2012 Zurich Classic of New Orleans: Dufner Making a Charge

While first-round leaders Ken Duke and Cameron Tringale - "The Triangle" - have yet to tee-off Friday, Jason Dufner has surpassed the duo to take the lead at 9-under par in New Orleans.

Dufner started his morning with a birdie on the par-4 opening hole, followed by three consecutive birdies on holes five through seven. He is currently playing his back-nine for the second round, but history tells us that Dufner will likely remain towards the top of the leaderboard for the remainder of this week thanks to his hot start.

The Auburn alum has been playing quite well over the past few months, but Dufner continues to search for his first win on the PGA TOUR. He came close twice in 2011 - including a major - but lost both of his playoff matches (Waste Management Phoenix Open to Mark Wilson; PGA Championship to Keegan Bradley).

Dufner also made some noise early on in this year's Masters tournament but would ultimately fall to a tie for 24th place.

Speaking of Masters champions, Bubba Watson currently sits at 1-under par and will tee off a little later today. Watson is also the defending Zurich Classic champion and has his work cut out for him as tournament leaders are quickly approaching the 10-under par mark.

Bubba Watson Returns to Action

Tomorrow morning the PGA TOUR will tee off at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, and defending champion Bubba Watson will be the talk of the town as he competes for the first time following his Masters victory earlier this month.

Quick, cue the Overly-High Expectations Committee!

There's no doubt that all eyes will be on Watson when he tees off tomorrow, and rightfully so. The Rogue Golfer (which is a nickname I literally just made up for Bubba right now based on his lack of a swing coach and the fact that it is kind of difficult to think of a nickname for a guy named "Bubba") will continue to smash monster drives all over the golf course, work his golf ball around trees and over hills, and likely find himself in good position by week's end on the leaderboard. That's just how Bubba operates.

But it is important for golf fans to not lose sight of the fact that Bubba is a risk-taker, and he didn't win the Masters by playing it safe. In fact, he hasn't won anything on a golf course by playing it safe, so let's not be surprised if and when we see an odd shot by Watson sail into the woods or into a hazard. Again, that's just how he operates.

The spotlight is nothing new for the man from Baghdad, Florida. He has won TOUR events in the past, he's made a fool out of himself (in a good way) on YouTube, and he has begun starring in PING commercials that showcase his... um... skills as an actor. Bubba is a man who loves to have a good time when all eyes are on him, which is a far cry from his past anger management issues and poor attitude.

But he has never been in a spotlight this bright before. After all, he is now the only man who has a chance at winning the Grand Slam this year (which is highly unlikely to happen, but who would be surprised if it did?). Furthermore, American golf is yearning, begging, pleading for a new top-golfer to lead the United States in this country's uphill battle to match talents and accolades with our neighbors across the pond.

A lot is resting on the shoulders of Bubba, but I couldn't think of a better player to handle all the pressure.

Just Kidding! Posts to Resume Shortly

Remember that time I said I was leaving to only work on SB Nation's golf section? Well, communication lines got crossed a bit and your friend Adam got himself all sorts of confused. So what does that mean?

Golf thoughts and other ramblings will continue to be posted here on Waggleroom from yours truly and the other writers! I know you are all incredibly excited to hear that news. Please, hold your applause.

Anyway, sorry for the confusion. You can still check out content from me and Emily over at SB Nation's golf section in addition to other content found on Waggleroom.

PGA TOUR & Appearance Fees: What Say You?

Earlier this morning I posted a story on the SB Nation golf section that involved a brief opinion on appearance fees for professional golfers at the sponsor's discretion. In that article I wrote:

A funny thing happened this past weekend on the PGA TOUR: Ben Curtis, winless since 2006, won an event where he very well could have been one of the bigger names in the field. That's right; Ben "I Almost Lost My TOUR Card" Curtis was one of a few standouts at the Valero Texas Open.

Meanwhile, Lee Westwood, the third-ranked player in the world, successfully defended his title at the Indonesian Masters, a tournament he likely would not have even played in had it not been for the appearance fee he was paid to attend. As a result, the Indonesian Masters became a strong ratings competitor to the Valero Texas Open, all because of one name golf fans everywhere recognize.

Now there is definitely more to the offering of "appearance fees" than what I lead on in the above excerpt, but the question remains the same: why doesn't the PGA TOUR allow for appearance fees?

ESPN.com's Bob Harig also chimed in on this topic in January 2012, this time involving Tiger Woods playing in Abu Dhabi instead of California to begin his 2012 season:

Asked if the payment of appearance fees influences his scheduling decisions, Woods said, "I'd have to say yes, it certainly does. That's one of the reasons why a lot of the guys who play in Europe, they do play in Europe, and they do get paid. I think the only tour that doesn't pay is the U.S. Tour."

The PGA Tour prohibits the payment of appearance fees. While the subject is not officially discussed among European Tour officials, it is a widely accepted practice. It is perhaps the biggest reason this tournament has attracted the best field of the year to date.

Seems to me that the PGA TOUR might be missing out on a practice many of the "big names" in the U.S. are already accustomed to when playing overseas. Then again, I'm sure Ben Curtis isn't complaining.

Not "Goodbye", But More Like "See You Around"

After roughly 5 years of posting at Waggleroom.com - first as a commenter and most recently as a featured writer - I am sorry to say that this will be my final post on this blog.

But fear not!

For those of you who are still interested in reading my thoughts on golfy things, you can visit the SB Nation golf section as I will now be posting regularly in that forum from this point forward. And, of course, I will also continue to work on my own blog, ChicagoDuffer.com, with content not found on SB Nation.

It has been fun fellow Waggleroom readers, and you will be missed.

Take care, hit'em straight, and may many fairways and greens be in your future.

Sincerely,

Adam

Bend it Like Bubba with Ping's pink G20 driver

You may not be able to Bend it exactly Like Bubba, but now you can tee it up in style with the same Augusta National azalea-pink Ping G20 driver that the 2012 Masters winner used to capture his first major championship.

Ping announced Tuesday that it would commemorate Bubba Watson's victory by selling 5,000 limited-edition all-pink Ping G20 drivers and donate five percent of the proceeds to its fund-raising campaign, "Bubba Long in Pink. Driven by Ping." The drivers will be available for retail on or about June 1.

In addition to $10,000 in seed money, Ping donates $300 for every drive (up to 300) that Watson hits at least 300 yards. So far, Watson -- who leads the tour in driving distance with an average of just over 313 yards -- has generated $61,600 for Phoenix-based charities. The company's campaign is part of Watson's "Bubba & Friends Drive to a Million" initiative whose aim is to raise $1 million for charities in 2011.

After Watson's dramatic playoff win over Louis Oosthuizen, demand for his big stick went through the roof, according to John A. Solheim, Ping chair and chief executive.

"Even prior to his win at the Masters, golfers were requesting pink G20s," Solheim said in a statement. "Through word of mouth, social media, and phone calls, the interest was extremely high. We want to satisfy that demand while bringing even more visibility to Bubba's goal of raising $1 million."

The drivers, which will retail for $430 each, sport bright pink club heads and Ping TFC 169D shafts, and come in lofts of 9.5 degrees, 10.5 degrees, and 12 degrees for right-handed golfers. Southpaws like Watson will be able to buy the clubs with a loft of 10.5 degrees, while golfers with slower swing speeds may opt for a club with a 12-degree loft and a ladies-flex shaft. All clubs will come with matching pink head covers.

Watson hit the links all week at Augusta in white and pink Travis Mathew Apparel couture to publicize the first leg of his "Grand Slam Drive for Charity" push -- the proceeds of which will also go toward his "Bubba & Friends" philanthropy.

Bubba to Letterman: "Just close your eyes and swing hard"

When Bubba Watson stopped by to chat with David Letterman Tuesday night, after a whirlwind tour of major media outlets following his playoff win at Augusta Sunday, the newly green-jacketed Masters champ offered the late-night host a brief glimpse into what it means to play Bubba Golf.

"Just close your eyes and hit it hard," Watson told Letterman about how he fashioned the hook shot from the pine straw to the 10th green that set up his tourney-winning two-putt par to beat Louis Oosthuizen on the second hole in overtime.

Watson, who owes his unique way of attacking golf courses not to any instructor other than himself, described his game as "Awesome," and confided that playing at the highest levels of the sport has not always been easy. Indeed, he conceded that he may have abused a few clubs in his time, a la Tiger Woods, who's still hearing from critics about his drop-kicking incident during the second round at Augusta National.

"Yes, but never on camera," he dead-panned. "Nobody knew who I was until I won."