Hello,
What a weekend. We had one of the greatest Soccer teams ever play in Sydney on Saturday night, we also witnessed one of the greatest Open Championships on record and saw a great champion emerge from the field starting the day five shots behind and end up winning by 3!
Interesting that Phil was a similar age to Ernie when he won last year, giving much hope to players over the 40+ mark.
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Open Review
The golfing forces of Phil Mickelson prevailed on Sunday, when others failed to show themselves or fell by the way side, Phil powered on. The left-hander is a player of extreme calibre, with four previous majors to his name, including three Masters titles, he has spent many years in the long shadows of Tiger Woods. He has also finished second six times at the US Open, including this year, which adds the dimension of poetic justice to this victory this time out.
As recently as Friday, he had four-putted Muirfield's par three 16th. On Sunday morning, he was still in the pack, five shots back. As others fell and faltered, Mickelson seized the tournament with a finishing burst of four birdies in the last six holes, including a flourish on the 18th when he banked his second shot off the upslope of a bunker and rolled home the putt.
Mickelson beat the game, the course and the field.
Neither Woods nor Scott were able to contain him on Sunday. He was in a class of his own, setting new records and giving the over 40's players a huge wrap.
Scott and Woods kept themselves for most of the round, but walked up the last companionably, sharing rueful notes about what might have been.
"You have to be resilient in this game," Mickelson would later say,
Most players did not use their drivers, Mickelson did not even carry one in his bag. So it was that at the climax of the tournament, playing the par five 17th upwind, he reached the green with two three-woods.
"Those were two of the best three woods I've ever hit,"
"As I was walking up to the green, that was when I realised that this is very much my championship, in my control," he said. "I was getting a little emotional. I had to take a second to slow down my walk and try to regain composure."
Well done Phil, well and truly deserved.
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Property Shark
Greg Norman is reportedly selling his home in the prestigious Le Lac neighbourhood in Boca Raton, Fla. The Shark bought the 7.5-acre property in 2006 for $7 million and reportedly stands to lose more than $1 million in the sale. However, he has not had much use for it as of late so wants to off load the asset.
Apparently Norman bought the house in 2006 while he was going through a divorce and looking to woo tennis Hall of Famer Chris Evert. However, they divorced a little over a year later and Norman remarried again in November 2010.
The 58-year-old legend now spends most of his time in Jupiter Island and rarely ever hangs out in the neighbourhood where his ex-wife and other famous people like Red Sox owner John Henry live.
If you are interested in buying the house, it is on the market for $6 million, meaning Norman will lose at least $1 million when it sells. But I reckon he can take the loss!
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Former Open Champion
What Happened to Todd Hamilton?
Todd Hamilton beat Ernie Els in a four-hole play-off at Royal Troon to win the 2004 Open championship.
He was back in Scotland this year competing in the oldest Major championship in the World and feeling quite upbeat about his game and life in general.
"It's great that in a lot of these towns everything is packed together and you just walk everywhere. St Andrews is the best example. I really enjoy that part. To me it's kind of a quaint feeling. It brings back a lot of memories of the small town I grew up in, Oquawka, Illinois. Where I live, now, just outside Dallas, you can't really get anywhere without driving."
"I don't get much attention these days but I don't mind at all. I'm not a person that likes to be in the limelight unless I've done something and I haven't done anything for a while. I'm probably more recognised over here than I am in my home country.
“I'm getting on in years but if there is one tournament an older guy can win, it is this one."
"I like to practice for an hour and a quarter or so before a round but it varies. I'll hit all the clubs, hit some high ones, low ones, then chip and putt a little bit. I don't like to rush it. I like to take it easy and let everything soak in.
"It takes a lot of knowledge, not only of the course itself but this style of golf.
"The guys from the States don't see the ball bounce like it does here. When you hit it in the fairway there it tends to stay in the fairway, or it stays within five or 10 yards of where it lands. Here that's not the case, it might run 50 yards. I've hit some three irons 270 yards. We don't see that at home."
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What's in the bag
Name: Ernie Els
Age: 43 Professional Wins: 66 Clubs: Callaway
Driver: RAZR Fit Xtreme
Wedge: X Series JAWS Hybrid: X Utility
A former World No. 1, he is known as "The Big Easy". Among his 66 career victories are four major championships. He is only one of six golfers to twice win both the U.S. Open and The Open Championship.
He was the leading career money winner on the European Tour until overtaken by Lee Westwood in 2011, and was the first member of the tour to earn over 25 million Euros from European Tour events.
When not playing, Els has a golf course design business, a charitable foundation which supports golf among underprivileged youngsters in South Africa, and a highly-regarded wine-making business. He has written a popular golf instructional column in Golf Digest magazine for several years.
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PRO TIP:Shanks
The short-term fix is to feel more weight on the heels of the feet throughout the swing. By keeping the weight back, it allows the clubhead to travel along the preferred line of the swing and not to fall into the ball.
We should be aware that there is undoubtedly one or two fundamental things which go wrong with the swing, causing the problem of the shank. The result ending in a trip to hosel city.
Remember, if you are out on the course and you start to shank, get your weight back onto the heels of your feet. When you finish your round get someone, preferably your local pro, to check your shoulder coil and address position. These will be the long-term solutions to the problems associated with the dreaded "s" word.
Happy golfing
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David Fearns (PGA)
Golf Traders |
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