Course Source: Bell Bay Golf Club, World Golf Village

Course Source: Bell Bay Golf Club, World Golf Village










Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange May 20, 2013 1:31 AMThe SportsXchange


IN THE PUBLIC EYE: Bell Bay Golf Club in Baddeck, Nova Scotia, Canada.

THE LAYOUT: Thomas McBroom, one of Canada's most noted designers, crafted 18 exceptional holes on Cape Breton Island with sweeping views of the Bras d'or Lake -- North America's majestic inland sea.

Also in view across Bell Bay is Beinn Bhreagh (Gaelic for Beautiful Mountain), the estate of Alexander Graham Bell, where the inventor of the telephone spent the latter part of his life and died in 1922.

The Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site houses the largest collection of Bell artifacts and archives in the world.

Bell Bay Golf Club, which plays to 7,037 yards from the back tees, has a course rating of 74.3 and a slope of 136. However, Bell Bay is eminently playable for all golfers, with a rating of 69.9 and a slope of 125 from the white tees.

The season at opens in May and runs through October, weather permitting, at Bell Bay, which was voted best new course in Canada in 1998 and hosted the 2005 Canadian Amateur Championship in addition to the 2006 Canadian Club Champions Championship.

GENERAL MANAGER: Michael Gillan.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: Bell Bay Golf Club received international recognition in 2001, when the Wayne Gretzky and Friends Invitational was held there and televised on the Golf Channel. NHL stars Gretzky, Brett Hull and Joe Sakic played a match against Mike Weir, the left-hander who won the 2003 Masters and is considered the best Canadian golfer of all-time.

Every hole at Bell Bay is named for a ship that sailed the Seven Seas from Baddeck, which was settled by Scottish shipbuilders. The course starts with three strong par 4s, measuring 407, 415 and 433 yards from the back tees.

The best of the opening threesome is No. 3, a 433-yard hole named for Scrapper, a legendary craft built at Bell's laboratories at Beinn Bhreagh. The hole gets its difficulty from the second shot, which is uphill from between 135 to 175 yards into the prevailing wind.

No. 6 is the most challenging of the par 3s at 227 yards from the tips to a green guarded by seven bunkers. The hole is named for Typhoon, a 45-foot ketch that crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a then-record 15 days in 1920. The voyage was made even more remarkable because it was accomplished entirely under sail after the engine failed two hours into the trip.

When you make the turn at Bell Bay, the best is yet to come, especially what the locals call "The Final Four." But before the golfer gets there, he must navigate No. 13, a 508-yard par 5 named for the brig Challenger, which was built in Baddeck in 1848 and lost at sea the following year on a journey from Sydney, Nova Scotia, to Boston. Like the ship, many golf balls find a watery grave in the lake that runs nearly the last half of the hole and guards the left side of the green.

The last four holes are considered one of the best windups in Canadian golf.

No. 15 is Perseverance, a daunting 463-yard par-4 with one of the smaller greens on the course. The hole was named for a brigantine built in 1845 that was later re-rigged as a schooner.

The 16th hole is Argyle, named for a brig built in Baddeck that was given the name of a town in Scotland. This is the shortest par 4 on the course, at 365 yards, but perhaps most scenic, routed through a densely wooded corridor of trees that is especially impressive when the fall colors are in their glory.

But the best at Bell Bay is saved for the absolute last. No. 17 is the signature hole, while No. 18 has the signature view.

On the 182-yard, par-3 17th, called Banshee, the tee boxes are perched on a hillside and the shot must carry a spectacularly wooded ravine. Banshee was a female spirit in Gaelic folklore whose wailing warned the clan of danger. The cry is similar to that heard from golfers as their tee shots disappear into the ravine.

The 18th hole is named for Bradalbane, a 101-foot barque that is believed to be the largest and best vessel built at Baddeck. It was instrumental in Rev. Norman MacLeod's expedition to New Zealand in 1857. There is a spectacular panoramic view overlooking the Bras d'or from the tee box on the 566-yard par-5 hole, and the prevailing wind from behind the golfer allows him to let out the sails with the driver.

OTHERS COURSES IN THE AREA: For the perfect golf doubleheader, play Bell Bay and Highland Links in Ingonish Beach, a classic Stanley Thompson layout on the edge of Cape Breton Highland National Park. Highland Links was selected as the No. 1 course in Canada in 2000 by Score Golf magazine and has been rated one of the top 100 courses in the world several times by Golf magazine.

Also worth the trip are Dundee Resort and Golf Course in West Bay, Le Portage Golf Club on the banks of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and on the Cabot Trail in Cheticamp, Passchendaele Golf Club in Reserve Mines, Lingan Golf and Country Club (established in 1895) in Sydney and Seaview Golf and Country Club in North Sydney.

WHERE TO STAY: The Inverary Resort in Baddeck, known for its Celtic charm and lakeside boardwalk, offers stay-and-play packages for Bell Bay Golf Club, as do Glenghorm Beach Resort in Ingonish and Ceilidh Country Lodge in Baddeck.

First-class lodging also can be found at Dundee Resort in West Bay, Castle Moffett in Baddeck, the Maritime Inn in Port Hawkesbury, Chanterelle Country Inn in Baddeck and Haddon Hall Resort Inn in Chester -- Nova Scotia's version of the French Riviera near Halifax, where many of the Titanic victims are buried.

ON THE WEB: www.bellbaygolfclub.com



THE LAST RESORT: World Golf Village, which features the King and Bear Course, and the Slammer and Squire Course, in St. Augustine, Fla.

THE LAYOUT: At the top of the list for any golf vacation to Florida has to be the World Golf Village and Hall of Fame, located in St. Augustine, the oldest city in the United States.

Not only can golf fans browse through artifacts the greats of the game utilized in their diverse roads to glory, they also can play the two world-class courses on the property, named after four of those all-timers.

The King and Bear Course, about three miles from the Hall of Fame, but still on land owned by the World Golf Village, is the only collaboration in golf course design by Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, opening in 2000.

Palmer and Nicklaus played a match that was televised for Shell's Wonderful World of Golf to mark the opening of the course, which also hosted the Champions Tour for the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf in 2001 and 2002.


The Slammer and Squire, named for Sam Snead and Gene Sazarzen, was designed by Bobby Weed, although he received input from those great champions, who were still alive when the course opened in 1998.

The original course on the property, located a short walk from the Hall of Fame and the hotels on the property, the Slammer and Squire hosted the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf in 1999, and also has been the venue for PGA Tour Qualifying School and Champions Tour Qualifying School.

DIRECTOR OF GOLF: Jeff Hartman.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: The King and Bear is the more challenging of the two courses, playing to 7,279 yards and a par of 72 from the back tees, with a course rating of 75.2 and a slope of 122.

It is what the British would call a parkland course, with wide fairways (for which Nicklaus designs are known) on the front nine lined by loblolly trees. The more winding fairways on the back side are framed by 200-year-old live oaks.

The 17 lakes that dot the King and Bear are lined by coquina rocks.

"Arnold and I have varying styles on how we do golf courses," Nicklaus said. "(The King and Bear) reflects both of our styles."

The course opens with two strong par-4s, measuring 426 and 435 yards respectively, but there are five sets of tees and plenty of room in the driving areas.

Stay well clear of the water and sand all down the right side at No. 1, where the green is guarded by a large bunker complex. The water on the tee box at No. 2 should not come into play, and the shot to a green protected by three bunkers on the left is slightly uphill.

The best par-5 on the course probably is No. 7, at dogleg that swings left and measures 573 yards, with a large lake on the left to deal with on the layup and the shot to the green.

The front nine finishes with two more challenging par 4s, No. 3 and 1 in difficulty on that side, at 462 and 448 yards from the back, respectively. The eighth has water on both sides of the fairway and the ninth features a large lake all the way to the green.

Palmer included No. 12, a 412-yard par 4, as one of his "Dream 18" in a Sports Illustrated article in 2006. Considered the signature hole on the King and Bear, it winds around a lake to the left to a green sitting on a small peninsula.

No. 14 is a 200-yard par 3 with water and sand on the right, although there is bail-out room on the left, and it leads to a strong finish.

Following three more exceptional par 4s at 360, 467 and 427 yards, the King and Bear finishes with a 563-yard par 5 devoid of water, although there are wetlands to swallow any shot that goes left of the bunker that runs the length of the hole on the left side.

The par-72 Slammer and Squire Course, more of a user-friendly resort course even though both are eminently playable for golfers of all abilities, measures 6,939 from the tips, with a rating of 73.8 and a slope of 135.

The course plays through native wetlands, hardwood hammock trees and old-growth pine trees.

After a relatively straightforward start, the golfer reaches the No. 1-handicap hole on the course, with No. 4 a par 5 that measures 522 yards from the back tees. Water and sand run down the right side off the tee before the hole doglegs dramatically to the left to a green protected by water on three sides.

The seventh is a 178-yard par 3 on which the water on the left must be carried from the back tees, with bunkers guarding both sides of an elevated green that requires an extra club.

The front nine concludes with a 401-yard par 4 that plays back toward the Trophy Tower that sits atop the Hall of Fame, and although there is no water on the hole, there are eight bunkers to deal with from tee to green.

The best hole on the back nine probably is the par-4, 442-yard 12th, which has a water hazard that cannot be seen from the fairway about 120 yards from the green. Collection areas on three sides of the green make it difficult to get up and down for par if you miss the putting surface.

The finish is challenging, starting with the 576-yard, par-5 16th, the longest hole on the course with sand and water to deal with all the way to the green.

The Slammer and Squire finishes with par 4s measuring 459 and 425 yards, respectively, both bending to the left. The penultimate hole has water on both sides as you approach the green, and the final green has a spectacular view of the Hall of Fame across the water.

The fun isn't over when your round ends at the World Golf Village, because there are hands-on exhibits in the Hall of Fame, which features "Shanks for the Memories," an exhibition dedicated to comedian Bob Hope's career and love of golf.

In addition to the largest PGA Tour merchandise shop in the world, on the property is Caddyshack Restaurant, owned by the Murray brothers, which is a tribute to Bill Murray's role of assistant course superintendent Carl Spackler in the movie "Caddyshack."

If you don't have time for a round of golf, you can still play the 18-hole natural grass putting course, take a shot to an island green on the 132-yard Challenge Hole reminiscent of No. 17 at TPC Sawgrass or watch a movie in the IMAX Theatre.

As Gary Player, World Golf Hall of Fame Global Ambassador, says in TV commercials for the Hall: "For the love of golf, go."

OTHER COURSES IN THE AREA: The World Golf Village and Hall of Fame are only about a 20-minute drive from TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, home of the PGA, Champions and Nationwide tours. On the property are Pete Dye's Valley Course and the Stadium Course, with its infamous island 17th green, site of the Players Championship every May.

Also in the area are Royal St. Augustine Golf and Country Club, St. Augustine Shores Golf Club, the Golf Club at South Hampton in St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra Golf and Country Club at Sawgrass, St. John's Golf and Country Club in St. Augustine, the Ocean Course designed by Jack Nicklaus at Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast, Queens Harbour Yacht and Country Club in Jacksonville, Magnolia Point Golf and Country Club in Green Cove Springs, and Eagle Harbor Golf Club in Orange Park.

About an hour's drive south on Interstate 95 in Daytona Beach is LPGA International, home of the LPGA Tour, with the Legends Course, designed by Arthur Hills, and the Champions Course, designed by Rees Jones.

WHERE TO STAY: Stay on the grounds of the World Golf Village at the Renaissance Resort, the Comfort Suites, Laterra Resort and Spa or the Grande Villas, which all offer golf packages for the Slammer and the Squire, and the King and the Bear.

Historic St. Augustine is the oldest European settlement in the United States, first visited by Ponce de Leon in 1513, and there are numerous hotels and B&Bs in and around the city. Among the best are the Bayfront Marin House, the Casablanca Inn on the Bay, Casa Monica Hotel, the Bayfront Westcott House, St. George Inn, Our House Bed and Breakfast, Alexander Homestead Bed and Breakfast, the Pirate Haus Inn and the Carriage Way B&B.

In Ponte Vedra Beach are the Sawgrass Marriott Resort and Beach Club, Ponte Vedra Inn and Club, the Lodge and Club at Ponte Vedra Beach, the Hilton Garden Inn and the Fig Tree Inn B&B.

Golf resorts in the area include the Hammock Beach Resort in Palm Coast and Amelia Island Plantation.

ON THE WEB: www.golfwgv.com

Golf rankings, player capsules

Golf rankings, player capsules










Tom LaMarre, The Sports Xchange May 20, 2013 1:31 AMThe SportsXchange


The Sports Xchange's 2013 PGA Tour rankings, selected by TSX Golf Staff, based on 2012-2013 performance.



1. Tiger Woods, United States -- Following his fourth victory in seven stroke-play events on the PGA Tour this season at the Players Championship, Woods began his two-week break by heading for Las Vegas, where he hosted Tiger Jam 15 at Mandalay Bay Events Center. Kid Rock was the star attraction, following another rock musician, Uncle Kracker, to the stage. Tiger Jam raised in the neighborhood of $14 million in its first 14 editions, with the proceeds going to the college-access programs sponsored by the Tiger Woods Foundation. ... Tiger also made it official last week that he will defend his title next week in the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village, where he has won five times. In announcing that he would play in the tournament for the 14th time, he said that what makes winning the event extra special is that it is hosted by Jack Nicklaus, his idol since he posted the Golden Bear's accomplishments on his bedroom wall as a kid growing up in Cypress, Calif. ... Some people are starting to compare Woods' season to his epic 2000 campaign, when he claimed nine titles, as he has reached four earlier than he did in that or any other season. His fourth title that year came at the U.S. Open in June, but what made that season so remarkable was that he captured the last three major titles, part of a run in which he won six times in eight events beginning with the Memorial. Of course, Woods came back the following year and captured the Masters to complete what became known as the Tiger Slam.



2. Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland -- After taking a week off, McIlroy hopes to find some consistency in his game this week when he plays in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club, outside London. He has had some solid results of late, finishing in the top 10 four times in his last six tournaments on the PGA Tour, but he has yet to put everything together with his new Nike clubs and some changes to his swing. ... Rory, who announced last week that he is leaving Horizon Sports Management and starting his own firm, played in the flagship event of the European Tour five times previously, but has only one top-10 finish and has missed the cut twice, including last year at 74-79--153. That was part of a slump in which he missed the weekend in three consecutive tournaments and four of five before he heated up later in the year to win three times and claim the No. 1 spot in the World Golf Rankings. His best finish on the famed West Course at Wentworth was solo fifth in 2009, when he shot 7-under-par 65 in the third round. He finished at 10 under that year, but he is a cumulative 24 over in his other four appearances in the tournament. ... The numbers indicate that McIlroy might not be far away from his late-2012 form, as he ranks 16th in total driving (a combination of distance and accuracy), fifth in green in regulation at 71.33 percent and is third in the all-around category, a combination of eight major statistics. However, he must get better on the greens, as he ranks 108th at 29.28 putts per round and 94th in strokes gained-putting at plus-.004.



3. Brandt Snedeker, United States -- Snedeker, who has played 10 times this season despite missing a month and a half because of a strained intercostal muscle, is taking two weeks off before returning to the PGA Tour next week for the Memorial Tournament. Despite spending time on the sideline, he still ranks second in the FedEx Cup point standings behind Tiger Woods and second to Woods on the money list with $3,388,064. ... Sneds, who captured the 2012 FedEx Cup by claiming the Tour Championship last September, picked up right where he left off at the start of this season and seemed headed for an even bigger year before being injured. He finished in the top three in four of his first five tournaments, including his sixth PGA Tour victory in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, but struggled once he returned to health. Snedeker missed the cut in his first two tournaments back before returning to form since by tying for sixth in the Masters and tying for eighth in the Players Championship. ... Snedeker has done it this season by playing well in all phases of the game, which has put him fifth in the all-around ranking, a compilation of eight major statistical categories. He ranks 10th in driving accuracy at 69.39 percent, 13th in greens in regulation at 69.84 percent and 16th in strokes gained putting at plus-.604. Snedeker leads the PGA Tour in birdie average at 4.66 per 18 holes, is fifth in scoring average at 69.823 and is 10th in scrambling, getting up-and-down for par 65.26 percent of the time.



4. Adam Scott, Australia -- Having made the most of his abbreviated schedule this season with three top-10 finishes in five stroke-play tournaments, including his first major victory in the Masters, Scott is taking what is a short break for him, two weeks. He is skipping the two events in Texas, even though he captured the 2008 Byron Nelson Championship and has claimed three of his nine PGA Tour titles in the Lone Star State. He's returning next week for the Memorial Tournament. ... Scott was able to get away for three weeks after winning at Augusta National, but he said he still worked hard on his game, and he didn't seem to have a real letdown when he tied for 19th in the Players Championship. A 3-over-par 75 in the third round kept him from another top-10 finish, but he wound up in the top 25 for the fourth time this season. ... Scott has not returned to Australia since becoming the first player from Down Under to claim the Green Jacket, and it figures to be a madhouse whenever he does. His mentor, Greg Norman, has said that there will be even more pressure for Scott to play in top Australian events, the first of which is the Perth International in October. In the final weeks of the year are the Australian Open, which he won in 2009, the Australian PGA Championship and the Talisker Australian Masters, of which he is the defending champion. Scott usually plays in two of the three, but it will be more difficult for him to pass on any of them this year.



5. Phil Mickelson, United States -- The schedule page at philmickelson.com still does not show when Lefty will play next, although he did commit last week to play in the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open at Castle Stuart Golf Links in July, a week before the 142nd Open Championship not far away at Muirfield. He has said often that he likes to play a week ahead of major championships because he feels rusty in the Grand Slam events on Thursday if he does not. It will be his 11th appearance in the Scottish Open, and he came closest to winning it when he was beaten in a playoff by Gregory Havret of France in 2007. ... Mickelson is not in the field this week for the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, even though he has played in the tournament 14 times previously and won it in 2007. He could play the following week in the Memorial for the 14th time. Last year, he withdrew after shooting 79 at Muirfield Village because he was exhausted. That came during a stretch in which he played four tournaments in five weeks and squeezed in a trip to Paris to celebrate the 40th birthday of his wife, Amy. His last chance to tee it up before the U.S. Open would come the following week in the FedEx St. Jude Classic, but he has played only twice at TPC Southwind, in 2001 and 2009. ... Mickelson, who captured the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February and also finished third in the WGC-Cadillac Championship and the Wells Fargo Championship, needs something to regain momentum after missing the cut in the Players Championship.



6. Dustin Johnson, United States -- Once again hit by the injury bug, Johnson withdrew early last week from the HP Byron Nelson Championship because of a back injury that caused with to pull out of the Players Championship after he opened with a 2-over-par 74. That came a week after he could not play in the Wells Fargo Championship because of a wrist injury. It was the fourth consecutive tournament from which he withdrew, as he also pulled out of the Ballantine's Championship in South Korea because of the political unrest in the region. ... Johnson posted a message on Twitter that he had inflammation in his facet joints, but he hoped that rest and daily therapy would permit him to play this week in the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. He has played in the tournament only once before, in 2009, when he finished in a tie for 74th after making the cut on Friday by shooting 1-under-par 69, but then missed the secondary cut a day later when he posted a 72. ... DJ missed nearly three months last year, when he admittedly came back too soon from offseason knee surgery, which led to lower back problems. Once he got healthy, he captured the FedEx St. Jude Classic in June and he appeared to be primed for a big season this year when he won the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. It seems that all he has to do is stay healthy for his immense talent to take him to the top of the charts, but he has been unable to do that in the past two years.



7. Luke Donald, England -- Donald was in London last week to receive his MBE (Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) award from Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace. He is sticking around for the BMW PGA Championship, which he has won each of the last two years. Perhaps returning to a venue in which he has had great success is what he needs after not being much of a factor this season, even though he has not played badly, finishing in the top 25 in six of his seven events on the PGA Tour. His only top-10 finishes, a tie for fourth in the Tampa Bay Championship and a tie for third in the RBC Heritage, came in his last four events, so he could be ready to bust out. ... Donald posted four scores in the 60s last year on the West Course to claim a four-stroke victory over Paul Lawrie and Justin Rose. A year earlier, he opened with a 7-under-par 64 and was near the lead all the way before sinking a seven-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to beat Lee Westwood, from whom he took over the No. 1 spot in the World Golf Rankings. Luke has three other top-10 finishes at Wentworth in eight appearances, including a tie for second in 2010, one stroke behind Simon Khan, and a tie for third in 2008, two shots out of the playoff in which Miguel Angel Jimenez defeated Oliver Wilson. ... Donald, who also will play in the Memorial next week, ranks fourth in scrambling on the PGA Tour, getting up and down 67.47 percent of the time, but that's because his iron play hasn't been up to his standards. He has hit the green in regulation only 61.57 percent of the time, which ranks 170th.



8. Matt Kuchar, United States -- Normally a top-10 machine, Kuchar has finished outside of the top 30 in each of his last three tournaments, including a tie for 33rd last week in the HP Byron Nelson Championship. He has not been at his best since before he shot 1-over-par 73 in the final round to tie for eighth in the Masters, his fourth top-10 finish of the season and 33rd in the last three-plus seasons, the most on the PGA Tour in that span. ... Kooch is staying in Texas this week and will tee it up in the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial for the seventh consecutive year, even though he has finished in the top 10 only when he finished solo ninth in 2008. He posted his lowest round at Colonial that year, shooting 6-under-par 64 in the second round. Kuchar, who might not play again until the U.S. Open in three weeks, has broken 70 at least twice in all of his appearances at Colonial, but simply has not been able to go low enough. ... Kuchar, searching for the form that took him to the title in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship earlier this year, posted bookend rounds of 1-under-par 69 last week at TPC Las Colinas, but he simply did not make enough birdies. He seemed primed for a big week when he birdied two of his first four holes after starting on the back nine on Thursday, but he could manage only one more, at No. 7, the rest of the day. The highlight of his week was holing a 17-foot eagle putt on the same seventh hole while shooting 70 in round three, but he could record only 10 birdies in 72 holes.



9. Keegan Bradley, United States -- Bradley shot a tournament-record 10-under-par 60 in the first round of the HP Byron Nelson Championship last week and seemed headed for his fourth PGA Tour victory after three rounds. However, he struggled to a 72 in the final round in windy conditions, faded down the stretch and finished second, two strokes behind winner Sang-Moon Bae of South Korea. Disappointing as it was, Keegan posted his sixth top-10 finish of the season, the most on the circuit. ... According to the schedule page at keeganbradley.com, he is going to take a week off before playing in the Memorial Tournament for the third time, having missed the cut in his first two appearances. Keegan has to figure out how to play Jack Nicklaus' course because he ranks fifth in the United States standings for the Presidents Cup, which will be played at Muirfield Village in September. The Memorial will be his final tournament before the U.S. Open at Merion. ... On Sunday at TPC Las Colinas, where winds gusted to 40 mph, Bradley did not post his only birdie until he sank a 17-foot putt on the 15th hole to tie Bae for the lead after falling behind earlier by four strokes. However, after Bae holed a five-foot birdie putt on the next hole, and Bradley's birdie try from four feet lipped out. Bradley fell two strokes back and virtually was finished after making a bogey at No. 17. He recorded 10 birdies, an eagle and two bogeys in the first round and was trying to become the first wire-to-wire winner in the tournament since Tom Watson in 1980.




10. Webb Simpson, United States -- Simpson left TPC Sawgrass feeling good about his game as he heads toward his title defense at the U.S. Open in three weeks after posting easily his best finish in the Players Championship, a tie for 15th. That came after he recently lost in a playoff to Graeme McDowell in the RBC Heritage, and he claims his game is in better shape than it was before the second major of 2012, which he captured at the Olympic Club. ... He had yet to commit to the Memorial Tournament next week as of the weekend, but he has played in the tournament each of the last four years, with his best finish a tie for seventh in 2011. Expect a strong field of American and international players at Muirfield Village, where the Presidents Cup will be played in October, and Simpson certainly figures to be on the U.S. team because he ranks seventh in the point standings. Webb has made two team appearances as a pro, in the Ryder Cup last year at Medinah and the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne in 2011, after playing in the Walker Cup and Palmer Cup as an amateur. ... Simpson said on U.S. Open media day that Merion, where he will defend his title, might be his favorite course. He played the course in the 2004 U.S. Amateur, when he lost in the first round of match play, and also in corporate outings. Last week, he posted a message on Twitter that he was playing another classic course outside of Philadelphia, Aronimink Golf Club.



11. Justin Rose, England -- Following a missed cut in the Players Championship, his worst outing in what has been a solid start to his season on the PGA Tour, Rose took a week off before heading back to England for the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, the flagship event of the European Tour. Even though he has yet to claim a 2013 victory as he tries to extend his winning streak to four years on the U.S. circuit, he has three top-10 finishes and six top-25s in seven tournaments, including second behind Tiger Woods at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. ... Rosy is playing in the BMW PGA Championship for the 10th time and has come close to winning the tournament twice. He opened with a 4-under-par 67 last year and was at par or better in all four rounds while finishing in a tie for second, four strokes behind Luke Donald. In 2007, he shot 66 to tie for the first-round lead with Paul Broadhurst, also of England, and was in the hunt all the way before losing in a playoff when Anders Hansen of Denmark beat him by holing a 25-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole. Rose got even with a tap-in birdie on the 72nd hole after a remarkable pitch shot, but he missed a 10-foot birdie putt that would have prolonged the playoff. ... Justin had not yet committed to the Memorial Tournament as of the weekend, but he is expected to return to the PGA Tour next week. He won the Memorial three years ago for the first of his four victories on the PGA Tour. He has played at Muirfield Village five consecutive years and eight of the last nine.



12. Lee Westwood, England -- Westwood should have plenty of confidence this week as he heads home to England for the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth with a string of strong performances on the PGA Tour fresh in his mind. He has finished in the top 10 in four consecutive events in his first year of living in the United States, including ties for eighth in both the Masters and the Players Championships, the two biggest events of the year to date. He made the move from England so he can concentrate on the three majors played here. ... Lee is playing in the flagship event of the European Tour for the 19th consecutive year, and while he has never won it, he has come close twice. In 2000, he played the West Course at Wentworth in 65-68 on the weekend to tie for second, three shots behind Colin Montgomerie. Two years ago, he closed with 69-69-68 to catch Luke Donald, who had been leading since shooting 64 in the first round. Westwood actually took a two-stroke lead after 15 holes in the final round, but Donald caught him with a birdie-bogey exchange on the next hole. Then Luke took the title and the No. 1 spot in the World Golf Rankings with a seven-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole, where Westy hit his approach into the water. ... Westwood has shown improvement on his short game, ranking sixth on the PGA Tour in scrambling at 66.29 percent, but he must improve his average of 29.14 putts per round to start turning those close calls into victories, on both tours.



13. Bubba Watson, United States -- With two weeks off following the Players Championship, perhaps Bubba can start to relax after the buildup to his title defense at the Masters and a possible letdown afterward. He has not played his best golf since tying for fourth in the season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions and tying for ninth in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship earlier this season. After winning at Augusta last year, he had eighth finishes in the top 25 the rest of the year, including a tie for second in the Travelers Championship and a tie for fifth in the Tour Championship, but he has not found that form this year. ... Watson is playing in the Memorial Tournament next week, but Muirfield Village might not be the ideal place for him to find his game. In seven previous appearances, his best result were ties for 23rd in 2007 and 2009, and he has missed the cut twice, including last year at 75-74--149. He needs to figure out the course because he should be a prominent member of the United States team for the Presidents Cup in September at Muirfield Village. He's currently ranked 10th in the points standings. ... Bubba spoke out recently about fans calling in to report perceived violations by the pros during golf tournaments, and his opinion of it is not positive. He pointed out that it's happened to him twice, and both times the fans were wrong. Watson wanted to know where people got the phone number to call, saying he does not know it, and wondered if perhaps they might have had too much time on their hands.



14. Steve Stricker, United States -- Even the Memorial Tournament, which Stricker won in 2011, apparently isn't enough to drag Stricker away from his home in Wisconsin in this season in which he is cutting back his schedule. As of this time, he's planning to play just 11 tournaments. He still has the rest of this week to commit to play Jack Nicklaus' tournament for the 14th time at Muirfield Village, which isn't that far away in Ohio, but there has been no indication that he is even considering it. ... Stricker's plan to play less seemed to pay off at first when he finished in the top five of his first three tournaments this year, including second to Dustin Johnson in the season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions and second behind Tiger Woods in the WGC-Cadillac Championship. However, despite having at least one good round in each of his last three events, he has shown the rust of not playing competitively, tying for 38th in the Shell Houston Open, tying for 20th in the Masters and tying for 37th in the Players Championship. After posting four scores in the 60s while chasing Woods to the finish at Doral, he has broken 70 only twice in his last 12 rounds and is averaging 74.0 on Sunday. ... Stricker's numbers belie his recent struggles, as he ranks 14th on the PGA Tour in driving accuracy at 67.66 percent, third in greens in regulation at 71.93 percent and 14th in strokes gained putting at plus-.635, although he is not happy with his average of 29.05 putts per round.



14. Hunter Mahan, United States -- After skipping the HP Byron Nelson Championship last week even though it wasn't that far from his home in Colleyville, Texas, Mahan will make the 30-minute drive to Fort Worth this week to play in the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. He will be able to sleep in his own bed as he seeks his second professional title in Texas, having won the Shell Houston Open for one of his two victories last season. However, that was the last of his five PGA Tour victories, and it came more than a year ago. ... Hunter has not fared well in the Dallas-area events on the PGA Tour, with only one top-10 finish in a total of 16 appearances. That was a tie for 10th at Colonial in 2011, when he followed rounds of 67-69-69 with an even-par 70 to finish a distant 10 strokes behind champion David Toms. He hasn't broken into the top 25 in any of his eight other appearances and missed the cut three times in a span of four years through 2010. His best score came in 2009, when he broke 70 in all four rounds to finish at 7 under par, but all that got him was a tie for 27th. ... Mahan slumped in the second half of last season and missed out on the U.S. Ryder Cup team, but after starting this year with a tie for 26th in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, he reeled off seven consecutive finishes in the top 25, including second to Matt Kuchar in his title defense at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. Following a skid that lasted four tournaments, he got back on track with a tie for 19th in the Players Championship.



16. Ernie Els, South Africa -- Even though he has missed the cut in three of his last five tournaments on the PGA Tour, including his last outing in the Players Championship, Els said he left TPC Sawgrass with the feeling that he is getting closer with his game. He added that Pete Dye's Stadium Course reveals any weakness, and because of that, he knows exactly what he needs to work on. Ernie also has some confidence because when he did reach the weekend, he tied for 13th in the Masters and tied for 15th in the Wells Fargo Championship, in addition to finishing second in the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters. ... Els is going to play for the 18th time this week in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, where he still owns a home and was on the design team that reworked the course a few years ago. He has missed the cut only twice in the tournament, in 1992 and 2008, and last year tied for seventh to record his seventh top-10 finish. Els has never won the tournament, but he finished solo second, one stroke behind Jose Maria Olazabal, in 1994; tied for second, two strokes behind Ian Woosnam, in 1997, and tied for second again the following year, one shot behind Colin Montgomerie. Els did win the World Match Play Championship a record seven times at Wentworth. ... According to the schedule at ernieels.com, the Big Easy will return to the PGA Tour next week, playing the Memorial Tournament for the 20th time. He has finished in the top 10 on six occasions at Muirfield Village, winning in 2004.



17. Graeme McDowell, Northern Ireland -- Once he got past personal nemesis Nicolas Colsaerts of Belgium in the quarterfinals, there was no stopping G-Mac, who came from behind to beat Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand, 2 and 1, to win the Volvo World Match Play Championship at Thracian Cliffs Golf Course in Kavarna, Bulgaria. It was the Irishman's second victory of the season, as he also captured the RBC Heritage in a playoff over Webb Simpson last month. ... McDowell will play on the European Tour again this week, teeing it up in the BMW PGA Championship for the 11th consecutive year. He has never finished in the top 10 at Wentworth. He tied for 13th in 2009, when he closed with 68-69. He has missed the cut in the flagship event of the Euro Tour four times, including each of the last two years. According to the schedule page at graememcdowell.com, that will be his final tournament before the U.S. Open in three weeks at Merion. ... McDowell beat Chris Wood of England, Stephen Gallacher of Scotland, Bo Van Pelt (the only American in the field), Colsaerts, Branden Grace of South Africa and Jaidee en route to his title in Bulgaria. Colsaerts had beaten him in the tournament each of the last two years, including in the 2012 final. McDowell, who took over the lead in the European Tour's Race to Dubai, was in danger of going 3 down to Jaidee in the final, but he sank a 12-foot putt to save par on the fifth hole. He was still 1 down at the turn before winning three of the next four holes to take command.



18. Ian Poulter, England -- Probably the biggest surprise in the Volvo World Match Play Championship in Bulgaria was that Poulter did not make it out of group play, losing to Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand in the first round, 3 and 2, before crashing out of the tournament the next day when he lost on the 18th hole to Thomas Aiken of South Africa. Poulter has been called the "King of Match Play" in Europe, and not only because of his Ryder Cup prowess. He captured the Volvo tournament in 2011 and the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in 2010. ... Poulter is staying in Europe this week for the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, near London. He is playing in the flagship event of the European Tour for the 12th time, but he never fared very well in the tournament until the last two years. After missing the cut seven times in his first nine appearances on the famed West Course, he tied for 18th in 2011 and tied for 10th last year. He will skip the Memorial Tournament next week and return to the PGA Tour for the FedEx St. Jude Classic the week before the U.S. Open at Merion. ... Poulter rallied from two holes down against Aiken last week with birdies on the 15th and 16th hole to get even, but he missed a seven-foot par putt that would have sent the match to a playoff. The Englishman blew a chance to win the 13th when he three-putted to halve the hole, lipping out his four-footer for par. Poulter didn't use it as an excuse, but he was bothered by a stomach problem while losing in the first round to Jaidee.



19. Jason Dufner, United States -- Dufner was at his best only when he shot 3-under-par 67 in the third round last week in defense of his title at the HP Byron Nelson Championship. He could not break 70 in any of this other three rounds and wound up in a tie for 33rd, continuing his so-so play this season after breaking through for his first two PGA Tour victories last year at the age of 35. Since posting a tie for 20th in the Masters, when it appeared his game was coming around, he has been unable to crack the top 30 in his last four events. ... Duf is staying in the Dallas area this week for the Crowne Plaza Invitational, playing in the tournament for the fifth time. After missing the cut twice and tying for 59th in his first three appearances, he seemed to be headed for his third victory in four events last year at Colonial. After opening with round of 65-64-66, Dufner closed a 4-over-par 74 that included a double bogey and a triple bogey. He finished three strokes behind Zach Johnson in second, but the final margin was reduced when Johnson was assessed a two-stroke penalty for failing to re-mark his ball on the final green after moving it because it was in Dufner's line. This might be Dufner's final event before the U.S. Open. ... Duf opened with 70-70 last week at TPC Las Colinas, holing his second shot from 129 yards for an eagle on the first hole while closing on the front nine on Thursday. He was trying to break 70 in the final round for the first time in eight events this year, but he carded four bogeys in the first eight holes and finished with a 72.



20. Zach Johnson, United States -- Coming off one of his better performances of the season, a tie for 19th in the Players Championship, Zach will try to find the best in his game when he plays this week in the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, which he has won two of the last three years. In fact, four of his nine PGA Tour victories have come in Texas, as he also captured the Valero Texas Open in 2008 and 2009. ... In 2010, Johnson posted four scores of 4-under-par 66 or better at Colonial, including 64-64 on the weekend, to win by three strokes over Brian Davis of England. After finishing fourth in his title defense, again posting four scores in the 60s capped by a 65, he started with rounds of 64-67-65 last year before a closing 72 was good enough to beat Jason Dufner by one shot. It seemed that Johnson was going to win by three, but he forgot to re-mark his ball before his final putt from five feet after moving his coin because it was in Dufner's line. He was assessed a two-stroke penalty, but still won for the first time since his victory two years earlier at Colonial. ... Johnson, who has committed to play next week in the Memorial Tournament, also won the John Deere Classic in July, making it the third time in his career that he won twice on the PGA Tour in one season. It could have been a mammoth year, because he barely missed in two other events, finishing second to Carl Pettersson in the RBC Heritage and tying for second behind Matt Kuchar in the Players Championship.



Others receiving consideration: Louis Oosthuizen, South Africa; Nick Watney, United States; Rickie Fowler, United States; Bill Haas, United States; Charl Schwartzel, South Africa; Sergio Garcia, Spain; Carl Pettersson, Sweden; Bo Van Pelt, United States; Jason Day, Australia; John Merrick, United States; Charles Howell III, United States; Michael Thompson, United States; Martin Laird, Scotland; Angel Cabrera, Argentina; Kevin Streelman, United States; D.A. Points, United States; Billy Horschel, United States; David Lingmerth, Sweden; Sang-Moon Bae, South Korea.

A Lesson Learned: Golf in the wind

A Lesson Learned: Golf in the wind











Blake Graham, PGA May 20, 2013 7:19 AM





In a thrilling end to the HP Byron Nelson Championship,Sang-Moon Bae battled back and then hung on to win his first PGA Tour title. A great ending to an always special event. Congrats to Bae!

What I found so impressive with Bae's performance wasn't just that he had to chase down Keegan Bradley (who opened the tournamnet with an amazing 60 (with two bogeys!) on Thursday) but also how he regained his composure after he lost a four-shot lead on the final day. And it wasn't just that he was battling his nerves and former major championship winner in Bradley - he was doing it in wind gusts that were blowing near 40 mph!

And that leads us to this week's "A Lesson Learned". Trust me, if there's one thing we golfers in Kansas know all about - it's playing in the wind.

We could talk (write?) forever about playing in strong wind. But I want to keep it simple here, just offer a few thoughts that I want you to remember the next time you tee it up under gusty conditions.

1.) When hitting into the wind:
- Take more club: Don't be afraid to go one or even two or three clubs up. The worst thing you can do is swing harder so more club, less loft, is your friend.
- Grip down on the club, make a shorter backswing: Again, making too big of a swing will destroy your chances of hitting the golf ball the proper distance. Control is essential.
- Move the ball back in your stance: flighting the ball lower and making more a more controlled swing will give you the best chance of achieving your desired distance with the shot at hand.

2.) When hitting with the wind behind you:
- Remember that the wind will actually affect the higher shots the most - so short iron shots may show more effect than the longer irons.
- Controlling distance with your irons means you may still want a lower ball flight.
- It will be harder to stop your shot so play the roll out when determining distance.

3.) Hitting into a cross wind:
- If you can work the ball in directions, you want to work the ball INTO the wind.
- If you can't, obviously adjust your aim accordingly with the direction of the wind.
- A controlled, on balance swing is still the best swing for you.
- Flighting the ball lower will still be an advantage for you.

Obviously, there's many variables that go into playing a shot in strong wind. But these tips should give you a solid foundation and a better chance for a good golf shot. Playing in strong wind is never easy, but if you remember these pointers and keep your poise, you'll have a better chance than others who try to overpower the wind regardless of how it's blowing.

I hope these tips help and you play the best golf of your life in 2013!

Blake Graham is the PGA Head Professional at Hallbrook Country Club in Leawood, Kansas. Graham is a 3-time Midwest Section PGA Player of the Year and will be a competitor in the 2013 PGA Professional Nat'l Championship at Sunriver Resort in June. You can follow Graham on Twitter at@BlakeGrahamPGA