What Els Ernie?

Two consecutive PGA victories qualifies as an adequate warm-up for the Masters. Ernie Els' wins at Doral and Bay Hill this past week have put him on the front burner for a green jacket. What better time to get your prodigious, but often hidden, game in order for the season's first major? Ernie's been saying of late that "he's in a good place". Now he has the scorecards to back it up. The revelation that he has an autistic son and lingering knee surgery recovery have shadowed the Big Easy's career for the past few years. Now at 40, his clock is ticking. Ticking to win majors I would suspect. After two US Open victories relatively early in his career, much was expected. Ernie need not look past Vijay Singh to realize all isn't lost.

I've written before that Ernie has appeared to lack that certian "fire in the belly" needed to close out golf tournaments. Evidently he's made an adjustment. After being pulled off the course at Bay Hill on Sunday, due to weather, Ernie had collapsed a 5 stroke advantage by playing his last two holes in 3 over. With a night to think about choking, he came back on Monday by one-putting three of the last four holes to secure a 2 shot win. Sounds like good Augusta practice to me.

The bookies have laid the early Augusta line. Venerable Ladbrokes has Tiger Woods as a 4-1 favorite with Phil Mickelson at 8-1, followed by Els at 10-1. That's more an indication of the players' favor with the betting populace than their chances of winning. I'm certain the bookmaker's are wary of too much Woods money upsetting the balance and setting the scene for a potential payout bloodbath.

The Shell Houston Open this week is the final Masters tune up. Hard not to root for Fred Couples, isn't it?





Til' next,

Win a Trip to the 2010 Masters, Courtesy of Cristie Kerr

Thank Patricia Hannigan of Golf Girl's Diary for alerting me about this unique opportunity. Sponsored by Cristie Kerr, it's a trip to the final two days of this year's masters to include: first-class air fare, accommodations  and all transportation plus two badges for the the weekend, Sat 4/10 and Sun 4/11. 

Tickets are a mere $2.00, with a $10.00 minimum. All proceeds will be directed to Cristie's charity, Birdies for Breast Cancer.


Tickets can be found at this link... Celebrities for Charity.

Think about it. The Masters for ten bucks a throw! Gotta be in it to win it.

Thanks again Patricia for the notice...












Til' next,

Back Woods

The vigil is over. Tiger Woods ends his self imposed hiatus at the venerable Masters, April 8-11. This Average Golfer has said that the only remaining noteworthy news in the Woods saga was the date of his return to competitive golf. So, we have it.

Woods' presence props up what is traditionally a weak field in Augusta. With fewer than 100 players receiving one of the coveted invitations, and more than a few entrants not having the proverbial "snowball's chance", Woods' odds of returning with a victory are enhanced considerably. Couple that with the controlled grounds and atmosphere at Bobby Jones' exhibition and this becomes his logical choice for his first foray of 2010. Programming note...Don't look for him in the par 3 contest though. The loser in the equation may be Arnold Palmer. Woods' decision not to prep at Bay Hill will keep some butts off the grounds, although with the circus guaranteed to surround Eldrick's arrival, that may end up being a blessing in disguise.

How would you like to have been a fly on the wall in the Woods' household. "But honey, all the other guys are playing and I've got these expensive clubs that are growing mold.Yes, I promise to come straight home. Let's see, an hour for warm-up, a five and a half hour round, two hours travel on the jet, hmm, nine hours should cover it. I'll be back in the house by five."

Much ado has been made of the potential reaction at Woods' first event back. Will hecklers be out in droves? Will Woods provide any access for the press and their months long question preparation? The answer is who cares? What'll happen will happen eventually. Let the passion play develop at it's own pace. As for Woods' legendary control and manipulation of the media I have a quote from an old girlfriend......."At the end of the night you have to pay the band." 




Til' next,

Calcavecchia Wins Waist Management Phoenix Open

Mark Calcavecchia, despite finishing 9 strokes behind the title event winner Hunter Mahan, captured the adjunct tournament, the Waist Management Open, with a final round 74, -7 total, and 250+ pounds at Thursday's weigh- in. Calc's 1st victory of the season proved he's still a force to be reckoned with as he approaches 50 and that "other" tour. Calc was quoted as remarking after his victory, "Hey, just walking 18 holes should count as a win. If it's hilly it should count as a major." Pre-tourney favorite John Daly was disqualified for having lost too much weight after his recent lap band surgery. There's no truth to the rumor though that Daly, Camilo Villegas, and Charles Howell III will be forming a separate tour for players under 135 lbs. By the way, Hunter Mahan captured his 2nd career PGA win in the regular event, finishing at -16. Final WMPO results.

Ice Cream! Get Your Ice Cream!

Make mine a double scoop with sprinkles. Who could fault the uninitiated from mistaking this pair for a couple of ice cream vendors. I'm no fashion plate and have no bone to pick with tour pro's ensembles, but does the likes of Puma, et al, expect these get ups to translate to public sales? Color me skeptical. What I'd really love to see is Calcavecchia in Fowler's duds. On second thought...

Til' next,

Women's Olympic Curling Eclipses Golf

They play hooks and cuts at will. My hooks and cuts are unintentional. They gracefully slide down the ice gently releasing a rather large boulder with skill and precision on an intended line. I shove a too small white ball on grass on no discernible line. They're attractive. Male golfers are not.


For the better part of the last week I've discovered women's Olympic curling. I must confess there's still much to learn about this quasi-sport, but I'll have to wait another four years to get my degree. In between Olympic games you couldn't find curling with both hands. The Canadian women lost 7-6 in 10 "ends" to the Swedes in this evenings gold medal final. Think of "ends" as innings in baseball.  Heartbreaking. You see I'd semi fallen in love with the Canadian "skipper", Cheryl Bernard. I'm sure I'm at the end of a long line, but smitten nonetheless. Something about women in athletic casual wear, sliding on ice with big rocks, that gets my motor running. Be careful who you "Google" however, as my bubble burst with an audible hiss when I discovered that Ms Bernard was married. Probably to some weenie she met on the curling court. Or is that rink, or stadium, or pitch?


I added "In the house", "peeler", and "On the button" to my lexicon. Pity I now have to wait four years to show them off. Pity as well that my so-called life has disintegrated to this level. Bullcrap! No excuse to watch attractive women stretch and slide is a bad excuse.










Til' next,

Woods' Mea Culpa Seemed Sincere

As apologies go this one appeared to have covered all the bases, family, friends, fans, sponsors. Tiger Woods' public apology ran the gamut. In the interest of rehab and recovery, it had to. Whether one believes him is probably a matter of your opinion of him before the speech. I don't think any popularity polls were changed in the twelve or so minutes that he spoke. Like any other change of direction in life, the stated behaviors are one thing, the proof is in doing. Rightly, he admitted as much. Woods faces the challenge of time in that regard. His problems didn't develop in twelve minutes, nor will they be repaired that quickly. Still, if you're a Tiger backer, today's outpouring was a necessary first step in the journey.

I heard it remarked that it must have been excruciatingly difficult for Woods to take to the podium today and bare his indiscretions to a world-wide audience. To that I say it should have been. Any pain Woods felt has been multiplied by what's been felt by his family. From a purely humanistic side I hope he was genuine and have no reason to believe he wasn't. I was especially glad to hear that's he's evidently realized his behavior on the course had become boorish. I was also struck while watching the proceedings by the shots of his mother sitting in the front row. She appeared relatively stern, arms tightly folded across her chest, almost dismissive of what her son was saying. Moms hold a lot of power over their male offspring. Maybe this one is an important factor in righting the son's course.

I've contended all along that Woods' troubles were of little concern to me outside of the sympathy I had for the innocents involved, namely his family. Still, I'd have been remiss if I hadn't commented on this leg of the Woods saga. The one thing I wanted to hear most today didn't occur. When is he putting the peg in the ground next?

Til' next,

Tiger Woods to Regurgitate Apology on Friday

"Tiger Woods will be speaking to a small group of friends, colleagues and close associates at 11:00 a.m. EST on Friday at the TPC Sawgrass Clubhouse in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Tiger plans to discuss his past and his future, and he plans to apologize for his behavior."  

When I began reading the above quote on his website it sounded like a pitch for an original poetry recital or motivational seminar. I reckon that after nearly three months in a vacuum the Team Woods spin doctors have haggled over every letter and nuance. Should I have expected anything less? No questions will be allowed, so this is merely a prepared statement where the only real question to be answered is "When's he teeing it up again?" We know about the past, no one can predict the future, and the only apology that matters in this average golfer's mind is the special one between him and his family.

So Tiger, Arnie's place or Augusta?

Til' next,