South Africa’s Ernie Els put himself in excellent position in the Alfred Dunhill Championship after a 67 on Friday morning sent him to the top of the leaderboard at nine-under-par.

Els was tied with Italian Edoardo Molinari, with whom he played on Thursday and Friday, in the lead of the tournament at midday on Thursday. However first-round pace-setters Ulrich van den Berg (eight-under-par) and Pelle Edberg (seven-under-par) had yet to tee off their second rounds.

Local fans will now have high hopes that Els can break his 2009 win duck, as he is undoubtedly well-placed going into the weekend. The Alfred Dunhill Championship is his last chance to avoid his first winless season since 1990, but Ernie was not getting ahead of himself.

“You can’t get carried away,” said Els. “I’ve got to think of the present and just keep plugging away. I haven’t won this year and I’d love to win, so this is very important for me.”

“I’m in good position going into the weekend and I’m playing well, but I’m looking for that break-out round still. I feel I’m playing well enough to shoot some really good numbers.”

“I was really good from tee to green today. I’ve started hitting my new driver really well, so I had a lot of opportunities to go for the flags. But with my level from tee to green I think I can shoot better than I did today. I feel I left a few shots out there.”

“I made three very soft bogeys. I had two three-putts and a basic up-and-down on seven which I didn’t make.

“But if I can play the same kind of golf and make a couple more putts I think I can shoot lower numbers on the weekend.”

Els could well end up paired with Molinari for a third straight day on Saturday, but much will depend on the scoring over the second half of Friday.

The European Tour season reaches its climax in Dubai this week, where the winner on Sunday will receive a top prize of 830,675 euros.

 For an even bigger prize, the player who ends the year on top of the Tour’s money list will collect a bonus a little more than one million euros.

Irishman Rory McIlroy is the man leading the standings after overtaking England’s Lee Westwood with last week’s runner-up finish in Hong Kong.

Westwood who finished his final round with a 74 last week had dropped to 56th position in the tournament and also went down to 2nd on the Race to Dubai standings behind McIlroy.

The other two player who have a chance to top the standings are Germany’s Martin Kaymer and Ross Fisher. These four players are the only ones who have a mathematical chance of going to the top of the standings with this week’s Dubai World Championship.

McIlroy and Westwood are the only two players who can top the standings by winning the tournament so that makes for a really interesting four days. Yet history tends to show that a player in contention to top the Money List rarely wins the concluding event.

Some of the players to watch will be Ernie Els who has won four times in the Middle East and has found some rhythm in his game. Henrik Stenson is also one of the favourites who has finished in the top-10 eleven out of his last twelve appearances. Ian Poulter is definitely a man to watch having had a great year and finds himself around the 1.5 million euro’s mark in earnings this year.

All predictions aside, this will be an exciting event.

While Phil Mickelson hasn’t had the best of years on or off the course, he’s certainly made a great run here to end the season. And he added a victory at the HSBC Champions to that run, as he held off Ernie Els to pick up the win.

Here’s the AP story on the final round action.

Again, I can’t tell you how great it is to see Phil win this tournament. After all that he has went through off the golf course this year, it’s gotta feel great for him to get out there and beat the world’s best players. He got the win at the Tour Championship, and now he adds this to his list of impressive victories down the stretch this year.

It was also great to see Els play well. Ernie has definitely played his best golf of the year towards the end of this season, and it was intriguing to watch him make his run up the leaderboard. Of course, it was a little unusual to see Tiger have a bad round on the final day, but that’s exactly what happened.

All in all, a great golf tournament, and a great win for Mickelson!

Phil Mickelson won his 2nd WGC-HSBC Championship in three years on Sunday afternoon to hold off the likes of Els, McIlroy and Moore.

Woods had a dismal start to the day and came in with three-over (39) and finished with a (72) for the day. Tiger was out of the race early on Sunday and never looked poised to make some ground on Mickelson. He had a good back nine and made 3-straight-birdies to get four strokes back, but that didn’t stop Mickelson growing his lead.

Ernie Els was the surprise of the day and made birdie’s early on Sunday to really make his presence felt. Els made an eagle and racked in some birdie’s to play the round of the day (63). His second shot to the par- five-18th really lost it for him as he saw his ball disappear in the green side water hazard.  With this lack of concentration, he made a bogey and lost his 1 shot lead that left Mickelson with the easy task to make a par on the last to win.

Rory McIlroy was also one of the big surprises of the day as he started the front nine with a five-under (31) and went out with a (32) to card a round of eight-under par (63). The Irishman was really exciting and just gave the golf world another reason to be excited about his future on the PGA tour.

Mickelson played a three-under (69) to hold off the field and really deserved the win. He had some tense moments on the last 3 holes. He holed out a big putt on the 16th to save par after an errant pitch. Phil made a big birdie on the 17th to make proceedings easier for him on the last.

“To finish the year with this win feels wonderful,” said Mickelson, who won his first WGC event at the CA-Championship earlier this year.

Tiger Woods caught up with Nick Watney with a birdie on the last hole to share the lead with his fellow countryman on Friday’s second round of the WGC-HSBC Championship. 

Woods missed a lot of chances during his round, but slowly and surely made his move up the leaderboard. Nick Watney had to rely on a 70 (two-under) to share the lead on 10 under par. Just on stroke back lies Phil Mickelson who made a great run of birdies and carded a 66 (six-under), and he shares third place with fellow compatriot Ryan Moore, who played a consistent 69 (three-under) aswell as Alvaro Quiros who played an exciting (66).

Tiger had a few problems with the crowd at the start of his round, after having to back off several times due to camera’s flickering. He gained his composure and started with a birdie though. He played an errant drive on the sixth hole that caused him to smash his club into a rubbish bin. Woods’ highlight came from the 16th hole where he knocked in a 20 ft chip for birdie from the rough over a bunker that got the crowd really going.

Anthony Kim hit a huge five wood on his way to eagling the 18th for a 69, which left him alone in sixth place on eight-under as Americans dominated the leaderboard.

South African Ernie Els hit a hole-in-one at the par three sixth hole but a couple of double-bogeys undid his good work and he registered a 71 for a share of 23rd on three-under.

 Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson  come face to face with the leading stars of the European Tour. Not only is the Sheshan event the latest to earn World Golf Championship status, it could also play an integral part in deciding who eventually tops this season’s Race to Dubai standings. This is the fifth straight year that the tournament has been held here at the Sheshan International where Tiger Woods has been runner-up twice. It’s fair to say Tiger will be really hungry to win this tournament for the first time this year. 

Woods was second here in both 2005 and 2006, and will inevitably start as the favourite on Thursday. However, there will definitely be some tough competition for Woods to contend with. The likes of Harrington, Mickelson, Els, Stenson, Fisher, Poulter, and many more will all be teeing it up on Thursday. The tournament also offers Woods a chance to dole out a double dose of revenge on Yang Yong-eun, who held off the American to win the 2006 title and then repeated his feat to become Asia’s first major champion in August.

South Korean Yang believes his Champions victory helped him keep his head in the final round of his PGA Championship triumph at Hazeltine. America’s Phil Mickelson is also a winner of this tournament in 2007 but lost his title to Sergio Garcia aswell as his number two spot on the world rankings last year November.

“I’ll be defending champion on a course I really enjoy and it goes without saying I’d love this to be the first tournament of my career that I successfully defend,” the Spaniard said.

The tournament has 20 of the world’s top 30 players.

While we haven’t seen a ton of big names playing here lately, there are several of them competing at the Singapore Open right now, as Ian Poulter has taken the early lead at the tournament.

Here’s the AP story on the day’s action.

We’ve all sort of been waiting for Poulter to break out and win a major, and though it didn’t happen this year, you have to believe that he will get it done sooner or later. He’s definitely got the skill, and he’s bound to win one within the next year or two.

It’s also good to see Ernie Els only one shot back. Ernie definitely got some good things going towards the end of this season, and it looks like he’s still playing some good golf. And it’s always good to see Phil Mickelson in the hunt as well, as he’s only three shots back right now.

I’m sure it’ll be a very interesting weekend with guys like these towards the top.

Todas las victorias cuenta. Perder un partido significa quedarse atrás en un torneo como la Volvo Mundial Match no perdona. Sergio García lo sabe por experiencia. En 2001 Ernie Els le arrebataba uno de los torneos mundiales más trascendentales del panorama golfístico.  Este año “El Niño” juega con nuevos alicientes, quiere dedicarle el triunfo a Seve Ballesteros, único jugador español de la historia que ha disputado este campeonato y cuya fundación se encuentra muy presente estos días en Finca Cortesín.

Motivación no le falta al español. “Me gusta este nuevo formato, porque, pese a lo que la gente piensa, cuando vas ganando por mucha diferencia, aunque tengas que llegar al final de los 18 hoyos, el objetivo es alcanzar la mayor diferencia posible de hoyos, que al final, puede significar la diferencia entre jugar el final o no”, ha declarado García esta mañana en rueda de prensa.

“Derrotar a Tiger de momento es muy complicado, pero ya he demostrado que puede ser el número 2 y voy a luchar por ellos. Necesito tener más confianza en mí mismo”, ha sentenciado el jugador. Es cierto que la evolución es muy favorable. Tras el desastroso resultado que cosechó en Augusta, el joven castellonense ha recuperado forma física y juego. Más sólido en el putt y el juego corto parece que esta podría ser su gran oportunidad de sumar puntos y volver a los puestos de cabeza del Ranking Mundial. Su objetivo es claro, volver a recuperar el número dos del mundo.

Mañana Sergio García se disputará el primer punto contra Oliver Wilson a partir de las 8.35.

Fuentes: María Acacia López- Bachiller.

]]> http://homepaddock.wordpress.com/2009/10/17/october-17-in-history/ Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:35:35 +0000 homepaddock http://homepaddock.wordpress.com/2009/10/17/october-17-in-history/

On October 17:

539 BC King Cyrus The Great of Persia marched into the city of Babylon, releasing the Jews from almost 70 years of exile and made the first Human Rights Declaration

1662 Charles II of England sold Dunkirk to France for 40,000 pounds.

1814 The London Beer Flood killed nine people.

1877 Chief Justice Sir James Prendergast declared the Treaty of Waitangi “worthless” and a “simple nullity”.

1888 Thomas Edison filed a patent for the Optical Phonograph (the first movie).

1907 – Guglielmo Marconi’s company began the first commercial transatlantic wireless service between Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada and Clifden, Ireland.

1915 US playwright – Arthur Miller was born.

1918 US actress Rita Hayworth was born.

1930 US nutritionist Robert Atkins was born.

1942 US musician Gary Puckett was born.

1969 Ernie Els, South African golfer, was born.

1979 – Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

2007 The Dalai Lama received the United States Congressional Gold Medal.

Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia.

United States lifted the President Cup 2009.They have beaten International team 19.5 to 14.5. With the help of super performance by tiger woods, United States never looked in any serious pressure from their international counterparts. U.S.A captain Couples admired the performance of Tiger woods. Woods demolished Y E Yang 6 and 5.

Beside this Sean O’Hair beat Ernie Els of South Africa 6 and 4. Zach Johnson was beaten up by Tim Clark of South Africa 4 and 3 while Ryo Ishikawa of Japan Beat Kenny Perry 2 and 1. Phil Mickelson beat Retief Goosen of South Africa 2 and 1.

What a great day for the sport of golf. After more than a century of being on the sidelines, golf will return to the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro. Golf will stage a 72-hole stroke play tournament for men and women, with 60 players in each field. It truly puts a world-wide face on this wonderful sport.

Just imagine the dreams this opens up for young women and men aspiring to be the newest sensation in professional golf. Maybe we have already participated in building a future Olympian through the EWGA’s  Drive for Dreams program (2009’s Renee Powell’s Girls Golf Program in East Canton, OH, or 2007’s Rose Naliaka’s girls in Kenya). A few of these young women will be old enough to compete in Rio de Janerio in 2016. That would really be exciting and gratifying that we made a difference in these girls lives.

Michelle Wie summed up the International Olympic Committee’s decision this way, ”I can dream about doing something that neither Tiger nor Ernie Els have ever done, and that is to make the final putt to win an Olympic gold medal. If this dream comes true, somewhere in the world there will be another 4-year old who sees me on that podium and perhaps starts her own Olympic dream.”

Congratulations to the International Golf Federation for all of their hard work to make this goal a reality!

The King at Rest

Many of you know I was in South Africa in April.  What a wonderful country with something for everyone.  The beauty of the tours below is that they combine food and wine with a sport.  Is that not a great excuse to indulge your passion for the finer things in life?  Food, wine, golf and lions!

These unique Ernie Els Signature Tours, with never more than eight people in the group, are made possible through the special relationship that top golfer Ernie Els and visionary wine-maker Jean Engelbrecht have developed over the years.

As a result, guests will experience private wine tastings and dinners with winemakers and proprietors that are otherwise not available through any other tours. The combination of some of the best five star resorts, intimate service and attention to detail at every stage of this golf and wine itinerary will ensure that each trip is the trip of a lifetime.

A Signature Tour highlight is to visit selected wine estates that showcase beautiful wines and great food in spectacular natural surroundings. As one of South Africa’s leading ambassadors and most recognised faces in the world of sport, it is only fitting that Ernie chose South Africa and Stellenbosch in particular to produce his wines.

The idea for the wine was born from the long-standing friendship between Ernie and Jean. When the expertise of their respective professions converged, Jean and Ernie set out to create extraordinary wines.

The aim of the wine is to capture everythingthat Ernie stands for : Big in stature and gentle in character.

In addition to showcasing excellent wines, the Ernie Els Signature Wine & Golf Safari Tour also highlights :

• Golf at Gardener Ross, the first Ernie Els signature golf course in Gauteng, South Africa
• a safari stay at the luxurious Tswalu in the Kalahari Desert – take in endless vistas, desert storms, breath-taking sunsets and huge starry night skies
• a sojourn in the cosmopolitan metropolis of Cape Town – breath-taking scenery, brilliant wining and dining, excellent shopping

For the even more discerning traveller, tailor-made itineraries can be created for your specific needs should you want to travel independently.
Each itinerary will still incorporate a touch of Ernie’s favourite golf courses, private game reserves and wine estates.

The first day of the Presidents Cup has come and gone, and the United States has a 3 1/2 to 2 1/2 lead over the European team.

It was a great day of golf, with some pretty exciting matches taking place throughout the day. The two big teams for the United States got the job done, which was no surprise considering the pairings for the day. Here’s a small AP story on the day’s action.

Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker got the easy 6 and 4 victory over Geoff Ogilvy and Ryo Ishikawa, while Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim picked up some points after they defeated Mike Weir and Tim Clark 3 and 2.

It was definitely a good start for the U.S., and these kind of events are always intriguing from start to finish. It should be another day full of suspense tomorrow, and I would expect both teams to play some good golf.

Have a great night everyone!

After a good round yesterday, there was little doubt that Tiger Woods would make his way towards the top of the leaderboard today. Tiger is your leader after two rounds at the Tour Championship, and looks to have all the confidence in the world heading into the weekend.

But Woods’ lead isn’t as large as he may want, as Padraig Harrington and Sean O’Hair are both at 4-under par for the championship. Paddy and Tiger will be paired again tomorrow, so it should make for lots of excitement at East Lake, as these two tend to bring out the best in each other in the final rounds of golf tournaments.

Ernie Els also had a great second round, shooting a 4-under 66, which moves him to 3-under for the tournament.

Kenny Perry rebounded from a 72 yesterday to shoot 66 today, which puts him at 2-under, along with Jerry Kelly.

And after a tough start yesterday, Phil Mickelson has at least put himself into contention after shooting a 66 today, and currently sits at even par heading into the weekend.

You can view the full leaderboard over at Golf.com.

Great day of golf, and we’ve got a ton of intrigue set up for the weekend. I love it when Tiger and Paddy play together on the weekend, so I can’t wait to see the action tomorrow. I believe that the tee times are being moved up tomorrow as well, as rain is suppose to head into Atlanta sometime during the day.

Have a great night everyone!

Picture Source

Well after a week off for the PGA, it’s time to kick things into high gear as the Tour Championship is upon us. Whether you like the whole playoff system or not, this will still be an exciting tournament, and will offer some suspense I’m sure.

Before we get started, here’s a look at all the scenarios this week. You might want to print that off as you’re watching the tournament. Things tend to get a little confusing.

But let’s not waste any more time, lets get right to predictions!

The Sleeper

I’m gonna go with Lucas Glover here. The guy has already won the U.S. Open this year, and he’s pretty much played steady golf all year long. He’s got to be able to hit greens in regulation, which is something I think he’ll do this week. Also, if he can adjust quickly to the new greens at East Lake, I think he’ll feel more comfortable heading into the weekend.

I think Glover has a great week, and should finish inside the top ten. So don’t be surprised if he is playing for the victory on Sunday.

The Contenders

Here are your Vegas odds for this week’s championship. As for my contenders, they don’t differ much at all, so here they are: Tiger Woods, Padraig Harrington, Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson, Zach Johnson, Steve Stricker, Retief Goosen, Geoff Ogilvy. Honorable mention: Ernie Els, Sean O’Hair.

Ok, as we always do, it’s elimination style to the finish.

As much as I like Goosen and his ability to hit the ball a long way, I can’t pick him this week. He has had a pretty steady year up until this point, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he has a good, strong finish this week. But his putting may give him problems, and that’s why I can’t see him winning.

Ogilvy is a guy that is due for a win. He played pretty well earlier on in the PGA season, and I would expect him to be in contention this week. Unfortunately for him though, there are a lot of other golfers playing better right now.

Stricker was red hot there for a while, and I’m sure he’ll play decent again this week. But he didn’t play particularly well at East Lake last season, and though I’m sure he’ll bounce back since he’s in contention for the FedEx Cup, I can’t pick him to win.

It would certainly be a great story if Mickelson could somehow win this thing. It would be a huge win for Phil, as he hasn’t played his best golf lately, but we can all understand why. Even if he doesn’t win this week, I would at least like to see him in contention on Sunday.

The Final Four – Woods, Harrington, Furyk, Johnson

Furyk played well at the BMW Championship, and I look for him to be contending for the championship this week. He doesn’t have to win this tournament to win the FedEx Cup trophy, so if he can at least have a top finish, he can give himself a chance to win the playoffs. Unfortunately though, this week’s winner will prevent him from doing that.

I really like Johnson this week, as I think he’s due for a big victory. If he could win this tournament, and take home of the FedEx Cup, it would be a huge accomplishment in his career. Sure, we don’t view the FedEx Cup in the same light that we view the majors, but if Johnson can win with these guys in the field, it would be a great achievement. He is a former Masters winner, so he’s certainly beaten the best before. All that being said, I don’t think he wins this week.

The Finals – Woods vs. Harrington

We’ve had a lot of Woods vs. Harrington finals here on predictions in the last few weeks, and I expect more of the same this week in Atlanta.

Aside from Woods’ dominating performances as of late, Harrington’s return to greatness has been the other big story in golf. Last year was Paddy’s year, this year is Tiger’s year.

But can Paddy spoil the fun for Tiger this week? He’s gotta be able to keep the ball in the fairway, and be able to putt the ball well if he wants to win. Oh, and he’s gotta stop having one hole that costs him the entire golf tournament. He can’t put up a snowman this week and expect to win.

Honestly though, can I really pick against Tiger? He’s the best, and he’ll play the best this week. I think the off week may have actually hurt his chances a little, since he played so well at the BMW, but he’ll get the job done this week.

Tiger Woods is your winner at East Lake, and he takes home the FedEx Cup trophy.

Who do you think wins this week in Atlanta?

SIDE NOTE: I wanted to shamelessly promote a new website I’m writing for. It’s called BlitzNation, and it’s a community for NFL fans. We just got the website going Sept. 1, so there’s still a few kinks to work out and we’re still working on finding writers for teams. We also have some pretty exciting contests each week, and give out a bunch of cool prizes.

Our focus is on things for the fan, by the fan. We talk about our favorite teams, and we don’t hold anything back when it comes to showing passion for them. So, if you’re a huge football fan or you think you would be an awesome sports blogger, head over to the site and check it out. There’s a “Blog For Us” link on the side of the page, so if you like what you see and think you have what it takes to help us turn this into a great community for NFL fans, then feel free to give it a shot.

Ok, enough self-promotion. Get ready for a great week of golf everyone!

Picture Source

16. Mike Weir
How he got here: Weir was consistently one of the better players on tour this year, not getting as much attention as maybe other former major champions. Weir had a second and third early in the season, but otherwise hasn’t made too much noise, other than a lot of solid finishes and only four missed cuts.

East Lake Prediction: I guess Weir could slip under the radar at an event like this, but I’m not sure. There are better options
Line to win: 60-1

15. David Toms
How he got here: Toms turned a less than stellar effort in 2008, into probably a top ten type season on the PGA Tour. Toms failed to convert solid play this year into a win, finishing second three times. He also made only one cut at a major if that matters.

East Lake Prediction: You have to give credit to Toms for his strong showing this year. However, you can’t discount last season or the fact that at 42 there is probably very little chance that Toms improves going forward.
Line to win: 60-1

14. Retief Goosen
How he got here: Goosen is almost identical to David Toms down to the age and former major champion and returning from a down year. Goosen, however, managed to win at the Transitions Championship, and almost won(lost in a playoff) at the Canadian Open.

East Lake Prediction: Goosen continues to be one of the most overrated players on Tour in my opinion. You are paying for a major championship and great play this season. The problem again, is that 2008 matters, too. I know I’ll be rooting for Goosen to finish DFL, but Steve Marino has to play a round on Friday, Saturday and Sunday so 29th sounds good.
Line to win: 55-1

13. Ernie Els
How he got here: Hard to say. Els only finished five times in the top-10 this season in stroke play and scored no wins. I guess a second place finish two weeks ago was good enough to sneak Els in at 22.

East Lake Prediction: Not much difference between Els and Goosen, other than Els has been stronger throughout his career than Goosen and he hasn’t made such a year-to-year jump. Still going forward, its hard to see such a prominent member of the “Big 5″(what a joke that was) having a better long term outlook than Goosen.
Line to win: 55-1

Didn’t get a chance to watch much of the action today, as college football got underway. I watch a whole lot of golf, but thought that I’d join in on the college football fever today and watch some games.

However, did see a little bit at TPC Boston, and saw enough to realize that Jim Furyk is playing very well right now. He and Sean O’Hair are your co-leaders after the second round, both at 12-under par.

Here’s the AP story recapping the day’s action. And you can check out the leaderboard over at Golf.com as well.

Scoring has been very low the first couple of days, so hopefully that trend will continue into tomorrow and Monday. It will have to be if Tiger Woods is going to catch up to the rest of the field. He shot 4-under today to stand at seven shots back, and will probably need to close that gap a little bit more tomorrow to have a chance in the final round.

Padraig Harrington also shot 4-under for the day, and is only four back heading into tomorrow. First-round leader Steve Stricker struggled mightily, and shot 1-over par, on again, what was a low scoring day for most of the field. He’s now at 7-under for the championship.

Phil Mickelson had a strong day, shooting 3-under, after shooting even par in yesterday’s round. Hopefully Phil can keep the momentum going in the final two rounds.

Some notables who missed the cut: Stewart Cink, Ryan Moore, Heath Slocum, Ian Poulter, Paul Goydos, Ernie Els.

Short recap today, but I’ll get a chance to catch more of the action tomorrow.

Have a great night everyone!

Tiger thinks the Ernster could buck up a little bit. (Image: SD Dirk)

Tiger Woods is rarely controversial. He’s kind of like the Derek Jeter or Peyton Manning of their respective sports. Clean cut. Nice guy. Sure, he has a temper on the course sometimes, but we write that off to competitiveness.

Today, Woods took a little heat for some comments he made about Ernie Els. Here’s what the world’s number one golfer had to say about Els, a multiple major champion and currently number 20 in the world, in regards to their knee injuries:

“I feel pretty good with what I’ve done, and I think Ernie (Els) could have worked a little bit harder. Ernie is not a big worker physically, and that’s one of the things you have to do with an ACL repair. But Ernie travels all around the world, more than any other golfer. He plays all over the place, and it’s harder for him. He is starting to put it together a little bit. We all know he’s got the talent, we’ve seen it. It’s just a matter of him getting the confidence in what he’s doing.”

I’m not sure if this is really that big of a deal, not near as big as some media outlets are making it. But it’s Tiger Woods and it’s going to make news, right?

The fact is, Els does travel a lot. And that will affect recovery from a knee injury. I think the lone regrettable line is “Ernie is not a big worker physically.” Maybe Woods would like to take that one back.

Ernie has been playing well recently. I’d love to see a showdown with him and Tiger at some point during the Fed Ex Playoffs. But the way Steve Stricker is playing, I think Strick may be the man.

The first round is over at the Deutsche Bank Championship, with several interesting storylines to follow heading into tomorrow.

Here’s a link to the AP story on today’s action. Also, here’s your current leaderboard heading into Saturday.

And now, here’s my thoughts on an eventful first day at TPC Boston:

- Any questions we had of Steve Stricker sort of falling off after the missed putt last week were quickly put to rest today. He has been one of the most consistent golfers in the PGA this season, as week in and week out, he’s usually towards the top of the leaderboard at some point in time. He’ll definitely be in the hunt the rest of the week.

- And how about Jim Furyk? We talked about the lackluster season he’s had in predictions yesterday, and he’s come out today firing on all cylinders. It was only a matter of time before he got back on track, but I’d say it took a little longer this year than he would have hoped. He’s one of the nice guys on the tour, so glad to see him play well in the first round.

- Now comes the Tiger Woods talk. He’s seven shots back at the moment, but we all know that’s nothing for him. Normally it takes him a few days to get accustomed to the course, and there’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll be in the hunt come Monday. Phil Mickelson isn’t far behind at even par for the tournament.

- My pick for the week, Sergio Garcia, is also at 1-under par for the tournament. C’mon Sergio, help me out a little here. Pull off a Tiger-like run up the leaderboard tomorrow. Please?

- Unfortunately, a day after Woods called him out for not working all that hard after knee surgery, Ernie Els had a bad round of 75, and currently stands at 4-over for the tournament. That puts him tied for 94th in a 100-man field. I was hoping that Ernie would continue to play well. And for the record, I think Tiger should have kept his mouth shut this time. The comment just didn’t need to be said.

- Last week’s winner at the Barclays, Heath Slocum, is only six shots back after a 69 today. He’ll certainly have to play as well as he did last week if he wants to go for two straight wins in the FedEx Cup playoffs.

- It’s also good to see Kenny Perry playing well again. I’m still upset about the loss at the Masters for him this year, as majors are so tough to win, and that was easily his best chance to do so. He hasn’t played great the last couple weeks, and I would love to see him make a charge up the leaderboard, and at least be in contention heading into the final round on Labor Day.

- Quick pick. Leader after the second round tomorrow? I’ll go with Retief Goosen.

That’s all for now. Let me hear your thoughts on the first round of action!

With the Labor Day weekend ahead for those in the states, golf is pushed back a day and things get started tomorrow at the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston.

Yesterday, I told you about my three sleeper picks for the tournament.

Today, we dive into full-on predictions for the weekend action. So without further ado, here are my predictions for the Deutsche Bank Championship:

The Sleeper

Of the three that I talked about yesterday, I really feel pretty confident in Nick Watney’s play this week. He was red hot to start the season, and now he’s starting to get a roll to finish the season.

Watney’s long drive has been a staple of his game, and with only three par 5’s this week, he’s got to take advantage of those holes and try to get on in two. If his iron play is spot-on, and he can keep things in the fairway, look for Watney to have a big weekend.

The Contenders

Here’s who I think are your contenders this week: Tiger Woods, Padraig Harrington, Ernie Els, Steve Stricker, Sergio Garcia, Vijay Singh, Jim Furyk, and Hunter Mahan. Honorable mention: Phil Mickelson, Retief Goosen. Here’s the current Vegas betting odds.

Elimination-style format once again this week, so let’s get to it.

I’ve had high hopes for Mahan over the last few weeks, even predicting him to have a showdown with Tiger last week at the Barclays. That didn’t happen, but he did finish tied for 20th at 2-under for the tournament. He’s been on fire lately, although none of that has translated into a win. He could be a surprise here, but in my opinion, he’ll have to settle for a top 15 finish.

Furyk is always a favorite this time of year, as he’s a veteran, and should at least be a possible pick in your mind. He finished tied for 15th last week, and a win here could wipe away what’s been a sub-par season for Furyk up until this point. I think he plays well again here, but not well enough to win.

Singh is another guy that is a big-time favorite this week, and why not? He won the FedEx Cup last year, and won this event in the process. But like Furyk, this hasn’t been Singh’s best year. He missed the cut last week, but did play well at the PGA. He’ll bounce back and have a good week, and I’d expect a good finish here.

Stricker has got to be the most picked guy to win tournaments this year, aside from Tiger. But there’s good reasoning behind that, as he’s having one of the best years of his career. He was a putt or two away from winning last week, and you can bet he’ll ride some of that momentum into this week. Could definitely see a top five for him again.

The Final Four – Woods, Harrington, Garcia, Els

I was really happy to see Els play so well last week. Ernie is clearly one of the good guys on tour, and he’s one of my favorite players. If I had to pick who I would want to see win this week, he’s easily my pick. But unfortunately, I see someone else taking that spot at TPC Boston.

And that guy won’t be Woods. Ever since I’ve been making these predictions, Tiger has at least made it to the final two. Not this time, as the putting has got me a little worried. Yes, the greens were very difficult last week at Liberty National. But remember, he didn’t putt well at Hazeltine either. So that’s a cause for concern in my mind. And of course, now that I say this, he’ll probably smoke the field this week.

The Finals – Harrington vs. Garcia

The perfect good guy vs. bad guy scenario here, as we’ve seen these two go at it plenty of times in the past, and I would like to see it happen again this week.

Both guys are playing some of their best golf right now, as both have had down seasons until the last few weeks or so. Harrington’s putting well again, and Sergio’s making big shots when he needs to (except for that whole Wyndham episode).

Golf is a lot better when these two are at the top of their game, and I think we’ll see that this week.

And although he may not be a popular pick, or popular in general, I’m taking Sergio Garcia to win the Deutsche Bank Championship.

He’s gotta get the best of Paddy sometime, right?

Let me hear your predictions for this week’s championship! Should be a great week of golf action!

It’s Monday, so let’s talk about the golf action that took place over the weekend at the Barclays in New Jersey.

Trading Places

So be honest, who really thought that Heath Slocum would be the one that would come out of the final round as the winner? He had four guys behind him that are all stars of the game, but yet Slocum hit the putt on 18 that I gave him no chance of hitting.

After he and Steve Stricker hit their tee shots into the bunker on the final hole, you just knew that Tiger Woods, Padraig Harrington, and Ernie Els were licking their chops, and getting ready for a playoff. I was pretty exciting at the prospect of seeing a Tiger-Paddy-Ernie-Stricker-Slocum playoff, as that would have made for some great drama and suspense.

But Slocum gave us that suspense anyways on that final putt, and shot down my hopes and dreams of seeing that star-studded playoff.

However, instead of blaming Slocum, maybe it’s Woods whose to blame. After all, did anyone expect him to miss that putt on 18? I thought for sure it would go in, but it never even had a chance. Roles were reversed yesterday at Liberty National, as Slocum was the one hitting a Tiger-like putt on the final hole, and locking up a huge win in the process.

All in all though, it was a dramatic Sunday, and very enjoyable to watch. Glad to see Paddy make a run towards the top of the leaderboard, as there’s no doubt in my mind that he has finally turned the corner, and is back to the Paddy of old.

Speaking of turning the corner, Els has been playing some great golf lately, and showed that again yesterday. Like Harrington, he’s a first-class guy, so I love it when those two are playing well. It makes the game a whole lot better. I think we’ll see both of those guys in contention this week at the Deutsche Bank Championship.

Is Shorter Better?

Another hot topic this week was the course itself. It seemed as though some players liked it, some players hated it. It’s safe to say that Tiger wasn’t shy about giving his feelings on the course. After the third round on Saturday, he commented on the “ladies tees,” and then after the final round yesterday, he talked about the tricky greens.

While I’m sure there were players that liked it, including Harrington, who called it a major course, Woods was obviously on the other side of the spectrum. I didn’t play the course, so I can’t make a judgment on whether or not is was fair. From a TV standpoint, there were times when the course looked good, and times when it looked a little odd.

It will probably take a few more tournaments on the course to really be able to gauge whether or not this can become a major destination. At first glance, this is a place that might not get much admiration, though it does have a unique setting. There will certainly be some tweaks here and there on the course, especially the greens, but we should probably reserve judgment on the course as a whole until we see another tournament there in the future.

Mass Confusion

Want to know how far Slocum moved up in the FedEx Cup standings after the win? How about 121 spots. Yes, that’s right. 121 spots. I believe a guy should certainly move up with a victory, but going from near the very bottom to near the very top after one win? I’m not sure about that.

Again, it’s clear that the PGA Tour wants us to buy into the whole “worst to first” mentality, and it showed just how accurate this can be after the win yesterday.

I would sit here and try to explain my position on this, but I simply don’t know how to, because this format makes no sense. So honestly, your guess is as good as mine when it comes to figuring out this whole playoff format.

Good luck.

Got a chance to watch most of the action today at Liberty National, as I’ve been under the weather the last couple of days, so I haven’t felt like doing much except for laying around and watching golf. So again, sorry if this post is short.

I definitely wasn’t let down today though, as Heath Slocum did the unthinkable, and sank a huge putt on the 18th hole to win the Barclays. And in the process, he held off the likes of Tiger Woods, Padraig Harrington, and Ernie Els to do so.

Here’s a link to the AP story.

It was good to see Els and Harrington both play well today, as they are two of my favorites on the tour. I thought for sure Slocum, along with Stricker, would both bogey the 18th, and we’d be dealing with a massive five-man playoff. Now that would have been exciting television. But Slocum did what he had to do to win, so my hats off to him.

Meanwhile, the LPGA had an exciting finish as well, as M.J. Hur won on the second hole of a playoff to defeat Suzann Pettersen and Michele Redman. Here’s the final leaderboard over at LPGA.com.

I’ll probably talk about things a little more in-depth tomorrow, so be looking for that.

Have a great night everyone!