Mississippi Swan-Song

This Sunday will mark the final game in the career of the NFL legend Brett Favre. If you look at his numbers and records on the field you see right away that he will be a first ballot inductee into Canton’s Pro Football Hall of Fame. The sad truth is that many of the modern football fans remember him for the final few years of his career, which were more of a soap opera then anything else.

After years of wavering, a teary eyed retirement and a quick return his presence continued to stunt the growth of QB in waiting Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. In his final game in Green Bay in ‘08, he threw an interception in the playoffs giving the Giants a trip to the Super Bowl and eventual Lombardi Trophy. That was seemingly his final game, but then he did the unthinkable. A perceived “career Packer” Favre’s interest to play came back in the summer of ‘08, but the Packer’s were ready to turn the page to the Rodgers era. Enter the Jets.

Favre arrived in New York ready to bring the franchise back to the Promised Land. How it ended was with mediocrity, no playoffs and another interception with his final pass. Just this week Favre was fined 50 G’s for an alleged sex scandal with Jets employee Jenn Sterger from back in that ’08 season. Allegedly he texted photos of his slong to the young studio reporter, but there was a lack of evidence and it was two years later, so there was no significant punishment. On to Minnesota.

Favre arrived in Minnesota surrounded by a very talented defense, young athletic receivers and arguably the best runningback in the NFL. Because the Tavaris Jackson experiment failed, Minnesota was forced to give the 40 year old Favre the keys to the car. He did not disappoint. The Vikings finished the regular season 12-4 including two wins over his former team the Green Bay Packers, the second being his first appearance on the frozen tundra since his departure. After a bye week and a home dismantling of “America’s Team” it was on to the Super Dome for a meeting with the Saints. In a tie game late in the 4th quarter and in kicker Ryan Longwell’s comfort range, yet again Favre threw a backbreaking pick to Tracy Porter and never saw the ball again losing 31-28 in OT.

The big top was not yet dismantled as in the summer of ’10 Favre continued to hold the feet of the Vikings over the fire with his indecision. Before the third preseason game he decided to return to the dysfunction to yet again lead his Vikings. It has not gone as planned and has continued to be a circus. First Sydney Rice his best receiver was injured. After that they acquired Randy Moss in the early part of the season only to release him within a month. And then after an embarrassing showing against the Packers, the Vikings owner Ziggy Wilf fired head coach Brad Childress. Only three weeks later after a hit from the Bills Arthur Moats knocked him silly, his consecutive start streak ended against the Giants at 297!

A half-hearted effort to comeback a week later and another sit out last week has led us to week 17. As the Vikings make there way to Ford Field in Detroit to face the Lions most fans are asking themselves, “Is Favre going to give it a go?” Well I for one will be in attendance on Sunday really hoping that Favre finds a way to get on the field and play. This is the dream scenario for me..

It’s late in the 4th quarter and the improved Lions lead the Vikings by a field goal. Favre takes over with two minutes to go and proceeds to drive his team into Detroit territory inching closer to the end zone and victory. With less then a minute to go Favre drops back, improvises to avoid Cliff Avril, reverses his field and slips out of the grasp of Corey Williams. As he rolls he spots Visanthe Shiancoe down the field and fires a bullet as he is absolutely crushed and slammed to the turf by Ndamukong Suh. The ball spirals perfectly and magically through the air and finds its way into the waiting hands of…Louis Delmas.

As Delmas take off down the field and high steps for ten years before sliding to the turf to seal the Lions victory, Favre lays glazed-eyed on the Ford Field turf from the Suh hit. I want Favre to get himself up, shake a couple of hands and leave the field for the final time with his final pass being an interception. I commend Favre on an outstanding unbelievable career and hope that the Packer fans forgive him enough to fill Fawcett Stadium in Canton in five years when he is inducted into the HOF. Being at his final game will be something memorable for me…that is if it is his final game. You never know with the old man!

'The Challenge: Cutthroat' Recap

Now that MTV has said goodnight to another season of ‘The Challenge’ I find myself compelled to look back on yet another successful venture. As the competitors showed up in Prague Czech Republic for ‘Cutthroat’ it was pretty evident that the competition was anybody’s to win. With past stars like Evan, Kenny, CT, Darrell, Wes, and Landon nowhere to be found, it was a perfect recipe for open competition. And then it became a team game, which made it even more up in the air. Here are some of the highlights from ‘Cutthroat.’

Best Moment: Although watching Katie leave part of her face on a platform 50 ft above the water, no moment beats CT’s epic cameo. In the ‘Back Up Off Me’ Gulag long time ‘heavy hitter’ CT was brought in to battle the Gulag nominees. In a moment of epic strength he literally stood up with Johnny Bananas strapped to his back, and ‘Transformers walked’ to the barrels and army rolled them over. It ranks up there as one of the best moments in Challenge history.

MVP: I gotta go with Brad. Hell bent on winning his first challenge in a whopping eight appearances, the game savvy Brad managed to avoid the Gulag and run hand and hand with his wife Tori and get across the finish line. He was able to use and abuse his team and get the right mix of players for his red team for the final challenge.

ROY: With a lack of consistent play from the rookies only one was able to stand out. As I predicted during her season of ‘Real World DC’ I knew that Emily would be a great competitor. Being only one of two team members to get to the final challenge (Jenn) she was able to win in the Gulag twice and was the one that twisted the knife that was in Paula’s back (that will be explained).

Underrated Player: With two wins in the final two Gulags and earning his spot in the final challenge Tyler was a man possessed to win Cutthroat. He knocked out the ever-confident Johnny Bananas by outlasting the grizzly bear CT and then defeated one of the most tenacious players of all time in Derrick. His size, strength and endurance were a big part of the red team’s victory.

Doormat Award: The red team was chock full of underhanded tricks and deceit all season long. They had no problem hanging their own out to dry. Early in the game it was evident that they were going to continue to send in Brandon and Camile to do the dirty work for the brain trust. It was also evident to everyone but my doormat award winner Paula that there was going to be a sequel to ‘The Island.’ She continues to trust her friends and get played by the game. You can add the name Dunbar next to Kenny and Johnny Bananas on the Paula list.

Certifiably Insane Award: Captain Jack Sparrow aka Cara Maria is one of the most insane non-Real World Challengers to compete. She is just off the wall and does crazy things and says crazy things, and it was no wonder that Abe took a liking to her. Her survival to the end was a tribute to her sticking with the gray big gun Abe. As for the men, Ty takes the cake, but probably needs to take the meds. His crazy off the wall antics got him on the bad side of his team and his friends. He was carried out of the Gulag after Brandon knocked him over in‘Pole Me Over’ and he was too physically exhausted to continue.

TJ’s Disappointed Moment – It happens every season on the Challenge. TJ gets so fed up with a person or group of people and their lack of competitive spirit and he lays into them. This year Shauvon’s quitting before going into the Gulag left TJ shaking his head. TJ’s disappointment came awake again when Brandon was voted into the Gulag for a 4th time after winning his first three. TJ was extremely disappointed in the red team.

Impressive Moment – In the ‘Surfs Up’ challenge the red team had repeated trouble staying on the zip-lined surfboard suspended in mid-air. Red team member after red team member kept falling to their demise, including Chet. When Chet fell awkwardly it was apparent something may have been wrong. What was impressive is that he swam the course and finished the challenge. He then preceded to turn pale white and almost pass out and was diagnosed with a concussion and had to leave the show. It was a hell of an effort.

Look Away Moment – I could’ve gone without seeing the insides of Abe and Sarah in the final challenge. It was a weird combination of funny and scary watching Abe turn white, stumble around, and speak in tongues to his team and paramedics. It was funny all around watching Sarah cry and puke at the same time, all the while Laurel yelling at her because she was slowing them down. But as I said, I could’ve done without the pukey close ups. Both players were yanked from the final challenge as they were deemed ‘medically unable to continue.’

Unsuccessful Strategy – When Derrick got together with Laurel and Sarah to scheme for the gray girls to throw the final challenge it seemed like an unbeatable plan. This plan would guarantee a blue win securing Derrick in the final, and would give the gray girls their wish of ridding themselves of teammates Cara Maria and Luke. It didn’t work as the blue girls Jenn and Emily were not able to push off all of the red girls and the plan was sunk as gray won the challenge. Consequently Derrick was eliminated in the Gulag and Cara Marie and Luke got a ride to the final. It was another lesson proving that it is extremely difficult to successfully throw a challenge.

‘The Challenge Cutthroat’ was a predictable mix of competition, debauchery, and underhandedness set in the beautiful landscape of Prague Czech Republic. The castmates played hard during the day, and played harder at night. In the end the core of the red team (Brad, Tori, Dunbar, and Tyler) and their plan to cross the finish line together is what set them apart from the other two teams. As TJ would say… “Congratulations…You killed it.”

Big Life, Big Stage, Big Ten, Big Break…Big 2011?

As the off season is in full effect for most of the golf world, many of the non-established hopefuls were wide eyed and ready to earn their place at Q-School. I want to give Congratulations to former Big Breaker (Sandals Resorts & Dominican Republic) Sara ‘No H’ Brown for earning a spot on the LPGA Tour with a T20 at ladies Q-School. Sara was one of the more popular and personable girls on each of her seasons, and is highly respected as a fierce competitor on the golf course.

The former Michigan State standout finished 3rd on BB Sandals falling short to eventual winner and fellow Big Tener Ohio State’s Carling Coffing. On BB Dominican she was knocked off the show by the hotheaded Brian, miraculously saved by her team at the 11th hour and then exacted her revenge by defeating Brian in the finale. She still fell short of MVP status as that was clinched by the lovely Blair O’Neal.

Brown will join Kristy McPherson as ex-Big Breakers playing regularly on the LPGA in 2011. I’m sure Miss Brown hopes she can duplicate McPherson’s success on the Tour. Although she has yet to win a tournament, McPherson has numerous top ten finishes including three in majors in 2009. Her success has shown worldwide as she has risen to 32nd in the official Rolex World Rankings.

If Brown wants to move up the ladies Big Break success ladder she has a ways to go. Obviously McPherson’s success is the bar to reach toward, but others have made their mark recently. Sandals winner Carling Coffing is coming off of a top 25 finish at the 2010 LET Dubai Masters and has a cash at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational. Blair O’Neal will get her chance this season too with an exemption in the Kia Classic. But right now Sara Brown is in the best position to gain ground on McPherson with a successful 2011 season as a card-carrying member of the LPGA.

2011 PGA Tour Preview

If I learned anything from 2010, it is that when it comes to golf I should expect the unexpected. I expected the legend Tiger Woods to dominate 2010; instead he trudged through a difficult season winless. This proves that even the most mentally tough guys can’t always block everything out. I’ve discussed this Tiger thing to no end, and now that he is a so-called changed man and that now that 2011 is on the horizon, I think it’s time to turn the page and focus on his golf and not the scandal.

Speaking of his golf…he starts the season in a position he hasn’t been in for almost 6 years! As the #2 ranked player in the world. As the 2011 season kicks into gear Englishman Lee Westwood sits atop the World Golf Rankings. As mentioned Tiger is #2, ahead of #3 Martin Kaymer, #4 Phil Mickelson and #5 Jim Furyk who is coming off one of his best seasons as the reigning Fedex Cup owner.

If there was a second thing I have learned from 2010, is that there has never been more high-powered parity on the Tour. From the Tour Vets (see Furyk), the Long-Ballers (see Bubba Watson), the Young Guns (see Fowler / McIlroy / Ishikawa), the Stars (see Tiger), to the Euro-Invasion (see Poulter / Fisher / McDowell / Quiros / Kaymer) there are so many players that can win any tournament, at any place, at any time. And for me, that beats the days of Tiger domination. But I’m not your casual viewer!

Here are my champion picks for the main tournaments of 2011:

Accenture Match Play – Graeme McDowell. The reigning US Open champion will kick start his season in style defeating a field of 64 in the desert. The cardigan clad Northern Irishman just came off a huge comeback playoff victory over Tiger at the Chevron, and that’s enough for me. If you can beat the big guy in a playoff, you can win the match play.
Runner up: Francesco Molonari

CA Championship – Charl Schwartzel. I’m not really sure why I’m picking the long hitting South African, but I guess they just fall into order: Els, Goosen, Immelman, Clark, Oosthuizen and now Schwartzel. Why not right? He had a very good showing at Doral last year and he’s primed to do it again.
Runner up: Matt Kuchar

The Masters – Tiger Woods. Can you really ever bet against this guy at Augusta? 2010 was a nightmare for him and he still found a way to muster a T4 finish after taking a near 6-month leave of absence from competitive golf. This guy knows the echoes amongst the magnolias and lob lollys as well as anyone and will harness that for his 5th Green Jacket and a welcome back (but won’t be his first win of 2011).
Runner up: Phil Mickelson

The Players – Zach Johnson. This guy has been one of the most consistent players over the past 5 years and it’s about time to add another big time title to his 2007 Green Jacket. With recent winners like Tim Clark, Fred Funk, Stephen Ames and Hal Sutton; Sawgrass isn’t just for the long ballers. Johnson’s accurate game and early season success leads to a win in the season’s deepest field.
Runner up: Martin Kaymer

US Open – Hunter Mahan. He was one of my 2010 up and comers and he did not disappoint. He had two victories (Scottsdale and Akron), the second of which was a WGC event where he dominated. I like him at Congressional because of what he did there at the ’08 AT&T National. He fired a third round 64 en-route to a top five finish and he’s even better now as a two time Ryder Cupper.
Runner up: Dustin Johnson

The Open Championship – Martin Laird. As the world’s oldest tournament moves to the South shores of England at Royal St. Georges it will usher in another…Scottish champion? Yes with all of the talented and heralded Englishmen in the field it will be a Scot who rises to the top. Forget Westwood, Poulter, Casey, Fisher, Donald and Rose; the Open will produce another unlikely hero.
Runner up: Rhys Davies and Tiger Woods

Bridgestone Invitational – Justin Rose. Rosey will finish the career sweep in Ohio by tackling the tight fairways of Firsestone after his ’10 victory at Jack’s place. You can never go wrong with Tiger in Akron, but last year’s performance has left him shaken at the place he had once dominated. The once upstart and now veteran Rose will cash in with his biggest career win.
Runner up: Tiger Woods

PGA Championship – Rory McIlroy or Rickie Fowler or Ryo Ishikawa. The Shootout in Atlanta as I will call it. Picture a 4-hole playoff between three of the golf world’s young guns. One with long curly locks hanging out the back of his cap another dressed head to toe in neon orange Puma gear, and the third with spiked up hair a visor and tight white trousers. Imagine the birdiefest that would ensue from there. It blows my mind so much right now that I can’t pick a winner…but I guess I’ll say Ishikawa.
Runner up: Rory McIlroy & Rickie Fowler…4th Nick Watney.

Tour Championship – Phil Mickelson. I can’t have an entire season without ‘Lefty’ winning a fairly significant tournament, I figured I’d hedge my bet with one of the season’s smallest fields and pencil him in at the final Fedex Cup event edging Tiger by a stroke. I have no explanation why aside from what I said above, and feel I don’t need one as this is my blog and I do what I want!
Runner up: Tiger Woods

Fedex Cup – Tiger Woods. ‘The Striped One’ will clinch his 2nd Fedex Cup with his runner-up finish in Atlanta at the Tour Championship. He will take command of the standings after the Masters and will ride it out throughout the summer until the Standings are reset. A win in Chicagoland at Cog Hill and a 2nd place in the season’s final tournament and he will lock up the coveted Fedex Cup.
Runner up: Zach Johnson

President’s Cup – USA. The Stars and Stripes will make the trip out to Melbourne Australia and dominate like they should. Europe may have their number right now, but I’ll take my chances with the US against a not so cohesive rest of the world bunch. It won’t be as decisive as Harding Park in ’09, but it will be enough to retain. Stars and Stripes by 2.5 points.

Individual Awards:

Player of the Year – Tiger Woods. By season’s end Eldrick will be back where he is supposed to be. He may not be as dominant as his earlier years, but he will find a way to win relatively consistent, and it will be enough to surpass Westy to reclaim his rightful spot at the top of the World Rankings. He will inch closer to the Golden Bear with yet another Green Jacket, but still will have a ways to go. The Fedex Cup will be a great cherry on top of a bounce back season.

Q-School Rookie of the Year – Gary Woodland. The 2010 graduate class of PGA Q-School is chock full of PGA veterans. From semi-successful journeyman like Billy Mayfair, Brandt Jobe, Paul Stankowski, and Kent Jones; to younger established players like James Driscoll, Richard S. Johnson, and Jarrod Lyle. It was very difficult for me to come up with a youngster rookie worthy of the ROY. I picked Woodland as he had been semi-exempt in the past and is coming off of a season ravaged with injury. If he can stay healthy look for a big season from him. Others to watch: Ben Martin (US Am runner up), Kyle Stanley, William McGirt and Korean Bi-o Kim.

Comeback Player – Tiger Woods. If he is successful as I think he will be, it’s going to be tough to not name Tiger. In a year of personal turmoil and professional ineptitude (for his standards) he will rise to the top with a Tiger-esque season. Others to watch: Anthony Kim coming off of a injury riddled 2010, Sergio Garcia who needs to get the focus back, and Rory Sabbatini who has dipped significantly in the World Rankings.

Falling Star – Stewart Cink. 2010 wasn’t great for the Twitter star Stewart Cink, and I don’t think 2011 will be any better. If Vijay Singh was the apparent loser of 2010 Cink will be in the running this season. He has yet to crack the winner circle since his Claret Jug winning performance at Turnberry, and will have a second straight dreadful season at the majors. Others to watch: Angel Cabrera has sneaky made it halfway to the career slam, but won’t get any closer in 2011. Look for the long in the tooth ‘El Poto’ to take a dive in the World Rankings. ***Please note: I selected Furyk as one to watch fall in 2010 and he won the Fedex Cup, so it’s not exactly the kiss of death.

The Next Big Step – Ryo Ishikawa. This Japanese teenager sensation has taken the golf world by storm with his long hitting and incredibly seasoned game. His predicted win at the PGA Championship will give him his first major and obviously jump him into the next category of upper echelon of professional golfers. Others to watch: My predicted winner in Sandwich UK Martin Laird, the combination of the two flamboyant youngsters Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler, and although he will not make a big impact on the PGA Tour look for Welshman Rhys Davies to take a huge step in the European Order of Merit.

2011 should be a great year in the world of golf…and I can’t wait ‘til Kapalua.

Blair O'Neal Wins MVP Honors on 'Big Break Dominican Republic'

Congrats to the lovely eye appealing Miss Blair O'Neal for taking home the most MVP points on the Golf Channels hit reality series 'The Big Break.' This most recent installment was held in the Dominican Republic and was a battle of the sexes between 12 former Big Breakers. In the end the ladies outlasted the guys to win the big prize. As team MVP O'Neal, a former Arizona State Sun Devil, earned the lion share of the cash take, an endorsement deal with Adams Golf, a Dicks Sporting Goods shopping spree and most importantly a spot in the 2011 LPGA Kia Classic! Congrats on an epic season Miss O'Neal and good luck at the Kia Classic.

'LeDouche-cison' Moves to the Top of My Sports Heartbreak

As a life-long Cleveland Cavaliers fan, needless to say ‘LeDouche-cision was one of the worst moments of my sports-life. As the hometown hero sat face to face with Jim Gray and decided to take his skills to “South Beach” and join Dwayne Wade and that coward Chris Bosh. It was inevitable wasn’t it? I mean we’re dealing with the biggest star in the most tortured sports city of all time – there should have never been any doubt at all what was going to happen. Obviously this moment has skyrocketed to the most disappointing and heartbreaking moments of my sports-life.

This whole thing got me thinking about some of the big disappointments that I have had to endure as a sports fan. So of course like all other red-blooded young American, who lives in a VHI-world, I decided to countdown my Top Ten Biggest Sports Heartbreaks prior to “LeDouche-cison.”

10. Orange Crushing – This is fresh on my mind as it was the last Cuse Basketball game I have seen. For the first time in school history the Orangemen (not the Orange!) earned a #1 seed. But the loss of big man Arinze Onuaku put a strain on their suffocating 2-3. The offense was limited and in the end Gordon Hayward and the Bulldogs were just too much. I was so pissed and couldn’t look the idiot decked out in Butler gear in the face. At least they lost to the eventual runners-up…but to make matters worse Master Rat and his Dukies won the title. It was an awful joke.

9. Gator Bait – They seemed like the dominating team coming off of a big win over #2 Michigan in their season finale; and when Ted Ginn ran back the opening kickoff there were dog-piles and shouts of, “It’s Over!” at my buddy’s house. 3 hours later our tails were between our legs after a humiliating score flipping of 41-14, an embarrassing Buckeye loss to Florida in the ’07 BCS Title Game. The Heisman winner Troy Smith was covered in Gators all game and by the time the 3rd quarter came I was stuck doing sudoku on the couch.

8. Socked Again! – One game from the World Series. One freaking game! Up 3-1 in the ’07 ALCS the Tribe had a shot to go back to the series at home, but Josh Beckett channeled his inner Josh Beckett. After losing a pitching duel it was back to Fenway where I just knew the inevitable was going to happen. And it did. A D.L. (Disabled List) Drew grand slam in game seven was basically the final nail in the coffin of the Indians, while the awful Colorado Rockies were waiting to be the NL’s sacrificial lamb. Now, with Pronk off the juice and 2 Cy Young winners traded, it is seller dwelling again at the Jake.

7. Love It or Leave It…Left – Oakland Hills in suburban Detroit is a historic venue. It has hosted Ryder Cups, PGA Championships, US Amateur and most notably for me the 1996 US Open. It was quite a week for Davis Love III. After negotiating 70 holes at 3-under par he was a one shot leader on the course over unknown commodity Steve Jones. But it all came crashing down. After a bogey on the difficult par 3 17th, DL3 found the green 20 feet away on 18. After leaving his downhill par putt three feet short he did the unthinkable and missed the par putt as it died on the left side of the hole. Jones cashed in. Devastating!

6. Coopers biggest Cooper Job – 1998 was OSU’s best team in the John Cooper era. They entered their November 7th tilt at home against Michigan State at a perfect 8-0, cruising through the Big 10 and big wins against West Virginia and Missouri. Sparty played inspired football that afternoon and held the Buckeye high-powered offense to a season low 24 points enroute to a 28-24 upset. Ohio State was seen by many as the best team in football, but was kept out of the first BCS title game because of this loss. The Bucks went on to beat Michigan but were exiled to the Sugar Bowl because a 3-way tie in the Big 10 sent Wisconsin to Pasadena.

5. Catamounted With Threes – Only two years after Carmelo and the boys raised the banner in New Orleans the ’05 Orangemen were poised for a run as a 4th seed. The first “test” was the 13th seeded Vermont Catamounts. When the game came on CBS and I heard Gus Johnson’s voice, I should’ve seen the bad omen. Most of the action was nip and tuck through the first and second halves and I was just waiting for that Orangemen run. But every time they got something going, the Cats would drill a deep three or get a rebound. Although it is one of my favorite calls it still haunts me to this day, “Sorrentine., OHH! He hit that from the parking lot!” At least Kansas lost to Bucknell that same night, haha!

4. Poof! Magically Gone From the Playoffs – I had never been more excited for the NBA playoffs than ’09. The Cavs entered the post season as the #1 team in he Eastern Conference and blew through the first two rounds in sweeps. The defending NBA champs the Celtics were knocked out in an ultra rough and tough series with the Magic. Although hammered from ‘LeBombs’ I still will never forget the last second three the King hit to win Game 1. But the Cavs worried to much about ‘Superman’ Howard and let Mickael Pitrus and Skip-To-My-Lou shoot damn near 80% from downtown and bowed out 4-2 in the series.

3. Say It Aint So Barry – I can only remember one time crying over one of my sports teams. A few weeks after my high school graduation in July of ’99 my all-time favorite football player Barry Sanders announced his retirement from the game after only 10 seasons. One would think growing up a Lions fan I would get used to disappointment and anguish. The ‘funny’ thing about the whole situation is that this losing culture and mindset from the organization wore on Barry and led to his retirement. I will never forget the tears that rolled down my face that day.

2. Mesa Me Sick – The ’97 Tribe was one of the best teams in Cleveland history…in any sport. Thome, Ramirez, Belle, Visquel, Alomar, Grissom, Williams, and Justice. Just so much talent and so many wins, not to mention the door-slammer on the back end. But I will mention stud closer Jose Mesa who blew the save with 2 outs in the 9th inning of game 7, one which was eventually lost in extra innings on an Edgar Renteria single up the middle. It was even worse for me because my favorite Tribesman of all time, starter Charlie Nagy, took the loss in relief.

1. Two Words…The Shot – These two words are as synonymous with Cleveland sports as The Fumble or The Drive. Thankfully for me I am not a big Browns fan so I can toss out those two statements; but The Shot, stings me harder then anything I can remember. The ’89 Cavs were poised for an NBA Championship. Price, Daugherty, Nance, Ehlo, Harper, Hot Rod, and company was one of greatest collection of talent that side of the ’97 Tribe. In game 5 with the series tied at 2-2 and the Cavs leading Jordan hit one of the most recognizable shots over the outstretched arm of Craig ‘Jordan’s Bitch’ Ehlo. The snapshot that defines Cleveland sports is Jordan’s celebration in front of the cowering Ehlo in the floor.

Just wait world…one of these days Cleveland will do it. And when that happens the city will be a smoldering pile of rubble on the edge of Lake Erie. That is, more of a smoldering pile of rubble then it already is!

Rosie Ruling, DJ's Epic Blunder and Jimmy's Jackpot - 2010 PGA Second Half Capsule

The week I spent at Jack’s place (Muirfield Village) led me to fall behind on blog updates…okay fine it effectively ended my updates. But I’m going to try and get it back again. First let me get proper congrats to the winners for the rest of the season. ‘Rosie’ won twice once at Memorial where my brother Jim quoted a Bette Midler song, and again over the 4th of July at Tiger’s tournament. Lee Westwood won for the first time in over a decade on American soil in over in Memphis. A teary-eyed win was in place for Bubba Watson in Hartford, while the Master of the Midwest Steve Stricker, went extraordinarily low in the Quad-Cities. Carl Pettersson and Stuart Appleby pulled themselves out of obscurity with comeback wins in Canada and West Virginia. Hunter Mahan ruled the week in Akron at historic Firestone, while Arjun Atwal made a name for himself with a breakout win in Greensboro. In lesser-known tournaments Matt Bettencourt and Bill Lunde jumped into the winner’s circle.

I missed the final 3 majors of the season. At world-renowned Pebble Beach it was a real battle for our national championship. Dustin Johnson grabbed defeat with a final round 81 leading the way for the extremely steady cardigan clad Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell to grab his first ever major. Tiger and Phil both finished in a tie for 5th. At the home of golf it was pure and utter domination from a relatively unknown. South African Louis Oosthuizen lapped the field in an impressive wire-to-wire victory to capture the Claret Jug at The Old Course at St. Andrews. The biggest controversy occurred at the PGA championship on Wisconsin’s modern throwback Whistling Straits. A tightly packed bunch was slimmed to a three horse race on Sunday between Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, and German Martin Kaymer. From there it got crazy!

After Watson and Kaymer finished they were one shot back of Dustin Johnson who was standing on the 18th tee. He walloped his tee shot right into the midst of the gallery and into a highly traveled spectator area. After evaluating his situation he pulled off a great shot knocking it just to the left of the green. He pulled off a pretty solid chip and had a 12-foot putt to win the tournament. He just barely missed it and evidently forced a three-way playoff with himself, Watson, and Kaymer. After he walked of the green he was met by a rules official who had to be the bearer of bad news informing Johnson that he had incurred a two-stoke penalty on his second shot because he grounded his club in an apparent bunker. Although it looked only like a patch of dirt, the rules sheet clearly stated that bunkers were located all over the course even in the rough and gallery areas. This ruling left Johnson out of the playoff and gave him a second heartbreak in a 2010 major. These headlines dominated leaving Kaymer's playoff win over Watson as merely an afterthought.

The playoffs were ultimately how the FedEx Cup was going to be decided. Matt Kuchar grabbed the top slot after his win at the Barclays, where top 10 points man Jim Furyk found himself DQ-ed after missing his tee time in the Pro-Am event at the practice sessions. In Boston at the Deutsche Bank Charley Hoffman found himself on the comeback trail with his sharp game and unmistakable flowing blonde mane. Some solace was taken at the third event of the playoffs as Dustin Johnson cashed in at the BMW event in Chicago. But the Cup was secured at the final event at Eastlake North in Atlanta and the Tour Championship. One of the most consistent players all season was Jim Furyk and he showed it taking control of the field and locking up a BIG payday with a win and a FedEx Cup.

A rainy Ryder Cup at soaked up Celtic Manor in Wales showed the European machine to be just a bit much for an inexperienced but gutty US bunch. The Euros took back the Cup holding off an American charge in singles matches on a Monday finish. It was very competitive!

The fall series featured wins for Bill Haas, Heath Slocum, Rocco Mediate, and Jonathan Byrd. There is only one more even left before the official hiatus starts for the pros. This week is the Children’s Miracle Network Classic from Disney. Expect future blogs previewing the 2011 season. Will Tiger get it back?

Ex-Zach-ting His Dominance

Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, TX is a site that is rich in history and is one of the oldest and most respected tour stops on the PGA Tour. ‘Hogan’s Alley’ as it is called, may not be the longest course, but what it lacks in shear length it makes up for in tight fairways and old-style natural hills. The need for accuracy and grittiness almost personifies the course's namesake Mr. Ben Hogan. It also seems to personify the 2010 champion Zach Johnson.

Coming into the Crowne Plaza Invitational most of the talk was about Phil Mickelson who with a good showing, had the opportunity to move past Tiger Woods as the world’s number one player. By Friday afternoon that story was dead as the two-time winner at Colonial inexplicably missed the cut with a poor showing. Mickelson’s struggles opened the door for other players to cash in with a victory.

At the halfway point Bryce Molder lead the charge by setting a 36-hole scoring record at Colonial with a 13-under par 127. He remained in contention throughout the weekend but by Saturday’s end was in the middle of a serious battle with previously blogged about Brian Davis, previous 2010 winner Jason Bohn, and Zach Johnson who fired a 64 on Saturday to get himself into contention. Johnson’s precision off the tee and from the fairway make him an ideal candidate to perform well at Hogan’s Alley, but I’m not sure anyone thought that he would back up his Saturday 64 with a matching Sunday 64 and run away with the title.

His 72-hole record breaking score of 21-under 259, earned Johnson the championship tartan plaid jacket similar to the one given at the Verizon Heritage. The same tournament where Brian Davis was the runner-up, as he was again here at Colonial. But differently from Hilton Head, this time at the finish Davis was a whopping 3-strokes back and his dreams of a tartan plaid jacket once again went up in smoke. For Johnson this was his 7th career PGA Tour victory and his 3rd in the state of Texas (see 08-09 Texas Open).

Zach can hang that plaid jacket his locker at Augusta Nations next to the Green Jacket he earned back in 2007. As we all know he has a lifetime exemption to the April ‘Tradition Unlike Any Other,’ but another win is building a resume for a guy who is quietly one of the top 25 players in the world. Although he has only two career top 10’s in majors (07 Masters and ’09 PGA) he has quickly become one of the more consistent players and should be in contention many more times. Johnson’s simple swing and accuracy would no doubt earn the respect of a man like Ben Hogan…and that’s something special.

No Ordinary Day

Another win for a PGA Tour twenty something. 22 year old and former Australian junior standout Jason Day jumped into the winner's circle in Dallas at the famed Byron Nelson Tournament. But it wasn’t easy. Amid the late Spring Dallas humidity and the energy from 16-year-old Dallas area high schooler Jordan Spieth, when it came to the back nine on Sunday it was a two horse race between Day and 2009 Q-School graduate Blake Adams. Day stood next to Adams on the 18th tee with a one-stroke lead when all the wheels fell off…of both.

It started with Adams smashing a drive right of right into the mess of trees right of even the gallery. With Day recognizing the open door he decided to hit an iron to insure he would hit the fairway, as 18 had reeked havoc on him all week with three straight drives into the water. His chunky iron barely even got to the fairway and he sat a long iron away from he and victory. Unfortunately he chunk hooked his long iron into the water for the fourth straight day opening the door for Adams who stood watching in the trees trying to visualize an out of trouble shot of his own. It turned into an into more trouble shot.

His iron sailed just short and left of the green karaming off of the bank and into the water joining Day in the sloppy play festival. When it was all said and done Day had two putts to win and put Adams away with no problem cashing in his first career win on Tour and his 2nd career professional win (Nationwide event). He was able to walk off the green and greet Peggy Nelson wife of the late ‘Lord’ Byron Nelson as the new champion of tournament that was created in Nelson’s honor. In the end it was a two shot victory over Adams who backed up enough to tie Brian Gay and Jeff Overton for second place.

Congrats to Jason Day on his first career PGA Tour win and earning his first ever appearance at Augusta National for the 2011 Masters. When Jason tees it up next April he will definitely remember this fine Sunday in May and reflect back on it as no ordinary day. .

***A quick shout out to Jordan Spieth on an amazing effort this week. He definitely captured the hearts of golf fans everywhere. It was a magical week.

Great Scott!!!

It had been a long time since Adam Scott was ranked in the top 5 of the WGR’s, and even longer since his break through win at the 2004 Players Championship. After that win at Sawgrass most expects had this Burberry clad Australian as one of the contenders to test Tiger in the decades to follow. This has not exactly been the case. Although Scott has 17 professional wins worldwide (7 on the PGA Tour) his bout to be one of the top players in the world hit the skids following his 2008 win at the Byron Nelson. That win was a peak before a very large valley.

This downfall started shortly after his Nelson victory with a finger injury that seemed to bother Scott maybe more than it should have. Although respectable showings at the US Open and Open Championship that very same season, his MC at the PGA started a disturbing trend of four missed cuts in the next five majors. His only unblemish in that stretch was a less then impressive T36 at the 2009 US Open, not exactly the kind of performances those expects predicted out of Scott. Some explained his poor play on his injury, while others blamed it on his inconsistent and sometimes downright awful putting; while even others talked about his personal life and breakup with his long time girlfriend as the major distraction. But one this was for sure Scott was not playing the kind of golf he had been expected to play.

Although Scott was Greg Norman’s final captain’s pick for the 2009 International Presidents Cup squad, he did not exactly step up as he finished the weekend 1-4 in his matches leading to the US blowout victory. But maybe this confidence that one of the best Australian’s of all time placed on Scott did something for the young man entering the 2010 season. No one would confuse his season thus far as something of genius for Scott, but it has been a step in the right direction. It started with a much-improved T18 performance at the Masters and lead to his outstanding 54-hole weekend in San Antonio.

Rain battered much of Central and Eastern Texas washing out Friday at the Velero Texas Open. But the guys tried their best to play catch-up with a 36 hole Sunday effort. What they didn’t realize is that they had to play catch-up to Adam Scott who’s magical 36 hole Sunday of 66-67 paved the way to his one stroke victory over hard charging Swede Freddie Jacobson. Scott totally found his game, and more importantly found magic in a place that had toyed with him for so long…his flat stick. Aside from a par miss at the 72nd, which slightly opened the door for Jacobson, his Sunday putting was as good as ever. This win marked Scott’s 3rd victory in the state of Texas (08 Nelson and 07 Houston). He will have the chance to clinch the career Texas-slam in two weeks at Colonial.

But for now, he has reintroduced himself on the world stage and may be primed to make a major championship run. He is just 2 months shy of 30, but will get that final chance to cash in that major win in his 20’s at Pebble Beach next month. If he could somehow pull that one out, he could start the prime of his career the way many expected. Either way, he will be teeing it up at the Tradition Unlike Any Other next Spring and who knows, maybe just maybe he’s bound for something even greater. If not, he’s still dating Ana Ivanovic, and that’s great too!

Sad Story...Erica Blasburg

On a very sad side note…my condolences go out to the family, friends and all who knew LPGAer Erica Blasburg who was found dead in her Las Vegas home on Monday. This is an extremely sad story and took the golf wold by surprise. Thoughts and prayers from everyone in the Jimothy family are with all in mourning.

Not In’Tim’idated

It is the ultimate risk reward golf course. It has fairways lined with man-made ponds, lob lolly pines, rough filled mounds, and 50+ yard sand traps. It poses some of the most nerve-racking and manhood swallowing shots in all of golf including an island green. It is the Stadium Course at the TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedre Beach, FL and is the annual home of the PGA’s often called 5th major The Players Championship. And with all that laid out in front, along with one of the season’s deepest fields, South African Tim Clark manned up and did not bat an eye.

Thursday and Friday posed an eerily calm Sawgrass environment for the players. The wind was down and the course was susceptible, as approach shots were not rolling off the greens resulting in exceptional scoring. It was a sleeping giant that help rise a different sleeping giant to the top of the leaderboard. Lee Westwood has been one of the most successful players in the world in global golf events. He finished 2nd at the 2010 Masters, 3rd at both the 2009 Open Championship and PGA Championship, and also was one shot out of the Tiger and Rocco playoff at the 2008 US Open. Despite all of these high finishes, he has yet to cash one in at a major and even more surprising, only one of his 31 professional wins came on US soil (1998 Zurich Classic). This is a feeling Tim Clark is also all too familiar with.

Nowhere near the ammeter status of Westwood Clark took a more conventional way to the PGA Tour ala South African Tour, Canadian Tour, and Nationwide Tour; but now has been a fixture on tour for over 5 years. He has been notorious for close calls, but had yet to win a PGA event. He even has exceptionally high finishes in majors with a solo 2nd at the 2006 Masters and 3rd place finishes at the 2005 US Open and the 2003 PGA Championship; among a bevy of 2nds and playoff losses in Tour stops. Tour vet Robert Allenby can be tossed into that very same boat.

Allenby boasts four career wins on the PGA Tour, but has fallen into consistent mediocrity, as he has not been in the winner circle since 2001. But his consistency and golf ranking has kept him afloat all these years. In fact he has not missed a start in a major championship since the 2001 US Open, which is extremely impressive for any player. But in all those years he has never finished better than T2 (twice) and only has five-career top 10 finishes. But Allenby’s solid play left him one stroke back of leader Westwood going into the final round, and Clark was three shots back after a blistering 66 on a windy Saturday.

As Sunday began the big headline came early as the controversy swirled world number one Tiger Woods withdrew from the tournament on the 7th hole with a bothersome neck injury. And then world number two Phil Mickelson has a flurry of bogies ruining any shot at a Sunday charge, so it was up to the leaders to make things happen. And the direction of the tournament changed in the late stages of the opening nine as Tim Clark birdied #7 and then #9. He followed those up with hot putting which led to birdies on #10, #11, and #12. Before you know it he opened up a two-stroke lead over Westwood and Allenby. After a disappointing par on #16 Clark steadied it coming in with a solid par on the famed par 3 #17 and clutched up with a lengthy par putt on the difficult #18 to post a 67 and tournament total of –16.

With the beast (Sawgrass) angered and conditions and pin positions much tougher, Clark exceeded his goal of posting a solid number and threw up the best round of the day and said ‘come and get me boys!’ Westwood was not able to get anything going, and in fact threw away some strokes coming in, including being waterlogged at the island 17th resulting in a double and another uncomfortable top 5. Allenby on the other hand made a birdie on #16 and struck a perfect wedge on #17 to about 15 feet and a legitimate chance to tie Clark. But it wasn’t to be. That coupled with a vanilla par 4 on the 18th gave Tim Clark his first win on US soil, and his biggest championship of his career.

This win will officially put Clark into the 2011 Masters among many other things. Although once again there was no real doubt on his chances without this, but its good to lock it up. As for Westwood and Allenby, I feel at least one of them will have their day in the sun sometime in the near future. My bet’s on Westwood winning a major within the next two years! But for now, it’s the diminutive Tim Clark, who outshined all.

The ‘Rory’ing 20’s

In a week where Tiger Woods non-Augusta bubblicious return to the Tour was the headline, by tournaments end a new young up-and-coming sensation was all anyone could talk about. Since his rousing entrance as a pro and his 2009 win in Dubai, there has been a tremendous amount pressure on 20 year old Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy to not only contend in ‘The States,” but win. And who would have ever thought that after a mediocre first 36 in the Quail Hollow Championship, McIlroy would end up stealing the show.

Tiger Woods was the talk of Charlotte Thursday morning, but was unable to back anything up as he fired a very pedestrian two-over-par 74. He slept on a nine shot deficit after Bo Van Pelt’s amazing opening 65, but still few were skeptical about his chances of contending. And then he hit the back nine on Friday and something went insanely wrong. After turning in one over 37, Woods dug himself a deeper hole with two bogies on the first three holes on the back nine, and was sitting at +5. After putting disasters on the easy 14th and 15th leading to back to back doubles, he had only 3 holes to play and was all of a sudden +9. He finished with a 43 on the back and missed the cut by a whopping 8 strokes. This performance marked only the 6th time in Tiger’s professional career that he missed a cut, which in itself is astounding.

With the Tiger exit it put World #2 Phil Mickelson in the driver seat as he sat fully in contention entering the weekend. And as the sun went down Saturday he was tied for second with Davis Love III only two shots off the pace of tour veteran Billy Mafair’s lead at nine-under-par. There were a lot of other contenders still in the mix entering the final round with guys like Van Pelt and JJ Henry along with global stars Angel Cabrera, Jim Furyk, Anthony Kim and red hot Rory McIlroy. Rory’s Saturday 66 brought him from on the cut line all the way to the top 10 and oddly enough into contention. But his Sunday, was stuff of legends.

He got out pretty fast on the outward nine posting four birdies on his way to carding a masterful 32 and jumping further into the mix as Mayfair and Love struggled. But no one had any idea that this jaw dropping 32 was just a warm-up act for McIlroy’s inward nine. Although posting level on the par five 10th, he picked up two birdies on the first five back nine holes to take a one shot lead on the par five 15th tee. After a crushing a 352-yard drive McIlroy pounded a five-iron up the hill 206 yards nestling up three feet from the cup. This eagle catapulted him to the lead and although he drove it into the trap on 16, responded with a nine-iron chop out to six feet and another birdie moving him to five-under on the back nine and 14-under for the tournament. But his act still wasn’t done quite yet.

After nearly holing a 50-foot putt on the intimidating par three 17th, he stepped to the 18th tee with a very comfortable lead, considering the difficulty of the 18th. After finding the fairway with his drive McIlroy did as his caddy would want and stay away from the creek on the pin side and hit a conservative iron to the middle of the green to 45 feet from the cup. Cue his victory walk up the hill. After an amazing greeting from the Charlotte faithful and a tapestry of superlatives from my hommie Jim Nantz he lined up a birdie putt that would give him a back nine 30 and break the course record by two shot. As he struck the putt up the hill it started to curl left toward the cup and had perfect pace as it turned in the last three feet and disappeared into a backdrop of a roaring gallery. This putt gave McIlroy a course record 62, a four shot win over Mickelson and his first career professional win in the US despite making the cut on the number on Friday afternoon. What a week!

Amidst the excitement of Tiger and the contention of Phil, one of the most electric young players in the world made his mark. On the same day that 18 year old sensation Ryo Ishikawa fired a blistering 58 on the Japanese Tour in route to victory, the soon to be 21 year old (Tuesday is his birthday) would take that big leap in the big boys Tour. As if there it was in question anyway, he will take his Masters invite for 2011 and will move forward this week to Tour’s 5th Major The Players Championship. I’m sure he may sneak in a quick couple of shots at a pub in Ponte Vedre Beach. One for his birthday and one for his big victory.

'Bohn'us Baby!

A win for a 37 year old Tour journeyman should be considered more than just a win, it’s a bonus. And for Jason Bohn that’s just what his victory at the 2010 Zurich Classic of New Orleans represents. With his victory comes an automatic entry into the 2011 Masters along with a much-needed two-year PGA Tour exemption. This victory was Bohn’s second PGA win to date, as he won at the BC Open in 2005. Please note, the BC Open was a tournament that ran opposite of The Open Championship, so suffice to say the top players are not on display that week. This win jumps Bohn up to 11th in Fedex Cup points, but may not be the biggest moment of his career.

In 1992 Bohn was attending The University of Alabama and was a member of the Crimson Tide golf team. That year he entered a ‘Hole in One Shootout’ and improbably holed out to win the million-dollar prize. There is amazing footage of the shot that you may have seen if you watch The Golf Channel at any length…and the celebration was outstanding. Anyway, after making that ace, it gave Bohn the financial stability to go and work on his game with no real pressure, and try to become a professional. And that he did.

2009 was not Bohn’s best year on Tour, but he did enough to hang around for another year. His T2 at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, NC was his best finish and damn near was his opening to the 2010 Masters. But he and fellow T2 competitor Kevin Stadler were defeated by Ryan Moore in a three-man playoff. But his week in Greensboro was by far his best achievement in 2009, which did not even include a major championship appearance. He will get his shot, but no guarantee at getting into the field at the US Open and The Open Championship. But following that, this wire to wire victory on the bayou, will guarantee him trips to Whistling Straits for the PGA and Augusta for ‘The Tradition Unlike Any Other.’

Who knows what will happen! We’ve seen stranger Green Jacket wearers right? I guess it’s about as likely as a million dollar hole-in-one…

Humble in Victory, Honorable in Defeat

Golf is more than a game of concentration, flexibility, hand-eye coordination, and muscle memory. It was developed to be played with the principles of honor and integrity. It’s game where you are required to impose self-penalties, even if nobody but yourself witnessed the infraction. On Sunday this part of the game was at the forefront of the PGA Tour at the famed Harbortown Golf Links in Hilton Head, SC in the Verizon Heritage Classic.

Englishman Brian Davis is a long time journeyman on the PGA and European Tours. He has bounced back and forth from Great Britain to the United States over the past decade competing in events as if it was more like a job than a privilege. A few years ago Davis decided he was going to lay it all on the line and move his family from Britain to Orlando Florida in hopes to play exclusively in ‘The Show.’ He had earned his Tour card and ever since has hung in there enough to continue playing on a year to year basis. 2009 was Davis’ most successful season on the PGA Tour and although never in the winner’s circle, he had a run in May of three straight top 5 finishes (The Players, Valero, and The Nelson).

On Sunday in Hilton Head Davis had his chance to sew up the two year Tour exemption and the almost as important slot in the field at Augusta in 2011, that comes with a Tour victory. After 72 competitive holes where a lot of talented players were in serious contention, Davis and now World Number Five and Transitions winner Jim Furyk were tied for the lead; following a 25 foot birdie putt holed on the signature 18th by Davis. Both competitors ripped tee shots onto the tarmac that is the 80-plus yard wide fairway on Harbortown’s home hole to start the sudden death playoff. Both players showed 167 yards out, and long time PGA rules official Slugger White deemed Davis was out – this would not be the last time we hear from Slugger.

Davis tried to take a little off of a six-iron and tugged it left sending it off the rocks and bounding onto the hard sanded beach along Calabogue Sound. Furyk, understanding the door was open took a bit more club and sent a shot to the back fringe of the green leaving him some 50 feet for his birdie effort. In fact, Furyk’s ball was so far away from the pin, that he was actually further away than Davis and had to execute a putt to about 8 feet. Davis then had to decide whether to execute a difficult pitch out of the junk or take a drop and basically put the tournament on the putter of Furyk. He decided to keep it in his own hands and pitched it up onto the green, but as the ball was rolling across the surface of the green he looked up and said, ‘Slugger’ as he motioned toward the rules official.

Re-enter Slugger White. The two discussed a possible violation as upon takeaway, Davis noticed that his club may have clipped a reed, something that only he could’ve detected in live motion. After in depth discussions and handheld communication with officials watching the video, Slugger bent down and pulled the reed out to show that it was a loose impediment as opposed to part of the ground. He notified Davis that because it was a loose impediment in a hazard, the small graze of the reed upon takeaway would be a 2-stroke penalty. This ruling basically gave Furyk the tournament as he smoothly drained the 8-foot par putt amongst the boat horns off of Calabogue Sound to earn the Tartan Jacket and his second victory in 2010.

For Furyk is was a well-earned victory and for Davis it was a crushing defeat. But Davis should have nothing to feel bad about (aside from the possible 400 grrr he left on the table). He may not have punched his Masters ticket or earned that 2-year exemption, but he earned the respect of his peers. In the ‘if your not cheating your not trying’ steroid HGH bribing for TV contracts coach Calipari new world of sports, a story like this is refreshing. He may not have won, but Davis, although probably difficult, did the honorable thing. Just as difficult to watch was Furyk accepting congratulations for his victory, more humble than usual. It certainly now looks like ‘Mr. Consistency is back…as if he went anywhere to begin with.

Master’Phil’

I know, I know I missed an entry where AK assaulted Redstone Golf Club and beat Augusta native Vaughn Taylor in route to his already punched Master’s ticket. And he took full advantage at the 2010 ‘Tradition Unlike Any Other.’ Now lets get to the good stuff.

In a week that was focused almost completely on the return of Tiger Woods to competitive action, he along with the rest of the field lived up to the hype…and then some. All roads led to 2:40PM EST on Thursday April 8th. Tiger teed it up and ripped a drive splitting the fairway on the par 4 first hole reintroducing himself with the serene nervy calmness that is Augusta National. As the sun descended on day one of competition most of the talk and excitement remained with Tiger who fired a round one Masters personal best round four under par 68. But with all that went on this day, he wasn’t getting all the attention.

With a calm and overcast setting for much of the day, along with not as challenging pin positions and tee placements, Augusta National on day one was more of a sleeping beast. The main defense was down just a bit with stickier and slower greens, making life that much more receptive to shots that were not pinpoint in accuracy thus leading to more red numbers. In layman’s terms, the pros were ripping it up! The talk of a dream week started early as 60 year old Tom Watson carded a Turnberry-like 67 to post his name in a tie for second after day one with the likes of fan favorite and two time Green Jacket wearer Phil Mickelson and top British hopeful Lee Westwood. But there was room for two in this Dolorean.

50 year old 1992 Masters Champion Fred Couples turned back the clock a bit himself casually strolling the hills of NE Georgia in tennis shoe-like moccasins on his way to a personal best 6 under-par 66 and the overall outright lead after day one. His recent entry onto the Champions Tour has been a bit of a rebirth for Couples game. He won the first 3 Tour events going away and in 12 competitive rounds he has posted an astonishing 77 under par! That is an average of over 6 under par per round! His hot play along with his veteran knowledge of Augusta National was a recipe of success for this gray-haired former roommate of my brother at the University of Houston.

Although Watson faded as the week went on (still finishing under par), Couples was more than game for sticking around to the finish. On a rousing Saturday: some players rose (Hunter Mahan), some players fell (Ian Poulter) and some players just didn’t do much of anything (Anthony Kim) – but it was arguably the best and loudest Moving Day in recent memory at Augusta. And as anyone who has ever walked the grounds Masters week will attest, the roars at Augusta are unlike anywhere else. The roars were almost personified in a near 30 minute stretch on the back nine on Saturday between 5:05 and 5:40.

They started on the 13th hole as crowd favorite Phil Mickelson rolled in a 20 footer for eagle sending a roar of emotion through the loblolly pines and magnolias. Just moments later on the 15th green Couples had a little magic in his bag chipping in for eagle as patrons rose and exuded their appreciation for the veteran. Only ten minutes later there was a roar of epic proportions. Standing in the par four 14th fairway with a short iron in his hand, Mickelson struck a pure shot that landed on the green and spun down the hill to the right with the contours so perfectly it disappeared into the cup. The roar was so loud it reverberated through the dogwoods all the way to ‘Amen Corner’and noticeably affected the leader Westwood who promptly missed a par putt on the 11th green. Not more than five minutes later Ricky Barnes made on of the most difficult chips in all of golf behind in back of the green at #13 for an exciting birdie. And the clincher was at 5:40 when Phil Mickelson, seeking a record third eagle in a row, nearly holed out a wedge from just under 100 yards out. Between the roaring crowd and excitement of David Feherty’s call on air, the atmosphere was as dramatic as I’ve ever seen a Saturday in Augusta.

The roars themselves were so thrilling and intense that each one had kind of a life of its own. It was one of the most sensational half-hour of golf I have ever been a witness to, and, although on site, Tiger had nothing to do with it. He would reserve his electricity for Sunday….or so we all thought.

The ‘Striped One’ arrived at Augusta clad in Sunday red in a tied for 3rd place just four shots back of leader Westwood and three shots back of Mickelson. He was paired for the fourth straight day with KJ Choi who had mirrored his first three rounds of 68-70-70. And his engine sputtered from the start. A massive hook off the 1st, failing to birdie 2 or 3, and then two straight bogies on #4 & #5 and an ugly par on #6 and it seemed like Tiger’s chances were squelched before he even had the chance to contend. He stood in the first cut on #7 a whopping seven shots back with virtually no chance before his swing, and felt like he was right back in it after. Nick Faldo referred to it as Tiger’s best swing of the week and it showed. As if it was channeling Mickelson’s ball from #14 on Saturday it landed it the perfect place and then spun backwards and to the right perfectly down the slope and falling excitedly in the hole. Tiger got his roar that ignited a run of two more birdies to finish his nine in 35 and at 9-under and only three shots back. But the Jekyll & Hyde ways continued for Tiger and his tournament was basically over with a bogey on #11 and a three putt from 6 feet for a bogey on #14. Not even an eagle on #15 and a mocking birdie on the closing hole could not be savior enough for Eldrick.

Mickelson of the other hand, dazzled the patrons with one of the most memorable Sunday walks on the hallowed grounds. But it started slow. A very un-Phil-like seven straight pars to open the round finally gave way to a scrabbling birdie on #8 and an amazing save on #9, helped Phil turn in one-under 35. Rabbits were pulled out of the hat with two pars after hooked tee shots on #10 and #11. Although hundreds watch on across Rae’s Creek, the 12 green is one of the few serene lonely places at Augusta National to mull over a 25-foot birdie putt. Putting past experiences behind him he rolled in a confident stroke and grabbed his first outright lead of the tournament entering his favorite hole on the course. But the hooks got to him again and his tee shot finished left amongst the pine straw on this breath taking par five. Enter the shot of the tournament.

Mickelson stood set up on the unsteady pine needle with a long iron in his hand poised to hit a shot that wasn’t a lay-up, between two trees in front of him. Crazy would be the word many would use, except it is Phil Mickelson, so the word may just be ordinary. A typical caddie would never even consider letting their player hit this shot between tree and over a creek to a difficult sloping green in the Masters, but make no ‘bones’ about it, Jim Mackay knows and trusts his guy Lefty. When all was said and done and Peter Kostis tried to describe the craziness that was the shot, the ball sat just five feet from the cup and seemed like the clincher. Although Phil actually missed the putt, he still walked off the green with a lead going to a part of the course he could continue his magic.

After a pedestrian par on #14 he bombed a drive on #15 and hit just another ‘run of the mill’ shot over the pond and onto the green for a 25 foot eagle putt. A two putt birdie coupled with a chip and two putt par for Lee Westwood, basically sewed up the tournament for Lefty as he walked off #15 three up with three to play. Although Westwood birdied #17 to make it halfway competitive, Phil outdid the field sticking a shot on #18 and enjoying the stroll up the hill to a massive ovation from the crowd. His closing birdie gave him his third green jacket and his 16 under par 272 was just 2 shots back of the all time low tournament score posted by Tiger in his ‘Win For the Ages’ in 1997.

All and all it was an amazing week with a great Sunday. Although the final hour seemed to be in no doubt at all, the building hours were unbelievable. The only competitor who could muster an semblance of a charge was the youngster Anthony Kim who went low on the back nine to gain control of a solo third finish. Lee Westwood kept his bridesmaid-like play in majors grabbing another Top 5. He seems to be on the cusp of cashing one in soon. No matter how you slice it or if you like it, Tiger is back…enough said. And as for Mickelson, it’s been a tough year with his wife Amy and his Mother both being diagnosed with breast cancer, and this ‘Win For the Family’ affirmed his hard work in a tough time. Unlike most, I’m not the biggest Phil fan, but I gotta tip my cap to him. He was absolutely masterful at Augusta. And now the year long lottery begins for players vying for the 2011 green jacket. Let the battle begin.

***Players who finished in the Top 16 and ties who will be invited back next year: Phil Mickelson (-16), Lee Westwood (-13), Anthony Kim (-12), Tiger Woods, KJ Choi (-11), Fred Couples (-9), Nick Watney (-8), Hunter Mahan, YE Yang (-7), Ricky Barnes, Ian Poulter (-5), Miguel Angel Jimenez, Jerry Kelly (-3), Trevor Immelman, Steve Marino, Ryan Moore & David Toms (-2).

Big Easy Like Monday Morning

Not even a rainy Sunday and a Monday morning finish could detour Ernie Els from cashing in on his second win in a two week stretch at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at the famous Bayhill Resort and Lodge in Orlando Florida. No doubt the hottest player on Tour Els has not only grabbed the early lead for comeback player of the year but now is the overall leader in Fedex Cup points.

After storms ravaged the Orlando area on Sunday afternoon dampering the tournaments usual finish, the finial few groups were left to wrap up their back nine. Although it was still anyone’s tournament and had only a one-stroke lead with one to play, Els never really seemed to let go of his stranglehold of the field. He continued his excellent ‘Southern Swing’ play by staying in cruise control on Monday to complete a final round 71 and two shot victory over talented youngsters American Kevin Na and Italian Edoardo Molinari.

But those two were not the only strong contenders this week at Arnie’s Place. Strong Tour vets like Davis Love III, Padraig Harrington, and even Phil Mickelson all were near contention for much of the tournament. Also in contention were unexpected players like Chris Couch and DJ Trahan. But inconsistent play coupled with overly consistent good play from Els really sunk these players from contenders to pretenders. Love III was wildly inconsistent with a variable cornucopia of birdies, bogies, and doubles. Mickelson started strong on Thursday and Friday, but could not get the driver or putter going on the weekend and rapidly dropped down the board. Various struggles could be said for Harrington, Trahan and Couch.

When it was all said and done Els had about as smooth of a week in Orlando as the mechanics of his swing. He once again has found himself poised to be in serious contention at Augusta for the first time since his runner up finish to Phil Mickelson on that magical Easter Sunday in 2004. And when I say serious contention I mean serious contention. He has had nightmares with his close calls at the Masters, and this could be one of his last real chances of rectifying his Green Jacket horrors. And if he plays like his week at Bayhill, his walk up #18 could be as easy as his Monday walk.

Transitioning the Madness

Talk about a difficult sports weekend to contend with for the PGA Tour! As I joined the majority of Americans pitching back 12-ounce goodness and screaming at basketball teams I have no affiliation with aside from picking them to win or lose. And as my brother from another mother watched on and described in great length and emotion in Jacksonville as an Ivy League team did the unthinkable, just down the road in the Tampa area the Tour continued on at the Transitions Championship.

If competing with Northern Iowa’s upset of #1 overall seed Kansas, Cornell’s unbelievable run, continuous last second heroics, and the possibility of Gus Johnson making broadcasting gold wasn’t enough, word came out that Tiger was going to answer questions for the first time since his ‘incidents’ and ‘indiscretions.’ Between the five minutes with ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi and The Golf Channel’s Kelly Tilghlman, Tiger faced ten minutes of grilling from the friendly confines of an Isleworth veranda. All the while Tour vet Jim Furyk completed his steady assault on Innisbrook.

Although limping in a bit on the back nine with some late bogies, Furyk’s two under par round of 69 was enough to finish with a one shot victory over Korean KJ Choi, and was his first win since the 2007 Canadian Open. Although there have been a lot of players who have gone this long without a win, the amazing thing about Furyk is that he was able to stay within reach of the Top Ten in the World Golf Rankings during this slump in victories. To me it shows Furyk’s mark of consistency.

Maybe known more for the looping hitch in his swing than anything else, Furyk has been a mainstay on leaderboards over the past decade. Setting his mechanics aside in his career he has cashed in one major (’03 US Open) and has 13 career PGA Tour wins. On top of that he has been widely known as one of the best and most consistent putters on Tour over the past decade in golf. And as we fall inside of a month from the ‘Tradition Unlike Any Other’ this win shows Furyk still has the game to get it done.

And now that the Sweet 16 has been established down the Road to the Final Four and Tiger is out of silence we will move forward to Arnie’s place down the Road to Augusta. With back to back veteran wins from Els and Furyk, we seem to be getting a throwback feel back to the Tour. With Duval back at Augusta and players like Els and Furyk playing well along with the return of Tiger will seem to have a turn of the decade field. But we all know that one of the many youngsters can ruin this veteran party and continue this ‘transition’ from old school to new school. But for right now the old guys are king!

Easy Come, Easy Go, Easy Comeback

It seemed to be an immediate disappearing act for one of the most respected and better players over the past decade. South African great Ernie Els, or The Big Easy as many refer to him, has climbed the top of the mountain in his career, but after a rash of freak and nagging injuries he seemed to have faded away into almost obscurity. But this week at the CA Championship his comeback has seemed to come almost full circle, with a near perfect and dominating performance taming the Blue Monster at Doral.

The CA Championship is one of the premier events behind the majors and the Player’s Championship. It is the second installment of the World Golf Championships and is one of the strongest fields you’re going to find. There were a lot of solid performers in the mix, but as the final round started and Sunday play progressed, it was almost like a two horse South African race. Els was the wily veteran, and Charl Schwartzel was the young up and coming bomber. The two battled it out throughout the front nine, but the veteran made the shots when he needed to, and the youngster was not able to keep up in his first real chance to shine in the US.

Although Els had a victory at the 2008 Honda Classic, this win confirms his comeback on the PGA Tour. It not like he completely disappeared, but his descent into mere mediocrity started after the completion of the 2004 season. In ‘04 he won a personal record three PGA events cashing in at the Sony, the Memorial, and WGC American Express. He also had a personal best season in the majors finishing in the top ten in all four of the season’s majors, although failing to win any. He was heartbroken at the Master’s falling short on Lefty’s magical 72nd hole birdie. He also came up short in a playoff to Todd Hamilton in the Open Championship. On top of even that he had a disastrous final round on Long Island in the US Open going from the final pairing to a 9th place finish behind fellow countryman Reteif Goosen. But in the off-season after the ’04 season Els injured his knee in a freak tubing incident on the Mediterranean derailing his game for a near 4-year stretch.

But this dominating performance at the intimidating Blue Monster may have set the stage for something even more special. In about a month Els will return to Augusta, a place where he has been very close in the past and tee it up again to try and exercise those Master’s demons. To try and repair all of those heartbreaks at a place he has never won. I feel like everything would come full circle for the 40 year old Els in 2010 if he can finally slip on that green jacket and close to within a PGA Championship of a career-slam. I don’t think it is ‘easy,’ but Els makes it seem that way.

Dancing in Athens

Athens, Ohio is not only a mecca for partying and drinking sports; it's now in the field of 65. Yes, this edition of Bobcat Hoops went a modest 17-14 in the regular season, and 7-9 in the MAC conference, but for a 4 games stretch they were more than a #9 seed. They ripped thru the #8, #1, #4 and #3 seeds within one week with the final 3 games in a 3 day period. It was a magical run for my alma mater and hopefully, as my boy Gus Johnson would say, the 'slipper still fits' in the NCAA Tourney.

Gator Bait

After his dominating winning effort at the 2010 Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Camilo Villegas may have successfully renamed the infamous ‘Bear Trap.’ The Jack Nicklaus designed PGA National has been a pain in the side for a lot of players who tee it up for the first event of the Florida swing. Its strategically placed bunkers and water hazards make for a risk reward set up for everyone who takes the challenge. The finishing holes are some of the most nerve-jangling shots this side of Sawgrass, and are the basis for the ‘Bear Trap’ moniker. But the former Florida Gator stand out, turned the notorious ‘Bear Trap’ into Gator Bait.

Villegas got off to a quick start in the first round on Thursday with a four under 66 in the easiest scoring conditions of the week. He followed that stellar round with a matching 66 on Friday and moved to the weekend in prime championship position tied atop the leader board with fellow young super star Anthony Kim. After Villegas fired another excellent round of 67 on Saturday, coupled with Kim’s 73, the Colombian star held an impressive three shot lead going into the final round over Australian Nathan Green and tour veteran Vijay Singh.

By the time Villegas made the turn he was sitting on a five shot lead and ready to coast into the clubhouse. But at PGA National one can never overlook the claws of the ‘Bear Trap’ that always looms ahead…

And it may have been in the back of Camilo’s head when he got a bit loose with bogies on 11 and 12. He added another bogey to his card on the par three 15th, but at this point the lead was pretty much insurmountable. He was able to cash in pars at the dangerous 16th and 17th which set up an easy walk in the park four shot lead on the 18th tee. As he had done 21 other times during the week, he executed to perfection for another birdie and a 5 shot victory over Kim who rallied for solo second. A scorching final round 64 gave charging Justin Rose solo 3rd and match play runner up Paul Casey joined Singh for T4.

This win has been much anticipated for Villegas, who was winless in the 2009 season after taking home the season’s final event in 2008 at the Tour Championship. Camilo’s slump worried many people in the golf world, because with Tiger on the shelf, the Tour is counting on promotable stars like Villegas to step up. 2010 has been able to cash in on wins from these young, established and promotable players like Villegas, Mahan, Poulter and Ogilvy. Getting players like this wins and exposure is great for the PGA Tour during the Tiger sabbatical.

This victory was Villegas’ 3rd career win, but was not a necessity for getting into the Masters, as his 2009 T13 performance at Augusta automatically got him in the field. But Villegas has not been overly successful in the Masters in his 3 career appearances making only the one cut, and missing the weekend in both 2007 and 2008. But he is definitely the type of player who is getting better and growing with the tour every week, making him a factor every time he tees it up. After he gobbled up the ‘Bear Trap’ this week he is more than ready for the Masters, and maybe after he’s done there, they’ll have to rename another vaunted stretch of holes…

How does ‘Camilo’s Corner’ sound?

You Da Ma-ha-n!!!

The annual tournament in the desert put on by the Thunderbirds was yet again another success in 2010. Annually setting attendance records for a single event, the Phoenix Open is known more for its patrons then for the golf itself. This four-day party in Scottsdale is epicentered by cheers, jeers and chants from keg drinking fans planted at the par three 16th hole. This diminutive and relatively straightforward 170-yard par 3 is known for many as the most intimidating hole in golf. This arena-like hole is the setting for 20,000 drunken fans and their ode to fandom. Harsher than the ‘Cameron Crazies’ and gentler than ‘Raider Nation’ these ‘Scottsdale Screamers’ are as big of a part of this tournament as anything.

Many players see this tee shot as the toughest in all of golf, rivaling it with the 17th at Sawgrass, while others thrive on the attention. One thing is for sure, when Hunter Mahan stepped to the 16th tee on Sunday with a one-stroke lead he no doubt thrived on the atmosphere. As the last to hit in his group, the natives were already a bit restless from a great shot by grouping partner Robert Allenby, but Mahan was also able to deliver. As shouts and screams echoed through the desert after his swing, the ball landed just short of the pin and spun sideways to about 14 feet, much to the delight of the rowdy patrons. After his rousing walk down the fairway to the green, he gave the crowd what they wanted by rolling in the putt to a chorus of liquid noise from the patrons.

This birdie was Mahan’s sixth of the day and led to him carding a bogey free 6-under par 65 as an early posting in the clubhouse. He posted it and told the rest of the field to come and get him. Many of the overnight leaders struggled some on Sunday, including the overall three round leader Brant Snedeker, who fell apart early enroute to a 7-over par 78. The only pursuit to Mahan was the more than game 21-year-old rookie and fellow Oklahoma State Cowboy Ricky Fowler. Clad in Cowboy Orange Fowler played a very consistent 18 holes, but was unable to capitalize with birdies on any of the final 4 holes, enroute to his own bogey free round…but it was only a 3-under par round of 68.

Although this final round left Fowler one shot short of Mahan, it was still his best ever finish in his very short PGA Tour career with a solo 2nd. This young up-and-comer has a lot of golf fans excited with his long hitting and edgy play, and he looks like he has the stuff to be a future star on tour. As for Mahan, he is already a pretty successful star on tour. This victory will join his 2007 win in Hartford as his two lone victories. He has also been a winning member of the last two President’s Cup teams and most recent Ryder Cup team. Although before this win he had not gotten off to the greatest start in 2010, Mahan is still currently ranked 22nd in the World and has a lot to build from as we move to the Florida swing.

As for Augusta, there was no doubt Mahan was in the field. He finished the 2009 Masters with a T10 earning him an automatic exemption into the 2010 field with the ‘Top 16 and Ties’ rule. He may not be seen as one of the direct favorites, but he will no doubt be put in the conversation as a guy who can contend and be there on Sunday afternoon. With the game Mahan has, along with his gradual but constant improvement, it’s not out of the question for him to slip on that Green Jacket in April. And if that happens, he would no doubt be ‘The Man.’

LPGA Pro of the Week - Week of 2/22/10

Known as one of the most famous women athletes in Japan, 24 year old Ai Miyazato’s ascent to the LPGA was much anticipated. Miyazato was an extraordinary junior player and was seen as the next big athlete in Japan, even as a teenager. She did not disappoint. She joined the Japanese Tour at age 18 and it did not take long for her to dominate. In her first three years on the JLPGA she gathered 12 wins and is still the youngest player to capture a JLPGA major championship at age 20. She now currently sits on 15 career JPAGA victories.

In 2005 she blew the competition away at the LPGA Q-School to gain her card here in the US on the LPGA. But it all wasn’t just hoorays, candy, and flowers; it was an uphill climb. She tasted small successes in her first 3 seasons, but was not able to cash in a victory. Her best money list finish in those first 3 years was 17th. But things changed in 2009. Miyazato got her first LPGA win in Europe at the Evian Masters, known as one of the biggest tournaments in the world. Her win there help capped her best LPGA season clinching her standing as 3rd in earnings.

Although Miyazato has yet to be victorious in an LPGA major, she has had some pretty good success in her career in the big ones. She has finished in the top 15 of each major at least once and has two T3 finishes (’06 LPGA Championship and ’09 Woman’s British). She is the torchbearer for Japan when it comes to bringing home a major in the LPGA, and I think her time is coming.

The forecast for 2010 is VERY good for Miyazato, considering she has already cashed in her 2nd career LPGA victory in the season opener in Thailand. She is looking to build off of her blistering final round that helped her sneak past tour vet Suzann Pettersen. Miyazato is also hoping she can do something in 2010 she has yet to do as a professional…win on US soil. She will no doubt get her opportunity, and by the way she played week one, she will be a force to be reckoned with as the season continues. This win was no flash in the pan; keep Miyazato on your radar all season long.

They Are and Always Will Be...

It's nothing like the 1980 Miracle on Ice, but on Sunday night the US hockey team defeated Canada on their home ice 5-3 in the Olympic Games. No it's not epic and it's not really that relevant, but to me it's just funny. This is a sport that over the decades has fallen from grace with most of America; a sport where in most of the US markets the teams are barely making money; a sport that is dominated by non-US players; a sport that is NOT the national sport of the US; a sport that IS the national sport of Canada. Yet, on the biggest world stage we once again showed that it doesn't really matter, we will always be the US and they will always have just enough French in them to fold and roll over. It's just another reason they are 'America's Hat.'