LinksLifeGolf

Hank Haney is not Butch Harmon

This past weekend in the middle of this winter freeze I did what many snow bound golfers do, I went to a Golf Show. My son and I drove two hours to a convention hall for an indoor golf show. There were over 250 vendors selling and displaying everything from $5,000 autographed pictures to $5.00 putters and they even had a vendor hawking the “ShamWow”.

It wasn’t eighteen holes of golf, but it was fun. We tried out some new equipment and bought a couple of clubs to add to our bags. So we will not be able to use them for awhile, but it satisfied our golfing hunger. The highlight of the show was the live attractions on the main stage. There was a trick shot artist and a long drive champion that were very entertaining but the headliner was the coach to the world’s number one player, Hank Haney.

Hank Haney was to be on stage at 5:00 pm but he was late so the long driver kept us appeased with his skill and humor. When Haney finally arrived at about 6:30 pm, not many people had left but we were all hoping it he was worth the wait. After a few moments I knew he was.

I was struck by the humility and modesty of Haney. The first words out of his mouth were “I’m sorry I’m late” and he went right into his presentation and all of us quickly forgot we waited ninety minutes. He started off giving what seemed like a big group lesson; discussing swing plane, take away, downswing, follow through and speed. The most important factor he said is distance and speed gets you distance. I soaked up all the tips he was giving us, but throughout his speech I kept marveling at how down to earth and humble he seemed. Haney is very skilled in giving his techniques in plain uncomplicated terms. Make no mistake, he knows his golf and he has his opinions and will let you know what he thinks. At the same time he says “I’m full of opinions, but it doesn’t mean they are all right.”

I doubt that many people with as big a reputation as Haney would have made the effort to apologize. I have been kept waiting by plenty of entertainers and not a one ever apologized. They show up and start their show with no thought of how long they kept the crowd waiting.

Of course during the question and answer period the subject was Tiger and his return. He addressed it in what appeared to be an open and honest way. He said Tiger was healing well and working out very hard. Haney was leaving to meet up with Tiger in Florida in a few days to work on his game. He also said that Tiger will come back when and only when Tiger felt he could win.

He then said something surprising. He said,” I have learned more from Tiger then he has learned from me.” I think that is shocking, not the fact that Haney was learning from Tiger but the fact that he said it in public. Haney has a temperament that is different from his peers. You would never hear something like that from Butch Harmon or David Leadbetter. They both have their own way of teaching successfully, but Haney lacks their ego.

Butch Harmon was Tiger’s coach for many years and they won many majors together. When Woods switched to Haney and left Harmon, many of us wondered why. I think it may have come down to personalities. Harmon is not afraid to let his opinions be known on any subject. Haney is more reserved when commenting on his boss and does not seek the spotlight. In an interview, Harmon has come out and said that he hopes Tiger has not hurt his career and his chances of breaking Nicklaus’s major record. He said;

“We hope that what he did by playing at the US Open with a broken bone and a problem with the cartilage in his knee, we hope that doesn’t take away his chances to win it (the record), but we don’t know. We’ll have to wait and see. It’s either the most phenomenal feat ever in the game of golf or not a very smart thing if he played and he doesn’t come back healthy.”

I know that Tiger’s health and return to the course are the subjects that make headlines, but I couldn’t figure why Harmon would comment now. It’s been eight months since we found out the depth of Tigers injury and now Butch expresses his worry for his ex-pupil. Doesn’t Butch have more pressing issues to tend to, like helping Phil Mickelson find a fairway? Then I see in the interview that Harmon is in Thailand to open his first golf school in Asia. Tiger Woods makes headlines. We all know it, so does Butch. He needs a little press to announce his new school so he drops Tiger’s name. Butch Harmon is a very successful coach, he is ranked as the number one coach in the world by Golf Digest, but he is not Tiger’s coach and he is not Hank Haney.

The PGA tour continues with the celebrity love fest at Pebble Beach. Watch it today on the Golf Channel before it goes to CBS on the weekend and we are forced to watch long interviews of celebs that we really don’t care about. I’m pulling for my hero, Paul Goydos. Read more.

The Ladies of the LPGA are dealing with the Pā Abamanu, that’s Hawaiian for “Strong Winds of Kabuka” at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay. Turtle Bay is a great course but the wind can be a major factor for the players. Check out First Round Notes and how these rookies are making their mark, Michelle Wie, Vicky Hurst, Stacy Lewis, Jiyai Shin.

The Seniors, oops, Champions, led by Jay Haas and Bernhard Langer open the Allianz Championship today. There are ten Hall of Famers in the field, including 73 year old Gary Player, who still beats his age regularly. Preview the Allianz.

‘The Golfer’s Guide to the Meaning of Life’ By Gary Player

The title of Gary Player’s recent book, “The Golfers Guide to the Meaning of Life” may appear a bit philosophical but the subtitle captures the essence of the book; “Lessons I’ve Learned from My Life on the Links.” Player is a golfing icon. He has won nine major championships and travelled more miles than any golfer ever. He has been the de facto Ambassador of Golf since he left South Africa to take his game to the world stage. If you know of Player then you know that he has an unwavering positive outlook on everything in life. It is that attitude that comes through in his book.

This book serves as a forum for Player to impart his beliefs on a variety of subjects. Many of the chapter titles sound as if they have been pulled from a self help book; “Success”, “Learning”, Winning”, “Motivation” and “Goals”. Other chapter are pure Player dogma; “Family”, “Sportsmanship”, “Dignity”, and “Physical Fitness”.

Player gives his opinions and formulas for living a successful and dignified life. It is classic Player. You see, in Player’s life there are no gray areas. It is black or white, right or wrong. He gives us his views in a direct and straightforward style. As you read this book you get the feeling you are walking eighteen holes with the Hall of Famer and in between shots he is giving you tips on life. Player addresses the spiritual dynamic in the game of golf in sections called “The Transcendent Moments of a Golfer” and “The Sounds of Golf.” He writes:

“The Silent Sounds of Morning”…Having the opportunity to be the first group off the tee on any given day gives a golfer the opportunity to experience sensations that otherwise would be lost in the noise of midday. The mornings are silent. The players are less apt to be chatty, and cool air and dewy ground are conducive to sticking hands in pockets and walking noiselessly along. Only in the morning do you hear the sound created by shoe bottoms grazing the tops of the grass. Only in the morning does the sound of irons clinking together in the golf bags reverberate through the trees and seem to carry for miles. Only in the morning do you hear your ball land on the green 150 yards away, making a thud like it would if you dropped it on the ground next to you. These seldom-heard sounds help us appreciate the solitary nature of our game.”

While Player recounts many of his golfing experiences in this is book, is not limited to golf only. Player deals with subjects such as personal growth and virtues and character and family values. He relates how his physical fitness has kept him healthy and strong. Player tells us how the game of golf instills integrity, dignity and honor in those who abide by its rules. Player conveys how sportsmanship, fear, change and goal setting have shaped his life and how all these topics are essential to a successful and rewarding life. It is obvious that Player’s beliefs have served him well and he presents them to us as an outline for achieving success in our personal lives.

“The Golfer’s Guide to the Meaning of Life” brings us up close to Gary Player and his values and his way of life. It is an enjoyable and entertaining read filled with Player’s strategy for a value based, contented life. It has certainly worked for him.

By Jeff Skinner

There are many interesting story lines in golf this season. Stacy Lewis has to be at the top of any list of the best stories in golf this year. Lewis is a rookie on the 2008 LPGA Tour and the tour’s Qualifying School winner. She was the top ranked amateur the past two years and won the 2007 NCAA Individual Championship. With all those credentials comes an expectation of success on the tour. These expectations may lead to some pressure but it will not bother Lewis. She has dealt with pressure many times before and always seems to flourish when times are tough.

Stacy Lewis is a walking miracle on the golf course. Stacy developed scoliosis, curvature of the spine, as a child. At eleven years old she was fitted with a back brace that she wore until she was eighteen years old. She wore the brace under her clothes to hide it and only took it off to play golf. The fact that she was even able to play golf is amazing, but to play it so well is incredible. Lewis played well enough to earn a college scholarship to the University of Arkansas and then had to deal with an ordeal that most teenagers would never face.  She needed a back operation.

The brace Stacy wore for all those years did not work. When doctors examined her at eighteen they realized that the spine did not straighten enough and Stacy would need a steel rod placed in her back (View Stacy’s X-rays).  So, here she was; an eighteen year old high school grad with a college scholarship awaiting her and she faces back surgery, months of rehab and no guarantee that she’ll be able to play golf as good as she had been able to.

Stacy had her operation and spent a painful eight weeks in bed. They placed a steel rod and five screws in her back to stop the curvature. Arkansas kept her scholarship waiting for her and she red-shirted her freshman year.  She went through months of therapy and was limited to chipping and putting for a year.

When she arrived at Arkansas Lewis spent much of her time with then assistant coach Shauna Estes-Taylor who now is the Head Women’s Golf Coach. Estes-Taylor calls Lewis an “amazing kid” and praises her work ethic. Coach said,” Stacy definitely had a little down time when she would get a little frustrated when she couldn’t lift much weight or do a whole lot. When she got cleared to do some things like chipping and putting, she took full advantage of the year to work on her short game.”

As Stacy got healthier, she began to work hard and win golf tournaments. Stacy won twelve college tournaments and was a four time All-American while at Arkansas.  Estes-Taylor says Lewis has a strong iron and short game but her real strength is the way she works herself around the course. Coach goes on, “ Her course management is superior…she knows when to execute the right shot at the right time to give her the best opportunity…a big part of the game is to know what kind of shot to hit at the right place to eliminate the big number.”

Coach Estes-Taylor says that Lewis really matured at Arkansas. “She is definitely more reserved or a bit on the shy side when you first meet her, but once you get to know her she is very outgoing. She was a tremendous leader. She led by example and when needed she was a vocal leader. She has really grown into a very well-rounded young lady.”

Lewis’s great play continued through her senior year and she was named to the Curtis Cup team. She played flawlessly for the United States team at St. Andrews going undefeated in five matches, the first time ever in Curtis Cup history. She has already won an LPGA tournament along the way. Lewis won the NW Arkansas Championship as an amateur but the win was declared unofficial because they were unable to play the required 36 holes due to weather.

Lewis played some on the LPGA last year and had a third place finish in the U.S. Women’s Open. The LPGA does not count U.S Open winnings towards the LPGA money list. If they did, Stacy would not have needed to go to Q-School. She would have earned her tour card with last year’s winnings. Stacy did not let that annoy her; she went to Q- School and won it. Coach Estes-Taylor caddied for her at Q-School and said,” I was so proud to be there to share this moment in her life. I have spent so much time with her over the past five years, the highs and the lows, and to see her birdie her final two holes to win Q-School was one of the best moments thus far in my golfing career.”

Stacy Lewis and her support team start the season this week at the LPGA’s SBS Open at Turtle Bay in Hawaii (check our course review). She starts a new career and a new season with much optimism and anticipation. Links Life Golf was able to ask Stacy about her life and the new challenges ahead.

Links Life Golf: What are your goals for 2009?

Stacy Lewis: My main goal is to make the Solheim Cup Team. I also want to win tournaments and just be in contention to win.

LLG: If the LPGA had counted your US Open winnings you would have earned a tour card and avoided Q-School. Do you feel that you should have been awarded a card?

Stacy: No, just because it’s the way the rules are set. I would not want the rule to be changed in the middle of the season just for me. It would have been nice to not have to go to Q-school but it definitely made me a better player in the long run.

LLG: Your Website is called “stacysback.com”. Was that your idea?

Stacy: No my agents came up with it, but I like it and think it’s pretty appropriate for me.

LLG: With all you have been through with your back, did you ever think you would not play golf again?

Stacy: Definitely, when I found out I had to have surgery I thought I was done playing golf forever. And then even after the surgery with all the pain I was in, I thought there was no way I would play again. But I had great doctors and a very supportive family that would not let me give up on golf.

LLG: You certainly have been through an ordeal. Do you think that it helped you and made you more determined?

Stacy: It did, it really put things in perspective. I’ve always been determined and very competitive. At times maybe too competitive, so the surgery just made me realize how lucky I am to just be able to play golf.

LLG: Tour life for a rookie could be overwhelming. Does the LPGA help the rookies get oriented to tour life?

Stacy: We had a 2 day orientation after Q-school. They went over most of the rules and answered questions we had. We also throughout the year have to do “Rookie Hours” which is just various activities for us to learn about life on tour and how a tour event is put on and managed.

LLG: How many tournaments do you plan to play?

Stacy: I don’t really want to set a number but I want to play as much as possible. The first half of the year I will play in every event to try to earn points for the Solheim Cup. The second half of the year is a little busier so I will just have to listen to my body on what I can and can’t do.

LLG: At the 2008 Curtis Cup you were the first player ever to go 5-0. How did it feel to play on that winning team?

Stacy: The Curtis Cup was unbelievable. It was just so much fun to be a part of a team, playing for your country at the home of golf. I just really wanted to enjoy the experience.

LLG: What was it like winning at St. Andrews?

Stacy: St. Andrews was unlike any golf I had ever played before but I loved it. It was a perfect way to end my amateur career. We played the old course 11 times in 8 days so it was exhausting but worth it.

LLG: Where did you feel more pressure, The Curtis Cup or Q-School?

Stacy: Curtis Cup, I had never played in front of such large crowds and just being at St. Andrews I think added to the pressure. The first tee at the Curtis Cup was the most nervous I have ever been, so that made Q-school at little easier.

LLG: You have many major accomplishments in your career, NCAA Champion, Curtis Cup Champion, Q-School winner. What is your best memory over the past years?

Stacy: I have a couple; one was the last round at the national championship in 2007 when I won. I had my coach with me the whole way and it was just unbelievable. It is one of those rounds and tournaments that I will never forget. Second, would be my final hole at the Curtis Cup, clinching the cup for the U.S. Then, third would be the U.S. Open this past year. I had a blast playing in front of the huge crowds and having my dad on the bag added to the week.

We at Links Life Golf would like to thank Stacy for this interview and wish her the best for this coming season. Coach Shauna Estes-Taylor was so generous with her time we have to thank her also, and a special thanks to Jeff Chilcoat at Sterling Sports Management for making this happen. We will have more on Stacy as we follow her all season.

Tiger Should Copy Jack One More Time

As a youngster, Tiger Woods would tape a list of Jack Nicklaus’ major victories on his bedroom wall. He knew from a young age that he was chasing Jack. Tiger was focusing on being the greatest golfer ever. He has become the greatest golfer of his day. There is still a little work left to be done to supplant Jack as the greatest of all time.

Tiger should be trying to copy Jack in another area. Tiger would do well to emulate Jack Nicklaus the parent, not the golfer. [ Tiger's son, Charlie]

Jack Nicklaus is the greatest golfer ever. He is also one of the greatest parents in professional sports. I know that there are thousands of athletes that are wonderful parents, but no other athlete in sport has excelled and dominated his sport as Nicklaus has, while at the same time raising a family. Jack has a professional record that is unparalleled. Tiger recognizes this as we all do.

Their two careers are extraordinarily similar. Jack was a dominant amateur, winning two U.S. Amateurs. He played with golfers his age and dominated them. He won an NCAA championship in 1961. When he turned pro he kept on winning. Over his career he won eighteen majors and has won the Career Grand Slam three times. Jack accumulated 73 career PGA Tour victories. He has been a winning Ryder Cup player and Captain as well as a winning Presidents Cup Captain.

In addition to the on course victories, Nicklaus received several prestigious awards off the course. Jack was voted Male Athlete of the Century, Golfer of the Century, one of the Top Ten Greatest Athletes of All Time. He has been awarded five Lifetime Achievement awards and twelve hall of fame memberships. He was acknowledged as the Most Powerful Person in Golf on many occasions. He has a hospital with his name on it, The Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in West Palm Beach Fla.

In 2005, Jack was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This medal is the highest honor the United States government can give to a civilian and only awarded to those who have an especially meritorious contribution to the United States. Over his career, Jack has acquired many more accolades. He has been voted Father of the Year and his family was named Golf Family of the Year in 1986. Certainly Nicklaus has had a wonderfully successful career.

Tiger was winning tournaments from the day he entered them. Throughout his career, it seemed that he was the “youngest” everything. He was the youngest winner of the US Junior Amateur, the youngest US Amateur winner, the youngest winner of the Masters, the youngest player to reach number one in the World Rankings and the youngest to win the career Grand Slam. Sarazen, Hogan, Player, Nicklaus and Woods are the only career slam winners.

Tiger was a dominant amateur also. He won at all levels and continued into college winning an NCAA championship in 1996 and the Jack Nicklaus College Player of the Year. In that same year he turned pro and promptly won two tournaments.

The following year he was the first African-American winner of the Masters and started his dominance of professional golf. He soon amassed fourteen majors, the most recent US Open being called his best performance ever. He has 65 PGA Tour victories. In 2001 he was the only player in history to hold all four professional major championships at one time, The Grand Slam.

Tiger has been PGA Player of the year eight times. He has been voted Sportsman of the Year and Male Athlete of the Year. He has been a member of both the Ryder and Presidents Cup teams. Tiger leads all active golfers in career victories and winnings.

Tiger Woods and his father started the Tiger Woods Foundation in 1996, to help promote minority participation in golf. In 2006 Tiger opened the Tiger Woods Learning Center. The Center educates and exposes children to opportunities in science and technology.

As this evidence shows, both Tiger and Jack have had tremendously successful careers and both have taken significant efforts to give back to their communities. The similarities do not end there.

Jack Nicklaus was raised by dedicated parents Charlie and Helen. Charlie was a sports fanatic and Ohio State alumni. He was a very involved parent and had a very close relationship with Jack. Jack was given every opportunity to succeed at anything he tried.

Charlie got him involved in golf early and nurtured his interest. Jack’s dad was a strong willed man with a dominating personality.

Tiger Woods was raised by dedicated parents Earl and Kultida. Earl was a Lt. Colonel in the Green Berets. Earl’s plan for Tiger started early. He was determined Tiger (Eldrick) was going to be a golfer, a championship golfer. Needless to say Earl was a very involved parent.

Tiger and Jack had very close relationships with their fathers. Both have said that their dad was their best friend. Their dads were their first and most influential role models. They grew up having a very similar home life. Even though Jack was playing golf at a private club and Tiger was beating the balls at a municipal course they both were given that push, that drive that champions have. The two of them arrived at the same place; their paths were only slightly different.

During his time on the PGA tour Nicklaus went to great lengths to try and give his family a normal life. He tried to be away from home for only two weeks at a time. At a time when pro golfers would be away for months, Jack avoided the long tour trips to be home with his wife and children. Nicklaus has said that throughout his career he had one fundamental principle that allowed him to be successful: family first.

There is probably only one person in golf that is respected more than Jack Nicklaus. That would be is his wife, Barbara. Barbara Nicklaus is the ultimate role model for a PGA tour wife and mother. Jack is very frank about his career and his family. It was Barbara’s strength and support that enabled him to be the golfer he was. It was because Barbara was there to run the household that allowed Jack to be a success.

Barbara Nicklaus is a generous and caring person. Elin Woods should give her a call. Barbara could share her secrets to a triumphant life on the tour.

As Jack’s children grew, Barbara would bring them on tour. Nicklaus tells the story of celebrating the 1980 US Open victory with a meal at McDonalds. It was his son Michael’s choice.

Tiger Woods is well on his way to challenging Jack Nicklaus as the greatest golfer of all time. He has started his family and appears to be a very involved father. He has had a very strong personal role model in his father. Tiger has his dad’s values and determination. He has used Jack as a professional role model with much success. He should look at Jack as a role model for a PGA Tour father.

Few men in the world are as successful in their professional lives as Tiger Woods.

He is as wealthy and successful as any athlete in history. He is also a man that is very comfortable with himself and the world he lives in. Jack Nicklaus was Tiger Woods thirty years ago. He was the biggest thing in golf and sports. He played golf with a focus and determination that made him the greatest of all time. He used that same focus to insure that his family grew up happy, healthy and normal.

Tiger is as focused on being a good father as he is on his golf game. He goes to great lengths to protect his privacy and is able to travel the world with his family. Tiger’s own family will reflect the values passed on to him by his Mom and Dad. He would do well to copy Jack’s model for a touring professional. Tiger should try to copy Jack one more time.

Nick Watney Birdies to Win

The game plan for many NFL coaches is to hang around and keep the score close into the fourth quarter and then march down the field for the winning score. Note to Mike Tomlin: if you are missing your playbook, check with Nick Watney, he may have snatched it.

Watney was in the last group but five strokes behind at the start of play. He shot a one under 35 on the front to keep hanging around. He watched John Rollins and Camilo Villegas post a pair of 37’s on the front nine. Watney kept his card clean on the back nine. As Rollins started to fade with bogeys on twelve and fourteen, Watney was making a move with a birdie on thirteen. You have to feel for Rollins, he bogeyed three holes on the back to open the door for Watney. It’s tough to take a lead to the house.

Watney made his charge with an emphatic 38 foot birdie from the fringe on sixteen. He was able to hit the eighteenth green in two while Rollins could not. After a two put birdie, the comeback was complete. Watney birdied two of the last three, and that rivals any fourth quarter comeback. Watch Watney’s long bomb.

By Jeff Skinner

The PGA tour is heating up now, except for Mr. Woods, and there are some new faces out there trying to make their mark on the tour. One of those rookies is a former Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year, Webb Simpson.

Simpson has started hotter than any rookie so far this season. The Wake Forest grad started with a tie for fifth at the Sony Open and followed that with a tie for ninth at the Hope. He was in the mix early at the FBR Open but fell back on the weekend. He currently stands in seventeenth place on the PGA money list, the highest ranking rookie. Simpson is a former All-American and was on the winning 2007 Walker Cup Team at Royal County Down in Northern Ireland. Simpson has made the transition from the amateur ranks to the pro game look easy with an All Around ranking of thirteenth on tour.

Links Life Golf spoke to Simpson’s college coach, Jerry Haas. Jerry has been at Wake Forest for twelve years and Simpson was one of his prized recruits. Jerry knows golf. He is a former PGA Tour player and Walker Cup veteran. His older brother, Jay has been winning on the Champions Tour for years. Jerry also coached Jay’s son and tour player, Bill Haas while he was at Wake Forest. Here is what Jerry had to say.

Links Life Golf: What kind of person is Webb?

Haas: I have told this to many people. He came here highly touted, he was a Junior All-American. He’s a better person then he is a player. It’s hard to imagine. He just kind of gets it. He is good with people, he has a good personality. He is probably the most honest player I’ve ever had…in the fact that he never had an excuse for a bad shot or a bad round.

LLG: What do you think his personal strengths are?

Haas: He is very well grounded. It comes from his family….he always takes full responsibility.

LLG: What is the best part of his game?

Haas: His short game. He chips and putts unbelievably. He did it a lot in junior golf with smoke and mirrors…he would shoot good scores but, he would squeeze everything out of it…like “How did he shoot that score”…He is one of those rare kids, as he started hitting it better he still chipped and putted like he did. Sometimes a guy will start hitting it great and then all of a sudden he doesn’t putt as well….That’s why he can shoot low scores and make a lot of birdies.

He came here as a Junior All-American and I didn’t like his grip, I thought his right hand was very poor on the club and it kind of moved as he took it back….I thought about it, what do I say…this kids is a really good player but I think he can be better. So I acted like I was filming one kid on the range one day and I actually zoomed in on him on the end. So I called him over and said “Webb, I want you to look at something…Webb I think you got a terrible grip.” He was like “Oh man. Why do you say that?” Here, let me show you why…Webb said “that’s not me” I said yea, that’s you….He was hitting some good ones, but he was hitting some snap hooks. So we kind of talked about things and stuff and I gave him one of those form grips and he hit with that. Webb says ”oh yea, I can do that”… and he was hitting them great. He probably has one of the best pair of hands I ever seen.

LLG: So he is more of a “feel” player.

Haas: No question about it. So he played that freshmen year, he played OK, and he didn’t change anything. He disappeared for a week and a half after the first year in school…I see him and I ask him where he’s been and he says, “I‘ve been changing my grip, you were right.” Each and every year his swing got better. He is not a technical player at all.

LLG: Why do you think he went to Wake Forest?

Haas: I think it was a good fit. It was fairly close to home…all his sisters went to Carolina, so he was kind the first to break the mold. His Dad says it was the best move he ever made and we think so too. We miss him. He called the other day saying he missed playing with the guys….I said Webb those are great memories and you’ll always have those, but you’re your own boss now…in many ways he’s very naive, which I think makes him so likable.

When I was recruiting him, he was in a bunker..(it was a very difficult shot)..and you had to really swing to the left to get the ball out to the right..he had no follow through and he banked it and the ball shot out there and rolled up to two feet. I said to myself “That’s my boy, that’s the kid I got to have.”

LLG: When it comes to recruiting, are you worried about the kids leaving after a year or two?

Haas: Well, you hope they don’t leave. I only had one kid leave in twelve years. I only had one kid not graduate. Wake is a very strong academic school. You have to have the right kid. Most of the kids enjoy it here so much that they don’t..(leave). I think golf is a little different, in the fact that, you can never be ready I guess. You might think you are after two years of college, but if you look at Tiger and the best players in the world, they did well at junior golf, they dominated, they went to college and they won in college. They had a good stroke average and there is a very rare exception where a kid doesn’t do much in college and then goes on and does a lot of things. You kind of have to do it at every level and get comfortable.

LLG: Do you have a favorite Webb Simpson story? Coach Haas at this point had a really good laugh, but he said he could not tell me that story so he edited himself and told me the following.

Haas: We always called each other by other people’s names. Webb was given everybody other names… and I looked at Webb and he had a camel colored sweater with an Izod alligator on it and he had these khaki pants and he had these loafer shoes I think he stole from his dad with these Gucci buckles and no socks …and I said “well I got your name…you’re such a Chip” well he got so pissed, and we were all laughing. I even went so far as…we have a little team match play and Webb won it… I had a plaque made and I presented it in front of the team…it said “Chip” on it and I said it will always be in the trophy case as Chip, I was real serious, and he didn’t say a word. As we were leaving that night I said here Webb and pulled it out of my pocket, I had one that said Webb on it. He was all smiling.

LLG: Was he a leader on the team?

Haas: Oh yea. He loved to play and he made other players better.

Webb Simpson played some tournaments on the PGA tour in 2008 on sponsor’s exemptions. He also played on the Nationwide Tour. He said he was playing in 2008 to learn as much as he could about winning and the tour. He appears to be well on his way to a successful season.

Tiger Woods is on His Way Back

Tiger Woods is feeling good and the knee is doing great. That is good news for Tiger fans. To the players on the PGA Tour it may sound a little like Paul Revere warning the colonists of the impending invasion. Phil and the rest of the boys on tour may need to tighten up their games before Woods gets back on the tour.

On the Mike and Mike in the Morning Show on ESPN Radio, Tiger said the “knee is doing great” and “it is nice to swing and not have your bones move.’ Woods went on to say that he is practicing full out and is only a little sore after a long, hard practice session. He feels he just needs to “get his ball count up” to get where he wants to be. This may be bad news for the rest of the tour. Woods has a history of starting fast and winning early when he starts his season. He’ll be missing this weekend from the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines. The rest of the tour should consider this one a gimmie from Woods. He won this tournament last year and came back in June to win the US Open in one of the most dramatic wins of his career. Rack up those wins now boys, Tiger his on his way.

Butch Harmon Putting Tip

Butch Harmon has been voted the number one instructor by Golf Digest. He is currently coaching Phil, Ernie, Adam Scott and previously coached Tiger and Greg Norman. Take a minute and watch the lesson, Tiger still uses this great drill.

Paul Goydos may have lost the 2008 Players Championship in a playoff to Sergio, but in doing so he won the hearts of golf fans everywhere. It was then that we got to see the wit and charm of a man comfortable in his own skin. He joked and kidded about his game his looks, his life and we all laughed with him. He was a single dad with two teenage daughters that he was raising while his ex-wife dealt with drug addiction. Paul has spent the last few weeks coping with his ex-wife’s death. He returns to golf this week at the Buick Invitational. Phil Mickelson may have the biggest galleries this week but I can’t imagine anyone getting more cheers and support than Paul Goydos. John Feinstein gives his insight into Paul’s return.

Young Talent for Monty

European Ryder Cup Captain, Colin Montgomery is looking at some new, young studs to make his 2010 team. He is very impressed with the young talent on the European Tour. After Rory McIlroy won the Dubai Desert Classic on Sunday, Monty sounded like he was ready to name his new “superstar” to the team right now. Read more.

New Putter Choices

There is no aspect in golf that is as individual as putting. Each of us has our own unique style. However, golfers will try anything to shave a stroke or two off their scores. It seems that drivers and putters are the clubs we will most likely change in the effort to lower our scores. A few smaller, upstart putter companies are challenging the big boys for a piece of the putter market. Read more.