President's Cup Practice Round Post Mortem

You know how it feels when the course is slow and you're standing around waiting for the group in front of you to get moving...and they're waiting for the group in front of them? No way to play through; you're just stuck. You make a lot of practice swings, but still you lose your rhythm and ultimately your game suffers. Wait too long between holes and the rust settles in quickly. I'm finding it's the same when waiting too long between blog posts. It's been a month and that's way too long - so I'm making a resolution to pick up the pace. No excuses (except sometimes life gets in the way), especially when the group in front of me, in this case, is, well...me.


Best of the best from the U.S. and around the world


A U.S. team veteran in Leonard and Kim representing the new guard.

Although I've been away from here, I haven't been away from the game. I recently attended a practice round and opening ceremonies for the President's Cup here in San Francisco, at Harding Park Golf Course. I watched the final day of the World Golf Championships here a few years back (playoff between Tiger and John Daly) and it's a great place to watch and to play. Certainly, they change the degree of difficulty when the pros play, but it's a walkable course and a course you feel like you can shoot a decent score on - assuming you stay on line and out of the storied Monterey Cypress Pines that line the fairways.


Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim on the putting green. Sensational tournament for Lefty, less so for Anthony Kim, although he prevailed in the end -- yet was at the center of a controversy involving Robert Allenby and Kim's so-called "wild ways."


Tiger playing from the trap, resplendent in the U.S. team's argyle. Outstanding play by Woods and partner Steve Stricker all week.

Practice rounds are fun to attend because you really get to see the players up close on the tees and greens as the galleries are so much smaller. Within minutes of arriving, we walked right up to the group with Phil Mickelson, Anthony Kim and Justin Leonard heading to the green. The shot making ability of all these guys is incredible. We spent a few minutes watching Anthony Kim and Y.E. Yang on the driving range and even their miscues (if you can call them that) are ridiculous.


Anthony Kim on the driving range. He's not the biggest guy on tour nor the longest hitter, but for the everyman golfer, he's a joy to watch.

Hunter Mahan and Phil Mickelson - again, a representation of the veteran of team play in Mickelson and rising star in Mahan.

I was fortunate to see most of my favorites - Phil Mickelson, who was as personable as he comes across on TV, Geoff Ogilvy, Adam Scott, really everyone, because the best of the best play here (minus the European stars). Great to see the "old timers" too - Greg Norman and Fred Couples, tooling around the course. I'm not sure we learned anything, but nothing like seeing golf played the way it's supposed to be.


Camillo Villegas had a less than stellar week in his first appearance at a President's Cup event.


Phil Mickelson recently retooled his putting stroke and he looks unbeatable at the moment. If he can keep it up, 2010 promises to be an exciting year as the top two players battle it out for supremacy!

As the days go on, my posts have evolved to my golf musings in general - but I'll always try to remember where this blog started - around fairway fashion. And with that said, I give a thumbs up to the U.S. team's sporty, argyle-heavy wear throughout the week. My sister mentioned to me that she'd never seen Tiger in argyle before, and that sounds about right, but I think the world's number one wore it well. Another nice touch on this day? All the caddies were clad in San Francisco Giants jerseys - a nice nod to the host city!


Yours truly enjoying the end of the practice round and looking forward to the next day's tourney start.


Ushering the official start of play, the Opening Ceremonies featured the members of each team, former President George H.W. Bush, players' wives and girlfriends, team captains, Mayor of San Franicsco Gavin Newsom, the Boys and Girls Choir of San Francisco and many more.

June is Women's Golf Month!

Whether you're a new golfer or you've been playing the game for years, you can take advantage of the numerous opportunities offered by participating golf courses the entire month of June as part of American Express Women's Golf Month. Now in its fifth year, American Express Women's Golf Month is aimed at increasing the participation of women in golf.

Golf courses across the country are offering women (over the age of 14) free golf lessons and clinics, golf rules and etiquette seminars, on-course lessons and instruction (for a nominal fee), fashion shows, club fittings and more. Don't have your own equipment? No worries - participating locations will also offer complimentary use of golf clubs so you'll also have the opportunity to try out the very best stuff.

If you know someone who has been itching to give golf a try but hasn't taken that first step, now is the time to encourage them to get involved in a fun, encouraging and non-intimidating environment.

Find a golf course in your area that is participating in this year's American Express Women's Golf Month here.

These Girls Rock! - LPGA Scholarships Still Available

We know these girls rock...how about you? If you're a female high school senior who loves the game of golf and plans to attend college this year, you might be eligible for one of three scholarships still available from the LPGA Foundation:
- The Dinah Shore Scholarship will be awarded to a female high school senior who played golf during high school but will not be playing at the collegiate level. One $5,000 scholarship will be awarded in 2009.
- The Marilynn Smith Scholarship will be awarded to two female high school seniors who will be playing at the collegiate level. Two $3,000 scholarships will be awarded in 2009.
- The Phyllis G. Meekins Scholarship is a need-based scholarship that will be awarded to one female high school senior from a recognized minority background who will be playing golf at the collegiate level. One scholarship in the amount of $1,250 will be awarded in 2009. Deadline for submission for all three scholarships is May 15, 2009. Interested? Get more information and download your application here.

While you're at it, how about showing your love for the ladies of the LPGA with these breathable, comfortable golf caps with mesh ventilation system, a CoolTech sweatband and velcro closure in navy/white, white/navy, white/pink or white/light blue. They're just $14 - and you'll help draw attention to some of the most exciting players in the game today!