Sergio Two Putts 4-Footer To Take The Players Championship

Way to go, Sergio. He's way overdue and he actually kissed his renegade putter when it was over. Lots of "ifs" for Paul Goydos, who was making a diligent effort for his first big one. But it was not to be.

After Goydos finished 18 and moved into the clubhouse, I jokingly asked the group sitting around the TV, "What if there is a playoff and they start it at 17?" Of course, everyone laughed. We were all shocked when the announcement was made that 17 would be the first playoff hole.

We were also shocked when a gust of wind dropped Goydos' wedge shot into the water. But Sergio dropped a beautiful shot in the middle of the green and it rolled within in a very makeable distance to the hole. Goydos made his drop and his putt rolled on past the hole.

Sergio addressed the ball from 4 feet and his reluctant putter failed him. But on his second putt, the ball dropped and Sergio was $1.7 million dollars richer. Paul Goydos earned $1.026,000.00 so he will no doubt buy nice presents for his mom and daughters.

Upon presentation of the Trophy, the Spaniard's response was, "The first person I want to thank is Tiger Woods -- for not being here." Maybe that did help a little...

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Kim Makes Wachovia Look Easy

Anthony Kim took control of the field at Quail Hollow and cruised to an impressive 5-shot win over Ben Curtis with a record 16 under par becoming the youngest winner in six years. With a change in attitude and in solid control of his temper, he looked like the champion we have expected him to be.

At only 5' 10" and 160 lb, it was pretty impressive to observe his power to drive the ball an average of 305.5 yards in the tourney. He should be brimming with confidence next weekend in the Players.

Here's how Anthony puts it: "I was an immature kid last year, and I feel like I've grown up quite a bit." The transformation was obvious . Can he be consistent? Time will tell. But if he is, look out Phil, Adam, Ernie, Steve, Geoff, et al. Kim has just moved up from 37 to 16 in World Golf rankings.

DID ADAM DO A FIST PUMP? - BYRON NELSON

Yes, he did it! Adam Scott after surrendering his three-shot lead to Ryan Moore struggled to regain it and win the Byron Nelson. Actually, he just caught Ryan, who was playing splendid golf, on the "final" (well, not really final) eighteenth hole.

The two see-sawed back and forth with Ryan finishing first at 7 under. He then waited for Adam, who finally caught up with a birdie at 18. Actually, Adam did a kinda, sorta pump on that birdie. A little bit of a glint in his eye. Made a person think, "Maybe he's going after it." We've been waiting a long time to see Adam take an aggressive stand. With all that ability, we expected more than what we have seen from this talented young Aussie. But almost every time we think he has it, he just fades away. Well, not this time!

He and Ryan both missed opportunities on the first two playoff holes. But for Adam, the third was the charm. Back on 18 for the third time that day, he hit a 48-foot putt that rolled perfectly on line all the way to the hole and dropped decisively in.

That's when Scotty reacted! Fist pump and an almost roar. For Adam, that's raw emotion. I thought if Ryan could make his putt, we would see an Adam Scott we haven't seen before on the 4th playoff hole. But it was not to be. Ryan's putt rolled past and he had to settle for second.

Will this win give Scotty a thirst for W's? We don't have long to wait. He's entered into the Wachovia next weekend.

Oh, and by the way. I missed posting the Verizon last weekend. So Congrats to Boo! He made lots of Texicans happy. Great win.

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ERNIE ELS SWITCHES SWING COACHES

This is a little late, but prior to the Masters, Ernie switched from David Leadbetter to Butch Harmon. Ernie's phone call to David (Ernie calls him "Lead")was pretty emotional. He has been Ernie's coach for 18 years and they are very good friends. But the Golfer says he just needed something different and he thinks Butch can provide it for him.

Els says he thinks he needs a different feel and different words coming at him. (Whatever that means). Butch is former military and speaks bluntly. Ernie thinks maybe he could use that kind of approach. Apparently Lead is quite laid back. But Ernie says he also wants to find out more about how Butch is teaching.

Asked what he was looking to change,the Big Easy pointed to improving his posture, shortening his backswing and getting the upper and lower parts of his body more in rhythm.

"My hips were really turning too much and my shoulder, everything was kind of collapsing at the top," he said. "I'm quite a flexible guy, but swinging that long, I get out of sync with my lower body and upper, so I needed to stabilize that and shorten my backswing a little bit, and really get the club out in front of me."

Let's keep an eye on Ernie. Hope it works for him.

P.S. By the way, I just verified Leadbetter's fees of $10,000/day. This is for a one-time experience.

The David Leadbetter Experience | $10,000 | 888-633-5323

Check it out Here


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THE TIGER HAS KNEE SURGERY 4/15/2008

The Tuesday after his Master's runner up finish, Tiger Woods was in Park Center, Utah undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery for cartilage repair. He will be out for six weeks.

Although he never mentioned it to anyone, he has been suffering pain since the middle of 2007. The only evidence anyone has seen of it was at the PGA Championship last September. On Sunday he stumbled behind the 8th green after making a putt and stepping back for a fist pump. He hobbled a bit and then seemed to be back in form.

Hank Haney worked with him prior to the Masters and went to Augusta with him. But Hank says he knew the knee was bothering him a lot. But Tiger didn't say a word to him about it. However, he says Tiger never mentions things like that. He doesn't want to sound like he's making excuses. Hank didn't know about the surgery until Tiger called him and told him.

He likely will not be back until June for the U.S. Open. This means he will not be able to defend at Wachovia. He will also miss the Players. That tournament he has never missed since turning pro. There is a possibility he will be able to make the Memorial two weeks before the U.S. Open. That one's a wait and see.

Here's a quote: "I made the decision to deal with the pain and schedule the surgery for after the Masters," Woods said. "The upside is that I have been through this process before and know how to handle it. I look forward to working through the rehabilitation process and getting back to action as quickly as I can."

Actually, I noticed he was having a little trouble coming up out of bunkers at the Masters. The thought occurred to me that he was moving like an old man in those situations. But basically he has been winning tournaments since last August with a bum knee.

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TREVOR IMMELMAN HANGS ON TO WIN THE MASTERS BY 3 SHOTS

What a weekend! At the 2008 Masters Trevor Immelman, Brent Snedeker and Paul Casey put on a show that we will probably not soon forget. No one could have scripted this one.

But where was the Tiger? Did he ever roar? Just one short purr on Sunday. But nothing materialized. That was the extent of his move. This weekend we saw a Tiger we have rarely if ever seen.

For the entire tournament, the Course seemed to oppose him at every turn. But still, in spite of the wrath of the golf gods, he stubbornly refused to die and finished alone in second place.

Immelman and company didn't seem to be intimidated that this was the Masters.And that they were playing the toughest course on tour. They played the game brilliantly. But Sunday came ...

And one by one the field melted away except for Trevor and Tiger.

Well, there won't be a Grand Slam this year unless Trevor can manage it. But once Tiger steps up from this setback, he is still possible and actually probable to catch Jack in 2009.

Good golfing ahead. Stuff is happening ...

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JOHSON WAGNER CAPTURES SHELL HOUSTON

What a thrill for the young golfer! In a field that was clamoring for the number one spot, Johnson Wagner grabbed a lead and held onto it for his first PGA Tour win and a ticket to the Masters.

The Redstone course was giving out birdies this week and a star studded cast was out there getting their share. Freddie Couples, Davis Love III, Billy Mayfair were challenging along with names and faces unfamiliar to me.

Geoff Ogilvy and Adam Scott made a run. Adam was awesome on Thursday while playing with a fever and swollen glands. By the end of Friday, however, the fever won and he had to withdraw. Phil never made a run but this weekend he will be in contention.

So, looking forward to the Big One. Will the Tiger roar? Will Phil step up to the plate? Will it be a newbie? Stay tuned...

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