FW: JP Gooderham


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JP Gooderham

Heinz History Museum (Pittsburgh, PA) Hosts Golf Exhibit

Golf has never really matched its peer sports when it comes to museums. The official Hall of Fame, admittedly, is pretty cool. I checked it out a few years back on a trip to St. Augustine, Florida.


That said, it doesn't seem to attract the public interest or prestige of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, for instance. Plus, the coolest exhibit is almost certainly the five iron brought by American astronauts on a space voyage...

Here are some pictures of the golf section of the "Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum," which is inside the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, PA. If you haven't been there before, it's located smack dab between the Strip District and Station Square. A long walk from the T or parking at the convention center are your best bets.

More importantly, I thought the Center's ode to golf was pretty solid. It is all about celebrating the accomplishments of Pittsburghers, so the emphasis is certainly on the King himself, Arnold Palmer. There are quite a few pictures of Palmer moments blown up and hung throughout the golf room. He also donated his copy of the Claret Jug, so today was the first time I laid eyes on the trophy of the Open Championship.

Aside from that, there are a few sets of old sticks to illustrate the growth of golf in the area. There's also a little section commemorating Oakmont Country Club's significance to championship golf. This includes a one hole miniature golf course that simulates Oakmont's infamous church pew bunkers (pictured right).

All in all, I thought the Heinz History Center's golf exhibit was a pretty good look at the sport's impact on the area. I would have loved to see a shout out to some of the other successful golfers in the region; for instance, U.S. Open champion and Uniontown native Jim Furyk or U.S. Open runner up Rocco Mediate of Greenburg.

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Tiger Woods Heads Off to Ireland

For some reason, the golf media is pretty excited today because Tiger Woods has left the States. The destination? Ireland. He will be the headliner at a charity pro-am in the land of Graeme McDowell.


More importantly, St. Andrews is on the horizon. As the Golf Channel is reporting, this is pretty significant because it...may be the last week that Woods holds the top spot in the World Golf Rankings. Sounds like a familiar storyline, right?

This pro-am will feature the talents of actors Samuel L. Jackson and Michael Douglas, as well as many other celebs from both sides of the pond.

I wouldn't count Tiger out yet. He did win two major championships at St. Andrews (in 2000 and 2005). Plus, he hasn't exactly fallen to David Duval lows yet.

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US Open Round 2: Live Blog

Hey folks. I am going keep a running blog going throughout the rest of the second round at the U.S. Open. All times are EST. Make sure to leave comments as the action progresses.


Live Blog:

3:15 - Tom Watson - despite strong performances at the 2010 Masters and 2009 British Open - looked like he was out of it after a 78 yesterday. After 15 holes so far, he is -1 on the day (with a birdie on the 15th). That puts Watson on the current cut line. With a birdie on one of the final holes, it looks like he will see the weekend again.

3:06 - Tiger's tee shot on the par 3 5th hole trickles onto the green. He missed his lengthy birdie putt. No luck yet with getting some spark in his game. Ernie Els pars to stay at even for the tournament.

2:47 - Tiger taps in his bogey after having to take a drop on the 3rd hole. He is +5 and nine strokes off of the lead. He's getting dangerously close to the cut line.

2:35 - McDowell drains another birdie putt with three holes left to play. He sits at -4, which puts him one ahead of Dustin Johnson and three strokes ahead of the rest of the field.

2:30 - Tiger just missed his par putt on the 2nd hole (his 11th hole
of the day). Things are not looking good for an enormous Woods rally unless he gets some steam soon. He's at +4 now.

2:27 - Watching the U.S. Open gives one a new appreciation for sports that do not use the vuvuzela...

2:22 - ESPN just did an interview with Shaun Micheel, whose mother is battling cancer right now. The 2003 PGA Championship winner now has Lance Armstrong in his fan base (left).


2:17 - Graeme McDowell's lead at -3 would leave the cut line at +7. If that sticks, 103 players would make it to the weekend, as of right now. Whoa!

2:15 - Ernie Els just pounded a drive down the narrow 2nd fairway. He's playing like the old Big Easy again. If he could putt, he would be a real threat to win this thing. In the same group, Tiger's drive winds up in a bunker off the right side of the fairway.

2:02 - I'm jumping in now. Dustin Johnson is proving that he isn't the only one in the field who knows Pebble Beach from his past victory. Well, on second thought, he might be the only one. Tiger finished his opening nine with a score of 36. His early birdies disappeared after a bogey on the 17th (he started on the front nine today). He's T45 at the turn.

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US Open 2010 Preview: Round 1 Tee Times and Commentary

We're less than a day away from the kickoff of the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, and I couldn't be more ready.


Tee Times:

At 7 AM PST, Pappas, Woodland, and Sheehan will tee off from the 1st while Cabrera-bello (*not Angel), Mallinger, and Allan start on the 10th.

That said, the first group that any reasonable golf fan will care about begins at 7:33. Camilo Villegas, former Masters champion Zach Johnson, and Luke Donald will play the 10th at the time.

  • Hole 1 - 7:44 - T. Clark, KJ Choi, and M. Weir
  • Hole 10 - 7:44 - R. Goosen*, J. Furyk*, A. Cabrera*
  • Hole 10 - 8:06 - P. Mickelson*, P. Harrington, Y. Yang
  • Hole 1 - 8:17 - S. Cink, B. An, L. Glover*
  • Hole 1 - 1:14 - S. Garcia, S. Stricker, P. Casey
  • Hole 1 - 1:36 - L. Westwood, E. Els*, T. Woods*
  • Hole 10 - 1:47 - R. Ishikawa, R. McIlroy, T. Watson*
Intriguing Groups:

Of course, the eyes of the golf world will turn to the Ernie Els, Lee Westwood Tiger Woods pairing.

It's probably not because of the South African who once was viewed as a Woods rival.

The anticipation surrounding Tiger's comeback isn't the same it was with the Masters. Nonetheless, the storyline is priceless: since his post-Masters golfing despair, he has broken up with his swing coach, suffered a neck injury, and faced an allegedly $750 settlement with his wife. Let's see what next?

The Goosen, Furyk, Cabrera matchup is interesting. The USGA always loves the "three champions" approach. On top of that, Furyk and Goosen have certainly cooled down since their U.S. Open victories. Meanwhile, Cabrera has firmly taken on the role of "relative unknown who is prepared to strike at any moment for the big title." It will be a fun round to watch.

Lastly, the pairing of European young gun Rory McIlroy with the legendary Tom Watson is a pretty phenomenal move. Rory looks like he has a chance to become a household name in golf while Watson has taken the PGA Tour by storm again (with his runner up finish at last year's British Open and an early run at the 2010 Masters).

Does Tiger Have It?

If nothing else, Tiger Woods understands Pebble Beach. His 2000 victory is, in my mind, one of the great accomplishments in the history of professional sports.

The real question is: can Woods withstand the pressure, which seems to continue to rise? It sounds like he's ready to roll. From ESPN Golf:
As far as my game, I'm very excited about how it's progressed,since before [the] Memorial, then obviously during Memorial, and now here it's gotten better," Woods said. "The more time I've been able to practice and play, it's starting to solidify, and I'm actually really excited to tee it up on Thursday."
"Excited to tee it up" sounds pretty good. In his press conference yesterday, Woods sounded as though he was regaining his edge. When questioned about the status of his marriage, he blocked the reporter out without though in his typical Tiger way.

Woods has a history of magic in this tournament. He has a history of dominance on this course. That is a deadly combination when you are Tiger Woods.

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