Green Reading

Heritage at Harbour Town produces for final round

Intrigue at Harbour Town

You can't ask much more going into a final round. The 43rd Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links has some great players and stories lines entering the final round.

Two of the top players in the world -- Luke Donald and Jim Furyk -- are in the final twosome and you've got nine players within four shots of the lead, so there should be plenty of drama. Donald can take over the No. 1 ranking in the world with a win, and Furyk is looking to defend his 2010 Heritage title and earn his fourth win in 13 months.

Charity still a priority

Even without a title sponsor, the Heritage Classic Foundation is making charity a priority.

Thanks to a grant from the Verizon Foundation, the Heritage Classic Foundation is planning to distribute $1.5 million to those in need over the next 3 years.
The Verizon Foundation awarded The Heritage Classic Foundation a grant to meet three objectives.  Half of the grant will be used to continue the Heritage Scholar Program.  The other half will be used to fund nonprofits that focus on education, literacy and safety & health.  The HCF is also committed to promoting Verizon's Thinkfinity program (www.thinkfinity.org) to educators throughout South Carolina. Thinkfinity provides thousands of free lesson plans and student materials for every core subject, designed by the leading educational organizations in the United States.  It is accessible to schools, non-profit groups and to parents. 
The Heritage Scholar Program will continue to be the most significant scholar program in Beaufort County.  Fifteen four-year scholar awards will be awarded to graduating Beaufort County seniors for the next three years.  The 2011 Awards will be announced during a luncheon on April 12.
Since 1987, HCF has distributed more than $20 million to numerous nonprofit organizations dedicated to helping people throughout South Carolina.  HCF is proud to be able to continue to support those in need thanks to the Verizon Foundation.
The following nonprofits are receiving grants through this partnership.
Boys & Girls Clubs
Children’s Center
Children’s Relief Fund
CAPA (Child Abuse Prevention Association)
Hilton Head Heroes
Hope Haven
Literacy Volunteers
National Alliance Mentally Ill (NAMI)
Family Justice Center of Georgetown County
The Sandbox
The South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
Strive to Excel
Volunteers in Medicine 

 

Thoughts from Harbour Town, Thursday

Na Na Na Na, Goodbye attitude

The last time I saw Kevin Na in person in 2010, he was slamming his club into the ground while walking from the 18^th tee box at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta on his final hole of the Tour Championship, taking a large chunk of saturated turf. It was hardly professional behavior, but was in line with Na’s M.O. as a poor sport of sorts, a bit of a petulant youngster at 27 who had yet to mature.

It was refreshing to see the way he handled the 16 he took on the ninth hole in the first round of last week’s Valero Texas Open. He remained calm throughout and even found some humor in the entire episode.

Lets hope it’s a sign of things to come for Na, who is still seeking his first victory this week in The Heritage, which is his 198^th PGA Tour start. The change in attitude could help a guy who has three runner-up finishes and five third-place tallies finally break through with a win.

Spurrier celebrates on course

South Carolina football coach Steve Spurrier celebrated his 66th birthday by playing in The Heritage's Wednesday pro-am, and the special day was recognized by the gallery. Led by a marshal, spectators serenaded Spurrier with “Happy Birthday” on the first tee.

Spurrier's playing partners included two-time Heritage champion Boo Weekley, Mount Pleasant attorney Joe Rice, who is Dustin Johnson's regular playing partner in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, and Duane Parrish, director of the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.

On the 18th tee, Weekley, an Alabama fan, teasingly pulled a Crimson Tide visor from his golf bag, exchanged it with the cap on his head and asked Spurrier to pose for a photo in front of the iconic striped Harbour Town lighthouse. Weekley put the visor back in his bag before taking the picture.

 

SC a focus on Morning Drive show, including Johnson

As the PGA Tour heads to Hilton Head Island this week for The Heritage, the Morning Drive talk show on Golf Channel will have a South Carolina flavor. PGA Tour member and Coastal Carolina alumnus Dustin Johnson, USC head football coach Steve Spurrier, S.C. governor Nikki Haley, two-time Heritage champion Boo Weekley, musician Edwin McCain and actress Catherine Bell will join hosts Erik Kuselias and Gary Williams over the course of the week.

Morning Drive airs live Monday-Friday from 7-9 a.m. ET, and re-airs Monday-Wednesday from 9-11 a.m. ET. Audio for Morning Drive also is streamed live online at www.GolfChannel.com/morning-drive. 

The list of guests on the show this week is:

Monday

Dustin Johnson – PGA TOUR Professional

Suzann Pettersen – LPGA Tour Professional

Rex Hoggard – GolfChannel.com Senior Writer

Tim Rosaforte – Golf Channel Insider

 

Tuesday

Stacy Lewis – 2011 Kraft Nabisco Champion

Paul Azinger – 2008 Ryder Cup Captain

Catherine Bell – Actress 

Boo Weekley – Two-time Heritage champion

 

Wednesday

Steve Spurrier – University of South Carolina Head Football Coach

Nikki Haley – South Carolina Governor

Alex Miceli – Golf Channel Contributor

John Hawkins – Golf Channel Contributor

 

Thursday

Mike Davis and Jim Hyler – USGA Executive Director and President

Annika Sorenstam – World Golf and LPGA Hall of Famer

John Feinstein – Golf Channel Contributor

 

Friday

Maria Hjorth – LPGA Tour Professional

Natalie Gulbis – LPGA Tour Professional

Edwin McCain – Musician

Masters sights and musing, Sunday

The sun is out and a hot afternoon is expected, so the stage is set for the final round.

The world is watching

You have to figure the worldwide audience for the final round will be at an all-time high considering the diversity on the leaderboard. Amazingly, six continents are represented in the top eight positions through three rounds. That speaks to the extent golf has become a global.

Among the top eight players, from Europe are Rory McIlroy and Luke Donald, from Africa is Charl Schwartzel, from South America is Angel Cabrera, from North America is Bo Van Pelt, from Australia is Adam Scott and from Asia is K.J. Choi.

Tiger brings the excitement

The roars usually reserved for the back nine at Augusta National on Sunday came early and on the front nine Sunday, courtesy of four-time Masters winner Tiger Woods.

Woods birdied holes 2, 3, 6 and 7 – with a bogey thrown in on the fourth hole – then he eagled the eighth, hitting a low draw with a fairway wood up the hill to 12 feet, eliciting the loudest roar of all. It got him to 10 under and within a shot of the lead at the time, and there were even aftershocks around the course, as the red 10 was posted on leaderboards after the fact.

Asked about the run following his round, Woods wasn't very effusive and was rather short with the CBS reporter. Whatever happened to the more accessible, honest, kinder, gentler post-scandal Tiger Woods?

Masters sights and musings, Saturday

The right cut

South African Charl Schwartzel, who is tied for second at 8-under 208 entering the final round, offers a theory to why he and leader Rory McIlroy have played so well. Maybe it’s because they are eating so well.

They are both clients of the ISM Management Company and have had dinner at the house the company is renting in Augusta. “I’ve seen him every night,” Schwartzel said. “We have had some good meat at the ISM house; maybe that’s the key.”

Look what he started

The rise of younger players on tour has coincided with players becoming larger and more athletic. Tiger Woods used to be considered one of the best athletes to ever play the game, and set an example by getting himself in tremendous shape through working out.

But he said his off-course athletic skills can’t compare to those of some members of the new breed, including Johnson and Gary Woodland, whom he played with in the first two rounds of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill last month. Woodland played college basketball before transferring to Kansas to play golf.

“These are guys who have played other sports,” said Woods, who admitted he could dunk a tennis ball in a basketball hoop but not a basketball. “These guys are both really good basketball players and they both have been able to dunk, and they both have been able to play hoop. And then they decide to play golf instead.  So it's neat to see these guys transform into our sport, the power, the transition; they are doing things no one has ever seen on tour before.”

 

Masters sights and musings, Friday

Woods lurking

Four-time Masters winner Tiger Woods never made a move up the leaderboard Thursday, but in a tie for 24^th at 71, he’s poised to make a move in Friday’s second round or the weekend if he can create some momentum.

Woods tied for fourth at Augusta last year upon ending his more than four-month break from the game following an infidelity scandal, and that matched his to match his best finish in 2010.

A tie for 10^th at the WGC-Cadillac Championship four weeks ago is Woods’ only top-10 in five combined PGA Tour and European Tour event this year.

Woods made two consecutive bogeys on the 10^th and 11^th holes to fall to 1 over and was in danger of making a third straight at the par-3 12^th, but he managed to make a lengthy putt for par, then birdied the par-5 13^th and holed a bomb on the 14^th for birdie to reach 1 under.

“Fourteen was nice, 12 was even better because I had just bogeyed 10 and 11 and so it was nice to get things going,” Woods said. “Overall I felt pretty good over all the putts and realistically the round should have been 68 or 69.

“I’m right there in the ballgame. I’m only six back and we have a lot of golf left.”

Money game, anyone?

Masters first round co-leader Rory McIlroy got his game in shape for the tournament with a week’s worth of work with instructor Michael Bannon in Florida.

A match or two with CCU alum and former Myrtle Beach resident Dustin Johnson and friends at the Bear’s Club, which is in Johnson’s new neighborhood, was part of the preparation as well.

“I played with Dustin and Luke [Donald] a couple of days at the Bear's Club, and Camilo [Villegas]. Had a couple of competitive games and just tried to get my game in shape.”

Disturbing the peace

During his time in the states, McIlroy, a Northern Irishman, has taken a liking to football as we know it and the National Football League.

His agent, Chubby Chandler, said McIlroy has played some rugby so he knows a little about the contact and the ball. He and a few buddies bought a football at a mall and were tossing it around in the street around 9 p.m. Wednesday night.

“I was actually told off by the lady living across the street,” McIlroy said. “We were making a bit too much noise. Had to cut it short.”

Masters sights and musings, Thursday

DJ ralllying from tough start

Dustin Johnson got off to a rough start despite ideal scoring conditions with warm temperatures and no wind in Thursday's first round. He was 3 over with five bogeys and two birdies through 13 holes. But he two-putted for a birdie on the par-5 13th to get back down to 2 over, and stuck his second shot to 4 feet on the par-4 14th for a second birdie to get back to 1 over heading to the par-5 15th, where he hit a big drive and was poised for at least another birdie. But his second shot sailed into the crowd to the right of the green. He chipped to 20 feet and his fast downhill putt ran 5 feet past the hole, and he made par.

Johnson missed about a 3-foot putt on the 16th hole to make bogey, made par on the par-4 17th and missed a 10-foot birdie putt to settle for par on the par-4 18th and open the 2011 Masters with a 2-over 74.

Johnson probably needs a low round in Friday's second round to give him a chance to get in contention on the weekend.

TV coverage expanded

ESPN is broadcasting the first two rounds of the Masters, and coverage begins at 3 p.m. both today and Friday. The broadcasts feature one more hour of coverage today and Friday from 3-7:30 pm, and more 3-D coverage, which will be from 5:30-7:30 p.m. for all four rounds.

I got a look at the 3-D technology last year, and it truly brings the topography of Augusta National to the forefront. The course has never been done justice on TV, until now.

The final two rounds are on CBS, as they have been since 1956, though ESPN's 3-D coverage will continue through the weekend. Paul Azinger, Mike Tirico and Curtis Strange will be featured announcers on 3-D coverage.

Masters sights and musings, Wednesday

A full nine to see

Dustin Johnson is paired with Adam Scott and Nick Watney, and the threesome tees off at 8:40 a.m. in Thursday’s first round and 11:47 in Friday’s second round.

Johnson’s fans will have a chance to see him play Augusta National’s entire back nine Friday on the Internet, as the group is one of six that have been selected to run on Featured Group channels on www.masters.com.

The Featured Groups No. 1 lineup on Friday consists of the 9:24 a.m. grouping of Fred Couples, Luke Donald and Steve Stricker; Johnson’s 11:47 a.m. group; and the 1:48 p.m. grouping of Tiger Woods, Graeme McDowell and Robert Allenby. The Featured Group No. 2 lineup Friday is the 9:35 a.m. grouping of Anthony Kim, Henrik Stenson and Steve Marino, as well as other groups being announced Friday.

Thursday, the Featured Groups No. 2 lineup consists of the 9:24 a.m. exciting young threesome of Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler and Jason Day; 11:47 a.m. grouping of Angel Cabrera, Ian Poulter and David Toms; and 1:48 p.m. grouping of Phil Mickelson, Geoff Ogilvy and amateur Peter Uihlein.

Scott, 30, is a seven-time winner on both the PGA Tour and European Tour and has just one top 10 in nine previous Masters appearances. Though Watney, 29, has played in only three Masters, he has tied for 11^th and finished alone in 19^th and seventh.
Scott tied for sixth in his last start at the WGC-Cadillac Championship for his only top 20 in five starts, while Watney has a win and six top-13s this year.

“I’ve got two of my buddies I’m playing with so we’re going to have a good time and hopefully we can put up some good scores,” Johnson said.

Both Johnson and Watney have been mentioned among the young favorites to win this week, for whatever that’s worth.

“Unfortunately, it makes no difference,” Watney said. “I wish, you know, if they mention your name before the tournament you could start 2‑under-par or something like that.”

Meal fit for a champion

As defending Masters champion, Mickelson got to select the menu for Tuesday night’s champions dinner, and used the opportunity to pay homage to two-time Masters winner Seve Ballesteros, who couldn’t be at the dinner.

Ballesteros was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2008. Several surgeries and multiple doses of chemotherapy have helped the five-time major winner, but his road to recovery is still ongoing.

Mickelson said he sent an email earlier this year asking the 1980 and ’83 winner if he could make it, and what he would like served. “I wanted to kind of honor him,” said Mickelson, who offered a mixed salad with sherry vinaigrette and olives; seafood paella; prime beef tenderloin with Machango cheese and a smoked paprika demi-glaze; and an apple empanada with vanilla ice cream and chocolate cinnamon ganache for dessert.

Masters sights and musings, Tuesday

Hooper launches career

I ran into former Coastal Carolina golfer Cameron Hooper, who was hanging with Dustin Johnson on Tuesday -- even rode into Augusta National with him. Johnson didn't play a practice round in heavy winds, he only practiced on the driving range, and Hooper watched and waited for a few hours as Johnson worked on all parts of his game, went to the TaylorMade tour trailer to have some wedges adjusted, and returned to the range to work them out.

Hooper recently began a playing career after having surgery to alleviate pain in his ribs caused by cartilage that was separated from the bone. He said doctors told him they couldn't really fix the injury, so they went through his back to kill the nerves so he wouldn't be in pain. Hooper said he was back to hitting balls the next day. "It actually feels really good right now," he said. "It's a good thing."

Hooper earned a Master's in Business Administration in December before beginning a pro career on the Hooters Tour, where he'll play this season before a planned attempt at PGA Tour Q-School. "It's a struggle, those guys are so good," he said.

He was practicing his business skills as he earned his MBA, managing to attract some sponsors to fund his season on tour.

Watson plays birthday game

Tom Watson signed a number of autographs on his way from the driving range, with the prized gift a signed glove. But he didn't give it away without requiring some effort from patrons.

Watson offered the glove to the first person in the crowd who could tell him his birthday. He quoted them the month of September, and after some obvious guesses, one informed young fan yelled the correct answer of Sept. 4, even supplying the year of 1949.

 

 

Johnson the center of attention, featured on ESPN Sports Science segment

Dustin Johnson sure is getting a lot of attention this week as he is preparing to play in his third Masters Tournament. He is not only gracing the cover of two golf magazines this week -- GolfWorld and SI Golf Plus -- he's also the subject of an ESPN Sports Science segment. The segments will appear across all ESPN programming from the Tournament and analyzes the swings of Johnson and Bubba Watson, two of the longest drivers in pro golf.

The segment shows the differences in their swings but demonstrates that off the tee, their clubhead speed of 120 mph is 25 percent faster than the average hobby golfer. With ball contact of only half of a millisecond, the two pros generate 3,000 pounds of force, sending the ball away at 180 mph for average drives of more than 300 yards. Johnson has reached 190 mph as well.

The Sports Science featuring Johnson is one of three based on golf during Masters week. Another ESPN segment examines what makes the 9^th hole on Augusta’s Par 3 course more prone to producing holes-in-one during the Masters Par 3 Contest, which airs Wednesday, April 6, at 3 p.m. on ESPN, ESPN 3D and ESPN3.com. The third segment focuses on the science that makes putts “lip out.”

With the attention has come praise. In Golf World he’s deemed: “The Natural: Why long-hitting Dustin Johnson is the best American golfer to come along since you-know-who,” and the SI Golf Plus cover states: “Pure & Simple: Unequaled, Unfettered Dustin Johnson.”

He’s also prevalent in advertising in the magazines, taking up the center spread in Golf World with an add for adidas clothing and footwear stating: “Be Greater”.

This is all less than four years removed from the 26-year-old's senior season at Coastal Carolina.