Last week I made a post about Mickelson and his awful suit.  Comparing him to Shannon Sharp.  Well while watching the NFL pregame this week on CBS, guess who I saw wearing pretty much the identical suit?  Had to snap a pic with my phone.  I love being right, and God that is an ugly suit. At least he won the tournament!

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.

Well it looks like we’re going to be in for another showdown between the two greatest golfers in the world, as Phil Mickelson has taken the lead at the HSBC Champions. He currently has a two shot lead over Tiger Woods, who sits at 12-under for the tournament. Nick Watney is tied with Woods for the second spot as well.

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

Of course, it’s always great to see Phil play well. And it’s even better to see him play well when Tiger is towards the top as well. It always makes for an interesting final few rounds, and we are definitely in store for an excellent final round tomorrow….err, tonight.

That’s right, as of this writing (9:55 PM ET), final round action is underway. So if you want to stay up late and see who wins the event, you can do so by watching the Golf Channel. You can also follow the leaderboard over at Golf.com.

Should be an exciting final round!

After making three birdie’s in the last five holes Mickelson grabbed a 2 shot lead over co-leaders Tiger Woods and Nick Watney who are only two strokes back.

Mickelson had a really good scoring day making 3 birdie’s on the front and back nine. He made his second bogey of the week on he ninth hole but quickly swept it away with a run of birdie’s. This means the world’s leading players will tee it up on Sunday morning to give the tournament’s organisers their dream scenario in it’s first year with World Golf Championship status.

His round contrasted to that of Woods, who failed to get the putter going on the back nine as he came home in 36, making a welcome birdie at the 10th and failing to birdie either of the par fives.

Overnight leader Watney struggled with three birdies cancelled out by three dropped shots until he found the green with his second to the 18th, where he proceeded to hole a monster putt to secure his place in the final three-ball on Sunday.

Watney and Woods are one ahead of the chasers headed by Ryan Moore, who had little to shout about barring a chip-in eagle at the second and a birdie-birdie finish to record a 70 and remain within hailing distance of Mickelson. England’s Lee Westwood is a further two strokes back  after playing the round of the day with a (65) and looks to be leading the Race to Dubai after this week.

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.

As if you would expect anything different, Tiger Woods has managed to find his way to the top of the leaderboard after round two at the HSBC Champions. First round leader Nick Watney is also still at the top after shooting a 70 for the round.

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

I mean seriously, with Tiger only three back after yesterday, who didn’t think that he would grab the lead today. We sort of expected Watney to have a decent day, but we knew that Tiger would do something to make up his way towards the top.

And with Phil Mickelson playing well, and only one shot back heading into the weekend, it makes for another exciting showdown between the two.

Should be a great weekend of golf!

Nick Watney shot a course record-equalling 64 to open up a two-shot lead after the first round of the WGC-HSBC Champions event in Shanghai. The American who had won earlier the year at the Buick Open is currently at eight under par, two ahead of Race to Dubai leader Martin Kaymer and fellow countryman Ryan Moore. Tiger Woods played a steady 67 to be in a share of fifth place, three strokes behind the leader.

World number two Phil Mickelson shot a 69 just one stroke ahead of last weeks Volvo Match Play winner Ross Fisher. That’s the same score as Ernie Els, Camilo Villegas and Lee Westwood, but it was a disappointing opening day for Rory McIlroy who could do no better than 73 (one-over). This is not bad concidering Spain’s Sergio Garcia shot a (three-over) 75 and look well out of contention.

It was Watney who dominated the leaderboard through the day as he rolled in seven birdies and an eagle to make the early running. The 28-year-old, who started from the tenth tee, set the tone for the day by making birdie at his first two holes of the day. He then followed it by draining a 30-foot putt for eagle at the 14th and hit the turn at five-under after a further birdie at 15. His sizzling form continued on the front nine as he put together a run of four straight birdies from the first to move well clear of the field at nine-under.

That is where the fireworks ended, though, and after four pars he signed off on a sour note with a three-putt birdie at the ninth, his last, which denied him the opportunity to better the course record held by Woods and seven others.Despite that, the American remained upbeat, stating afterwards: “I played very well, I got off to a nice start. And the greens are so good that if you hit a putt on line, it’s definitely going to go in. “I was putting very well and I just tried to give myself as many chances as possible and I was able to make a few.”

For his part, Woods – who was followed by large and sometimes noisy galleries, mixed six birdies and just a single bogey.

Since Tiger Woods is playing this week, there’s a good chance that the HSBC Champions event has caught your attention a little bit. But there’s a surprising leader after round one, as Nick Watney shot a 64 for the first round, which tied a course record.

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

Watney has played well at times this season, and he’s the kind of guy that seems to accept the challenge of trying to take down the big boys. It’s definitely a great way to start the tournament for him, and tying a course record will certainly give you a little confidence heading into the weekend.

As for Tiger, he shot a 67 on the day, so he’s just fine right now. Of course, we’ve seen Tiger come from way, way back before, so no lead is safe against him. It’s just good to see him out there playing again, and I’m sure plenty of people will be tuning in to this event just to watch him for the first time since the Presidents Cup.

Paul Casey and Anthony Kim both shot 5-under as well, while Phil Mickelson is five shots back after shooting a 69. You can check out the full leaderboard over at Golf.com.

Should be a good week of golf! Have a great day everyone!

The PGA Tour’s version of the crappy BCS will not be changing in 2010.

Awesome!

I always have  a blast getting out the calculator during the Tour Championship to find out how many decimal points a missed four-foot putt will cost Phil Mickelson.

This is the first time since 2006 that the Tour hasn’t changed the points system. Apparently, the decision-makers didn’t even discuss changing the system at their board meetings this week.

The point system actually worked in 2009, but it still sucks. It’s an uninteresting way to end the season during a time in which the Tour is competing against the NFL and the MLB for viewers.

I’ll say it for the 9,000th time. The Fed Ex Cup needs a match play format.

I like Phil Mickelson a lot.  I think he’s great for the game and gets a bad rap from a lot of folks out there.  But seriously, will someone hire him a fashion consultant?  Take a look at this suit he’s got on in the picture below.  The huge fly out collar, the really big/bold pin stripe? It looks like he should be sitting next to Shannon Sharp doing the pre-game NFL report on Fox.

Between that suit and the shirts he wears for his rounds, which are non too flattering on his titties, somebody please help him.  I don’t know what Callaway is thinking shipping him shirts like that.

Although, it would be HYSTERICAL if it were. Read on….and you’ll understand:

Courtesy of Fox News…Fair, and Ballanced.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. —  Doug Barron, a 40-year-old journeyman who lost his tour card three years ago, became the first player to be suspended by the PGA Tour for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.

The American was immediately suspended for one year, the PGA Tour said Monday. He played eight full seasons on the tour, with his best finish a tie for third at the Byron Nelson Championship in 2006.

“I would like to apologize for any negative perception of the tour of its players resulting from my suspension,” Barron said in a statement released by the tour. “I want my fellow tour members and the fans to know that I did not intend to gain an unfair competitive advantage or enhance my performance while on tour.”

The tour announced the suspension about two hours before the World Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The tour said it would have no further comment, and Barron’s agent did not immediately return a call.

Under its doping policy, the tour announces a suspension but does not disclose what substance a player used. The tour did not start random testing until July 2008, which includes its second-tier Nationwide Tour.

Barron played a full Nationwide schedule last year, making only five cuts in 17 starts to earn $33,446. He played four times on the Nationwide Tour this year, and his lone PGA Tour start came at the St. Jude Classic, where he missed the cut.

The last time Barron made news was in 2006 at what is now the Transitions Championship outside Tampa, Florida, where he removed his shirt to play a shot out of the water on the 16th hole at Innisbrook. He exposed an ample belly on television, drawing jokes from players.

Barron’s most recent tournament was in September at the Mexico Open, co-sanctioned by the Nationwide Tour, where he missed the cut.

Okay, let’s think about this…I can see other sports having this problem, but GOLF??????????????

The only performance enhancing substance in Golf….comes on the Drink cart.  You get 4 or 5 Heineken’s in me, and I’m Phil Mickelson (Moobs and all).

I'm...too sexy for my shirt.

I’d say something about Tiger here…but he just might decide to kick my ass…

Augusta is hosting...the GUN show!

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.

Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009, marks the 10-year anniversary of the death of Payne Stewart. I am a huge professional golf fan, and no, I never met Payne. I wish I had. Obviously, I wish he was still with us, cracking jokes, chomping gum and stalking golf courses on Sundays with that trademark steely focus he made so famous at the 1999 U. S. Open at Pinehurst. More importantly, we all wish he was still around to be with his family. It’s hard to even imagine the pain wife Tracey and children Chelsea and Aaron have gone through these past 10 years.

Yes, it is hard to believe it was 10 years ago. It’s still hard to believe Payne is gone. The man had such an impact on so many lives, including mine. I freely admit I wasn’t much of a fan of his back in the early 1990s and late 1980s. He came across as cocky. But as he aged and matured, he kept that brash fervor and also incorporated the family side into his public persona. He almost became the best of both worlds – dedicated husband and family man along with having all the charm, charisma and fun-loving characteristics in both his personal and public lives.

Yes, his career was defined by the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst. Since I have been privileged enough to play Pinehurst No. 2 two times in my life, and since I seem to pull out that old tape I have of the 1999 Open just about every week, the tournament and venue hold a special bond with me. That tournament had everything – star power (Tiger Woods), drama (with Phil Mickelson and beeper) and redemption (Payne trying to atone for his 1998 heartbreak at the Open). The misty, 60-degree day in June set forth an eerie scene, yet the crowds were charged and the atmosphere electric. Watching the event on television gave you goose gumps, in fact.

The steely focus; the putt on No. 16. That sticks out in my mind almost more than the winning putt on No. 18. The gum chomping and the celebration. How about being able to stay in the moment, being able to recognize what Phil was going through, waiting for the birth of his first child? Payne had the self-discipline and values to talk directly to Phil about his coming baby just seconds after his dramatic winning putt. The post-round press conference on NBC; yes, I taped it all live and have all of that. It’s just an unbelievable set of memories. And just a few short months later he was gone.

There is no way to explain why. What happened with the plane? Why did this have to happen? And just a few short weeks after the United States won a scintillating Ryder Cup, with Stewart showing tremendous gestures of sportsmanship in his singles match with Colin Montgomerie, who was villified by the boisterous and unruly crowds. Many do not remember what happened there, with Stewart conceding a very long putt on the final hole and sticking up for Monty the whole way. That got lost in all the Justin Leonard-spectacle, the comeback, and the Ben Crenshaw prediction. I watched a special on Golf Channel the other night on Payne; and the Ryder Cup was included. Yes, tears were streaming down my face. Ten years later. Payne was truly a special individual.

Payne Stewart had style. He wasn’t boring at all. And yet he was, by all accounts, a tremendous husband and father to his children. He was able to keep his perspective, particularly in the latter years of his life. He was on top of his game, another major still possible. He was a dominant figure, one that somebody like even Tiger Woods would have to be intimidated by. Tiger had won only one major by the summer of 1999, remember. Tiger’s incredible run started at the PGA at Medinah that year, and his stranglehold on the golf world really came to the forefront in 2000, when he won three majors.

Payne was one player who, in his early 40’s, cast a shadow over the rest of the field. You simply had to pay attention to where he was at, and the win at Pinehurst, while seen as career-defining, could also have been seen as the start of a tremendous run of great golf and further contention in major championships. Sadly, we will never know. Tracey lost a husband, Aaron and Chelsea lost a father and the rest of us all lost a tremendous role model and champion for the ages.

We all still miss you Payne; and we will never forget what you meant to golf, your family and to life in general. Thanks for the memories.

Well it seems as though one of the future stars in the golfing world will be playing a lot more in the United States next season, as Rory McIlroy has committed to play the PGA schedule in 2010.

McIlroy certainly showed his potential at times this season, and really played some good golf overall in my opinion. He’s got a bright future and it’ll definitely be interesting to see how he fares with an entire PGA schedule.

Maybe we’ll see him get into some showdowns with guys like Tiger Woods, Padraig Harrington, and Phil Mickelson.

He seems to be confident in his game, so we’ll see how that translates for an entire year once 2010 rolls around.

There is no room in your mind for negative thoughts. The busier you keep yourself with the particulars of shot assessment and execution, the less chance your mind has to dwell on the emotional. This is sheer intensity.
– Jack Nicklaus