Golf Digest Search Results

No Punishment For Singh

Bill Fields — Tue, 07 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

PGA Tour drops case after change on deer-antler spray

Time For Nine: When Less Can Be More

Bill Fields — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Golf Digest program promotes benefits of nine-hole rounds

Given another chance to make history, Couples embraces the opportunity

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 22:56:00 GMT

By Bill Fields

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Will golf justice, elder division, ever make up for the 72nd-hole bogey at the 2009 British Open that cost Tom Watson his sixth Claret Jug at age 59?

For the second straight year at the Masters, the scales have tipped teasingly toward the affirmative after 36 holes.

Fred Couples, 53, who led at the halfway point last April, is in great position again at Augusta National GC. Another green jacket, 21years after he won his only major championship and a few weeks before he will be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, is in the realm of possibility.

If Couples were a political candidate, he would have won a couple of early primaries but has a lot of work ahead of him. Instead of raising more money and getting more votes, he has to keep hitting it long and making putts.

He is five years older than the oldest man to win a major, Julius Boros, who was 48 when he won the 1968 PGA Championship.

Boros' swing was syrup; Couples is wielding his driver like a sledgehammer, unloading on the ball as if to channel his younger Boom Boom.

"A couple of practice rounds, I just played horrible," Couples said. "Then on Wednesday afternoon, after the Par 3, I told [coach Paul Marchand], 'I'm going to swing as hard as I can.' You can't play this course driving it 275 or 289. On Thursday I went out there and just picked up a little speed. He said, 'Keep your balance and pound it.' And that's what I've been doing."

Couples didn't hold up well on Saturday afternoon a year ago, getting off to a poor start and shooting 75 en route to a T-12. "I think I was four over after five holes," he said of the disappointing third round. "That really wasn't good."

But the memory of that day hasn't tainted his hopes of what could be this year. "I've said it my whole life: This is my favorite spot in the world," Couples said. "At no given time, have I ever come here and not thought I could win. My goal is to always win this. I've had four probably really good shots at it. I got it once."

He is in position to get it again.

"I think it's possible," said Bernhard Langer, another fiftysomething, who is two under after 36 holes, of whether a senior could win the Masters. "I always thought that Freddie, with his length, can win it because he hits it a good 30 yards by me, which helps a great deal on some of these holes. For me to win, everything has to go my way."

Couples will need good fortune too, the likes of which he got in 1992, when his tee shot on No. 12 seemed to defy gravity on the bank and stayed out of the water.

"Hopefully tomorrow will be a little different [than 2012] and I will play well and have a shot at Sunday," Couples said. "I mean, that's my goal. But it is hard. I'm not going to kid you. You know, I did tee off Thursday with the idea of playing well, and it's Friday afternoon late. I mean, I'm surprised, but I'm not going to freak out over it."

The laid-back, bad-back one would save that for early Sunday evening, if everything had gone right to historic proportions.

"I would like to have another run," Couples said. "Last year Jason [Day] and I really struggled off the bat and we really were a non-factor on Saturday, and that was really not much fun."

He can make amends, then perhaps make some history.

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[Photo: Getty Images]

Surprised by Fred Couples? Don't be

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:08:00 GMT

By Bill Fields

From the April 12 edition of Golf World Daily:

Fred Couples doesn't have gray hair when he comes to Augusta National GC. He doesn't have a putting stroke that can flinch. He doesn't have a lower back that spasms more than the financial markets.

Well, he really does have those things, but being on his favorite golf land mitigates the negatives, the reality of being a 53-year-old on a young man's course. Rae's Creek is a fountain of youth, the Hogan Bridge a span to good memories, the green jacket that he gets to slip into every April a talisman of possibility.

Photo by Getty Images

Golfers play well at places they embrace, and the 1992 Masters champion loves returning to the scene of his finest hour. "There are courses that fit his eye," said Couples' caddie, Cayce Kerr, "and he's so happy to walk the grounds. It's exhilarating."

Despite a bunker-to-bunker bogey on the 18th hole Thursday afternoon, Couples had reason to be buoyant after completing his 109th round in the Masters. He shot a four under 68 and is in a six-way tie for fourth place heading into the second round. For the fourth consecutive time since turning 50 years old, Couples is in the mix at the tournament -- and the course -- he most loves.

"Did I think I was going to shoot 68? No, but I felt I could play a good round," said Couples, who finished sixth, T-15 and T-12 the last three years at Augusta National. "Tomorrow, if I play like this, I'll be right there."

Couples was the old bomber in a grouping that included a young bomber, Dustin Johnson, who bettered Fred by a shot and provided him some positive vibes. "I fed off him a little," Couples said of Johnson. "He was five under, so I got to see a lot of good shots. I like the way he plays. I certainly don't hit 9-iron from 185 yards -- I'm hitting a 7-iron or a 6-iron. It was nice to see someone else make eagles and birdies."

Although not as long as Johnson, who averaged 317.5 yards off the tee, Couples held his own with a 301-yard driving average. Couples wasn't sharp during practice rounds, his shots having "no compression," according to Kerr. But something clicked during a 40-minute Wednesday afternoon practice session after the Par-3 Contest.

"I get fired up [coming to the Masters], but I have to drive it really well," Couples said. "I stepped up on 1 today and hit a really good one. And I hit a good one on 5 and a good one on 7. And I hit a good one on 8. They are all good driving holes. People think this place is wide open, but drive it to the right on 7 and see how many pars you're going to make. I used my length, and it just makes the course play easier for me. Tomorrow, if I can come out and feel good and pound my driver, it'll make tomorrow feel easier too. I know how to play this course."

Couples called the first round 73 shot by 14-year-old Tianlang Guan "phenomenal stuff." The same can be said of a 68 by a 53-year-old who definitely didn't act his age either.

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Photo Essay: Outside The Lane

Bill Fields — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Bill Fields explores the town outside of Augusta National

Youth will be served at Augusta as Tianlang Guan is set to make history

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 19:18:00 GMT

By Bill Fields

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- A practice round with Ben Crenshaw today. A practice round with Tom Watson tomorrow. A round in the Par-3 Contest with Nick Faldo the day after that. Life is good for Tianlang Guan, the first-time participant in the 77th Masters.

Those green-jacket owners are old enough to be the Chinese golfer's grandfather.

What were you doing when you were 14?

Guan, who won the 2012 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship to earn his berth as the youngest golfer to play in the Masters (by two years, over Italy's Matteo Manassero, who was 16 when he competed in 2010), is working on his English as well as his golf. He was in the interview room at Augusta National Monday afternoon, flanked by azaleas, member-moderator Rob Johnston and an interpreter (who only had to hit a couple of shots).

Crenshaw, once a prodigy himself, told Guan to "just enjoy my game."

He is going to try.

"I think it's going to be a little pressure to me, but I'm not going to push myself too hard," said Guan, "and I'm trying to just enjoy my game, play my best, and hopefully play some good scores."

Guan was born 18 months after Tiger Woods won the 1997 Masters. He has already played in Asia with the 14-time major champion, who inspired him to get serious about golf. "I was probably 3 or 4 years old, I was looking at him win the Masters, and it's pretty exciting to watch him," Guan said. "I played with him twice the past couple of years, and he gives me many advice and I will say every time I play with him, I feel a lot better and give myself some confidence."

Related: That kid at the driving range

His performance might be affected his youth or his inexperience, but he should have adequated local knowledge, having played Augusta National "six, seven times" by Monday. He has a strong short game, and he will need it. "I've still got to practice hard here because [these greens are] pretty tough, and it's not the same in China," Guan said.

He'll sleep in the club's Crow's Nest Monday night, perhaps dreaming in two languages about the days ahead.

There will be a lot to enjoy.

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[Photo: Don Emmert/Getty Images]

(More) Words From The Wise

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 04:00:00 GMT

A major presence, an underrated hall of famer, an LPGA founder, a USGA stalwart, a candid Tour pro, a pioneering black golfer, a British Open champion, and one of the best players of his era discuss their lives and the game

Inside Golf World Podcast: "The 18 Most Important Moments in Golf"

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 14:15:00 GMT

By Ryan Herrington

With this year marking the centennial of Francis Ouimet's monumental victory at the 1913 U.S. Open, it was natural for us to want to remember the tournament and its lasting impact.

Easily it's one of golf's most historic events, with many believing it's the seminal moment in golf given the interest it engendered for what was then still a nascent sport in the United States.

That got us talking about what the other standout events in the last 100 years are among the most important in golf?

In Golf World's Feb. 4 magazine, we offer our thoughts with a cover story package titled "The 18 Most Important Moments in Golf."

Senior editor Bill Fields spearheaded the project, authoring the lead piece on Ouimet's brilliance at Brookline as well as overseeing the entire package.

In our Inside Golf World Podcast, Fields shares some of the research that went into his story, how the other moments were chosen, and what other moments in history just missed being included (hint: April 1986).

Listen to the podcast

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Golf World Monday: Peter Senior turns back clock in Australia

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 14:32:00 GMT

From the December 10 issue of Golf World Monday:

By Bill Fields

For all the oomph of golf's youth movement, veterans continue to have days when the numbers on a birth certificate have nothing to do with those on a scorecard. Few occasions have been sweeter for an elder golfer than the one enjoyed yesterday by Peter Senior, who at 53 scored an age-defying victory over a field of young bucks in the Australian Open at The Lakes in Sydney.

Photo by Getty Images

On a day when play was suspended for three hours because of winds gusting up to 50 miles per hour, the crafty Senior outclassed the field with an even-par 72 to win his second Australian Open 23 years after his first and become -- by far -- the oldest golfer to win his venerable championship, surpassing Peter Thomson, who was 43 when he won in 1972.

"It doesn't get any better than this," said Senior, the broomstick-putter wielding player who has lost three playoffs on the Champions Tour.

Always known as a sound ball-striker, the affable Senior, with son Mitch as his caddie, was steady as others struggled in the strong winds including third-round leader John Senden (82), Adam Scott (76), Geoff Ogilvy (77) and Justin Rose (76).

Just two years ago, when he was 51, Senior proved his game still had some horsepower when he won the Australian PGA. Senior is five months older than Sam Snead was when he triumphed at the 1965 Greater Greensboro Open, setting a PGA Tour record of 52 years, 10 months and 8 days.

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Lawsuit against historic Sharp Park gets dismissed

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 21:24:00 GMT

By Bill Fields

Advocates of public golf in San Francisco, who have fought doggedly the last few years in support of Sharp Park golf course in nearby Pacifica, Calif., were taking a deep breath and looking toward the future Friday following Thursday's dismissal of a lawsuit that threatened the 80-year-old Alister Mackenzie design.

"It's a tremendous victory," said Bo Links, co-founder of the San Francisco Public Golf Alliance, co-defendant in the suit with the City and County of San Francisco. "It now opens the door for restoration plans to move forward in earnest, including the restoration of Mackenzie features on the course and hopefully a Mackenzie museum in a new, restored clubhouse."

Various non-profit conversation groups had sued the city for violating the Endangered Species Act, alleging that the course harmed the threatened California red-legged frog and the endangered San Francisco garter snake. In ordering the dismissal, U.S. District Court judge Susan Illston cited an Oct. 2 biological opinion issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that found golf at Sharp Park "is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of the California red-legged frog or San Francisco garter snake."

Sharp Park's maintenance operations must be done under strict FWS restrictions designed to protect the amphibian and reptile. In its report, the FWS said it anticipates over a 10-year period one adult frog and one snake "will be subject to incidental take in the form of death or injury" because of golf operation and maintenance.

"This is a common sense result," said Chris Carr, an attorney representing the San Francisco Public Golf Alliance. "And it should lead to a period of cooperation in which San Francisco and San Mateo County can work together to restore habitat for the species, while preserving historic and popular public recreation."

Sharp Park came close to possibly being shut down in December 2011 when the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance that would have transferred the supervision of Sharp Park to the National Park Service. The golf course was spared when San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee vetoed the legislation, writing, "I believe in striving for equilibrium between environmental and recreational needs."

In the wake of the lawsuit's dismissal, Links reflected on the lengthy battle to thwart efforts to close the course.

"I remember being in the Sharp Park clubhouse one evening in 2005 or so, warning people that this stuff [threat] was coming," Links said. "They couldn't believe it and hooted us out of the room. Now, they're saying thank you for warning us. The property is in jeopardy, and if you want to preserve it, you have to fight to preserve it. That's just the way it is.

"In a way, it's a message for anybody who cares about golf," Links continued. "If you care about it, you have to support it. You can't let your guard down. You've got to educate people, become an ambassador of the game and communicate it to non-golfers too so they understand the values and merit of golf. This game has endured for 500 years for a reason."

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