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Showing posts from December, 2013

The 10 best golf moments of 2013: No. 2, Adam Scott wins the Masters

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Over the next 10 days, until we get to the New Year, we will be rolling out the top-10 best golf moments of 2013. After much deliberation and debate, we picked what we thought were the 10 moments you will remember about this season a decade from now. We continue with No. 2 and Adam Scott's win at Augusta National. (No. 10 is right here , No. 9 is here , No. 8 is here , No. 7 is here , No. 6 is here , No. 5 is here , No. 4 is here , No. 3 is here ) We all know that Augusta National is an incredibly special place, but there is something undefinable about what happens late on Sunday during Masters week. We've see putts drop for Phil Mickelson that have no reason going in, wedges hook at an angle that doesn't even seem possible, and now an Australian do something that seemed like it might never happen on these hollowed grounds. The last few years it is hardly a debate which major championship turns out to be the best. From Tiger Woods' holing an impossible chip on the 1

The 10 best golf moments of 2013: No. 1, Phil Mickelson wins the British Open

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Over the next 10 days, until we get to New Year's Eve, we will be rolling out the top-10 best golf moments of 2013. After much deliberation and debate, we picked what we thought were the 10 moments you will remember about this season a decade from now. We finish our list with our No. 1 moment of the 2013 golf season. (No. 10 is right here , No. 9 is here , No. 8 is here , No. 7 is here , No. 6 is here , No. 5 is here , No. 4 is here , No. 3 is here , No. 2 is here ) There are certain things in golf that are simply tough for golf fans to wrap their heads around. That moment in 2009 when Tiger Woods finally lost a major after leading after 54 holes comes to mind, as does that moment when Tom Watson's ball was in the air on the 72nd hole at Turnberry and we all thought we'd be crowning a near-60-year-old major champion. Another moment that most thought would never happen? Phil Mickelson dominating links golf and winning the Claret Jug. Before 2013, Mickelson and the Brit

Greg Norman thinks he would have beat Tiger Woods back in his prime

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It's a trend we've seen with certain golf legends who have become a bit more expressive the older they've become, saying just about anything that comes to mind as the years continue to add up. Jack Nicklaus has been the king of this, but names like Johnny Miller and Arnold Palmer and Gary Player all come to mind as men who have become more open about stuff as the years have added up. Welcome Greg Norman to that elite group of major champions that said something that definitely will raise an eyebrow or two around the golf world. Norman, now 58, was interviewed by David DeNunzio over at Golf.com and was asked about the prime of his golfing life and how equipment would play a factor if his prime happened to be 2013. I'm warning you, put the hot coffee down now before you read Norman's response. A lot of people ask how I'd stack up against today's players if I had use of modern equipment. Listen, it's not about the gear. Winning is about what's

Top 10 Greatest Golfing Legends

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The Legends of Golf A comprehensive coverage of all the Great Golfing Legends; with reviews of the top winners of Professional Majors; Top 100 World Ranked Golf Courses, as declared by Golf Magazine and much more. I am fanatical about golf and I have a passionate mission to bring you all that is great in the game of golf. Golf is a mental game and by carefully educating your mind with what I present to you here, it will not be long before you will notice a significant improvement in your game. Tiger Woods World's Greatest Golfer Tiger Woods was the ambassador of golf with his ever growing influence on the game. He is again the highest paid athlete in the world and now he is on the way to being the Greatest in the history of Golf. His 14 PGA major ch

Simon Dyson could be expelled from the European Tour for rules violation at BMW Masters

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If you break a rule on the PGA Tour, you risk getting called out by a golf personality , but on the European Tour, it could mean never playing one of their events again. That is the case with Simon Dyson, the 35-year-old Englishman who was disqualified last week at the BMW Masters for tapping down a spike mark with his golf ball after marking it, a clear violation of rule 16-1a. Dyson was near the lead at the time of the incident, but missing out on that big check could end up being crumbs compared to what the European Tour could do to the six-time winner on the tour. Officials said on Thursday that Dyson could be expelled from the European Tour if the committee deems his actions a breach of the behavioral code set by the tour. "If, following the hearing, the panel decides that a breach of the code (of behavior) has been established, it shall impose a sanction that it considers appropriate having regard to the circumstances," the tour said in a statement. "Su

Power Corrupts! Irish Golfing Public Vote On Ireland’s Top 50 Parkland Course 2014 Vote

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The Irish golfing public have been given the ultimate power; freedom to vote on the best parkland course in Ireland. 4,165 people took part in the Top 50 Parkland Courses in Ireland survey and guess what; they voted The K Club Palmer Course as number one. 98.7% of of the public who voted on the Golfing Weekly poll said they have played all 50 courses on the list but I’m not buying that for a second. Here’s how the public voted; I’m losing the will to live here!  Just read down the list and start asking the question, is there really better than there? Ireland's Top 50 Parkland Courses 2014 The K Club (Palmer Course) Mount Juliet Adare Manor Druids Glen Lough Erne Killeen Castle The Heritage Killarney Golf & Fishing Club (Killeen Course) Carton House (O Meara) Slieve Russell Cork Golf Club Dun Laoighre Golf Club Carlow Golf Club Headfort ( New Course) The K Club (Smurfit Course) Carton House (Montgomerie Course) Concra Wood Hermitage Golf Club Palme

Devil Ball Proving Ground: Ping Rapture D.I.

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Welcome to Devil Ball's Proving Ground, where we put the latest golf gear through its paces. Today we look at the Ping Rapture D.I. Tester â€" Shane Bacon â€" Handicap: +1.0 Target Golf Audience â€" +5 - 15 handicaps Initial thoughts I have to admit something and it always makes the equipment buffs frustrated; I'm not a hybrid guy. My golf swing was never made for hybrids, and anytime I've had one in the bag it didn't stay for very long. Long irons are my friend, clubs that most people hate and I just can't hit them enough. My college days were spent with a 2-iron blade in the bag, and while that isn't the case these days, I still hit 3-iron off a lot of tees. The idea of a driving iron was something I liked immediately, and after getting my hands on the Ping Rapture driving iron I immediately knew I found a club that was made for me. The club is just a brute, a meaty, solid work of art by Ping that not only looks good in the bag, b

Rory McIlroy’s season-ending win conjures up thoughts of Tiger’s win at Sherwood

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Venture back with me to 2011, when the PGA Tour season had long wrapped up and the only tournaments left on the year's schedule were Silly Season events and pocket-stuffer tournaments for the big names. Tiger Woods was set to host the Chevron World Challenge (now the Northwestern Mutual World Challenge) and while the tournament didn't mean anything for career numbers or FedEx Cup points, it meant a lot for the confidence of the tournament host. Woods had lost the year before to Graeme McDowell in a playoff as he entered the final round with a four-shot lead, and his '11 PGA Tour season ended without a single victory. In '11 at Sherwood Country Club, it was Tiger who was able to make the clutch putts down the stretch that had been missing for more than two years, and his victory over Zach Johnson there not only was his first win since the '09 Australian Masters, but it catapulted him to a 2012 season that saw Woods lift trophies on the PGA Tour three times, and

Winners and losers from the 2013 Presidents Cup

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The 2013 Presidents Cup is over, with the Americans once again taking home the trophy from the Internationals. Fred Couples' squad won 18.5 to 15.5 but there were plenty of positives and some negatives from both teams. Here are our winners and losers from the Presidents Cup at Muirfield Village. Winners Fred Couples -- I'm not sure if it is just the simple fact that Couples is such a laid back guy that it rubs off on the rest of the team, but his reign as captain at the Presidents Cup has been great for the Americans and he had another great week at Muirfield Village. His decision to go with Tiger Woods and Matt Kuchar as a team paid off tremendously for the Americans and he is now 3-0 as a captain at the Presidents Cup. Tiger Woods -- The biggest name at the event and the man that would get scrutinized the most for a bad week scored the most points of anyone on either team, going 4-1-0 at Muirfield Village thanks to wet conditions that allowed Woods to simply fire iro

For Tiger’s sake, boycotting The Golf Channel would be a bad idea

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A week ago, Brandel Chamblee, an analyst on The Golf Channel pinned a report card of sorts for the 2013 PGA Tour season on Golf.com, and the most popular man in the game (and the '13 PGA Tour Player of the Year) got the grunt of Chamblee's red ink. Woods was given a "F" for his season , with the implication being that Woods bent the rules of golf more than once, but the column focused on what happened at the Masters when Tiger took a drop that ended up costing him additional strokes and had the sports world buzzing about a possible disqualification at Augusta National. The Woods camp has already came out and said that legal action could be taken against Chamblee for the implication of cheating, and while that might be agent Mark Steinberg raising his voice to meet the boom of Chamblee, a more likely situation was hinted at by Ed Sherman over at the Sherman Report . What if Tiger Woods simply boycotts The Golf Channel? This isn't the craziest idea ever, wi

Five questions with a Q-School graduate

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The PGA Tour decided to change Q-School in 2013, taking out the "qualify and you're in the big leagues" strategy and making it a six-round event that allowed you to play your way onto the Web.com Tour, not a bad consolation prize for someone that gets hot. Jake Younan-Wise, a 26-year-old pro out of Australia, needed a late charge in his final round to jump into the top-50, a coveted spot for those playing at PGA West, and he did just that with a seven birdie stretch over his final 13 holes to finish T-42 and earn a spot on the range at the Web.com events in 2014. We talked to Younan-Wise (follow him on Twitter here ) after he touched down in Australia about the difference in Q-School this year and years past, his play to close and what happens to the players after they complete six rounds of mind-numbingly tough golf. DB : This is the first year the PGA Tour decided to change Q-School. Did it feel different in Palm Springs this year compared to years past? YW : Th

Phil Mickelson plans to reduce his schedule so he can focus on winning the career Grand Slam

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One of the reasons that golf is such a popular sport is unlike almost every other sport out there, golf allows you to compete nearly your entire life. With the advance in technology and fitness, it also helps professionals compete well into their 50s, and while Phil Mickelson isn't quite there yet, he knows that he is just a few years away from being eligible for the Champions Tour and is taking the appropriate measures to make sure he gives himself the best chance to win more majors before his competitive days on the PGA Tour are behind him. Mickelson, in the field at this week's CIMB Classic, said he is focusing his attention on 2014 and making sure his schedule fits exactly what his goals are in the coming years; majors, and snagging the career Grand Slam. The 43-year-old has won five majors in his career, and with his British Open victory this summer needs only the U.S. Open to complete the incredible feat, and understands that winning at Pinehurst #2 in 2014 is his ma

Henrik Stenson Named 2013 European Tour Player Of The Year

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The least kept secret on the European Tour is now official. Henrik Stenson is the 2013 European Tour Player Of The Year. This from the Tour Henrik Stenson has been named The 2013 Race to Dubai European Tour Golfer of the Year after an astonishing season. The 37 year old from Gothenburg became the first player from Sweden to win the coveted award after creating history by completing an unprecedented transatlantic double by capturing the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai and The Race to Dubai on The European Tour International Schedule following his success in the Tour Championship and FedExCup on the PGA TOUR. George O’Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour, said: “There is absolutely no doubt that Henrik Stenson is a fully deserving winner of The Race to Dubai European Tour Golfer of the Year award. Henrik’s unprecedented success was the result of the most tremendous consistency and hard work, and to finish it all off in such style at the DP World Tour Championship to sec

Ten things I would love to see changed in professional golf

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Golf is our passion. We play it, we watch it, we live it and we always want the game to evolve. So what could we tweak in professional golf to make the game even better? Read on for our 10 ideas for 2014. Walking rules officials in every group -- If you had to coin 2013 something, it would probably be the year of the rules, with Tiger getting in trouble a few times and it turning into the biggest controversy of the entire golf season . Just have a guy walk with each group, at each tournament, and 97 percent of the problems will simply go away. It might be a tough thing to do initially, but if we can find scorers and sign boys and marshals for each group at each event, we can find 100 people that know the rules of golf front to back. Laser flag sticks -- We've heard this idea before about goal-posts in football or the foul pole in baseball, so why not golf? If instead of old school flag sticks that get in the way of a good shot we had a simple laser or hologram that shines

2013 Hong Kong Open Betting Preview Tips and Predictions

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Miguel Angel Jimenez 15/2 Can old Miguel grab one last European Tour win for the ages? If it is to come, this is one of the few courses where it can happen. The Spaniard is a three time champion in Hong Kong and has a game perfectly suited to this place. After some indifferent performances towards the end of the season, The Mechanic fired back with a tied 8 th at the Tour Championship which included two rounds of 66 on the Jumeirah Estates. Don’t count the legend out! Marcus Fraser 16/1 I like Marcus Fraser each way this week though the odds of 16/1 are a little short. The Aussie hasn’t won since The Ballantine’s in 2010 but he always seems to play well in Hong Kong. He’s been in the top 11 in four of the last five stagings, always seeming to throw in one low round along the way. Scored his best ever finish of third last year with a final round of 64. Peter Lawrie 60/1 If there’s one aspect of the game you need to be a success in Hong Kong its putting. And they don’t come