Dave On Golf

Hee Kyung Seo Wins Inaugural Kia Classic at La Costa

2010-03-29T20:07:00.000-07:00

Seems only fitting that a Korean player, who is not an LPGA member, would win the Inaugural Kia Classic, with Kia being a large Korean company. In fact, Korean players took the top 4 spots. Michelle Wie, an American of Korean descent, should have finished second, but ended up tied 6th after a 2 shot penalty for grounding her club in a hazard after hitting a shot out of a pond (that ended up still being in the hazard). I know it would have been better for Michelle to take a drop, along with the one shot penalty, and move on, rather than try an almost impossible shot. And then, another rules issue for her. She insisted she was losing her balance but the TV shots were pretty clear. She may have felt off balance but she sure didn't look it. And, if she was falling, seems like she would have put the club behind her, into the water, not in front of her, where she wasn't going to fall. To her credit, she listened carefully to the rules official (the whole conversation was caught on TV audio-pretty amazing to hear a conversation like this between a player and rules official), and after the whole thing played out, she accepted the decision (of course, she really didn't have any choice).

When will the Michelle rules problems end? Can't say I've ever heard of any player on any tour with so many highly publicized rules issues. Just amazing to me. Good news is she is playing very well. Will be interesting to see how she does at the 1st major this coming weekend. Personally, I hope she really starts playing well and winning.

Ernie Els Wins Arnold Palmer Invitational, Louis Oosthuizen Wins Andalucia Open

2010-03-29T19:50:00.000-07:00

Ernie Els won Mr. Palmer's little invitational down at Bay Hill in Orlando in a rare Monday finish. Ernie held on to win by 2 strokes. Nice follow-up to the win two weeks ago at Doral. He is going to play in the Shell Open in Houston this coming weekend and then has to be the favorite going into that small, intimate event in Augusta, GA, in a couple of weeks.

Louis Oosthuizen won The Andalucia Open on the European Tour Sunday. It was the 1st win for the 27 year old from South Africa. Louis credits Ernie Els' foundation in South Africa for giving him the support he needed to become a world class golfer. Interesting that Charl Schwartzel, another young South African player who won the first two events on the European Tour this year, also has Ernie as a mentor. Add Retief Goosen into this mix and you have two very established players and two up-and-coming players. Seems the South Africans are doing very well this year. Reminds me of the impact Greg Norman had on young, Australian players 20 or so years ago. With the win, Louis moves into the top 50 in the world and will be heading to Augusta again this year, the second year in a row for him.

Freddie Couples Wins Third In A Row On Champions Tour

2010-03-28T16:48:00.000-07:00

Freddie does it again--wins third Champions Tour event in a row. Fred won the Cap Cana Championship in the Dominican Republic Sunday afternoon, shooting a course record 62. He had 11, yes, count 'em, 11 birdies! So far this season in 4 events he has won $931,000 and leads the money list by over $400,000. Guess he is enjoying himself.

Here is an article from USA Today about the tournament.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/champions/2010-03-28-cap-cana-championship_N.htm

Played 27 @ O'Bannon Creek Golf Club Yesterday, March 27th

2010-03-28T14:32:00.000-07:00

I played with the Pope group yesterday morning (sans a Pope) at O'Bannon Creek Golf Club in Loveland, OH, my home course. The course was wet but playable. With no Pope present, the acting chairman is always Wayne "Grumpy" Stokes. Wayne decided the game was best ball of the foursome on the first hole, two best balls on the second hole, and three best balls on the third hole, and then repeat throughout the 18 holes. Fun game! I ended up playing with Wayne, John Peebles, and Bob Herd. We ended up -3 on the front, -4 on the back, good for not so much. Our first group out won all the team money, I think. The third group is still on the course, as far as I know! Let's just say they fell behind a bit! I shot an 84, 44 on front, 40 on back. Not bad considering the extremely wet conditions. Won a little low net score money for the front, $4. Goes in the winning kitty for the year.

Highlights of the day included:

Wayne Stokes' birdie on #7--12-15 foot putt.
John Peebles' nice par on #1 after a pitch that ended up less than a foot from the hole
Wayne and John both parring #3, a hole we had to count 3 balls on
Nice up-and-downs by John and me on #5
Wayne's par on #6, nice 10 foot putt to a tough pin placement
My up-and-down for par on #9 after bouncing my drive off the pump house roof
John's 2nd shot from the rough on #10 that ended up about 15 feet from the hole
Bobby's 40-50 foot putt for birdie on #15
Jerry Klefas' driver to 3-par 205 yard #18, leaving a "Klefas" gimme for birdie. He told us he putted it!

It was great to get out, play 18 with the boys!

Kathy and I went out for another 9 around 3:00. Course was a bit drier in the afternoon. We both played reasonably well for the beginning of the season and conditions. On the 5-par #4, I hit my 4th shot from the left rough, about 145 yards out. Pulled the 7 iron a bit and hit one of the large trees located left of the green. Well, as sometimes happens, the ball hit the tree, ran down the trunk, on the ground, through the rough, onto the green, hit the flagstick, and went in the hole! Routine birdie! Nice!

Looks like a beautiful week ahead after tomorrow. Kathy and will be heading to Denver Wednesday night to visit mom. Are going to take clubs with us--hope to play nine a couple of times if the weather allows.

Hope you 2 or 4 readers out there get out and play some golf this coming week. And hey, let's be careful out there!

Dave

Great Leader Board @ Mr. Palmer's Tournament

2010-03-27T05:45:00.000-07:00

Els, Love, Mickelson, Goosen, Stricker, Weir and Choi! What a great group of leaders going into the weekend at Arnold Palmer's Invitational at Bay Hill. And, with the cut coming in at +1, and the leaders at -7, the entire field is within 8 shots of each other. NBC is happy I'm sure since this is about as good as it gets for a field without Tiger. Mickelson had a really good day yesterday--he got the putter working. If Phil makes a decent number of putts there aren't many who can hang with him. And how about Ernie--winning at Doral two weeks ago and at the top again this week. Davis Love needs to win this week or next to get into the Masters--would be cool for him to do it but he hasn't won in quite a while so we'll see.

Bay Hill never looked better, as far as I'm concerned. Mr. Palmer talked yesterday on The Golf Channel about some of the changes he and the crew made to the course. Must be nice to have a course to tinker with over time. On 16 the tee shot used to be blind so he took out a mound so the players can now see the fairway when teeing off. It is interesting to listen to designers talk about why certain features of the course are where they are.

Mr. Palmer also said there will be some new pin placements today since all the greens were rebuilt and there are now more places to put the pins. And, if the wind picks up today and tomorrow, the greens will be a bit more crispy. Scores may not go much lower. We'll see. Will be fun to watch!

And hey, get out there and play some golf! I'm heading out in just a bit--hope to tee off around 10 this morning @ O'Bannon once the frost is off the course.

Interesting Take On Tiger's Return

2010-03-18T11:32:00.000-07:00

Here is an interesting column and perspective on TW's return.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/brennan/2010-03-17-tiger-return_N.htm

Ernie Els Wins World Golf Championship-CA Championship at Doral

2010-03-14T21:12:00.000-07:00

Ernie Els conquered The Blue Monster at Doral and the best golfers in the world over the last four days. His fellow countryman, Charl Schwartzel, gave Ernie a good run for his money until the 14th hole today. If you didn't see the finish, you missed a great performance by Ernie. He played very well over the four rounds and certainly has a great deal of confidence in his putting. On 14, Els hit a bad drive and second shot, got on the green in three, and sank a 30 footer for par, breaking any momentum Schwartzel had a chance to gain. Ernie went on to win by 4 for his first victory in a couple of years. At 40, with a healthy knee, and having worked out a few kinks in his setup, Els is playing great golf again. His goal is to add more majors to the three he has now. Will be interesting to see how he does the rest of the season and in the upcoming majors, starting with the Masters next month.

Charl Schwartzel played really well, to say the least, on the big stage of the PGA tour and World Golf Championship. Earlier this year I wrote about Charl after he won the first two tournaments on the European PGA Tour in Africa. Ernie Els is Charl's idol and mentor. Charl has been staying with Ernie during the tournament this week and is going to stay with him for a bit longer. Pretty cool that the winner and second place finisher of the tournament are staying in the same house.

Ernie owns a winery in South Africa. Bet he and his friends are drinking some really nice wine tonight! Wish I were there with them.

Padraig Harrington, Martin Kaymer, and Matt Kuchar finished tied for third. Kuchar is off to a great start this year. Bill Haas played really well, finishing tied for sixth. Phil Mickelson played pretty well, shooting 8 under par, tied for 14th. He had it going for a while on Saturday then just couldn't make any birdie putts on the back nine.

I really enjoyed watching this tournament over the last four days. It is fun to see players from all over the world come together and compete. Also is fun to see a tournament played on a course I've played. And, was really nice to see Ernie Els win. He is a good person, liked by players and fans. I hope this win propels him to many more this season and for many years to come.

Dave

Played 18 at O'Bannon Creek Golf Club Yesterday--Nice

2010-03-13T08:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I played 18 holes at my home course, O'Bannon Creek Golf Club, in Loveland, OH. The weather was mostly cloudy with temperatures in the low 60's. Nice! Course was wet in spots but certainly very playable. Saw quite a few of the usual suspects out on the course, the folks who play every chance they can regardless of conditions. Wayne and Lina Stokes were out enjoying an early season Friday afternoon round, as were Bob Herd, Jerry Klefas, Jeff Bischoff, Jerry Greenwald, Brian Ellis, Bill Lundeen, Brookan Gennaro, Kyle Earhart, Dan Cuprill, and of course, Tim Wade. Tim played five rounds last week! Tough life, I guess! I'm just jealous.

Glad I got out yesterday since there won't be any golf at O'Bannon Creek today or tomorrow. Heavy rain last night has turned the course into one large water hazard. I can see #17 fairway from my house and there is lots of "casual water". Rain is supposed to stop early this afternoon. Next week looks relatively warm and dry so hopefully by the end of the week the course will be playable again.

So, get play some golf, where ever you are. I may play Wie golf today. Played 36 last Saturday in the comfort of my basement.

Dave

Free Stuff from Nike Golf! Nice!

2010-03-13T08:12:00.000-08:00

A few months ago I became a Facebook friend of Nike Golf. Nike was giving away golf stuff to people who signed up at their site. So, I signed up and promptly won a sleeve of Nike Vapor golf balls and a few days later, also won a Nike Dura Feel golf glove. Amazingly, Nike send me both free items a few weeks later (I didn't really expect to get these "free" items, call me a skeptic). Always great to get free stuff you can actually use.

The Dura Feel glove is made of enhanced synthetic leather combined with Lycra spandex. Sounds complicated. Guess it is the spandex that feels good and different in the glove. The glove seems to support your hand. Feels good. Now, if only the glove can reduce my scores! Probably too much to ask for.

Dave

"Being John Daly" Not!

2010-03-13T07:30:00.000-08:00

Martin Kaufmann writes Wired, a column that appears in Golfweek. The column is about TV coverage of golf. He does a good job pointing out the good and not so good of network tournament coverage. In the March 5th issue of Golfweek, Kaufmann writes about "Being John Daly", the show currently on Golf Channel. Kaufmann's headline is "In Daly's words: I can't take this." He goes on to say he can't take this show that celebrates the life of John Daly holds him up as a sage whose wisdom we should seek out. Well said!

I've been a John Daly fan for a long time. He is good for golf when he plays well (which he hasn't for a long time) and when the story is about golf and not his 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th wife, his girlfriend, or their families (which is almost always the case). John was a very talented golfer and still may be able to get back to being competitive enough to make a living on the PGA tour. I've said before he should go to the Nationwide Tour, get his game back, win some tournaments, earn his way back to the big show. Many other PGA veterans have and are currently playing there. Just last week 48 year old Steve Pate won the Nationwide event in Columbia as he prepares to head out to the Champion's Tour next year. John, if you really want to get your game back, take a step back, go to the Nationwide Tour. Now!

Golf Channel is promoting the hell out of "Being John Daly". Guess they figure lots of people will watch to learn all they already don't know about John. I agree with John Daly's quote from one of his songs, "I can't take this anymore"!

Dave

Camilo, Freddie Dominate PGA and Champion's Tour Fields

2010-03-08T09:51:00.000-08:00

Camilo Villegas and Freddy Couples dominated this weekend. Camilo won The Honda by dominating the field, as did Freddy at the Toshiba Classic. Camilo now has three tour wins and looks like he is poised to win a lot more. Anthony Kim also played well and will hopefully step it up a bit to win a few tournaments this year. I don't think I've ever seen anyone swing faster or harder than Camilo did over the weekend. He made some unbelievable approach shots and was sinking almost every putt.

Fred Couples is off to a great start on the Champion's Tour. So far this year he has played three events on the Senior Circuit, has two wins and a second! Not bad. He is striking the ball great, hitting wonderful approach shots, and like Camilo did this weekend, making all the putts. Even after an errant approach to 18, banking his second shot off the grandstands, he was able to hit a great approach and make a putt for birdie. Nice paydays so far for Fred and his caddie!

Great weekend of golf. This coming weekend Doral should be fun along with the PGA event in Puerto Rico.

Nice Win For Hunter Mahan @ Waste Management Open in Phoenix

2010-03-02T15:04:00.000-08:00

Hunter Mahan got his second PGA Tour win Sunday at the Waste Management Open held in Phoenix. Ricky Fowler was second. This was a close tournament with a bunch of players in contention right up to the end. The last three holes are some of the best finishing holes on the PGA tour. The stadium par three 16th is really cool, as is the drivable par four 17th, and 18 is a very good finishing hole.

There are so many really good young players on tour right now. Yes, many miss Tiger (I'm not one of them), but watching these young guys play in close tournaments is really exciting. Should be an interesting season.

I was surprised CBS abandoned this tournament and ceded it to the Golf Channel. Guess they figure college basketball is a better Sunday afternoon show than golf. Brandel Chamblee is a very good announcer, knows his stuff, as does Frank Nobilo. Billy Andrade is a rookie on-course announcer and will get better over time. Truthfully, I don't miss Jim Nance waxing poetic on whatever but do miss McCord and Feherty.

I read today that Tiger is back home in Florida after a week of family counseling in Arizona with Elin. Supposedly he is back in a routine of exercising as well as hitting balls at Isleworth. Sounds like he may be back sooner than later. If he comes back soon, I expect to see him at Arnie's tournament just before The Masters.

Ai Miazato won the second LPGA tournament in a row last weekend in Singapore. I believe she is the first LPGA player to ever win the first two tournaments of the season. Good for her. There was tremendous pressure on her when she started playing on the LPGA tour after having tremendous success in Japan.

I read since the number of LPGA tournaments has been reduced this year most players are planning to play as many tournaments as they can. Great for the LPGA, especially when they start playing in the USA. Should be good for tournament attendance as well as TV ratings.

Tommy "Two Gloves" Gainey is playing full-time on the Nationwide Tour this year. Sunday he finished alone in third place at the tournament held in Panama. Good for him. I hope he can earn enough to get back to the big show next year. Go Tommy!

Camilo Villegas is hosting a Nationwide Tour event in his home country of Columbia this weekend. Nice for him to host a tournament, bring golf to Columbia, and support the junior golf circuit.

For all you snowbirds, as well as O'Bannon Creek Golf Club members who haven't been out to the course for while, I can see green grass on number 17 from my sunroom. Still mostly snow covered but there is hope. The rough is going to be thick this spring! Based upon the weather report for this week, snow will be gone by this weekend. Then we have to hope for some March winds to dry the course out.

And, O'Bannon members, come on out to the restaurant. The staff is looking forward to seeing you after a long winter. Why go out to another restaurant when you have a great, private restaurant with good food and friendly service. And bring some friends, the club can use the revenue! Check the O'Bannon website to see when the restaurant is open and come on out. Tell 'em Dave sent ya!

Tiger Speaks, Nothing Left to Say!

2010-02-21T19:33:00.000-08:00

I know at least one of you out there wonders what I think of Tiger's public comments Friday. Really, I don't have much to say. Seemed like a funeral to me. Nice, I guess, for him that his mom was there but mom's are always there for us, aren't they? I've had more than enough. I suspect he will come back to golf once Elin decides what she is going to do--stay with him or seek a divorce. Either way, he will be back, and it will be up to him how he shows respect for the game, his competitors, and fans. At this point, I think he is a long way from recovery, so to speak. And so is his caddy Stevie, who was quoted today in the New York Times that he won't tolerate any heckling of Tiger when he returns. So I guess Stevie will continue to be Tiger's thug, yelling at fans and throwing cameras into ponds! Seems it will be a while before we get to see what is going to happen when Tiger returns but if Elin decides to dump him, I bet he'll be back sooner than later.

Okay, that's it, no more comments about Tiger until there are golf scores to report!

Dick Lewis Hits House on Golf Course in Florida, A First For Him!

2010-02-15T13:02:00.000-08:00

I have it from a reliable source (well, somewhat reliable) that Mr. Dick Lewis of O'Bannon Creek Golf Club fame hit a house adjacent to a golf course for the first time in his golf playing career during a round a few weeks ago while wintering in Florida. Apparently the house gets hit often since there is a net protecting it. My source tells me Dick hit the house but the ball ricocheted back on to the course and Dick parred the hole. Guess the ball had a nasty mark on it from the net so I'm sure Dick informed his playing partners at the conclusion of the hole he was going to take the ball out of play. Good job Dick, welcome to the club!

For all the rest of you Ohio folks basking in the warm Florida sun, today, February 15th, 2010, it is snowing briskly, temperature is in the mid-20's, and we are going to end up with a nice new layer of 6-9 inches on top the 8-10 inches still on the ground. So, extend your stays, my hope for golf here in early March is looking more iffy. Cold, snowy, nasty winter. Only Duke energy and snowplowers are happy this winter!

Johnson Wins AT&T at Pebble Beach, Prugh, Molder, and Goydos Score 9's on #14

2010-02-15T12:32:00.000-08:00

Dustin Johnson made a nice, four foot birdie putt on the 18th hole yesterday to win the AT&T Tournament at Pebble Beach yesterday. David Duval and J.B. Holmes tied for second. This is the second year in a row Dustin has won this event though last year it was shortened to 54 holes. Johnson now has won three times on tour and is one of the young guns with multiple wins at a relatively early age. Seems like a nice enough young man though he has had some challenges in the past, as detailed in the most recent edition of Golfweek. The story recounts that when Johnson was in high school, he lacked guidance and ran with a troubled bunch. He was with five boys in January 2001 who were "coerced" into committing a break-in for a friend's older brother. Johnson was talked into buying ammunition at a local Walmart for a gun that was stolen in the break-in because he had a fake ID saying he was 21. The gun and ammunition was used by the young man Johnson bought the ammunition for to kill a man later the same month. Johnson agreed to testify against the murderer, pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary, and was pardoned by the state in January 2009. In March 2009, Johnson was charged with DUI. The trial date has not been set. To all of this Johnson says he learns from his mistakes and doesn't make them again. Let's hope so for his sake.

Anyway, he is a hell of a golfer. Will be interesting to see if he can win again this season, especially when he heads back to Pebble for the U.S. Open in June.

And, if you watched the tournament, you certainly noticed the three 9's on #14. Alex Prugh, Bryce Molder, and Paul Goydos all scored 9's on the 5-par #14. As I say, ouch! Goydos was leading by two coming into 9 and actually watched Molder hit his ball back and forth and all around the green on his way to his 9. Then Paul stepped up and matched it! That hole is tough, and may be unbelievably tough by the time summer rolls around and the USGA sets Pebble up for the U.S. Open. Tough hole, and too bad Paul Goydos couldn't manage a par or even a bogey.

At least by Sunday, and especially during the last hour, CBS showed more than two or three shots between commercials. Not sure why they have so many commentators when they show so few shots/have so little to comment about. And also glad to get the celebrity portion of the golf season over. Guess I see too many celebrities all the time on TV to care anymore but enough of Andy Garcia already! Do we really need to see him so much?

And finally, is really nice to see David Duvall up near the top of the leaderboard contending for wins. Maybe he can be the guy to step up, win a bunch of tournaments this season. I hope he can.

PGA Player Scott McCarron Calls Mickelson and Others Using Old Ping Wedges Cheaters

2010-01-29T15:56:00.000-08:00

Well, it didn't take long for PGA tour news to heat up, even without Tiger. Scott McCarron said today on Golf Channel that Phil Mickelson and others using the old approved Ping wedges are cheating. As Phil pointed out later, the clubs are approved. Phil also said he has had many discussions with the USGA about the loophole in the rules, thinks it is a bad situation, but he is not cheating, he is using approved clubs. Now, I just checked the scoreboard and Scott McCarron didn't make the cut, and I haven't heard much from him in quite a while, so maybe he should start using the old clubs too! Anyway, there will be a lot said about this controversy over the weekend on the CBS broadcast. I'm sure CBS is very happy to have Mickelson playing and playing pretty well and a bit of controversy to get fans to at least watch the beginning of this tournament tomorrow.

Oh, also, John Daly said after his round today that he is quitting, can't compete, etc., etc., etc. John, I've said it before, if you want to play, go down to the Nationwide Tour, get your game back, win three times or finish in the top 25, earn your way back. And, oh, maybe get you personal life together, but you have never been able to do that. And of course the Golf Channel is pimping the new John Daly freak show coming up in March. Oy!

Finally, kudos to Farmer's Insurance for stepping up to sponsor this event at the last minute. It is a great tournament on one of the world's great courses and needs a very good sponsor.

Tom Watson Speaks Out On Tiger

2010-01-29T11:08:00.000-08:00

Tom Watson has spoken! Interesting comments from Tom Watson in an interview with a Kansas City television station. Essentially, straighten up, fly right from now on.

Here is the link to the comments from the Golf Channel:

http://www.thegolfchannel.com/shag-bag/tom-watson-expects-tiger-34836/

Great Finishes on Champion's and PGA Tours

2010-01-26T16:57:00.000-08:00

Champions Tour: If you didn't see the last hole of the Mitsubishi Electric Classic on the Big Island of Hawaii Sunday, you missed a great finish. Actually, the last nine holes were very exciting with the lead going back and forth between Tom Watson and "rookie" Fred Couples. Going into 18, Tom and Fred were tied after Tom made a great birdie on 17. Tom's drive on 18 found the rough, and of course Fred's drive was in the fairway. All the announcers said Tom was at a major disadvantage since he wouldn't be able to control the ball once it got to the green. Well, Tom stepped up, hit a great pitching wedge 147 yards, leaving the ball only four feet from the hole! Fred hit a good shot, leaving a fifteen foot putt for birdie. He hit a good putt but didn't make the birdie. Tom knocked the four-footer in for the birdie and the win! This after he missed a few three footers Saturday. It was a great finish to a tournament that was close all weekend.

PGA Tour: The Bob Hope Classic, what can I say. Enough with the entertainers and celebrities! And on the first two days, Golf Channel, enough with Michael Breed, the Golf Fix guy, on the range teaching the celebrities. I think most fans watch golf tournaments to see PGA pros play shots. The first two days, most of the shots that were shown were those of amateurs and celebrities. Friday, there weren't any celebrities playing, meaning there were a lot of pros hitting shots on several courses, but did we see many of those shots--no. I love Golf Channel, but they didn't do anything to make me keep watching for most of the tournament. And, I think it is telling that CBS gave up on The Bob Hope Classic, leaving it to Golf Channel. Let's see, AFC Championship game or The Bob Hope Classic. I think CBS made the right choice this year.

Anyway, after four days of playing with the rich and famous, the pros got at it on Monday. A bunch of players were knotted at the top throughout the day, and especially on the back nine. Bill Haas persevered, winning the tournament with a birdie 4 on the 5 par 18th. Really cool for Bill to win this tournament since his dad Jay won it 22 years ago. And, Jay was there, having taken a red-eye in from Hawaii Sunday night. Jay was in the crowd watching but Bill didn't know. Judy Rankin asked Bill if he knew his dad was there watching and he said no, that he knew he was in the area doing a workshop, but didn't know dad was watching all day. Pretty special for Bill to get his first win.

European Tour: Martin Kaymer of Germany won the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, beating Ian Poulter by one shot. I didn't watch much of this tournament so don't have much to report other than that Charl Schwartzel didn't win his third straight tournament. And sorry Charl, I spelled your name wrong the last couple of weeks, using the U.S. Carl. Win again, I promise not to spell your name wrong anymore!

Okay, off to Torrey Pines and the Farmer's Insurance tournament. Philly, time to win on your home course.

Let That Golf Ball Go--Not Worth Losing An Arm Over!

2010-01-18T18:34:00.000-08:00

Tony Lyons sent this to me last fall and I've been remiss in not posting it sooner. A golfer was reaching for a ball along the shore of a lake and a very large alligator decided it was time for lunch. Ouch!

Pictures are not for the faint of heart...a bit gruesome.

Just a short comment about the hunting of alligators...I was in Shreeveport, LA, last fall and there was a story on the local news about alligator hunting. Seems the price of alligator skins is so low that those who hunt them for profit aren't doing so because it isn't profitable. The story mentioned an increase in large, nuisance alligators due to the lack of hunting. So, at least last fall in Louisiana, it wasn't animal rights folks but pure, unadulterated capitalism that kept hunting from taking place.

Remember when these were hunted along the Gulf Coast in Texas and Louisiana and nobody ever complained...........until some animal rights group got cranked up. Now, living in Florida, this kind of thing has become as natural and accepted as a car accident.

>
>>
>>>
>>> What is a Golf Ball Worth?
>>>
>>> Not every golf ball is worth retrieving!
>>>
>>> Pictures of 77-year old man who was golfing on Hilton Head Island and
>>> reached into the water to retrieve his ball. Unfortunately, Mr. Gator
>>> was
>>> waiting and grabbed his arm. They retrieved the arm from Mr. Gator but
>>> weren't able to reattach.
>>>
>>>

Check out the pictures!!!!

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This and That On Golf, From Cincinnati, January 17th, 2010

2010-01-17T09:41:00.000-08:00

Just a few thoughts from an Ohio golfer, who is in Ohio this winter, and hasn't been able to play yet in 2010.

Attended the Cincinnati Boat, Travel, and Golf Show Yesterday: Kathy and I attended the Boat, Travel, and Golf Show yesterday at the Duke Convention Center in Cincinnati yesterday. Had a good time, and bought a few things. Kathy picked out a new bag and some shoes, we bought The Golf Coupon Book 2010, and a 5-day/4-night vacation package in Williamsburg, VA. The Golf Coupon Book is published by CinciGolf.com, sells for $39.99, and The First Tee of Miami Valley benefits from the sale of each book. Two free rounds of golf came with the purchase of each book and I chose Shaker Run and Walden Ponds. The coupon book has lots of buy one round, get one free, or 4 people play for price of 3, etc. We are planning to use the coupons to play a few courses we don't ever go to since we play almost all our golf at O'Bannon Creek Golf Club. Also, the coupons can be used by anyone, not just the coupon book holder. If you are nice to me, I might even let you have a coupon to play a course you want to in 2010! The golf vacation in Williamsburg is at a new development of time-share vacation properties, small houses with two bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, and a sofa-bed. And yes, we will have to sit through a 90 minute breakfast sales pitch but for $269, 5 days/4 nights, and unlimited golf, we figured it would be a good excuse to visit Williamsburg next summer/fall, play some golf, and take in some sights. There were plenty of people, mostly guys, sifting through the clubs, new and used, golf shoes, clothes, and balls looking for the magic item that will turn around their game in 2010. And, there were several instructors from the Southern Ohio PGA providing demonstrations, presentations, and swing analysis. I met Joel Suggs, PGA Master Teaching Professional, Joel@JoelSuggsGolfSuccess.com. Joel follows me on Twitter and we both use Facebook. It was nice to meet Joel in person and, of course, through a quick computer analysis of my swing, find out how off-plane it is. Oh well, something to work on, maybe throughout the winter. We had a good time walking around and ran into a few other O'Bannon Golfers there.
The Snow Has Melted from O'Bannon Creek Golf Club: For all you snowbirds, the snow is off the course so you should come home, stop wasting money on those second homes in Florida, get back to Cincinnati to play some golf in the balmy 40 degree temperatures we are expecting this week. The course was closed yesterday and today due to being quite wet. Though it is raining a bit today, I am hoping that by later in the week the course will be playable. Will be nice to play once or twice in January.
PGA Tour Moves on to Palm Springs/La Quinta and The Bob Hope Classic this Week: After the Sony Open ends later today, the West Coast Swing begins on the PGA Tour at the The Bob Hope Classic. Low scores are the order of the day at The Hope. Lot's of guys who didn't go to Hawaii will be in the field. Will be good to really get the PGA season underway back on the mainland.

Get out there and play some golf, or at least swing a club, or practice putting!

Charles Schwartzel Wins Joburg Open, Wins 2nd Consecutive Tournament

2010-01-17T08:40:00.000-08:00

Charles Schwartzel did it again this week, winning the Joburg Open in South Africa. He is on a roll, playing very well, to say the least. He won by 6 shots. Darren Clark tied for second. It is nice to see Darren back on tour. Hope we see plenty of him in the U.S. as he gets back in form. He is a fan favorite and golf needs all of them it can get right now. James Kamte finished tied for third. I saw the young South African play at the Memorial last summer in what was his U.S. debut. He hits the ball a long way and has a calm demeanor. As a black South African golfer, James gets a lot of attention and undoubtedly feels a fair amount of pressure to do well. Hopefully he will have a successful year and career.

Telling Comments from Jesper Parnevik about TW

2010-01-17T08:28:00.000-08:00

As you all know, Elin Woods was Jesper's nanny, and Jesper introduced Elin to Tiger. The comments in the article below are from Jesper as he was interviewed at the SONY Open in Honolulu this past week. Effectively he says he doesn't want to know too much from his wife, who is talking to Elin, so he doesn't have to lie to the press or say something inappropriate. Pretty honest and classy, as far as I'm concerned.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/pga/2010-01-13-parnevik-tiger_N.htm

Ogilvy Wins SBS Tournament at Kapalua 2nd Year in a Row

2010-01-11T12:09:00.000-08:00

Geoff Ogilvy won the SBS tournament at Kapalua yesterday. Nice way to start the year! $1.1M in prize money, an invitation back to Maui for next year's tournament, and 500 FedEx points. Here is an article from The Golf Channel about the tournament.

http://www.thegolfchannel.com/tour-insider/ogilvy-defends-title-sbs-championship-34528/

Also over the weekend, Charles Schwartzel picked up his 4th European Tour Victory by winning the Africa Open held in East London, South Africa. I saw the end of this tournament (yes, I'm one of four people in the US who regularly watch the European Tour on The Golf Channel Sunday mornings). Course was very picturesque, with a good amount of elevation change. Here is an article about the tournament from USA Today.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/euro/2010-01-10-africa-open_N.htm

Young Talent on PGA Tour in 2010

2010-01-10T08:52:00.001-08:00

Here is a good article highlighting the "young guns" on the PGA tour this year.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/pga/2010-01-04-pga-tour-young-talent_N.htm

Enjoy!

PGA Tour Season Begins! Yeah!

2010-01-09T09:29:00.000-08:00

The PGA tour began earlier this week at the Plantation Course in Kapalua, on the beautiful island of Maui in Hawaii. Lucas Glover has the lead after two days of the winners only SBS tournament. He is at 15 under par, an impressive performance so far. Ten players are within six shots so a lot can happen over the next two days.

I love watching this tournament each year, partially because it is the first tournament of the new year but mostly because the course is beautiful. The next time I go to Hawaii I will pay the very high greens fee to play the Plantation Course. I think it is one of the most beautiful in the world.

Have been a little lazy, haven't been posting much to the golf blog, but will start again now that the PGA season is on again.

For those of you in Florida, sorry the weather has been so crappy for you. At least you know temperatures will warm up soon and you can get back outside to play. Now that we have 5 inches of snow on O'Bannon Creek Golf Course, us northerners have to hope for above freezing temperatures to melt the snow, and then for it to be warm enough for us to get in some January golf. A lot to hope for, I know, but the forecast calls for warmer weather here in Cincinnati next week, with a high of 40 predicted next Friday.