ARMCHAIR GOLF BLOG

I Feel Sorry for Doug Barron

2009-11-07T22:35:00.005-05:00

I ADMIT IT. I FEEL SORRY for Doug Barron, the 40-year-old journeyman who this week became the first player to be suspended by the PGA Tour for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. Someone had to be first and it happened to be Barron, whose tour career was going nowhere fast. He will be suspended from all tours for one year.

An unflattering picture of a shirtless Barron has appeared at many sites and he’s become a bit of a laughing stock. Whatever he was taking wasn’t working has been the refrain.

Barron issued an obligatory statement and then disappeared as quickly as he appeared. I would, too.

“I would like to apologize for any negative perception of the tour or its players resulting from my suspension,” Barron said in a statement released by the PGA Tour on Monday. “I want my fellow tour members and the fans to know that I did not intend to gain an unfair competitive advantage or enhance my performance while on tour.”

The thing is, Barron hasn’t played on the PGA Tour in three years (although he did play in one event this year). He also played in four Nationwide Tour events in 2009, and won no official money on either tour this year. In 2008, Barron won $33,446 on the Nationwide Tour.

If Barron violated the drug policy, I’m not defending his actions. We’ll probably never know if he is a sacrificial lamb as some have suggested. It’s just too bad this episode will very likely be his biggest claim to fame in golf.

−The Armchair Golfer

The 8 Things My Daughter Knows About Golf

2009-11-06T16:34:00.027-05:00

Sergio Garcia is dreamy. (Glasson/Flickr)

By The Amchair Golfer’s Daughter
Special to ARMCHAIR GOLF

SINCE MY DAD RUNS a golf blog, you would think I would know at least a little bit about the sport. That’s a bad assumption a lot of people make all too often.

When I try to explain my dad’s blog, it brings up all kinds of questions. People think I’ll have interesting, intelligent things to say about the game just because my dad happens to have a blog on the subject.

Let me tell you now, there are only a few things I know about the sport. And I can list them for you in less than ten items:

1. Sergio Garcia is dreamy.

2. Even though the whole golf course is green, there is a specific patch of grass called a green. This is where you want the ball to end up eventually.

3. Tiger Woods is really good.

4. If you win a lot, you get a lot of money.

5. The commercials for golf clubs are usually very stupid.

6. Some golfers tend to wear vibrant pants.

7. Nick Jonas plays golf.

8. The minus sign in front of your score is actually a good thing.

That’s all I know about golf, so the conversations people try to have with me about the sport usually aren’t long. Ask me about Shia LaBeouf in The Greatest Game Ever Played, however, and I could talk for hours.

Road Hole Augmentation: Sir Henry Cotton Shares Blame

2009-11-05T13:01:00.016-05:00

A 1930s era golf postcard of Henry Cotton.

“ … in an attempt to deflect their [critics’] ire the R&A claimed the inspiration for the changes to the Road Hole came from Sir Henry Cotton, who said in 1964 that he would like to see the hole lengthened and a new tee built.”

−Lawrence Donegan, guardian.co.uk

SHOULD GOLF PURISTS get their knickers in a knot over the lengthening of the world-famous Road Hole by 35 yards?

I’m still trying to make up my mind. Probably. It’s St. Andrews, after all. The home of golf.

The 17th, the Road Hole will play 490 yards for next year’s Open Championship. A new tee will be built on an adjacent driving range. The Royal & Ancient (R&A) said it had to be done.

“Over the years we have seen the threat from the road behind the green, and to a lesser extent the Road Bunker, diminished as players have been hitting shorter irons for their approach shots, allowing them to avoid these hazards more easily,” R&A Chief Executive Peter Dawson told guardian.co.uk. “This change will ensure that the hole plays as it was originally intended.”

Fine, but did they have to bring Sir Henry Cotton into the discussion?

Three-time Open Champion

To brush up on our golf history, Henry Cotton was a gifted player. In one nine-year stretch in the 1930s, Cotton never finished out of the top 10 in the Open Championship. During that span, he won twice and had two third-place finishes. He won his third Open in 1948 and finished his career with 17 professional wins and later earned a spot in the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Of course, Sir Henry can’t comment about the Road Hole changes since he passed on to the heavenly fairways in 1987. But if he could, the three-time Open winner might say, as is fashionable these days, that his remarks were taken out of context. They were certainly taken from another century.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Brought to you by YourGolfTravel.com and the ARMCHAIR GOLF STORE.)

Tiger Is Back on the Job

2009-11-04T21:43:00.008-05:00

Tiger puts in some range time.
(TheGordons/Flickr))

TIGER WOODS WILL TRY to add to his record 16 victories in World Golf Championship events at this week’s WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai, China. Tiger has yet to win the HSBC Champions, elevated to a WGC event for the first time.

Besides Woods, the WGC-HSBC Champions features three of the four 2009 major winners: Y.E. Yang (PGA Championship), Angel Cabrera (Masters) and Stewart Cink (Open Championship). The field also includes 2007 HSBC Champions winner Phil Mickelson and defending champion Sergio Garcia.

TV Coverage Starts Tonight

GOLF CHANNEL will air the WGC-HSBC Champions live at 11 p.m. ET on Wednesday and Thursday and at 10 p.m. ET on Friday and Saturday. Coverage will be replayed at 11 a.m. ET and 6:30 p.m. ET on Thursday and Friday and 10 a.m. ET and 6:30 p.m. ET on the weekend.

2009 WGC-HSBC Champions Overview

−The Armchair Golfer

Cristie Kerr Graces Cover of VIVmag

2009-11-04T15:28:00.013-05:00

(Sunshine, Sachs & Associates)

LPGA TOUR STAR CRISTIE KERR is featured in the November/December issue of VIVmag.

“Golf is an obvious love of mine, but I have a number of other passions in my life—including fashion—which I know is shared among VIVmag women,” Cristie said in a statement.

“I am honored to be on the cover of VIVmag’s annual ‘Giving Back’ issue because advocating for breast cancer awareness is a cause very close to my heart—an important message that will resonate with their readers who also are committed to wellness and awareness.”

Cristie’s Fashion Statement

I know, I know. This is not where you turn for fashion. Still, since I have it, I’ll run down what Cristie is wearing. It just seems like the right thing to do.

• The classic black cocktail dress is from Prada and Proenza Schouler
• Jewelry is courtesy of Roberto Cavalli and David Yurman
• The watch, her own, is from Audemars Piguet

To read the story, which is titled “Cristie Kerr’s Crusade,” go to vivmag.com/cristiekerr.

−The Armchair Golfer

Q&A: Natalie Gulbis at Pinehurst

2009-11-03T14:59:00.033-05:00

Natalie Gulbis.

NATALIE GULBIS IS ONE of the most recognizable female golfers on the planet. Only 26, Natalie is completing her eighth season on the LPGA Tour. Yes, eight seasons. It’s kind of hard to believe.

Natalie has won one LPGA title and played on three victorious U.S. Solheim Cup teams. She has five top 10 finishes in majors. And, of course, she is a golfer-model, with looks and sex appeal that attract legions of admirers and land her in magazine spreads and on TV programs such as “The Celebrity Apprentice” and her own reality show on the Golf Channel.

What is Natalie like up close? What is it like to talk to her?

I can tell you—at least a little bit—because I stood with her under a canopy on the 10th tee of Pinehurst No. 8 last week.

I was a sponsor’s guest at the finals of the McGladrey Team Championship, a national best-ball amateur tournament. In addition to attending the festivities and VIP activities such as a skills challenge, I had the opportunity to talk to Natalie, Zach Johnson and Chris DiMarco, the three RSM McGladrey tour pros.

I didn’t know exactly when or where I’d have my chat with the three tour players. Although I had prepared some questions and carried a tiny digital voice recorder in my pocket, I knew I better be ready for anything. This would not be sit-downs or in-depth interviews. I was there to take in the experience, including my encounters with Natalie, Zach and Chris.

Natalie was first. I introduced myself and shook her hand. We talked, sometimes whispering, as amateur teams teed off in the three-day competition. She stepped away a couple of times for photographs with the teams, as did Zach, who stood nearby.

Natalie is personable and direct. She is totally at ease and an eager advocate for the women’s game, charities and her sponsors. Although she has fielded thousands of questions, this may be the first time she was asked this opener.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: I have to ask you a couple of questions for my daughters. My 9-year-old wants to know your favorite color.

NATALIE GULBIS: My favorite color is purple.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: My 14-year-old daughter wants to know if you have any pets.

NATALIE GULBIS: I don’t have any pets. I had pets growing up, but now since I turned professional it’s too hard to be on the road and have pets. Stuffed animals is about the extent. My family does, though. My family in Sacramento has a dog and a cat.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: What’s it been like for you to be associated with this event and the Special Olympics?

NATALIE GULBIS: It’s been great. It’s been an honor to be associated with RSM McGladrey, to be part of a team. We always consider ourselves to be a team. I’ve learned so much from them. And then with their partnership with the Special Olympics, to be able to be involved in Special Olympics in golf and help them raise money and raise awareness has been a pure joy.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: It looked like you were really having a good time at the auction last night.

NATALIE GULBIS: Yeah, last night was fun.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: Raised a lot of money.

NATALIE GULBIS: Yeah, 34 grand.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: And your group went for $10,000? (Note: A two-day outing with Natalie for four people was a feature of the Special Olympics golf live auction the night before.)

NATALIE GULBIS: $10,000.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: So, I was looking at your schedule and you’re on your way to Korea after this?

NATALIE GULBIS: Actually, I pulled out of Korea. I would have normally went to Korea tonight and played Japan next week.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: I was thinking, “Wow, what a schedule.”

NATALIE GULBIS: Yeah, that was a little bit too much. You get over there and you lose a day.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: How’s your back? (Note: Natalie has had back problems for at least two years.)

NATALIE GULBIS: Good. Very good, thank you.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: Are you doing some new strength work?

NATALIE GULBIS: Different. I changed my work. I used to do much more overall strength and now I just do core strength.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: Your back has been good all year?

NATALIE GULBIS: At times, yes.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: Backs are tough in golf, aren’t they?

NATALIE GULBIS: They are.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: How’s your game and what are you working on?

NATALIE GULBIS: Right now I am working and spending a lot of time on my short game. I’ve been striking the ball well, I’ve been putting well, but missed a lot of opportunities for up and downs when I’ve missed greens so I’ve been working on my short game a lot.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: Tough year in golf for all tours. What’s it been like to see events like the Corning Classic go away?

NATALIE GULBIS: Middle of the year it was really scary. We had 10 events up for renewal and we didn’t know how many of those we were going to re-sign. But we’ve had some pretty good momentum here in the last couple of months and we got the preview of our schedule for 2010 and it looks like we’re only going to lose two tournaments. That was big.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: Have you gotten used to playing without Annika [Sorenstam] out there or does it still feel sort of strange?

NATALIE GULBIS: It definitely does when she’s the past champion of a tournament and she’s not there to defend. You just miss seeing her on leaderboards, seeing her on the putting green. She was one of my best friends on tour. We used to rent a house every year at the British Open. You see her name on past champions at most of our tournaments. To think that she’s not in the field any more is sad.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: Have you seen the baby [Annika’s first child born in September]?

NATALIE GULBIS: No, just pictures. I hope to meet her in January. I’ll probably go down to Florida to see her.

ARMCHAIR GOLF: What is your best advice for the amateur golfer?

NATALIE GULBIS: Spend as much time on the short game as they can. That’s usually the ultimate goal, to shoot lower scores. You can’t do that without working on your short game.

−The Armchair Golfer

Related:
Chris DiMarco and the Corporate Outing

(Photos: RSM McGladrey)

Weary of Golf, God Rains Out Viking Classic

2009-11-02T10:20:00.005-05:00

(AdamXC/Flickr)

“IT HAS BEEN A LONG SEASON,” God said in a statement about the rainy conditions that led to the cancellation of the 2009 Viking Classic in Madison, Mississippi. “I thought the PGA Tour players could use an extra week’s rest.”

The last PGA Tour event to be canceled was 13 years ago. Does this mean God is not a fan of the Fall Series?

“I would discourage anyone from jumping to conclusions about what this means, as people tend to do. Of course, I’m still omnipresent. That will never change. Let’s just say football and the World Series between the Phillies and Yankees are a heightened focus.”

What about the many players who are on the bubble and depending on the final events to secure their 2010 PGA Tour playing privileges?

“They need not worry,” God said. “I have a plan for all of them. It will all work out in the end.”

−The Armchair Golfer

(This is an ARMCHAIR GOLF spoof.)

ARMCHAIR GOLF Briefs

2009-11-01T21:20:00.014-05:00

(Josh V-R/Flickr)

Assorted news items sent to ARMCHAIR GOLF. Endorsement is not implied. No consideration or compensation was received.

GOLF DESTINATIONS

• PGA Golf Catalunya Resort has confirmed its position as one of the finest golf estates on the Continent after being ranked in the Top 10 of Golf World magazine’s Top 100 European Courses.

• Linna Golf in Finland has taken its place among the best resorts on the Continent after being ranked in Golf World magazine’s new Top 100 Courses in Europe.

• KPMG announced that its seventh annual Golf Business Forum will take place at The Gloria Resort, Turkey, May 12-14, 2010. Leading figures from the golf business world, including Greg Norman, will attend the conference in Belek, on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast, voted Golf Destination of the Year by IAGTO (International Association of Golf Tour Operators) in 2008.

• Marriott Golf announced that Shadow Ridge Golf Club in Palm Desert, Calif., was recognized as one of the Top 50 Resort Golf Facilities in the United States, according to Golf World magazine’s 2010 Reader’s Choice Awards.

GOLF EVENTS

• On Monday, Oct. 26, special displays recounting the historic paths each of the 2009 Inductees took to the World Golf Hall of Fame opened to the public. The opening was one week prior to Dwight D. Eisenhower, Christy O’Connor, José María Olazábal and Lanny Wadkins becoming official members of the Hall of Fame at the annual Induction Ceremony, set for Monday, Nov. 2 at 6 p.m. (airs on Golf Channel at 10 p.m. ET).

• Hank Haney International Junior Golf Academy (Hank Haney IJGA) announced BMW Southern Region as the presenting sponsor of the Hank Haney Invitational to be held November 13th-15th at Sea Pines Resort in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

GOLF ENTERTAINMENT

• The Golf Poet (golfpoet.com) writes about the connection between golf and poetry and has been featured at the Boston Globe.

• Skill Technology, an independent game studio in Chicago, has launched their first online game, Gimme Golf (gimmegolf.com), offering players the opportunity to compete in real cash tournaments.

GOLF PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

• A men’s outerwear collection, led by the new Ultimate Jacket V2, highlight the new 2010 Sunice® Outerwear Collection, which showcases golfwear that combines science and fashion-forward style.

• Updated from years past, a Golf Privilege Card (golflungcard.org) membership provides golfers savings on rounds of golf at courses throughout the country, the convenience of scheduling tee times online and a $250.00 PGA Tour Experiences Gift Card to the TOUR Academies located at some of the top resorts in the country. The purchase of a membership directly benefits the American Lung Association in your local community.

• Arik Nordby is a bad golfer, good drinker and creator of BogeyPro® (bogeypro.com), the brand for the average-to-bad golfer, including humorous products and gifts.

• TurfNet.com, an online community for golf course superintendents, has teamed with Endavo Media, an Atlanta-based Internet TV platform provider, to add the latest online video features to its site.

• In conjunction with the debut of adidas Golf’s revolutionary new TOUR360 4.0 golf shoe, PrideSports, maker of Softspikes® cleats, has announced that the Company’s proprietary new THiNTech cleat design will be used as original equipment in the new shoe line.

−The Armchair Golfer

Golf Shots: Urban Golf in Chicago

2009-10-31T19:58:00.025-04:00

(Photos courtesy of The Skillet Lickers/Flickr)

Urban golf is a game derived from the original game of golf,
in which individual players or teams hit a ball into a hole
or at a specified target using various clubs.
—Wikipedia

Playing it way back in the stance.

Someone call Hank Haney.

An urban golf caddie?

The dumpster recovery, one of the toughest shots
in urban golf.

Must be happy with his score.

−The Armchair Golfer

Halloween Edition: Golf’s Spookiest Shots

2009-10-30T13:06:00.011-04:00

TOMORROW IS HALLOWEEN. But if you’re a golfer—especially a tour pro who plays the game for a living—it’s Halloween every day you tee it up. Because ghosts, goblins, haunted houses and Freddy Krueger are kid stuff compared to golf. Golf is sheer terror, a gruesome monster that will eat you alive.

Following are some of golf’s spookiest shots. (Note: The spookiness factor is on a scale of 1 to 10.)

The opening tee shot
Butterflies are common on the first tee, even for tour pros. That’s why you see hooks, blocks and all manner of tee shots until the jitters wear off. (If they do.)
Spookiness factor: 7
(9 if it’s the Ryder Cup)

OB right
Right-handed golfers who play a natural draw can somehow hit a push-fade when there are OB stakes down the right-hand side of the fairway. (Thanks to Shane Bacon for this one.)
Spookiness factor: 7

Any shot over water
This one always amazes me. I think, “They’re pros. No problem.” Then splash. This year I saw a journeyman dump a wedge shot in the drink while leading the Memorial. And it happens every year at the Masters. Someone hits it in the water when you least expect it.
Spookiness factor: 7
(10 if you’re leading in the final round of the Masters)

The three-footer
I have a theory: The more you hate three-footers, the more three-footers you’ll have. Actually, it’s probably a law. Careers are made or destroyed by the short putt. Sam Snead. Doug Sanders. Scott Hoch.
Spookiness factor: 8
(10 if it’s to win your first major)

The shank
“I think he shanked it.” You don’t want Johnny Miller saying that on TV after you hit a 4-iron from a perfect lie in the middle of the fairway. Once it happens, it’s in the back of your mind on every shot the rest of the way. Even on putts.
Spookiness factor: 10

BONUS: AN EVENT

Q-School
Is there anything scarier than playing for your golf life?
Spookiness factor: 10

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image: jontimarsh/Flickr)

Is New LPGA Commissioner a Magic Whan?

2009-10-29T19:44:00.008-04:00

TOOTHPASTE, GOLF AND HOCKEY. Michael Whan, the newly announced LPGA commissioner, has excelled in all three as a marketing and brand guru. Most recently, Whan was the CEO of a small hockey equipment company called Mission Itech Hockey.

Described as a “superstar” and “world-class marketer” by Mark King, a former Whan colleague who is now CEO of TaylorMade Golf, can the 44-year-old Whan work his magic on the LPGA?

Don’t expect a quick answer.

Whan will officially take the reins from interim LPGA commissioner Marty Evans on January 1. But he was hopping a plane to San Diego after yesterday’s introductory press conference to attend the LPGA’s Tournament Owners Association meetings.

“I have a personal philosophy about leadership that maybe not everybody understands,” Whan said in a GolfChannel.com story by Randall Mell.

“I believe in listen, learn and lead, and you do it in that order. You’ve got to listen so that you can learn, and once you’ve listened and learned, you’re prepared to lead. So I tend to believe that my first few months in the position are going to be with pretty large ears and pretty small mouth because I’ve got more to learn than I’ve got to offer and beyond, but I can’t wait to jump in.”

More:
Daunting Challenges Ahead for LPGA Commissioner Whan (Golf Channel)
A Not-So-Revealing Interview with Mike Whan (Stephanie Wei)
After Troubled Season, LPGA Names New Leader (New York Times)

−The Armchair Golfer

2009 Viking Classic TV Schedule and Tournament Notes

2009-10-28T21:25:00.014-04:00

UPDATE: The Viking Classic has been canceled.

THE 2009 VIKING CLASSIC begins on Thursday at Annandale Golf Club in Madison, Mississippi.

Purse: $3.7 million
Winner’s share: $666,000
Defending champion: Will MacKenzie

Inside the field
Inside the course
Big name bubble boys

2009 Viking Classic Leaderboard

TV SCHEDULE

Eight hours of TV coverage are on tap for the 2009 Viking Classic.

Thu, 10/29:
GOLF 2:30p - 4:30p ET

Fri, 10/30:
GOLF 2:30p - 4:30p ET

Sat, 10/31:
GOLF 2:30p - 4:30p ET

Sun, 11/1:
GOLF 2:30p - 4:30p ET

PGA Tour radio coverage

−The Armchair Golfer

Chris DiMarco and the Corporate Outing

2009-10-27T14:20:00.012-04:00

CHRIS DIMARCO IS THROWING golf balls on the practice range of Pinehurst No. 2 on Monday. He is trying to hit a small pane of glass stamped with a PGA of America logo that is perched on a metal stand about 30 yards away.

The object of this part of the skills challenge is to hit a low bullet-like shot that shatters the glass. (Maybe you’ve seen this stunt on the Golf Channel.) Fellow tour pros Natalie Gulbis and Zach Johnson break the glass. Gulbis succeeds in four or five tries; Johnson on his second attempt.

Chris can only come close. Now he is heaving golf balls in mock frustration until he finally hits the mark. Maybe it’s a small glimpse into the fiery competitive personality DiMarco is known for.

I admit I hadn’t thought lately about DiMarco, a top PGA Tour player a few years ago who battled Tiger Woods at the 2005 Masters, finished second in the British Open and sunk a Presidents Cup-clinching putt.

What happened to him?

The Outing

The McGladrey Team Championship is more than a corporate outing. It’s a national amateur tournament sponsored by RSM McGladrey and conducted by the PGA of America. The finals are at Pinehurst, considered by many as the home of American golf and a steward of golf tradition.

I use outing in a generic sense, an opportunity and obligation for a tour professional. While the caddie’s credo is “show up, keep up and shut up,” the tour pro’s outing credo could be “show up, keep up and talk it up.” Plus smile a lot. Outings are a perpetual photo op.

I’m at Pinehurst feeling a bit like the boy who climbed the country club fence and sneaked onto the grounds to witness what goes on there. I’m not an outing crasher, though. I’m an invited guest. I observe the seemingly odd intersection of corporate sponsor, famous golf resort, professional golf association, amateur competitors and tour professionals. This is a side of golf not visible on cable and network television.

The tour pros—Gulbis, Johnson and DiMarco—are here to smile for every photo, shake every hand and sign every autograph. They’re here to raise money for Special Olympics, the official charity, and talk about the team concept of their common sponsor, RSM McGladrey, a national accounting and tax firm. And they’re here to congratulate and mingle with the amateur golfers who have played their way to Pinehurst. There’s a lot to do in one day, including media, so they’re on a tight schedule.

DiMarco flew in on a red-eye from Phoenix, where he played in the Frys.com Open. He arrived in Charlotte at 6 a.m. and shuttled 100 miles east to Pinehurst. After breakfast and interviews, he walks to the practice range for the skills challenge. Maybe the brisk weather will keep him awake and alert after his all-night cross-country flight.

Forty-five minutes later Chris is winding up and throwing golf balls. He shows up and keeps up. I also remember that he never gives up.

Shoulder Injury

In 2005, DiMarco was ranked 10th in the world. In 2006—the year he finished second to Tiger in the British Open—he was still in the top 20. But in March of that year he noticed a pop in his right shoulder. Something was wrong. He played with it for the remainder of 2006 and the 2007 season. Meanwhile, his game went south.

“Six times a round, I’d pull it left when I didn’t mean to,” he told the Orange County Register earlier this year.

After surgery two years ago, Chris is now trying to hang on to his PGA Tour card. Once a mainstay in the top 20 on the PGA Tour money list, he is currently 138th, just outside the top 125 who enjoy exempt status. It’s why he’s playing in the Fall Series and took a red-eye from the Frys.com Open, where he shot four rounds in the 60s but made up no ground on the money list.

I walk to the 1st tee of Pinehurst No. 8 where DiMarco is stationed to greet amateur players. My hosts tell me I can grab a few minutes with him in between groups, photos and autographs. I have my questions and tiny voice recorder at the ready.

The groups clear out and it’s just Chris, the co-host of Chris’s radio show (called oPINionated with Chris DiMarco), a producer and me standing beside the 1st tee. The co-host says we have two short segments to record for an upcoming show. Let’s bang it out, Chris replies. I listen as the host asks many of the questions on my list.

Chris then turns to me. My questions and recorder seem pointless. I shove them into my pocket and reach out to shake his hand. We walk up the hill toward the clubhouse.

Chris tells me his shoulder is good. It’s good to feel healthy again, he adds.

It sounds like your game is coming back, I say.

He tells me he is hitting it well and just needs to make more putts. There’s determination in his voice. He will play the last two events on the schedule, this week’s Viking Classic in Madison, Mississippi, and the Children’s Miracle Network Classic in Orlando.

What about your status? I ask.

If he doesn’t make it into the top 125, Chris tells me he could use a one-time top 50 in career earnings exemption but would rather save it. Instead, he says he’ll probably rely on his top 150 money list finish, which will get him into 15 to 18 PGA Tour events in 2010.

I wish him luck and tell him it doesn’t seem that long ago that he was in a playoff with Tiger at the Masters. He nods, thanks me, and heads off to the next thing on the schedule. The fire is still there. I hope he makes it back.

−The Armchair Golfer

Related:
Q&A: Natalie Gulbis at Pinehurst

Gulbis, Johnson and DiMarco Kick Off McGladrey Team Finals

2009-10-26T22:15:00.007-04:00

Chris DiMarco, Natalie Gulbis and Zach Johnson
(Courtesy of Pinehurst Resort)

I JUST RETURNED FROM a quick trip to Pinehurst for the start of The McGladrey Team Championship, a national amateur best-ball tournament conducted by the PGA of America. About 40 teams teed off today in the three-day finals that will be contested on Pinehurst’s Nos. 2, 4 and 8 courses.

I attended a skills challenge on the practice range of Pinehurst No. 2 this morning that featured RSM McGladrey tour professionals Natalie Gulbis, Zach Johnson and Chris DiMarco. Special Olympics golf members and RSM McGladrey VIPs also participated. It was breezy and chilly (Natalie wrapped herself in a Pinehurst blanket between shots), but everyone had a good time and a few hearty laughs.

I drove home late this afternoon and will have more soon on my visit to Pinehurst, including my time with Natalie, Zach and Chris. I’ll also bring you a special interview with a surprise guest. Look for that early next week.

−The Armchair Golfer

A Trip to Pinehurst for The McGladrey Team Championship

2009-10-25T23:28:00.012-04:00

(deltamike/Flickr)

I’M IN PINEHURST, NORTH CAROLINA, for The McGladrey Team Championship, a national best-ball amateur tournament conducted by the PGA of America. The amateur teams at Pinehurst have already advanced through a local qualifying event and a section championship. The finals are this week at the Pinehurst courses, and each amateur team will be playing with their local PGA golf pro.

I’ve known I was coming for a few weeks, but I don’t think it really sunk in until I exited onto NC-211 and covered the last 17 miles to the famous resort. I’m the guest of RSM McGladrey, with special thanks to Jake Rosen at Sports Media Challenge. Pinehurst is southern hospitality at its best. And the golf courses aren’t too bad either. This wasn’t a hard decision for me.

Also present are RSM McGladrey tour professionals Natalie Gulbis, Zach Johnson and Chris DiMarco. They will perform in a skills challenge on Monday and spend the day as event ambassadors.

On Sunday night I attended a reception that included silent and live auctions. The event’s official charity is the Special Olympics golf program. Judging from hefty bids on live auction items such as a Sheryl Crow-autographed guitar and a two-day outing with Natalie (who stands close to 7 feet tall in heels), I would say they raised a tidy sum.

−The Armchair Golfer

Golf Shots: Basra, Iraq

2009-10-24T21:03:00.003-04:00

(U.S. Army/Flickr)

MAJOR JARROD MORELAND, 4th Region Department of Border Enforcement, drives a golf ball during the long-drive portion of a Tee It Up for the Troops competition. The event was held at the Contingency Operating Base in Basra, Iraq, on Sept. 11, 2009.

The Columbia, Maryland, native said the event went well and that it was a great morale builder for the troops on Sept. 11.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Source: U.S. Army)

Don’t Call Robert Allenby a Journeyman

2009-10-23T15:53:00.006-04:00

YOU CAN CALL ROBERT ALLENBY a golf grump, a whiner and a sore loser. But please don’t call the veteran Aussie golfer “a run-of-the-mill journeyman.”

That’s an actual comment I saw—and others like it—after Allenby criticized Anthony Kim’s alleged behavior on the eve of the pair’s singles match at the Presidents Cup. (Allenby was whipped 5 and 3 by Kim.)

Allenby would have been smart to hold his tongue. Understandably, his comments unleashed the wrath of many golf fans. But his game took an unfair hit. Robert Allenby is a good player. Take a look at his record.

Allenby, 38, has won four times on the PGA Tour (three of the four in playoffs). He also has four wins on the European Tour. (That’s eight quality wins.) Allenby has five top 10s in majors and has played in five of the eight Presidents Cups. He ranks 19th in career earnings on the PGA Tour.

Journeyman numbers?

For comparison, here’s the PGA Tour win total of a sampling of European and international players:

Mike Weir 8
Sergio Garcia 7
Retief Goosen 7
Geoff Ogilvy 6
Adam Scott 6
Padraig Harrington 5
Darren Clarke 2
Henrik Stenson 2
Lee Westwood 1
Paul Casey 1
Ian Poulter 0
Justin Rose 0
Colin Montgomerie 0

After rounds of 64 and 66, Allenby is currently tied for the lead with Martin Kaymer after two rounds of the Castello Masters, this week’s European Tour event. You might call Robert a jerk, but he’s no run-of-the-mill journeyman.

−The Armchair Golfer

Special to Air on 10th Anniversary of Payne Stewart’s Death

2009-10-22T18:02:00.024-04:00

The Payne Stewart statue on the Walk of Fame at Pinehurst.
(scbluedevil/Flickr)

SUNDAY WILL MARK the 10th anniversary of the untimely death of Payne Stewart, a multiple major winner and one of the PGA Tour’s charismatic personalities. In remembrance of Stewart’s impact both on and off the golf course, GOLF CHANNEL will air a one-hour special on Sunday at noon Eastern Time.

Hosted by Kraig Kann, Steve Sands and Charlie Rymer, the special will feature the most memorable moments in Payne’s career, including:

• The donation of his winnings to charity from the 1987 Bay Hill Invitational.

• His passion and patriotism for the Ryder Cup, and a look back at his five performances, including his concession to Colin Montgomerie in 1999.

• His three major championship victories, including the dramatic 1999 U.S. Open victory at Pinehurst over Phil Mickelson.

GOLF CHANNEL’s Scott Walker will visit with Stewart’s family at the recently opened Payne Stewart Golf Club in his home state of Missouri. The special will also include interviews with fellow PGA Tour professionals and friends in the golf community who will share their memories of Payne.

My Strange Coincidence

I could not have planned this, but I will be in Pinehurst on Sunday, the 10th anniversary of Stewart’s tragic death in a plane accident.

I will be attending the finals of the 2009 McGladrey Team Championship, a national best-ball amateur tournament conducted by the PGA of America. It will be a treat to be in Pinehurst. My awareness of Payne’s anniversary and tribute will make it even more special. I’ll be sure to visit the famous Stewart statue.

Can it really be a decade since Payne sank that 15-foot putt to win the U.S. Open and affectionately gripped Phil Mickelson’s head in his hands? It doesn’t seem that long ago.

−The Armchair Golfer

Lucas Glover Pockets Easiest $600K of His Young Life

2009-10-21T21:39:00.011-04:00

LET ME SEE IF I have this right. You fly to Bermuda for two rounds of golf. If you beat three other guys, you fly home with 600,000 bones. The event has a fancy name—PGA Grand Slam of Golf—but still. Three guys. (Really, just two, because the other one flew the milk run from the Far East and was jet lagged into next week.)

Lucas Glover is your winner. The Clemson grad fired a 65-66 at Port Royal Golf Course to best Stewart Cink, Angel Cabrera and Y.E. Yang. I didn’t see a single shot.

OK, so Glover did have to win the U.S. Open to get into the foursome. And the other guys are also major winners. Still, it’s not a bad way to start your week.

Still Hungry?

If the PGA Grand Slam of Golf leaves you hungry for something more, there’s always the Denny’s Grand Slam Breakfast: buttermilk pancakes, eggs, bacon and sausage. (Two of each.) And you don’t have to be a major winner. It’s yours for under 10 bucks.

−The Armchair Golfer

How to Wow Tiger Woods

2009-10-20T16:23:00.007-04:00

YOU’RE AT A TIGER WOODS appearance. It’s one of Tiger’s course design projects and he pulls out his driver to hit a few ceremonial tee shots for a crowd that includes potential investors.

Tiger, as he’s apt to do, loses a couple of drives to the right. Who else wants to try? he asks.

The crowd goes silent. Some of the onlookers scan the group to see if anyone has the guts to take an impromptu golf swing in front of the world’s greatest golfer. That’s when you raise your hand.

“You’re up,” Tiger says.

You walk over, grab a driver and a ball, and tee it up. You take one practice swing. Then you pipe one right down the gut of one of Tiger’s soon-to-be-designed golf holes.

Cue cheers. Cue applause.

“Wow,” Tiger says. “Do that again. We got to see that again.”

You oblige.

“Well done,” Tiger says.

You act all casual about it. And then you wake up. Unless you’re Mark Benevento Jr. of Somers Point, New Jersey. Mark is 12 years old. A seventh grader. He’s also my new hero.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Source: Golf.com)

Ricky Fowler Has One Tricked-Out Set of Golf Wheels

2009-10-19T21:33:00.008-04:00

Ricky Fowler and his custom golf ride.
(Courtesy of Puma)

TWENTY-YEAR-OLD RICKY FOWLER IS TOUTED as one of the next big things in pro golf. And although Fowler doesn’t have his PGA Tour card (yet), he finished T7 at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital for Children Open this past weekend in Las Vegas. Ricky will go PGA Tour-card hunting at Q-school this fall.

But let’s get to the golf cart, shall we?

According to PUMA, Fowler’s new sponsor, the above red buggy is “a tricked-out, motocross-inspired golf cart” and “features a roll cage, off-road tires, a push bar and a state-of-the-art stereo system.” Ricky used the cart in the pro-am of the recent Soboba Classic Tournament, a Nationwide Tour event.

A motocross-style golf cart. Hmmm. I think there may be a market for that. You could drive it right into those giant bunkers, splash through creeks and water hazards, and speed across off-fairway terrain in search of those wild “I’ll never find that” tee shots.

Fowler Bio

Once a promising motocross competitor, Fowler started playing competitive golf at the age of 14. As a freshman at Oklahoma State, he was the youngest recipient of the Ben Hogan Award, given to the nation’s top men’s college golfer. He also earned the Phil Mickelson Award the same year.

For the past two years, Fowler has been ranked as the world’s No. 1 amateur and was also part of two Walker Cup Teams. This year, he played in several tournaments on the PGA Tour, including the U.S. Open. He made his professional debut in September at the Albertsons Boise Open.

−The Armchair Golfer

ARMCHAIR GOLF Briefs: Golf Products and Services

2009-10-18T20:54:00.014-04:00

(Jason Pearce/Flickr)

Assorted news items sent to ARMCHAIR GOLF. Endorsement is not implied. No consideration or compensation was received.

• The Art of Scoring by Stan Utley (Gotham Books, on sale 9/17, $26). Golf’s short-game guru and “hottest instructor in golf” (Sports Illustrated) presents a ground-breaking guide for lowering your score with a powerful new approach to strategizing, decision-making, and management for every part of your short game.

• Damage Control by Dave Pelz (Gotham Books, on sale 11/12, $35). In Damage Control Dave Pelz explains that it is a fact of golf that you will hit errant shots—into deep rough, into sand, into shallow water, or near obstacle that will inhibit your swing. Damage Control shows readers how to recover from these shots, and not make a bad situation worse by hitting the ball into deeper trouble.

• Hank Haney International Junior Golf Academy (IJGA) established an official partnership with the Mexican Golf Federation, the governing body of amateur golf for Mexico under the United States Golf Association (USGA), which oversees both the United States and Mexico.

• Bob and Linda Penett have recorded a comedy CD entitled Golf Amnesia (GolfAmnesia.com).

• GolfGym tour pro and Coach Joey D client Tom Pernice Jr. won the SAS Championship in his Champions Tour debut. Pernice works with Coach Joey Diovisalvi, one of the elite biomechanics, strength and conditioning coaches on the PGA Tour, and uses GolfGym training products in the fitness trailers as part of his golf fitness program.

• Sweet Spot Golf is committed to manufacturing performance based golf clubs while adding a unique sense of design and color. Current plans are to work exclusively in the women’s golf equipment arena.

• Nothing Major, a new golf book by Bob Cayne, is now available. The book is 250 pages of laughs: funny stories, essays and interviews, according to Cayne. More at NothingMajor.net.

• Motion Golf, LLC, the world’s most technologically advanced golf improvement system, has entered into a strategic partnership with Touché Golf Sports Private Limited, located at the Bangalore Golf Club in Bangalore, India, to feature a high-tech Motion Golf studio.

• Phoenix Environmental Care announced its 2009 PERKs (Phoenix Environmental Rewards Kustomers) incentive program, which enables superintendents to financially support golf industry organizations and education.

• Late September marked the beginning of a new golf association in California, the California State Golf Association (CSGA).

• GOLF CHANNEL’S Uneven Fairways, a documentary on the history of African-Americans in professional golf, is now available on DVD.

• Golfpreserves® and the Allied Golf Associations of Colorado have begun the Colorado Golf Carbon Project, a project that will develop a carbon emissions data collection system as well as document the carbon present at participating golf courses.

• Imperial Headwear outfitted the International team at the Presidents Cup.

−The Armchair Golfer

King of Golf Cartoons: ‘Couch’

2009-10-17T21:22:00.004-04:00

Copyright © Jerry King. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Has golf ever come between you and a loved one?

−The Armchair Golfer

Jerry King is an award-winning cartoonist whose credits and clients include Golf Digest, United States Golf Association and Disney. His golf cartoons are regularly featured at ARMCHAIR GOLF.

Hit Another One: October 17 Is National Mulligan Day

2009-10-16T14:49:00.005-04:00

(Innisbrook Resort & Golf Club)

THAT’S JUST GREAT. Tomorrow is National Mulligan Day and I’m not playing. Maybe I’ll celebrate the golf holiday the next time I tee it up.

If you have never heard of National Mulligan Day, you’re not alone. Neither had I until a press release landed in my inbox last month. Was this just some clever promotion by a Florida golf resort? Apparently not. National Mulligan Day is also listed on Holidays.net.

Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club is offering its guests a mulligan with a twist. On October 17, anyone playing one of the resort’s four golf courses—including the PGA Tour Copperhead Course—will get to play the same course again for free. Throughout the day, Innisbrook will also offer various specials like two-for-one “Mulligan-tinis” at its bars, as well as other offers at its spa, retail outlets, driving range and tennis courts.

The resort also took a poll that determined Frenchman Jean Van de Velde was the sports figure in greatest need of a mulligan after his final-hole disaster at the 1999 British Open. I can’t argue with that.

−The Armchair Golfer

2009 Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital for Children Open TV Schedule and Notes

2009-10-15T18:51:00.019-04:00

THE 2009 JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE SHRINERS HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN OPEN is underway at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Purse: $4.2 million
Winner’s share: $756,000
Defending champion: Marc Turnesa

Live report
Inside the field
Inside the course
Tee times

2009 Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital for Children Open Leaderboard

TV SCHEDULE

Twelve hours of TV coverage are on tap for the 2009 Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital for Children Open.

Thu, 10/15:
GOLF 4p - 7p ET

Fri, 10/16:
GOLF 4p - 7p ET

Sat, 10/17:
GOLF 4p - 7p ET

Sun, 10/18:
GOLF 4p - 7p ET

PGA Tour radio coverage

−The Armchair Golfer