Golf Digest Search Results

The Grind: Tiger's fist pumps, Rory's "comeback," and Tampa predictions

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 14:27:00 GMT

Welcome to another edition of The Grind, where like Tiger Woods, we always enjoy a good fist pump. When we think of an idea to stick in the column? That gets one of TW's subtle overhand ones. Write what we believe to be an amusing sentence? That draws one of his trademark big uppercuts. And when we actually finish the column? Well, that's when we do the emphatic, leaning back, double fist a la Torrey Pines in 2008 (look at that perfect form above). We just need to remember to do some light stretching first next time. . .

Anyway, after a big week, golf's biggest star is on break again, but we aren't. Here's what has us talking:

WE'RE BUYING

Tiger Woods. And just like that, Woods is the undisputed best player in the world again. He's the first player to multiple wins in 2013 and he's now a 4-to-1 favorite to win the Masters (Rory McIlroy is second at 9-to-1). Woods may have 76 PGA Tour titles now, but this was historic since it was the first time he won on my birthday. Thanks, Tiger! I thought you had forgotten about me again. . .

Scott Brown. Tiger Woods wasn't the only golfer winning a PGA Tour event last week. The journeyman (can you be a journeyman if you're still under 30?), who was splitting his time between the PGA and Web.com Tours took advantage of a weaker field in Puerto Rico to get his first big victory and lock up his tour card for the next two years. He took home by far the smallest winner's check ($630,000) on the PGA Tour. Somehow, I doubt he's complaining.

Related: Golf's #FirstWorldProblems

Steve Stricker. The Strick Show dealt out another putting lesson to his buddy, Tiger, and then wound up finishing runner-up to him. What a guy! We also admire his ability to play so well despite playing so infrequently. He's being efficient with his money, too. Stricker may not be teeing it up as often, but by having his wife on the bag, he's bringing home a bigger percentage of his paychecks. Shrewd!

WE'RE SELLING

Bandwagoners. Yeah, yeah, I've said Tiger is "back!" more than anyone, but at least I'm consistent. It's people who change their minds about the guy every five minutes who drive me nuts. And now that same fickle treatment happens with Rory McIlroy, who is everyone's darling again after a public apology and a Sunday 65 for a "back'door" top 10. Guys, it's a long season and golfers have LONG careers. Let's be a little more patient.

Luke Donald. A fairly quiet start to 2013 got even rougher at Doral, where LD didn't break 70 once on a very tame Doral and managed to double bogey the 18th hole ALL four days. Karma can be pretty nasty, huh Luke? We'll explain later. . .

TaylorMade's "-IER" campaign. It was bad enough seeing guys wearing "17" on their hats last year to indicate the average distance TaylorMade claimed people gained by switching to their RocketBallz line. This year's slogan, "RocketBallz-IER" and the accompanying "#IER" hats being worn are even worse. I mean, why would the company do such a thing? Do they want people to be talking about it after the tournament or something? Ohhhh, we get it. Touche, TaylorMade. Touche.

ON TAP

The PGA Tour heads across Florida for the Tampa Bay Championship at Innisbrook's Copperhead Course. Wait, there are still tournaments that are just named after where they are played? Were the clocks turned ahead an hour this past weekend or turned back about 50 years?

Random tournament fact: Luke Donald won here last year and shortly thereafter, I reached out to the then World No. 1 for help on how to play Copperhead because I was going on a golf trip there later that summer. He didn't respond. Is it a coincidence that he hasn't won a tournament since? I think not.

WEEKLY YAHOO! FANTASY LINEUP

Twice we have had Tiger Woods as our A-list bench player and twice he has gone on to win that tournament. Lesson learned. In future tournaments that he plays, we will keep doing that to sabotage our fantasy team, but make side bets on him to win.

Starters -- (A-List): Sergio Garcia. Sergio is coming off a T-3 at Doral and has shot over par at Copperhead just once in his past 11 rounds there. He's also one of those "-IER" guys, making his last name Garcia-IER in the new campaign. C'mon, that's four vowels in a row!

(B-List): Matt Kuchar. Kuch had a disappointing week in Miami, but have you heard of the "Matt Kuchar Rule"? It states that he never has two bad weeks in a row.

(B-List): Webb Simpson. The Wake Forest product had a tough runner-up here two years ago when he bogeyed the final hole, but his last three years at Copperhead have produced 10 rounds in the 60s and three top-15 finishes.

(C-List): Adam Scott. The Aussie dressed like he didn't think he was going to be on TV on Sunday (yellow pants with a grey shirt?), but his closing 64 brought him a lot of air time. Scott hasn't played here much, but his sparse schedule has made him focus better when he tees it up.

Bench -- Jason Dufner, Aaron Baddeley, John Senden, and Jason Day.

(PAULINA GRETZKY) PICTURE OF THE WEEK

I know, I know, there were pics of her and Dustin Johnson on the beach, including ones of her putting her dog in her shirt, but I I like this better. No frills. Just Paulina. With a sultry look. Hey, cut me some slack, it's still close to my birthday. So, to recap, Tiger gave me a win, Miami gave me this Paulina pic and my boss gave me work to do. What did you get me?

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

-- NBC's announcing crew will say "The Snake Pit," Copperhead's closing three-hole stretch, as much as it said "The Bear Trap" at the Honda Classic: 100-to-1 odds

-- Unlike Donald Trump, Innisbrook's owner will not arrive to the course by helicopter every day: Even odds

-- Golf's TV ratings will be lower this week: LOCK

CELEBRITY/ATHLETE WE'D LIKE TO PLAY GOLF WITH

Scott Weiland. Remember him? He was the lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots before his, um, problems, led him to be fired recently. That hasn't stopped him from touring with another band and this weekend I saw him in action. He still has a great-sounding voice. Well, when he's not spending a good portion of the show challenging someone in the crowd to a fight. . . Scott, let's tee it up together. I think it will help relax you, plus, we can spend the whole round discussing how legendary 90's rock is.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Our two favorite things about Phil are his love of going for the bold (sometimes stupid) shots and his borderline overanalysis of the game. This brilliant clip following Thursday's first round at Doral combined both. It is the ultimate "Phil being Phil" moment. If you haven't seen it yet, you are in for a treat:

THIS AND THAT

A Dallas judge stopped the auction of a Masters jacket. Poor Greg Norman. The guy can't even buy a green jacket. . . . Speaking of Greg Norman, the Shark is going to advise China's golf team leading up to the 2016 Olympics. There's got to be another Greg Norman joke in there somewhere. . . . I recently rediscovered eating cereal with milk (don't ask), specifically, Lucky Charms (above). Congrats, General Mills. I don't know what you put in those things, but they are "magically delicious" -- as in I can't stop eating them once I start.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

Why can't Justin Timberlake host Saturday Night Live every week?

Did anyone actually pull a hammy jumping back on the Tiger bandwagon?

How many non-golf-related fist pumps does Tiger make in a typical day?

-- Alex Myers is a contributing editor for GolfDigest.com. Feel free to email him and please follow him on Twitter since he has self-esteem issues.

The Grind: Rory's story, kissing up to The Donald, and Doral predictions

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 16:23:00 GMT

By Alex Myers

Welcome to another edition of The Grind, where we're already digging the Florida Swing. Weather delays have been swapped for dental drama and deserts have been replaced by watery graves with cool nicknames like the "Bear Trap." Throw Donald Trump and some South Beach nightlife into the mix this week and who knows what we're in store for. Here's a rundown of what's happened and what's to come:

"Toothgate" caused quite a stir in Palm Beach. (Photo by Getty Images)

WE'RE BUYING

Michael Thompson. The surprise runner-up at the 2012 U.S. Open became the latest surprise winner on the PGA Tour. After three MCs and a T-78, Thompson held on during a difficult Sunday at PGA National for his first tour title. Again, on the PGA Tour, ALL these guys are good.

Former U.S. Open winners. It seems like it's been awhile since Geoff Ogilvy or Lucas Glover have been near the top of a leader board, but both made some noise at the Honda Classic. Both guys also played well without beards this past weekend. Take that as a sign, guys. Please.

The Golf Boys' new video. We didn't think the world needed another music video from these goofballs, but golf's boy band waited long enough and were creative enough in releasing its sequel, "2.Oh," to deliver a pleasant surprise. The big step up in production value didn't hurt, either. Now if only I had that kind of budget to create a Golf Scribes response. . .

WE'RE SELLING

Rory McIlroy's tooth ache. If you're going to use that as an excuse, the least you can do is not be seen eating a sandwich moments before walking off the course. No, there must be something more serious going on with the world No. 1, who at least went on to apologize for his actions. We hope "Wozzilroy" isn't donezo, but that would make more sense. Love hurts. Just ask Sergio Garcia.

Fishing. Seeing images of tour pros fishing in Tim Rosaforte's piece on Jupiter, Fla., and watching Jack Nicklaus fish on a recent episode of Feherty reminded me of how awful the activity is. Guys, you are sitting on a boat (hopefully, drinking beer at least), trying to lure in a dumb creature that you may or may not eat for dinner. That being said, can you imagine how over-populated golf courses would be on a nice weekend day in the summer without this, um, sport? On second thought, fishing is AWESOME.

The Golf Boys' fitness. Aren't these guys supposed to be finely-tuned, world-class athletes? To be fair, Ben Crane looks like he's been hitting the treadmill, at least, but the other guys all look like they've been on a strict junk food diet. Even Rickie Fowler, who is 24 and tweets about working out constantly, looks a little soft around the edges. The Golf Digest playing editor is lucky he doesn't have to come into the office every day. We're just entering Girl Scout cookie season. . .

ON TAP

The PGA Tour heads to the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral's "Blue Monster." From what I hear, the Trump-owned course has the most overpriced green fees in the country. Oops, I probably shouldn't say that since I'll be in Miami next month and looking to play golf. What I meant was I love Mr. Trump and what he's doing for the game!

Random tournament fact: Justin Rose is the defending champion. You might not remember that since Tiger Woods' withdrawal on the 12th hole of the final round led to NBC's most dramatic car chase footage since O.J. Simpson was driving a white Ford Bronco.

WEEKLY YAHOO! FANTASY LINEUP

For the first time ever, we're going to keep the same eight golfers in the lineup that we did the week before. We've just got a feeling. Either that, or we're getting lazy.

Starters -- (A-List): Graeme McDowell. Coming off a T-5 and a T-9, G-Mac has a pair of T-6s at Doral in his career. We've got a hunch he'll get that long overdue second PGA Tour win this week.

(B-List): Justin Rose. The defending champ was T-4 at the Honda and was also seen sitting next to Donald Trump at a recent Miami Heat game. Wow. He'll do anything to try to get good vibes here.

(B-List): Keegan Bradley. The anchor-putting poster boy finished T-8 in his first appearance in this event last year. Bradley has said fans' harsh comments about his putting method have negatively affected his game, but they didn't seem to faze him last week at PGA National, where he finished T-4.

(C-List): Charl Schwartzel. The South African has finished in the top five here in two of the past three years, including a runner-up in 2010.

Bench -- Tiger Woods, Louis Oosthuizen, Fredrik Jacobson and Lee Westwood.

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

-- Rory McIlroy will withdraw due to a torn headcover: 100-to-1 odds

-- Donald Trump will ask to see copies of McIlroy's dental charts: 10-to-1 odds

-- Miami Heat superstar LeBron James, who can do no wrong right now, will raise his hand to the sky to stop a potential afternoon thunderstorm at some point: 5-to-1 odds

-- The Golf Boys will NOT win a Grammy for their newest song: LOCK

CELEBRITY/ATHLETE WE'D LIKE TO PLAY GOLF WITH

Bradley Cooper. More unlikely than Michael Thompson's win, I broke down and paid to see a movie in the theater a day after writing about Jennifer Lawrence and the Silver Linings Playbook. While the 22-year-old actress was exceptional, I was more impressed with the lead actor. The star of "The Hangover" seems like he can do anything on screen and the type of guy you'd like to have a few drinks with on the course. He's certainly come a long way from that scene of him getting sick in the bathroom during Wedding Crashers. . .

PICTURE OF THE WEEK

OK, so this is a holdover from Hawaii, but we were starting to go through Paulina Gretzky withdrawal after two weeks of not mentioning everyone's favorite gallery gal. But with boyfriend Dustin Johnson in the field this week and some gorgeous Miami weather in the forecast, we could be in for some good, um, shots. Love the two dudes checking her out as they walk behind. Not that I blame them. . .

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK (OTHER THAN THE GOLF BOYS)

From our neck of the woods, below might be the craziest buzzer-beater you will ever see. I used to cover both these teams and this tournament at my old job. Of course, nothing like this ever happened while I was there. In golf terms, this would be like a potential winning putt bouncing off two ball markers before finding the bottom of the cup.

THIS AND THAT

Patrick Cantlay won his first event as a pro in Colombia on the Web.com Tour. That will NOT be the last time the phenom wins as a pro. . . . Yani Tseng is in danger of losing her No. 1 ranking. Wait, Yani Tseng is still ranked No. 1? . . . Jack Nicklaus says Rory McIlroy will "be fine" by the Masters. Apparently, the Golden Bear has 18 majors and a PhD in psychology. . . . Fire alarms at 3 a.m. (above) are NOT fun.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

Will a Tiger Woods-designed course ever get finished?

If a Tiger Woods-designed course ever gets finished, will he call its toughest three-hole stretch the "Tiger Trap"?

When is Rory's dentist going to hold a press conference?

-- Alex Myers is a contributing editor for GolfDigest.com. Feel free to email him and please follow him on Twitter since he has self-esteem issues.

The Year in Golf

Dan Jenkins — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 05:00:00 GMT

2013 is going to have to go some to match the craziness of 2012.

Golf World's 2012 Newsmakers of The Year

GolfDigest.com — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 17:00:00 GMT

Taking stock of 2012 by counting down the year's 25 biggest headliners.

A Look Back At Golf In 2012

Jaime Diaz — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 05:00:00 GMT

In January a lot of questions hung in the air. Under increased scrutiny was the state of the game itself. What we now know, or what we know better, is surprisingly definitive.

The Biggest Turkeys Of 2012

Alex Myers — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 05:00:00 GMT

A look back at the people behind the golf season's noteworthy gaffes.

iInTheSky: an aerial perspective of NYC golf

Matt Ginella — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 22:28:00 GMT

I fly. A lot. I also take a lot of pictures. And sometimes I take a lot of pictures while I'm flying. Yes, I'm that guy: A cloud-shooting, Instagram-posting amateur photographer captivated by the idea...

Trump World

David Owen — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 04:00:00 GMT

From Scotland to Florida to California and beyond, The Donald imprints his image on golf.

July 2012 Table of Contents

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 04:00:00 GMT

Bill Coore's latest: Pinehurst No. 9

Matt Ginella — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:28:00 GMT

The current state of golf courses in America can be summarized by a closer look at Pit Golf Links, a scrappy set of 18 holes five miles south of Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina. In...