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LPGA: This is one happy Gal

Thursday, March 31, 2011 Comments

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. -- A year ago, one might have surmised that Sandra Gal had stolen an identity to describe herself in her Twitter bio. Crazy girl, artist, nature lover, adventurer -- that suggests one who embraces life and is capable of discovering fun even in its darkest crevasses. It suggests someone who is happy.

It did not suggest Gal. She was miserable, wrist and back injuries generally contributing to her malaise, poor golf specifically responsible for it. "A low point in my career," she said.

Sandra Gal.jpg

(Photo by Darren Carroll)

Today Gal, 25, is all smiles, as anyone would be in the wake of their inaugural professional victory and the 67 that followed on Thursday in the first round of the Kraft Nabisco Championship here. The quality of her golf is less responsible for her happiness, than her happiness is for the finest golf of her young career.

"I knew I wasn't happy," she said following her round on a desert day hot enough to erase the smiles of all but the most contented. "I decided to take a totally different approach and re-thought why I'm doing all this. Why am I playing golf? I just decided I'd better enjoy it. It's my job. It's my life."

Her joy was evident even before out-dueling Jiyai Shin on the last hole to win the Kia Classic in the City of Industry 90 miles north of here the Sunday before. Through the weekend and especially the final round she lit up otherwise dark and damp days with her incessant smile that has been there since her self diagnosis and prescribed attitude adjustment.

She shared her new attitude via her website, sandragal.com, at the outset of the year. "I'm excited about 2011, my fourth year on tour now!" she wrote. "Plans are to be in contention often, enjoy it, get even fitter and see the good in everyone. Lets see how I'll fare!"

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Podcast: Dustin Johnson and the Masters

Thursday, March 31, 2011 Comments
The Masters Preview issue is among our staff's favorite to plan and work on each year. This year's edition features a mix of compelling stories that hopefully will hold you over until the competition begins at Augusta National GC.

dustin_johnson_470.jpg(Photograph by Nathaniel Welch)

As a companion to the issue, take a listen to our Masters Preview podcast, which highlights what you'll find in the magazine as well as offering an interview with Jim Moriarty, who wrote our main profile piece on Dustin Johnson. Moriarty discusses what he learned about Johnson during the reporting for the story as well as explains why he feels this year's Masters might be one of the most fascinating  in recent memory.

Listen to the podcast

--Ryan Herrington

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Photo of the Day: The Prairie Club's Dunes Course

Thursday, March 31, 2011 Comments
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The par-5 fifteenth hole at The Prairie Club's Dunes Course in Valentine, Nebraska. The Dunes Course was Golf Digest's "Overnight Destination of the Year." Click the image to enlarge.

Photograph by Stephen Szurlej

-- Christian Iooss, Director of Photography

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Photo of the Day: Tiger Woods follows through

Tuesday, March 29, 2011 Comments
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Tiger Woods plays from under the trees on the ninth hole during the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club & Lodge on Sunday, March 27, 2011. Click the image to enlarge.

Photograph by Allan Henry/Golf Chronicles

-- Christian Iooss, Director of Photography
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Video: Behind the scenes at Augusta National

Tuesday, March 29, 2011 Comments

Tiger Woods' new video game may allow people to virtually play Augusta National, but Ian Poulter actually takes you behind the scenes at the ultra-private club. The Englishman posted a video on his Twitter account that he took upon arriving at one of golf's most sacred locations to practice for next week's Masters:

Not to be outdone, Graeme McDowell, who apparently showed up at Augusta with Poulter and fellow friend Henrik Stenson, posted a couple videos of his own. Here's the reigning U.S. Open champion driving down Magnolia Lane and here's some footage of the course from a balcony view. In the latter, he predicts the course will be "running fast and firm" come tournament time. We'll have to wait and see if that's the case, but no matter what happens, it appears these guys won't be shy about sharing their experiences.

-- Alex Myers
Follow on Twitter: @AlexMyers3

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Photo of the Day: Tree Trouble

Monday, March 28, 2011 Comments
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Bubba Watson hits his second shot from under a tree on the 15th hole during the fourth round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational held in Orlando, Florida at The Bay Hill Club and Lodge on Sunday, March 27, 2011. Click the image to enlarge.

Photograph by J.D. Cuban

-- Christian Iooss, Director of Photography


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GW Monday: 'New guard' has plenty to prove

Monday, March 28, 2011 Comments

From the March 28 issue of Golf World Monday:

For all the eagerness to decree a changing of the guard in pro golf, it's not something that can be rushed or manufactured. As the Arnold Palmer Invitational painfully showed, a fair sampling of the prospective successors still have a lot to prove as closers.

Obviously Bay Hill played tough, but the Sunday retreat by several ballyhooed bucks who were in contention was sobering. Rickie Fowler and Bubba Watson shot slapdash 78s and Spencer Levin had a nervous 76.

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Toms finding form in advance of Masters?

Saturday, March 26, 2011 Comments

ORLANDO, Fla. -- David Toms limped his way up the 18th at Bay Hill, a weigh station on a trip to Augusta National where he tied for 14th last year. "I got my ankle taped and patches on my back," said Toms with a smile. "I suppose I'm in about as good shape as any 44-year-old."

The winner of the PGA Championship a decade ago, the last time it was at Atlanta Athletic Club, the site of this year's championship, Toms has had some solid rounds but hasn't strung four together yet, outside of his T5 in the Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun. He was in position in the Transitions Championship until a final round 74 dropped him back in the pack. "I keep showing up for work," said Toms. "Just keep grinding."

After an opening round 74 in the difficult winds of Thursday afternoon when a lot of players were having trouble breaking 80, Toms has put together rounds of 67-69 with just two bogeys, both on the par-three 14th in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Five shots behind Martin Laird and three behind Spencer Levin, Toms still only has four players ahead of him. "I think it's going to be breezy tomorrow, so probably a little tougher to make birdies," he said. "If you do make them, you probably pick up a shot or two on the field. You know, I never have played really well here, probably just because it's tough for me to get close to some of these pins because I'm not a high-spin player. Maybe tomorrow I can improve on that."

-- Jim Moriarty

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Mickelson's Masters prep at odds with courses

Saturday, March 26, 2011 Comments

ORLANDO, Fla. - Not many golfers would go to a PGA Tour event ignoring the strategic value of the golf course and the shots required to navigate it. Most golfers aren't Phil Mickelson.

The reigning Masters champion is in prime preparation mode for his title defense at Augusta National GC, and after the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Mickelson will tee it up in next week's Shell Houston Open at Redstone GC.

It's not that he won't try to win the tournament. He'll just attempt to do it hitting some shots he wouldn't normally try to hit in a given situation.

"Houston is not going to set up well for me," Mickelson said Saturday after a 3-under-par 69 at Bay Hill Club. "The way the course is set up, you can't hit it more than 285-290 off a lot of the tees. It's not going to be a course where I'm going to play the most strategic and expect to really score well."

The Tournament Course at Redstone is a big ballpark, 7,457 yards, par 72. It would seem a good venue for Mickelson's high-ball power game - if the wind doesn't blow. But many fairways aren't as open as he'd like at the 300-yard mark. Mickelson finished T-35 there a year ago.

"The problem for me there is there is so much water that pinches off the tee, and I'm just not going to hit 3-woods off the tee and play that course strategically the week before Augusta," Mickelson said. "And then when it gets windy and I'm trying to hit high balls for Augusta and it requires a low knock-down shot, it's not going to work.

"If we get weather like this (sunny and light breezes) I may very well play well there," he added. "I just want to get progressively better each day in the Houston Open and kind of build a little momentum going into Augusta and not worry too much about results."

-- Dave Shedloski

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Marino: 'I've never...seen anyone putt like that'

Friday, March 25, 2011 Comments

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Not only were Spencer Levin and Steve Marino sharing space at or near the top of the leader board at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, they played the first two rounds together and are good friends, occasionally sharing space in rental houses at tournaments, too, though not this week in Orlando.

At eight under par, Levin was one shot off Martin Laird's halfway lead, largely on the strength of an opening round six-under 66 in winds that were gusting over 30 miles an hour. Marino was two shots further back, tied for fourth, but couldn't hide his admiration for his playing partner. "His putting is just unbelievable," said Marino after Friday's round. "Yesterday, that round of golf was, I don't know if they ever do like a Top 10 Rounds of the Year or whatever, but that one should be in the Top 10 for sure. He made almost everything he looked at and just played awesome. And then, today, on the front nine, he made a bunch of long putts for birdies and some putts for par. I've never really seen anyone putt like that for two days."

Levin wasn't able to cobble together the kind of round on Friday he managed in far tougher conditions Thursday but still got around in a respectable two-under 70. "I didn't play well today," he said afterward. "I got a couple of good breaks, made some nice putts, so overall, it was a good score for how I played." Levin's caddie, Mike Hicks, who was a familiar face on Payne Stewart's bag for three major championships, also carried Spencer's father, Don's, clubs a dozen or so times back in the old Monday qualifying days in the early '80's. In fact, it was through Don that Hicks and Spencer teamed up. The elder Levin, the only teacher Spencer has ever known, was in Orlando, too. "I got my dad here this week," he said after Friday's round. "He comes out every once in awhile. So, he will probably help me out a little bit on the range. Hopefully, I can get it sharpened up and play a little more solid this weekend than I did today."

-- Jim Moriarty

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