PGA: Heritage, Indonesia Masters, & The Zurich Classic

I have to first say Congrats to Brandt Snedecker, for his playoff win this week against Luke Donald. First, they went to the 18th, then to the 17th and then the 3rd and final hole was the 18th; where Luke found the front left bunker just as he did with his regulation play of the 18th.

Brandt and his boyish looks, were up for the challenge to say the least. He kept his composure and focus and walked away with the trophy!

Luke Donald also played a phenomenal tourney. He has been hot with the clubs lately and another WIN is likely very near for him. After the teasing at the Masters from Ian James Poulter and others, Luke was out in true Easter style with Pink slacks and black polo ensemble. While I wasn't a fan of the green and pink at the Masters, he pulled  off the Easter Pink well! He remains the World's #2, but I forsee him taking #1 very very soon!

The men head off to New Orleans this week for the Zurich Classic.  This 72 par course was originally designed by Pete Dye in 2003. It plays 7,341, which is what it has played since 2007 when it was changed from 7,520 yards.

Jason Bohn won last year, defeating Jeff Overton by 2 strokes, with a -18 followed by Troy Merritt at -14 and Lee Janzen at -13. TPC Louisiana will be the place to be in Avondale, La this week. The win of course, will bring 500 Fed Ex points to the one who hoists the trophy on May 1st.

The Golf Channel will have coverage from 3:00 - 6:00 pm ET every round! To check out hole by hole information, go to http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/r018/course.html . As always, you can follow LIVE Scoring via the PGATour.com link here http://www.pgatour.com/r/leaderboard/ .

Lee Westwood returned to the #1 spot of the World Rankings on Sunday, after Luke Donald lost in a 3 hole playoff to Brandt Snedecker. A win @ the Heritage would have put Luke at #1 however, that was just not to be....yet!  Meanwhile, Lee Westwood celebrated his birthday with a win at the Indonesia Masters in Jakarta, Indonesia. A lightening delay occurred on the final hole however, Lee returned from such and defeated Thongchai Jaidee from Thailand by a 3 stroke, -19 finish. He not only got cheers for his win, but received a warm "happy birthday" from the crowd as he walked off the 18th hole. A great Birthday indeed for the Englishman! Congrats Lee!

Avnet LPGA Classic April 28th-May 1st

Yay! It's time for the next LPGA Tournament this week! The ladies will be playing in Mobile, Alabama for this 72 hole format event; which is in it's 3rd year. The 2010 reigning champion is Se Ri Pak, who defeated Brittany Lincicome and Suzann Pettersen in a 3 hole playoff!

The event will be on the Crossings Course, at the RTJ Golf Trail at Magnolia Grove. Se Ri Pak will be there to try and defend her title. Here is a link for the rest of the field: http://www.bellmicrolpgaclassic.com/players/ . There is a Pro-Am that started this am @ 9:00. Practice rounds will be on tuesday, with the Avnet LPGA Pro-Am on wednesday, with both morning and afternoon tee times.

Thursday's first round coverage will be LIVE via the Golf Channel, as will the rest of the rounds. Set those DVR's for Thursday and Friday @ 12:30 am - 2:30 pm ET. Saturday & Sunday's rounds coverage will be from 4:00 - 6:00 pm ET. Like many tournaments, extend your recordings for Sunday's final round in the event this goes on into a playoff!

Something very neat on the Tournament website, is the layout of all the holes; and you can take a tour of each one via http://www.bellmicrolpgaclassic.com/course/ . Just click on the number of the hole you want to tour and you will get an up close and personal view!

For those TWITTER fans out there; you can follow the tourney via @AvnetLPGA . You can follow LIVE scoring via the tournament website at Scoring or via the LPGA website as always via LPGA Live Scoring .

The Legendary Masters Tournament

The Par 3 contest begins at 12:30 PM ET today. In the history of the Par 3 event, there has never been anyone who won the Par 3 contest, go on to win the Masters in the same year. Tom Watson was the closest to doing so. He won the Par 3 contest in 1982; just a year after his last Masters win in 1981. He previously had won in 1977 as well.

The Par 3 event began in 1960. Always played on the Wednesday before the tournament, Sam Snead was the innaugural winner of such. The contest is a Par 27, 1060 yd layout. To say that this gets the momentum going for the players, would be putting it mildly. After the events such as the Champions Dinner, this is one more thing that will have players feeling the jitters and beginning their dreams. 

The Masters Tournament begins Thursday. The course is always in exquisite condition. The pictures themselves are amazing as well as the Landmarks of the course. The picture to the left is hole #2. Every yard of this course is filled with beautiful scenery and the prestige of playing for the first time can be overwhelming to players. This year, first time Masters Players are: Arjun Atwal, Hideki Matsuyama, David Chung, Jeff Overton, Jason Day, D.A. Points, Rickie Fowler, Hiroyuki Fujita, Peter Hanson, Gregory Havret, Charley Hoffman, Kevin Streelman, Peter Ulhlein, Jin Jeong, Jhonattan Vegas, Kyung-Tae Kim, Mark Wilson, Gary Woodland, Lion Kim, and Martin Laird. Can you imagine how weak their knees will feel when they tee off on Thursday, or how their hearts will pound? 

Amateurs competing in this years Masters are: Hideki Matsuyama, David Chung, Jin Jeong, Peter Ulhlein, and Lion Kim. What a an exceptional honor they must feel for having this not only be their first Masters but yet, being an Amateur and being invited to the most prestigious tournament they will ever play.

One of the most beautiful Landmarks is "Amen Corner" as seen to the picture on the left. If you haven't checked out the Masters website, you must do so and look at all the holes and landmarks. You can click on the following link to check it out; Masters.com . At Amen Corner, it is said you can see the action from holes 11, 12 &13.

Another great photo is of holes 15 & 16. They consider this the "Pivotal Pair of holes" and you can see why, in this photo. 

All week, you can view via this link Live Coverage . Golf Channel coverage will be 8:00 - 3:00 pm Thursday & Friday as well as CBS on Sat 3:30 - 7:00 PM and Sun. 2:00 - 7:00 PM. Additional air time is on ESPN as follows: Wed 3-5:00 PM, Thurs 3-7:30 PM, Fri 3-7:30 PM and replays from 8-11 pm.

As always, you can follow via PGA.COM  .

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

Kraft Nabisco Championship March 28th-April 3rd!

It is time, it is now! The LPGA's first Major of the season begins today in sunny California at the Mission Hills Country Club. The Dinah Shore tournament course will come to life with many hopes of winning the season's first major. Yani Tseng is the defending champion. She won last year at -13 and beat "the Susan Lucci of Golf" by one stroke! For those that don't know who that is, it is Suzann Pettersen. I don't say that with any disrespect however, more a reference to always being close but not taking home the trophy last season.

Unlike last week's Kia Classic, the weather should be warmer and filled with sunshine! Wish I was there!
This weeks event is a 72 hole format and the course plays 6,702 yards. You will be able to follow with live scoring via LPGA  or the tournament site itself via this link KNCGolf . The tournament will also post updates via the Twitter account @KNCGolf . To see rounds 1 & 2 pairings, follow this link Pairings by Mirassou Winery .

The first two rounds coverage via the Golf Channel, will be from 12:00-3:00 PM ET and rounds 3 & 4 will be at 4:30 - 8:30 PM ET. Four hours of coverage for rounds 3 and 4, will be awesome and long overdue! There will be replays via the Golf Channel in the later evening and wee hours of the am, for those who forget to set their DVR's.

Now, my jealousy this week is because my good friend @Ouchieee via Twitter and aka Mary Ann, is at Mission Hills to take in the sunshine. She is getting her fill of meeting several players and is posting several pictures via Twitter, for those who follow.

And here she is at the left, with @KStupples . Mary Ann was sweet enough to grab me a visor and Karen signed a nice little msg under the brim for me. Mary Ann hasn't shown a pic of the msg, so I am both excited and grateful for her kindess as well as Karen's. Mary Ann is also making time to get some golf in while there and played Mission Hills last week when she arrived. She's been great for posting photos whilst at Mission Hills, and has met up with the phenomenal Judy Rankin as well as several players and Ann Cain (Titlelist/FootJoy) aka @TFJgolfgirl on Twitter.

My week started great as well, I received by @KentWoolTour sox and then yesterday received my @PukkaHeadwear . These products are awesome to say the least! And, I couldn't believe how quickly my orders arrived. Next up will be Color Fusion golf shirts by @QuagmireGolf . You can see Quagmire golf clothing on Karen Stupples, who speaks highly of the products they have. I am set to begin a new season of golf! I have a new Nike SQ hybrid and Nike putter that I purchased after last season and have not yet gotten to use. 

Photos at Mission Hills courtesy of Mary Ann, aka @Ouchiee. Thx for sharing! 

So now you are filled with the info needed to enjoy the Kraft Nabisco Championship on TV if you are not able to be there, and also through followng via the online website or the posts via Twitter. I will end this post with another picture of Mary Ann and fan favorite, Christina Kim. 

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

RR Donelley Founders Cup

In it's inaugural year, the LPGA's RR Donnelley Founders Cup is taking place at Wildfire Golf Club at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa March 16-20th. The Wildfire Golf Club was voted one of the Top 75 Resorts in North America, Best Courses to play by Golfweek Magazine and voted America's Top Golf Courses by Zagat and so forth. The list goes on and the photos simply cannot due it justice to the beauty of being there to take it all in. 


The field is strong, with 134 players having committed. You can see the final field at this link Final Field .They will compete for a purse of $1 million that will all be donated to charity. You see, it's play money or monopoly money if you will. This week is all about "honoring the past, showcase the present and provide for the future of the LPGA and women's golf".You can see the pairings here Pairings by Mirassou . You can also visit the Mirassou Wines website here Mirassou Family Winemakers .

This is all for the LPGA foundation. They will also compete for an additional $200,000 charitable pool, to be shared by the top 5 finishers. However, with the recent tragedies in Japan, RR Donnelley will donate $100 for every birdie and $500 for every eagle made on the last four holes, 15-18. The only thing better would have been if they would've done so for all holes and not limited this. The tournament is a 54 hole format to be played the 18th-20th.


And while some players spent a long time thinking about whether they would play here, they all for the most part decided to. The issues at hand, were simply about how the tournament was shaping up and about what some felt RR Donnelley could be doing better. At any rate, Cristie Kerr and Paula Creamer just to name a couple, decided to play. It's about paying homage to the founders of the LPGA, and that's what the ladies wanted to do. 


Besides being a remarkable week to be in that presence with such remarkable ladies, it marks the first time since 2009 that the LPGA returns to Phoenix. Some of the founding ladies on hand this week are; Louise Suggs, Shirley Spork, Marilyn Smith. They were also in the company of some LPGA & World Golf Halls of Fame members such as; Betsy King, Patty Sheehan, Nancy Lopez and Pat Bradley, who will play and 18 hole exhibition match on Friday. I'm sure that in itself, will draw the fans out in numbers to be remembered! 


Televised coverage will be via the Golf Channel as follows: Friday and Saturday from 6:30 -8:30 PM ET and Sunday from 7:00 - 9:00 PM ET. As always, you can catch live scoring via LPGA.COM .


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

A Fist Pump Finish for Watney!

The Blue Monster at Doral this week, came in like a lion and went out like a lamb! With storms that destroyed tents and leaderboards at the start of the tourney and the suspended play that followed, it was anything but "normal". Play was suspended for more than 3 hours and the first round had to be finished on Friday before the 2nd round could begin.

Nick Watney had a final round 67 to finish at -16, two strokes ahead of Dustin Johnson to win at Doral on Sunday! Watney shot a first round 67 followed by a 70 and 3rd round 68. While Rickie Fowler had final round 66, it wasn't enough to catch the leaders. Fowler played an impressive final round that included 1 Eagle, 5 Birdies and 1 bogey. During the final round, Rickie eliminated almost all of the bogey's that haunted him the prior 3, he finished in 8th place.

Luke Donald who came off a win last week, also fired a 66 (but in his 3rd round) and a final round 72 to finish at -11 and in a tie at 6th place with Adam Scott. Kuchar finished in 5th place, after rounds of 68,69,68 and 71 to get him to -12. Another guy who tried to make a run was Francesco Molinari who finished in a tie for 3rd with Anders Hansen. Molinari who has 2 career wins under his belt, added another top 10 finish for the season to bring his total to 2. He's proven to be a player to watch.

Tiger Woods carded his Top Ten finish with a final round 66 on Sunday. All of the changes he's been working on seemed to come to fruition. Tiger holed 7 Birdies on Sunday and only 1 bogey to finish at -8 and go into 5 way tie for 10th place. While birdies were not chirping for Tiger in the first couple of rounds, he started to see some change on Saturday when he captured 4. While it wasn't enough to get near the top, it would appear that things are coming together.

Rory McIlroy played just the opposite. Rors had much better play in his first 3 rounds and spattered out on Sunday with only 2 birds and 4 bogeys. He had 15 birdies in his first 3 rounds total and only 5 bogeys combined. While he moved the opposite of Tiger, this young man is going to be a very well known name for years to come!

Unfortunately, Bubba Watson was not able to start after suffering with a flu bug for more than a week.This guy is amazing to watch off the tee box. While he uses a pink shafted driver, his drives are anything but soft! Always supported by his wife Angie and caddie J.Ted Scott; he is a man of values and devoted Christian. I am definitely for #teamBubba!

Poulter, known for his fashion style on the course, could not get the momentum going. With only 2 birdies on Sunday and 1 bogey and 1 double-bogey, he finished in a tie for 45th at +2. Look for Ian to get some practice in and contend the next time he tee's it up!



Currently, the 2011 Tavistock Cup has begun, where Tiger will be teeing it up in Orlando at Isleworth Golf & Country Club. This will be for today and tomorrow, March 15th.Teams made up of 24 of the World's Top Ranked golfers will play on 6-man teams. You can follow the Tavistock Cup on twitter via @TheTavistockCup as well as Catch LIVE coverage via the GC right now! This tourney consists of 4 Teams as follows: Team Queenwood: T. Bjorn, D. Clarke, D. Howell, S. Kjeldsen, P. McGinley and A. Scott. Team Lake Nona: R. Fisher, R. Goosen, P. Hansen, G. McDowell, H. Stenson and O. Wilson. Team Isleworth: R. Allenby, J.B. Holmes, S. Appleby, B. Davis, L. Janzen and S. O'Hair. Team Isleworth: A. Atwal, E. Els, T. Immelman, I. Poulter, J. Rose and Tiger Woods. You can follow the live leaderboard via The Tavistock Cup .

Then, next up on Tour for the gents, is the Transitions Championship in Palm Harbor Florida at the Innisbrook Resort March 17-20th, where the Defending Champion is Jim Furyk.

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

TPC Blue Monster at Doral is just that! Play suspended.

The WGC Cadillac Championship playing at TPC Blue Monster Doral in Doral, Florida this week has proven to fit it's name. Play was suspended after only a few managed to get play one hole. This can be of benefit to players like Bubba Watson, who has been fighting a fever/flu bug for several days. Prayers out to Bubba to feel better!

While some experts are picking Graeme McDowell to win this week, others say he will not be able to hold up to the 2 icons he is paired with for rounds 1 & 2; Lefty and Tiger! I on the other hand,I think this is the week for a new name on the winners list thus far in 2011. I can't wait to see if the weather holds up to get the guys back out on the course today. The handfull below, are the only ones to have begun their 1st round thus far before play was suspended. Heck, not even enough to get warmed up! 

Add	Pos	Start	Player Name		Overall	Today	Thru	R1	R2	R3	R4	Total
	1.		Bjorn, Thomas		-1	-1	1	-	-	-	-
	1.		Chowrasia, S.S.P.		-1	-1	1	-	-	-	-
	1.		Hansen, Anders		-1	-1	1	-	-	-	-
	4.		Baddeley, Aaron		E	E	1*	-	-	-	-
	4.		Davies, Rhys		E	E	1	-	-	-	-
	4.		Hoffman, Charley		E	E	1*	-	-	-	-
	4.		Palmer, Ryan		E	E	1	-	-	-	-
	4.		Points, D.A.		E	E	1*	-	-	-	-
	4.		Sabbatini, Rory		E	E	1*	-	-	-	-
			Aiken, Thomas		E	12:12 PM ET		-	-	-	-

The heated words from Haney & Foley this week have left the Twitter world abuzz! While Foley had stated you "have to get to know the person" in order to be able to properly work on things, Haney was right there to rebuke any statements and to start several of the back and forth jabs. Not exactly what you would expect from professionals like Hank Haney and Sean Foley. At any rate, Tiger is working on his entire game and not just a "swing" form. He plays this week in only his 10 round of competitive golf this year, at Doral this week. Set to be grouped with Lefty (Phil Mickelson) and Graeme McDowell, it could be a quiet group. Afterall, Graeme is pretty reserved & very focused while playing and well, Lefty & Tiger just never have much to "catch up on". I think that within the next couple tournaments, Tiger will be contending right to the very end. I will go out on a limb and say quite possibly nabbing his first win in .....well let's just say "A long time"! And, might I just add.....I like the goatee & stash, it will look sharp while holding up the trophy!

Keep checking back at PGA.COM . Televised coverage is via the GC today & Friday from 2:00 - 6:00 PM ET . Saturday coverage is via NBC from 2:00 - 6:00 PM ET and again on Sunday 3:00 - 7:00 PM ET.

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