John Smoltz Enter The Golf World

John Smoltz Enter The Golf World

John Smoltz, on the other hand, credits golf for extending his work life.Smoltz may be new at professional golf, he is no stranger to the game of baseball. The Michigan native enjoyed a twenty-two year long illustrious career, mostly spent pitching for the Atlanta Braves.Smoltz is the only pitcher in Major League Baseball history Lee Westood Frustrated By Talk About Lack Of Title to accumulate 200 wins and 150 saves. Smoltz helped lead the Braves to the 1995 World Series Championship and along with Greg Maddox and Tom Glavine, formed Atlanta’s historic trio of Cy Young award winners.When asked what his ex-teammates would say about his skills on a golf course, Smoltz joked, “I’m better than them. I’ve been trying to grind at golf and get as good as I can get. I’ve progressed in a way that has been getting my game as good as I can get it.”Smoltz will have a chance to display that game this morning as he will be teeing off at 9:05 with his trusty VSU alum at his side.

Smoltz will be competing at Kinderlou Forest, the home golf course to VSU’s golf team, this weekend in the Nationwide Tour’s South Georgia Classic. The future Hall of Famer entered the tournament on a sponsor’s exemption.

“They asked me and gave me the opportunity [to play at Kinderlou] so I accepted,” Smoltz said. “I’m honored and excited about the opportunity.”For his caddy, Smoltz chose none other than former VSU golfer, Chad Smith. Smith won the 2010 First Federal Southeast Collegiate Tournament. “The course helped me out,” Smoltz said. “It gave me the top dog, he’s been great.”Smith is a Braves fan himself and the chance to caddy for a former Braves player is certainly a moment he will not soon forget.

The White Horse Golf Club Course Will Complete

The White Horse Golf Club Course Will Complete

The White Horse Golf Club course outside Kingston in Kitsap County is expected to be completed within days.White Horse is waiting to make an official announcement but folks who have played the course recently report that about four dozen bunkers and several trees have been removed. Also, some "bail-out" areas have been added for golfers who don't want to attempt shots that are high-risk.In another improvement, the greens —Lee Westwood Is The New Top Player In Golfthat had gone years without being aerated — have been aerated twice since last October. This will help the greens hold shots that used to run off them.White Horse, which is open to the public, was designed by Cynthia Dye McGarey and had 137 bunkers. When it opened in 2007, Golf Digest named White Horse one of the 10 best new affordable courses in the nation.White Horse hosted the Washington State Amateur last year and only the winner, Jeremy Wendelken of Sammamish, finished under par in the four-day event

There are two problems: 1) Golfers disappear from sight off the tee and the next group doesn't know when it is safe to hit; 2) Hitting their second shots from downhill lies, many golfers miscalculate the distance and hit into the water or the area surrounding the wetlands. They then spend time either looking for their ball or deciding where to drop.Paul Wilkinson, director of golf services for the City of Seattle, said funding is in place to hire a golf architect to recommend changes that will increase pace of play, provide better sightlines and reduce player frustration. It is considered unlikely that any construction will start during this golf season.

Lee Is In Third Place At SSAC Golf Tournament

Lee Is In

Third Place

At SSAC Golf Tournament

The annual event is being staged at the Columbus Country Club. Eight teams will tee it up again on Tuesday and the winner will earn an automatic berth to the NAIA national tournament when play is completed late Wednesday.

While coach John Maupin would like to have seen his fourth or fifth place team member post a lower member on Monday, he still feels his club has a legitimate shot at overtaking William Carey and Shorter. "Playing 54 holes instead of 36 takes How To Solve Putting Problems a little of the pressure off," pointed out the Lee coach. "We need to make up some ground on William Carey on Tuesday and try to pull even with Shorter. If we can, I like our chances."Former Walker Valley golfer Hunter Vest put a positive spin on Monday's play and at the banquet which immediately followed the first round. Vest not only fired a 1-under 71 to pace the Flames, he was named the SSAC Freshman of the Year and also earned a spot on the All-SSAC team.

JB Eksteen joined Vest on the All-SSAC squad. The sophomore finished Monday's round with a 1-over 73. Junior Jeremy Lawson carded a 2-over 74 and junior Caleb Roberson followed at 79. Tyler Smith struggled and came in at 80. He is Lee's third member of the All-SSAC team. The top round of Monday's play belonged to Faulkner's Jo Soar. He tallied a 4-under 68.

Rockford Boys Golf Team looking for Break

Rockford Boys Golf Team looking for Break

It has been especially tough on a young Rockford boy's golf team that is looking to develop some consistency.Since the wet and cold weather has been playing havoc with most spring sports this season.To make up for the early rust the Rams sent out two five-man teams to tournaments on Saturday. Five guys went to the Ranger Invitational at The Meadows and finished in tenth place out of 21 teams with a 333 total. Freshman AJ Suggestions To Increase Your Ball Striking Varekois led the Rams with an 80 at the Ranger Invitational.At the Fremont tournament the Rams placed sixth overall and were led by seniors David Keller and Nick DeLafuenta who both carded 80s.The Rams suffered their first conference loss since the start of the 2008 season when they squared off against Grand Haven and West Ottawa. The Rams shot a 169, however, Grand Haven came in with a 166 to hand the Rams the loss."We played very, very poorly against Grand Haven," Cullum said. "It was our first conference loss since the first match of 2008 and that was a fun streak."The Rams have had a balanced approach to the season with a number of different golfers leading the way. Junior Jake Stephan led the Rams at the Kent County Classic as he shot a 79 and finished in a tie for 15th place. Seniors Alec DeWitt and Alex Lewis led the way at the Kenowa Invitational as they both tied for third with 79s.Cullum is hoping the Rams get in some work in the coming weeks as the season heads for the home stretch.

Allowing playing golf Cart concerning the Gulfport Street?

Allowing playing golf Cart concerning the

Gulfport Street

?

The dilemma of permitting playing golf carts or non-street legitimate autos concerning the streets of Gulfport are steering to be discussed in the workshop on may properly 26 at three p.m. the up coming village council meeting, village Manager O'Reilly will also tackle the village ordinance pertaining to garage profit permits. it experienced been brought up in the getting together with how the newest ordinance allows for as numerous as How To Solve Putting Problems 30 garage product sales every yr of different sizes and quantity of days. Some people in the council felt that some residents may properly be abusing the privilege while also principal to parking and specific site visitors concerns all through the sales. Mr. O'Reilly will very likely amend the expressions in the ordinance pursuing a consultation using the village attorney.During discussion in the getting together with Gulfport village attorney Associate, Caitlin Sirico, confirmed that within celebration of the lawsuit pursuing an auto accident using a playing golf cart over a village street, it is feasible how the plaintiff could sue the village for as very much as $250,000 every dude or lady or $300,000 every incident below the newest laws, which permit the carts on particular streets.

Mr. Hastings and Council Member Sam Henderson experienced been not in favor of bringing the dilemma to discussion at a potential workshop but council people Barbara Banno and Jennifer Salmon experienced been in favor as was Mayor Michael Yakes.If somebody was to sue the village for just about any negligence or something like that there would consistently be considered a hat on what they could go after.The Gulfport village Council brought up using playing golf carts and “non-street legitimate vehicles” on village streets at Tuesday's meeting. The dilemma arrived up in regards in the direction of safety of those people sharing the roads with automobiles along using the city's liability within celebration of an accident.

Women's playing golf Equality

Women's playing golf Equality

Women’s playing golf is becoming appear to be relatively standard much more compared to previous handful of many years and there are presently as numerous experienced ladies golfers as there are men. playing golf equipment firms have also recognized the quantity of ladies fascinated inside the sports activity and have customized numerous pieces of playing golf equipment which consists of playing golf clubs, motorists and Willis Take A Lead For Birdie In Heritage playing golf bags to acquire a good offer more at ease for women. You might have your non-public playing golf equipment custom-made; making golfing a good offer more at ease and effective for ladies because men’s clubs have been generally to big. they are merely a few belonging in the direction of actions that are already used to welcome ladies to the earth of playing golf and make certain which they are at ease and treated as equally as possible. Women’s playing golf associations which consists of the LPGA have also contributed in the direction of reputation of women’s playing golf and offered ladies the respect they deserve. ladies golfers are now featured in playing golf Digest magazine, playing golf for ladies as well as relatively a few other newspapers dedicated strictly to women’s golf. films and tv set exhibits are also contributing in the direction of reputation with this sports activity and providing ladies the “drive” they should pursue careers on this field.It was not until earlier this year, that women’s playing golf took a leaping activity inside the appropriate path when experienced golfer and best LPGA player, Annika Sorenstam was informed she could hold out in the direction of the grownup males within of a PGA tournament. numerous individuals predicted how they believed Sorenstam would do when she teed-off in the direction of some belonging in the direction of perfect male golfers inside the world. Some individuals experienced good encouragement to contribute while other people have been chauvinistic and down-right rude. Nonetheless, possessing a lady hold out inside the PGA, even for just about any short while, was a tremendous accomplishment which could potentially pave the path for potential growth in women’s golf.

The Origin of the Golf

The Origin of the Golf

This will always be a disputed point, who actually invented the game of golf. If you believe some of the claims that the game they were playing was golf and they didn’t have a hole, then you could take this same game and turn it into the origin of Golf Is Often Belonging To Young Man many games we still play today. I believe the hole is what separates all the early claims to who originated the game of golf

The first area to look when deciding the answer to our question must be what actually determines when a game with sticks and balls is golf or another game. Most countries in the world have had games where you hit an object with a stick at some sort of target. Is this enough to be called golf, I don’t think so. If so, then these early games could claim the origin of many sports played today. I think it takes more than just a game with some kind of object being hit by a stick to qualify as the origin of golf.

Holland is believed to be the origin of the name of golf but not the actual game itself. Holland played a game in the 1200s called Colf, which means clubs. This was a form of golf but once again the form of many other sports.Great Britain The earliest traces of golf history has golf being played are said to date back to 1340, where in a sketch from a stained glass window, the Great East Window, in the east wing of the Gloucester Cathedral, England, scenes of the Battle of Crecy in France showed a man apparently preparing to strike a ball in a golf-like manner.

The Perfect Golf Swing

The Perfect Golf Swing

I am often asked by golfers why they hit the ball so well on the driving range, but once they're on the golf course their ball striking drops dramatically.According to UCLA professor of psychology Richard Schmidt, it's because golfers do not practice or warm up properly. After reviewing many studies Schmidt has concluded that random practice (mixing clubs and technique) is far more long-lasting and efficient than Golfers Think On Rudolph concentrating on a single club or stroke.

In other words — don't hit 30 straight five irons if you are going out to play.For starters, they need six strong, consistent, and talented players to perform week-in and week-out. This can be easier said than done.As for players, that’s where Anderson and Gad get their optimism. Their two big losses were seniors Jared Cowden and John Sund, who easily were West Fargo’s strongest golfers, but enough talent remains for the Packers to compete with the rest of the state.With time and experience, West Fargo will get the ball moving in the right direction and, hopefully, to a state title.

Castro had two holes that he especially struggled on

Castro had two holes that he especially struggled on

For sophomore Hayden Ogle and freshman David Castro, it was the second time they had seen the course this season, although the first time was not one to remember: As a team, the Chiefs nearly shot 400, their worst performance of the season.Both improved Masters Career Of Schwartzel upon their first trip, with Ogle's 79 putting him in position to make a charge at a state berth with a solid second round. Castro shaved 12 strokes off the 97 he carded earlier this year, with an 85.Ogle took an unorthodox approach to a par on the 18th, but a 20-foot par putt saved him and kept him in the 70s in round one. He sits in 16th, just six shots behind Burleson's Colby Webb, who fired a first-round 73."I gained a lot from having played it before. Most of these guys haven't played out here," Ogle said. "I feel really good going into Day 2. I am hitting the ball really well."Castro had two holes that he especially struggled on — the same two holes that most of the field had difficulty with: No. 9 and No. 17. The freshman started his day on the back nine, carding an 8-over 43.

Nine of those strokes came on the 17th, which he quadruple-bogeyed. After the difficulty, he rallied back in a big way over the next several holes.Castro knocked two straight approaches to within feet of the cup on 18 and 1, allowing him to make a pair of pars.Then came the shot of Castro's round.On the 564-yard par-5 second hole, Castro hit two solid shots, leaving him 80 yards from the green.Then he nearly holed his approach, which rolled just eight inches past the cup. The tap-in birdie pulled him back to 7 over and gave him momentum he carried until No. 6.At that point of his final nine, he was one-under, and seven over for the round. In those last four shots, he gave back the birdie and bogeyed No. 7 and No. 8.

Huge affords for golf lessons

Huge affords for golf lessons

As with almost any decision we make, the budget is always a factor. How much money can you afford? Are these golf lessons to help you meet clients, or are you just looking to learn how to play the game? If you really don’t like golf but know it would be a great business asset, then you will want a better instructor. After all, the golf lessons then  Tiger Fans Would Be Happy With Video Game Referring To Him ball become a business investment, correct? You will generally find the more experienced and sought-after instructors giving golf lessons at the higher end clubs and resorts. A Las Vegas golf lesson at the Walter’s Golf Academy might be given by Chuck Matlack, Mike Davis, or Jimmie Pollard - all of whom are seasoned pro’s with great portfolios - and with great rates to match!You should definitely know your own commitment level. Look - golf lessons are not cheap. Whatever you learn - be it from Jimmie Pollard during a Las Vegas golf lesson or at Greg’s Golf Shack - you will need to reinforce what you learn with practice. Otherwise, you are just wasting your money. So be sure that you really want to play the game, be it for business or pleasure, before deciding to take golf lessons.

Golf in Atlantic City

Golf in Atlantic City

"Atlantic City is a one-of-a-kind destination in the United States with the beach, Boardwalk, and a collection of top-notch casinos, restaurants, shops, spas, entertainment and golf courses. My vision for bringing an event of this caliber to the region is to highlight our spectacular golfing and continue to elevate Atlantic City's status as Holywood still has delight for its golf hero Rory a premier destination on the East Coast," said Dennis C. Gomes, Atlantic City Mayor's Summit Special Events chairman and president/CEO of Resorts Casino Hotel. Since 1988, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina has hosted a similar version, the World Amateur Handicap Championship, and this event expects to rival that tournament in the coming years."This event is a perfect fit for this region," said Dotsie Tuscano, chairperson of the Atlantic City World Amateur Open. "We anticipate this event drawing in participants from all across the United States. It will also showcase Atlantic City for what it is, not just as a gaming market, but a truly world class tourist destination with some of the best golf on the East Coast. We are all looking forward to being part of what promises to be an exciting and high profile event."

To be held in early June, following the ShopRite LPGA Classic, the WAO's format is very simple.Each participant will be flighted according to their USGA handicap in groups consisting of Men - 49 years and under; Senior Men - 50-59 years; Mid Senior Men - 60-69 years; Super Senior Men - 70 years and older; Women - 49 years and under; and Senior Women - 50 years and older.

McIlroy continues recovery with 64 in Malaysia

McIlroy continues recovery with 64 in Malaysia

Rory McIlroy is tied for the lead at the weather-hit Malaysian Open after a superb second round 64.The Holywood 21-year-old built on yesterday's 69 - and continued his recovery from Sunday's fourth round meltdown at Augusta - with a round that included eight birdies and no bogies and left him on 11-under.In muggy conditions with little or no Masters Match All About The Traditional Game wind and preferred lies, he started on the 10th tee and rattled off three birdies in his first four holes, before following up with a cool 12-foot putt at the 16th and another three at the par-four 17th.Coming home McIlroy added three more birdies to move alongside first-round leader Noren of Sweden, who fired a three-under-par round of 69 to add to his opening-day 64, before thunderstorms stopped play.Peter Lawrie is tied-25th after a 71 left him on -3 for the tournament. World number one Martin Kaymer is also three-under and finished his second round.

Gareth Maybin should also make the weekend - just - as he is on the cutline at level par, also after a second round 71.Michael Hoey is one shot further back, and could make the weekend if scoring disimproves when play resumes. New Masters champion Charl Schwartzel was in danger of missing the cut in Malaysia. He was one over par for the tournament through nine holes of his second round, while fellow South African Louis Oosthuizen - the 2010 Open champion - was just one under par at the halfway point of his round.

Junior golfers Sophomore Mia Landegren

Junior golfers Sophomore Mia Landegren

Landegren, who, in her role as Shepaug’s number one plays against the top male players on opposing teams, revels in being a member of an all-boys team. In fact, she finds motivation in going against good male players.“I really look forward to competing against the guys because I’ve always played against girls. I think it gives me a competitive The Hot News Of Augusta National edge Mark Wilson Masters Golfing Technique when I do play against girls, and I like playing from farther back on the tee. It makes me work harder.”Said head coach Al Ciarlo, “Mia means everything to our team, when you realize that she led us last year to a decent season as a freshman playing number one. She will have to shoulder even more of a load this season since we graduated two seniors, Samian Roy and Cory Soetbeer, and are only returning one, Ross MacKay. Ross has to move from number four to number two, Spencer Ylagan moves from five to three, and Zach Krin moves to number four with very little varsity experience.”

The coach added of his young star, who won’t turn 16 until the summer, “Mia sets the bar very high for herself. I’m expecting her to be the number one player in this league since Alex DiClemente of Lewis Mills has graduated. We are depending on her to give us that three to five stroke lead from her spot.”Ciarlo said Landegren makes everyone around her better because other players are inspired to work on their game more when they observe her work ethic.

Rory McIlroy may yet become the face of golf's future

Rory McIlroy may yet become the face of golf's future

The 21-year-old from Northern Ireland began the day with a four-stroke lead at 12 under. After nine holes, he was at 11 under, with his lead down to one. A triple-bogey 7 on No. 10 started his collapse en route to an 8-over 80 final round and a tie for 15th at 4 under."For 63 holes in this golf tournament, I was leading and just a couple of bad holes on the Woods Hit A Nice Shot In Masters back nine just sort of derailed me," McIlroy said in the players' locker room at Augusta National.In the locker room, McIlroy kicked off his golf shoes, slipped on a pair of white sneakers and looked every bit the 21-year-old. He managed a smile and said he was grateful for the fan support."I don't know if people were just feeling sorry for me or what," he said with a hint of a smile. "But I'm incredibly grateful for it. I really appreciate it. It was a very tough day for me. … It makes it a lot easier to take."McIlroy had three bogeys during the first three rounds. Sunday, he had four, plus the triple and a double.

Such collapses happen in golf, often in majors. Including McIlroy's 80 on Sunday, the 54-hole leader in three of the last four majors has crashed and burned in the final round. Dustin Johnson took a three-shot lead into the final day of the U.S. Open The Hot News Of Augusta National and shot 82; Nick Watney led by three at the PGA Championship before a final-round 81."I have played with Rory a lot," fellow pro Lee Westwood of England said. "When he gets under a bit of pressure, he's got a pull hook in his bag, and he hit it on 10. … So that's something he'll learn to cope with (as he gains) experience, but that's why they go on so much about experience at the Masters, the value of it."

Woods putted like Mick Foley

Woods putted like Mick Foley.

McIlroy and his fellow young Europeans have a lot more Merry Prankster in them than the autonomous Woods and Mickelson had, as kids.McIlroy played host to high school friends, one of whom got overserved Thursday night and slept until 6 p.m., missing McIlroy's Friday round.The fun ended when McIlroy couldn't break 80 Sunday. In Amen Find Golf Courses In New York City Corner he lost his storied poise completely and, for the first time, seemed far younger than 21.He regained it in time to graciously congratulate Schwartzel, via Twitter, and laugh when others tweeted that they didn't know those cabins on No. 10 existed until McIlroy somehow drove a ball between them.Clearly the golf world is waiting for McIlroy to prove that humanity and dominance are not mutually exclusive.But while McIlroy blamed it on inexperience, perhaps the quality that Phillies manager Charlie Manuel calls "complacence" was also part of it.Beforehand, Chandler talked of "life after Tiger" and said that McIlroy's Saturday round was "the key" to a victory that hadn't happened yet.

McIlroy wouldn't do the talk shows, Chandler said, but would fly from Atlanta to London to Kuala Lumpur for this week's tournament."The first flight will be a lot of drinking and the second will be sleeping," Chandler said.A few minutes later, Eugene Fayne sat on a bench and listened to Irish writers talk about McIlroy "closing the circle," since Padraig Harrington had won the PGA and British Open and Graeme McDowell the U.S. Open.

New Hotshot Takes Tiger At Masters' Final Round

New Hotshot Takes Tiger At Masters' Final Round

He's a 21-year-old young man who's playing with the patience and golf maturity of someone twice his age. He's been talked about as the next big thing for a couple of years. Some are wondering if he's the next Tiger Woods. If McIlroy wins today, he'll be the second youngest Masters winner. Tiger was the youngest back in '97. That's a tall order to have that Choose Good Golf Grip For Nice Control comparison made. But certainly Rory McIlroy shares with Woods that fanatical devotion to the game early on. Rory's mom tells the story of when Rory was 11, his coach told him to change his grip on a golf club. And mom one night checked in on Rory in bed. He was asleep, but his arms were outside the blanket and his hands forming the grip his coach wanted. One golf writer said this week at Augusta that for the first time in a while Tiger Woods looked like he was playing golf instead of giving himself on-course lessons, but the results aren't there yet. When - and everyone expects it to be when - when the results come, when it all clicks for him, it's going to be, you know, fantastic to watch him to do serious battle with McIlroy and some of the other 20-somethings who are really heralding a youth movement in the game. Going into today's final round, it's the first time in the history of the Masters - that's a 75-year history - that there's not an American in the top five. There are lots of great U.S. golfers. I don't think it's time to panic. But, yes, golf has become more global over the years. For some countries that haven't been that avid about it, golf is coming back to the Olympics in 2016 and countries around the world have taken notice and are ramping up their involvement and their development in the sport. Because, Liane, every country loves Olympic medals.

Bring you a Tiger Woods sighting

Bring you a Tiger Woods sighting

The four-time champion, maligned for the better part of a year for his performance both on and off the golf course, shook up Augusta National late this afternoon with a 66, adding a little red, white and blue to what was becoming an international party.Starting on No. 8, Woods birdied seven of the last 11 holes to put himself in a tie for third place after the second round, just three shots behind first-round co-leader Rory McIlroy. Woods capped his day -- the best he's had here since last winning in 2005 -- with a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th, which he punctuated with Choose Good Golf Grip For Nice Control an old-school Tiger fist pump.Ageless Fred Couples, who shot 68, is joined at 5 under by the Rickys -- or Rickies -- in Ricky Barnes and Rickie Fowler, as well as Korea's Y.E. Yang.All told, 18 players are within seven shots of the lead going into the final two rounds, none of whom are named Phil Mickelson, who failed to make a move from 2 under with a 72."I'll just be concentrating on the golf course," said McIlroy, who made just one bogey on his way to a 69. "If you start thinking about anyone else here, if you let your mind wander at all, it can cost you."

Woods' head might have been spinning a bit as he neared the turn Friday. Canceling out birdies with bogeys, he stood at even par for the tournament heading to the eighth hole.From there, though, he started making his move, birdieing the eighth, ninth and the historically difficult 10th. He nearly holed out for eagle on the 14th as he shot 31 on the back side.The one involving age might prove to be just as important for the younger players hanging around the leaderboard, like Day and the 22-year-old Fowler. McIlroy, though, has played beyond his age for years, and he's not lacking in confidence.

Seattle is your golf lessons paradise

Seattle is your golf lessons paradise

Seattle is a fairly green place, with attractive parks and trees everywhere. Yet even with this affinity its affinity for the outdoors, there are not that many golf courses in Seattle - even fewer that are generally enjoyable places to play. Jackson Park is an acceptable course in North Seattle, and certainly eye catching, but the brush and Woods Is More Relaxed Now rough greens make it unpleasant for seasoned golfers, while other courses - such as Jefferson Park - are a little bit too easy for the seasoned golfer.I had an enjoyable albeit unusual golf lesson experience at Puetz. Back when I was new to golfing I decided I needed to pick up a new lefty driver, since the one I inherited was unusually small. At first the man behind the counter was simply letting me take a few practice swings to see if I liked the club. But when he noticed that I was somewhere between terrible and abysmal, he decided to give me a free bucket of balls for their driving range and then showed me, for free, how to swing the club with greater strength and accuracy.

His help on that one short outing was amazing, so while I haven't officially ever signed up for lessons here, I still recommend their lessons to others.I've heard good things about Swing Doctors, though their name hasn't been mentioned in a while. Located in Kirkland, they use fairly high tech equipment to help people with their game - excellent for those that have already learned the basics and are simply trying to improve their abilities. I also had a few golf lessons at Jackson Park. Those instructors were fairly inattentive, and I currently wouldn't recommend them, although the course itself is a nice place to practice and not very busy on weekdays.

D.A. Points' mother encourages him at Masters

D.A. Points' mother encourages him at Masters

For Mary Jo Points - a former Pekin resident whose son is playing in his first Masters tournament this week - Mothers Day came a month early this year. Her reaction to his request to be his caddie invoked the most sincere emotion from the former Pekin Country Club champion."I cried," Mary Jo said. "I went over to him, hugging him and crying, and thought, 'Oh, my land, I can't believe I really get to do this.'"This is something that was on my bucket list."D.A. Points - a 1995 graduate of Pekin High playing his fifth season on the PGA Tour - earned an Woods Is More Relaxed Now invitation to the Masters in February when he won the AT&T National Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Points played that event with amateur partner Bill Murray, the Illinois native and actor/comedian of "Caddyshack" fame.A suggestion that Points ask Murray to be his caddie for the Par 3 Contest was briefly considered. But only briefly."Somebody mentioned the whole Bill Murray thing and I thought about it for a second," D.A. Points said. "But I always knew in the back of my mind I would ask my mom."She would appreciate it so immensely that if I didn't ask her, it would hurt her feelings.Points' parents - Mary Jo and Steve, who is retired from Caterpillar - now live in the Orlando, Fla., area near D.A., who lives in the golf community of Windermere.

They are able to follow D.A. to many PGA Tour events, much like they always have."I remember as a small kid playing in tournaments like the Lil' Guys and Gals (in Peoria) and the Pepsi Little Peoples (in Quincy)," Points said. "Anywhere around Illinois that had a junior tournament, we would go. We would load up the van and go."Under the watchful eye of his mother - who once held the women's course record at WeaverRidge - he learned to play the game."Mom spent a lot of time with me at PCC around the chipping green," Points said. "She would put tees around a hole and say I had to chip five of 10 balls inside the tees before we could go home. She would stay there with me until I did it."Steve Points was close by as well, but knee-replacement surgery has made it difficult for him to follow the action every step of the way. Also present was D.A.'s wife, Lori, and their 1-year old daughter, Laila Jane.

Phil Mickelson's slump nearly rivaled the one engulfing Tiger Woods

Phil Mickelson's slump nearly rivaled the one engulfing Tiger Woods

Phil Mickelson's slump nearly rivaled the one engulfing Tiger Woods. Mickelson hadn't won since last year's Masters. He struggled on the Florida Swing, in which he tied for 55th at Doral and tied for 24th at Bay Hill.Then, without warning, Mickelson went crazy low - 63 on Saturday and 65 on Sunday to win the PGA Tour event in Houston. That quickly, he became the favorite to win this week's Masters."It was obviously a fun win," Mickelson said Tuesday. "It was a big confidence booster, because I felt like that golf was in me but I haven't been Review Of Golf Course In Augusta getting it out. It reminds me a lot of 2006."Mickelson won the BellSouth Classic in Atlanta the week before the 2006 Masters, then won again at Augusta National. He became only the fourth player to take the Masters after winning a tour event the week before, joining Ralph Guldahl (1939), Art Wall (1959) and Sandy Lyle (1988).The victory in Houston also vaulted Mickelson to No. 3 in this week's world rankings - the first time in 14 years he stands ahead of Woods (now No. 7)."That would be really cool if he was No. 1 at the time I passed him," said Mickelson, who has never sat atop the rankings.Two-time Masters winner Seve Ballesteros, fighting brain cancer, didn't make it to Augusta - but his influence was apparent at Tuesday night's Champions Dinner, where Mickelson planned to serve Spanish cuisine."All the past champions are thinking about Seve," Mickelson said. "When I got into my first tour event at age 17, the San Diego Open, I played a practice round with him and he was the classiest gentleman.

Mark Wilson has an effective short game

Mark Wilson has an effective short game

When Wilson demonstrates the speed of the green to a visitor, he first has to clear away a hodgepodge of toys. The gold Ping putters awarded to him after each of his professional victories are mounted on one wall; against another leans a Nerf basketball set.Just days before teeing it up in his first Masters Tournament at age 36, Wilson is Ryo Ishikawa Helps Japanese Victims not the least bit stressed about Augusta National, or anything else. He pads around the house in this upper middle-class Chicago suburb in his socks and a T-shirt, laughing easily and often.A few years ago, he might have been beating balls somewhere, obsessed with his mechanics, tinkering with his swing, fretting about one ball going offline.Freed at last by an acceptance of what and who he is, Wilson has soared to almost unimaginable heights on the PGA Tour. He has won twice already this year, leads the money list and the FedEx Cup points list, has risen to No. 47 in the world ranking, and last week, with a tie for ninth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, passed the $10 million mark in career earnings.Not bad for a guy who surprised himself - and just about everyone else - when he won the 2007 Honda Classic in his 111th career start. A lifelong grinder, Wilson described himself then as a "journeyman."He has won three times since, including the Sony Open in Hawaii and the Waste Management Phoenix Open earlier this year.

Masters Strange loss for major player

Masters Strange loss for major player

In 1985, the future two-time U.S. Open champion was Nicklaus in reverse on the back nine at Augusta National, a stretch of holes as compelling as any in the game. In a figurative sense, while Jack got carried off on the shoulders of fans, Strange got hauled off on a stretcher. "We talk about Jack Nicklaus and his back side in 1986, and the flip side of that coin Augusta National And Jack Nicklaus was me and my one chance to win Augusta," Strange reminisced this week. "So there is a lot of excitement, and a lot of heartache and disappointment." Partly because he would later win back-to-back U.S. Open titles starting in 1988, Strange's double-drowning on the crucial par-5 holes Sunday at Augusta has have largely been forgotten. Not by him, necessarily. Twenty-six years ago, Strange stood in the 13th fairway Sunday with a two-shot lead as his nearest pursuer, Bernhard Langer, played in front of him. Knowing full well that the key to victory is taking care of the par-5s, Strange figured he needed to make something happen. It was theatrical, at least. Strange tried to blast the ball out golf lessons of the creek and onto the green, but didn’t find the putting surface. By the time he cleaned up the mess, he'd made a bogey, and his lead had been trimmed to one shot. Recalling the hole in 2002, Strange said: "The shot that was the worst of the whole scenario was the first out of the creek. I didn't hit it hard enough. That's the shot I'd like to have back." Worse, on the fateful 15th, another reachable par-5, he made it a double-splashdown when his approach failed to clear the pond fronting the green. This time, it was an accounting error, not a physical one. Langer was having no such issues. He birdied both of the par-5s coming home and shot 33 on the back nine, donning the green jacket for the first time. As much as any Masters over the past 30 years, the 1985 affair reinforced how crucial the tempting Nos. 13 and 15 are in the overall scheme.

Top golfer Yani Tseng on the LPGA

Top golfer Yani Tseng on the LPGA

World No. 1 female golfer Yani Tseng of Taiwan has been tipped by 25 percent of voters on the LPGA website to successfully defend her title at the Kraft Nabisco Championship held later this week in California.Korean American Michelle Wei received 20 percent of the votes as of Thursday, followed by World No. 2 Jiyai Shin of South Korea with 15 percent, according to the survey.The tournament, one of the four major events on the LPGA tour Golf Game In Indian Army and with a purse of US$2 million, will see Tseng face Germany's Sandra Gal, who clinched the Kia Classic title on Sunday. The winner gets US$300,000 in prize money.The world's top 10 women golfers, along with Taiwan's Teresa Lu, Candie Kung and Amy Hung, are all taking part in the tournament, which will conclude on April 3.