Philadelphia, PA -- (Sports Network) - Phil Mickelson's playoff victory at the HSBC Champions event Sunday moved him a little closer to world No. 1 in this week's Official World Golf Ranking.
Woods still owns a 12.44 average points gap over Mickelson, who collected his first win overseas in 14 years.
Jim Furyk remained in third place, but Steve Stricker rose one to No. 4. Ernie Els dipped a place to round out the top five.
Adam Scott stayed in sixth, while reigning British Open champion Padraig Harrington switched places with Order of Merit winner Justin Rose. Harrington came in seventh, followed by Rose. Vijay Singh climbed one rung to ninth, while Rory Sabbatini sank one to 10th.
Sergio Garcia flip-flopped with K.J. Choi this week with the Spaniard taking 11th and Choi falling to 12th. Geoff Ogilvy, U.S. Open champion Angel Cabrera and Masters winner Zach Johnson remained in their rankings from last week.
Henrik Stenson, Luke Donald and Aaron Baddeley stayed pat this week. Niclas Fasth moved up one to 19th, while Trevor Immelman sank one to complete the top 20.
Copyright 2007 Courtesy of The Sports Network.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Love of the Game!
After losing three limbs in Iraq, veteran relearns golf swing
By VICKY ECKENRODE,AP
Posted: 2007-11-21 13:40:12
WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) - The first time Joey Bozik picked up a golf club after his accident, the ball bounced a mere 20 yards.
"I was just demoralized," Bozik said. "I thought, 'How am I ever going to play golf again?"'
Bozik, a 29-year-old veteran, lost both his legs and his right arm after his Humvee rolled over an anti-tank mine in Iraq three years ago.
The Wilmington native pushed through the long road of physical therapy and learned to walk again at Walter Reed Medical Center, but it was the possibility of not being able to spend time on the greens like he used to that fueled his determination.
At the University of North Carolina Wilmington, Bozik recently showed a group of students how he got his swing back.
With a specialized prosthetic arm that slid onto a club's grip and prosthetic legs that locked his knees into a natural bend, Bozik balanced himself on an adapted golf cart and slammed practice balls into the air with his driver.
He averages scores in the low 90s when playing now, an impressive feat for any golfer.
"I think if you have enough determination, you'll find your way back to anything," Bozik told the students in the school's accessible golf and recreation therapy interventions courses.
The Hoggard High School graduate who attended the University of North Carolina at Wilmington now speaks about twice a month to groups about his experience and has appeared on documentaries such as MTV's "True Life: I'm Home from Iraq."
Bozik, who now lives in California, was visiting his two brothers and mother, and agreed to meet with the students of Dan Johnson, an assistant professor of recreation therapy. Recreation therapy is related to physical therapy in that it helps injured people retrain their bodies but focuses on building confidence and reducing depression as well as motor skills through recreational activities.
Bozik encouraged the college students to not only push for new prosthetic pieces that can help their future patients take on more activities but also to be aware of the disability issues that frustrate disabled people wanting to play sports.
For example, he pointed out how his brother had to call around to numerous golf courses to see if they had an adapted golf cart that features a swivel, tilting seat and no roof so that the two could play against each other.
The U.S. Department of Justice has fielded requests to require each public golf course to have at least one of the specialized, single-rider carts available under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
Johnson said that requirement would apply to any public course that charges fees to play, not just those that are run by government entities.
Johnson said if more course operators would invest in the carts, they would qualify for tax credits.
Johnson said he and other people interested in the issue plan to form a nonprofit group, Accessible Golf of Wilmington, to apply for grant money that will expand the available facilities for disabled players and to educate area courses on the requirements and benefits of addressing ADA rules for players.
Bozik said the golf world is becoming more accommodating to players like himself.
"It's an old sport," he said. "They're coming around. It's just going to take time."
Information from: The Star-News, http://starnewsonline.com
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
11/21/07 13:39 EST
By VICKY ECKENRODE,AP
Posted: 2007-11-21 13:40:12
WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) - The first time Joey Bozik picked up a golf club after his accident, the ball bounced a mere 20 yards.
"I was just demoralized," Bozik said. "I thought, 'How am I ever going to play golf again?"'
Bozik, a 29-year-old veteran, lost both his legs and his right arm after his Humvee rolled over an anti-tank mine in Iraq three years ago.
The Wilmington native pushed through the long road of physical therapy and learned to walk again at Walter Reed Medical Center, but it was the possibility of not being able to spend time on the greens like he used to that fueled his determination.
At the University of North Carolina Wilmington, Bozik recently showed a group of students how he got his swing back.
With a specialized prosthetic arm that slid onto a club's grip and prosthetic legs that locked his knees into a natural bend, Bozik balanced himself on an adapted golf cart and slammed practice balls into the air with his driver.
He averages scores in the low 90s when playing now, an impressive feat for any golfer.
"I think if you have enough determination, you'll find your way back to anything," Bozik told the students in the school's accessible golf and recreation therapy interventions courses.
The Hoggard High School graduate who attended the University of North Carolina at Wilmington now speaks about twice a month to groups about his experience and has appeared on documentaries such as MTV's "True Life: I'm Home from Iraq."
Bozik, who now lives in California, was visiting his two brothers and mother, and agreed to meet with the students of Dan Johnson, an assistant professor of recreation therapy. Recreation therapy is related to physical therapy in that it helps injured people retrain their bodies but focuses on building confidence and reducing depression as well as motor skills through recreational activities.
Bozik encouraged the college students to not only push for new prosthetic pieces that can help their future patients take on more activities but also to be aware of the disability issues that frustrate disabled people wanting to play sports.
For example, he pointed out how his brother had to call around to numerous golf courses to see if they had an adapted golf cart that features a swivel, tilting seat and no roof so that the two could play against each other.
The U.S. Department of Justice has fielded requests to require each public golf course to have at least one of the specialized, single-rider carts available under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
Johnson said that requirement would apply to any public course that charges fees to play, not just those that are run by government entities.
Johnson said if more course operators would invest in the carts, they would qualify for tax credits.
Johnson said he and other people interested in the issue plan to form a nonprofit group, Accessible Golf of Wilmington, to apply for grant money that will expand the available facilities for disabled players and to educate area courses on the requirements and benefits of addressing ADA rules for players.
Bozik said the golf world is becoming more accommodating to players like himself.
"It's an old sport," he said. "They're coming around. It's just going to take time."
Information from: The Star-News, http://starnewsonline.com
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
11/21/07 13:39 EST
Slow Play Burn Your Buns?
I once witnessed a group of players become so frustrated with the pace of the group in front of them, that a player deliberately drove his ball into them before they had cleared the proper distance! This is a very dangerous thing to do, but just one example of how slow play
can frustrate those with little patience.
There is numerous things a foursome can do do to keep up their pace of play. Most of the courses here in Florida where I live set tee time at 10 minute intervals, which will allow you approximately 15 minutes for par fours, and 20 minutes for par fives, which will equate to 4-1/2 to 5 hours per round. A simple glance at your watch can tell you if your on pace.
Another surefire method is to simply be aware of the group behind you. Are they waiting on the tee blocks for you to clear the fairway after your second shots? An old adage often used to speed up play is "see it, feel it, hit it", simply meaning to visualize your shot, take a practice swing, and hit the ball. This will eliminate a lot of unnecessary standing over the ball and taking too long to hit your shot.
Eliminate too much time looking for "out of bounds", or lost balls by hitting a "provisional" when you are relatively certain your shot is out of play. In most cases, if your ball sailed 50 yards into the woods, there is not much point in looking for it!
Perhaps the biggest cause of backups I see is on par fives. You will typically see a player who has a 280 or 290 yard shot into the green, standing in the fairway waiting for the group in front to clear the green before hitting. Not too many players I have seen get that kind of distance out of their 3 wood. Know how far you hit your clubs when you catch the ball flush, and you'll be able to safely approach more often.
Read your putts while other player are putting out. A lot of time can be saved by being prepared to putt when it is your turn. If you miss your putt and it is within 18-24" of the cup, go ahead and putt out instead of marking and going through the process a second time.
Be prepared for your round before arriving at the course. Have your clubs cleaned, balls and tees readily available, shoes serviceable, and your arrival at the tees will be smooth and punctual!
Remember, no one has fun if the game is rushed, but if you will follow some of these "speed up" tips, everyone will have all the time they need to execute their shots properly!
can frustrate those with little patience.
There is numerous things a foursome can do do to keep up their pace of play. Most of the courses here in Florida where I live set tee time at 10 minute intervals, which will allow you approximately 15 minutes for par fours, and 20 minutes for par fives, which will equate to 4-1/2 to 5 hours per round. A simple glance at your watch can tell you if your on pace.
Another surefire method is to simply be aware of the group behind you. Are they waiting on the tee blocks for you to clear the fairway after your second shots? An old adage often used to speed up play is "see it, feel it, hit it", simply meaning to visualize your shot, take a practice swing, and hit the ball. This will eliminate a lot of unnecessary standing over the ball and taking too long to hit your shot.
Eliminate too much time looking for "out of bounds", or lost balls by hitting a "provisional" when you are relatively certain your shot is out of play. In most cases, if your ball sailed 50 yards into the woods, there is not much point in looking for it!
Perhaps the biggest cause of backups I see is on par fives. You will typically see a player who has a 280 or 290 yard shot into the green, standing in the fairway waiting for the group in front to clear the green before hitting. Not too many players I have seen get that kind of distance out of their 3 wood. Know how far you hit your clubs when you catch the ball flush, and you'll be able to safely approach more often.
Read your putts while other player are putting out. A lot of time can be saved by being prepared to putt when it is your turn. If you miss your putt and it is within 18-24" of the cup, go ahead and putt out instead of marking and going through the process a second time.
Be prepared for your round before arriving at the course. Have your clubs cleaned, balls and tees readily available, shoes serviceable, and your arrival at the tees will be smooth and punctual!
Remember, no one has fun if the game is rushed, but if you will follow some of these "speed up" tips, everyone will have all the time they need to execute their shots properly!
How to Improve Your Golf Score
A very wise golf instructor once gave me a very valuable lesson, and it wasn't on the golf course or practice range! I became acquainted with David at the golf course where I regularly play. (by regular I mean a couple of times a month) I had admired his playing ability for quite some time, and finally one Sunday afternoon, I summoned enough courage to ask him for some advice.
I explained to him that I had been playing golf for quite a number of years, but had been stuck on a scoring plateau (mid 90's) and couldn't seem to improve. After an uncomfortable silence, David asked me, "How often do you practice"? I felt the flush creeping up my neck as I answered, "hardly ever". David simply answered, "How can anyone ever expect to be good at something they don't work at?" "Even if you own the best, custom fitted equipment out there, it'll probably not help much if it never comes out of the garage". "Set yourself up with a couple of lessons to make sure your grip, set up, and swing tempo are in order, and then just hit as many balls as you can".
The answer to the question,"How to improve your golf game", can be answered in one powerful word. PRACTICE!
David went on to explain that a good practice regime should contain at least four elements, and that the place to see the fastest improvement is to work on the areas of your game that are the weakest.
He broke the game down to four simple elements: Tee shots, Long and mid irons, Pitches and chips, and Putting. His first suggestion was since putting generally accounts for about 36 strokes per round, this would be an excellent place to start!
The next suggestion was to break your practice time into separate periods. For example, if you have an hour a week to practice, allocate 15 minutes to irons, 15minutes to woods, 15 minutes to wedges, etc., always allowing a few extra minutes for your weakest area.
I remember reading somewhere once that PGA tour players probably hit about 1000 practice balls for every one shot hit in actual tournament play!
So there it is guys! Whether your swing came from The David Ledbetter Academy of Golf or your brother-in-law, PRACTICE is the key to improvement!
I explained to him that I had been playing golf for quite a number of years, but had been stuck on a scoring plateau (mid 90's) and couldn't seem to improve. After an uncomfortable silence, David asked me, "How often do you practice"? I felt the flush creeping up my neck as I answered, "hardly ever". David simply answered, "How can anyone ever expect to be good at something they don't work at?" "Even if you own the best, custom fitted equipment out there, it'll probably not help much if it never comes out of the garage". "Set yourself up with a couple of lessons to make sure your grip, set up, and swing tempo are in order, and then just hit as many balls as you can".
The answer to the question,"How to improve your golf game", can be answered in one powerful word. PRACTICE!
David went on to explain that a good practice regime should contain at least four elements, and that the place to see the fastest improvement is to work on the areas of your game that are the weakest.
He broke the game down to four simple elements: Tee shots, Long and mid irons, Pitches and chips, and Putting. His first suggestion was since putting generally accounts for about 36 strokes per round, this would be an excellent place to start!
The next suggestion was to break your practice time into separate periods. For example, if you have an hour a week to practice, allocate 15 minutes to irons, 15minutes to woods, 15 minutes to wedges, etc., always allowing a few extra minutes for your weakest area.
I remember reading somewhere once that PGA tour players probably hit about 1000 practice balls for every one shot hit in actual tournament play!
So there it is guys! Whether your swing came from The David Ledbetter Academy of Golf or your brother-in-law, PRACTICE is the key to improvement!
Phil Mickelson: Athlete Profile
With 32 career PGA tour victories, new swing guru Butch Harmon, and short game master Dave Pelz in his corner, Phil Mickelson appears poised to close the gap on Tiger Woods and the world #1 ranking. Inability to keep the ball in the fairway prompted Phil to make the change to swing coach Butch Harmon in the early part of the 2007 season. If the 2007 season is an indication of how Phil is going to respond, perhaps the rest of the PGA tour should be on red alert! While under-going swing changes and battling a severe wrist injury, Phil managed to carve out 4 wins and 7 top ten finishes, a career for a lot of players!
With his "schoolboy" grin and interaction with galleries, Phil has become a fan favorite in recent years. Always known for his "riverboat gambler" style of play, charismatic personality, and family values, Phil has endeared himself to golf fans from all walks of life. Phil graduated from Arizona State University and onto the PGA tour in 1992. He has since posted an impressive resume, including 32 tour victories(2nd among active players and 13th all time), finished 2nd or 3rd on the money list 7 times(6 of last 8 years), been a member of the last 6 Ryder cup teams, the only U.S. player to be on all 7 president cup teams, and finished in the top 10 in 8 of the last 9 "Masters" with wins in '04 and '06.
Phil has chosen his sponsors and affiliations as carefully as he chooses his words for news conferences, having aligned himself with Callaway Golf, Rolex, Bearing Point, Exxon Mobile, Golf Digest, and Grey-hawk Development/Golf-club.
Phil and his wife Amy founded the "Mickelson Foundation" for school age children in grades 1-4. The foundation provides a much needed school supply "shopping spree" based on need and achievement.
The true value of Phil Mickelson lies far beyond his ability to challenge as the number one player in the world. Not only is he an ambassador for the game of golf, he is a husband, father, and a true gentleman. A person that you would be proud to call your friend!
The PGA tour and the game of golf has benefited tremendously from the contributions of Phil Mickelson, and I for one look forward to many more Tiger and Phil final round showdowns!
With his "schoolboy" grin and interaction with galleries, Phil has become a fan favorite in recent years. Always known for his "riverboat gambler" style of play, charismatic personality, and family values, Phil has endeared himself to golf fans from all walks of life. Phil graduated from Arizona State University and onto the PGA tour in 1992. He has since posted an impressive resume, including 32 tour victories(2nd among active players and 13th all time), finished 2nd or 3rd on the money list 7 times(6 of last 8 years), been a member of the last 6 Ryder cup teams, the only U.S. player to be on all 7 president cup teams, and finished in the top 10 in 8 of the last 9 "Masters" with wins in '04 and '06.
Phil has chosen his sponsors and affiliations as carefully as he chooses his words for news conferences, having aligned himself with Callaway Golf, Rolex, Bearing Point, Exxon Mobile, Golf Digest, and Grey-hawk Development/Golf-club.
Phil and his wife Amy founded the "Mickelson Foundation" for school age children in grades 1-4. The foundation provides a much needed school supply "shopping spree" based on need and achievement.
The true value of Phil Mickelson lies far beyond his ability to challenge as the number one player in the world. Not only is he an ambassador for the game of golf, he is a husband, father, and a true gentleman. A person that you would be proud to call your friend!
The PGA tour and the game of golf has benefited tremendously from the contributions of Phil Mickelson, and I for one look forward to many more Tiger and Phil final round showdowns!
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
IS PAR A GOOD GOLF SCORE ?
Hello everyone. My name is Wayne C. and I live in the Tampa Bay area. One of my major passions in life is playing golf. (I also own a small golf shop, mostly web based) I will readily admit that I'm not the best player around, and in fact, being brutally honest, I very seldom break 90. Sure, if you take 2 balls off 1 and 10, play lift clean and place, and 2 mulligans a side, I might be a threat to 85 occasionally.
Anyway, to the reason I felt compelled to post my feelings. A few days ago I was perusing the sports pages of the local paper and came across the weekend PGA tournament results. Amazingly enough, the winning total was 22 UNDER PAR. What are these guys on? I couldn't shoot 22 under on a putt-putt course. AS amazing as this total was, that really wasn't the stat that astounded me. Glancing toward the bottom of the player finishes, I couldn't help but notice the cut line, or actually below the cut line. Alas, some poor soul shoot 69, 69, and missed the cut!!! How would it feel to to shoot 3 under 2 days in a row, and not make the weekend. The hell with that, how would it feel just to shoot 3 under!!
Should courses be even longer and tougher to protect par, or will birdie be the new "par for the course". I for one, prefer the US Open style setup for this group of SUPERGOLFERS, and firmly believe that "par" is a good score!!!
Anyway, to the reason I felt compelled to post my feelings. A few days ago I was perusing the sports pages of the local paper and came across the weekend PGA tournament results. Amazingly enough, the winning total was 22 UNDER PAR. What are these guys on? I couldn't shoot 22 under on a putt-putt course. AS amazing as this total was, that really wasn't the stat that astounded me. Glancing toward the bottom of the player finishes, I couldn't help but notice the cut line, or actually below the cut line. Alas, some poor soul shoot 69, 69, and missed the cut!!! How would it feel to to shoot 3 under 2 days in a row, and not make the weekend. The hell with that, how would it feel just to shoot 3 under!!
Should courses be even longer and tougher to protect par, or will birdie be the new "par for the course". I for one, prefer the US Open style setup for this group of SUPERGOLFERS, and firmly believe that "par" is a good score!!!
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