It has been a wet and crazy weekend out on Long Island for many of the golfers and the fans. I was lucky enough to get a ticket to the Open on Saturday and made the trek out despite the threat of heavy rain and possible thunderstorms. Despite the bleak forecast, the weather held up nicely while I was there and only really started raining after a few golfers had started their third round. Even though the course was kept in pretty good condition, the part that was the worst was where the fans had to stay (which I guess is to be expected). Where there should have been grass, there were huge patches of mud that hay was hastily thrown over to prevent too much slipping. However this only made the smell worse and did little to prevent the mud pits from growing. Even though this was an inconvenience, it did little to make my experience anything less than the best tournament ever.
When I first arrived, my friends and I decided to go and try to see Tiger tee off at 10. This was a good idea, because it only got more and more crowded around Mr. Woods as the day progressed and he made his way back toward the clubhouse. In addition to seeing Tiger, we were also lucky enough to catch Padraig Harrington, Angel Cabrera, Vijay and Jeev Milkah Singh, Ian Poulter, Justin Leonard, and KJ Choi. As we waited near the tee box on ten, we were able to catch some of the early starters finishing their round on 9, which is where we saw Rocco Mediate hit a 45+ foot putt for a magnificent birdie. What was more astounding though, was the graciousness he showed to his adoring fans, who shouted out all kinds of encouragement to one of the favorites of the weekend.
Another fan favorite, Phil Mickelson started earlier than we were able to see, so we missed his actual round. However, while we were making our way back to the buses that would take us to the LIRR, we saw a crowd around the putting green. We made our way around the side to discover Phil putting 10 feet away from us! It was one of the most incredible moments of the tournament, because there was such a large crowd and Mickelson was loving the support he was getting. A guy next to me asked Phil what time he was teeing off (for the start of his third round) and he turned to the guy and started talking to him. Truly a nice guy, Phil was able to make a true fan out of me with his kindness and acceptance of the loud (and sometimes rowdy) New York crowd. Here is a picture that I was able to take with a phone that I snuck into the event.
First day coverage of the US Open was rained out after just about half of a day. The majority of the competition, including crowd favorite Phil Mickelson didn’t even make it out to play the first round of Thursday. What could only be explained as a Long Island Monsoon doused the course in water and made Bethpage Black look more like a municipal pool than a PGA tour golf course. On Friday most of the competition resumed or started their round to a course that was much drier due to the tireless work of the grounds crew. Not much news other than that, but enjoy this humorous video that I saw this morning on ESPN. Just an FYI, most New Yorkers do not talk this way (but the one’s that do, really do).
In another feel-good finish (what tournament hasn’t been lately) Brian Gay was able to secure victory in Memphis to earn a spot in this weekend’s US Open in Long Island. What did it for Gay was his superb putting, only 100 putts for the weekend. The fact that Gay does not crush the ball off the tee (he only averages about 265 on his drives) makes him rely heavily upon his short game. His great putting is only a by-product of a player that has discovered his type of game and is just starting to really find his niche.
Phil Mickelson wasn’t able to win the tournament this week, but he felt optimistic about playing Bethpage. In what should prove to be one of the best sporting events of the year so far, the US Open is already gathering all kinds of story lines, including these two: Gay coming off some hot play to compete in an event that he qualified for the week before and Mickelson playing despite his wife’s health and battling with the other big dogs (Tiger, Vijay, etc.). I know it’s only Monday but I am already excited for this weekend’s festivities, as is the rest of the golfing community. Right now, there are charity events going on at the Black course, one being a round played by Michael Jordan (who shot an amazing 86) with his caddy being Fred Couples. Look for more US Open news in the days to follow. Enjoy the pic of MJ and his buddy JT tearing it up on the links.
In his first competitive round since his wife’s diagnosis with breast cancer, Phil Mickelson returned to the tour today and played a supurb round. After shooting an erratic two under, Phil is currently four back of the leader, Brian Gay. Although he has dealt with a lot in the past month, Phil said it was good to get onto the course and take his mind off it for a while. It was also nice that he was paired with Padraig Harrington, who dealt with the death of his father from cancer in 2005. Phil was able to overcome one bad double bogey, but his start and finish, with two birdies on the final three holes, kept him in contention.
In other big news, Golf is trying to make itself an Olympic event. On Monday, official Golf ambassadors Annika Sorrenstam and Colin Montgomery, along with other members currently on the Tour, will present golf’s pitch before the International Olympic Committee. It is looking good for golf as the OIC is looking to take on two new sports for the 2016 games (and so on) and golf supposedly is the first in line. Other sports looking to gain a spot are baseball, karate, roller sports, rugby sevens, softball and squash. If all goes well we may be looking at a 72 hole tournament with three playoff holes to determine the medals after all is said and done. Who knows though with the IOC.
Today EA Sports released their new game Tiger Woods 10. Personally, I am excited for the latest installment of the TW series, as I am a huge golf fan. Many people might wonder what makes the game different from year to year, as the courses don’t change all that much. Well let me tell you what EA has done.
The big new changes include a partnership with the Weather Channel, that allows you to play in the conditions that are actually occurring. So if it is raining in Scotland, then your round at St. Andrews might be a little soggy. Also, conditions change during the round, just like in real life. Another change is the crowd that follows you wherever you go. There was always a meager crowd in previous games, now the developers promise a crowd that is three times as large. And what seems most important to the game is the new tournament feel the game gives. In addition to the larger and louder crowd, there are digital scoreboards, in game updates and reactions to other golfers, during the tournaments. There are also major tournaments, like the US Open for the first time in TWG.
Furthermore, the putting system has been revamped, allowing for a more realistic experience. Instead of the old clunky putting, the new system is smooth, just like real golf. If you are jerky in your motions, then your putting will suffer. This is even more pronounced on the Wii. The developers have really stepped up their game (no pun intended) on the Wii. Using the new, more sensitive Wii Motion Plus controller allows players to actually swing the club at an almost 1:1 ratio on the screen. Although this is really cool, I don’t know if I want to actually swing every single time when I’m playing a game, but maybe I’m just lazy. The launch trailer below is for the Wii (I especially like the frisbee golf minigame).
