Corey Pavin shot an eight under 26 on the front nine at the U.S. Bank Championship. TENTY-SIX!
He has a specific plan for what he wants to accomplish in every practice session, a plan he comes up with the night before when he’s home swinging a weighted club.
I’ve bought a weighted club earlier this summer and just love it. I use it to warm up before I play a round of golf and also on the practice range. When you switch from it to a normal club, it feels like you aren’t even swinging.
It rained for a good 3 or 4 hours in the Saginaw area, so the plans I had to play 9 holes with a few friends were canceled. While sitting at home after dinner I realized the sun came out and it cleared up. Sidewalks and driveways were starting to dry out. So I jumped in my ride and went a block to a 9-hole course called Pleasant View. The name does not fit the course. Only on “special” occasions will I play there.
My main reason for going to play was that I wanted to hit some clubs around the golf course. The course wasn’t very busy and I was playing for myself, so I had a chance to hit extra balls around while waiting. I played 2 main balls during the round and would try out some short wedges or other shots as I had time. I even hit 3 with my driver off the first tee after using a 3-hybrid to tee off for the shots I was counting. When all was said and done I shot a 44-42. The part of the round that really killed my scoring was putting. With all of the rain we had received, golf balls were plugging on the green. If they did manage to hop, it was backwards. Putting on soaked greens is an entirely different story. I took 18 and 19 putts which is 4-5 over my average for 9 holes.
All in all, I was pretty satisfied with my play. When I hit driver I was crushing it down the middle, and then from there my wedge shots were solid. When I had longer 2nd shots into the par 5s I came through. I hit a great 3-hybrid to the front where it hit the bunker rake someone had left in the wrong spot. On another par 5 I hit 3-hybrid to hit the fairway, staying safe, and then blasted a 5 wood right next to the green. Made a nice chip, but missed the birdie putt because of all the water. The greens were the wettest I’ve ever seen, but I’m not worried at all about my putting. I’ll admit I didn’t take much time putting either, so things weren’t being lined up. I wanted to really focus on ball striking because the greens weren’t playing like any other greens I’ll face all summer.
If I can keep the driver and wedges straight, I’ll be all set.
Mom and Dad came by on Sunday for a quick little weekend trip and so that Dad and I could play some golf together. He’s beat me consistently over my golfing “career” and I’m OK with that. I’ve been improving year after year and finally have beaten him a few times this year. We enjoy playing together, but we’re both extremely competitive. We tend to talk a lot of shit too.
So as last week went on and I was trying to get a confirmation that he would come down I finally got the word on Friday. I email Dad telling him I booked an 11:00 tee time. He comes back and says, “Wanna play for the supper bill?”
“You’re on,” I write back.
I got owned! I’ve never seen my Dad play so well. He shot a 39-42 and missed a sub-80 round because he hit in the water on the 18th hole. Part of me was rooting for him, but I can’t lie and say that part of me wasn’t rooting against him. I’m going to hear about the ass-kicking for awhile and I didn’t need him shooting in the 70s to make it that much worse.
So what did I shoot?
Uh…52-50. Probably my worst display all summer long. I couldn’t hit a drive, an iron, or a wedge. Chipping was actually pretty good, but my putting was not up to my standards. It was an awful 18 holes of golf. Sure enough though, I had to birdie 16 to make me want to come back another day.
So not only did golfing cost me $39, but I had to buy dinner for Mom and Dad which ran me another $84 at LoneStar. $123 total. It’s not paying the bill that hurts, it’s my pride!
The 2nd round of the 2006 British Open is nearly over and the leaderboard is full of big names. Here’s how the top 10 players in the world sit going into the weekend.
Just looking at the list, 5 of the top 10 players in the world are in in the top 9 and ties after the second round. Personally I think Tiger is going to go on and win his 2nd Open Championship in a row.
One of the surprise names I noticed was David Duval who shot 70-70 for a -4. After falling off the face of the golf world it’s good to see him coming back.
Tiger Woods is back. Two weeks ago he stormed back after a rough first round to finish tied for second place. Through 2 round of the 2006 British Open at Royal Liverpool, he’s shot -5 and -7 for a total of twelve under par which is currently good for a 3 shot lead. I doubt anyone else will get to ten under par at any point during the day, which will put Tiger right where he wants to be, with everyone chasing him.
Pat Forde wrote a great article over at ESPN after Tiger’s first round 67. Watching a professional golf major championship just isn’t the same when Tiger isn’t in the hunt. He put excitement into the game like no other player can. I’m looking forward to watching the rest of the British Open this weekend.
What do I know, Ernie Els finished at -11. Should be a fun weekend to watch.
While golfing 45 holes over the course of Saturday and Sunday, I came to one conclusion. Over 90 degrees with over 50% humidity is very hot on the golf course. I managed to get through it without too much of a problem, but I’d much rather have temperatures in the low 70s. Looks like Michelle Wie had a bit of a problem with the heat, dropping out of the John Deere Classic after 9 holes of the 2nd round. I just couldn’t resist getting her into a post title somehow.
After taking 2 weeks off because of my trip to Las Vegas (Day 1 and Day 2 summaries), I sure made up for the lost golf this weekend. On Saturday I played 27 holes and 18 more on Sunday. My friend Jere was up for the weekend and our plan was to golf, golf, golf. It was over 90 degrees both days here in Michigan and the humidity was high, especially on Sunday. Last night I was exhausted and I’m still feeling a bit tired today to go with a sore back.
…I just read that LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers signed a new three-year contract for $60 million. Obviously, that’s a great deal, but I wouldn’t trade places with him. Most NBA players only have two options: a team contract and a shoe deal. That’s the only exposure they get.
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I bet there a few athletes in other sports that would be willing to trades places with Tiger Woods. He gets to play golf for a living, has a beautiful wife, and is one of the richest athletes in the world. What a dream!
It felt good to be back out on the course yesterday. On the first tee I pulled out my 3 hybrid and took a nice easy swing, hitting the ball right down the middle of the fairway, about 120 yards from the green. Then I hit it fat and ended up in the ditch for a penalty stroke. Walked off with a 6. On the next hole I pulled out the 5 wood and hit a horrible topped shot off to the left. In the thick clover I couldn’t make good contact, but advanced the ball to the fairway about 70 yards out. Shanked one into the water off the right of the green and took a 7. Not the start I was looking for.
On #3 I hit a 4 hybrid right down the middle, stuck a sand wedge to about 8 foot, and just missed the birdie putt. Fourth hole hit a 3 wood just off the right of the fairway on a hill. Pulled the 2nd shot well left and took a drop. Escaped with a bogey 6. Pulled my driver left into a ditch on the drive-able 5th hole, but saved bogey. Played 5 holes and lost 4 balls already. It couldn’t get any worse. Sixth hole is a par 3 that played right into the wind and I thought my shot was all over the flag, but it held up in the air way too long and came up a few yards short. Bad chip up, but then sunk a 15 foot putt for par. Pushed a 5 iron out to the right on the next long par 3, but pin high. Chip and 2 putts for bogey. Popped up a driver on the par 5 8th hole, smoked a 2 hybrid to the front right of the green, made a bad chip, and lipped out the birdie putt. On the last hole of the day I made it on in two and 2 putted for par.
Ended up with a 44, which isn’t too bad considering I hit into 4 hazards for penalty strokes. Made 15 putts which is right around average for me, especially when I really only made one putt of any real length. It felt good to be back out on the course after two weeks away from the game and I’m looking forward to getting back into the “swing” of things with my golf game.