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Graeme McDowell has been my pick for this year’s US Open from a long time back, but now that the rains have come, does he still think he has a chance?  His US Open win came at a rock hard Pebble Beach and he did well at concrete Olympic Club last season.  Here’s what he had to say on the matter. "I don't think it's going to be a low-scoring US Open. I hope it's not going to be a low-scoring US Open. Everyone is saying that it's going to be 62s and 63s on this golf course, which I kind of disagree with at the minute. I think they're underestimating it. I think there's 10 or 11 holes on this course that are as tough as any US Open I've seen. The last five holes, I can't think of a tougher finish at a US Open. A firmer, faster US Open is going to suit a guy like me, who is not the longest off the tee.  At Congressional I liked the way it was set up initially and then by the time the rains came down and Rory split the fairway 14 times out of 14...

A collection of some of my Memes on facebook and twitter . Technorati Tags: 2013 US Open , Funny Memes

Isn’t it always the way.  You plan to the nth degree, you leave no stone unturned in the preparation,  then what happens?  It rains! That unfortunately is the prospect for US Open venue Merion in the coming days as Tropical Storm Andrea is expected to soak the course as it makes its way across the Eastern Seaboard of the USA.  The storms winds have already caused disruption and injury as it passed through Florida and flash-flood warnings have been issued across 13 states, from Georgia to Maine. Unfortunately Marion (in Pennsylvania) is very susceptible to flooding.  Mike Davis from the USGA has already made arrangements for two holes on the West Course to be used if there is flooding damage to the 11th and 12th holes on the East Course . "We know the 11th hole floods," Davis told Golf Digest. "Hardly goes a year where the stream isn't up and over the green at some point. Apparently they've done some work downstream that causes backups. So, historically, it fl...

also check out my 2013 Irish Open tips here Jason Day 16/1 Day is due a win AND he likes tough courses. Tied third at The Masters, second at the US Open in Merion and second to Rory McIlroy on this course at the 2011 US Open. Tied eighth at the AT&T National last year. Adam Scott 12/1 Ernie fired a salvo in Germany, it’s Scott’s turn in Maryland. The Masters champ top 20’d at The Players and Memorial but bombed out at Merion. Tied third in 2011 and scored a solo third last season. Scott’s odds widened after his first round of 75 then, and a lot of Aussies jumped on and made a LOT of money! Bo Van Pelt 28/1 Bo always plays well at Congressional. He’s been in the top 12 in four of the last five years, culminating in a solo second last season. Also top 15’d in the 2011 US Open. Solid if unspectacular since a tied sixth at the Wells Fargo in May. He’s won over a million bucks here, so worth a bet. Hunter Mahan 16/1 Didn’t happen for Hunter last week, but I’m goi...

I met up with my mate Barrie Trainor and Andrew Kiely on the Monty Course at Carton House for a practice round ahead of the Irish Open. What We Learned This course will suit the bombers, there’s plenty of room off the tee but the European Tour have been clever with the yardages.  They’ve stretched the course to the tips and the crater bunkers will catch even big drives that stray off line.    Baz was averaging 285 yards from the tee today, driving arrow straight and still had plenty of 5 iron second shots.  The greens were running 11-12 on the stimp and were so firm it is was practically impossible to hold the ball.  “59” watch is well and truly over, this course will play well under par but wont roll over. There are pick up holes such as 13, the 338 yard par 4, on which Barry drove front right.  A chip and tap in for birdie.  He predicts there could be eagles on this hole. The 17 th hole is called the “Open House” and should be a su...

Thomas Bjorn 16/1 Tommy Bjorn checked into Carton House at 8.30am Monday morning and spent the day practicing.  He’s serious about this.  Bjorn is on a very good run of form of late and battled it out with Ernie Els down the stretch at the BMW International Open in Germany last week. Funnily enough the Dane’s best club this season, his driver, let him down slightly on Sunday but with much more room at Carton that won’t be a problem this week. That solo second makes it three consecutive top five finishes and when coupled to the fact that Bjorn won the last time the Monty course staged the Irish Open in 2006, he’s an irresistible bet.   Ross Fisher 25/1 I’ve been pretty regular in my tipping of Ross Fisher of late and I’m going to stick with him this week. The 2010 Irish Open winner tied 18 th in Germany six shots behind winner Els and averaged some impressive stats along the way. Fisher tied third in driving accuracy in Germany and that coupled with his leng...

The key to playing Merion is zero sleep as proved by Phil Mickelson who travelled half way across America to listen to his 8th grade daughter deliver a graduation speech he wrote. Tiger Woods has a wrist injury.  Which is strange, because he is supposed to have a girlfriend. Luke Donald remembered how to putt again.  He made three birdies in near darkness to take the lead. Colin Montgomerie is scared of Thunder, but is willing to brave it as long as he can do all the talking. Merion dries quick. The par 3 13th at 100 yards is a Merion mind funk.  A tonnes of guys almost got holes in one, then went on their way to get pummelled everywhere else on the course. Sergio went double-bogey - quadruple-bogey in his first round.  He then apologised to his ball and shot a 73. Lee Westwood found out those wicker baskets are made of tough stuff.  His ball on the 12th hit one and rebounded 30 yards back off the green. Adam Scott is capable of wearing shades in near d...

By Ron in the US of A for golfcentraldaily.com Lindsey Vonn, you know yer one who is Tiger Woods’ girlfriend was keen today to remind the press that she’s not just Tiger Woods’ girlfriend. Vonn, who used do skiing, or something stupid like that told reporters “Some people seem to forget that I’m not just Tiger’s girlfriend.  I’m actually able to look after his kids aswell.  One day  Tiger even let me collect the kids in his car all by myself.  I let down the windows and the kids leaned all the way out.  None of them fell out and I didn’t crash or anything. It was fun.” “I’m also able to cook beans and water and stuff.” Vonn has become a regular at golf tournaments since she fell over trying to ski last February and told the a Newspaper about how her life with Woods. “I’m at a golf tournament, aren’t I?” she said, clearly unsure whether she was actually at a golf tournament. Vonn also said that she and Woods talk about golf and fa...

Some nice pics from the PGA Tour of Justin Rose out and about in New York.     Technorati Tags: Justin Rose , New York , What's In the Bag Justin Rose

also check out my BMW International betting tips here. Hunter Mahan 14/1 Irresistible pick for this week. Hunter has improved his finish in his last three events culminating in a tied fourth at the US Open. Winner in 2007, Mahan has three top 11’s since and finished last year with a 61. Driving the ball arrow straight and putting beautifully, it seems a no brainer. If there’s anyone that’s won more money around this track I’d like to meet him. But will he be wearing aqua?! John Rollins 33/1 Hasn’t won since the Reno-Tahoe Open in 2009 but John Rollins has really impressed me of late. He bounced back from a MC at The Players with a top 25 at the Byron Nelson, then tied fourth at Colonial and tied sixth at the St Jude Classic last time out. Rollins also has a good record here of late with a tied 2nd in 2011 and tied fourth last year. I think he’s targeted this week for a big finish. Ryan Moore 40/1 Streaky Ryan ties sixth at the Wells Fargo, then misses two cuts, ties 13...

BMW International Open, Golfclub München Eichenried Early odds on the exchanges Ross Fisher 38/1 Ross is playing mainly on the PGA Tour this year and after a tough start to the season, began to find form in early May. Tied 10 th at the Wells Fargo was followed by a solid showing at Wentworth, then a solo eighth at the Nordea Masters. Missed the cut at the St Jude Classic last time out but Fisher will relish a return to Germany where he has top 10’d for the past three years. Has a best of second behind David Horsey in 2010. Henrik Stenson 20/1 Henrik hasn’t started a strokeplay event in mainland Europe since the Portugal Masters in 2012 where he tied sixth and he has reinvented himself as a straight hitter on the PGA Tour this year. Big finishes at Arnie’s tournament (tied eighth), Houston (tied second) and The Players Championship (tied fifth). The Swede has three top 10’s in the last five years at this tournament including tying ninth in 2011 and tying sixth last year in ...

Congratulations to Justin Rose on winning the 2013 US Open.  Here’s his winning “what’s in the bag”. What’s In The Bag Justin Rose What’s In The Bag Justin Rose Driver: TaylorMade R1 9.25 degree with a Matrix Ozik Black Tie 6M3 X-Flex shaft. 3 Wood: TaylorMade RBZ Stage 2 Tour HL, 16.5 degree (on 14.5 degree) with a Matrix Ozik X-Flex shaft. Irons: TaylorMade RocketBladez Tour (3-6), TaylorMade Tour Preferred MB (7-PW) with KBS C-Taper X-Flex shafts. Wedges: TaylorMade ATV (52,56, and 60 Degrees) with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue shafts. Putter: TaylorMade Spider Blade Prototype, Length: 34.5 Inches, Loft: 3.5 Degrees, Lie: 70.5 Degrees. Ball: TaylorMade Lethal Check out all Justin’s equipment, new and pre-owned on Golfbidder . Rangefinder: Bushnell Tour V3     Here’s a video shot in May, with Rose talking about his weaponry. Technorati Tags: What's In The Bag 2013 Justin Rose , Justin Rose witb , Justin Rose taylormade equ...

Thanks to Cormac Dunne and Naomi for letting us know about Irish goalkeeping legend Packie Bonner’s Golf Classic in aid of Spina Bifida which is taking place on Friday 23 rd August at the iconic K Club. It’s €400 for a 4 person team, that includes lunch, dinner and goodies and the chance to shmooze  with the celebs! There are lots of prizes on the day too, including a car for the first hole in one at hole number 17! To book a team for the Golf Classic visit www.sbhi.ie or contact Peter Landy at Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Ireland at 01 457 2329/ plandy@sbhi.ie For full details click “read more” below   PACKIE BONNER “PUTT- ING” THE FOCUS ON SBHI Annual golf classic to take place on August 23rd 17 th June 2013: Packie Bonner joined with Niall Quinn and Ray Houghton to launch the Packie Bonner 2013 Golf Classic in aid of Spina Bifida Hydrocephalous Ireland . This annual event will take place on Friday 23 rd August at the world famous K Club Golf Cour...

Final Round Betting Preview Favourite: Phil Mickelson 9/4 Undoubtedly the favourite heading into the final round, Phil is swinging and putting beautifully and has the advantage of being in the final group today where he and Bones will forensically dissect every shot.  One caveat is Phil is not carrying a driver and it has taken him everything in his power to negotiate the closing holes especially 18 without it.  So long the bridesmaid in his national championship, will this be the one? It looks likely. Short Odds: Schwartzel 5/1, Stricker 7/1, Mahan 7/1, Rose 8/1, Donald 10/1 All these players are within two shots of the lead.  Luke Donald at 10/1 seems unreasonably long odds but the bookies will have picked up on the fact that he did drop his shoulders yesterday on the 18th taking double bogey.  Donald is not out of this by any means however, his tempo for all but his second shot to 18 yesterday was the best in the field and his magical short game and putter has...

Looking at the pins for the third round, dare I say they look a bit kinder. USGA Course Notes Hole 1 â€" 342 yards; the hole location is a third of the way back, hugging the right bunker.  Hole 2 â€" 556 yards; the hole location is in the center-right portion of the green.   Hole 3 â€" 245 yards; tee markers are placed on the forward portion of the back tee; the hole location is placed on the relatively difficult upper-left shelf. Hole 4 â€" 604 yards; tee markers have been moved to the forward teeing ground, which will allow players to drive closer to the fairway cross bunker and possibly attempt to hit the green in two shots; the hole location is three-quarters of the way back on the left; most putts will be uphill.  Hole 5 â€" 510 yards; the hole location is in the center-back portion of the green. Hole 6 â€" 477 yards; the hole location is in the front-left portion of the green, several paces over the false front. Hole 7 â€" 363 yards; the ho...

Here’s what it looks like this morning at Merion.  The 11th green is flooded, the course is closed until 11am and many of the players have taken the opportunity to visit the Tour vans or get their pressers done. Related post: 2013 US Open Betting Preview and Tips Ian Poulter tweeted this picture of a flooded green with the prediction that the course will be “soft” this week.  It’s a real pity that the dynamic of the course has been changed by the weather, and with receptive and holding targets, it leads to the very real possibility that an under par score could win.  Yes, the rough will be lush, but Merion is reliant on the greens playing hard and fast, as one of its key defences. Ernie Els has been in for his press conference, as tweeted by Sky Sports.  They also took a nice snap showing the vast media centre. The Ping staffers all met up at the Tour Truck for a pic tweeted by Lee Westwood.  He jokes that Louis got the top step! Technorati Tags:...

I have to admit I was never much of a sunglasses man. I probably couldn’t differentiate between a pair of petrol station shades and those pro golfers or cyclists wear. With this in mind I contacted top sunglass manufacturer Bolle to ask them to explain what your hard earned money gets when you shell out for a top of the range pair of sunnies as opposed to the petrol station shades for a tenner or the pair the hawker on the pier in Barcelona is letting me have for a fiver. They pointed me towards their V3 models as worn by Lee Westwood. The first big difference between cheap and quality shades is the lenses. Bolle use B Clear lenses made from ultra-lightweight Trivex material. Both sides of the lens contains a coating which prevents perspiration from every building up. Also the lenses are coated with an extremely thin ‘Carbo Glas’ layer rendering them scratch resistant.  Glare reducing and polarized, B Clear lenses compared to cheap ‘n cheery ones are like comparing  ...