The possibility of having Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy playing in San Antonio might have gotten a little closer on Tuesday. The Valero Texas Open and Greg Norman Productions announced a multi-year deal on that brings some clout to an already historic PGA Tour event. Greg Norman’s company will take over leadership and operations of the Valero Texas Open immediately and get to work at hopefully making the event one of the premier stops on the PGA Tour. Larson Segerdahl will be … [Read more...]
Patriot Golf Day: Are You Playing For A Good Cause Today?
Patriot Golf Day turned five years old today. Founded on Labor Day 2007, the event has raised more than $12.8 million in an effort to provide scholarships for the children of men and women who have died or been disabled while defending our nation. Major Dan Rooney started the event by asking golfers to donate an extra dollar to their green fees at participating golf courses across the country. In 2007, the response was overwhelming and he was able to raise $1.1 million from 3,200 golf courses … [Read more...]
Frosted Tips and All; Roger Clemens Finishes Ninth at Golf.com World Amateur
I couldn't resist reading a recent article on Golf.com about Roger Clemens playing in the Golf.com World Amateur Handicap Championship, with his frosted tips and all. He finished ninth in the senior division ages 50-59. This is the third time Clemens has played in this tournament, which is a handicap flighted event with over 3,000 entries. His wife also played in the event, but didn't play as well as her husband. Clemens is an average golfer, playing to an eight handicap. It seems he … [Read more...]
Oosthuizen Goes Low, Tiger Still Lurks and DJ Makes His Case
With Brandt Snedeker and Dustin Johnson both making a good case on why they deserve one of the four Ryder Cup captain's picks, Louis Oosthuizen ended up stealing the show on Sunday. Oosthuizen shot a 29 on the front 9 and after letting a few get away on the back 9, he finished the day with a blistering 63. That number is good for a 3-shot lead over Rory McIlroy and six shot lead over Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson. I believe Dustin Johnson is already a lock for one of the final Ryder Cup … [Read more...]
Davis Love III Makes His Ryder Cup Picks
Okay, so he doesn’t actually announce his picks until Tuesday morning, but I decided to make it easy for Davis and announce my selections for the United States team now. If he follows Front9Back9, which I am sure he does, then my picks should help him sleep a little better tonight because these four players will help ensure the Ryder Cup won’t be leaving the United States. Dustin Johnson – Dustin has been playing great golf lately, with three top-10 finishes in his last five tournaments. … [Read more...]
Front9Back9 Golf Picks & Predictions: Deutsche Bank Championship
The PGA Tour Playoffs move to TPC Boston this week and it's an understatement to say there is a lot riding on this tournament. It seems people are more interested in who is going to be the final four Captain's picks for the Ryder Cup then the fact $10 million is up for grabs in a few weeks. To be fair, the attention will probably shift more to the Tour Championship once Davis Love III makes his picks on Monday. But until then, the attention will be on the 5-6 players who are on the short … [Read more...]
Another Over-Par Weekend Drops Tiger Woods Down The Leaderboard
I rushed back home from a weekend at the coast with the hopes I would get to see Tiger Woods making a run up the leaderboard. Instead, I got home in time to see him miss another putt on the 12th hole for a double bogey and then make three more bogeys in the final six holes to shoot a final round 76. This capped off another over-par weekend for Tiger after starting with two solid rounds on Thursday and Friday. This begs the question whether the pressure of weekend golf is actually getting to … [Read more...]
Do You Want to Be Added to My Golf Blog Directory?
Why should you be added to my golf blog directory? Well, frankly because everyone is doing it and it's the cool thing to do. Just kidding actually. But I am really trying to revamp Front9Back9 Golf Blog with an updated look and possibly make new friends in the golf world who would like to be added to the golf blog directory and share some links between blogs. If you are interested, hit me up on Twitter @Front9Back9 or contact Front9Back9 here. I am also looking for guest golf bloggers … [Read more...]
What Are Your Thoughts on the USGA TEE IT FOWARD Initiative?
I got into a discussion with a couple of buddies recently in regards to the TEE IT FORWARD initiative set forth by the United States Golf Association and the PGA of America. The basic idea of the initiative is to encourage golfers to play for tees that are better suited to their playing abilities. The concept actually makes great sense, but the feeling I get from a lot of the guys I play with is they are "too macho" to play from one or two tee boxes closer. I am a 10.6 handicap and post all … [Read more...]
Front9Back9 Golf Picks & Predicions: The Barclays
First and foremost, it's been quite a while since I last wrote anything. In fact, it's been a little over two months. That's pretty sad for someone who loves the game of golf so much and basically watches every tournament every weekend. I am going to make a better attempt to get back into it more consistently going forward, and I hope you still visit! The first leg of the the PGA Tour Playoffs start tomorrow, and what a better way to kick it off then with the event being held at the famed … [Read more...]
Dear Bubba Watson,
Bubba, my man. What you did at Augusta in April was awesome. I watched every minute and was rooting for you down the stretch. But now that you are now a major champion and I really wish you would start acting like one. I understand Olympic Club is tough, and your game plan of trying to overpower the course will just not work out there this week. Is this any reason to hold your post-round press conference and act like the there are 100 other places you would rather be than playing golf in … [Read more...]
Phil Mickelson Really Does Look Mentally Fatigued
As I sit here and stream the U.S. Open on my computer at work, I can’t help but notice how bad Phil Mickelson physically looks on the course right now. To me, he really does look tired and worn out. I could be totally wrong and it could be the tough course and conditions that are wearing him down—6-over through 17 holes can do that to you – but I think about his past health issues and wonder if that has anything to do with his withdrawal two weeks ago at The Memorial and his poor play. Phil … [Read more...]
Latest Odds To Win The U.S. Open at The Olympic Club
No surprise here, Tiger Woods is favored to win the U.S. Open this week. After winning The Memorial two weeks ago, he is currently at 6/1 odds with Luke Donald and Rory McIlroy the closet at 12/1. Here are the latest odds to win the U.S. Open at The Olympic Club starting on Thursday courtesy of Sportsbook.com. Tiger Woods 6/1 Luke Donald 12/1 Rory McIlroy 12/1 Field (Any Other Golfers) 15/1 Lee Westwood 15/1 Phil Mickelson 15/1 Matt Kuchar 25/1 Jason Dufner 25/1 Rickie Fowler … [Read more...]
Dustin Johnson Wins FedEx St. Jude Classic Before CBS Coverage Starts
I hate when the PGA Tour does this. I understand it, but I hate it. As coverage of the FedEx St. Jude Classic starts right now on CBS, I already know who wins. Why would I sit around and watch it for the rest of the afternoon like I had planned on doing. Tee times were pushed up and the guys are playing threesomes today all due to the fact thunderstorms are moving into Memphis later this afternoon. With the U.S. Open at Olympic Club starting next week, they can't take the chance of having … [Read more...]
8 Players To Watch at Olympic Club
Everyone else is making their list on which players to watch next week during the U.S. Open at Olympic Club, so I thought what better a time to make up my list. Here are the eight players I think are the most compelling to watch next week in San Francisco. 1.) Tiger Woods Are you surprised Tiger Woods is on my list? Coming off his win at The Memorial, Tiger should be primed to add another major victory in his pursuit to track down Jack Nicklaus’ major championship record. Or, just … [Read more...]
City Politics at its Best: Small Business Owner VS. City of San Antonio
It all started on March 4, 2012, when a local golfer was playing the 12th hole at Mission Del Lago in San Antonio. All of a sudden, he looked down to see blood and realized he had been struck by a stray bullet which lodged in his sternum. He was rushed to the hospital and a .223 rifle slug was removed. Luckily, he survived. It wasn’t more than two weeks later, on March 13 when Mission Del Lago evacuated the golf course after two employees reported hearing a gunshot and then a bullet whizzing … [Read more...]
Is Tiger Woods on the Cusp of Another Multi-Year Run?
For more than a year now, me and a couple buddies have done nothing but speculate on when Tiger Woods would win again. In the end, nobody was anywhere near to being correct. But each time we had our little discussion, we all pretty much agreed on one thing – Once Tiger Woods got back into the winners circle, it could be the start of another dominating run for the man who will soon be back to #1 in the world. So after his first win today at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in nearly 30 months, … [Read more...]
Why Do I Continue to Root for Tiger Woods?
It’s a question I have been thinking about for some time now and it's a question I sometimes struggle to come up with a good answer. Why Do I Continue to Root for Tiger Woods? It's a complicated question because I have rooted for the guy for so long now. But with the act he put forth today during his Honda Classic news conference, I wonder if I should just forget about this guy going into the future. So I decided I would try to put it in writing and figure out what reasons are left to … [Read more...]
Some Dude by the Name of Tiger is Playing This Weekend
Surely, by now you probably know Tiger Woods is teeing it up this weekend in the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. If you don't know, you must be living under a rock. Also, if you didn't know, Tiger Woods is teeing it up this weekend alongside his buddy, Tony Romo, who is a pretty good player in his own right. Together, these two super stars should have no problem being near the top of the leader board in the team division by Sunday. But the real question is whether Tiger Woods has enough to … [Read more...]
Front9Back9 Picks & Predictions: Super Bowl XLVI Style
Kickoff is still a little more than three hours away, and the final round coverage of the Waste Management Phoenix Open is just kicking off on CBS, so I thought I would use this time to break down Super Bowl XLVI and tell you who will win. If you can't tell from my picture, I am a big Tom Brady fan so it shouldn't be any surprise that I pick the Patriots to win. For two weeks, all I have heard is how evenly matched this game can be and how big of a surprise it is for the Patriots … [Read more...]