US Amateur 2007 – Tee Times

The tension will be mounting for all the hopefuls as they begin their journey to become the 2007 US Amateur Golf Champion on the 20th of August.

The event is the oldest major championship in United States golf and has the prestige of a major. Some would argue more.

The first winner was Charles MacDonald who defeated Charles Sands 12 and 11. There were 32 entries and the match was held at Newport GC, Rhode Island in 1895.

Some golfers have won the coveted trophy more than once and they include:
Walter J.Travis (1900, 1901, 1903)
H.Chandler Egan 1904,1905
Jerome D.Travers 1907,1908,1912,1913
Charles Evans (1918, 1920)
Robert T. Jones (1924,1925,1927,1928,1930)
Frances Quimet (1914,1931)
W.Lawson Little Jnr (1934,1935)
Marvin H. Ward (1939,1941)
E.Harvey Ward (1955,1956)
Jack Nicklaus (1959,1961)
Dean Beman (1960,1963)
Garry Cowan (1966,1971)
Jay Sigel (1982, 1983)
Tiger Woods (1994, 1995, 1996)

Tiger is the only player in the history of the event to win three in a row, which is a record unlikely ever to be beaten. Given the modern era and the lure of the professional ranks.

Scot Richie Ramsey is the current champion. He has just commenced his professional career in Europe so he won’t be back to defend his title this year. Other foreign champions of this event are:

H. G. Whigham, Tarbolton, Scotland (1896, 1897)
Findlay S. Douglas, St. Andrews, Scotland (1898)
Walter J. Travis, Malden, Victoria, Australia (1900, 1901, 1901)
Harold H. Hilton, Liverpool, England (1911)
C. Ross Somerville, London, Ontario, Canada (1932)
Gary Cowan, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada (1966, 1971)
Nick Flanagan, New South Wales, Australia (2003)
Edoardo Molinari, Torino, Italy (2005)
Richie Ramsay, Aberdeen, Scotland (2006)

The event is being held on The Lakeside Course at The Olympic Club, San Francisco California with qualifying Monday and Tuesday, and matchplay commencing Wednesday 22nd August.

For a list of all the tee times click here.

Perks and Waite Shoot 80"s in Greensboro

Craig Perks is having a nightmare season on the PGA Tour.

He shot a couple of 80’s in the first two rounds of the Wyndham Championship this week to finish dead last.

His career looks in tatters. Golf’s difficult enough without having to suffer the complete embarrassment of your peers . Playing like an 2nd tier “amateur” week in week out ain’t fun amongst the pros.

Back to the practise fairways, and back to basics is one option I guess. If he has the stomach for it.

Perhaps a move into the commentary box. Baker Finch couldn’t hit the ball after his British Open win and has moved into the commentary seat with considerable success. Frank Nobilo has forged a career on golf television. So Craig, perhaps it’s time for a career change. Go fishing with Greg in Queenstown and get some sound advice from the Turner clan.

Grant Waite isn’t fairing much better.

He shot 82 in his second round. He birdied the first, tripled the second and doubled the third. So he’ll be feeling like a complete iriot too. Although he managed a tie for 25th in the Reno Taho a few weeks ago he’s done zippity doo dah for the rest of the season and looks destined for the Nationwide tour.

Phil Tautarangi just missed the cut in Greensboro. His career looks in trouble. It’s been two years since his return and its been a struggle every step of the way. He’s made 1 cut in 5 outings on the PGA tour and 7 from 15 on the Nationwide tour for total earnings less tax and expenses of $26K. That doesn’t keep the sponsors happy. So what’s next for him?

Frankly, these guys would find the going quite a bit easier on the European Tour. The climate, course conditions, and people are “kiwi friendly” so their chances of success are elevated. They can hang out with Cambo, Scahill, Paddison, Alker, Pearce and the boys after the game, chew the fat, watch some footy and enjoy a beer.

I can’t fathom why these guys play in the States.

It’s a difficult environment for a foreign player. The courses are set up for the Americans. It’s target golf which is nothing like the golf courses New Zealanders are used too. Bump and run, whats that?

Culturally the environment has nothing to offer a kiwi. American culture is loud, neon, full of pumped chests, big cars, and bravado. “Noo Zeeland, aint thayt somwhere neer Eecland“

My advice to these guys is get outa town, and make a move to the Asian Tour with Smail or if they can afford it head to Europe and watch some Rugger after the game.

Rolex Trophy Scoreboard

The Rolex Trophy is anyones to grab.

Fifteen players are within 3 of leader Irishmen Colm Moriaty, Kiwi Gareth Paddison is even through 12 to be in a share for 24th. He’s 8 shots back, and needs birdies.

Chook Fowler is in 12th, making a good run of it at 7 under and 4 off the leader. Go chook!

For all the scores click here.

Kaymer Still Leads Scandinavian Masters Golf

Well he isn’t a lion tamer yet, but he did manage another 68 to tame the high winds at Stockholm and maintain his lead going into the final day.

Joint overnight leaders Sam Walker and Henrik Nysstrom showed they don’t have a taste for wind play with 72 and 73 respectively.

Great golfers can play in any conditions. They can hit it low under the wind for extra distance and control. They can shape the ball using the wind to their advantage. Conversely some golfers simply can’t play in the wind and lose ground quickly.

Another player who did well in the wind was Aussie Andrew Tampion of Australia firing a 67 to move into a tie for 13th. Andrew was my wild card for this tournament and certainly if he maintains his position it will be his best finish on the European Tour to date. He has talent to burn this bloke so keep an eye out for him.

Another having his best tournament of the season is lil kiwi battler Stevie Alker. In a country with plenty of wind to practise in I guess its no surprise. He closed the day with a 67 after rounds of 74 and 68 on the first two days.

James Kingston of South Africa shares the third round lead with Kaymer. Paul Broadhurst, Nick Dougherty, and Mikko Llonen are 3 adrift.

For all the scores see the live scoreboard.

Golf Course Etiquette Do’s and Don’ts

The first thing to learn about golf, is good course etiquette. Why? It’s the fastest way to gain the respect of your fellow players.

Here are some basics.

• Don’t be late for your tee time.
• Don’t move, talk, rustle, jerk, sneeze or cough when your fellow players are hitting a shot.
• Keep out of sight from your fellow golfers when they’re playing a shot.
• Walk briskly between shots and park your clubs closest to the exit point from the green.
• Let players through if you’re holding them up.
• Don’t stand behind or in front of a player whose putting. Always stand to the side.
• Repair pitch marks, and divots
• Rake the bunker.
• Play in order. The lowest score tees off first on the following hole, and the person furthest from the pin plays each shot thereafter.
• Mark the card immediately after finishing the hole, and check with your partner if you’re uncertain of their score. Don’t wait to mark your card when it’s your turn to play.
• Don’t swear or curse. Or do so under your breath so as not to disturb other players.
• Never hit up on slow players in the four ahead of you. Wait and be patient.
• Don’t cheat. You’ll be found out.
• Don’t litter the course.
• Wear appropriate clothing and respect the club rules.
• Be honest and fair.
• Enjoy the company of your fellow players after the game. It’s polite.

Follow these guidelines and you’re one step closer to becoming a respected golfer.

Free Online Golf Lessons

Do you need help with your swing?

I offer free online golf lessons. Just tell me what your problem is and I will give you some ideas on how to fix it.

Slicing? Hooking? Topping it? Playing matchplay?

Whatever the situation simply drop me a line and I’ll reply immediately with some sound advice.

Am I qualified?

Well I think so. I am a 1.0 handicap golfer, and have represented my state. I am self taught and have only had a few lessons in my life, with most of my knowledge coming from observation and experimentation on the practise fairway.

As a junior I read a very small book written by Jack Nicklaus filled with pictures of the golf swing which was simply invaluable. I remember almost everything he wrote in that wee book to this day. So most of my advice will stem from Jack’s teaching.

If you don’t find an answer among the golf tips label here send me a note and I will reply immediately.

Thanks.

Martin Kaymer Star of Scandinavian Masters

Heck Martin Kaymer has a good story to tell.

After day two in Stockholm he leads the Scandinavian Masters with Swede Henrik Nysstrom and Englishman Sam Walker. They are tied with Kaymen at 5 under par.

But Kaymer to me is the rising star of this threesome.

Just look at his brief professional resume.

At 21 in just 6 outings on the European Challenge Tour last year he had 2 wins, and 4 top fives and finished the season 4th on the money list. Furthermore he shot a stunning 59 in the satellite EDP tour before joining the Challenge tour in August last year. Wow that’s impressive.

The young German spent the early part of 2007 playing in Asia and shot his best round of 2007 a 66 in the Singapore Masters where he finished in a tie for 6th.

Returning to Europe he then reeled off 7 cuts on the trot, with 5 top 25’s and his best finish this season a tie for 3rd in the Estoril Open de Portugal. Parabens. Parabens.

In early July Kaymer played the Open de France where he tied 7th to collect 110,000 euros and his biggest paycheck as a professional.

In time this young guy will win, and begin the journey of emulating the feats of countrymen and Kaymer’s idol the great Bernard Langer.

It appears to be his destiny.

My recommendation. Keep watching Martin Kaymer.

Golf Writer for Blog or Sports Betting Website or Magazine

Hi there,

I am looking for work as a golf writer for a sports betting website, golf blog, or golf related website.

You can review my writing here. What do you think?

If interested send me an email using the connection at the bottom of each post. Or visit my profile at ifreelance.com.

Yes, I have been published.

In fact the first article I wrote was a “golf tip” article which was sold on the same day it was written. Just the impetus I needed to pursue a career as a sports writer. That was a month or so ago now and was the beginnings of this golf blog.

By the way. All the work on this site is written by me. I do not plagiarise, copy style, or content from any other sites. The commentary, golf tips and lessons, and opinion pieces are all my own thoughts.

Thanks for listening and happy golfing.

How to Handle Par 3 Nerves

Do you get the jitters on a par 3 occasionally? Or worse still regularly?

If so read on.

There’s a few aspects of the game that can appear intimidating when they’re not. Water on the left, out of bounds on the right.

The underlying reason golfers fail to live up to their expectations in these situations is because they have increased the pressure on themselves to succeed. The self talk going on has blinded the golfers ability to swing the club.

You know the story ” I’ve got to hit on the green, over the bunker and make it stop before it rolls over the back, so I’ve got to hit it high with lots of backspin, okay, that means I have to hit down on the ball, so how do I do that”

Before you know it they’ve stumped themsleves and they don’t know whether they’re Arthur or Martha. They’re confused.

So how to handle a par 3 nerves?

Well it’s like every other shot in the bag really. Rely on your pre-shot routine. That’s right, Follow a step by step method that you use for every shot.

That’s the beauty of the pre-shot routine. It repeats itself over and over again so you never have to think about anything. There is no thought process. It’s automatic. It just takes practise.

But don’t take it from me. Watch Tiger on tv going through his pre-shot routine. Or any other professional golfer or top amateur. They all do it.

So why don’t you?

Desjardins Montreal Open Scores

Well Mike Grob didn’t manage to hold his lead in Montreal treading water on the back nine with even par 36.

Mr Wes Heffernan kept moving forwards however, finding the straightest line between two points all day long and firing a blistering 63 in the process. He’s 2 in front of American Levin Spencer.

For some reason play has been suspended. I’m not sure why. The weather forecast is 24 degrees C and partly cloudy.

Check out all the scoring.