The Shell Huston Open

April 1, 2014April 6, 2024 / The Grateful Golfer / 5 Comments

Recently, I wrote two articles for Pundit Arena; one called Valero Texas Open – The Most Important Tournament of the Year. For journeyman golfers, winning two weeks before the Masters has the potential to vault them into the first Major of the year. The second outlined how Professional golf stats are useless when trying to predict a winner. Just ask Steven Bowditch – he won an invitation to the Masters. He was no where on any statistical list and shot a smooth 4-over on the last day!

So how important is the Shell Huston Open? With Tiger Woods withdrawing from the Masters today, this tournament becomes even more important because of the potential to bounce the bubble guys around! The field will be tough and world-class. Some of the top 10 are resting, but notables like Henrik Stenson, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Steve, Stricker, and Matt Kuchar will be out to lead the charge. The Shell Huston Open is important, but given the field, the Valero Texas Open was the tournament for journeyman.

If the Valero Texas Open is the most important tournament of the year; then the Shell Huston Open is the most pressure packed tournament of the year! Many pundits will say no, no, no! It is definitely the Majors or the Ryder Cup. Conceding that playing in the Majors is like a pressure cooker; try being one of 50 guys fighting for the last invite to the big dance. These professionals will be riding a roller coaster of emotions, try things that only superman should try, and watching the leader board as if it was a lottery draw. The pressure will continue to build until like a balloon – POP – they are all done!

The Shell Huston Open is not just another professional event – the press to win has the potential for players to erupt like a volcano. The journeyman players will be dialed-in, ready to play, and shaking in their boots all at the same time. Should be fun to watch!

I am a grateful golfer. See you on the links!

Whats Wrong with Phil Mickelson?

March 28, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 9 Comments

Phil Mickelson is usually a beast on the golf course. He is steady, focused, and a fierce competitor! So what is wrong with Mickelson in 2014? Is he sick? Are there outside influences affecting his mental game? Is he getting old? Is he trying too hard? Does anyone have the answer?

Currently, Mickelson is struggling to make the cut at the Valero Texas Open, he only has 4 top 25 finishes in 25 events and his stats do not have him leading in any category. He has had sparks of greatness, but nothing consistent. With approach shots like below, he may be starting to turn things around just in time for the Masters!

Phil Mickelson is an enigma. His style of play is loved and hated by the golfing pundits. As a younger player he was fearless. Unfortunately, some of his devil-may-care attitude cost him tournaments. As he matured and learned from some mistakes; Mickelson understood the importance of picking the moments to press a situation, but never to shied away from the tough shots – as seen by his shot in 2010 Masters from behind the tree. It truly was legendary!

So what is wrong with Phil Mickelson in 2014? The short answer is nothing! He has had a tough start this season; he is not playing to his potential, but in all fairness he has not placed the same emphasis on the PGA Tour’s Western Swing as in year’s past. He adopted new strategy to focus on the Majors and many experts are questioning his decision; however, only success in the Majors will be the true test of his 2014 strategy.

In years past Mickelson played around 20 events a year. Likely, he will play around the same amount this year. As a golfing pundit, I predict he will win two events this year: the US Open and one other. Additionally, much to the disagreement of my European friends the US will win the Ryder Cup at GLENEAGLES, Scotland, on 23-28 September 2014.

2014 will be a banner year for Phil Mickelson. It may not seem that way right now, but just wait, the season is just starting. What do you think?

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

Who are the Bubble Guys?

March 26, 2014April 1, 2016 / The Grateful Golfer / 1 Comment

Who are the bubble guys? They are the players who stand between 40 and 60 in the world rankings. At any time, players behind them can easily leap-frog their position by playing well in a tournament. If you do not think it is that easy, look below and see what happened to last week’s winners and how they rocketed up the world rankings.

A couple of weeks back, I was discussing the world rankings with Brian Penn from All About Golf. We initially were talking about Adam Who are the bubble guys? They are the players who stand between 40 and 60 in the world rankings. At any time, players behind them can easily leap-frog their position by playing well in a tournament. If you do not think it is that easy, look below and see what happened to last week’s winners and how they rocketed up the world rankings.Scott taking over as world number one and Brian set me straight as to the real meaning of the rankings. He said:

“Jim, the odd thing about the world golf rankings is that it doesn’t matter who’s #1. Top guy has a nice feather in the cap but what it’s really about is winning majors. What’s very important is staying in the top 50 because of all the automatic invites to the big tournaments. Weird that the farther down you go the more meaning it has.”

The more I thought about it, the more I came to realize that his view about the importance of the bubble guys is spot on! Additionally, his sage advice was behind the article I wrote for Pundit Arena called Valero Texas Open – The Most Important Tournament of the Year. It might be worth a read.

The bubble positions are especially critical so close to The Masters for one reason and one reason only – how a professional qualifies. There are many ways, but the one with the most impact is the 50 leaders on the Official World Golf Ranking published during the week prior to the current Masters Tournament are invited to the show!

If Matthew Every can jump from 94 to 44 on the world rankings by winning one event, all the bubble players must be sweating as they tee it up over the next two weeks. Two weeks before any Major is always exciting as players jockey for position hoping to get that elusive invite. There will be many sleepless nights over the next two weeks as the bubble guys pray they are not ranked number 51!

No matter what happens – The Masters is a Tradition Like No Other! I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

What is Important in Golf?

March 25, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 8 Comments

The Boys at Voyageur Days Golf Tournament

What is important in golf? Most players immediately think of the mechanics of a golf swing, mental preparation, scoring low or going for scratch. All of these points are very important, but is that really what is important in golf…..to you?

Golf is bigger than a game. It offers the opportunity to for players to enhance their lives in many ways. But, it is important to note that golf offers something different for everyone. For me, golf offers many ways to be grateful; so today I thought I would share some of those. I am grateful because:

I have golfed with an astronaut – Colonel Robert Springer. He explained what it was like to be in a space shuttle – that was way cool;
I have golfed with a 73 year-old guy who schooled me on the importance of the short game (cost me three drinks for the lesson);
I have learned to control my emotions while working through adversity;
I have learned to be a gentlemen;
I have learned to be gracious whether I win or lose;
I am inspired every time I play in the morning when the sun peeks over the trees;
I have watched, then celebrated with others after they shot a hole-in-one; especially my mother;
I converse daily with like-minded golfers friends around the world through blogging and social media;
I continue to meet so many fantastic people on the golf course that I cannot count them all; and
Mostly, I share my most favorite game with the people I treasure the most!

I could go on and on, but I think you get the point that golf provides some many opportunities to be grateful. I have played golf for most of my life, but it has only been the past five years that I really understand how it has helped shape the person I am today. Some may think that I am crazy for letting a game become so important to my life – they may have a valid point. I would counter to say that golf really is more than a game because it continues to teach me how to set goals, face adversity, support others, cherish friendships and share joyful experiences everyday!

What are you grateful for?

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

New World Number One!

March 21, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 7 Comments

Is it possible that Adam Scott will take over as world number one? His play at the Arnold Palmer Invitational is nothing short of fantastic. After the second round, Scott will have an 7 shot lead and if he continues to play well, he should take over as the number one golfer in the world. But…..

ABC reports :” The complex world ranking system assigns points to an event based on the current world rankings of those playing and while official projections are not computed until all players begin the event it appears a win for Scott would still leave him fractionally short of Woods.

Had Day been able to play, a win for Scott in Woods’s absence would have most likely been enough to take the top spot.

Regardless, a win would at the very least get him close enough to pass Woods at the Masters with a higher finish than the American, even if he did not defend.”

Does this seem fair? It is very difficult to determine how the world rankings are calculated. I have tried to follow the process, but I am always tripped up by the ‘strength of the field’ and ‘head to head’ competition. I am sure the golfing experts use an algorithm that would stump Albert Einstein, but it seems to work for them. Regardless, Adam Scott is playing outstanding and if he stays focused, should cruise to a win at Palmer’s tournament.

On a side note, I wanted to point out a statement by Adam Scott posted by White Dragon Golf: ” I made a lot of putts today, and a lot of putts from considerable length. I hit a lot of nice shots, too, but it wasn’t like I was hitting it four feet. ….” Scott’s comment reinforces the recent discussion on focused putting and breaking 100 with consistency. An amateur’s and professional’s short game can be the difference between an average score and a great score.

As the this weekends event unfolds, Should Adam Scott be crowned world number one if the wins the Arnold Palmer invitational?

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!