Well played Graeme! You played like you actually wanted to win while everybody else around you couldn’t wait to get their hands off the trophy.

My thoughts:

• Pebble Beach is great place, but I believe the course needs work. When 7 out of 84! of the best golfers in the world hit the 17th green (on Sunday) in fairly benign weather conditions there is a problem. When the shortish par 5 14th hole plays as the most difficult hole on any day there is a problem. No major changes required – it just needs to be made a little more playable. That being said I thought the course was beautifully set up for the week.
• Tiger’s stock is down once again after a week of better ball striking. Could somebody please teach him how to give a post round interview? Let’s start with congratulating the champion….! Much better swing though.
• Hank Haney (who was at Mission Hills in China during Open week) – if Tiger’s numbers were so much better with you than any other coach, then I would expect hordes of Tour golfers to be waiting on your doorstep now that you can teach golfers other than just His Highness.  How is that going for you? (BTW – don’t bother emailing me on this one)
• Ernie Els let another one slip from his grasp. Of the 17 full swings he made on the back nine, 8 were in the poor category and that’s not to mention a handful of makeable putts sliding by the edge.  I really thought he would pull it out.
• Phil was just plain flat!
• Dustin Johnson will be doing some soul searching today. He is a tough kid who has the ability to let things slide of his back and I firmly believe he will come back stronger than ever. To those who might blame his swing for the breakdown on Sunday, please be quiet – Graeme McDowell has almost the exact same left wrist in his swing and that held up just fine. It’s all about impact!
• Gregory Havret played the best out of all contenders on the back nine. He actually had a real shot at the trophy on the last two holes. Great looking swing and I found myself wondering why he doesn’t do well more often. Strange game we play! Did anybody think Steve Martin in Pink Panther during his post round interview?
• I loved the way Graeme McDowell chatted with the camera coming up the eighteenth hole. He showed confidence and personality. Not that any Irishman has been short on personality! He seemed friendly and likeable.
• Out of the last eight events on the PGA Tour there has been one US winner! Can you believe it – 7 out of 8 have been foreign. It is such a global game and in my opinion that only makes it more interesting.

Graeme McDowell’s Equipment

Happy Father’s Day - I hope you have been as blessed as I have with my dad, Bill Rice. What a truly great man. I owe everything in my life to you Willy – thanks.

Augusta National

The week that every golfer anticipates from all the way back in November is finally here – Masters Week 2010! I would like this to be a one-stop shop for all things pertaining to Augusta National and the Masters and as a result I have tracked any and all pertinent information down and linked it to the site. Enjoy!

• Tournament Tee Times  All the best to KJ Choi and Matt Kuchar who drew the short stick – and Tiger!
• Masters.com  The Official Site – for the latest news and some great photography
• Live online coverage – here
• Official Course Tour
• Golf.com Masters Coverage
• Golf.com has some excellent and unusual aerial shots of the course

Augusta 15th Hole Aerial (Sports Illustrated)

• Read some interesting first accounts of Tiger’s Press Conference on Monday

The "New" Tiger?

• Golf Digest Masters Coverage
• The Golf Channel’s Coverage
• TV Times and Schedule
• Updated Masters Odds  England finally seems to have a solid chance again in Poulter, Casey, Donald, Rose and Westwood.

The English are coming..... (How/Getty)

• Augusta National just over 7 weeks ago! You have never seen the course looking like this….
• The course is closed during the summer. Here is what it looks like in the winter…..

Augusta National in Winter

This week also happens to mark the one year anniversary of andrewricegolf.com! In our first year we have had almost 40,000 visitors and continue to grow. Thanks so much for your support and readership and I can promise another year of even better and more insightful content.

BTW – my picks for this week are Phil and the Goose! Yours?

Enjoy the tournament.

Anyone up for 36 holes....?

• Could there be many things better in life than getting up early on a beautiful day to play 18 or 36 holes with close friends on a really fun golf course?
• The weather is getting better here in South Carolina and we are catching glimpses of Spring being just around the corner. I get the sense that most golfers have a case of “cabin fever” due to the taxing winter we have all experienced and are desperate to get out and play a little golf. Nothing turns my mind more to golf than warmth and sunshine after a long, cold winter.
• Jim Furyk and Ernie Els have won on the PGA Tour the last two weeks – is it really 2010? Its starting to feel a bit like old times. Even Vijay and KJ Choi have been playing better lately!

Tiger Woods

• As I’m sure you all know Tiger Woods is playing at Augusta. Tiger has surprised us all in many ways throughout his career, but this move truly puzzles me. I had always been under the impression that the man in the red shirt was about winning major championships, yet coming back at the Masters, instead of getting an additional prior event under his belt, tells me this is more about image and self preservation than major championship victories. What chance does he have of winning – really? By not playing at Bay Hill and starting at Augusta National he has said to me that he would rather preserve what is left of his “aura” (with substantial help from the good people in the green jackets!) than give himself another opportunity to get one notch closer to Jack.

• An interesting note from the Tavistock Cup – Elin was present without Tiger at the lavish party thrown for participants and sponsors at Isleworth last night. Tiger was practicing at Augusta yesterday so read whatever you want into that.
• My picks for Augusta currently are Phil and the Goose. Lefty has been very quiet lately but that frequently has no bearing on his play in the majors and the Goose has been resurgent with his new belly putter. The course suits his big power game and I really think he might do something there this year.
• If anybody out there would like a golf lesson to “dust the rust” from their frigid golf games please give me a call at  (843)247-4688 if you are within reach of South Carolina or if not, shoot me a video via www.v1golfacademy.com where I am listed as a V1 instructor. The cost for video lessons via V1 is $40 and turnaround time is 48 hours. I would appreciate the opportunity to help make 2010 a great year for golf.
• A recent quote from a golfer who purchased “It’s All About Impact”

“I have now read through your book, It’s All About Impact, twice. It is very well-done with good, understandable explanations, and the photos illustrate well and definitely define “a picture is worth a thousand words”! I had actually played Monday and just focusing on the 84 degrees and impact made a noticeable difference with balance and actual ball contact. I still have a way to go to get the correct divot but it sure seemed to simplify thoughts. I actually started hitting with more distance without trying due to the more solid contact. Every day is a different day but this sure helps consistency. Thanks!!” DB

 

I hope “It’s All About Impact” can do the same for you and your golf this year!

Please feel free to contact me with any golf queries, questions or ideas you may have. And thanks very much for reading!

• Tiger Woods eclipsed the $10 million mark again – Steve Stricker, his nearest challenger was more than $4 million behind!

Steve Stricker

• No majors for Tiger.  If he does not win at Augusta next year I predict Hank Haney will be looking for some new students.
• Biggest surprises in the top 20 on the money list: Kevin Na; Z. and D. Johnson; Y.E. Yang; Brian Gay; Lucas Glover.
• How about this list of golfers outside the top 125: Chris DiMarco; Carl Pettersson; Stuart Appleby; Rocco; Chez Reavie; Johnson Wagner; Trevor Immelman; Ken Duke and multiple other tour winners.
• The highest finish on the money list for a golfer playing fewer than 10 events: Tom Watson who finished 114th after playing only 2 events.
• Brian Gay and Zach Johnson had breakout years.  Zach Johnson, in particular, showed that he has the potential to be a top 5 in the world player.

Brian Gay

• Kenny Perry, Phil and Steve Stricker had big years. They all won multiple times, but could not win the all important major championship necessary to be able to begin to challenge TW.
• Rickie Fowler will be at the final stage of Q-school. His haul of $570,000 in three events was not enough to earn a card.  There is a good crop of exciting young bombers who should get on tour for 2010 – look for Fowler, Lovemark or Stanley to make a minor splash.
• Watney, Casey and Geoff Ogilvy faded badly after promising starts.
• Furyk, Toms, Tim Clark and Els win the Close but No Cigar/Check Casher award for raking in tons of $$ without ever having the final say.  Furyk and Els seem to be making a habit of winning this annual award.

Tim Clark

• Players who Appeared Out of Nowwhere in 2009: Ross Fisher was the Robert Karlsson of 2008; Michael Bradley (where’d he come from?); Brian Gay; Mark Leishman; Matt Kuchar; James Nitties; and the biggest surprise of all Y.E. Yang.
• Players who Vanished into Thin Air in 2009, the “What was That Award?”: Aaron Oberholser (229); D. Hart (196); Shaun Micheel (180); Bart Bryant (167); and Trevor Immelman (156).
• The “UnderAchiever Award” nominees are: Vijay Singh; Aaron Baddeley; K.J. Choi; Anthony Kim and Adam Scott.

Aaron Baddeley

• The majors were a little uninspiring in 2009 with the winners being Cabrera, Glover, Cink and Yang.  With a little tweaking we could have had Kenny Perry, Phil Mickelson or a resurgent David Duval, the greatest victory of all time with Tom Watson at the Open and Tiger destroying all comers at the PGA.  I like the latter line up a little better.
• The greatest event of the year that never happened: The Barclays at Liberty National - Heath Slocum holed a par bomb on the 72nd hole to keep Tiger, Stricker, Ernie and Padraig in the club house and out of a text book 5-way playoff.
• Michelle Wie has finally won! Great news for both her and the sputtering LPGA.

Michelle Wie

• The longest hitter: Robert Garrigus (127).
• The straightest hitter: Joe Durant (182)
• GIR leader: John Senden (27)
• Best putter: Steve Stricker (2) I think this is a case for “drive for show and putt for dough!”
• Best Moment of the Year: Y.E. Yang’s birdie on the 72nd hole at Hazeltine in front of TW.

Y.E. Yang

• Classiest Player of the Year: Tom Watson at Turnberry.  It will be a long time before we see golf being played the way it was meant to be played, like the way Mr. Watson showed us.
• Worst Hole of the Year: The 72nd hole at Bethpage Black - when did you ever hear of a US Open Champion playing the final hole with a 6-iron and a wedge?

Bethpage Black #18

Predictions for 2010:

• Tiger wins a major after he boots HH (he goes it alone for awhile).
• Phil Mickelson makes a serious run at Tiger’s domination – he also wins a major!
• Ernie Els continues to make $$ and does not win a major – or any other US event.
• Tim Clark and John Senden win a PGA Tour event.
• Michelle Wie wins again.
• Annika Sorenstam plays more than one event on the LPGA tour.
• Lorena asserts herself as the queen of ladies golf – again!
• The LPGA tour actually finishes the season with the same commissioner it started the year with.
• Players who re-appear in the winner’s circle: Boo Weekley,  Jim Furyk, Sergio Garcia.
• The PGA Tour continues to struggle to find sponsors and finally agrees to lower purses at multiple events.
• The book “It’s All About Impact” becomes a hit and sells more copies than the publisher can print……;-)

Thanks for all your support this year.  Watch next week for a major Full Swing article.

Butch Harmon

David Leadbetter

• Watching the AT&T on Sunday looked like the King (Tiger) was taking his young Prince (Kim) out for a little schooling.
• Anyone got an over under on the number of days before Carolyn Bivens is out as the LPGA commissioner?
• Why when a golfer sets up with their body aiming left it is an ‘open’ stance and when their clubface is aiming right it is an ‘open’ face?  Blame the Scots and single malt whiskey for that one.
• I have a feeling Paddy Harrington will be back in contention at next weeks ‘Open’ Championship.
• A claim could be made that Phil has choked away both majors so far this year!?

Hey, thanks for reading and please tell your friends about this amazing new website that is the latest and greatest golf blog in the whole wide world!!

In the illustration notice how Annika’s right side seems to form a straight line. From the outside of her back foot all the way up her right side to the right side of her head can be covered with a straight line laying at 84 degrees. This indicates the 84 degree secret.

Mickey Wright

It is quite amazing how many of the top golfers obey this ‘84 Degree Secret’!

To be clear this is not Stack and Tilt which actually encouraged the golfer to feel as if they are leaning towards the target. Here the upper body remains steady/centered while the body pivots to the top without drifting across the line.

The ‘84 Degree Secret’ is essential to achieving a correct impact as it makes it simple for the golfer to get to the proper hit position. Think of it this way; if you move the upper body six inches off the ball in the backswing, you now have to find a way to get it back to where it started, at exactly the right time, and in one third the amount of time it took to get it out of position.

Keep the upper body centered/over the ball and you will start to compress the ball like never before!

A recap of the last four articles and how they pertain to a great impact:

• A strong grip allows the handle to lead the club head with the club face remaining square.
• A ‘vertical’ set-up where the head is centered between the feet and there is minimal shoulder tilt prepares the body for the proper pivot.
• A steeper shoulder pivot keeps the upper body centered and allows for a descending attack into the ball.
• The 84 degree secret! Eliminate lateral motion and keep the head over the ball to make for a simplified transition into the hit.

Should you have any questions or queries please feel free to post a comment!

Things to ponder:

• Tiger is in for a battle this weekend! Good for golf and good for us.
• Quail Hollow has the look and feel of a US Open, but trust me it is not even close. There are six holes on the course where I would be thinking birdie! Now the other twelve are a different story……
• There are over 15 million active blogs available online. Thanks for reading this one!
• I like what Stuart Appleby said about the 17th at Quail Hollow, “Bad design!” I second that motion.
• Phil seems to be working out and in better shape, yet how does he always manage to look a little chubby to me? Amy needs to up his shirt size me thinks.
• Please post a comment – I am heartbroken that there have not been any thus far………
• Stay well!