Tiger and Rory, the bald Eagle and the intimidator, the old man and the kid, the champ and the contender -- no matter how you look at it, the PGA Tour could not have scripted a more exciting FedEx Cup finale than the featured Woods-McIlroy showdown.
To our faithful Waggleroom.com readers,
I have been asked by SBNation.com's leadership to inform all of you that this blog, Waggleroom.com, will be fully transitioning to the SB Nation Golf section, effective immediately. (For real this time; I swear)
As a result of this transition, there will no longer be any new golf coverage found on Waggleroom. However, fresh new content from myself, Emily Kay, and the entire team of golf writers at SB Nation can be found daily in the general golf section.
The reasoning behind this transition is simple: we at SB Nation would like to focus on providing the highest quality of timely golf coverage possible, and keeping that content in one place is vital to achieving that goal. We realized that having two main golf blogs/sections dedicated to golf through the website became confusing at times, so this transition will hopefully clear things up for both writers and readers alike.
As a result, we ask that all former Waggleroom.com readers visit the SB Nation Golf section for up-to-the-minute golf coverage as we continue to work toward making that site the go-to destination for all your golf news.
On behalf of Charles, Emily and myself, I would like to thank all of our readers for your support, comments, FanPosts, and discussion throughout the years. As with any blog, your contributions helped make this a meeting ground for many readers to discuss the game we all know and love.
Hit'm straight,
Adam
Let's face it; most of us will never play golf well enough to win a tournament, or play on an amateur golf tour, let alone the PGA TOUR. Speaking for myself, playing golf has become less frequent over the years as other responsibilities have taken "golf-time" out of my week. When I do have the opportunity to go out and play a round of golf, I want to score well and have fun while doing it.
So basically, I want to score better than I do now despite being able to practice less. Makes a lot of sense, right? Not so much.
Many golf equipment manufacturers have pinpointed people like me to market their latest 'quick fix' products and are making a financial killing in the process. And why shouldn't they? After all, nobody really cares howyou got to break 100, 90, or 80 this past weekend. What's the harm in using a product that provides... a bit of a lift to your game?
Products like the Polara golf ball, for example, advertise that not only will they help keep your ball in the fairway, but you will enjoy the game of golf more in the end because of lower golf scores. Fun is a good thing last time anyone checked, and the folks at companies like Polara know how to market toward that cause.
But then that pesky little thing called a conscience sneaks up in the back of the player's mind. How in the world will you know if your golf game is improving if the equipment you use is literally designed to keep the ball in play? Golf is a game for gentlemen and ladies; who are we to sully tradition by using doo-hickeys and widgets that disallow our golf balls to find the bottom of a lake instead of the bottom of the cup? Golf's forefathers are spinning in their graves!
Yet... hold on just a second. What is really at stake here? Do I not have the right to the pursuit of golf happiness? Am I not inclined to spend my hard-earned money in healthy ways to make myself happy while playing a game I enjoy?
It is a question less of etiquette and more of personal preference. Nobody is going to jail because they used a 500cc driver, but they also aren't really improving their game by doing so, either.
What say you, fellow golf enthusiasts?
Seems like everyone is throwing their opinions around on Tiger Woods' swing trials and tribulations nowadays, including your's truly. Should he ditch swing coach Sean Foley? Should he go back to Butch Harmon or Hank Haney? Does he even need a swing coach at this point in his development? Everyone seems to have a thought, but nobody has the answer.
Not even Tiger himself, it seems.
Let's get something straight first: the only thing anyone would be missing out on if Tiger doesn't get his game back on a consistent track is seeing history by breaking Jack's major record. In order to do so, Woods really only has to win a handful of more tournaments in his career. He doesn't have to win every week, and nobody (besides Tiger) cares how many PGA TOUR victories he ends up with when he retires. Majors are the only thing that matter now.
So how does Tiger get back to his major-winning form? The talking heads have their theories.
Nick Faldo believes Tiger's confidence is completely shot despite having won at Bay Hill earlier this season. "The real bottom line is for me, (Woods) just doesn't have the self-belief, the self-confidence that he obviously had, the Tiger of old, simple as that," Faldo said during a recent media call prior to The Players Championship. Tiger didn't seem to like that very much, claiming that he found it "interesting, since (Faldo and others) aren't in my head".
Brandel Chamblee thinks Sean Foley is to blame for Tiger's swinging woes (no pun intended) and that a return to Butch Harmon is the answer: "Simply, he needs to fire Sean (Foley), call Butch (Harmon)," Chamblee said Tuesday during the same media call. "I think that would get it done right there."
Even Woods' long-time friend and mentor Mark O'Meara had a few thoughts on what he believes will benefit Tiger the most.
"I just think he needs to just play the game and quit over-thinking, quit over-reacting," O'Meara stated on Monday. "I think he's definitely got a lot on his plate and he needs to get out there and just play.
'I just don't know if he can ever dominate like he once did because...the intimidation factor's probably not as great as it once was,' O'Meara said about the perception that Woods' mere presence on the leader board would cause his opponents to wilt. 'I don't know if he'll ever get to where I think he could have gotten.'
At this point it appears that Tiger can do nothing right in the eyes of many despite maintaining a spoken confidence in himself during media events and prior to tournaments. His actions and body-language on the course may appear to contradict that confidence most of the time, but as Woods said himself, we're "not in his head".
Maybe being too much in his own head is the problem, afterall?
Phil Mickelson has been called a modern-day Arnold Palmer by many for his contributions to the game of golf both on and off the course. Last night, he joined two-time major champion Sandy Lyle of Scotland, writer Dan Jenkins, British player-turned-broadcaster Peter Alliss, and four-time LPGA major champion Hollis Stacy on stage as all were formally inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Unique to the sport, golf's Hall of Fame allows currently-competing players to be inducted (as was the case last year with Ernie Els, also). Mickelson is certainly still able to perform at an extremely high level and seems to be a favorite for any tournament he plays. He currently sits in the top-20 of the Official World Golf Rankings.
Mickelson's rise to greatness was the result of both highs and lows in his career, as the man himself acknowledged during his heartfelt induction speech last night in Florida. Every golf fan remembers the amazing shots he has crafted throughout his career - perhaps none more amazing than one particular effort at Augusta National - and even a few of the man's failures on the course. Regardless, Mickelson remains a fan-favorite for his charitable efforts, his attention to fans, and his unwavering ability to create spectacular golf memories more often than not.
On Monday night Mickelson shared a few stories about his family and how his children would react to various moments in his golf career:
There were memories of his oldest daughter born after the first of his record five runner-up finishes in the U.S. Open, the blonde curls of his second daughter, Sophia, whom he told, "Daddy won!" after his first major at the Masters. He told of the 2005 PGA Championship win, how son Evan was high-fiving the New Jersey state troopers.
However, the main topic of his speech was more on following one's dreams and allow one's self todream. Referring to his fellow-inductees on stage that evening, Mickelson stated, "They can attest that you can't start fulfilling your dreams until you dream big."
Indeed, Phil. You have dreamed bigger than most, and have succeed more than most in the process. Congratulations on an honor well-deserved.
Seems like everyone is throwing their opinions around regarding whether Augusta National should open their doors to female members. And when I say "everyone", I mean everyone. Next up? Billionaire investor Warren Buffett.
According to various sources, the 81-year old Buffett is all for allowing female members at Augusta National, saying he would have it no other way if he had a say in membership committee proceedings.
"I'm not telling the group at Augusta what to do, but if I were running the club I'd have plenty of women," Buffett said in an interview with Bloomberg Television.
"I might prefer having female members, but I'm not on the (membership) committee."
Warren, you old fox! We all know you would love to see the addition of female members donning the Green Jacket if you were in charge. Heck, that was never even a question with you, Mr. Buffett.
But in all seriousness, the dub-dub-dubya-bee has a point. Somebody just needs to knock some sense into Augusta Head Chairman Billy Payne first.
Is it really that big of a damn deal to allow female members, Billy? I mean really; what's the worst that can happen? A bunch of old coots frowning at you for allowing women into membership locker rooms and other club functions? Big flippin' deal. Those guys will get over it soon enough, or die of old age in the process.
Show off some of that southern gentleman charm, Billy, and do the right thing. If nothing else, you'll get some of the negative attention off your back for awhile.
Let's face it; the United States is still looking for a dominant golfer to stand up to the competition offered by some of Europe's best players. With his first PGA TOUR victory this afternoon at the Wells Fargo Championship, Rickie Fowler through his (orange) hat in the proverbial ring as a new hope for American golf.
Fowler accomplished his career milestone while in the midst of Europe's best, including superstar Rory McIlroy (who once again took over the top-spot in the Official World Golf Rankings with another strong finish). Fowler and McIlroy would ultimately face-off in a playoff to determine today's winner.
In his 67th start as a professional, Fowler was able to finally silence his critics while holding off one of the best players on the planet.
"It's a good feeling right now," Fowler said. "There's definitely some relief, satisfaction. I'm definitely happy. It's not a bad thing, winning. It's kind of fun.
"I definitely knew I was good enough, and it was just getting everything to come together and stay patient. It's been a wait, but I'm definitely still young, and hopefully this opens the door to many more. Obviously there were a lot of people that have doubted me or said I'll never win.
"So it's nice to kind of shut them up a little bit."
