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Another clueless idiot writing about golf. In an article about Michelle Wie playing in next week’s Reno-Tahoe Open, Hoggard exclaims-
If Reno officials wanted to be real creative, they could have offered the spot to Annika Sorenstam who made history a few years back at Colonial. She has a resume that would justify the offer, the respect of the other players in the field and even a vacation home close to Montreux.
Instead, with apologies to Wie, they went with the bearded lady.
Comparing Wie to a circus freak is really beneath most of Wie’s detractors. The real freaks are Hoggard and his employer Golfweek. If either had three brain cells working, they’d know Annika Sorenstam is only playing in a major championship the same time as the Reno tournament. The Women’s British Open. She is unavailable to play in Nevada.
If Hoggard answers the page, I’ll recommend he see a good proctologist. That in order to get his head out of his ass.
She will tee it up in next week’s Reno-Tahoe Open.
Fresh off a disqualification on the LPGA Tour, Michelle Wie has decided to tee it up against the men, again.
Wie will play next week in the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open, the first time she’ll play on the PGA Tour this year, tournament organizers said.
It will be her eighth time playing on the PGA Tour, and she has yet to make a cut. The only time Wie has made money playing against the men was on the Korean Tour, in 2006, at the SK Telcom Open.
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Wie, who is 18 and attends Stanford part time, has no status on any tour. She has only one sponsor’s exemption left this year. She will be playing her seventh and final LPGA Tour event of this year at the CN Canadian Women’s Open in August.
The Reno-Tahoe Open starts July 31 at Montreux Golf & Country Club. The Nevada tournament is one of the weakest fields on the PGA Tour, held opposite the World Golf Championship in Ohio. Steve Flesch won the Reno-Tahoe Open last year.
Opinion on Wie playing another Men’s event is mixed, but more unfavorable than favorable. Joe Logan calls it ‘Dumb, dumb, dumb, Ryan at GNN is incredulous, but Golf blogger The Constructivist
says in a comment to Ryan’s post “Dealing with the pressure of playing with the PGA’s 2nd tier should be good preparation for the CO the following week. Sorenstam has indicated she learned about pressure and the game from playing at Colonial–why can’t Wie do the same?”
I’ve been critical of Michelle playing in men’s tournaments before, mostly because she was playing horribly. That she would be just another on the men’s tour. I still stick to those opinions, but what is the harm of her playing in Tahoe? As I see it, very little to none if all Michelle sees this is as an opportunity to work on her game right now.
Much was made of the Shark having the lead going into the final round of a major championship yesterday. The 2008 British Open marking the seventh time Norman didn’t win on Sunday when in that position. The one exception- The 86 British Open.
Gene Wojciechowski at ESPN writes-
Yes, this now makes nine near-misses in majors for Norman
I’m not picking on Gene, or maybe just a little, my main focus of what I write next is just how many near misses Norman has had.
Lets start with the obvious, 2nd place finishes in major championships. Norman accomplished this in
Masters- 1986, 87*, and 96
US Open- 84* and 95
British Open- 89*
PGA Championship- 86 and 93*
*- denotes a tournament Norman lost in a playoff
That is 8 times right there, and 5 of those are instances where Norman had the lead on Sunday.
If you count the 7 missed Sunday opportunities as near misses, add in the other times Norman finished second in a major, the total would be 10 not 9. The three majors that are to be added, are the 84 US Open, the 89 British Open, and the 87 Masters. I don’t see how you can’t count these, Norman lost all three in a playoff.
I’m not done yet.
Norman missed a playoff at the 89 Masters by one shot, Greg finishing tied for 3rd.
Norman opened the 1999 Masters, one shot behind eventual winner Jose Maria Olazabel. Norman played in the final group with Olazabel.
Here’s an obscure one, Norman finished 4th at the 1981 Masters. 3 shots behind Tom Watson. He opened the final 3rd in 3rd place, and just two back. I can’t say for certain, but there is a good chance Norman was playing with Watson on Sunday in 1981. The Masters used to pair players 1-3, 2-4, 5-7, 6-8. They did that till at least 1979 that I know for certain.
Another obscure one- 1982 PGA. Greg Norman entered the final round tied for 2nd.
So I will analyze the above.
Norman’s 8 second place finishes count as near misses.
The 86 US Open and 2008 British Open get counted also because Norman held the lead going into Sunday’s final round. That brings our total to 10.
Without reservation, I think the 89 and 99 Masters need to be added to the list. Norman had legitimate chances to win both. Maybe more so than either the 86 US or 08 British. In those cases The Shark was pretty much done by the turn.
The 82 PGA has the weakest case for being added to the list, Norman opened the final round five shots back, and finished 5th 5 shots behind Ray Floyd. Floyd wired the field that year, winning by 3 shots, and if I recall he made a Sunday double bogey on 17 or 18 or the margin would have been bigger. So I won’t count this major as a Norman near miss.
The 81 Masters is a little borderlinish, but I think it should be counted. Norman started Sunday 2 behind. I don’t know if he ever had the lead that day, but going into the final round you have to count anyone that close with a legit chance to win.
So the total for Norman’s major championship near misses is at least 13, definitiely not a total in single figures. Yesterday’s 3rd place finish earns Norman at least one more Masters invite. I strongly believe yesterday was the last time we’ll see Norman contend in a PGA Tour event.
The Irish golfer won by four shots over Ian Poulter. Greg Norman, who had the lead going into the final round, finished tied for third with Henrik Stenson. Jim Furyk was the low American, finishing tied for 5th with amateur Chris Wood.
A four-shot margin victory usually denotes a tournament with little suspense. That can hardly be said for the 2008 British Open. First Harrington played the front nine in three over. That and Norman’s struggles allowed many players into the tournament. Harrington then steadied himself but it was not before he made a birdie on 15 did that victory looked fairly certain. An eagle on the Par five 17th doubled Harrington’s lead from two to four shots.
With Harring winning in 2007 also, we now have had back to back back to back British Open champs. Tiger Woods in 05 and 06 and now Harrington. Before that you got to go back to Tom Watson in 82 and 83. Next year’s British Open goes to Turnberry. Can Harrington be the first player to three peat since Peter Thomson in 1956? He likes links golf, but we’ll have to wait a year.
One last thing- Tom Watson won his 5th British Open at Birkdale and his first at Carnoustie. The courses Harrington has won on. How about Turnberry? That was the sight of Tom Watson’s famous 1977 duel with Jack Nicklaus. Watson came out on top. History may be on Harrington’s side. Carnoustie was out of the British Open rotation from 1976-98 and Turnberry was only added in 1977 and has not held the Open since 1994. There isn’t that large a group who had chances at all three of these courses.
For leaving the scoring area after Friday’s round without signing her scorecard. From ESPN-
Michelle Wie finished the third round of the State Farm Classic alone in second on Saturday — then was disqualified for failing to immediately sign her scorecard a day earlier.
Wie was playing her best golf of the year, finishing off a 5-under 67 to get to 17 under for the tournament, one stroke back of Yani Tseng.
That’s when Wie was disqualified by LPGA officials, who said they’d learned during play Saturday from tournament volunteers about the 18-year-old’s mistake.
It is reported Wie was crying after the news. I would be too. She was one shot out of the lead, with a win and LPGA Tour card within her grasp tomorrow.
Here’s the rule
According to a statement released Saturday by the LPGA, Wie’s failure to sign her scorecard was a violation of Rule 6-6b, according to The Rules of Golf and confirmed by the USGA.
The rule states: “After completion of the round, the competitor should check his score for each hole and settle any doubtful points with the Committee. He must ensure that the marker or markers have signed the score card, sign the score card himself and return it to the Committee as soon as possible.”
Wie said that after she finished her round on Friday, she left the tent where players sign their scorecards and was chased down by some of the tournament volunteers working in the tent who pointed out she hadn’t signed.
Wie returned to the tent and signed the card.
Which isn’t allowed, and why Wie was disqualified. She made an honest mistake but one with huge reprucussions for her golf career at this point, and maybe even mentally. Can Michelle even buy a break right now? She was playing great golf in Illinois.
I also want to mention Hee Won Han’s 3rd round 61 which puts her three strokes behind Tseng. Hee Won, who teed off Number 10 to begin play today, was 10 under for the round through 12 holes! Han is a very consistent golfer, but seldom flashy. I saw how her round was going and despite my attention being mostly focused on the British Open, kept tabs on the State Farm. All Han had to do was play the last six holes in 3 under to shoot a record 59. It wasn’t to be, Han only made one birdie coming in.
Yani Tseng continues to have an incredible year. She won the LPGA Championship last month, Two second place finishes, 6th on the money list but a win tomorrow would move her to 4th, and is running away with Rookie of the Year. There is a new force on tour.
Also commenting on Michelle Wie’s disaster today- Mulligan Stu, Hound Dog, and The Constructivist. Stu and TC feel sorry for Michelle. I do too.
Kim missed winning last year’s affair by one shot in one of the year’s most exciting finishes. From AP-
Christina Kim shot a four-under 68 on Friday to take a one-shot lead over four players midway through the State Farm Classic.
Kim, who fired a 63 on Thursday to also hold the first-round lead, stood at 13-under 131 after two rounds at Panther Creek Country Club.
Christina is one of the most exuberant players on tour. This has been known to rub some people the wrong way, but I think Ladies golf could use a few more players like her. If Christina wins this weekend it will be her first victory since 2005.
Not too many people are paying attention to the golf being played in Springfield Illinois this weekend. That could be subject to change. This because of one of the golfers one shot behind Kim.
Michelle Wie was among the four players tied for second place behind Kim following a round of seven-under 65, which matched her lowest score on the LPGA Tour.
Sherri Turner, Ji Young Oh and LPGA Championship winner Yani Tseng all posted rounds of 66 on Friday to join Wie at 12-under 132, while Sun Young Yoo shot a 69 to stand alone in sixth place at 11-under 133.
Overall, there were 19 players within five shots of Kim’s lead heading to the weekend.
Following her best round in a long time, Wie’s name is the most recognizable among them.
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It has taken Wie — now 18 and entering her second year at Stanford — almost two years to get back to the form she displayed in the 2006 season when she posted six top-10 finishes, including three consecutive top-threes in major championships.
Since then, she has posted more rounds in the 80s (five) than in the 60s (four). Those numbers include her 67-65 start at this tournament.
Wie holed out from the fairway for an eagle at her first hole on Friday, then made five birdies the rest of the way, including one at her last hole to join the logjam in second place.
I still think Michelle has a world of talent if her wrist injuries ever become healed. Can she win this weekend? I see no reason why not. It won’t be a given, the State Farm is known for low scoring and dramatic moves on the leaderboard. Boy do I have a great deal of golf to watch this weekend.
The seven-time PGA Tour winner has never finished better than third in a major championship. From AP-
K.J. Choi rolled in a 25-foot birdie on the final hole for a 3-under 67 in more gloom and wind along the Irish Sea, giving him his first lead in a major championship. It will be the second straight year he plays in the final group at the British Open going into the weekend.
But the biggest surprises were right behind him, starting with a pair of British Open champions who once were No. 1 in the world.
Norman barely touched a club in the month leading up to his 26th appearance in golf’s oldest championship. The 53-year-old married tennis great Chris Evert three weeks ago, and a trip to England counts as the tail end of his honeymoon.
He wound up renewing his love affair with links golf, delivering great escapes over his final three holes for an even-par 70 that put his name atop the leaderboard for most of the afternoon until Choi birdied the final two holes.
Choi was at 1-under 139, one shot ahead of Norman.
An argument can be made for Choi as the best player in the world without a major. It will have to be seen if he can hold up over the weekend.
Norman, the 1986 and 1993 British Open Champion, playing well is one of the two biggest surprises so far in the tournament. It will be even a bigger one if he is still around the top of the leaderboard on Sunday. I said the same thing about Rocco Mediate at last month’s US Open, and we all know how that ended.
Choi and Norman will be playing together tomrorrow. When Norman won the 1986 BO, his final round playing partner was Tommy Nakajima. Like Choi, Nakajima was probably the most recognizable Asian player in the world and arguably the region’s best player. Nakajima shot a final round 77 that day in 86, and was not a factor on Sunday as Norman won by 5.
I wish the media would stop talking about Norman’s divorce and then his marriage to Chris Evert. Norman has a home in my end of Florida, I’ve worked hard to avoid this incessant gossip reporting. I want to read about the British Open, not what a player is doing in their private life.
Camillo Villegas is in solo third, two shots back. The group at 142 three strokes behind Choi include Jim Furyk(One of my three picks this week. Stuart Appleby is at 143, Justin Leonard is further back but made the cut), Defending BO Champ Padrig Harrington, Robert Allenby, and 2001 British Open Champ David Duval. Duval’s being contention has to be considered as equally suprising as Greg Norman at this stage. Since his win at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in 2001, Duval’s career has been in a tailspin.
Time to settle in for a weekend of links golf. There really hasn’t been a boring British Open weekend in some years. Probably the last was Duval’s 2001 triumph. I expect a great deal of leaderboard changes as a result of tomorrow’s round, after all Saturday is ‘moving day’ in professional golf.
However the Irish golfer thinks he will be able to tee it up when play begins tomorrow.
SOUTHPORT, England — If this was nearly any other week, Padraig Harrington would already be home.
Instead, he was strolling around blustery Royal Birkdale, still trying to cope with the pain in his right wrist, still trying to work out how he can possibly defend his British Open championship.
Harrington cut short another practice round Wednesday on the eve of the tournament, managing only three full swings before his wrist started throbbing again. He walked the rest of the course, limiting himself to chipping and putting, the only things he felt comfortable enough to risk.
So, will he play?
“I can’t say honestly at this moment,” Harrington said as he strolled down the middle of the 18th fairway, midway through a practice round that was little more than a pleasant walk.
Later, after coming off the ninth green, he was a bit more specific about his prospects. Harrington said it was 75 percent likely he would at least tee off, but put his chances of making it through the first round at only 50 percent.
To me the wrist sounds too sore to make Harrington a legit threat to repeat this year. If healthy, I may put him in a list of the 10 players most likely to win the 2008 British Open. Englishman Luke Donald withdrew from the BO Open earlier this week, and now looks doubtful in regards to this fall’s Ryder Cup.
Who do I think will win? Ryan at Golf News Net gives the odds for certain players as set by bookmakers in the UK.
8/1 - Sergio Garcia
12/1 - Ernie Els
14/1 - Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood
16/1 - Padraig Harrington
20/1 - Justin Rose
22/1 - Jim Furyk
25/1 - Vijay Singh, Robert Karlsson
28/1 - Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy, Andres Romero
33/1 - Retief Goosen, Angel Cabrera, Henrik Stenson, Stewart Cink, Anthony Kim
40/1 - Luke Donald, Trevor Immelman, Paul Casey, Justin Leonard, Robert Allenby, Martin Kaymer
Jason Sobel of ESPN ranks the top 50 players as he sees them.
Here’s my prediction- I think it will be a fairly obscure player, probably one of the Europeans. Someone this admitted golf nut is unlikely to have known of before this week.
Birkdale has a history of unknowns contending. Syd Scott, Mr. Lu, a then unknown Spaniard Seve Ballesteros at the 1976 British Open, Eamon Darcy, Mike Harwood, Raymond Russell and Brian Watts. Then you always seem to have one of these at any Britih Open venue. They usually come in second or third, but they surprise sometimes. Paul Lawrie for example. There were also Todd Hamilton and Ben Curtis more recently.
So I’d take the field. According to Ryan, the odds with the bookmakers for that selction is 3/2. Alot of golfers at pretty low odds.
That’s what I think will happen this weekend. Phil Mickelson never plays well in the British Open, most of the other likely contenders have one or more marks against them going into this week’s play. If some were to make me name three golfers, they would be- Jim Furyk(3rd at the 1998 BO, the last played at Birkdale), 1997 BO Champ and 99 runner up Justin Leonard, and Stuart Appleby. It will be an interesting weekend.
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British Open after 36 holes- KJ Choi leads by one shot linked with OTB Sports
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Wizbang Sports linked with British Open after 36 holes- KJ Choi leads by one shot...
The 47-year-old PGA Tour veteran won for the third time this year. Beating two players in a playoff. Perry now stands #2 on the 2008 money list, only behind Tiger Woods.
Much has been made about Perry deciding to first skip US Open, and now the British Open. I’m of the opinion that the golf media really needs a life. Seldom has so much been written about so little. Since when has a ordinary player’s tournament scheduling been newsworthy? Tiger Woods is one thing, but I’ve been around long enough to have watched Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, and others and don’t recall their decisions to play or not play a tournament dissected.
In Perry’s defense, I’ll point out the following
*- Lee Trevino chose to skip the Masters three times in spite of him being eligible to play. It may be 4, but in 1977 Trevino had back problems. That may account for him missing the tournament.
*- 1967 PGA Champion Don January refused to play the 1970 US Open at Hazeltine because of his dislike for the course.
*- Twelve time tournament winner and 1984 Vardon Trophy winner Calvin Peete never played the British Open.
*- Here’s the best comparasion to Perry. In 1969 Dave Hill, who won 13 times on tour, skipped that year’s British Open. Hill won 3 times in 1969, finished 2nd on the money list that year, was competing for a Ryder Cup spot(like Perry, and Hill made it as Kenny is likely to do), and took home the Vardon Trophy that year.
In fact Hill only played once at the British Open. If I look some more, I’m sure to find players of like ability to Perry who skipped the British Open.
This non-story has gotten to the point where non-golf writers are taking shots at Perry. Take for instance Gene Wojciechowski at ESPN who writes-
“I was going to have to miss Milwaukee [the U.S. Bank Championship], which is a tournament I’ve won,” Perry told a small gathering of reporters earlier in the week at the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Ill. “I’ve had eight top-10 finishes there.”
Is that right? Eight top-10 finishes in Milwaukee. Wow. Well, then I can certainly understand why you’d stiff the world’s oldest major, and a Birkdale course where Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson and Johnny Miller won championships. And I’m just spitballing here, but maybe you’ve had those eight top-10s because, you know, the world’s best players ARE AT THE BRITISH OPEN!
Let me fire a cannonball back at the careless and unoriginal Mr. Wojciechowski. How many times have the Milwaukee and British Opens been played the same week since Kenny Perry turned pro, not counting this year?
Once, in 2007. A simple check of golfobserver.com would have shown this. So 7 of Perry’s 8 top 10s at Milwaukee didn’t come alongside the British Open.
If you’re going to play the same broken record Gene Wojciechowski, get your facts straight. Otherwise you look like a fool. Better yet, don’t write about golf at all.
Mike Souchak won 15 tour events in a career that lasted over a decade. He was an accomplished college football player and shot the lowest score ever in PGA history for 72 holes at the 1955 Texas Open. That record stood for over four decades. RIP.
DURHAM, N.C. (AP)—Former PGA Tour professional and Duke Sports Hall of Fame member Mike Souchak has died.
The school said the 81-year-old died Thursday in Belleair, Fla.
Souchak won 15 events on the PGA Tour from 1955-66 and had 11 top-10 finishes in major championships. He finished third at the U.S. Open in 1959 and 1960, and played on the winning U.S. Ryder Cup teams in ‘59 and ‘61.
He set a tour record for four-round low score at the 1955 Texas Open, opening with a 60 and finishing a 257. That record stood until Mark Calcavecchia’s 256 at the 2001 Phoenix Open.
At Duke, Souchak lettered three seasons in football and four in golf, helping the Blue Devils win two Southern Conference golf titles.
 Second year player Inbee Park made the US Open her first win on the tour. Inbee winning by four shots.
In Bee, who is a few weeks short of her 20th birthday, is the youngest US Women’s Open Champ ever. The youngest winner of the US Open before today was South Korea’s Se Ri Pak. Pak winning the 1998 US Open. In Bee like so many of the other players from the ROK say Se Ri Pak and her success on the LPGA was what inspired them to play pro golf.
In Bee made it look pretty simple today. Two birdies to start off the round, and after double bogeys by Stacy Lewis and Paula Creamer on the Par five 2nd, all of a sudden Park was up by two shots.
It did get interesting for a while. Especially after In Bee made bogeys on holes 6 and 8 to bring her back to a tie for the lead. The turning point was a par saving from 15 or 20 feet on the difficult 9th. After that Inbee soon regained the lead and was never in serious danger again. Helen Alfredsson of Sweden finished in solo second four shots behind Park. In a tie for 3rd one shot further back were Lewis, In-Kyung Kim and Angela Park.
Other news, thoughts, observations,
*- Annika Sorenstam holed her approach on 18 for what COULD BE her final shot in US Open history. She hitting a 6-iron into the cup from 199 yards. What a way to go out if Sorenstam doesn’t play in the Open again.
*- Stacy Lewis shot a final round 78 today. To be honest, I don’t think she lost the tournament. Lewis played play as bad as her score says because the conditions today were tough. Winds blowing at times 20-30 MPH. I’m predicting Lewis will be back in contention for a LPGA victory within a year.
*- Lewis’ winnings today won’t count towards the sum she needs to gain a spot on the LPGA Tour. See the tour doesn’t count money at the US Open when determining if a player exceeded the amount required.
Which really makes no sense to me. The Open is the toughest test of golf on tour. So the money is worth more for a 3rd there, than say a 3rd in Rochester. Therefore I think its a better indicator of whether a player should get a card or not.
When asked who set this policy, an NBC announcer(I think Dottie Pepper) said ‘no comment’.
*- There’s another LPGA policy I’m going to question in a post tomorrow or later this week. Should a Naturalized US citizen(Angela Park) be allowed to compete for a Solheim Cup spot? LPGA policy at this time doesn’t allow it. The screwball thing is, a Naturalized citizen can qualify for the Curtis Cup(and has at least once) and the Junior Solheim Cup! If they can play for the Junior, why not the professional then? I’ll address this and the reasons given for the policy.
*- Paula Creamer collapsed today. I’m not going to speculate on why she can’t bring home a major yet. Stu at The Waggleroom compared Paula’s collapse to Greg Norman’s at the 1996 Masters and Michelle Wie at the 2005 Women’s US Open.
I think I got a better comparison. Gary Player’s final round 77 at the 1978 US Open. Why do I say this?
A- Paula entered the final round one shot out of the lead. So did Player. Norman and Wie entered the final rounds of their tournaments either in the lead by themselves or tied.
B- Creamer and Player both finished tied for 6th in the tournaments I’m comparing. Norman finished 2nd, Wie out of the top 10.
C- Player and Creamer were under great amounts of pressure. Gary Player because he was the 1978 Masters Champ and therefore the only player with a chance for a grand slam. Creamer because she has been anointed the best player on tour without a major by most of the press.
Norman had won majors before the 96 Masters. Wie hadn’t won tour, major or otherwise. I think Player in 78 is a better analogy to Creamer today than either Wie or Norman.
*- With their third win in the last four LPGA events, I think we can safely say the South Korean slump is over on the LPGA Tour.
*- For the first time, I saw why Paula Creamer has been teapot by some members of the media. After a bad or indifferent shot on the back nine today, Paula put her hands on her hips. The teapot pose as somebody called it.
*- I don’t recall Johnny Miller making any insulting comments today but he did make a clueless comment. Towards the end of the round Miller saying women’s golf is more popular in South Korean than men’s golf. It’s been that way since Se Ri Pak won the LPGA Championship in 1998 at least. Where has Johnny Miller been the last ten years?
To close I’ll quote what AP’s Doug Ferguson said in the concluding paragraphs of his coverage of today’s final round.
There were so many possibility for great story lines going into the final round — Lewis and her remarkable recovery from back surgery that almost ended her career before she got to college; Creamer, looking poised to finally get a major to go with her marketing campaign; Alfredsson, who blew a six-shot lead at the Women’s Open in 1994, now with a chance for redemption at 43.
Instead, it was Park who stole the show by simply playing the best golf.
There were many potential story lines today but Inbee certainly did steal the show. She was a deserving US Open champ and she will be in the winner’s circle again.
After two rounds of play, Angela Park is leading the Women’s US Open by one shot. Park, who is of Korean heritage but born in Brazil and grew up in California, was last year’s Rookie of the Year.
One of the golfers one shot back is Minea Blomqvist. Minea had more than a few interesting things to say at a press conference yesterday.
The 23-year-old from Finland was hilarious during her interview, although there’s some Swedes that won’t be laughing when they see her comment. She was asked that Swedes say Finns talk funny, so does she think Swedes talk funny?
“I always tell a story that why Swedes are so good in the golf (is) because in golf you need empty mind, and there’s nothing going on in their heads,” she said, smiling. “So that’s why they play good.”
Blomqvist also had people cracking up when she mentioned her boyfriend, Roope Kakko, is a fellow pro golfer from Finland. But there’s a problem with his surname.
“Kakko means (feces) in Finnish,” she said. “So I’m not very happy about that if we’re going to stay together.”
If I was Minea, I’d get a new boyfriend or have the present one change his last name. Either that or to avoid a Scandinavian civil war, marry a Swede. Preferably one whose head isn’t empty or have a last name meaning shit.
Who said pro golfers aren’t colorful?
Greg Norman and Chris Evert are getting married.
Golfing legend Greg Norman and former tennis star Chris Evert will marry this weekend in the Bahamas, the Australian Associated Press reported Thursday.
The couple, both 53, are to wed Saturday at sunset on a beach in Paradise Island, the AAP said, citing various media reports. The pair announced their engagement last December.
Guests are believed to include former US presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush senior, American actor Chevy Chase, tennis great Martina Navratilova and singers Gwen Stefani and Kenny Loggins.
Norman, who has won two British Open titles among scores of other tournaments, and Evert, who won 18 Grand Slam titles, arrived in Paradise Island on Thursday.
Both are well past their heyday but they were indeed legendary figures in their games. Evert was America’s sweetheart for years, although overlapping careers with Billy Jean King and Martina Navratilova, who were arguably more dominant players. She was much more telegenic, however. Norman was one of the great golfers of the 1980s and early 1990s, although he’s probably best remembered for an epic collapse at the Masters.
Norman, Evert to marry in Bahamas (AFP)
This because of comments Miller made in last Sunday’s golf broadcast.
NEW YORK — NBC Sports golf analyst Johnny Miller apologized for his description of U.S. Open runner-up Rocco Mediate , saying the comments had “absolutely nothing to do with his ethnicity.”
Mediate, a 45-year-old Pennsylvanian of Italian heritage, held a one-stroke lead over Tiger Woods during the fourth round Sunday. Miller said Mediate “looks like the guy who cleans Tiger’s swimming pool.” He also said, “Guys with the name ‘Rocco’ don’t get on the trophy, do they?”
“I apologize to anyone who was offended by my remarks,” Miller said in a statement Friday through NBC. “My intention was to convey my affection and admiration for Rocco’s everyman qualities and had absolutely nothing to do with his ethnicity. I chose my words poorly and in the future will be more careful.”
Miller be more careful? Like when he claimed to win the City Championship of San Francisco in a book he authored. Something he has never done. Miller has had a long history of making idiot comments during the broadcasts he works. The trouble is, the man is a liar too.
The apology by Miller is bogus. He didn’t feel Mediate’s name belongs on a trophy his name is on, pure and simple. Miller also could have apologized on the air Monday, but didn’t. A written statement of apology five days later is as bogus as most of the facts in the book ‘I call the shots’. I never knew Tiger Woods lost a playoff to Ed Fiori. Neither does Ed Fiori, the PGA Tour, and any golf writer/announcer around with the exception of Miller.
Johnny Miller is a disgrace to golf and television announcing. If Miller had any class he’d never work in the TV booth ever again.
I introduce to you Allisen Corpuz-
Erin, Wis. – Not long after signing her scorecard and chatting with a few reporters, Allisen Corpuz walked down the steep slope behind the 18th green and approached her father. Marcos and Allisen then embraced in a long hug, knowing this historic journey had come to a conclusion.
Rounds of 81 and 88 put Corpuz nine strokes off the match-play cut, but in the grand scheme, that did not matter. For the past two days at Erin Hills, the Kapolei, Hawaii, fifth-grader had entered the record books as the youngest qualifier to compete in a USGA championship. Whatever happened afterwards was simply gravy.
At 10 years, 3 months and 9 days, Corpuz shattered the previous mark of fellow Hawaiian Michelle Wie, who achieved the feat eight years ago in this same event, the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links. While Wie, the 2003 WAPL champion and 2004 runner-up, did advance to match play in 2000 – she lost to Cindy Lee in the first round (3 and 2) – Corpuz, who attends the same Punahou School in Honolulu, fell a little short.
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Corpuz could be next. A little more than six years ago, Corpuz asked her father for a simple birthday present. She wanted to play golf and join her father and then-6-year-old brother on the links. Since that simple request, Corpuz has risen quite quickly in the junior ranks. Four years ago, she captured the 6-and-under division at the Junior Worlds in San Diego by seven shots. More recently, she’s won back-to-back U.S. Kids World Cup titles in her age division (2006 and ’07).
Three weeks ago, the 5-foot, 111-pound Corpuz carded an 80 during her 2008 WAPL qualifier in Kauai. It was good enough to be first alternate behind Cyd Okino, who first qualified for the WAPL at 11. But on June 9, Okino won a U.S. Women’s Open sectional qualifier in Hawaii, which gave her an exemption into the WAPL, along with the U.S. Girls’ Junior and U.S. Women’s Amateur. That opened the door for Corpuz to grab Okino’s qualifying spot since the USGA automatically holds a few WAPL spots open for those who qualify for the Women’s Open.
It was a good-news, bad-news situation for Corpuz. The good news is she was making history. The bad news was she had to miss her Junior World qualifier. Fortunately, her father, Marcos, found another qualifier in the Los Angeles area that takes place next Tuesday, giving Corpuz time to fly back to the West Coast and compete.
“I think it’s really cool,” said Allisen of qualifying for the WAPL at such a young age.
Yes it was pretty cool Allisen. I hope to read more about your golf accomplishments in the years ahead.
Allisen goes to the same school, Punahou, as Michelle Wie did before graduating last year. I think Allisen is modest enought not to be angling for any Nike deals in the near future.
Talking about Michelle Wie, she’s teeing it up in this week’s Wegaman’s LPGA. In spite of her off 2007, Michelle is still talking about her dream of qualifying for The Masters.
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