No one thought it would happen this way….14 of 14 while leading after 3 rounds..but never say never…it was a rollercoaster of an afternoon for all of my fellow duffers who were glued to the Tv on Sunday afternoon…While I was only hoping for an exciting round to watch, I had no idea what was in store for us…

Where to begin?…Paddy Harrington was man of the day to watch….everyone wanted him in the final two-some, but some putting miscues on Saturday took him out of the final pairing…he played great…that is until the 8th hole…posting a putred snowman on the Par 3….the same as he did the week before at Firestone…he wants to run with the Tigers but seems to get in his own way when he has the best chance to close the deal…

The final pairing included Mr Woods as always and YE Yang from South Korea…Tiger was leading the tournament since day one…but there were some subtle mistakes along the way…on Saturday, everyone who really wanted to go for the win went low on their rounds…that is except Tiger….he played a conservative round with few if any birdies…coming into the clubhouse with an average score…YE Yang was the dark horse..no one thought he’d even make the top ten…even though he won earlier this year at the Honda Classic…if the winner was going to come from Asia, everyone thought it would be KJ Choi, having been on tour for many years…but YE was in the bushes…waiting, working and preparing for this very day…being at the right place at the right time, with the proper skillset and MINDSET could change the world for a day…

So what happened on Sunday???…YE played it cool….was in total control of his emotions throughout everyshot and all 18 holes…never ever showing any signs of nervousness or discontent…he smiled and laughed for the cameras and went on his merry way…Tiger started out as always…steel-focused and ready to close this deal….unfortunately his putter was his undoing on this day..it gave out on him like never before…both short and long putts all burned the edge of every hole on this day…he just couldn’t get a break with his putter…his drives were outstanding…all in the fairway…he did have a few chances to get back into the game…on the 17th Par 3, it was inconceivable that he could of missed that putt…it would put him tied going into 18 and I have no doubt that in a playoff he would of prevailed….

But here’s the thing you have to remember…just as Tiger pulls a miracle chip, putt, or iron shot from his bag just when he needs it most….so can the competition…and that’s what closed the door on Tiger’s run this week….YE’s eagle chip on the back 9 solidified his round, forcing Tiger into a real corner for the first time…and the icing on the cake…a 3 hybrid from 200+yards within 6 feet of the hole guaranteed that the man from Korea would take home the trophy…

While all of this was going on, let’s not forget to mention that 5 of the top 6 players in this major WERE FROM EUROPE!! Lookout US….here’s comes the A Team from Europe….a set of great rounds from our friends across the pond..and while I am a devoted Tiger fan, I still root for the underdog and was very happy to see Mr Yang prevail on Sunday…one can only wonder what the future holds from this great new player…he seems to have a un-flappable, steel-like focus and never seems to be shaken by anything…I’m hoping this isn’t the last time we see Tiger and YE in the final grouping of a PGA event….it was too exciting for words….

Dennis is one of my golf buddy’s I play with on a regular basis…..he actually played a round with Alex Cejka here on our home course back about 5-6 years ago…back then when we had our TPC designation and the Honda Classic, lots of PGA professionals like Alex and Bernard Langer would practice here at Heron Bay…I remember him telling me about what a long hitter he was on the Par 5’s….it would have been nice to see him prevail and score his first PGA victory….but so it goes…like the PGA man says…”it takes 4 good days to win a PGA tournament”…and our friend Alex only had 3 this time around…

So Henrik Stenson prevailed and took the crystal at this year’s Players Championship….a fantastic and error-free final round…he played consistent the entire week and kept his tee shots in the fairway…without a doubt the most difficult task when playing the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass..lots of usually tier 2 players popped up into the mix this week…John Mallinger, Ben Crane and Kevin Na all had good rounds and were in contention on Sunday…

In my view Alex was pulled down by Tiger’s negative mojo on Sunday…and it literally started on the first hole..I knew Tiger was going to have problems when I saw him tee off with a 3 wood…it looks like our Superhero is going to need some real work before the US Open next month..the knee, while in good shape has definitely affected his swing..they were showing the Slo-Mo video all throughout the day for most of Tiger’s tee shots..he’s dropping his height through his swing..causing a new swing momentum which he’s not used to…any consistent duffer will confirm this fact…when you play with a guy who’s having a bad round, it’ll usually effect your round as well..and not for the better..

The TPC Sawgrass course is one of the toughest on tour, only because you have to be able to shape your tee and iron shots on this course…without an easily executed fade or draw in your swing arsenal, this course will eat you alive…and let’s not forget the greens….

All the players raved about how great the course and green conditions were…but on Saturday and Sunday when those greens ran 13 and 14, you could seem them “shine like marble” stated Ian Poulter…as fast any major he had ever played before…kudo’s to Poulter for a great tournament and run on Sunday…I would liked to seen both him and Stenson in a dog fight at the end, but this may come another day..Poulter is a great player and way overdue for a US win..

And so we wait for the US Open..the last time Beth Page Black got rained on but good and turned the event into a swamp run..hopefully this year will be different..and our man Tiger heads home, on the phone with Hank Haney scheduling a long set of meetings to figure out what’s going on with his driver and swing….

What a great week…The Masters this year has given us too many stories to talk about…where to begin?….hopes were high for Sergio or Camillo to do well this week….while they played well, there was no fire in the belly for either of these latin bombers….and what about Paddy?…could he complete the “3 pete” that many were looking for??….unfortunately he was lost to at the starting gate at this historical event…a 9 on the 2nd hole took away all his steam…he languished for days, never making a run for the hallowed green jacket..as the days worn on, the real names came into play…..Chad Campbell, Kenny Perry, Phil and Tiger, and of course Senior Cabrera…what a great final round…the best seen in years….both Tiger and Phil, playing together on the last day….8 back and ready to make a run…and boy did they ever….they fed off of each other’s birdies and ran like a Derby thoroughbread, fighting to get into contention….and on this day, unlike many others in the past, Phil outpaced and out-ran Tiger, coming within a stroke of the lead….3 mistakes including a splash down off the tee on the backside par 3, and 2 missed eeeeez birdie putts kept Phil from his second green jacket….Tiger was on fire, but it was the putter and errant tee shots that gave up on him on Sunday…..the best player in the world who’s never come from behind after 54 holes in any PGA tournament is a chink in the armor which may plague him into the future..only time will tell….and then there’s the final 3some…Campbell, Perry, and Cabrera…an up and down final 3 holes which could have gone in any direction….we all thought Angel was out of it, after throwing his tee shot on 18 into the woods…then both Perry and Campbell duffed easy 2nd shots on 18 to the green due to the enormous pressure this event places on all participants….I most feel for Kenny….that short putt on 18 to win will haunt this man for years to come….I would of rather seen him losing by 10 than that short putt….the playoff kept the pressure on,  and in the end, the man from Argentina kept his cool, dealt with the pressure and allowed him to take home his first green jacket….finally a latin american winner!…hats off to Angel….winner of the US Open…one of the few who could slay a Tiger in the Open and Augusta, and take home the green….the most enjoyable and exciting round of PGA golf in years!!!

Having just recently returned from a visit to my mother’s retirement home in Bonita Springs, I had a chance to get a couple of rounds in on two semi-private courses, recently opened to the public.

Palmira Golf and Country Club is located in Bonita Springs..just a stone’s throw from Mom’s place in Worthington…the course was in foreclsoure for a while until the exisitng home owners recently purchased the course and opened it up for limited public tee times. This 3, nine hole course is definitely a challenge…not for the high handicapper…a very tight course with lots of water…reminds me of how tight Cypress Woods is down the street from this property…while the course is well maintained and greens are good, I’d need a few more practice rounds before heading back out on this challenging course….

Pelican Preserve in Ft. Myers…what a gem!! I can’t tout this course enough…what an excellent course!!! Located in Ft. Myers off of Exit 136, this course is semi-private, a WCI 55+ planned community…the course is in pristine condition..one of the most enjoyable rounds of golf I’ve ever had on Florida’s west coast…I would place this course as a very close 2nd to Tiburon at #1…huge fairways and great greens…although my only complaint is slow greens, but the layout is wonderful…some of the holes on the back side remind of the open spaces at Bandon Dunes…they’re running a special “2 For 1″ at $110 ($55 each..but here’s a little secret…if you check out the community and listen to the sales pitch, they’ll put you on for only $25!…and with a golf view 2 Bed, 2 Bath going for $99K!!! and 3 years of FREE GOLF, it’s more than worth it…the facilities are brand new and outstanding…I don’t know how, but I’ll be playing this gem again the next time I’m in the area…a must see and play for any golfer who lives or is visiting the area…I fell in love…

What an ironic twist…the two players who came early on Friday the 13th and played a practice round together would end up in the final round of match play…Geoff Ogilvy and Paul Casey fought a tough and hard battle, but in the end Mr. Ogilvy would prevail…here’s another interesting fact….both Ogilvy and Casey went to school and live in Arizona…these guys know how to play desert courses and it showed today…

This week was interesting to watch as the top ten rated players  so quickly fell out of contention…this new Jack Nicklaus course is tough…and long…but in the high and dry desert air, the ball can fly for miles…Paddy, Sergio and Vijay out on day one…and let’s not forget Mr. Woods….a hard shank to the right on a short par 4 put him out of bounds and out of contention for the weekend…the most exciting part of this week was watching young Rory McIlroy from Ireland…this kid is hot and it he brought some game this week…just ask Geoff Ogilvy who was given a run for his money in their round together earlier in the week…I look forward to seeing Rory up against the big guns soon…I was cheering for Ernie..what a great start to the week…but he fell off the radar for contention on day 3….I was really hoping this would be his come back week and we’d see him on the weekend…and so it goes…another week on tour….stay tuned fans for next week’s Honda Classic in my back yard….

Yes my friends and fellow duffers….El Jefe…The Big Cheese…The Chairman of  the Board….Mr. Just Do It is back on tour this week in the WGC Match Play Championship at the new Dove Mountain Ritz Carlton course in Marana Arizona…it was good to see Tiger back….his game was on, but in my view was a little “controlled”…there was never any real explosiveness to any swing during his match play round with Brendan Jones….other than a casually raised putter with a key birdie on the back 9, this was a subdued Tiger…maybe a little nervous, but very difficult to tell….today Tiger goes up against Tim Clark from the European Tour…a good player, but no match for TG…everyone’s hoping to see Tiger up against some of the new Tour hot shots….Anthony Kim…Rory Mcillroy…and let’s not forget Ernie Els….a shocking first day killer round…Ernie looks hot…let’s see how far he can go…his history in this type of match play has been dismal for the past few years…and what happended to Paddy Harrington and El Nino Sergio Garcia…both knocked out in the first round????…..I guess they’re still getting rid of the holiday cob-webs…Phil was looking good after his win at the Northern Trust last week, but I saw nothing special in his first round win….he needs to take it up a notch if he expects to make it through the next day….

The Tivo is on and set to record the 2nd round today whilst I dig some holes this afternoon with some friends at Oriole Golf Club…a favorite local dirt track for the frugal golfer…..

Yes it’s true…I was there around lunch time for a noon round with my buddy Dennis….driving up from Parkland was a pain, but I love the course..The Links At Madison Greens is, in my view, the most difficult and challenging golf course I have ever played….ANYWHERE!

Yours truly arrived at the course around Noon, checked in, got my cart and bag, and drove over to the putting green….after shooting the “you know what” with the Starter for about 10 minutes, I hit the putting green…out of the corner of my eye I saw a golf cart pull up next to mine and saw this guy get out…but for some reason, I didn’t turn my head to look….I was too interested in getting the green speed that day…when you play with Dennis, you need every advantage you can get….

So about 10 minutes go by and I hear Dennis call me off the putting green…I go to drop my putter in my bag, and suddenly notice the golf cart parked next to mine…it has a strange silver bag with a Buick logo on it…inside the bag are about 5 irons, a putter, and a Nike 5 wood…in bold white letters, there it was …..TIGER WOODS! The kid in the cart pool tells me that’s its really him….out to discreetly hit the range for a while…I couldn’t believe it!! Being the calm, cool, and collected golfer that I am, instead of hanging around to harass SuperMan for an autograph or pic, I took the high road….got in my cart and drove to the 1st hole with Dennis and his next door neighbor he brought from the UK….It was a gorgeous day to play….the first cool day of the year, when, after 18 holes, you’re not soaked in sweat….so there’s my brush with Tiger….or at least a close brush….

This year’s Fedex Cup ended with a ho-hum victory for Vijay Singh…hat’s off to the old man for pulling this last big win out of his career before heading to the Champions Tour soon….with Tiger back on tour next year, I doubt that we’ll see much of Vijay in the winners circle. Everyone on tour this years has agreed…the Fedex Cup still needs more “tweeking”….having your winner in place before the final event even takes place tells us that this system needs more work….the idea of the Fedex Cup was to increase the competition and excitement level of the game….they’re on the right track, but need much more work….I like the idea of a multi-event playoff system where you have to consistently win to move forward..forget about the points system….let everyone, like an Open, try to qualify from any club or tour (4 Handicap or lower can apply), play and move forward in a series of tournaments….local qualifiers for the big PGA events…we could see some unknown great golfers peak at the right time and give the pro’s a run for their money. I envision a Jason Gore-type player, peaking at the right time and moving into the final tournament, giving Tiger, Phil, Sergio and Paddy a run for the big money….and in regards to money…since this is the most important event of the year, it should also be the biggest cash payout…how about $2million cash and the remaining $8 million in an Annuity….

Atlanta saw some excellent play this week….Sergio looked great all week….Villegas stumbled out of the blocks but had a fierce finish and win….Phil was Phil..in contention, but he didn’t seem to have the hunger in this one, having come from the big win at the Ryder Cup last week…..Anthony Kim was the highlight with Camillo…what a great duo shootout….this kid will keep us watching for a while now….at least they gave us an exciting finish for 2nd and 3rd……

Camillo Villegas…one of the top “young guns” on tour finally took home the brass ring with his first win at the BMW this week. I’ve been watching this kid for two years now and this win is way overdue. He led in all four rounds…a unique accomplish to add some icing to this big win. He heads to Atlanta this week, focused on trying to get some of those FEDEX dollars before the season ends. I look forward to hopefully seeing him paired with El Nino at this year’s final event. Congratulations Camillo…Viva Columbia Mi Amigo!!

Could the impossible happen….could he do it….unfortunately my friends, the Shark faltered and fell to the man from Ireland. This was a great contest with an exciting finish….any one of 5 players in contention could of run away with the claret jug.. This year’s Open was a contest of “weather endurance”…with driving rain and 30mph winds, poor Rich Beem was 12 over after the first 9 holes and dropped out…that’s how tough it was out there on Thursday. Our man Phil, even with the early arrival prep work, failed to show us anything special. But the man from down under….the former Tiger Woods of the PGA had a special stride in his step…he’s just gotten married to tennis star Chrissie Evert, and while on their extended honeymoon, decided to stop at Royal Birkdale and give the old course a try…but no one knew just how well this 50+ over achiever would actually do….hat’s off to my man Greg Norman for a showing that may never be equaled again…if he had won…it would of set the world of sports on fire….as for Paddy Harrington…he fought and earned the trophy, playing as well as he did last year….he felt bad beating Norman as I would have, but he gave him a game…and never backed down.

With Kenny Perry, Rocco’s and Norman’s performances this year, 2008 will probably be rememberd as the “Year Of The Senior”…to see these great players still in contention against 20 year old’s show’s us that this sport truly has staying power…a game to be fought from your earliest to eldest age…a game where both physical and mental strength are needed to succeed.