Wednesday, August 29, 2007

FedEx Cup playoff #2 preview - Deutsche Bank Championship

Tournament information
Location Norton, Massachusetts
Established 2003
Course(s) TPC of Boston
Par 71
Yardage 7,115
Tour(s) PGA Tour
Format Stroke play
Purse $7,000,000
Month Played August/September

Tournament record score
Aggregate 264 Adam Scott (2003)
To-par -20 Adam Scott (2003)
Current champion
Tiger Woods

First there was 144 now there is 120 players vying for the FedEx Cup and this week the Cup moves to the Deutsche Bank Championship. After his win last week Steve Stricker now tops the FedEx Cup points and will be looking to have another good week to keep himself in the running. Tiger is back to defend his title for this one and will be sure to make things interesting as I feel the course really suits his style of play (don't they all).

My prediction
The course is long and wide open and I think the winner will be someone who bombs the golf ball out there. Tiger, Scott, Mickelson, and V J are my top picks although Tiger will be hard to beat after his week off.
As for the FedEx cup it is wide open, but my prediction is the winner will come from the top 10-20 players. I think the rest have too much catching up to do. Although as Rich Beem showed, moving up 21 places, with a good performance anything is possible.

Monday, August 27, 2007

Golf Prodigy of the week #2

I came across this youtube of a news report about a young golf prodigy Kyle Lograsso. This kid has the most amazing natural golf swing I have seen and hits the golf ball a mile for his age. He claims to have never even had a golf lesson and learned to swing from watching TV! (Jealous of a five year old - you bet!) What is more his father and mother have never played the game of golf before and this little kid hasn't been pushed into the sport like so many others.

The most amazing thing about this story is at the end so watch it the whole way through and you will understand why this kid is golf prodigy of the week.

This video has been used from youtube


Sunday, August 26, 2007

Golf News: The Barclays - FedEx Cup playoff 1.

Steve Stricker has won the 1st FedEx Cup event The Barclays in an amazing finish. When hope seemed to be lost he birdied four of his last five holes to close with a 2-under 69, turning a one-shot deficit into a two-shot victory over South Korean K.J Choi.

This is Strickers fourth PGA tour victory and his first in four years. It was a welcome tournament win after wasting four prime chances to win on the tour this year.


The top 10 at the Barclays were:

1 Steve Stricker USA -16 268 67 67 65 69 F
2 K.J. Choi KOR -14 270 64 66 70 70 F
3 Mark Calcavecchia USA -12 272 67 75 65 65 F
3 Ernie Els SAF -12 272 65 71 68 68 F
3 Geoff Ogilvy AUS -12 272 68 66 69 69 F
3 Rory Sabbatini SAF -12 271 63 71 69 68 F
7 Rich Beem USA -11 273 64 68 69 72 F
7 Phil Mickelson USA -11 273 67 70 69 67 F
9 Jerry Kelly USA -10 274 67 70 69 68 F
9 Ian Poulter ENG -10 274 70 67 70 67 F
9 Robert Garrigus USA -10 274 70 70 68 66 F


So there is some change in the FedEx cup standings and the top ten are as follows:

1
Steve Stricker



2
K.J. Choi



3
Rory Sabbatini



4
Tiger Woods



5
Phil Mickelson



6
Vijay Singh



7
Jim Furyk



8
Zach Johnson



9
Adam Scott



10
Ernie Els



This should make the competition even more interesting as it continues at the Deutsche Bank Championship next week.
Overall I think the jury is still out on the FedEx Cup, but so far I have enjoyed what I have seen and will reserve my judgement until the final tournament is played.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

FedEx Cup Explained

Well the first round of the FedEx cup was played today and while Tiger wasn't playing there were still many formidable golfers plying their trades.

I thought that today would be the perfect day to go over the FedEx cup rules and structure for all those clueless people (including me) asking the question fedex what...?

Qualifying
Each PGA tour event from the Mercedes-Benz Championship (January 4-7, 2007) to the Wyndham Championship (August 16-19, 2007), PGA Tour players can earn points in each event they play. Most PGA Tour events in 2007 have carried a total of 25,000 FedEx Cup points spread between the winner and those finishing in 70th position in each event.

At the completion of last week’s Wyndham Championship, the leading point scorer (Tiger), had his points reset to 100,000 with the last player in the FedEx Cup race (144) starting with 84,700. This is designed to bring the field much closer together so the lower ranked players can still make the following events if they have a very good tournament (and so that someone can theoretically beat Tiger or at least get close).

The ultimate goal is to be one of the top 144 points holders to get a starting place at the Barclays tournament (the first event of the FedEx Cup).

Playoff events
1. The Barclays - Top 144 points leaders (at the end of the season)

  • 50000 points on offer (Position 1-85)
  • winner 9000 points
2. Deutsche Bank Championship - Top 120 points leaders (after the Barclays)
  • 50000 points on offer (Position 1-85)
  • Winner 9000
3. BMW Championship - Top 70 points leaders (after the Deutsche Bank Championship)
  • 50000 points on offer (Position 1-70)
  • Winner 9000
4. The tour Championship - Top 30 points leaders (after the BMW Championship)
  • 50000 points on offer
  • Winner 10300
  • last place 395
Prize Money

There is no doubt that the prize money for the FedEx Cup is huge, but there is a catch. Players are only eligible to receive their money after they reach 45. They may invest this money up until then and can defer payment until they turn sixty (something about reducing tax I am sure). The money is paid in payments over 5 years. It is probably best described as superannuation for golfers.
The prize money list:
Position Amount Position Amount
1 $10,000,000 31 $165,000
2 3,000,000 32 155,000
3 2,000,000 33 150,000
4 1,500,000 34 145,000
5 1,000,000 35 142,000
6 800,000 36 140,000
7 700,000 37 138,000
8 600,000 38 137,000
9 550,000 39 136,000
10 500,000 40 135,000
11 300,000 41 134,000
12 290,000 42 133,000
13 280,000 43 132,000
14 270,000 44 131,000
15 250,000 45 130,000
16 245,000 46 129,000
17 240,000 47 128,000
18 235,000 48 127,000
19 230,000 49 126,000
20 225,000 50 125,000
21 220,000 51 120,000
22 215,000 52 115,000
23 210,000 53 114,000
24 205,000 54 113,000
25 200,000 55-70 110,000
26 195,000 71-80 80,000
27 190,000 81-100 75,000
28 185,000 101-125 70,000
29 180,000 126-150 32,000
30 175,000

TOTAL $35,000,000

Note: There is still prize money awarded for the individual tournaments that is separate to this. That money is received in the normal way.

I hope that clears a few things up for anyone that is confused. I am certainly glad I wrote this as I am now much clearer on how it all works!

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Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Golf prodigy of the week - Amazing video

Week 1
Every week (or so) I hope to include a new clip of a young golfer with incredible talent. Although it will still take some very hard work, the right golf equipment and a pinch of luck to make it big these kids have a great head start - Natural Talent!
Some of these kids hit the golf ball better than people who have been playing for years and seem to have that perfect balance and swing with a golf club.

So are these kids the next Tiger Woods...?
I think most of us have probably seen early video of Tiger Woods and whilst these kids might not make it that far they are certainly showing great promise. Not all of them can (or will want to) be the next Tiger, but the chances are at least some of these golfers I will feature will make it big time

First up week 1 - Tyler Stock
This video is hosted on youtube

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Golf Equipment Review - Maxfli Noodle Long and Soft Golf Balls

Golf Ball Review

Maxfli Noodle Long and Soft golf balls are certainly not at the high price end of golf balls. Coming in at around $28 (Aussie dollars) for 12 they are affordable yet give regular golfers a very decent ball for their money.
The Long and Soft Noodle Ball is designed to deliver that optimum blend between distance, soft feel and spin. It is a two piece ball and has a 408 dimple pattern engineered to deliver a high and long carrying trajectory.

I first used this ball in my last round of golf and while my driver and I were not seeing eye to eye on this particular day my iron shots were certainly carrying further than I expected. Using my 4 iorn I was actually outhitting my playing partner who was using a 3 wood. Amazingly not only do these balls deliver great distance, but also great feel around the greens. I would certainly recommended these balls to the golfer looking for a relatively cheap ball that is still good quality.

While I have certainly used better balls, they did cost many times as much as the noodle. For the price you cannot go wrong and I think that this ball will always have a place in my bag. This is one ball that can compete out of it's price range!

This post was not sponsored in any way - I pay for all my golf balls, because I am not a good enough golfer to be sponsored.

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Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Golf Rules 101 - Rule 5-3 Ball unfit for play.

I am hoping to post a new golf rule from time to time to help us all learn a little bit more about the game we play, and possibly even save us from a few penalty strokes on our next round! Golf is certainly a game of rules and even a small mistake can cost you if you don't know where you stand!

5-3. Ball Unfit for Play
A golf ball is unfit for play if it is visibly cut, cracked or out of shape. A ball is not unfit for play solely because mud or other materials adhere to it, its surface is scratched or scraped or its paint is damaged or discoloured. If a player has reason to believe his ball has become unfit for play during play of the hole being played, he may lift the ball without penalty to determine whether it is unfit.Before lifting the ball, the player must announce his intention to his opponent in match play or his competitor. He may then lift and examine it provided that he gives his opponent, marker or fellow-competitor an opportunity to examine the ball and observe the lifting and replacement. The ball must not be cleaned when lifted under Rule 5-3. If the player fails to comply with all or any part of this procedure, he incurs a penalty of one stroke.
If it is determined that the ball has become unfit for play during play of the hole being played, the player may another ball, placing it on the spot where the original ball lay. Otherwise, the original ball must be replaced. If a player substitutes a ball when not permitted and he makes a stoke at
the substituted ball, he incurs the general penalty for a breach of Rule 5-3. There is no additional penalty under this Rule or Rule 15-1. If a ball breaks into pieces as a result of a stoke, the stroke is cancelled and the player must play a ball without penalty as nearly as possible at the spot
from which the original ball was played (see Rule 20-5).

*PENALTY FOR BREACH OF RULE 5-3:
Match play - Loss of hole
Stroke play - Two strokes.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

How to perform the perfect golf swing

I found this great little gem while searching youtube. The video has some great tips for imporving your golf swing and it certainly has given me some things to think about next time I am on the course. It talks about positioning, gripping the golf club correctly, proper golf stance and the proper golf swing.

It runs for about 9 minutes and the worst part about the video is the narrator. If you can get over his voice and watch it this video certainly has some good tips! Good Luck!

This youtube video originally comes from videojug.com

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Golf News: Tiger does it again - PGA Championship

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Tiger has never lost a major after leading before the final round and he didn't disappoint today as he wrapped up his 13th Major title. It was Tiger's first major this year and he certainly put the disappointment of the British Open behind him to win the PGA championship for the fourth time.

Tiger finished 8 under and won with a 1 under final round to beat Woody Austin by 2 shots with Ernie Els a further shot behind at 4 under.

There was also good news for the Aussies out there as John Senden finished tied for 4th at -1.

Welcome to my golf blog

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Hi I am Tom and I am from Australia. I am a very keen golfer and I love across the road from my local course giving me ample time to get frustrated with my favourite game each week.
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