Sedgefield A Success by Kyle Butler

Well, it’s official. I’ve got to tip my cap to the folks in charge of the Wyndham Championship. The decision to move the tournament from Forest Oaks to Sedgefield Country Club was a huge success. I finally got out to the course on Sunday, and…talk about an enormous difference from last year! For one thing, there were actually fans on the course. Last year’s event was deader than John Edwards’ political career. This year, both Saturday and Sunday’s rounds were sellouts. This was particularly evident following John Daly around on Sunday, where the gallery numbers were well into the hundreds.

As for the course itself, sure, it played easy, but I didn’t hear any complaints from the players. It’s likely that they were happy for a break after dealing with the PGA Championship and the monster that was Oakland Hills. I’d expect that next year, Sedgefield will play a bit harder, but not to the point where players become totally frustrated…after all, they want them to come back.

Can the tournament improve? Sure. While there were more big names than in years past, the tournament could use a few more. While Tiger and Phil will probably never make the trip to Greensboro, there’s no reason that other big names like Sergio Garcia, Adam Scott, and Jim Furyk couldn’t join the party at Sedgefield. Scott apparently tried to fit Greensboro into his schedule, but missed the deadline date. Getting a few of those guys, and hoping the likes of Vijay Singh, Davis Love III, and fan favorite Daly return will make the Wyndham a can’t miss event for the locals here in the Triad.

All in all, the tournament was definitely a success for the first time in a long while. The players were happy to play the Donald Ross-designed course. The fans were happy to see local favorite Carl Pettersson take home the trophy. And the sponsors were happy to see the event sell out for the first time in decades. There’s still room for improvement, but this year was a definite step in the right direction. The Wyndham was great in 2008!

Welcome Back Sedgefield by Kyle Butler

After 32 years, the PGA stop here in Greensboro is back at the historic Sedgefield Country Club. I can’t do any official previews or predictions of this weekend’s tourney, because it’s already started. That’s a shame, because I was gonna pick Brandt Snedeker to defend his title, and as I write this, he’s tied for the lead at -4. Frustrations!

That aside, it should be interesting to see how successful the tournament is this year. It can’t possibly be worse than last year’s swan song at Forest Oaks. Finding a recognizable name in the field was about as easy as looking for Duke fans who wear Carolina Blue shirts on campus. The fans stayed away in droves and the weather was incredibly hot and humid. In short, 2007 was a disaster.

Fortunately, the signs look far more positive for this year’s event. Sedgefield is a better course with a nice, old-timey feel. While it’s still not a great field, there at least are some names you’ve heard of. Names like Vijay Singh, and John Daly, and two-time champion Davis Love III. And while it’s certainly warm outside, it’s nowhere near stifling, which should help draw bigger crowds, especially on the weekend.

I won’t get out there until Sunday most likely, but am really looking forward to seeing the PGA guys battle it out on this old Donald Ross-designed course. So check out the Wyndham this week, and let’s help this tournament get back to the great event it used to be.

Running Diary on US Open Playoff by Kyle Butler

I decided to keep a running diary from yesterday’s US Open playoff between Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate. Here we go.

Prematch: ESPN runs an interview with Rocco with no sound. Apparently ESPN doesn’t notice this, and lets the interview keep running. Not a good sign. Hopefully the playoff is better than this.

Hole #1: Tiger pars. Good sign, since he double bogeyed the hole 3x this week. Rocco misses his par to the left, as Johnny Miller predicts. Miller is a genius, and by far the smartest analyst out there in any sport. It probably won’t be his last astute observation today.

Hole #2: Not much to this hole. Both make par. ESPN just realized that viewers didn’t hear the Rocco interview, and Dan Hicks assures us it was a good sound bite, but offers no details. I don’t think Dan was listening anyway.

Hole #3: Wow! Rocco nearly holed it on this Par 3. Tiger makes a mess of it and bogeys. That means Rocco’s ahead! Wasn’t sure if we’d see him in front at all today.

Hole #4: Is something wrong with Tiger? Rocco outdrove him on the 4th…what the bleep?! But Rocco, who hasn’t won in 6 years, doesn’t take advantage of it, as both par the hole.

Hole #5: Tiger has to wait on the tee because the MetLife blimp is flying precariously low, and right in the path of his vision. He looks ticked off. I guess we won’t be seeing Mr. Woods in any commercials with Snoopy anytime soon. Meanwhile, Rocco looks like me on the course, and hits the cart path twice with his 2nd shot. We’re all tied up.

Hole #6: This par 4 measures 500 yards. I’d probably get there in 5. Tiger gets there in 2, and makes his birdie putt. This guy is something else.

Hole #7: Uh oh. Things could get out of hand, cause Tiger is on fire. Another birdie for the man in red. How Woods reads greens so well is astounding. Anything inside 15 feet seems just about automatic…who else can do that?

Hole #8: Woods chooses to hit a 7 iron off the tee on this par 3. Johnny Miller openly questions Tiger’s choice. Tiger proceeds to hit an awful shot into the bunker, and makes bogey. I continue to be astounded at how often Miller predicts someone will hit a poor shot before they hit it.

Hole #9: Tiger chunks a bunker shot, but makes par. Rocco bogeys after an awful 3 putt. Tiger’s 2 ahead at the turn, and things look pretty bad for Rocco.

Hole #10: NBC begins its afternoon coverage. The first thing viewers hear is Tiger yelling “Goddammit!” after hitting a bad tee shot. Johnny Miller apologizes to the viewers, but it’s not like it’s his fault. Rocco is probably cursing in his mind too after another bogey. Woods is up by 3. This thing is over.

Hole #11: What’s up with these par 3’s? Tiger has hit into the trap all 3 times, and ends up with another bogey. Still, he’s up by 2, and in good shape.

Hole #12: Tiger is spending so much time in the sand, he should carry a bucket and spade with him. He bogeys again. Rocco’s not doing much of anything, but trails by just 1 shot. Some birdies would make this interesting.

Hole #13: Both guys play this par 5 well. Birdies for both, and Tiger stays up by a shot.

Hole #14: This par 4 can be reached in one, but both end up short. Rocco’s birdie putt drops, and finally, after 4 1/2 days, Tiger lips one out. Unbelievably, we are tied!

Hole #15: Tiger’s in the bunker again! What the heck’s goin on? Rocco makes a putt longer than 6 feet for the first time all day. He’s made 3 straight birdies, and leads by 1 with 3 to play! Tiger’s lost 4 shots in 5 holes to a guy not ranked in the top 100!

Hole #16: Both par the final par 3 on the course. That’s an accomplishment for Woods, who’s been awful on the par 3’s today. But he’s still down a shot.

Hole #17: Tiger makes another par. Rocco’s got about 2 feet left. Miller points out that it’s not automatic…it’s a Scott Hoch length putt. Hoch famously missed a 2 foot putt that would’ve won him the Masters years ago. But Rocco doesn’t pull a Hoch Choke, and makes his putt.

Hole #18: If Rocco hits the fairway, he can win this thing! But he decides he wants to play in the sand and has to lay up. Tiger hits the par 5 in 2, makes his birdie putt. Rocco has a putt to win the Open…and misses to the left! You can’t let those chances slip away. We’re going to a playoff. I think we know how this is gonna end.

PLAYOFF: 7th Hole: Well he stayed with the greatest player in the game’s history for 90 holes, but the 91st was too much for Rocco. Bad drive, bad 2nd shot, bad hole for Mediate. Tiger makes his par, and Rocco’s long try slips by on the right. So Tiger gets the win in one of the great golf tournaments in recent memory.

Wild Day at Torrey Pines by Kyle Butler

Well, four rounds won’t be enough to decide the winner of the 108th US Open. Well…officially, anyway. For, unless his knee actually detaches from the rest of his body, there is zero chance that Tiger Woods doesn’t take home the trophy after tomorrow’s 18 hole playoff with Rocco Mediate.

Please don’t think I’m picking on poor Rocco. I’m rooting for the guy. I was cheering him on all day, and for a brief moment, it looked like he might squeak this one out. He just needed one more big putt, one more big shot…something to put the nail in the coffin. Instead, Rocco’s par on the 72nd hole left enough of an opening to allow Tiger to do what Tiger does…hit another clutch shot when he needs it most.

If there’s any athlete who consistently hits clutch shots as often or as effectively as Tiger Woods, I’ve never seen them. I mean, here he is, floundering about on the back nine. Missing the fairway here, leaving an approach short there, sliding putts to the left or right. Yet despite all these poor shots, he somehow pulls out the big saver when he needs it. On Sunday, it was his 3rd shot on the par 5 18th, from an awful lie to about 12 feet. Then, with all the pressure in the world on his shoulders…he sinks the putt. Who else sinks that putt? Vijay? Nah. Ernie Els? Forget it. And certainly not Phil Mickelson, who was too busy missing fairways with his 3 wood to become a factor at all this weekend.

So while there are 18 holes to play, again, based on what we’ve seen over the years, there’s not one thing to indicate that Rocco’s got the slightest chance of winning. I’m rooting for the guy, cause it would be a “Cinderella Story” (for all you Caddyshack afficionados), but I just can’t see it happening. So here’s the prediction for tomorrow, with a recap to come on Tuesday.

PREDICTION: Woods- 72  Mediate- 75

Unexpected Retirements by Kyle Butler

Seeing great athletes retire is not rare by any stretch of the imagination. Seeing them retire while at or near the top of their games…well, that’s a different story. Yet that’s exactly what happened over the last few days, with LPGA star Annika Sorenstam and tennis great Justine Henin shocking sports fans by deciding to call it quits.

Sorenstam is leaving the golf world at the end of this year. While her departure is surprising to the rest of us, the Swedish star said she’d been thinking about her decision for quite some time. The 37-year old had slumped a bit in the past season or two, but appeared to be back at the top of her game last week. Sorenstam dominated the field in the Michelob Open, coasting to a 7-shot victory. The winner of a whopping 72 LPGA tour events, Sorenstam has stated that she wants to focus on her business and start a family. While it’s disappointing that golf fans won’t get to see the best women’s golfer of this generation on the links anymore, it’s impossible to argue with her reasoning.

Henin’s decision is a bit stranger than Sorenstam’s. Only 25 years old, the Belgian great said it was time for her to “stop fooling myself and accept it.” Claiming she’d lost her motivation, Henin’s immediate retirement comes just one week before the start of the French Open, a major tournament that she’s won three years in a row. One would have assumed that she would have at least returned to Roland Garros to say farewell on the court she has dominated. According to Henin, a return to France and a chance for a 5th French Open title wouldn’t make any difference to her. Despite her lack of size, Henin’s unmatchable backhand and winning attitude helped her rise to #1 in the world over taller, more powerful players such as Maria Sharapova and the Williams sisters.

It’s a shame they left their sports so soon, but best of luck to both of these great athletes. They displayed everything it takes to be a champion, and their respective sports will miss them terribly.