Author Archives: C. Baker

Six-Player Sudden Death Playoff

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The ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open was decided in a six-player sudden death playoff.  I had never seen a six-player playoff and wondered if it was a record.  Sure enough, six players is the largest number of players in a LPGA playoff; but this is not the first time it has happened.   According to the LPGA records, in 1999  at the Jamie Farr Kroger Classic there was a six-player playoff.

The Australian Open playoff was won by a teenage American, not Lexi Thompson (as most would assume) but by 18-year-old Jessica Korda.  She won on the second hole of the playoff with a birdie.  Korda is currently ranked #285 in the world and beat a number of stellar players. Here are their Rolex World rankings:

It was interesting to watch because a lot of the press coverage about Korda was that her dad is a well-known tennis pro in Australia and won the Australia Open Tennis title in 1998.  So even if Korda did not have the hype Lexi Thompson has had (Thompson has been called “the young American phenom”), she must have felt some additional pressure with the attention she was getting in the press.

On the other hand, maybe what Korda was feeling this week was great karma from her dad.  As she said in her press conference  “It (Melbourne, Australia) is a really special place for my family. For my first win, I honestly could not have thought of a better place.”

Yani Tseng – Close to Tears?

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I was watching a golf news recap after the second round of the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open and the commentator briefly mentioned that Yani Tseng was close to tears on the course. I missed the start of the segment so I went online to see what I could find.

I read the press conference notes and it turns out that Tseng shot an 8 (or a quadruple bogey or snowman) on the par-4, 7th hole.  She said in her press conference, “I almost cried; but no I didn’t.”  Tseng then went on to say, “I don’t remember when I had an 8 for the last time. Wait, I remember. It was last year at Evian.”  She was referring to the Evian Masters which is held in France in July.

Tseng recovered at the end of the round of the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open and was six shots behind the leader.  Today, at the end of round three, she is just two shots off the lead. I would not be surprised if she wins.

The reason Tseng’s admission of being near tears fascinates me is because it speaks to the enormous expectations these young talented golfers put on themselves.  Tseng is 22 years old, last year won eleven times; and since her rookie year in 2008 has won five majors.  Tseng was named the LPGA’s Rolex player of the year for the past two years. With all those accomplishments, why was she close to tears (or so hard on herself) over one hole?

Now, I know that a PGA pro cried a few weeks ago but it was because he lost a huge lead on the final round of what would have been his first professional win.  But Tseng’s admission that she almost cried after an 8 in an early round was odd to me.  Odd because she still had a lot of golf to play and could turn things around.

I guess the only explanation I can come up with is that Tseng is human and her emotions just got the best of her.  Sometimes when you watch the pros play they seem like machines hitting one amazing shot after another.  So it is actually kind of refreshing to know that even “the best of the best” are human and hit a “snowman” once in a while (or in Tseng’s case, once a year).

A Tribute to Annika Sorenstam

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I think if you ask the average person who is the best female golfer of all time, many would say Annika Sorenstam.  Annika turned pro in 1993 but her career took off in 1995 when she won her first US Women’s Open.

In 2008, Annika retired at the age of 38 from her professional golf career with an astonishing 89 career wins, 72 LPGA tour victories, and 10 major championships.  To put that in perspective; Tiger (now age 36) has 95 worldwide wins, 71 PGA tour victories, and 14 major championships.  In terms of on course success, Annika is the “Tiger Woods” of women’s golf.  However, unlike her male counterpart she has lived her personal life with complete integrity (no scandals for this great golfer).

Annika  was named the 2012 recipient of the Bob Jones award.  This is an honor bestowed upon by the USGA to a person that epitomizes “distinguished sportsmanship in golf.”  Annika still plays a huge role in golf today with her efforts to grow the sport. She is a very busy lady with her foundation, her golf academy, and her involvement in golf course design (she and Jack Nicklaus have submitted a bid to build the golf course for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.)

The tribute video below is lovely because it is a mix of her personal life (her family speaks), the impact she has had on golf, and her focus on the health of children.

Congratulations to Annika!

Fantasy Golf: Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Dubai Desert Classic

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This will be the last week that I have to pick players for two tournaments during the winter segment of Fantasy Golf.

Starting with the PGA tour event, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.  My Picks are:

(1) Tiger Woods — I just feel he is going to do well this week.  He had three great rounds in Abu Dhabi but in the final round Robert Rock beat him.  I’m guessing Tiger is very motivated to win.

(2) D. A. Points — I had Points as a pick at the Farmers and I’m still going to go with him now. Plus he won this tournament last year.  I don’t expect Points to win because it is difficult for defending champions to win the next year. Even thought I do not expect him to win, I am betting he will do well.

(3) Bud Cauley — He was my first rookie pick this year and the only reason I did not pick him last week was because he was in the same group as D.A. Points.  So, I’m going back to Cauley.  I will keep my eye on Harris English (the rookie that did well for me last week).

(4) James Driscoll — I picked Driscoll because he tied for 13th place last year at Pebble Beach.  He is my “what the heck” pick this week. I’m also hoping the fact he has played the course before will help him.

Now for the European tour — The Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

(1) Rory McIlroy — He is my favorite European player and he has done well so far this year. I expect him to win this weekend.

(2) Branden Grace — He won the first two events of the 2012 European tour so that is why I picked him.  I’m giving him another chance even though he did not do well in Abu Dhabi.

(3) Stephen Gallacher — New to my roster.  Again, it is hard to pick players in group 3 and 4 because the majority of players in these groups are not known entities (at least not for me.)  Gallacher was 10th last year in Dubai so that is why I picked him.  I’m hoping he will have another top 10 this year.

(4) Ricardo Gonzalez — New to my roster.  He was tied for fifth place last week in Qatar and he was tied for 20th at Dubai last year. These are fair scores for a player in group 4 and that is why I picked him.

Honestly, I’m glad this is the last week for picking players in a European event because the ladies tour starts and I’d like to focus more on the LPGA in the next few weeks.

Fantasy Golf Results: Phoenix Open and Qatar Masters

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One of my main goals last week was to not have any of my picks miss the cut.  I am happy to report that all of them played the weekend.  This strategy did well for me because even though none of my picks won, they all contributed to the money points so I maintained my rank overall.  Here are the results.

Waste Management Phoenix Open

(1) Web Simpson — Tied for 8 with 10 under par.  He was doing well until Sunday and then he shot a 72 which took him out of the running.

(2) Brandt Snedeker — Tied for 50 with 2 under par.  Not a great week for Snedeker. His first three rounds were bad but he did recover with a 68 on Sunday.

(3) D. A. Points — Tied for 45 with 3 under par.  He had an up and down tournament.  One round under 70 and the next round over 70 — inconsistency will get you every time.

(4) Harris English — Tied for 15 with 8 under par.  This is great because I took a chance on him as my rookie pick for the week.

Commercial Bank Qatar Masters

(1) Graeme McDowell — Tied for 59 at one under par.  Really?  I’m a bit disgusted with G-Mac because I had high expectations (I guess we always have high expectations for our favorite).

(2) Francesco Molinari – Tied for 69 at one over par.  This was a big surprise to me because I picked him due to the fact he won in Dubai in 2010.

(3) Felipe Aguilar — Tied for 47 at two under par.  This is my “what the heck” pick so it is funny that he did better than the big name picks of McDowell and Molinari.

(4) David Drysdale — Tied for 47 at two under par.  What can I say.  My educated guess that his third place finish in the Joburg Open last month would translate into doing well in Qatar did not pan out.

Expectations: A Journey from Failing to Exceeding in One Week

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Last week at Tory Pines Kyle Stanley was expected to win the Farmers Insurance Open because he had a three shot lead on the last hole.  The tournament officials were so sure he was going to win that they wrote his name on the huge (fake) check they give the winner to hold during the award ceremony.  But Stanley had a humiliating collapse on the 18th hole forcing a playoff which he lost.

Stanley, only 25 years old, was so heartbroken that he cried in the press room and just said he was “in shock.”  All the golf pundits said he would eventually recover, because he is very talented; but it could take him a long time to get over this loss.  In fact, the analysts were saying some pros never get over a loss of this magnitude.

During the days that followed it was reported that Stanley was getting a great deal of support from other golf professionals and kind words from fans.  Stanley, himself, said he picked up about 4,000 new followers on Twitter — all wishing him well.  And perhaps it is this wealth of support that helped him get over the loss.

He not only got over the loss but he won the Waste Management Phoenix Open just seven days later.  On Sunday, he was eight shots behind the leader of the Phoenix Open.  Stanley shot a final round of 65 to win the tournament by one stroke.  He did have some help because the leader on Sunday had his own collapse by letting the six stroke lead he had at the beginning of the day fall by the wayside.  But Stanley still had to put himself in position to win.

If you think about a time in your life when you failed miserably and the impact it had on you emotionally; just imagine the mental and emotional impact of the public failure Stanley experienced at Tory Pines. Then just days later, to have the mental fortitude to put the loss behind you and go out and play again; and put yourself in a position to win. And then win! Amazing!  When Stanley realized he had won the Phoenix Open, he cried again but this time it was tears of joy.

So what does that mean to his career — everything.  Some people might say it benefits his career because he is now a marketer’s dream with his amazing come back.  And, I’m sure it will have a huge impact on his image.  Personally,  I think the bigger benefit to his career is the confidence he gains in himself as a player.  If golf is truly a game of mental toughness then he has a lot of experience to draw from when he faces his next unforeseen challenge.  After all, I’m sure he wants to win again and not be just a “one-hit wonder.”

And by the way, the payday was pretty sweet too.  Along with the trophy, he took home a check for $1,098,000 and landed a spot in April’s Masters tournament.

E*Trade Baby – Great Golf Commercial

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The super bowl was last night and hard-core New England fans might be down in the dumps because the Pats lost. Not me. I am focused on humor today.

Once again there were some great commercials during the super bowl; including a new E*Trade Baby Commercial.  I love the E*Trade Baby and it reminded me of my favorites ads.

Of course, one of my favorite’s is the ad with the golf theme where he calls his golf partner, Frank, a “Shankopotomis.”

But my all time favorite commercial is when the baby is in a “time out.”

It’s Monday, football (like golf) is just a game.  If the ads above don’t make you chuckle, find something that does put a smile on your face today.

Waste Management’s Unique Donation

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The sponsor for the Phoenix Open is the Waste Management company.  Most of us know them because we see the logo on the garbage truck that picks up our trash.  They are taking their logo and making it part of a unique donation to the The First Tee — a non-profit organization that uses golf to educate youth and promote life-values like integrity and respect.

Waste Management has taken its logo (the WM) and made a 120 foot high, eight-ton logo floating in the lake on the 18th hole.  It is made up of 140,000 recycled golf balls collected from water hazards on golf courses.  If that is not unique enough for you, the golf balls will be donated to The First Tee of Arizona to be used in their golf programs.

This is just one of many recycling initiatives implemented by Waste Management at the Phoenix Open. Below is a video highlighting the Zero Waste Challenge.  Watch the video and at the one minute mark you will see the floating logo.

Birdies for the Brave – A Joining Forces Community Challenge Finalist

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One thing that the golf world does well is charity work via sponsors donating to charities, players supporting charities, and players creating charities.  Birdies for the Brave supports a number of “military outreach programs” providing help to soldiers and their families.

In 2003 Phil Mickelson, and his wife Amy, started Birdies for the Brave. The basic premise was that for every birdie or eagle Phil made during a tournament money would be donated to two charities. Phil was on top of his game in 2003 therefore $100 for every birdie and $500 for every eagle was a great way to raise money for the designated charities (Special Operations Warrior Foundation and Homes For Our Troops.)

In 2006, Birdies for the Brave became an official PGA tour charity.  Today, a number of players participate supporting a variety of military charities; and new fund-raising events have been developed to encourage local golf clubs to support the charity.  According to the PGA, Birdies for the Brave has “raised more than $6.5 million for military-homefront charities.”

On February 2nd, The White House announced the 20 finalists for the Joining Forces Community Challenge. This is the initiative led by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden to encourage support of our troops.   Birdies for the Brave was one of 20 finalists!  There were hundreds of nominations so I was pleased to see them listed.

The great thing is that you can go and vote for your favorite charity. The “winners” will be announced in March. The website is easy to navigate.  You do have to sign-up to vote (but it takes just a few minutes). And, you can vote daily for your favorite cause.

I voted for Birdies for the Brave but there are a number of other great charities to vote for at the Joining Forces website.

Fantasy Golf: Phoenix Open and Qatar Masters

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Once again I have to pick four players in both the PGA Tour and the European Tour.  This time it is for the Waste Management Phoenix Open and the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.  I thought I would be nice and give the sponsor names.  Does anyone really care? Yes, sponsors do.  Actually, sponsors are important but that is a topic for another day.  On to my predictions…

Picks for the Waste Management Phoenix Open

(1) Web Simpson — I had him as a pick for Sony and he didn’t do as well as I had hoped but I am giving him another chance.  Why, because he is talented.  He is ranked 6th in the world, 2nd in the USA, and last year in Phoenix he was in the top 10.

(2) Brandt Snedeker — He did well last week so I am keeping him on my roster.

(3) D. A. Points — This was a tough pick because he and Bud Cauley are in the same group and both did well last week. I went with Points because he tied for 8th last week and Cauley tied for 13th.

(4) Harris English — Like, Bud Cauley, English is a rookie.  I did well with picking a rookie last week so I am going with one again.  English has played in three tournaments and made all three cuts; so I am hoping to minimize the number of my picks that miss the cut.

Picks for Commercial Bank Qatar Masters

(1) Graeme McDowell — His nickname is G-Mac and I watched him win the US Open in 2010 so I know a bit about him.  I debated between G-Mac and Sergio Garcia because they both played well last week. In fact, they both got holes-in-one on the 12th hole in Abu Dhabi.  I went with G-Mac because he is ranked 5th in the European rankings (Sergio is ranked 6th).

(2) Francesco Molinari – Won in Dubai in 2010 so I thought he was a good guess.

(3) Felipe Aguilar — This is my “what the heck” pick this week.

(4) David Drysdale — He came in 3rd in the Joburg Open last month so I’m hoping for another good showing. However, this is another big guess for me.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that my picks do well this week.