Golf News

By Roger SchiffmanManaging EditorGolf DigestDave Stockton's newest Book, Unsconscious Scoring, was just released, and you can find an excerpt in the upcoming October issue of Golf Digest. Written with Matthew Rudy, this book is a clear, succinct approach to simplifying your short game. I will write a more lengthy review next week. But right now I want to give you a tip from Stockton that might really help your putting. I know it helped mine. Dave says not to look at the ball when you putt, but rather to pick a spot a couple of inches in front of the ball, right on the putting line you have chosen. Then when you make your stroke, simply focus on rolling the ball right over that spot. It's amazing how that simple tip helps you to not only roll the ball on your chosen line, but it gets you to accelerate the putter, hit the putt more solid and put a truer roll on it. I was speaking to the Director of Golf at New Seabury on Cape Cod, Brendan Reilly, about this yesterday (...

BIG SKY, Montana -- For the past couple of days, I've been in golf heaven as a guest at The Club at Spanish Peaks, which is located at the edge of Yellowstone National Park in southern Montana near the Wyoming border Spanish Peaks' Tom Weiskopf-designed course, which opened in 2007, is a joy to play, with one spectacular view after another and perfectly conditioned fairways and greens. But the most important element of this experience isn't the pristine layout; it's the relatively untamed wilderness, a vantage point most Americans really never get to experience. It's no wonder captains of industry and celebrities have second or third homes here. Nothing says serenity like the Rocky Mountains, cool nights and absence of city lights. As they try to build out their membership and sell real estate around Spanish Peaks, the facility is open to limited resort play. Guests can book stay-and-play packages, lodging at the beautiful log-cabin style lodge clubhouse or in o...

By Ryan HerringtonCHERRY HILLS VILLAGE, Colo.â€"Michael Weaver didn't get off to the same break-neck start he did during Saturday's semifinal, held a 3-up lead after five holes. But once he got rolling, the 21-year-old redshirt junior at California looked poised as he finished the morning 18 of the 112th U.S. Amateur with a 2-up lead on Steven Fox.The Fresno, Calif., native bogeyed the first two holes to give Fox, a 21-year-old senior at Chattanooga, a quick 2-up lead. A birdie on the third hole, after hitting his drive over the green on the 328-yard par 4, settled his nerves and gave him the tee. By the fifth hole, he had squared the match.Weaver then took the lead on the seventh hole with a par, and nearly aced the par-3 eighth, playing at 267 yards. For the morning, he hit nine fairways and 12 greens in regulation, shooting the equivalent of one over par with match play concessions.Weaver's lead grew to 3 up on the 16th hole, but a bogey on the 17th after...

In case you're wondering if Tiger Woods will tee it up again this year, wonder no more. According to his good friend Notah Begay's website, Woods will be part of the field for the annual Notah Begay III (NB3) Foundation Challenge. An elite group will tee it up on Wednesday, Aug. 31 at Turning Stone Resort's Atunyote Golf Club on Oneida Indian Nation lands near Verona, N.Y. The question is, of course, will that be Woods' first event back? If that's the case, he would miss the PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club, but I'm thinking if Woods feels pretty good, he'll want to tee it up in the year's final major, but who knows? In any event, Turing Stone, which until this year hosted a PGA Tour event, might be getting its just due. No matter what you think of Woods, he's arguably the most recognized athlete in the world, and any chance to see him, albeit not in a PGA Tour event, will draw huge galleries. Add Rickie Fowler, Hunter Mahan, Begay a...

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- The next time your flight is overbooked and the airline asks for volunteers to give up their seat for travel vouchers, tell them you're interested. That's the lesson I learned this week in Vancouver, returning home from a brief golf trip to the Fairmont Chateau Whistler and some Sunday golf action at the RBC Canadian Open. While waiting at the gate for my connection to Los Angeles on Alaska Airlines, the gate agents announced an oversold situation by SEVEN seats and offered $400 travel vouchers to those with flexible travel plans willing to be rebooked. Since my current itinerary had me arriving home in Austin at 11:30 p.m., I didn't bother going to the counter. I didn't want to be stuck on a flight that would keep me in Los Angeles overnight. But the agent kept getting on the PA every five minutes or so pleading for volunteers. Finally, they just needed "one more volunteer!" For some reason, they called my name to sc...

You’ve probably heard of golf courses that give complimentary green fees to juniors with paying adults. Now Troon Golf has put another twist on the concept: complimentary golf instruction for kids who take lessons with a paying adult. “Making golf instruction more accessible to junior golfers is a key component to both growing the game and ensuring that young players are developing their skills and having fun,” said John Easterbrook, executive vice president, operations for Troon. “The golf course is an ideal setting for families, and Troon Family Golf makes it easier for people to gather and enjoy quality time as a family.” This novel concept might have a side benefit as well. If a parent or guardian can get a free lesson for a child, perhaps it’s enough incentive for the adult to take a lesson in the first place. Not all lessons are created equal, of course, and some pros are better than others at teaching. But part of the problem in growing the game is that itâ€...

I have a confession to make: The least-used accessory in my bag is my golf towel. I've thought about why this is, and come up with the following excuses, er, reasons. First, on the course many of my shots are of such a quality that I'm too frustrated/angry/demoralized/depressed afterwards to worry much about dirt on my clubs. On the range, I wipe off each club after each shot because, of course, I can hit any shot at any time there. Second, on the green, I just wipe my ball on my shorts. And really, unless there's sand or mud on it, what's a bissel schmutz going to hurt? Third, my golf towel is clipped to my bag, and frankly, taking it on and off is unrealistic. And most of the time, I find myself on the opposite side of my bag from the towel. (This last reason speaks volumes to my inherent laziness.) I recently received the The Players Towel, and it just might change my Pigpen-like tendencies. The Players Towel ($20) is carried by pros on all the tours, ...

Williams won his morning match with Adam Stephenson, 5 and 3, and then beating Edouard Espana in the afternoon, 3 and 2. The Moscow, Idaho, native showed the same solid form that helped him win the Western Amateur earlier in the month and took over the No. 1 spot in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. "Luckily, I got up early in both of my matches and just kind of held that the whole way," said Williams. "You can lose holes very easily out here, so you've got to stay in the moment, and fortunately I did that." Williams has made news at Cherry Hills CC for carrying his own bag throughout the week, one of the few golfers to do so. He was supposed to have his brother on the bag but a last-minute conflict prevented him from coming to Colorado. Since he works as his own caddie during college tournaments, Williams decided he could handle looping for himself here too. Meanwhile, Williams' teammate, Pan, has a familiar person carrying his bagâ...

Every week my colleague Ron Kaspriske, Golf Digest Fitness Editor, presents Fitness Friday on the Instruction Blog. This week he gives you 10 tips on finding a great gym for your golf workouts. Look for Weekend Tip tomorrow, and remember to follow me on Twitter: @RogerSchiffman. Roger Schiffman Managing Editor Golf DigestHere's Ron: I've never been a fan of sports drinks. I think they contain too much sugar (natural or artificial), too many calories and too many unnatural ingredients. Those elements override the fact that they are adding sodium and potassium (electrolytes) to your body when you need them the most. I also question whether most people need an electrolyte supplement since they already consume way more salt than the recommended allowance set by the USDA (2,300 milligrams a day for those who aren't at high-risk for heart disease). The third strike against sports drinks is that they contain simple carbohydrates, which can lead to energy spik...

Back in aught-two, by crackey, I made my first trip to Bethpage Black for the U.S. Open, the first "Peoples' Open" hosted at the venerable municipal course in Farmingdale, N.Y. Weather was shaky, golf was marvelous, Tiger won, I was hooked on Bethpage. I returned in 2009 for the second "Peoples' Open" -- No one jeered Sergio, weather was worse, golf was marvelous, Lucas won, I remained hooked. Do you know what it's like to come back to a place without tents, barricades, souvenir blimps and all the other trappings of a major championship? It's pretty cool. I had that opportunity last week, fulfilling a promise I made in January to play all five courses at Bethpage. All told, we played the five golf courses at Bethpage in three days. We had 36 holes on Monday (Yellow and Red) and Wednesday (Blue and Green) and a single round Tuesday on the Black. As warm-ups go, the Green and Yellow courses are less-demanding walks, but as challenging as the Bl...

By Ryan HerringtonCHERRY HILLS VILLAGE, Colo.â€"He had just advanced to the quarterfinalist of the 112th Amateur but you wouldn't know it by the way Justin Thomas was carrying himself Thursday afternoon outside the clubhouse at Cherry Hills CC. The 19-year-old Alabama sophomore offered sheepish smiles to well-wishes, not quite sure how he was supposed to react to what had just taken place.To play another day, the 2012 NCAA player of the year had to send his Crimson Tide teammate, Bobby Wyatt, packing, beating the stroke-play medalist, 1 up, in the marquee third-round match."I didn't realize how tough that would be," said Thomas, who will face Australia's Oliver Goss Friday morning. "I was happy but I felt bad for Bobby. I think that says a lot about Alabama golf and our friendship and how close we are as a team." The Alabama duo live across the hall from each other in an apartment back in Tusc...

Wednesday morning, Fox was among the 17 players who attempted to grab one of the final 14 spots in the match play field, securing the No. 63 seed. On Thursday, both his second- and third-round matches were close contests not decided until the 18th hole.If Fox's early foes had provided struggles, facing Williams, a U.S. Walker Cup team member in 2011 who had won the Western Amateur earlier in the month, would seemingly be his toughest challenge of all. Yet Fox embraced the moment. "I was nervous the first couple matches, and for some reason this match I kind of felt at home," Fox said. "I was finally playing with galleries and enjoyed myself out there and really just had fun."It helped that Fox got off to a quick start, winning the third and fourth holes. (It was the first time Williams had trailed in a match all week.) A birdie on the par-3 sixth and a par on the ninth extended the lead to a surprising 4-up margin at the turn. "Beyond expectations," F...

Weaver, facing Alabama sophomore Justin Thomas, used a hot putter to birdie five of his first 10 holes and take a commanding 5-up lead. While Thomas, the 2012 college player of the year, clawed back to win the 12th, 14th and 15th holes to make Weaver sweat, a six-foot birdie on the 16th sealed the 21-year-old Fresno, Calif., native's 3-and-2 victory. "To start like that in such a Â… I mean it's the biggest match I've ever played in ... that was an awesome feeling," said Weaver during an emotional post-round interview. Conversely, Fox's match against Brandon Hagy, Weaver's college teammate at Cal, was a closer affair. Neither player ever had more than a 1-up advantage at any point in the match before the final hole. Fox, holding a 1-up lead, hit his approach shot from 206 yards on the par-4 18th, the ball landing a foot away before settling six feet below the cup to the thunderous applause of the large crowd watching. Hagy hit his se...

For a man dubbed "The Big Easy," Ernie Els isn't putting his feet up anytime soon. One of the most successful golfers in the world, the 42-year-old boasts an incredible three major championship crowns and nearly 70 wins in a stellar career spanning 22 years. But far from basking in his golfing glory, the South African is throwing his weight -- and his millions -- behind an important cause close to his heart. The former world No. 1's son Ben was diagnosed with autism five years ago, and Els plans to open a world-leading research and education center -- "something the world's never seen before." "We have one child in our family with autism. I've seen families with three kids with autism and I want to tell you it must be one of the hardest things in the world because just to do your normal, everyday life stuff must be almost impossible," he told CNN. "He's nine years old and he's not speaking yet. He goes to a ve...

Indian golfer Jeev Milkha Singh claimed his fourth European Tour career title on Sunday after winning a playoff against Italy's Francesco Molinari at the Scottish Open. The 40-year-old snatched victory with a birdie at the first extra hole to overhaul Molinari, who had started the final round at the Castle Stuart Golf Links with a one-stroke lead. The win also means Singh has booked a place at the Open Championship which starts on Thursday. "I think God has been kind, and I think the field came back and I put myself in a position to go in for a playoff -- I'm very fortunate," Singh said on the European Tour website. Singh has struggled with frustrating back problems in recent years. "You feel like your game is coming back and another injury creeps up, but I just stuck myself in there and said that you need to work on the physical side, and I worked hard on that," he said. "Everything has paid off, and I just want to think about th...

Veteran golfer Ernie Els took advantage of a remarkable collapse by long-time leader Adam Scott to win the British Open for the second time at Royal Lytham and St. Annes Sunday. The 42-year-old South African posted a two-under 68 in testing conditions on the links course in North West England to go into the clubhouse on seven-under 273, but Australia's Scott still looked set to claim his first major title. However, a disastrous run of four straight bogeys from the 15th saw the 32-year-old finish one shot adrift of former world No. 1 Els, who won his fourth major title and his first since claiming the British Open in a playoff in 2002. Son's autism gives veteran star Els added spur Scott, who had led by four shots going into the final round, pulled his tee shot on the 18th into a bunker, but a fine third left him with an eight-foot putt to force a playoff. It went agonizingly wide of the hole to leave him with a final-round 75 and his hopes of glory cruelly dashed. By...

When Jack Nicklaus gives you advice, it pays to listen. Rory McIlroy did so last year, and he won his first major tournament. Now, having missed three cuts in a row ahead of his U.S. Open title defense next week, the world No. 2 has again acted on the wisdom of one of golf's greatest champions. McIlroy had intended to pay his first visit to the host course, San Francisco's Olympic Club, just days before the season's second major tees off. But after a joint interview with Nicklaus, hosted by Shane O'Donoghue of CNN's Living Golf show, the 23-year-old decided to go there early and use the free window that opened up when he missed the weekend action at the Memorial Tournament run by the "Golden Bear." Nobody has won all four majors in the same year, but Ben Hogan went close. In 1953, Hogan won the Masters, British Open and U.S. Open but could not compete in the U.S.PGA, which was a matchplay event at the time, be...

When Ernie Els won the U.S. Open in 1994, he was the first South African to claim a major golf title in 16 years. Perhaps more importantly, he was the first to win one since the end of apartheid and the start of the "Rainbow Nation" -- his victory at Pennsylvania's Oakmont Country Club came less than two month's after the country's historic elections in which Nelson Mandela was voted president. So when Els won his fourth major crown on Sunday after Australian Adam Scott capitulated on the closing holes of the British Open, the 42-year-old knew who to thank. "A lot of the Olympic theme this year has got President Mandela in it, so he's been very much in my thoughts," Els said of the celebrated former anti-apartheid activist, who turned 94 last week. "Believe it or not, I was lying watching cricket (South Africa against England) and I was just kind of day-dreaming and that thought came through me in a split second. Scott's co...

Nobody has won all four majors in the same year, but Ben Hogan went close. In 1953, Hogan won the Masters, British Open and U.S. Open but could not compete in the U.S.PGA, which was a matchplay event at the time, because it clashed with the UK major. In 1949, he had nearly died in a car accident. (CNN) -- When Arnold Palmer drove up Magnolia Lane on the eve of the 1962 Masters, he was in a confident mood. He'd already won it twice, as well as the U.S. and British Opens, but this was to be his "Annus Mirabilis" -- the year he cemented his reputation as a global sporting superstar. "I was having some of my best times on the golf course," he told CNN, in trademark understated fashion, ahead of this week's Masters. "I felt confident about myself and the way I was playing, and it worked out very well." As the first major tournament of the golf year, the Masters is a springboard to some of the most mag...