Smacchat PGA Blog

Tiger 3.0 looking more like Vista

2009-05-10T23:09:00.001-07:00

Now that Tiger has completed his second tournament since his knee surgery, the evaluations of the new and improved TW have been less than stellar. The new version seems to have more kinks then a Microsoft operating system that will need to be worked out before we’ll see the world number one in the winner circle anytime soon.
For the second consecutive week we saw Tiger Woods find himself just outside of the lead to start the final round, well within the normal striking distance, actually see the field come back to him, only to have him have a terrible final 18, and finish in the pack. Normally, if you were in the final pairing with Tiger and didn’t finish the tournament with a sub par round, then you found yourself in the gallery watching him hoist another trophy with everyone else, but not any more. Since returning from surgery T-Money has not been the same, killer he was before. Not only does he not close but the pressure usually applied by his consistency has been the exact opposite, where he has actually opened the door by inconsistent putting and not being able to find the fairway off the tee. His lack of accuracy has not allotted him many scoring opportunities and when they do come his putter has not answer the call. Hats off to Henrik Stenson, and Angel Cabrera for their victories and final round performances but if this is the new TW, then the fear factor of his final round heroics are a thing of the past and we may see a much more even playing field in the future, or wait for the service pack to come out. Has Tiger lost his stigma as unbeatable? Let us know here and in the PGA chat rooms.

After sleeping through first 3 rounds Masters finishes strong

2009-04-14T02:25:00.000-07:00

As they teed off Sunday’s round the marquee names were deep in the Woods (no pun intended) well out of the line of vision of the leaders, but then the opening act stole the show from the headliner. The Tiger & Phil show was round of the tournament as Phil shot a front nine (30) worthy of Masters’ folklore and found himself two strokes behind the leaders, torching Tiger in the process. Then Woods fought back, in Ali/Fraiser fashion, to even the score and put himself in contention. While Kenny Perry and Angel Cabrera battled for the lead in front of an empty gallery so quiet birds felt comfortable resting on the putting greens, attendants were limiting the spectators four holes ahead. The combination made for the perfect day of golf, Mickelson’s record tying 9, Tiger’s eagle comeback, while the heavyweights slugged it out at one point outscoring the leader pairing -9 to +3, meanwhile the leaders played par golf allowing the heavy’s to get within one shot to keep the entire course at a fever pitch. A shot drive at a par 3 for Lefty and Tiger’s continued problems finishing a round took the favs out of contention, leaving Perry and Cabrera to give us one of the classic finishes. Did you enjoy watching Phil and Tiger more than the leaders? Let us know here and in the PGA chat rooms.

2009 Master Final Scores

2008-09-23T03:08:00.001-07:00

The 2009 Masters Final Scores
Player Score Earnings
1 Angel Cabrera (ARG) -12 $1,350,000
T2 Chad Campbell (USA) -12 $660,000
T2 Kenny Perry (USA) -12 $660,000
4 Shingo Katayama (JPN) -10 $360,000
5 Phil Mickelson (USA) -9 $300,000
T6 John Merrick -8 $242,813
T6 Steve Flesch (USA) -8 $242,813
T6 Steve Stricker (USA) -8 $242,813
T6 Tiger Woods (USA) -8 $242,813
T10 Jim Furyk (USA) -7 $187,500

US stuns Europe to win first Ryder Cup since 99

The US Ryder Cup team competing without the world’s best player, Tiger Woods, and heavy underdogs, got off to a fast start on day one and never looked back en route to a 16 ½ to 11 ½ victory over the European side. Captain Paul Azinger’s choices proved to be wise as his last selection to the club, Chad Campbell, won his match against Padraig Harrington, and other selection Ben Curtis bettered Lee Westwood in his as well, to produce the final margin of victory that was the largest since 1981. Most importantly in was Azinger’s idea to overhaul the qualifying system, which he believed was hindering the Americans from fielding their best team. Lastly, he doubled the captains picks and those four players produced 1/3 of the 16 ½ points. We this the type of change the US needed all along? Have the players been there but has the good ol’ US bureaucracy gotten in the way? Or was this simply more of a TEAM without a ‘go to’ guy and just had better symmetry?

'Tigerless' US Ryder Cup team hits the links as a huge underdog

2008-09-19T12:06:00.001-07:00

The 2008 Ryder Cup begins today as Europe attempts to continue its dominance. The Europeans have not lost in the last seven cups (4-0-3), have a stronger team than the US faced last time around, and to make matters worse the world’s number player is on the DL and won’t be suiting up for the Stars & Stripes. Even with Tiger the US has been dominated, and hasn’t won the tournament since 1999, so the prospect of pulling off an Appalachian St. seems unlikely. The Olympics, particularly the US Men’s Basketball team, at least marked a break in the trend of the US ‘mailing it in’ in international competitions (please see World Baseball and Basketball Championships, afore mentioned Ryder Cup, etc), but unless this Paul Azinger lead club can get up first and make the Euros play under a little be of pressure for once, it will be business as usual.

Vijay chokes less than Pill and backs in to victory

2008-08-03T23:15:00.001-07:00

It what surely would have been the consolation bracket had Daddy not been out sick, Vijay Singh made the put when he had to as he was on the verge of throwing away a World Golf Championship. To say that Singh overcame some shaky putting would be an understatement but he made the only one that mattered, giving him the one shot victory. Phil Mickelson pushed the “self-destruct” button again, but took it to a new level by bogeying three of the last four holes and letting his one shot lead disintegrate. At least at the British Open the scores could be excused due to the weather, but this was just plain choking and poor play. If anyone still thinks that the PGA tour can hold viewers while Tiger is re-habbing think again. This was just plain hard to watch. You almost come to give Lefty a 40/60 chance of blowing up but this was a tournament that was up for the taking for anyone showing enough sac to step up and stake his claim. Vijay didn’t exactly step up to the plate as he did accept what no one else seemed to want. At least we know that it’s not the mere presence of Tiger that makes some of them quake in their spikes, they seem to be able to do that all on their own.

Harrington wins his second consecutive Claret Jug

2008-07-20T21:23:00.001-07:00

Padraig Harrington cut an understandably delighted figure after shooting a final round of 69 to defend his Open crown. The Dubliner finished four shots clear of Ian Poulter after a stirring finish that saw him play his final six holes in four-under-par. Harrington admitted he had tried not to think about the magnitude of claiming the Claret Jug for a second straight year. The £750,000 winner's check also guarantees Harrington's place on Europe's Ryder Cup team in September and lifts him from 14th to a career-high third in the world rankings. All of this is fine but there were three major things wrong with this year’s BA that made it difficult to watch. Firstly, no Tiger, even if you are sick of seeing him lift the trophy time after time, in a fashion similar to Ali, when someone rises up to challenge him even though you know it’s just for ONE round or ONE tournament, you’re pullin’ for the dog and it’s exciting. Secondly, the weather was horrible. I don’t want to watch professions battle 20mph winds and hack out grass 2 feet high. If you didn’t know what you were watching you would have thought the tournament was held in Nebraska. Lastly, once Norman was out of contention there was just no more story there. Sorry Padraig, but your second consecutive was not a good enough reason to stick with this bore. Ernie Els was right when he said “Golf will survive without Tiger”, but the question is, in what condition?

In a tournament that needed a story, the Shark and Duval deliver

2008-07-19T09:19:00.001-07:00

With light rain, light crowds, heavy winds, and no tiger, the 137th British Open needed a story to grab people’s attention, other than how terrible the weather was, and they got a great one as an Ol’ Aussie and a former great have come out of no where to contest for the lead. Greg Norman the 53 year-old veteran and former young gun David Duval have resurrected the past, and their careers by sitting atop the board. Norman leads by one stroke at even par while Duval is one back at +1 with KJ Choi. Duval has not even made the cut in his last 12 PGA tour events, while Norman would become the oldest major champion by a distance. The current record is held by Julius Boros, who was 48 when he won the US PGA in 1968. Norman plans to try and stay relaxed whatever happens over what promises to be a thrilling weekend on the Lancashire coast. "I've got to stop trying to get caught up in the moment of it all and just keep myself very subdued and very relaxed and go with it," he added. "I've just got to take it in my stride knowing I've got myself in a position where I have to really be a little bit more careful on things and a little bit more relaxed on things. I know I've got to make a big effort to do that. "If I get into position come Sunday afternoon then I'll probably start thinking about winning a little bit more. Hopefully I'll be able to pull off the shots and be able to do that." Norman has won 78 tournaments in 13 countries worldwide, including two Opens, at Turnberry in 1986, and Sandwich seven years later. Can "The Shark" weather the storm, and the storms, to become the oldest to win a major? Without a doubt he is the sentimental favorite but KJ is charging.

Tiger needs another 18th hole comeback, wins in sudden death

2008-06-17T00:44:00.001-07:00

After sinking a miraculous 12-foot birdie put on the 18th hole to force a playoff yesterday, Tiger Woods hit another seven-footer on the same hole to force sudden death after he and Rocco Mediate were still tied after an additional 18 holes of a playoff was not enough to decide a winner. On the first hole of ‘sudden death’ Rocco missed the fairway which opened the door for Tiger where a birdie would win it and four shots later it came to fruition. It was a great tournament for golf regardless of what side of the fence you were on, the side of the champ, battling back from surgery, to regain his status as the best in the world, or the underdog, ironically named ‘Rocky’ to knockout the champ in the last round to claim the our Nation’s Championship. Rocco did give him all he could handle but when it came down to it, he made the fewest pressure shots when the money was on the line. Further confirmation that when you have Tiger down on the mat you’d better tap him out or he will rise up and beat you, as he did twice to Rocco on the 18th hole. But, that’s why he’s Tiger, the best in world because he doesn’t fold under the pressure that most others do. The record is now 14-0 when having the lead going into the final day but it wasn’t easy. So once the knee is 100% it appears we will get more of the same, Tiger vs. someone new in contention the rest of the way. Will the next challenger please stand up?

U.S. OPEN - First Round Scores

2008-06-13T00:42:00.000-07:00

Player Score Thru
T1.....Justin Hicks.............-3 F
T1.....Kevin Streelman (USA)....-3 F
T3.....Rocco Mediate (USA)......-2 F
T3.....Stuart Appleby (AUS).....-2 F
T3.....Eric Axley...............-2 F
T3.....Geoff Ogilvy (AUS).......-2 F
T7.....Robert Karlsson (SWE)....-1 F
T7.....Rickie Fowler............-1 F
T7.....Lee Westwood (GBR).......-1 F
T7..... Robert Allenby (AUS)....-1 F

Garcia has his day, acknowledges the door was open

2008-05-31T00:26:00.000-07:00

Sergio Garcia has finally began to fill some of the promise he showed as an 18-year old when he won his first PGA event. He showed all kinds of ‘sack’ knocking down the putt on 18 to get it to the extra hole, then stuck it within 6 feet of the pin on a windy hole that was sudden death for more reasons than extra time, as his counterpart found out. Unfortunately more has been made about his acceptance speech than his play. Firstly, he just said what everyone thought, the way the top three played down the stretch, if daddy was home they all would have been 2-3 strokes behind inquiring how much is the purse for second place. He’s been crucified in the media for the speaking the truth, perhaps because that is so rare these days. Either way he got his props, gave some props, and set the stage for a great US Open if Tiger can rub some dirt on his knee and get out there. Get off the kid, he played is arse off, came out on top, and unlike Rory Sabatini realizes he has to win a few more before he is in the same elite company as Tiger.

Lefty wins on final putt at Colonial

2008-05-26T11:36:00.000-07:00

Sinking what Mickelson calls one of his "probably top five" shots of his career, a 140-yard wedge from heavy rough that set up a a nine-foot birdie putt on the final hole to give him a one stroke win at the Crone Plaza Invitational. Lefty ended up with a 14-under 266, one better than Rod Pampling, who closed with a 68. Kudos to Lefty and hopefully he's getting his groove back so he can make a run at Daddy when he returns from his knee surgery. My questions is, where were all of the top players? Looking at the top 10 finishers, it reads like a "who's who" of the amateur circuit. Where did everyone go?? Tuning up for the US Open I suppose. Just the same it was a clutch win by Phill but can parlay this into a run at another major?

While the Tiger is away the mice will win

2008-05-14T00:37:00.002-07:00

Tiger Woods is chipping and putting again, and he hopes to play in the Memorial in two weeks. But even if he can't compete until the U.S. Open, he doesn't expect the same result as his last layoff during a season. Two years ago, Woods didn't play for nine weeks while coping with the death of his father. He returned to competition in the U.S. Open at Winged Foot and missed the cut for the only time in a major. Woods had surgery on his left knee April 15 for the second time in five years, this time to clean out some cartilage. He has not played since finishing three shots behind Trevor Immelman at the Masters. The question is will Tiger be the same dominant player as he was before the injury? Is this the opportunity for everyone to catch up? Get some victories and some confidence or when the Tiger comes home will all the other mice scatter?

While the Tiger is away the mice will win

2008-05-14T00:37:00.000-07:00

The Master Fianl Leaderboard

2008-04-13T22:07:00.000-07:00

Pos. Player Final Rd Total
1 T. Immelman +3 -8
2 T. Woods E -5
T3 S. Cink E -4
T3 B. Snedeker +5 -4
T5 P. Mickelson E -2
T5 P. Harrington E -2
T5 S. Flesch +6 -2
T8 M. Jimenez -4 -1
T8 R. Karlsson +1 -1
T8 A. Romero +1 -1

2008-03-24T11:00:00.000-07:00

Tiger woods captured the Arnold Palmer invitational with a 24-foot putt during a tournament where he had missed 21 straight puts of 20 feet or more. However this was Sunday, and it was the 18th hole, which means it’s “Tiger time”, and as always he answered the call and knocked it down. Bart Bryant put up a valiant effort but fell one stroke short. His final round 67 was his best of the tournament but one shy of Tiger’s 66, the final margin. Next up is the Masters, can anyone stand in Tiger’s way or shall we fit him for a green jacket now?

2008-03-17T14:35:00.000-07:00

Butch Harmon relived himself of his coaching duties from John Daily as JD was disqualified from Arnold Palmer Open for missing the pro-am tournament today. Daily claims he thought his tee time was in the afternoon rather than the scheduled 9am. Harmon stated that Daily doesn't care about the game only about getting drunk. Tiger Woods tied a record for the largest margin of victory (8 & 7) in the finals of the match play format. After surviving two challenges on the way to the finals Woods was 12 under over the 29 holes including 14 birdies and en route to winning the tournament for the third time. Now the question becomes, is it either POSSIBLE or PROBABLE that Tiger wins the Grand Slam to go along with his “Tiger Slam”? Right now there is not one player who can contend with him but remember all it really takes is one round of 75 over four tournaments to take it away from him. Can it be done?

Baddeley had Tiger lets him off the hook

2008-02-26T17:53:00.000-08:00

Aaron Baddeley gave him a run for his money, but, as usual, Tiger Woods performed in the clutch and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Accenture Match Play. Baddeley had makeable shots on 18 and the first playoff hole to put Tiger away but they just missed and on the second playoff hole tiger made a lengthy put to win. As the only #1 seed left in the tournament, Woods' final birdie was from 13 feet, and it was good all the way. He removed his cap when the ball was still a foot away from dropping, and he looked relieved after winning his longest match in his nine years at this tense tournament. "It was quality shot after quality shot," Woods said. "Matches like that are fun to be a part of".

Mickelson's win sets up great Masters' showdown with Tiger

2008-02-16T10:28:00.000-08:00

___________________________________________________________________________________
It has been 20 years since Phil mickelson first stepped inside the ropes at Riviera, a 17-year-old amateur in awe of the fabled course off Sunset Boulevard. Lefty finally joined a prestigious list of winners on Sunday, adding to his impressive collection of PGA Tour titles on the Left Coast. Mickelson made two clutch putts on the back nine, seized control when Jeff Quinney self-destructed with the putter, and took a relaxing walk up the 18th fairway with a victory he felt was a long time coming. He closed with a 1-under 70 for a two-shot victory, the 33rd of his career, with 16 of those in California and Arizona.
NORTHERN TRUST OPEN - Final
Player Score Earnings
1 Phil Mickelson (USA) -12 $1,116,000
2.Jeff Quinney (USA -10 $ 669,600
3.Padraig Harrington (IRL) -7 $ 359,600
T3 Luke Donald (GBR) -7 $ 359,600
T5 Scott Verplank (USA) -6 $ 235,600
T5 Ryuji Imada (JPN) -6 $ 235,600
T7 Robert Allenby (AUS) -5 $ 186,775
T7 Stuart Appleby (AUS) -5 $ 186,775
T7 K.J. Choi (KOR) -5 $ 186,775
T7 J.B. Holmes (USA) -5 $ 186,775

Tiger follows his victory at Torrey Pines with a come from behind win at Dubai

2008-01-28T13:22:00.000-08:00

Here's the leader board at the end day one at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am:

Kent Jones -6
John Mallinger -5
Roland Thatcher -5
Brad Adamonis -5
Jay Williamson -4
Michael Allen -4
J.B. Holmes -4
Kris Cox -4
D.A. Points -4
Tim Herron -4

Tiger Woods had five birdies in his last seven holes to come home in 31 on his way to a one-shot victory in the Dubai Desert Classic.The world number one started the day in a tie for fifth place, four shots adrift of third round leader Ernie Els. Three birdies in his first four holes got him to within striking distance, only for his challenge to stutter with bogeys at the sixth and ninth. But he stormed home with seven birdies in a flawless back nine and when Els found water with his second shot at 18, Woods had his fourth straight tournament win. Here are the final standings:

-14 T Woods (US)
-13 M Kaymer (Ger)
-12 L Oosthuizen (SA)
-12 E Els (SA)
-10 G McDowell

Tiger Woods got 2008 off to an epic start despite rain warnings and noose covers by dominating the field at Torrey Pines by 8 strokes. Woods took the led after the second round and never gave it back, including two miraculous shots on the front nine. Ryuji Imada finished second, Rory “the tiger talker” Sabbatini finished a distant third, and “Lefty” ended in a tie for 6th. Woods stated that “ I’m hitting shots that I never hit before, even in 2000”. So with all of this momentum can Tiger win the traditional ‘Grand Slam’ in addition to the ‘Tiger Slam’?

Second Round scores from the Buick invatational

2008-01-24T11:43:00.000-08:00

Early Scores from the Second Round of the Buick Invitational
Tiger Woods -12 (-7)today's Round
Kevin Streelman - 8 (-3)
Stewart Cink - 7 (-3)
Aaron Baddeley - 6 (-5)
Brad Adamonis E (-6)
Stuart Appleby - 3 (-5)
John Senden - 3 (-5)
Nathan Green E (-4)

Long live the King

2007-09-11T01:11:00.000-07:00

Ok, enough about Tiger losing is grip as the most dominant player in the world. Seems like every time he tees it up, he’s in the mix on Sunday. This time he shoots a fianal round 63 on Sunday, takes BMW championship, 1.2 mill for his work, and is in position to take down the 10 mill for winning the Fed Ex cup. No more rhetoric about Phil making any sort of move this is Tiger's world and everyone else just lives in it.

Phil shows some sac!

2007-09-04T00:29:00.000-07:00

Phil Answers the call and finally MAN Ups and takes Tiger down after knocking out 4 birds on the first 7 holes. Two more events to go for the Fed Ex, with Lefty in front. Does this tarnish Tiger’s dominance.

Smacchat PGA Blog

Tiger 3.0 looking more like Vista

After sleeping through first 3 rounds Masters finishes strong

2009 Master Final Scores

'Tigerless' US Ryder Cup team hits the links as a huge underdog

Vijay chokes less than Pill and backs in to victory

Harrington wins his second consecutive Claret Jug

In a tournament that needed a story, the Shark and Duval deliver

Tiger needs another 18th hole comeback, wins in sudden death

U.S. OPEN - First Round Scores

Garcia has his day, acknowledges the door was open

Lefty wins on final putt at Colonial

While the Tiger is away the mice will win

While the Tiger is away the mice will win

The Master Fianl Leaderboard

Previous Post

Previous Post

Baddeley had Tiger lets him off the hook

Mickelson's win sets up great Masters' showdown with Tiger

Tiger follows his victory at Torrey Pines with a come from behind win at Dubai

Second Round scores from the Buick invatational

Long live the King

Phil shows some sac!