Qatar Masters - Awesome Alvaro Attempts to Defend

.He's one of the most unique and appealing players in the world; a 6'3" Spaniard who happens to be one of the biggest hitters... ever. And everyone who meets Alvaro Quiros says he's amazingly nice. Some even say he's too nice. I always wonder what that implies. When Alvaro Quiros won the impressive looking mother-of-pearl trophy at the Qatar Masters a year ago in a tense final round, many felt it

OobGolf Takes Live-Blogging to the Next Level

.Though at first glance it may look like a Facebook photo from a wild sorority party, the graphic at left is actually part Oobgolf's excellent... albeit somewhat salacious... coverage of the PGA Merchandise show. The Oob guys used CoverItLive.Com, an awesome hosted live-blogging service that enables anyone to create elegant looking, media-rich live coverage and put it on their site by pasting in

Live-Tweeting Becomes Golf Media's Latest Debate

.It was kind of inevitable, given today's blurring of journalistic lines... and Twitter's proclivity for provocation in the golf world. (if you don't know what I mean by that ask Parker Mclachlin or Carolyn Bivens)A couple of days ago I wrote about Alan Shipnuck live-tweeting Phil Mickelson's pre-tournament press release at the Farmer's Insurance Open. At that point everything was all good and

A Turnaround Trip to the PGA Merchandise Show

I'm not a fan of early morning departures. I don't like early morning anything for that matter, but having only one free day this week, I booked a 6:55AM flight to Orlando and dutifully left my house before sunrise yesterday - in the middle of a snowstorm - for a turn-around trip to the PGA Merchandise show. The last flight back to NY was at 7:55PM which left me just enough time to do what I had

Alan Shipnuck's Live-Tweet from Torrey Reveals a New Physique for Phil Mickelson

.Sports Illustrated Senior Writer, Golf.com columnist and Author, Alan Shipnuck... at Torrey Pines for a Phil Mickelson stalk-a-thon to cover the Farmers Insurance Open... was kind enough to live-tweet this morning's press conference. Not surprisingly, he did a stellar job. And because some of us were already glued to our Twitter clients for the Apple iPad Intro, the timing couldn't have been

Commercialbank Qatar Masters - A Look at the Course

.The above video, presented by director of golf Greg Holmes, will get you familiar with some of the more interesting holes on the Doha Golf Club course, where the Commercialbank Qatar Masters will take place this week. Check out Golf365's informative post for lots of additional details. ... And here's an engaging preview video from Al Jazeera's Joanna Gasiorowska. Al Jazeera recently signed on

The Bob Hope Classic and My Own Bill Haas Story

female golf pundit, Patricia HanniganHere in Connecticut an icy rain fell from sunrise till dusk today and the skies never cleared. But my Monday was made much brighter by a Bill Haas victory at the Bob Hope Classic. You see, I've been a major Bill Haas fan since June 17, 2008. Before you think I'm weird, the reason I remember the exact date is because that's the day I actually met the gracious

Abu Dhabi Championship: A Win for Global Golf

.Earlier this weekend, respected golf commentator Renton Laidlaw, gave accolades to Abu Dhabi, and declared that it "deserves its mantle as one of the world’s most exciting, emerging golf centers of excellence". Having covered golf internationally for decades and won golf writing's most prestigious awards, Mr. Laidlaw is clearly in a good position to judge... and it doesn't seem he'd get an

Abu Dhabi Championship - Martin Kaymer's Conquest

.“That was the nicest round of golf I have ever played on the European Tour.”That's how Martin Kaymer described his winning final round today at the Abu Dhabi Championship. Playing with Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter the baby faced German recaptured the falcon trophy with a 6-under 66 to finish at 21-under 267. Ian Poulter put up a valiant fight but ultimately missed the 15 foot birdie putt that

Justin Bieber Golf Video: He Putts... and Goes Nuts

.If you haven't heard of Justin Bieber yet... you probably are spending too much time reading golf blogs. Or maybe you live in an "enclave for active adults". One thing you're definitely not is a pre-teenage girl. Nor are you in any way related to a member of that species.Justin Bieber is a 15 year old Canadian pop singer. Not long ago his self-made YouTube videos led to a bidding war between

The Abu Dhabi Championship - Masterful Molinaris

."Once you're lucky, twice you're good."That's the title of an awesome book by tech writer, Sarah Lacy. The book is about Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs, but for my purposes it applies to Francesco Molinari and his hole-in-one at the Abu Dhabi Championship yesterday. He accomplished it at the 174 yard fourth hole using his 7-iron. And it was his second such feat. The first one was a couple of years

Golden Bear Birthday - Jack Nicklaus Stylin at 70

One can say a lot about mid-century American golf fashion, and most of it won't be nice. The sixties and seventies in particular, are generally remembered for outrageous colors and questionable cuts that seem decidedly more Ringling Brothers than Brooks Brothers.That Jack Nicklaus, managed to transcend the circus-inspired fray and wear the era's fashion with style is a testament to his seemingly

Abu Dhabi Championship And Stellar Sergio Garcia

.El Nino's all grown up now. Oh, he's still demonstrative. That'll never change, but having recently celebrated his 30th birthday he must have felt like a wise elder-statesman next to Rory McIlroy yesterday in Abu Dhabi. They played the first round together and as Karl MacGinty tells it in his piece for the Belfast Telegraph, the round was enjoyed by all.“It was awesome,” enthused Garcia, now 30,

Abu Dhabi Championship - Ian Poulter's Big Birdie

.No...not that birdie! Though I'll admit his Abu Dhabi falcon IS quite awesome. But I'm referring to a birdie that's distinctly less ... avian. The kind that rolls 70 feet across the final green and drops into the hole. Like the one that gave Mr. Poulter a share of the one stroke first round lead today at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship. I'll have more on the fabulous first round a bit later.

Bob Hope Classic Style - Pink PUMA on Rickie Fowler

.The weather was decidedly brisk in La Quinta today... and the afternoon saw some rain roll in, but it wasn't the washout some were predicting.And that's a good thing, because it would have been a shame to throw rain gear over one of the most amazingly awesome golf outfits in history. The look was by PUMA. A V-Neck sweater and tailored trousers rendered in several shades of pink and as

A Tale of Two Golf Tours... And Two Desert Courses

.Two golf tournaments will take place this weekend, each on a desert golf course bordered by date groves and landscaped with exotic gardens. That the two oasis courses are located on opposite ends of the earth isn't obvious from photos, but one will take place in Abu Dhabi and the other in Palm Springs so geographically, they couldn't be much further apart. The fortunes of the two tournaments

Wit & Wisdom - Daly Does "Sports Soup" Tonight!

.You don't want to miss this!What: Chisled golf champion John Daly hosts Sports SoupWhere: On VERSUSWhen: Tonight at 10:00PM ETThink "Talk Soup" meets "The Daily Show" for sports. That's Sports Soup. ~ Then think "rabble rousing boy next door" meets "wise, witty, elder statesman". And that's John Daly. Sort of. Anyway, judging from the preview below, the show's going to be lots of fun, as the new

Petionville Golf Course - Ground Zero In Ravaged Haiti

.The Port-au-Prince suburb of Petionville, nestled in the hills to the southeast of the capital was... not long ago... a bastion of affluence in the largely impoverished nation of Haiti. The Petionville Club was its hub, a place where diplomats, businessmen and visiting foreigners relaxed poolside after a game of tennis or a round of golf on the undulating nine hole course. ~ That course is now a

Golf - Awesome - Thanks - Play - Sergio

.Tweet Cloud is a whimsical new time suck Twitter word-cloud-generator. Unlike other such gadgets Tweet Cloud allows you to choose a day, week, month or year of your Twitter conversations, which it then aggregates and ... um... regurgitates as a cute multi-colored, word cloud, containing the words you've used most over the chosen period. My tweets... over the past year... are represented by the

Sony Open - Once Again Y. E. Yang Stands Out ...

... in another stunning shirt!

~ Yong-Eun Yang made another bold, tricolor shirt statement yesterday at the Sony Open - thanks to his clothing sponsor Le Coq Sportif. ~ And it featured a familiar patriotic color palette.

On the fairways of Waialae however, Mr. Yang met with some pretty epic frustration. While he finished the first round even - which meant T47 on the crowded leaderboard - his

Cristie Kerr, President Obama & F. Childe Hassam

.Earlier this week, the victorious US Solheim Cup Team spent a couple of days in the nation's capital. They toured the town, attended receptions and struck touristy poses at monuments and memorials. They were also given a full tour of the White House which included a get-together with President Obama in the Oval Office. There was plenty of animated conversation about golf, including the

Middle Eastern Golfers to Make Abu Dhabi Debut

.The European Tour's Desert Swing gets underway next week at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship and it'll definitely be one to watch for a whole slew of reasons. Many of the much-hyped young guns of golf will be in contention, including Rory McIlroy, Camilo Villegas, and Anthony Kim. Sergio Garcia will start his 2010 season in Abu Dhabi, and you can also look for exciting players like Alvaro Quiros

Social Media and the Sony Open in Hawaii

.It's 2010... and there are lots of fun ways to follow this week's Sony Open. Here you have some social media listings:On Twitter: @SonyOpen and SonyOpen_Live On Facebook: Sony Open in HawaiiOn the web: Sony Open in HawaiiThe Course: Waialae Country ClubPGA Tour: Sony Open Tournament OverviewPGA Tour: Fan Zone (lists all the current players on Twitter)Photo Above: First Sunset in Hawaii by @

Geoff Ogilvy Wins - While His Coach Chats With Fans

.He wasn't on my fantasy team, but in the end, I was definitely pulling for Geoff Ogilvy last night as he valiantly defended his SBS Championship title on the lush fairways of Kapalua. Though I've long been impressed with his quiet consistency, prior to last night I've never been a huge Geoff Ogilvy fan. It's probably fair to say that Geoff Ogilvy doesn't inspire a lot of "huge fans". After all,

Sergio Garcia's Milestone Birthday Signals Maturity

.Age, it's been said, is a high price to pay for maturity. And these days, even when one does pay... with a milestone birthday or two... there's still no guarantee maturity will actually show up.Sergio Garcia, who turns 30 today, has probably been called "immature" more than any other golfer in history. Often, the description has been warranted... by relentless whining or excessive sulkiness ...

Y.E. Yang's Daring Second Round Shirt Selection

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It was exuberantly red, white and blue.

So much so that it brought to mind images of a tablecloth at a fourth of July picnic. And the pattern was... just crazy enough to be distracting.

Perhaps that might be part of why the PGA Champion ran into trouble today. On the 18th he even managed a triple bogey. Ouch. For the Korean golfer... and for me. Yes, Mr. Yang's on my fantasy

SBS Championship: Of Oral Fixations & Full Clevelands

A couple of quick observations going into the second round:1) Guys are putting some inappropriate things in their mouths. Let's hope gorgeous Kapalua Golf Course is as organic as its pineapples, or Stephen Ames and Brian Gay may soon have tummy aches.2) Things are not looking good for those who hoped the Full Cleveland was a one-season-wonder. It's definitely back for 2010... at least according

Helpful Hints on How to Dress... For Arctic Golf or a Polar Fest ☃

January. ~ Here in the US it's that time of year... when those of us living in the Northeast or the Midwest are obliged to suffer in frosty silence... or rant and whine on our blogs and Facebook pages... while those in the South languish and gloat... and play lots of golf... in their balmy, palm-tree-shaded communities. Not so in 2010. The so-called "Arctic Blast", darling of Weather Channel

Cristie Kerr's Haute Living Guide to New York

.You certainly know Cristie Kerr the golf champion, and you can't have missed Cristie Kerr the philanthropist. Now meet Cristie Kerr the New York City tour guide. The No. 1 US player spends quite a bit of time in New York, and recently revealed some of her favorite Big Apple haunts to Haute Magazine. From Nobu 57 for sushi to late night supper at Balthazar... and shopping at Bergdorfs... I find

Wanted: A Magic Carpet for Winter Putting Practice

.A couple of days ago sexy Spanish tennis player... and ocassional golfer... Raphael Nadal was seen playing a rather unconventional match in advance of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open. He was playing against his nemesis Roger Federer and the match was unconventional because it was played on a flying carpet in the middle of Doha's town square. Up in air. The gathered crowd seemed quite impressed.During

Global Golf - China's Massive & Mysterious Project 791

.There's little doubt, as we enter the second decade of the twenty-first century, that a substantial part of golf's growth over the next ten years will happen in China. Despite a moratorium on golf course construction, golf developments are springing up in China at a rate unimaginable elsewhere in the world. And some of those developments are downright audacious. They're the kind of venues that

A New Year and a Wealth of Wonderful Golf Shots

.Here in the US many of us are in an golf-adverse-deep-freeze right now.Southwestern Connecticut is currently enjoying temperatures of about 22°/5°, with a moderate breeze that makes it feel several degrees cooler. {{Shiver}}. And that's nothing compared to what's going on in Minneapolis. Out there it's 1°/-17°. Factor in wind chill for something like -10°/-23°! Or "cold enough to freeze the

Golf Storage Solutions For Your Winter Respite

.I know... early January isn't prime shopping season, but it's often a good time to pick up bargains. I'm not talking about Christmas sweaters or Chia Pets. I'm talking about useful things that enhance your life... and may even help you me keep that New Year's resolution to be more organized.Like the Two Bag Golf Organizer I found at Bed, Bath and Beyond. You see, I tend to toss my golf bag in

Golf in France - Tiger Woods May be Tempted

.That was the story going around shortly before Christmas. Reported and repeated... as stories are these days... in a plethora of publications from the blatantly gossipy Showbiz Spy to sites many consider serious news sources, like The Huffington Post. Slate.fr actually published a fictional application... from Tiger Woods... for asylum in France. There were two reasons given for the golfer's