The Battle For #2

The P.G.A. Tour is unique among all other sports. In the N.F.L. there is usually a different Superbowl winner every year. In the N.B.A. or M.L.B. the Spurs and Sox do not always win the championship. Golf is a game where the champion of the tour is determined by a sliding scale of points assigned to all individual tournaments on the P.G.A., European, Asian and Australian tours.

In the last 9 years, Vijay was the only player to take the number one ranking from Tiger Woods; however that was only for year-ending 2004. In the following year, Tiger returned to top form and now leads the number two golfer, Phil Mickelson, by double the points value. Basically, this means that we will not see another golfer reach the number one spot until Tiger retires from the game.

Why is the golfer formerly known as Eldrick so much better than every one else? I believe the main reason Tiger is superior can be attributed to genetics. The product of a interracial relationship from a African American father and Thai mother, Tiger has inherited the best of both worlds from his parents. Asian golfers have always been competitive on the all of the professional tours, and have even contended in major tournaments. Mr. Liu from Formosa, now known as Taiwan, almost won the 1971 British Open and Japanese pros Isao Aoki and T.C. Chen both narrowly missed out on U.S. Open crowns. K.J. Choi and Shigeki Maruyama, the best Asian golfers on the P.G.A. Tour currently, have neither come close to winning one of the big 4. Tiger is also part African-American and is the most fit golfer on the circuit. His father's intense training program and unique background have made him possibly the strongest golfer ever- both mind and body. So now I have stated the obvious- Tiger is number 1- who is the leader in the race for #2?

Phil Mickelson, who was a child prodigy and groomed from childhood like Tiger to be the best in the world, is the front runner to be second best. Phil has 3 majors, 33 tour wins and has recently employed Butch Harmon as his swing coach. However, his commitment to fitness has always been suspect. I have seen him so heavy that he has sported man-boobs, though this year he appears 20 pounds lighter.

Adam Scott has also made statements recently about wanting the coveted 2 spot and has worked with Butch Harmon for years. Scott, who has a lean physique, is very determined to be the best on tour. I believe he will fail because his putting is average at best. Rory Sabbatini's dream world has a vision of going toe-to-toe with El Tigre and knocking Woods from the top. Well I liked the fact that Rory is vocal about being the best, but honestly his mouth has written some checks his ass couldn’t cover. Paired with Tiger in the final group on Sunday, he crumbled like a amateur golfer trying to qualify for the local muni-championship. Personally, I think Rory needs to work on his game more and spend less time bedazzling his belt buckles.

Last but not least we have the flamboyant Englishmen Ian Poulter. A few weeks ago, Ian made some ridiculous comments implying that when he reaches his full potential, Tiger will be the last man between Poulter and the coveted number 1 ranking. Poulter, now ranked 22 in the world, has 7 wins on the European Tour. He is a good player, but has failed to win on the U.S. P.G.A. Tour and disappears from contention in the majors. I really dig his style and taste in clothing, especially those pants with the union-jack embroidered on the pant-leg. He also has some pretty amazing hair. Sorry Ian, your fantasy will probably not come to fruition, but I really admire your moxie.

Well kids, I hope you enjoyed my analysis on why Tiger is 1 and the everlasting battle for number 2!

(Amy Mickelson is always #1 in every fan's eyes)

Northern Trust Open Wrap Up

The final round of the Northern Trust Open was a 2-man race to the finish between Phil "The Thrill" Mickelson and Jeff Quinney. The duo, both graduates of Arizona State University, played together for the first time on tour. In fact, Mickelson served as Quinney's mentor earlier in Jeff's professional career. The heavy winds, which frustrated golfers all week, were largely absent on Sunday, but Riveria still played rough and tough. Mickelson carded a final round 70, good for 12-under par, two strokes clear of Quinney for Phil's 33rd win on tour.

Mickelson has been plagued with poor putting this year, but after a lesson with L.P.G.A. hall of famer Amy Alcott earlier in the week along with changing his golf ball and putter inserts, he triumphed at Riviera for the first time in his career. British Open champ Padraig Harrington and Luke Donald tied for third, each shooting 68 ahead of Scott Verplank and Ryuji Imada. Quinney who stayed close to Phil through the first 9, faltered on the back side in search of his first victory.

Quinney, who recorded a hole-in-one on Saturday, won the U.S. Amateur in 2000. On his way to victory in the Amateur, Quinney defeated Lucas Glover, Jonathon Byrd, David Eger, and James Driscoll. That's a pretty impressive route through the amateur bracket.

Next week is the Accenture Match Play Championship, featuring the top 64 players in the world, as well as the return of Tiger Woods. I can hardly wait....how many hours until Wednesday?

Northern Trust Open Day 1

The PGA TOUR began play Thursday at the Northern Trust Open. Seventeen of the world's top twenty were present at Riviera Country club. Noticeably absent was Tiger Woods, who played his first professional tournament at Riviera when he received a sponsor's exemption at the age of 16. Coincedently, Tiger has played in 10 L.A. Open's without ever claiming victory. The closest he came to winning this elusive tourney, was in 1998 when he lost in a playoff to Billy Mayfair. Luckily for us golf fans, all the other top guns slapped the rock around the short, but tight Riviera course with dismal success.

Phil Mickelson trying to rebound from the loss to JB Holmes in a playoff in Phoenix on Superbowl Sunday, carded a 68- trailing KJ Choi , who opened with a 65, the best score of the day. Kevin Na shot 66, followed by Chad Campbell and Vaughn Taylor posting 4-under tied for third place. Davis Love III and David Duval both came out of hiding with dismal results; a 76 for Love and Duval headed back to Idaho after withdrawing in the face of the Riviera high winds.

Players who teed up in the afternoon faced difficult conditions as the heavy winds and fast greens resulted in some scores closer to 80 than 60. Jim Furyk shot 76, Retief hacked his way around the course with a 79 and last weeks winner, Steve Lowery, also turned in a dismal 8-over par. Conditions were expected to improve on Friday as players try to go low and improve their standings for the weekend. On a personal note I wonder if O.J. Simpson who was a long time member of Rivera is welcome as a guest spectator?

2008 PGA Tour Outlook

Tonight is the start of a new P.G.A. tour season. For those of us who consider golf to be the king of sports, the agonizing wait is over and the new season is here! The Sony Open played in Hawiwa is the P.G.A. tour's first full field event of 2008. While several big stars are absent (notably Mr Woods, Phil, and the European contingent: Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington, and South African Ernie Els) we get to see Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker, Zach Johnson, and 22 graduates from the school with the hardest final exam: the TOUR's qualifying school, simply known as Q school.

For serious golf fans like myself, the Sony Open is the start of a long golf season which culminates at Valhalla with the 2008 Ryder Cup. What does '08 hold in store for us? Let me peek in my crystal ball and make some predictions, observations, spectulations, and flat out guesses on what will occur...

Tiger Woods wins multiple tournaments, captures several events and leads the money list...again (Well duh any person on the planet could tell you that). Will he win the grand slam this year like he eluded to? First he's got Augusta, where he is so dominant. You get the feeling that this child prodigy could beat Nicklaus and Palmer when the two golf Gods were in their prime. Next up is the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. This is a golf couse where he grew up and has won several times. The course sets up perfectly for him: long and extremely difficult. Woody looks so comfortable there, like he is playing with Earl on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I predict Tiger will win 2 or 3 majors this year. Somewhere along this stretch, some professional will have to outplay Tiger on a major Sunday. I do not know the identity of this golfer but i will pray to God that he has a servant who can actually get the ball in the hole, in less shots than Mr Woods. Tiger wins 7 times including the Fed Ex Cup and Vardon Trophy (awarded to the player with the lowest scoring average). David Duval, Justin Leonard,Davis Love, Phil, Ernie, Furyk and Vijay realize there is not enough tournament points to be gained in the next 20 years to knock Tiger from number 1 in the universe.

Here is my top 5 money list for '08. Tiger, Phil, Furyk, Ernie, and Steve Stricker will lead the way. Bo Van Pelt, Tim Clark, and Justin Rose finally win their first P.G.A. tournaments. Vijay falls out of the top ten and Davis Love is so absent that you wonder if he is in the witness protection program or snowboarding all year in Idaho.

No-name watch: Watch out for Brad Admamonis, a personal friend who earned his TOUR card for '08, three years ago I said he should go teach and give up on his dream. Good thing he did not listen to me!!


Sit back golf fans and enjoy a wild and crazy '08!