Latest callaway Golf clubs & other branded club sets , Irons and accessories: November 2010

Thursday 25 November 2010

When viral video goes stupidly wrong

By Jay Busbee

Around these parts, we're big fans of anything that tweaks the uptight golf establishment. So when video shows up in our inbox doing exactly that, we're all over it. And when said video turns out to be just a viral video for a phone company, well, that's a little disappointing, but hey. But when said video drops f-bombs all over the place? Unwise, dudes. Rules are rules, and we can only link you to the video, not embed it here. Proceed by clicking on the video below, but bear in mind this has some NSFW language:

Saturday 13 November 2010

Boy wonder Matteo Manassero is youngest EuroTour winner

Matteo Manassero is 17 years old. He was born in 1993. And he just won the Castello Masters. Think about that for a second, and try not to despair too much.

The details: Manassero walloped the field at the Club de Campo del Mediterraneo in Castellon, Spain, posting a -16 to win by four strokes. And his win, nice as it was on its own, was also a record-breaker, making him the youngest winner in the history of the European Tour. He was already the youngest winner of the British Amateur Championship, which he won last year. (I'll let you figure out how old he was.)

Manassero earned this win, starting two strokes behind Gary Boyd. But a 67 by Manassero, combined with a rocky 74 by Boyd, opened the door wide for Manassero.

In less-cheery news, Jose Maria Olazabal played four full rounds for the first time in 2010, overcoming his rheumatoid arthritis to post a final-round 78. Problem is, Olazabal wrote that he scored 77. And so guess what? He got disqualified by the dumbest rule in professional sports. Hope you're proud of that one, golf gods.

Anyway, Manassero is the story this day. Kenny Perry, Fred Couples and the rest of the guys on the Champions Tour better hurry and stack up some wins; Manassero will be eligible to join them in 2043.

Related: Jose Maria Olazabal, Fred Couples, Kenny Perry

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Golf Barnes takes early lead in Malaysia Woods to play skins event in Thailand Kaymer can pass Woods for No. 1 with win Fall Series producing some big moments Manassero skips event to focus on visa Nationwide pros seeking PGA Tour spots Shoal Creek CC founder Thompson dies More Golf News 3 Comments Post a Comment

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Sergio Garcia misses cut in Spain, again sounds like he hates golf

Just a few days ago, we posted a story about Sergio Garcia and his current attitude about golf. The 30-year-old Spaniard had taken two months off of competitive golf to try and love it again, and was back at his hometown golf tournament ready to jump back on the pro golf pony.

Garcia even mentioned hoping to be number one in the world someday, a far cry from his tales of falling out of love with golf that forced him to take the hiatus.

But it didn't come so easy for Sergio. He missed the cut after rounds of 71-73, and was once again complaining about the passion he feels for the sport.

"It's tough for me especially missing the cut here. The way I putted I feel as though I am back to where I was when I left the game in the summer. It's very frustrating."

The bad putting he is referring to came mostly in the second round, when Garcia had five very short putts that he couldn't cash in, and he wasn't around on the weekend for his first tournament back since his missed cut at the PGA Championship.

Sure, not making the cut in an event your hosting has to be embarrassing and demoralizing, but it isn't the end of the world. He took a lot of time off from the game, and will have to get his sea legs back before he can fully compete on a top level.

That said, if you don't at least toy with the idea that Garcia could be using a long-putter by this time next year, you're crazy.

Related: Sergio Garcia

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GolfTube: Sizing up the TV coverage of the JT Shriners Open

If this year's Fall Finish has taught us anything, it's that a sense of urgency goes a long way to creating must-see drama on television. As the Golf Channel's Kelly Tilghman noted during the final round of the Justin Timberlake, "this year's Fall Series has produced some amazing finishes."

After questioning if a tournament finish could get any better than last week's finish at the Frys.com, Vegas produced another gem for the second straight week with a walk-off hole-in-one from Jonathan Byrd. While the dramatic finish was the signature moment of the event, it's hard to overlook the crowded leader board that kept viewers interested until the last shot.

Cameron Percy was the perfect example of a player who was playing with a sense of urgency. Sitting well outside the top 125, Percy told the Golf Channel that he was "playing like there was no tomorrow." Quite honestly, there might not be a tomorrow. His second place finish still left him on the outside looking in.

The big question after these two whirlwind weeks is, how do you recreate the buzz or sense of urgency on a weekly basis during the middle of the season? That's a question the Tour needs to answer. While the Fall Finish doesn't produce the world-beater fields, it has produced enough television drama to keep the masses interested.

Figuring out how to bottle up that interest for next year should be the Tour's top goal going into the winter.

More follows.

Slam dunk at dusk

With the sun just barely peeking over the mountains in the background on the 17th hole, Jonathan Byrd, Laird and Percy raced to the fourth playoff hole with the tournament still in the balance.

"They really look like they want to get this in and take a Monday finish out of the equation," Tilghman noted as Byrd was lining up his tee shot to the par 3 as dusk continued to creep in. Instead of keeping everyone waiting, the four-time tour winner Byrd aced the hole, causing Tilghman to scream, "It's over," before she corrected herself and said, "Unless someone can match that shot."

With most of the crowd having already left the course, it seemed fitting that Byrd's reaction was subdued. But his reaction was priceless, as Byrd strained to see in the dark, before asking his caddie, "Did that go in?" That question was followed by a look of total disbelief on Byrd's face. Even after he received confirmation from his caddie and his playing partners, he still seemed to think it was all a big joke, as he sat and stared at the hole for a couple of extra seconds.

"The magic from last week continues," Nobilo noted. "I still can't believe he knocked that shot in the hole at this point in the day."

Mic'd up

The Fall Finish seems to be the perfect time to roll out new ideas for the 2011 season. This week is was the addition of a mic'd up Kevin Na, who provided some interesting commentary during the week.

As Frank Nobilo noted early on in Thursday broadcast, "too often than not, we mic-up a senior players, but Kevin is a twenty-something who should give the younger viewers a different perspective."

While Na didn't offer any earth-shattering revelations to the broadcast, his discussions with his caddie, Kenny Harms, did offer a more intimate look into the player-caddie relationship and discussions that go on during a round.

The best moment of the mic'd up broadcast came when Na was discussing his food intake over the past couple of week: "I'm getting fat," Na told his Harms as they walked up the fairway. "My mom's been cooking for me, plus I've been eating a lot of sugar recently, so that's never good."

Even if Na were to put on 10 pounds, he probably still wouldn't weigh 150 soaking wet.

Even though it was nice to have a new wrinkle added to the weekly broadcast, the Golf Channel decided to only mic Na during the start of the tournament, choosing to forego the idea on the weekend.

At this point in the season, what's the harm with putting a mic on Na or another player for the weekend? It could have only added another layer to the four-day coverage.

Parkin and quiet

Phil Parkin showed up in our living rooms on Thursday without much fanfare. The Golf Channel analyst, who covers the Nationwide and LPGA for the network, got a shot to cover the big leagues this week.

He was almost nonexistent on Thursday and Friday, barely lending any commentary to the broadcast. By Saturday and Sunday he seemed to be in his wheelhouse, offering some great anecdotes and information.

It's hard not to like Parkin's style. Compared to Kostis, McCord and the rest of the on-course lot, Parkin's a breath of fresh air, letting the tournament coverage lead the way before interjecting with his own thoughts.

While he tends to be soft-spoken, that shouldn't detract from the fact that he's a damn good analyst. Whether it was it was done on purpose or was sheer blind luck, Parkin made the most of his week covering the PGA Tour.

Hopefully the Golf Channel considers adding him to a couple events next season.

Game changer

Great note from the Golf Channel crew on the changes that were made between Friday and Saturday to the par 3 eight hole.

As Nobilo noted early on in Saturday's broadcast, "It's gone from a beast yesterday at 256 yards, which was just trying to somehow get a three and quickly jump to the ninth tee at the par 5. Now it's just how greedy you can be. The markers are considerably shorter."

The hole shrunk more than 80 yards, making it a more manageable par 3 to go after. But the changes, while noticeable to those watching the tournament, wouldn't have been as noticeable to the viewers catching weekend coverage for the first time.

"It's a totally different ballgame today," Mark Lye said. "That's why I really like courses like this that don't give you the same look every day. 85 yards difference is a big difference between two days."

Notables:

• Ready for the 2011 season? The Golf Channel certainly is. That was apparent by the numerous commercials and plugs that appeared throughout the broadcast. While this is definitely the time to mention next year's schedule, it'd be crazy to short the Fall Finish and the amazing finishes that have been going on recently. Leave the plugs for next year until Disney.

• Anthony Kim's DQ from this week's event due to an apparent aggravation of his thumb injury should have thrown up red flags from the start - especially after the Las Vegas Journal reported on AK's late night escapades. Yet the Golf Channel never made any mention of his absence. While it's there's a time and place to report a rumored back story, it would have been nice to see Tilghman or Nobilo mention why he M.I.A from the event.

• Mark Lye gave viewers a perfect view of Jonathan Byrd's second shot on the first playoff hole. After hitting his tee shot on the cart patch, Lye walked up on Byrd's lie and gave his opinion on where he'd take his nearest point of relief, as well as looking at the upcoming shot. He did it again when the players came back to the par 4 18th. It not a bad way to give a perspective of players' upcoming shots.

• The Golf Channel's end of the year report cards have added something extra to the broadcasts over the past couple of weeks. Instead of having the broadcast teams give the grades, the network decided to have the player's grade themselves. As expected, the grades were all over the map at the Vegas event. Cameron Percy gave himself an "F" for putting this season, while Webb Simpson gave himself an "A" for his sort game.

Quotables:

"Did that go in?" - Jonathan Byrd, asking his caddie, Adam Hayes, if his ball went in the hole on the par 3 17th.

Related: Anthony Kim, Webb Simpson, Kevin Na, Jonathan Byrd, Cameron Percy

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John Daly admits, 'I played better when I was drunk'

There are a lot of knocks thrown John Daly's way, but nobody can say he isn't honest about his past. Daly, 44, has been one of the most likable golfers in the history of the game, mainly because we have lived through his transgressions as his career continues to be the PGA Tour version of a yo-yo.

On Monday, Ron Green Jr. of The Charlotte Observer talked with Daly as he signed books at Rock Barn Golf and Spa, and Big John admitted a few things about his golf game, with the heaviest quote coming about how he used to play when he was liquored up.

"I've done everything right and haven't played worth a" darn, Daly said. "It's unbelievable. I'm giving myself the chance to play good. It seems the more I work, the worse I get."

Sun Mountain owner speaks about Ryder Cup rain suits

I'm sure Sun Mountain employees everywhere will hate this analogy, but for their rain suits, torrential downpours on Day 1 of the Ryder Cup and complaining from nearly everyone, it was the perfect storm of bad press.

The company that provided rain gear for the American Ryder Cup team in Wales this October was the dog of the opening ceremonies, becoming one of the biggest stories of the first two days of the Ryder Cup because it seemed they failed to repel water. Players complained, captain's complained, and stories were tossed around everywhere badmouthing the company that was picked to keep America dry.

But founder and owner Rick Reimers finally spoke on the phone about the wet, worriment of Wales, stating that he thinks it wasn't really the rain suits' fault to begin with.

Reimers admitted that he was as confused (and depressed) as anyone, and even stuck an employee in a shower for two hours with the team's rain suit on (Ed. Note: That dude needs a raise) and didn't see the suit leaking at all.

Final verdict from Sun Mountain?

"We think nobody got wet with rain coming through the garment," Reimers said. "Did the outside material hold more moisture than you’d like? Probably. When something gets soaked, it feels cold on the skin. People might interpret that as being wet."

OK, while it seems a bit off, that isn't a crazy idea. If you've ever been in a downpour with rain gear on, you still feel wet even if your skin isn't wet, because you are cold and you are miserable, and face it, every other part of your body that isn't covered in rain gear is soaked.

Also, Sun Mountain is still in the hunt for next year's Presidents Cup rain gear, which will luckily not be played in a country known for their October downpours (next year will be in sunny Australia).

So, go out, buy Sun Mountain rain gear, and if you don't believe in the product, you can always stand in a shower for two hours to test it out.

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