The New Tiger, Practicing in Solitude

Fans clustered to watch Tiger Woods practice putting Wednesday at Pebble Beach, but his entourage was noticeably absent.

Among the strange sites on the Pebble Beach practice putting green Wednesday morning was Tiger Woods completely alone. No caddie, no coach, no agent or press attache. It has been a long time since the world’s No. 1 golfer could be found alone at any tournament. Normally, he would be surrounded by a doting entourage that including security. Here, it was just Woods with his putter and four golf balls, working on his game.

In solitude, Woods had to attend to the details himself, things that in the past were done for him by a coach or caddie. That meant retrieving his own balls from the hole or putting his own tees in the ground to do one of his favorite putting drills (the tees are positioned like goal posts so that the putter head barely passes through them during his stroke).

Woods’s fellow competitors mostly gave him a wide berth, leaving him isolated in one corner of the large putting surface. There were seven or eight others practicing in crowded clusters, and then there was Woods, as if separated by an invisible force field.

The youngster from Northern Ireland, Rory McIlroy, looking small and wide-eyed next to the tall, strapping Woods, dared to penetrate Woods’ cloister. He wandered over and made small talk, even slapping Woods on the back as both laughed. But McIlroy retreated after a few minutes and Woods again moved from putt to putt silently and alone.

Stranger still, Woods putted while being watched by about 200 fans, who aimed cameras at him and strained three and four deep against a nearby railing. The dynamic between Woods and golf fans remains complicated and bizarre. In his presence, the fans say nothing -

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Watson Is in a Familiar Place

At this United States Open, Tom Watson is equal parts curator and competitor. He played the course a dozen times while he was a student at Stanford, made his professional debut in 1972 at the regular P.G.A. Tour stop here and has graced every Open that the course has hosted.

Nobody in this year’s field knows the course better. Watson, the 1982 Open champion when it was held here, has been coming to Pebble Beach for so long, he remembers when the green fees were $15. It costs $495 to play the course now.


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Fighting Off Distractions at the Range

Space was at a premium on the practice range Wednesday morning. There were more golfers than there were designated spots, creating a scene in which golfers waited at the back of the range, staring at the players in front of them like hungry diners waiting for a table.

Players and caddies waiting for a spot stood shoulder to shoulder with swing coaches, videographers, members of the news media and U.S.G.A. volunteers. It made for a chaotic work environment, but the Englishman Ian Poulter came up with a 21st-century solution. He has been hitting balls on the range this week while wearing ear buds from his iPod.

Asked what kind of music he was listening to, Poulter confessed that sometimes he wasn’t listening to anything. He wears the ear buds for the same reason airline passengers don their noise-canceling headphones before the plane has left the gate. He is staving off all conversation.


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After Round 1, a Big Crowd in the Mid-70s

Sometimes it’s hard to tell what a good score is during the first round of the United States Open, although anything close to par usually qualifies. But Thursday, more than a third of the field posted scores from two-over 73 to four-over 75.

Those scores seemed to be a magnet, especially to a multitude of players with serious pretournament aspirations. The list in this grouping included the defending champion Lucas Glover, who shot 73, and the two-time winner Ernie Els, who had the same score. Also at 73 was Sergio Garcia, whom many expected to have several major championships by now, and Padraig Harrington, who helped deprive Garcia of perhaps his best chance to win a major at the 2007 British Open.

Tiger Woods was at 74 and Phil Mickelson at 75. Joining him at that mark were the past champions Angel Cabrera and Retief Goosen along with David Duval, Rory McIlroy and Steve Stricker.
What’s it mean?
“It means it’s the U.S. Open and it’s tough out there,” Mickelson said.
Or, there was Woods’s analysis along the same lines.
“It’s means it’s the U.S. Open and there’s a long way to go,” Woods said.


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When Making the Cut Is a Milestone

Ty Tryon was talking about his up-and-down third round at the United States Open on Saturday when Johnny Miller, whose two major championships included the 1973 United States Open, approached with an outstretched hand.

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A Rare Hole in One at Pebble Beach

Thongchai Jaidee’s hole in one Saturday at the 181-yard, par-3 fifth hole was the seventh hole in one in United States Opens held at the Pebble Beach Golf Links. According to the United States Golf Association, Jaidee’s ace is the 41st hole in one in United States Open history, although the association referred to the feat as the 41st

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Impressive End to a Fun Week

The first player off the first tee Sunday was Pablo Martin, a Spaniard, and he didn’t dally. Martin made his way around the Pebble Beach Golf Links on a cold, overcast morning in 79 strokes and, more impressive, 2 hours 39 minutes.  Ty Tryon, who was a group of one Saturday, played in three and a half hours.


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Stuck at the Bottom

While there was a lot of moving around at the top of the leader board Sunday, several prominent names were mired at the bottom of the scoreboard. They often added high scores in the final round to keep them there.
The defending champion Lucas Glover closed with a 76 to finish 15 over par. He was joined at that total by Retief Goosen, a two-time United States Open champion. Steve Stricker, ranked fourth in the world, also finished at 15 over for the tournament.

David Duval, who made a dramatic bid to win the Open at Bethpage Black a year ago, closed with a nine-over-par 80 on Sunday to finish at 18 over par. He was joined there by Camilo Villegas, ranked 15th in the world.

Zach Johnson, the 16th ranked player in the world, shot a 78 on Saturday and a 79 on Sunday to finish at 22 over par. Sergio Garcia, still without a major championship, shot an efficient 71 for the final round, but concluded the event nine over par.


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Watson Comes Full Circle

It was a Father’s Day suitable for framing for Tom Watson, who played the course he first walked with his father for perhaps the last time on Sunday with his son, Michael, carrying his bag.

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Behind the Scenes: Inside Wilson Golf Innovation Center

Just ten minutes from Chicago O’Hare International Airport is the location of Wilson Golf’s Innovation Center-the research and development facility for golf clubs and balls. In this nondescript building you’ll find more than just golf clubs and  balls being developed, Wilson Sports also does  R&D for it’s tennis and baseball lines, as well as build all custom golf club orders.

In this video we take you inside the Wilson Innovation Center and show you what actually goes on in this facility, from measuring golf ball compression, to how they make product molds, how custom clubs are assembled, the 2010 Wilson Golf lineup of clubs, golf club archives, and much more!

One of things I learned when I toured the Innovation Center with my host Mary Nguyen from Wilson, is that Wilson Sports didn’t start out making golf equipment, it has roots in the meat packing business.  Schwarzchild & Sulzberger company (later changed to Sulzbeger & Son’s) that operated meat packing plants in New York and Chicago, which started out making tennis racket strings and violin strings from animal by-products from their slaughterhouses that they operated. This eventually led to making tennis rackets and baseball shoes.



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