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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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US Open Round 2: Live Blog

on June 18, 2010 2:01 PM , in Major Championships , US Open , USGA , 0 Comments

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

on June 16, 2010 5:22 PM , in Major Championships , Tiger Woods , US Open , USGA , 0 Comments

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.

The full pairings are available on the USGA's US Open website, but here is my abridged version:

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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Don't Expect to Catch Justin Rose at Pebble Beach

on June 9, 2010 1:08 PM , in Major Championships , PGA Tour 2010 , US Open , USGA , 0 Comments

Justin Rose's victory at the Memorial last weekend has prompted the golf community to question, once again, the USGA's selection process for the U.S. Open.

How come? Winning the Memorial - one of the PGA Tour's toughest and most prestigious events - isn't enough to get into the U.S. Open. Rose, who previously was not qualified to play this year, will not be appearing at Pebble Beach next week.

Rose competed at this week's final qualifier for one of the final spots in the U.S. Open field. He, along with young gun and fellow Memorial contender Rickie Fowler, came up short.

So why isn't the USGA going to open the doors to players who win tournaments within the month before the championship? David Fay, head of the USGA, made it clear to the Golf Channel that this type of thing is what the U.S. Open shoots for.

The fact that a few deserving players slip through the cracks in many years trades off with the Open's 'democratic' advantage. To the USGA, giving virtually all players an equal opportunity to fight for the top prize is at the heart of the championship.

I can understand that. "Special exemptions" are probably in conflict with giving all players an equal opportunity to play. That said, it seems a little ridiculous that the U.S. Open couldn't work it into the rules for the field to be set closer to the Open.

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Tiger is returning (again) at the Memorial

on May 25, 2010 3:11 PM , in PGA Tour 2010 , Tiger Woods , US Open , 0 Comments

Well. If I haven't said it before, Tiger Woods is back. This time, of course, he will return to professional golf after a neck injury rather than knee or marital troubles.

In early May, Woods dropped mid-tournament from the Players Championship. Now, it appears that Tiger is poised to make his return at the Memorial next week - Jack Nicklaus's signature tournament.

Of course, his last two appearances on the PGA Tour have resulted in disappointment. A missed cut and a neck injury didn't help to sustain his early momentum from a solid performance at the Masters this year.

That said, Tiger will roll into Ohio to defend his title at the Memorial last year. Success at this tournament could set the stage for a return to golf's elite with a win at the U.S. Open in June. If Tiger again struggles, his 2010 could look even more bleak.

Meanwhile, Phil Mickelson could grab the top spot in the World Golf Rankings with a win this weekend at the Colonial. For Tiger to retain his position at the head of the golf world, a comeback tour is absolutely crucial.

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Woods to tee it up at AT&T; no word on US Open

on May 10, 2010 3:15 PM , in PGA Tour 2010 , Tiger Woods , US Open , 0 Comments

The first positive news has been released since Tiger Woods dropped out of the Players Championship. He will, according to his press conference, play in the AT&T Championship during the first week of July despite his nagging neck injury.

As far as how long his hiatus will last, the answer is not yet clear. Woods will have an MRI next week to hopefully locate the problem, which he believes may be a bulging disk in his neck.

At this point, he has not ruled out playing in the Memorial or the U.S. Open. The question remains: could this injury have any relationship to his Thanksgiving night injury that prompted his first major leave from golf this year?

It wouldn't be a shocker. Sustaining head and neck trauma from a mild crash isn't exactly uncommon.

The Tiger entourage is denying this theory.

On one hand, something is clearly wrong with Tiger. Chances are, it is physical. His performance over the last two tournaments doesn't match the thrill of his return at Augusta this year. Until we know what the problem is, it is hard to say how long Tiger will be forced to wait.

On the other hand, Tiger did win a U.S. Open with one barely functional leg. My guess is that it will take a lot more than some neck discomfort to keep Tiger away from Pebble Beach, a course he has dominated at in the past.

The Tiger Woods drama shows no signs of stopping.

US Open 2009: Blogging the Final Round

on June 21, 2009 7:50 PM , in US Open , 0 Comments

The final round will span Sunday night and Monday morning. I will provide a timeline on this post over the course of the final 18 holes.

7:50 PM - Ricky Barnes chunks his chip shot on the 1st hole of his final round. The nerves may be kicking in. He will need to make a long putt to save par. In the end, he makes bogey. His lead drops to -7, putting Barnes in a tie with Lucas Glover.

7:56 PM - Barnes tees off on the 2nd. His lead has disappeared, and he faces a tie with his playing partner, Lucas Glover. He snap hooks his drive into the fescue far left of the fairway. Yes, the wheels are off. On the bright side, play could be suspended as early as five minutes because of darkness.

7:58 PM - Play is suspended. Some players have elected to remain on the course to finish their holes. Tiger chooses to finish the 7th. His 213 yard approach shot lands several feet away from the hole. If Woods could work his way back into contention, this birdie will be a big step in the right direction.

8:07 PM - Tiger birdies the seventh hole while putting in near darkness. He is back to even par. With 11 holes left, Tiger trails the Glover/Barnes group by seven strokes.

***Sorry for the delay! I will keep track of the final holes as several golfers contend for the title.

12:52 PM - Lucas Glover drains his birdie putt on the 16th to move to -4, which gives Glover a one stroke lead over David Duval and a two stroke lead over Phil Mickelson and Ricky Barnes.

1:10 PM - David Duval finishes his round with a par for a +1 score of 71. Duval and Mickelson are tied for second, and Glover faces his approach shot on the 18th with a two shot lead. Glover sits on the right side of the fairway.

1:13 PM - Glover's approach shot finishes on the small green. He can three putt for the victory.

1:18 PM - Glover's lag winds up a few feet away from the cup. Ricky Barnes has a birdie putt, which would put him within a stroke.

1:20 PM - Glover taps in for a two stroke victory over Barnes, Mickelson, and Duval.

US Open 2009: Round 3 Complete

5:11 PM , in Major Championships , PGA Tour 2009 , US Open , 0 Comments

After a rain delay, the players took the course again to finish the third round of the 2009 US Open. Once again, Bethpage Black was in rough shape. Three days of rain have made the course extremely soggy, and players like Tiger Woods struggled to move the ball in the swampy rough.

Though the remaining players will begin the fourth round today, the leaders will almost certainly finish few holes in the evening.

The highlights:

*Ricky Barnes shoots an even par 70 to end the day with a one stroke lead over Lucas Glover. Though a 70 under US Open pressure is nothing to laugh about, Barnes, at one point, was -4 on his round. Are the wheels falling off? We'll see. At the very least, the other contenders should be optimistic about the possibility of Barnes coming back to the field.

*Lucas Glover is one stroke behind Barnes, but he is four strokes behind the other leaders. Glover hasn't won since the FUNAI Disney Classic in 2005. Glover will have to continue to hit fairways if he wants to hold on and eventually beat out the leader.

*David Duval is back. He is tied for third place at -3 for three rounds with Ross Fisher. A Duval surge on Sunday/Monday would be unbelievable. This US Open is calling for a Cinderella story, and a Duval win would provide the biggest of them all. He has to make up some ground. Another even par round will almost certainly not do with the other leaders so far ahead.

*Phil Mickelson is playing solid golf. He is tied for fifth at -2 right now. His final birdie came after a monster putt on the 18th. He has the momentum, and he is a fan favorite with the New York crowd. There's no doubt, however, that Lefty needs a stellar round to scale the leaderboard.

*Tiger Woods played one of the strongest rounds of today by shooting a -2 score of 68. He still has a mountain to climb if he wants to spar with the leaders on Monday. He is at +1 for 54 holes, which places Tiger nine strokes behind Barnes. If any player could make up that type of deficit, it probably would be Tiger. Nevertheless, it is hard to believe that it could be in the cards given his struggles with his short game this week.

Hang onto your hats, folks. We are in for a crazy one.

US Open Challenge won't be seen today

11:48 AM , in US Open , 1 Comment

NBC originally planned to air the "US Open Challenge," which featured Justin Timberlake, Ben Roethlisberger, Michael Jordan, and an amateur golfer/police officer, after play finished today.

There was another weather delay at the 2009 US Open, and NBC has decided to push programming back. Sadly, the US Open Challenge will not be broadcasted today!

Apparently NBC plans to release it at some point in the future. It is a 90 minute show, and it will follow the amateur's attempt to prove a 10 handicap could break 100 at a US Open-quality golf course.

Spoiler alert: He doesn't, but he gets close in the end...

Blast from the past? Day 1/2 of the US Open is completed

on June 19, 2009 10:38 PM , in Major Championships , PGA Tour 2009 , US Open , 0 Comments

The entire US Open field has finished the first round of the tournament play. Many players are now well into their second round (which, of course, was pushed back because of the tremendous storm that shut Bethpage Black down on Thursday).

As the title suggests, this US Open, like so many others, has been nothing short of wacky. The evidence?

Lucas Glover is on the top of the leaderboard. His first round resulted in a stellar 69, and he rocked the first 13 holes of his second round. He is at -5 for his second round alone, and he is well ahead of Tiger's mark from 2002. Glover's only victory on the PGA Tour was at the Funai Disney Classic back in 2005. He went through sectional qualifying to make it to this year's open.

Ricky Barnes is in second place at -5 after his first 9 holes in the 2nd round. After a great amateur career, Barnes has found little success on the pro circuit. Is his fortune about to change?

Mike Weir began the day with a superb 64. Weir is a former Masters champion whose professional career since the victory has been uneventful. After 9 holes in his second round, he is +2 to put him at -4 for the tournament. Can he get the spark back tomorrow?

Todd Hamilton is also back in the mix. The former Open Champion, who rose back to prominence (sort of) with a great finish at the 2009 Masters is in fifth place at -3. He

definitely is making an effort to return to the PGA Tour in 2010 after his exemption runs out.

David Duval is at -1 after dropping two shots in his second round following a stellar 67. Duval is another player fighting to make it to the PGA Tour. A battle between Hamilton and Duval would make for an interesting storyline...

Phil Mickelson (pictured left) is 11 holes into his second round. He, too, is at -1, and he is

definitely in the mix if can make some birdies tomorrow.

On the other hand, Rocco Mediate resembled his play last year by firing a -2 68 in his first round. In his second round, he ballooned to +2 for the tournament after going four over par through 11 holes. He certainly can play Bethpage Black. It will be intere

sting to see if he can rebound to save his second round.

Tiger Woods is not in such a comfortable position. He hasn't started his second round yet, but he sits at a damning +4 through 18 holes. To make the cut, Tiger will need to put on a much better performance tomorrow. On the bright side, he has a full 18 holes to come back. And, of course, it is Tiger Woods.

Not to pat myself on the back, but I think I called Golf Digest out before for their prediction that Ernie Els had a shot at winning the US Open. See it here. Els is currently in 155th, otherwise known as second to last place. He sits at +12 for the tournament, and it doesn't look like he will be a threat to make the cut.

Biggest surprises of the US Open

2:12 PM , in PGA Tour 2009 , US Open , 0 Comments

It might be a little early to start discussing the most surprising results of this year's US Open, but we have had a couple of gems so far. I couldn't resist naming my favorite runs of the tournament so far, even if there is a lot of golf to be played. 'Tis the season.

5. David Duval (pictured left) exists. As this blog has noted before, Duval made it to Bethpage Black through sectional qualifying. A long way from being the world's best player, eh? Nonetheless, Duval is -1 after 13 holes. If he keeps this up, Duval will not only play the weekend, but he may even appear near the top of a leaderboard at a major championship for the first time in a decade. That would be a good way to begin his fight for a PGA Tour card.

4. Phil Mickelson battles, and he moves to -2 after 12 holes. He hasn't played much, since his wife, Amy, was diagnosed with cancer. He had a rough time last week at the St. Jude Classic in Tennessee. Nevertheless, it is undeniable that Lefty is playing quality golf as he commands waves of cheers from the New York fans.

3. Drew Weaver posts a 69. He qualified as an amateur by dominating at the British Amateur. The Virginia Tech graduate will lead the amateurs in the field, as he certainly has the opportunity to contend for the title. His round was played in the morning, which put the American in tougher conditions than many of the players who posted low scores in the afternoon.

2. Mike Weir (pictured right) has game, again. The former Masters champion has struggled in major championships since, but he has occasionally popped up on leaderboards. The Canadian s

howed that he may still have what it takes by shooting a -4 front nine. With that score alone, Weir jumped to the very top of the US Open leaderboard. He still has the back nine to go, but it looks like Weir will be in the mix. O Canada!

1. Tiger Woods posts a +4 score of 74. As of 2:14 PM EST, Tiger is at T90, which means he will have to fight tomorrow to make the cut. Tiger, unlike much of the field, didn't get the memo, I guess, that Friday would end up being a scoring day. Woods needs to get on his horse, or this will definitely be a blemish in his otherwise nearly impeccable record in major championships.

Tiger's group heads to the clubhouse

10:58 AM , in Major Championships , Tiger Woods , US Open , 0 Comments

The "supergruppe" of Tiger Woods, Angela Cabrera, and Padraig Harrington has limped back to the clubhouse after a rough (albeit delayed) first round.

Paddy posted a 76 after a +6 front nine of 41. He returned in even par following a solid birdie in on the 18th hole. Harrington will have an uphill battle if he wants to contend for the championship, or at least make the cut and play on the weekend.

Angel Cabrera and Tiger Woods posted rounds of 74 after bogies on the 18th. Woods missed a short par putt to finish his round. Like we have seen many times this year, Tiger will have to fight to scale to the leaderboard following a rough Thursday (and, in this case, Friday).

Despite the group's star-studded cast, it looks like they will have to make major changes to their games before tomorrow's second round.

Who is Ben Martin?

10:46 AM , in PGA Tour 2009 , US Open , 0 Comments

A lot of people are wondering who the amateur is at the top of the US Open leaderboard. Well, for one, he is a youngster with a lot of game. That is usually necessary to lead a major championship (not to mention the fact that Tiger Woods is trailing Martin by five strokes already).

Ben Martin is a student at Clemson University in South Carolina. He just completed his junior season at the golf powerhouse, and he was named first-team all-ACC in the process. In February, Martin was named ACC "Player of the Month." His stroke average for 2008-2009 was 73.00, which made Martin the second best player on his college team.

Martin made it to the US Open through the sectional qualifier at Woodmont Country Club in Maryland. He lost a playoff the year before at that qualifier, which prevented Martin from taking a shot at the US Open at Torrey Pines.

To say the least, Martin's lead is a Cinderella story. As we have seen many times, keeping up the strong play is usually a challenge.

US Open is back in action

10:20 AM , in PGA Tour 2009 , US Open , 0 Comments

Despite the consistently bleak conditions at Bethpage Black, the first round of the US Open is back in action.

The course is very soggy. 1" of rain fell on the New York state park yesterday, and players are certainly facing rough conditions.

Tiger Woods has not produced the hot start his fans were hoping for. He left the course with a 10' par putt left, and he narrowly missed to begin the day with a bogey. Nevertheless, Tiger was at +2 after 15 holes, which places the world's top player in the top 15.

Ben Martin, an amateur, holds onto the lead after 12 holes. He is at a stellar -2. Can he keep it up though? An amateur victory would be something else in this day and age.

Drew Weaver was the first to post a score under par. A solid 69 will leave the Virginia Tech graduate near the top of the leaderboard.

More updates to come. Kenny Perry, Rocco Mediate, Phil Mickelson, among others, have not started their opening rounds yet.