Category: Golf (Page 6 of 38)

      PGA shares in blame for Dustin Johnson’s penalty

      August 16, 2010 /
      KOHLER, WI - AUGUST 15: Dustin Johnson watches his second shot on the 18th hole during the final round of the 92nd PGA Championship on the Straits Course at Whistling Straits on August 15, 2010 in Kohler, Wisconsin. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

      The PGA likes to boast that the course at Whistling Straits has over 1,000 unique bunkers.

      Of course, only 300 of them look like actual bunkers.

      That’s because spectators usually trample on and mat down the other 700-plus sand traps. If a golfer were to hit their ball in one of these bunkers, he may have a hard time determining whether or not he was standing in a trap or the grounds at Woodstock.

      And actually, Dustin Johnson did hit his ball into one of these traps yesterday at the 2010 PGA Championship and it cost him the opportunity to win a Major.

      On the 72nd hole, Johnson was assessed a 2-stroke penalty for grounding his club in one of the traps that had been stepped on, walked on and who-knows-what-else-on throughout the course of the day. He wound up finishing tied for 5th as a result of the ruling, instead of playing in a three-way playoff with Martin Kaymer and Bubba Watson. (Kaymer eventually won the event.)

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, Golf

      Jim Gray goes off on Corey Pavin at PGA Championship

      August 12, 2010 /
      KOHLER, WI - AUGUST 11: Corey Pavin, United States Ryder Cup Captain, speaks to the media during a press conference prior to the start of the 92nd PGA Championship on the Straits Course at Whistling Straits on August 11, 2010 in Kohler, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

      After Corey Pavin said that Jim Gray misquoted his comments about Tiger Woods having a guaranteed spot on this year’s U.S. Ryder Cup team, the two went at it at this week’s PGA Championship.

      From ESPN.com:

      “There’s nobody that’s promised any picks right now,” said Pavin, who later got into a heated exchange with Golf Channel contributor Jim Gray. Gray had first reported that Pavin, while in the Whistling Straits clubhouse Tuesday, said he had assured Woods a spot. “It would be disrespectful to everybody that’s trying to make the team. I’ve got quite a few people I’m looking at.

      “I would not disrespect any of the players that are potential players on the team, and obviously there was misinterpretation of what I said.”

      Pavin described Wednesday’s incident with Gray in detail. Gray approached Pavin after a news conference Wednesday, and they stood no more than a foot apart, facing off. Pavin’s wife, Lisa, pulled out her mobile phone and recorded the conversation.

      “He went nuts when he came in here,” Pavin told reporters. “He said, ‘You’re going down,’ then he turned around and walked away and I’m like, ‘Down for what? You making stuff up?'”

      Gray is turd, so it’s hard to take his side in this argument, but obviously he went with the Tiger story because Pavin either said or insinuated that Woods was guaranteed to make the team.

      That said, why attack Pavin in a media room at the last PGA Major of the year? How about handling the situation with a little class and talking to Pavin on the side? ESPN reported this morning that Gray also included Pavin’s wife in the argument and if that’s true, that was highly unnecessary and uncalled for.

      Had Gray just stuck by the story, he would have been better off. But instead he comes off looking like a slime ball – a role he’s played many times before in his career. (See “The Decision” interview with LeBron James as just one of many examples.)

      External Sports, Golf

      This year proving that Tiger is human after all

      August 9, 2010 /
      Tiger Woods reacts after missing his putt on the 12th hole during the final round of the WGC Bridgestone Invitational golf tournament at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, August 8, 2010. REUTERS/John Sommers II (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT GOLF)

      “It’s been a long year … It’s been a long year.”

      That was Tiger Woods on Sunday after he finished 18-over par at the Bridgestone Invitational, which was the worst score of his career in a PGA Tour event. In his last 17 rounds, he’s only been able to break 70 twice and has finished at 74 or worse five times, including three times this week.

      You think maybe he has something on his mind?

      It wasn’t that long ago that we looked at Tiger as this immovable force at the top of the golf world. He seemed almost untouchable both on and off the links and was a permanent fixture atop the leaderboards every time he played. He played threw injuries and even the death of his father and still found ways to win.

      But this year, his average finish in his last three outings has been 49th. That’s jaw-dropping considering this is the same 34-year-old man who is already third all-time in PGA Tour wins (71) and who has claimed 14 Major Championships throughout his dazzling career. Instead of finding ways to win, he’s just trying to find ways to make the cut.

      Should any of this be surprising though? Less than nine months ago he took his 2009 Cadillac Escalade and ran it into a tree outside of his Florida home. Soon thereafter, the highly embarrassing details of his marital affair were made public and now after going through sex therapy, a nasty divorce and the loss of several sponsorships, he’s trying to play golf again.

      Some people can’t even perform off the first tee box when they know onlookers are watching. So it’s hardly a shock to see Tiger crash and burn with everything he’s gone through over the past nine months. Of course, this was all his doing and he’s a living, walking example that karma does in fact exist. But again, it’s hardly a surprise to watch a human being go through a life-changing event like he did and not be able to perform on the job.

      The real question is whether or not he’ll ever be the same. One would think that he’ll eventually get back to being the Tiger of old, but there are no guarantees in life. Maybe this is the norm for him now.

      External Sports, Golf

      Tiger Woods’ nice gesture helps Tom Watson say goodbye to the Open

      July 17, 2010 /
      American Tom Watson kisses the famous Swilkan bridge on the 18th hole on the second day of the Open championship in St.Andrews, Scotland on July 16, 2010. UPI/Hugo Philpott Photo via Newscom

      Tiger Woods has faced a ton of criticism over the past eight months – and deservedly so. But he also deserves recognition for his gesture at the British Open on Friday night, in which he helped Tom Watson (someone who hasn’t held back in his criticism of Tiger over the past half year) say goodbye to the Open in style.

      From Peace FM Online:

      One year after his miraculous run at Turnberry, Watson couldn’t summon up the magic once again. With the cut line hovering between 1-over and 2-over, Watson posted a 75 on Friday to fall to 4-over and out of cut contention. He knew it, the crowd knew it, and so Watson’s final holes became a farewell celebration.

      With darkness rapidly approaching, Watson stepped to the 18th tee. As you can see by the photo above, the light was quickly fading. It looked as if Watson would have to play his 18th on Saturday morning at 6:30 a.m. local time, an awkward, anticlimactic ending not befitting a player of his stature.

      And then: respect from an unexpected quarter. Tiger Woods, playing in the group ahead, motioned for Watson’s group to swing away so that Watson could finish on Friday evening, basking in the cheers of the adoring Scotland crowd. Watson and Woods have had their differences of late, with Watson critiquing Woods’ behavior both on and off the course, but on this afternoon, Woods put aside personal differences and let Watson enjoy one last triumphant walk up 18.

      As Watson approached the famed Swilcan Bridge, the iconic centerpiece of the Old Course, he stopped to kiss the centuries-old stones. It was a perfect moment, a classic instant that will be replayed every time the Open Championship returns to St. Andrews. He joins Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, to name two recent legends, in taking a touching moment to enjoy one last view from the bridge.

      Watson nearly got an eagle on the hole, but settled instead for a birdie. He’s something of a British Open legend, so for him to be able to go out like that was special.

      Kudos to Tiger for respecting golf’s history and putting aside his differences with Watson so that Tom could have his moment in the sun (or fleeting darkness).

      External Sports, Golf

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑