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What a (Jason) Day for Sang-Moon Bae

Sun, 19 May 2013 22:43:00 GMT

Sang-Moon Bae already had a claim to at least a modicum of fame, courtesy of Golf Boys 2.Oh. Dial it up on You Tube and listen carefully, toward the end:

I took a vaycay at Sang-Moon Bae, I got a massage every single Jason Day

The Golf Boys are Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, Hunter Mahan and Ben Crane, whose latest video has received nearly 3.8 million views on You Tube, no doubt leaving nearly 3.8 million viewers wondering where this Sang-Moon Bay is located and whether they too should plan a vaycay there.

Assuming they follow golf, they're likely to soon learn that Moon, as his colleagues call him, is not a destination resort, though if his golf swing was contagious, he'd be worth a visit.

"Fabulous golf swing," CBS' Nick Faldo said, after Bae outplayed Keegan Bradley down the stretch on Sunday to win the HP Byron Nelson Championship, his first PGA Tour victory.

His is a game that can travel, too, and it won't be in coach class. Only 26, Bae, a native of South Korea, also has 11 international victories, including three on the Asian Tour and another three on the Japan Golf Tour, where in 2011 he was its leading money winner.

If he or Bradley were stocks, they'd be strong buys at this point. This was already assumed about Bradley, who also is only 26 and already is a major champion and three-time winner on the PGA Tour. But Bae is relatively unknown, having joined the PGA Tour last year, when he earned $1,165,952, a figure, incidentally, that he exceeded with his victory at the TPC Four Seasons Resort in Irving, Texas.

Maybe better than his swing was the way he handled the pressure after squandering a four-stroke lead over Bradley. The last five holes are the most difficult stretch on the course with winds howling and he played them in even-par to win by two.

"We all marvel at this golf swing," Faldo said, "but I marvel at his mental strength as well. He showed great strength today. It wasn't very right for awhile and to face the big five holes to get in and shoot [even], fantastic."

Faldo also predicted that Bae won't be "a flash in the pan." Bae is banking on that as well, aiming as he is to represent South Korea in the Olympics in 2016. Military service is mandatory in South Korea and he has yet to fulfill his obligation, but an Olympic medal or a major championship would exempt him from service.

Until then, and with apologies to the Golf Boys, Sunday will serve as the finest (Jason) Day of his career.

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Video: The Golf Boys release sequel

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 16:32:00 GMT

By Alex Myers

Perhaps you've been eagerly awaiting the Golf Boys' sequel to their "Oh, Oh, Oh," music video that debuted in 2011. More likely, you probably blocked the whole episode out of your mind.

Either way, golf's boy band of Ben Crane, Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler and Hunter Mahan is back with a second effort -- and it's actually pretty good. On Monday, the Golf Boys released the cleverly-titled "2.Oh". Enjoy:

Like their first effort, the video features outlandish costumes and lyrics, though this time, there's a concerted effort to word play with as many tour pros' names as possible. "I like olives in my Rory Sabbatini," Crane says while swirling a huge martini glass filled with olives, for example.

OK, so the group probably isn't going to win a Grammy anytime soon with lines like that, but the guys will be fine. They all have pretty good day jobs.

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Video: Crane's latest tackles his slow pace

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 18:21:00 GMT

By Alex Myers

Most golfers with a reputation of being slow player are oblivious to their plodding -- or even worse, they vehemently deny it. Ben Crane? He has fun with it.

The four-time PGA Tour winner has created another humorous video (well, funny perhaps to everyone not named Rory Sabbatini), this time focusing on his pace of doing things off the course. Check it out as Crane struggles to add some speed to his life:

The highlight has to be Crane telling his therapist that he "might have" been going 100 mph in his car and then the video cutting to a scene of him being pulled over for driving too slow.

Apparently, Crane is easing himself into the 2013 PGA Tour season as well. After not qualifying for the opener at Kapalua, he is not entered in the field at this week's Sony Open.

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Reaction to announcement of Tom Watson's 2014 Ryder Cup captaincy

Steve Hennessey — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 16:12:00 GMT

By Stephen Hennessey It's official. The PGA of America announced Thursday morning — following Tuesday's report from our Tim Rosaforte — that the U.S. Ryder Cup captain for 2014 will be Tom Watson. After the announcement...

Rivals & Friends

Tim Rosaforte — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Among golf's top tour pros, buddies relationships abound.

Video: Ben Crane's version of a mullet

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 18:57:00 GMT

By Sam Weinman

Ben Crane has won four PGA Tour events, and has placed inside the top 10 just once in a major championship. Yet when it comes to the creation of viral videos, Crane stands alone among golfers now and all time (Think about it: how many amusing YouTube videos did Hogan make? See what we mean?!).

Related: The (much) lighter side of Ben Crane

The latest cinematic effort, which debuted Friday on Golf Channel, is a tale of the follicly-challenged Crane's dalliance with "hair attachments" -- giving Crane a variation of the popular mullet description. Only for him, it's NOTHING up front, party in the back.

See for yourself:

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Michael Thompson's travel gamble pays off

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 09:08:00 GMT

LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England -- While only in his second year on the PGA Tour, Michael Thompson is familiar with risk-reward shots. Yet there was something different about the one the 27-year-old from Birmingham, Ala., pulled off this week at Royal Lytham & St. Annes.

Thompson arrived in England as the second alternate in the British Open field, knowing full well he needed help to actually be competing come Thursday. After claiming a share of second at last month's U.S. Open in his first major as a professional, however, he wasn't about to pass the potential to play in another, even if it was a long shot.

Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

Sure enough, Thompson's bet paid off when a balky back caused Russ Cochran to drop out Thursday morning. Despite only being able to muster a four-over 74, Thompson was all grins about the opportunity to play.

"The putter wasn't working today, unfortunately, not like at the U.S. Open," Thompson said. "But that's the way golf is."

As much as Thompson owes Cochran a thank you, he also needs to send a card to Robert Karlsson and Ben Crane. On Wednesday, Karlsson withdrew from the tournament, reducing the field to 156 and thus allowing the R&A to dip into the alternate list should another player bow out. Meanwhile, Ben Crane, who was first on the alternate list, did not make the trip over to England. Upon learning of Karlsson's WD, Crane looked into flights, but finding anything that could get him from his home in Oregon in time proved too difficult.

Thompson arrived at the course at 5:30 a.m. Thursday, hoping to get the nod from R&A officials. He was in the players dining area at 9 a.m. when they tracked him down to tell him of Cochran's plight, giving him plenty of time before the 11:53 a.m. tee time.

Unlike at the U.S. Open, golfers on the alternate list at the British are allowed to play the course during practice rounds. Thompson said he got in 18 holes Tuesday and nine on Wednesday, so that he felt sufficiently prepared. Knowing he would have the chance to practice and play at Lytham greatly affected Thompson's decision to come over in the first place.

"I just basically said it's an opportunity to come over here and practice, prepare, just like any other tournament," he said. "And for a British Open, that's experience that I need for the future."

Related: Know your British Open courses

Had Thompson not gotten into the field, he and his wife were set to go sightseeing in London, killing time before boarding the charter flight Sunday night that's taking players to next week's RBC Canadian Open.

"No matter what, it was going to be a great experience," Thompson said. "It's just that much better that I got in and got to play in my first British Open. Hopefully it's the first of many."

-- Ryan Herrington
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Ben Crane: Steal My Feel

GolfDigest.com — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 04:00:00 GMT

Ben Crane leads the PGA Tour in putting from outside of 25 feet. Here's his advice on how to make more 5-to-15 foot putts.

The Easy Way To Hit The Hardest Shot

Ben Crane — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 04:00:00 GMT

Four-time tour winner Ben Crane shows you a solution to the 50-yard bunker shot.

Ben Crane: The Long Bunker Shot

GolfDigest.com — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 04:00:00 GMT

The easiest ways to hit golf's hardest shots: Ben Crane, a four-time tour winner, shows you a solution to the 50-to-40 yard bunker shot.