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Archive - 2012

I didn't see everything, of course (or even a tenth of it), but of what I did see these were my favorite moments.

• Women's 10K final - Tirunesh Dibaba from Ethiopia
• Men's Gymnastics Gold Medal High Bar Routine - Epke Zonderland from Netherlands
• Usain Bolt running
• The last few minutes of the Men's 10 Meter Platform Diving final
• Women's 4 X 100 Meter final (flying!)

WOW.

Well, he was very close at Olympic last month, so it's not really a surprise, is it? Congratulations to the big EE (wonder if that is also his shoe width...)  

Okay, now that's more like Olympic weather (though the greens and fairways are still way harder than normal. I watched the final round with my dad - pretty cool! I was the color commentator in the living room.

A lot of guys really had a chance until right down to the last couple holes. Exciting. Congratulations to the very steady Webb Simpson. To me, every time he had a makeable putt it just looked like he was going to make it.

So, the fog may come in and save the greens. But doesn't feel like it's gonna save E.T. Woods... and it was startin' to feel like maybe...

• Friday, and  this  can no longer legitimately be called green.
• I really enjoyed the second shot Michael Thompson hit on hole number 1.
• What an excellent putt on No. 18 by P. Mickelson, and those two chip-ins by Jacobson and Bradley were even less likely
• Get all the long putters out of there -- looks even worse than plaid pants. Let's see, how can I put this more gently... ugly, stupid-looking, inelegant, Elaine Benis dancing, inconceivable that it is allowed within the rules. That's probably gentle enough.
• Wow, this is not at all the usual Olympic. You have to understand how different this is from the way Olympic Club usually plays: it is almost always chilly and damp (even in the summer, and even on the rare occasions when the sun shows itself). You can usually find your ball mark on your drives... closer to the green than your ball. For the fairways to run at all is just plain weird to anybody who knows the course. Hole number 16 is being reached in two regularly? You've got to be kidding. That monster usually plays SO long and curves so much that even the longest hitters don't consider getting there in two, without perfectly shaping two career shots.
• Byron's wondering Tuesday about the scores being absurdly high didn't come to pass for the first two days, because the wind didn't blow like he saw it in the practice rounds, but he could easily have been right -- and there are still two days left.

Man, if the greens are  that  color today, I shudder to think what they might look like by Sunday.

Former Nationwide Tour player and special correspondent , Byron Schlagenhauf, followed some players in a practice round at Olympic Club yesterday and had this to report:

"Rough is thick, fairways are really tight for how much slope they have. 7100 yard par 70 in Daly City -- plays like 7600. Greens are small and firm. If the wind blows like it did this afternoon there will be guys shooting 90."

Sounds like a bad dream to me (although Olympic is [never easy, but] usually a pleasure, under normal playing conditions). Best of luck to the field - sounds like survival skills will come in handy. MB

Yes, but he won at Bay Hill the week before The Masters (some would quip -- not me, though).

Nice 2-fer, winning both Arnold Palmer's and Jack Nicklaus' tournaments. Cool.

I saw an interview with Hank Haney about his new book "The Big Miss: My Years Coaching Tiger Woods." Looks great.

Congratulations to Gerry Lester Watson, Jr. on his Masters win. And how lucky we all are to have seen the work of art double eagle by Louis Oosthuizen on hole number two in the final round. Wow!

Entry moved to new location, "Iron, Wood, Hybrid Conversion" in the "Ask the Pro" section

Entry moved to new location, "Meaning of 'breaking the wrists'" in the "Ask the Pro" section

Well, that Bay Hill result certainly makes things stimulating going into The Masters. I can hardly wait.

Entry moved to new location, "Spine aligning, 'splining' or puring of shafts" in the "Ask the Pro" section

Okay, well, that was quite a nice comeback for Kyle Stanley, wasn't it? And the very next week, imagine that. How quick and efficient: no wallowing or messing around. Congratulations and well done.

Entry moved to new location, "Using a tee to help keep head still" in the "Ask the Pro" section

Entry moved to new location, "Putter angle of approach, face, shaft" in the "Ask the Pro" section

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