See the US Open for Free

The US Open is still in need of about 200 adult workers. If you are willing to walk around the event and carry a trash bag .. they want you. You will be paid $7 an hour and get in free to the event. The prime characteristic is that you are a golf enthusiast.

On a similar note, hotels in the Pittsburgh area are, naturally, sold out for the event. Realtors estimate 25% of the homeowners in the Oakmont, PA area are renting their homes for the week. Rates are $3,500 up to $20,000 for the week.

Mickelson Withdraws from Memorial Tournament

Mickelson withdrew from the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village due to a wrist injury.

As reported on Zealous Golfer, Mickelson spent the weekend focused on the US Open. He played the course. One member said he and his team actually surveyed the course -- the first time the member had ever witnessed a player doing a survey.

Mickelson said he injured his left wrist chipping out of the rough at Oakmont. He took four pain pills in the morning and felt well enough to play. After the second hole, pain shot up his arm. The pain continued to increase with each hole.

Mickelson admits that as much as he would like to be a winner at the Memorial, the US Open is the prize. He is a four time runner-up at the Open.

Anders Hansen had a playoff victory on the European Tour's BMW Championship. The win drove him to #49 on the world money list and earned him a spot at the US Open.

On the PGA Tour, Tim Clark birdied three of the last six holes at Colonial. He tied for 12th place. It was just enough to move him up three spots to take #50 on the world money list. Clark, too, will be at the US Open.

FedEx Cup Point Standings

Rory Sabbatini moved up seven spots in the FedEx Cup standings by winning on Sunday in Texas. He now finds himself in sixth place. Here is the top six after 21 weeks of play.

PLAYER'S NAME .............POINTS .............. # OF EVENTS

Tiger Woods................... 16,716.............................. 7
Phil Mickelson ................. 15,818 ............................12
Vijay Singh .....................13,661 ............................14
Zach Johnson.................. 12,327 ............................12
Charles Howell III.............. 11,856 ...........................14
Rory Sabbatini ..................11,172 ...........................15

3 Japanese Golfers qualify for US Open

Toru Taniguchi, Kaname Yokoo and Nobuhiro Masudo qualifed for the US Open at the first of 14 qualifiers at Ohtone Country Club's East Course, located 90 miles north of Tokyo.

Taniguchi has qualified for five of the last six US Opens. This will be the first major event Masudo will ever play in.

Hawaii's 16 year old sensation, Tadd Fujikawa failed to qualify. He shot a 78 in the morning round, the worst score of the day. He shot a 75 in the afternoon.

The remaining qualifying rounds will be played next Monday. 12 of them will be played in the United States. The 13th qualifier will take place in Surrey, England.

Players Testing Oakmont in Preparation for US Open

Oakmont Country Club is playing host Memorial Day weekend to several players who are developing their game plans for the US Open.

Phil Mickelson, along with his caddie, Jim "Bones" Mackay and short-game coach, Dave Pelz, spent Sunday practicing on the back nine in the morning and front nine in the afternoon. Perhaps Mickelson's energy was focused on the back nine, as he wants to avoid replaying the final hole at Winged Foot last year.

Jim Furyk, ranked #3 in the world, will play a practice round at Oakmont on Tuesday before heading to Muirfield Village Golf Club for the Memorial Invitational. Mickelson will play in the Memorial Invitational as well.

Also visiting Oakmont CC was Tom Pernice.

Banned Items at US Open

The USGA has published a list of banned items at this year's US Open for spectators.

If you are going to be one of the 40,000+ in attendance each day, leave the following at home:

• cell phones
• PDAs and portable electronic devices
• cameras and camcorders (they are permitted at practice rounds)
• bags bigger than 8 inches wide, tall or deep
• signs, posters or banners
• covers for umbrellas
• television
• radio
• food
• drinks
• pets (service animals are permitted)
• lawn or folding chairs
• coolers
• food containers
• bicycles
• ladders
• metal-spiked golf shoes
• weapons of any kind

Golfing Teen's Mom Loses Cancer Battle

Last spring, Dakoda Dowd's mother, Kelly Jo Dowd, witnessed her daughter playing in an LPGA event, the Ginn Open in Reunion, FL. Dakoda was only 13 at the time. Dakoda is one of the top ranked junior female players in the nation.

Kelly Jo Dowd spent years battling breast cancer. She lost her battle on Thursday, May 24, 2007.

Tiger Woods to play in Memorial Tournament

Now we know, Tiger Woods will play in an event before the US Open at Oakmont. He has committed to play in the $5.8 million Memorial Tournament presented by Morgan Stanley which will be held May 31 thru June 3 at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, OH (near Columbus).

He has won the event three times in the past and has won more money at the event than any other player. Jack Nicklaus hosts the event. Golf Digest lists the course as #17 on the top 100 courses in the United States.

Tiger Woods still sits atop the FedEx Cup Points leaderboard. 25,000 FedEx Cup points will be awarded at the Memorial Tournament.

Woman has eleven holes-in-one in 2007

Jacqueline Gagne is one in a trillion. The 46 year old, California woman has shot eleven holes-in-one in 2007. She had shot ten and a television crew came to interview her. She was demonstrating her skills, and landed another one on film.

She admits to playing golf everyday. Her feat has landed her an invitation to appear on The David Letterman Show.

The chance of making one hole in one is about 1 in 5,000. The chance of making seven holes in one in 65 rounds is one in 114 million billion. Gagne is much more likely to win the MegaMillions lottery than shoot eleven holes in one. Someone has witnessed every hole in one Gagne has made. Three of the shots came during tournament play. The very first hole in one in 2007 earned her a prize: a golfing vacation to Pinehurst in North Carolina.

Golfer Killed after cart plunges off of cliff

A recently retired, 65 year old, real estate agent in California went golfing on May 22nd with two friends at the Pala Mesa Resort Golf Course in Northern San Diego County.

After teeing off on the second hole, he got into his golf cart. He was looking for his golf ball and was alone in the cart. He veered off of a concrete path, traveled down a 25 foot embankment and went off of a cliff. The cart plunged about 75 feet and fell onto a road where the golfer was killed instantly.

Who will make the US Open Cut?

Time is running out for players hoping to make the cut and be invited to the US Open at Oakmont Country Club.

Who will make the cut? The Top 50 players in the world ranking will make the cut. The top ten on the PGA Tour money list will make the cut. The top two on the European Tour money list.

So who is a precarious position? Paul Goydos is 49th on the list. Tom Clark is #50. Lucas Glover is #51 -- but has secured a position by finishing in the top 30 of last year's money winners. Boo Weekley is #52.

Mark Calcavecchia finds himself in 55th place. However, he needs only $78, 358 to make the top 10 money list -- which requires him to finish in the top 20 this week.

Tiger Woods Plans Tiger Jam X

If you are in Las Vegas on May 26th, consider paying $100 a ticket for Tiger Jam X presented by A T & T at the Mandalay Bay.

The headliner at this year's event is Bon Jovi. Bon Jovi is particularly remembered for the 1986 album, Slippery When Wet. The band last released Have a Nice Day.

Special guest will be Daughtry. The band features Chris Daughtry, who finished third in last season's American Idol.

The Tiger Woods Foundation will benefit from the event. In the last ten years, the concerts have raised $10 million for the Tiger Woods Foundation.

Leadbetter or worse?

This month, in a highly publicized move, Phil Mickelson changed swing coaches by going to golf's number one instructor, Butch Harmon. Harmon, who has taught players such as Tiger Woods (now with Hank Haney) and Adam Scott, has perennially been number one in the ranking of golf teachers. However, for about as long, David Leadbetter has trailed Harmon in second place.

While Leadbetter is one of the most respected teachers in the game, his stable of professional golfers has started to decline. Of course, those big names who are still his pupils are struggling, and could jump ship with the many others. Former students of Leadbetter include Aaron Baddeley, and Sean O'Hair. Both have gone on to win PGA Tour events since leaving Leadbetter. In the case of Baddeley, he has captured two Tour titles using the "Stack and Tilt" swing taught by Plummer and Bennett.

Numerous other golfers have suffered under Leadbetter's watch. Ty Tryon has struggled ever since he earned his Card when he was 17, and is now playing mini-tours. Ian Poulter and Justin Rose both struggled under Leadbetter's philosophy.

Likewise, two of golf's "picturesque" swings have repeatedly failed recently. Ernie Els, who is the poster boy for smooth swings, has failed to win on the PGA Tour for two years. Michelle Wie, who Johnny Miller says has the best swing in golf, is also failing to meet the success that most expected. Charles Howell III, however, finally has reached some of his potential, despite going on a winless drought for several years under Leadbetter's eye.

It's hard to believe that Leadbetter has retained his number two ranking for teachers despite the failure of many of his high profile students. Personally, the work that Hank Haney has done in improving Tiger's swing would make me think he should have escalated. He also taught Mark O'Meara during the hot portion of his career

Woods undergoes Lasik Surgery again

Tiger Woods has revealed that the Monday after the Masters, he underwent Lasik surgery for the second time. His first procedure was in 1999.

His first tour performance after surgery found him winning the Wachovia event. However, last week he finished in 37th place. Let's hope that the eye surgery isn't to blame.

Big Break VII winds down

Tonight at 10:00 P.M. EST, the Big Break VII will narrow its field down to two competitors. With three players currently left, two men, one woman, the competition is sure to be intense, as some of the all-star favorites from past seasons battle it out for a spot on the Nationwide Tour or LPGA Tour, based on gender.

I would recommend watching this episode as well as the finale for all golf fans. In case you are not familiar with The Golf Channel's most popular reality show, it is the Survivor of the golf world. While the show's alumni generally do not make the cut on their pro debuts, the quality of golf is still very high, and it's an interesting take on high pressure golf, outside of playing an actual round.

Has Stack and Tilt worked for you?

If you are a savvy fan of the golf swing, you have probably heard somewhere along the line of the new "Stack and Tilt" swing, as invented by Philadelphians Andy Plummer and Mike Bennett. Many probably read the section in Golf Digest, touting the new found success of Australian Aaron Baddeley ever since he dropped David Leadbetter and started with this swing.

However, some golf fans have not found the cure, or "the revolution" as Plummer and Bennett refer to it, yet.

For those of you who have given it a shot, how has the stack and tilt swing worked for you?

If you are struggling, check out this video courtesy of YouTube and Shawn Clement, director of the Richmond Hill Golf Learning Center.

Golfers want look at Oakmont

Several golfers have committed to visiting Oakmont Country Club prior to the US Open, just to test the course.

Among them are Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh and Davis Love III.

Woods played the course a few weeks ago, but knows it has changed since then. He played three rounds at Oakmont on April 22 and 23rd. Snow had blanketed the Pittsburgh area just one week before and the rough wasn't ready.

Since then, the greens have recaptured their speed. There has been no measureable rain in Pittsburgh in two weeks, and the fairways have firmed as a result. The rough, as well, has thickened deeply, leading to even harder Open-style conditions.

Also in golf news, Tiger doesn't think he will play in another PGA Tour event until the Open, basically confirming that he will play several additional practice rounds at Oakmont.

Phil Mickelson Wins THE PLAYERS Championship

Playing on one of the most difficult courses in golf, Phil Mickelson captured the title of the 2007 PLAYERS Championship. He was the only player without a round over par for the entire week. Lefty finished today with a 69 and a two shot victory over Sergio Garcia, who finished Sunday with four consecutive birdies. Mickelson made bogey on the 18th hole during the final day of play; his only only bogey in 27 holes of play.
Mickelson takes home $1.6 million for his first PLAYERS victory. He is now #2 on the money list and #2 on the FedEx Cup points list.

Sean O'Hair, who played with Mickelson, struggled to control his emotions and dropped two balls in the water on the 17th hole. With two balls in the drink, O'Hair found a quadruple bogey to end his chances of victory.

Woods finally put together a good round today, shooting a 67 and finishing tied for 37th place.

Mickelson admitted his last three weeks he has been playing well, with two 3rd place finishes and today's win. When asked about O'Hair's play on the 17th, Mickelson said he thought O'Hair played well in the clutch, having held on to that point.

2007 U.S. Open on the Horizon

The 2007 U.S. Open, to be played at Oakmont Country Club, is now approximately 31 days away. Oakmont C.C. is one of the hardest tests in golf, if not the hardest. For that reason, Tiger has already made his visits in preparation for an event which is sure to slaughter the field, possibly more so than the course at Winged Foot which devoured part of Phil Mickelson's career.

Luckily, the Zealous Golfer hails from Pittsburgh and will actually be inside the ropes at the Open as a volunteer. Hopefully I will be able to get some good pics, and maybe some quotes during the practice rounds. Hence, ZealousGolfer.com is the (un)official home for coverage of the event.

Oakmont has seen extreme changes in preparation for the Open over the past year. The most noticeable is the knocking down of several thousand trees. At first, you would think a more open course would make play easier, but instead, an open, more linksy Oakmont reveals more dangers to scare players out of their wits. Of course, there are certainly enough dangers to bring a player of any level to his knees, even without Open conditions.

The most famous Oakmont feature is the "Church Pews", which are a series of bunkers lined up at the side of the fairway with small grass dividers topped by fescue. While still an extreme challenge to escape, the bunkers were even more difficult when Oakmont implemented the old furrowing rakes (similar model used at last year's Memorial). In fact, as you may have read in Golf Digest, the USGA was considering using the same rakes as Nicklaus chose for his Memorial tournament. However, the USGA felt that using the rakes would be too cruel, and that's something for a USGA layout.

Here's a picture of Oakmont during the winter (left). Ironically, Oakmont will probably be played at temperaturs near or over 100 degrees like the last Open held there in 1994.

The only player currently in the field who is a member at Oakmont C.C. is 1994 champion Ernie Els. Els actually chose not to become a member immediately following his victory, hoping the members would not make him pay for membership. Nice try. Eventually, after Els came to his senses, he paid the massive initiation fee and became a member.

A little history on Oakmont: This is the eighth time that Oakmont will host the U.S. Open, a record number of times hosting. The course has also hosted several other USGA events, including the U.S. Amateur in 2004. Last time the Open came to Oakmont, Ernie Els ultimately beat Colin Montgomerie in a Monday playoff which was sweltering due to heat. The history of the Open at Oakmont is spectacular, as Ben Hogan has captured a title there after a six stroke victory. Jack Nicklaus's first professional victory came as he beat Arnold Palmer in a playoff on Monday. Johnny Miller set the U.S. Open scoring record at Oakmont with an unbelievable 63. Larry Nelson beat Tom Watson in the Open of 1983 with a climactic Sunday finish. Last, but not least, Ernie Els defeated Loren Roberts and Colin Montgomerie in a Monday playoff to capture his first of two Open titles.

O'Hair On Top After Round 3 at THE PLAYERS

After the first two rounds at THE PLAYERS Championship were brutal, round three offered players lower scoring, and many made a move toward the top. Among these charging players is the 2005 John Deere Classic champion, Sean O'Hair.

O'Hair fired a Saturday 66 to take the lead by a stroke over Phil Mickelson, who coasted to a 69. Jeff Quinney, who is taking the PGA Tour by storm this season, shot the low round 64 in order to move into a tie for third place with Peter Lonard, who shot 68.

Five players are four strokes back at five under par. Luke Donald followed up his 72-74 start to THE PLAYERS with a solid round of 65 to move into contention for Sunday. Also in this group are Aaron Baddeley, Jose Conceres, Chris DiMarco, and Carl Pettersson.

Tiger Woods matched his best round of the week, 73, to stay in the back at 65th place. His Saturday playing partner, Henrik Stenson, however, charged from the back of the pack to 16th place by shooting a 66 on Saturday.

Two quarterbacks attend Open qualifying

Everyone knows there is a huge population of athletes with low handicaps. That was the focus of a section in this month's Golf Digest. Rick Rhoden, who has went to Canadian and PGA Tour Q-Schools, topped the list.

Surprisingly, two NFL quarterbacks, one current, one former, were present at the first stage of qualifying for the 2007 U.S. Open, to be played at Oakmont Country Club in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Tony Romo, currently of the Dallas Cowboys, and Tommy Maddox, former quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, both gave qualifying for the Open a shot.

Tommy Maddox, who was cut after Ben Roethlisberger won the starting job, shot 75. However, Tony Romo shot 72, not good enough to qualify to continue to regional qualifying, but still a respectable score under tournament conditions.

Maddox has stated that he is interested in following his NFL career up with a life in professional golf, starting on the Nationwide Tour, where he has received sponsor's exemptions.

Jason Gore back on top at The PLAYERS

This week has really been the second coming of the Jason Gore who was in contention for the U.S. Open in 2005, despite being a member of the Nationwide Tour. That Jason Gore went on to win three straight Nationwide Tour events, leading to a "battlefield exemption" onto the PGA Tour. From there, he won Joe Hardy's 84 LUMBER Classic, an event hosted by 84 LUMBER sponsored John Daly.

Sure, there are numerous parallels between Gore and Long John. Big bellies. Laid back attitude. Easy relation to the regular Joe, the rebellious working man who deeply contrasts the Country-Club-golf stereotype. Of course, the newest one is the long drought and inconsistency which has occurred ever since Gore got his Tour Card. Almost instantly, Gore's game fell hard. Maybe he wasn't ready for the publicity or large crowds.

One of the most logical answers is problems with his coaching. For those of you who read the recent golf revolution, the new "Stack and Tilt" swing, it is easy to think that the men responsible for the new swing, Andy Plummer and Mike Bennett, have found golf's Holy Grail. The article offers mostly positive comments on the swing, but it is likely Jason Gore who suffered the most as a result of it. After Gore worked with Bennett and Plummer, his swing went through the major meltdown that was his 2006 season. Luckily, he realized that something wasn't right, and is now back to a conventional method which works well with his body type and athletic capabilities.

At this point on Saturday, it looks like Gore will have a shot on Sunday at capturing his second career victory, and his first title at golf's "Fifth Major."

In defense of college golf

Over the past one to two years, numerous articles in major golf publications have attempted to point out the errors and flaws in the American system of golf. These arguments mainly expressed doubt in the merits of college golf, pointing out that the Americans have struggled as of late in international competition (i.e. Ryder Cup) while their European counterparts have flourished.

So why is college golf bad or counterproductive? Critics cite problems with the team atmosphere of college golf programs, which may lead to golfers giving up in poor rounds because their teammates' scores will cancel out his or her own. Also, many critics say that golfers fail to make long term changes to their swing, preferring quick fixes which impair their game for years to come. The live-or-die mentality of the European and Asian Tours allegedly provide a better competitive experience, subsequently leading to more successful players.

I disagree with this argument for several reasons. First, I think that college sports in general carry weight, simply because they provide opportunities for individuals to pursue degrees at schools which they likely would not be students at without their athletic talents. That said, think about how slim the chances are in any sport, not just golf, at playing professionally for a long period of time. Being able to have a life is professional golf doesn't work out is clearly important in the life of a student-athlete, even if playing professionally is the player's main goal.

Second, while many European players who succeed professionally did not play at the collegiate level, look to the success of those who did: Looking at the past five major champions:
2007 Masters - Zach Johnson - Drake
2006 PGA Championship - Tiger Woods - Stanford
2006 British Open - Tiger Woods - Stanford
2006 U.S. Open - Geoff Ogilvy - European Tour
2006 Masters - Phil Mickelson - Arizona State
So, 4 out of the last five major champions have played golf at the collegiate level. However, two of those championships were taken by Tiger. Of course, it is hard to determine whether or not his career would have been better or worse at this point had he turned professional at age eighteen and went to play in Europe or Asia. I doubt this would be the case. He missed his first several cuts at professional events while playing as an amateur. If he had been playing as a professional and had the same result, who knows if his mental stamina and skill would have developed as he struggled to get a Tour Card. Instead, Tiger won multiple U.S. Amateur Championships against great competitors, giving him the confidence to succeed at the highest level of golf. It's hard to greet the golf community with a "Hello, world" if you have not yet proven your game outside of U.S. Junior titles.

In my opinion, many of the best European players today, those who will win major championships in the future, have played at American colleges for part of their careers. Englishman Luke Donald, arguably the best British player today, played his college golf at Northwestern University. Internationally, Camilo Villegas, who grew up in Colombia, played college golf at the University of Florida before joining the tour last season.

Another argument is that Americans are not receiving the instruction at the college level that their international peers are obtaining. Many American players continue to work with their college coaches during their time on the PGA Tour. Some college coaches are of the elite group of PGA Professional teachers.

In conclusion, it is hard to argue that college golf experience will hamper the development of every players. Especially with golf's trinity Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods having played at Wake Forest, Ohio State, and Stanford respectively.

Tiger Woods Wins at Wachovia

Tiger Woods celebrated the 57th victory of his career by winning the Wachovia Championship at Charlotte.

He finished with a 3-under 69 and a two stroke victory over Steve Stricker.

The victory brought Woods $1.134 million and for the first time this year, he is leading the FedEx Cup standings.