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Michael Allen makes remarkable turnaround at Senior PGA

Friday, May 25, 2012 Comments

blog_allen_fields_0525.jpgBENTON HARBOR, Mich. -- Same guy, same course, different day.

Michael Allen shot a 77 Thursday in the first round of the 73rd Senior PGA Championship. He was 13 strokes better than that Friday, carding a course-record, seven-under 64 to vault into contention on a much calmer day at Harbor Shores.

Allen, 102nd after his six-over opening round, was T-5 at one-under 141 when he got to the clubhouse, three strokes behind leader Roger Chapman, who was early in his second round.

It was the lowest round shot in the Senior PGA since Allen Doyle closed with a 64 to win the event in 1999 at PGA National GC. His turnaround equaled the 13-shot swings by Brad Bryant (80-67) and Bill Loeffler (82-69) from the second to third rounds during the 2010 Senior PGA at Colorado GC.

Allen -- the hottest player on the Champions Tour this season with two victories and four other top-four finishes -- made seven birdies (only one on a par 5), saved par after hitting his approach long on No. 7 and didn't have a bogey.

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Greens at Nicklaus' Senior PGA course drawing sharp criticism

Wednesday, May 23, 2012 Comments
BENTON HARBOR, Mich. - What course architect Jack Nicklaus calls "a little spice in the greens" at Harbor Shores is a flavor that isn't tasting very good to some competitors at the 73rd Senior PGA Championship.

jack_nicklaus_300.jpgDuring one period in his long design career, Nicklaus (left) was known for building greens with drastic undulations. At Harbor Shores, which has only been open for a couple of years, he has done it again. They are confounding, "buried elephant" putting surfaces of the highest order, the sharp teeth in a creative and scenic layout that is otherwise drawing architectural praise.
 
"In terms of the golf course, I think it's a phenomenal golf course from tee to green," Bernhard Langer said Wednesday. "One of the world's best, I would say. But [they] could be the most severe or worst green complexes I've ever seen in my life."

Nicklaus himself acknowledged the dastardly edge to his work this week. "So many players are walking up to me and saying, 'Jack, what a phenomenal golf course. What a beautiful place,' " said Nicklaus. "[I said], 'Well, have you putted the greens yet?' "
 
In the prelude to the year's first Champions Tour major, the players have putted them -- and tried to figure out how to hit approach shots (from generous fairways) that finish where they want them to finish. It won't be easy.  
 
"I could be wrong, but I'm not sure it rewards the precise shot every time," said Fred Funk. "You think you hit the shot you wanted and you may not get rewarded for it. "


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Hanson looks to make sophomore history at Augusta

Saturday, April 7, 2012 Comments

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(Photo by Robyn Beck/Getty Images)

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- For all the talk about how elusive rookie success has been at The Masters (only twice, inaugural winner Horton Smith notwithstanding), having made one previous visit hasn't been that fruitful either.

When Charl Schwartzel captured the 2011 Masters on his second attempt at earning a green jacket, he was only the third player -- and first since Herman Keiser in 1946 -- to win at Augusta National GC on his second try.

Peter Hanson hopes the wait until another Masters sophomore triumphs is much, much shorter. And Saturday he played like a man determined to make it happen.

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Is Garcia ready to break through at Augusta?

Friday, April 6, 2012 Comments

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(Photo: Getty Images)

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- A reporter asked Sergio Garcia which of the golfer's fingers was bothering him.

"This one," Garcia said, flashing a mock obscene gesture with his left middle finger to roars of laughter Friday afternoon in the interview room at Augusta National GC.

For a change, despite his infected fingernail, birds of a different sort weren't rare for Garcia at the Masters.

The Spaniard had six of them en route to a four-under 68 and a 36-hole total of 140, one stroke behind the leaders heading into the weekend. Midway through the major championship that has been the most frustrating in a career full of Grand Slam disappointment, Garcia is in great position to break his 0-for-53 drought in the majors.

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Five storylines to follow at this year's Masters

Wednesday, April 4, 2012 Comments

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Before a white tee is stuck in the green grass Thursday morning at Augusta National GC, five questions to ponder about the 76th Masters:

How much will the weather affect the proceedings?

All the recent rain, including a 1.4-inch rainfall overnight Wednesday, already has softened the course a lot. Even before that deluge, Phil Mickelson spoke about how dramatically different it was playing. "The greens are soft," he said. "I don't want to say they are slow, but it's just not the same Augusta. It's wet around the greens, and there's no fear of the course."

There could be some trepidation on approach shots, though, for another reason. "Seven drives and seven mud balls," Tiger Woods said of a nine-hole practice round Tuesday. Long hitters, always rewarded at the Masters, will have a greater edge with tee shots getting little roll.

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The usual Augusta practice round-to-first round transformation in firmness/speed probably isn't in the cards this year. "Well, clearly the golf course will not be as firm and fast as it would otherwise be," said Fred Ridley, chairman of the Masters competitions committee. "We are very confident that we will have comparable tournament-speed greens with our SubAir system."

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The do's and don'ts of being a patron at the Masters

Wednesday, April 4, 2012 Comments

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- It's the 75th anniversary of Byron Nelson's first Masters victory. Golf was a lot different then. And so was spectating.

Gallery control and roping wasn't implemented at the Masters until 1942, when Lord Byron won for the second time at Augusta National. "Pine log benches" for patrons had appeared in 1938.

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In 1937, spectators had a lot of freedom. But as a set of 15 "Gallery Don'ts" in that year's PGA tournament handbook spelled out, it still had its limits.

Some highlights:

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Player relishes chance to relive cherished memories

Tuesday, April 3, 2012 Comments
AUGUSTA, Ga. -- He got where he went by thinking about tomorrow, but when a man is 76, even if that man is the indefatigable, age-shooting and globe-trotting Gary Player, he is entitled to reflect on his yesterdays.
 
At Augusta National GC -- where he won the Masters three times and played in the tournament a record 52 times, competing for the final time in 2009 -- being near Rae's Creek can trigger a river of memories. It is especially so this spring, when for the first time Player will join Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus as an honorary starter Thursday and play in the Par 3 Contest with them Wednesday afternoon.
 
Between them, 13 green jackets, 34 major championships, hundreds of worldwide victories, thousands of stories, millions of air miles.

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Player will join longtime rivals Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer as an honorary starter.
Photo by Getty Images

"Playing with Arnold and Jack there, you know it's coming to an end -- if you want to say our lives, our careers, it's the sunset," Player said Tuesday afternoon. "To be able to replay, it's like having a mulligan. And to be playing with them, things come back in your mind, being together and enjoying it and with the people. It's a special time."

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Dr. Bob Rotella and the mental game that is the Masters

Tuesday, April 3, 2012 Comments

blog_rotella_fields_0403.jpgSince the Masters is the only men's major championship that doesn't move house each year, familiarity doesn't necessarily breed contempt, but it sure can foster consternation.

Elite players who have earned their way down Magnolia Lane aren't much different from golf fans who watch the tournament every spring: Not only are there recollections of roars for great shots but also visions of ripples in a creek for costly ones. When you're the one who has struck them, not a spectator at Augusta National or one watching on television, they linger all the more.

"It's unique because it is played the same place every year," says sport psychologist Dr. Bob Rotella. "Everyone has great memories of great shots -- of eagles and birdies, great up-and-downs and putts, but they also have some memories of some bad things."

Rotella, a pioneering golf psychologist whose clients have won 74 major championships on various tours since 1984, believes the Masters presents unique hurdles among the four major championships. "Mentally and emotionally," he says, "for a lot of players it may be the most difficult to believe that you can win. There is the fact that it's on TV, the way it's presented on TV, the fact that you've watched it for years on the same course, that you get to go back to this beautiful place that you've been dreaming about since you were a little kid."

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Larry Mize's lone major moment a pretty good one to have

Monday, April 2, 2012 Comments

Several months after winning the 1987 Masters, Larry Mize woke up and got ready for the second round of the NEC World Series of Golf. For the first time since that fateful Sunday in Georgia, Mize put on the same clothes -- Aureus black slacks and a black, purple and lavender striped shirt -- that were forever frozen into golf history when he holed that stunning pitch-and-run to defeat Greg Norman in sudden-death.

"I actually put the outfit on," Mize remembers, but my wife, Bonnie, said, 'No, no, no. You can't do that. You'll regret it. That was wonderful advice. I would have caught all kinds of grief. I never wore it again."

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Photo by Getty Images.

Despite having been the hometown boy who prevailed in a playoff over Norman and Seve Ballesteros and, at 28, being one of the brightest young talents on tour, Mize never won another major championship either.

He had a silky swing, one of the easiest ever on the eyes. He possessed a Grade-A short game. He displayed the pluck to birdie the 72nd hole at Augusta National then outplay two golf icons of their era.

What happened?

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Yet another parallel between Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus

Monday, March 26, 2012 Comments

Beyond the bare fact of winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational in convincing fashion for his first PGA Tour victory in 30 months, are there any omens for Tiger Woods heading into next week's Masters and his attempt to win his first major championship since the 2008 U.S. Open?

Sure, Woods' iron play and putting created a lot of chatter at Bay Hill and were keys to his win, but his driving has been excellent all season. How good? Through the API, Woods leads the PGA Tour in total driving (which combines a player's rank in driving distance and fairways hit). He is ranked 20th in distance with a 298.1-yard average and 14th in accuracy at 67.94 percent -- his total of 34 far ahead of the two players who are T-2 with 76 in the category, Hunter Mahan and John Rollins.

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Photo: David Cannon/Getty Images

Woods' No. 1 ranking in total driving is exactly where he finished his monster 2000 season when he counted three major titles among his nine PGA Tour victories. Twelve years ago Woods was second in driving distance (298.0 yards) and 54th in fairways hit (71.22 percent) for a 56 score in total driving.

The stats alone point favorably toward a mid-career resurgence for Woods, but he should also be heartened by what the icon whose major record he is chasing did when he revived his game and won two majors in 1980. Jack Nicklaus, who tweaked his swing to make it less steep after a dismal 1979 season, led the tour in total driving in 1980. The Golden Bear was 10th in driving distance (269.0 yards) and 13th in fairways hit (71.22 percent).

Related: How Tiger's swing has changed

Confident off the tee, Nicklaus won the U.S. Open and PGA Championship at age 40. Two major wins in a year? At 36, eager to snap his Grand Slam drought, Woods would sign up for that right now.

-- Bill Fields

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