The Iceman Cometh
Four pool players (Tobacco Road, Charlie Tuna, The Muffins and Bill Sundali) were omniscient this past week, garnering the first "golden" first place spots of the year with their pick of G. (Not JOE) Ogilvy in the Match Play. Don't be counting your chickens yet though kiddies...past performance tells us that early pool leads have a tendency to disappear.Three other pool sharks, Glenn Marzian, Harry Miltenberger and Scott "Oil & Winegar" had the extreme good fortune of watching Stewart Cink splash a bunker shot into the cup on his final hole to add about a "hundert" to their third place total with a win over Ross Fisher.
From the Associated Press
March 2, 2009
"Geoff Ogilvy won the Accenture Match Play Championship for the second time in four years with a 4-and-3 victory over Paul Casey of England to stake his claim Sunday as the best in the world at match play.In a relentless performance at Dove Mountain in Marana, Ariz., the 31-year-old Australian did not trail over the final 63 holes of the tournament and did not have a bogey on his card over the last 57 holes."
Some observations from this perch:
(1) During the last four years, Ogilvy has made the finals of the Match Play THREE times on THREE different golf courses.
(2) Paul Casey could not overcome a slow start and appeared to be no match for Ogilvy's "Iceman" demeanor.
(3) In his first two rounds this week, Ogilvy had to go to the nineteenth hole to advance; first against Kevin Sutherland and then "Cowboy" Katayama. It is oftentimes said that the winner of college basketball's championship, "March Madness," has to have a tight game or two to survive through the brackets.
(4) Did anybody count the number of putts that each player had over the last 36-holes? Geoff looked like he made every putt he needed to make and Casey struggled early with the flat stick.
Another news tidbit:
BY GolfChannel.com Team
Luke Donald may be able to play in next week's Honda Classic, an event he won in 2006, according to a statement released by IMG Golf. Donald, 1 down at the time, conceded his match Friday to Ernie Els on the 18th hole during the third round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.
Donald had aggravated the same wrist he had surgery on last year, which he originally injured during the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. "Luke was examined last night by the same doctor who performed the surgery on his left wrist last August and was told that the discomfort he felt yesterday was limited to the scar tissue, and not the tendon he injured at the 2008 U.S. Open," said the statement. "It was Dr. Weiland's opinion that with treatment by anti-inflammatory medication, Luke could resume practicing in the next few days and could potentially play in next week's Honda Classic."
Donald played only one event in 2008 after the U.S. Open, but had started strongly in 2009 with back-to-back top-10s entering the Match Play.
Another observation: It isn't often that you see a player default, especially on the eighteenth tee, in match play. Advice from an aging, surgical survivor...whether it's a tendon or scar tissue, take a break, Luke. Let your wrist heal. Mother Nature oftentimes knows best. I offer this bit of advice despite having picked (along with four others) Lukey to win this week at The Honda.
The Tour segues to Florida (and Puerto Rico) for the next month. All those who can putt on Bermuda take one step forward. The next, BIG question...will El Tigre show up at Doral?
And finally, from the Golf Channel, who featured endless commercials for the show featuring the re-make of Charles Barkley's swing:
"Hank Haney, the world’s top golf instructor, is about to meet the biggest challenge of his career: Charles Barkley. The 11-time, All-Star basketball Hall-of-Famer is an NBA MVP and Olympic gold medalist—with one of the most unusual swings on the planet.
Tune in every Monday as Haney’s world-renowned teaching method meets Barkley’s monster swing and legendary charm.
Will Hank’s knowledge and experience be enough to fix Sir Charles’s game, or will the hoopster become his only unconquerable challenge? Find out Mondays at 9 p.m. ET only on Golf Channel."
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