty, speaking at Gleneagles, to say that he thought Faldo must have assured Poulter he would be on the Ryder Cup team. Casey also decided to stay in the United States rather than fly back to Europe for the final qualifying event, and he defends Poulter’s decision.
Our View: Casey and Poulter’s hopes of both making the Ryder Cup team have been complicated by the return to form of Darren Clarke, who won the KLM Open on Sunday. Not only does Clarke warrant consideration on his form alone, but he and Lee Westwood have formed a formidable Ryder Cup partnership in previous years, something Faldo must be aware of. With Faldo scheduled to announce his two selections on Sunday, Casey and Poulter have only two rounds here to impress the captain, because the tournament does not start until Friday. |
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| Swing changes pointing Kim towards success | Thursday 8/28, 4:52 PM CT |
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In an interview with Jason Sobel today, Anthony Kim reported he began dipping his right shoulder during impact while at Royal Birkdale last month in an effort to keep the ball lower and under the wind, according to ESPN. The disappointing results speak for themselves: T-8 (Canadian Open), T-36 (WGC-Bridgestone Invitational), T-56 (PGA Championship) and T-12 (The Barclays).
Our View: Kim states he and his swing coach recognized the problem with the shoulder and feel they have corrected the problem. As such, it may be wise to boost your confidence in his ability to compete at the Deutsche Bank Championship this week. |
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| Monty still chasing Ryder Cup dreams | Thursday 8/28, 4:48 PM CT |
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Colin Montgomerie clung to his Ryder Cup hopes on Thursday despite trailing Johnnie Walker Championship leader Gregory Havret by six shots after the opening round, according to Reuters.
Our View: Montgomerie, seeking a first victory of the season to impress Europe's Ryder Cup captain Nick Faldo enough for a wild card on Sunday, closed with a birdie before admitting to struggling on the greens as he posted a 1-over 74. The tournament is the last to count for top-10 automatic qualifying places for next month's Ryder Cup match against the U.S. at Valhalla in Louisville, Kentucky. |
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| Lefty & Rocco join the chase for Skins | Thursday 8/28, 4:45 PM CT |
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Phil Mickelson and U.S. Open runner-up Rocco Mediate will join two-time champ Stephen Ames and K.J. Choi in this year's LG Skins Game, set for November 29th and 30th, according to ESPN.
Our View: The foursome will play nine holes each day on the Celebrity Course at the Indian Wells Golf Resort. The event will be televised by ESPN on ABC, running from 1-3:30 p.m. ET on Nov. 29 and 3:30-6 p.m. ET on Nov. 30. Ames has won back-to-back Skins Game titles, pocketing more than $1.2 million in the process. Mickelson, meanwhile, will play in his third Skins Game, but first since 2003. He's never won the event. |
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| Monty looking for Ryder Cup berth | Wednesday 8/27, 11:22 PM CT |
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Colin Montgomerie and Darren Clarke are among the European stars who have a last chance this week to capture places on the European Ryder Cup team, according to the Associated Press. Along with Paul McGinley, Ian Poulter and Paul Casey, they are hoping to do enough in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles or the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston to impress captain Nick Faldo and secure one of two wild-card spots. Montgomerie (pictured, right), Clarke and McGinley will play in Gleneagles, and Poulter and Casey (pictured, left) will play in Boston, the second of the four FedEx Cup playoffs.
Our View: The team that will defend the trophy at Valhalla in Louisville, Ky., from Sept. 19-21 includes five from the world points list – British Open and PGA Championship winner Padraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Henrik Stenson and Robert Karlsson. The next five, who come from the European points list, are Miguel Angel Jimenez, Graeme McDowell, Justin Rose, Soren Hansen and Oliver Wilson. Martin Kaymer, Ross Fisher and Nick Dougherty are right behind the last three on the European points list. After the 10 are known on Sunday, Faldo will announce his two wild cards at a news conference at Gleneagles. Montgomerie and Clarke are outside chances for wild-card selection. Montgomerie, unbeaten in singles in his eight previous Ryder Cup appearances, has had a poor summer and did not play the last two weeks. |
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