http://www.yardbarker.com/content/sport/7 Recent Yardbarker articles: Golf en-us Three sleepers who have a legitimate chance of winning this week's tournament. Wed, 14 May 2008 15:21:40 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266940 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266940 In a show of solidarity with our American soldiers, President George W. Bush has made the ultimate sacrifice himself - by giving up golf. Wed, 14 May 2008 15:03:55 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266916 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266916 Sam Chavez of the University of Arkansas was named to the first ever SEC men's golf freshman team. From Hogwired.com - FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas golfer Sam Chavez was named to the 2008 Southeastern Conference All-Freshman Team, it was announced by the league office Thursday. Chavez and seven other golfers are a part of the conference's first-ever men's golf freshman team. Tue, 13 May 2008 17:38:15 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266591 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266591 A few nights ago, Sportscenter highlighted the latest LPGA event. I couldn't tell you where the event was or much about it other then Annika Sorenstam won by seven strokes. Not much of a surprise. I suppose we also shouldn't be surprised after last year's comments that she felt like she was on the back nine of her career that the princess of the greens will be putting away her clubs in hopes of starting a family and settling down at the age of 37. It's a point that comes in each professional athlete's career, though with the longevity of golfers, careers seem to span decades. Despite Sorenstam's repeated statements that she didn't care about the all-time wins mark on the womens tour, I'll admit, I was a bit surprised to hear today's comments. Sorenstam's 72 victories puts her third on the LPGA Tour's career list behind Kathy Whitworth (88) and Mickey Wright (82). She is tied for fourth in career majors, five behind record-setter Patty Berg. "It's sad to see the greatest female golfer of all time step away from the game," said Tiger Woods, who has played practice rounds with Sorenstam. "But it's nice to see Annika did it on her terms. It has been a pleasure watching Annika player for all of these years, but even more an honor to call her a friend." Tue, 13 May 2008 15:24:51 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266541 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266541 23631 Annika Sorenstam Swedish Golf superstar Annika sorenstam is going to retire is she right to hang up the clubs Tue, 13 May 2008 14:41:20 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266524 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266524 23631 Annika Sorenstam Ending growing speculation, Annika Sorenstam, the most accomplished women's golfer in history, announced today that she is retiring from the LPGA tour to concentrate on her lifelong goal - becoming a leather saddle. Tue, 13 May 2008 14:03:02 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266510 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266510 23631 Annika Sorenstam Spain's Sergio Garcia got his first "major" PGA tour win. I know that The Players Championship isn't really a major but it's close enough. But will "El Nino's" win over Paul Goydos be enough to get the monkey off his back? Mon, 12 May 2008 11:38:13 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266040 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266040 23932 Paul Goydos 24142 Sergio Garcia Top 3 Busts from The Players Championship this week. Mon, 12 May 2008 10:08:01 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265987 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265987 Top 3 Tournament performances from The Player's Championship Mon, 12 May 2008 10:01:35 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265985 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265985 I really wish a guy would try to retreive his club from the water after tossing it. Backed up play and everything doing it. Wonder how Rory Sabbatini would feel about it. Mon, 12 May 2008 09:00:52 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265963 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265963 23852 Charley Hoffman Spains Sergio Garcia secures a European win at the TPC Sawgrass Players championship. Sun, 11 May 2008 18:44:09 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265810 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265810 24142 Sergio Garcia A guy by the name of Paul Goydos and Sergio Garcio will battle in a playoff here in my hometown of Ponte Vedra Bch. Florida. I can tell you the winds out here are gusting 50 mph. so a 74 by Goydos is not bad. Sergio meanwhile went one under and they bothed finished at 5 under. They will start the playoff on 17 the trecherous "Island Hole". I went to the players on friday did any of you go? Gotta go I got see it. Sun, 11 May 2008 18:15:24 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265804 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265804 24142 Sergio Garcia 23932 Paul Goydos The South Course at Torrey Pines will be playing host to the U.S. Open next month and was flexing its muscle this week with amateurs having a hack (and another, and another….) with the championship conditions in place. The 7,643 yards of immense, tantalizing fun was experienced this week by four particular San Diegan's you might be interested in. San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, Chargers coach Norv Turner, former San Diego Padre and Hall-of-Famer Tony Gywnn, and Hall-of-Fame motocross racer Broc Glover. (continue to PartMule for details on scores, etc...) Sun, 11 May 2008 11:36:04 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265710 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265710 This week's profile is on Anthony Kim, a name you may not be familiar with. Fri, 09 May 2008 12:58:21 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265239 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265239 Top 3 potential sleepers for this week's tournament Thu, 08 May 2008 09:04:14 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/264726 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/264726 With Tiger Woods nursing a sore, surgically repaired paw, could this be the year Phil Mickelson seize's path through the open door and — as Tony Montana would say — makes some moves of his own? This week's $9 million – pseudo major tournament–the Players Championship is going off on Thursday and Phil is coming in as the defending champion with a full-year of tutelage from coach Butch Harmon..... Wed, 07 May 2008 12:12:59 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/264290 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/264290 24118 Tiger Woods 23777 Phil Mickelson Top Three Busts from the Wachovia Championship this week. Mon, 05 May 2008 15:50:03 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263679 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263679 Top Three Performances from the Wachovia Championship this week. Mon, 05 May 2008 15:46:21 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263678 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263678 Lorena Ochoa was unable to continue her historical run of tourney victories. Paula Creamer won the SemGroup Championship at Cedar Ridge after beating Julie Inkster in a 2 hole playoff. Mon, 05 May 2008 11:26:43 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263593 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263593 23372 Paula Creamer 23354 Lorena Ochoa Tiger Woods may have come up short yet again at Augusta (which did nothing to disspell the lone 'criticism' of his game–i.e. that he cannot come from behind on Sunday to win), but that doesn't mean that Nike and IMG weren't elated by the success of South African Trevor Immelman, who has been overshadowed by fellow countrymen Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and even Tim Clark over the years, but who may in fact end up with a better resume than any of the three when all is said and done. In fact, per Helen Ross' piece, which relates the events of Immelman's celebratory stroll of New York following his Green Jacket victory, "Immelman, a Nike representative, was clad in clothing from the Tiger Woods collection for the final two rounds of the Masters." Immelman was besieged with congratulatory messages from fellow pros, and even met up with The Boston Celtics' Big Three. Writes Ross: "Immelman's agent, Jon Wagner [of IMG], was hardly surprised by the outpouring of support. After all, he'd been carrying the Masters champion's iPhone most of the day, and 'it feels like it's going off every two-and-a-half minutes.'" Now is when Wagner will really earn his keep, so to speak, as demands for Immelman's time and persona will increase dramatically. You will remember that I wrote awhile back on how Brad Buffoni of SFX admitted that he turned down the vast majority of offers that flooded in after his client, Zach Johnson, won the Green Jacket in 2007. What's the right balance when your client wins the biggest prize in his sport? Do you cash in on every opportunity? Generally not. But that's easier said than done, especially since history is littered with one and done winners. ************ Kim Congratulations to Anthony Kim (pictured), the 22 year old phenom who finally may be the next big thing everyone has been searching for to challenge Woods. At the very least, he's one of the best young players to come out of the U.S. collegiate system, and should help out the Ryder Cup team for decades to come (and we all know how much help that squad desperately needs). Last anyone heard, Kim was represented by long time player manager Rocky Hambric and Hambric Sports Management out of Dallas, although rumors were swirling months ago that said relationship was on the rocks. Nothing heals tension like a win, especially one at the somewhat prestigious Wachovia Championship, whose finishing holes rival any in the world. Rex Hoggard's column tells you all you need to know about Kim and his rocky past, both with his father, and at the University of Oklahoma. But the past is the last thing on Kim's mind. He's now 4th in the FedEx standings, with his eye on a certain somehow at the top. ************ John Daly's not only lost his PGA Tour card, but it seems that he's literally lost the shirt off his back. Remember the old Ford commercials, back from when the carmaker still sponsored the world's number two? What will Phil do next? Forget that. The real question is, what will John Daly do next? The latest in 'the week that was' for J.D. included an unfortunate shirtless exposition (click here for the video, if you dare/must) during a promotional outing at the even more unfortunately named and recently opened "John Daly's Murder Rock & Country Club" outside of Branson, MO. As one blogger noted before the club's opening last summer: "Daly and Branson - that seems like a great pair. 'John Daly's' and 'Murder Rock'? Not so much. Given Daly's history - drinking problems, gambling problems, marital problems that recently produced accusations (later withdrawn) of a knife attack and a sexual assault - the name of the club seems a little, shall we say, ill-advised." Perhaps even more troubling, however, are the revelations that Daly contacted former swing coach Butch Harmon and practically begged him to recind his latest comments about Daly, citing a complete loss of his (once vast) array of endorsements. Throw in some news relating to Roger Clemens' alleged affair with one of his ex-wives, and also yet another Daly-induced lawsuit (this time against the Hippo Golf company), and it's no wonder that Daly's mind was somewhere other than his wardrobe. Yet another question: even if J.D. has indeed lost all of his endorsements, doesn't he still have his own apparel line? ************ While the PGA and European tours are expected to start drug testing this July (both Tours are now engaged in player education programs), Royal & Ancient chief executive Peter Dawson announced this past Tuesday that the British Open would not be ready to begin the testing program because of the tournament's international qualifying system. He expects anti-doping controls will be in place for the 2009 championship at Turnberry. "The fact [that] drug testing is a 52 week a year occupation, not one week a year, [and] the fact the Open has already started this year with three qualifying events, means that we have decided drug testing will not take place this year," Dawson told reporters. ************ Golf may be "ripe for Olympic involvement," with more quality players now from more countries than ever before. PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem endorsed the idea this past week, and the prevailing feeling is that golf now has its strongest chance at being included in the Olympics since it was dropped from the program more than 100 years ago. Because the International Olympic Committee requires seven years for a sport to be added, the earliest golf could be part of the Olympics is 2016. The IOC will meet next year to vote on a host for the 2016 Games and decide whether to include additional sports. And an official bid would have to come through the International Golf Federation, which the IOC recognizes as golf's ruling body for the Olympics (and which is jointly run by USGA executive director David Fay and the above-mentioned Dawson). ************ Immelman's win at Augusta was somewhat overshadowed two days later when runner-up Tiger Woods had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee for the second time in five years. The surgery was performed in Park City, Utah, by Thomas Rosenberg, who also operated on Woods' left knee in December 2002. Woods also had surgery in 1994 on his left knee to remove a benign tumor. The question now is, when will Tiger return to action? Mark Solatu reported that this past Wednesday Woods had his two-week checkup, which he said "went great. Everything is right on schedule." He was obviously unable to defend his title this past weekend at the Wachovia Championship, and there was never any doubt that he would miss this week's Players Championship (one of only three non-majors that he has never missed since turning pro). Woods allegedly hopes to return at the Memorial on May 29, but if he were to miss that weekend, his next scheduled event would be the U.S. Open on June 12 at Torrey Pines, where he has won six times in the Buick Invitational. ************ Europe announced its 2008 Palmer Cup team that will face the United States, June 26-27 in Glasgow, Scotland. The team features Jonas Blixt (Florida State), Scott Borrowman (Stirling), Johnnie Caldwell (South Alabama), Jorge Campillo (Indiana), Jonas Enander Hedin (Charlotte), Charlie Ford (Tennessee), Gareth Shaw (East Tennessee State) and Tim Sluiter (Southern California). The European team will be coached by Marten Olander of Sweden. On the U.S. side, coach Conrad Ray's team will include Oklahoma State's Rickie Fowler, Florida's Billy Horschel, UCLA's Kevin Chappell, Louisville's Derek Fathauer, San Diego State's Aaron Goldberg, Georgia Tech's Chesson Hadley, Georgia's Adam Mitchell and Alabama's Michael Thompson. ************ LPGA player and women's world No. 1 Lorena Ochoa joined an acclaimed list of individuals honored in this year's TIME 100. ************ The China Golf Association, Grand China Air, LPGA and IMG announced that the LPGA's first-ever event in China, the Grand China Air LPGA, is set for Oct. 24-26 at the Haikou West Golf Club. Sixty-three players will compete for a purse of $1.8 million. ************ Nice piece by Jim McCabe, who warns us not to doubt Adam Scott. ************ World renowned swing teacher David Leadbetter signed a multi-year agreement with Wilhelmina Artist Management, which will represent Leadbetter as his exclusive worldwide agent relative to all appearances, endorsements and licensing businesses. ************ Back to college golf, Alabama remained the top team in the fourth Golf World/Nike Golf Division I Coaches' Poll of the spring season after winning its first SEC Championship title in 29 years. The Crimson Tide earned 18 of the 23 first-place votes and secured the SEC title with an eight stroke victory over South Carolina. It was Alabama's sixth victory of the season. Michael Thompson's final-round 65 pushed him to the individual title, his first victory in his two years in Tuscaloosa. "It feels fantastic," said Alabama coach Jay Seawell shortly after the win. "It feels just like I thought it would. Unbelievable. I'm really proud of the guys. It was a tight day. The last four holes—we've talked about it—last year our last four holes were kind of our demise here. And this year the four holes were the difference. I am proud of them for how they played. Nobody hands you an SEC Championship. You've got to win it and the guys won it today. I'm really proud of them." Mon, 05 May 2008 08:43:53 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263529 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263529 Video of a cool shot by Tiger Woods. Skill or luck? You decide. Sun, 04 May 2008 12:23:08 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263311 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263311 24118 Tiger Woods I don't usually do this but I have to brag a little bit because I just passed a DUI checkpoint with flying colors. Officer didn't tell me what I blew but you can bet your ass it was under .08! Quite possibly the most nervous I have been in my life. "No question" is my new line of the next 6 months. For some reason I get attached to saying certain words and "no question" is something I just cant stop saying all of a sudden. SO in the spirit of my new word there is no question Phil Mickelson doesn't win the Wachovia. Guy is in the zone. Also if that really cute blonde girl I was talking to tonight is reading this please leave your number or some contact info. Fri, 02 May 2008 00:34:18 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/262552 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/262552 A look at three potential sleepers at the Wachovia Championship this week. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:42:14 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/261744 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/261744 Even though John did a three minute video without shoes or a shirt on, we don't single him out. Here are 10 other athletes who have really let themselves go. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:33:16 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/261220 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/261220 Top 3 WORST performances this week at the Byron Nelson. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:34:08 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/260575 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/260575 Top 3 performances at the Byron Nelson this week. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:29:15 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/260573 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/260573 Annika Sorenstam won another tourney this weekend. It took an extra hole, but Sorenstan was able to hold off Paula Creamer to get her 71st win on tour. Sun, 27 Apr 2008 22:46:40 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/260317 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/260317 23372 Paula Creamer 23631 Annika Sorenstam After a long break from the Yard I am back to keep all of my 7 readers updated on whats going on. Tomorrow I have the Monday qualifier to try to get in the Wachovia Championship in my hometown of Charlotte. Couldn't be happier that Tiger is soft and couldn't take the pain in his knee so he decided to have surgery. This leaves him out of the tournament this week and gives me a chance to get a win if I get in the field tomorrow. There will be 4 spots for 75 guys so I have to bring out the best I got tomorrow. But after watching Ryan Moore swing the golf club today and finishing 2nd on the PGA tour I have convinced myself in 2 hours that I have the best golf swing in America. How that guy hits the ball is beyond me. The last month has filled with 4 Mini Tour events, 3 of which I made the cut. A Bachelor party trip to Vegas that I am not sure you can even tell some of the stories on the internet even with a anonymous profile. It was absolutely ridicules! I always was a fan a Vegas, but the place absolutely fits my personality. Aggressive, loud, nonstop, and as much action as you want. Without a doubt I will live there at some point in my life. To me it doesn't get much better than going to Tryst, staying up all night at the tables, sleeping for 3 hours and then hitting up the lazy river at MGM. I will be back later this week. Eades is back! Sun, 27 Apr 2008 20:34:22 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/260265 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/260265 Golfing in Japan. Can be a challenging thing. Language barriers, Rules, Fitting a case two four of Saki into your golf bag. But I find the dress code the most challenging. Ian Poulter and Jesper Parnevik would be proud. Check out the photo shoot I did in Japan Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:17:41 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/255798 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/255798 23792 Jesper Parnevik 24270 Ian Poulter Here's a look at 3 Fantasy sleepers for this week's upcoming tournament. Wed, 23 Apr 2008 11:13:22 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/255487 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/255487