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Posted Jun 14 2012, 08:14 PM by Cathy Erickson
It's just so strange to be watching our favorite PGA Tour players struggling at the Olympic Club on the first round of the US Open. I'm actually watching right now and with all the players either on the course or already done there are currently only 5 players under par out of over 150 guys. FIVE players. We know the US Open course is going to be tough, long roughs, fast greens, and tight fairways. But this is a whole new level of hard when best players in the world can't break par. Even the announcing team has to change their usual chatter...they are celebrating bogey saves and continually reporting in on some unforunate bounce or extremely difficult lie in the rough. Chip shots or approach shots over 20 feet away are applauded. It's rough out there...literally.
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Posted May 28 2012, 11:27 PM by Cathy Erickson
In just a few weeks, The Olympic Club in San Francisco will play host to the 112th US Open Championship. The second Major of the PGA Tour Season, the US Open is a test of patience, confidence, and decision making for the 156-player field. But this field is a little different than most of the PGA events we watch. When the final pairings are posted you'll see sprinkled in the list of the best players in the world the names of a few dreamers. The US "Open" allows any golfer with a handicap no greater than 1.4 the chance to qualify their way into a Major Championship field. There were 109 local qualifiers with over 8,500 players competing to advance to the Sectional Qualifying to be held in 11 locations across the US on Monday, June 4. Just over 9,000 applications were accepted this year (including exempted players and those advancing right to sectionals), and only 550 players will compete in sectionals. Posted May 15 2012, 09:05 PM by Cathy Erickson
Last week was a little like riding a golf roller coaster for me. On Friday, one of my favorite golf friends and role models, Steve Anderson, passed away after having a massive stroke on Tuesday morning. I met Steve and his family when they came to manage our local golf course several years ago. Steve made you feel like you've been friends for years even if you had just met. His love for the game and his passion for the business of golf allowed him to make a positive impact wherever he went. I was so grateful that I was able to stay in touch with Steve after he moved on to another golf course, and in this past year he really helped us as our curling group took over golf operations at our course last season. Posted May 11 2012, 12:20 PM by Cathy Erickson
Or maybe the bigger question is...do we really need to care? I've pondered and studied the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) a few times of the past few years. It is a Numbers Nerd's dream of points, averages, and weightings that determines who should be considered the best golfer in the world...for the week. But the thing is, it's really not about the best player "that week" because the rankings take into consideration months worth of a player's statistical finishes, weighted by the strength of field and their final position in the tournament. Posted Apr 26 2012, 08:33 AM by Cathy Erickson
Some wise folks once told me that whenever you add a "but" to a sentence, you're negating what you've just said. "I don't mean to be nosy, but...." (then you ask a personal question), "I don't mean to be mean, but..." (and you go on to insult someone's taste or appearance), or "I'm not trying to micro-manage, but..." (and you take over what clearly is someone else's responsibility). Ah, that favorite word, "but". As I read an article this morning about Bubba Watson by Jeff Rude (his column is called "Hate to Be Rude") I could feel the word "but" coming. He didn't actually use it (he used "yet", which to me meant the same thing), but the point seemed the same. Posted Apr 19 2012, 10:26 PM by Cathy Erickson
This last weekend I did some spring cleaning and came across a pile of old golf magazines...Golf, Golf Digest, Golf for Women (RIP), and a few others. I looked at the cover and ditched most of them but I came across one that had Fred Couples on the cover from 2000...the headline was (something like) Fred Couples Simple Rules for Golf (and Life). How do I not keep this one?? See, golf IS like life, Freddie says so!! Posted Apr 04 2012, 10:01 AM by Cathy Erickson
It's almost here. Four days of glorious golf in a setting that is both beautiful and treacherous. Having never been to Augusta National in person (I did try for the ticket lottery, but no luck), I can only go by what I've watched, read or listened to. But I can tell you that even with being on the outside looking in, I can still feel the excitement, the anxiety, and the pure joy of experiencing all that is the Masters. I'm not sure why, but this year I sense there is almost a battle-like atmosphere...while some may try to make cases for a dominating player, it seems to me that there are all kinds of possibilities when it comes to who will be wearing a new green jacket come late Sunday afternoon. Posted Mar 29 2012, 11:37 AM by Cathy Erickson
Spring came early to Minnesota this year. There are dozens of golf courses open in the Minneapolis area and even some up in my neck of the woods. Granted, the grass is still brown, and some mornings are still in the 30's, but we've seen record highs multiple times in the last few months and all of the snow has been melted for a few weeks now. You can sense the spring fever everywhere! Usually, my first real spring golf fix is parking myself in front of the TV for the Masters. I can't wait for the azaleas and chirping birds, along with Jim Nantz's welcome. But the weather changed things...courses were open and it sure seemed like it made sense to be out there. So a friend and I planned to head south until we found decent weather and a tee time last Saturday. Posted Mar 14 2012, 11:37 AM by Cathy Erickson
In Minnesota, we've been gifted with some beautiful weather the past few days...temperatures have crept into the 60's and I even noticed a forecast that said parts away from Lake Superior may see 70's today. Sounds like perfect golf weather, right? Well, to get the full perspective, 2 weeks ago we were pummeled with about 3 feet of snow over a 7 day period, after going almost all winter with no snow on the ground! So while the temps sound dreamy, the reality is that there is still a good foot of snow on most of the course. No golf shoes just yet. (side bar: thanks to all my friends in warmer places that told me about their great golf weather on Facebook...and when I say "thanks" I mean that sarcastically!!) Posted Mar 08 2012, 12:23 PM by Cathy Erickson
There's nothing like good old fashioned competition to make things more exciting. And in 2012 I think that's what we're getting on the PGA Tour. Usually, the first few months of the season (or just about every tourney before the Masters) are often not much to write home about. I remember discussions about shortening the PGA Tour season by taking tourneys off the front and back end because football, basketball, and hockey are what people are really interested in during fall & winter. Many players opted out of these tourneys, and if there wasn't a great field, it didn't get a whole lot of coverage. |
AuthorWhen I found Tees2Greens website and forum I found a happy place. There were great people there and in 2009 they asked me if I wanted my own blog space. It was a dream come true!! The site is down now, but I was able to get all of my posts to be able to post here. I will always be grateful for all of the Tees2Greens folks!! ArchivesCategories
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