Tuesday, August 18th, 2009
To most “experts” and casual fans alike, it was a foregone conclusion Tiger Woods would win his 15th major championship (5th PGA Championship) this past Sunday at the beautiful links of Hazeltine Country Club in Chaska Minnesota.
Why even watch? Tiger would surely hold on to his lead, and his competitors would surely wilt under the relentless pressure and mystique Tiger has cast upon the PGA Tour. Sure, Tiger may come up with some fantastic shots during the big pressure moments, but doesn’t this get a little boring? Certainly no need to remove yourself from your cherished mid-summer activities, just turn on ESPN or The Golf Channel before work on Monday morning and watch Tiger’s recent highlight reel. After all, Tiger was a perfect 14 for 14 when holding or sharing the lead going into the final round of a major championship.
Well, it is a good thing the engraver of the Wanamaker Trophy stuck around to see the results of the final round of the PGA Championship. And, if you were fortunate enough to trade your day at the beach for an afternoon of being a couch potato you may have witnessed one of the greatest upsets in recent sporting history, thanks to Y.E. Yang’s gutsy and ice cool performance. If only our good friend Tom Watson could have pulled off a similar and equally stunning upset, at Turnberry Ailsa last month during the 138th Open Championship in Scotland. However, we still expect another strong performance by Watson in 2010 at the Old Course, in St. Andrews.
Yang Yong-eun, known in the United States as Y. E. Yang, not only put an end to Tiger’s 14 for 14 streak. He also became the first Asian born player to win a major championship. Ironically, Y. E. Yang was able to turn the tables on Tiger by making “Tiger-like” shots with a “Tiger-like” demeanor. Chipping in for eagle on the short par 4 14th and ultimately ending the tournament with a heroic approach on the final hole. Equally impressive was the true sportsmanship and class displayed in defeat by the great champion Tiger Woods. Odds makers, analysts, experts and just about everyone gave no one a chance of passing Tiger in the final round, let alone the 110th ranked player in the world. But, that is “why they play the game”.
Tags: 138 Open Championship, 139 Open Championship, 2010 Open, 2010 Open Championship, 91 pga championship, British Open, british open packages, chaska, Golf, golf packages, golf tour, golf trip, hazeltine, hazeltine country club, minnesota, old course, open, open championship, pga, pga championship, saint andrews, Scotland, scotland golf, Scotland golf trip, St Andrews, tiger, tiger woods, Tom Watson, turnberry, Turnberry Ailsa, watson, y.e. yang, yang
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Friday, July 24th, 2009
Our staff here at Adventures In Golf felt compelled to re-publish one article from our 2002 Newsletter, given the recent Open Championship playoff at Turnberry. Back in 2002, our Chairman, Ken Hamill, played a friendly match against Tom Watson. Over the years, Tom Watson has not only been a client of Adventures In Golf but also a friend to Ken Hamill. Needless to say, our entire staff was yelling at our television sets, starting on Thursday and we never stopped until the four-hole playoff when Tom was not destined to bring home the Claret Jug. Despite the loss, we all felt that Tom played his heart out against the world’s best players and held onto the lead for all four days! A feat not held by many in the golfing community. God bless you Tom Watson – we loved every minute of the 2009 Open – well, every minute except the last fifteen! We must also take time to congratulate Stewart Cink, although our hearts and votes were always with Tom.
Spring 2002 Newsletter: Tom Watson won the British Open five times, he won the Masters twice and the US Open once. He was five times the Player of the Year on the US PGA tour and he was my opponent at Kingsbarns Golf Links just south of St. Andrews. Yes, Ken Hamill played golf with Tom Watson and his two friends – Stan Thirsk, Tom’s lifelong teacher and Bud Williamson, head professional at the Blue Hills CC in Kansas City, Missouri.
Tom and I have chatted on the phone on occasion over the years, usually in the course of our arranging links golf for him prior to his Open Championship visits. Trips to Ballybunion, Royal Dornoch and several other notable courses were planned in this way and we were debating the merits of Kingsbarns when Tom dropped the bombshell “why don’t you come over and make up a four? We’re planning to visit after the Open at Royal Lytham.” I thought it might be possible to rearrange my schedule – hell, if necessary I would have taken a substantial sabbatical to accept that invitation. But to say I was nervous would be an understatement.
Read the full article: Tom Watson at Kingsbarns Golf Links St. Andrews
Tags: 2009 British Open, 2009 Open Championship, British Open, European Golf vacation, Golf, golf packages, golf tours, golf trip, open, open championship, Scotland, Scotland golf tour, Scotland Golf Travel, Scotland golf trip, Stewart Cink, Tom Watson, turnberry, Turnberry Ailsa
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Thursday, July 16th, 2009
Turnberry Ailsa - 11th Hole
The 138th Open has started today at the Turnberry Resort on Scotland’s west coast. The build-up and ‘Phoney War’ of the past few days (during which more media attention seems to have concentrated on the tiff between former champion Sandy Lyle and Colin Montgomerie than the forthcoming championship) is now past and the ‘serious’ business has begun.
The fabulous Ailsa Course (Par 70, 7200 yards) is ready to test the world’s best players, and find out their weaknesses. Arguably the most scenically-stunning layout of the Open rota, the course now has many more teeth – in the form of additional fairway and greenside bunkering as well as more length. The 16th has undergone the most radical changes of all – a previously straight hole is now a left-to-right dogleg, making Wilson’s Burn in front of the green a greater lateral hazard than before. Expect this hole to dish out a lot of punishment!
A warm, wet Spring and early Summer has also ensured that the rough is high and fierce. Doug Sander’s comment during the 1966 Open at Muirfield: “give me the hay concession and you can keep the prize-money” comes to mind. If the wind blows at all there will be lost balls and tears before bedtime for a few players!
Tags: 2009 British Open, 2009 Open Championship, British Open, colin montgomerie, european golf tour, European Golf trip, golf tour, golf trip, luxury tour, luxury trip, open championship, sandy lyle, Scotland, Scotland exotic trip, scotland golf, Scotland golf tour, Scotland golf trip, Scotland luxury trip, turnberry, Turnberry Ailsa
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