Here we are at the start of another Big Break challenge in it's 10th season. This Big Break is going to be all about team effort. It all begins with 8 teams, with each team consisting of one guy and one girl. Some teams are married, unmarried, and some are just good friends. The bottom line is they have to compete and win as a team and as each week goes by, I think we are going to see tempers flare and lots of frustration.
The 8 teams competing in this Big Break are: Casey& Rachel, David& Sally, Haymes& Bernie, Hugo& Camila, James& Andrea, Michael& Sherri, Otis& Rachel, and Robby& Amber. By the way, Amber is the younger sister of the Big Break V winner, Ashley and Haymes is the brother of PGA player Brandt Snedeker. Otis and Rachel was the first team to go into the elimination challenge. They had to play 3 holes against 3 teams of their choosing and had to either match each team or beat them by one stroke. Otis and Rachel pulled it off and there were no teams eliminated on this week's episode, but stay tuned for next week when the frustration begins to set in.
Each member of the winning team of Big Break X will receive:
1. The female champion receives an exemption to the 2009 BELL MICRO LPGA CLASSIC
2. The male champion receives an exemption to the PGA TOUR'S 2009 CHILDREN'S MIRACLE NETWORK CLASSIC
3. All of their 2009 Q-school fees paid for, compliments of SkyCaddie
4. Each member of the winning team will receive a brand new BMW 328i Coupe
5. A Dick's Sporting Goods prize package that includes, $5,000 in cash and $2,500 in prizes
6. An Adams Endorsement Contract which includes $5,000 in cash
Tune in next week to see which team will take that first walk down elimination alley. See you on the blog side.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Tiger And Wife Elin Are Expecting Their Second Child
Tiger Woods announced today, on his website, that he and wife Elin are expecting their second child in late winter. He, of course, would not give any specific date. Woods, although sidelined, has really enjoyed spending time with Sam, his 1 plus year old daughter, and Elin. As all of us proud parents know, there is nothing like spending quality time with our children.
If you are wondering where the name Sam comes from, let me clue you in on a secret. Tiger's dad Earl, Pops to Tiger, had a special nickname for Tiger and the name was Sam. Earl used the name Sam so that he could get Tiger's attention in a crowd, without attracting attention. Just another brilliant ploy from Earl Woods, God Bless the man. After all, he is the main reason why Tiger is where he is at today and Tiger would agree.
Tiger was on Late Night with Conan O'Brien last week and was asked if he has begun to practice at all. Tiger said; "I haven't even picked up a club and I won't until I'm ready." He was then asked a date when he might return, in which Tiger replied with that 'ole Tiger smile; " In the future." I think Tiger might have a political future.(LOL) Anyway, Tiger has plenty to keep him busy for the year. Rehabilitation, working on his $1.1 Billion golf project in Dubai, and preparing for the arrival of his second child. Enjoy life Tiger because it's a fast one. See you on the blog side.
If you are wondering where the name Sam comes from, let me clue you in on a secret. Tiger's dad Earl, Pops to Tiger, had a special nickname for Tiger and the name was Sam. Earl used the name Sam so that he could get Tiger's attention in a crowd, without attracting attention. Just another brilliant ploy from Earl Woods, God Bless the man. After all, he is the main reason why Tiger is where he is at today and Tiger would agree.
Tiger was on Late Night with Conan O'Brien last week and was asked if he has begun to practice at all. Tiger said; "I haven't even picked up a club and I won't until I'm ready." He was then asked a date when he might return, in which Tiger replied with that 'ole Tiger smile; " In the future." I think Tiger might have a political future.(LOL) Anyway, Tiger has plenty to keep him busy for the year. Rehabilitation, working on his $1.1 Billion golf project in Dubai, and preparing for the arrival of his second child. Enjoy life Tiger because it's a fast one. See you on the blog side.
Vijay Singh Wins The Deutsche Bank Championship!
In the last couple of weeks, Singh has kept telling himself that he is the best putter in the world. With today's consecutive playoff win, it proves just how powerful positive thinking can be. Vijay was a birdie making machine today! He made two, long 35 foot putts, as well as, a 60 foot putt for birdies on the back nine. Singh finished at 22 under, beating Mike Weir by a five-shot margin. Vijay won $1.26 million today and moved into first place, over Tiger Woods, on the money list at over $6.4 million for the year. This is actually the third championship win for Singh in five weeks, moving him to NO.3 in the world ranking.
This win gives Vijay a big jump on the FEDEXCUP playoff points. In fact, you can all but say that Singh will win the FEDEXCUP this year, along with $10 million plus. Sergio Garcia is NO.2 in the points race, but he is 12,225 points behind Singh. Mike Weir is a distant NO.3 in the points race. It's going to be all but impossible for any player to catch Singh at this point. In other words, Singh would have to come in last in the two remaining tournaments at the BMW and East Lake Championship's, in order for another player to have a chance. Let's see if Vijay can keep his putter smoking through next week's tournament. Comments? See you on the blog side.
This win gives Vijay a big jump on the FEDEXCUP playoff points. In fact, you can all but say that Singh will win the FEDEXCUP this year, along with $10 million plus. Sergio Garcia is NO.2 in the points race, but he is 12,225 points behind Singh. Mike Weir is a distant NO.3 in the points race. It's going to be all but impossible for any player to catch Singh at this point. In other words, Singh would have to come in last in the two remaining tournaments at the BMW and East Lake Championship's, in order for another player to have a chance. Let's see if Vijay can keep his putter smoking through next week's tournament. Comments? See you on the blog side.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Highway 18-No Elimination Yet
The first challenge on this week's episode begins with an unusal twist. All five teams start out at the studio's of the GOLF CHANNEL. Each team has a scripted show to perform, where they have to report some statistics in an analyst format. The teams are judged and released for the road challenge in the order of on how well they performed and reported their storyline.
This week's road challenge was a race to the NICK FALDO INSTITUTE in Orlando, Florida. The teams had to participate in a 30 foot chipping challenge from just off the green. Both members of the teams had to make the chip before heading off to the clubhouse challenge. The Ashly's chipped in their golf balls back-to-back and was first to complete the challenge. Unfortunately for Peach, of the Peach and Jay team, making the chip proved to be quite a challenge. Not only did they finish last in this challenge, it gave them a very late start for the clubhouse challenge.
The clubhouse challenge began with a 97 mile road trip to the Innisbrook Golf Club just outside Tampa, Florida. The teams would have to play a selected hole at the CopperHead Golf course, where each team had to finish the hole in a combined par format. The Ashly's arrive first at Innisbrook, so, they got to choose which hole they wanted to play. As a bonus for arriving first, they also get to assign the remaining designated holes for the other teams. The Ashly's, of course, picked the easiest par 3 to play. Meanwhile, Peach and Jay finally arrive at Innisbrook and are way behind the other teams. Even though they quickly played their assigned hole, it was just too much time to make up. Peach and Jay finished last and that now means that four of the five teams have one strike against them. Rob and Charlotte are the only exception. The pressure will be on next week because the percentages will be high that one team will likely be eliminated. The winning team of Highway 18 will be rewarded with some awesome prizes.
The winning team will walk away with $50,000.00 cash, a skycaddie, a set of AP1 or AP2 Titlest Irons, a year's supply of PRO-V1 golf balls, and $50,000.00 worth of air travel from Orbitz.com. Not bad for playing a game that we are all passionate about. Tune in for next week's challenge and the likely elimination of the first team. Any predictions on which team that might be? See you on the blog side.
This week's road challenge was a race to the NICK FALDO INSTITUTE in Orlando, Florida. The teams had to participate in a 30 foot chipping challenge from just off the green. Both members of the teams had to make the chip before heading off to the clubhouse challenge. The Ashly's chipped in their golf balls back-to-back and was first to complete the challenge. Unfortunately for Peach, of the Peach and Jay team, making the chip proved to be quite a challenge. Not only did they finish last in this challenge, it gave them a very late start for the clubhouse challenge.
The clubhouse challenge began with a 97 mile road trip to the Innisbrook Golf Club just outside Tampa, Florida. The teams would have to play a selected hole at the CopperHead Golf course, where each team had to finish the hole in a combined par format. The Ashly's arrive first at Innisbrook, so, they got to choose which hole they wanted to play. As a bonus for arriving first, they also get to assign the remaining designated holes for the other teams. The Ashly's, of course, picked the easiest par 3 to play. Meanwhile, Peach and Jay finally arrive at Innisbrook and are way behind the other teams. Even though they quickly played their assigned hole, it was just too much time to make up. Peach and Jay finished last and that now means that four of the five teams have one strike against them. Rob and Charlotte are the only exception. The pressure will be on next week because the percentages will be high that one team will likely be eliminated. The winning team of Highway 18 will be rewarded with some awesome prizes.
The winning team will walk away with $50,000.00 cash, a skycaddie, a set of AP1 or AP2 Titlest Irons, a year's supply of PRO-V1 golf balls, and $50,000.00 worth of air travel from Orbitz.com. Not bad for playing a game that we are all passionate about. Tune in for next week's challenge and the likely elimination of the first team. Any predictions on which team that might be? See you on the blog side.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Golf Putting Tips By Infoman
Let me first start out by saying that there is no wrong way or right way to putt,but there are some basic fundamentals to follow. One of the first things to do is figure out how you're going to grip your putter. Most golfers, like myself, use basically the same grip that I use with all my golf clubs. This is what you would call your basic grip. There are some others that include the reverse hand grip, and the claw grip. Again, you need to find what works best for you.
The next thing that you need to develop is a routine. It doesn't matter what that consists of, the important objective here is to develop a routine and use it every single time. I'm sure you have seen the PRO'S back off and begin their routine again after an interruption or disturbance. Your routine will help you to remain calm and tension free during your putt. My routine is to read the green and determine my line that my ball will travel. After that, I take a calm deep breath and approach my ball. I adjust my putter to my ball and my line path first, and then I set my feet to where I'm balanced and comfortable. Don't set your feet first and then your club or everything will be off and you won't make the putt. Next, I follow my imaginary line with my eyes from my ball to the hole. Actually see the putt in your mind's eye. Then, I follow the line from the hole back to my ball. I repeat this and then I go.
Your grip pressure is the next thing to implement. This is a big problem among amateurs. I can't tell you how many times in a month of rounds where I see golfers strangling their putters when they set up. This creates tension all over and it will create a plethora of problems. Refer to my "grip pressure" article from 08/06/08. Hold on a minute and let me make this putt. Okay, the main objective here is to hold your putter as lightly as possible, almost to the point where it falls out of your hands, but still in control.
The next assignment, which is absolutely crucial, is to learn how to read the greens. If you can master this, I guarantee your scores WILL come down. There are a lot of variables involved in reading the green. Such as whether your putting up hill or down, or putting with or against the grain, if it breaks right or left, etc... The main thing is to practice, when possible, and get a feel for reading greens. Your short game, especially putting, is about 60 percent of your game. I'll post an article in the near future on reading the greens.
Next, you need to concentrate on striking a true, centered stroke on your ball. Your ideal putting stroke should resemble a pendulum swing. Take your putter ever so slightly inside on your back swing, then square your club face up at impact, follow through with your putter coming back inside slightly. Make sure to follow through with your putt and don't decelerate. One more important element here is to NOT break your wrists throughout the putt. Don't ever flip your wrists when making your putt. The result will be inconsistent putting and never developing a feel for putting. Two quick tips to help you in developing your putting stroke and not breaking your wrists. To keep your wrists from breaking, tape a popsicle stick on the back of both of your wrists and practice until you develop the feel for your memory. Also, to develop your pendulum swing, try placing your left foot directly behind your right foot. Now, lean over and make your stroke. You can see how the shoulders, arms wrists, and hands work together in a pendulum motion. Try it. Practice it. See the shot in your mind with the ball rolling in.
These are all important factors that we just went over, but the most important one of them all is, yep, you guessed it. Practice, practice, practice. Find a special place in your house or apartment or wherever you can and devote a little time to it. I do mine at night across the floor(flat carpet) in my office. I usually practice around 15 to 30 minutes. You will be amazed at the difference it makes. Remember, go through your whole routine with every putt, including taking a relaxing, deep breath.
One more thing that the PRO'S do that I want to share with you. A lot of practice produces confidence and confidence produces lower scores, it's a proven fact! When you see a PRO get really hot with his or her putter, they all say two things. One, that they are confident that they can make any putt, and two, they imagine or see the hole as being the size of a bucket. They see the shot. They trust it. Their confident that the ball is going to go in the hole everytime. You can learn everything about golf possible, and its necessary in developing your game, but ultimately the true key to golf is right between your ears. Correct instruction coupled with practice and positive mental attitude will bring you to heights in your golf game that you thought were unapproachable. Figure out any weakness in your game and work on improving it. Be sure to go through the Archives for more valuable golf tips. See you on the blog side.
The next thing that you need to develop is a routine. It doesn't matter what that consists of, the important objective here is to develop a routine and use it every single time. I'm sure you have seen the PRO'S back off and begin their routine again after an interruption or disturbance. Your routine will help you to remain calm and tension free during your putt. My routine is to read the green and determine my line that my ball will travel. After that, I take a calm deep breath and approach my ball. I adjust my putter to my ball and my line path first, and then I set my feet to where I'm balanced and comfortable. Don't set your feet first and then your club or everything will be off and you won't make the putt. Next, I follow my imaginary line with my eyes from my ball to the hole. Actually see the putt in your mind's eye. Then, I follow the line from the hole back to my ball. I repeat this and then I go.
Your grip pressure is the next thing to implement. This is a big problem among amateurs. I can't tell you how many times in a month of rounds where I see golfers strangling their putters when they set up. This creates tension all over and it will create a plethora of problems. Refer to my "grip pressure" article from 08/06/08. Hold on a minute and let me make this putt. Okay, the main objective here is to hold your putter as lightly as possible, almost to the point where it falls out of your hands, but still in control.
The next assignment, which is absolutely crucial, is to learn how to read the greens. If you can master this, I guarantee your scores WILL come down. There are a lot of variables involved in reading the green. Such as whether your putting up hill or down, or putting with or against the grain, if it breaks right or left, etc... The main thing is to practice, when possible, and get a feel for reading greens. Your short game, especially putting, is about 60 percent of your game. I'll post an article in the near future on reading the greens.
Next, you need to concentrate on striking a true, centered stroke on your ball. Your ideal putting stroke should resemble a pendulum swing. Take your putter ever so slightly inside on your back swing, then square your club face up at impact, follow through with your putter coming back inside slightly. Make sure to follow through with your putt and don't decelerate. One more important element here is to NOT break your wrists throughout the putt. Don't ever flip your wrists when making your putt. The result will be inconsistent putting and never developing a feel for putting. Two quick tips to help you in developing your putting stroke and not breaking your wrists. To keep your wrists from breaking, tape a popsicle stick on the back of both of your wrists and practice until you develop the feel for your memory. Also, to develop your pendulum swing, try placing your left foot directly behind your right foot. Now, lean over and make your stroke. You can see how the shoulders, arms wrists, and hands work together in a pendulum motion. Try it. Practice it. See the shot in your mind with the ball rolling in.
These are all important factors that we just went over, but the most important one of them all is, yep, you guessed it. Practice, practice, practice. Find a special place in your house or apartment or wherever you can and devote a little time to it. I do mine at night across the floor(flat carpet) in my office. I usually practice around 15 to 30 minutes. You will be amazed at the difference it makes. Remember, go through your whole routine with every putt, including taking a relaxing, deep breath.
One more thing that the PRO'S do that I want to share with you. A lot of practice produces confidence and confidence produces lower scores, it's a proven fact! When you see a PRO get really hot with his or her putter, they all say two things. One, that they are confident that they can make any putt, and two, they imagine or see the hole as being the size of a bucket. They see the shot. They trust it. Their confident that the ball is going to go in the hole everytime. You can learn everything about golf possible, and its necessary in developing your game, but ultimately the true key to golf is right between your ears. Correct instruction coupled with practice and positive mental attitude will bring you to heights in your golf game that you thought were unapproachable. Figure out any weakness in your game and work on improving it. Be sure to go through the Archives for more valuable golf tips. See you on the blog side.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Final Round At The Barclays
The final round of golf today at the Barclays is what true golf fans call "golferrific". You couldn't ask for a more exciting ending between Garcia and the 45 year old Fijian, Vijay Singh. This is the fourth time that Singh has won the Barclays and today was his 33rd PGA tournament win. By winning the Barclays Championship, Singh has earned 11,000 FEDEXCUP points, which puts him in the lead with 109,500 points. Garcia gave it his all out there today, but unfortunately came up a little short.
Singh and Garcia, tied after 72 holes in regulation, head for a sudden death playoff. They both played the first playoff hole, at the 18th, with superb precision. Garcia had about a 27 footer for birdie and Singh with a 26 footer for birdie. Garcia sinks his putt first and the crowd explodes with a thunderous roar. Vijay follows with his own beautiful birdie. On to the 17th hole for playoff hole number two. This was a 577-yard, par 5 and this time, things would be very different right from the tee-off. Singh has no trouble and hits his ball into the middle of the fairway, while Garcia hooks his drive into the left rough. Next, Garcia has trouble again and hits his ball behind a tree in the right rough. Singh hits a 267-yard stinger and lands it about 20 feet away from the hole leaving him an eagle putt. Garcia got a lucky break ruling because of RULE 25, where a drop is allowed if it is ruled that the ground beneath the ball is abnormal. In this particular case, it looked like chipmunks had been digging several holes where Garcia's ball had landed. Anyway, with the free drop, it gave Garcia a shot at the green. Sergio ended up with a chip for birdie, which he just barely missed. That left Singh with a simple two-putt from 20 feet to win. He missed the eagle, but tapped it in for birdie and the win at the Barclays. Congratulations to Vijay because he definitely earned it. By the way, after today, Sergio ended up with 104,375 FEDEXCUP points putting him in second place in the FEDEXCUP points race.
Before you even say it, Infoman didn't do to well in his picks for this week's winner. Phil Mickelson didn't do too bad. He shot a 68 today to tie for 19th at 4 under, but that wasn't good enough to keep him from dropping from third to fourth in the FEDEXCUP points race. Steve Stricker, my underdog pick, also, ended up at 4 under. My man, Kenny Perry, was a little off today and finished up being tied for 48th at even par. Unfortunately for Perry, today's finish moves him from second place to seventh in the FEDEXCUP points race.
Next week, its on to the Deutsche Bank Championship in Norton, Mass. Remember, the field has been reduced from 144 to 120 players. It will then be cut down to 70 players for the BMW Championship at Bellerive in ST. Louis. Finally, the field will be cut to 30 players for the Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta, Georgia. I can't wait to see the conclusion. Any predictions on who will win the FEDEXCUP in Atlanta? See you on the blog side.
Singh and Garcia, tied after 72 holes in regulation, head for a sudden death playoff. They both played the first playoff hole, at the 18th, with superb precision. Garcia had about a 27 footer for birdie and Singh with a 26 footer for birdie. Garcia sinks his putt first and the crowd explodes with a thunderous roar. Vijay follows with his own beautiful birdie. On to the 17th hole for playoff hole number two. This was a 577-yard, par 5 and this time, things would be very different right from the tee-off. Singh has no trouble and hits his ball into the middle of the fairway, while Garcia hooks his drive into the left rough. Next, Garcia has trouble again and hits his ball behind a tree in the right rough. Singh hits a 267-yard stinger and lands it about 20 feet away from the hole leaving him an eagle putt. Garcia got a lucky break ruling because of RULE 25, where a drop is allowed if it is ruled that the ground beneath the ball is abnormal. In this particular case, it looked like chipmunks had been digging several holes where Garcia's ball had landed. Anyway, with the free drop, it gave Garcia a shot at the green. Sergio ended up with a chip for birdie, which he just barely missed. That left Singh with a simple two-putt from 20 feet to win. He missed the eagle, but tapped it in for birdie and the win at the Barclays. Congratulations to Vijay because he definitely earned it. By the way, after today, Sergio ended up with 104,375 FEDEXCUP points putting him in second place in the FEDEXCUP points race.
Before you even say it, Infoman didn't do to well in his picks for this week's winner. Phil Mickelson didn't do too bad. He shot a 68 today to tie for 19th at 4 under, but that wasn't good enough to keep him from dropping from third to fourth in the FEDEXCUP points race. Steve Stricker, my underdog pick, also, ended up at 4 under. My man, Kenny Perry, was a little off today and finished up being tied for 48th at even par. Unfortunately for Perry, today's finish moves him from second place to seventh in the FEDEXCUP points race.
Next week, its on to the Deutsche Bank Championship in Norton, Mass. Remember, the field has been reduced from 144 to 120 players. It will then be cut down to 70 players for the BMW Championship at Bellerive in ST. Louis. Finally, the field will be cut to 30 players for the Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta, Georgia. I can't wait to see the conclusion. Any predictions on who will win the FEDEXCUP in Atlanta? See you on the blog side.
Friday, August 22, 2008
FEDEXCUP Playoffs Continues At The Barclays
With two rounds completed at the Barclays, we are halfway through the first of four tournaments that will determine the winner of the FEDEXCUP along with a mere $10 million. There are several players that are playing some great golf this week and have a real good chance of winning the Barclays Championship.
Let's start with Phil Mickelson, NO.3 in the FEDEXCUP Standing. Phil seems to be very relaxed and really focusing hard this week. The key, as usual, for Phil will be not to get too wild down the back stretch and try an unnecessary shot. Another good player, who has a couple of Tour wins already this year, is Anthony Kim. He appears to be getting his swing and golf game back together. The third player, which is one of Infoman's picks this week, is the red hot Kenny Perry. I know he caught a lot of flack this year for skipping the majors, but Kenny is a superb golfer and he plays where he feels comfortable. The bottom line is, a win is a win and Perry has had no problem in doing that this year. Perry, also, happens to be NO.2 in the FEDEXCUP Standings and I know it would be the height of Perry's career if he could bring home the FEDEXCUP.
The fourth player is last year's winner at the Barclays, Steve Stricker. Some might would say that Stricker is definitely the underdog this week, but the 41 year old has posted two good rounds and looks strong for the finish on Sunday. The four-time Tour winner has a WORLD GOLF RANKING of 10th and NO.23 on the money list. His FEDEXCUP Standing is 21st. Don't count Stricker out this week, he may be the underdog, but he is Infoman's second pick to win this week at the Barclays. Who do you predict to win this week? See you on the blog side.
Let's start with Phil Mickelson, NO.3 in the FEDEXCUP Standing. Phil seems to be very relaxed and really focusing hard this week. The key, as usual, for Phil will be not to get too wild down the back stretch and try an unnecessary shot. Another good player, who has a couple of Tour wins already this year, is Anthony Kim. He appears to be getting his swing and golf game back together. The third player, which is one of Infoman's picks this week, is the red hot Kenny Perry. I know he caught a lot of flack this year for skipping the majors, but Kenny is a superb golfer and he plays where he feels comfortable. The bottom line is, a win is a win and Perry has had no problem in doing that this year. Perry, also, happens to be NO.2 in the FEDEXCUP Standings and I know it would be the height of Perry's career if he could bring home the FEDEXCUP.
The fourth player is last year's winner at the Barclays, Steve Stricker. Some might would say that Stricker is definitely the underdog this week, but the 41 year old has posted two good rounds and looks strong for the finish on Sunday. The four-time Tour winner has a WORLD GOLF RANKING of 10th and NO.23 on the money list. His FEDEXCUP Standing is 21st. Don't count Stricker out this week, he may be the underdog, but he is Infoman's second pick to win this week at the Barclays. Who do you predict to win this week? See you on the blog side.
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