test
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Monday, June 24, 2013
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Child golf prodigy's hopes for a fourth world junior title up in the air after Golf Australia refuses to help
KARL Vilips is a triple golf world junior champion, but his struggling family can't afford flights to defend his title and Golf Australia has refused to help.
The 11-year-old former Dingley boy, who's family has fallen on tough times, has had his funding application to Golf Australia for airfare to the USA rejected.
Dad Paul, who lost his job and home, said Karl won't only miss the chance to defend his title, he'll miss the opportunity to take up a fully-funded scholarship at the Hank Haney International Junior Golf Academy in the US.
Mr Vilips, is on a disability pension and he and Karl are currently in temporary accommodation.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Should Golf Australia tip in for Karl? Do you think the organisation does a good job of nurturing young talent? Have your say below or email troels.sommerville@news.com.au
But Golf Australia chief executive Stephen Pitt said the organisation received numerous requests for funding each year and examined them on a "case-by-case basis using a range of criteria".
Karl Vilips
Karl Vilips is every bit the pro, even out of the bunker. Picture: Michael Klein
"With limited funding, not all of these requests are successful," he said.
The devoted dad is upset Golf Australia rejected the funding.
"It really makes it tough for players like Karl to get and stay motivated," Mr Vilips said.
"It made me feel really sad as a parent."
“Here you have the world’s best 11-year-old and they won’t give him anything," he said.
“No kid in the world has ever matched what Karl has done at this particular age.”
“There doesn’t seem to be any latitude for thinking outside the box in that organisation.
“You just feel you’re knocking your head against the wall when you’re dealing with them.”
Golf Australia states on its website that it aims to identify and develop talented golfers 'as early as possible'.
'The overall vision of the Golf Australia High Performance Program is to identify as early as possible Australia’s most talented golfers and give them the best possible opportunities and world-class resources to fully develop their potential on and off the golf course,' it states under the heading 'Golf Australia High Performance Program Vision'.
The 11-year-old former Dingley boy, who's family has fallen on tough times, has had his funding application to Golf Australia for airfare to the USA rejected.
Dad Paul, who lost his job and home, said Karl won't only miss the chance to defend his title, he'll miss the opportunity to take up a fully-funded scholarship at the Hank Haney International Junior Golf Academy in the US.
Mr Vilips, is on a disability pension and he and Karl are currently in temporary accommodation.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Should Golf Australia tip in for Karl? Do you think the organisation does a good job of nurturing young talent? Have your say below or email troels.sommerville@news.com.au
But Golf Australia chief executive Stephen Pitt said the organisation received numerous requests for funding each year and examined them on a "case-by-case basis using a range of criteria".
Karl Vilips
Karl Vilips is every bit the pro, even out of the bunker. Picture: Michael Klein
"With limited funding, not all of these requests are successful," he said.
The devoted dad is upset Golf Australia rejected the funding.
"It really makes it tough for players like Karl to get and stay motivated," Mr Vilips said.
"It made me feel really sad as a parent."
“Here you have the world’s best 11-year-old and they won’t give him anything," he said.
“No kid in the world has ever matched what Karl has done at this particular age.”
“There doesn’t seem to be any latitude for thinking outside the box in that organisation.
“You just feel you’re knocking your head against the wall when you’re dealing with them.”
Golf Australia states on its website that it aims to identify and develop talented golfers 'as early as possible'.
'The overall vision of the Golf Australia High Performance Program is to identify as early as possible Australia’s most talented golfers and give them the best possible opportunities and world-class resources to fully develop their potential on and off the golf course,' it states under the heading 'Golf Australia High Performance Program Vision'.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Phipps atop racing world with Derby winner Orb
There’s a lot of rich history behind Ogden Mills “Dinny” Phipps.
His great-grandfather, Henry Phipps, made his fortune in the iron and steel business with childhood friend and business partner Andrew Carnegie in the late 1800s.
His grandmother, Mrs. Henry Carnegie Phipps, owned Bold Ruler, the sire of 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat, the greatest racehorse in history — and a colt the family lost despite winning a coin flip.
His father, Ogden Phipps, ran the family’s racing empire that included nine champions, among them Buckpasser, Easy Goer and the undefeated filly Personal Ensign.
His first cousin is Stuart Janney III, whose parents owned the great filly Ruffian.
But Dinny Phipps and cousin Stuart may have topped ‘em all last week when their 3-year-old colt Orb gave the family its first Kentucky Derby victory.
“It’s terrific, absolutely wonderful,” Phipps said as he gears up for next week’s trip to Baltimore to see if Orb can win the Preakness on May 18 and set up a Triple Crown try in the Belmont Stakes three weeks after that.
“I’ve received hundreds of emails and texts and we are very lucky with what the reaction has been.”
For a change, it’s been almost all positive.
At a time racing is under intense pressure to come up with uniform medication rules and penalties, it’s refreshing that no dark clouds hang over a renowned stable — or its trainer, Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey — known for patience, priorities and playing fair.
“The popularity of Orb’s victory has a lot to do with what the Phipps family has meant to racing — a long tradition of service to the industry,” said Steven Crist, editor and publisher emeritus of Daily Racing Form. “The family has always believed that wealth and privilege also confer responsibility to improve the sport and the welfare of horses.”
Phipps also is chairman of The Jockey Club, a 119-year-old organization dedicated to improving breeding and racing. Recently, it has taken a lead role in calling for racing commissions to come up with “common medication rules” and dole out stiff penalties to cheaters. That sets Phipps up for plenty of criticism.
“I think we can bring people along to get the cheaters out of the game,” Phipps said this week at his Manhattan office at Bessemer Trust, the private wealth-management firm where he’s a board member. “I don’t think there are a lot, but the public perception is there.”
For all the champions the 72-year-old Phipps has bred and raced over the years, perhaps his most important move was not of the equine kind. In 1985, he was looking for a new trainer and pegged McGaughey as his man.
“We had watched him, saw his fillies run and saw his other horses run, and they looked well taken care of,” Phipps said. “He wasn’t sort of a famous name at that time, but he was up-and-coming, young and bright and his horses looked good and he ran a clean stable.”
Owner and trainer became friends. Champion racehorses followed: 1989 Belmont Stakes winner Easy Goer, Personal Ensign, Inside Information, Rhythm and Storm Flag Flying, to name a few. McGaughey has been fishing on Phipps’ boat, played golf with him at Augusta National and has been a dinner guest at his estates in Palm Beach, Fla., and Old Westbury, N.Y.
Winning isn’t the only reason their long friendship has flourished. Phipps allows McGaughey to make all the calls when it comes to racing.
“Everything that I do and any success that I’ve had I attribute to this being my ball game with horses on the racetrack,” McGaughey said. “The Phipps and Janneys don’t question you, they don’t tell you ‘We want to run in this race, how come the 2-year-olds aren’t running in June? They understand. They’re patient with me.”
Says Phipps: “He’s somebody who loves to compete. He gets his horses right, and they look well. I have never gone into his barn and seen something I thought was out of place.”
The Phipps Stable is a breeding business, too, and it’s the backbone of an overall operation totaling about 100 horses, including 20 co-owned with Janney. The stable does not go to sales, like many owners today, to pick out their horses. Instead, they breed their own, and currently have 25 mares at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky.
“Our philosophy is that we love our fillies,” Phipps said. “They will all keep producing as long as we treat them well and put the right ones back into stud. We’ve always tried to have trainers that are good filly trainers because to go out in the marketplace today to buy colts and fillies — with a colt you’ve only got 25-30 of them in a crop that do well out of 20,000-25,000. They are not worth much if they are not in that 25-30. Whereas a filly, if she does decently she is in the position to help you for a long time. We believe the broodmare is the most important quality of the race horse.”
Winning the Derby has always been a dream, but never a priority in the Phipps way of thinking.
“Sure, something would have been missing if we didn’t win, but we’ve had such a wonderful career in racing that it really wouldn’t have been something that was glaring missing,” Phipps said. “It does mean a great deal now that we have won it, but we have never tried to force our horses into that race and I just don’t think we need to do that.”
It’s true there have been some great racing moments for Phipps. He called Personal Ensign’s remarkable, final-stride win over Winning Colors in the 1988 Breeders’ Cup Distaff one of the greatest races he’s ever seen. He ranks Orb’s Derby win right up there, too.
Some ended in defeat. There was Easy Goer finishing second to Sunday Silence in the 1989 Derby, a year after Seeking the Gold was beaten a nose by Forty Niner in the Travers.
Perhaps the family’s toughest defeat came after a fateful coin flip in 1969.
Told by his grandmother he could buy a breeding season to Bold Ruler for $5,000, Phipps was all in. At the time, the Chenery family wanted to breed Somethingroyal to Bold Ruler, and a deal was struck. A coin flip would determine who got the newborn foal and who would get the next foal.
Because Phipps was out of town on business at the time the coin flip was to take place, his father made the call.
“It was a three-year deal, so if you got the first choice and went for the foal on the ground (that was Secretariat), then that’s the end of it,” Phipps recalled. “If you got the second choice and the mare happened to be barren you at least had an opportunity to get a foal the third year.
“My father knew what I wanted to do. They flipped the coin and he won. Now it all goes back to our filly philosophy — we wanted a filly — so we were willing to take a shot on the next one.”
Bad call. Yes, the next one was a filly, named The Bride, who ran four times and did not earn a penny.
“The Bride could not outrun me,” Phipps said.
After Orb won the Derby last Saturday, Phipps got around well enough to be in the winner’s circle for the trophy presentation.
“I went pretty good, that day,” he quipped.
A stout man with a round face, he leaned back in his chair and smiled, knowing how lucky he is to be able to move around at all. In 2009, a blood clot was found in his right leg. After surgery, a massive infection developed. At times, he said he was on a respirator and once went into septic shock. His condition was touch-and-go for the four months he was in the hospital.
After he was released, he continued recuperating at home, with return trips to the hospital when needed. For more than two years, he was rarely seen in public.
“I had 27 operations,” he said. “Tubes stuck in you everywhere trying to save you ... I was a sick fellow for a long while. I have today no feeling in my leg. I lost half my foot and I lost the left side of all my quads. It’s taken quite a while to get back and be able to walk with a crutch and get around.”
Four days after winning the Derby, Phipps went back to the hospital for a checkup.
“I have blood going in my foot and I’m a very happy fellow,” he said. “I was very, very lucky.”
His great-grandfather, Henry Phipps, made his fortune in the iron and steel business with childhood friend and business partner Andrew Carnegie in the late 1800s.
His grandmother, Mrs. Henry Carnegie Phipps, owned Bold Ruler, the sire of 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat, the greatest racehorse in history — and a colt the family lost despite winning a coin flip.
His father, Ogden Phipps, ran the family’s racing empire that included nine champions, among them Buckpasser, Easy Goer and the undefeated filly Personal Ensign.
His first cousin is Stuart Janney III, whose parents owned the great filly Ruffian.
But Dinny Phipps and cousin Stuart may have topped ‘em all last week when their 3-year-old colt Orb gave the family its first Kentucky Derby victory.
“It’s terrific, absolutely wonderful,” Phipps said as he gears up for next week’s trip to Baltimore to see if Orb can win the Preakness on May 18 and set up a Triple Crown try in the Belmont Stakes three weeks after that.
“I’ve received hundreds of emails and texts and we are very lucky with what the reaction has been.”
For a change, it’s been almost all positive.
At a time racing is under intense pressure to come up with uniform medication rules and penalties, it’s refreshing that no dark clouds hang over a renowned stable — or its trainer, Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey — known for patience, priorities and playing fair.
“The popularity of Orb’s victory has a lot to do with what the Phipps family has meant to racing — a long tradition of service to the industry,” said Steven Crist, editor and publisher emeritus of Daily Racing Form. “The family has always believed that wealth and privilege also confer responsibility to improve the sport and the welfare of horses.”
Phipps also is chairman of The Jockey Club, a 119-year-old organization dedicated to improving breeding and racing. Recently, it has taken a lead role in calling for racing commissions to come up with “common medication rules” and dole out stiff penalties to cheaters. That sets Phipps up for plenty of criticism.
“I think we can bring people along to get the cheaters out of the game,” Phipps said this week at his Manhattan office at Bessemer Trust, the private wealth-management firm where he’s a board member. “I don’t think there are a lot, but the public perception is there.”
For all the champions the 72-year-old Phipps has bred and raced over the years, perhaps his most important move was not of the equine kind. In 1985, he was looking for a new trainer and pegged McGaughey as his man.
“We had watched him, saw his fillies run and saw his other horses run, and they looked well taken care of,” Phipps said. “He wasn’t sort of a famous name at that time, but he was up-and-coming, young and bright and his horses looked good and he ran a clean stable.”
Owner and trainer became friends. Champion racehorses followed: 1989 Belmont Stakes winner Easy Goer, Personal Ensign, Inside Information, Rhythm and Storm Flag Flying, to name a few. McGaughey has been fishing on Phipps’ boat, played golf with him at Augusta National and has been a dinner guest at his estates in Palm Beach, Fla., and Old Westbury, N.Y.
Winning isn’t the only reason their long friendship has flourished. Phipps allows McGaughey to make all the calls when it comes to racing.
“Everything that I do and any success that I’ve had I attribute to this being my ball game with horses on the racetrack,” McGaughey said. “The Phipps and Janneys don’t question you, they don’t tell you ‘We want to run in this race, how come the 2-year-olds aren’t running in June? They understand. They’re patient with me.”
Says Phipps: “He’s somebody who loves to compete. He gets his horses right, and they look well. I have never gone into his barn and seen something I thought was out of place.”
The Phipps Stable is a breeding business, too, and it’s the backbone of an overall operation totaling about 100 horses, including 20 co-owned with Janney. The stable does not go to sales, like many owners today, to pick out their horses. Instead, they breed their own, and currently have 25 mares at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky.
“Our philosophy is that we love our fillies,” Phipps said. “They will all keep producing as long as we treat them well and put the right ones back into stud. We’ve always tried to have trainers that are good filly trainers because to go out in the marketplace today to buy colts and fillies — with a colt you’ve only got 25-30 of them in a crop that do well out of 20,000-25,000. They are not worth much if they are not in that 25-30. Whereas a filly, if she does decently she is in the position to help you for a long time. We believe the broodmare is the most important quality of the race horse.”
Winning the Derby has always been a dream, but never a priority in the Phipps way of thinking.
“Sure, something would have been missing if we didn’t win, but we’ve had such a wonderful career in racing that it really wouldn’t have been something that was glaring missing,” Phipps said. “It does mean a great deal now that we have won it, but we have never tried to force our horses into that race and I just don’t think we need to do that.”
It’s true there have been some great racing moments for Phipps. He called Personal Ensign’s remarkable, final-stride win over Winning Colors in the 1988 Breeders’ Cup Distaff one of the greatest races he’s ever seen. He ranks Orb’s Derby win right up there, too.
Some ended in defeat. There was Easy Goer finishing second to Sunday Silence in the 1989 Derby, a year after Seeking the Gold was beaten a nose by Forty Niner in the Travers.
Perhaps the family’s toughest defeat came after a fateful coin flip in 1969.
Told by his grandmother he could buy a breeding season to Bold Ruler for $5,000, Phipps was all in. At the time, the Chenery family wanted to breed Somethingroyal to Bold Ruler, and a deal was struck. A coin flip would determine who got the newborn foal and who would get the next foal.
Because Phipps was out of town on business at the time the coin flip was to take place, his father made the call.
“It was a three-year deal, so if you got the first choice and went for the foal on the ground (that was Secretariat), then that’s the end of it,” Phipps recalled. “If you got the second choice and the mare happened to be barren you at least had an opportunity to get a foal the third year.
“My father knew what I wanted to do. They flipped the coin and he won. Now it all goes back to our filly philosophy — we wanted a filly — so we were willing to take a shot on the next one.”
Bad call. Yes, the next one was a filly, named The Bride, who ran four times and did not earn a penny.
“The Bride could not outrun me,” Phipps said.
After Orb won the Derby last Saturday, Phipps got around well enough to be in the winner’s circle for the trophy presentation.
“I went pretty good, that day,” he quipped.
A stout man with a round face, he leaned back in his chair and smiled, knowing how lucky he is to be able to move around at all. In 2009, a blood clot was found in his right leg. After surgery, a massive infection developed. At times, he said he was on a respirator and once went into septic shock. His condition was touch-and-go for the four months he was in the hospital.
After he was released, he continued recuperating at home, with return trips to the hospital when needed. For more than two years, he was rarely seen in public.
“I had 27 operations,” he said. “Tubes stuck in you everywhere trying to save you ... I was a sick fellow for a long while. I have today no feeling in my leg. I lost half my foot and I lost the left side of all my quads. It’s taken quite a while to get back and be able to walk with a crutch and get around.”
Four days after winning the Derby, Phipps went back to the hospital for a checkup.
“I have blood going in my foot and I’m a very happy fellow,” he said. “I was very, very lucky.”
Monday, April 29, 2013
New York's Saint Andrew's Golf Club to celebrate 125th anniversary
When the Saint Andrew's Golf Club-the oldest continuously existing golf club in America, founded in 1888-commemorates its 125th Anniversary this June, one of the highlights of the week-long celebration will be a star-studded panel of golf luminaries gazing into a crystal ball to predict the game's future.
On Saturday, June 8, the famed Waldorf Astoria in midtown Manhattan will host the club's Gala Anniversary Dinner Dance. A major part of the evening's program will be a roundtable conversation on the "The Present and Future of Golf," featuring notables from across the golf world.
Hosting the discussion will be Jimmy Roberts of NBC Sports, who also will serve as the evening's Master of Ceremonies. Joining him in focusing on the game will be:
• Billy Casper, Jr., one of golf's most prolific winners, two-time U.S. Open champion, winner of The Masters, and member of the World Golf Hall of Fame
• Ted Bishop, current president of the PGA of America and Director of Golf/General Manager of The Legends Golf Club in Franklin, Indiana
• Michael Breed, 2012 PGA National Teacher of the Year, author, and host of "The Golf Fix" on Golf Channel
• Stina Sternberg, Global Golf Director for Golf Digest
Following the roundtable, the dinner's keynote speech will be given by actor and golf enthusiast John O'Hurley, who has become famous-when not playing golf-by playing J. Peterman on "Seinfeld" as well as performing on Broadway and around the country. Another highlight of the evening will be a special presentation by USGA President Glen Nager, recognizing the association's five founding clubs for their pioneering vision in organizing the game of golf in America.
The New York-based PVH Corp. (NYSE: PVH) and its IZOD brand is the title sponsor for Saint Andrew's week-long anniversary celebration, which will honor the past, present and future of golf, while raising funds for charity. In addition to IZOD, PVH Corp. markets many of the most famous brands in men's wear worldwide, including Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Van Heusen and ARROW.
IZOD has relationships with world-ranked golf professionals, including 2012 U.S. Open Champion Webb Simpson, PGA Tour Champion Scott Piercy and PGA Tour player Spencer Levin, all of who wear IZOD Golf apparel on the golf course.
"We are extremely pleased to participate in the 125th Anniversary Celebration with The Saint Andrew's Golf Club," said Emanuel Chirico, Chairman and CEO of PVH Corp. "The club's vision to celebrate this unique milestone while raising funds for important charitable causes typifies the character and integrity we so admire within the golf industry."
The gala evening is the culmination of a week of events honoring The Saint Andrew's Golf Club. Highlights of the week include the Folds of Honor Pro-Am Golf Tournament (Tuesday, June 4) to support the families of killed or disabled members of the military; the Celebration of Women's Golf (Wednesday, June 5), marking the history and growth of women's golf in America; and the Celebrity-Am Golf Tournament (Friday, June 7), an invitation-only event at Saint Andrew's Golf Club featuring celebrities from the world of sports and entertainment, paired with amateur golfers.
Continuing its legacy of charitable involvement, Saint Andrew's has designated The First Tee of Metropolitan New York and the Folds Of Honor Foundation as the two key beneficiaries of the celebration, which has already attracted a variety of distinguished supporters and participants, from renowned golf champions and current tour pros to public figures, celebrities and sports legends.
Members of The Saint Andrew's Golf Club are cognizant of their stewardship of the club's place in golf history and the significant role that Saint Andrew's has played in fostering the birth and growth of golf in the United States. "The founders of our club were motivated by a passion for golf, and a desire to organize and grow the game in America," stated George Miller, President of Saint Andrew's. "Our anniversary celebration has been designed to honor that legacy, by giving back to the community around us, and supporting the next 125 years of golf in America."
To inquire about participating in The Saint Andrew's Golf Club 125th Anniversary events, to purchase tickets for the Gala Anniversary Dinner Dance or to make a contribution to The Saint Andrew's Golf Club 125th Anniversary Fund, contact Karen Degnan at (914) 478-3500, or visit http://www.125yearsofgolfinamerica.com.
On Saturday, June 8, the famed Waldorf Astoria in midtown Manhattan will host the club's Gala Anniversary Dinner Dance. A major part of the evening's program will be a roundtable conversation on the "The Present and Future of Golf," featuring notables from across the golf world.
Hosting the discussion will be Jimmy Roberts of NBC Sports, who also will serve as the evening's Master of Ceremonies. Joining him in focusing on the game will be:
• Billy Casper, Jr., one of golf's most prolific winners, two-time U.S. Open champion, winner of The Masters, and member of the World Golf Hall of Fame
• Ted Bishop, current president of the PGA of America and Director of Golf/General Manager of The Legends Golf Club in Franklin, Indiana
• Michael Breed, 2012 PGA National Teacher of the Year, author, and host of "The Golf Fix" on Golf Channel
• Stina Sternberg, Global Golf Director for Golf Digest
Following the roundtable, the dinner's keynote speech will be given by actor and golf enthusiast John O'Hurley, who has become famous-when not playing golf-by playing J. Peterman on "Seinfeld" as well as performing on Broadway and around the country. Another highlight of the evening will be a special presentation by USGA President Glen Nager, recognizing the association's five founding clubs for their pioneering vision in organizing the game of golf in America.
The New York-based PVH Corp. (NYSE: PVH) and its IZOD brand is the title sponsor for Saint Andrew's week-long anniversary celebration, which will honor the past, present and future of golf, while raising funds for charity. In addition to IZOD, PVH Corp. markets many of the most famous brands in men's wear worldwide, including Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Van Heusen and ARROW.
IZOD has relationships with world-ranked golf professionals, including 2012 U.S. Open Champion Webb Simpson, PGA Tour Champion Scott Piercy and PGA Tour player Spencer Levin, all of who wear IZOD Golf apparel on the golf course.
"We are extremely pleased to participate in the 125th Anniversary Celebration with The Saint Andrew's Golf Club," said Emanuel Chirico, Chairman and CEO of PVH Corp. "The club's vision to celebrate this unique milestone while raising funds for important charitable causes typifies the character and integrity we so admire within the golf industry."
The gala evening is the culmination of a week of events honoring The Saint Andrew's Golf Club. Highlights of the week include the Folds of Honor Pro-Am Golf Tournament (Tuesday, June 4) to support the families of killed or disabled members of the military; the Celebration of Women's Golf (Wednesday, June 5), marking the history and growth of women's golf in America; and the Celebrity-Am Golf Tournament (Friday, June 7), an invitation-only event at Saint Andrew's Golf Club featuring celebrities from the world of sports and entertainment, paired with amateur golfers.
Continuing its legacy of charitable involvement, Saint Andrew's has designated The First Tee of Metropolitan New York and the Folds Of Honor Foundation as the two key beneficiaries of the celebration, which has already attracted a variety of distinguished supporters and participants, from renowned golf champions and current tour pros to public figures, celebrities and sports legends.
Members of The Saint Andrew's Golf Club are cognizant of their stewardship of the club's place in golf history and the significant role that Saint Andrew's has played in fostering the birth and growth of golf in the United States. "The founders of our club were motivated by a passion for golf, and a desire to organize and grow the game in America," stated George Miller, President of Saint Andrew's. "Our anniversary celebration has been designed to honor that legacy, by giving back to the community around us, and supporting the next 125 years of golf in America."
To inquire about participating in The Saint Andrew's Golf Club 125th Anniversary events, to purchase tickets for the Gala Anniversary Dinner Dance or to make a contribution to The Saint Andrew's Golf Club 125th Anniversary Fund, contact Karen Degnan at (914) 478-3500, or visit http://www.125yearsofgolfinamerica.com.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Gary Player visits Brazil in support of Brasil Classic tournament
The man who put South Africa on the golfing map landed in São Paulo on a mission to do the same for the sport in Brazil.
As part of its sponsorship of this week's Brasil Classic tournament (April 4-7), global golf sponsor HSBC has flown in international golf legend Gary Player to help the country's best young amateur prepare for the event with a 48 hour masterclass in golfing excellence.
As the countdown continues to golf's return to the Olympic Games at Rio 2016, the nine time Major winner gave São Paulo-born Rafael Becker a putting lesson on the roof of the city's tallest building, Centenario Plaza - a perfect birthday present for the former Brazilian No 1 junior who turns 22 today.
Player, a finalist for the 2016 Rio Olympic golf course design bid, hopes to lend the young Brazilian advice from his storied career that includes a record setting 59 en route to his 1974 Brazil Open victory.
Becker - the only local amateur taking part in the US $675,000 Brasil Classic presented by HSBC - will spend two days under the wing of the golf icon as part of a comprehensive masterclass covering everything from mental preparation to diet and fitness plus all aspects of the game from tee to green. The pair will also play a full round together at the tournament's Pro-Am event.
Brasil Classic presented by HSBC is a new event on the Web.com Tour, the developmental tour which represents the main opportunity to earn a place on the PGA Tour.
South African Player, who is renowned as the world's most travelled sportsman having clocked up an incredible 25 million km, said: "When I first started to travel the world in the 1950s it was a genuine breakthrough moment for golf in South Africa - now could be the moment for Brazil and if my visit can inspire the next generation of talent that really would be fantastic.
"When HSBC contacted me I was more than happy to answer the call - Rio 2016 is fast approaching and this Brasil Classic event is a great shop window for golf in this part of the world.
"I'm absolutely thrilled that golf will be included in the Olympics once again. The exposure will be a great catalyst for growth and development around the world, especially in new, emerging markets and the growth in Brazil and Latin America will be tremendous.
"The global game of golf is developing at a rapid pace and there's one thing I've learnt in my career - change is the price of survival."
Giles Morgan, HSBC Global Head of Sponsorship & Events, added: "This year marks HSBC's tenth anniversary as a major international sponsor of golf - in that time we have been involved in 30 tournaments and 1,000 golf days and helped thousands of children worldwide get involved in the game of golf.
"As a global banking and financial services organisation, we pride ourselves on opening up a world of opportunities for people and we want to help Brazil maximize the Olympic opportunity - this is why we have sponsored this groundbreaking new event on the Web.com Tour and why we have flown one of the best golfer's in history to São Paulo this week.
"We hope Rafael can go on to great things for Brasil and it would be incredible to see him making an impact at Rio 2016 - with a nine time major winner on his side he's got a great chance."
For further information, please contact:
HSBC Golf Press Office
Steve Bradley 07771 776568 steve.bradley@hkstrategies.com
About HBSC:
HSBC provides a comprehensive range of financial services to around 89 million customers through four global businesses; Global Retail Banking and Wealth Management, Global Commercial Banking, Global Banking and Markets and Global Private Banking.
The HSBC Group
HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of the HSBC Group, is headquartered in London. The Group serves customers worldwide from around 6,900 offices in over 80 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, North and Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa. With assets of US$2,721bn at 30 September 2012, the HSBC Group is one of the world's largest banking and financial services organisations.
HSBC Golf Sponsorships
HSBC's global commitment to golf encompasses all levels of the game, from grassroots to elite. HSBC is a Patron of The Open Championship and this partnership with The Royal & Ancient creates a centre of gravity in a global golf portfolio that spans HSBC's key markets. In Asia, HSBC has spearheaded the arrival of world-class golf events, with its flagship WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai and HSBC Women's Champions in Singapore. The WGC-HSBC Champions is renowned as 'Asia's Major' and was once described by 14-time Major winner and former World Number 1 Tiger Woods as "The crowning jewel of all of Asian golf."
HSBC has been co-title sponsor of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship since 2010 and the event has quickly become one of the biggest events on the European PGA Tour calendar. As golf returns to the Olympic Games for Rio 2016, HSBC is sponsoring the Brasil Classic event on the Web.com Tour in April 2013.
However, underpinning those blue-riband events is a longer-term goal to create a legacy from HSBC's global tournaments through its sponsorship of youth development and grassroots programmes. As well as committing to the professional game, HSBC has a longer-term goal to create the legacy through sponsorship of youth development and grassroots programmes around the world. In China, HSBC supports the HSBC China Junior Golf Program - a sustainable long-term structure and framework upon which the future of Chinese golf is being built. This includes the HSBC-sponsored China National Junior Team, the HSBC China Junior Open and the HSBC National Junior Golf Championship: a year-long series of tournaments designed to give China's elite junior golfers the competitive platform they need to develop their game. In the UK HSBC is sponsor of HSBC Golf Roots - The Golf Foundation's national development programme which promotes the sport in schools, helps youngsters into clubs, and uses golf to promote important life skills such as honesty and respect.
As part of its sponsorship of this week's Brasil Classic tournament (April 4-7), global golf sponsor HSBC has flown in international golf legend Gary Player to help the country's best young amateur prepare for the event with a 48 hour masterclass in golfing excellence.
As the countdown continues to golf's return to the Olympic Games at Rio 2016, the nine time Major winner gave São Paulo-born Rafael Becker a putting lesson on the roof of the city's tallest building, Centenario Plaza - a perfect birthday present for the former Brazilian No 1 junior who turns 22 today.
Player, a finalist for the 2016 Rio Olympic golf course design bid, hopes to lend the young Brazilian advice from his storied career that includes a record setting 59 en route to his 1974 Brazil Open victory.
Becker - the only local amateur taking part in the US $675,000 Brasil Classic presented by HSBC - will spend two days under the wing of the golf icon as part of a comprehensive masterclass covering everything from mental preparation to diet and fitness plus all aspects of the game from tee to green. The pair will also play a full round together at the tournament's Pro-Am event.
Brasil Classic presented by HSBC is a new event on the Web.com Tour, the developmental tour which represents the main opportunity to earn a place on the PGA Tour.
South African Player, who is renowned as the world's most travelled sportsman having clocked up an incredible 25 million km, said: "When I first started to travel the world in the 1950s it was a genuine breakthrough moment for golf in South Africa - now could be the moment for Brazil and if my visit can inspire the next generation of talent that really would be fantastic.
"When HSBC contacted me I was more than happy to answer the call - Rio 2016 is fast approaching and this Brasil Classic event is a great shop window for golf in this part of the world.
"I'm absolutely thrilled that golf will be included in the Olympics once again. The exposure will be a great catalyst for growth and development around the world, especially in new, emerging markets and the growth in Brazil and Latin America will be tremendous.
"The global game of golf is developing at a rapid pace and there's one thing I've learnt in my career - change is the price of survival."
Giles Morgan, HSBC Global Head of Sponsorship & Events, added: "This year marks HSBC's tenth anniversary as a major international sponsor of golf - in that time we have been involved in 30 tournaments and 1,000 golf days and helped thousands of children worldwide get involved in the game of golf.
"As a global banking and financial services organisation, we pride ourselves on opening up a world of opportunities for people and we want to help Brazil maximize the Olympic opportunity - this is why we have sponsored this groundbreaking new event on the Web.com Tour and why we have flown one of the best golfer's in history to São Paulo this week.
"We hope Rafael can go on to great things for Brasil and it would be incredible to see him making an impact at Rio 2016 - with a nine time major winner on his side he's got a great chance."
For further information, please contact:
HSBC Golf Press Office
Steve Bradley 07771 776568 steve.bradley@hkstrategies.com
About HBSC:
HSBC provides a comprehensive range of financial services to around 89 million customers through four global businesses; Global Retail Banking and Wealth Management, Global Commercial Banking, Global Banking and Markets and Global Private Banking.
The HSBC Group
HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of the HSBC Group, is headquartered in London. The Group serves customers worldwide from around 6,900 offices in over 80 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, North and Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa. With assets of US$2,721bn at 30 September 2012, the HSBC Group is one of the world's largest banking and financial services organisations.
HSBC Golf Sponsorships
HSBC's global commitment to golf encompasses all levels of the game, from grassroots to elite. HSBC is a Patron of The Open Championship and this partnership with The Royal & Ancient creates a centre of gravity in a global golf portfolio that spans HSBC's key markets. In Asia, HSBC has spearheaded the arrival of world-class golf events, with its flagship WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai and HSBC Women's Champions in Singapore. The WGC-HSBC Champions is renowned as 'Asia's Major' and was once described by 14-time Major winner and former World Number 1 Tiger Woods as "The crowning jewel of all of Asian golf."
HSBC has been co-title sponsor of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship since 2010 and the event has quickly become one of the biggest events on the European PGA Tour calendar. As golf returns to the Olympic Games for Rio 2016, HSBC is sponsoring the Brasil Classic event on the Web.com Tour in April 2013.
However, underpinning those blue-riband events is a longer-term goal to create a legacy from HSBC's global tournaments through its sponsorship of youth development and grassroots programmes. As well as committing to the professional game, HSBC has a longer-term goal to create the legacy through sponsorship of youth development and grassroots programmes around the world. In China, HSBC supports the HSBC China Junior Golf Program - a sustainable long-term structure and framework upon which the future of Chinese golf is being built. This includes the HSBC-sponsored China National Junior Team, the HSBC China Junior Open and the HSBC National Junior Golf Championship: a year-long series of tournaments designed to give China's elite junior golfers the competitive platform they need to develop their game. In the UK HSBC is sponsor of HSBC Golf Roots - The Golf Foundation's national development programme which promotes the sport in schools, helps youngsters into clubs, and uses golf to promote important life skills such as honesty and respect.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Stacy Lewis on top of the golf world
Dale Lewis never thought his daughter, Stacy, could be the No. 1 golfer in the world. His dream for her was much more modest.
“I just wanted her to play in one college golf tournament. That was it,” Dale said.
On Sunday, after Stacy had received a celebratory beer bath from LPGA Tour pros Gerina Piller and Kristy McPherson, father and daughter met on the 18th green at Wildfire Golf Club. Dale, his eyes moist, lifted Stacy in the air and spoke the words he once thought impossible.
“You’re the Number 1 player in the world,” he said.
So she is.
Lewis’ final-round 8-under 64 gave her a 3-shot victory over Ai Miyazato in the RR Donnelley Founders Cup and, more significantly, vaulted her past Na Yeon Choi and Yani Tseng to the top of the Rolex rankings.
For a woman who wore a back brace 18 hours a day for 7½ years starting at the age of 11 because of scoliosis, the ascent defies reason or explanation.
“Almost 10 years ago I was going into surgery to put a (titanium) rod and five screws in my back,” said Lewis, who ended Tseng’s 109-week stranglehold on No. 1 and is the first American to top the rankings since Cristie Kerr in 2010.
“That’s not normal. … I mean, I’m really not supposed to be here. People with metal in their back, how do you play golf? I don’t know. I don’t know how.”
Lewis started thinking about the No. 1 ranking midway through the 2012 season but figured it would take much of this year to get there — if she did at all. But two victories in four starts — she won the HSBC Women’s Champions earlier this month — made up the ground rather quickly.
“It’s just crazy,” Lewis said. … “To be Number 1 in the world — it’s what everybody out here on tour is working for, and to be that person, is, I mean, I really don’t even know what to say.”
For much of Sunday, victory seemed beyond Lewis’ grasp. Every time she made a birdie, Miyazato responded and maintained a 3-stroke lead with six holes left.
But then everyone found out that there’s more than one infamous 16th hole in the Valley.
On Saturday, Lewis incurred a 2-stroke penalty at the short (307 yards) and supposedly benign par 4 when her caddie, Travis Wilson, was ruled to have tested the sand in the left fairway bunker.
Sunday, No. 16 cost Miyazato the tournament.
Standing in the fairway with a 1-stroke lead and a pitching wedge in her hand, Miyazato hit her approach shot far left — “I was shocked. That’s not Ai at all,” Lewis said — and it rolled down a hill and into an unplayable lie in the desert. After inexplicably taking a drop in the desert rather than walking back to her original lie and hitting her fourth shot from the fairway, Miyazato wound up with a double-bogey.
Lewis then drained her birdie putt, pointed to Wilson and walked to the 17th tee with a 2-shot lead.
The tournament — and the No. 1 ranking — were hers.
“We were so motivated today,” said Lewis, 28. “I really wanted to birdie 16. That was kind of in the back of my mind all day, and as soon as I made that putt, I pointed to Travis, and I said, ‘That one’s for you.’
“He would have felt horrible if we lost by 2, so that’s why I just put the dagger in and made some more putts there coming in.”
Lewis, who donated $50,000 of her purse to the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf foundation, won’t be burdened by the pressure of being No. 1.
She knows there will be additional demands on her time and that she’ll be under the microscope every time she tees it up.
But she has a back held together by a rod and five screws, and all dad wanted was that one college tournament.
What’s not to enjoy?
“I watched Yani struggle with (the expectations) for too long,” Lewis said. “I’m going to go have fun.”
Reach Bordow at scott.bordow!@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-7996. Follow him on Twitter at Twitter.com/sBordow.
“I just wanted her to play in one college golf tournament. That was it,” Dale said.
On Sunday, after Stacy had received a celebratory beer bath from LPGA Tour pros Gerina Piller and Kristy McPherson, father and daughter met on the 18th green at Wildfire Golf Club. Dale, his eyes moist, lifted Stacy in the air and spoke the words he once thought impossible.
“You’re the Number 1 player in the world,” he said.
So she is.
Lewis’ final-round 8-under 64 gave her a 3-shot victory over Ai Miyazato in the RR Donnelley Founders Cup and, more significantly, vaulted her past Na Yeon Choi and Yani Tseng to the top of the Rolex rankings.
For a woman who wore a back brace 18 hours a day for 7½ years starting at the age of 11 because of scoliosis, the ascent defies reason or explanation.
“Almost 10 years ago I was going into surgery to put a (titanium) rod and five screws in my back,” said Lewis, who ended Tseng’s 109-week stranglehold on No. 1 and is the first American to top the rankings since Cristie Kerr in 2010.
“That’s not normal. … I mean, I’m really not supposed to be here. People with metal in their back, how do you play golf? I don’t know. I don’t know how.”
Lewis started thinking about the No. 1 ranking midway through the 2012 season but figured it would take much of this year to get there — if she did at all. But two victories in four starts — she won the HSBC Women’s Champions earlier this month — made up the ground rather quickly.
“It’s just crazy,” Lewis said. … “To be Number 1 in the world — it’s what everybody out here on tour is working for, and to be that person, is, I mean, I really don’t even know what to say.”
For much of Sunday, victory seemed beyond Lewis’ grasp. Every time she made a birdie, Miyazato responded and maintained a 3-stroke lead with six holes left.
But then everyone found out that there’s more than one infamous 16th hole in the Valley.
On Saturday, Lewis incurred a 2-stroke penalty at the short (307 yards) and supposedly benign par 4 when her caddie, Travis Wilson, was ruled to have tested the sand in the left fairway bunker.
Sunday, No. 16 cost Miyazato the tournament.
Standing in the fairway with a 1-stroke lead and a pitching wedge in her hand, Miyazato hit her approach shot far left — “I was shocked. That’s not Ai at all,” Lewis said — and it rolled down a hill and into an unplayable lie in the desert. After inexplicably taking a drop in the desert rather than walking back to her original lie and hitting her fourth shot from the fairway, Miyazato wound up with a double-bogey.
Lewis then drained her birdie putt, pointed to Wilson and walked to the 17th tee with a 2-shot lead.
The tournament — and the No. 1 ranking — were hers.
“We were so motivated today,” said Lewis, 28. “I really wanted to birdie 16. That was kind of in the back of my mind all day, and as soon as I made that putt, I pointed to Travis, and I said, ‘That one’s for you.’
“He would have felt horrible if we lost by 2, so that’s why I just put the dagger in and made some more putts there coming in.”
Lewis, who donated $50,000 of her purse to the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf foundation, won’t be burdened by the pressure of being No. 1.
She knows there will be additional demands on her time and that she’ll be under the microscope every time she tees it up.
But she has a back held together by a rod and five screws, and all dad wanted was that one college tournament.
What’s not to enjoy?
“I watched Yani struggle with (the expectations) for too long,” Lewis said. “I’m going to go have fun.”
Reach Bordow at scott.bordow!@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-7996. Follow him on Twitter at Twitter.com/sBordow.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Ted Nugent: ‘I Will Remain Respectful’ at Obama Speech
Rock star and gun-rights supporter Ted Nugent arrived on Capitol Hill on Tuesday for President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, promising to “remain respectful.”
Mr. Nugent, who said last year that Mr. Obama’s re-election would “destroy America,” was invited to the annual address to Congress by Rep. Steve Stockman (R., Texas), who said Mr. Nugent would have a lot to say after the speech. Mr. Nugent will be sharing the gallery with hundreds of other guests, including some two dozen people who have been shot or lost relatives to gun violence and are rooting for Mr. Obama to follow through on a gun-control agenda.
“I will remain respectful in the decorum department, but I know what self-evident truths are and I know what the right to keep bear arms means,” Mr. Nugent told a pair of reporters. “I represent working hard, playing hard, logical, productive Americans who own lots of guns, lots of ammo and we’re an asset to our neighborhoods and our family and this country and for our rights to be infringed is real counterproductive.”
Mr. Nugent told a National Rifle Association convention last year that “if Barack Obama becomes the president in November again, I will either be dead or in jail by this time next year.” Mr. Nugent’s comments drew scrutiny from the Secret Service, which saw the comments as a threat. But Mr. Nugent said he had never threatened anyone’s life.
After the election, Mr. Nugent took to Twitter to complain about “pimps,” “whores,” and “welfare brats” who voted for a president who will “destroy America.”
Mr. Nugent said Tuesday wasn’t carrying any weapons. “I’m butt-naked,” he told the reporters. “If something happens, you’re going to have to call somebody else because I can’t do squat to help you right now. I don’t even have a pocketknife on me,” he said. “I did retain my flashlight though,” he announced, pulling a small flashlight out of his pocket. “This is so weird and this is so un-American,” he said of the security check at the Capitol.
Earlier on Tuesday, gun-control advocates and their congressional hosts gathered at a Capitol Hill news conference to press Congress to act. The December mass shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., has focused congressional attention on advancing gun legislation.
“More guns is not the answer,” said Rep. Jim Langevin (D., R.I.), who was paralyzed at the age of 16 after a gun being handled by a weapons expert accidentally discharged during a Boy Scout training event.
Mr. Nugent, who said last year that Mr. Obama’s re-election would “destroy America,” was invited to the annual address to Congress by Rep. Steve Stockman (R., Texas), who said Mr. Nugent would have a lot to say after the speech. Mr. Nugent will be sharing the gallery with hundreds of other guests, including some two dozen people who have been shot or lost relatives to gun violence and are rooting for Mr. Obama to follow through on a gun-control agenda.
“I will remain respectful in the decorum department, but I know what self-evident truths are and I know what the right to keep bear arms means,” Mr. Nugent told a pair of reporters. “I represent working hard, playing hard, logical, productive Americans who own lots of guns, lots of ammo and we’re an asset to our neighborhoods and our family and this country and for our rights to be infringed is real counterproductive.”
Mr. Nugent told a National Rifle Association convention last year that “if Barack Obama becomes the president in November again, I will either be dead or in jail by this time next year.” Mr. Nugent’s comments drew scrutiny from the Secret Service, which saw the comments as a threat. But Mr. Nugent said he had never threatened anyone’s life.
After the election, Mr. Nugent took to Twitter to complain about “pimps,” “whores,” and “welfare brats” who voted for a president who will “destroy America.”
Mr. Nugent said Tuesday wasn’t carrying any weapons. “I’m butt-naked,” he told the reporters. “If something happens, you’re going to have to call somebody else because I can’t do squat to help you right now. I don’t even have a pocketknife on me,” he said. “I did retain my flashlight though,” he announced, pulling a small flashlight out of his pocket. “This is so weird and this is so un-American,” he said of the security check at the Capitol.
Earlier on Tuesday, gun-control advocates and their congressional hosts gathered at a Capitol Hill news conference to press Congress to act. The December mass shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., has focused congressional attention on advancing gun legislation.
“More guns is not the answer,” said Rep. Jim Langevin (D., R.I.), who was paralyzed at the age of 16 after a gun being handled by a weapons expert accidentally discharged during a Boy Scout training event.
Monday, February 4, 2013
PHIL Mickelson is back in the world’s top ten
PHIL Mickelson is back in the world’s top ten for the first time since last May after his wire-to-wire victory at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
Mickelson, who just missed out on a 59 in the opening round, finished four clear of Brandt Snedeker and improves from 22nd to 10th on the rankings, while Snedeker, also runner-up to Tiger Woods at Torrey Pines a week earlier, is up to a career-high sixth.
Already a three-times champion at the Masters, the resurgent Mickelson served notice he will again be among the front-runners for the year’s opening major by completing his victory at the Phoenix Open.
The American left-hander, who has made a career habit of winning in the first four months of the PGA Tour season, triumphed by four shots after closing with a four-under-par 67 at the TPC Scottsdale.
It was the 28th time Mickelson had triumphed on the PGA Tour before the end of April, while the title was his 41st overall on the US circuit.
He has now won at least once in 20 different seasons on American soil, with only Sam Snead (24 seasons) and Jack Nicklaus (21) ahead of him.
Mickelson, who just missed out on a 59 in the opening round, finished four clear of Brandt Snedeker and improves from 22nd to 10th on the rankings, while Snedeker, also runner-up to Tiger Woods at Torrey Pines a week earlier, is up to a career-high sixth.
Already a three-times champion at the Masters, the resurgent Mickelson served notice he will again be among the front-runners for the year’s opening major by completing his victory at the Phoenix Open.
The American left-hander, who has made a career habit of winning in the first four months of the PGA Tour season, triumphed by four shots after closing with a four-under-par 67 at the TPC Scottsdale.
It was the 28th time Mickelson had triumphed on the PGA Tour before the end of April, while the title was his 41st overall on the US circuit.
He has now won at least once in 20 different seasons on American soil, with only Sam Snead (24 seasons) and Jack Nicklaus (21) ahead of him.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Is this the new Tiger Woods? Toddler golfer stuns world
THIS cheeky toddler, who is making almost as many hits as his YouTube video, could be the next big thing in the golf world.
Jennifer Dhanjal said her son Rushton had been obsessed with golf "since before he could walk".
In this two-and-half-minute video Ms Dhanjal posted today, her son is seen running around an empty room as his parents roll an endless supply of toy golf balls his way.
Rushton, whose nickname is Peanut, squeals with delight as he connects with every ball, hitting them hard into walls and occasionally hitting his parents.
The 17-month-old, from Saskatchewan in Canada, is already being compared to Tiger Woods at the age of two.
It is unclear why there is no furniture in the room, but Rushton’s parents seem so entertained by their talented son that they can probably live without a television.
Jennifer Dhanjal said her son Rushton had been obsessed with golf "since before he could walk".
In this two-and-half-minute video Ms Dhanjal posted today, her son is seen running around an empty room as his parents roll an endless supply of toy golf balls his way.
Rushton, whose nickname is Peanut, squeals with delight as he connects with every ball, hitting them hard into walls and occasionally hitting his parents.
The 17-month-old, from Saskatchewan in Canada, is already being compared to Tiger Woods at the age of two.
It is unclear why there is no furniture in the room, but Rushton’s parents seem so entertained by their talented son that they can probably live without a television.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Golf: European Tour Returns This Week At The Volvo Championship
After a brief rest, the European Tour gets underway this week at the Volvo Championship in Durban South Africa at the Durban Country Club. The European Tour got it’s 2013 season started in December at the Nelson Mandela Championship and Alfred Dunhill before taking a holiday break. The Volvo Championship, like the Hyundai Tournament of Champions on the PGA Tour, is a kick off event for winners on the tour in 2012.
Although there are exemptions for special consideration, the field looks to be around 32 of Europe’s finest players. Colin Montgomerie and Jose Maria Olazabal are in the field. Last years winner, Branden Grace is also an automatic bid. Others who have committed, are Padraig Harrington, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, and Darren Clarke.
Other big names entered, are Louis Oosthuizen, Robert Rock, Matteo Manassero, and Mandela winner, Scott Jamieson. Jamieson and Alfred Dunhill winner, Charl Schwartzel are currently leading the Race To Dubai points, Schwartzel is not entered at the Volvo this year.
The Durban Country Club is a wonderful venue located on the Blue Lagoon overlooking the Indian Ocean, and has been the home of 17 South African Championships. One would hope the European Tour can get underway without the problems encountered in Hawaii trying to get the PGA season underway. We should get stateside coverage of this event starting Thursday morning on the Golf Channel.
The 2,000,000 Euro Volvo Championship is the warm up for next week’s tournament in Abu Dhabi that will feature most of Europe’s top golfers, and include the first 2013 appearance for world number one, Rory McIlroy, and Tiger Woods.
Although there are exemptions for special consideration, the field looks to be around 32 of Europe’s finest players. Colin Montgomerie and Jose Maria Olazabal are in the field. Last years winner, Branden Grace is also an automatic bid. Others who have committed, are Padraig Harrington, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, and Darren Clarke.
Other big names entered, are Louis Oosthuizen, Robert Rock, Matteo Manassero, and Mandela winner, Scott Jamieson. Jamieson and Alfred Dunhill winner, Charl Schwartzel are currently leading the Race To Dubai points, Schwartzel is not entered at the Volvo this year.
The Durban Country Club is a wonderful venue located on the Blue Lagoon overlooking the Indian Ocean, and has been the home of 17 South African Championships. One would hope the European Tour can get underway without the problems encountered in Hawaii trying to get the PGA season underway. We should get stateside coverage of this event starting Thursday morning on the Golf Channel.
The 2,000,000 Euro Volvo Championship is the warm up for next week’s tournament in Abu Dhabi that will feature most of Europe’s top golfers, and include the first 2013 appearance for world number one, Rory McIlroy, and Tiger Woods.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Wreck-It-Ralph borne out of a man with game
I grew up when video games were a
brand-new form of entertainment. I remember seeing Pong for the first
time and thinking it was the cheapest animated show I had ever seen.
Once I realized that it was an interactive game and that I could control
what was happening on the screen, I was captivated. A love affair was
born.
As a teenager, I spent untold hours
at my local arcade – Golf n’ Stuff, in Ventura, Calif. – pumping
quarters into the machines. I am pretty sure I personally financed the
Japanese game company Namco with years of Pac-Man and Dig Dug
play. And my favorite game from those earlier years was probably
Dragon’s Lair. Being someone who loved hand-drawn animation (and would
eventually make it a career), I was blown away by the idea that my two
favorite things – animation and video games – had been combined into
one. My parents loved telling me that I was wasting my days on these
games, but I like to think that it was research for a project that would
come later in my life.
In 2008, John Lasseter, the chief
creative officer for Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, asked if I
would be interested in joining Disney as a director. I had spent an
amazing 20 years directing on shows including The Simpsons and Futurama,
but this was an opportunity to work with someone I had admired since my
days as a student at CalArts. John was a pioneer of computer-graphics
animation, and I jumped at the chance. But what happened next I could
never have imagined.
He suggested that I think about
developing a story set in the world of video games. The idea of a video
game movie had been floating around Disney Animation for at least 10
years, though no one had been able to crack a story. So here I was being
offered the opportunity to combine my loves at the greatest animation
studio in the world. I thought I had died and gone to heaven.
For four years I lived and breathed
the world of video games. The team spent work hours playing games from
Donkey Kong to Halo to Mario Kart, all of which would heavily influence
what eventually became Wreck-It Ralph. And while I always
believed in the film, I had days when I wondered if it would resonate
with anyone outside the walls of Disney Animation.
Having spent the past eight weeks
traveling the world – from Paris to Buenos Aires to Sydney, Australia – I
can tell you that the amazing thing is how universal video games are.
And while the movie has struck a chord with all ages, it has really hit
home with people in their 30s, 40s and 50s, who reflect back on the
untold hours they spent in arcades. I realize that I was not alone back
then.
As for my favorite game of 2012,
that’s a hard one – not because there are so many to choose from (there
are), but because I had to give up video games to finish the film. The
final year of production requires late nights and seven-day workweeks; I
knew myself well enough to know that if I were to pick up a new game, I
would be lost in it for hours, days and weeks.
The game I most wanted to play throughout the year (and it took unbelievable restraint not to purchase it) was The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. I look forward to disappearing into its clutches now that promoting Wreck-It Ralph is finished. See you in six months!
Monday, December 24, 2012
Phatboy Sports Sponsorship Colin Montgomerie's World Golf Hall of Fame induction an early Christmas gift
This being Christmas Eve, Colin Montgomerie has jumped the gun and
already unwrapped a pretty sweet gift early, that being induction into
the World Golf Hall of Fame instead of the lump of coal that many would
give him.
Although I’ve never interviewed Monty one on one, I’ve fired
questions to him during news conferences and found him to be engaging
and witty, not the frumpy grump some have described from their own
experiences.
Many fans also don’t like him, particularly those on this side of the
Atlantic, where they came up with unflattering nicknames that needn’t
be mentioned for reasons of good form.
That type of response to Montgomerie isn’t isolated to the new world.
On a trip to Scotland a few years back, I visited a pub in Troon where
the locals weren’t exactly kind to a lad who had spent so much time
playing at the renowned and nearby Royal Troon.
Those are the ones who will protest Monty’s selection for the Hall of
Fame, which belies the theory that hall of fame induction is a
popularity contest, which came up when Fred Couples was selected earlier
this year.
Freddie had the hair, the easy-going personality and the Boom Boom
power to draw in fans of both genders and there’s something to be said
for popularity in drawing eyes to the game.
On the golf course, Couples had 15 PGA Tour wins, including a major
at the 1992 Masters and two Players Championships, and five
international victories, not to mention eight wins on the Champions
Tour, including this year’s Senior Open Championship.
Couples’ 15 overall wins is an admirable total, but not enough to
warrant Hall of Fame selection in the minds of critics. The same goes
for his one major, even if he did win a couple at Sawgrass.
In volume, Monty lowered the boom on Boom Boom, winning 31 European
Tour titles, taking that circuit’s Order of Merit in seven consecutive
years and eight overall, and 40 international events.
Montgomerie had an incredible Ryder Cup record that included eight
consecutive events in which he went undefeated in singles. Continuing
that success as a captain, he was at the helm for Europe’s 2010 victory
at Celtic Manor.
Those are highlights from a magnificent career, but the points of
contention about his induction for many are that he never won on the PGA
Tour and never won a major. That last one, in particular, is a real
sticking point for many.
Then again, do you deny Dan Marino a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame even though he never won the Super Bowl?
Argue the point all you want about team sport vs. an individual game
such as golf, but should an otherwise outstanding career not be
recognized? If Luke Donald or Lee Westwood finish their careers without a
major, would you deny them solely for that reason?
Some people think so and Montgomerie got in on the International
ballot with 51% of the votes in a weird system that usually requires 65%
of the votes. If nobody gets 65%, a player with the most votes, as long
as it’s more than 50%, is selected.
Couples also squeaked in at 51%, so neither received a ringing
endorsement, which has left their selections open to criticism and will
continue to do so for future inductees.
Couples’ nomination has opened the door for players with as many or
more wins and majors, but majors may not even be an issue anymore now
that Monty is going in.
That may stick in the craws of many, but these are precedents and the
table has been set for the future. You can’t go back, once a new
standard is set.
FESTIVE CHIP SHOTS
If it’s the World Golf Hall of Fame, is it really necessary to have
an international ballot? Shouldn’t a player be inducted based on merit
instead of where he or she is from, whether American or otherwise? The
existence of this category gives the impression that those born outside
the United States are outsiders. It seems strange with the global nature
of the game these days ... Montgomerie isn’t the only Scot going into
the hall of fame as former European Tour secretary and executive
director Ken Schofield was named in the lifetime achievement category.
Two-time British Open champion and course designer Willie Park Jr., and
1964 U.S. Open champ Ken Venturi, who went on to a successful
broadcasting career, will also be inducted ... Toronto’s Albin Choi and
Jennifer Kirby of Paris, Ont., have been named Golf Canada’s outstanding
male and female amateur golfers, based on the 2012 National Order of
Merit. Kevin Kwon of Pitt Meadows, B.C., and Brooke Henderson of Smiths
Falls, Ont., finished atop the CN Future Links junior boys and junior
girls Orders of Merit, respectively ... Former NCAA champion James Lepp
of Abbotsford, B.C., says he feels invigorated about competitive golf
after making it to the final of the Golf Channel’s Big Break Greenbrier,
where he lost a close match to finish as runner-up. Lepp isn’t sure
when he would return to competition. For one thing, he runs a golf
business, Kikkor Golf, which he started when golf didn’t seem fun
anymore ... Former Nationwide Tour player Brennan Webb of Bracebridge,
Ont., has accepted an assistant coaching position with Georgia Tech.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Golf roundup: Davis and Dru Love win Father-Son event
Davis
Love III had a nice pitch shot on No. 18 and son Dru finished off the
birdie to capture the Father-Son Challenge title Sunday in Orlando, Fla.
With Larry and Josh Nelson already in at 22-under for the two-day
scramble format, both Loves misfired in trying to reach the green in two
at the par-5 finishing hole. Dru, an Alabama freshman who won five
Georgia state titles in high school, went long and right near the
grandstand at the Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes. Davis watched his ball roll
onto the bank of a greenside pond.
But the elder Love found the right touch on his pitch from Dru's position and his son made the winning putt.
The Loves teamed for an 11-under 61 in the final round.
Schwartzel romps to 12-shot win at Alfred Dunhill: In Malelane,
South Africa, Charl Schwartzel was the runaway winner for the second
straight weekend, coasting to a 12-shot victory at the Alfred Dunhill
Championship on the European Tour.
The 2011 Masters champion finished with a total score of 24-under 264 -
the lowest at Leopard Creek Country Club. He won by 11 strokes in
Thailand last weekend. The South African won for the eighth time on the
European Tour.
Schwartzel shot a 69 in the final round. The runner-up was Sweden's Kristoffer Broberg, who finished at 12 under.
Garcia wins in Malaysia: In Johor, Malaysia, Sergio Garcia won
the rain-shortened Johor Open, closing with an 11-under 61 for a
three-stroke victory in the Asian Tour's season-ending event.
The 32-year-old Spanish star finished at 18-under 198 at Horizon Hills
for his second victory of the year and 24th international title. He also
won the PGA Tour's Wyndham Championship in August.
Garcia had the lowest final round by a winner in Asian Tour history. He
birdied seven of the first nine holes to make the turn in 7-under 29,
added birdies on 13 and 14 before a long rain delay, then returned to
make it four in a row with birdies on 15 and 16.
American Jonathan Moore also shot a 61 to finish second.
Thailand's Thaworn Wiratchant finished fifth and won the Asian Tour money title.
John Daly finished with a 65 to tie for 15th at 8 under. South Africa's Ernie Els closed with a 72 to tie for 48th at 3 under.
Rookie takes Australian PGA: In Coolum, Australia, Australasian
Tour rookie Daniel Popovic completed an improbable wire-to-wire victory
in the Australian PGA, shooting a 3-under 69 for a four-stroke victory.
The Australian finished at 16-under 272.
Geoff Ogilvy failed to finish in the top three to ensure a top-50 finish
in the year-end world ranking and a spot in the Masters. He tied for
fourth.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Gut-putt ban a benefit for the world of golf
The golf industry ought to look at the big picture on this "anchoring" ban by the sport's world governing bodies.
In the short term, of course, it hurts the manufacturers who sunk a lot of R&D money and raw materials into designing and building long putters for terminal yips sufferers, head cases and venal young Tour players bereft of consciences.
And it hurts the retailers and club pros who have stocked their displays with the life-changing implements, and won't be able to give them away now because only the foolhardy would try to learn a method that's going to be illegal in 2016.
Long-term, though, the benefits of a mass return to the shorter, more treacherous, thoroughly unreliable instruments of mental torture are certain to be seen in the worldwide sales of new putters to replace those thrown into the pumpkin patch off the 17th green at Richmond Country Club, dragged behind cars, rusted after being placed in toilet bowls overnight to learn their lesson, broken in a dignified manner over a thigh or otherwise rendered hors de combat.
As long as broomstick and belly putters threatened to take all the mystery out of what happened on the greens, the potential for a single putter to last its contented owner several years - even a lifetime - could have led to a crisis in the golf equipment industry.
But Wednesday, the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews (R&A) and the United States Golf Association fixed that, indirectly, by ruling that beginning on Jan. 1, 2016, it will be illegal to anchor the putter on the chest, chin, belly or in a hand held against any of the above. Golfers will be free to continue to use the longer putters, but what they'd do with them is beyond me.
Attempts at humour aside, this one small rebellion against game-changing elements in golf represents a fairly big step for the R&A and USGA, because it signals the possibility that they may yet rise up for the real battle ahead - against golf ball and driver technology that begets ever-longer courses requiring ever more water and land and time to play.
It still seems far-fetched to imagine either body, or both, standing up to Titleist and insisting it make balls that don't go as far, but for now, there is this ruling, and - though the R&A/USGA axis of purity has allowed for three months of public submissions in case there's an angle they haven't thought of - no amount of complaining is apt to change their minds.
Golf, in this case, is nearly unique. Maybe unique, period. I can think of no other professional sport where the technique by which the ball/puck/object is struck, thrown, kicked or propelled is restricted by the rules, other than in basic definitions of the sports - like soccer must be played with the feet or head or chest but never the hands, or the hockey puck may not be thrown, or the basketball may not be kicked.
The rules don't say you can only kick the soccer ball with the instep, or you can't tuck your elbow against your body while shooting the puck. They don't say a bunt isn't a real swing.
There are, of course, a million rules governing equipment, but the anchoring ban is emphatically not about equipment. It's about what constitutes a golf stroke. The R&A and USGA say that freely swinging the hands - emphasis on freely; i.e. unaided by a fulcrum - is the crux of it.
They say the new rule has nothing to do with the fact that three majors in the space of 12 months period were won by players with anchored putters: Keegan Bradley, Webb Simpson and Ernie Els. But the professional level is where the fire started.
The growing number of PGA Tour pros adopting the longer instruments, up to 15 per cent this season, higher than 20 per cent at some Tour stops, was alarming. But not nearly as alarming as the 14-year-old Chinese boy, Guan Tianlang, who won the Asian-Pacific amateur title and an invitation to next year's Masters ... using a belly putter.
It meant the governing bodies could no longer shrug off its use as a fad, but had to take it seriously as a coaching tool, for which they had the testimony of noted guru Butch Harmon in Score Magazine a few months back:
"Belly putting is like stealing," Harmon said. "If I was going to start somebody out who never played before I'd start them with a belly putter, no question about it. It takes the hands right out of the stroke."
And therein lies the argument that always made the most sense, when the anchoring ban was floated: that golf is a game which is meant to be influenced, in part, by nerves. And an attack of nerves, in golf, is most apt to rear its ugly head on or near the putting surface.
If modern instructors are saying that anchoring the club reduces or, with enough practice, virtually eliminates the hands factor in putting, is that not circumventing a body part that ought to be involved in the golf swing?
But to me, as a viewer offended when I see a young professional using one of the long putters, it's a rule meant to be applied to elite players - the high-level amateurs playing golf for serious acclaim, or touring pros whose livelihoods are affected by what the other guy, or guys, are doing.
The aspect of the rule that strikes me as wrong-headed is that there seems no good reason to make the 50-60-70-yearold recreational player go back to suffering the agonies that caused him to abandon the conventional putter in the first place, whether it's back pain or poor eyesight or simply lousy putting.
Source http://www.thestarphoenix.com/sports/Gutputt+benefit+world+golf/7631424/story.html
In the short term, of course, it hurts the manufacturers who sunk a lot of R&D money and raw materials into designing and building long putters for terminal yips sufferers, head cases and venal young Tour players bereft of consciences.
And it hurts the retailers and club pros who have stocked their displays with the life-changing implements, and won't be able to give them away now because only the foolhardy would try to learn a method that's going to be illegal in 2016.
Long-term, though, the benefits of a mass return to the shorter, more treacherous, thoroughly unreliable instruments of mental torture are certain to be seen in the worldwide sales of new putters to replace those thrown into the pumpkin patch off the 17th green at Richmond Country Club, dragged behind cars, rusted after being placed in toilet bowls overnight to learn their lesson, broken in a dignified manner over a thigh or otherwise rendered hors de combat.
As long as broomstick and belly putters threatened to take all the mystery out of what happened on the greens, the potential for a single putter to last its contented owner several years - even a lifetime - could have led to a crisis in the golf equipment industry.
But Wednesday, the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews (R&A) and the United States Golf Association fixed that, indirectly, by ruling that beginning on Jan. 1, 2016, it will be illegal to anchor the putter on the chest, chin, belly or in a hand held against any of the above. Golfers will be free to continue to use the longer putters, but what they'd do with them is beyond me.
Attempts at humour aside, this one small rebellion against game-changing elements in golf represents a fairly big step for the R&A and USGA, because it signals the possibility that they may yet rise up for the real battle ahead - against golf ball and driver technology that begets ever-longer courses requiring ever more water and land and time to play.
It still seems far-fetched to imagine either body, or both, standing up to Titleist and insisting it make balls that don't go as far, but for now, there is this ruling, and - though the R&A/USGA axis of purity has allowed for three months of public submissions in case there's an angle they haven't thought of - no amount of complaining is apt to change their minds.
Golf, in this case, is nearly unique. Maybe unique, period. I can think of no other professional sport where the technique by which the ball/puck/object is struck, thrown, kicked or propelled is restricted by the rules, other than in basic definitions of the sports - like soccer must be played with the feet or head or chest but never the hands, or the hockey puck may not be thrown, or the basketball may not be kicked.
The rules don't say you can only kick the soccer ball with the instep, or you can't tuck your elbow against your body while shooting the puck. They don't say a bunt isn't a real swing.
There are, of course, a million rules governing equipment, but the anchoring ban is emphatically not about equipment. It's about what constitutes a golf stroke. The R&A and USGA say that freely swinging the hands - emphasis on freely; i.e. unaided by a fulcrum - is the crux of it.
They say the new rule has nothing to do with the fact that three majors in the space of 12 months period were won by players with anchored putters: Keegan Bradley, Webb Simpson and Ernie Els. But the professional level is where the fire started.
The growing number of PGA Tour pros adopting the longer instruments, up to 15 per cent this season, higher than 20 per cent at some Tour stops, was alarming. But not nearly as alarming as the 14-year-old Chinese boy, Guan Tianlang, who won the Asian-Pacific amateur title and an invitation to next year's Masters ... using a belly putter.
It meant the governing bodies could no longer shrug off its use as a fad, but had to take it seriously as a coaching tool, for which they had the testimony of noted guru Butch Harmon in Score Magazine a few months back:
"Belly putting is like stealing," Harmon said. "If I was going to start somebody out who never played before I'd start them with a belly putter, no question about it. It takes the hands right out of the stroke."
And therein lies the argument that always made the most sense, when the anchoring ban was floated: that golf is a game which is meant to be influenced, in part, by nerves. And an attack of nerves, in golf, is most apt to rear its ugly head on or near the putting surface.
If modern instructors are saying that anchoring the club reduces or, with enough practice, virtually eliminates the hands factor in putting, is that not circumventing a body part that ought to be involved in the golf swing?
But to me, as a viewer offended when I see a young professional using one of the long putters, it's a rule meant to be applied to elite players - the high-level amateurs playing golf for serious acclaim, or touring pros whose livelihoods are affected by what the other guy, or guys, are doing.
The aspect of the rule that strikes me as wrong-headed is that there seems no good reason to make the 50-60-70-yearold recreational player go back to suffering the agonies that caused him to abandon the conventional putter in the first place, whether it's back pain or poor eyesight or simply lousy putting.
Source http://www.thestarphoenix.com/sports/Gutputt+benefit+world+golf/7631424/story.html
Monday, November 19, 2012
Rory McIlroy: 5 Improvements Needed to Dominate the Golf World for Next 20 Years
Rory McIlroy has a sensational swing and the overall game to dominate the world of golf for many years.
However,
it's one thing to look good for a couple of years and it's quite
another to become an all-time great player like Jack Nicklaus, Arnold
Palmer or Tiger Woods.
Physical talent is a given for the 23-year-old McIlroy. He's got bucket loads of ability.
Mental
strength, tenacity and desire are not easily measured. If McIlroy has
enough of those factors, he will be able to remain on top for
years—possibly 20—as the rest of the golf world tries to catch him.
It's not just a matter of maintaining what he has now. He will have to improve if he is going to be the king of his sport.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
PGA teaching legend Flick was always one of golf’s unforgettable servants
Jim Flick never had a problem locating a lesson tee, even those that required a good climb.
When challenged in 1996 in New Orleans during the PGA Teaching &
Coaching Summit to host the “world’s highest golf lesson” on the roof of
the Superdome, Flick shrugged his shoulders and asked, “When do you
need me?”
One of the most insightful and magnanimous instructors in PGA of
America history, Flick achieved many summits before losing a battle with
pancreatic cancer Nov. 5. He was 82.
“Aside from what he accomplished in developing golf schools,” said 2008
PGA Teacher of the Year Martin Hall of Palm City, Fla., “perhaps the
most amazing thing was how Jim could make a 36-handicap player feel just
as important as teaching Jack Nicklaus.”
Flick, a 2011 inductee into the PGA Golf Professional Hall of Fame,
taught the game in 23 nations while elevating the business of golf
instruction. Elected to PGA membership in 1959, he served as director
instruction for Golf Digest Schools, guiding more than 1,000 multi-day
programs -- and teaching that memporable lesson atop the Superdome.
PGA Life Member William Earl Morgan, a former Gulf States PGA Section
president, recalled that memorable golf lesson with Flick on top of the
Superdome nearly 16 years ago.
“People look at the photo of us and think we posed.” said Morgan. “But I
quickly correct them and let them know it was a real lesson and that
Jim spent 15 minutes with me and I was surprised how much he covered in
that time. I later told my wife that halfway up to the roof I was
thinking, ‘You idiot, what have you done now?’ I told the maintenance
workers that they wouldn’t have to sand the rails that day!
“Jim was such a good teacher, and not the type that didn’t know how to
communicate to players who were not Tour or PGA Professionals. I have
that photo framed of us on top of the Superdome. It was a day I’ll never
forget.”
To reach the next “summit” in his teaching career, Flick had never
intended to make a business agreement with Nicklaus. It all happened by
accident, and Flick had prepared himself by watching Nicklaus’ famed
teacher, Jack Grout, teach the Golden Bear at Frenchman’s Creek in
Jupiter, Fla.
“I knew he was a very nice guy, but I didn’t really have much
involvement with Jim through the years until he began to come over to
Frenchman’s Creek in Jupiter (Florida) and watch Jack Grout and me
work,” said Nicklaus. “He would sit behind Jack Grout and me, while Mr.
Grout was teaching. He would sit back there for hours, day after day.
So, there isn’t anybody who watched more of Mr. Grout teaching me than
Jim Flick.
“So, when Jack passed away in 1989, I was looking for somebody to help
me. I had gone to a couple of guys and I was sort of struggling to find
the right person. I had just turned 50 years old and I was out at The
Tradition – my first tournament and major as a senior.
“Jim just happened to be walking around. I think we were walking down
the 18th fairway, and he had watched most of the last nine holes, so I
turned to him and said, “Well, Jim what do you see? You’ve seen me
enough. You’ve seen Jack Grout and how he taught me.’ Jim said, ‘Well, I
don’t see Jack Nicklaus.’ I said, ‘What do you mean?’
“So, we went to the practice tee and he showed me what he meant. At the
time, I was real active with my hips and not using my legs and not
using the club. Through a variety of things Jim did and worked on, I won
that golf tournament. I had not played very well up to that point, but
did that week, thanks to Jim. Every year at The Tradition since then,
Jim would come out and we worked together. I’d have to say that he has
been my teacher of note ever since.”
Nicklaus said that Flick understood “what was important to me and were
instrumental to my success throughout the years. Jim knew and understood
those things. Sure, I have asked other fellas different things over the
years, but Jim has always been the guy I went back to over the last 15
years of my competitive career.
When he approached Nicklaus in 1990 about his legacy in golf, Flick
asked if the Golden Bear was willing to “document and use” that legacy.
Nicklaus agreed, and the Nicklaus/Flick Schools became a standard-bearer
in the industry.
“Jim and I were together for many years after that,” said Nicklaus.
“More important, for decades Jim has been a good friend to me, on and
off the golf course. He has not only touched my life and career, but he
has influenced hundreds, if not thousands, of people over the years.”
Flick operated the Nicklaus-Flick Golf Schools (1991-2003); operated
his own Jim Flick Premier School in 2002; and served as a lead
instructor for the ESPN Golf Schools (2003-05). Since 2006, he has
served as the ambassador for TaylorMade Golf.
The third recipient of the PGA Teacher of the Year award in 1988, Flick
was the ninth instructor inducted into the World Golf Teachers Hall of
Fame in 2002, the same year that he was inducted into the Southern Ohio
PGA Hall of Fame. Flick also was a 1995 inductee into the Wake Forest
University Athletic Hall of Fame; and in 1999, Golf World selected him
one of the Top 10 Teachers of the 20th Century.
Of the more than 200 Tour professionals among countless amateurs and
premier junior players, the list also included 1996 Open Champion Tom
Lehman.
Last weekend, Lehman had Flick on his mind in the final round of the
Charles Schwab Cup Championship at Desert Mountain, where he closed with
a 65 for a six-shot win to become the first player to win the Schwab
Cup in consecutive years.
Lehman had always kept in contact with Flick, and had his teacher on
Friday and again Sunday morning before his final round. Flick said
softly to his longtime student, “Be Tom Lehman.”
As Lehman two-putted for birdie on the final hole Sunday, he paused and bent down and buried his face into his cap.
“The last hole, I know that he was probably watching today,” said
Lehman. “I felt quite certain that that was probably the last driver he
was ever going to see me hit and I wanted to make it a good one. And the
last 7-iron he will ever see me hit, and I wanted to make that a good
one. And the last putt, I wanted to make that putt. I didn't want to
make it simply because I want to win by six. I wanted to make it for
him.”
A native of Bedford, Ind., Flick began playing golf at age 10 through
the influence of his father, Coleman Flick, a Bedford City Champion.
Flick attended Wake Forest University on a basketball scholarship and
roomed six months of his sophomore year with Arnold Palmer, then a
junior. Flick turned professional following graduation in 1952 and
attempted to play tournament golf before determining that his future was
in the club professional ranks.
“Jim Flick and I became good friends during our college days at Wake
Forest. In fact, we were roommates for a short period of time after Bud
Worsham died,” said Palmer. “I followed Jim’s activities and fine
career as a golf instructor and we communicated through the years quite a
lot. I’m very sorry that this has happened, and extend my sincere
sympathy to the Flick family.”
Flick served in the U.S. Army from 1953-54, and at the conclusion of
the Korean War turned professional in 1955 to become an assistant
professional at Evansville (Ind.) Country Club. He followed by being
named PGA head professional (1956-60) at Connersville, Ind., and from
1961-74 at Losantiville Country Club in Cincinnati. Flick was treasurer
of the Southern Ohio PGA Section as the Section played host to the 1964
PGA Championship at Columbus Country Club, and was Section president
(1967-69) when NCR Country Club in Dayton hosted the 1969 PGA
Championship.
Flick’s advertisement to invite students to his golf schools
underscored his commitment to learning a game that was a constant
exercise in learning.
“Although golf is a game of infinite subtlety and possibility, always
remember that the door that leads to its inner secrets and rewards is
marked fun,” said Flick.
“From the first time I met him, I found him to be a very remarkable
man,” said Hall, who first met Flick in 1982 at Turnberry, Scotland.
“His commitment to improvement was very much alive throughout his life.
The number of players he helped was countless. We traveled around the
world together, and he always showed up with a smile on his face and
anxious to help others feel better about themselves in golf. I think
that Jim continuously tried to elevate his work in his 60s, 70s, and his
80s.
“He was the model of what a teaching professional might be, and he will
go down along with a Harvey Penick as one of the most gifted teaching
professionals ever.”
From 1986 through 2005, Flick was PGA director of instruction at Desert
Mountain in Scottsdale, Ariz. A frequent contributor to national golf
publications for decades, Flick was involved or authored five books:
“Square to Square Golf” (1974), “Square to Square in Pictures” (1974),
“How to Become a Complete Golfer” (1980), “Jim Flick on Golf” (1997),
and “Swing Analysis by Jim Flick – Jack Nicklaus, Simply the Best”
(2007).
Funeral arrangements for Flick are pending. He is survived by his wife,
Geri, of Carlsbad, Calif.; four daughters: Jan, Suzanne, Kimberly and
Vicki; and a son, Stephen.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Health tips: Create life lessons in everyday activities
Parents many times resort to “lecture mode” when dispensing thoughts we believe our youngsters need to hear from us in order to survive, or develop into the best people we see them capable of becoming. Parents may want to reconsider changing the method of delivery to a style more appropriately matching the way kids learn best.
Read the full story in our digital edition.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Tiger Tale
He has won 14 majors and more than 70 tournaments around
the world. He is the first golfer to earn more than $100 million, and
held top spot on the Official World Golf Ranking longer than many
players have careers on the PGA Tour.
Yet one thing Tiger Woods doesn't have is a winning record
at the Ryder Cup. He sports a mediocre 13-14-2 mark and has only won
the celebrated mug once in his illustrious career.
That's right, Tiger is one for six against the Europeans, and on Tuesday, he took full blame for his play.
"Well, certainly, I am responsible for that because I
didn't earn the points that I was put out there for," Woods said. "I
believe I was out there for five sessions each time and didn't go 5-0
for our side. So I certainly am a part of that and that's part of being a
team. I needed to go and get points for my team and didn't do it.
Hopefully I can do that this week, hopefully the other guys do the same
and we can get this thing rolling."
Of course over most of that period of time, Woods has been
the best player in the game and his opponents no doubt get up anytime
they have a chance to face him. There are never any easy matches in the
Ryder Cup but the chance to knock off Woods has fueled more than one
team. Winning a point is a great achievement; winning one when Woods is
on the other team is almost worth two, at least in the Euro team room.
"It's a huge game for an underdog to play a Tiger Woods,
and they get up for it," said Graeme McDowell."They are not expected to
win. When expectation levels drop, game tends to improve. A guy who
plays Tiger Woods, or a player of that calibre, doesn't expect to win so
he lets it all go and he plays out of his skin and gets the upset."
It's worth noting that Woods record in singles play is
much better than the team portion of the competition. Alone, he's 4-1-1.
It's no secret that it's been tough to find a partner for him over the
years. He's played with 11 different golfers over the years although
just two in his last two Cups - Steve Stricker three times in 2010 and
Furyk four times in 2006. Look for Stricker to partner up this week.
"Yeah, I think with as dominant as he was through most of
those years, I think anyone would be a little surprised to see a .500,"
said Furyk, who along with Phil Mickelson and Woods, are the Old Guard
on the U.S. team. "But also that has a lot to do with no one has an
extremely good record on our team, would be my guess, and that would be
because we haven't won a lot of these matches."
That may be a big chicken and egg thing, but the point is
well made. And, as competitive as Woods is, losing again and again is
not easy to swallow.
What may spur him on this week is the fact he no longer is
No. 1, that he is facing idle chatter that his game is waning and that
his time at the top is running out. Nothing would be sweeter for Woods
than to secure four or even five points and win the cup.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Bo Van Pelt Diary: Despite strong start, there's a lot of golf left
Bo Van Pelt is the world's 27th-ranked golfer and a Richmond,
Ind., native who resides in Tulsa, Okla. He shot 8-under-par 64 Thursday
and is the BMW Championship's first-round co-leader. Van Pelt, 37, is
20th in the FedEx Cup standings and has agreed to provide a daily diary,
as told to Star reporter Phil Richards.
"My starts haven't been that good this year. It's always nice to get off to a good start, but it's a long golf tournament and there's going to be a bunch of guys playing well, and the way the golf course is, you've just got to put the pedal to the metal the next three days.
"I kind of have an idea of how I want to play the holes but things come up and you've got to be able to roll with the punches. Today the ball was going pretty far and the course was soft and you just had that feeling it was going to be one of those days you had to go low. I just tried to stay aggressive.
"I think the biggest thing I learned from Bethpage the first week (of the PGA Tour Playoffs) and TPC Boston the first three rounds last week, I was making too many bogeys from the fairway. There were times I just got too aggressive with my lines and would short-side myself and make a bogey. The biggest thing, I didn't make any bogeys the last round in Boston; I made 16 straight pars and birdied the last two. That was the thing I wanted to do today and I had no bogeys. When you get a golf course like this, a lot of people think you have to be so aggressive, but you're going to make plenty of birdies. The main thing is, just don't go backwards. Don't make a bogey and go the other way.
"It's early and I'm just trying to put myself in position. You never know when the back nine on Sunday is going to be your day. So that's the thing: just put yourself there."
Source http://www.indystar.com/article/20120906/SPORTS/209070325/Bo-Van-Pelt-Diary-Despite-strong-start-there-s-lot-golf-left?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|IndyStar.com|s&nclick_check=1
"My starts haven't been that good this year. It's always nice to get off to a good start, but it's a long golf tournament and there's going to be a bunch of guys playing well, and the way the golf course is, you've just got to put the pedal to the metal the next three days.
"I kind of have an idea of how I want to play the holes but things come up and you've got to be able to roll with the punches. Today the ball was going pretty far and the course was soft and you just had that feeling it was going to be one of those days you had to go low. I just tried to stay aggressive.
"I think the biggest thing I learned from Bethpage the first week (of the PGA Tour Playoffs) and TPC Boston the first three rounds last week, I was making too many bogeys from the fairway. There were times I just got too aggressive with my lines and would short-side myself and make a bogey. The biggest thing, I didn't make any bogeys the last round in Boston; I made 16 straight pars and birdied the last two. That was the thing I wanted to do today and I had no bogeys. When you get a golf course like this, a lot of people think you have to be so aggressive, but you're going to make plenty of birdies. The main thing is, just don't go backwards. Don't make a bogey and go the other way.
"It's early and I'm just trying to put myself in position. You never know when the back nine on Sunday is going to be your day. So that's the thing: just put yourself there."
Source http://www.indystar.com/article/20120906/SPORTS/209070325/Bo-Van-Pelt-Diary-Despite-strong-start-there-s-lot-golf-left?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|IndyStar.com|s&nclick_check=1
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