Tuesday, July 31, 2007

What's In Padraig Harrington's Golf Bag? - Open Championship

Padraig Harrington won the 2007 Open Championship two weekends ago at Carnoustie Golf Links Angus, Scotland. Do you want to know what he was carrying in his golf bag during his win?

Driver: Wilson Dd6 7.5°
3 Wood: Callaway X Hot
5 Wood: Wilson Staff FWS
Hybrid: Wilson Staff Dh6 19°
Irons:  (4-PW) Wilson Staff Pi5
SW:     Wilson Staff TW7 52°
LW:     Wilson Staff TW7 60°
Putter: Odyssey White Hot 2-Ball Blade
Ball:   Titleist New Pro V1x

Padraig won in a 4-hole playoff against Sergio Garcia. Harrington shot a 4-under 67 while Garcia shot a 2-over 73 with both finishing at 7-under par. The Open Championship playoff is 4 holes aggregate score. Padraig won by one after the 4th hole, but Sergio had a chance to tie with a 25-foot put that just barely missed.

Padraig was the first Irishman to win the British Open in 60 years. Andres Romero from Argentina finished at -6 and if it wasn't for his 2-double bogeys on the back nine he would have taken home the Claret Jug. Padraig took home $1.5 million for the win.

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Wednesday, July 18, 2007

What's In Jonathan Byrd's Golf Bag? - John Deere

Jonathan Byrd won the 2007 John Deere Classic last weekend at TPC at Deere Run Silvis, Illinois. This was Byrd's third PGA win and his first of the 2007 season. Do you want to know what he was carrying in his golf bag during his win?

Driver: Callaway Fusion FT-3 10.5°
3 Wood: Callaway ERC Fusion
5 Wood: Callaway ERC Fusion
3 Iron: Mizuno MP-60
Irons:  (4-PW) Mizuno MP-32
SW:     Titleist Vokey Design 58°
LW:     Titleist Vokey Design 60°
Putter: Scotty Cameron by Titleist Newport Tour 350
Ball:   Titleist Pro V1x

Byrd shot a final-round 66 for a 18-under 266 total to win by one stroke over Tim Clark. Jonathan basically took the tournament in his own hands by making 3 birdies down the stretch out of the last 5 holes. Third round leader Nathan Green finished in a tie for third place with Troy Matteson at 15-under. Byrd earned $738,000 for the win.

Monday, July 16, 2007

Golf's Dreaded Shank Witnessed On PGA Tour

Yes you read that right. Kenny Perry of the PGA tour hit a dead on shank this weekend during the John Deere Classic. It was definitely a shocker to see while watching it on TV. The camera was directly behind Kenny and when he hit the chip it went straight right. If you're new to the game of golf a shank is probably equivalent to someone scratching a chalkboard with their nails. It's when the golf ball hits the hosel of your iron instead of the face, which causes the ball to veer to the right. I would consider it to be the worst shot you can hit in golf.

What was even more amazing then Perry's shank was the announcer's reaction. There was a brief moment of silence then the announcer started sugar coating the miss... it seemed like he was saying everything but the the "S" (shank) word. It was as if they were forbidden to say it in fear of jinxing him or something.

Not until a few minutes later did one of the announcers say that he shanked it.

I've seen PGA players hit some really bad shots, but this has to be in my top 3 list.

Do you have any shank shot stories to share? I'd like to here them.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

What's In K.J. Choi's Golf Bag? - ATT National

K.J. Choi won the 2007 AT&T National Tournament last weekend at Congressional Country Club Bethesda, Maryland. This was Tiger Woods hosted the tournament in its inaugural debut. Do you want to know what he was carrying in his golf bag during his win?

Driver: Nike SasQuatch Sumo² 8.5°
3 Wood: Nike SasQuatch 2 15°
Hybrid: Nike T100 17
Hybrid: Adams Idea Pro 22°
Irons:  (4-PW) Nike Blades
SW:     Nike Pro Combo 54°
LW:     Nike SV Tour 60°
Putter: Odyssey Tri-Hot 2
Ball:   Nike One Platinum

K.J. shot a final-round 68 for a 9-under 271 total to win for the sixth time on the PGA TOUR, the most victories by an Asian-born player. Stuart Appleby was the third round leader at 9-under, but he crumbled with a 6-over 76 to finish at 3-under and a tie for third place. Tiger Woods finished at 2-under and in a tie for 6th place. Choi earned $1.08 million for the win.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Top 10 Hottest Golf Clubs June 2007

Here are the Top 10 Hottest Golf Clubs for the month of June 2007.

1. Ping Eye 2 Iron set
2. Callaway X-18 Iron set
3. Titleist 905R Driver
4. Ping G5 Driver
5. Nike SasQuatch Driver
6. TaylorMade r5 Dual Driver
7. TaylorMade r7 460 Driver
8. TaylorMade r7 quad Driver
9. Ping G2 Driver
10. TaylorMade r7 425 Driver

Again The Ping Eye 2 Iron set still holds the #1 spot. It looks like the Ping Eye 2 iron set is going to be the most popular golf clubs for 2007. It's already been the #1 hottest golf club January through June. The hottest golf club for this month is the Callaway X-18 Iron set, which moved from #6 to #2. The TaylorMade drivers now hold 4 of the top 10 spots, which makes sense because TaylorMade is the hottest driver on tour or anywhere.

Just in case you missed it, here's my post of The Hottest Golf Clubs Of May 2007, which is how the top 10 clubs finished for the month of May 2007.

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Thursday, July 05, 2007

What's In Cristie Kerr's Golf Bag? - 2007 US Open

Cristie Kerr won the women's 2007 US Open this last weekend at Pine Needles Lodge at GC Southern Pines, North Carolina. Do you want to know what she was carrying in her golf bag during the win?

Driver:  Ping Rapture 10°
4+ Wood: Callaway Big Bertha
5 Wood:  Callaway Big Bertha
7 Wood:  Callaway Big Bertha
Irons:   (4-PW) Callaway X-16
SW:      Callaway 52°
LW:      Callaway 58°
Putter:  Ping Craz-e
Ball:    Titleist New Pro V1

Cristie was the 54-hole leader going into Sunday's round. In her final round she made a 18-foot birdie putt on 14 to take back the lead from Ochoa. Ochoa made a series of mistakes down the stretch that she couldn't recover from. Kerr shot a 1-under 70 final round to win by 2 strokes over Lorena Ochoa. Cristie finished the tournament at 5-under par 279 for her 10th career LPGA victory.

Cristie had a premonition at the beginning of the season that she was going to win the US Open at Pine Needles this year. She said to hold of Ochoa and win the US Open was what dreams are made of. Kerr took home $560,000 for the win.

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

3 Steps To Hitting A Golf Ball Over Water

I know all of us at one time or another have dreaded hitting their golf ball over the water. I'm sure even the PGA pros have those negative thoughts of going into the water. Don't believe me... I bet you close to 50% of those golfers who played in this years TPC were thinking "don't hit it into the water" when hitting their tee shot on the 17th Island green.

Ok, here are the 3 steps to hitting your golf shot over water.

1. You want to first pick a landing spot. This should be a distance that you're comfortable hitting and that you can hit consistently. Now this may not be a distance that can get you to the hole, but it is a distance that will keep you dry. This is important because it might get in the way of your pride of not going for the green, but I can guarantee you at the end of the round you'll be glad you did. Don't try to pull of the 1 in 10 golf shot of carrying it 200 yards over water.

2. Now you want to take one more club than you usually use to hit this distance. So if you need to carry the ball 150 yards with an 8-iron then plan for a 160 yard shot with a 7-iron. This is very important because we're talking about carrying the ball that distance not coming to rest at that distance. A lot of golfers don't factor this in and end up hitting it short into the water.

3. The final step is to think positive. I know that sounds cliche, but you'd be amazed how true it is. If you've done the first 2 steps then there's no reason why you shouldn't feel confident about pulling off the golf shot. You want your last mental thought and image to be positive with the ball landing on the spot you selected.

I hope this helps you out on your next round of golf. Let me know if this golf tip saved you a stroke or two.