These Guys Are Good

[miril]

Vreau sa ma folosesc de un titlu promotional pentru a face cunostinta pe acest forum cu nume mari sau foarte cunoscute din golful contemporan si nu numai, in cuvinte dar mai ales in imagini. In subiectivitatea mea voi incepe cu preferatul meu, Bubba Watson , nu numai un foarte bun jucator de golf dar si o personalitate charismatica care face o propaganda buna golfului prin po****rizarea acestuia prin diverse mijloace moderne, mediatice si acte de caritate, intr-un sport nu demult accesibil doar unui grup restrans de persoane cu posibilitati materiale mult peste medie. Autodidact si practicand un stil de golf aparte, neconventional, descris simplu Bubba Golf, Gerry Lester Watson Jr. sau mai simplu Bubba Watson si-a facut rapid prozeliti printre iubitorii de golf desi s-a afirmat comparativ usor mai tarziu decat alti jucatori de elita. El a cucerit primul titlu in 2010 la varsta de 32 de ani, cariera lui, care pana in prezent a contabilizat 5 titluri, culminand cu cucerirea celui mai prestigios titlu, probabil, din golf, The Masters Tournament de la Augusta National Golf Club, The Masters or The US Masters, in 2012, dupa un final fulminant, pecetluit in favoarea lui Bubba de una dintre cele mai celebre recuperari de situatie din istoria golfului, printr-o lovitura considerata de multi imposibila din puncte de vedere aerodinamic.

"Bubba Here. You're Welcome"

[Dorin]

Fatigued, Stenson keeps exotic sense of humor

Henrik Stenson is off to a slow start in 2014 after winning last season's FedEx Cup and Race to Dubai titles.

ORLANDO, Fla. – The most interesting man in the world might drink a certain kind of beer every now and then. The most interesting man on the PGA Tour, on the other hand, can flood you with dry humor, often impromptu, always with off-beat Swedish creativity. Wind up Henrik Stenson and let the playfulness begin.

And so it was that the No. 3 golfer in the world was entertaining Tuesday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational by going on about kids, animals, Doctor Dolittle, alligators, nesting bald eagles, unusual construction delays and, take a breath, the fatigue that is behind his slow 2014 start.

Stenson’s 4-year-old son, Karl, had a birthday party last week at their Orlando home, and it was dad’s idea to bring in some animals after checking a party website. “So I don’t know if you should call me Doctor Dolittle or something,” he said Tuesday. Certain is that an exotic-animal rescue group came with a variety of animals and reptiles, and Stenson provided details with his usual bent.

They came out with “a bird, like a parrot or a cockatoo or whatever, and a small alligator,” Stenson said. “There was a boa, the snake, and a couple of lizards and stuff. The snake was awesome. It was pure muscle. And the gator was actually potty trained, believe it or not. The keeper took it to the bushes and they had a wee-wee.”

Listeners laughed at that point, of course, and again when Stenson, asked if the alligator scared him, answered with, “It was probably the gator that needed to be worried, that I wasn’t going to bite him.”

The party was attended by 15 children or, as he pointed out, “16 with me.” He’s not kidding about that last part, for his wife told him that he was smiling at the party more than any of the kids. “That’s probably because I was the only one the snake couldn’t eat,” the 6-foot-2-inch Swede said.

At one point after his news conference, Stenson pulled out his smart phone to check the name of the animal organization. “I took a picture of their van in case I need to get in contact with my friend the snake,” Stenson said.

It goes without saying, but golf could use more personalties like this, people who take their craft seriously but not themselves.

When explaining how fatigue has contributed to his slow start this year, Stenson mentioned a long 2013 season, offseason commitments due to his rapid rise up the world ranking and the fact that he is having two new houses built – one in Orlando, another in Sweden. Construction of the Orlando project has been delayed, he said, because an eagle is nesting in the backyard.

“It’s having chicks at the moment,” he deadpanned. “If you don’t mind climbing up there to feed them, we might get going a little bit earlier.”

At one point during the Q&A session, a reporter’s cellphone rang and Stenson, in mid-thought about something else, couldn’t resist commentary.

“If that was a ring tone,” he cracked, “I’d change it. that one was horrible, wasn’t it? It just wouldn’t stop.”

People laughed, as they often do when Stenson is around.

[miril]

O poveste de viata emotionanta:

Renaissance leads Steven Bowditch to Masters at Augusta Brian Oliver The Times

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Eight years ago, Steven Bowditch was found, by his girlfriend at the time, lying face down in a swimming pool. He was wearing his heaviest clothes as an anchor that would, he hoped, carry him to the depths. He had tried to drown himself.

On Sunday night in San Antonio, Bowditch won the Valero Texas Open, more than $1 million (about £700,000) in prize money and with it a place in the field at next week’s Masters. “The only time I have ever played Augusta before was on PlayStation,” he said.

This remarkable transformation from a suicidal victim of severe depression to a smiling first-time winner on golf’s richest tour was hailed within hours by the Australian media as “the most inspiring comeback in Aussie sport” and “the greatest sporting comeback ever”. Bowditch, who gives much of the credit to his wife, will not be too carried away by it, though. “My life won’t change,” he said. The depression will diminish, but it will not disappear. “I have a great life right now, but I don’t think I’ve ever overcome it. You just deal with it day to day, learn about yourself and move on forward.”

The final round was gripping, but not pretty to watch. Bowditch’s closing score of 76, four over par, was the highest by any winner since Vijay Singh at the US PGA Championship ten years ago, and the worst in a tournament outside the majors since 1983

High winds and difficult flag positions caused havoc and Bowditch, who teed off the final round with a three-stroke lead, held on by one from Will McKenzie and Daniel Summerhays. Matt Kuchar, who shared the lead at one point, dropped away.

“It’s not very often you shoot 76 and win,” said Bowditch, who added that he “didn’t really know” how he held on under the stress. He putted poorly — he changes his putter from one day to the next — and found himself in the cactus and the rocks, but chipped brilliantly. He missed a putt from three feet on the 18th, but it did not matter.

This was the third victory by an Australian in the past seven tournaments in the United States, Jason Day and John Senden having preceded Bowditch. It should have been the fourth; Adam Scott blew a big lead at the Arnold Palmer Invitational two weekends ago.

At least five Australians will be in the field for the Masters next week at Augusta: Scott, the defending champion, Day, who has twice finished in the top three there, Senden, Bowditch and Marc Leishman, who tied for fourth behind Scott last year. The country waited until 2013 for its first winner at Augusta; now there is a strong chance of making it two in a row.

Among the many who sent their congratulations to Bowditch was Greg Norman, who coincidentally designed the demanding course at San Antonio. Bowditch’s victory was, Norman said, “great for Aussie golf”.

Norman and Bowditch played alongside each other many years ago, when Bowditch was a promising amateur. His form took off in Australia in 2005 and he headed for the United States, and the worst year of his life.

He reached a low point at the end of 2005 “when I was playing pretty much the best golf of my career, which was strange”. In a candid interview for Golf Digest five years ago, he said: “I just got flatlined. I lost all my anger, all my happiness. I lost everything.”

He suffered horrendous and increasingly frequent headaches and feared a brain tumour. Bowditch was told that he had clinical depression.

He avoided people, could not hold a conversation and would walk off the course during a tournament. He withdrew or was disqualified several times, leading to jokes on the circuit that he had a new sponsor, “Dairy Queen for DQ”. He would hit shots, then ask his caddie what had happened, not realising that he had played.

Psychotherapy did not work. Bowditch would go days without food or proper sleep and began drinking heavily, from 1pm one day until 5am the next — two hours before teeing off in a tournament. It caught up with him in 2006, his first year on the PGA Tour. He did not make the cut in his first ten events.

After being rescued from the swimming pool, Bowditch returned to Australia. Having rebuilt his life, he won back his place on the PGA Tour for the 2011 season. He lives in Dallas, Texas, with his wife, Amanda Yarussi, a producer for Fox Sports.

“She is my biggest supporter, always there through the ups and downs,” Bowditch said after his victory at the weekend. “Without her, I wouldn’t be here talking to you guys now.”

Wizards of Oz

The first Australian to play in the Masters was Jim Ferrier in 1940. The first to win it was Adam Scott last year. Ferrier won the US PGA in 1947. Greg Norman had five top-five finishes and blew a six-stroke lead in the final round in 1996. The five Australian contenders this year are:

Adam Scott

Winner 2013, top ten in 2002, 2011, 2012. Second favourite behind Rory McIlroy.

Jason Day

Tied for second in 2011, third last year, and two top threes in the US Open too.

Marc Leishman

First Australian to be rookie of the year in the US (2009). Fourth last year.

John Senden

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/...cle4050682.ece

[miril]

Marea familie a golfului strans unita la nevoie:

Rallying around Isaiah Helen Ross PGATOUR.COM

After their baby was born with Down syndrome, TOUR caddie Paul Tesori and wife Michelle have leaned on family, friends and faith

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http://www.pgatour.com/news/2014/04/...-syndrome.html

[Dorin]

As the FedExCup race heats up, PGATOUR.COM will take a look at one of the FedExCup contenders in each field and break down his past performances at that week's event, FedExCup history, and potential for success in the 2014 FedExCup chase.

If last season was any indication, the time to start watching Henrik Stenson is now.

The Swede tied for second a year ago at the Shell Houston Open, propelling him into a wildly successful second half of the season that featured five top-3 finishes after the calendars turned to July, two victories, and the first FedExCup won by a European.

Stenson had six top-3 finishes last season and just nine in his career (dating back to 2005) before then. His two Playoffs triumphs -- Deutsche Bank Championship and TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola -- allowed Stenson to double his career wins total and cap arguably the best final-sprint for the FedExCup in the competition's history.

Before last season, Stenson had never qualified for the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola and hadn't finished inside the top 100 in the FedExCup standings since 2007, when he won the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship but posted just one more top-10 that season.

After a hectic fall that culminated with Stenson winning the FedExCup, he played just one event of the 2013 portion of this season. Since starting in America in February, the Swede has three top-20 finishes in four starts with his best showing a tie for fifth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard.

He now sets his sights on a great stretch of schedule for him. Stenson has two top-3 finishes in three starts at this event, three top-20s at the Masters including one last year, and six top-25 showings in eight starts at THE PLAYERS, where he won in 2009.

These events all come before the spots where he really gained momentum en route to the FedExCup last season.

Currently 98th in the standings, Stenson hasn't really been on the FedExCup radar yet this season but with the events coming up on the horizon, it's safe to assume he will become a big part of the story as the season moves forward.

HENRIK STENSON
Career revival and incredible run to the FedExCup
Stenson's FedExCup finishes
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
39th DNP DNP 141st 180th 111th WON
Stenson's FedExCup highlights
 In 2013, he became the first player to win the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola and the FedExCup in his TOUR Championship debut.
 Stenson became the fifth player to win multiple Playoffs events in the same season and the third of that group to go on and win the FedExCup.
 Last year, Stenson became the eighth player to win multiple Playoffs events in the seven-year history of the FedExCup.
 All four of Stenson's PGA TOUR vicotries have come since the inception of the FedExCup competition.
 Stenson has now made eight Playoffs starts, playing the weekend seven times, but only posting two top-25 finishes -- his victories at the 2013 Deutsche Bank Championship and TOUR Championship.
Stenson's Shell Houston Open results, FedExCup points
Year FedExCup before Shell Houston result Points earned FedExCup after
2009* N/A T3 N/A N/A
2012 80th
T21 46.5 71st
2013 121st T2 245 38th
*Stenson was not a TOUR member when he played the 2009 Shell Houston Open

[miril]

Spun doar atat, This guy is not good, this guy is phenomenal. Bubba Watson transforma golful in arta. De ce, pun un link sa se inteleaga mai bine. Oricum, pentru un suporter al lui si, probabil, nu numai, trebuie sa ai nervii tari si ceva pastile la indemana.

http://www.pgatour.com/

[miril]

"I'm going to cry, because, why me? Why Bubba Watson from Bagdad, FL? Why is he winning? So I just always ask the question, why me, why me".

The answer is here:

http://www.pgatour.com/video/2014/11...2P_Bfhzt-RIoID

http://www.pgatour.com/video/2014/11...Tg185IcaP5BfZr

[miril]

This guy is special. Very special and an Augusta Master.

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Spieth earns his first Green Jacket with record-tying performance

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Jordan Spieth got more than redemption and a Green Jacket Sunday. He took his place among the best in the game with a Masters Tournament victory for the ages.

One year after Spieth lost a bid to become the youngest Masters champion, the 21-year-old Texan turned in one of the most dominant wins ever at Augusta National. He never let anyone get closer to him than three shots after his record start. He never gave anyone much hope on Sunday.

Spieth closed with a 2-under 70, missing a 5-foot par putt on the final hole that would have set yet another record. Instead, he tied the score set by Tiger Woods in 1997 at 18-under 270.

"This was the ultimate goal in my golf life," Spieth said.

For all the talk about the Grand Slam bid by Rory McIlroy and the return of Woods, this week was about the arrival of another star.

"It's awfully impressive," McIlroy said after finishing fourth. "It's nice to get your major tally up and running at an early stage in your career. It's great to see, great for the game, and I'm sure there will be many more."

Spieth became the first wire-to-wire winner at the Masters since Raymond Floyd in 1976, and this might have been even more special. Craig Wood in 1941 is the only other Masters champion who led by at least three shots from the opening round to the trophy presentation.

Phil Mickelson tried to make a run. So did Justin Rose. Neither got closer than three shots at any point, and it wasn't long before Spieth was making another birdie putt to take the drama out of the back nine.

Mickelson (69) and Rose (70) tied for second. It was the 10th time Mickelson has been runner-up in a major. Woods jarred his right wrist when he struck wood under the pine straw on the ninth hole. He recovered and closed with a 73, 13 shots behind.

Spieth won for the third time on the PGA TOUR and fifth time worldwide. He will rise to No. 2 in the Official World Golf Ranking, still a ways to go to catch McIlroy at the top. When McIlroy won back-to-back majors last year to establish himself as the game's best player, the quest was to find a rival.

Spieth provided the answer on perhaps the biggest stage in the sport with his record-setting week at Augusta National.

"I thought today might be easier having played with the lead on Saturday. It wasn't," Spieth said. "It's the most incredible week of my life. This is as great as it gets in our sport. ... I'm still kind of in shock a little bit."

And he will keep the editors of the Masters record book busy. Among the marks he established this week:

-- The 36-hole record at 14-under 130.

-- The 54-hole record at 16-under 200.

-- The most birdies for the tournament at 28.

-- The lowest opening round by a champion at 64.

-- The youngest player to lead after the opening round.

"He has no weaknesses," Mickelson said. "He doesn't overpower the golf course, but he plays the course strategically well. He plays all the shots properly. And he has that ability to focus and see things clear when the pressure is on and perform at his best when the pressure is on.

"That's something that you really can't teach," he said. "Some players are able to do it, some players aren't. And he is."

Spieth showed early he was up to the challenge. Rose, starting the final round four shots behind, rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt on the first hole, and Spieth calmly made his birdie putt from just inside him. Spieth went out in 35 to build his lead to five shots, and one putt later, the Masters effectively was over.

Spieth rolled in a 20-foot birdie putt on No. 10 for a six-shot lead. It was his 26th birdie of the Masters, breaking the tournament record that Mickelson set in 2001. Spieth managed this in only 64 holes. The next target was the 72-hole scoring record that Woods set in 1997 and he almost got there except for that bogey at the end.

He twice went for the green on par 5s on the back nine, barely clearing the creek at No. 13 and going just over the back on No. 15, both times making birdie. The birdie on the 15th made him the only player in Masters history to reach 19 under.

McIlroy had a 68-66 weekend, hurt by his slow start, which put him 12 shots going into the weekend. He will have to wait until next year to try to win the Masters and become the sixth player to complete the career Grand Slam.

The way Spieth is playing, that task just got a little harder. In his last four starts, Spieth has won twice and finished second twice.

http://www.pgatour.com/daily-wrapup/...ournament.html

1 Jordan Spieth -18 F -2 64 66 70 70 270 1 2 1

T2 Phil Mickelson -14 F -3 70 68 67 69 274 42 120 78

T2 Justin Rose -14 F -2 67 70 67 70 274 77 182 105

4 Rory McIlroy -12 F -6 71 71 68 66 276 89 151 62

5 Hideki Matsuyama -11 F -6 71 70 70 66 277 10 14 4

[miril]

This Guy Is Good, Very Good! Simteam eu ca Bubba Watson e special, de aici si slabiciunea mea pentru el. Acum stiu si de ce. Iata dovada:

Watson discusses the impact of floods in West Virginia

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Bubba Watson spends four or five months each year at Greenbrier and has pledged to donate $250,000 to the relief effort in West Virginia. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)

AKRON, Ohio -- Bubba Watson, his wife Angie and their two young children were lucky.

They lost power for nearly four days, prompting Watson to post pictures on Facebook of 4-year-old Caleb cooking breakfast and heating pots of water on a charcoal grill. But their summer home nestled in the West Virginia mountains, overlooking The Greenbrier, escaped any significant damage when the cataclysmic rains arrived on Thursday.

Their good fortune doesn't mean the Watsons weren't affected by the devastation wrought by what weather professionals called a "once-in-a-thousand-years'" rain. Profoundly affected.

"I've been through some hurricanes, but I've never seen something like this," said Watson, who grew up in the Florida Panhandle.

Nearly two dozen people were killed and more than 1,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by the floods, which came roaring through the foothills as up to a foot of rain fell in a matter of hours. A reported 70 businesses were completely destroyed.

The Greenbrier, the luxury resort where Watson spends four or five months each year, has closed its doors to the public until further notice, opening only to shelter some of the victims, and the PGA TOUR canceled the tournament scheduled to be played there next week. The TOUR is making a $100,000 donation to the relief effort and the Watsons have pledged $250,000.

"These are people that I see every day at the hotel, at the golf courses working, and now they have nothing," Watson said. "It's very devastating, but it grows a community together."

Watson is haunted by the stories he's heard about parents having to break windows in their homes so they could get their children out of the rising water. He saw a house, separated from its foundation, lodged under a bridge. He watched in shock as a house floated down the street, the gas fire burning on its second floor creating an incongruous image on TV.

"Then when the water subsided in some areas, you could see car seats and different things, just little kids' flip-flops, just sadness all over the place," Watson said.

Bubba Watson talks about giving back before Bridgestone Invitational
Interviews

Watson had gotten to his home in White Sulphur Springs on the Monday afternoon before the flood. He had tied for 51st at the U.S. Open the previous week and attended a media day for the Travelers Championship, where he will defend a title for the second time in August.

Intermittent thunderstorm and tornado warnings followed the next two days, but nothing to prepare anyone for the devastation to come. Watson, in fact, had set out on a fishing trip early Thursday morning but turned back when it wouldn't stop raining.

"It happened fast," Watson said. "It was just overwhelming, the stories and stuff. You don't even think anything of it, and then the next thing you know I looked out over my house and the golf course was flooded in front of me."

The next day, as the flood waters began to subside and the true measure of the damage became evident, Watson was in Jim Justice's office, asking how he could help. His truck and brand new Jeep have been put to good use in recent days as Angie delivers supplies to those who need it most.

"We get blinded sometimes of how lucky we are," watson said. "I get mad at a three-putt. So it just hit home, the way I want to live my life and try to live my life. This is God giving me the advantage to help in different ways."

Angie, who plans to spend Wednesday shoveling mud out of damaged houses, encouraged her husband to go to play in this week's World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational and spread the word. Watson's been in Akron since Saturday night, his wife holding down the fort and fielding phone calls in West Virginia with their two children.

"(She said) we can't donate time, money and energy if you're not playing golf," Watson said. "... This is my voice."

And that voice has resonated with Watson's peers on the PGA TOUR. Do the victims need bottled water? How many cases can I send? What about clothes and toys for the children? What can I send to help now?

"It's been amazing," Watson said. "I'm not even affected by it. I'm affected by my peers, people that I live by, people that I know that work in these communities.

"It's amazing to see the support from PGA TOUR players that have played in that event, know how great those people are, know how great West Virginia is, know how great Jim Justice is to want to help."

http://www.pgatour.com/news/2016/06/...ia-floods.html

[miril]

Dupa un duel formidabil cu marele campion american, Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson castiga primul major, The Open Championship-Royal Troon GC, Ayrshire, Scotia, pentru golful suedez masculin. This Guy Is Very Good! Stor Grattis, Henrik!