Wow, A Controversial Point Made By Yours Truly

I wrote this for FanHaus, but thought it was worth your time at work. Check it out if you like, and if you think I'm an idiot, get in line.

The Bubba Watson Punch-Out Shot

Here is the video, thanks to the wonderful, exciting, non-blinking PGA Tour video center and barista.

Bad News For All Those Arron Oberholser Fans

Do you remember when we reported that Golfweek was the funniest magazine on the planet, eclipsing Mad and US Weekly?

Well, it appears that Arron Oberholser isn't the second-ranked golfer on the planet anymore.

Everyone's favorite runner-up, Oberholser, has dropped to tenth in the rankings, despite the fact that he hasn't had a top-10 this season and just missed the cut in this week's Buick Open.

Oberholser is still ranked above Vijay Singh (8th in FedEx Cup points), Justin Leonard (one win this season), and Boo Weekley (also a victory in '08).

Yep, those Golfweek rankings -- true as an Augusta National five-footer.

Perry to Skip British Open in Hopes of Making Ryder Cup, Confuses Me

As was reported one post ago, Kenny Perry won the Buick Open yesterday for his second win in his last four starts.

Perry has announced that his main goal of 2008 is to make the U.S. Ryder Cup team, a feat that is becoming more and more secure with ever week he raises the trophy. The top nine golfers will play for Paul Azinger's squad in September, and even before his victory on Sunday, Perry was sixth in points (which is really fifth since Tiger Woods is out with a knee).

Why should you care about all this?

Well, Perry said he's skipping his second major in a row, the British Open, in hopes of another solid finish in a tournament he's had some success at his his career, the Greater Milwaukee Open. The whole point of this ditching majors for top finishes is to gain more Ryder Cup points, blah blah blah.

My thing is, the guy is going to be in the top five with this win, and the way he's hitting it, probably isn't going to go on some sort of a missed cut streak or anything. He's definitely a top-10 American golfer these days and anyone that is as passionate as he is about making the team probably would land a Captain's Pick if he had some troubles over the next month or so.

The other thing -- in his last four appearances at the British, Perry has one missed cut and three top-16 finishes. Why wouldn't he take a chance with that record?

I guess I just don't approve of this because the British is my favorite major with the most history and takes the largest amount of golf talent to win. I think you have to hit every shot in the book at British Open venues and have a kind spot in my heart for Scotland and England because, well, this. (Yes, that was a popped collar, I have no comeback, fire away all you want.)

This idea will probably work out best for Perry and I could see him winning the Greater Milwaukee for the second time in his career (2003), I just wish he'd take the opportunity to fly across the pond and beat balls with the best. It's the Claret Jug for Christ's sake.

Kenny Perry, Way Better at Being Almost 48 Than Most People

You have to stand back in awe of a guy like Kenny Perry.

The dude is 48, won his first PGA Tour event in 1991 and swings like a man trying to raise a flag on a flagpole. Today he beat out the longest hitter on tour and the guy that whacked himself in the head with his putter and hit a shot while falling into a pond. Oh, and that same guy dresses like this.

Anyway, Bubba Watson did make it extremely interesting on the 18th hole, pushing his drive "Mickelson-Winged Foot" left before pulling off a bananas punch-cut shot to 11 feet for a birdie and a spot in the playoff with Perry. Right before he hit his putt, CBS decided they'd go with one of the following two ideas -- grab a Bubba Watson voodoo doll and stab it in the arm and leg right as he's swinging the putter back or show a graphic that said "Watson's longest putt made today - 9 feet." I thought that sure was a nice way of jinxing him back to the days before pink shafts were created.

Also, it sure was nice of previously mentioned Woody Austin to three-putt his last two holes to lose by a shot to Perry. I know, I know, on the 18th hole he was technically "off the green" on his first putt, but come on, the dude smoked it so far by the hole I had third grade putt-putt flashbacks. What the hell was that?

All of this is not to take away from Perry, who shot a final round 66 that included an eagle on the par-4 14th hole. It's his second victory of the year, joining Phil Mickelson (2) and Sam's dad (4) as the only multiple winners this season. Also, the victory put him third on the FedEx Cup point list and barring a bad case of the shingles, he'll be a solid member of the American Ryder Cup team.

This is your Tiger-less PGA Tour boys. Kenny Perry, our new dominant daddy.

Awesome photo courtesy of The Flint Journal / Steve Jessmore

Bubba Watson Just Hit The Shot of the Tourney

If you're watching the Buick Open right now, the Bubba Watson punch-out shot on 18 to 15 feet was absolutely incredible. If you're not watching it, clue in right now to see the highlight.

UPDATE: OH, AND BUBBA DIDN'T MAKE THE PUTT FROM 11 FEET. KENNY PERRY, YOUR 2008 BUICK OPEN CHAMPION.

Paula Creamer is NOT Going to Win the Women's U.S. Open, Which Sucks

I got pretty excited yesterday (For the first time in my life) when watching the Women's U.S. Open and seeing Paula Creamer in the hunt for the major championship, just one shot back.

In the final group today, Creamer made a double-bogey on her second and ninth holes, dropping her out of contention, even with the most pink on you've ever seen in your entire life.

Paula is one of those ladies that can really get the LPGA Tour some credibility, mostly for her "Cuteness" and some for her golf. It isn't going to happen this week, but you have to root for someone that can seriously play golf with a pink ball.

Photo courtesy of ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP Thanks Roslan!

Woody Austin Has Really Attractive Shirts

What do you think about this shirt? I'm serious. I'd like to know if you like it or not, so drop your opinion in comments. I think it looks like the Lincoln Memorial got sick and threw up this shirt, but that's just me.

Photo Credit Gregory Shamus, the always awesome Getty Images

Michelle Wie Isn't Having Much Fun Anymore

In case you don't pay attention to women's golf, Michelle Wie isnt' as good as she used to be. Not at all. Not even close.

After qualifying for the Women's U.S. Open, Wie shot a first round 81 that included a 9 on her ninth hole of the day.

Needless to say, she just missed the cut after a second round 75 and is appears now might have to seriously consider Q-School, something that would have been absolutely absurd to think two years ago.

Exemptions started pouring in after that, and Wie brought so much excitement to the LPGA Tour that rules were changed to allow her to play as often as possible. Instead of a minimum six exemptions, the LPGA stopped counting the U.S. Women's Open and Women's British Open against her limit. The LPGA Championship made an exception in 2004 for a leading amateur -- Wie.

She remains one of the biggest attractions in women's golf. There is no shortage of tournaments that would love to have her. Why not spend another year taking exemptions?

"This is no longer the right time for that," B.J. Wie said. "That was for high school, not college. We extended that one year because of the injuries."

It's pretty amazing to think that a golfer once looked at as the female Tiger Woods is having such a hard time on the LPGA Tour that she's going to have to go through the grind of Q-School. Shit, she was trying to play on the PGA Tour at one point.

With all the stuff going on in her life right now (Stanford, millions of dollars, the goofy Lopez twin) it might be good for her to take some time away from the game and figure it all out. There is no point in constantly missing cuts and having people forget about you. If she's grinding it out on the Futures Tour in a year, I will abandon all previous certainties in life.

PGATour.com Has Video, and It's Almost As Annoying As ESPN

I just got an Apple Macbook the other day (you know, with the platters of money Blogspot pays) and it's actually a new one with features like "not crashing every six seconds" and "being able to open pages without freezing." Technology, it blows me away sometime.

Anyway, I now have the ability to have video pop up on my screen without me asking, which goes on over at ESPN even if I'm sleeping, but most don't know they have the same type thing on PGATour.com as well.

Yep, they have video like this one right here.

Now, I'm with the group that finds it slightly pointless to critique other journalists work, but come on, someone has to say something about this video, right?

First, it just appears like a canker sore without clicking anything at all, and then you have this blond girl, who is pretty smoking, but shakes her head and eyes and her hair and everything so much she'd break a Richter Scale. Plus, and I'm not positive on this, but I guess it's a rule at PGATour.com broadcasting school that the use of a "pause" or "period" is outdated. Win McMurry, no worries, I'm blaming the damn Teleprompter operators!

Anyway, if you ever wanted to get busted at work checking golf scores, click on PGATour.com and have your volume on about six. The boss will hear it no matter what part of the office he or she is in.

(To be honest, it's nice to have a video around that recaps golf, even if every time I watch it I'm reminded to take my Ritalin. I think you're cute Win and doing a lot more with your journalism degree than I, so just smile (and blink, a lot).)

A Farewell of Sorts, To Our Godfather Mr. Leitch

People all over the internets are losing a good friend as Mr. Will Leitch is leaving us today for a job that probably won't include as many dick jokes.

I was working an Arizona basketball game, reading a Bill Simmons column, when a freelance writer for, who else, ESPN told me to check out this hip new website (it's the only time in my entire life I had the hip information to hand out to my other sports obsessed friends).

I was 21 and had no clue what a blog really was, even though I found myself sometimes using that word in jokes. ("Oh, nice golf shot, you should blog about that!")

Little did I know that Deadspin would become my homepage, a place I'd visit so frequently I'm almost positive Leitch should just send me the check from Coors Light for all that flash advertising.

I read the website, noticed that nobody really cared about golf, and ended up doing major championship previews for Deadspin, along with some random Arizona basketball stuff. It wouldn't have happened if Leitch hadn't been the nice guy he is, and it gave me an opportunity to scream my blogger voice to more people than I would ever reach alone.

(You can find all that stuff on Deadspin that I've knocked out here if you're interested.)

People have said it much better than I, but for a college graduate that wanted so badly to continue writing, Deadspin was that little light-bulb that popped up above my head. "Hey, maybe I could do something like this?"

Like thousands of other people that would rather search the internet and read funny shit than do their jobs, Will was a friend to me. Without Deadspin I would probably be to the point that every witty comment I came up with would be scribbled on my mirror a la "Good Will Hunting."

Good Luck Mr. Leitch, I hope everything continues to go smoothly for you, Sir. The world's a bitch, but your time with all of us has made it that much better. You will be missed.

Just Like When I was 14

You know, it's pretty amazing when you see how young these damn LPGA golfers are. Yesterday, 14-year-old Victoria Tanco made an eagle on the ninth hole, the same hole Michelle Wie made a 9 on.

The youngster shot a first round 74 and is within the cut line as of now. The clip is really better viewed on mute, because whoever the "Sportscenter" anchor is doing the highlight knows as much about golf as she does about, well, spin.

Just Two Weeks Ago...

As we went to bed two weeks ago, the buzz of Tiger-Phil-Adam Scott were dancing in our head like we were on a Red Bull high.

It is almost amazing to think that on Thursday two weeks ago, Tiger was making an absolute mockery of the first hole at Torrey Pines. I found this video of Tiger and thought it was amazing to think that his first hole of the U.S. Open was an extremely sloppy double-bogey. Phil Mickelson was actually beating Tiger after the first 18 holes of the season's second major, and people were starting to buzz about Lefty's realistic chance at this. Guess what, it didn't happen. Oh, and Tiger won.

Damn Strippers, Always Getting in the Way

You know, there has never been a story that involved strippers and youth golfers that wasn't at least a touch entertaining.

Can I get a ticket to the event next year, Shotgun Willies?

Golf IS NOT A SPORT!

You know, after knocking out the rebuttle yesterday to the constant argument if golf is a sport or not, I've come to the conclusion that I don't believe golf is a sport either.

I know, I know, you come here to feel comfortable about golf, thinking that when you sign on to DTCC, people are accepting of your hobby obsessions. NO MORE! We will not sit here and accept the fact that grown men, WITH CHILDREN, go out all weekend and hit a round ball around a green field that would be better for parks or flag football or corn.

Have you seen what golfers look like? This is what a golfer looks like, not this.

Tell me this -- what "sport" allows someone to have a person carry their bag, even if the entire thing is a four or five mile walk? Walking is for WIMPS! Like my buddy Ryan Wilson told me once, golfing is like hiking only less athletic and at least with hiking there's a chance you get mauled by a bear. Right on, golf courses NEVER have animals that could kill you around the playing surfaces!

You know what else? Golf isn't in the Olympics. The Olympiad was designed to test only the best athletics, and it continues to do that. Sure, Table Tennis (why don't they just call it Ping-Pong like everyone else) is an Olympic sport, as is Trampoline, but you break a sweat with these sports. In golf, you NEVER sweat!

I'm sick and tired of all these people arguing that a game where you hit a ball that isn't even moving could be considered equivalent to a baseball or basketball player. Hitting a golf ball is the easiest thing in the world. It really is!

Golf ambassador and potential Augusta National chairperson Michael Lewis argues that,"For instance, the huge sums paid to real athletes, from real sports, to play golf. The appearance fees that any recently retired jock can earn by playing a round of golf with businesspeople is, on the face of it, bizarre."

You know why they pay these "real athletes" money to play with the business people? Because these guys can master any sport. Look at Charles Barkley. The dude was the MVP of the NBA in 1993, made 11 All-Star teams, is one of the 50 Greatest Players of All-Time and after basketball, decided to wimp down a touch and take up a really dumb, pointless hobby like golf. I guess he didn't have anything else to conquer on the NBA level. Look at this guy's swing!!! Athlete alert, Athlete alert, Athlete alert! Regular golfers salivate at such a beautiful combination of motion. Could you imagine if you were a professional athlete and decided to take up this sport? You'd be the best golfer ON THE PLANET!

Hold on a second, Deloitte just called and they need an ex-pro to complete their business foursome and STAT!

Lewis wrote one of my favorite novels, Moneyball, which is one of the most important baseball books of our generation, and let me tell you, if there is a sport that breaths athleticism, it's baseball damnit!

Say what you want about your precious 18-hole affair, but you don't see any grandmas out on the gridiron come Sunday waiting to get in a few snaps while Peyton Manning drinks an Arnold Palmer and throws down a Club Sandwich with fries. You aren't seeing Fred, the accountant down the hall, posting up Tim Duncan as Duncan struggles to catch his breath.

Golf is a dumb game. You have to account for wind direction, golf course set-up, the pace of the greens, the lie you have in the fairway, how much mud is on your ball, the stance you're taking, the angle to the flag, break, sand, water, noise, and most of all, nerves. You have to make a swing that could reach 120 MPH (even a centimeter off could produce a shank or toe-hook), hit a ball 300 yards down a fairway not 20 yards wide, and keep all that information I previously stated out of your head. A tennis serve? A fast-ball down the middle? An extra-point? All of these things are TONS easier than hitting fairways or greens or making a 20-footers for birdie on the last hole to win. Pussies, why don't you take up knitting or spoon collecting? Honestly, my stamp collection just emailed me and needs a new nerd.

Guys, get off your ass and play a real sport. You know, one you can hurt yourself doing.

Those Guys at Golfweek Are Such Jokesters

When I used to write college golf, one of the websites I'd check the most is Golfweek.

The reasoning behind this is because Golfweek has what they call the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index which rates golfers of all levels (amateur, college, pro) in some complicated system I never understood because numbers scare me like "Scream 2" or purple Skittles.

Anyway, it appears that the system I put all my trust in during college has been a huge scam this entire time.

The Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index ranked the PGA Tour on June 22 and here are the top-5 golfers, in order.


1. Tiger Woods
2. Aaron Oberholser
3. Kenny Perry
4. Phil Mickelson
5. Stewart Cink


Wait, whaaaaaaaaaaaaaa? Tiger and then Aaron Fucking Oberholser?

I was a touch confused at this, so I decided to investigate Mr. Oberholser's record this year. I thought, "Hey, maybe the kid has a bunch of top-10s and I just haven't been paying that much attention." I've been wrong more than most in my life, right?

It appears our boy has only played in six tournaments this season and carded just two top-25s. Also, he's 163rd on the FedEx Cup Point system.

Since Tiger has only played in six tournaments this year, I'm going to assume playing in just six tournaments a year makes Golfweek see you as the best golfer ever.

I played six rounds last week and they sent me a free subscription!

Honestly, if anyone has any idea how this is legit, let me know. I'm pretty sure if I had a number system that had Aaron Oberholser as my number two golfer in the world, I'd just lie.

Gene Wojciechowski Makes Me Laugh

Here is the lead to Wojo's solid article about watching Lorena Ochoa this week if you're missing you some Tiger Woods.

Don't know if you've noticed, but there's another Tiger Woods out on the Tour. Except this one is 5-foot-6 and wears a bra.

I'm sure, in hands with my last post, we'll be getting some sort of obligatory, "Well, a lot of these men golfers wear bras too" comment that will have me punching the screen of my laptop.

Are We Really Going to Play this "Is Golf A Sport" Card Again

As I keep reading and hearing this "is golf a sport" argument, I am starting to feel like Will Leitch during any of these "bloggers blog from their mom's basement" remarks that continue to find themselves in the output of the MSM.

As Leitch put it, "Seriously: We don't even have the energy to summon much outrage here."

No matter, I think it's worth bringing up since two "prestigious" sports journalists wrote here and here that golf isn't a sport.

You know, fine. If you believe golf isn't a sport, fine. I'm a man and steak isn't my favorite food. Also, I own all the seasons of "Friends." Yep, nobody fits the mold exactly and I understand this.

My big problem with this argument is simple -- if golf isn't a sport, why are you, a sports writer, taking the time to type away about it? Wouldn't that be like the Weather Channel giving me stock tips?

Listen, golf is full of lazy fucks, I understand that. Guys like John Daly and Lumpy and Carl Pettersson don't exactly scream "burning calories" while playing 18 holes, but those are now the minority.

Look here or here or even here.

The arguments against golfers are stale. "They only walk!" "They don't make physical contact with anyone!" "They DRINK BEER!"

Michael Lewis runs with this point for a while in his article on Bloomberg:

See: Golfers play hurt!

See: You can even get hurt playing golf!!!

Well, you can get hurt playing darts, too. Or hiking. Bowling can be seriously hazardous, if you don't know what you're doing. Play with enough passion and you can even injure yourself in a spirited game of Monopoly. (I once cut my finger grabbing Park Place.)

I don't even know where to start. I know Lewis is a great writer, but can't this argument be made for every sport?

Would you find it absurd if the next time Drew Brees drops back and gets knocked out, I could whine, "What a WIMP! My nephew knocked himself off walking down stairs!"

Whatever, it's an argument that will never be resolved. People that don't like golf think it's a stupid game, people that love golf think it's a sport.

I guess if you've never really been in a pressure situation on the course and shoot 100 every time out, it's hard to understand how "sport" golf can really be.

That's really sad too because golf is an amazing sport to play.

One Tournament, One (Respetable) Winner

Just to update you, Tiger Woods is out for the season with some leg or knee or arm surgery that has every golf fan screaming for 1986 Masters highlights on a loop during regular birdie coverage (I'm down, if you guys want to show it).

No matter how worried you are about the immediate future of the tour, last week's Travelers Championship sure made it seem like we'll be alright.

Stewart Cink won, and Hunter Mahan finished second, so all we needed a John Daly sighting and Phil Mickelson carrying five versions of a three-wood to really get the media buzzing again.

Sure, after the five days of amazing U.S. Open coverage, it was probably hard for some to sit on the couch watching a bunch of "eh" people play, but it turned out to be amazing golf with some ridiculously low scores.

The bonus is obviously that Cink and Mahan, two players that can pull a few viewers, had solid weeks and Vijah Singh looked to wake up from a year-long hibernation.

The Buick Open is this week, a tournament that Tiger normally ditches anyway, so nothing new there. (Also, you know you're bigger than life when one of your title sponsors has a tournament in their name and you are allowed to ditch it...think KPMG would allow Mickelson the same privileges?)

I spoke of this at The FanHouse but I think it's worth bringing it up here -- can Tiger still be Player of the Year? If you have any opinion on the matter, leave it in comments.

British Open Favorite

Also, I wanted to note that I'm going ahead and picking Adam Scott to win the British Open.

That's right, Adam Scott. Royal Birkdale. One Month.

A Day After the Tiger News

It really is amazing news that Tiger Woods, Mr. Invincible, is going to be out of golf for nearly seven months. Of all the sports, golf is the one people dog as the softest, yet Woods went out and won the U.S. Open on what now seems to be one leg.

I loved Phil Mickelson quotes after finding out about Tiger's knee. Seriously, Mickelson is probably more passionate order Krispy Kremes a smoothie or asking the guy to fill up his gas tank.

Now we're hearing things like "Ernie Els is the favorite to win the British Open." Did you ever think you'd hear that sentence again? With Tiger out, we could be hearing a ton of stuff from sports experts and golf enthusiasts that are just as confused as the general public. Golf, once again, is going to become a free for all. It will allow golfers that never thought they'd have a chance with Woods in the field to pull out victories at signature events. I really believe it's time for the young guns to step it up. Check that article out about it.

Tiger Chat, 1 PM EST

Hello everyone, if you want to talk about the Tiger Woods injury and such clue in to our live chat over at FanHouse.

It should be interesting, and if it isn't, I'll try to dig up pictures of Elin rubbing lotion on Tiger's back or something.

BREAKING NEWS - Tiger Woods, Out for the Season

In extremely interesting and depressing news, Tiger Woods won't play the rest of the season.

The Golf Channel is reporting that Woods will need knee surgery to repair the knee that bothered him all U.S. Open long and will be out until 2009.

I am going to write a big piece on the effects of this, but want to get this up as soon as possible.

Sad day for the golf world, that's for sure.

Tiger is Better at Golf than Any Six of Your Friends (Combined)

It really has become a sickening act with Tiger Woods and a golf ball. He can move it like a Jedi Knight, spin it like a witch and boom it like a body-builder.

Not only can he do all that, but he does it with such perfection it is truly poetry in sports motion.

I wrote some things over at Fanhouse, including a a quick recap right after the playoff yesterday and a list of winners and losers from U.S. Open week I put together last night.

It was a damn special week and anyone that even just likes golf dresses enjoyed the battle between Rocco Mediate and Woods. If the British is anything like that, I might have to start taking heart medication.

Live Blog During the Playoff

Check it out, over at the Fanhouse.

Tiger, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE......

...hit an iron off the first tee today, ok?

Tiger's Putt, Ten Hours Later

I decided not to write anything about the Tiger Woods "birdie putt that was, that wasn't, THAT WAS!" until Monday morning to let it fully sink it.

I normally post things directly after they happen because that is what you do with news, you get it out as fast as possible so people can read your story first.

I thought with this, time might do it justice. See, I've watched Tiger Woods in just about every tournament he has played in, more for my obsession with golf than with Tiger. I like Tiger and think he's the best athlete in the world, golf be damned, but I normally try to be the one thinking of the whole field, not just one guy.

The putt yesterday changed all that. Words like "amazing" and "Dramatic" and "holy balls shit ass what the hell my head is hurting" just don't do it justice. You can't make that putt. Nobody makes that putt.

As I watched that golf tournament yesterday at my parent's house in East Texas, the whole time I got a different feel. Tiger wasn't charging. Some guy named Rocco Mediate wouldn't go away, like that thing you get in your eye that seems to be placed with Gorilla Glue. I watched and watched and the whole thing just felt different. Was this the tournament Tiger was going to lose? If so, does everything change now? Will he be leading majors Saturday night with the field actually thinking they had a chance, and not just in that "what we tell the media" way, but really thinking it?

I, ignorantly, thought so. I got myself believing Tiger might not pull this out. The anti-stars aligned on the 16th hole, when Tiger had hit a shot that, again, came up short. His chip shot, with the pin yanked, ran by five feet and I thought, "This is the tournament, miss this and even Tiger couldn't muster enough magic to birdie 17 and 18 or eagle the last. That would almost be illegal."

Tiger, of course, smoked that putt in the back of the cup and we had ourselves a good 'ol fashioned ballgame. After his second shot came up on 17, again, we had ourselves exactly what the USGA wanted, eagle to win, birdie to tie.

Lee Westwood's effort might be worth talking about, but not right now. Right now, it's Tiger.

He needed the fairway and found a fairway...bunker. He needed short grass and found grass, just long stuff that had the remnants of an old divot. He needed it close and it hit close, but not Tiger close. He wanted dead center and it found the center, but after a "Mickelson at the 2004 Masters" like lip catch.

It wasn't a typical day for Woods. He struggled with his knee, with the course, and once again a foe that seemed as likely as his loss. None of it added up in my Tiger Calculator, but the sum came up the same.

One guy, One Tiger, One more day.

Sex on a secluded beach in early June with two cold drinks and the winning Powerball ticket in your pocket doesn't get better than that. Tiger is why people scream and cry about sports. He is entertainment to the max. He is one man, making a sport more exciting than any other.

Nice putt Mr. Woods, I'm excited to get you for one more day. Do us well, ya hear? No point in getting everyone all hot and bothered for nothing.

Photo Credit:Chris O'Meara, AP

What to Expect From Day Two

The USGA was all excited about doing this "top-12 golfers together" thing, but it could backfire. Yesterday's afternoon conditions were very mild, and if the wind blows at all today in the afternoon, the Tiger Woods-Phil Mickelson-Adam Scott pairing will get the worst of Torrey Pines so far this week.

Sure, they will be battling the conditions together, but the whole point of this (and we all know it) was to land these guys the best conditions so they play well and boost television and interest ratings. I mean, pairing these guys was about ratings and that is it. The USGA doesn't really care who is paired together on Thursday and Friday, do they?

I like Ernie Els position right now. He is one-under for the tournament, two shots behind Justin "Won't Be Anywhere Close to the Leaderboard Tonight" Hicks and will be in the clubhouse before Tiger and Phil even hit their first tee shots.

Also, Luke Donald decided to show up to the party, two-under through seven holes and in second place. I'm convinced nobody is a favorite at the U.S. Open anymore because it plays so tough, and it all lies with who is hitting it the best that week AND gets the most breaks. A plugged ball here, a sunken lie there and you're done.

At days end I think four-under is leading. If you're bored and want to follow along with the mid-afternoon golf, check out my live blog over at Fanhouse. I will be firing it up at 2:30 Eastern from the Denver International Airport. Should be a good time for all, so check in and see what's new.

Tired, Hands Hurt, Neck Hurts, Please Check Out Why...

I can barely look at a computer screen right now because I, for some really idiotic reason, decided to do an extensive report over at the Fanhouse on every golfer in the damn field of the U.S. Open.

Yep, I thought it would be cool to have a little tidbit, either serious or funny, about all the golfers in the field, not knowing I'd have to find stuff on people like Robert Dinwiddie and John Ellis. Are you kidding me?

Anyway, please, for my sake, check it out so it isn't all for naught. If you look at it I bet you'll win the Powerball this weekend.

On the East Coast, It's Officially U.S. Open Week

Ladies and Gents (in the East Coast), get excited.

Summer is here, Boston won again and it's officially U.S. Open week which means knock out all your work in the next three days because ESPN has coverage of the tournament for like 23 hours out of the day (they have a "Tiger-nap" cam at night).

You might not love golf as much as I do, (ok, you probably like a littlegolf but this is going to be fun. Nobody knows how Tiger will play, if Mickelson can win or if some random guy is going to take it home like the last three years.

Woohoo, golfers unite. I'll take major championship number two please, thanks.

Leonard Wins, Immelman Almost Wins (Damn)

Justin Leonard won the Stanford St. Jude Classic Championship today, edging Robert Allenby and Trevor Immelman on the second playoff hole.

I hate to say it, but I was rooting pretty hard for Immelman.

The guy was a nobody before inexplicably winning the Masters in April and now he had a chance to pull a Zach Johnson and win a second tournament soon after your first major championship.

I like when guys like Immelman win stuff like this because it gets everyone off your back and you are way more comfortable on tour.

"Whew, now everyone knows me grabbing that green jacket wasn't some fluke and I won't be Todd Hamilton or something."

Also, not to keep talking about Immelman, but the man did birdie the last three holes to get in the playoff.

All the U.S. Open hullabaloo starts tomorrow, but I'm going to go ahead and say the winning score is even par and Phil Mickelson will be in the final group. If Tiger Woods wins this thing, I honestly will push the Senate to check this guy like he was an extra in "X-Men 4."

Some Might Consider This Dated....

...but, a buddy of mine that went to KU just posted a story on This Ordinary Day about Kansas winning the National Championship and what it meant to him.

Pretty good stuff....check it out.

Kinda Like You'd Expect

Boo Weekley is leading the Stanford St. Jude Classic as of now, knocking out a five-under 65.

I've always wondered what it would be like for Boo to win a major, but my hopes have always been that he'd win the Masters (for tradition) or the British (for confusion).

Mr. Weekley might not have the best grasp of today's world (ok, Larry the Cable guy makes this guy look brainless), but the dude sure can hit a ball these days and is right at the top after round one.

The other big names, Sergio Garcia, Kenny Perry and Vijay Singh, are all under par and in pretty good shape on a golf course that isn't yielding a ton of low scores.

A Big BrownJohn Daly sighting for all those excited to read those two words - Daly finished at two-over and is within the cut line as of now, which means you might get to see him on wonderful CBS HD at some point this weekend. Very exciting stuff.

Will Kenny Perry Win Again?

Kenny Perry has been on a little bit of a tear the past few weeks, and is focusing all of his attention on visors and making the Ryder Cup.

You can't blame him though - he's 47-years-old and has only made one Ryder Cup team, going 0-2 in that 2004 massacre.

Since he announced his intention to skip U.S. Open qualifying to play this week at the St. Jude and the weeks after Torrey Pines, he's become a more noble person to me.

Sure, every golfer worth his weight in Big Berthas has wanted to take home a major championship, but Perry is a little older and has one goal in mind - making the American team.

This week he has to be a favorite. He's riding a wave of momentum, he's hitting the ball really damn well and when he wins, he wins tournaments like this.

If you aren't proud of a guy like Perry deciding that his goal was the right goal and going with it, you might not totally understand the importance of representing your country. He has a chance to be on a Ryder Cup team in his home state - I couldn't think of anything sweeter.

Memorial Wrap, Some Links and Possibly a FREE IPOD!

Some things just catch your eye; Augusta to Tiger, the Memorial to Kenny Perry and that edgy-punk-but-kinda-sexy checkout girl at my local Whole Foods.

Perry, strange swing and all, hit all the shots in all the right places on Sunday, taking advantage of a leader that had never been in a PGA Tour winning position and a couple of others guys that decided Sunday was the best day to start hacking it around.

I recapped the tourney over at the Fanhouse along with my take on the J.B. Holmes not shaking hands with Jack Nicklaus moment that had a few people musing over the underlying meanings behind it (greens too hard, can't make putts).

Over on the LPGA, Karrie Webb nearly won her first tournament since 2006, but couldn't muster a par on the first playoff hole and lost to Seon Hwa Lee of Kilgore, Texas South Korea.

Any St. Andrews news is worth noting, as the U.S. Curtis Cup team won for the sixth straight time at the Old Course this weekend.

Hey, UCLA won another team title (this time in men's golf)! It is pretty crazy that with all the golfers in all the rounds of a huge tournament like the NCAAs, UCLA can beat Stanford by one freaking shot. I've been unlucky enough to play the Kampen Course at Purdue University, and let me tell you - those high scores are extremely justified. If you miss the fairway at that place, you might as well re-tee.

A pretty interesting stat I came up with because I was bored - the average age of PGA Tour winner this season is 32.67. That means, if numbers mean anything to you, Tiger Woods, who turned 32 in December, will be peaking this summer and his game will decline from 2009 on. Enjoy Tiger while you got him people. Also some age number crunching (not counting multiple winners) - nine winners in their 20s, nine in their 30s and only three in their 40s.

Ok, a free Ipod, "no catch."

Go Goggin!

You know, a PGA Tour event without any of the big names in the mix is like a Cabo San Lucas margarita without Petron.

I hate to be the guy that lessens what the leaders are doing, namely Matthew Goggin, but it's hard for most people to get excited about a tournament without a household name making tons of birdies.

Bottom line - Goggin took advantage of the best scoring conditions, banking on that first round 65 like Britney Spears does on tabloid checks (side note - Britney Spears in Google has three times the hits George Bush does and almost four times the hits Tiger Woods gets...pretty amazing from a girl that once wrote a song called "Email My Heart.")

Sometimes you have to get your cookies early, and Goggin is in the perfect position to land some solid Chocolate Chips. If you love the story of a guy that has bounced around on professional tour stops, pull for Goggin tomorrow. The Australian could really use this damn thing more than some of his competitors.