Bits and Pieces for the Last Day of the Year

-Michael Jordan was the third pick in the 1984 NBA draft.  Do you remember who the first two picks were?  Go to the provided link for the answer.

(Why MJ is on my mind: Went to town yesterday and to the Loogootee Library to get our 2010 membership and also to pick up a couple of books to read over the next week or two.  Lo and behold, I found one of my favorite authors, David Halberstam, and a book of his that I had not read: Playing for Keeps - Michael Jordan and the World He Made.  Well into it and it's a good one.  The second book: Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol.  And, as long as I'm talking about books, Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, The Story of Success, is a very good read - Christmas present from Diane.)

-Tiger Woods still being talked about but it seems to me the stories are less about his troubles and more about his success these past many years.  Think that is good as PGA needs to do some damage control to protect its number one draw, the guy who doubles attendance and viewing when he is somewhere in the neighborhood.  The PGA without Tiger would be like the Colts showing up without Payton Manning.  Not a pretty picture.

-Haven't played golf in what seems like ages.  About time we had another day in the high 40's, low 50's, don't you think?  December was not a good month for golfers - very few days play worthy.  Send prayers and gifts to weather goddess.  (Pulled up to the bank window when in town the other day and, after taking care of business, asked if Dave W. was around.  Nope - on his way to Florida.  That's one way to take care of the golf withdrawals - go where the weather is much more golfer friendly.)

-Last day of the year 2009.  Hope you all made some good memories during its 365 days.  And may the New Year bring lots of opportunities for more of the same.  Have a safe New Year's eve and a very happy and prosperous New Year.

Bits and Pieces for a Monday Morning

-Colts lose; boos heard in Lucas Stadium and around Colt country.  Rightly so, me thinks.  I booed the decision myself - I watched in Bloomington (with Miki, Kevin and Kevin's parents).  You play to win, period.  The Colts didn't.  Bob Kravitz at the Indy Star gives Colt management the what for.

-Urban Meyer flip-flops at Florida.  Makes sense for him to take a leave of absence, regain his health and then come back.  He's only 45 years old.

-Where is Tiger Woods?  This report shows him still in Florida.  Where's Elin?  And the kids?  Not a good Christmas for that family.

-Snow (just a dusting, really) and cold putting a stop to golfing in Lakeview country.  Best try out those new clubs in your basement or garage.

Good Tidings!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and all that stuff to you all. 

Bits and Pieces for a Day Before Christmas

-Bric Parker was out a couple of days ago, trying out some new clubs. He really liked the chipper that he bought though in the above picture, think it's his new putter he is unsheathing. They are to be cleaned up and put under the tree as soon as he got home.

-Larry Wininger was out yesterday trying out his own new set of clubs - Clevelands irons and a couple of Taylor Made hybrids. His early take: it wasn't the clubs. My thought: give it time - good clubs make a difference.

-Tom Hayes, a Washington native, was also out and talked a bit about the Lion-Hatchet boys basketball game played the other night and how Cody Zeller was bloddied up in the affair.

-Have seen several of you, or one of your loved ones, out at the house picking up 2010 memberships. Even dropped one of them off in Washington yesterday since I was heading that way on Santa errands (and also to take some street photos - see one them here).

-Expected to play a little golf today with temperatures supposedly hovering around 50 degrees. But looks like we're in for a day of rain as well. Should have taken advantage of the last two days as several golfers did. Alas, had other things to do.

-Hope your holidays are going well and that this day before Christmas is when you find that perfect gift for your loved ones.

Bits and Pieces for a Thursday Morning

- When will TW be back?  You can vote here.  I predict by the Masters in 2010, which means a couple of weeks earlier at least, and that is even without wife Elin leaving him for good as reported here.  But that would seal the deal to my way of thinking.

- Tiger named AP athlete of the decade.  Of course. Expect him to be the same for the next ten years.

- Today a high of 43, tomorrow a high of 47.  Golf weather?

December Golfer

Chuck Baker came out and played this past Monday, one of the few decent days we've had to golf in this month of December. Jack Lents, Kenny Hudson, Jack Butcher and I were also out there trading quarters and hooting and hollering about one thing and another.

Bits and Pieces for a Monday Morning

- Course will be open for play today at 11am.  Looks like today is it for another spell.

- Colts and Saints still undefeated.  Go for it, guys.  Here's Wojciechowski's take on the perfect season - he also wants to see the teams go for it.  After yesterday's second and third quarter disappearance of the Colt offense, think they definitely need to keep playing.

- Tiger gone to whenever.  Was up at son Marty's house for the weekend and talking with a diverse group of people Saturday evening.  Talked about golf just for a little bit, and, guess what?  Tiger and his troubles did not come up.  Not once.  Never.  That is, until Sunday morning when I mentioned that I was specifically looking for Tiger to be mentioned - one of the espn pundits had said that TW was going to be brought up wherever people gathered.  Well, guess most other people have other things to think about rather than Tiger's infidelities, etc.

- Wie has hugh final round but still comes up short - finishes 2nd to Kim at the Dubai Masters. 

Bits and Pieces for a Saturday Morning

- Tiger taking an indefinite break from his job.  Well, maybe it's more of a passion or a hobby than a job (line of work?) since he certainly doesn't do it for the money - and, come to think of it, lots of people don't do it for the money.  Guess athletes in team sports would not have the option of taking such a break - don't recall any that have.  Well, here's to a speedy return of the world's best athlete to his march toward many of golf's records.

- Korean Lady Golfers - having fun at their awards ceremony - at SeoulSisters via Mostly Harmless.  Great photos of the girls in off the golf course activities including lots at the dance studio (?) getting ready for the awards show.

- Not seeing any fourth round results for the Ladies Dubai Masters yet.

Bits and Pieces for a Friday Morning

- ND decides on Brian Kelly from Cincinnati. All I hear so far is high praise on the choice and some not so happy players at Cincy who will go to the Sugar Bowl without him.  All the Irish fans expect the new coach to repeat his success at Cincy and Central Michigan.  Let's see, that would mean an undefeated season and certainly a spot in the national championship game in 2012?  Or maybe he does an Ara and then a couple of minutes better by running the table next year.  Go for the moon, guys.  More here from the NY Times. 

- Jack Nicklaus on Tiger Woods: "None of my business."  Good for Jack.  Now how about a word from Arnie.

-Michelle Wie playing in Dubai at the Ladies Masters.  After three rounds, she is tied for 4th at -8 and trails In-Kyung Kim by six strokes.  She lost four strokes on the leader during the 3rd round.  Kim playing very well.  Be a good time for a fantastic Wie final round and a second win of the year.

- Lowly Browns best Super Bowl champs last night.  Five straight losses for the Steelers, three of them to the bottom dwellers - Kansas City, Oakland and now the Browns.  Something bad going on in Steelerville.

- Latest weather projections suggest a 53 degree day next Monday.  Chance for a few showers.  Then more cold.  Golfing weather?  Maybe.

Bits and Pieces for a Wednesday Morning

- Rick Reilly and his drastic messages at espn.com is full of baloney suggesting Tiger needs to get rid of his caddy and his agent and his professional life and not play golf for several months.  Let's tank Rick Reilly.

- Did you know it got into the 50's last night?  Lots of wind as well.  When I woke up, I was hoping for those warm temps, to go play golf, of course,  but no such luck - back down in the high 30's.  And the wind is still howling.

- My vote for Heisman Trophy: Mark Ingrahm, Alabama running back - he was brilliant against Florida and his team is unbeaten and ranked #1 (Stanford's Gerhart was super against ND but his team is far from unbeaten and not even in the top ten).  Top three in this graph at espn.com lacks a quarterback.  When was the last time you saw that happen?

- Another good day to curl up with a book - I'm reading Jeffrey Toobin's The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court.  Stayed up late last night getting through the 2000 election - you remember the one where the Supreme Court gave the election to the Bush man?  Had me all riled up - couldn't get to sleep for the longest time.  It's a good read - have even had some chuckles at the expense of Scalia, Rehnquist and the like.  Did you realize that Justice Ginsburg is just about 5' tall?  Tiny woman standing tall.

Bits and Pieces for a Tuesday

- Guess Clausen and Tate aren't going to be at ND next year; they both declared for the NFL draft yesterday.  Dang.

- On Tiger's woes and the lesson to be learned by other golfers/athletes/men/women: Human nature is human nature and if you don't want people to realize that you are human, then you had better close yourself up in a black box somewhere and never do nothing.  Of course, you've got to realize that people are going to be talking about what you're doing in that black box all by yourself.

- On Tiger's choice of women: a little brassy for my taste but then that probably has more to do with the choice of photos than with the real people.  Editors are going to edit to enhance their story, right?  Push their point of view?

- Question:  Do you think it's easier for the rich and famous to be mortified than it is for the likes of us more common folk?

- Question 2: At what point does the public's disgust (?) with Tiger turn to disgust with the media for going on and on?

- Question: Can this marriage be saved?  Note: Bill and Hillary are still together...

- Think I'll go clear my head, do some exercises, have breakfast, bury myself in a work of fiction - this reality stuff's getting a bit heavy and, if you haven't noticed, it ain't all it's cracked up to be...



 

Bits and Pieces for a Monday Morning

- Ho hum - Colts win another though don't need a fourth quarter comeback this time - beat the Titans and the previously invincible Vince Young, 27-17.  I even went into Loogootee and took in the Christmas parade - photos here - after watching the beginning of the game.  Got home to see most of the fourth quarter.

- At the Tiger event out in California, Jim Furyk won with a couple of clutch putts on the last two holes.  Second place went to Graeme McDowell, the guy who made it into the game when Tiger pulled out.  How's that for a little irony?  Bet Tiger is very happy for him, that is if he is thinking much about golf these days. 

- Just opened the drapes and saw that we have white fluffy stuff on the ground.  Pretty but I hope it all disappears quickly (Diane says that would be plenty for the season for her.).  And as long as I'm hoping, how about two or three or ten days with temperatures in the fifties and sixties in this here month of December, starting tomorrow.

- Went to the Lion boys basketball game Friday night.  Impressive win over Wood Memorial.  Lots of big guys on the team this year - that's unusual, isn't it?  Good three point shooting team with even the tall timber able to knock down the long shots.  Was impressed by Stephen Bradley's moves to the hoop late in the game.  Lots of golfers out there playing - Bradley, Hogan, Ackerman, Tucker, Diving (a little), Burch - I like to see that.

- Notre Dame football news - no bowl game this year, no new coach yet.  Me thinks he needs to get on board, whomever he is, and do some recruiting and some convincing as well.  That would be convincing Clausen and Tate to stick around another year.  Question: is Clausen really a hot NFL prospect?  Eric thinks not; the lad does have superb pocket skill and a good arm and pretty good judgment back there - his td to interception ratio is super.  Can understand why the pros would be interested.  Tate is outstanding in my books, much better than Floyd.  Want them all back for next year.

Membership 2010 Notice

Diane is sending out the 2010 membership notice later this morning.  If we have your most recent address and you are a current member, expect one in the mail shortly.  Below are the contents of that mailing:

          Lakeview Golf Course                            

                          It's 2010 membership time!

                     Makes a great Christmas gift, too!

        Buy before January 1st and take a $25 discount !

        Single Adult  (21 through 54)                            $275

          Young Adult  (18 through 20)                            $175

          Junior (Under 18)                                                 $125

          Senior (55 and older)                                           $235

          Senior & Spouse (one must be 55)                  $300

          Couple (through age                                           $375

          Family (adult + spouse & child -or-

                     adult and 2 children under 18)            $400 

         (Family additional child......................$  30)

          (Family "Child" = under 18 unless still in high school)

       Mail to: - 12854 E 350 N - Loogootee - or call 295-5217

Bits and Pieces for a Thursday Morning

- Jeesh!  All the prattle about Tiger and some fan out in California, see Bob Harig's espn.com piece,  now wondering if all golfers are 'doing it.'  Unless I'm mistaken, they are all human and subject to the same kind of foibles as the rest of us.  I bet the French are again wondering what is it with these Americans. 

- Note to Tiger: hug Elin and your kids.  Note to Elin: hug Tiger and hold him close.

- Still no successor to CW at ND.  Stoops still in the running - read that the paperwork is being worked out on his hire.  You believe it?

- Love the photo of Michelle Wie on the cover of Golfweek.  Got the print issue in the mail yesterday.

- Did note that the Big Ten won two games last night and won their annual challenge with the ACC - that would be college men's basketball.

- Cool weather has put a stop to local golfing - dang.  Probably a good thing for me - got a knee and a back that are complaining, the knee now for several months, the back just from yesterday and some inappropriate lifting (went to the recycle center).

Bits and Pieces for a Tuesday

- Dang it!  Tiger unable to play this week.  Bummer.

-Bye, Charlie.  Irish coach for the last five years is history.  Lou Holtz on how long it would take the next coach to turn it around:  ...about the 2nd quarter (of the 1st game); 1st quarter if he's as good as Ara Parseghian.  (Gotta love Lou.)

-Think I've said this before: I graduated from ND in '61 after four years of dismal football - first four year class to go out with a losing football record (like that is important, right?).  Ara Parseghian arrived in 1964 while Diane and I were over in Japan and otherwise preoccupied with defending the free world and stamping 'made in Japan' on the flanks of our first two kids.  So, we missed what took place in that turnaround year in which (from wikipedia):

Parseghian was hired as Notre Dame's 22nd head coach, inheriting a team that had finished 2-7 in 1963 and taking it to within 1:33 of an undefeated season and a national championship in 1964.

Of course, he went on to have a brilliant coaching career at ND and finished with the best record in ND history.   Now for a trick question: Can you football and Irish junkies tell me what fantastic record Ara had at Northwestern from 1956 to 1963?  The wikipedia link above has the answer in the Northwestern (3rd) section of its report.  The answer will surprise you - it did me.

- Saints marvelous against the Patriots.  Didn't surprise me at all.  Now how about some chatter about two undefeated teams meeting in the super bowl come January, or is it February now?

- Golf day at Lakeview.  Frosty morning but the sun is rising fast and shining bright.

Bits and Pieces for a Monday Morning

-Hmmm.  I see John Daly and I (and lots others, I expect), are on the same page.  From espn.comhttp://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=4699432:

"I don't really care what happened between Tiger and ... whatever happened. I'm just glad he's OK," said Daly, preparing for the Australian Open. "We need him, probably more than anybody on the tour, to keep things going, the way the economy is.
"Tiger's the biggest asset the tour's had in a long, long time," he said. "Whatever happened, as long as he's OK that's all that matters.
"Golf needs him badly ... no doubt."

- And here's a guy, from the NY Times, who thinks maybe Tiger's not coming clean will start a golf recession.  Oh my golly jees.

- The Houston Texans are gangbusters for the first half, the Indianapolis Colts gangbusters and a half for the second.  Colts win.  Bob Kravitz at the Indy Star sings their praises.  Any predictions for next week's tussle with the Titans and the revitalized Vince Young?

- Charlie Weiss still has his job but not for long, me thinks.  Expect I'm not alone there.

- Golf day today in southern Indiana?  Expect I'll try it though tomorrow looks much nicer.

Photos of Saturday's Gamers

The individual photos of the guys who were out gaming last Saturday can be found here at Webshots.  Note that Curt did leave a comment giving the results of the game here.

Bits and Pieces for a Sunday Morning

-The call for Tiger to come clean.  Well, I just hope he plays this coming week, and plays well.  One other thing: hope his wounds, both physical and emotional, are superficial.

-The Irish play a most entertaining game, again, and again come out holding the short end of the stick, losing to Stanford last night, 45-38.  The finish six and six after starting the season with some saying championship potential, an 11-1 or 10-2 win-loss record, and a spot in one of the BCS bowl games.  High expectations.  Did enjoy the play of Clausen and Tate who both played spectacular for most of the season - Tate really coming on strong once Michael Floyd was hurt.  Hope they return for their fourth year at ND and whomever the new coach is going to be.  (Btw, I did wonder why Harbaugh didn't run out the clock on their last possession - take a knee for two downs, clock runs down to just about the end of the game, kick a field goal;  that would have kept the ball out of the hands of Clausen and Tate.  Worked out in the end but not till ND had moved the ball well within game changing distance.)

-The Irish basketball teams did win yesterday, the men over St. Louis in Chicago and the women over Oklahoma down in the Virgin Islands.  Shylar Diggins, the freshman guard out of SB Washington, was the tournament mvp.

-Had intentions of going down to the Lions Den last night and watching the boy Lions play in the championship game, but opted for the living room and the Irish-Cardinal football game.  Expect the boys destroyed whoever they played - had listened to the morning game against Henryville.  I know the score is on the internet somewhere but I can't find it - did see that the Lions won with Josh Divine being the MVP from the Loogootee Tribune's facebook site.  (Found it at the Shoals News web site.  The final was a four point game - as close as the final score?)  The girls won on Friday.

-Haven't heard what happened in the skins and flags game that took place at the golf course yesterday midday.  Maybe Curt or Tracy will add a comment and enlighten us.  You have to want Cory, the youngster, to walk off with the lion's share, right?  

The Second Tee

Photo - click to enlatge.

Some of the guys were out for skins and flags earlier today. Caught up with them on the second tee after Cory Rayhill, the college student in the group, took the opening skin on one. The above photo shows the four of them arriving, taking their turn on the tee, and then leaving. Let me see, that would be something like veni, vidi, vici, wouldn't it? Well, maybe just for Cory at this early stage. The guys: Cory, with the honors, Tracy Rayhill, Bric Parker and Curt Johnson.

Tiger Sighting

Early in the morning in a little accident.  Sure had the world news organizations all aflutter.  And a lot of TW supporters, myself included, sitting on the edge of our seats waiting for more news.  Glad it's only facial cuts (is it only that?) and hope he's able to play this next week.  (Wish I had a nickle for every story that is circulating on the whys of the accident.)

Saturday Golf Game

Anybody out there up for a golf game at 11 or 12?  Sunny day with temperatures heading into the 60's.  Lovely Thanksgiving Saturday.

Course Opening

Will open the course about 11 this morning.  A little cool but maybe the best place to go work off some of yesterday's excess.  And what else do you have to do other than go mix with the crowds doing their Black Friday thingee?

Thanksgiving Day

Day to be thankful for all the good family and friends that make life such a joy.  Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Bits and Pieces for a Monday Evening

-Golf with the boys earlier today.  That would be Jack Butcher (62), Ken Hudson (68), myself (69) and Jack Lents (71) - net scores in parens.  Of note: Jack Butcher's 76 meant he shot his age once again.  Didn't he just do that?  No hole-in-ones, though Ken and Jack B. each had chip in birdies.

-Here's a good idea for the future of the lady golfers - don't be relying on one super star (like Michelle Wie), go global.  Money is in Asia, not to mention a bunch of the existing and the up and coming young stars.  Makes sense to me.  Btw, Lorena Ochoa did win the LPGA's POY by finishing second down in Houston.  Jiyai Shin came close - could have one with a chip in for birdie at the 18th hole.

-Colts win for the second week in a row on a play by the opposing team that goes against conventional wisdom and turns out bad.  Ravens, deep in Colt territory and needing only a field goal to win, and a couple of running plays to use up most of the time remaining (or, at least, the remainder of the Colts timeouts), put one up in the air and had it intercepted by a Colt defender. 

-Here's a list (via the bleacher report and the Chicago Tribune) of possible replacements for the Irish football coach.  Tony Dungy gets a mention but only in the 'forget about it' section.  Interesting.

Bits and Pieces for a Sunday Morning

-Oh my goodness gracious, Notre Dame loses again.  What is this world coming to?  Another Big East team comes to South Bend and upsets the Irish on Senior Day, last home game of the season.  UCON bested the Irish in double overtime yesterday, 33-30.  This can be said for the Irish: they looked impressive in the first quarter, racing out to a two touchdown lead - I actually thought it was going to be a rout.  But then they disappeared.  I was surprised to here the guys in the tv box say during the game that Charlie Weiss still had a chance of staying on next year if he was able to win the last two games on the schedule.  At the end, they, too, had joined the rest of us in saying good bye to a coach who had tons of talent but didn't know what to do with it.  My oh my.  (Go here to see a Chicago Tribune poll on who should be next year's Irish coach.  The CW number surprised me.)

-No golf game at Lakeview yesterday morning.  Did have some golfers out chasing little orbs once the sun made more of an appearance.  Did get into the '60's and more of the same today.  Nice.

-LPGA final event reduced to a 54 hole game what with all the rain Houston has had these last few days.  The ladies will finish up tomorrow.  Does Ochoa shine and beat Shin for the POY?  Ochoa has mostly been quiet this year and I was very surprised to see her very much in contention to win the big award for the best player on the ladies' tour.

-The Loogootee girls' basketball team took it to the Shoals Jugrox Friday night in an impressive manner.  The Lions' Tia Pennington and Kelci Mann were dominant underneath the basket.  The team had excellent defense as well.  At halftime during the game, all the girls in the basketball program, grades five through eight, were introduced.  The line went from one end of the court to the other.  That, too, was impressive what with all the moaning about the lack of players in last week's Loogootee Tribune article.

Saturday Morning Scramble Time

10am.  Golf game of some sort...

Bits and Pieces for a Friday

-Photo: the bulk of yesterday's golfers - a group of four from Jasper.

-Michelle Wie w/d's from the LPGA Tour Championship with a sprained ankle. Probably a very smart move on her part after she lost 2007 with her wrist injury. She was three under through 12 holes and went three over the next six holes - actually a bogey on 13 and then a double on 17 where her ankle gave way on her off the tee. Her ankle injury happened during the Solheim Cup - that's a pretty long time for a sprained ankle to be healing.

-Girls' basketball at the Lion House tonight: Shoals vs Loogootee. The Loogootee Tribune had a big article on the girls this week with much emphasis on the smallness of the squad (nine players, four of whom were seniors). In a separate article with a different author, the Barr-Reeve girls team was being heralded as one of the elite teams this season with the likes

-In women's basketball, the Notre Damers (Dames?) sneaked past the Spartans of MSU on the heroics of 5'9" Ashley Barlow, 68-67. Barlow snatched a rebound out of the hands of 6'9" Spartan Alyssa DeHaan off of a missed free throw, got fouled and made one of two of her own free throws in the closing seconds of the game up in East Lansing.

-Headline: Georgia's mascot Uga VII dies. Hmm.

-And as long as we're on college football: the betting odds on who will be the ND coach for next season's first game here. (via South Bend Tribune's twitter bag.) Meyer, Kelly and Harbaugh are the early favorites. Eric told me Harbaugh, a Michigan alum, might also be a prime contender for the Wolverine coaching job.

-Golf date with the boys (Lents, Butcher, Hudson) later this morning. All of us should be fresh after several days of non golf activity.

Bits and Pieces for a Thursday Morning

-Michelle Wie glamour shots here.  Definitely a nice way to start the morning.  Note to the Wie Lass: ditch the baseball cap.  Expect she's tried different covers and maybe the baseball cap is the best for her.  More glamour photos here.

-Girls basketball tomorrow night in Loogootee: Shoals, with Danielle Turpin, is the competition.  Btw, the Vincennes Rivet girls play both Shoals and Loogootee over here this year.  They have the Meeks girl all recovered and playing and should steamroll themselves to the state title come next February.  Will be a treat to see them at Shoals and Loogootee during the winter months.

-Question: did you get your fill of articles and comments about the Colts-Patriots Sunday night game?  How about the Michelle Wie first LPGA victory?  I did - kinda reminds me of a Thanksgiving dinner where you sit there and stuff yourself silly.

-LPGA schedule for next year has been made public.  Only 24 events, none in Japan or South Korea - with all the South Koreans on the tour - make that all the super South Koreans on the tour, how about a couple of events in that country?  They do play in Toledo, Ohio, and Springfield, Illinois, though.  Might be worth a car ride.  Here's much more from Mostly Harmless about the 2010 schedule. 

-Gonna go open up - ten o'clock tee times this morning. A little cool but, what the heck, it's not raining and it is golf - more opportunities for that elusive next hole-in-one, or to shoot your age, or maybe just trade quarters with your buddies.

Lakeview Ace Golfer Photo

Did you miss this portrait of one of Lakeview's ace golfers?  I posted it over at my new photo blog, birdman photos.

Bits and Pieces for a Tuesday

Photo: Perry Yoder strikes a putt on #9 last Saturday as his son watches.

-More on Michelle Wie from the NY Times. She just had a birthday and is now undefeated as a twenty year old. No victories as a teenager but still a pretty impressive list of accomplishments.

-Eric filled me in on the statistical sagacity of Belichick's Sunday night decision to go for it. Of course, statistics don't tell the whole story and to my way of thinking are just one tool of many used by decision makers. However, keeping the ball in the hands of his best players, like Brady and Moss, makes a whole lot of sense to me. Also like people suggesting that he expressed supreme confidence in his young defense by going for it, thinking that they would certainly be able to stop Manning, etc, if the offense failed. More good reading from the NY Times online here.

-How about Bob Stoops of Oklahoma as the next Irish coach. The bleacher report says yes here and also says to cross out Jon Gruden as a candidate here. I kinda liked the idea of Jon Gruden being the coach but Bob Stoops will do. Doesn't really matter to me as long as they win or get out of the big football go round. Ivy League would be just fine.

-Had some golfers yesterday - didn't turn cool and rainy till right around five in the afternoon. Today's another matter entirely. Could hope for a break and sneak some in but I wouldn't hold my breath.

Bits and Pieces for a Monday Morning

-Hope you didn't toddle off to bed last night and miss the super comeback by the still undefeated Colts.  Great 4th quarter for Manning and his boys aided by a single bonehead decision (more here about that from the Indy Star) by the coach of the Pats - you remember, going for it on fourth and two at their own 28 right at the two minute mark.  Not that a punt wouldn't have resulted in a similar march down the field and the winning touchdown.

-Still feeling real good about Michelle Wie's win yesterday.  Here Jason Sobel at espn.com chides the naysayers. 

-Haven't seen any comments or articles (well, here's one from the South Bend Tribune that conjectures...) on who the new Irish coach is going to be, that is, since Saturday's loss in Pittsburgh.  Expect that will change here directly what with the weekend over and the pundits returning to their jobs on a Monday morning.  Of course, Weiss hasn't been fired yet.  Any projections on the remaining games against UCON and Stanford?

-Gotta go open the golf course.  No rain yet.  Mid 50's.  Monday morning.  Great time to head out to the golf course.

The Wie Lass Wins!

Michelle Wie got her first win as a pro with a sterling effort down at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Mexico.  She finished with a birdie on the 72nd hole to wind up with a score of 13 under and a two stroke victory over her closest competitor, Paula Creamer.  How sweet it is.  Hope she gets many more and continues her pursuit to go up against the best in the world, whatever their gender.

Bits and Pieces for a Sunday Morning

-Tiger won the Aussie Masters down under.  Now if we can get the Wie Lass to prevail down in Mexico at the Lorena Invitational - she goes into the final round tied for the lead with the Kerr Woman.

-Out at Lakeview yesterday morning, Curt Johnson put on a clinic with his short game in pairing with Tracy Rayhill for a 33 to 39 scramble victory over Ward Smith and myself in a nine hole scramble.  Curt dropped in a fifteen foot birdie putt at #3 and then completed another birdie at six with a ten foot down hill slider.

-The Notre Dame Irish had their shots last night in Pittsburgh, mostly in the fourth quarter, but came up short, 27-22.  They needed another touchdown in the fourth quarter, had the ball with plenty of time to go, but then lost it on a fumble when their gutty little quarterback, Jimmy Clausen, fumbled with two minutes to go.  Just like last week against Navy, where he was taken down in the end zone for a safety (which proved to be the difference), he was blindsided when he had dropped back to pass.  Of note: Golden Tate was golden; some very questionable calls and non calls by the officials; and the Panthers little running back, Dion Lewis, was superlative.  Wonder what Lou Holtz is thinking nowadays.  He's the one who was so high on the Irish before the season started, even giving them a chance to go undefeated.  My oh my.

Saturday Scramble Start Time

10am

SI Flashback: College Football

Great article on one of the best quarterbacks that ever played the game both at the college and the pro levels.  From the SI of August 6, 1990.  Know who he is?

Bits and Pieces for a Friday Morning

-Tiger leads by three at the midway point down under at the Aussie Masters. Do you know any of the other guys playing in that event?  I see a few familiar names on the leaderboard.
-Song-Hee Kim leads at the Ochoa event down in Mexico after shooting a 65.  The Wie Lass is competing and shot a 70.
-Note from the above link: Jiyai Shin has won the rookie of the year award in the LPGA and could win the player of the year as well, something that has only been done by Nancy Lopez.  Remember the year she did that?  Hint:  The Notre Dame Fighting Irish played in the Cotton Bowl, smashed Texas, 38-10, and leapfrogged from a ranking of 5th in the nation to win the national championship.
-Out at Lakeview last Monday, Jack Butcher shot his age (or better) for the umpteenth time by firing a 76.  I had illusions of doing that yesterday after opening with a 36 but exploded for a 46 on the back nine.  My timing belt broke on me.  Have shot my age once - back in 2005 when I was 65.
-In yesterday's play, Ken Hudson recovered from his high scoring of earlier in the week and fired a net 70.  The rest of us: Butcher a 72, Jack Lents a 75, and me a 76.  (All scores net.)
-Another foursome out there playing: Tony Wease, Charlie Sheetz, Mike Strawn and Dick Cresgy.
-No hole-in-ones that I heard of. Jack Lents came the closest in our group with a shot on #7 that ended up a couple of feet beyond the pin.
-It was lovely out there even with the temperatures not getting out of the 60's.  More lovely today and tomorrow.

Change at the Corner

Eric's been busy cleaning up the area just before #6 green. Remember the bush surrounding the tree over there by #7 tee box? Gone. Remember the bush in front of the near tree? the one pretty much blocking any stray shot cutting the corner? Gone. Should help out on the scoring on hole #6 though you wouldn't be able to convince the foursome I played with today - Jack Lents, Ken Hudson and Jack Lents being the other three. We played 18 and averaged 6.5 strokes on the par five with only one par among us (the Butcher man the second time). (My horrific 9 on the hole the second time didn't exactly help.) Over time, expect the clearing out of the debris will help a bunch.

Bits and Pieces for a Monday Morning

Was not a good weekend for my favorites:

-North Daviess Cougars lost their football sectional championship to the Linton Miners - Friday night
-Barr-Reeve Vikings lost their v-ball match to eventual state champion Marquette - Saturday morning
-the Fighting Irish got sunk by the Middies of Navy - this one I don't mind so much, being an old Navy man, and the fact that they were such overwhelming underdogs on paper - Saturday afternoon
-Tiger lost in China - Saturday night/Sunday morning, local time

Saving graces

-Colts won a close one on Sunday afternoon
-the weather goddess provided some beautiful golfing weather - and that continues!

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Six of us played a scramble yesterday morning with the team of Dave Wininger, Cory Rayhill and Curt Johnson outlasting the team of Mike Bird, Tracy Rayhill and Joe Allen.  With October being pretty much of a wash because of rain and cold, the rust on the golf clubs showed as each player took his turn in hitting both bad and ugly shots.  Still, there were some very good shots as well.  For instance, the putting expertise of Joe Allen and Curt Johnson, each of whom continually made the greens a one putt show over the first several holes.  Joe's first putt at one, a thirteen footer, saved par after several mishits by his team.  Joe continued finding a good shot here and there with a chip to an inch for a kick in par at three, a six foot birdie putt at four, and then an eight foot birdie putt at five that gave him and his team a brief one stroke lead.  That was wiped out by a Curt Johnson putt of six feet at six.  Dave Wininger then gave the other guys the lead for good by dropping in a twisting twenty footer for birdie at seven.  Great to be out playing and expect the nicer weather of the next several days will provide more opportunities for more of the good (much more), the bad, and the ugly.

Birthday Boy

Ray Shaw came out to the golf course today and had Carol drive as he played a round of golf on his 81st birthday.  Happy Birthday, Ray!

Saturday Scramble Start Time

10am.

A Game of Inches

Played with the boys yesterday morning.  That would be Jack Lents, Jack Butcher and Kenny Hudson.  You remember that Jack Lents, my good neighbor to the southeast, has been running up his flag count the last three times we've played together.  Yesterday he came within a whisker or two of continuing that trend.  With three flags piled up on top of each other (that means we all missed the putting surface at #3 and #7), he and I both hit the green with our tee shots.  It took three different measurements using two different methods (stepping it off and then using the flag as a measuring tool), for him to finally concede that his shot was five or six inches further away than mine.  Dang the luck.  He went flagless on the back nine as well - I picked up the ones at three and nine while Jack Butcher got the one at seven.  Though Jack finally decided to share the flag glory, he didn't walk away with out a laurel stick: his net 69 was low score for the day.  I came in with a 71, Jack Butcher a 73 and Kenny Hudson a horrendous 86.  The skins: JB had 5, MB had 4, JL had 1 and KH had nada.  Sad to say, no hole-in-ones, again.  Won't be long before we try again though.

You Gotta Love the People

They sure are having a lot of fun over in China at the HSBC in Shanghai.  Through two rounds, TigerWoods and Nick Watney share the lead at ten under but the real story is the crowd.  Golf is new in China so no real tradition or a knowledge of the 'proper way' to watch.  That means lots of moving around, lots of camera clicking, lots of cell phones ringing.  Here's an espn.com article by Dan Washburn that will give you a pretty good idea of the chaos that reigns over in the Far East.    Isn't life grand?!

Postman, Oilman and Banker, Too...

Seen at the golf course late this afternoon.

Winter Fees

We've gone to our winter fee rate schedule.  You can see them here.

Bits and Pieces

-Nice day for a scramble or any other kind of golf.  The afternoon game would have to start at 3:30 to finish before the lights went out - I watched the sun fall over the trees last night - got dark and cool very quickly starting about 5:30.  Of course, if you insisted on starting later (or had to because of other commitments, like work), you could play two man teams with each starting on a different hole - shouldn't take more than an hour and a half, one would think.  Or play a six hole scramble - skip the par threes.  Or...

-Speaking of par threes: Jack Lents came out and played 18 holes with Jack Butcher, Ken Hudson and me yesterday morning.  He's the guy who has taken five of the six flags the last couple of weeks in the game of skins, flags and partners that we play.  Us other guys were intent on limiting his flags to about zero yesterday and for 16 of the holes we pretty much had him corralled.  He was even mumbling as we finished up hole #15 that he was having a bad day - zero skins, zero partners, zero flags.  But...  Three flags were up for grabs at hole #16 and it looked like my shot was about two or three feet just beyond the pin.  Jack's shot looked close but not close enough.  Turned out, his shot was five feet from the pin, mine ten, and suddenly his day brightened a whole bunch.  And, to top things off, he rolled in the putt for a birdie and a skin as well.  Dang.  Day ended with Jack firing a net 75 along with Kenny Hudson; Jack Butcher finished with a net 68 and me a net 69.  The Butcher man walked away with the most quarters, one more than the other Jack, two more than me and four more than Kenny.

-Looks like a nice week for golf if you can get out during the day.  Weekend looks even nicer.

-Cautionary note:  If you are an early golfer, remember to wait till all frost has cleared before hitting that first ball.  Walking on frosty greens is verboten (forbidden). 

-Hannah LaMar has joined our staff.  She will be helping out both at the clubhouse and on the grounds when she can get away from her school work and her athletic commitments (she plays both volleyball and tennis at Loogootee).  Here's a photo of her at the v-ball sectionals where the Lions succumbed to the Barr-Reeve Vikings (a team that is now 36-0 and goes to state next weekend).

Double Eagle Update

Just got an email from TJ McAtee on double eagles at Lakeview:

Not sure who the guy was, but Drew Kluesner, Bubba, and Mitch Wagler were witnesses to a double eagle on 4 a few years ago.  Vague details I know…

Anybody out there know who that might have been?  So, we have at least one other double eagle at Lakeview, total of two.  Any others?

ps from TJ:

Unfortunately it wasn’t me.  I just remember them telling me about it a few years ago.  The guy was playing alone and drained it from 200 or so out.

Saturday Morning Scramble Time

10am

Bits and Pieces for a Friday Morning

-Interesting stuff about double eagles and aces here at about.com.  I know we have had our share of aces at Lakeview but I remember only one double eagle.  Ron McMasters dropped a 200+ yard shot in the hole on #4 back in the mid '90's.  Don't remember if it was during league play (Thursday morning) or a Sunday outing with Jerry Lynch and myself.  Anybody out there have an albatross of their own or know of another who did? at Lakeview?

-Hope the new head of the LPGA can right the ship and get the ladies back playing again.  I see that they are playing over in Incheon, South Korea, this week at the Hana Bank - Kolon Championship.  Incheon has changed a little bit, like a whole bunch, since the last time I was there back in the early '60's (US Navy).  The boom times of the '80's and '90's were still decades away and the memory of the Korean War was all too vivid and the devastation and recovery still very much a fact of life back then.

-Played 18 holes with the boys yesterday - Jack Lents, Jack Butcher and Kenny Hudson.  Jack Lents, for the second time in a row, took five of the six flags up for grabs.  And that made him a big winner in the partners-skins-flags game.  He garnered ten of the nineteen quarters that were in the pot at the end of play.  Plenty of February like golf shots out there on my part - been too much rain and too much not playing for a game to be sharp.

-October weather this year is like last year's - wet and cool.  Hope November brings a prolonged Indian Summer.

Tuesday Afternoon Scramble Start Time

4:30.  Expect the rain will have passed through by then, or at least be ready for a break.

Monday Golfers

Kay Sheetz planting the flag after making her birdie putt (?!) at #8. She was out for nine late in the afternoon with Susie Chanley and Steve Sheetz.

One of the Bloomfield Belles taking a shot at a hole-in-one at the ninth hole this afternoon.

Saturday Scramble Start Time

9am.  Bring something to keep you warm.

The Big Boy Awards

Tiger Woods is going to get a lot of awards this year and that is just right and proper since he played like the best player in the world just about every time he put a ball on a tee. Now in reading this article, I see that some are arguing that he should not be considered for Comeback Player of the Year since he won four out of six starts back in 2008 even though he only played have the year. Steve Striker, twice a Comeback Player of the Year himself, is quoted as saying "Where did he go?" This, it seems to me, is very backwards since a year ago some were arguing that Tiger, who had stats that easily qualified him for the Player of the Year Award, should be declared ineligible because he only played half the year. Hmm. Could we ask for a little consistency in our reasoning, guys? Btw, do you remember who actually won the POY in 2008? Answer here. And another btw: Don't expect TW gives a hoot about all this.

Tyler Kidwell and Greg Potts Fire a 32 to Win Tuesday Scramble

The results of this afternoon's 4:30 scramble:

1. Tyler Kidwell and Greg Potts: 32
2. Dave Wininger and Rob Sterling: 34
2. Doug Denson and Mike Bird: 34
4. Trenton Kidwell and Tarry Bratton: 35
5. Terry Butcher and Kevin Byron: 37

Tin Cup Challenge Cancelled

Just a reminder: The Tin Cup Challenge scheduled for tomorrow and the following Monday has been canceled. Best just come on out to Lakeview and enjoy some good weather and, no doubt, some good golf.

Line bound putters' putting tip

For those of us that are more line bound than distance bound, and to go along with the 'listen-for -the-click' tip of the other day, put a line on your ball (there is a little gadget with a slot in it that you place over the ball to make such a line!) and than line it up with the line of your putt. Then strike and listen. Works.

Bits and Pieces

-At the President's Cup on Sunday, Tiger yanked Yang's chain and even spotted him a hole with a poor chip on the first hole.

-Johnny Miller kept telling Yang to keep his head down and then he (I think it was JM) said "listen" for the sound of the ball going into the hole. In other words, keep your head still and don't peek. Jack Lents tried that out yesterday morning when playing with Jack Butcher, Morris Cornelius and Ken Hudson. Said it worked like a charm for the first several holes and then his putter head (the glue) loosened up on him and he didn't fare so well from there on in. First time I've heard that excuse from a golfer. I tried it, the listening for the click, clack, cluck, here at home last night and found it worked as well.

-Mike Kidwell mentioned recently that a Thursday evening two person scramble league next year might be fun. You partner would stay with you the entire season just like in the other Lakeview leagues. Any thoughts?

Tuesday Afternoon Scramble Start Time

4:30 and call if you need a few more minutes but still want to play.

Sunday Afternoon Golfer

Woods-Yang Rematch

So who wins the rematch? Just saw the clip with Yang being asked what he thought of playing Tiger again - not necessarily something he is looking forward to but if Greg (Norman) asks him to do it, he'll do it. I like his moxie. A draw? Nah. Tiger wins like he's been doing all week, in twelve or thirteen holes. Well, except for that one yesterday morning where he rolled in a twenty-five foot putt on the seventeenth hole for a win to draw the match to all square (big assist from Weir who missed a five footer to halve the hole) and then put a 203 yard shot to eight feet for the win on eighteen.

Dan Steiner Outing at The Oaks

Wonder what happened down the road at the Oaks yesterday afternoon with Uncle Dan and his fundraiser? Maybe someone will let me know in the comments. Btw, I did make posting comments easier - try it out.

Denson, Kidwell and Wininger Win Saturday Scramble

Doug Denson, Trenton Kidwell and Lee Wininger found five birdies and an eagle in the first seven holes and posted a round of 28 to win the Saturday Morning Scramble yesterday. The team of Dave Wininger, Mike Bird and Greg Potts finished at five under, a thirty, to come in tied for second with the team of Mark Potts, Mike Kidwell and Tarry Bratton.

Scramble Start Time

9am

Rain, Rain, Go Away, President's Cup, etc.

Lots of rain yesterday and looks like it is going to stay with us for most of today. I did get out and open the course briefly yesterday afternoon when the rain stopped and it looked like the stuff might move west and north of us. But, not to be. Hey, it's good for growing grass and filling up the water table and giving us all a chance to catch up on other things in our lives.

-Did catch the President's Cup via the internet - Jason Sobel's live blog at espn.com. Guess the two top players in the world lived up to their billing: TW with Steve Stricker were hot from the get go, while PM with Anthony Kim took a while to find the green pace but finally getting a string of birdies on the back nine to get their one point. Good start for the USA though don't expect Jimmy Leonard felt too good after missing the last putt from three feet and settling for a halved hole that made the final score 3.5 to 2.5. The Internationals very much within striking distance.

-Yesterday's Resident's Cup at Lakeview was rained out - guess you figured that out though Leroy Streepy did come down and catch me in the clubhouse a little after nine. He was also bringing in a repaired club - he does that, you know - replaces broken shafts, reglues, regrips.

-Btw, both Leroy and Morris Cornelius are now among the elite group of 80 somethings that play golf at Lakeview. That kinda came in a hurry and surprised both Diane and me, not the golfing at Lakeview but that they are now in their 80's. Jeesh, time - it is a-flying.

Trenton and Mike Kidwell Win Tuesday Afternoon Scramble in Overtime

Trenton and Mike Kidwell two putted from about twenty feet for par on the first extra hole to beat Dave Wininger and Greg Potts who couldn't get their par putt from six feet to drop. The two teams each scorched Lakeview Golf Course on an overcast Tuesday afternoon firing five under par to end in a tie in the nine hole scramble. Dave and Greg got off to the early lead by finding birdies at holes one, two, four, five and six. Trenton and Mike, on the strength of Trenton's very hot putter, found a birdie at four, eagle at six, and then birdies at seven and nine. The latter three were claimed with putts from about thirty feet, ten feet and then twelve feet. Two other teams participated: Mike Bird and Tyler Kidwell, who finished at four under, shot themselves in the foot on the very first hole with a bogey but came close with a birdie at four, eagle chip in from thirty yards on five (MB), and then with twenty foot putts on seven (MB) and nine (TK). The fouth team, Doug Denson and Kevin Byron, posted a two under score.

Tuesday Afternoon Scramble Start Time

4:30. Call and sign up if you want to play but need a few more minutes.

Thursday Morning Game - 18 Hole Residents' Cup

Not exactly the President's Cup but Lakeview's version. Starting at 10am on Thursday, the 8th, we'll have an 18 hole game with the locals, or residents, going up against the out-of-towners, the non-residents. First nine holes will be a scramble with the second nine an alternate shot affair. Match-ups will be by skill as much as possible but by handicap if necessary to even the table. Call the clubhouse to sign up. Don't forget to identify yourself as a local (Loogootee and near area) or a non local. (We'll adjust as necessary to make the sides as even as possible.)

The Wie Lass and the Irish

In case you missed it:

-Michelle Wie came in tied for second behind Lorena Ochoa in the Navistar LPGA Classic this weekend. And she did it playing on a sprained ankle, something that kept her thinking of just finishing over the last nine holes. She might want to try to capture that mental mood as she claimed five birdies over those nine holes. Impressive.

-Did you watch the ND-Washington football game on Saturday (instead of golf)? It was a humdinger as the Irish caught and passed the Huskies with a last minute touchdown and a marvelous two point conversion, then let them have a field goal to send the game into overtime where the Irish prevailed easily. Here's a link that blogged the game - pretty neat way to catch up on the antics of the college kids last Saturday afternoon.

Short Jeffers, Tyler Kidwell, Brian Ader Win Saturday Scramble

Short Jeffers, Tyler Kidwell and Brian Ader found five birdies and three pars to come in a thirty in the Saturday Morning Scramble. That was good enough to edge by one stroke the team of Trenton Kidwell, TJ McAtee and Lee Wininger who found birdies at two of the par threes but were unable to get one at either of the par fives, usually for sure birdie holes. Five other teams participated bringing in scores from three under to even par.

Saturday Morning Scramble Time

9am

Pieces of String and Putting Speed

Here's what looks like an effective putting drill to improve your putting speed (from about.com and Neil Wilkins). The method uses three foot pieces of string placed at different intervals on the putting green. You then roll your golf balls so that they stop between the strings. The author mentions the drill taking your mind off of the line and shifting the emphasis to the speed, referring to some golfers as "line-bound". He also quotes Loren Roberts as saying that he feels he can make any putt if he can get down the speed. That's interesting because Stan Utley pretty much believes get the line right and that will get the ball to the cup - get the ball started on the right line, you 'intuitively' know how far to hit it. I'm one of those 'line-bound' golfers so the drill will be an interesting change. Of course, such change does bring challenges of its own, like what am I going to do with the strings when I'm done?

p.s. Guess one wouldn't have to use strings; tees and pocket change could mark the spots. Maybe that is frowned upon because that would bring the 'line' back into play in a very direct fashion.

Thursday September Challenge Results

Joe Gray and Junior Byron shot a 29 in the Best Ball portion of the September Challenge to finish at 14 under for the three week tournament and easily take the championship over second place finishers, Wayne Souerdike and Richard Swayze.

Wayne and Richard claimed second place with a not so bad three week total of 97.34, seven plus strokes below par.

Wayne shot a career best 32 with birdies at two, five and six to go along with six pars in his attempt to catch the Gray/Byron team in the morning's play.

September Challenge

Photo with a better recap of the Tuesday version of the September Challenge. Tomorrow the Thursday version finishes up. Joe Gray and Junior Byron have a commanding lead.

Mike Kidwell and Joe Allen continue winning ways

In a Tuesday afternoon scramble, Mike Kidwell and Joe Allen continued their winning ways by parring the first playoff hole and beating Tenton Kidwell and George Templin in a two person scramble that saw both teams finish at one under. Mike Bird and Dave Strange found bogeys at #4 and #8 to offset birdies at the first two holes and fall a stroke shy of the playoff. Doug Denson and Noah Callahan finished at one over. Note: Next week's Tuesday afternoon scramble will start at 4:30. Be there or call ahead to ensure you get on a team.

Tuesday September Challenge Results

Click on the photo to enlarge and see the results of the Best Ball portion of the September Challenge. Dave Wininger and Karry Stoll shot a brilliant 28 to slip by Curt Johnson and Bric Parker for the low score for the three events and the 1st place position. Last week's leaders, Junior Byron and Kevin Byron, had a horrible final nine holes, coming in at only one under to tumble from the top spot to third.

Tuesday September Challenge

Part III of the September Challenge for the Tuesday players today. Best Ball - play your own ball - best net score between the two of you is the team score - by hole. Score cards in the clubhouse are ticked so net score is easily calculated. Have fun.

The Tin Cup Challenge 2009

Learned earlier today that this year's version of the Tin Cup Challenge is canceled. The WCC guys have mostly dispersed, or will have, by the 19th and 26th of October. Maybe next year. Suggest we create a cup at Lakeview and have our own game for those interested in playing. Will keep my ear to the ground and see if there is any interest.

The FedEx Thingee

Well, one in the field did get hot and reel off several birdies and have a pretty good round. Phil Mickelson had that round and he walked off with the Tour Championship. Tiger did beat Ken and the rest of the field, less Phil, and did walk away with the FedEx Cup and the zillions of dollars, but didn't you get the feeling that the two winners were very uncomfortable sharing the winner's circle? Nice win for the leftie; another consolation prize for TW - yeh, even with the zillions of dollars in his purse, it's still second place. Gotta have the win, baby, the win, or it doesn't mean a thing.

More More Sunday Afternon Golfers

Some of the guys...

More Sunday Afternoon Golfers - St. John's Youth Group

Four by two by two by two...

Sunday Afternoon Golfers

Some of the St. John's Youth Group who were out for a Sunday afternoon scramble earlier today.

TW vs KP

The FedEx thingee: Ken vs Tiger. I guess there are several others in the hunt and any one of them could get hot like Perry did yesterday and reel off a bunch of birdies right at the get go. But I'm going with a duel between Tiger and Ken. Maybe something similar to the Tiger-Rocco duel last summer. The two of them both look back on majors that slipped through their fingers this year - Kenny at the Masters, Tiger at the PGA. So, they each want it, badly. (As do several others playing this afternoon.) I am going with Tiger prevailing in the end - he might even have it all wrapped up with two or three holes to play. He's young, he's strong, he's good. And all he cares about is the game and, of course, being the guy in the winner's circle. Every thing else is fluff. We'll know in a little bit.