Big Play with Michael Breed
WHO: TigerWoods
WHAT: 191-yardknockdown five-iron to eight feet
WHERE: 456-yardpar-4 14th hole at Royal Liverpool
WHEN: Final roundof the British Open
WHY
Woods's unmatchedarm and upper-body strength give him shots no one else has. One is the 275-yardstinger two-iron tee shot that helped him hit 48 of 56 fairways at RoyalLiverpool. (His next-best total this year is 39 of 56, at Bay Hill.) Another isthe knockdown approach shot. Because of his Popeye-like forearms Woods canreduce the rotation of the clubhead during the follow-through and delay therelease of the club. That allows him to hit the low and straight approaches wesaw last week, including the laser at 14 on Sunday that set up the birdie thatgave him a two-shot lead over Chris DiMarco.
MICHAEL'S TIP
Go Under a BranchFor a Knockdown
A modifiedaddress is the key to the knockdown shot. Put extra weight over your lead leg,and play the ball a bit farther back in your stance (A). Also choke down alittle on the grip. During the swing keep most of your weight over the lead legand make an abbreviated follow-through (B). Practice the knockdown by hittingseven-irons under a real or imaginary tree limb that's eight feet off theground and 10 yards away.
Michael Breedteaches at Sunningdale Country Club in Scarsdale, N.Y.
... AND ANOTHERTHING
"DavidDuval's comeback is in high gear, and I expect him to have a great 2007,winning at least once and finishing in the top 30 on the money list."
[This articlecontains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine or PDF.]
R.I.P., B.C.
The little Tourstop that could--the B.C. Open--was played (and won by John Rollins) for thefinal time last week. A casualty of the PGA Tour's new FedEx Cup series, theB.C. suffered an additional insult when it was forced to abandon its home of 35years, the public En-Joie Golf Course in Endicott, N.Y., after the layout wasflooded in June. The final B.C. was played 115 miles away in Verona, N.Y., atthe Atunyote Golf Club. Despite never having a title sponsor, the B.C. raisedmore than $8 million for charity. The highlights:
1931 | Johnny Hart, creator of B.C. comic, is born in Endicott. |
1958 | B.C. strip debuts. |
1971 | Inaugural Broome County Open. Unofficial Tour event is won by ButchHarmon--the only victory in his brief playing career; Harmon does not defendbecause he has taken a job as personal teacher to the king of Morocco. |
1972 | Renamed B.C. Open; character becomes tournament logo. |
1973 | Becomes official Tour event; Jack Fleck's caddie dies of a heart attack onthe 8th fairway. |
1974 | Clubhouse burns down in early spring; Endicott native Richie Karlwins. |
1975 | National Cheerleaders Putting Contest, featuring NFL pom-pommers, is heldduring the tournament. Andy North sets Tour record with seven-under 27 on theback nine of the first round. |
1983 | Area resident Joey Sindelar plays in his first B.C. Open. (Resemblance toB.C. characters is noted.) |
1984 | New York State resident Wayne Levi wins. |
1987 | Sindelar wins second of two B.C. titles and joins the comic-strip characteras de facto symbol of the event. |
1989 | New York State native Mike Hulbert wins. |
1992 | John Daly wins. |
1995 | Hal Sutton wins with course-record 61 on Sunday (since tied by Fred Funkand Robert Gamez). |
1996 | Tour rookie Tiger Woods makes his only appearance, tying for third; FredFunk wins. |
2001 | Teenage amateur Ty Tryon is first-round leader; New York State native JeffSluman wins. |
2003 | B.C. Open Golf Shop debuts at Oakdale Mall inJohnson City, N.Y. (Babyblanket with B.C. Open logo sells for $18.99.) Craig Stadler, 50, wins a weekafter taking the Ford Senior Players. |
2004 | Tournament puts title sponsorship up for auction on E-Bay but receives noacceptable bids. |
2005 | Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim plays pro-am. |
2006 | Jason Bohn skips the British Open to defend B.C. Open title (he comes in12th); the Little River Band plays a benefit for local flood victims. |
 
GOLF MAGAZINE TOP 100 TEACHERS POLL
Should the U.S. or Europe be favored in the RyderCup?
U.S. ...41%
Europe ...59%
"Europe has momentum, experience and home cooking,the recipe for success."
--KEVIN WALKER, NANTUCKET (MASS.) GOLF CLUB
THREE PHOTOS
© JOHNNY HART/VIA THE PRESS & SUN-BULLETIN (B.C. OPEN); COURTESY OF ABC (WOODS);DAVID CANNON/GETTY IMAGES (RYDER CUP)
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION
ERICK W. RASCO (BREED, 4); FRED VUICH (TREE); DAVID WALBERG (BACKGROUND, 3);