RICOH Women's British Open Round 3 complete

Round 3 proved to be much better without the lateral rain that pelted players yesterday. Morgan Pressel likely had the biggest climb today when she came back from a tie in 49th place and now sits tied for 10th. She posted a -7 round 65 today! Cristie Kerr is now in a 4 way tie for 5h place with; Christina Kim, Suzann Pettersen, Momoko Ueda and Hee Kyung Seo.

Christina Kim shot a round 70 today, which brings her to -4, 8 strokes back from our continued leader Yani Tseng. Christina finished her round in style, with an EAGLE on 18! She also had an eagle yesterday however, that one was on hole 17. As my friend Mary Ann aka @ouchieee says, it certainly could be a "shot of the day"! She too considers CK a favorite, and I was fortunate enough to meet Mary Ann at the LPGA Statefarm Classic this year!

Yani Tseng is not doing too bad for this only being her 2nd or 3rd time on a links course. Katherine Hull the Australian who had a successful golf career while at Pepperdine University, shot a round 66, to get her into 2nd place! Brittany Lincicome aka Bam Bam, has made use of her lengthy drives and has 4th place to herself! Links golf is suiting her well!

Jiyai Shin shot even par today and sits in a tie for 12th with Amy Yang. Neither of these two players are ready to fade away from this tournament. NA Yeon Choi shot a -3 round 69 today to hold 10th place. Juli Inkster fell to 17th place after shooting a round 76, to put her at +1 overall.

Sunday is going to be an exciting day on the LINKS, to say the least! It's still up for grabs with Yani only 4 strokes ahead of the pack. Catch the final round on ESPN Sunday from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm!

Now, doesn't this make you feel the urge to play after seeing these ladies face the challenging course at Royal Birkdale?

So, Go Hit Some Balls.........

A day of changes at the RICOH Women's British Open

Add talent, desire, wind and rain and you get one thing.....Links Golf. At Royal Birkdale today, it was anything but mundane. While the projected cut looks to be made at +4, there are still a few finishing and this will not be official until play is complete.

The most surprising is defending champion Catriona Matthew, who will miss the cut at +12 for the tourney. Also missing the cut are; Beatriz Recari, Candie Kung, Karen Stupples, Jean Reynolds, Jane Park, Helen Alfredsson, Kristy McPherson and Amanda Blumenhurst to name a few.

Lookout for those on the climb; Yani Tseng finished the day in first place at -8 after her 2nd round today at 4 under. Cristie Kerr is in a tie for 2nd place with Amy Yang and Brittany Lincicome at -4 overall. 5th place also has a trio of; Suzann Pettersen, Sun Young Yoo and Juli Inkster at -3. Fan favorite Christina Kim is tied in 8th place at -2, after a round of -4  68 today! Also in 8th place are Momoko Ueda, Hee Kyung Seo, Katherine Hull, MJ Hur and Jiyai Shin (#1 in current world rankings).

One thing is for sure, these ladies have had some contending weather to deal with at Royal Birkdale. While it's a surprise to see Catriona miss the cut, this is shaping up to be an exciting tournament! While Yani holds a 4 stroke lead ahead of the rest of the pack, Morgan Pressel and Paula Creamer have both fallen back into a tie for 49th place. This is only round two and there's 36 more holes to be played before our new champion of the RICOH Women's British Open.

Remember to catch the action Live on ESPN for 3rd & 4th round coverage at 10:00 - 1:00 pm ET

Now, Go Hit Some Balls...............

Ladies will be playing for World Ranking

Jiyai Shin has it, Ai Miyazato has had it, and Cristie Kerr has had it. All too brief a term for Cristie Kerr. Shes has the focus set to get that title back. It may take a couple tourney wins to do so however, she is ready, willing and able!

Cristie currently ranks 3rd behind Jiyai Shin and Ai Miyazato. Jiyai who is fresh off a win at last week's Evian Masters is ready for the challenge. Kerr has played well at Royal Birkdake in the past, with a 5th place finish in 2005 despite the weather endured during that final round. She then tied for 2nd place when the tourney was played at Royal Lytham in 2006.

An underdog if you will, is Melissa Reid who got her first win on The Ladies European Tour in May, is more than confident going into Royal Birkdale this week. Paula Creamer on the other hand is thankful to not have the question asked or deal with the scrutiny this week of when she was going to finally win a major. This question use to permeate its way into every tournament. It is now one that no longer need be asked after her win at The US Open.

Again, you can catch televised coverage on ESPN, throughout the next four days!

RICOH Women's British Open July 29th - Aug 1st

And off they go from picturesque Evian-les-Bains France, to Southport, England. This week, Royal Birkdale Golf Club will be the host of the RICOH Womens British Open. This is only the 2nd time at Royal Birkdale since becoming a major. The first was in 2005, when Jeong Jang won by 4 strokes over Sophie Gustafson. Par at Royal Birkdale is 72, and it plays 6,465 yards. Defending champion Catriona Matthew posted rounds of 74-67-71-73 to capture this title in 2009. She beat Karrie Webb by a 3 stroke margin. Catriona also became the first-ever Scottish LPGA Major Championship winner at Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club. While at a different course this year, I expect the winner will take that title going even lower than Catriona's 3 under par win.

Will Jiyai keep the #1 Rank for longer than a week....only time will tell. Ai Miyazato did not this most recent time, after taking it from Cristie Kerr. The LPGA certainly has the excitement with several talented players jockeying for the coveted ranking almost weekly. It only keeps getting better, with each tourney!

Television coverage will be via ESPN as follows; Thursday July 29th & Friday July 30th 9:00-11:59 am ET. Saturday & Sunday airing will be at 10:00 - 1:00 pm ET.

Jiyai Shin wins at Evian & is back into #1 Ranking!

After Morgan Pressel missed a birdie putt on 18 that would have led to a playoff, Jiyai Shin won the Evian Masters at -14. Morgan finished at -13 along with N.Choi, and Alexis Thompson for a 3 way tie for 2nd place. Suzann Pettersen took sole position at 5th place followed by A. Miyazato & S. Kim tied at 6th.

VGT's Golden Ears Open first round results

Bryn Parry & Matt Makinson are co-leaders at -4 first round 68. The same Bryn Parry who came off of a win at last week's Men's Chilliwack Open after sinking a 4ft putt on the first playoff hole! He's playing some great golf as of late and is going to give Matt a run for another win. And, Bryn's win last weekend was his 2nd consecutive win at the Chilliwack Open!

Our recent interview subject, Brandan Price is in a tie for 35th place with Craig Barr at +6 after a first round 78. Fraser Mullholland is close behind tied for 37th with a first round 79, alongside Muncie Booth.

At the time of this update, 2nd round pairings were not yet available. You can follow LIVE scoring from the VGT at http://www.vancouvergolftour.com

Next Q & A session will be with LPGA fan favorite Christina Kim!

It looks as if the next Q & A interview will be with one of the LPGA's brightest personalities and FAN Fave.....The Christina Kim!

Pressel leads after 3rd round at Evian Masters

Today was a day of movement on the leaderboards! Morgan Pressel regained the lead and stands alone at -11. Jiyai Shin & J. Jang are tied for 2nd, just two strokes back. Brittany "Bam Bam" Lincicome & Alexis Thompson are tied for 4th place at 8 under.If the weather can hold out for Sunday's round, we're going to see several players vying to make their way to the top! With the greens still soft from the past couple days of showers; players can aim straight for the pin, which I'm sure we'll witness tomorrow!

You can catch the final round on GC 1:00 - 4:00 pm ET!

After tomorrow, the ladies are off to Southport England for the RICOH Women's British Open, with a purse of $2,500,000

Evian Masters 2nd round complete

It was a challenging day at the Evian Masters. This not only came in the form of golf, but also with the weather. What would a tournament be without rain at some point right?

The rain caused an approximate 25 min delay this am and 1hr 25 min this afternoon during the 2nd round. After that, it was a race to make the cut! That cut (at +3) would end up finishing the tourney for some awesome golfers like; Brittany Lang, Laura Davies, Christina Kim, Beatriz Recari, Eunjung Yi, Inbee Park, Seon Hwa Lee and Katherine Hull to name a few.

Mika Miyazato however, need not worry as she is the leader after two rounds. Her first round of 68 was bettered by one at 67 for the second. She is the sole leader at -9. Next in line is Gwladys Nocera who is right on her heels with a -8. Morgan Pressel who was leading after the first round, fell into a tie for 4th with a total of 6 under.

Ai Miyazato who took the world's #1 title back from Cristie Kerr, is in a 5 way tie for 16th place. There certainly could be another change in that title, with a win at Evian! US Open winner Paula Creamer is in a tie for 38th and sits at even par. Recent #1 Cristie Kerr, is +1 after two rounds. I look for her to make up strokes tomorrow and be back into contention on Sunday. Once she kicks into focus and into her mastered "Zen" frame of mind, she'll be full steam ahead!

Speaking of Cristie Kerr, she and Helen Alfredsson will tee time of 9:20 am. Ai Miyazato and Alexis Thompson will go off at 11:44. Another great pairing, Jiyai Shin & Suzann Pettersen will tee off at 12:16 pm.

One thing is for sure, with the picturesque mountains as a back drop and Lake Geneva in the forefront; this beautifully manicured course and 79 talented athletes will be the place to be this weekend. And if you're not there in person, you can catch televised coverage on the Golf Channel from 1:00-4:00 pm ET on both Saturday & Sunday!

REMINDER.....Evian first round begins tomorrow!

Join me in following the Evian Masters, first round coverage starts tomorrow! Michelle Wie will be paired with Morgan Pressel and Jiyai Shin and tee off at 9:20 a.m. Paula Creamer will be with Cristie Kerr and Ai Miyazato at 9:09 a.m. One of my faves, Christina Kim aka @thechristinakim via twitterworld will be teeing off at 8:47 a.m. with Amanda Blumenhurst and MJ Hur!

The Evian Masters played in Evian-les-Baines, France has a iphone app that is awesome. You can watch LIVE coverage and get all up to date info from this. The 1.1 version is available now at the App store! With the time difference, your only chance to see live coverage is via the webpage http://www.evianmasters.com or the iphone app. Televised coverage will be via the Golf Channel as follows; July 22nd and 23rd from 6:30-8:30 pm ET and July 24th & 25th 1:00-4:00 pm ET.

Next up for Brandan Price is the Golden Ears Open July 24th & 25th

As you all know, the VGT is going to be getting some regular postings on this blog. As I've become a huge fan after getting to learn more about the VGT and Canadian Tours. I highly recommend following the VGT via the web at  http://www.vancouvergolftour.com  as well as Brandan Price via twitter @brandanprice and Fraser Mulholland via twitter @vancouvergolf  I will be posting some pics shortly and adding them to the inital post, Q & A session with Brandan also!

This weekends Golden Ears Open (or Golden Ears Invitation) will be hosted by Pitt Meadows Golf Club. This course is located on the old Greybrook Farm property and is a member-owned facility. It boasts beautifully manicured fairways & greens and has the backdrop of the Golden Ears Mountains. Start time on saturday wiill be at #1 and #10 tees at 7:00 a.m. Sunday will be the same schedule. The VGT's very own Fraser Mullholland will be teeing off saturday @ 8:30 a.m. on the 10th tee.  And my personal fave Brandan Price will tee off at 12:27 p.m. on Tee #1.

Check out these awesome photos of Brandan in his Ian Poulter clothing line which is a sponsor of his.  [Photos by jevansphotography.com  Jonathan Evans is an independant Vancouver Photographer]

Catch the LPGA Evian Masters this week from Evian-les-Bains, France

This will be televised as follows;

Jul 22 : GC 6:30-8:30 PM ET
Jul 23 : GC 6:30-8:30 PM ET
Jul 24 : GC 1:00-4:00 PM ET
Jul 25 : GC 1:00-4:00 PM ET

For those with iPhones, download the FREE app "2010 Evian Masters" You can see the final field of 111 ladies who will competing in this years tourney, Plus lots more!

Canada & The Vancouver Golf Tour, Q&A w/Brandan Price

It's time we get to know about our neighboring Canada and the Tours played there. I went to fellow Twitter friend, Brandan Price (aka @brandanprice via twitter) for a quick 10 Q & A session to learn a little more about his own history with golf and the VGT (Vancouver Golf Tour) he plays on. I hope you'll all find this as interesting and informative as I have in my research of such.

Just a little history for those not familiar with Canadian Tour & Vancouver Golf Tours. There is also the Canadian Tour Qualifying School as well. Fraser Mullholland, who is also known as the man behind the VGT had insights and goals and brought them to fruition in 2006. He currently acts as Commissioner of the VGT. Fraser has been a PGA member of Canada since 1992 and has over 16 yrs experience in not just play, but instruction and tournament operations. He is likely one of the most accomplished golfers in Canada, with 34 prof tournament wins and he's played twice on the PGA Tour. You can follow him via twitter, as he is the man behind the @vancouvergolf name. You can also follow via the web, at www.vancouvergolftour  Live scoring for the tour is by Golfbox at www.vancouvergolftour.com/2010/live_scoring

Okay tweeters and blog lovers; the moment has come. Read on for my 10 Q & A session with the ever pleasant Brandan Price.........

1. Q: My first question was how long Brandan has been playing in Canada on a professional
        level. And WOW, this guy is a busy busy man at that.  
    A: Brandan has been playing on a professional level for 3 yrs on the local VGT, Canadian           Tour Monday Q's, US Open Qualifiers, Gateway Tour, and other professional events.

2. Q: I then asked when he specifically joined the VGT as we know it.
    A: Brandan joined the VGT as an amateur in 2007. He won a 1 day event at Hazelmere,        which is the site of various  Candian Tour events. After that victory, Brandan turned
        pro!

3. Q: Did you play in the recent Ledgeview Open, where Nick Taylor won when John Shin
        had a chance to force this into a playoff yet missed his pitch shot on the 18th, which         would have set him up nicely for a putt to tie?     A: Brandan did play in this event as well and finished tied for 15th with a +9

4. Q: What are your plans with your Professional Golf career?
    A: Brandan stated "I plan to continue on the VGT & potentially play in the Canadian         Tour Qualifying School or PGA Tour Qualifying School at the end of 2010".
        The VGT as well as the Nationwide, eGolf Tour, etc are used as springboards onto the
        PGA Tour and other higher level Pro events.

5. Q: I asked Brandan what percentage of the VGT events he plays?
    A: Brandan plays in approx 70% of all Vancouver Golf Tour events!

6. Q: I have seen your bio, where you are also a licensed realtor?
    A: Brandan is indeed a professionally licensed realtor with Macdonald Commercial in         Vancouver. He works with his father and assists in many leasing and sales transactions         He has been a fully licensed realtor for 3 yrs. Prior to the initial Broker position, he
        worked with Emaar Properties (Canada). For those that don't know, Emaar is a Dubaii         based firm that has an extensive background in large scale real estate developments
        worldwide.

7. Q: Did you play in the Pro-Am on July 12th in Canada?
    A: He did not play in the Pro-Am above however, he will be playing in the Chilliwack         Open and Golden Ears events this weekend and next! Both of these fields will have
        great local professionals competing for the crown. As always, Live Scoring is located         on www.vancouvergolftour.com for these tournaments as well as all other events!

8. Q: What is the main event for the 2010 VGT schedule?
    A: The Vancouver Open takes the top for main event of 2010. The Chilliwack Open is         a large event on a local scale for these golfers.

9. Q: What do you think it takes for a golf tournament to succeed?
    A: There has to be a good mix of participants, interest amongst local business and golf         courses, sponsors, staff, and a driven commissioner.

0. Q: What are some sites you would recommend in and/or around Vancouver?
    A: There are so many to see and visit, not limited to the following: Whistler, Grouse         Mountain, Capilano Suspension Bridge, VanDusen Gardens, Downtown Vancouver,         Robson Street, Yaletown, Aquarium, Granville Street (party district) and several         other local sites and attractions.

I'd like to Thank Brandan Price, for his time and participation with this Q & A format. Thanks to him, we all know alittle more about the VGT and Candian Tours. Remember, to follow Brandan via the VGT link where live scoring is presented for each tournament as well. You can also follow Brandan via Twitter @BrandanPrice, who I have recommended in my ff# 's. Brandan is so pleasant to correspond with and seems to really have his head on straight. As you've seen by his Pro golf career and that as a licensed realtor, he is quite busy. What he does have, is beautiful Vancouver when it's time to relax!

And now let's meet Brandan Price....

St. Andrews, the course, the weather, the mystery.....

Talk about a wild first two days of the British Open! First round leader was Rory McIlroy; the youngster who shot out of the gates like a horse at the kentucky derby. Not for long though, the 2nd round brought out shots at the mercy of a vicious WIND and they were flying in every direction! Golfers struggled to merely survive on day two.

Louis Oosthuizen however, didn't move in a backlash at the weather! He stayed ever so present through the 2nd round and held the lead over the final 11 hours on Friday, where the old course turned foul. He finished with a -5 67, just as the flags started whipping with winds that topped 40 mph. This forced the round to be halted for the first time in 12 years!

Tom Watson stated it perfectly, when referring to the weather opponent at St. Andrews, "She was naked yesterday, but she put on her boxing gloves today and just hit us with all she had".  What a great analogy!

The next battle will be catching Oosthuizen, who is a 27 y.o. South African who had made only one cut in his previous 8 majors. He was -12, 132 and had a 5 shot lead. The largest ever after 36 holes in this major since Bobby Clampett at Royal Troon in 1982.

I can't wait to see the stats after today's 3rd round is complete!

Now, Go Hit Some Balls.............

Up next for PGA...The British Open which begins tomorrow

The Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland will come alive with first round play on Thursday, July 15th. Wednesday's Champion Challenge, which is a four-hole exhibition format of 26 of the past winners was cancelled wednesday due to weather which dealt driving rain and winds at St. Andrews.

Coverage for The British Open will be on ESPN for all 4 rounds. This begins at 4 am thursday and runs through 3 pm, with the same schedule for Friday. Saturday coverage will be 7 am through 2:30 pm and Sunday's final round 6 am through 1:30 pm. All times are ET. With the time zone changes, players will be teeing off at 1:30 am ET on thursday. Even though it's not 1:30 am in Scotland, it still sounds brutal. Let's hope the weather holds out, as it is known to be windy & rainy for this time of year.

Lee Westwood will be getting his practice in after a recent leg injury. He was found to have ruptured the Plantaris muscle. This first developed as a very swollen calf, which doctors initially thought could be a blood clot. Luckily, that wasn't the case however, Lee has been resting it up (which is the only real treatment at this time), in hopes to make a real run at the British Open. For what seemed like a sore achilles during the past several months, was likely the Plantaris muscle slowing rupturing since it adjoins and goes clear down to the ankle at it's insertion site. Good Luck to you Lee!

Additional talk is about the one and only Tiger Woods. Will he be focused. Will he have his A game. Will he be able to keep the words of recent hecklers out of his mind. Only Tiger knows. One thing is for sure, he's not going to St. Andrews to aim for 2nd place! I anticipate we will see a very focused man at this years British. And, whether he gets one step closer to catching Jack Nicklaus or not; he remains driven by the game and the inspiration and fortitude of the game his father helped instill in him.

Stay tuned for an entry dedicated to the Vancouver Golf Tour

Within the next couple of days, I will be dedicating a blog to the Canada/Vancouver Golf Tour. This will also include a Q&A format with Brandan Price, aka on Twitter as @brandanprice.

Next up on the LPGA Tour is the Evian Masters July 22-25th

• While the ladies may have this week off to rest, the next two weeks will a real test at the Evian Masters located in Evian-les-Bains, France. Television coverage will be as follows:
• Evian Masters Presented by Société Générale
• Jul 22 : GC 6:30-8:30 PM ET
• Jul 23 : GC 6:30-8:30 PM ET
• Jul 24 : GC 1:00-4:00 PM ET
• Jul 25 : GC 1:00-4:00 PM ET
• Cristie Kerr remains #1 in world rankings followed by Ai Miyazato and then Suzann Pettersen.   Ai Miyazato is the defending champion of this great tournament and will be there to see if she can take back to back titles.
• After the Evian Masters, the ladies will make their way to the RICOH Women's British Open in Southport, England.

Congrats to Steve Stricker on his back to back wins at The JD Classic!

This weeks PGA event was in Silvis, IL, home of the John Deere Classic. While this TPC course designed by DA Weibring is quite a difficult one, Steve Stricker made this look easy at times and secured his 9th career victory. He won the tournament at -26. He set records for the lowest 54 holes and also joins only 2 others in winning back to back at this great tournament. While Steve was a birdie making machine today, he did run into trouble on the 17th, when his drive went into the trees. He then punched it out to 91 yards in front of the green before hitting a wedge shot to six feet. When that little white ball dropped on his birdie putt, the victory was secured! While Goydos birdied 17 also, he hit into the water on 18, when he was already down 2 strokes.

Paul Goydos was in the running right up through the last couple holes. Goydos, who posted a 59 on his first round, joined only 3 other PGA professionals to have done so. He always kept his comedic nature, even turning his hat sideways while walking the 17th fairway when he knew he would not be able to catch Stricker.

Jeff Maggart took 3rd place at -20, and Shawn Micheel took 4th at -19.

When the possibility of storms moving in later this afternoon were in the forecast, the officials decided to move up the start time for today's final round and to play in 3's. This worked out near perfect, with only a few sprinkles falling on the final group on the 17th hole. This was a rare week, to not have any rounds affected by weather. Only the Pro Am was suspended on Wednesday, and after that was clear skies. Record crowds attended this event and everyone certainly witnessed some terrific golf. Steve Stricker who hails from Madison, WI was able to get in his car and drive to this week's tourney. That in itself is rare with the rugged schedules that golfers keep. There's no question that Steve will be back to defend his title and again attempt to break records, trying to win this tourney 3 hrs in a row.

Congrats to Paula Creamer, winner of US Open!

Paula managed to maintain the momentum and maturity, to secure her first win in 2 years and boy was it a big one at that. She finished at 3 under, round 69 today. She will be pocketing the $585,000 for her win, but equally important is the confidence that taking this to fruition will bring. She hit 24 of her last 28 fairways and her shots onto the greens, especially in her last nine could not have been any better. While her past 3 months since her thumb surgery have been difficult, it did not show in her play. She has had a 40 ball limit during warm-ups and just started hitting off the grass in her warm-ups this week! One thing is for sure, this 23 year old will likely have a sleepiness night. This time it won't be from disappointment, and wondering why it eluded her; it will be from elation and pure excitement.

In a tie for 2nd place were Na Yeon Choi & Suzann Pettersen, who finished at +1 today. While Suzann looked as though she was going to make a charge, she could not get the putts to drop until the 17th. In Kyung Kim held 4th place soley, while 5th place was a 3-way tie with; Jiyai Shin, Brittany Lang and Amy Yang.

While battling the heat and humidity and then the storms that suspended play on Friday, the weather was beautiful for rounds 3 & 4 however, they were long. So, congrats to everyone who made this tournament a success!

2nd round of The US Women's Open suspended due to rain

It has been announced by head PGA tournament officials, that there will be no resuming of round two today due to the storms that have passed and those yet to come.

Play will resume at 7:30 am tomorrow and after all of the ladies finish their 2nd round play, the cut will be made. Hopes are to finish the remaining round two by 1:30-1:45. Rounds 3 and 4 will be played in groups of 3, with tee offs at both the #1 and #10 Tee's tomorrow afternoon and Sunday.

For those that missed round 1 coverage, it can be seen currently on ESPN2 in HD!

Let's hope the weather is great tomorrow & Sunday so that the remaining rounds can be played in their entirety. Plans are to have this tourney finish by approximate 6:00 pm Sunday, per the USGA officials.

Now, Go Hit some Balls..........

Brittany Lang is proof that Oakmont can give up low scoring

As this week's Women's US Open began, it was a sultry warm start on this tough course to say the least. As Brittany Lang stated after thursday's round one, "on any golf course you can shoot a low number". She also added "if you're hitting the ball good you can shoot a low number, if not then it can be a big one"!

And low number she obtained, with a 69 and on the leader board at -2 to take the lead following the first round. The heat was unrelenting and the greens a sun-beaten brown, Brittany has a 1 stroke lead over 2008 champion Inbee Park. Lang not only shot the round of the day, she did so at the time of the day when the green's were chewed up & very unpredictable at best. She finished late afternoon/early evening.

World's No.1 Cristie Kerr hit a +1 72, which she doesn't mind at all. She was tied with a group of 14 others, also with a round 72. Kerr was the first American to be top-ranked since the adoption of the World Rankings. She has spent the week following her perch at the top, calming down from the emotional ride she took off on following her monumental win at the LPGA Championship just two weeks ago. All one can say about that ride, is that is not going to be over soon, if Cristie has any say about it. So, sit down, be quiet and hold on fans!

Goydos 59 joins only 3 other PGA

Paul Goydos came to this years John Deere Classic, to play this magnificent par 71 7,268 yard course. Little did he imagine that a round of 59 was going to end up on his card after the first round. He carded a 31 on the front 9 and a 28 on the back. He joins only 3 other PGA players on Tour to have ever carded the same. He joins David Duval, who finished the 5th round on a Sunday at the Bob Hope Classic Jan. 24, 1999. Additionally, Chio Beck carded his 59 on Oct 11, 1991 on a Friday round at the Las Vegas Invitational Sunrise Golf Course and finished tied for 3r pl. The first to card a 59, was Al Geiberger who did so on June 10, 1977 in his Friday round at The Memphis Classic Colonial Country Club where he posted the win!

While a 59 is certainly magnificent, I don't have to remind anyone that Annika Sorenstam carded her 59 in 2001's second round at The Moon Valley Country Club, AZ. She then went on to win the Kraft Nabisco the following week.

Whatever the drive that gets a player on focus to win, you can be sure that Steve Stricker will be doing all he can to defend his title here at the John Deere Classic. Steve had to finish with an eagle and birdie on yesterday's round to also snag a 59, which unfortunatelydid not happen......YET!

It's going to be beautiful weather here in Silvis, IL for the remainder of the tourney, and that leaves the door wide open for some additional low scores.

John Deere Classic round 1 complete

The beautiful TPC Deere Run is the course for this week's John Deere Classic. Although up through this am, it's been a wet course to say the least. Wednesday's Pro Am was first delayed and then suspended due to storms that went through the area.

With some very macho men out here this week, there was nothing more touching than the tears shed by Bubba Watson when interviewed and speaking of his fathers battle with lung cancer. He was diagnosed 1 year ago. Bubba will be taking the next tournament off, to spend some time with his dad. Gary Sr has sure raised a wonderful son, that's for sure.

Another illness comes to this week's tourney in the way of player Jason Day. This 22 year old has been battling a chronic sinus infection for the past 5 months. He remains on medication and will undergo another CT scan in the coming weeks to see if it has improved. If not, he will be facing surgery for the left maxillofacial sinus cavity. Luckily, Only a couple days of recovery would follow such. He nearly had to withdraw from the opening day of the Nelson due to how bad he was feeling on the meds & w/the infection. One thing is for sure, the sultry weather conditions have not likely helped his situation any. The rest of this tourney is expected to be perfect temps and free from rain.

Steve Stricker, last years champion is back to defend his title. With living just 3 hrs north, in Wisconsin; they hopped in the car and drove down for this tourney.

Paul Goydos finished with an impressive round 59 today, to join the likes of only two other PGA players have done here in the past.

Rickie Fowler with his Bieber-do, will be sporting his Blazing Orange on Sunday, as has become his salute to his college days at Oklahoma.

This John Deere Classic is the 40th anniversary of this great tourney and is setting up to be anyone's game. Zach Johnson (who hails from the neighboring state of Iowa), will be playing for a large home crowd. With Cedar Rapids Iowa being under a 2 hr drive to the course, you can be sure his followers whom call themselves the "Zach attack" will be trailing their hometown boy!

Want to learn about Vancouver Golf Tour......Stay tuned!

In the very near future, I will be devoting a posting about the VGT (Vancouver Golf Tour)& a Q&A session with golfer Brandan Price, whom you can follow via Twitter @brandanprice

I hope to start this type of interview forum on at least a monthly basis. This will be with golfers from the various golf tours and follow a Q&A format as the inaugural one coming soon with Brandan Price!

Women's US Open begins 1st round coverage tomorrow

For those waiting for the start of first round coverage of the Women's Open......the time has come! You can view the complete list and TEE times via http://www.lpgascoring.com/leaderboard.html Also as a reminder, tv coverage will be on ESPN for the first 2 rounds 3:00-7:00 ET. 3rd & final round coverage will be on NBC 3:00-6:00 pm ET.

Christina Kim will be off at 1:14, as will Cristie Kerr and a few others. Let's hope an afternoon start in this heat & humidity, is not too draining on these athletes who have the later tee times.

Eun-Hee Ji won last year's Open at "even par". Cristie Kerr finished in a tie for 3rd place at 2 over. Jiyai Shin finished in a tie for 13th at +7. Suzann Pettersen was in a tie for 6th at +4 and Christina Kim finished tied for 52nd place just to name a few. Michelle Wie did not play this event in 2009 and when she played in 2008, she missed the cut. Now two years later and swinging the club with much more authority, long hitters like Michelle will be the ones to keep an eye on, and the ones that this tough course just might favor.

There are many young faces to be seen at this weeks Open, although all eyes will be on Na Yeon Choi & Christina Kim, who recently held the lead each round in last week's Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic. Christina Kim has gone back to her "old/new" putter....the single bend Odyssey Sabertooth! It definitely appeared to have morphed w/her and became one hot club recently. Hmmm, I wonder if she's putting this bad boy under her pillow at night? Either way, best wishes to her and all the women playing in the sultry heat that the East Coast has
been hit with this week. Lots of G2 & H20 will be had by all!

So as we enter this week's tourney, the top 3 in The Rolex Rankings are; 1)Cristie Kerr, 2) Ai Miyazato and 3) Jiyai Shin. Cristie Kerr has one goal in mind; and she will continue to have her zen-like focus and work towards maintaining her stay at the top! The remaining 4-6
positions are as follows; 4) Suzann Pettersen, 5)Yani Tseng and 6)Anna Nordqvist.

2010 Women's Open @ Oakmont, PA July 8-11th

This week will be one of the LPGA's 4 Majors of the season. It will be at beautiful Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont,PA. This will be a 72 hole format and the course plays 6598 yards, Par 71. This event is the longest running one on the LPGA at that, even though it is not a co-sponsored LPGA Tour event. It began in 1946. Current defending champion Eun-Hee Ji will be back to defend her title. Last year she defeated Candie Kung by only 1 stroke.

I am pleased to say that FANS can follow this great tourney with television coverage back this week (after not having any at the exciting JFOCC)!
U.S. Women's Open
Jul 08 : ESPN 3:00-7:00 PM ET
Jul 09 : ESPN 3:00-7:00 PM ET
Jul 10 : NBC 3:00-6:00 PM ET
Jul 11 : NBC 3:00-6:00 PM ET

With the momentum generated by several players in yesterdays final round and 4-way playoff, this event promises to bring the strong will and talent of these great women athletes!

Now, Go Hit some BALLS..........

What a final round it was @ The JFOCC in Ohio!

Na Yeon Choi & Christina Kim were the 1 & 2 players throughout the tournament. Things did not change today either!  After finishing in a 4-way tie for first place; a shootout was in store for deciding this events WINNER. Those 4 players were; NY Choi, C Kim, Song-Hee & IK Kim. Ultimately, it was Na Yeon who walked away the winner however, they are all winners in my eyes and the eyes of thousands of fans.

Na Yeon Choi posted an even round 71 today and Christina posted a -1 70. For those who followed this tournament via the LPGA.com site, it left many on the edge of their seats! The lack of TV coverage of this great event left me with more than a sour taste in my mouth to say the least. Of all tourneys.... probably what will go down as the most exciting one of the 2010 season with a 4 person playoff! Okay, enough whining about that.

Na Yeon Choi with her quiet nature and poise, maintained the lead with little if any signs of nerves. Christina Kim with her always lively and enjoyable personality, brought discipline and effort to this tourney. While Na Yeon now has 10 top 10 finishes in her last 11 tourneys; something tells me that she will have several more before the season is over. Christina Kim has started to ascend with the speed in which she likely drives those Porsche Panamera's...FAST!

There is nothing to not be proud of in the way these women played & finished. To finish 1st & 2nd are commendable and shows the athleticism and determination that these two women possess. I say Congrats to the both of them and hope the momentum from this weeks tourney, takes them into next week's Open at Oakmont on a very positive note.

The following pics were rounds 3 and 2 respectively. My local paper had this article of CK.

Round 3 of JFOCC is in the books

Na Yeon Choi has managed to hold her lead position by 1 stroke over Christina Kim, who closed today with another round of 67. She is now -13, while Choi is at -14. Christina had 6 more birdies today, with only 2 bogies. Christina has made 8 cuts in her 11 events this year. She is hungry and ready to play her heart out Sunday and take the Title of this years Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic Champion. Next year will be an off year for the tourney due to hosting another major event. The tourney will pick up in 2012 and is committed through 2015. Na Yeon Choi had 3 birdies today, 1 HIO, and 2 bogeys. In her 11 events this year, she's made 10 cuts. She has had a 2nd place under her belt this year and has had an impressive 5 top ten finishes. Both of these talented athletes will be playing for their first win of the season. The only bad thing I can say, is that there is no scheduled televised coverage!

3 strokes behind our top duo, is Katherine Hull, Kristy McPherson and Inbee Park. Azahara Munoz and Song-Hee Kim follow them, with a tie for 6th place after 3 rounds.

One thing is sure, Na Yeon Choi & Christina Kim have certainly done some great ball-striking to fill the top of this tournaments leader board now, for the 3rd day in a row!

Tomorrow will no doubt be an exciting day, as we watch this struggle for this weeks winner t0 emerge. Our top two will be teeing it off at 1:15 pm tomorrow, while Katherine Hull and Kristy McPherson will be off at 1:07 pm. Additional tee times of Song-Hee Kim & Meena Lee will be at 12:51 pm, followed by Inbee Park & Azahara Munoz at 12:59 pm.

Now, Go Hit some Balls..........

Round 2 at The JFOCC is a wrap!

Round two is complete and Na Yeon Choi is leading by 2 strokes. In a tie for 2nd is Christina Kim, Alena Sharp and Inbee Park. Following 3 strokes behind this pack, is a 6 way tie for 5th place.

Both Na Yeon Choi and Christina Kim posted rounds of -4 67. Jean Reynolds, Meaghan Francella and Jiyai Shin are in the next group of 6, for a tie for 11th place. One thing is for sure, this course is in good condition and has been welcoming BIRDIES this far. Na Yeon Choi has posted rounds of 64 & 67 while Christina Kim has posted 66 & 67 respectively.

Pairings for the 3rd round leaders are as follows; Na Yeon Choi & Inbee Park will tee off at 1:00 pm and Chriztina Kim & Alena Sharp will be right in front of them at 12:52 pm. M.J. Hur & Jiyai Shin will tee off at 11:48 am, while Meaghan Francella & Jean Reynolds will follow at 12:04 pm.

One thing for sure, our leaders aren't willing to give their positions away without a fight. As one of the LPGA's most vibrant players with both her personality and style, Christina Kim is going to be the one to watch. Shes ready to get the next WIN and by the way she's started to play last week and now at the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic........... One can certainly say Christina's in THE HOUSE!!

Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic first round

The first round of this great tournament is complete. Eunjung Yi who is the defending champion, finished today at E, 71. She is currently in a tie for 59th place.

The top of the leaderboard after day 1, is Na Yeon Choi with a -7 64! Alena Sharp soley holds 2nd place and 3rd is a 3-way tie with fan favorite Christina Kim, Marisa Baena  and Karine Icher. Christina, who had another book signing in Ohio this week, appears to have one thing in mind.....BIRDIES! Katherine Hull started off strong today once again (like last week) and is currently is 6th with Inbee Park, Jiyai Shin and Momoko Ueda.

Highland Meadows Golf Club has a yardage of 6,413, and has a Par 34-37 for a 71. It certainly appears that this course is ready for some birdies, as many were had today. After the news yesterday, that this tournament will be taking 2011 off, play was all but somber. There are no definite plans for 2012 however, we all hope that the Pink Panther Classic will return!

It is great seeing Jean Reynolds sitting at -2  69 finishing in a tie for 25th place, with Meaghan Francella, Angela Stanford, Beatriz Recari and several more. Jean, who lost her Grandfather in recent weeks; appears to have her clubs swinging back in the right direction. I look for her to continue her climb up the ladder this week and yet boost her confidence even more! She is such a sweet & kind person whom I've had the opportunity to meet and speak with. I cannot leave out her equally sweet caddie Paulie. He carries the PINK bag (Pure Silk) and always smells good (at least at the start of the round he says). Another favorite is Karen Stupples, who  finished with -1 70 and is in a tie for 41st. Maybe that new @59belts buckle will bring her some luck this week! Natalie Gulbis is in multi-tie as well in 12th place at -3 along with Kristy McPherson.