Yardbarker: Rory Sabbatini

2008 PGA Championship Preview

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 18:19:33 -0500

The Last major of the year and while the PGA Championship holds far and away the least amount of luster of the 4 majors it still has the field and a lot of intrigue. This year the tourney heads to the great state of Michigan and to Oakland Hills a site typically used for US Opens in the past and the course where Andy North of ESPN won one of his majors.

4 People to Watch to Contend

The Aussie - Geoff Ogilvy - Given that Oakland Hills is typically utilized as a US Open course one could expect some of those that thrive on the hardest courses to thrive here. Additionally Ogilvy has three straight top ten finishes at the PGA Championship so he should be in the hunt come sunday.

Crazy Asian - KJ Choi - KJ held the lead in the Open and then completely disappeared. Over the last 4 years KJ has finished in the top 12 three times at the PGA Championship including 6th in 2004. He's always been a solid player and if he holds up this trophy it will not be surprising.

British Colored Pants - Ian Poulter - I'm a sucker for the Pink Pants. Do I really really think he can win? No, but if he's there on Sunday it means ridiculous outfits.

American Darkhorse - Steve Stricker - Stricker has played well in the last two majors including a 7th place finish at the British. In addition he's averaged a 15th place finish over the last two years at the PGA Championship.

3 People Who Might Surprisingly Miss the Cut

The Shocking - Padraig Harrington - Paddy doesn't historically play well at the PGA Championship and given his semi vacation after the Open Championship I would not be surprised if he didn't wind up playing on Saturday.

The Loudmouth - Rory Sabbatini - Once again we will continue to pick Sabbatini to miss the cut because I don't like him. (I got it right last Major)

The Gimmee - John Daly - I need to get one thing right, and well John Daly is really more interested in shot gunning 15 beers after the round than actually playing in the round.

2 People to Root For this Weekend

The People's Hated - Sergio Garcia - Come on, can't we all just cheer for a solid pair of red pants and the fifty second club wiggle for once? I mean last major he got outscored by his girlfriends father. I mean that's really got to be a kick in the groin. So maybe just maybe if people cheer for Sergio he could come through. (Perhaps he should make sure his scorecard is correct this year)

The Locale Boy - JJ Henry - This is standard, and if he's in a major he sits in the root for section.

1 Winner

Adam Scott - It's time for Scott to win a major. He's been around too long with only a TPC under his belt. He's got too much skill and too much potential to not get over the hump. This year is his year.

Sometimes Pink Pants Just Aren't Enough

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:52:49 -0500

In the end the pink pants just weren't enough. After a ton of rain throughout the tournament the outfits worn by all the golfers were tame and boring in comparison to the colorful array that comprised the Masters. But then there was the shining star of the ridiculous, Ian Poulter, on Sunday at the British Open flaunting pastel pink pants. And not only was he flaunting the only colored pants in contention he was flaunting them at the top of the leaderboard. He was tied for the lead with Paddy Irishman, and was chilling on the 17th green with an Eagle putt to come.

And then in a flash his chances were gone. The dreaded three putt came and the Eagle putt and the chance for sole possession of the lead, became a one stroke deficit as Paddy Irishman drained his own birdie putt. Poulter Pink Pants managed to garner one more fist pump on the 18th when he saved par and put a little pressure back on Paddy Irishman to play at least +1 golf on his final 6 holes. But alas, Paddy Irishman did not want drama, he did not want to watch Poulter Pink Pants play any more holes. He wanted to land his 2nd shot on the 17th green like Poulter Pink Pants. But rather than 3-putting he desired to drain the birdie and kill all suspense.

It's too bad, a man that looks that ridiculous should be given a better chance on the final day. Especially when Paddy Irishman brings the snooze to golf outfits.

Black Pocket Woods

I've never heard of Chris Wood and well why should I, he's an amateur and a Brit one at that. Yet, perhaps inspired with his partnering with Poulter Pink Pants, he brought out the equally ridiculous. Some sort of puke green/yellow colored pants with ludicrous looking black pockets. And what happened? He came in a tie for 5th. Yet, again a good result for the fashion flare, but never the top prize.

Shark's a Snoozer

For all that was cool about the Shark pushing himself into the final pairing and with a 2 stroke lead to boot, his performance on sunday was miserable. First off he owns his own damn stupid fashion line and he comes with cream pants and a black sweater, boring. And then he goes out and shoots a 77 thus eliminating any kind of drama on the final 5 holes.

Where Are the Good Players

Ernie, Phil and Vajay all eliminated themselves from contention on day 1. Hey, newsflash jackasses, but Tiger wasn't there. You know, the guy that wins majors all the time. Perhaps this would have been a good tournament to play well at. Or not. And it wasn't just them. Sergio and Retief were still in contention coming into the weekend and both shat the bed completely. KJ Choi dropped a deuce in his pants on Saturday. Spiderman, followed up his -5 with a +8.

My Predictions = Bogus

Contender Picks: Ernie Els (T7), Justin Rose (T70), Camilo Villegas (T39), Lee Westwood (T67)

Els shot an 80 in the first round to jump out of contention. Rose shot an 82 on saturday to plummet out of contention. Villegas shot a 79 on saturday to eliminate his -5 on friday. And Westwood shot a 78 on saturday and never shot better than +3.

Miss the Cut Picks: Fatty Phil (T17), Tom Watson (Missed Cut), Rory Sabbatini (Missed Cut)

Fatty Phil shot a 68 on friday to make the cut by a stroke. Watson and Rory both stunk it up on the weekdays to miss out.

Winner (or Total Loser): Sergio (T51)

Sergio was still in it at +5 going into the weekend, wasn't completely out of it sitting at even par for the day and +9 for the tournament heading into the back nine on sunday. And then he bogeyed or double bogeyed each of the next five holes and topped it off with a bogey on the 18th to finish +8 for the day and +17 for the tourney. Loser.

2008 Open Championship Preview

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:04:32 -0500

(Note I worte this on my blackberry so it's format is crap and it's spelling is worse than the norm, which is of course normally bad.)

Personally, I'm a green jacket guy first but after that the allure of
the history of the Links courses is second to none. Without tiger this
year I foresee a Sunday field which is entirely foreign dominated.

4 People to Watch to Contend
Obvious - Ernie Els - Ernie is amongst the favorites for the tourney and the reson being is he always plays well on the links course. If he's not in one of the final pairings on Sunday I would be very surprised.

A Little More Foreign Blood - Lee Westwood - he was right there at the us open but couldn't quite surpass tiger or rocco on the back 9. But back home and without tiger it might be time for westwood to lift up a major trophy.

The return to first glory - Justin Rose - as a 17 year old rose finished 4th at this course. Since then there have been many valleys but never has he had as solid a year as he has had this far. Perhaps this course provides the symmetry to get rose his first major.

A little Latin love - Camilo Villegas - to spread out the foreign love we shall travel to south America. Andres Romero has been stellar the past two opens but perhaps its camillos time to be the opens Latin lover.

3 People Who Might Surpisingly Miss the Cut

The out of shape - Fatty Phil - phils got all the talent in the world
yet he typically sucks it up at the isles. Combined with tiger being absent I could foresee Phil coming up really short.

The elder statesman - Tom Watson - he's still around playing the links courses and he's continually made cuts here but eventually good things come to an end.

Big Mouth - Rory Sabbatini - I think. I'm just going to predict Rory to miss the cut in every major this arson because I find him so annoying.

2 People to Root For this Weekend

The Criminally Out of Shape - John daly - nothing is more fun than watching fatty John falt roll up the fairway smoking a cig as his belly hangs well ove his belt. He enters the open having played terribly all year but perhaps he won't entirely suck.

The hot streak - Kenny Perry - nothing is more fun than watching a hot golfer keep it up. And no one is hotter than Kenny Perry so it will be fun to watch him on Sunday to see if he can keep it up... Oh wait nevermind he decided to play a crap tourney in Milwaukee rather than the open.

1 Winner - A Little Spanish Flavor - Sergio Garcia

I go with Sergio way too much because I feel like eventually he will get it done. Then he winds up choking on Sunday snd yet I never learn my lesson. But here's why I'm going with El Nino, when did he win the TPC? When tiger wasnt playing of course. So of course he will win his first major when tiger is chilling with his daughter.

PGA Busts of the Week: Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial - Colonial Country Club - Ft. Worth, TX

Tue, 27 May 2008 07:54:45 -0500

Screaming Sports' Tommy D closes the day with his now famed PGA Busts of the Week, which details what golfers didn't quite live up to the hype or just fell flat on their faces. He lists three golfers that just didn't bring their A-game at the Crowne Plaza Invitational.

A Quick Guide to the Masters

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 22:02:53 -0500

The greatest tournament in golf gets underway Thursday with Tiger Woods the overwhelming favorite to win his fifth green jacket. It's pretty amazing that most of the talk heading into the week isn't whether Tiger will win at Augusta, but rather will he win all four majors. There is no question his play is peaking right now, but this week won't be a cakewalk.

PGA Eliminates All Golfers Not Named Tiger

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 01:58:16 -0500

"Nobody Wants to Watch Anybody Else Anyway" New York – Following Tiger Woods' eight-stroke competition-whomping Buick Invitational victory at Torrey Pines, PGA Commissioner Tim Finchem and CBS President Les Moonves announced that Woods will play the remainder of the 2008 Tour season alone. Literally. "We've dis-invited all the other golfers for the rest of the PGA season. No one wants to see anybody else anyway," Finchem explained.

TIGER WOODS WINS BUICK, TIES ARNOLD PALMER

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 00:31:56 -0500

Tiger Woods took control early in the week and held on as the weather changed to win by 8 strokes at the Buick Invitational. With this win, Tiger ties Arnold Palmer with 62 wins on the PGA Tour and moves him into 4th all time on the winners list. Rory Sab

"Lynch" Tiger? Dookie Makes Big Gaffe on Golf Channel

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 18:34:31 -0500

When suggesting that young golfers on the PGA Tour "lynch" Tiger woods in a back alley, Golf Channel anchor Kelly TIlghman reminded us that there was something to all the talk of bad race relations in Durham when the lacrosse scandal broke.

Kanagroo interrupts Sabitini on golf course

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 13:41:03 -0500

This is a must see video, you'll be rolling on the ground. credit Larry Brown Sports for the link/video!