-At Pebble Beach: Phil Mickelson was absolutely brilliant in firing a bogey free round of 64 yesterday and winning the National Pro-Am by two over Charlie Wi. Playing with Tiger Woods, who started the day two strokes up on him and four behind leader Charlie Wi, Phil broke out of the starting blocks like he was running a 100 yard dash while the rest of the field was running a much slower paced half marathon of thirteen miles. Par, birdie, par, birdie, birdie, eagle - that's about as sweet a start as anybody could ever ask for. He then ran off six pars before finishing the next six with three birds to go along with three pars. Tiger, who found himself one shot out of the lead after six holes with a start that included five pars and a bird, seemed to crumble at the 7th when he missed a short par putt, the first of three in a row, that's three make-able putts and three bogeys. It didn't help that Mickelson answered TW's few brilliant strokes with dramatic and even more brilliant strokes of his own (think hole #12 for one where Tiger chipped in from the sand for a bird and then watched Phil roll in a 40 footer for a par save). Tiger could have finished in the top ten (in a tie for 9th) if he could have finished what started out as a fairly typical bird on the par five last hole - drive in the fairway, second shot onto the green, third stroke getting close. But no, another short putt went awry (he did manage to make the longer and equally difficult come-backer for his par). Phil, playing the same hole in safe mode (who would have thought that possible?!), went 4 iron, 4 iron and then plugged his approach shot close and, of course, rolled in the birdie putt. Great day for Mickelson; great day for golf fans; terrible day for Woods. But, hey, just think about the 'old guy' (Phil is 41) doing it to all those young guys out there.
-Up in South Bend: Skylar Diggins and the Irish fell to unranked and unheralded West Virginia, 65-63. Caught the last several minutes of the game (following the Pebble Beach Tiger debacle) and watched the Irish lose a lead and then lose the game when the often brilliant Diggins (she scored 32) committed a back court foul in a tie game with five seconds to play. Yes, the two free throws were made and the Irish couldn't make the two pointer that would have sent the game into overtime.
-Need a lift here on a cold and snow-in-the-forecast Monday morning. Might just go and start my taxes.
-Up in South Bend: Skylar Diggins and the Irish fell to unranked and unheralded West Virginia, 65-63. Caught the last several minutes of the game (following the Pebble Beach Tiger debacle) and watched the Irish lose a lead and then lose the game when the often brilliant Diggins (she scored 32) committed a back court foul in a tie game with five seconds to play. Yes, the two free throws were made and the Irish couldn't make the two pointer that would have sent the game into overtime.
-Need a lift here on a cold and snow-in-the-forecast Monday morning. Might just go and start my taxes.
