Tiger Woods celebrates his birdie putt on the eighth hole during the final round of the 89th PGA Championship at the Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Woods proved unbeatable once again from his familiar position at the head of the pack, winning the 89th PGA Championship by two strokes.
(AFP/Getty Images/Jaime Squire)
When Will Tiger Catch Nicholas?"Golf Experts Blog Austin provided needed emotion.
By Michael Arkush>/code>
Sunday, Aug 12, 2007 9:12 pm EDT
TULSA, Okla. -- I have two words to say to anyone, including myself, who has complained endlessly about the absence of true characters on today's PGA Tour: Woody Austin.
So what if he didn't win the PGA? Even when he climbed to within a shot of Tiger Woods on Sunday, was there anyone in the Western Hemisphere who seriously believed Austin would pull it off? Still, that's not the point. The point is that an essential part of this crazy game, from Walter Hagen to Jimmy Demaret to John Daly, has been the original souls it has spawned.
These days, sadly, there are too few of them. Many pros look the same and act the same and swing the same. They even say the same things. And then comes along a savior like Austin. It is impossible to confuse him with any of his peers. You never know what he's going to say or do. This is a guy who once got so angry with himself that he banged his head with his putter.
He displays emotion on just about every shot, good or bad. I wish more players did that. With his second-place finish, Austin qualified for the Presidents Cup squad. The U.S. may not win next month in Montreal, but, because of Austin, it sure will be more interesting.
68 Comments Permanent Link Email this Entry Tiger and Phil's separate ways.
By Michael Arkush
Sunday, Aug 12, 2007 7:30 pm EDT
TULSA, Okla. -- The contrast between the game's two most compelling players late Saturday afternoon was impossible to miss. While Tiger Woods was lining up a birdie putt at No. 9, Phil Mickelson was putting out nearby at No. 18. As I kept switching between the two, I couldn't help but think how dramatically their fortunes have changed since June 18, 2006, at Winged Foot, when Mickelson double bogeyed the 72nd hole, blowing his chance for a third consecutive major.
Since that blunder, Woods has won three majors, Mickelson none. In six major starts, Mickelson has failed to crack the top 15. In overall victories, Woods has collected 11, Lefty two. So much was made a few months ago when Mickelson, working with his new coach, Butch Harmon, prevailed at the Players.
Then came the wrist problems, and the missed cuts. It would be foolish, of course, to count him out -- he says he finally is healthy again -- but 2008 will be a pivotal one for Mickelson. He will turn 38 in June. When he prevailed at the Masters last year, it seemed likely he would win at least six or seven majors before his career was over. That isn't so likely anymore.
17 Comments Permanent Link Email this Entry It's Tiger's tournament to lose.
By Michael Arkush
Friday, Aug 10, 2007 9:15 pm EDT
TULSA, Okla. - With his 13th major victory, Tiger Woods is now only five behind Jack Nicklaus. It's now time to try to predict when he will tie, and then break, the record. With the Barry Bonds pursuit mercifully over, let's focus on this individual chase. One thing is certain: Woods will pass Jack before Alex Rodriguez passes Bonds.
Wait, wait, you caution, the PGA is only halfway over. There's a lot of golf to be played, as the saying goes. I beg to differ. The PGA is halfway complete, but the tournament is over. It ended somewhere around 5:30 p.m. Oklahoma time when Woods strung together those three straight birdies.
He leads by only two, but it would be a shock if he doesn't win this thing by four or five. Who is going to catch him? Scott Verplank? Stephen Ames? Geoff Ogilvy? Woody Austin? John Senden? Niclas Fasth? Pat Perez
84 Comments Permanent Link Email this Entry Daly dose of reality.
By Michael Arkush
Friday, Aug 10, 2007 8:54 pm EDT
TULSA, Okla. - I never really got this thing everyone has for John Daly. To me, the guy has been tremendously overexposed.
So he has demons? We all have demons. That doesn't make us special. It makes us human. So he hits it a long way? A lot of guys do.
I never really got it - until this afternoon. And now that I've got it, I can't believe what I've missed all these years.
My conversion came on the 366-yard, par-4 10th hole, his first of the day. After playing partners Steve Elkington and Shaun Micheel chose the safe route with irons, Daly pulled out the driver.
One part of me was thinking that he was insane. The other part was absolutely enthralled. The safe route is the boring route. We usually know what's going to happen. We never know what Daly will do, and that's the essence of his appeal. Next to him, even Phil Mickelson seems pedestrian.
12 Comments Permanent Link Email this Entry Daly's lead won't last
By Michael Arkush
Thursday, Aug 9, 2007 3:41 pm EDT
TULSA, Okla. - I will be shocked if John Daly is still on the leaderboard late Sunday afternoon.
Frankly, I expect Daly to disappear sometime Friday afternoon.
It may come gradually, one unfortunate miscue after another. Or it may come suddenly, a triple or worse that puts him out of contention for good. The Daly track record of implosions offers too much evidence to suggest any other likely scenario.
Believe me, I hope I'm wrong. I hope Daly wins this thing. With all due respect to Zach Johnson, Angel Cabrera, and Padraig Harrington, none of this year's majors will ever go down as classics. A classic requires a star winner, and Daly has always remained a star, if a deeply flawed one. If he were to win another major at this stage of his career, it would be the story of the year in golf, maybe in all sports.
Imagine this: He would have three major championships, one more than Fred Couples and Davis Love III combined.
Related: Davis Love III, John Daly, Angel Cabrera, Zach Johnson, Padraig Harrington
27 Comments Permanent Link Email this Entry Ryder Cup musings
By Michael Arkush
Wednesday, Aug 8, 2007 6:11 pm EDT
TULSA, Okla. - I'm not about to suggest the U.S. is going to win the 2008 Ryder Cup.
We all know how much trouble the Americans have experienced in recent battles with Europe, especially the last two events when they couldn't even get over the 10 point mark. But I will suggest that the U.S. is going to stand a better chance next year at Oakland Hills.
For one thing, captain Paul Azinger will have four picks instead of the traditional two. For another, Azinger will be an effective leader. A good example is his announcement Wednesday of Dave Stockton, Raymond Floyd and Olin Browne as assistant captains.
With the squad likely to contain a few first-timers, their experience should be very useful. Both Floyd (1989) and Stockton (1991) have served as captains. I've always liked the idea of having veterans from earlier generations advise the captains. They will not hesitate to tell Azinger exactly what they think and will not worry about bruising any egos.
3 Comments Permanent Link Email this Entry Some patience
By Michael Arkush
Wednesday, Aug 8, 2007 5:45 pm EDT
TULSA, Okla. - Give credit to Stewart Cink.
In 2001, when the U.S. Open was played here at Southern Hills, he missed a short putt on the 72nd hole that, as it turned out, would have put him in the 18-hole playoff the next day with Retief Goosen and Mark Brooks.
As expected, the unfortunate miss has come up often in the days leading up to this event, and was a hot topic again in his Wednesday press conference. I wouldn't blame Cink if, at some point, he were to say, 'Hey, guys, I think I've talked about this enough. Can we please move on?'
Instead, he was very accommodating. "I would never consider just shutting people down," Cink said. "What would be the point of that, except to look like a jerk."
Related: Retief Goosen, Stewart Cink
Post a Comment Permanent Link Email this Entry PGA Championship picks
By Michael Arkush
Wednesday, Aug 8, 2007 11:56 am EDT
Suddenly, we've arrived at the year's final major, the PGA Championship at Southern Hills in Tulsa. So far, the three major winners have been unexpected: Zach Johnson (Masters), Angel Cabrera (U.S. Open), and Padraig Harrington (British Open). Here are my picks for the PGA:
1-Tiger Woods: A victory will put him only five behind Jack.
2-Chris DiMarco: He's due to make another serious run at a major.
3-Jim Furyk: Southern Hills suits his game perfectly.
4-Rory Sabbatini: The finish in Akron won't erode his confidence.
5-Vijay Singh: With his work ethic, no way he plays poorly two weeks in a row.
6-Retief Goosen: The Southern Hills magic (he won the Open here in 2001) will revive his game.
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Related: Retief Goosen, Padraig Harrington, Jim Furyk, Angel Cabrera, Zach Johnson, Luke Donald, Stewart Cink, Davis Love III, Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh
99 Comments Permanent Link Email this Entry Ochoa breaks through
By Michael Arkush
Sunday, Aug 5, 2007 3:22 pm EDT
The torch in women's golf officially has been passed to Lorena Ochoa. While, according to the world rankings, she's been No. 1 since late April, it was not until this week's dominating performance at the Women’s British Open in St. Andrews that the transfer in power from Annika Sorenstam to Ochoa, 25, became complete, and now that she has claimed her first major, there certainly will be many more to follow.
She is extremely impressive, on and off the course. In the interview room at the U.S. Women's Open a month ago in North Carolina, after a very tough loss to Cristie Kerr, she could not have been more accommodating. She showed a wonderful sense of peace, a perspective that often is missing in today's athletes. The LPGA Tour, and the game of golf, is most fortunate to have her take over the throne.
33 Comments Permanent Link Email this Entry The kid can play
By Michael Arkush
Friday, Aug 3, 2007 7:21 pm EDT
When Tadd Fujikawa, the 16-year-old making his professional debut at this week's event in Tahoe, went four over par in his first five holes Friday, I began to craft the obvious conclusion. It went something like this: Will Tadd Fujikawa become the next Ty Tryon? When are these teenagers going to learn that turning pro is much harder than they can possibly imagine?
Suddenly, I stopped crafting. The facts were getting in the way of the conclusion. Fujikawa started to make birdies, one after another. After a 39 on his first nine, he came home in 32. No, the kid did not make the cut. The kid did not even come close. But his rally, coupled with his wonderful showing earlier this year at the Sony Open in Hawaii, may suggest a different conclusion. He might turn out to be special, after all.
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