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.

Golf in Afghanistan

Here is a picture of "Kabul Golf Club". I think I'd try to keep it in the fairway.

John Daly's "Golf My Own Damn Way"

For anyone that has followed golf for any period of times, has heard of Jack Nickaus' "Golf My Way" book.


Golf My Way: The Instructional Classic, Revised and Updated


The book inspired many up and coming players to write their own books. First, Greg Norman came out with his book with a similar concept.

Shark Attack! - Greg Norman's Guide To Aggressive Golf


Next, Tiger Woods came out with a book also.

How I Play Golf


Now, crowd favorite John Daly has release his "my way" book. It seems fitting that it's called "Golf My Own Damn Way".




Check out these other books:

Tiger Gatorade

Here is the press release:

GATORADE AND TIGER WOODS JOIN FORCES TO DEVELOP A SIGNATURE LINE OF SPORTS PERFORMANCE BEVERAGES

First-ever athlete-licensing deal for Gatorade; First-ever Tiger-endorsed sports beverage Scientific Testing with the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) Kicks off New Relationship CHICAGO (October 16, 2007).

The Gatorade Company, a division of PepsiCo, and Tiger Woods announced today a collaboration to develop Tiger-inspired sports performance beverages for athletes at all levels. Terms of the licensing deal were not disclosed.




"Gatorade has been part of my game plan for years, whether I’m training or competing, so this is an ideal match,” said Woods. “Gatorade is a winning brand with a proven formula and the science to back it up. That’s why I wanted to partner with them. I’m eager to launch my first signature product in a few months and look forward to developing additional sports performance beverages with Gatorade in the coming years."

The first product, Gatorade Tiger, is a Gatorade Thirst Quencher subline that will be launched in March 2008. The subline charts new territory for Gatorade, as it marks the first-ever licensing deal for the $5 Billion brand (US) and Tiger Woods’ first-ever endorsed sports beverage. “This relationship is built on The Gatorade Company’s unparalleled understanding of athlete needs and Tiger’s unique position as one of the world’s best athletes. By bringing these two leaders together, we feel we have an unprecedented opportunity to provide both Tiger and athletes at all levels the products they need to train and compete at their best,” said Todd Magazine, President of Gatorade.

"As a first step in our relationship, Tiger recently underwent sweat analysis testing with the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI), which showcases his dedication to this collaboration and to improving any aspect of his training and competition." The in-depth scientific sweat testing, conducted by scientists from GSSI, was designed to shape Woods’ own specialized hydration and nutrition strategy. A measurement of sweat rate, sweat electrolyte concentration, fluid and electrolyte balance and energy needs were analyzed during a vigorous round of exercise. "As we have done with many athletes, our testing with Tiger will help him prepare for, and recover from, his toughest workouts and most intense competitions – by meeting his hydration, recovery, nutrition and energy needs," said Bob Murray, Ph.D., Director of the Gatorade Sports Science Institute. "Not only will Tiger personally benefit from our sports performance testing, but we continue to build our overall knowledge about athletes at all levels and all sports. Of course, this research with Tiger will also help shape the development of the products under his signature line."

Gatorade Tiger will be available in three new and refreshing flavors inspired and selected by
Woods (cherry blend, citrus blend & grape) and will be packaged in a new 500 ml bottle and a 32oz bottle. Gatorade Tiger will be the same scientifically proven formula of Gatorade Thirst Quencher. As with previous Gatorade sublines like Gatorade AM (2007) and Gatorade Rain (2006), the Tiger subline will provide advanced hydration (fluids and electrolytes) and carbohydrate energy to fuel athletic performance. The subline will be positioned to capture the unique qualities of Tiger that have led to 61 wins on the PGA tour.

Additional sports performance innovations from Gatorade and Tiger Woods will be introduced in subsequent years.

About Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods has had an unprecedented career since becoming a professional golfer in 1996. He has won 81 tournaments, 61 of those on the PGA TOUR, including the 1997, 2001, 2002 and 2005 Masters Tournaments, 1999, 2000, 2006 and 2007 PGA Championships, 2000 and 2002 U.S. Open Championships, and 2000, 2005 and 2006 British Open Championships. With his second Masters victory in 2001, Tiger became the first ever to hold all four professional major championships at the same time. He is the career-victories leader among active players on the PGA TOUR.

About Gatorade
Gatorade® Thirst Quencher, the nation's leading sports drink, is backed by 40 years of research. Gatorade is scientifically formulated and athletically proven to quench thirst, replace fluids and electrolytes and provide carbohydrate energy to enhance athletic performance. The Gatorade Company is part of QTG (Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade) and is a division of PepsiCo, Inc. For more information, please visit http://www.gatorade.com/.

About GSSI
Since 1985, the Gatorade Sport Science Institute (GSSI) has been helping athletes optimize their performance and safeguard their health through research and education in hydration and sports nutrition science. Through in-house physiology, biochemistry, sensory and performance labs, and in partnership with universities worldwide, GSSI conducts research and produces educational materials for sports health professionals. There are over 100 peer-reviewed published studies by GSSI worldwide that focus on sports drink efficacy, hydration and heat stress, and physical training. For more information, please visit http://www.gssiweb.com/.

Wow... What a House!

If you follow golf at all (and maybe even if you don't), you've probably seen these pics before. Even if you haven't seem them, these pics really show you a beautiful house. Take a guess at who's house it is... (The answer is at the bottom). Click on each picture for a larger view.

You have been looking at pictures of Tiger Woods' house. I assume this is just one of probably many houses that he must own.

Warning: He's Unstoppable

I'm talking, of course, about Tiger Woods. With his win on Sunday at the BMW Championship at Cog Hill, Tiger Woods won his 60th PGA Tour event. More importantely, he now leads the Fedex Cup points race with only 1 event remaining. Tiger has a 4120 points lead over Phil Michelson and a 3133 points lead over Steve Stricker. Keep in mind that the final event has more points to give out than the other playoff tournaments. Instead of the usual 9,000 points to the winner, the winner of the The Tour Championship gets 10,300 points. Given that fact and the fact that Tiger will get a minimum of 395 points if he finishes last in the final event (yeah, Right!), there are only a few players who statistically have a chance to winner the Fedex Cup: Tiger, Steve Stricker, Phil, Rory Sabbatini, & K.J. Choi. for Rory and K.J., some pretty crazy stuff would have to happen for them to win so really, it comes down to a 3 dog race. It's going to be interesting...

Let's turn our attention back to Tiger's domination of the sport of Golf. You can say all you want about the Phil/Tiger rivalry but Tiger is truly amazing. Even though Phil beat Tiger 2 weeks ago, it was the exception and not the norm. Even when Tiger does get beat, he never gets beat badly and he never falls out of the race. Now think back to the last time Tiger choken badly in a tournament. What?? You can think of of a time? Yeah.. Me either. Here's why. Tiger wins at the rate of 28%. Said another way, he has won 60 of the 215 career starts. Even more impressive, he has been in the top 3 of 100 of of his 215 starts (that is a rate of 47%). He reached 60 career wins faster than anyone. The closest to him (of course) was Jack Nicklaus who won 60 when he was 36 years old.






Now, if you are really don't follow golf that much and you feel like you've missed something truly great, don't worry, he'll only get better. Keep in mind that he had just reached 50 wins only 13 short months ago!

Golf Without Tiger

As most people know, Tiger Woods captured the 2007 PGA Championship on Sunday (8/12/07). With the win, that gave him 13 major titles and 58 overall! Wow, what an amazing stat. But, what if Tiger never entered the picture, how would golf be different? Well, in terms of wins (looking at the majors), we have a lot more people as major champions.

Here are Tiger's major wins by year (with the 2nd place finisher listed in parentheses):

1997 - Masters (Tom Kite)
1999 - PGA (Sergio Garcia)
2000 - US Open (Miguel Angel Jimenez), British Open (Thomas Bjorn), PGA (Bob May)
2001 - Masters (David Duval)
2002 - Masters (Retief Goosen), US Open (Phil Mickelson)
2005 - Masters (Chris DiMarco), British Open (Colin Montgomerie)
2006 - British Open (Chris DiMarco) , PGA (Shaun Micheel)
2007 - PGA (Woody Austin)

So, a quick glance shows:

- Phil would have a 4th major
- DiMarco would have TWO majors
- Sergio would be a major winner
- Colin Montgomerie would be a major winner
- And quite a few others would be first time major winners.

Orbitz Online putt-putt game

Test your putt-putt skills at orbitz.com. it's sort of addictive so watch out.


http://www.orbitzgames.com/puttputt/

How Good is Tiger? ...just ask Ernie!

David Feherty: "People have accused me of being so far up Tiger's arse that he can barely make a full swing, but I maintain that he is a special person. There's no one else on the planet who can do what he does or even think of doing what he does. I've often thought, instead of showing Tiger's reaction to a shot he's hit, we really should show the reaction of those who are around him."

"I'm standing with Ernie and my microphone is open. Ken Venturi [in the CBS booth] sends it to me and I say, 'Tiger's got 184 yards with two big red oaks overhanging the green. He's got absolutely nothing. With a stick of dynamite and a sand wedge I might be able to move this ball 50 yards. Steve Williams [Woods' caddie] tells me [with a hand signal] that he's using a pitching wedge.'

"Tiger takes his swing. Every muscle in his body is flung at the ball. It looks like he's torn his nutsack. The divot went as far as I could hit the ball. I've got my microphone at my mouth thinking, what the hell was that! The ball sails over the trees, lands behind the hole and backs up to about six feet from the flag. I open my microphone and Ernie turns and says, '*******me!'

"My producer comes on in my earpiece and says, 'Was that Ernie?' I say yes. 'Fair enough.'"I could have described that shot for 15 minutes and not done as good a job as Ernie did with two words. This is one of the best players in the world talking, and you wanna know how good Tiger is? Ask Ernie Els."

PHOTOS: Tigers Woods' Offspring

Here they are; PIC 1:

PIC 2:

PIC 3:

PIC 4:

Michelle Wie Controversy

Michelle Wie is facing much criticism for walking out at the GINN tournament (supposedly because of an injury) and then hitting balls a couple of days later. Read the article at the golfchannel.com for more information. I think that this shows that Michelle is not really quite "there" yet from a majority standpoint. I think she'll eventually win on tour (she's got mad talent) but it is still a couple of years away.

http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=15104&select=22772

Boo Weekly?

Boo Weekly showed promise at the Honda Classic. I wasn't surprised to see him win. He obviously has got game!