Tiger's Beard, Ryo's "Makiroi" & Golf Guy Grooming

Tiger Woods, photo:Getty Images / / / / / / / / / Ryo Ishikawa, Photo: スポニチ

The Tiger Woods facial hair story is a couple of days old now, and while it's never officially trended on Twitter,  it has generated... and continues to generate... a steady stream of commentary/discussion.

Tiger Woods' Beard even has its own facebook page... and has been described by sports writers in a variety of

The Ike Championship: Sudden Death at Somerset Hills

via MGAgolfer
A classic playoff battle on an enchanting golden age golf course. It doesn't get much better than that, and so went the MGA's 56th Ike Championship.

The event took place over two days at Somerset Hills Country Club in the pastoral countryside of Northern New Jersey. The course, built on the site of a former racetrack by A.W.Tillinghast in 1917, features a layout that contrasts

Lacoste Golf: Yani Tseng, Cristie Kerr & The Crocodile

 Lacoste Golf has a Facebook Page
The best women golfers in the world wear Lacoste.

W#1 Yani Tseng, just won a record breaking fourth major yesterday in a Short Sleeve 5 Button Stretch Pique Polo. It was a bright Begonia Pink and,  of course, emblazoned with a tiny green crocodile.

The familiar reptile was also present on Cristie Kerr's polo... a black version of the same classically designed

#Winning Golf Tweet of the Week - June 26, 2011

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Ryo Ishikawa Poised to Pounce at the Mizuno Open

撮影：岩井康博  / Photo: Yasuhiro Iwa
Upon his return to Japan last week... after a T30 finish at the US Open...  Ryo Ishikawa spoke with characteristic humility, admitting, "I came to painfully realize just how big of a gap there is between me and the rest of the world"

The Japanese golf star... like golfers, golf journalist and golf fans everywhere... was reacting to Rory McIlroy's huge win

Simply the Best - Rory McIlroy Gets a Donkey Tee

Less than a week ago Rory McIlroy was just another young gun.  An ultra-talented players who might someday win a major... or two.  But that all changed when he won the 2011 US Open... breaking several records and impressing even those who hadn't quite warmed up to him.

And now there's a Donkey Tee in his honor.

Women's Day at the Travelers Championship

Connecticut weather can be capricious.

Today for example, the heavy clouds bought several down-pours, punctuated by periods where the sky seemed to be clearing...only to go dark again and produce yet another deluge.

In the end play was suspended before noon, allowing only six players to complete their rounds.

Meanwhile,  the third annual Travelers Championship Women's Day was sold out, and

2011 Wegmans LPGA Championship - Cristie Kerr's Pragmatic Optimism

Getty Images via LPGA.com
Pragmatic Optimism.

I know, it sounds like an oxymoron. However, I'd guess it's actually a good way to approach competitive golf. Right? I mean, of course you don't want to let negative thoughts to compromise your confidence, but neither do you want to let overconfidence prevent you from "playing smart".

Cristie Kerr was a picture of that perfect balance yesterday

Travelers Championship = An Awesome Week in CT

The umbrella green at dusk via @TravelersChamp
The 111th US Open is now part of golf history, memorable for the myriad records broken by Rory McIlroy... and for the young Ulsterman's uplifting story. Rory's rapid redemption... after his final round letdown at the Masters... gave hope to golfers everywhere.

Those who participated in the event... particularly those who worked for months (and

Rory McIlroy: The Huge Win & Inevitable Girlfriend Tweets

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Rory Mcilroy - Holywood Legend With Major Dreams

Angus Murray via GOLF.com





















He hails from Holywood.

Holywood, Northern Ireland, where Rory McIlroy's "legend" status is already sealed... and this weekend it looks like one of his Major dreams may well come true.

2011 US Open - Ryo Ishikawa, Bubblegum Flatbiller

June 14, 2011 - Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images North America2011-06-14 16:00:00

High Heel Golf Blogger Inspires Rickie Fowler's Ace

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Jennifer Harris w/Rickie Fowler via HighHeelGolfer.com
You've probably seen the video of Rickie Fowler's utterly implausible Red Bull ace... the one he hit blind off an elevated tee at Washington D.C.'s Historic Georgetown Waterfront.   If you haven't, you'll want to have a look.  It's quite impressive. To say the least.

The miraculous hole-in-one was hit as part of  "Red Bull Capital Drive

Breakthrough Weekend for Not-So-Young Guns

Robert Rock, photo: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images || Harrison Frazar, photo:AP
Robert Rock's first career win was nine years coming, while Harrison Frazar clinched his maiden professional victory after 355 starts.

At 34 and 39 respectively, this weekend's winners... on the European Tour and the US PGA Tour respectively... clearly aren't what we've come to know as "Young Guns".

The word "

Cristie Kerr Donates & Defends at State Farm Classic

Dr. Tom Robbins, SCI director, Cristie Kerr Sara Howe, breast cancer survivor
Cristie Kerr climbed the leader board at Panther Creek Country Club today with a 67 that put her into a tie for ninth as she enters the weekend looking to defend her title at the LPGA State Farm Classic ...and to secure a win after two runner-up finishes.

In addition to her work on the golf course, the 14 time LPGA

Ishikawa Incident Illustrates Cultural Dichotomy

Photo: AFP/File, Yoshikazu Tsuno
Ryo Ishikawa, one of our favorite golfers, recently had an issue with his driving. It didn't happen on the golf course, and it has nothing to do with distance, in fact, at the 2011 Masters the Japanese superstar was ranked fifth in driving distance.

What happened to Ryo, was the kind of thing that happens to many 19-year-olds: He got into trouble for an

Spanish Golf Blogger Finds ProAm Partner in Bathtub

Ladies Tenerife Match Play - June 10-12
On a sunny Spanish island several hundred miles off the coast of North Africa the stage is set for Tenerife Ladies Matchplay.

A new format for the Ladies European Tour, the event will be played at the Golf Las Américas course in Tenerife and it'll allow players get some matchplay practice in before the upcoming Solheim Cup. The competition will take

Golf Girl Celebrates 40th Anniversary With Makeover

Original album cover illustration by Anne-Marie Anderson
I'd been playing golf for almost a year... and writing about the game here at Golf Girl's Diary for several months... when a fellow golf blogger told me about Golf Girl: the song.

Actually, he sent me a link that led to a grainy YouTube video featuring a live recording of what turned out to be an enchantingly whimsical song by a band

Ryo Ishikawa Works to Resolve Short Game Struggles

 Photo: YURIKO NAKAO Credit: REUTERS
Speaking at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan earlier today, Ryo Ishikawa responded sagely to questions about his recent on-course struggles.

The Japanese superstar... who is not yet twenty... has missed the cut in his last two tournaments and carded an uncharacteristic 12-over 83 in the first round of the Japan Golf Tour Championship. His fans

Of Rock Canyons & Velvet Fairways - Mesquite Golf

The Covered Wagon at Conestoga Golf Club - Photo: Golf Girl Media


















In a lot of ways, Mesquite is quintessentially American.

The town is located about an hour north of Las Vegas, across an expanse of largely uninhabited desert, that makes it seem far more isolated than it actually is.  A jagged silhouette of sandstone peaks is constantly on the horizon, and approaching Mesquite

Golf Travel - A Memorable Week in Mesquite

Mesquite Golf Collage - Golf Girl Media




















After an awesome week of golf in the sublime paysage of the Virgin River Valley, I have quite a bit to write about.

For the moment I'm catching up with a mountain of email and re-acclimating myself to the the lush, leafy Connecticut landscape. However, during coming week I'll be posting numerous stories on my amazing adventure:  the