Click here to listen.
Padraig Harrington came out the victor this week at the British Open, the third major winner of the year with an injury to do so, hiding under the radar of many who thought he could not win back-to-back major tournaments. Harrington concentrated his efforts on course management and the short game to overtake an unlikely favorite of the over-fifty set, namely
Greg Norman, whose "foot-on-the-pedal" mentality cost him yet another win.
It's a shame, though, that in 2007, Harrington thought so little of the Claret Jug he fought so hard to win he used it instead as a fill for swill! We hope that Harrington didn't do
this again this year!
This week Golf for Beginners internet broadcast discusses the mental clarity and forethought it takes to make it to the final round and persevere under treacherous conditions. Chris Wood found little pressure in his "surreal" situation and easily made his way to the 18th hole with a forward focus. Others like
Phil Mickelson, always the optimist, may have stated that he hit the ball well but it was evident he was clearly disappointed as he had spent the prior week at the Scottish Open finding similar results. Perhaps the pressure of having to take Tiger Woods' place on the leaderboard made him falter?
*****Choosing your first driver without ever having hit one can be harrowing. We tell you what to look for in a driver and how to make the process easier!
*****I had my first competitive round with the ladies of the
EWGA at Doral Arrowwood this past week and my play was far from pretty! Find out how I intend to take the three steps from playing to competing and finally to winning!
*****Finally, how many DQ's, withdrawals and mistakes will be had before Michelle Wie reads the Rules of Golf?
Wie stepped outside of the scoring area after round two and a volunteer had to call her back into the tent for the infraction of one of the basic rules of golf...that is, she didn't sign her scorecard! Michelle knew that she forgot but felt that this was yet another time she could get off the hook with a shrug and a "sorry" claiming, "I thought it would be okay. It was an honest mistake."
Her third round, which placed her squarely in contention for a Sunday showdown did not count. Perhaps Wie should have listened to our
previous podcast where we discuss some of the most basic and overlooked regulations of the sport.
Wie was
disqualified. Unfortunately, it cost the LPGA a Sunday of high ratings and Michelle Wie her possible first win on the Tour.
Michelle choked back tears looking for pity and said, "I don't know what happened to me."
Should this rule have been overturned just this once for the benefit of the sport?
Of course, once one of the Rules of Golf is slackened, it is only a matter of time before others follow suit. In our opinion, the Rules should be followed to the letter until a rule is changed for everyone. It isn't the first time something like this has occured and it surely won't be the last time.
It is unfortunate incident for Wie but I'll bet she will never make this mistake again. Penalties will surely occur from a lack of concentration...
Send your golf questions and comments to
golfforbeginners@aol.com.
Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or through
iTunes.
Subscribe to our newsletter!
Click Here to receive our archived podcasts and 100's of easy golf tips free!
Check us out on
MySpace!
This podcast is supported by GolfCanadasWest.com 877-323-3633.Photo Credit: © SI.com/AP, InGolfWeTrust.com.
Mickelson (Getty / Graythen)
McDowell (Getty / Lyons)
Kaymer (Getty / Franklin)
Tiger Woods has made it a habit to win two weeks before a major tournament this season. He won Palmer's, Nicklaus' and his own event in this fashion and, because of this, fans are waiting to see if this streak will cause him to falter during the third major of the year.
