Since Derek has been too busy making hole-in-ones on par 4s (no doubt using this ball), there’s been some downtime here at 72stokes. I figured this would be the perfect time to recount my golf trip to Scotland last fall. I wanted to recount the experience while it was still fresh, and I remember every detail as if the trip had happened over six months ago.
In late August, I left on a Friday morning and finally made it into Edinburgh, Scotland about mid-morning on Saturday. In another post I’ll get into the mistakes I made travelling and what I could have done to save time and money. But let’s just say that leaving Raleigh, NC at 7 a.m. on one day and not getting to your destination until 1030 a.m. the next morning is a bit tiring.
Tiger looked pretty good this week (except for Saturday). He may not be “back” but this is the best we’ve seen him play in a long time. Hopefully he’ll build on that for the President’s Cup this week.
Prior to Padraig Harrington winning the Open Championship in 2007, no Irish golfer had won a major in 60 years. Since that victory, Irish golfers have now won 5 of the last 16 major championships. That’s pretty amazing when you think about it.
CNN recently took a look at the reasons behind the success of Irish golf. Video after the break:
Rory made an appearance on Piers Morgan last night. It was interesting interview. Rory seems relaxed and ready to go play well at the Open Championship.
I’ll give him a pass on not reading a book during the past year though. He has been a little bit busy. In case you missed it, there’s a video clip below the break:
Over 2 years ago, Tiger told Golf.com that he thought a then 19-year old Rory McIlroy had the tools to become the best player in the world:
“There’s no doubt,” Woods said. “But hopefully it’s not while I’m around,” he added, laughing.
“Certainly he has the talent. We can all see it. The way he hits the ball, the way he putts, the way he can chip, and get up-and-down. He has the composure and all the components to be the best player in the world. It’s just a matter of time and experience and then gaining that experience in big events. That just takes time and, I mean, geez, he’s only 19. Just give him some time and I’m sure he’ll be there.”
I’m not sure if Tiger thought that a mere 2 years later Rory would be turning the US Open into a clinic while he himself would be in the middle of the longest winless streak of his career and would have fallen outside of the top 10 in the world. But there you have it.
The Economist posted a very interesting article discussing the financial model behind the PGA Tour and how they’re preparing themselves for a “post-Tiger” world.
Tiger may yet roar back. His knee and head may mend, and he is only 35, which is still young for a golfer. But just in case, golf is preparing furiously for the post-Tiger era. The sport is globalising: to the three internationally sanctioned World Golf Championships, a fourth event in China was added in 2009, and a fifth in South Africa will follow in 2012. The PGA Tour plans to open 180 retail shops around China, and golf will return to the Olympics in 2016 in Brazil.
The PGA Tour has also weathered the recession remarkably well overall:
I normally don’t follow the Canadian tour, but an article over on Ottawa Golf Blogger caught my attention yesterday afternoon.
James Lepp is usually pretty busy with his shoe company, Kikkor Golf. But the 2005 NCAA Div I champ does find the time to get out of the office and tee it up once a year or so on the Canadian Tour.
This week, Lepp is playing in the Times Colonist Island Savings Open at the Uplands Golf Club in Victoria. With rounds of 70 and 69, he ensured he’d be playing this weekend.
Why are Korean women so good at golf? Is it the hours of hard work and dedication, overbearing parents, or is it just in their blood? Check out the video after the break to find out:
Seve Ballesteros passed away overnight at the age of 54. He was a 5-time major winner who finished second place at the ’76 British Open to Johnny Miller at the age of 19.
I think the Cirque du Soleil is the greatest show I’ve ever seen. It’s passion, artistry, skill, it’s drama. That was Seve.
That man was in a different state. It was quite something. We talked about the swashbuckling way he played. He hit it and chased after it and hit it, but there never was two follow-throughs the same.
You had to stand back and admire it.
Seve had been diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2008 and underwent several surgeries that year. On Friday his family issued a statement that his conditioned had deteriorated.
