World Golf Ranking

We all know that Tiger Woods is the world's golf #1. But, have you ever wondered how that is caculated. Well here are the details straight from the offical World Golf Ranking webpage:

The Official World Golf Ranking, which is endorsed by the four Major Championships and the six professional tours which make up the International Federation of PGA Tours, is issued every Monday, following the completion of the previous week’s tournaments from around the world.

The official events from the six professional tours together with the Canadian, Nationwide and European Challenge Tours are all taken into account and “Ranking Points” are awarded according to the players’ finishing positions and are generally related to the strength of the field based on the number and ranking of the Top-200 World Ranked players and the Top-30 of the Home Tour players in the respective tournaments (Event “Rating Values”). However, the four Major Championships are rated separately to reflect the higher quality of the events together with the Players Championship in the United States. In addition, the BMW PGA Championship in Europe, the Australian, Japan and South African Open Championships and the Flagship events on the Asian and Nationwide Tours are allocated higher minimum points levels to reflect their status.

The World Ranking Points for each player are accumulated over a two year “rolling” period with the points awarded for each event maintained for a 13-week period to place additional emphasis on recent performances – ranking points will then be reduced in equal decrements for the remaining 91 weeks of the two year Ranking period. Each player is then ranked according to his average points per tournament, which is determined by dividing his total number of points by the tournaments he has played over that two-year period. There is a minimum divisor of 40 tournaments over the two year ranking period.

The winners of the Masters Tournament, the US Open Championship, the Open Championship and the PGA Championship are awarded 100 points (60 points for 2nd place, 40 for 3rd, 30 for 4th down to 1.50 points for a player completing the final round), and the winner of the Players Championship is awarded 80 points (points are awarded down to 1.20 points for 60th place and ties). The BMW PGA Championship has a minimum 64 points for the winner (points to 56th place). Minimum points levels for the winners of official Tour events have been set at 6 points for the Canadian Tour (points to 6th place), 12 points for the European Challenge Tour (points to 14th place), 14 points for the Asian, Sunshine and Nationwide Tours (points to 17th place), 16 points for Australasian and Japanese Tours (points to 19th place) and 24 points for European and the United States Tours (points to 27th place). In addition the Open Championships of Australia, Japan and South Africa have a minimum of 32 points for the winner (points to 37th place) and the Flagship events on the Asian and Nationwide Tours have a minimum of 20 points for the winner (points to 22nd place). In the cases of co-sanctioned Tour events, the minimum points levels are determined using the “average” of the minimum Tour ranking points from each Tour (rounded up to nearest whole number).

Points are reduced by 25% for tournaments curtailed to 36 holes because of inclement weather or other reasons.

Bring Out The Noose

As everyone knows, The Golf Channel’s Kelly Tilghman was suspended a couple of weeks ago because of a comment she made about “lynching Tiger”. Of course, she meant no harm by the comment and probably just wasn’t thinking about her choice of words. There were actually people (Rev. Al Sharpton) that called for her firing. How ridiculous!

And, when the story almost became a non-issue, leave it to Golfweek to sensationalize it even more by putting a picture of a noose on its cover. Well, that did get someone fired. Because of the image, longtime Golfweek magazine editor and vice president Dave Seanor, was replaced.

If you ask me, that is well deserved. It is COMPLETELY obvious that Tilghman’s words were just a mistake, one she apologized for. Ever Tiger’s group said it was a “non-issue”.

A statement from Golfweek says, "We apologize for creating this graphic cover that received extreme negative reaction from consumers, subscribers and advertisers across the country," said William P. Kupper Jr., president of Turnstile Publishing Co., the parent company of Golfweek. "We were trying to convey the controversial issue with a strong and provocative graphic image. It is now obvious that the overall reaction to our cover deeply offended many people. For that, we are deeply apologetic."

Even the PGA Tour’s top dog, Commissioner Tim Finchem, sternly criticized the publication. "Clearly, what Kelly said was inappropriate and unfortunate, and she obviously regrets her choice of words," Finchem said in a statement. "But we consider Golfweek's imagery of a swinging noose on its cover to be outrageous and irresponsible. It smacks of tabloid journalism. It was a naked attempt to inflame and keep alive an incident that was heading to an appropriate conclusion."

The whole incident started during Golf Channel's broadcast on Jan. 4 of this year when analyst Nick Faldo joked that the young players of the PGA Tour may have to gang up on Tiger Woods in order to compete with him. His co-host, Kelly Tilghman, ageed and suggested with a laugh that Tiger's young rivals "lynch him in a back alley."

Tilghman later apologized on the air and also directly to Tiger. Tiger Woods's agent (Mark Steinberg), dismissed the incident, saying that Woods and Tilghman were friends and the comment was not malicious. Still, the network suspended Tilghman for two weeks after the controversy became a story outside the golf world.

Virtual Golf

Here is a great virtual online golf game. It's completely online with no download necessary. This one will cause some serious time wasting at work. It's pretty addictive. Visit the "World Golf Tour PGA.com Charity Challenge". You won't be disappointed.

Golf Club Repair

I created a couple of new sites (1 blog, 1 website) about golf club repair. If you wanted to replace worn grips yourself, be sure to check either of the sites out for instructions. For the website, I just created a sub-directory off of the marylandgolf.info site. The address is www.marylandgolf.info/ezclubrepair. I also created a blog called golfclubrepair.blogspot.com. My plan is to keep an eye on traffic statistics for the blog and if it does well, I’ll buy a domain and push the website to the new domain.

Technorati

Technorati Profile

Some Golf Wisdom for 2008

Columbus went around the world in 1492. That isn't a lot of strokes when you consider the course. - Lee Trevino

I've spent most of my life golfing...the rest I'ved just wasted. - Anonymous

They call it golf because all of the other four-letter words were taken. - Raymond Floyd

The golf swing is like a suitcase into which we are trying to pack one too many things. - John Updike

Actually the only time I ever used a one-iron was to kill a tarantula. And then it took seven to do that. - Jim Murray

I'd play every day if I could. It's cheaper than a shrink. - Brent Musburger

I'm hitting the woods just great, but having a terrible time getting out of them. - Harry Toscano

You must work very hard to become a natural golfer. - Gary Player

I just hope I don't have to explain all the times I've used His name in vain when I get up there. - Bob Hope

It's fun to go to the course and lie in the sun. - Bob Hope

I can airmail the golf ball, but sometimes I don't put the right address on it. - Jim Dent

It is more satisfying to be a bad player at golf. The worse you play, the better you remember the good shots. - Anonymous

Some of us worship in churches, some on golf courses. - Adlai Stevenson

Nobody ever remembers who finished second. - Jack Nicklaus

Win graciously. - Arnold Palmer

Golf Quotes of the Year for 2007

Here are some of the best golf quotes of the year:

"I wanted to be his child. If I was a child I wouldn't play golf anymore, I'd be sitting in a boat somewhere spending all dad's money. I've been trying to get him to adopt me for the last five years, but he wouldn't do it." -- John Daly, when asked his thoughts on Tiger becoming a father.

"I think when I made the turn on the front nine I thought it had to be pretty close to setting a record somewhere. The only time I've been 9 under through nine has been playing Tiger Woods on Play Station.” -- Brandt Snedeker, after his blistering opening nine holes at the Buick Invitational.

"I left J.J. a message - I said, 'The good news is you’re in and the bad news is you got Tiger!'” -- Brett Quigley, who was originally scheduled to play Tiger Woods in the first round before Charl Schwartzel withdrew, giving J.J. Henry the 64th seed and a match up with the No. 1-seeded Woods.

"When your caddie is rattling in the pocket to see if he's got a provisional (ball) when you're standing over the drive, you know you've got some sort of a problem." -- Henrik Stenson, describing the sorry state of his game six years ago when he almost gave up golf.

“Even I've never heard of me!" -- Zach Johnson, parodying himself during the Top-10 segment on the Late Show with David Letterman.

“I said, 'You better talk to your wife.'" -- Billy Heim, caddy for Rich Beem, after the Beemer offered him the car he had won at the Nissan Open after making a hole-in-one.

"I laid my head on the pillow last night and had four alarm clocks set, and I had somebody call from my office. I was scared to death. I had this vision of running down No. 3 going 'I'm here, I'm here' and missing that 7:30 tee time." -- Skipper Beck, car dealer, recalling his emotions on the eve of playing in a pro-am alongside Tiger and Jordan.

"The life that I live at home doesn't stop just because there's a tournament in town. It just adds. Luckily my wife understands that and tries to take on as much as she possibly can, but she's only one person. I need to have like three or four wives maybe this week." -- Stewart Cink, a Duluth, Ga., resident on what it’s like playing a PGA TOUR event in his hometown.

"She must know I'm a pretty good tennis player,” -- Adam Scott, joking with reporters on tennis beauty Maria Sharapova listing the 26-year-old Aussie -- who noted that he has a girlfriend -- among her top 10 desired mixed doubles partners. On her Web site, Sharapova had Scott listed at No. 6, with a comment in parenthesis "night match, please?"

"We all know with her playing in the men's events that she is not going to get anywhere, so I'm not really sure what she is trying to achieve," -- Retief Goosen, telling reporters at the Wales Open that he doesn't feel Wie should be given any more exemptions into PGA TOUR events, like the one she just received to compete in July's John Deere Classic for the third straight year.

"You’ve got to figure out what works best for you. That’s the hard part. I know I can’t play as stoic as Hogan, and I can’t talk as much as Trevino; you have to be your own person.” -- Tiger Woods, on how to handle one’s self in major championships.

"It’s the only hole I know where they can have a long drive contest and a closest to the pin.” -- Kirk Triplett, describing the monsterous 288-yard par-3 8th.

"I've learned a few bad words in a lot of different languages so I can yell at my ball no matter what country I'm in.” -- Notah Begay, on what he has learned while playing mostly this season on the European Tour.

"If anybody laughs when I hit it, they're dead -- we've got Secret Service here.” -- Former President Bush, joking with the gallery at the opening ceremony of the AT&T National.

"Every year, more and more cute young amateur girls with ribbons in their hair are coming up. It's terrific.” -- Cristie Kerr, newly minted U.S. Women's Open champion, on the outlook of American golf on the LPGA Tour.

"Yeah. I kind of put my foot in my mouth there, didn't I? But I didn't know. If you don't know, you don't know. I hated what I said, especially with him just saying what he said a couple days before, that he don't get no respect. And then I say something like that. It's like wham! Here's a slap to your head.” -- Boo Weekley, on the story of how he asked 1999 Open Champion Paul Lawrie the question, 'How'd you get in? You qualify?'

"Who gives a (expletive). Jeez!” -- Ernie Els, the normally laid back South African, after being asked one to many questions in a press conference.

"I woke my wife and said: 'I'm the Open champion. I can't believe I've done it.' She said: 'I can believe it, there's the trophy, now can you go back to sleep?'” -- Padraig Harrington, on what was said in his hotel room on the Monday morning following his victory at Carnoustie.

"There was odds with all the caddies and players this week who would fall first, me or my caddie?” -- John Daly, jokingly referring to whether or not his body could handle the tough conditions in Tulsa.

"I don't normally four-putt from that close.” -- Vijay Singh, sarcastically describing his opening hole at the Deutsche Bank, a four-putt from just 15 feet.

“Marco. Polo.” -- The Canadian gallery, alternating the chants of those two words to Woody as he strode down the fairways.

"The only thing that I would do differently, I wouldn't have played this year. It's as simple as that.” -- MIchelle Wie, on her only regret in 2007.

"You look at that and say, 'Wow!” -- Hayes again, who was paired with a Zak Russell, a 19-year-old from Toronto who was born two months premature with a bad connection between the trachea and esophagus. Russell has gone through 14 surgeries.

"The complexity in those three holes ... has set a different benchmark in the golfing industry." -- Abdulla Al Gurg, the project director for The Tiger Woods Dubai course.

“Hell of a host.” -- Jim Furyk, tongue-in-cheek, referring to Tiger Woods' success at his own tournament, the Target World Challenge.

I found these on The Golf Channel's website. Find all of the quotes for each week here.