Golf Digest Search Results

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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McDowell and his handling of a no-kilt wind

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 23:34:00 GMT

By John Strege

The conditions were more conducive to sailing or kiting than golf, unless a golfer hails from Northern Ireland and cut his teeth on the seaside links of Royal Portrush, learning to work its trademark winds.

The RBC Heritage provided Graeme McDowell with a touch of home on Sunday -- winds gusting upwards of 40 miles per hour and consistently blowing in the 20s at Harbour Town Golf Links, hard by Calibogue Sound in Hilton Head, S.C.

Photo by Getty Images

McDowell accordingly equaled the low round of the day, his one of just three 69s, sending him to a playoff with Webb Simpson that he won with a par on the first extra hole for his first official victory in the States since he won the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in 2010.

Better than any wind gauge was how CBS' David Feherty chose to describe the wind. "One of the traditions here at the Heritage are the gentlemen who wear the kilts," he said. "It's not a great day to wear a kilt. The spectators might need therapy for months."

Provided they weren't blinded by the sight, they saw the kind of golf atypical for the PGA Tour, a winning score that doesn't reach double digits under par. It helped reinforce the benefit of Harbour Town's place on the PGA Tour schedule, a challenging but popular course that attracts a decent field and usually delivers an entertaining show that assists in alleviating the Masters hangover.

It helps as well that RBC stepped in as the title sponsor last year to save a tournament on the brink of folding. RBC, which also is the title sponsor of the Canadian Open, has a strong international field of players on its endorsement team, assuring representative fields in its tournaments.

McDowell is among them, as are Ernie Els, Brandt Snedeker, Luke Donald, Matt Kuchar, Hunter Mahan and Jim Furyk, all of whom played. On Tuesday during an RBC function, McDowell learned from Furyk the key to playing the Heritage: "Just hang around and hang around," he said. "You're never out of this tournament."

McDowell, who had played the Heritage only once before, was especially effective at hanging around on Sunday, notwithstanding the havoc created by the wind. He played without a bogey until missing the green on the final hole and failing to save par, providing an opening for Simpson.

Two former U.S. Open champions in contention made for a good show that was ratcheted up a notch by the windy conditions. "It's a hard game," CBS' Gary McCord said. "This wind just kind of makes it really hard. But these guys are paid well. They get everything for free. They're having a ball playing golf. Let's watch 'em struggle."

Most of them did; McDowell was the only player among the top five to have fewer than three bogeys on his card (and hence, we submit, the pronunciation of the body of water by which the Heritage is played -- cal-a-bogey).

It was a testament to McDowell's ability to play in the wind, even the kind that strongly encourages leaving the kilts at home.

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The Interviews They'd Like Back

Alex Myers and Sam Weinman — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Bad jokes, snubs, and fits of brutal honesty in golf history that have merited a mulligan.

Swing Sequence: Hunter Mahan

Analysis by Sean Foley — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 04:00:00 GMT

I Want 10 More Yards: Hunter Mahan takes a lot of pride in being one of the game's best drivers, but what he really wants is that high-arcing tee shot that flies at least 290 yards. Analysis by Sean Foley.

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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Cold facts about golf balls

Derek Evers — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 02:30:00 GMT

By E. Michael Johnson On the first hole of his semifinal match against Matt Kuchar at the WGC-Accenture Match Play, Jason Day had an iron shot from 166 yards into the green. Although Day...

How Finchem upstaged Kuchar and why

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 23:19:00 GMT

By John Strege

The overriding question that evolved from the extensive coverage of the PGA Tour's response to the USGA regarding a ban on anchoring the putter was this: Why couldn't this have waited until Monday?

Photo by Getty Images

What an odd final day for one of the showcase events in professional golf, one that carries the prestigious designation of World Golf Championship. The WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship began on Wednesday with 64 of the best players in the world and ended on Sunday with PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem making the most news.

In the midst of the Match Play final between Matt Kuchar and Hunter Mahan (Kuchar prevailed, 2 and 1), Finchem held a news conference outlining the PGA Tour's position on the USGA's proposal. Then he was summoned to the NBC booth for an extensive discussion that relegated the golf to a secondary role.

"We did give the USGA our position last week and our board and player advisory council concluded that we should be opposed to it, which we articulated," Finchem said. "We're very supportive of the USGA. We hold it in high regard. We were asked our opinion and we feel strongly that going down that road would be a mistake.

"If there's one thing that would prevail across a lot of our players and a lot of our board members is that it's been around for a generation and the game of golf has done quite well. Unless you have a compelling reason to change we shouldn't. And the USGA has indicated there's no performance advantage to using anchoring . . . What the data shows is there isn't an anchoring putter on the PGA Tour that's in the top quartile in the putting stats."

OK, but why now, when this viewpoint was relayed to the USGA several days earlier? Finchem might have been using the WGC television stage to bolster the tour's position by lobbying golfers at large.

The USGA countered via Twitter, then with a statement that read in part: "We continue to listen to varying points of view, and have had many productive conversations across the golf community, which is a reminder of just how much people care about the game - regardless of their position on this issue.

"As we consider the various perspectives on this issue, it has always been our position that Rule 14-1b aims to clarify and preserve the traditional and essential nature of the golf stroke, which has helped to make golf a unique and enjoyable game of skill and challenge."

So we have an apparent stalemate, with the next move up to the USGA. It said it would have a final ruling in the spring, and should it choose to stand by its intention to ban anchoring, it would not go into effect until Jan. 1, 2016, nearly three years hence.

So, again, why the urgency for Finchem to outline the tour's position? Would his urgency have been the same had it been Rory vs. Tiger rather than Kuchar vs. Mahan in the final?

Related: The anchor ban explained

So it was less than compelling, a match between two players who weren't ranked in the top 20, one of them, Kuchar, taking a 4-up lead through eight holes to quell the drama for much of the afternoon. Was that sufficient for Finchem to interject himself into the proceedings by calling a news conference?

For an old political hand from the Carter administration, one apparently set on working the crowd, the answer was yes.

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WGC Match Play: The snow melts, but the big stars disappear

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 02:19:00 GMT

By Alex Myers

Here's a look at what transpired on Thursday at Dove Mountain and what we can look forward to on Friday:

Biggest loser of the day -- NBC:
With match play, there's always a danger the marquee names won't advance to the weekend, but to lose the two best players in the world in a span of five minutes was virtually unthinkable. But that's what happened as Rory McIlroy fell to Shane Lowry and Tiger Woods lost to Charles Howell III shortly after. At least Phil Mickelson is still around to boost TV ratings. Oh, never mind. . .

"I'm. So. Happy. For. You." (Photo by Getty Images)

"That's soooo match play" moment of the day -- Fredrik Jacobson and Ernie Els:
All squared on the 17th hole, each player faced a par putt of about three feet. After a few moments of sizing them up, both players agreed to a "good-good," conceding each other the putts and moving onto the final hole of regulation. It was a curious decision by Jacobson considering he ranks first on the PGA Tour in strokes gained putting and Els had just missed a similar-length putt. No matter. Els three-jacked No. 18 to allow the Swede to move on.

Easiest day -- Bo Van Pelt: Off the green on the par-5 13th hole in three, BVP began his day by cozying his chip to gimme range. That would be all the golf he would play. When John Senden missed his par putt moments later, Van Pelt won 6 and 5. Now that's making quick work of someone.

Shot of the day -- Keegan Bradley:
Bradley knocked in his approach shot with a wedge for an eagle on the par-4 10th, landing the ball in the rough and spinning it down a slope and into the hole. OK, so we're not sure we heard him call "bank," but we'll give him credit anyway. Not that he cares. Bradley lost his match to Marcus Fraser.

Friday's best chance for an international incident -- Sergio Garcia vs. Matt Kuchar:
There isn't a lot of history between these two, but as we've seen at the Ryder Cup, a riled up Garcia has the capability to get under anyone's skin. Given their love of tennis, there's also a bit more potential for trash-talking over who has the faster serve.

Friday's best sneaky-good match -- Hunter Mahan vs. Richard Sterne: People in the U.S. might not know too much about Sterne, but the South African already has a win and a runner-up on the European Tour this season. Meanwhile, Mahan is the defending champ in this formula and a convincing win over Matteo Manassero in his opening match, along with four-straight top-16 finishes on the PGA Tour, have him poised to make another deep run in the desert.

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Pros like Hunter Mahan realize swing changes may require adjustments to their sticks

Derek Evers — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 20:59:00 GMT

By E. Michael Johnson A few weeks ago during a commercial shoot in California, Hunter Mahan was admiring Bubba Watson's new Ping Tour Gorge wedges. At the Farmers Insurance Open, Mahan had a pair...

The 2012 Trending Awards (aka, the Trendies)

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 13:50:00 GMT

By Derek Evers

Some trends are fleeting, like parachute pants and fanny packs, while others go on to become cultural institutions -- like anchored putting (OK, bad example). And with each one, we ride the highs and lows that accompany the graduation of fads, from passing to fixtures. 2012 was no exception. With that in mind, here are the top trends from the world of golf I hope to see stick around for at least one more year.

#5. Crying at majors

While still too early to tell if this will become a regular occurrence, Bubba Watson set the bar high with his post-Masters breakdown. Of course, not every major winner has Tim Tebow's shoulder to cry on, but it's nice to see that someone had the guts to let the waterworks flow outside of a Steve Stricker presser.

#4. Twitter fighting

We expect reality TV stars and celebrity break-ups to be the thing Twitter dreams are made of, but golfers creating controversy? You bet, and there was no shortage of it in 2012. While most of it skewed from the right side of the aisle, there was plenty of blame to go around. Luke Donald and Gil Hanse in a cock fight? Done. Does blasting the President make you a better Ryder Cup captain? Not sure, but threatening people to fights over the social-networking platform definitely won't win you many supporters. And it wasn't just the men. Brittany Lincicome and Christina Kim started a feud that drew in boyfriends and three other LPGA colleagues. Whether for entertainment or debate fodder at the water cooler, we're all a little bit better when the golf world opens up on Twitter.

#3. Tell-all books about Tiger Woods

With three victories, including his first in over two years, 2012 will be remembered as the year Tiger came back. Unfortunately for Hank Haney, it will not be remembered as the year of the Big Miss (there's an overused golf joke in there somewhere). For all the controversy it created at the start of the season -- eventually hitting No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list -- it didn't deliver much in the way of dirt slinging, which is why I want to see more unauthorized biographies on the bookshelves in 2013. Do we really need to wait for the movie version to get the juicy story we all crave? Oh wait, that already happened.

#2. Tour wives/significant others tweeting/Instagramming photos of their husbands/boyfriends

They seem untouchable on the course, so it's refreshing to see tour pros in some awkward moments off of it thanks to the prying camera lenses of their significant others. Whether it's as innocuous as Hunter Mahan strolling through Penn Station with his clubs as caught by wife Kandi, or as scandalous as a topless, sleeping Rory courtesy of Caroline Wozniacki, this is a trend we hope continues well into the two-thousand-and-teens.

#1. Unconventional putting strokes

The days of the long putter being a fad are well behind us, but with the new anchor ban going into effect in a mere half-decade, we can expect to see all sorts of new putting styles come into use in 2013. You thought KJ Choi's half-Sneed or AdamScott's anchor claw was unique, wait til you see the forearm grip. And the new year hasn't even started! Just another reason to hope the Mayans were wrong.

Happy new year!

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