ernie els

Ernie Els : US Open Golf Final Round

0058 Ernie still lurking in the long grass but his third onto the par five 14th stopped on the greeen in birdie range but then rolls all the way back down and around the corner leaving him with a very tricky up and down to find par. And then Mickelson does the exact same thing. 

 

0055 Great scenes as golfing legend Tom Watson makes his way onto the 18th green. Tears in his eyes as it is likely to be his swan song at the US Open. And wouldn’t you know, Watson almost chips in from the greenside bunker. You the man, Tom.

gregory havret

Gregory Havret - A French Golfer Rises Above the Fray

Just before going into the final round at the 2010 US Open, Gregory Havret updated his facebook status:

"merci a tous.. sincerement, je ne sais pas trop a quoi m attendre, ce qui est sur c est que je me donnerai comme jamais jusqu au dernier shot, j espere vs faire vibrer autant que je vibre!! bises"

In other words;

"Thank you everyone. I don't really know what to expect, but what I do know, for sure, is that I'm going to give it everything I've got till the last shot. I hope I'll make this as exciting for you as it is for me."

Oh, and, "kisses". He added "kisses" which probably seems odd to the average American but.. cultural nuance... not to a Frenchman.

At that point Greg was getting ready to meet Tiger Woods, his playing partner for the final round. There were multiple comments from Facebook friends with whimsical French names: "Aller Greg!" and "Vas y Greg ! On est avec toi!!" ... and one from me: "Go Greg!!!!" ~ And in the end Greg was prodigious.

Dustin Johnson... who held the lead going into the final round and had the kind of youth, cool and Pebble-Beach-pedigree that made him a "sure bet" prediction for many... floundered. Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Tiger Woods struggled valiantly but couldn't put it all together. So it was that Gregory Havret, who qualified for his first US Open with a 50 foot putt in a playoff, found himself the lone challenger to Graeme McDowell on the final hole. Alas his final putt for birdie came up short which left McDowell needing only par to win, which he ultimately did.

But for Gregory Havret the experience was certainly inoubliable as in, unforgettable, and though a part of his heart is surely broken to have come so close, overall he must be very happy.

There's a huge potential for golf to grow in France... with the sport now part of the Olympics, and with France bidding for the 2018 Ryder Cup... and what Gregory accomplished at Pebble Beach will certainly be great for the future of the sport.

Graeme McDowell

graeme mcdowell

After winning the 5th European tour victory Graeme McDowell has entered the 110th United States open Championship which had a kick started yesterday. The player had a four stroke lead against Johnson and gradually came to a midway lead. The golfer opened the game with a major victory in mind and couldn’t stand much against Johnson. The 110th United States open at the Pebble beach experienced some heavy winds and McDowell still made a outstanding two stroke lead against the opponents. Last week Graeme McDowell showed an impressive performance where he won the Wales open by 3 shots. The Irish golfer started his professional career in 2002 and since then he had achieved five professional wins. His first major win was the Volvo Scandinavian Masters with a margin of one stroke. The golfer scored two victories in 2008 which included Ballantine’s Championship and Barclays Scottish Open.

The pro golfer might take away the United States Open this year according to the situation in which he has a two stroke lead until now. The Irish golfer has high hopes of winning this years title after an outstanding game yesterday. The golfer scored three holes and while all hopes is on Graeme McDowell to restore the national image of England. The Irish golfer has a tough competition against Dustin Johnson who has recently won the Pebble beach National Pro Am title. The golfer entered the PGA in 2005 after he scored a place in the top fifty world Gold rankings. He couldn’t have a victory at the PGA and returned to the European three years back.

Tiger Woods US Open

Tiger Woods’ U.S. Open secret weapon: Memory

Is Tiger Woods toast as a golfer? If you read the commentary leading up to the U.S. Open, which begins today, you might think so. The New York Times analysis from earlier this week sums up the general mood around the man:

At the point in the season when he was once the most focused, Woods is adrift, uncertain. He has taken to going on about how limited competitive exposure has put his game at an early-season stage while most players are in midseason form.

It’s all in the head … “Golf is a game of the mind — and Tiger’s ain’t there yet,” says San Francisco Chronicle’s Scott Jenkins. “I think Tiger will be losing the mental game this week, and for many weeks to come.”

Yes, it is mental. But that is Tiger’s secret weapon this week–a part of his mind that has been nothing but a nuisance until now–his memory. Ten years ago Tiger completely destroyed the competition to win the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, the same tournament and venue Woods will play this weekend. He ran away from the field by 15 strokes in what was arguably the greatest year of golf any individual ever played.

Yes, living up to the memory of that tournament might psych Tiger out, which is probably what most sports pundits are thinking will happen this weekend. But there’s another element of memory that’s less obvious. Not only is Pebble Beach a place where Woods dominated, it’s also a very distinctive course. It looks different than any other, the sounds and smells are unique. All of this implicit memory, the stuff we don’t consciously consider, can have a profound impact on athletes. A study in the late 1980s showed that athletes become athletically prepared (ie, their heart rates rise) when they see images connected to competition. Later studies concluded that athletes who conjure more vivid imagery perform better–Woods certainly can summon vivid images on this course.

But a key question this weekend is whether those memories spark “internal” imagery–remembering from the perspective of self–or “external” imagery. If Woods has been seeing himself through the eyes of others, it’s not hard to figure out why. Shame has that effect and it is generally considered a negative for athletes. Pebble Beach holds no such negatives for Woods. He has almost always played well there. It might even be a place he considers “safe,” which could encourage internal imagery.

If none of this turns out to be a help to Woods, then Jenkins could be right, he’s a wreck in his head. And perhaps that is what he should be as he reconstructs his life. But I have a suspicion Woods was looking towards this weekend all spring. Everything leading up to the Open, including the Masters, was about working out the kinks in his stroke. And by the way, he has not played all that poorly in most of the tournaments. But I think his real return begins now.