Live from Atlanta...

Down to the wire, it's Sergio, AK, and Phil.... Thank goodness for some excitement in the season's final (does it ever really end ?????) event. Not sure how much press this got, but there was a nice moment on the course yesterday between Hunter Mahan and Justin Leonard...a bit of a friendly carryover from last weekend's Ryder Cup camaraderie. It's doubtful we will see any hugs today between Sergio and AK - which is cool....maybe we have the makings for a real rivalry here.

Lots of the pundits and talking heads are pimping today's confrontation as "vindication for Sergio", or "payback time". I have to be a bit of a contrarian on this one - no doubt both of these guys have immense talent and a desire to win, but last weekend was MUCH different. Seems like we should all acknowledge that for what it was - a dominant victory for Team USA - and acknowledge today for what it is - a great showdown between two great players....neither of whom thinks today has anything to do with last weekend.

P.S. - Admittedly, Kenny Perry was suffering from a bit of "Valhalla Hangover" early this week, but he tied Sergio for low round yesterday

P.S.S. - AK - Last week, I professed my conversion to becoming a fan, and I even got over the belt buckle-itis....but for the love of bentgrass, PLEASE tuck the shirt in dude...

Ryder Cup - Final Thoughts

WOW !!!!

Well, first things first....you heard it here first - I correctly predicted a 16 1/2 to 11 1/2 victory for the USA, as well as being pretty darn near perfect in my assessment of who would be a stud and who would be a dud. Attending the event in person was an incredible treat, and something I will never forget. In keeping with the nature of my previous Ryder Cup posts, I will share my observations in sort of a "free association" manner (primarily because I was unable to even take in a microcassette recorder due to the security dudes - so I did not even write stuff down)

- From the very start of the matches on Friday, you could feel in the air that something was different. The USA players all seemed confident and relaxed - and perhaps most important really comfortable with each other. Even the fans seemed to sense it.
- Similarly, the Euros seemed tense (except for Poulter, who seemed ready to prove to EVERYONE that he was a force to be reckoned with). We followed Sergio and Westwood for a while, and neither of them ever seemed comfortable. And believe me, the fans were extremely nice to ALL players.
- The Euro fans were very cool - they cheered hard for their team, but I heard no whining or bitching. We watched the shots coming into #3 on Saturday morning with a large group of Euro fans (aka eFans) who, just like us, cheered all the good shots and lamented the poor ones. If diplomacy were this easy...
- The Euro WAGS (wives and girlfriends) were, uh, hot.... I've gotta give it to them in this category, they won the prize here. They too seemed pretty nice, often chatting with the USA WAGS.
- The course was really set up for scoring, and the greens were super receptive. Approaches stuck like they were hitting flypaper.
- This is less obvious on TV - but at least for this week, put one of the Pros inside 70 yards with a wedge and they will stick it inside of 5 feet...I cannot count how many times we watched this happen on par 5s and short par 4s - but it was ridiculous...
- During the foursomes and fourballs, watching live on the course, you just don't see very much golf action. And with 40,000 spectators onsite, once the groups pass whatever hole you are on, you will be hard pressed to find another good viewing spot. Best case is to catch a few holes on the front side, dash to the back side and catch a few others...and set the TIVO before you leave home.
- JB Holmes really DOES hit it that far...and man, when he catches it just right, it is RIDICULOUS. His warm up is like watching the fuse burn down on a box of Y. Lee Coyote's dynamite...
- Par 5 #7 - Amazing observation (this is where Sergio rinsed two on Sunday) - At least 80% of the time, the players who hit the best tee shots on this hole selected an iron for their approach to the green....and fed the pond. Equally amazing - the players whose drives were further back down the fairway selected hybrids (or in Perry's case when playing Furyk's drive) a 3 wood - and the same 80% landed safely on terra firma....go figure
- Lost all respect for Lee Westwood after his attack on Boo Weekly on Friday. What a whiny,sniveling, prissy a$$ loser he revealed himself to be. Dude - you had you a$$ handed to you....man up and accept it.
- Not sure how to explain this, but Sergio showed little heart all week. He was thoroughly dominated by AK on Sunday, but even when he was halving matches earlier in the competition, he just did not seem to have it all there.
- Ian Poulter....my pick for the next Euro to win a major (Sorry Sergio,Lee,Justin, et al....). I was completely impressed with Ian, and would defend his celebration to the end. His antics, just like Boo's were genuine,honest, from the heart, and impossible not to admire...tip of the hat, er visor, to IP.
- AK - After being a little offput earlier this year by his cockiness, I admit that I was wrong. This kid is the REAL DEAL, and I am officially a fan.
- Ryder Cup gear - Don't bother....they sell it in any PGA Tour shop in most airports across the USA...and the selection was disappointing.
- Nick Faldo - Hard to fault him...his captain's picks played well, I thought his pairings were thoughtfully assembled, and he kept his wits. The USA team just flat out played better. He has to be disappointed by his big 3 (Sergio,Paddy, and Westwood) - none of whom got it done.
- GREAT story for Kenny Perry and JB Holmes, both of whom were stronger than a shot of Kentucky rye whiskey on Sunday. Hats off to both of them.

All told, I was very proud of how the players and fans from BOTH teams behaved (except for the aforementioned whining). It was a great competition, and I hope I can attend another one someday.

Ryder Cup - At the Finish Line

Final Score:
USA - 16 1/2
Europe - 11/1/2

See my prediction from Thursday prior...

Hint...

I should have made a small wager....

Ryder Cup - Halfway Through

My observations after the morning rounds on Saturday at Valhalla

- The par 5, # 7 caused the USA a lot of trouble
- If the USA loses the Cup, they can look back at the par 5 #18 in anger - the water running up the right side of the fairway was a magnet for Team USA tee shots
- Hunter Mahan has been rock solid to this point.
- Ditto for Ian Poulter - say what you want about his visors, color choices (for hair and clothes), and the amount of hair products he uses...he is a stone cold kick a$$ competitor...I was awestruck by him.
- Amy Mick has some questionable fashion taste (think knee high leather riding boots Friday and Saturday), and some really HORRID taste in sunglasses (Hey Ame - Big Honking Sunglasses + Petite Face = Nicole Richie....NOT the look for you
- Sergio is (sorry ladies) losing his locks at a fairly rapid rate, and letting them grow long ain't helping the look
- The course is really set up for scoring - soft greens, predictable undulations, and firm fairways. Look for some real scoring shootouts tomorrow.
- This is some GREAT competition...and frankly, sort of cool without the "Tiger factor"

Oh, BTW - My prediction on 16 1/2 USA, 11 1/2 Europe is still looking good...

More tomorrow after the matches end

Ryder Cup - Mid Day Update

I have to be quick, because the huge dud(e) breathing down my neck needs to short some Apple stock on his e-trade account, and I am on the only PC in the corporate "tent" we are in...



Mid Day Observations:

1. Kenny Perry, and it kills me to say this, CHOKED BIG TIME....

2. AK and Philly Mick kicked a$$ today

3. AK and Sergio are REALLY short dudes...and Segio absolutely SMIRKS whenever he hits a bad shot. I don't fall for all of the "he is reformed crap...her is STILL a whiny punk...

4. Don't be over the green on the par 3 14th....it sucks...

5. For there to be 40k people here, it is really not that crowded



That's it for now....



Oh, BTW - Who predicted a USA lead at midday ? MEEEEEEE.....

Ryder Cup - Prelude

Stardate - Today, the day before the Official Beginning of the 2008 Ryder Cup.

Scotty and Mr. Sulu, being the anti -Americans that they are, are rooting hard and heavy for the Euros. After much persuasion, and discussion in the Captain's quarters, I have persuaded Lt. Uhura to root for the Yanks...so it looks like a fair fight. Scotty is all geared up in his space golf gear, while we await the unveiling of the USA unis.

Ok - back to earth. It's 3 hours till I board a flight to Louisville to attend the Ryder Cup, and I am psyched. I'm attending Friday and Saturday, and returning home to see the final (and hopefully triumphant) day in HiDef-land.

My predictions:
- Day 1: USA leads 4 - 3 - 1. Kenny and JD lead the way and spank Sergio and Lee hard. Holmes drives the green on the 328 yard per 4, and Kenny sinks the putt for an eagle - sending them on a roll which the Euros cannot overcome. Furyk and Phil struggle in the AM, but recover in the afternoon. Boo,AK, Stricker, and Ben Curtis all play well, but Cink struggles.
- Day 2: USA again takes a slight lead, 5 - 3, giving them a 2 1/2 point lead headed into Sunday In the singles matches, Boo,Perry,Stricker,Curtis,Kim,Mahan, and Leonard and Cink all play well. Curtis struggles,Phil recovers nicely, but Furyk and Cink do not.
- Day 3: USA wins 7 of the matches. Our winners are Phil,Perry,Stricker,Curtis,Kim,Cink, and Boo.

Final Score: USA 16 1/2, Euros 11 1/2

Check back in tomorrow for a Day 1 Update.

Semi - Celebrity Death Match - Golfer vs Hurricane (Sort Of..)

So we decided to take a nice relaxing weekend trip to the world's most beautiful beach , and yours truly would be the beneficiary of two rounds of excellent golf with a great friend. One small problem - a hairy,unwashed dude named Ike. Although he was supposed to be long gone by the time we arrived, it seems that his presence was a bit larger than we imagined. We rolled into town Thursday afternoon, with me eagerly awaiting my Friday morning tee time. Within the first 5 minutes I was there, two things were immediately obvious: (1) the waves were freaking humongous - no sandy beaches were visible, and (2) the wind was HOWLING.

I willingly confess that I am a bit of a fair weather golfer - windy,wet,cold weather is not for me. Couple that with what is typically a high ball flight, and you can see that mentally and physically bad weather does equal a fun day on the links for me. However, my partner in crime for this weekend is a solid individual (and a kick a$$ golfer to boot), so I could not let him down. Therefore, off we went on Friday - damn the torpedoes, as Tom Petty (as well as some old navy type dude) once said...

I won't bore you with a hole by hole recount, but I will give you a few of the notable moments:
- First hole, short par 4 - Hit my drive in the fairway, leaving me 119 to the pin (110 to the front)...into the, uh, breeze. figuring a two club wind, I pulled a 9 iron, smote a mighty blow, watched the ball arc gracefully toward the flagstick....and fall 25 yards short. My estimate of a 2 club wind was, uh, not so good.
- 8 foot level putt for birdie on the second par 5 of the day, hole cut on a slight ridge with the green falling off past the hole. Nice roll, the ball is trickling toward the cup slowing down and about to stop inches to the right...however, a 40 mph gust had other ideas...I watch in amazement as the ball accelerates (wind aided, thus not eligible for a world record) away from me, and speeds about 20 feet past the hole. I am, at this point, a LITTLE frustrated with Ike...
- 13th (or 12th or 15th, or...) hole - 169 yard downhill par 3, wind howling in our face. I have by this point accepted that a "4 club wind" can, in fact, exist in Florida. I pull my 3H (normally a 200-210 yard club), set up to hit a draw that I can keep under the wind, strike (another) mighty blow, and ...watch in amazement as the ball falls a full 20 yards short. Good afternoon,Sir - meet Mr. SIX CLUB WIND !!!!

In spite of all of the frustration with the wind, I had a lot of fun, although I limped home with a cool 88 for the day. My thanks to the super nice folks at the pro shop, who really took care of us. We will return...just not when there is a hurricane churning.

Are you getting the Shaft ?

Remember the days when buying golf clubs was easy ? Just walk in, look for a recognizable name like Ping, Titleist, or Callaway , pick a set of irons, a driver, a 3 wood, and you were good to go. My, how things have changed....so much so that I can't begin to cover all of the topics here

Rather, let's look at one that is either (a) overlooked and very important, or (b) overrated and a sinister marketing scheme... the object of this debate - the SHAFT. Check out any "real" player (present company included, laughing inside), and you are likely to see a variety of aftermarket shafts on their driver (at a minimum), or even their entire bag. What is up with this, and why all the fuss ? I mean, did Hogan, Nicklaus, or even Faldo and Watson ever pay THAT much attention to the shaft ???

Well, believe it or not, there really IS something to all of this fuss. There are dozens of articles on the topic, such as the one here , but the bottom line is that shaft selection really does have a lot to do with performance. If you still think this is all a load of BS, is my story:

For the longest time, I had an extremely high ball flight with my driver - I mean like towering height...not "pop ups" mind you. because I was hitting it pretty far (averaging about 245, sometimes getting it out around 280-290). I have always been a bit partial to Taylor Made drivers, and at the beginning of this year was playing a TM R7 Superquad with an aftermarket Aldila NV 65 (Pink - hats off to my favorite LPGA player) stiff shaft. After a million comments from my golf buddies ('you hit that higher than a 9 iron", or "think how far you would hit it if you could level that off some"), I decided enough was enough. Thus, I was off to my local golf emporium for my first ever "driver fitting session".

We tried out drviers from Callaway,Cleveland,Titleist,Ping, and TaylorMade. We tried shafts from Aldila, Grafaloy, Ozik, Mitsubishi, and UST, as well as the stock factory shafts from all of the manufacturers. After all of this, I learned that I have (a) a very high launch angle, and (b) a very high ball spin rate, and (c) tend to hit a ball that moves from right to left. Both (a) and (b) are pretty common for the average hacker, but (c), also known as a "draw" for righty's, was an unusual outcome considering (a) and (b).

After much trial and error, we settled on a TaylorMade Tour Burner, 9.5 degrees of loft, fitted in an Aldila VS Proto stiff shaft....unfortunately TM does not make this combo, so I had to custom build it. Three months l;ater, and I am a happy camper - Im still hitting the slight draw, but my launch angle and spin rate are down and my trajectory is much more penetrating.

My final analysis on the whole thing leads me to the following conclusions:
(1) First step, go to the launch monitor and try out some aftermarket shafts vs. your stock shaft. If you don't see a measurable difference, stick with your current rig.
(2) If you are unsatisfied with your drivers performance, check out a shaft upgarde before you get a new driver.
(3) The shaft is at least as important (possibly more) as the clubhead - so be SURE your shaft matches your swing.

Finally, here is a great resource for evaluating the shafts currently on the market.

Bombs away,
Da Judge