Straight down the Middle

I recently received a copy of STRAIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE from author Josh Karp.

In his new book, Karp tells the story of his journey to improve his golf game, as well as his overall life, through meetings with various experts in zen, meditation, and mental training.

Karp traveled around the United States as well as Scotland to meet with a wide range of people, including golf instructors, a sensei, a rabbi, and an assortment of different zen and meditation experts to find out the keys to gaining inner peace.

Along the way he experiences many ups and downs with his golf game while playing with an array of different characters. He chronicles it all in an amusing way, and describes in detail the new methods and techniques he's been taught, although at times he can't believe he's going through with it (such as massaging a dude).

This is an entertaining book for golfers, especially someone looking for ways to improve their mental game. Karp has put himself through one big experiment in order to find the best ways to lower his score and relax while playing.

This book won't provide you any boring swing tips. All in all, it will give you an interesting story of a golfer searching for his highest playing potential by improving his mental game.

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Genius of the week

This genius gets tasered for being drunk, belligerent, and heckling players at The Players Championship.

The neck the latest obstacle to Wood's success

"Setting up over the ball is fine, but once I start making the motion, it's downhill from there," Woods said.

If anyone out there has ever had a bad neck or back, you know it's impossible to swing properly and the pain is terrible.

The upcoming MRI will most likely dictate what Woods does with the rest of the year.

If the injury turns out to be something very serious, he'll most likely have to shut it down all year.

If the injury is manageable, I have to imagine he'll at least play the year's three remaining majors and then shut it down if there's still a problem. It will take something very serious to keep him away from Pebble, St. Andrews, and Whistling Straights.

1 for 205

Congratulations to Tim Clark for earning his first PGA Tour win in 205 tries. Shooting 66/67 on the weekend, he earned 1.71 million for the victory.

Considered the "5th major", the Players features the deepest field all year and Clark came through.

"I did all I could there," said Clark. "That's as good as I could have played."

AP Photo / Chris O'Meara

Miller provides opinion on Tiger's swing and coach

Never short on words, NBC golf analyst Johnny Miller spoke out Wednesday and said Tiger Woods should change his swing and quit working with coach Hank Haney.

"It might be a little harsh, but I really believe he needs to, every night, watch the U.S. Open in the year 2000 at Pebble and just copy that swing and forget the Haney stuff," Miller said. "I mean, that was the best golf anybody has ever played in history."

"That's something he can copy, the tempo, the position at the top of the backswing, the follow-through position. "

"He needs a new, fresh, either teacher or just go back to what is natural to his game. What he is working on now, I believe is, no disrespect for Hank Haney, but it is not working. And sometimes when it is not working, sometimes you have to get off the fork in the road and get back to what brung you there and what won all these championships for him."

Miller does make a good point that Tiger did play the best golf in history when he won the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach by 15 strokes in 2000, when he was coached by Butch Harmon.

However, it's a little early to blame everything on Hank Haney and his teaching methods. Tiger has won six major championships while under the eye of Haney.

After missing the cut last year at the British Open, Woods went 1st, 1st, 2nd, T2nd, T11th, 1st, and 2nd in consecutive tournaments. He then went 5-0 during the Presidents Cup, finished 6th at HSBC in China, and won the Australian Masters.

He then went through the scandal, returned after 144 days, and finished fourth in the Masters.

Woods then misses one cut and Miller rants about him needing to get rid of Haney.

After hearing the comments made by Miller, Haney responded to the golf channel.

“The facts are what they are. I didn’t start in 2001. I started in 2004. In the last 2½ years, Tiger has won 44% of his tournaments and finished Top 3 in 61%. In the 2½ years before I started working with him, he won 24% and finished Top 3 in 43%.”

Woods got off to a decent start Thursday at The Players Championship, shooting an opening round 70, four shots off the lead.

It would be nice to see him win this week, and then dedicate the win to Johnny Miller in his post-round interview.

Woods photo - AP / Wilfredo Lee

Can Lefty overtake Tiger for #1?

With a win this week at The Players Championship, Mickelson can take over the number one spot in the world provided Tiger finishes out of the top five.

Obviously, coming off a win at the Masters, and a runner-up finish at Quail Hollow, which he would have won had Rory Mcllroy not gone ballistic with a 62, he's playing extremely well. He also won the Players in 2007. All signs point to him having a strong week, especially with the number one ranking on the line.

As for Tiger, his full swing is in shambles and it will be very interesting to see what type of game he brings to the table this week. If ever there were a time for Woods to have such immense troubles with his game, it's obviously now.

Although he's the greatest to ever play, anyone that deals with the biggest sex scandal ever, mistresses coming out of the woodwork left and right, divorce, family problems, paparazzi, helicopters, airplanes stringing messages, hecklers, and every television show, article, or blog post grilling him, it has to be a little hard to focus.

We'll see what happens this week. Should be interesting.

Mickelson photo - AP / Gerry Broome

58 and 62 = Ridiculous

Lets start with Rory Mcllroy. At age 20, he's been called the next Tiger but hasn't been playing great as of late....until Saturday at Quail Hollow. After making the cut on the number at plus one, he shot 16 under on the weekend to win by four shots over Masters champion Phil Mickelson.

He shot 66 / 62 on the weekend with a final round back nine of 30 which included six straight threes to end the round. He made a sick eagle at 15, stuck a seven iron from the fairway bunker to five feet on 16 to make birdie, and then nearly made a 50 footer on the very difficult par-3 17th. At 18, to top it all off, he drained a 40 footer (picture above) to finish in style.

Supposedly, Mcllroy as been working with Bob Rotella on the mental game and how to close out tournaments. I'd say it worked. I'd say I might actually have to read one of Rotella's books and see what the keys are.

It will be interesting to see how he does this week at the Players.

Ryo Ishikawa, age 18, and another next Tiger, shot a 58 to set a record for lowest score on a major tour. He made 12 birdies and no bogeys to win The Crowns in Japan.

He broke the previous Japan Tour record of 59 held by Masahiro Kuramoto. As for the PGA Tour, David Duval, Chip Beck, and Al Geiberger have each shot 59. Annika Soremstam holds the LPGA record with a 59 while Shigeki Maruyama shot a 13 under par 58 in the 2000 U.S. Open qualifier.

It's not quite yet the changing of the guard in professional golf, but with Mcllroy, Ishikawa, AK, and Fowler playing well, the time is getting closer.

We'll see how long it takes Tiger to get his act together again and fend off these guys.

Mcllroy photo / AP - Gerry Broome
Ishikawa photo / AP - Kyodo News

PGA Tour Survey

Sports Illustrated has just released their annual survey of 71 PGA Tour players in which they ask of variety of questions.

Here is a sample:

Who will win this year's Ryder Cup?
U.S.: 73%
Europe: 27%

My vote: U.S.

Which would you rather have, Alvaro Quiros' length or Brad Faxon's putting stroke?
Quiros' length: 45%
Faxon's stroke: 55%

My vote: Faxon's stroke

Do you think Tiger used HGH or other performance-enhancing drugs?
Yes: 24%
No: 76%

My vote: No

Of this year's major championship venues, which is your favorite?
Augusta National: 47%
Pebble Beach: 29%
St. Andrews: 24%
Whistling Straits: 0%

My vote: Pebble Beach

Who is the most overrated player on Tour?
Sergio Garcia: 23%
Ian Poulter: 17%
Ricky Barnes: 13%
Bubba Watson: 13%

My vote: Poulter

Tiger with the Yips?

According to analysis done by the Somax Performance Institute, Woods may be fighting the yips with his driver.

I have to say it's hard to believe the number one player in the world could have the yips.

Here is some of what they had to say and a video analyzing Tiger's swing.

Many famous golfers in history--Sam Snead, Ben Hogan and Lee Trevino among them--found their careers ended by the yips. Our analysis of their swings show they all fought centrifugal force with their driver. This overuses the forearm muscles, creating tension and microfibers that cause the muscles to spasm while putting.

Somax can release the tension and microfibers, but it makes more sense to avoid the problem in the first place.

In our video, we show a simple solution to hitting long, accurate drives without overloading the forearm muscles.

Video and analysis

Golf in Portugal

It has always been a dream of mine to travel around the entire world playing golf. If I ever win the lottery, the World Series of Poker (which I'm playing in this year), or suddenly get struck by lightning, and my game gets as good as Tiger, or Phil, I plan on taking the around the world never-ending golf vacation.

In the meantime, until that miracle happens, I'll have to research various destinations, such as golf in portugal.

It appears to be a nice little spot with good golf, weather, and variety.


Three prime areas for golf in Portugal are the Algarve, Lisbon, and Madeira.

Algarve: The Algarve has a collection of first class championship courses and resorts along the coastline. The weather is perfect for year round golf. The top destination on the Algarve is Vilamoura, a harbour town that has been transformed into a comprehensive golf complex, with five championship courses. Vilamoura is also known for the nightlife which is perfect for traveling in groups.

Lisbon: The coastal area around Portugal’s capital has emerged as a fantastic location for a golf escape. The landscape features Atlantic beaches, cultural attractions, and outstanding golf options.

Madeira: Located off the North-West coast of Africa, the island of Madeira has an excellent year-round climate for golf, features two golf courses, several terrific hotels, as well as mountain views. The Santo da Serra golf course has hosted the European Tour event for the Madeira Open.

Golf, islands, mountain views, beaches, nightlife, and great weather. Sign me up now.



All Golf travel:

Golf at Pebble Beach
Golf in Vegas
Golf in Scotland
Golf in Panama
Golf in Sicily
Golf in England
Golf in South America
Golf in Spain
Golf in Spain 2

Bio-Visual Focus

Bio-Visual Focus. Sounds serious.

I received an email from a PGA Professional named Tracy Reed who explained his teaching specialties.

He has been researching the golf swing for over 25 years to find the secret of real consistency under pressure situations for competitive golfers. Over the last 5 years he discovered, tested, and proved that secret.

The results have been uncanny in the form of accuracy and distance. The best part is that the results come from just a few additions to the pre-shot routine with no changes to the golf swing. What he pioneered is called Bio-Visual Focus because he has uncovered a process for taking a golfer's mind from a conscious level to a subconscious level for each shot, allowing the golf swing to work at it's best without distraction.

Certainly sounds good in theory. Make your own judgement and check out his website at www.biovisualfocus.com.

Masters in Photos: Round 3

AP / Charlie Riedel

Phil Mickelson photo slideshow

Tiger Woods photo slideshow

Day 3 at Augusta

The Masters in Photos: Rounds one and two

Photo slideshow: Round one leaders
Photo slideshow: Tiger Woods during round one
Photo slideshow: Round two leaders
Photo slideshow: Tiger Woods during round two

AP Photo / Rob Carr

Couples ahead of superstar leaderboard

Well, this Masters is certainly starting out terribly.

Or, the best possible scenario.

Fred Couples is 50. Tom Watson is 60. Maybe Jack should have played at 70.

This is the best leaderboard I've ever seen and hopefully it will keep up throughout the entire tournament.

Fred Couples: Coming off three straight wins on the Champions Tour, the 92 Masters champ shoots a career low 66 to lead by one.

Tom Watson: After almost winning the British last year, most people said that was the only major he could contend at because of the links style. As long as they don't set up the course too much differently, he could have a chance.

Phil Mickelson: Very inconsistent all year, but the two-time champ putted great and looks sharp.

Lee Westwood: Always seems to be up there in the Majors recently and said afterword this was the best round he ever played at Augusta.

YE Yang: PGA Champ is looking for his second consecutive major

KJ Choi: Hasn't won a major yet but he is definitely capable.

Tiger Woods: Played great for his first round in 144 days. He could have been the overall leader had he not missed a few makeable putts. Woods did hit the shot of the day at the 9th when he hooked a five iron around the trees with the wind howling to a back left pin location. The ball came to rest about ten feet away and he drained it for birdie.

Anthony Kim: Won last week in Houston, is very streaky, and can get hot on Augusta greens, as he showed last year when he made 11 birdies in round two.