March 20, 2010

The Tiger Woods Effect

Tiger Woods will end his indefinite hiatus from the PGA TOUR at this year’s Masters Tournament at Augusta National.  It marks the first tournament that the world’s greatest golfer will play in since the unraveling of his private life to the tabloid and national media after his Thanksgiving night accident. How does it change the landscape of the 2010 PGA TOUR season?

The PGA season has been exciting with a few young players taking advantage of Woods’ absence.  But, has Woods really left our minds?  It seemed every week there was something – gossip or news – that brought Woods into the PGA conversation.  Woods was not really a part of January golf on the PGA TOUR for the last few years, so he was not missed from a tournament standpoint.  But, when play came to Torrey Pines and Pebble Beach, the talk of Woods’ return took center stage.  Rumors of when, where and how (well he played) were flying around every event in February and March.  But, the 2010 PGA TOUR season has been a successful campaign since teeing off at the SBS Championship in Hawaii in January.  The TOUR has seen some tremendous golf with many young stars winning for the first time in over a year.

It started off with Geoff Ogilvy successfully defending his title at the SBS Championship, followed by young players Ryan Palmer and Bill Haas grabbing impressive wins at the Sony Open and Bob Hope Classic, respectively.  Ben Crane won at Torrey Pines to take home the Farmers Insurance Open, where the tournament started with talk of Tiger’s dramatic win at the U. S. Open at Torrey Pines two years prior.  Steve Stricker then won the Northern Trust Open and took over the number two spot on the Official World Golf Rankings from Phil Mickelson, who has gotten off to a surprisingly slow start finishing outside of the top 10 in four of five events.

Talk of Woods’ return picked up when the PGA rolled into Pebble Beach for the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, site of the 2010 U. S. Open.  Dustin Johnson, one of the bright young stars of the PGA, won at Pebble Beach.  Then, the first World Golf Championship event the Accenture Match Play Championship.  This is the first big event of the season, bringing the top 65 players in the world to play match play format for five days.  Woods, who made his return in 2009 at this event, scheduled his first public statement on the Friday of the event, stealing some headlines from the course.  It is important to note that Accenture was the first sponsor to drop Woods after his accident.  Ian Poulter was not bothered by the press conference as the Englishman cruised to his first WGC title.

Hunter Mahan, the American star of the 2008 Ryder Cup, won the next week at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.  Then, Camilo Villegas followed up his third place finish at the Accenture Match Play Championship with his first win in over a year at the Honda Classic.  Both Mahan and Villegas are leaders of the next wave of great players that will shape the future of the PGA TOUR.

Rumors picked up the week of the second WGC event – the CA Championship – about Woods making his comeback at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, an event close to his Orlando home.  As Ernie Els celebrated his first win in two years at the CA Championship, Woods ended all speculation and announced he will play at the Masters.

How will Woods play at the Masters?

The players are excited to have Woods back between the ropes…as well they should with all the attention Woods normally brings.  But, are they happy that he is coming back at the first major championship of the year?  None will say.  The new chaos that Woods will bring to an event in 2010 will be subdued at the Masters.  But, for Woods, it only makes sense that he would make his return to golf at the Masters, a place he has won four times.  It is an event like no other.  The Augusta National leaders run the event and tickets are hard to come by, even for media.  It will provide Woods a safe haven in terms of having to deal with tabloid media and non-golf fans.

Can Woods win?  Without a doubt.  The Augusta National course did not go under any major renovations in the off season.  It should play very similar to last year’s event, one that Woods finished finished sixth.

Will Woods win?  We will see come Sunday, April 11th…

Tiger Woods: How the Mighty Fall

Tiger Woods has probably had the most regrettable week in his life.  For fans, it was the fall of what many thought was one of the true great ones…both inside and outside of the ropes.

Woods had a car accident in the early morning hours on the Friday after Thanksgiving outside his home in Florida.  That accident has spun into a firestorm that has seen Woods’ entire off-course life thrown onto the covers of tabloids, newspapers and blogs as well as coverage on television news.  Woods’ “indiscretions,” as he put it, not only cost him the privacy he held so dear but the respect of many fans.

In the age-old debate that athletes are not role models, and they are not to some,  I agree with FOXSports.com writer Robert Lusetich said in that for many though, Woods is what they admired and strove to be.  A confident, successful person (who happens to be an athlete) who is the best at what they do while at the same time is a great friend and person.  That reputation is now, and forever, tarnished.

I did not have a problem with Woods’ actions after the crash.  He had an accident and that was it.  He did not owe the media or fans an explanation as to why he was driving his SUV at 2-something in the morning…sober.  The media was wrong in attacking him for not commenting on camera earlier than he did.  But, that is what tabloids do…they want a juicy story that makes you pick up the magazine at the supermarket checkout line.  Jason Whitlock was right in calling out the sports reporters that acted like tabloid journalists for one reason or another.  Woods’ actions fueled the media and now his “indiscretions” are coming back to haunt him one at a time for their 15-minutes of fame.

Does this spell trouble for the PGA TOUR?  No way.  Woods gets determined and focused when people doubt or question him.  The course will provide him with an escape, making the world’s greatest golfer extremely dangerous.  Would you be surprised if he ran the table in majors this year – tying Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18?  I wouldn’t at all.  He finished sixth and second in the last two Masters and the 2010 U. S. Open is at Pebble Beach with the British Open at St. Andrews.  Sky’s the limit.  The only question mark would be the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, where Woods finished tied for 24th place at the 2004. But, if you add the fuel of last year’s loss to Y. E. Yang to the fire, Woods could complete the Grand Slam of golf.

Woods’ season should open at the end of January at the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines.  Woods has won that event six times and Torrey Pines is the site for his most memorable major championships – the 2008 U. S. Open.  That will be the start of something special for golf fans.

This site does not use WordPress in the traditional blog sense.  The focus is on delivering information with clear page navigation, as in a traditional business site, with an added blog component.  The screenshot to the right is of the previous version of dotblueprint.com.  It featured the two components of the business with easy navigation.  The new design delivers that same clean look and ease of use but, improves the site with better navigation while delivering more effective information from the start.

The redesign was not a drastic one, as I wanted to continue to deliver plenty of content on the front page.  I also wanted to keep the prominent feature section at the top, which was made possible (and easy) with code from CozmosLabs.com.  Finally, I still wanted to have links to other categories and their recent titles.  In the previous version of TeeOff Post, there was a “Featured Post” section on the left sidebar.  I wanted to open up the content area so, I decided to put these featured posts at the end of the content.  They are now boxed across the bottom of the content section, above the footer.

The next change for TeeOff Post will come editorially where readers will see new features to compliment the weekly tournament coverage.

October 1, 2009

PGA TOUR Fall Series: Fight for 125

Now that the PGA TOUR Playoffs are over, the focus is on keeping playing rights for the 2010 season. The Fall Series is the next five events on the PGA schedule, starting this week with the Turning Stone Resort Championship in Verona, New York.

The goal over the next few weeks is to finish the season in the top 125 on the official PGA TOUR money list. Players in the top 125 get full playing privileges for the next season and those outside that number, well, it’s back to Q-school, the PGA TOUR’s qualifying tournament. If a player finishes between 126 and 160 on the money list, they do receive an exemption from the first stages of Q-school and are automatically entered into the final event.

The five events of the Fall Series are Turning Stone Resort Championship, Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, Frys.com Open, Viking Classic and the Children’s Miracle Network Classic.

Last year, rookies Dustin Johnson and Marc Turnesa won for the first time on the PGA TOUR with victories at the Turning Stone Resort Championship and Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, respectively. This year, players like Webb Simpson and Michael Sim look to capture some of that magic.

Simpson had a great start to his rookie season, finishing in the top 10 in his first two tournaments. He qualified for the FedEx Cup and played in three of the four events, missing out on THE TOUR Championship.

Sim just received a promotion to the PGA TOUR after winning for the third time on the Nationwide Tour. He did play in this year’s U. S. Open and PGA Championship, finishing 18th and 51st, respectively.

But, the Fall Series is not just for rookies. Top level players like Adam Scott, Charles Howell III and Rory Sabbatini are scheduled to play at this week’s Turning Stone Resort Championship. They are trying to make 2009 a winning season and hopefully turn some momentum in their favor heading into the offseason. Other popular players that are going to need to climb a few spots on the money list this fall are Corey Pavin, Stuart Appleby, Rocco Mediate, Chris DiMarco and Vaughn Taylor.

In all, the Fall Series may not have the star power that a summer event does but, the drama and excitement is there as players are fighting for their futures. Also, the Fall Series gives fans a chance to see some of the young, up-and-coming stars of the game.

September 25, 2009

PGA TOUR Playoffs Head for Dramatic Finish

This year’s PGA TOUR Playoffs have been a success…so far. The final FedEx Cup event is this week at East Lake Country Club in Atlanta, Georgia. Tiger Woods leads the point’s race and, thus, holds fate in his hands. A win gives Woods a second FedEx Cup trophy.

But, the PGA TOUR made some changes to the playoff system after last season to give the final event some dramatic storylines, and meaning. The biggest change was a points reset heading into this week, where typically it was at the beginning of the playoffs. This rewards players for their regular season success and those with post-season triumphs. The result is the top five in the points – Woods, Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson and Heath Slocum – all can claim the $10 million bonus with a win. The reset also gives the entire 30 player field a mathematical chance at playoff glory.

Last season’s champions – Vijay Singh (FedEx Cup champion) and Camilo Villegas (TOUR Championship winner) – are not in the field this week. It is hard not to pick Woods to win it all, true champions rise to the occasion at events like this, but, there are four rounds in golf and anything can happen.

So, if not Woods, who?

Out of the top five – Zach Johnson is the pick. On the season, Johnson has two wins and eight top 10 finishes. In the playoffs, Johnson has gotten better every week. He finished 28th at The Barclays, 19th at the Deutsche Bank Championship and fifth at the BMW Championship. A win would cap off a career year and put Johnson in the elite class.

Padraig Harrington and Sean O’Hair are two other players that have a better than average chance at claiming the top prize in golf. O’Hair has had a breakout season – one win, one runner-up to Woods and eight top 10 finishes. A win at East Lake would be icing on the cake. Harrington reworked his swing in the offseason and struggled early on but, things seem to be clicking and Harrington is in the mix when it counts. In the playoffs, Harrington has not finished outside the top 10 – second at The Barclays, fourth at the Deutsche Bank Championship and sixth at the BMW Championship.

Of the rest, many things would have to happen for victory. For example, Phil Mickelson is in 14th place and would need some help for FedEx Cup victory. If Mickelson wins THE TOUR Championship, he would need Woods to finish ninth or worse, Stricker to finish outside of the top five, Furyk can not do better than fourth, with Johnson and Slocum having to finish third or worse.

Sounds like an NFL playoff scenario. But, 30 golfers and four rounds can make or break a player. So, outside of the top 10, players like Geoff Ogilvy and Mickelson always seem to play well when the lights are on. Others to watch would be Retief Goosen, Masters champion Angel Cabrera and British Open champion Stewart Cink. Surprises for the week could come from Dustin Johnson, Brian Gay or Kevin Na.

Published: September 10, 2009

PGA BMW Championship Pinnacle Event for FedEx Cup

The PGA TOUR Playoffs have reached the half way mark with Steve Stricker leading the points race for the FedEx Cup after winning last week’s Deutsche Bank Championship.  This week the TOUR is in Illinois for the BMW Championship at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club, where Camilo Villegas is defending champion and looking to climb up from his current 52nd place standing.

Tiger Woods is currently in second place in the points race.  He won the BMW Championship at Cog Hill in 2007 but was unable to defend his title last year after undergoing season-ending knee surgery.  He, as always, is the favorite coming into this week.  But, Stricker has made his statement winning last week and climbing to second in the Official World Golf Rankings.

The FedEx Cup points system was changed after Vijay Singh won the first two events and built such a lead that he just had to finish the final event to hoist the FedEx Cup.  Now, the points earned this season will be reset after the BMW Championship to give all 30 players qualifying for The TOUR Championship, the final of four FedEx Cup events, a mathematical chance at winning.  Another change the TOUR made was giving the players a week break before the final event.

This week’s field consists of 70 players, after being cut down from 125 at the start of the playoffs.  With only 30 moving onto the final event, many players need to play well to improve their shot at the $10 million prize.  There are some top names in danger of not qualifying for The TOUR Championship, notably Sergio Garcia, who is currently in 55th place.  Sitting on the bubble this week are British Open champion Stewart Cink (25), Ian Poulter (30), Anthony Kim (34) and Paul Casey (36), who withdrew from the Deutsche Bank Championship with a rib injury.

The drama at the BMW Championship will be unlike any other even on the PGA TOUR this season.  The changes made to the points system put more pressure on players to perform if they want a shot at the $10 million FedEx Cup.  So, the big questions this week are:

The top three picks to win the BMW Championship are Tiger Woods, Zach Johnson and Sean O’Hair.  Woods, somewhat of a defending champion having not been in the field last year, is always the favorite.  Johnson and O’Hair have had terrific seasons and are in the thick of the playoff race.

It would be easy to say that Garcia and Villegas would be the biggest movers this week as both stars try to reclaim some of the magic of the 2008 playoff season.  But, this seems to be the year of surprises – Heath Slocum winning The Barclays and Jason Dufner almost winning last week.  So, I can see Hunter Mahan and Steve Marino putting themselves into the top 10 in points after this week.  And, watch veterans Tim Clark and Rory Sabbatini make their move into the top 30.

The fall may continue for Ernie Els, who dropped from 11th place to 20th after the Deutsche Bank Championship.  He may join defending FedEx Cup champion Vijay Singh, who couldn’t break into the top 70 after last week’s event, at home to watch the final event.

Published Aug 13, 2009

The Final Major: 91st PGA Championship at Hazeltine

The PGA TOUR plays the final major championship of the year at Hazeltine National Golf Club this week.  The 91st PGA Championship will boast the toughest field ever with 100 of the top 101 golfers, according to the Official World Golf Rankings, committed this week.  The TOUR is coming off a duel tournament week with the World Golf Championship event – the Bridgestone Invitational – and the PGA TOUR event – the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open.  Tiger Woods came from behind to beat Padraig Harrington at the Bridgestone, while John Rollins won by three shots in Las Vegas at the Legends.

My players to watch this week are Phil Mickelson, Anthony Kim, Geoff Ogilvy, Rory McIlroy and Stewart Cink.  They all have interesting stories behind them.  Mickelson has had a rough summer with both his wife and mother being diagnosed with breast cancer.  It would be fitting that the player many fans are pulling for breaks his major slump.  Geoff Ogilvy has been quiet of late after getting 2009 off to a fiery start.  Anthony Kim and Rory McIlroy are both young, talented players and seem to be on the brink of special careers and winning their first major would help get that going.  Finally, for Cink, it is always interesting to see how a first-time major champion plays at the next big event.