There seems to be quite a bit of commentary about whether or not Tiger Woods’ interview by Bill Macatee from CBS after his final round in The Masters should be perceived as rude and curt or whether it was just Tiger’s way of minimizing face time with the media. When Macatee asked if he was “back” after shooting a round of 67, Tiger’s response was “Yeah, I’m one back. We’ll see what happens.” So did Tiger misunderstand the question…interpreting it to be asking if he was ”behind” the leader? What was Mr. Macatee really asking? While some took Tiger’s response as being short and rude to the media, others simply saw it as a simple answer to a simple question. What’s your opinion?
Posts Tagged ‘Masters’
Was Tiger Rude at The Masters?
Wednesday, April 13th, 2011Who is Charl Schwartzel?
Monday, April 11th, 2011For anyone watching the final day of the Masters, you’ll recognize that name as the newest wearer of the coveted green jacket. He finished the final nail-biting round at Augusta National with a 66, giving him a 14-under-par total of 274. He created a new record for the Masters by scoring birdies on the 4 final holes, and led his closest rivals, Australians Jason Day and Adam Scott by 2 shots.
This was Schwartzel’s 2nd appearance at the Masters. He played at Augusta for the first time last year. Just prior to that, he was at Ernie Els’ Autism Golf Day and got the opportunity to speak with Jack Nicklaus about the famous course. They started talking about hunting then the conversation turned to chasing the little white ball. Schwartzel asked for some advice about the course and Nicklaus took him on a verbal tour of all 18 holes. I guess he heeded the advice!
Schwartzel (26) is from South Africa, where his family has a chicken farm outside Johannesburg. His Dad played with Ernie Els when Charl was very young. Charl was an affiliated member of the Fancourt foundation started by Els that helps young South African golfers, and Els considers Charl to be ‘like a little brother’. Schwartzel’s brother, Attie has also been bitten by the golf bug, and is a pro golfer on the South African Sunshine Tour.
Sunday was the 50th anniversary of fellow South African Gary Player’s Masters win, the first international player to win the prestigious title following a playoff round against Arnold Palmer. His father was a gold miner who played golf and encouraged Player to take up the game. Player was involved in other sports and wasn’t very enthusiastic about golf initially. Player competed for 52 Masters titles and won the green jacket 3 times. He was in Augusta for the Masters again this year.
In closing, I’ll leave you with a few things to ponder:
- For the first time in the history of the Masters the top three did not include an American
- For the first time since 1994, none of the 4 major titles are held by an American
- Seven of the top 10 finishers at the Masters were international players
Calling Masters Fans and Tiger Fans – New EA Sports Golf Game Released
Wednesday, March 30th, 2011Yesterday in North America, EA Sports released their newest golf game ‘Tiger Woods 12: The Masters’. For the first time, players can virtually play this famous Augusta course and see if their skills are up to par (pun intended). You can go directly to play the Masters course, but if you want to work for it, there’s a Career Mode option where you can earn your green jacket by playing through amateur tournaments, the Nationwide Tour, Q-School and the PGA Tour to the title of Masters Champion. And something new for this game … you have a caddie to provide help in deciding which club to use and how to play your stroke.
Golfweek gives this game ‘A solid 9 out of 10’ and notes that if you overplay your shot and hit a spectator, they now react to having a small white ball whack them in the head.
Mickelson Wins 3rd Masters for the Family
Monday, April 12th, 2010The 2010 Masters was one of the most exciting tournaments in years. Phil Mickelson was in his element and demonstrated his true talent by winning his third green jacket in the past six years. Mickelson played a phenominal tournament with 67 – 71 – 67 – 67 finishing at -16. Going into Round 3, he was 2 strokes off the lead, but on the back nine he showed his skill while holing an 8-footer for eagle at the 13th hole, a wedge from 141 yards for another at No. 14 and narrowly missing a third from 87 yards at No. 16 by inches resulting in another round of 67. “This is the way I expect to play, but … I haven’t played this way in a long time, and I feel great about my game,” Mickelson said. “I’m hitting a lot of good iron shots, driving the ball well, and feel very confident with the putter, even on some treacherous greens, and I’ve made a bunch of putts.”
Mickelson’s family’s presence at the Masters helped to make his winning extra special. His wife, Amy, and their three children joined him on the 18th hole on Sunday sharing in Phil’s victory. Amy Mickelson has been battling breast cancer for the better part of the past year and has not attended any of Phil’s tournaments since her diagnosis. “This has been a very special day and a very special week,” Mickelson said. “And to have Amy and my kids here to share it with, I can’t put into words. It just feels incredible, especially given what we’ve been through in the last year — to be able to share this kind of joy means a lot to us.”
Going into the Masters, Mickelson had not had a victory on the 2010 PGA Tour. The last time he went to the Masters without a seasonal victory was in 2003. This year was different. Despite all the publicity around Tiger Woods’ return to golf at the 2010 Masters, Phil did not let the Woods saga overshadow his phenominal performance during the past four days. Adored by the fans, Phil’s performance made them fall in love all over again. He’s not only personable but also a very talented golfer and the number 2 ranked golfer in the world. His 3rd Masters win was a heartfelt experience for not only Phil and his family, but also all that shared in the moment.
Micklelson has played in eighteen Masters Tournaments and has had 13 top 10 finishes. Here’s a look at Phil’s Masters performances:
| Year | To Par | Finish |
| 2009 | -9 | 5 |
| 2008 | -2 | T-5 |
| 2007 | +11 | T-24 |
| 2006 | -7 | 1 |
| 2005 | -3 | 10 |
| 2004 | -9 | 1 |
| 2003 | -5 | 3 |
| 2002 | -8 | 3 |
| 2001 | -13 | 3 |
| 2000 | -2 | T-7 |
| 1999 | -3 | T-6 |
| 1998 | -2 | T-12 |
| 1997 | +5 | Missed Cut |
| 1996 | -6 | 3 |
| 1995 | -8 | T-7 |
| 1993 | +3 | T-34 |
| 1991 | +2 | T-45 |
Not bad for a lefty! Congratulations to Phil for an outstanding Masters!
Posted by Marilyn Harris
Can Ernie Els Win the Masters?
Sunday, April 4th, 20102010 has proven to be Ernie Els come back year. He broke his 2 year winless streak by capturing the WGC Championship in Doral in March. Ernie then followed that victory when he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill two weeks later giving him his 18th PGA Tour victory (two 2010 starts and two wins).
Back in 2006, Els put together a 3-year plan…. his goal: To challenge the his American rival…the number one player in the world….Tiger Woods. According to Els’ website, in 2007, he is quoted as saying… “I see 2007 as the start of a three-year plan where I totally re-dedicate myself to the game. I want to win more majors and start giving Tiger a run for his money. If you look at where he is at the top of the rankings, it’s a big lead so no one is going to get near him any time soon. I’ve got to give myself a three-year stretch to try to approach him and I really believe I can do it.” Needless to say, his may have become a little to aggressive in his planning process. Three years have since passed and Tiger remains number one.
However, with Tiger not in the equation the first 3 months of the 2010 golf season, Ernie reminded us of his golfing finesse. The Big Easy (nicknamed for his physical stature and effortless swing) showed his true talent that we all admired when he was on his game in the late 90’s and the early 2000 years. Despite his efforts and his knee injury of 2005, his last major win was at the 2002 Masters. That was eight years ago. Fast forward to 2010…..a year full of endless stories about Tiger’s fall from fame due to his “transgressions” resulting in his decision to take an indefinite (4 month) leave from the game of golf. With his “indefinite” leave coming to an end, Tiger has elected to return to golf at the 2010 Masters in Augusta.
This week, Tiger and Els will go head to head at the Masters. This is the first time Tiger is playing professional golf since November 2009. How will he fare? Will emotions get in the way of his true talent? Can Els give him a run for it? Els has finished as runner-up in six majors over the years. And, most notably runner-up finishes to Tiger (more than any other professional golfer). However, Els has always been described as the golfer with the right game to beat Tiger in a major.
Els is playing every shot and every hole for what it is – like he did before. Els currently leads the FedEx Cup point system and has won two of the four PGA Tour pre-Masters tournaments. The last person to win two of the four tournaments and go on to win the Masters was Tiger Woods in 2002. Can Els recreate Tiger’s 2002 tournament play record and come home with the Green Jacket this year?
Let the golf games begin…..this year’s Masters will certainly prove to be one of the most exciting tournaments of the year!
Posted by Marilyn Harris
Tiger Woods’ Impact on the Golf Economy with his “Transgressions”
Wednesday, December 9th, 2009When this story first broke, it was the talk of the moment. No different than Dave Letterman a couple months back. Now most of us are saying Dave who????
Tiger’s transgressions. So now, we have all Googled transgressions to figure out what it means. And then we put two and two together and realized, he didn’t say transgression. He said transgressions – plural.
If there was one transgression while Tiger has been married over the past five years, that was more than likely forgivable. We Americans forgive virtually anything and everything. In fact, I felt the day after the story broke, had there been only one, everything would have been the same in a couple months. Tiger would be back on the course, winning tournaments. Maybe divorced, maybe not. But it wasn’t going to affect the golf world a whole heck of a lot.
Fast forward a week or so. Now we have the plural of transgression with no end in sight.
Here is the question. What impact does this have on the golf industry? And I am talking about the economic impact. Tiger has made a lot of people very rich since he came on the scene. The total purse for the Masters Tournament in 1997 was $2.7 million. He won that year earning $486k. This year Angel Carbera won earning $1.35 mil. Do you think Angel Cabrera would have had the opportunity to earn that amount of money had it not been for Tiger Woods? I don’t. Tiger’s impact on his fellow golfer’s pocket books has been huge. What happens now? Will Tiger come back strong – mind over matter – like he always has? Or will he fade away and impact his fellow golfers in a different way? Viewership is down when Tiger is not around. Galleries are lighter when Tiger is not around. That means money flowing away from golf.
Mike Greenberg of ESPN used the word “sad” to describe the Tiger Woods situation this morning. I agree. But I can’t help to think that the business revolved around golf is going to be sad too.
Submitted by Rod Snyder
Tiger Wins BMW and 71st Championship
Monday, September 14th, 2009The third leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs was a record setting event for Tiger Woods. He eased his way to his 71st PGA Championship win at the BMW Championship at Cog Hill. Tiger won with a 19 under for the tournament. After the first round he was tied for 5th with a 68 (-3). Round 2 he delivers a 67 to tie for first with Mark Wilson. Round 3 Tiger showed us why he’s number one as he makes every hole count with a course record of -9 for 62 and a 7 shot lead for the tournament. Imagine what he may have shot if he had not shot a bogey on the first hole!
In Round 4, Tiger maintained his lead for the win with a 67 (-4) regaining the number one position within the FedEx Cup point standings with 7,196 points. Steve Stricker remains number 2 in the standings with 5,692 points, followed by Jim Furyk with 3,108, Zack Johnson with 3,031 and Heath Slocum with 3,005. Despite the accumulated points, the FedEx Cup points are reset for the the top 30 players moving to the Tour Championship and fourth leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs. Here’s how the points tally up for the top five players…Woods – 2,500; Stricker – 2,250; Furyk – 2,000; Johnson – 1,800; and Slocum – 1,600.
The BMW Championship marks Tiger’s 71st PGA Championship over 14 years. Tiger’s focus is all about the win. Only two other golf legends have achieved more…. Jack Nicklaus had 73 wins over 25 years and Sam Snead 82 had wins over 30 years. Tiger continues to have his eye on his goal….to become the leader of all time in PGA victories!
To date Tiger’s championships include:
1. 1996 Las Vegas Invitational (-27)
2. 1996 Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic (-21)
3. 1997 Mercedes Championships (-14)
4. 1997 Masters (-18)
5. 1997 GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic (-17)
6. 1997 Motorola Western Open (-13)
7. 1998 BellSouth Classic (-17)
8. 1999 Buick Invitational (-22)
9. 1999 Memorial Tournament (-15)
10. 1999 Motorola Western Open (-15)
11. 1999 PGA Championship (-11)
12. 1999 World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational (-10)
13. 1999 National Car Rental Golf Classic/Disney (-17)
14. 1999 THE TOUR Championship (-15)
15. 1999 World Golf Championships-American Express Championship (-6)
16. 2000 Mercedes Championships (-16)
17. 2000 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (-15)
18. 2000 Bay Hill Invitational (-18)
19. 2000 Memorial Tournament (-19)
20. 2000 U.S. Open (-12)
21. 2000 British Open (-19)
22. 2000 PGA Championship (-18)
23. 2000 World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational (-21)
24. 2000 Bell Canadian Open (-22)
25. 2001 Bay Hill Invitational (-15)
26. 2001 THE PLAYERS Championship (-14)
27. 2001 Masters (-16)
28. 2001 Memorial Tournament (-17)
29. 2001 World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational (-12)
30. 2002 Bay Hill Invitational presented by Cooper Tires (-13)
31. 2002 Masters (-12)
32. 2002 U.S. Open (-3)
33. 2002 Buick Open (-17)
34. 2002 World Golf Championships-American Express Championship (-25)
35. 2003 Buick Invitational (-16)
36. 2003 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship (Match Play 2 and 1)
37. 2003 Bay Hill Invitational presented by Cooper Tires (-19)
38. 2003 100th Western Open presented by Golf Digest (-21)
39. 2003 World Golf Championships-American Express Championship (-6)
40. 2004 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship (Match Play 3 up)
41. 2005 Buick Invitational (-16)
42. 2005 Ford Championship at Doral (-24)
43. 2005 Masters (-12)
44. 2005 British Open (-14)
45. 2005 World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational (-6)
46. 2005 World Golf Championships-American Express Championship (-10)
47. 2006 Buick Invitational (-10)
48. 2006 Ford Championship at Doral (-20)
49. 2006 British Open (-18)
50. 2006 Buick Open (-24)
51. 2006 PGA Championship (-18)
52. 2006 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational (-10)
53. 2006 Deutsche Bank Championship (-16)
54. 2006 World Golf Championships-American Express Championship (-23)
55. 2007 Buick Invitational (-15)
56. 2007 World Golf Championships-CA Championship (-10)
57. 2007 Wachovia Championship (-13)
58. 2007 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational (-8)
59. 2007 PGA Championship (-8)
60. 2007 BMW Championship (-22)
61. 2007 THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola (-23)
62. 2008 Buick Invitational (-19)
63. 2008 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship (Match Play 1 up)
64. 2008 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard (-10)
65. 2008 U.S. Open (-1)
66. 2009 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard (-5)
67. 2009 the Memorial Tournament (-12)
68. 2009 AT&T National (-13)
69. 2009 Buick Open (-20)
70. 2009 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational (-12)
71. 2009 BMW Championship (-19)
Be sure to watch the upcoming Tour Championship to see if Tiger can clinch his second FedEx Cup title, his 72nd PGA title, and his 3rd Tour Championship. Will Tiger be able to repeat his “make every hole count” run for the win?
Posted by Marilyn Harris
