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When we last saw Lucas Glover at The Presidents Cup he couldn’t buy a putt. Well it seems that he has found his putting stroke and put it to good use as he won the PGA Grand Slam of Golf under sunny skies on Bermuda. Glover birdied nine, ten and eleven to put some distance between himself and Stewart Cink, Angel Cabrera and Y.E. Yang. Cink had a chance until he lost four shots to par early in the back nine. Glover was using a new set of irons which conform to the new groove restrictions. It looks like they agree with him.

Check out a recap of the final round and watch Glover and Michael Breed discuss Glover’s bunker technique.

by Jeff Skinner

With the leaves falling in the Northeast and snow already on the ground in the Midwest it is easy to think that the golf season is over for some. However, for many professional golfers this is the most important part of the season. There are only three tournaments remaining on The PGA Tour for players to earn their way into the top 125 on the money list. The top 125 earn full playing privileges for 2010 and essentially can make their own schedule for next season and breathe easy for another year.

The advantage of being in the top 125 is incredibly significant. Case in point is last week’s winner, Martin Laird. Laird finished at 125^th on the 2008 PGA Tour Money List with slightly over $850,000. He was able to play in all the regular season tour events he wished and he needed to at the start. He opened the season by missing the cut in eight of his first nine tournaments earning $11,679 from January to the middle of April. He started to find his game in May and finished well towards season’s end, culminating in his win at The Timberlake. If he had not earned his card, he would have not been able to play in anywhere near the 23 events he played in so far this year. The top 125 means the difference between knowing you have a job to go to and the insecurity of being “semi-employed.”

There are many players flirting with the magic spot of 125. Chris Stroud is the ‘bubble boy’ who sits at 125^th this week. Former Ryder Cupper, Chris Riley is at #130. Surprisingly, Stuart Appleby is at #132 and far removed from 2006 when he last won (twice) and earned $3.4 million. Former world number one, David Duval is currently 121^st on the list and hoping to stay there. Duval has been relying on sponsor’s exemptions to earn enough to get his card back. Even with the tour’s marquee players at home, the Frys.com Open and the rest of the Fall Series offers plenty of excitement and emotion.

The boys on The Nationwide Tour play their final and biggest event of the season when they tee it up at The Nationwide Tour Championship. This is one exciting and nerve wracking weekend for these guys. The top 25 money leaders get their PGA Tour Card and a ticket to the big show. The Nationwide Tour does it right this weekend and it will hand out “Tour Cards” to the top 25 in a ceremony immediately after the end of the tournament.

What makes this so exciting is that all 60 players in the field, even #60 Darron Stiles, can make it into the top 25. Check out all the scenarios. There are many familiar names trying to make it to the “Big Tour” this week: Bob May, Skip Kendall, Estaban Toledo, Bubba Dickerson and a 44 year old former PGA Tour player, Fran Quinn. Quinn, who was on the PGA Tour in 1992, has been playing in the minor leagues for more years than he would like to remember. He has been as dedicated to this game as any professional has ever been. He is at #20 on the money list and has a good chance to earn his card with a good finish. I can’t think of a more emotional way to end the tournament and the season, with those top 25 holding their Tour Cards. There will be plenty of cheers and tears on Sunday night.

Winning a major golf championship brings many perks. The winners usually collect a million dollar check, multi-year tour exemptions, endorsement offers appear from nowhere and the winner is quite well set for many years to come. One of the additional benefits of winning a major is an invitation to the PGA Grand Slam of Golf. This event pits all four major champions against each other in a 36 hole two day event. This year’s event takes place at The Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton, Bermuda.

Masters winner Angel Cabrera, US Open Champion Lucas Glover, Open Champion Stewart Cink and PGA winner Y.E. Yang will face each other on the Robert Trent Jones Sr. course situated on the cliffs overlooking the southwest shore of the island. It sounds idyllic, but the weather on Bermuda in October can be tricky.

The major champions suffered through a terrible storm that hit the island on Monday. Lucas Glover called it the worst he ever played in, this from a man who sloshed through the muck at mire at Bethpage Black to win his US Open trophy. The weather looks ominous for Tuesday as well: rain with 20 mph winds, but at least it will be warm, 76 degrees is expected. It is expected to clear on Wednesday for the final eighteen holes and the players should be able to enjoy some of Bermuda’s natural charm.

While the players may find it difficult today, we get to see some “mid-week golf” and that’s always a good thing. You can watch The PGA Grand Slam of Golf on TNT from 4:00pm-7:00pm today and 5:00pm-9:00pm on Wednesday. There is nothing wrong with a little bonus golf featuring major winners in a beautiful setting. It beats cutting the grass or raking the leaves any day.

by Jeff Skinner

The search for the new commissioner of the LPGA continues with a new candidate emerging from the interview process. According to Randall Mell of GolfChannel.com, Jonathan Ward appears to be a serious contender for the position vacated when Carolyn Bivens was removed by a player’s mutiny this summer. Whoever the new commissioner is, he needs to rethink the way The LPGA does business. The old adage “when life deals you lemons, make lemonade” should be incorporated into the new mission statement of the “New and Improved LPGA.”

The LPGA has been hit harder than most sport leagues this past year. A “perfect storm” of contributing factors combined to devastate the tour this year. The economic crisis caused sponsors dollars to disappear. The LPGA’s greatest player and biggest draw, Annika Sorenstam, left to start her family. The LPGA’s dysfunctional commissioner’s strong arm tactics drove sponsors, tournaments and administrative staff from the tour like it had the Swine Flu and the lack of American faces at the top of leader boards created an apathetic American fan base.

All of this will force the new commissioner and the tour to reinvent itself, kind of like Madonna does every few years. The LPGA should look at this as an opportunity to draft a new mission statement and change its business plan. If the sponsorship money in the United States has dried up, it is time to go where the money is. It is time to take the tour to where corporations will pony up sponsorships and fans will buy tickets. It is time to make the LPGA a truly international tour by establishing more events in Asia.

The tour is hoping for 23-25 tournaments on the 2010 schedule, down from 34 tour stops in 2008 and it is estimated the players will be playing for $40 million in purse money, down $24 million from this year. It doesn’t take a Harvard MBA to see the issue here.

There were four American players that won tournaments on The LPGA Tour so far this year. Players from Asia accounted for eleven wins on the tour this season. Golf, and ladies golf in Asia is unbelievably popular and the environment is right for a bigger presence in Asia by the tour. The tour already starts its season with international venues. It could add tournaments in Japan, South Korea, China, and Thailand in the early part of the season then continue its schedule in North America over the summer months as it does now. After a swing into Europe and some more “homeland” stops they could have another Asian stretch before they finish with The Tour Championship on home soil. This proposed schedule is very similar to what the tour does now. The new schedule would need to condense the North American events so there would be available dates in the start of the season and at the end. With only 23-25 events expected next year, there are plenty of dates to work with.

This reconfigured tour will require some adjustments form the players and the tour, but this is a battle for survival. It is kind of like when you graduate from college and go looking for a job. You go where the money is and right now the potential for sponsorship money is in Asia.

So, the new commissioner should brush up on some Japanese and study Chinese business customs. The players can pack their bags, get ready for a slight change in diet and find a few good interpreters. The LPGA has a great product to sell. It’s time the LPGA got serious about overseas expansion and realized that they have the formula for a truly international tour.

“Hooks and Slices” will bring you our view on whats happening in the golf world.

“The times they are a-changin.” So goes the words to Bob Dylan’s anthem and it’s no different at St. Andrews and The Old Course. The Royal and Ancient have announced that they will lengthen one of the most famous holes in golf: The 17^th “Road Hole” on The Old Course. The hole will play as a 490 yard par four, gaining 35 yards during next summer’s Open Championship. The hole has played at the same length since 1900 and The R & A thinks they need to bulk up the course to keep pace with the equipment advances the players have gained in recent years. Some players like it, some question it. I guess over a hundred years of excitement and heartbreak on The Road Hole isn’t enough for the R & A.

Take a look at Bob Dylan as he sings of changing times and revolutions on the horizon. Even The Old Course isn’t immune to changes.

Speed, speed and more speed. We guys love it in our cars and need it in our golf swing. In theory the faster you hit the ball, the faster the ball flies and the further it travels. What is faster, a golf ball or a stock car? Take a peek at this video link and see.

If you really want to see some speed and power watch the Sports Science video with World Long Driving Champion Jason Zubach. He puts more into his swing than any man alive and the results prove it. This is an amazing display of power and the science geeks prove that his golf ball is the fastest ball ever hit.

by Jeff Skinner

We all know there are plenty of rules in golf. The USGA and the R & A are the custodians of the official rules of the game. However, there are more rules, customs and guidelines that govern golf. These “unwritten” rules fall into the category of golf etiquette. These are the habits all golfers should follow to make the game more enjoyable for everyone. Arnold Palmer gives us his “10 Rules for Good Golf Etiquette” in a piece by Guy Yocom in Golf Digest. If they are good enough for the King, they are good enough for us.

Don’t be the slowest player. Play ready golf and keep up with the group ahead of you.

Keep your temper under control. Don’t throw clubs. It never helps.

Respect other people’s time. Always make your tee times, don’t cancel at the last minute.

Repair the ground you play on. Leave the course looking like you own it.

Be a silent partner. Stand still and quiet while others are playing, respect putting lines.

Make your golf cart ‘invisible’. Leave no trace of where your cart has been.

Always look your best. Dress neatly and smartly on the course.

Turn off the cell phone. Keep phones turned off and use them only if absolutely necessary.

Lend a hand when you can. Helping out your fellow players is part of the game.

Learn the little things. There are a hundred little bits of etiquette to learn.

Arnie has the right idea here, and I have another suggestion to add. Golfers should always mark their golf balls. It only takes a few seconds to put a mark on the ball so you can easily identify your ball. I was playing recently when a golfer came over from an adjoining fairway and stood next to my ball thinking it was his. He didn’t even know what kind of ball he was playing. After I told him it was mine, because I can see my special mark, he went on his not so merry way looking for his obviously unmarked ball. I never put a ball in play without marking it first. I don’t care if it is a new, used or recently pulled from a creek, I mark the ball. As my partners and I teed off on the eighteenth hole, that same golfer drives over to one of our shots and get ready to hit it. Again, it was one of ours and he had no idea what brand of ball he was playing. My suggestion was to mark his ball the next time. He drove off in search of another lost, unmarked ball. Get with the program. One Sharpie and two minutes gets you a dozen marked balls and avoids any confusion later.

Golf is a difficult game to play well and it can be a very frustrating experience. It is easy to become aggravated at the game, the ball, the club, yourself, your playing partners and even your family. The following article came from the “Philly.Com” website. It seems one brother took out his frustration on his brother, actually on his brother’s nose, with a golf club.

Brothers’ golf argument ends in broken nose

By Robert Moran

INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

An argument between brothers at a West Philadelphia golf course turned nasty this afternoon when one broke the nose of the other with a club, police said.

The brothers, 41 and 45, were at the 12th hole at the Cobbs Creek Golf Club about 2:45 p.m. when the older brother grabbed the flag and tossed it onto the green, said Lt. John Walker of Southwest Detectives.

The younger brother, who had paid for the round, expressed anger for his sibling’s behavior and tried to leave by himself in a golf cart, Walker said. The older brother jumped on the cart, elbowed his brother in the face, then hit him on the nose with a golf club.

The injured brother, who lives in Swedesboro, N.J., was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania for treatment, Walker said.

Detectives tonight were preparing an arrest warrant for the older brother, who was not yet in custody. Their names were not released.

Walker did not know what type of club was used in the attack.

How do you hit your brother with a club? What kind of knucklehead is this guy? So, this guy was so out of control he takes a club to his brother’s face. There are no words to describe how utterly brainless this guy must be. Unfortunately there isn’t any way to keep these guys off the golf course or maybe there is. Arrest the guy and prosecute him. Maybe he’ll think twice the next time he loses it and takes a swing at somebody.

by Jeff Skinner

Justin Timberlake welcomes the PGA Tour to Las Vegas this week for the Justin Timberlake Shiners Hospitals for Children Open. The Tour’s Fall Series picks up again in the city that shatters more dreams then it makes. One of those dreams that was born and survived in Las Vegas was one imagined by a twenty year old golfer trying to make enough cash to earn his tour card in his first year on tour. In 1996 a young Tiger Woods was making his fifth professional start at the Las Vegas Invitational. Tiger had come on the tour with more publicity and expectations than any golfer in history. Back in 1996 the tournament was five rounds and Woods used all of them and more to win his first professional tournament. He defeated Davis Love III in a playoff and the “Tiger Era” had officially begun.

Tiger didn’t stop there. He went on to win the Walt Disney World Classic later that season and hasn’t stopped winning since. Looking back at that first year, Woods had a magical season rarely seen by any golfer, amateur or professional.

As an amateur that season Woods was crowned the NCAA Champion and he won his third consecutive U.S. Amateur Championship. Two amateur championships and two professional victories is a career for most golfers but for Tiger it was only a warm up. Sports Illustrated thought so highly of his season that they named him their Sportsman of the Year (he also won it in 2000). In his article “The Chosen One” Gary Smith covers Tiger and his family in a revealing article where Earl Woods says that Tiger will change the world. It is the cornerstone piece that put Earl and Tiger in the spotlight forever. Earl Woods was not far off as Tiger has become his own man and has started many programs to change the world one child at a time.

It all started in 1996 at The Las Vegas Invitational.

“Hooks and Slices” will bring you our view on whats happening in the golf world.

The Presidents Cup is over and Tiger and the boys have The Cup, but here are some “Hooks and Slices” from Frisco.

Good Stuff…

Tiger Woods going 5-0, finding the perfect mate in Steve Stricker and smacking Y.E. Yang in singles

Tim Clark may have left his heart in San Francisco. He played his heart out and was the soul of the Internationals, his eagle at 18 on Friday stole the show and his eight birdies killed Zach Johnson on Sunday.

Freddy Couples looked like he was walking in the park, Harding Park all weekend. He had a ball and his laid back attitude trickled down to his team.

Sean O’Hair gets a putting tip from Phil and proceeds to putt like a master.

Michael Jordan, MJ kept the troops loose and didn’t act like he was a real captain, more like a mascot, a tall, rich mascot.

Phil Mickelson was more like a playing captain or coach. He shook AK and O’Hair out of their funk and may have created a putting monster with the way O’Hair finished putting. Phil looked so comfortable being a mentor and the rock for these guys…what a resource for all the team matches to come.

Sportsmanship is the name of the game here and Vijay pulled the best move of the week when he conceded Lucas Glover’s 7 footer on 18 during singles on Sunday. The way Glover was putting it was more of a miss than a make, and Vijay let Glover earn his only half point of the match. Nice move Vijay.

The International team uniforms were classy and sharp. All week they looked great.

Bad and just plain ugly stuff…

Poor Adam Scott has been everyone’s punching bag. He needs some time off to get healthy and regain his stroke.

Lucas Glover was there in body only. He couldn’t sink a putt all week and maybe he is just spent.

Sean O’Hair’s putting the first two days was horrible. After Phil coached him up he was dropping putts like he owned the hole.

I have to put Michael Jordan here, just for the fact that Couples went outside the golf world for his “assistant/advisor.” It sets a bad precedent…who’s next on the team…Rush Limbaugh?

Camilo Villegas goes 0-4…Spiderman got smacked by Team USA.

Talk about ugly…I got chills when I saw Barry Bonds at Harding Park. Please don’t let him be on someone’s short list for an “assistant/advisor.”

Greg Norman gets a big zero for this captaincy. He made some questionable pairings all week but his biggest foul up was when he picked an out of form Adam Scott as his captains pick. Scott couldn’t bail his buddy out and Norman lost this match before it ever began.

Finally, the US Teams uniforms get worse each year. I know it’s tough to put something classy together when they are limited to red, white and blue but come on! Don’t get me wrong…I am a true Red, White and Blue American. But they need to downplay the red and use some neutral colors. The International Team and The Ryder Cuppers kick our butt when it comes to looking good on the golf course. Well, at least the US has both trophies!