From the Fringe

August 2009 - Posts

• Let's Hear It For the Girls!

  It was fairly predictable that Sam Johnson would write about Tiger Woods this week.  The man crush made its regular appearance, and with thousands of guys with the same affliction it makes perfect sense that we'd see Tiger's name in his latest posting. But after what the gals on the LPGA and European tour did last week I was sort of hoping he'd surprise us all and give a nod and a few keystrokes to the Solheim Cup instead.  I wanted to write about Tiger Woods!!  But alas, I will dedicate my thoughts this week to an event that might not even hit the radar screen to the boys who play their weekly skins matches at the country club or the guys who just like to see someone hit the ball 300+ every time. I have to believe that for those of us passionate about the game in the big picture saw the Solheim Cup as a success on many levels and I think it deserves some kudos. It's been no secret that women's golf in the US has been struggling - we've talked about the loss of sponsorships for women's events, the rise of international players, the internal struggle at the LPGA, and the downturn in our economy in general that has put a somewhat negative hue on the spotlight that shines on women's golf. But last week we saw some sparkle again - the Solheim Cup, which pits Europe's best women against the US's best women in a 3 day multiple team format brought out some of the worlds best players and attracted thousands of fans to Illinois to watch the competition.  Before the event started the US was highly favored and I'm sure a few people were slightly worried we might see a rout and that could cause some lost interest by Sunday. To many people's surprise, the teams were tied with 8 points a piece after the second day and it was going to be a battle in each of the 12 singles matches to capture the win and the trophy. Did we see Tiger Woods level (or even Nationwide Tour level) golf?  No, but we saw great competition, great shots, great sportsmanship, and a passion and enthusiasm that I, for one, think golf needs more of. And, as largely reported out in the internet world, this may well have been Michelle Wie's coming out party - with a 3-0-1 record for the week, and an excitement level that was contagious, Wie proved that she is right where she belongs.  I hope she had as great of time as it looked. And the TV ratings?  I read one place that the ratings were 224% higher than in 2007 - I hope that gets some attention, too.  Maybe the LPGA can finally turn the corner and start moving past some of the conflicts and issues that have been plaguing them - some of their own doing and others they had no control of. And maybe we can all take a little time to show some support for women's golf - the Safeway Classic is on ESPN this weekend...be sure to tune in! I know it wouldn't take much for someone to write about all that is wrong or uninteresting about women's professional golf (except for Natalie Gulbis of course), but just for today I'm going to celebrate that 2 dozen talented women, their caddies, coaches, the captains, and fans gave women's golf a shot in the arm last week.  I hope you will celebrate, too. Now back to your regular Tiger Woods programming.... Posted Aug 27 2009, 05:08 PM by Cathy Erickson with 3 comment(s) Filed under: LPGA, Sam Johnson, TIger Woods, Solheim Cup, USA, Celebrate, Europe

• Three Days of Golf Heaven (part 3)

  On Friday morning my sister in law and my 2 nieces escorted me to the golf course since my brother had to work in the morning.  It was just after 8am when I arrived and I knew the players I wanted to see were on the back 9 first.  I headed over to the 10th hole and there was already a full grand stand by the green and the fairway was at least 2 people deep.  I tried to find a spot to watch at the green, but there wan't much close.  The 16th green was right behind the 10th green, so I decided that I was going to find a good spot by the green and commit to being there for the morning.  I figured it was a good 45 minutes before we'd see the first group come through, but we were entertained by watching Nick Faldo doing some sort of backstory on the fairway with Lake Hazeltine in the background.  The grandstand was only about 1/2 full when the first group came through - the 16th hole is a par-4 where the players have to hit over the water to a smaller landing area - Lake Hazeltine is on their right and a creek runs through the left rough as well (this is also where the Payne Stewart bridge is).  It seemed like most players set themselves up for a 150-175 approach shot, but we did see a few long drives - Ryo Ishikawa and Angel Cabrera appeared to be around 100 yards out...Ishikawa was able to hit a solid approach and convert his birdie, but Cabrera hit his approach past the pin and it didn't sping back...he was also agressive with his putt, going past about 5ft but was able to make the comeback for a par. The 16th offers up not only a challening drive, but the approach isn't any easier - a slightly elevated green is 2 tiered with thick rough on the left and the Lake Hazeltine hazard no more than 6 or so paces off on the right (we saw a few balls go in there).  With the pin in the front (slightly right), the ideal shot would be to hit it past the pin about 10 feet and get a little spin back.  But what we saw over and over again were shots that hit about pin high and then spun off the front and down the slope.  Several players never even got to the green and faced the chip up the slope.  Most of the players that hit past the hole had their balls check up and not come back, so we never really saw a lot of tight approaches. Geoff Ogilvy attempted to putt up the slope and left it just on the front edge leaving himself about a 15 footer for par...which he drained!  It was fun to watch the chip shots that almost went in., and we saw more than our share of shorter putts that didn't drop.  Ernie Els made about a 20ft birdie putt from above the hole and put his hands in the air and mouthed "that was one".  It was hard to watch the leaderboard being updated and seeing my favorite players going the wrong way.  I was excited to see Cabrera 4-under for the day through 5 holes on Friday, but his par at 16 after a great drive was the beginning of a string of 4 bogeys before getting 2 more birdies to end at -2 for the day.  I tried to will Steve Stricker's approach shot onto the green, but he was one of the many who never got it to the green. After about 4 hours at 16 I decided it was time for some lunch - I met my friend Bob and we decided to head over to the 18th grandstand to watch for awhile.  We were able to see the approaches on 9 and 18, so we were able to start seeing some of the early groups on the back coming up 9.  The pin on 18 was back left, and with bunkers in front of it, we didn't see many balls close for birdie.  We also saw player after player misread the putt coming from middle right of the green.  The pin on 9 was front right, sort of in a bowl, so we got to see several shots get close...but the putt must have been tough because there were quite a few groans from the other bleachers when putts were missed. The wind was definitely a factor on Friday, but for the fans it was a welcome repreive from the high temps. It was working against the players on 18.  I remember someone holing out a 2nd shot on 9 on Friday, but whoever it was wasn't going to make the cut.  I'm sure the name will come to me sometime.  I also remember seeing Alvaro Quiros' drive about 70 yards ahead of his playing partners...wow!!  The guy is just long!  It was nice to have a leader board to watch, but not many of my favorites ever made it up there.  (Sidebar - Steve Stricker didn't have 1 birdie in 36 holes at Hazeltine - not one!) The heat of the day had finally gotten to me so I headed back to the tent - I couldn't believe it was already almost 5pm!  My brother allowed me one last trip to the merchandise tent and I felt compelled to buy at least one more thing, along with picking up a few requested items.  As I was trying on a jacket (which I didn't buy) I ran into a friend from my hometown, which was nice.  I got my last few purchases and we made out way out of the gates for the last time. My brain was flashing back to countless highlights as we walked to the car and I couldn't help but smile as gratefulness swept over me - grateful for the PGA for choosing Minnesota as their site to have their major championship.  Grateful for the opportunity to win tickets to go - for my friends who had extra tickets so my brother could come - and to my brother and sister in law who gave me a place to stay.  How lucky were all of us to be treated to the chance to watch the best players in the world to show us their skills both physical and mental?! I was reminded that golf is hard - that the elements can really throw a wrench into things - and it's fun to celebrate great shots!!  I spent a little time thinking about all that goes into planning an event like this and I can't imagine the coordination it takes...I'm very grateful for all of the hard work everyone put into making the PGA Championship such a success. I hope everyone that attended had a great time!   I know I did. Posted Aug 18 2009, 09:21 PM by Cathy Erickson with 2 comment(s) Filed under: PGA Championship, Hazeltine

• Three Days of Golf Heaven (part 2)

  Thursday morning my brother and I were up and at the course by 9:00am (the parking pass was awesome!).  It was another warm day in MN and the winds had already started to pick up.  We checked out the pairing sheets and realized that all of the players we wanted to see were all on one side in both the morning and afternoon.  We knew Tiger was on the back side and had just teed off, so we made our way to the green on the par-3 17th hole to watch for the morning.  The hole was playing 182 yards - the pin was in the middle right of the green on an upper tier.  There were sand traps to the right and a tree that was over hanging on the right as well.  Water was in the front but didn't seem to come into play - also a hazard on the left side of the green that had a large drop off (we saw Snedeker go in there and he had to take a drop).  Most players hit to the front left of the green which left them an uphill putt....and I think just about everyone left that putt short.  We saw a few players hit short-right into the long grass and I was awed by the great recovery shots everyone made when you couldn't even see the ball.  The best shot of the morning was Sergio Garcia - his ball mark was about a 1/2 inch from the cup and they actually had to call in a rules official to round the cup again after he repaired his mark.  It was a great birdie!  It was pretty amazing to watch the crowds multiply as Tiger approached.  We went from being the back end of the gallery to stuck in the middle somewhere...Tiger and Padraig had a ho-hum pars, but Rich Beem made a great putt for birdie!   And then just like that everyone disappeared!  My brother said we could stay so I could see one of my favorites...Matt Kuchar!  Unfortunately he hadn't gotten off to a great start and he was the one person we saw in the trap right...but he did get up and down for par! Sitting there, watching player after player leave the same putt short, you just wanted to yell out, hit it harder!  It was also funny to realize what a different perspective we get when we're just watching golf on TV...I mean, I know we're getting the best shots on TV, but I just didn't realize how some players really scramble on some holes...especially at majors. After the last group on the back left 17, we headed over towards the front side to catch the morning groups again.  We had decided the par-5 7th hole might be a good place to watch...and so did A LOT of other people!  We started out on the left side of the green (because there was a little shade) and then we were going to try to get into the grand stands once Tiger passed through.  This was a fun hole to watch because many of the players went for the green in 2 and there were quite a few birdies to be had.  With the pin in the left middle and water on the left, most players were right or short, which didn't make for great eagle tries. We decided to stay at #7 for the afternoon so we could see Steve Stricker!...okay, and a few other people like Phil, Vijay, Davis, Lucas Glover, and Retief.  We were surprised to see Adam Scott +4 after 6 holes, and then he bogeyed the 7th right in front of us (which played as the easiet hole for the week).  Stricker was only +1 coming to 7, but couldn't get his birdie putt to drop.  Again we saw the crowds multiply as Mickelson made his way through the front side.  He made a nice birdie on the 7th and the crowds were very supportive.  Just like when Woods came through, the stands became half empty after Phil made his way to the par-3 8th.  We stayed to watch a couple more groups, but then decided to head out. One more quick trip to the merchandise tent (credit card not happy!) and a stop at the Wannamaker tent to get a snack and we called it a day.  Highlights included...Sergio's shot on 17...the fans loving Tom Lehman and Tom appreciating it all...seeing Kenny Perry (he was a fan favorite as well)...watching Freddie make birdie on #7...Matt Kuchar making par at #17...and cheering on Steve Stricker!  I thought it was funny when our whole grandstand did a "group stretch" on #7 while each group left the green.  I'm already ready for Friday!! Posted Aug 18 2009, 07:09 AM by Cathy Erickson with no comments Filed under: Fred Couples, Tiger, Kenny Perry, PGA Championship, Hazeltine, Sergio Garcia, Tom Lehman, Matt Kuchar

• Three Days of Golf Heaven (part 1)

  It's Monday morning and I'm back at work, still absorbing the 3 great days I had at Hazeltine and not quite believing that a player ranked 110th in the world beat Tiger Woods and will have his name engraved on the Wannamaker Trophy.  YE Yang - the 91st PGA Champion! It's funny how things fall into place better than you could imagine...a week ago at this time I had no plans on attending the PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Course in Chaska, MN.  But then a great email showed up in my mailbox and voila! - I all of a sudden had tickets to the PGA!  Planning kicked into gear and I figured I would go down for 2 days...my brother and sister-in-law were kind enough to let me stay with them, so I was set!  Then came a note from a friend Tueday morning - a ticket for me on Friday in one of the tents courtesy of Moeller Jewelers (thank you Bob & Linda!) - a quick call back to my brother and now it's 3 days at the PGA! My brother was able to get some time off so he was going to join me at the PGA, too - but we needed to find tickets - a few emails later a friend had a Wednesday ticket he wasn't going to be able to use, so that was my first stop on my way to the PGA (thanks Pat!!).  My brother had to spend part of the day at work so he dropped me off Wednesday morning and would meet me in the afternoon.  The walk up to the gates was familiar and but I still had a few excited butterflies in my stomach - I felt so lucky to have been given this chance to enjoy golf at its best. After picking up my tickets at will call (they had my name, Phew!), the first place I headed was the merchandise tent - I couldn't help it!  It was huge, as you would expect, and it was also busy.  I browsed around and before I knew it I had a handful of things ready to purchase.  They offered free storage of purchases, so I got a few things right away because you're just never sure if they're going to get more during the week or not. I headed up number 1 and noticed right away that there were some players in the middle of the fairway..I stopped to watch a  few approach shots and then made my way to the driving range area.  The stands were packed so I went over to the side and who do I see in a purple shirt?  Steve Stricker!!  I pulled out my camera to get some shots (still need to download), and then I heard some rumbling in the crowd - Tiger had made his way to the far side of the range.  It was already posted that he wasn't going to practice on the course on Wednesday, so the mob of fans got even bigger as word got out that he was here. I stood and watched players hit shots for awhile and then I saw Stricker make his move off the range - I hoped he was going to #1 so I made my way over to get a look.  But I couldn't see him.  I mulled around and then made my way over to the putting green.  Sergio and Davis Love were there so I took a few photos and then found a board that showed the practice times - I hadn't missed Stricker after all!  I went back to the first tee and he was there with Jerry Kelly and another player I can't remember.  I watched them tee off but then I hung around because Padraig Harrington was right behind him. After watching a few more groups tee off I made my way to the 18 grand stands...the meeting place my brother and I had planned.  It was a great place to watch since both the 9 and 18 greens were right next to each other.  Lots of my favorite players made their way through so I hope my pictures turn out!  I was impressed with the players who made time to sign autographs on their way through...  Countless number of kids were waving hats and flags as they walked by...a few players threw some balls into the gallery, too.  My brother and I met up and we made our way to par-3 17th green.  We watched several groups come through and then we just roamed around to find some spots we'd like to watch from on Thursday. After another stop at the merchandise tent to pick up my purchases we decided to head to the range again to see if there were any players hanging around in the late afternoon - not too much action, but we did see Vijay visiting with a few players as he made his way to the clubhouse.  We called it a day at 5pm. On our way to the exit gates we remembered that we needed to get a Thursday ticket for my brother.  Since he and I both had passes for Friday, we could trade my other Friday pass for a Thursday - as we walked along a guy was offering to buy or sell tickets (aka scalper) so we asked about just doing a trade - he wasn't too receptive, but a guy next to him said he would be able to and he gave us a parking pass!  The scalper guy wasn't too happy...but we were! Day one of my 3 day stay at the PGA was terrific!  More to come... Posted Aug 17 2009, 06:52 AM by Cathy Erickson with no comments Filed under: PGA Championship, Hazeltine, Wednesday, practice round

• It's PGA Championship Week in Minnesota!

  When I talked to my brother this morning he said that Tiger Woods has already practiced at Hazeltine this morning - flew in from OH last night and was on the tee at 6:45am today.  The PGA Championship has officially started!  Up until this morning I didn't think I would be heading down to the Championship, but I was lucky enough to get some tickets by entering a contest online (Thank you Ryan & Waggle Room!). So now it looks like I'm going to head down for 2 days...YAY!!  I have to admit I haven't been following all that much of the PGA stories because I didn't think I would be going, so I spent a few minutes reading some articles on the Minneapolis Star Tribune website this morning.  The first one I read...Matt Kuchar is now in the field!!!  WOO HOO!  Welcome to Minnesota, Matt. I was also thrilled to hear that the PGA of America extended a special exemption to Minnesota's own Tom Lehman.  Yes, I know he lives in AZ now, but he's always going to be a Minnesota boy to us.  He was at Hazeltine on Sunday signing autographs and then he will be back Wednesday to practice.  Maybe Tom Watson can be an inspiration to "our Tom".  Go Lehman! As many of you may know, there are long standing Minnesota-Wisconsin rivalries in just about every major sport.  It's not popular to be a WI fan living in MN, but I think I will get a pass to root for Steve Stricker this week!!!  And Wisconsin native Jerry Kelly is pulling out the olive branch and asking all Big Ten fans to set aside Minnesota loyalty and cheer him on this week, too.  I'm there for you, Jerry! And it seems like Mother Nature has been saving all the good weather for this week, too!  We've had a less than stellar summer weather-wise, and looking at the forecast today, it looks like sunny and 80's during the week and scattered showers this weekend (which we know can change any time!).  This is great news!! I was lucky enough to have spent 2 days at the 2002 PGA when it was at Hazeltine and I'm remembering scouring the golf course to see if I could get a few pictures of Greg Norman on the Wednesday practice round (I did!).  Norman won't be in Minnesota this week, but you know Kenny Perry, Davis Love, Matt Kuchar and Steve Stricker will be on my photo-op wish list!   I remember my brother and I spent 8 hours in a grandstand without moving because we didn't want to lose our prime seats.  It was one of my favorite days on the golf course (not playing). Tiger will be on the hunt for a major this week and I think the fans are going to be in for a great display of golf - I read that 100 of the top 101 players in the world will be at Hazeltine this week...talk about an A-list group!  For all of the fantasy golf players out there, this is going to be a tough week to pick!  I think at the beginning of the year I predicted that Anthony Kim was going to win this week - but I wouldn't be surprised if Tiger is hoisting the Wannamaker Trophy on Sunday.  But maybe Minnesota is ready to offer another great Rich Beem-like story this week...anything can happen! I must also admit I can't wait to get to the merchandise tent!  And it's a good thing I'm only going to be there for 2 days...my credit card is still recovering from the US Women's Open last year.  If anyone wants me to pick up something, let me know! In Minnesota, we love golf.  Not only are we welcoming the players, but the fans as well...I hope everyone that is making their way to the PGA week has a great time!!  See you there!!   Posted Aug 10 2009, 09:58 AM by Cathy Erickson with no comments Filed under: Minnesota, Davis Love III, Fans, Kenny Perry, Steve Stricker, PGA Championship, Hazeltine, TIger Woods, Rich Beem, Anthony Kim

• A Taste of Competition

  When it comes to golf, I think it's hard to stop your competitive juices from flowing.  Even people that are say they are on the golf course "for the enjoyment of the game" have to feel some sense of challenge and determination out there, even if it's just beating a low score, having less putts, or losing fewer balls.  Competition just lurks out on the course waiting to lure the next guy or gal into its web. As my golf pals know, my favorite saying on the golf course is, "it's not about winning or losing, it's about winning!"  I often say it in jest, but when it comes to golf scrambles (one of my favorite reasons for being on the golf course), I'm completely sucked into getting the lowest score the course is willing to give.  I'm crazy about the team aspect of golf - I know some aren't but there's just something about it that appeals to me. I also enjoy the games we play on the course when I get together with golf pals - match play, skins, or murder...and we're still working on our birdie card (still need 15 & 16!), so it seems I'm always running into that competitive urge on the course.  I especially enjoy competing against the course - I look forward to the evenings of hitting multiple balls around for a few hours, hoping for that great approach shot, the killed drive or sinking a birdie putt or two.  Sometimes I play best ball, sometimes I scramble, or on occassion, I'll play the worst ball scramble (that really tests my mental game!).  The great thing about golf is that it's always up for a little game, and no matter how well prepared you are the course often seems to have the upper hand. One thing I haven't done a lot of is play in individual tournaments.  A combination of it being a busy work time of year and general nerves are what usually keep me away from the handful of women's events in our area.  I love that golf allows all levels of players to participate (through handicaps or flighting), but I still feel a sense of intimidation about it all. But after meeting two great gals at an event my Mom & I played in a month ago, I signed up for a 2-day match play event that starts on Thursday.  I'm nervous as all get out, and I'm so disappointed that my game is currently in crummy shape, but I'm looking forward to this new experience!  I'm playing a practice round with my new friends Wednesday after work, and then we find out when we tee off on Thursday.  The event has 2 9-hole matches on Thursday and one 18-hole match on Friday. I know these greens are going to be FAST, so I'm thankful for the opportunity to play there the day before.  I have played the course a few times, but scrambles don't really give you that "feel" that you need when you're on your own. The match play format should be good for me...I've always appreciated the concept that one bad hole (or two) doesn't have to ruin a round.  Going out of the gate with 2 9-hole matches means that you can't let the round get away from you early, so I hope I'll be able to hang in and not be out in 5 holes!  I'd at least like to make it match. My "to do list" is as follows...tonight, head to the course and get some more practice in.  Keeping focused on chipping and putting and hopefully feeling at least "okay" off the tee.  After golf, shine up my clubs and get some new balls out - I might actually go with the Callaway Pearls - they are a nice soft ball and I happen to have a few brand new ones (thanks to a friend!).  Then it's time for laundry and picking out what to wear.  This may not be a big deal for most, but in Minnesota you need to be prepared for 80's one minute and 50's the next!  It also looks like rain is in the forecast...figures.  I need to make time to watch a few Mindi Boysen clips to help get my arm and hand nice and loose, and finally, just relax and get ready to enjoy a new golf experience!  I know I'll be nervous, but when I think about golf I can't help but be happy.  Hopefully I won't embarrass myself too much!  Think good thoughts for me this week. Posted Aug 04 2009, 06:28 PM by Cathy Erickson with no comments Filed under: match play, competition, tournament, putting