In the end, the final day turned into a showdown between two of the best golfers in the world.  Only it was Ernie Els, not Tiger Woods, battling Phil Mickelson for the HSBC Champions.  Right from the get-go Tiger seemed off his game, and his score of 72 was proof of that.  On the front nine Mickelson pulled away from his old foe, pulling ahead of Woods by six strokes, and finishing with a 3-under 69 on the day, good for 17-under and the win.
But after vanquishing Woods, “Lefty” had another challenger to contend with–South African Ernie Els.  After an …read more

Phil Mickelson grabbed the lead after three rounds at the HSBC Champions, after a torrid finish to his round of 67.  “Lefty” made an outstanding three birdies over his final five holes to go from a two-stroke deficit to a two-stroke lead over Tiger Woods and Nick Watney.  Woods, the second round leader, made birdie on No. 10, but that was it for his round, finishing with a 2-under 70, leaving him at 12-under for the tourney.
Expect the photogs to be out in full force on Sunday, with the ideal final pairing of Mickelson and Woods.  The two haven’t been …read more

There may have been 70+ players teeing off in the first round of the HSBC Champions tournament, but the throngs of Chinese fans were really there to see only two players–Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.  And even though neither of the superstars was at the top of the leaderboard, neither disappointed the fans.  But the first day, at least, belonged to Nick Watney, who fired an 8-under 64, good for a two stroke lead over a group of three golfers, including Ireland’s Shane Lowry.
Woods finds himself three strokes back after an opening round 67.  American Anthony Kim and England’s Paul …read more

The Presidents Cup played out exactly how many thought it would, as the Americans cruised to victory over the International team capture the Presidents Cup.  The margin of victory was 19 1/2 to 14 1/2, with Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson leading the charge against Greg Norman’s overmatched International team.  Woods and Mickelson were outstanding all week, and finished the tournament undefeated.  As their reward, team captain Fred Couples awarded the pair two of the four autographed Michael Jordan jerseys.  The remaining two went to Anthony Kim and Steve Stricker.
Not much went right for the International team on Sunday. …read more

The pairings for the Presidents Cup were released today, and despite having a squad boasting impressive credentials, the International team still finds themselves as the underdog.  International team member Ernie Els believes that it would be a major coup if his squad can come out of tomorrow’s play all even.  Captain Greg Norman’s squad has history going against it as well–it has never won the Presidents Cup on American soil.  Heck, the International team only has one win in the history of the Presidents Cup, and that victory came 11 years ago.
Thursday’s opening day starts with six foursome matches.  Phil …read more

It was a great day for golf, and an even better day for the PGA tour’s two biggest stars.  Uber-popular Phil Mickelson rallied himself to victory at the Tour Championship in spectacular style, finishing the day with a 5-under 65 to close the tourney at 9-under, three strokes ahead of Tiger Woods.  But don’t worry about Tiger, especially since he’s now $10 million richer for winning the FedEx Cup playoff for the second time.  Woods shot an even par 70 for the day, while third-round leader Kenny Perry, who had a two-stroke advantage heading into the final round, ended up …read more

In the wake of Y.E. Yang’s improbable and stunning upset of Tiger Woods at the recent PGA Championship, there are more than a few golf fans who believe that Yang’s victory was a direct result of something Tiger rarely does…choke.  Whether you’re one of those who buy that (he did give back 2-strokes on the front nine, and needed 33 putts for the round), or you believe that it was Yang’s unflappable play against the world number one player (Woods shot 75 on Sunday, not 80) that accounted for the upset, either way, it’s over.  So, in order to ease …read more

In the span of an hour, the PGA Championship went from the final major of the calendar year, into the Tiger Woods show.  No, this is not a repeat of 2002, 2004 or 2006.  At the turn today, three players were tied atop the leaderboard.  When all was said and done, only Tiger was left, holding a four stroke advantage over Ross Fisher, Padraig Harrington, Vijay Singh and Brendan Jones.  Woods finished with a 2-under 70 to sit at 7-under heading into weekend play at Hazeltine.  Oh, by the way, Eldrick is 8-0 when leading a major through 36 holes.  …read more

It only took Padraig Harrington eight months of swing tinkering, five straight missed cuts and life at the bottom of the leaderboard before the Ireland native was able to produce his best round of the year.  Finally putting it al together Thursday, Harrington’s opening round 6-under 64 placed him atop the leaderboard at the Bridgestone Invitational, two strokes ahead of Scott Verplank, Tim Clark and Prayad Marksaeng.  It is the first time all season Harrington has had a tournament lead.
Tiger Woods, the world’s top player, opened with a 2-under 68, four strokes back of Harrington as he tries to capture …read more

The PGA Championship just got a little more interesting.
Phil Mickelson, the popular lefty, is set to rejoin the PGA tour, starting next week at the Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio, and continuing with the PGA Championship at Hazeltine, just outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Mickelson was at Hazeltine today, getting a practice round in, but did not speak to the press.  He did however post on his website that his intentions are to play in the Barclays Golf Tournament, which takes place two weeks after the PGA Championship, “and if things continue to go well I’ll be able to play …read more