Bunker Shots

Annika Sorenstam isn't really retiring, is she?

Tue, 13 May 2008 20:28:00 -0500

Is Annika Sorenstam really going to retire from competition at season's end? I hope not. This brewing rivalry with Lorena Ochoa might go down as one of golf's most memorable by year's end. The LPGA will be offering something the PGA Tour can't this year, a pair of titans pushing each other to the limit. I'm hoping we'll see the great duels the men can't consistently deliver because nobody's the equal of Tiger Woods. Sorenstam will go down as one of the game's greatest players, and I've enjoyed covering her, but it's so rare for athletes to really step away at the height of their powers. And I believe Sorenstam has shown in her back-to-back victories that she's close to her best again. She made it clear she has no plans to retire gradually, to fade to retirement as so many great golfers do. Asked if she can go "cold turkey" from competition next year, she didn't hesitate: "I believe I can. I enjoy competition, but I care too much about the game and playing well. If I can't give 100 percent, I don't want to give any. I know what it's like to play at the top, and I don't want anything less." We've seen in golf how the great players can't really stay away. In his prime, Jack Nicklaus always said he wouldn't play to be a ceremonial player, but he stuck around as a ceremonial player for a fair bit. It's not that I minded. Years ago, I idiotically wrote that Arnold Palmer should retire. It's a column I wish I could take back. I liked watching Nicklaus, even after he lost the ability to win. Star athletes seem addicted to the stage, to being in the middle of the action, to the adoration, too. It's so rare that they actually do stay away in golf. When the cheers fade, it's like something's died within them. They can't help wanting to resurrect it. I believe Sorenstam means to retire, but I would be surprised if she doesn't make cameos, come back now and then over the next few years just to feel the thrill of being on stage again. Look at Nancy Lopez. She can't stay away. I won't blame Sorenstam if she plays here and there in the coming years. In fact, I'll probably be out watching her. Do you really think the ADT Championship in West Palm Beach in November will be her last LPGA Tour event? Or the Ladies European Tour event in Dubai in December her last professional tournament? (AP photo of Annika Sorenstam and fiance Mike McGee at today's retirement announcement.)

A pair of winners at The Players Championship

Sun, 11 May 2008 22:28:14 -0500

Paul Goydos won even in defeat here at The Players Championship. What class, what dignity and what good humor he demonstrated, even in defeat. Goydos, the 43-year-old journeyman, played well enough to win. Sergio Garcia played better. There was no Tiger Woods this week, but there were plenty of good storylines to tell in this event. Goydos will be followed more closely now because he won so many fans with his easy humor and immense personality. You’ll see him quoted a lot more on various topics because his opinion means more to people who've embraced him. He isn't just funny, he's insightful. How can you not like the little journeyman who could? Or almost could. Garcia’s victory was good for golf, too. I was thinking that even at 28 he might be on the backside of his career because of that woeful putting stroke. He wasn’t perfect with the putter this week, but he is showing strong signs now the work with putting guru Stan Utley might lead to a major championship victory. Golf’s more interesting with Garcia on leaderboads. Yeah, he’s petulant at times, but he also has loads of charisma and he’s a crazy good ball striker. As long as he is, how do you lead the field in driving accuracy at The Players? He also led in greens in regulation. On Thursday, Goydos raved about the two rounds he played with Garcia at the Honda Classic. He talked about how Garcia’s go-to shot is the next shot he has to hit. He said Tiger Woods is the only other ball striker who could claim that. So did the storylines make you want to watch The Players? Did you think the final round compelling or boring with the winds so high and the setup so difficult? (AP photos of Sergio Garcia lright, Paul Goydos left.)

Early Sunday scouting report at 17th island hole

Sun, 11 May 2008 13:05:00 -0500

They’re hanging on to their hats on the hillside at the 17th island hole at The Players Championship. Here’s your early scouting report. The pin is in its classic Sunday position, back right. The wind is howling 25 mph with gusts to 36 mph from the west to southwest, which means it’s blowing left to right for players at the tee box. It didn’t take long for the first ball to be hit into the water there today. Jason Bohn, the fourth player to tee it up at the hole, knocked his shot way short and right. The very next player, Camilo Villegas, also hit his shot into the water in the next pairing. There are three balls in the water there today with 18 players through so far. That's 51 balls in the water at the 17th for the week. Villegas rinsed shots at the 17th and 18th to finish with a pair of double bogeys. Chad Campbell was 5-under through 16 holes and was the third player to knock it in the water. He had the round of the day going out there so far today, Dean Wilson’s 4-under through 12, but these guys started with the winds down, though they’re kicking up now.

Early scouting report at The Players

Sat, 10 May 2008 13:52:58 -0500

I just came back to the Media Center after checking in with Coral Springs’ Nicholas Thompson, who was in the fourth pairing off this morning. Thompson shot 1-under-par 71. The winds were kicking up early and are gusting to 20 mph right now out of the west. That means a right to left wind at the 17th island hole, if the winds stay this way. That’s not as bad as yesterday’s gusts to 35 mph out of the southwest, but it still makes for tricky club selections. The pin is cut front right at the 17th, just past the water's edge. You don't want to be on the top shelf putting down that slope, but it's better than being in the water. As of right now, five balls have been hit in the water with nine twosomes through the hole. Nobody's made birdie there. Thompson said the pin placements should make for interesting scoring again today. He shot 1-under-par 71. He hit the 17th green all three days he’s played it, but he’s 2-over on the hole. Alexis, his talented 13-year-old sister, was asked how she thought she might do on this course. “I don’t know, but I think 17 might get me,” she said. “That hole’s a little iffy.” The family will celebrate Mother’s Day together Sunday at the six-bedroom house Nicholas is renting on the beach here. Judy, his mom, said she already has her mother’s day gift. She has her family together at The Players Championship, and they have their health. She said they’ve already got quite a collection of seashells with all their time on the beach. Greg Kraft shot 68 in the third pairing off.

Hot and hot-headed at The Players Championship

Fri, 09 May 2008 17:16:17 -0500

Eleven balls have been hit in the water at the 17th island hole so far today, but there’s much more interesting golf equipment being lost at the 13th. After missing a 2-footer, Charley Hoffman winged his putter into the water there. It was a good 25-yard heave. It’s that kind of day today with the winds continuing to gust over 30 mph. What’s great about this course is how much it separates the players who are sharp and those are even a little off their games. The wind’s tough here, the greens are firm, but even so Bernhard Langer shot 31 on his first nine and is 5-under for the day. Kenny Perry leads at 7-under. (AP photo of Hoffman in red with Paul Goydos today at The Players Championship.)

Anthony Kim sitting pretty, Bernhard Langer surging

Fri, 09 May 2008 14:37:57 -0500

Anthony Kim just left the Media Center here at The Players Championship, and it may not be long until he leads. The winds are up, gusting nastily to more than 38 mph. That’s sure to play havoc with the afternoon rounds. Kim shot 70 off the morning start and is at 4-under 140 through two rounds. Ernie Els looked at Kim’s score after leaving the scoring center and said he wouldn’t be surprised if Kim is the second-round leader at day’s end. Sergio Garcia promptly bogeyed his first hole in the start to his afternoon round. Then again, Bernhard Langer’s off to a blistering start at 5-under through six holes. Boo Weekley played with Kim and thinks somebody will get to 8-under by day’s end. It will be quite the story if it’s the 50-year-old Langer. The pin at the 17th island hole is on the back shelf again but more to the center of the green this time. The hole’s playing 142 yards with seven balls in the water so far today. There were 19 rinsed shots there yesterday.

A legit challenger to Tiger Woods?

Fri, 09 May 2008 13:11:50 -0500

Anthony Kim’s making a strong move today at The Players Championship. I think he has more guts than all the other twentysomethings among the top 50 in the world, apart from Andres Romero. We’ll see. If Kim keeps it up, and Sergio Garcia stays on pace, it would make for a delicious weekend duel. Despite his putting struggles, Garcia’s still considered one of the most promising twentysomethings. Beating Kim would prove something about the state of Garcia’s game, about whether his putting stroke can hold up under Sunday pressure, or whether his putting will only get worse on the way to a full blown case of the yips. When Garcia went to a belly putter last year, I wrote him off. No matter how you rationalize it, going to the belly putter is a desperate move. I like his game, even tolerate his moody demeanor, and I think the game’s more interesting with him on leaderboards, so I hope he finds a reliable putting stroke. There’s an injection of freshness to the PGA Tour with Kim joining the growing ranks of twentysomethings winning on tour. He was the eighth to win this year, which is more than won all of last year. The tour needs new blood, new stars, fresh stories and a legitimate challenger to Woods, or at least a foil, the way Lee Trevino was to Jack Nicklaus. If Kim wins, beating strong fields in consecutive weeks on strong courses, he ascends above Trevor Immelman and Adam Scott as the best twentysomething in the game. I find it refreshing we have a pair of young guys atop the board right now, though I’m not ruling Phil Mickelson out, nor Boo Weekley. Mickelson’s got the tough afternoon draw today. Weekley is excelling on a ball-striker’s course. Here’s how I rate the twentysomethings: 1) Trevor Immelman – Win the year’s first major, you’re the twentysomething to beat, so he gets top billing despite his struggles since The Masters. 2) Adam Scott – Really struggled yesterday, but he has looked strong all season and won the Shell Houston Open this year. 3) Anthony Kim – I think we’re about to see a run by this kid that could vault him to the top of this list. 4) Sergio Garcia – No wins in three years, slipping down this list, but I’ve still got him ahead of Aaron Baddeley, Justin Rose, Sean O’Hair and Brandt Snedeker. 5) Andres Romero – Loads of talent, a PGA Tour victory and good run at last year’s British Open. (AP photo Anthony Kim driving at 16th hole at TPC Sawgrass.)

Should the PGA Tour blow up the 17th island hole?

Thu, 08 May 2008 20:19:26 -0500

Ernie Els was hot after his round today at The Players Championship, complaining about the 17th island hole at the TPC at Sawgrass Stadium Course. Els said the hole should be “blown up.” He said this after rinsing his tee shot at the 146-yard par 3 and making triple bogey. He felt like all his good work on the day was spoiled by one shot at an unfair hole. Typically, the complaint tour pros have is that there’s no bailout and that a good shot that lands in the middle of the green can end up wet. It might not be the best of championship holes, but I like it because of the atmosphere and drama it creates there. It’s a spectacle that is an event unto itself. The little natural amphitheatre around the 16th and 17th holes is a terrific place to hang out. I don’t think the event would be the same without all the attention the island hole has brought. What do you think? Should the PGA Tour blow it up?

Evil spirits at the 17th island hole at TPC Sawgrass?

Thu, 08 May 2008 16:32:54 -0500

Paul Goydos wasn’t the first player this week to say he tosses a couple balls in the water at the 17th island hole when he arrives for his first practice round at The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. He said he usually does so to “get it out of his system.” Other players have talked about throwing balls in the water in practice to appease whatever evil spirits reside there. Goydos said he failed to offer a sacrifice in practice this year, and he paid for it. He hit his tee shot into the water today in the first round, flying the green with an 8-iron. In 28 previous rounds, he remembers rinsing a shot there only one other time. I just looked up from my desk while typing this and see Matt Kuchar just hit two balls in the water there. So far, eight balls have found watery graves at the 17th.

Nicholas Thompson fearless in Players Champ debut

Thu, 08 May 2008 14:24:35 -0500

Coral Springs’ Nicholas Thompson eagled the 16th hole, hit the 17th island green in regulation and made an easy par and nearly birdied the 18th hole in posting a 2-under-par 70 at The Players Championship. He's currently tied for ninth. Thompson was pretty comfortable in his first tour around the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course in a tournament, just his third time around the course overall. Those three finishing holes can be brutal, but Thompson showed how good his ballstriking’s been all year. “It’s just another tournament,” Thompson said when asked what it was like teeing it up in golf’s “fifth major.” After the round, his parents, Scott and Judy, were arranging to get Nicholas’ 13-year-old sister, Lexi, and 15-year-old brother to another local course where they were going to play after following big brother around. They're staying together in a six bedroom house Nicholas' is renting south of the golf course.

Jack Nicklaus shares inspirational saying

Wed, 07 May 2008 18:44:30 -0500

If you like scribbling down inspirational sayings, here’s one you might think a keeper. In his speech upon receiving the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award Wednesday at The Players Championship, Jack Nicklaus credited his wife, Barbara, for passing on words of wisdom to him recently. He wrote them down and read them to the gathering: “Whatever your thoughts, they become your words. “Whatever your words, they become your actions. “Whatever your actions, they become your habits. “Whatever your habits, they become your character. “Whatever your character, it becomes your destiny.” I believe it's a Chinese proverb. (AP photo from Wednesday's ceremony.)

The man who put terror into the hearts of tour pros

Wed, 07 May 2008 11:21:33 -0500

Pete Dye, the famed architect who makes his winter home in Delray Beach, always lights up an interview room when he enters it. He’s refreshingly plain spoken and colorful and unafraid to challenge tour pros’ ideas about what makes for a good golf course. He popped into The Players Media Center yesterday for the announcement that he has been inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. His wife, Alice, was there, too. Really, she’s always been there in his work and life since they met as students at Rollins College. In fact, Pete, who’s 82 now, says his most famous hole, the 17th island hole at the TPC Sawgrass, was all Alice’s idea. I wrote about this a few years ago, but it’s worth repeating. “After we had the lake dug out there, I told her what I was planning to do," Dye said in my 2004 story. “We had so much muck dug out, I could fill that whole lake back in and that's what I planned to do. I was going to make a par 3 out of the muck there.” But Alice walked around the lake and offered an alternative. “Why don't you make it a 130-yard island hole?" Alice told Pete. “It will make a great spectator hole, and it will drive those players crazy.” Boy, was she right. The 17th hole presents one of the scariest shots in golf. Though Alice’s name is not on any of the 120 designs credited to Pete, she estimates she helped on 40 of them, including the Ocean Course on Kiawah Island. She’s also an architect. So what’s your favorite Dye course? And what do you think of his work in general?

Another 17th island hole for fans

Tue, 06 May 2008 13:46:39 -0500

I stopped by the UBS 17th Hole Challenge here at The Players Championship to watch fans take their shots at the replica hole. It's a 35-yard version of the famed island hole on the TPC at Sawgrass Stadium Course. It's built in the Stadium Village behind the bleachers at the 18th green. The little green is shaped just like the island hole's with a little greenside bunker right and water nearly surrounding the green. The closest shot on the day so far was hit by someone named Kaitlyn Price. She was No. 1 on the scoreboard, hitting to 1 inch. You get one shot. Closest to the pin on the day wins a $500 gift certificate from Callway Golf. Hitting the green wins a sleeve of Callaway balls. A hole-in-one wins an iPod Touch. A few dozen fans gathered round to watch. There's also a station in the Stadium Village where you can try to duplicate shots on a golf simulator that were hit by Greg Norman, Fred Couples and Davis Love III at the 16th hole when they won events here. Plus, there's a similar challenge in trying to repeat winning putts on a miniature version of the 18th green.

Players Championship never a better fit for Europeans?

Tue, 06 May 2008 11:58:18 -0500

England's Lee Westwood stopped by the interview room at The Players Championship this morning. He likes the fact that the tournament is being played in firmer and faster conditions in May and seems to think it will help the Europeans break their 20-year drought in this event. Scotland's Sandy Lyle won in 1987, the first and only European to win in the 35-year history of the tournament. "It should suit us," Westwood said of the May conditions. "I think it suits us more now. "I think in Europe there's probably more of a premium on hitting fairways, which there will be this week." There are 21 Europeans in this field. I rate Ireland's Padraig Harrington as having the best chance to win. What do you think?

Hating or loving the 17th Island Hole?

Mon, 05 May 2008 19:20:13 -0500

The TPC at Sawgrass Stadium Course is looking exceptionally firm and fast for this week's Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach. If the wind blows, yikes, it might be one of those events where very few players end up under par. Jim Furyk dropped by the media room Monday, where he told us the score is in the hands of PGA Tour officials, who can almost dictate whatever score they want to win this week. There's no rain in the forecast. Could be 5-under, he said, could be 15-under. After arriving this afternoon, I almost immediately hiked out to the 17th island green, where I watched Jose Maria Olazabal hit the green twice with both his practice shots into that famed hole. Being here on a Monday is nothing like The Masters, which is teeming with people watching practice rounds, but there were a couple hundred folks who hiked out to watch players hit balls onto the 17th. I know the 17th as an island hole's a gimmick, but the atmosphere there on a Sunday is fabulous. It's a lot of fun being there amid the throng on the hillside. Typically, in the final round, I'll follow the leaders around on the front nine, then head into the media center, where it's easier to keep track of what's happening on the back nine watching TV. At our seats here, we have headphones that allow us to tune into the telecast and also into stage-area interviews near the scoring trailer. You can miss a lot being out on the course if somebody's making a charge outside the final pairing. Plus, I'm writing my notebook during commercials. But here at the TPC at Sawgrass Stadium Course, the atmosphere is so great around that lake at the 16th and 17th greens, I always hike out late Sunday afternoon before the leaders get there to watch them come through. The scene's so riveting, I have to be out there, even if it means missing something that happens on the 18th out in front of the leaders. It's not as rowdy as the scene at the 16th at the FBR Open at Phoenix, but it's still electric. You can hear folks betting, see money change hands, on shots into the 17th green. The noisy groans and cheers are part of the experience. It's one of golf's great spectacles with the 16th and 17th greens like stages in a natural little amphitheatre built around the lake. So, yeah, the 17th's a gimmick hole, where there's no bail out, where a good shot can be penalized by a puff of wind, but I love it anyway. What do you think of that hole?