Click here to listen. Padraig Harrington came out the victor this week at the British Open, the third major winner of the year with an injury to do so, hiding under the radar of many who thought he could not win back-to-back major tournaments. Harrington concentrated his efforts on course management and the short game to overtake an unlikely favorite of the over-fifty set, namely Greg Norman, whose “foot-on-the-pedal” mentality cost him yet another win. It’s a shame, though, that in 2007, Harrington thought so little of the Claret Jug he fought so hard to win he used it instead as a ...

Click here to listen. There are golf fans and then there are those who come out of the woodwork just to see Tiger Woods blast the ball. These “Tiger enthusiasts” would not think of missing an event with Woods in the field but what happens now that the world’s number-one player is out for the season? In relation to the British Open, sports agent Andrew “Chubby” Chandler claims that there will be, “zero economic impact” and that “he would have been the biggest show in town, but he would not have been the only show. Besides, most of the people there ...

Click here to listen. “Fearless", “cocky” and “arrogant” were descriptive terms used by fellow golfer Fred Funk after Anthony Kim’s decisive victory at the AT&T National hosted by Tiger Woods. Without Woods in the hunt the field is wide open with devotees waiting anxiously for a confident PGA Tour golfer to step up and take the reins. In sashayed 23-year-old Anthony Kim who, with a bogey-free Sunday (the only final round like it since Chopra took the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship), stepped up to meet the demands of fans who were growing restless without a hero in their midst. Anthony is no different ...

Click here to listen. Although an announcer during the U.S. Women’s Open mentioned Young Kim’s swing thought of “fairways and greens", it’s much easier to think it than it is to bring it to fruition. The simple practice of envisioning what you want to achieve is sometimes the key to a positive round. Basically, if you think happy thoughts, chances are you won’t throw your seven-iron in anger! On the flip side, the average weekend duffer tends to clutter his mind with either what he has learned or needs to practice instead of a simple meditation geared to a positive outlook. The result ...

Click here to listen. Michelle Wie has spent countless hours preparing for the 2008 U.S. Women’s Open with coach David Leadbetter in the hopes of reversing the downward spiral which has been her albatross since last year. Although Wie recently commented that she felt herself “re-emerging as a new player, a new person,” she also reluctantly mentioned what has gone before, asserting, “I’m not ever going to think about before I broke my wrist. That was then and this is now.” Perhaps Wie has been going through a metamorphosis of sorts since her dismissal from the columns of many a golf writer ...

Click here to listen. Poor Tiger Woods! Yes, he has won his third U.S. Open but was it at the expense of his knee? Is winning a trophy more important that your health? The answer? Season-ending knee surgery with the rest of the field clamoring for their opportunity to win a tournament. Tiger’s message to his adoring fans let on that his injury was more aggravated than he made it look this week. “I think I need to shut it down for a little bit. I pushed it pretty hard this week and I just want to enjoy it. And we’re going to ...

Tiger Woods is the hands-down favorite at online sportsbooks despite his recovering knee. Phil Mickelson is the only other golfer in single digits following Woods. BodogSports has the favorite, Woods, at 5/2 and Mickelson close behind at 7/2 odds. The remaining golfers are all listed at double and even triple-digit odds! Even though Torrey Pines is a favorite venue for both Tiger and Phil, Woods hasn’t had a win there since 2002 and Mickelson has never won a U.S. Open. For Phil, there must be a mental block because, on several occasions, he has had solid finishes but never grabbed the brass ...

Just when you thought the U.S. Open couldn’t get any more exciting other than the prospect of being the second major of the year, the powers that be placed Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott in the early pairings. That combination doubles or even triples an already huge fan base of Woods, adding local favorite Mickelson into the mix and further stirring in Adam Scott, the “ladies choice”. This quixotic trio is bound to create pandemonium not only at Torrey Pines but also jam the internet airwaves, where deliriously heady viewers will do anything to catch a glimpse! In a bold ...

Click here to listen. In March Callaway Golf, using Morgan Pressel and Ivanka Trump as their celebrity “faces", launched a GEMS golf club set designed specifically for women. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen Ivanka promoting Women’s Golf Month with the same enthusiasm, even though she is an avid golfer who is listed on Golf for Women’s Twenty-Five best female celebrities. The sport could certainly use an infusion of notables to increase interest in the game. Perhaps next year Donald Trump will also lend a hand by utilizing his golf courses for the good of the game. That being said, I had a great time this ...

Click here to listen. Whereas the internet may be all abuzz about Phil Mickelson’s lucky break at the Colonial, this week’s Golf for Beginners show focuses in on the amateur ladies of the sport. Play Golf America, in conjunction with American Express, has had over 68,000 women attend its prior yearly outings, bringing together the art of the sport with all of the “extras” that may enhance the ladies experience. This June, participating golf facilities will try once again to peak interest in both golf and the encounters surrounding it. My husband, Barry, believes that, aside from the golf instruction, men wouldn’t ...

Click here to listen. In the battle of the “most fit” men in America, Tiger Woods has squashed opponent Barack Obama. The Democratic contender may be a pretty good point guard who stays away from fatty foods (whenever possible) but these qualities just can’t compare to Woods’ rigorous training regimen and remarkable ability to successfully recover from two knee surgeries. The PGA Tour’s number one golfer will just not allow defeat: what are the chances though that Obama will come out on top in November? Men’s Fitness Magazine has chosen presidential hopeful Obama for it’s list of top twenty-five of America’s hale and ...

Click here to listen. Annika Sorenstam has officially begun to chip away at Lorena Ochoa’s top Rolex Ranking. A win at the season-opening SBS Open led a “Tiger-esque” charge that has remained strong through her latest victory at the Michelob Ultra Opening this past weekend. Sorenstam is back in the “feared-zone” once again! Challengers are falling by the wayside. Even Lorena Ochoa could not keep up on Saturday, pushing herself out of a chance for a Sunday duel with a disappointing 74. It was the first time Ochoa has been out of a visible top-ten spot on the leaderboard since 2007. Did Sorenstam’s ...

Click here to listen. “Spider-Man", “Trendsetter” and even “Rock-Star” are some the monikers which come to mind when branding 26-year-old Camilo Villegas. Magazines are targeting him, with People voting Villegas one of its hottest bachelors and Golf Digest naming him one of the most ripped golfers on tour. His flexible signature maneuver on the green is memorable. And ladies are attracted to his retro look from international clothier J. Lindeberg, who has been hailed as the most influential fashion designer in Sweden, claiming to have “reinvented the wheel” when creating golf fashion. Villegas seems a bit overwhelmed by the attention thrust upon him ...

Click here to listen. It may be quite presumptive of me to claim that Phil Mickelson’s chances have vastly improved (as has the rest of the field at the upcoming Wachovia Championship) now that Tiger Woods has withdrawn due to arthroscopic knee surgery. Woods is the defending champion and for him to be rehabilitating puts the players on the PGA Tour at ease. But seeing Phil’s face smattered across the television screen as the big draw makes you really wonder if the Golf Channel and CBS Sports are doing enough to create excitement. Perhaps the secret ingredient might be more face-time for ...

Click here to listen. Yesterday the Pope pre-empted golf, proving that religion trumps sport, at least on network television. Whether or not you were interested in Sunday Sermon, broadcasters forced you to watch Pope Benedict XVI at Yankee Stadium, bringing about the PGA Tour’s decision to stream live coverage on the internet. For those without an internet connection, flipping the remote yesterday provided little in the way of diversity. If Tiger Woods was heavily in the mix, would CBS-TV interpose both Pope Benedict and golf? Or, would Tiger be relegated to a spot in the sports section of Monday’s newspaper? I wonder ...