ZealousGolfer.com

When most golfers think of a municipal course, thoughts of numerous bad lies, overly-simple layouts, and slow as molasses greens come to mind. However, the Bobby Jones Golf Complex in Sarasota, Florida trashes the municipal golf course stereotyped, complemented by a history most courses in the state of Florida.

Bobby Jones, legendary amateur golfer, was also a legendary real estate agent of sorts within the Florida market. With a famous name, potential buyers flocked to Jones, as those who have seen Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius would remember. Having helped to populate the Sarasota/Bradenton area, the facility was built to commemorate Jones's Grand Slam. In fact, Jones personally dedicated the facility on February 13th, 1927.

Of course, Jones did not design the course himself. Donald Ross, designer of Pinehurst No. 2 and many other famous courses, had that honor. Additionally, a famous "young lad" from the area happens to still hold the scoring record: former Open champion Paul Azinger.

The Complex features 45 holes: an 18 hole "American Course", an 18 hole "British Course", and a 9 hole Executive Course. Additionally, the course has a small rubber mat driving range and two practice putting greens.

The British Course is split into two nines: St. Andrews and Hoylake. The front nine, "St. Andrews", commemorates Jones's British Amateur victory with Hoylake commemorating his British Open victory the same year. The course itself has a very linksy style, flat, but with more trees than most links courses. The British was the Complex's original course, with the touches of Donald Ross still maintained. With most Ross designs, look for the numerous dome shaped greens.

Also, the course features wide fairways, but with less water hazards than its sister American course.

The British plays 6,536 yards from the Blue tees and 6,184 yards from the course's White tees. From OobGolf.com:

Golfers interested in taking on the British Course while in Sarasota can call (941) 365-GOLF(4653) or can make tee times online. During the off time of the year (May 1 through November 15), golfers can play either course with a cart for $26.00. The price during that time for afternoon rounds is $18.50. For the rest of the year, greens fees are $28.35 during the morning and $17.10 in the afternoon. Plus, the carts at Bobby Jones are equipped with a color GPS system with hole displays and yardage information.

One Golf Channel show which has caught my attention over the past few weeks is "Fore Inventors Only", which gives inventors a chance to sell their product in Golfsmith stores. For the first three episodes, all appearing on Tuesday nights at 10 P.M. EST, the three-man panel would vote for whether or not each product would move on to the "Field Test" portion of the competition.

The panel, which functioned much like American Idol's, consisted of Stina Sternberg, Billy Harmon, and Fulton Allem. With three days of judging down, the show will move to the "Field Test" segment tonight.

However, a slight twist in the show will put the inventions of hopefuls in the hands of former members of the Big Break.

So far, the show has included several cool products, such as the Z Factor Perfect Putting Machine and the Hill Shot.

While the first three episodes were interesting and funny, especially when bizarre/radical inventions were unveiled, I'm interested in seeing how the Field Test ends up going. Check it out at 10 EST on TGC.

As a new feature, ZealousGolfer.com will share with the golfing world some of the best bargains on the market right now.

The World's third ranked player, Jim Furyk, rode an astounding fourth hole ace at Angus Glen to his second consecutive victory at the Canadian Open. A Sunday 64 was enough to beat former World number one, Vijay Singh, by a single stroke.

Stewart Ginn has a one shot lead over Tom Watson at the Senior British Open at Muirfield.

Dennis Durnian had a hole-in-one on the par 3, 231 yard No. 4 hole. He won 231 bottles of wine -- one for each hole. It was the second such award this week. John Chaffee, an American, had a hole-in-one on Thursday and earned 191 bottles of wine.

Despite making a shift in the PGA Tour schedule from its usual September date to late July, the 2007 Canadian Open has managed to attract some star power. While most high-profile golfers will be taking a break after the Open Championship, some will be heading back to tournament golf.

Among these players is Jim Furyk, who captured last year's Canadian Open, who will lead the stars entered in the Open. However, the Canadians will surely be rooting for countryman Mike Weir, winner of the 2003 Masters. On the other hand, the only other golfers in the Official World Ranking's Top 50 are former World No. 1 Vijay Singh and former Canada resident Stephen Ames.

If you are planning to go to the 2008 PGA Championship at Oakland Hills near Detroit, tickets went on sale this week.

The event will be played August 4 - 10, 2008. Practice round tickets cost $30 each and include complimentary parking and shuttle service. Individual tickets for the competition will not be available. A weeklong Executive Club ticket that comes with special privileges, such as indoor and outdoor seating near the 16th hole, goes for $700.

Tickets are on a first come, first served basis.

Volunteer opportunities are available as well.

Irish star Padraig Harrington (left) beat Ryder Cup teammate Sergio Garcia in a playoff on the fourth day of the 2007 British Open. Harrington entered the 18th hole with a one stroke lead over the leader of the first three rounds, Garcia. However, Harrington limped out of the hole with an unfortunate double bogey. At least, Harrington was able to one putt the hole and give himself some hope of a playoff if Garcia was to falter.

So it was. Garcia entered the final hole needing only a par to capture the Claret Jug. Despite the tremendous pressure, Garcia was able to smash a long iron to the center of the fairway. His approach shot was not quite Van de Velde-esque, but still poor. However, Garcia left himself a great lie in the bunker with a good shot out. The bunker shot was adequate for a decent chance to win, but Garcia was unable to convert with an unlucky lip out.

Thus, Garcia and Harrington were tied at 7 under par. The two Europeans entered a four hole playoff, which came down only to the first when Harrington started strong with a birdie while Garcia bogeyed. After all was said and done, Garcia trailed Harrington by two giving Paddy his first major championship victory.

While Garcia was always the first to come up in discussions of the "best player never to win a major", Harrington could hardly be left out of the conversation. Having captured numerous prestigious European Tour titles, Harrington has been poised to take the big one for some time.

Garcia's (right) final round could scar him for the rest of his career. Sure, he has destroyed numerous high-pressure rounds in the past, but today's failure is a whole new level. Garcia had the opportunity for a dominant wire-to-wire victory, set up with a three stroke lead entering the final round. On a day relatively easy for scoring, a two over par 73 simply doesn't cut it. Who knows if Garcia will be able to overcome this effort in the future?

Regardless, Europe now holds a major championship trophy for the first time in nine years.

After years of struggling to win a major championship, the 27 year old Spaniard may finally be ready. Sergio Garcia has the 2007 Open Championship locked up. Players dream for situations like this: one schmuck from Wisconsin 3 strokes back, and a whole slew 6 strokes behind.

At this point, there is only one person who can steal the 2007 Open Championship away from Garcia and his funky red pants. A hint: it isn't Tiger. Garcia would have no excuse is he was to, hypothetically, lose the British Open. Sure, he's had many in the past. One way or another, the monkey on his back has always been pressure. Proof of Garcia's ridiculous temper tantrums:



On Sundays, Garcia's putting stroke has melted in the past like ice in the sun. Of course, most of the pressure in previous chances could be credited to Tiger and the crowds he brings with him.

On the other hand, 2007 may be different for El Nino. His major struggle in the past has been with his short game, but his 2007 putting statistics have been generally decent. Moreover, Garcia is entering Sunday with a new stick: the belly putter. While David Fehrety would protest the use of such a putter (alluding to his Crowne Plaza commercial), Garcia may have some new confidence with the long stick.

One way or another, Sunday at Carnoustie will likely define Garcia's career. Who knows? This round could be the turning point for the still young Spaniard allowing him to contend in future majors without fear.

Maybe the new FedEx Cup Playoff series isn't creating much excitement within the golf community. However, the season is reaching golf's new "post-season", so who will likely not be playing late in the year?

In case you were wondering, the top 144 players in FedEx Cup points will make the first tournament, but the number will be filtered down until the TOUR Championship.

Name Place Points

On the Bubble:

Greg Owen - 144th - 1,321

Unlikely:

John Daly - 163rd - 935
*Long John has earned 15 sponsor's exemptions this season, but has frequently failed to convert. He is trailing big time, but had an opportunity for a solid performance at the British Open. Unfortunately, old habits causing inconsistency continue to nag Daly.

Paul Azinger - 168th - 782
*Paul Azinger was able to earn his TOUR Card back last season, but he will always broadcast more than play from now on. So, it isn't looking good for seeing 'Zinger playing deep into this season.

In a highly overshadowed tournament, Tim Herron currently leads after three rounds at the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee. Herron, currently ranked 116th in FedEx Cup points and fighting for his TOUR Card, has a one stroke lead at 12 under par after shooting 65 on Saturday.

Sergio Garcia continues to dominate the Open Championship by shooting a 3-under 68 to maintain his lead. If he wins tomorrow, Garcia would finally shed his long-term "Best Player Never to Win a Major Championship" title.

However, the big news of the day was Wisconsin's Steve Stricker (left). Stricker moved up 18 spots to sit alone in the #2 spot by shooting a 7-under 64. He set a course record for the Open and was only one stroke off the tournament mark. Stricker had nearly given up on his golf career only a short time ago. In 2005, he had lost his tour card. However, he has won three times on the PGA Tour during his long career. In 2006, he was voted PGA Tour Comeback Player of the Year following arguably his first spectacular season.

Everyone knows that when Tiger is on, he's on. If Tiger is smiling, everyone else in the field is certainly in trouble. Yesterday, Tiger added another astounding shot to his long list of spectacular swings:



However, on day two of the British Open or Open Championship, Tiger's drive on the first tee joins his list of worst strokes.


Instead of smiling, Tiger inserts a very noticeable F-bomb while the ball is in the air. Luckily, Tiger will have a chance to redeem himself on the weekend if he puts up a show of shots similar to the one in the first video.

For the second Major in a row, it appears that Phil Mickelson will not make the cut.

With the majority of players finished after the second round, the projected cut is 5 over and Lefty is 6 over and apparently going home.

He won't be alone. Joining Mickelson will be Geoff Ogilvy, Stuart Appleby, Davis Love III, Rory Sabbatini, John Daly (who at one point in the first round was #1 on the leaderboard), Aaron Baddeley and Nick Faldo among many others.

A few months ago, I wrote about Jacqueline Gagne, who had an uncanny run of luck -- at that time she had had 11 holes-in-one in 2007. I ran a google check of her today to see if her luck continued.

The old saying says, "The more things change, the more they stay the same."

Thru the week of August 3rd, 2007, Tiger Woods remains #1 in the World Golf Rankings. He has held the #1 position for 454 weeks. That is nearly 9 years!!!! What has changed in 454 weeks? 9 years ago, children -- and many adults -- didn't own cell phones. 9 years ago, TIVO didn't exist -- and neither did satellite radio. 9 years ago, wireless laptops were not available. 9 years ago, was before 9-11 and our security-enhanced world. 9 years ago, folks were worried about Y2K.

Others included in the top ten are:

Jim Furyk is #2
Phil Mickelson, #3
Ernie Els, #4
Adam Scott, #5
Padraig Harrington, #6
Vijay Singh, #7
Sergio Garcia, #8
Henrik Stenson, #9
Geoff Ogilvy, #10

One things stays the same: Tiger remains #1.

The first day of the 2007 Open Championship began in cold and rainy conditions. With the course playing much fairer than in the 1999 Championship, low scores were quite a possibility.

Angel Cabrera, winner of the 2007 US Open at Oakmont, is tied with four other players for third place.

K.J. Choi is continuing his strong play, shooting a 69. Choi has already captured two titles in 2007, most recently Tiger AT&T.

John Daly played a game that epitomized his professional career. Of course, Daly won the Open in 1995. He played the first eleven holes of round one well, capping #11 with an eagle. Following the tremendous eagle, Daly found himself at the top of the leaderboard. Suddenly, as huge crowds amassed, Daly finished his round with two pars, three bogeys, one double bogey, and one triple in the final seven holes of the first round. The disappointing finish to the round gave him a 74, good for 83rd place. Unfortunately for Long John, he has gone from a contender for the championship to a fighter to make the weekend.

The R&A's setup of Carnoustie for the 1999 Open Championship faced criticism and controversy comparable to that of the USGA's constant design battles. The major problem: Paul Lawrie won. The course set up in a manner promoting luck over skill, as few fairways could be viewed from the tee box, and the area around the greens offered no reward to talented short game artists.

Thus, the Open allowed less skilled players to enjoy the top scores as the bigger names struggled. Of course, Jean van de Velde's epic 18th hole struggle will always be remembered, but similar struggles existed all over the course. To some extent, the course was simply not fair.

In 2007, many of the tee boxes have been changed to allow for easier tee shots. Additionally, the fairways have been widened, and the danger around greens scaled back. While Carnoustie will continue to be a tough test of golf, at least this time the stars will shine.

The Class of 2007 for the World Golf Hall of Fame has been announced. Inductioin ceremonies will take place on November 12 in St. Augustine, Florida.

This year's class includes Curtis Strange, Hubert Green, Se Ri Pak, C.B. Macdonald, Kel Nagle and Joe Carr.

Donald Trump certainly knows the art of the deal.

Two weeks ago, he walked away from purchasing Running Horse Golf and Country Club for $40 million. He could not agree with current owner Mick Evans on how to classify legitimate operational expenses after the property sale.

14 days later, Trump is getting the property for $30 million cash. Even better, he won't have to share the profits.

Maybe professional golf will not end up working out for Michelle Wie. At this point, at least, she may be taking the David Duval route and living off of large Nike checks. However, Wie luckily has the education option as she is set to become a Stanford Cardinal.

Stanford University, ranked as America's fourth best college by U.S. News and World Report for "National Universities", admitted Miss Wie with 11% of the applicant pool.

New Cardinals are set to arrive on September 19th and will start classes on the 25th.

Wie, of course, will not play for the Stanford Women's Golf Team having forfeited her amateur status and a chance to play for big bucks as a professional. Again, her contract with Nike was likely worth that.

As Wie prepares to join some of World's brightest students, what advice would you give Wie to get the most out of her college experience? In the future, she'll probably need it...

While Stevie Williams may not have Tiger-like fame, he still has lived like a top professional over the past few years. As the caddy for the world's best player, New Zealand's Stevie Williams consistently would have been near the top of the PGA Tour Official Money List based on the cut of Tiger's paychecks he makes.