Green Reading

Johnson gets Tiger for first two rounds at Bay Hill

For what I believe is the first time in his career, CCU alum Dustin Johnson is paired with Tiger Woods in a tournament. Woods, a six-time winner of this event, and Johnson are grouped with another big hitter – Gary Woodland – in the first two rounds of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando.

Woodland earned his first tour victory last week at the Transitions Championship. He ranks eighth in driving distance on tour at 299.5 yards, and has ranked in the top 10 in that category the previous two years. Johnson, a four-time winner on tour, is second in driving distance this year at 311.8 yards and has been in the top five in that category in each of his three-plus years on tour. Woods is ranked 13^th in driving distance at 297.9 yards.

The threesome goes off the first tee in Thursday’s first round at 12:56 p.m., and off the 10^th tee in Friday’s second round at 8:26 a.m. 

Tiger still trying to find himself

I saw Tiger Woods on the Jimmy Fallon show the other night, and boy did he look out of his element. When he was announced at the beginning of the show, my first thought was it was a joke and there was going to be a Tiger imposter. But sure enough, Woods made the appearance.

He still doesn't look comfortable in his own skin during public appearances, especially off the golf course.

He was on the show to promote the new Tiger Woods Masters video game, and he was able to laugh at himself when Fallon thanked him for providing so much valuable fodder for late-night monologues.

But even as he laughed he looked stiff and tight, and that continued when he played Fallon and comic actress Amy Poehler in a hole of the video game. His humor used to come fairly naturally in interviews with the golf media, but he has to force it out now.

It might be a chicken-and-egg thing with Tiger. I don't know if he'll find himself and be more comfortable in his own skin after he starts winning again on the golf course, or if he needs to be more comfortable before he regularly wins again.

Annika has second child

Annika Sorenstam added to the family she planned when she retired from golf at the end of the 2008 season. She tweeted on Monday evening: SURPRISE! I went into labor today & William Nicholas McGee was born at 6:33 PM. I'm well. Will is hanging in there fine for being 27 weeks.

We wish her well. I wouldn't rule out a return to competitive golf someday, either. A number of mothers have been among the best players on tour while raising children, including Juli Inkster.

TPC popular among Hackler Championship participants

2011 individual General Hackler Championship winner Henrik Norlander of Augusta State, a senior from Sweden, says the TPC of Myrtle Beach is his favorite course among those his team plays each year.

Other players and coaches are similarly complimentary of the 6,950-yard Tom Fazio and Lanny Wadkins design, which played difficult this year with fast greens, particularly in Monday's final round, when many pins were tucked behind hazards or close to the edges of greens.

“They set this up like a PGA Tour event," said Augusta State coach Josh Gregory. "You’ve got hole locations that are three and four [paces] from every edge, you’ve got to drive it well, but more importantly you’ve got to think well from the fairway on in. It’s the most demanding second-shot course that we probably play all year because if you miss it in the wrong spot you’re done.

"The greens were fast, and this is in my opinion the best condition the course has been in, in five years. The greens are softer now, they’re more receptive, so it’s a very, very fair test.”

Said Virginia senior Amory Davis, who shot a 72 Monday to finish second at 2-under 214: “The pins were tucked on every hole. It was 18 holes of being scared.”

Gregory was appreciative of the efforts put forth by TPC co-owner Chip Smith and his staff. Among his contributions, Smith grilled chicken, hamburgers and hot dogs for about six hours Sunday for players as they completed the first round and made the turn during the first and second rounds.

“For what Mr. Smith does for this event, if there were more people like him in college golf our sport would be a heck of a lot better," Gregory said. "For the TPC to give you the run of the mill here and take care of you as good as they do, the volunteers here and everything are just first class.”

The tournament initially had 12 teams when Coastal Carolina coach Allen Terrell first established the field in July. But Terrell said he decided to increase the field in November from 12 to 17 by adding some Carolina schools. Tennessee helped CCU recruit the additional teams.

“We decided to invite the schools from the Carolinas at the end," Terrell said. "A lot of the teams that were already committed kind of wanted to play a bigger field just to have some more opportunities for wins.”

QB legend takes in action at Hackler Championship

The gallery for the first two rounds Sunday of the 10th annual General Hackler Championship at the TPC of Myrtle Beach wasn't necessarily large, but it was noteworthy.

Among the spectators was NFL legend Dan Marino, who followed his son, North Florida senior Joey Marino, around the course. Joey is competiting as an individual.

Marino won't be around for the final round, however. He said he has an opportunity to play Augusta National Golf Club on Monday, and it should be in pretty good shape with the Masters right around the corner. Marino said he'll soon be back on the Grand Strand, however, as a participant in the 17th annual Hootie & the Blowfish Monday After the Masters Celebrity Pro-Am on April 11 at the Barefoot Resort Dye Club.

 

Links Illustrated's Erlenbach honored by local YMCA

The YMCA Adult Championship Tournament has been named after John Erlenbach, the creator and longtime producer of the Links Illustrated show. In addition to golf and television, another of Erlenbach’s passions was recreation basketball, and he has been honored with the naming of the tournament.
He coached youth teams and also was an avid and talented player. He was a great advocate of the YMCA and adult basketball, and William Coates, the sports director at the Claire Chapin Epps YMCA, says Erlenbach is responsible for adult basketball starting at the local YMCA.
Erlenbach died last year after a battle with cancer.

Storm at Doral gives Golf Channel staff some hairy moments

A couple hours before Golf Channel began broadcasting opening-round coverage of the WGC-Cadillac Championship at 2 p.m. Thursday, what has been described as a microburst blasted through The TPC Blue Monster at Doral, causing quite a bit of damage to the property.

Wind gusts that reached 55 mph uprooted 17 trees, and toppled a couple camera towers overlooking the eighth and ninth greens as well as a ShotLink tower on the first hole. Additionally, a TV camera was blown into the water at the ninth hole. and there was slight damage to the 17th green. The huge scoreboard and video board at the 18th hole was reduced to rubble.

Before it went down, the camera on the ninth green caught some dramatic footage of the fast-striking storm, picking up footage of whipping winds, the eighth-hole camera toppling and debris being blown across the green.

Workers were sent scurrying to pick up debris before the resumption of play.

“We never felt like we were in any imminent danger, but the microburst came in fast and really caught everybody by surprise," said North Myrtle Beach native and Golf Channel play-by-play announcer Kelly Tilghman. "Fortunately no one was injured out there.”

 

Johnson back in action with familiar playing partners

Former CCU standout Dustin Johnson is teeing it up this week in the $8.5 million WGC-Cadillac Championship at the TPC Blue Monster at Doral, and goes off the first tee in Thursday’s first round at 11:41 and the 10^th tee in Friday’s second round at 12:44 p.m.

Johnson is paired with Englishman Ian Poulter and Bubba Watson. It should be a comfortable pairing for him, though there probably aren’t many pairings that won’t be comfortable for the easy-going Columbia native.

Watson was a 2010 Ryder Cup teammate and the two have played several previous rounds together, and Poulter was Johnson’s partner in the Shark Shootout in December.

Johnson is looking to get his game in shape before the Masters. After a pair of top-10s to open the season, Johnson has finished outside the top 25 in four consecutive events, including a missed cut in the Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club.