Golf FanHouse

McIlroy, McDowell Pace World Cup

FanHouse Newswire — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:17:00 EST

SHENZHEN, China (AP) -- Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell shot a better-ball 58 on Thursday to give Ireland a three-stroke lead over Argentina after the first round of the World Cup of Golf on Thursday.

Argentina's Tano Goya and Rafael Echenique were at 11-under 61, with Japan another shot behind. The United States' pair of Nick Watney and John Merrick was tied for 15th at 5-under 67 after four birdies by Watney.

Defending champion Sweden was tied with Italy, Canada and South Korea six strokes off the lead in the $5.5 million tournament at the Mission Hills Golf Club. Friday's second round will be alternate-shot, as will Sunday, while Saturday will be better-ball again.

Aiming to win Ireland's third World Cup, McDowell and McIlroy each birdied six holes on the 7,251-yard course. McIlroy eagled the par-5 15th hole.

"We got off to a great start today and we birdied the holes that we knew we had to on the front nine," McIlroy said. "We had a chance of two birdies most holes and most of the time we took one of them."

England's Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher finished eight strokes back with a 6-under 66.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

McIlroy, McDowell Pace World Cup originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:17:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Westwood Cashes in After Caddie's Message in a Bottle

Mick Elliott — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:25:00 EST

Filed under: PGA, Golf Odds and Ends, European Tour

Here's the difference between European Tour players and America's programmed PGA Tour robots.

Englishman Lee Westwood shot a final-round, course-record, 8-under 64 Sunday in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to not only claim a six-shot tournament victory in the Dubai World Championship but also overtake Rory McIlroy on the season-long money list.

The veteran won $1.25 for the tournament title and another $1.5 for the year-long bonus.

Even more satisfying for Westwood, he did it by pulling his game out of a recent slump.

If a PGA Tour player accomplishes a similar feat, the turnaround would have been credited to a swing coach, sports psychologist and fitness guru. He would have droned on about playing one shot at a time and being positive.

Westwood?

He credited a exchange while drinking with caddie Billy Foster (above, with Westwood) earlier in the week.

"The reason for the big turnaround in confidence was catching Billy at the beach party on Tuesday evening," Westwood said. "He probably just had enough Heineken, to tell me what he really thought, and me, having just enough -- I only had two mojitos, and then moved on to Diet Cokes -- to actually understand what he was telling me."

Foster's advice was to play good golf and let everything else take care of itself. No scoreboard watching. No keeping track of what others were doing or needed to do.

Westwood finished the week 23-under-par. McIlroy, a 20-year-old from Northern Ireland, who could have become the youngest European Tour money winner since Seve Ballesteros in 1976 when he was 19 with a victory, finished eight shots back in third.

"This is definitely the biggest moment of my career today," Westwood said. "Rory is only 20 -- I can't even remember what it was like to be 20 -- and he will have many more chances ahead of him to win the money list.

"But this is my moment."

Villegas' Second Job

It sounded like a good idea at the time when Camilo Villegas made the decision to play fulltime this year on both the PGA Tour and the European Tour.

Now, looking back, he's still not sure.

"It's been interesting," Villegas said in Dubai "I mean, the good thing, not having a family, not having kids that you have to leave at home, I mean, that definitely makes it a lot easier. I don't understand how some guys that have kids are traveling around the entire world. I guess this is what we do for a living, but it's definitely harder than people think."

Villegas played 21 events on the PGA Tour, making 18 cuts and finishing 45th on the money list with more than $1.8 million. But a season after winning twice, including the Tour Championship, to raise expectations, the Colombian managed only four top-10s and a third at the Buick Invitational as he best performance.

On the European Tour he played 13 events, had a best-finish of fifth in the Volvo World Match Play, and finished 30th on the money list with more than $1 million.

"It's not like I've played too many events," Villegas insisted. "But I was in Colombia, and then I took a plane overnight to Spain; I took a Spain overnight from Spain to China; I took a plane overnight from China to New Zealand; I took a plane overnight from New Zealand to Dubai; and I'm taking one overnight back home. If you think about it, that's one month, five nights spent on a plane.

So it's definitely something I still need to get used to it."

PGA Tour Vets Missing

The Dec. 2-7 final-stage field for PGA Tour qualifying at Bear Lakes in West Palm Beach, Fla., is set and some well-known names won't even get the chance to save their job next year.

Eliminated in the second stage were the likes of Joe Durant, Dean Wilson, Frank Lickliter, Erik Compton, Ty Tryon, Robert Gamez and David Gossett.

Norman: Cut Prize Money

Greg Norman won 20 PGA Tour titles, including two British Opens, but the Shark arguably is a better businessman than golfer.

Norman's business holdings include wine, a clothing line, beef and sod. So when he offers an opinion on the financial condition of golf it's worth listening.

Norman suggests golf should start tightening its belt and it should start with prize money.

"I made that comment a year ago," Norman said last week. " I think the players, when everybody was taking cuts in their employment, cuts in salary, to make golf look good and responsible to what's happening with the rest of the world, maybe they should be.

"I've gone through the cycle of being really good and now I'm in a cycle, a different aspect in my world of golf, but in business, going through that cycle, you have to be aware of it. And I think the younger generation don't see it because they have never been through it before. I've been through three recessions.

"We have all had to tighten our belts a little bit, and I think it's responsible for the players to be very cognizant of that, as well."

Westwood Cashes in After Caddie's Message in a Bottle originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fowler Will Be Top Offseason Attraction

Mick Elliott — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:38:00 EST

Filed under: LPGA, PGA, Golf Odds and Ends

Rickie Fowler's dramatic play over the final month of the PGA Tour season makes him the player most likely to be watched through the offseason's qualifying progresses.

Fowler, 20, did not turn professional until late summer, but the former top-ranked amateur out of Oklahoma State, took advantage of three sponsor's exemptions to earn $571,090 in those three tries, a number that would have placed him No. 136 on the year's money list.

After finishing seventh and runner-up in his first two events, a strong performance at the Children's Miracle Network Classic could have put Fowler into an exclusive group of past players -- Tiger Woods is one of them -- to avoid qualifying school by finishing among the top 125 money winners as a non-member.

More coverage: Golf.com: Winning Wasn't Everything at PGA Finale

But after being one shot out of the first-round lead, a second-day 75 led to Fowler finishing 40th. Nevertheless, his rewards are still handsome.

As a result of finishing among the top 150 earners, Fowler gets to jump past this week's second stage of qualifying school and go directly to the final round next month at Bear Lakes in West Palm Beach, Fla.

"I'll find a way to get out here. I feel like I can play with these guys. I put up a couple of good finishes. You never know. It could come from going to Q School. It could be a few years of grinding it out and trying to get exemptions. But I'll find a way to get out here."
- Rickie Fowler Also, even if Fowler fails to be one of the top 25 finishes and ties who will earn the PGA Tour card at Bear Lakes, he's already assured of some degree of exempt status on the Nationwide Tour.

"The whole last month has been awesome," Fowler said. "I'll find a way to get out here. I feel like I can play with these guys. I put up a couple of good finishes. You never know. It could come from going to Q School. It could be a few years of grinding it out and trying to get exemptions. But I'll find a way to get out here."

Winless Rookies

Stephen Ames' victory Sunday in the Children's Miracle Network Classic, the season's final event, means no rookie won on the PGA Tour this year, something that had not happened since 1998 when Steve Flesch was rookie of the year.

That result leaves Australian Mark Leishman as the leading rookie of the year candidate. He made 18 cuts in 28 events, including one runner-up finish and three top 10s, to finish 47th on the final money list with $1.7 million.

Going Quietly

David Duval was the biggest disappointment at the season-ending Children's Miracle Network Classic, arriving 125th on the money list only to shoot 76-73 and miss the cut. By the time the week was over, the former world No. 1 and British Open champ dropped to 130 on the final money list and will not be exempt for next season.

Duval is entered in final-stage qualifying, but suggested he will most likely skip it and attempt to play next season on sponsor exemptions.

Interestingly, on the strength of past accomplishments, Duval is exempt into next season's first three major championships.

"Funny, enough, I find it a bit ironic that I'm in the position I'm in right now," he said. "I don't have exempt status on the tour, but am in the Masters and the U.S. Open and the (British) Open Championship.

"It's kind of funny how the game works."

LPGA Finale

There is a lot on the line when the women's tour completes its season this week with the inaugural LPGA Tour Championship at The Houstonian Golf and Country Club in Houston, Texas.

South Korea's Jiyai Shin, already assured of Rookie of the Year honors, also leads in Player of the Year points.

If Shin can clinch the award, she would become the first player to win both the Rookie of the Year and Rolex Player of the Year in the same season since World Golf Hall of Famer Nancy Lopez did it in 1978.

Youth Served

Twenty-year-old Irishman Rory McIlroy can become the youngest winner of the European Tour's Order of Merit since Seve Ballesteros accomplished the feat in 1976 when he was 19.

The European Tour ends its season this week with the Dubai World Championship and McIlroy goes into play with a small lead over Lee Westwood.

"I will still be trying to win the Dubai World Championship," McIlroy said. "I won't be trying to protect a lead or finish ahead of this guy or that guy. I want to win. If I win it will take care of everything."

Fowler Will Be Top Offseason Attraction originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:38:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FanHouse Chats With The Golf Channel's Rich Lerner

Shane Bacon — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: FanHouse Exclusive, Golf Odds and Ends

Every sports fan has a little bit of a photographic memory. They remember images of their favorite players or incredible moments. The Joe Carter home run leap. The concluding seconds of the Miracle on Ice. Michael Jordan's final shot against the Jazz in 1997.

In golf, one year stands out for images that will forever be burned in our skull. That year was ten years ago, in 1999. You had the David Duval eagle putt for 59 drop as his yellow Tommy Hilfiger shirt came untucked and a rare first pump ensued. Sergio Garcia closing his eyes to hit a shot from behind a tree at Medinah, only to run down the fairway as it somehow found its way on the putting surface, scissor kick and all. Payne Stewart's statuesque image when the winning putt dropped at Pinehurst. Jean Van de Velde, hands on his hips, standing in the Barry Burn at Carnoustie, pants rolled up, making the most famous triple-bogey in the history of golf. Any and all images from that Sunday at Brookline, when the Americans stormed back to beat the Europeans at the Ryder Cup.

GolfChannel.com decided to put all these in writing in something they're calling "Project '99", and had some of their most talented voices jot down what they remembered from the event personally. Rich Lerner, who has been with The Golf Channel since 1997, chatted with FanHouse about the Van de Velde collapse, amongst other things. Click away for a little trip back in time.

FanHouse: Tell us a little bit about the project you guys put together.

Lerner: It's five stories centering on the momentum events of 1999. They would be, Payne Stewart winning the 1999 U.S. Open right before his tragic death, USA team coming back at the Ryder Cup, David Duval's 59 at the Bob Hope, Tiger's win over Sergio at the PGA at Medinah and Jean Van de Velde's collapse at the British Open.

FanHouse: And you're focusing on the Van de Velde collapse.

Lerner: Each piece is to be the reporter's account of having been at all these events. I was at Carnoustie, and simply put, it was the most bizarre event I've ever been to in my career.

FanHouse: Talk a little bit about when the event was unfolding.
It was the most bizarre event I ever covered, but until the 71st hole, it was on its way to becoming the most forgettable and least appealing events I had ever been to.
- Rich Lerner
Lerner: I'll give you sort of my account. It was the most bizarre event I ever covered, but until the 71st hole, it was on its way to becoming the most forgettable and least appealing events I had ever been to. If you remember, the superintendent John Philp had the course set up to basically embarrass the players. It was at the height of the distance explosion. A couple of years before this Tiger had hit a sand wedge to a par-5 at Augusta (National) and that was the major discussion. That, and should the players be paid to play in the Ryder Cup.

You remember, that was a very hot debate was distance and how you contain it. ... I remember earlier in the week riding around Carnoustie with the superintendent and you could clearly tell that he had it in for these players. He was not going to allow these wild swingers to win.

They grew the rough, it was knee high, a yard off the fairway. (Greg) Norman I think whiffed a yard off the fairway! Sergio Garcia shot a 89. Tiger said it was just unfair, and it was.

Nobody's happy. The press can't wait to get out of there. The players can't wait to get out of there. I recall distinctly the mood was really flat on Sunday. The press basically had their stories written. It was that Jean Van de Velde, an obscure Frenchman, was going to be the first person from his country since 1907 to win (the Open Championship) on a week that proved to be an embarrassment to the R&A and certainly the greatest players in the world who would just be happy to never come back to Carnoustie. End of story, close up your laptop, get me on the next plane lets get out of here. That was the feeling.

And then it started to rain. And then the Frenchman jumped in the burn and all hell broke loose. ... He goes on to make the greatest triple-bogey in the history of golf, because he made a clutch putt, and it got him into the playoff. ... Only the Scots remembered that Paul Lawrie won. The story was Van de Velde, even in defeat. You knew you'd seen something that they were going to write about and talk about for as long as they played the game. It would be among the most infamous collapses in the history of the sport, if not the most.

FanHouse: Have you ever seen something in your career that rivaled what happened with Van de Velde?

Lerner: You could argue that what's the difference between what Van de Velde did and what Phil Mickelson did at Winged Foot in 2006. Just the single shot, Phil made double and Jean made triple. Phil made a decision that has been criticized and hotly debated. Mickelson is the second-greatest player of this generation. Van de Velde is someone nobody has ever really heard of. Mickelson didn't roll up his pants and jump in the water with a wall starring him in the face.

Mickelson did it at a golf course that was fairly well respected. Carnoustie was reviled for the way it was set up that week. There were so many other good players and it's how Van de Velde handled it that is also a big part of the story. He met this calamity with just this cavalier attitude. This sort of "C'est la vie," what can you do! Although, Phil had a great line too, "I'm such an idiot."

So, that's one way to look at it, but have I ever been around something this bizarre? No, I'd have to go through my mental Rolodex of all the majors. Majors have a way of producing some absolute craziness. At this point, there is nothing that comes to mind that rivals. Norman at Royal Birkdale was pretty intense. I did not go this past year to Turnberry for (Tom) Watson. I'm sure that was incredible.

FanHouse: I guess the craziest thing to happen to rival it on the other side of the spectrum is Nicklaus at Augusta. People always complain that Tiger has never won a major coming from behind, but it's just so hard to do that. Nobody wins majors coming from behind because you've got to go out on a really tough golf course and shoot a low number. And Nicklaus actually putting that together at the age he was at, to me, I still love to watch.

Lerner: That is the best. That is the absolute best. And going back to 1999, that year produced something extra special. That Sunday at the Ryder Cup, that was probably the happiest Sunday in American golf history. They were dead, they were flat on their back, they were being ridiculed as pampered and spoiled and the whole world was against them and in an absolute frenzied fury, they fought back.

That was an all-time Ryder Cup. David Duval, shirt untucked, pumping his first. Ben Crenshaw wagging his finger. This is the key. Any of these other years, you'd have to think a little bit, but 1999 produced some of the most famous moments in championship in the history of the game.

Duval shooting 59, makes the putt on the final hole. The U.S. Open with Payne Stewart, making that clutch putt and grabbing Mickelson by the face, and telling Phil that he was going to be a great father.

The PGA, and significance there. The Masters in 1997 was the big announcement that this guy (Woods) was here. That he had arrived and then some. Then he went through 1998, changing his swing, and well, maybe it wouldn't be so easy. And then he grinds out that win about Garcia (at the 1999 PGA), and gets number two, and the flood gates opened. We were off to the races and off to Nicklaus Land.

Every single one of those moments are big. Bigger than big.

FanHouse: And if Sergio wins that, who knows how his career would have changed.

Lerner: Exactly! Exactly! I mean, if Garcia wins that, I have to believe that Garcia has won four or five majors right now.

FanHouse: I agree with you. Because who knows what he has done at Carnoustie in '07.

Lerner: What about Oakland Hills in '08. He putts that ball in the water on 16. We're in the habit in the press of marking these anniversaries, and so here we are at ten years, and it just so happens that '99 was really an epic year in golf.

FanHouse Chats With The Golf Channel's Rich Lerner originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Callaway Implies That Golf > Sex

Will Brinson — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:16:00 EST

Filed under: Golf Odds and Ends

As Jay Busbee pointed out, there's no real way to answer the whole "Do you like golf or sex better?" question without getting a phone call from the old superiors. And really, it depends on how good you are, doesn't it? Or who's in your foursome.

Regardless though, Callaway Golf (my preferred playing partner, thanks for asking!) and their new advertising campaign is plowing through any notion of discretion and answering the question for you with a reasonably risque but very well done commercial. Video after the jump (which couldn't possibly be considered NSFW unless you work at a nursery school or the Nike compound or something).

Callaway Implies That Golf > Sex originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:16:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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$10,000 Putt Left an Inch Short

Shane Bacon — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Golf Odds and Ends

You've heard it before, but there is one rule on eagle putts -- you never leave them short. That should also be a rule for someone trying to hole a putt worth $10,000, as Jay Busbee at Devil Ball Golf found.

Bruce Gietzen, a news anchor for an ABC affiliate in Waco,Texas, was the only qualifier at a tournament to get a chance at the $10,000 putt, measured off about 60 feet or so from the cup.

Gietzen stroked the putt, anxiously awaited the fate, and as it's rolling you almost think the thing is going to drop dead center. How close was it to dropping? Video after the jump ...

I love that his fellow anchor told him it was a surprise to see him in the office.

In the future, Bruce, if you have a shot to win, just make sure you get it there. That's all we ask.

$10,000 Putt Left an Inch Short originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Steve Carell Signs on Reilly Golf Movie

Shane Bacon — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:35:00 EST

Filed under: Golf Odds and Ends

Rick Reilly has had some big hits with his novels, along with the occasional dud (Slo Mo). As a golf fan, "Missing Links" and the follow-up, "Shanks for Nothing" were fun reads about a the every day municipal golf course and all the crazy stereotypes that embodies such a place (drunk, hustler, 6-pack girl, etc.).

Hollywood appears to like the book so much, they're making it into a movie, and now Steve Carell has signed on to star in the film.

(Warner Bros.) has acquired "Missing Links," a golf comedy based on a novel from ESPN's Rick Reilly, with Carell loosely attached to star as a golfer angling for a better place to play.

Carell will produce via his Carousel Prods banner, while the company's Vance DeGeneres and Charlie Hartsock are on board as exec producers. Bobby Cohen ("Revolutionary Road") is also producing.

For all the flack Reilly gets, "Missing Links" was arguably written when Rick was doing his best work, and the story flowed out well as Reilly focused on his favorite sport. Golf and Reilly have always gone hand-in-hand and a screenplay like this will hopefully turn out better than "Leatherheads," the football screenplay Reilly turned in that turned out to be mediocre at best.

Carell seems like a perfect fit for this type of role, it just poses one question -- what kind of golf swing should we expect from "The Office" star? I'm hoping his move is better than Matt Damons.

Steve Carell Signs on Reilly Golf Movie originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Australia Opens 850-Mile Golf Course

Shane Bacon — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:29:00 EST

Filed under: Golf Odds and Ends

Get ready for the moment when you'll never complain about walking 18 holes again because in Australia, Nullarbor Links Golf Course opened, and it's long enough to wear out your pull cart's wheels.

The golf course, that took five years to complete and will take you and your threesome four days to complete (in a car!), stretches 848 miles and like one of those beer tours you've all tried to complete at the local Old Chicago, Nullabor hands out a certificate with your scorecard that can be stamped at each hole. That way, Johnny Fulloflies can't go bragging about completing the par-71 without driving across two Australian states.

So where did the idea of an AstroTurf golf course, spread out across land that is hardly visited come from? Well, as anything in Australia seems to occur, over a couple of Fosters.

Dreamed up "over a couple of beers", it is hoped the links will attract tourists to the Eyre Highway, which traverses the desolate Nullarbor Plain.

Golfers will stop at one roadhouse, play a hole, then drive on to the next tee - 50 miles down the road in some cases. The par-71 course will take three or four days to complete with each player awarded a certificate at the end.

The holes themselves are in some rather strange locations - some lie beside a long, featureless highway, some are positioned near petrol stations and motels while others rest close to inhabited wombat holes.

This really does remind me of how I started playing golf, in a small town in East Texas. I'd get in my car, drive long stretches until I saw the closest wombat hole, and tee it up. Wombats are great for the nerves.

The course officially opened October 22, and cost approximately 46 American dollars. All the details about the course can be found on their rather interesting website, that has already eclipsed a million hits.

Australia Opens 850-Mile Golf Course originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:29:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Swastika, Barack Obama's Name Dug Into Golf Course Green

Shane Bacon — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Golf Odds and Ends

A hateful message aimed at U.S. President Barack Obama, and involving a swastika, was carved in to a Boston-area golf course green early Monday morning. The Secret Service has already been called in to investigate.

At Lakeville Country Club in Lakeville, Mass., someone carved the message, "I (the Swastika symbol) Obama," into the 18th green. Course owner Gary Mosca talked to the Boston Herald about the incident:

"I said, 'This is sick,'" said Mosca, whose home is also located on the 18th hole. "They are going to do this stuff and cause a problem just to be anti-establishment or just to be tough guys. Their minds are probably demented enough to think of anything."

As the act involved the president, the Secret Service has been called to Lakeville to investigate the vandalism, and to see if they can find the people that damaged the green and indirectly threatened the president.

"It's being investigated," said Steven Ricciardi, the special agent in charge for the Secret Service's Boston office. He declined further comment.

Due to the despicable act, Mosca said the green at the golf course will be damaged until next spring.

Either way, for the next few months, this country club will be best known as a place where sports and politics collided in a way that should have been avoided altogether.

h/t Waggle Room

Swastika, Barack Obama's Name Dug Into Golf Course Green originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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South Carolina Golfer Meets Alligator, Becomes Real Life Chubbs

Shane Bacon — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:25:00 EST

Filed under: Golf Odds and Ends

Every golf fan has seen Happy Gilmore at least once. You clearly remember, the descriptive moment when Chubbs, the instructor trying to help Adam Sandler's character become a better golfer, describes how he lost his hand.

He explains the situation, taps the glass jar with the alligator's eye in it only to have Happy explain, in fewer words, that carrying around the eye of the animal that bit off your arm is pretty strange. Well, sometimes, movies become real life, and in South Carolina, that was very much the case.

An unidentified golfer went to retrieve a golf ball from a pond, and encountered one of those nasty beasts. The alligator got away with the man's arm but, with Chubbs smiling from some unreal heaven above, the gator was killed.

The man, who is in his 70s, was retrieving his ball from a pond when the 10-foot alligator bit him at Ocean Creek Golf Course in Beaufort County. The gator pulled the golfer into the pond and ripped off his arm in the struggle. His golf partners were able to free him.

Wildlife workers killed the alligator and retrieved the arm in the hopes it might be reattached.

You can say what you want about golf, but the sport is dangerous. Alligators, rattlesnakes and 10,000 foot crevasses are everywhere, not to mention the occasional flying golf club or a fiery playing partner hitting you in the hand with his 2-iron (Sorry Will).

The man is said to be fine for now, but I think we can all learn an important lesson here -- if you hit your golf ball in a pond, that may or may not have alligators, just leave the damn Titleist. It ain't worth it.

South Carolina Golfer Meets Alligator, Becomes Real Life Chubbs originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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From Tiger to Barkley, Hank Haney Has Coached Them All

Shane Bacon — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:49:00 EST

Filed under: FanHouse Exclusive, Golf Odds and Ends

People these days know Hank Haney as the instructor of Tiger Woods, the best golfer in the world, but Haney is more than that. He's been instructing golfers for 32 years, teaching over 200 touring pros in that span. Haney now owns and operates four teaching facilities in Dallas, Texas, and is the star of The Golf Channel's The Haney Project, which puts Hank with celebrities that want to improve their game. Along with that, Haney has signed a deal with Charles Schwab that includes a program they've called "Talk to a Pro," which allows Haney to give special tips about the golf world.

FanHouse caught up with Hank right before the Presidents Cup, and talked to him about Mark O'Meara, Tiger Woods and what he would do to evaluate someone in a first lesson. Read the exclusive FanHouse interview below.

FanHouse: Before you decided to become an instructor, what were your own golf goals? Were you interested in playing professionally?

Haney: I played golf in college, at the University of Tulsa, so I always worked on my game and I enjoyed trying to become better, it's a passion of mine. But I majored in education at Tulsa, and knew I wanted to be an instructor, and that was the only job I've ever had, so I decided early on that I wanted to do something in golf and teaching was what I wanted to do.

FanHouse: Do you still play?

Haney: I still play a lot. I play more than I've ever played. I've got a little more time now and I'm a little further along in my career so I play a lot. I probably play 100 times a year.

FanHouse: Mark O'Meara (one of Haney's students) was always a good player ... Did you see that? He was always a good player, but when he won two majors in one year, were you surprised at that, or did you expect something like that could happen for someone with his type of game?

Haney: You never know. Mark was very capable, but you have to be in the right place at the right time. The one thing about Mark O'Meara is he was always a great finisher. If he got in position, he could finish the deal. A lot of things that people don't realize is you get to where ... I always thought he could do well at Augusta (National), but you know, the British Open was always a good tournament for him too, and you get on good golf courses that you've had success on in the past, it makes it easier to have success in the future.

FanHouse: So you and I go to the practice tee, and we have an hour to hit some range balls. What's the first thing you look at?

Haney: The first thing I look at is what the ball does, in particular what the ball does with maybe a middle iron and then what the ball does with their driver, and find out what their critical ball flight mistake is. You either hook the ball to the left or slice the ball to the right and, you know, that's your critical ball flight mistake and then that is what we need to fix first.

FanHouse: And I saw online that you really want to make people realize that the ball flight is so important and you want to make them understand how to make it work. Is that really what you focus on?

Haney: You've got to be able to diagnose based on the ball flight because it's what you can see as a teacher and it's what you can see as a student. You can't see yourself swing, but you can see where the ball goes. To hit a golf ball a certain way, you can only do that by making a certain kind of impact and that impact is telling you what you're doing wrong. So you have to be able to read the ball flight.

FanHouse: What would you say the appropriate amount of time is for someone to divide between the driving range and short game?

Haney: The stock answer for that is half the time on short game and half the time on full swing, and half the short game time should be spent putting, but it all just depends on what you're having the most trouble with and where your biggest weaknesses are. Golf is a game where there aren't enough hours in the day to practice everything so you really have to put out fires, if you will, and sometimes you'll have to spend more time on your short game and sometimes you'll have to spend a little more time on your full swing.

FanHouse: When Tiger missed the cut at the British, people were chattering about his swing. Do you read or listen to any of that, or is it just people not understanding that golf is a hard game and sometimes it just isn't there?

Haney: Well, everybody has an opinion, and they're entitled to their opinion. Yeah, I listen to it all and I hear it, but it's one tournament, and it wasn't even really one tournament, it was six holes, and there was a three-putt in there and a two chip and it wasn't just his bad shots. I always look and think that you have to pick the low hanging fruit first, and I think the three-putt from 10 feet would be the lowest hanging fruit that there was in those 36 holes.

But, somehow, everybody had it figured out that all of a sudden his swing is no good. He's human, and it happens, and you have bad days, you have bad six holes, and he finished no worse than 11th in any stroke play event except for one, and in that one, he had a bad six hole stretch.

FanHouse: Yeah, I try to get that across to people that you have to understand that it's still this game that's really hard to master. The fact that Tiger blew up so quickly, and won so many tournaments in a row, people haven't ever done what he did before.

Haney: Yeah, exactly. And they criticize him all the time for his driving and everything; he's like sixth on the tour or seventh in total driving. You measure distance and accuracy, and that isn't even an accurate measurement because everyone knows that distance is more important, but even if you give it 50 percent distance, 50 percent accuracy, he's seventh on the tour in total driving, but yet, somehow, there is this perception that he doesn't drive it good.

FanHouse: And after Turnberry, did you guys go at the practice harder? Because after the missed cut, he went three wins and three seconds in seven tournaments.

Haney: He just sticks to what he's doing. Tiger is good at sticking to his plan, sticking to what he's working on. He doesn't let highs and lows bother him, and that's one of the things that he's good at, and frankly, it's one of the things that I think is a parallel between what I do in golf instruction and what Charles Schwab does in investments. You have to have a plan, you have to stick to that plan, you can't let an up-and-down throw you totally off course, you have to be patient, and it's one of the reasons why I'm so excited to have a partnership like I have with Charles Schwab is because there are so many parallels between golf and investing, and obviously Charles Schwab is an incredible sponsor of the PGA Tour. There are a lot of similarities that you can see in the two areas.

FanHouse: And what is your partnership going to be with Charles Schwab?

Haney: One thing we've got is a great website, and I give some exclusive golf tips on there, and we've also got quite a few experts from Charles Schwab that give financial planning advice on retirement and saving for college and just a lot of investment advice that you can find on the website, and just drawing some parallels between the two. Being patient, and having a plan, and those are important if you want to get better at golf and they're important if you want to play for the future.

FanHouse: Okay, I have to talk about Charles Barkley for a minute. He was your first student on The Haney Project and I haven't watched a more entertaining show in a while. Was it as fun as it looked and was it as challenging as it looked?

Haney: Charles is one of my favorite people in the world. He's just a great person, he's a great ambassador for sports in general and he's the most gracious professional athlete I've ever been around, so it's just a lot of fun.

Now, as far as his golf as concerned (laughs), that's why it was called The Project. It was a project, and it's the ultimate challenge for a teacher. You love having a challenge like that. I would have liked to have done better, but you realize that, hey, it's not easy. It's a tough game and he's got a tough problem. I enjoyed the whole process and especially enjoyed being with Charles, who's just a good guy.

FanHouse: And he seemed like he would work as hard as you'd push him.

Haney: He wasn't going to give in. He tries hard. He works hard. He didn't give up. It's just a hard game.

FanHouse: And upcoming, you'll be filming The Haney Project with Ray Romano.

Haney: I'm starting this weekend, and I'm looking forward to that because Ray is a real passionate golfer, wants to improve, wants to get better. Obviously, he's an incredibly gifted performer, so it should be a lot of fun.

FanHouse: And finally, with the Presidents Cup coming up, what do you see as something that Tiger, or any of the golfers involved in the event, do differently, playing in a team event?

Haney: I think a lot of the players feel more pressure playing in a team event because they don't want to let their team down or their captain down or their country down. You see a little different kind of pressure and that's kind of fun to watch, to see how the different players handle it.

I think the Presidents Cup is great. It's a little more relaxed atmosphere, fun to watch, and should be great golf, and really entertaining.

FanHouse: Well, great. Thanks for talking to us, Hank. We appreciate it.

From Tiger to Barkley, Hank Haney Has Coached Them All originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:49:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Green Jacket: Best Tweeter of '09

Shane Bacon — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:42:00 EST

Filed under: Golf Odds and Ends

The Green Jacket: Best Tweeter of '09 originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:42:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Range Balls: Tiger Now a Billionaire?

Shane Bacon — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:51:00 EST

Filed under: Golf Odds and Ends

In an effort to keep our golf visitors well informed on what is going on around the Internet, Range Balls is our weekly link dump. Every Tuesday during golf season, we will toss out some of the most interesting things we came across. If you have a tip, e-mail us at fanhousegolf@gmail.com. Enjoy the links.

-- Darren Rovell tweeted that although Tiger Woods and his agent, Mark Steinberg, don't talk about the billion dollar mark, the FedEx Cup purse has pushed Tiger nearly to the ten figure mark. He thinks he'll be a billionaire by 2010, the first athlete ever to hit that mark. [Twitter]

-- The incredible hole-in-one stories keep a-comin' -- a North Dakota golfer made two in the same round. At this rate, I'm expecting a story by the end of the year about a foursome that made consecutive holes-in-one on every hole on the front nine. [Golf.com]

-- Say what you want to say, but the FedEx Cup is designed for one person and one person only -- Tiger. [Wei Under Par]

-- Ever wanted to know what it's really like covering a golf tournament? Jay Busbee was at the Tour Championship and gives his final notes, including a fun take on the media and how Johnny Miller is not racist. [Devil Ball Golf]

-- You never thought you'd see these two words in the same sentence -- Phil Mickelson and fashionable. [The Golf Girl Diary]

Range Balls: Tiger Now a Billionaire? originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:51:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Padraig Harrington Zings Stewart Cink

Shane Bacon — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:15:00 EST

Filed under: PGA, Golf Odds and Ends, FedEx Cup

If you haven't noticed by now, Stewart Cink is an entertaining fellow. His Twitter page is one of the more popular ones on the web (he's ranked 140th in total followers of anyone on the site), and he shares just about anything with his friends. On Tuesday, it was Padraig Harrington who had some fun with Cink.

The two-time British Open champion was lucky enough to run across the suitcase that houses the Claret Jug, the trophy awarded to the Open Champion, that Cink had placed outside his locker. Cink, the '09 champion, was planning on presenting the trophy at East Lake during this week's Tour Championship because 13 years ago, this same golf course gave Cink an honorary membership, a huge financial break for a pro just starting out.

So what did Paddy do? He hid the most famous piece of hardware in golf in his own locker, confusing Cink for a short period of time.

"I assumed they had gotten it and put it on their set," Cink said. "I said, 'So you guys already have the claret jug?' And they said, 'No."'

Was he worried? Not for long.

The locker room attendant came over and told Cink, "I think Mr. Harrington played a joke on you."

"I think Harrington walked in and saw the case - not the jug, but the case," Cink said. "A lot of people don't know what's in there. He knew. ... Before I could think that it was gone, they told me where it was. I wish it was more dramatic."

Alright, so maybe it isn't going to make the list of top sports pranks of all time, but it would be a pretty startling moment to realize that you may have misplaced the Claret Jug, a trophy dating back to 1872.

Old Tom Morris is not amused by your actions, Harrington.

Padraig Harrington Zings Stewart Cink originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dave Pelz Casually Drains 200-Foot Putt

Ryan Wilson — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Golf Odds and Ends

Dave Pelz played golf at Indiana University, and his 0-22 record against the chubby towheaded kid from Ohio St. probably convinced him that his future wasn't as a professional golfer. Instead, the physics major applied the scientific method to the short game and even able to make a career out of it.

In general, traditionalists view outsiders with skepticism. Particularly eggheaded outsiders whose views are anything but traditional. But now, some four decades later, Pelz's methods are widely accepted, he's often called a guru, and he serves as Phil Mickelson's short-game coach.

No idea if Pelz can hit a reverse flop shot, but this might be more impressive: draining a 200-foot putt. Moving pictures after the jump.

My first thought after seeing this: who the hell builds a green that's 200-feet long? I mean, are golfers so overpowering golf courses that we need the possibility of a 65-yard putt? If the answer is "yes, yes we do," then I guess it makes sense to pick up a copy.

via Devil Ball Golf

Dave Pelz Casually Drains 200-Foot Putt originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Range Balls: Tiger and Peyton

Shane Bacon — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:11:00 EST

Filed under: Golf Odds and Ends

In an effort to keep our golf visitors well informed on what is going on around the Internet, Range Balls is our weekly link dump. Every Tuesday during golf season, we will toss out some of the most interesting things we came across. If you have a tip, e-mail us at fanhousegolf@gmail.com. Enjoy the links.

-- After the opening offensive play of the Monday Night Football game featuring the Colts and the Dolphins lead to a Peyton Manning touchdown, the cameras caught Tiger Woods giving the star quarterback a celebratory pat on the back. As Stephanie Wei asks, doesn't he have a big tournament this week? [Wei Under Par]

-- Chalk up another LPGA event that will not be around in 2010. The Michelob Ultra Open, played at Kingsmill, will not be on the schedule next year. [Waggle Room]

-- It appears Stewart Cink won't be the only 2009 major champion utilizing Twitter. Y.E. Yang has joined the popular website, and is sharing deep thoughts like his latest tweet -- "going to sleep now hungry and tired its been a long long day." Okay, so maybe it's a work in progress. [Twitter]

-- Ai Miyazato (who I must personally admit, is one of the nicest professional athletes I've ever met) was in control of last week's Samsung World Championship at Torrey Pines. Miyazato got to the 18th hole, needing only a par to force Na Yeon Choi, playing behind Ai, to make a birdie for a playoff. Miyazato decided to go for it, ending up with a water ball and a bogey. Was the choice the right one? [Devil Ball Golf]

-- Is Mother Nature going to do the same thing to this week's Tour Championship as she did to the U.S. Open earlier this year? Forecasters are skeptical. [Golf.com]

Range Balls: Tiger and Peyton originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:11:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Green Jacket: Luckiest Break of '09

Shane Bacon — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: PGA, Masters, Golf Odds and Ends

Over the next two weeks, FanHouse will be delivering any and all awards for the 2009 PGA and LPGA Tour season. It will be a collection of anything that needs to be awarded, from Player of the Year, to Best Shot of '09 to Breakthrough Twitterer. It is, simply named, The Green Jacket awards.

The saying goes, "I'd rather be lucky than good," and anyone that has been paired with a random twosome on a beautiful summer day has probably heard it after a bounce goes their way or a high lip decides to let the ball in the side-door.

On the PGA Tour, that saying holds true just like for any hacker -- a guy hits a poor tee shot only to have it kick off the lip of the bunker, roll through the second cut and find itself perched up in the fairway, awaiting a short iron to set up another birdie. The biggest breaks usually come in the biggest tournaments, and 2009 was no different. So what was the luckiest break of the year?

That award goes to El Pato, or Angel Cabrera. Heading into the final round of the Masters, Cabrera was tied with Kenny Perry atop the leaderboard, and after a clutch birdie on the 16th hole, and a bogey-bogey finish by Perry, the 2007 U.S. Open champion found himself in a playoff with Perry and Chad Campbell. An errant tee shot on the par-4 18th, the first playoff hole for the threesome, looked to doom Cabrera, but then came the golf gods, here to help out the Argentenian.

Standing in the thick pines guarding the right side of the 18th fairway at Augusta National, Cabrera was trying to punch his way back into play, hoping to muster up a par and pray the other two wouldn't make a three. His punch out was miss-hit, but caught a tree as solid as Cabrera usually catches his tee shots, shooting straight left into the middle of the 18th fairway. His third shot settled six feet from the hole and he calmly rolled in the par putt, matching Perry's four.

The next playoff hole, the long par-4 10th, saw Cabrera make a simple four, and claim his second major championship. Without the lucky bounce off the tree, Angel would have never had a chance for a par and would have been watching as the then 48-year-old Perry tried on his first green jacket.

The Green Jacket: Luckiest Break of '09 originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Green Jacket: Best Dressed in '09

Shane Bacon — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:25:00 EST

Filed under: PGA, Golf Odds and Ends

Getty Images

Over the next two weeks, FanHouse will be delivering any and all awards for the 2009 PGA and LPGA Tour season. It will be a collection of anything that needs to be awarded, from Player of the Year, to Best Shot of '09 to Breakthrough Twitterer. It is, simply named, The Green Jacket awards.

Golf fashion isn't what it used to be. Tweed sweaters ... ties ... the Payne Stewart look? Yeah, they've all given way to tighter fitting, large belt-buckling looks that show off the fitness that has become as popular on the PGA Tour as Golf Pride grips. So who is the best dressed golfer in the game? Since I'm not necessarily what you'd call a fashion expert, I turned to my good friend, and golf fashion expert, Patricia Hannigan of The Golf Girl's Diary, to tell me who should be crowned "Best Dressed."

Patricia -- "2009 will be remembered as the year the Full Cleveland returned with a vengeance, and oversized, custom, belt buckles (sometimes encrusted with crystal) became almost ubiquitous. Proof positive, as if we needed proof, that fairway fashion is reinventing itself. After a decade dominated by anonymous, unfitted polo shirts and conservative twill trousers, PGA Tour players are bringing personal style back to golf. There were hits and misses of course, there always are in fashion, but overall the renewed fashion focus was refreshing, exciting and fun. And it gave a burgeoning population of golf bloggers something to blab write about.

But who looked best in '09? Which one of the guys was this year's wardrobe winner? Well, that depends, because fashion is, after all, highly subjective. So, I'll give you my selection, and it probably won't surprise you. Or maybe it will.

My choice is Hanikami Ohji.

If that doesn't sound familiar, I should tell you it means Bashful Prince, and that's what they call Ryo Ishikawa (top right), and although Ryo's not officially a PGA Tour player yet, I'm saying he counts. Because even though he's missed four cuts in six PGA Tour starts this year, fashion-wise his game has been stellar. At barely 5-foot-7 the Japanese 19-year-old is head and shoulders above the rest of the field when it come to comes to his personal style.

Color, cut and artful accessorizing are the main components of the Ryo style. A distinct Asian influence can be seen in the bright, saturated hues that define each outfit he wears. Always artfully blended with a contrasting solid, these powerful color notes are picked up in his visors, belts, shoes and gloves and stand out in a way that's fresh and exciting.

I can honestly say I've never once seen Ryo Ishikawa in an outfit that didn't sparkle. Consistency may not be a hallmark of his golf game yet, but it's certainly there in his fashion sense. I just hope we get to see much more of it in 2010."

So there you have it. Patricia has spoken, and I've realized in the fashion world, when The Golf Girl speaks, we all need to listen.

Honorable Mention -- Tiger Woods, Adam Scott, Ian Poulter, Camilo Villegas and Davis Love III.

The Green Jacket: Best Dressed in '09 originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Back-to-Back Aces for Philly Twosome

Shane Bacon — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:01:00 EST

Filed under: Golf Odds and Ends

The odds of making a hole-in-one for any random golfer is roughly 12,750 to 1. Not a crazy number, but still unlikely on a Saturday afternoon out with your buddies. The odds of making an ace moments after your friend cashed one on the same hole? A sneaky 17 million to 1.

That's what two men from Blue Bell, Pa. did over Labor Day. Chris Ebersole, a 52-year-old golfer that plays to a 8.4 handicap, dunked in his first ever ace on the 162-yard, par-3 6th hole, and after intense celebration, made way for his buddies to play the hole. The next guy on the tee missed the green, but the third player in the group, Tom Downsey, made history -- he cashed his first career ace just minutes after he saw Ebersole's disappear, with the same club on the same hole.

"I hit it with a little fade," said Downey, general sales manager at Arrow Electronics. "Then it hit about halfway up the green and started rolling. I see it rolling and I'm thinking, 'Damn, that might go in the hole.' After it went in, I started yelling and high-fiving everybody."

The best part of the story was how similar the golf shots were. The two players said their ball marks on the green weren't four inches from one another.

"It all happened fairly quickly," said Ebersole, vice president of health care services for Bancorp Bank. "There wasn't a whole lot of thinking going on. It looked pretty good and had a chance to go in, with the flight and the line the ball was on. But it was incredible, just an amazing situation."

Sure isn't a bad way for two buddies to experience their first holes-in-one.

Back-to-Back Aces for Philly Twosome originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Golf Business Feels the Boom

Mick Elliott — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Golf Odds and Ends

It was reported earlier this month that the business of professional golf is slumping. Spending by North American companies on golf sponsorships is projected to drop 3.7 percent this year.

A study conducted by IEG, an arm of advertising giant WPP Pic, speculates U.S. and Canadian-based companies will spend $1.31 billion in 2009, down from $1.36 billion in 2008.

"Call it the 'big shrimp syndrome,'" IEG Sponsorship Reports senior editor William Chipps said in a statement released in conjunction with the study. "Many companies are reluctant to sign new deals over concerns about what might be perceived as excessive hospitality."

As can be expected, such theories send a chill through PGA Tour headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., where corporate-title sponsorship of tournaments is its lifeblood.

"I have not delved into their numbers," PGA Tour vice president Ty Votaw said, "but everybody is in a tough environment."

The tour's situation, however, is unique in that the year started with a few grandstanding politicians targeting a lavish pro-am party before the Northern Trust Open in Los Angeles as Exhibit A of corporate waste. Now, just as the season is winding down, comes another suggestion that any company sponsoring professional golf risks the perception of being financially wasteful.

Admittedly, the timing of Northern Trust's long-scheduled festivities -- entertainment included the rock groups Chicago and Earth, Wind and Fire -- could hardly have been worse. The February tournament week arrived only days after the financial institution not only received a $1.5 billion government bailout but had laid off 450 employees. And, granted, the recent IEG study citing corporate uneasiness over any perception of unnecessary spending is only a reflection of financial trends.

But wait just a minute.

"Some people get this idea that because there were some comments about corporate entertainment that has spun off into these decisions; that's not the case,'' PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said. " It has to do with companies reducing their marketing and advertising budgets significantly, 40, 50, 60, 70 percent in some cases. So if you're going to take $100 that you were spending, now you're going to spend $40; $60 isn't going to get spent. So those choices are being made."

For whatever the reason, corporate support for professional golf has dropped, creating an easy target for critics. But a 3.7 percent decrease? In some current financial circles that would qualify as stability.

Arguably, the tour looks surprisingly solid.

"The fact is we are going to come through 2009 still being able to give in excess of $100 million to charity when we gave $125 million in 2008 which was an all-time record," Votaw said. "We are having to work harder, but we always said we were not going to come through this period unscathed."

Plenty of challenge are lining up on the immediate front.

The PGA tour began this year with 13 events sponsored by banks, investment firms and credit card companies. Five other tournaments carried the name of car manufacturers.

Not all of the aforementioned will be back next year.

Most obvious by its absence will be the Buick Open, for 51 years an annual stop outside of Detroit, but now a casualty of the recession-crunched auto market and off next year's schedule.

Also, there are tournaments that will be losing their past corporate identities as Mercedes, U.S. Bank and Stanford Financial step aside. The Bob Hope Chrysler Classic's future is uncertain for obvious reasons.

"I think the economic slowdown will last longer than most people think and some of the tournaments are not going to sustain it," said Kym Hougham, director for the Quail Hollow Invitational, the tournament previously known as Wachovia Championship before the Charlotte-based bank was taken over by Wells Fargo. Interestingly Wells Fargo announced it will honor the existing sponsorship contract that runs through 2014 but will not use its name in the tournament title.

"Nothing we are doing today is the same as we did it two years ago when everything was flowing nicely," Hougham continued. "But the tour is a pretty smart organization and they have done pretty well at filling up title sponsorships. Does that mean they are not going to be challenged in 2010 when a lot of contracts come due? Of course they are. But golf is a pretty good buy if you drill down through what it gives."

Recent dealings support Hougham's optimism.

The Buick Open's place on the schedule already has been replaced with a stop at The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va. Extensions for existing sponsorship contracts with Bridgestone, Travelers, Accenture and Zurich were all announced this summer. A 10-year deal was reached for SBS to replace Mercedes as host of the season-opening tournament of champions.

"Companies are going to have to go back to advertising; that's the way they do business,'' said Gerald Goodman, tournament director of the Transitions Championship, the third stop in the spring Florida Swing. "That's the way they get their name out there. We all have to show returns for their investment more than in the past, but the golf audience, I maintain, is still the audience they are trying to sell to.

"We're not spittin', and chewin', and fightin' and kicking each other out there. The audience that watches golf is buyers. They are going to continue spending money in golf."

Golf Business Feels the Boom originally appeared on Golf FanHouse on Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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