Best in the U-30 Class?

ESPN explored in an article this week who is the best player on both sides of the pond who is under thirty years old. The question's importance may be to identify who will take over if Tiger's career ever were to peak and his winning ways would slow down. Te usual superstar names, such as Sergio Garcia and Adam Scott came up, as well as some lesser knowns such as two time winner in 2006 Ben Curtis. Considering the only U30 to win a major as of late is Geoff Ogilvy, it is very difficult to pick out the next big player who will establish himself. Garcia may not have what it takes to be "that" great, seeing his inability to hold himself together when in contention against the likes of Tiger. If El Nino calms himself with maturity, he likely has talent to be that player. Adam Scott finds himself near the top of the leaderboard ever week, but has yet to be a contender in the majors but has racked up many solid finishes. Curtis' career is starting to return, having won the British Open in his first major ever during his rookie season, Curtis did not contend until winning twice this year. A player not mentioned who I think has the talent to play with the big guys is Luke Donald. Donald's career has been steady as of yet and could easily be a breakout player.

Next Up:The TOUR Championship

The TOUR Championship rolls into East Lake in Atlanta, Georgia for the season finale. Last year's champion Bart Bryant will not be in the field this season having not met th requirement of finishing in the top 30 for the official money list. This year wll have the smallest field in the event's history with only 27 competitors. The three drops wer by Tiger Woods (fatigue), Phil Mickelson (fatigue), and Stephen Ames (back). Without two of the big guns playing this week, some new talent will likely take the championship. East Lake, home course of golf great and Augusta National founder Bobby Jones, will play at over 7,100 yards. The event's purse will pay $6.5 million with $1.17 million going to the winner. The first two days will be broadcasted on ESPN and the finishing two days on ABC. The names that will be at the top of the leaderboard should include Jim Furyk as well as young Englishmen Luke Donald. Ben Curtis may also look for his third win of the season to continue his great play.

Bring on 2007 (After the TOUR Championship)

The Chrysler Championship brought the TOUR's grand finale as well as many bubble bursts. The biggest clutch performance of the week was Paul Goydos' second place finish, jumping from 160th on the money list all the way to 97th. The 125th(final card) position went to Irishmen Darren Clarke, who narrowly fell from 123rd to 125th. Paul Azinger finished strong with a four under 67 on Sunday to earn his TOUR card after playing 2006 on conditional status. Bursted players include Bubba Dickerson who was denied entrance into the Chrysler and fell from 125th to 127th. Duffy Waldorf made little progress moving from 130th to 129th, giving him conditional status for next season. Notable players no where near the cut include Brad Faxon, Bob Tway, Steve Elkington, and Mark Hensby. Players missing the top 30 cut for the Tour Championship at East Lake next week include Jose Maria Olazabal who fell from 26th to 31st. Mike Weir fell one spot from 32nd to 33rd with a weak Sunday finish. Tom Pernice Jr. fell from 28th to 30th to take the final position as Ernie Els and K.J. Choi both improved due to strong finishes. One player who almost made it to the Championship is TOUR rookie Troy Matteson who improved from 179th several weeks ago to 34th. Matteson notched back to bakc first and second place finishes at the Chrysler Classic and FUNAI Classic at the Walt Disney World Resort. Matteson was in contention at the Chrysler Championship after the second round but did not close. A win would have moved Matteson into the TOUR Champinship continuing his Cinderella like season.

Chrysler Championship:Choi Runs to 4 Stroke Win

Korean golfer K.J. Choi found his first win in Tampa by winning the Chrysler Championship.Choi started the day with an eagle and never let up, having two bogeys in his four under finish. Choi's final round was good enough to hold a nice lead over last year's winner Brett Wetterich who fired a 66 to move into second place. Paul Goydos, needing a big finish, remained in second shooting a one under 70 to move to 9 under. Johnathan Byrd also put together a big finish shooting 68, good enough for a third place finish. Ernie Els broke down on Sunday for the second time this year, shooting a one over 72 to take third place. Els was unable to get the round going, but showed some progress in comparison to his last tournament when he was in contention, the Bridgestone Classic. Unlike at Firestone, Els did not competely blow up and gave himself a good finish in third place. Other great Sunday performances include Paul Azinger's 67 moving from 53rd to 31st when he needed a fine finish. Choi's victory will guarantee another two years on TOUR as well as give Choi his first top 5 finish of the year, coming in with three top 10s during the 2006 season.

Final Round: Who is Playing in 07?

Sunday's final round of the Chrysler Championship will make or break the dreams of many golfers fighting to remain on the PGA Tour. To qualify for a fully exempt card for the 2007 season, players must be in the top 125 spots on the TOUR's money list. Only 6 players in the 120-140th spots made the cut this weekend. In addition to those 6 players playing this weekend, 160th place Paul Goydos is currently in contention, needing to make $300,000 to play next season. A quick summary of those on the bubble:
Players from 120th to 130th:
-120-Shane Bertsch-T53 after Saturday, will keep card with decent Sunday finish
-121-Mathias Gronsberg-MC-Will remain on the bubble based on how many players finish well
-122-Paul Azinger-T53-Made cut and should take his card for next season, conditional status in 2006
-123-Darren Clarke-DNP-Will likely lose full time status on PGA Tour, focuses on European
-124-Rich Beem-MC-Will likely fall out of top 125, still holds card from major victory
-125-Bubba Dickerson-Alt.(DNP)-Was not admitted for CC, will probably lose card
-126-Brian Bateman-MC-Goodbye Tour, fell from 125th position last week
-127-John Cook-MC-Will not have card next season
-128-Mark Calcavecchia-T14-Has card from win last season, but will move into top 125 taking away another spot
-129-Lee Westwood-DNP-Will not have card for next season
-130-Duffy Waldorf-T39-Dropped from contention Friday, needs 60K+ to play next year
Others:
-133-Tim Petrovic-T46-Dropped from 22nd yesterday, needs big finish
-142-Jeff Brehaut-T30-Needs to move into at least top 15 to play next year
-145-Bernahrd Langer-T38-Three rounds of par, needs something more
-160-Paul Goydos-T2-Will keep card with win or possibly second place.
-184-Steve Elkington-T14-Needs magical round to make it on TOUR next year
-197-Mark O'Meara-T30-Started Thursday in contention, followed with a 74 and 71. Needs to catch some fire Sunday

Choi Holds Onto Lead By One, Crowded Leaderboard

The third round of the Chrysler Championship in Tampa, Florida was played today as K.J. Choi entered with a one stroke lead. Choi held onto his lead shooting one under 70 on Saturday, unable to make his birdies count due to four bogeys. The event is all but over as four players are within two strokes of Choi. Troy Matteson continues an unbelievable rookie season as he shot a 7 under 64 to move within two shots of the lead. Matteson sat in the 179th spot on the Tour money list several weeks ago and now coul play in the Tour Championship with a win or high finish. In second place, first round leader Brian Gay sits tied with Ernie Els and Paul Goydos. Goydos, who began at 160th on the money list, is playing for his Tour Card needing approximately $300,000 to play on the TOUR next season. Els shoots a 1 under 70 to stay tied for second, certainly within striking distance for the win. Els is on the final 30th spot for the Tour Championship and looks to make it by holding on to his top five position in the Chrysler.

Hall of Fame Class of 2006

The Hall of Fame cermeonies at the World Golf Hall of Fame are set to being on Monday, October 30th. This year's class includes six members of the golf community, former number one ranked Vijay Singh, Larry Nelson, Marilynn Smith, Henry Picard and Mark McCormack. Arnold Palmer be at the WGV to speak for Mark McCormack, founder of the management company known as IMG. IMG would begin on a handshake between McCormack and Palmer at Wake Forest and would lead to managing such greats as Tiger Woods. Vijay Singh is the only player currently playing on the PGA Tour and is only two years removed from his spectacular season where he rose to overtake Tiger as number one in the World Rankings. The event will begin at 6 PM on Monday at the World Golf Village.

Burglary At Chrysler Leads To Strange Chase

Two juveniles were chased down Friday during rounds at the Chrysler Championship at Inninsbrook. The two juveniles were chased down following their theft of items in the golf course community before attempting to belend into the gallery, only to be caught without tournament badges. PGA Tour security and police chased the two thieves, one was caught and the other escaped into the woods despite being bit three times by a police dog unleashed for the search. Brian Gay, who fell out of the lead shooting 71, was held up while the two suspects were running into the woods and the bizarre chase ensued.

Tiger Will Skip the Tour Championship

Tiger Woods announced on his website that he will not be playing in the season ending Tour Championship. Woods will skip the event for the first time in his career, and will certainly hit the fans at East Lake in Atlanta, Georgia hard. Woods wrote on his website that the reason he will be skipping the season ending finale is fatigue and stress caused by a long streak of events to the Ryder Cup and Amex Championship. Phil Mickelson already withdrew from the event several weeks ago and Stephen Ames will be physically unable to play due to back problems. The field will be only 27 players; the smallest in tournament history. The FedEx Cup is certainly being challenged by the big stars choosing not to come as the FedEx Cup is supposed to offer enough money to get the stars to show up. If Tiger and Phil won't show up to the Tour Championship, the question of whether or not either will increase their participation in regular events next year is certainly up for debate.

K.J. Choi On Top, Els in Hunt

Japanese star K.J. Choi seized the lead Friday after firing a five und 66 to complement his three under 68 on Thursday. Choi will certainly be challenged during the weekend by several players, especially South African Ernie Els who is looking to break out of a long slump beginning before injuring his knee during a vacation following the Open Championship last season. Els is at seven under, trailing Choi by one going into the weekend. Els is currently holding the 30th place on the Tour's money list, significant because the top thirty on the money list gain entry into next week's Tour Championship. Young gun Johnathan Byrd is also tied with Els at seven under along with several others. Veteran Paul Goydos, who is currently in 160th and needs a strong finish to keep his TOUR card, is in a tie for fith place at five under par. Other players who need strong finishes to keep their TOUR cards include Jeff Brehaut at 3 under and Steve Elkington at 2 under. Masters champion Mike Weir is in 16th place and needs to over take two players to gain entry into next week's Tour Championship. Duffy Waldorf dropped from his third place starting position to 46th place after shooting 74. Waldorf's chances at keeping his card likely suffered a huge drop following his meltdown unless he finds a strong performance during the weekend. Brian Bateman, the 125th player on the money list, will not be playing on the week following two rounds of 73. First round leader Brian Gay shot an even par 71 to fall to second place at seven under par.

Zinger, Among Others To Fight For Card At Chrysler

The Chrysler Championship will be contested tomorrow in Tampa, Florida with many more implications outside of who won. The Golf Channel has an article about several players who are trying to make the Tour Championship, those mentioned include Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, and Chad Cambell. In addition to the battle for spots in the season ending Tour Championship, may players look to earn their cards for the 2007 season. Paul Azinger finished last season in 187th place on the Tour's Money List, leaving him on partial status until taking his one time career money exemption. This year, 'Zinger sits at 122nd, needing to stay in the top 125, to earn his card back. Azinger did not play well at Disney last week and has to make the cut this week in order to gain full playing priveleges next year. Azinger will be playing near his hometown of Sarasota, Florida, not far from Tampa. Of course, Azinger likely will not be a full time player as he must fulfill his responsibilities as a golf commentator too.

TIFOSI Optics Pave T-G460

As an avid golfer, especially during the summer, I often encounter sunny conditions leading to long rounds and lost balls. Tifosi Optics, a relatively new company recently entering the golf eye wear market, hooked me up with a stylish and functional pair of glasses. The model I tried out, the Pave T-G460 not only is a light pair of glasses which helps to keep sun out of your round, but features a "Golf-Tennis Lens" which is designed to help the wearer pick up the ball's flight in motion. I generally have stayed away from glasses during rounds in the past because I found the some models tend to distort distances and make it difficult, at least more difficult, to read putts. I was surprised to find that the Pave actually helped me to pick out some subtle breaks on the putting surface. Another impressive feature is the nose piece which fit me perfectly so these glasses did not slide off at all while I was playing. In addition to the noticeable features, these glasses have 100 percent UVA/UVB protection which will definitely benefit the avid golfer in protecting their eyes. The glasses also came with soft and hard cases as well as three different sets of colored lenses. As a wearer of contact lenses, these glasses have full eye protection meaning the lenses cover your eyes fully, which is great feature when sand and dirt fly after a shot. The Paves and most of Tifosi's models retail at $59.95. Go to http://www.tifosioptics.com/ to get more information on the Tifosi models and find retailers online and in your area.

Next Up:Chrysler Championship

The TOUR's full field finale commences this week in Palm Harbor, Florida at the Chrysler Championship. The event, as the final full field event of the season, will feature some of the best going at it to earn spots in the season ending Tour Championship next week for the top thirty players on the money list as well as some well known players looking to keep TOUR cards. The Chrysler Championship will have a $5.3 million with $954,000 going to the winner. Surpisingly, South African and former top three ranked golfer Ernie Els is outside of the top thirty and needs to play strong this week to gain entry in the Tour Championship. Els, who injured his knee and underwent surgery last season, has slowly descended from the top ranks in professional golf and has not won since his injury. Els has struggled, especially when in contention, to find victory. The Big Easy will be the player to watch this week as he tries to emerge to his former glory and start next season on the right foot by ending the 2006 season strong.

Nike Sumo and Sumo^2:"The New Shape of Golf"

In an earlier article, I linked to several pictures of two new drivers from the Nike and Callaway workshops, those being the Nike Sumo/Sumo Squared and the Callaway FT5. Several major golf news sources report that the new square headed drivers from both companies could be in play as early as the made-for-tv events of this season. Though only weeks ago the rumors and pictures appeared to be photoshopped hoaxes, Nike has set a release date of February 1st, 2006 for their Nike Sumo drivers. The Nike Sumo (SUper MOment of Inertia) will boast more forgiving flight due to higher MOI. If the square headed drivers do in fact increase forgiveness and possibly lead to extra yardage, the USGA surely is in fear. An article published by the Golf World last week went over some of the ebenfits of the three most radical designs on or going onto the market, those being Cleveland's Hibore, the FT5 and Sumo. The latter of the three will hit the market at a full 460 cc of volume, that being the maximum amount on the market. The smaller Hibore by Cleveland is near 300 cc with a "scoop back design" to increase MOI. The new geometric shapes of drivers may change the look of the driver market as a whole.

Outside Looking In: Final Chances On the Big Tour

As the TOUR moves to the Chrysler Championship this week, many players will battle it out to retain their tour cards. Last week's FUNAI Classic at the Walt Disney World Resort began with Q-School grad Brian Bateman sitting on the 125th spot of the Tour's official money list, but fell to 126th after Bubba Dickerson made his second consecutive cut to move from 127th to the 125th position. All players within the top 125 on the money list will have full playing priveleges on the 2007 PGA Tour, while those outside will play in limited PGA events, Nationwide and other mini-tour events, or go back to Stage 3 of Q-School to move back onto the big tour. Notable names outside of the top 125 include 1993 Ryder Cup member John Cook who comes into the Chrysler this week at 126th. Cook was limited to ten events originally after coming in 165th last season, the fourth time in his career he has fell of the PGA Tour. Mark Calcavecchia will likely finish outside of the top 125, but will retain his card for next season with an exemption resulting from his win at the Bell Canadian Open in 2005. As this will be the final TOUR full field event(the TOUR Championship brings only a select field), many player will look for strong finishes in order to play again next season.

Ames To Miss Chrysler, Possibly Done For Season

Stephen Ames, who won The Players Championship earlier this year, will likely be finished for the season due to back problems. ESPN reports that Ames missed a PGA Tour meeting where he was scheduled to speak while undergoing testing in his current hometown of Calgary. Ames will certainly miss the Chrysler this week, but his playing in the WGC World Cup in Barbados is unclear. Ames usually represents Trinidad and Tobago in the World Cup alongside his brother who usually is on the bag. The severity of the injury is not yet known, but if not terribly severe, Ames will likely represent his victory at TPC by playing the Mercedes Championship.

Ping to Change Pricing Policy

Golf giant PING will change its policy on military discounts after enduring a media backlash for its former policy. PING was heavily criticized by all golfers and businesses for cutting relations with two Augusta golf shops because the shops failed to meet PING's uniform pricing policy. This policy basically means that all golf stores must sell PING's newer lines of products at the same price. The violation committed by the golf stores? Selling PING products to members of the U.S. military at discounted prices. After a media backlash, PING will begin selling products at military discounts as follows: generally $80 off a set of irons and $30 off of the typical new PING driver. The attention by golf media likely will spark a decrease in PING sales despite being on of the last made-in-America golf equipment manufacturers.

Daly Will Lose Card

John Daly, a two time past major championsip winner, will likely lose his tour card and playing priveleges for the 2007 season. The Golf Blog reports that Daly will have to earn his card throught a maximum of seven sponsors exemption before either earning more exemptions or playing his way back to the PGA through the Nationwide Tour or Q-school. Daly has always been a fan favorite, reflected by several multi-million dollar endorsements deals with companies ranging from 84 LUMBER to Maxfli. The loss of playing priveleges will not help Daly get out of millions of dollars in gambling debt, may public by Daly in his book published this year. Daly has always been a likeable character having faced much adversity, inlcludng an ongoing alcohol problem as well as several bad marriages, yet, in adversity, coming through to be among the best.

Sims Wins PalmettoPride Classic

Michael Sims didn't waste much time to find his first victory today. On the first playoff hole of the day, Sims beat Ken Duke. Sims' first win on the Nationwide Tour was a great way to celebrate his 22nd birthday.

PalmettoPride Classic

Weather delays have slowed play at the Daniel Island Club for the Nationwide Tour's PalmettoPride Classic. The winner will not be determined until Monday. Current leaders are Michael Sim and Ken Duke. Duke has finished play and is tied with Sim. Sim, however, has two holes left to play on Monday.

Trump's Team Wins Charity Event

At Sunday's Manhattan Golf Classic in New York City, Donald Trump teamed up with Champions Tour player Tom Watson and won the skins event 10 - 8 over Annika Sorenstam and Natalie Gubis.

A T & T Championship Secured

Fred Funk, age 50, won by one stroke on Sunday at the A T & T Championship in San Antonio, Texas. The win gave Funk a $240,000 check. It was his first victory on the Champions Tour, having just entered his first season of eligibility. Funk fended off another young gun for the Champions Tour, Jay Haas as well as old timer, 64 year old Raymond Floyd who looked to become the oldest player ever to win on the Champions Tour.

2006 Funai Classic Winner Crowned

Joe Durant shot a 65 in the final round of the Funai Classic at Disney on Sunday to win this year's tournament. It was his first victory in more than 5 1/2 years. He will pocked $828,000 for the win.

Troy Matteson and Franck Lickliter II took second with four strokes behind the leader.

Justin Rose who sat atop the leaderboard following the first and second rounds finished fourth overall.

Record Day at Funai Classic

26 year old, Justin Rose, shot a 12-under-60 to take a four stroke lead on Thursday in the Funai Classic at Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. He came within one stroke of matching the PGA Tour record of 59 which is currently shared by three players. Rose did manage to capture both the course and tour record though. Richard Johnson is four shots behind the leader.

After Friday's round, the field will be cut to 70 players.

Michelle Wie Makes Second Major Change

In the last ten weeks, Michelle Wie is making changes faster than changing her clothes. First she ditched her caddie. Now, she has ousted her agent, Ross Berlin. Berlin has taken a position with the PGA Tour. Replacing Berlin will be Greg Nared, a Nike Manager.

Players Look To Catch Spark, Stay on Tour or Play in T.C.

As one of the PGA Tour's final events of 2006 rolls in, many players are looking to make serious money over the next two weeks to retain tour cards or qualify for the tour championship. Among notable players battling it out for positions in the top 30 of the Tour's money list, Sergio Garcia in 42nd, Camilo Villegas in 34th, and Stever Stricker in 32nd. The current 30th spot belongs to South African Tim Clark who is nearly $200,000 ahead of 31st player Mike Weir. Players must stand in the top 125 of the PGA Tour's Official Money list with the 125th spot being held by 2005 Q-school Grad Brian Bateman at $645,000. Notable players currently outside of the top 125 entering Disney include Brad Faxon, John Cook, and Mark Calacavecchia.

Tiger To Reach Billion in Earnings by 2010

Golf Digest recently published an article on GolfDigest.com projecting the career earnings in total official money and endorsements by Tiger Woods to reach a billion by 2010. Woods has already earned well over $546 million dollars and will likely reach the billion dollar mark by at least 2013 as projected by financial experts. The experts at Golf Digest feel that Tiger will join the club of 691 billionaires worldwide by year 2010. Not only has Tiger made himself the richest athlete in history, he has created huge wealth for all other PGA Tour members. With Tiger-sized purses from greater TV Ratings and huge crowds, regular Tour pros, even some unknowns can become millionaires in any given Tour year. For example, the 50th player on the Tour money list last season, Ben Crane, made over 3.3 million dollars.

Next Up:FUNAI Classic at WDW

The Tour moves from adult's Disney World t the real thing this week at the Palm and Magnolia courses at the Walt Disney World Resort. The event has a history of making dreams come true, sucha s Lucas Glover's win last year coming from birdies on both the 17th and 18th holes on Sunday, holing out from a greenside bunker on 18. The event's purse is $4.4 million with over $800,000 going to the winner. Both courses feature long layouts, especially the Magnolia course where the final rounds will be played. With Tiger Woods rejecting his invitation to the tournament, ending the prospect of extending his lead to seven straight Tour victories this week and capturing the Vardon Trophy, the tournament will liekly draw a relatively weak field. Golf Heaven's pick for this week will be Davis Love III who ended a 92 tournament win drought at the Chrysler two weeks ago. If Love does not pull through, look for Ryder Cupper Chris DiMarco to end a winless streak of his own since winning the Pennsylvania SEI in 2001. Another player who is looking to get his game going again is young gun Sean O'Hair who won the John Deere Classic in 2005, establishing great expectations that have not yet been met. The WDW event will remain in the PGA Tour's schedule next year occupying the grand finale spot of the eight events following the closure of the FedEx Cup.

Ochoa Stares Down Sorenstam, Wins Samsung

Mexican LPGA golfer Lorena Ochoa stared down Annika Sorenstam on Sunday at the Samsung Championships taking her fifth title of the year. Ochoa won by a full two strokes after firing a a final round 65 against Sorenstam's final score of 70. This victory by Ochoa certainly brings up the question of who is the best on the LPGA Tour now. If Ochoa continues to win championships with ease, Sorenstam will not likely make a return to her former glory.

After winning the Samsung in Palm Desert, Ca. ,Ochoa's family wrapped her with the Mexican flag following a solid par on the 18th. Ochoa's victory makes a major move toward her winning of the LPGA Player of the Year. The Samsung Championship follows a victory last week when she wond her first professional title in her home country of Mexico. Lorena Ochoa has proven she is the real deal and is there to challenge Annika for LPGA suppremacy.

Rounds 3 and 4 of Frys.com Open

The Frys.com Open was put on hold during round three, first play was suspended due to inclement weather followed by unfinished rounds due to darkness. Sunday will certainly make an interesting finish as most players have well over 18 holes left and 22 players within 5 strokes of the lead at 17 under par. Though no official leader could be determined after Saturday, Charley Hoffman and Troy Matterson are leading the field at 17 under and 16 under respectively. The winner will be a total tossup with so many players in contention with almost 1.5 rounds left to play.

Few stars are near the top of the leaderboard, the most notable being Lee Janzen (left), Bernhard Langer, and Aaron Baddeley. The final round will being around 9 A.M. in Vegas,

Arnold Palmer Retires From Professional Golf

Arnold Palmer decided it was time to go for good yesterday at the 2006 Administraff Small Business Classic withdrawing after only four holes. Palmer, 77, was struggling throughout the first several holes while paired with fellow golf legend Lee Trevino and decided to quit keeping score on the fourth. As Palmer was always a crowd pleaser, he chose to finish the round without an official score as he said that he owed finishing the round to his fans. The King from Latrobe, Pennsylvania played his final PGA Tour event at the 2004 MASTERS, his fiftieth time in the field. Palmer announced his leaving with tears in his, but said he would still stay busy, "I'm going to concentrate on building golf courses now and really spend a lot of time doing that. I've got quite a few on the books ready to go. That's going to be my next major passion". Palmer's legacy is certainly among the game's great as he captures 62 PGA Tour titles, 5 major championships, and captures a U.S. Amateur title. Palmer has left his mark on the game, as he was a fan of such golf greats as Walter Hagen, his successors would include Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, both fans of Palmer. Palmer's legacy also includes the establishment of Arnie's Army, an organization running charity golf outings nationwide raising money to battle prostate cancer.

Woods Skips Disney

Tiger Woods made the decision to not enter the FUNAI Classic at Walt Disney World and surrendered his chance at winning the Vardon Award. Woods needed to enter the Disney in order to meet the 60 round requirement for the Vardon Award. Tiger had until 5 PM today to enter the Funai at WDW, but will still be eligible for the Byron Nelson award for the lowest scoring average for golfers playing 50 PGA Tour rounds. Woods current streak will remain at 6 consecutive victories on the PGA Tour starting at the Open Championship in July.

Wie Struggles With Quad Bogey

Michelle Wie found major struggles yesterday at the Samsung World Championship on the LPGA Tour. Wie would falter to a 74 despite being near the top of the leaderboard on Thursday, hurt especially by a quadruple bogey 8 on a short 354 hole. The 14th would make us all remember that Wie is just a teenager trying to make her way on the adult tours. The hole would include two penalized drops as well as a whiff. The hole took a total of thirty minutes and severely backed up play. The question of should Michelle Wie be playing on the professional tours is for the most part irrelevant, at least for the LPGA Tour. Remember, Wie is 17 and is going out and generally being competitive for some time in the tournament in women's events. Wie commonly may be found in the top fifteen for some of the bigger events such as majors. Tos ay that Wie totally does not belong is for the most part ludicrous as very few young players even in their 20s will find their first victory in their second professional season. Even if Wie does not win an event, a total flop, Wie still will have a very similar effect Tiger has had on the game of golf in whole. Wie has brought more money into the game of LPGA golf as she brings in both Tiger-like crowds and Tiger-like ratings for events she enters. Friday's blowup would result in a 74, her worst score on the LPGA Tour this year. That 74 is still as good or better than other LPGA superstars such as Natalie Gulbis, Julie Inkster, and Se Ri Pak. Regardless of if Michelle Wie belongs in professional golf at the time, she certainly will have a positive affect on the sport itself.

"I'm Going to Disney World"? Will Woods Go For Scoring Title

Tiger Woods has until 5 p.m. Friday to decide whether or not to play in the FUNAI Classic at the Walt Disney World Resort next week. His decision to play or not to play in a relatively small PGA Tour event will draw some attention due to his need of at least one more round following the Tour Championship to qualify for the Harry Vardon award. Woods currently has 55 rounds and requires a season total of 60 rounds in official PGA Tour events to win the Harry Vardon Award for the Tour's lowest scoring average. When asked at the WGC two weeks ago what he thought about competing at Disney and responded by saying that Disney makes some good movies and has good theme parks, obviously avoiding a response to whether or not he plans to play. If Tiger chooses not to compete, he will still likely win the Byron Nelson Award for the Tour's lowest scoring average for player competing in a minimum of 50 PGA Tour official rounds.

Driver Squared? Sumo and FT5

Over the past couple of weeks, new pictures have surfaced of two completely new geometric designs for driver heads. The two models featured are rumored to be the Nike Sumo and Callaway FT5. The Nike Sumo features the same color scheme as Nike's current major driver on the market, the Sasquatch. The Nike Sumo surely will not win the SGA's beatuy pageant, but will perform better than the current drives according to experts. Alledgedly, the new square shape increases the MOI (Moment of Inertia) which makes a much more forgiving driver. Along with the Nike Sumo, Callaway will attempt to counter Nike's new big dawg with two square drivers of their own. Callaway will likely release both the FT-I and the FT5 square drivers. What do you think of the new square drivers, hot or not?

TGC Announces 2007 Cast

The Comcast owned, 24 hour a day, golf network will kick off its first season of hosting PGA Tour events in January. With the addition of several PGA Tour events to be broadcasted on The Golf Channel, TGC acquired some familiar players and announcers to show that they are the real deal. First, Kelly Tilghman will be the first full time female commentator in golf broadcasting history. Former British Open champion Nick Faldo will also be a full time commentator for TGC, essentially ending his playing career on the Tour at the age of 49. The other members of the TGC team will be:
*Peter Oosterhuis
*Rocco Mediate
*Mark Rolfing
*Dottie Pepper
*Rich Lerner
*Frank Nobilo
*Jerry Foltz
*Steve Sands

TGC will begin their broadcast of PGA Tour events with the Mercedes Championship in Hawaii.

How Long Will Annika Dominate?

As Annika Sorenstam, one of the most influential if not the most influential figure in women's golf today, turns 36, it is easy for the world to wonder how long her winning will last. ESPN presents both sides of the coin on how long Annika will continue her domincance, and more importantly how long she will retain her number one world ranking. In summary, Sorenstam is coming off a difficult 2006 season where most facets of her game began to drop from their formerly perfect forms. Her results still inlcuded three victories, including the U.S. Women's Open, but still no Earth shattering season in Sorenstam Standards. It is easy to see that many young stars are beginning to challenge Annika, especially Lorena Ochoa who just captured her fourth victory of the season in her home country. It is unclear if Sorenstam is simply slumping, or is falling from the peak of her career. The situation is similar to that of golf's great Jack Niclaus who appeared to be finished with his truly competitive career before capturing several more tour and major championship titles into his forties.

Are You Mental?

Most golfers biggest game issues are not swing or equipment, but difficulty with the mental part of the game. Most golfers, like myself, look at the scorecard and see they are on pace to break a record numbers, wheteher 100, 90, 80 and so on, and freeze up only to block there next shot into the lumberyard. Check out this article about being "in the zone" and several golf self-help books and recordings.

Equipment Review: Ballzee Ball Cleaner

Ballzee is a fairly new product that most golfers have probably never seen. The product is a small pouch with cloth on the inside used to clean muddy, dirty, or grass stained balls on the green. The product is very unique in that not only do owners not have to carry towels to the green or loudly wash their balls during their buddy's backswing while using a ball washer on the next tee, the Ballzee cleans balls easily and quitely and doesn't get your pocket wet. The relatively simple design makes for simple use. After getting the Ballzee, I was slightly skeptical, especially about its ability to hold in water. When I got to the course, and poured water on it in the locker room, I was very surprised to see that it fits easily in any pocket and doesn't lose water. I was excited about trying it out as I usually have a high ball flight and often have muddy balls and grass stains. I have never been a big fan of tying the hand towel in the cart to my belt, so this product was perfect for me. Ballzee cleaned the ball pretty well, but does require some practice for use, as figure out how to keep the ball in while wiping at the start is slightly difficult. Golf's critics have found the product to be very useful, as Ballzee was named "Best New Product" at 2005's PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando. Ballzee also was given an 8.0 rating by the PGA Partners Club, and has been featured in many golf publications as well as Forbes. One Ballzee pouch runs around $3.99, and can be found at most major golf retailers as well as directly through the company. More information about Ballzee as well as other Ballzee products may be found at www.getballzee.com . Golf Heaven gives Ballzee 4.5 out of 5 stars as the product is definitely one that all golfers could find helpful, but sometimes difficult to use.

Next Up: Frys.com Open

The PGA Tour moves to Las Vegas, Nevada as the season's end nears. The Frys.com Open, formerly the Michelin Championship, will be played two TPC courses, the Summerlin and the Canyons. Both courses will play ath nearly 7,200 yards, and the winner will receive $700,000 of the $4 million purse. Last year's winner Wes Short Jr. will not likely defend his title successfully coming into this year's event with an official money list rank of 176. The probable winner in Vegas' weak field is the Tour second leading money winner, Jim Furyk. Furyk lost in a playoff in Vegas last season after going seven under on Sunday to tie Short Jr. at 21 under par. With Furyk playing some of his best golf during the 2007 season, he will be Golf Heaven's choice for this week's winner.

DL3 Ends 92 Event Winless Streak

David Love III ended a 92 event drought at Forest Oaks C.C, located in his home state of North Carolina. Davis Love III fired a 66 on Sunday to slide past Texas Valero winner Erix Axley, who had a three stroke lead at a time during Sunday. Jason Bohn would finish two back of Love, and Axley would ultimately fall to third at three back. Love III told U.S. ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman that he would be playing great by the end of the year, and finally found his winning ways. Tour rookie Eric Axley is playing hot as he has two top three finishes in his last three events.

Nick Watney Leads Chrysler Classic

After day two at the rainy Chrysler Classic of Greensboro, Nick Watney held onto the lead. Shooting a 71, he finished 9 under 135 for his two day total. If he hangs on to win it, Watney will pocket $900,000 in his first PGA win.

Nipping at his heels is Ryan Palmer who shot the best round of the day. He had started Friday seven strokes back of the leaders. However, an eagle and six birdies pulled him within one stroke of Watney.

Six players are tied for third and are one stroke behind Palmer: Chris Couch (68), Tim Petrovic (69), Eric Axley (69), Greg Owen (69), Ryan Moore (70) and Charley Hoffman (71).

Notably missing the cut was 2003 Masters Champion, Mike Weir.

Faldo Takes over as Lead for CBS Sportsline

Nick Faldo accepted the job today as head CBS Sports analyst. This decision will prevent Faldo from playing in the Masters in 2007, as he will be needed in the booth for the entire week. Faldo will replace Lanny Wadkins as head after switching from his position at ABC. Faldo will enter CBS as it begins a six year deal with the PGA Tour. Faldo will also commentate for the Golf Channel as it begins broadcast of several PGA Tour events including the first three events of the 2007 season.

Big Easy, "You're Fired"

Ernie Els gave his longtime caddy Ricci Roberts the boot in wake of a year of post-surgery slumping. Els has recorded only five top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour this season after a strong finish at the WGC American Express Championship. Els' hired Malcomn Mason, Sam Torrance's former caddy, to serve out the remainder of the season. Els' split with Roberts is not at this time permanent, as Els described the situation as each taking a break. Mason will caddy this week at the Dunhill Championship. Els is currently on the bubble for qualifying for the season ending Tour Championship and will make his next PGA Tour start at the Chrysler Championship in Tampa.

World Losing a Tiger?

The Golf Channel published an interesting article today about the World Golf Championships all being contested in the U.S. during 2007. The article details the loss that many worldwide golf fans will find if the Tour's major regular season event are moved to the U.S. The AmEx was formerly contested in 4 different countries including three different U.S. regional occasions.

Next Up: Chrysler Classic of Greensboro

The TOUR moves to Greensboro, North Carolina for the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro at Forest Oaks C.C. The event features a $5 million purse with $900,000 going to the winner. The will play this year at 7,311 yards and will likely provide low scoring like last year's tournament. Defending champion K.J. Choi shot a four day total of 22 under par to win the event by two strokes. The long hitters will all be in N.C. this week hoping to find victory. These bombers include Colombian Camilo Villegas, Bubba Watson, and John Daly. Last week's winner of the Southern Farm Bureau Classic, D.J. Trahan, will be playing this week too. Golf Heaven's picks for this week are Camilo Villegas and first time winner Aaron Baddeley. Look for the longer guys to score well at this course, especially the one with the hottest putter.

Woods Wins another WGC, Wins by 8

Tiger Woods has captured another victory after shooting another 67 to win the American Express by 8 strokes over the nearest competitor. This win ties Woods' longest consecutive winning streak, having won six consecutive PGA Tour events for a second time in his career. Tiger fired another 67 to safely claim and extend his lead at a week total of 23 under par. Woods shot for the four days rounds of 63-64-67-67 on the par 71 course. Woods has now not lost a stroke play event of any kind since the Cialis Western Open in July, where he came up short finishing second to South African Trevor Immelman. Tiger was not able to eagle the par 5 18th for the fourth time in a row, having only a birdie on that hole. Tiger's three consecutive eagles would be one of the greatest achievments on a single hole, finishing seven under for that par 5. Second place went to Englishmen Ian Poulter, who was 8 strokes back of Tiger. Poulter's season is getting hot as it ends as he follows a win at the Madrid Masters two weeks ago with a second place in this World Golf Championship. The American Express at the Grove gives a huge purse, $7.5 million and $1.35 million going to winner Tiger Woods. The event had an early start today in order to beat bad weather, but was delayed for over an hour. The World Golf Championships have been known to give exemptions to little known players on some of the worldwide tours. Thonghai Jaidee of Thailand, a virtual unknown qualifying by winning the Carlsberg Malaysian Open, had a strong perfomance on Sunday to move to 9th place and cash a huge check. Tiger likely will play only one more PGA Tour event in 2006, that being the Tour Championship.