Anthony Kim wins the ATT at Congressional in DC, confirming his status as one of the top players on Tour this year. Tony is one of the few, who at only 24 years old, has won two PGA tournaments in the same season. This guarantees his card for the next 3 years, and should hopefully show us all some of his continued aggressive play.

I’ve been impressed with some of the older players who’ve been at the top of the leader board lately….this group includes Rocco Mediate (of course), Tommy Armour III, and Tom Pernice Jr. It’ll be great to see Rocco in the UK at The Open. With this roll, Mr. Kim has a real challenge, playing in this UK major for the first time….let’s see how he can do in the wind and rain…as well as a few 40 yard putts on those large undulating greens.

Anyone following the PGA this year would have to agree…Kenny Perry is on a roll….a second at the ATT in Atlanta earlier this year, then two first’s this season including his win at the Buick this past week has guaranteed his spot on the Ryder Cup Team-his personal goal in 2008. Those who criticize his recent decisions not to attend the US Open and British Open should be popped with a four-iron on the forehead….Kenny has his own plan for success and the Tour does not dictate which tournaments a member should or shouldn’t play…life on the road during the entire year takes a toll on a family and Kenny is doing what’s best for him and his family…after all, what’s more important…a bank account or a family to come home to?

Tiger Woods today announced his intention to seek surgery for a torn ACL, as well as seek treatment for a stress fractured tibia, due to his recent overly aggressive rehab exercise regimen. He also stated that he would not be playing for the remainder of the 2008 season. In post tournament interviews, Tiger now reveals that his injuries were more serious than previously reported. Physicians recommended him not to play in the US Open and to continue his rehab. His overly aggressive efforts during the week caused the ACL tear and inflamed his previous tibia injury…one would ask why??…why risk a career threatening injury just to win one tournament??? Unfortunately, Tiger’s stubborn streak got the best of him…plus the fact that he’s a compete or die junkie…and now we face a year without Tiger…and a rehab regimen of over a year which, if we all know Tiger like we do, may result in more injuries and a less than adequate timeline to heal..

I’m disappointed that someone so intelligent..so important to the game and millions of fans all over the world would take such a stupid risk and not follow his doctor’s warnings….yes I’m selfish…I want to see Tiger compete for the next fifty years…not the next five….he’s lost reason and reacted with emotion…just ask Buick, Nike, The US Ryder Cup Team, and Commissioner Tim Finchem what they really think of his recent decision making skills….

After the announcement and the long coverage on The Golf Channel today, I was also thinking about Rocco and was glad now that he didn’t win…with today’s announcement, his win would also be tarnished…and with the national outpouring of support from his friends and fans, I think he’ll be the better and more successful for his one stroke loss….

We can only hope that Tiger doesn’t hurt himself in rehab AGAIN…and returns to us next year a more mature and healthy player…no matter what anyone says…these multiple knee injuries have taken years off of Tiger’s future career…the like’s of which we’ll never be seen again for many generations to come….

While being a Tiger fan for years, I always root for the underdog….and Rocco Mediate played the round of his career today…one of the most impressive feats I have ever seen in professional golf…hat’s off to the man from Naples…a 45-year old who survived back surgery and several inconsistent years of play to give the greatest player of all time a run for his money…the fans were behind behind you Rocco…I loved the cheers…. and with 3 shots down, Mediate comes back with enough birdies to make Tiger sweat…but Tiger is the only player in professional sports who plays better when the pressure increases…and so we watched something unique….a 91-hole US Open with The Man taking the top prize…hats off to The King…a man who will define the future of this game and set records which no one will ever break…

I always naively believe that when the chips are down, Tiger will somehow falter…somehow fail to make the impossible shot…and he always proves me wrong…WHAT A FINISH….he staggered out the gate with a disappointing double, and continued to struggle the entire round…Lee Westwood gave a great showing…but couldn’t keep the drives on the fairway, and failed to drop several key putts all throughout the day…Rocco played a great round….but also left some key putts out on greens…he was smiling and having a blast all day…so far ahead of his own expectations this week, he was able to stay calm and cool throughout the entire round…I was rooting for Rocco…a local Naples Florida boy, who, at 45, could have done something impossible..and almost did….

As for tomorrow, while I would love to see Rocco win, I think he’s given it everything he can…with an 18 hole playoff against the world’s #1, it’s a forgone conclusion that Tiger will be our man for this year’s US Open…a classic comeback from a man who’s the best to ever play this game…

What a day of golf…local favorite Phil ends the day at +10….thanks to an ugly 9…with three consecutive bad chips..Tiger fights the knee and has an incredible eagle on the back keeping him in contention at the top, as well as an impossible eagle chip and a 40 foot downhill eagle putt on 18 to put him in the final round…our man from Naples Rocco Mediate smiles all day and plays a great round, giving him a shot on Sunday….Lee Westwood….the Brit who was hiding back in the pack, is now in the final twosome….to see Tiger’s 60 foot down hill putt and eagle chip was a testament to why they call him the best of all time…the roars for Woods could be heard on the shores of Oahu…Stuart Appleby played well…just not well enough on the greens to stay in tight contention….Sunday’s final should be historic…..

The second day of the US Open at Torrey Pines is coming to a close…our first round leaders Hicks and Streelman are no where to be found on the top of the leader board….today was a day of 4 putts and too many lip-out’s to even begin to fathom….Vijay 4 putted, with three of them of being within 3 FEET of the hole…..Adam Scott also missed a tap in, resulting in a disgusting 4 putt….our leaders include the man from Naples Rocco Mediate….who always seems to do well on either day one or two of a major…but never seems to keep the momentum going through Sunday….our man Tiger started the day with another 3 putt, but boy did he come back on the backside….Tiger roars with 5 consecutive 3 putts on the back 9 of his round today….in my view, most of the first and second day’s rounds with our top performers Tiger, Phil, and Adam was like watching 3 great players feeding off each others lackluster performance….that is until Tiger decided to break the log jam and take a run for the lead…..and let’s not forget to mention the dark horse Davis Love, who’s great round today put him in contention on the leader board….let’s see if he can build from this well-played round today….Phil kept the driver out of his bag for a 2nd day, and Adam Scott again starts to falter on all parts of his game…an unimpressive round by the #3 in the world….why can’t this guy from down under ever do well in a major??? The cut is now +8….I can’t wait to see who makes it to the weekend….

As we finish day one of US Open at Torrey Pines, we find our top players fighting to keep their heads above water…Tiger, Phil and Adam Scott all had a difficult day…Tiger stumbled out of the gates with a 1st hole double bogey, errant drives, and some tough putts…it seems as if the rust on his game is definitely evident…and that twinge of pain that the cameras caught on 18 tells us that he’ll be lathering thickly with the Ben-Gay tonight….Phil kept the driver out of his bag and had a special 2 wood from Callaway which kept his drive length in contention, but still forced more than a few errant shots…the toughest part of today’s round was on the greens…running way fast and undulating all over the place…the only “birdie friendly” approach shots were those that landed just off the front of the green, bounced on, and rolled close. As with most big tournaments like this, the “no names” pervade the top of the leader board…including Streelman and Hicks….Hicks is from Royal Palm Beach Florida..just up the street…wondered how often he’s played Madison Greens???…a course I personally consider the hardest golf course on earth. Both Hicks and Streelman will have a real challenge to keep their under par performance going in tomorrow’s round. The second cut seems to be more than fair, and the high grass has more than added a few shots to most players today. Most mistakes for today were the “short putts” within 5 feet…I can’t tell you how many short putts were lost, or lipped out due to the razor sharp holes on each green. Sergio, Retief, Padraig showed us little today for performance…some of the classic players like Vijay, Davis Love and Marc O’Meara still enjoy the competition, but still have alot of work to do to make the weekend cut….but then there’s always tomorrow…..

What a week for our man Tiger who returns to the tour this week..the US Open at Torrey Pines….the spotlight will be on both #1 and #2 this during these exciting four days of golf…both Tiger and Phil share a common bond with this course as locals…both have won here on multiple occasions over their career..and both are excited about this week’s setup….most of the top players all agree..these are the fastest greens that they’ve ever seen….a mind numbing 15 or 16 on the stimpmeter..not only is the course the longest on record, but combine this with cool weather and a low sea level course which causes short ball flights..and you’ll have a challenge of the century to watch…and so the clock ticks down to the start this Thursday.

Since Tiger hasn’t played a competitive round since the Masters, and has undergone knee surgery, most would quickly count him out…but this is Tiger we’re talking about, so all bets are on Tiger winning, or at least finishing in the top 3….Phil grew up in San Diego and learned to play golf at Torrey Pines, so his desire to win a major at home may push him to a level we’ve never seen before…time will tell.

I was lucky enough to play this course last December…even back then, they wouldn’t let any carts on the course as they were preparing for this critical tournament….it was my first time putting on Poa annua greens..and boy are they tough…and bumpy! But the day was great..a round I’ll treasure for years to come…

Daily scores this week and the cut are unknown at this point, due to the many changes they’ve made to the course, as well as a variety of unknown pin positions and tee box setup’s. Coming into the field this week, we have some great players who may show us something special….my favorite Boo Weekly is on a roll, Stephen Ames game is hot, Trevor Immelman just lost in a playoff this past week…I’ll be excited to see how these guys do..and then there’s the longshot dark horse..Pat Perez…another local who knows the course well….as well he should as his father works there…so we patiently wait for Thursday am….and a great threesome to start us off with Tiger, Phil, and Adam Scott, all playing together in a first round for the first time….I can’t wait…

On New Year’s Eve 2004 when my wife and I closed on our new home and moved onto the golf course at the TPC Heron Bay (former home of the Honda Classic)….it seemed ironic as this was the course where I first learned to play golf back in 1995…little did I know about the many new friends I would make as a member in 2005….

Since we moved onto the course at Heron Bay (if you’re ever on the 3rd green, you can wave across the water to the east to the home across the water and say hello!), I decided to become a member, and in 2005 I had the opportunity to log in many rounds with a variety of new and fun friends. As I began to meet existing members, and locals who played the course consistently, I found myself enjoying the game even more than before….as the most fun I ever had was with our usual Saturday foursome. Pictured below you’ll find our foursome…a motly crew of local duffers including Dennis Norden, a local executive in consumer electronics…then there’s Tom Kolak, a retired executive from Fuji, and Frank Gittens, another local from Heron Bay..this man from Trinidad loves the course and loves to compete…a true passive aggressive on the course…and finally there’s me….the guy from Jersey who’s 26 years in Florida almost makes me a local now…it was the 4 of us who played this course into the ground in 2005 and enjoyed many fond memories during our year as members. Since then, we’re all playing new courses, and occasionally find time to get all 4 back together now and then for a round…Dennis, Frank, and I are still regulars to the weekly outing, usually at a different local course each week, and have some new faces (Dave K. and Adnan) always joining in for some fun and frustration, but it’s our old foursome which brings back some of my fondest memories as a first time member to a golf club. Pictured below you’ll find the “Heron Bay Foursome”….out for a round this past weekend at Deer Creek…what a beating we took on that course…and for the record..Frank got me by 4 strokes on the first round, and I got him back good on the 2nd round by 10 strokes! Dennis as always shot the low round with an 82, and Tom, still recovering from elbow surgery, was in last place..just until the arm recovers….

A Little History Of The TPC At Heron Bay And Mr. NoSnowMan

The TPC at Heron Bay opened back in 1995. Back then, I was working with many of BellSouth’s voice and data resellers all across Florida. My mentor Tony Romero suggested that I pick up the game, as many of these business relationship’s centered around the game of golf…and so it began..and the bug bit me hard…several times a week, and at least once on the weekend, I would learn to play this game on a flat, bunker filled course, with fast greens and poor drainage via the instructional expertise of many fun loving, but usually drunk, telecom duffers…..I can’t tell you how many rounds I got soaked in, either due to the summer rains, or mud-filled fairways here at Heron Bay…believe it or not, back then the course had more bunkers than today, and today Heron Bay is by far, the most bunker rich golf course you’ll ever play in Florida. There were no homes on the course back then…as it was originally designed as a Florida Audobon sanctuary course. After the Honda Classic left in 2004, the course began to lose it’s cache as a local high end TPC course…and in 2007 the PGA sold the course to a local south florida based golf course management firm.