TERRE HAUTE —
I don’t know if the Golf Channel will show a “Best Shots of 2011” highlight reel, much like ESPN does for baseball or football. But if it does, I know what shot I would pick to be the best shot of the year. Not only was it a great shot from an unusual lie, it ended up being the $10 million shot of the year too!
In the second playoff hole of the Tour Championship by Coca-Cola last Sunday at East Lake Golf Club near Atlanta, Bill Haas played too aggressively in his approach out of a sand bunker, going for the pin, and his ball hit the green but rolled down the steep bank and settled in shallow water at the edge of the water hazard. The water was low in the hazard, so there was about two feet of a mud embankment that ordinarily wouldn’t have been there, and although his ball was in the water, it was mostly out of the water, so he could get a club on it. Instead of having to take a penalty shot from the hazard, his ball was playable — at least if you’re a touring professional! Not the kind of shot I’d want to try. However, for Bill Haas, and apparently Johnny Miller, who was one of the announcers, it was a piece of cake.
Johnny kept saying that if he played it like a sand shot, the ball would fly up high and land on the green. And that’s just what Bill Haas did; only the ball got some spin and actually bit, and stayed within three feet of the pin. So now, Hunter Mahan, who was the other contender in the playoff, had pressure to make his 20-foot putt to win the playoff, instead of a lackadaisical two-putt that moments earlier he thought he’d have to make. Instead of making it, he two-putted, then Haas holed his putt. The playoff moved on to the 18th hole, where Haas made par and Mahan bogeyed, thereby making Haas the winner of the Tour Championship, which was worth $1.4 million, plus $10 million for the FedEx Cup bonus. Not only that, but his showing caused Fred Couples to pick Haas for this year’s President’s Cup team. Not a bad day for a touring pro who hadn’t had a win all year.
So after Fred Couples picked Bill Haas, and the International team captain Greg Norman chose Australians Robert Allenby and Aaron Baddely, the teams are set for the President’s Cup, which will be played in Australia at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Nov. 17-20 this year.
Couples’ other captain’s pick was made back in August, when Couples announced publicly that Tiger Woods would be one of his picks. At the time the team standings closed, Woods was 29th on the list. Tiger’s last PGA Tour victory was in September 2009 at the BMW Championship. Woods does have a great record in the President’s Cup, going 5-0-0 in 2009, and overall holds the record for the most matches won at 18. However, his showings in some of the Ryder Cups have been less than stellar. Since Fred picked Tiger so early, perhaps he gave Tiger enough time to work on his game to be prepared for the matches, at least I hope so!
For the International team, there will be five Australians on the team, giving the home team a resounding advantage in the crowd-noise category. Those players are Jason Day, Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy, Robert Allenby and Aaron Baddeley. The rest of the players are K.J. Choi, Kyung-tae Kim, and Y.E. Yang from Korea, Charl Schwartzel and Ernie Els from South Africa, and Ryo Ishikawa of Japan. That looks like a very formidable lineup, especially when you add in the home-field advantage.
For the United States, the players that made the team on points are Matt Kuchar, Steve Stricker, Dustin Johnson, Webb Simpson, Nick Watney, Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, David Toms, Hunter Mahan and Jim Furyk. The captain’s assistants are Jay Haas and Michael Jordan. With Jay Haas already being with the team, it just makes Bill Haas’ shot in the Tour Championship all the more special.
2011 will be the ninth time The Presidents Cup has been played. The United States has had six wins, the International team one win, and there was one tie. The tie occurred in 2003, when the competition was in South Africa, and Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus were captains. After regulation play, the teams were tied at 17 points apiece, and two players were chosen to represent their teams in a sudden-death playoff. After three playoff holes, with darkness descending, the two captains decided the teams would share the cup.
The only time the International team has won was in 1998, when the matches were played at Royal Melbourne Golf Club, the same location as this year’s event.
Quote of the Day — “Did I win the FedEx Cup?” - Bill Haas to his wife, who didn’t know he had also won the FedEx Cup until the awards presentation after he won the Tour Championship.
On & Off the Course
ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The shot heard round the world
- On & Off the Course
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Death Notice: Feb. 7, 2013
• Gary R. Wright
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Donna Lynn Strahla Bown
Donna Lynn Strahla Bown passed away early Friday morning, Jan. 25, 2013, with her children by her side.
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‘The Match’ pitting amateurs vs. pros recalled 62 years later
Quote of the Day: “I play golf with friends sometimes, but there are never friendly games.” — Ben Hogan.
Bubba Watson has had a busy fall. Not only did he play all the way to the final round of the FedEx Championships, and in the Ryder Cup, he also played in an event commemorating a very famous match played at Cypress Point in 1956, pitting two of the greatest golf pros at the time against two of the best amateurs.
Come to think of it, all four were some of the best golfers of all time. This year’s event was celebrating The First Tee’s exceeding $100 million in pledges to reach 10 million new young people. It wasn’t televised and kept very quiet; only 225 people were in the gallery.
One of the people in the gallery was Mark Frost, the author of a book titled “The Match,” which is about that match played 62 years ago that was re-enacted in modern terms last week. The pros in 1956 were Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson and the amateurs were Ken Venturi and Harvie Ward. It was supposed to have been a private affair, built around a wager by two millionaires, George Coleman and Eddie Lowery. -
ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Golf from the wrong side of the brain
Imagine this scenario: a woman, small in stature (possibly freckled), walks into a hospital emergency room and says, “I have an emergency, I need a doctor quickly!” The admitting nurse, ever trying to be helpful, asks what the emergency is.
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Farmers looking at widely varying yields
Combines will roll through fields this weekend, bringing in the harvest from a summer with nearly no rain.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Golf debut in London would have been nice
As the Olympics get underway in London this weekend, I was thinking it’s too bad that the Olympic committee decided too late to add golf as one of the sports for this event; instead it will be added to the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Getting to Hoosier country’s best golfing venue part of the fun
If you are looking for Indiana’s premier golfing destination, then you should look no further than French Lick.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Indiana's Pete Dye courses worth the drive
You’ve probably heard of the Robert Trent Jones Golf trail throughout Alabama, but you might not be aware that Indiana has its own “Pete Dye Golf Trail” comprised of seven courses.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Fathers typically a big influence on golfing sons
Some events fall naturally into place around holidays. The Fourth of July always falls somewhere during Wimbledon, giving all of the Yanks in attendance something to be boisterous about, to the chagrin of their hosts; The Masters often, but not always, ends on Easter Sunday, which is fitting since golfers find it such a reverent occasion.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Memorial just one of many visions of Jack Nicklaus
When Jack Nicklaus was a young man, the golfer he most admired was Bob Jones.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: With some tricky rules, golf is not a walk in the park
Golf is not a casual sport, even though it has a term called “casual water.”
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On and off the course: Sycamores seeded sixth heading into MVC golf tourney
It wasn’t too long ago that Indiana State University didn’t even have a women’s golf team.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: A hard ticket to come by
This is the weekend of the Masters Tournament, the first of the four major tournaments.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Some things on golf course are worse than steep putts
It’s not often that anything gets more scary on a golf course than a steep downhill putt, but on some courses around the world, things a little more on the supernatural side might give you a bigger fright!
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The shot heard round the world
I don’t know if the Golf Channel will show a “Best Shots of 2011” highlight reel, much like ESPN does for baseball or football.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The Red, White and Blue visits the Isle of Green
In 2006, the Ryder Cup was held in Ireland at The K Club in County Kildare.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Fall may be coming but golf season is far from over
Once the major tournaments are over with, what’s there to look forward to in the world of golf?
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Golf… simplified!
Golf is not a simple game. A golf course is made up of 18 holes, all different. There are par-3s, par-4s and par-5s; they all vary in length and elevation, and each has its own challenges. There can be water hazards, trees, sand bunkers, tall grass, hills, valleys — and then, if that’s not enough, there’s probably wind too.
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On and Off the Course: Northern Ireland builds on golf history
Northern Ireland is only about 5,452 square miles in area and has a population about the same as West Virginia, which is about 1,880,344.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Women’s Open at the Broadmoor
This is the weekend of the U.S. Women’s Open, and this year it’s being played at The Broadmoor, East Course, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The Fort Golf Course: A Walk in the Park…
Indiana has some pretty spectacular state parks, but one of them gives you the ability to “spoil a good walk” by chasing a little white ball.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Father’s Day is a good day for golfers
Most people consider the time around Christmas to be the gift-buying season.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Playing with lead a difficult task
As exciting as last week’s Masters was, with six players being tied for the lead at one point on Sunday, it was very difficult watching Rory McIlroy fall apart to shoot an 80.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Masters a rite of spring
This is Masters weekend, the grand kickoff to the golf season for a lot of golfers. Sure, there have been tournaments on TV, because the professionals have been playing in Hawaii, California, Texas, Dubai, and other areas not so affected by winter as we are here in the Midwest, but to me, watching The Masters is a rite of spring.
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ON THE OFF THE COURSE: Some history on the Ryder Cup
I fell asleep in way too many history classes to ever qualify as a history buff. However, since I have grown up a bit (not much), I enjoy learning about all kinds of history. I often have questions about how something began, or how something came to be.
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On and Off the Course: Purdue's Kampen Course a gem in Indiana's rough
About a month ago, Indiana was still heavily mired in heat and humidity, making outdoor activities such as golf less appealing than usual. At that time it felt like the repressive heat would never go away, it would never rain again, and all of the grass was just going to continue to wither and die. And the month prior to that we kept getting rained out of golf events!
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On and Off the Course: Successful golfers know ... focus is the key
I have a good friend who coached his daughter’s basketball team for a number of years, and told me that his theme with the girls was always “focus”, until it was ingrained in their brains. Now when they play high school ball, if they hear “focus” yelled from the stands, they know the source.
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On and Off the Course: Technology adds even more fun to the course
You’ve hit a drive into some brush in an area marked as a hazard, but you can’t find the ball to prove it is there. And no one actually witnessed it go in the hazard. You just think that’s where it probably is. What is the rule for this situation?
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On and Off the Course: Anthony Gonzalez First Tee Classic a worthwhile charity event
On Monday, I worked as a volunteer for the Anthony Gonzalez First Tee Classic, Golf Tournament and Auction at Eagle Creek Golf Course in Indianapolis. It was an absolutely beautiful day, with clear blue skies, just a few wispy clouds here and there and a high temperature of about 76 degrees.
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On and Off the Course: Trends show golf in decline
You don’t have to watch the news or read the paper to understand that America is struggling on the economic front. The evidence can be witnessed at the local golf course.
- More On & Off the Course Headlines
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Death Notice: Feb. 7, 2013
Raw: Tornado on the Ground in Oklahoma
Raw: Aftermath of Massive Tornado in Oklahoma
Raw: Rescue Workers Search Oklahoma School
Raw: House Burns After Massive Oklahoma Tornado
Raw: Walking in a Flattened Okla. Neighborhood
Raw: Witness Describes Scene After Okla. Tornado
Oklahoma Gov: 'Hearts Are Broken' After Tornado
White House Backs 'Shield Law' for Media
Raw: Suspects Butt Dial 911, Lead to Arrest
Split-second Choice Ended With NY Student Dead
Raw: Rescuers Pull Tornado Survivors to Safety
Huge Tornado Kills Dozens Near Oklahoma City
Raw: Swarm of Tornadoes Slams Plains
Raw: Okla. Tornado Aftermath 'Like War Zone'
RAW: TV Staff Take Cover From Tornado
Tornadoes, Storms Strike Midwest
Commuters Face Delays After Conn. Train Accident
Analyst: Tumblr Fills Void in Yahoo's Offerings
Pug Life on Display at Wisconsin Festival
'Babyland': Camp Lejeune's Toxic Legacy?
RAW: Moore, OK tornado touches down near school
Trailer: 'The Last Stand' Available on Blu-ray Disc, DVD, Digital Download
Okla. tornado survivor finds dog buried alive under rubble
Robert Pattinson Moves Out
RAW: Russian dash cam catches car 20 feet in the air
Oklahoma tornado survivor: "Everything is gone"
Khloe Lashes Out at Kim Kardashian's Critics
Couple Argues As Woman's Lover Crawls Out Window
RAW: Brad Paisley Forgets Lyrics To His Own Song
Justin Bieber Gets Booed
New 'Anchorman 2' Trailer, Drake Joins List of Rumored Cameos
Eva Longoria's Wardrobe Malfunction
Heat Star Dwyane Wade Surprises Coral Gables Teen At Prom
Steak n' Shake waitress scores huge tip
Singer Miguel Accidentally Lands on Fan At Billboard Music Awards
Celebs Celebrate the Rise of the Side Butt
Grizzly bear gets up close and personal with camera
Justin Bieber Gets Booed After Winning at the Billboard Awards
