Big Play
WHO: VijaySingh
WHAT: 294-yardshot from the fairway with a driver
WHERE: 580-yardpar-5 12th hole at the Bay Hill Club
WHEN: Final roundof the Arnold Palmer Invitational
WHY
Singh's decisionto hit a driver off the deck--a disappearing art because today's pros hit it sofar--was a great choice. Singh practices the shot so he can get as close to thegreen as possible on long par-5s, even if it might get him in trouble. Theaggressiveness works for him; last year he ranked third in par-5 scoring. At 12he yanked his second shot behind a tree but pitched through the branches to 20feet and sank the birdie putt.
MICHAEL'S TIP
Driver off theDeck? Choke Down, Open Up
Yes, the clubheadlooks much larger than the ball when you're hitting a driver off the fairway,but don't be intimidated--that's an advantage. Today's bigger heads have lowercenters of gravity, which makes it easier to get the ball in the air. Put theball a little more forward than you would off the tee, choke down on the gripand try to keep the club face slightly open through impact.
Michael Breedteaches at Sunningdale Country Club in Scarsdale, N.Y.
... AND ANOTHERTHING
"The Tour iskilling golf. While other sports are creating more offense to spur interest,the Tour is making courses too darn hard."
ANSWERS
Who Am I? ... C)Steve Elkington (left)
Trivia Ok-Hee Kuwas the first Korean to play on the LPGA (1986) and win an event, the '88Standard Register Turquoise Classic (Safeway International).
KeyboardQueens
Two weeks agoRosie Jones rolled out a new website (rosiejones.com), which prompted the LPGAto post a list of all its members who had ventured into cyberspace. The rosterstretched to an astounding 50 sites (guess those branding coaches are reallypaying off), though there was nothing from Karrie (World Wide) Webb. In a questto save you the effort of sifting through the great mass of favorite-movieconfessions and lackluster updates from the road (unless you want to), GOLFPLUS has compiled our first (and probably only) SI LPGA Webbie Awards. Theenvelopes, please....
Award | Winner | Address | Why |
Best Photos | Natalie Gulbis | nataliegulbis.com | Fiesta Bowl, Billboard Awards, Oscars, etc. |
Most Techie | Erica Blasberg | ericablasberg.com | Lots of Flash animation, music, pull-down menus, oooh! |
Most Derivative | Erica Blasberg | ericablasberg.com | Very close copy of Gulbis's site, with more bells and whistles |
Best URL | Kelly Cap | gocappy.com | Not a household name, but one you can't help but pull for |
Most Basic | Jeanne Cho-Hunicke | jeannechogolf.com | One page, three photos, a few facts |
Most Confessional | Dorothy Delasin | dorothydelasin.com | She likes "oldies to set the mood" |
Most Geriatric | Wendy Doolan | wendydoolan.com | Favorite link: Sweet Relief pain cream |
Best Insider Tip | Lorena Ochoa | lorenaochoa.com | Favorite vacation spots in Mexico: Tapalpa, San Juan de Alima |
Funniest Bio | Jen Hanna | jenhanna.com | "I have two brothers. Not really sure what their names are" |
Most Religious | Tracy Hanson | tracyhanson.com | Has a page of favorite Scripture quotes and Bible study books |
Least Newsy | Amy Hung | amyhung.com | The news section is blank |
Most Navel Exposure | Paula Marti | paulamarti.com | She's a big fan of the bare midriff |
Most Surprising Cause | Nicole Jeray | nicolejeray.com | The Narcolepsy Network (she's a sufferer) |
Best E-commerce | Nancy Lopez | nancylopezgolf.com | Can buy anything from a purse to a pink golf bag |
GOLF MAGAZING TOP 100 TEACHER'S POLL
In only his third Tour start in '07, Tiger Woods blew up at Bay Hill. Is herusty or is something wrong?
Rusty 81%
Wrong 19%
"The only way to get tournament sharp is to playtournaments."
--KEITH LYFORD, AUBURN COUNTRY CLUB
PHOTO
COURTESY OF NBC (SINGH)
TWO PHOTOS
ERICK W. RASCO (BACKGROUND, BREED, 2)
PHOTO
DON ARNOLD/WIREIMAGE.COM (GULBIS)
PHOTO
DARREN CARROLL (BLASBERG)
PHOTO
STEVE GRAYSON/WIREIMAGE.COM (OCHOA)
PHOTO
COURTESY OF NANCYLOPEZGOLF.COM (BAG)
PHOTO
MARC FELDMAN/WIREIMAGE.COM (ELKINGTON)
PHOTO
FRED VUICH (WOODS)
