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by Jeff Skinner

The news that Lorena Ochoa will announce the details of her impending retirement on Friday has to shock many in the LPGA family.  Ochoa has been the best player on tour since the retirement of Annika Sorestam but she has meant much more to the LPGA Tour.

Ochoa was the international player that appealed to everyone.  She had as many fans in the US as she had in her home of Mexico.  Her 27 wins, two majors and four Player of the Year awards made her a dominant force on tour but it was her personality and generosity that made her an extraordinary asset to the LPGA.  She was a beacon of civility and thoughtfulness and one of the kindest players in all of sport.  She always accommodated the fans, the media and the sponsors no matter what the request.

Her personal life has changed greatly recently as she has married, become a step mother and moved from her lifelong home to be with her new family.  It may be that Ochoa needs time to acclimate to all the changes that hit her all at once.  She has stated before that golf wasn’t the biggest thing in her life.  It’s her family and faith and her charities that give her fulfillment.

Maybe after the stress of adjusting to her new life settles down and she has started her own family as she has said she plans to, the competitive juices will kick in again and she may try a comeback.  Twenty–eight seems awful young to retire from a sport you play so well but if you’re not happy doing it then walking away is the right thing to do.

Lorena Ochoa will be missed by the tour and the fans but she has her priories in the right place.  Your family and their happiness should be at the top of the list and for Ochoa it certainly is.  She has been a special person on the tour for years and this decision shows just how special she is.

by Jeff Skinner

For the four months prior to The Masters much of the world’s media, and all of golf’s media, were focused on the comeback of Tiger Woods from the biggest scandal in golf history.  This week we will be witness to another comeback to the course as Ken Green will make his first appearance on The Champions Tour since his horrific accident last June.  There won’t be any non-golf media at The Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf, after all Ken Green is not Tiger but his story is something more of us could understand and relate to.

Green was in the midst of his own comeback to golf last year on The Champions Tour when his motor home crashed killing his girlfriend, his brother and his dog.  Green has said they were the three most important things in his life.  Green had serious injuries from the accident which included a crushed eye socket and a mangled left leg.  When he was told the leg could be saved but would not be functional he choose to have it amputated.  He knew his chances of playing golf at the professional level were better with a left leg that worked, even if it was a prosthetic one.

Green has seen tough times in his personal and professional life before.  He was a successful tour player (five wins in the late 80’s) that lived in the fast lane for awhile and had to deal with a drinking problem and depression.  As he approached fifty he made a commitment to play golf again and had been living his dream of competing on the Champions Tour.  He has also had to deal with the death of his estranged, 21 year old son in January.  It hasn’t been at all easy for Green.

Green had asked for a “major medical” exemption from The Champions Tour so he could keep playing for the months he had missed due to the injury.  In what can best be described as odd, he was denied the exemption.  It seems that since Green was not a fully exempt player he did not qualify.  The exemption is open only to players in the categories of top 30 money winners from the previous season and winners from the current year.  So Green was denied the exemption.  If there ever was a “major medical” issue I would think this would qualify.  Green wasn’t thrilled by the decision but will play until his status expires in July and rely on sponsor’s exemptions to get in other tournaments this season.

Green and his comeback will not make the front page of the tabloids or be covered by TMZ or People Magazine but his story is more compelling and sympathetic than the Tiger Scandal.  Green has many friends on the tour and they’ll all be thrilled to welcome him back to play this weekend.  It will be a long and painful odyssey for Green but he’s determined to play on tour again.  He says he was put in this position for a reason and he’ll do his best to play golf and just try to be a normal player on tour.  In my book playing professional golf with a prosthetic leg is anything but normal.  Good luck to Ken Green this weekend.  Let’s hope this year will be a little easier than his last.

by Jeff Skinner

Once again we see something happen in golf that happens nowhere else in sports.  We have heard it before: where else does a player call a penalty on himself?  There is no sport that is self-officiated like golf is.

Unfortunately, Brian Davis had to call a penalty on himself during the playoff in The Verizon Heritage and in doing so it cost him any chance at the victory.  This is one of the aspects of golf that separates it from all the others.  Honesty and integrity are part of the fiber of the game.  Brian Davis may have missed out on the first place trophy but he has won much respect from his fellow players and fans.  Jim Furyk discussed the call after his win:

To have the tournament come down that way is definitely not the way I want to win the golf tournament. It’s obviously a tough loss for him, and I respect and admire what he did. To be there and be in the battle and have an opportunity to win the golf tournament, and then have to call a penalty on yourself has got to be extremely disappointing. I admire him for what he did. It’s a testament to our game and the people that play on the Tour, and that we have so many guys that do that. It’s just awkward to see it happen at such a key moment in the golf tournament. Awkward for him to lose that way, and a little awkward for me to win. Obviously I’m very happy to win but you almost don’t know how to react. I want to react to the crowd and kind of wave and let them know, that, hey, I’m excited, but I don’t want it to take away from Brian. It was an awkward moment, an awkward way to win.

Did Jerry Rice ever tell a referee that he really didn’t catch that ball?  Did Michael Jordan ever let the refs know that that call wasn’t really a foul?  Heck, even Derek Jeter cheats a little on the relay to first on a double play ball.  Ever hear of the “in the neighborhood rule?”  Trying to get a little extra advantage is part of the game in other sports.  The spitball, stealing signs, stickum, holding and taking a dive or two are almost expected in all the other sports.  Not in golf. You play it as it lies and follow the rules.  A cheater is the most loathed person in golf.

This isn’t the first time Davis has made a call on himself that had consequences. He is the same player that penalized himself in Q-School and ended up not making The PGA Tour by one shot.  Needless to say Davis’s reputation is not one of a cheater.   You have got to love this game.

by Jeff Skinner

It’s always a thrill to play a course the pros play even though it may be an overwhelming experience on occasion.  With the Champions Tour calling The TPC Tampa Bay home this weekend I can recall the exciting and humbling round of golf I played there this past February.  I was in the Tampa/Brooksville area with my brother and brother-in law and we were able to survive the wind and water that make TPC Tampa so challenging.

Here’s a tip if you want to have the course to yourself: make a very early tee time, like 7:00am on an unusually cool day.   It was in the forties when we teed off and we were the only ones on the course.  For us Northerners it wasn’t that bad but there were no locals to be found.  I guess when you have warm weather all year you can be choosy about the temperature.  A few layers of sweaters and jackets and we were fine.  But then that Florida wind kicked up and really tested us.  The course is a great layout and for the middle of the Florida winter was in excellent condition (See my review from last year).

We played well enough to give us a few good memories and I’m sure the pros are just as excited to play a course that I played on.  The even get paid for it.

Double Click on the video to see a “cups view” of my par on the 17th.  My brother and brother-in-law thought it was great and so did I.

by Jeff Skinner

It was a much better day for NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice on Friday.  After shooting an opening round 83 he bounced back and shot a 76 over the TPC Stonebrae course.  Rice felt more comfortable throughout his round on Friday and it showed as he even managed three birdies.  Unfortunately, he missed the cut but his work is not done.

Rice is serving as the tournament host and his presence has brought much publicity to The Nationwide Tour and The Fresh Express Classic.  Rice knew competing with the pros would be a hardy task but his main mission was a success: to get some recognition for the tour and the event.  He may have missed the cut but he has made his mark.

You have to give him credit for putting himself out there and pursuing his dream.  He says he’ll continue to work on his game.  If he puts the same effort into his golf as he did on the football field there is no telling how good he can get.

Here’s his blog after day two.

Shooting 76 today, I’m happy with that, because I had to fight my way back from yesterday. I wanted to play well, but the most important thing for me was for the tournament to be a success.

It’s been unbelievable to hear so many thank yous from the Tour players, for helping this event give their Tour some recognition. I wasn’t sure how the players were going to react to me playing — “Oh, no, here we go with another athlete …” — but it wasn’t like that at all. The players have been so cool about everything, and I really appreciate that.

The whole week has been exciting, from Tuesday with all the kids who came out for family day, and the poker tournament with Phil Hellmuth, and then having my teammates come out and be part of the pro-am … I have had a blast.

I am going to continue to work on my game. I learned so much this week. The first day, I made rookie mistakes. Last night I was so upset, I couldn’t sleep. I woke up at 2 a.m. and was just staring at the ceiling. I had my clothes picked out, over on a chair and I couldn’t wait for the sun to rise.

Today I was able to take my time. I slowed down everything. My caddie Andy (Miller) kept reminding me to just calm down. Yesterday I went away from everything — my swing, a new putter … That was stupid. Today I went back to my Nike putter and my regular swing. I took my time. So it was a lot better.

Like I said, the key for me was that I wanted the tournament to be a success and I am happy about that. I would do this all over again in a heartbeat. I would love to work with the Nationwide Tour and the people at TPC Stonebrae this make it happen again next year, if they want me.

It’s just too bad I didn’t make it to the weekend. I had some killer clothes that I was going to wear.

by Jeff Skinner

K.J. Choi isn’t showing any side effects after spending last week playing four rounds with Tiger Woods at The Masters.   Choi played great golf last week with his fourth place finish at Augusta and continued to go low at the first round of The Verizon Heritage.  Choi made his way around Harbour Town Golf Links with a seven under 64 to lead Mike Weir and Greg Owen by two strokes.  Choi has got some major game: he has seven PGA Tour wins and eight international victories.  If he didn’t put his ball in the back bunker on thirteen at Augusta last week he would have given Phil a run for his money.  Don’t be surprised if he goes wire to wire for the win.

Welcome to the real world of professional golf.  Jerry Rice had a difficult day at The Nationwide Tour’s Fresh Express Classic.  His round of 83 included five bogeys, four doubles and a lone birdie.  It’s not the way the hall of famer wanted to debut but this is real, professional golf.  It’s not Trumps show or a celebrity tournament.  Like they say in the ad, these guys are good.

by Jeff Skinner

No one that plays golf is immune to the fantasy of playing with the pros.  We all have imagined what it would be like to walk alongside our heroes of the links.  Some guys fork over big bucks to play in the pro-am tournaments to get a chance to play with the big boys.  Other golfers take it to another level.  Jerry Rice is one of those golfers.

Rice is without a doubt the best NFL receiver of all time, some say the best NFL player of all time but that’s another debate.  Today Rice will put his athletic skill to another test when he tees it up in The Nationwide Tour’s Fresh Express Classic at TPC Stonebrae in California.

Rice has been a golf fanatic since his days as a Forty Niner and has played in many celebrity tournaments.  He most recently was on the inaugural episode of Donald Trump’s Golf Channel Show where he lost in match play to Lawrence Taylor.  Yes, he lost to the original LT, while LT was puffing on that damn cigar of his.

It will be very difficult for Rice to play well alongside these guys.  Many celebrity golfers, and that’s what Rice is, work hard and get themselves a good game.  According to Rice he has been practicing long and hard but he may be in for a rude awakening.  This is a different level of golf.  Most of these Nationwide players are extremely good golfers that have been playing most of their life.  Plenty of these players are just a few bogeys away from The PGA Tour.

Former major league baseball pitcher, Rick Rhoden, was the most dominant celebrity golfer of recent years.  He played and won many celebrity events and even competed on The Champions Tour from 2004-2008, when it was The Senior Tour.  Rhoden was good, really good.  He beat every so-called celebrity handily but when he took his game to the professional level he was a brown shoe in a world of tuxedos.   In 33 events over five years he had zero wins and only two top tens.  It’s a different world with the pros.

The best golfer to crossover from one professional sport to another has to be John Brodie.  Brodie was a former NFL MVP for Rice’s Forty Niners in 1970.  He was an accomplished tennis player as a youth and an All-American at Stanford.  Brodie had game on the gridiron and on the golf course.  He made the jump from retired NFL star to professional golf and he made it successfully.  On the Senior Tour he garnered twelve top ten finishes and he even won an event, The Security Pacific Golf Classic in 1991.  Brodie was one of those special people that was successful at anything he did.  Tennis, football, golf or broadcasting he did it all successfully and with class and dignity.  Rice would do well to try and follow Brodie’s path.

Rice will give The Nationwide Tout a little buzz this week as he plays on a sponsor’s exemption and isn’t that what they should be used for.  Getting a little more media exposure for The Nationwide Tour is a good thing.  Rice admits to being very anxious about his play today and he should be.  He is adamant that he is trying to get to the level to compete on this tour and he is not just a onetime flash in the pan.  It will be a tough road ahead, but we’ll have fun watching him.

by Jeff Skinner

I still have a Masters Hangover.  When we get treated to a tournament like we saw this past week it’s tough to let it go.  So I won’t.  Here are some more tidbits from a great week.

According to Jim McCabe of Golf Week, the place to be on Sunday was the right side of the fairway on eleven.

First, a wild drive by Tiger Woods struck a patron and the ball nearly fell into a small bag that belonged to Michael Thompson, who was doing score reporting.

The man who got hit received a ball from Woods’ caddie, Steve Williams, then wandered away.

Minutes later, with Woods having played two recovery shots, that man walked back to the same spot. This time, it was a Mickelson hook that came crashing into the trees and sure enough it hit a guy who was standing right next to the guy who had been hit by Woods’ ball.

That man received a little more for his troubles. Mickelson came over and personally made sure all was well, then he signed a glove.

And what did the man say?

Mickelson shrugged his big shoulders.

“Ouch.”

When Phil was kicking around the pine straw on thirteen on Sunday, I was screaming for him to lay up.  I wasn’t the only one.  His own brother thought he’d lay up too.  The fact that he went for it is what makes Phil, Phil.  John Strege in Golf Digest has Tim Mickelson’s thoughts on the shot.

“Once I saw the lie, I assumed he’d lay up and I started walking down the fairway,” said Tim, who plays to a plus-3.2 handicap at the Farms in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. “When I walked by the shot, from outside the ropes, obviously, I actually thought that if he were to go for it he’d go right of the tree, not left of the tree. That’s the first thing that surprised me. Then there were the circumstance. With a two-shot lead, I thought he’d lay up and try to make birdie that way.”

Tim was walking with T.R. Reinman, Mickelson’s public relations man, whose own observation was that Phil was perfectly stymied.

Then came the shot, a 6-iron that landed softly, four feet from the hole, resulting in a tap-in birdie en route to a three-shot victory. “Shows how much you know,” Tim said kiddingly to Reinman.

“He does it all the time,” Tim said of Phil’s go-for-it approach. “I would say there’s always a calculated risk. If there’s no chance, he’s not going to do it, but if there’s a way for it to be done he’ll try it. He’s more willing than most pros to attempt the shot.”

Okay, ready for this one…Phil actually broke his driver the week before The Masters.  Going into the biggest tournament of the year Phil had a dilemma: try one of his other standbys or have the mad scientists at Callaway try and work their magic.  They tried something they never had done to repair the club.  The result gave Phil his third green jacket.  David Dusek has the story on Golf.com.

Phil Mickelson cracked the crown of his Callaway FT-9 Authentic driver at the Shell Houston Open. Like a patient in critical need of an organ transplant, the club was flown to San Diego on Easter Sunday, where it was met at the airport by the head of Callaway’s R&D team, Dr. Alan Hocknell.

According to Callaway, the company, “performed an ‘unprecedented repair,’ removing the body from the clubface while never taking off the shaft in order to ensure that the loft and lie remained secure.”

Hocknell said, “We decided to remove the carbon composite body from the face, and we’ve never done that before, so everyone was a bit nervous. But through a lot of teamwork, we had a new body and weights installed by 1:30 p.m. on Monday.”

Meanwhile, back in Augusta, Mickelson texted Hocknell: “How bad is it, Doc? Is she gonna make it?”

Needless to say, the patient made a full recovery, was flown back cross-country, and helped Mickelson win his third green jacket. For the week, Phil hit 60% of the fairways and averaged 297 yards per drive.

One of my favorite sights at The Masters was Tom Watson and his son walking the hills of Augusta as player and caddy.  It brought back memories of Jack Nicklaus and his son doing the same thing during Jack’s incredible 1986 win.  It didn’t work out like Jack’s but now Watson senior and junior will get another chance to pull the father/son win.  Tom Watson will be returning to the scene of one of his most historic wins as he will be playing in the 2010 US Open at Pebble Beach.  Watson dropped his chip shot in on seventeen to steal the win from Nicklaus.  Maybe Tom will give his son the same thrill Jack did way back when.

by Jeff Skinner

All of us that watched The Masters over the weekend were treated to a real classic.  It was an amazing week at Augusta and it’s one that will be remembered as one of the best of all time.  From Arnie and Jack’s historic tee shots to Phil and Amy’s embrace it was about as good as it can get.  We’ve seen the scene behind eighteen before:  Phil wins and his lovely wife and beautiful children rush to hug him.  But we haven’t seen it enough recently.  To steal a line from Jim Nantz, Sunday’s version of The Mickelson Hug was “One for the Ages.”

Phil has said that they have a very good long term prognosis for Amy but the day to day recovery can be challenging.  When the treatment is sometimes as difficult as the illness it is easy to be worn down.  In the video here with Tom Rinaldi, Phil talks about his win and his life.  Take a look at Phil’s eyes: they looked like they got quite a work out on Sunday.

In the picture here, posted by Jay Busbee on Devil Ball Golf, Phil and family are at the drive through of a Krispy Kreme, the next morning after The Masters.  He’s doing the “dad thing” in the green jacket.   Donuts for everybody!  Phil takes his parenting seriously…he is the man!

by Jeff Skinner

Chip Shots From The Masters…

Tom Watson has made it a habit of turning these majors into an AARP convention.  His is sixty and still playing competitive golf in the majors.  The USGA has to have him at Pebble Beach.

Freddy Couples is having a dream year.  He’ll win on The Champions Tour and just might sneak a win on The PGA Tour.  It’s good to be Freddy.

If you had to watch The Masters coverage with one television tuned to the main CBS feed you missed half the tournament.  The Masters Mix on DIRECTV gave you three other feeds to watch in addition to the CBS national telecast.  Listen to me.  You need a few TV’s tuned to different feeds to get the most out of the telecast.

Matteo Manassero, the 16 year old amateur, is being compared to Seve.  He had a great week at Augusta and will turn pro next month.  What a life for a teenager!

Has Sergio Garcia been reduced to an afterthought at the majors now?  No one even noticed him this week.

Considering Tiger has had other things on his mind he finished well enough.  He couldn’t drive it straight or putt to save his life and he still finished T4.  He was disappointed in his play on Sunday and he should be, but there are still three majors left and he’ll be favored to win a few of them.

No one will convince me that everything that Phil does at any tournament prior to The Masters isn’t just practice and preparation for Augusta.  He doesn’t win because he is still working on things he’ll use at Augusta and if he happens to contend fine, if not it’s all good prep for his major.

Anthony Kim and Nick Watney both fired sizzling 67’s to jump up the leaderboard.  It’s good to see some young Americans make a statement at a major.

Lee Westwood continues to be in the mix at a major.  It’s only a matter of time before he breaks through for a win.

It was a fairytale ending to a very memorable tournament.  The play on Saturday and Sunday made this one of the best majors in a very long time.  Phil and Amy’s win, yes, Phil and Amy’s win was a special moment in golf history.  Mickelson has moved up a notch among the greats of all time.  Phil is a well rounded guy with many interests other then golf, much like Jack Nicklaus.  Phil is one of the most fan friendly golfers out there, much like Arnold Palmer.  With Jack and Arnie only hitting one ball at Augusta from now on we are lucky we get the best of both of them all in one golfer.  Phil Mickelson now carries the burden of America’s favorite golfer.  No need to worry, Phil can handle the load.