That Not A Branding Iron Lee Westwood’s Putting With. It’s A Ping Nome

The man everyone forgot to remember before next weeks US Open, that’s Lee Westwood,  sounded a “shot across the bowels” of the opposition (as my old Grandad used to say!) by beating the tar out of them at the Nordea Masters in Sweden.

Westwood followed in the footsteps of Hunter Mahan by switching to the Ping Nome putter and winning with it in its first week.  We previewed the Nome with one of the designers Marty Jertson of Ping back in January at the PGA show.  Here’s Marty chatting about the technology within.

 

Is the Ping Nome that little bit too heavy to win on the ultra slick greens at Olympic Club? We’ll know next Sunday with both Lee and Hunter brandishing the branding iron!

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What Is The Best Golf Instruction DVD Ever? Try Butch Harmon About Golf

For Europeans and especially those of us under 40, Butch Harmon is the guy from Sky Sports who sits in the studio and acts as the enthusiastic antidote to the  likes Monty or Peter Oosterhuis. We don’t immediately associate him with coming from a family with one of the richest heritages in both playing and teaching golf; we gloss over the fact that Butch and his three brothers Dick (RIP), Craig and Bill have been honoured amongst the world’s best teachers; we forget that his Dad Claude was a golfing prodigy in his day and the proud winner of a Masters Green Jacket in 1948.

Before watching the new Butch Harmon About Golf DVD, I must admit I had never seen Butch in anything other than a suit before. I knew he had the ears of some of the world’s best pros, I knew he coached Tiger back in the day, but I had never actually seen him giving a lesson.

What I watched in the Butch Harmon DVD was mesmerizing, there was realization a few minutes in that hit me kind of like “I knew he was good, but I never figured he was THAT good.” The words, the demonstration, the subtle tips flow from Butch effortlessly, all delivered in lay mans language; the product of having had a lifetime to rehearse with some of the greats.

This Butch Harmon About Golf DVD is to golf instruction what a Bruce Spingsteeen concert is to Rock and Roll, four hours of pure gold. Every aspect of the game is covered in distinct and logical sections over two DVDs. I imagine Butch teaches professionals and absolute beginners the exact same way and that ease of understanding permeates through the lessons, making it suitable for golfers of all standards.

There's also nice touches and references to some of the players Butch has worked with over the years including Tiger Woods, Adam Scott, Dustin Johnson, Nick Watney and Phil Mickelson. My favourite part is Butch actually recounting a chipping tip given to him by El Pato Angel Cabrera. I’ve used it since and it sorted me out!

So next time you’re watching Sky Sports and getting a hit a bit hot under the collar at all the analysis, remember that Butch has well and truly earned his place to sit there. The others? Well….the jury is still out on those!!! I vote Butch Harmon About Golf onto my beside locker alongside Hogan’s Five Lessons.

The "Butch Harmon About Golf presented by Titleist" DVD set is available at www.butchharmondvd.com.

 

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North Korean Leader “Velly Pleased” with US Open Pairings

PYONGYANG, NORTH KOREA—Speaking from on top of a huge mountain of gold fillings, North Korea’s number one crazed dictator, Kim Jong-un, has declared himself “velly velly pleased” with the US Open grouping of fellow countrymen K. J. Choi and Y. E. Yang and K. T. Kim.

“I’m really excited that K, Y and K are out together next week” said Jong-Un. “They are the three best players in the world, with the obvious exception of myself, Dad, Saddam, Pol and Ghadaffi.  It will be on at about 4am in the morning here in North Korea but I have ordered every citizen to be out of bed and watching the corner of the room where a television should be.  We will of course be keeping everybody informed of the player’s progress through leaflet drops.”

“Having the guys in the same group also makes it very easy for our snipers to take them out if they don’t shoot 38 under par”, it makes the logistics and the getaway so much easier”.

Kim Jong Un is reportedly settling in well to his role as North Korean supreme dictator silencing many critics in the West who deemed him “just not mental enough” to take over from his father, Kim Jong Il.

Jong junior recently won “North Korea’s Got Talent”; winning over the public and head judge Simon Cowell with his impression of Kenny Perry.

“I’m really stoked with the win” said Jong Un, “Simon Cowell was a big fan of my Dad’s Tom Kite impression and I knew he would be very hard to win over.  Dad won 28 years in a row and I was worried that Simon and the public might be tired of the concept and wanting change.  But obviously not!”

 

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2012 US Open Fourballs With The Usual Crazy Pairings!

Here’s the list of pairings for the 2012 US Open with the usual daft ones highlighted!
7:15 a.m. / 12:30 p.m. - Scott Langley, Manchester, Mo.; Steve Lebrun, West Palm Beach, Fla.; A-Beau Hossler, Mission Viejo, Calif.
            7:26 a.m. / 12:41 p.m. - Jason Bohn, Acworth, Ga.; Raphael Jacquelin, France; J. B. Park, Korea
            7:37 a.m. / 12:52 p.m. - Michael Thompson, Birmingham, Ala.; TBD; Steve Marino, St. Simons Island, Ga.
            7:48 a.m. / 1:03 p.m. - Brendan Jones, Australia; George Coetzee, South Africa; Gregory Bourdy, France
            7:59 a.m. / 1:14 p.m. - A-Patrick Cantlay, Los Alamitos, Calif.; Jonathan Byrd, Sea Island, Ga.; Kyle Stanley, Gig Harbor, Wash.
            8:10 a.m. / 1:25 p.m. - Retief Goosen, South Africa; Vijay Singh, Fiji; Zach Johnson, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
            8:21 a.m. / 1:36 p.m. - Paul Casey, England; Hiroyuki Fujita, Japan; Mark Wilson, Elmhurst, Ill.
            8:32 a.m. / 1:47 p.m. - Adam Scott, Australia; Keegan Bradley, Jupiter, Fla.; Webb Simpson, Charlotte, N.C.
            8:43 a.m. / 1:58 p.m. - Tim Clark, South Africa; Toru Taniguchi, Japan; Rod Pampling, Australia
            8:54 a.m. / 2:09 p.m. - Francesco Molinari, Italy; Bo Van Pelt, Jenks, Okla.; Peter Hanson, Sweden
            9:05 a.m. / 2:20 p.m. - D. A. Points, Windermere, Fla.; Dong-Hwan Lee, Korea; Kevin Streelman, Scottsdale, Ariz.
            9:16 a.m. / 2:31 p.m. - Edward Loar, Dallas, Texas; Paul Claxton, Claxton, Ga.; Alistair Presnell, Australia
            9:27 a.m. / 2:42 p.m. - Mark McCormick, Middletown, N.J.; A-Nick Sherwood, Albany, Ore.; Cole Howard, Fort Worth, Texas
Thursday (June 14), hole #9; Friday (June 15), hole #1
            7:00 a.m. / 12:45 p.m. - Shane Bertsch, Parker, Colo.; Martin Flores, Dallas, Texas; Tommy Biershenk, Inman, S.C.
            7:11 a.m. / 12:56 p.m. - Scott Piercy, Las Vegas, Nev.; Matthew Baldwin, England; Matt Bettencourt, Greenville, S.C.
           The “lets see what happens when Thomas loses his temper if Na goes slow” group.  7:22 a.m. / 1:07 p.m. - Thomas Bjorn, Denmark; Kevin Na, Las Vegas, Nev.; Branden Grace, South Africa            The “lets stick Tiger out with the southpaws” group.7:33 a.m. / 1:18 p.m. - Phil Mickelson, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.; Tiger Woods, Hobe Sound, Fla.; Bubba Watson, Scottsdale, Ariz.
            The “poor unfortunate bastards in the group after Tiger” group7:44 a.m. / 1:29 p.m. - Joe Ogilvie, Austin, Texas; Stephen Ames, Canada; Tim Herron, Deephaven, Minn.
            7:55 a.m. / 1:40 p.m. - Davis Love III, Sea Island, Ga.; Padraig Harrington, Ireland; David Toms, Shreveport, La.
            The wouldn’t it be really funny to put three guys together with slightly different but still the same first names just in different languages” group 8:06 a.m. / 1:51 p.m. - Carl Pettersson, Sweden; Charl Schwartzel, South Africa; Charles Howell III, Windermere, Fla.           The let’s do that again; this time with Roberts” group. 8:17 a.m. / 2:02 p.m. - Robert Karlsson, Sweden; Bob Estes, Austin, Texas; Robert Rock, England            The “let’s stick the Asians with the Initials together for a cheap laugh and sure they can chat amongst themselves group” 8:28 a.m. / 2:13 p.m. - K. J. Choi, Korea; Y. E. Yang, Korea; K. T. Kim, Korea

Video: 1998 US Open at Olympic Club Highlights Package

I’ve been doing a trawl of the archives to find some footage of the last US Open to be held at Olympic Club in 1998.  Not surprisingly many feature the great Payne Stewart RIP who battled it out with Lee Janzen down the stretch.

Video: Preview Of The 16th At Olympic Club. Longest Hole Ever In US Open

Here’s a behind the scenes look at the longest ever hole in US Open golf, the 16th at Olympic Club and some of the other holes from the 2012 US Open Media Day.

 

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Complete A-Z and Profile Of Every Player In the 2012 US Open Field

Now that sectional qualifying in the USA, Japan and England are completed, here is the complete field for the 2012 US Open.  Click on any link to view their profile on the official 2012 US Open Website.

2012 US Open Full Field A-Z

also check out my http://www.golfcentraldaily.com/2012/06/2012-us-open-free-golf-betting-preview.html

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Complete List of 2012 US Open Sectional Qualifying Results

Now that all sectional qualifying is complete across the USA, Japan and England, here is a complete list of all the stories, photo's, results, qualifiers and hard luck stories. (Press click more below to expand).

and Here is the link to my 2012 US Open Betting Preview and Tips post.

2012 Fed Ex St Jude Classic Betting Tips On Newstalk Golf Weekly Podcast

Enjoy the golf weekly podcast on Newstalk with Dave McIntyre, Fionn Davenport and Mick Marthy in studio with yours truly on the phone at 27 mins in to discuss the tips for the Fed Ex St Jude Classic.

 

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What’s In The Bag 2012 Branden Grace

Here’s what’s in the bag of three time European Tour winner in 2012 Branden Grace.

Click read more for full profile

The X Factor Shoulder and Hips- Anne Marie Kennedy Yoga For Golf

Anne Marie Kennedy from Yoga For Golf Ireland is our teaching bay contributor. Anne Marie works with Ireland’s elite amateurs, training them to maximize their flexibility, and power in their game through yoga. For more details check out www.yogaforgolf.ie

Benefit: This pose increases shoulder mobility which creates a larger disassociation between the shoulders and the hips. Increased disassociation creates a larger “X Factor” leading to increased distance in all golf shots.

Instruction: Begin on hands and knees, making sure the wrists are directly underneath the shoulders and the knees are directly underneath the hips. Keep the fingers spread and the palms flat. Place your right hand behind your head. As you inhale, twist from the thoracic spine and take the right elbow up toward the ceiling. Exhale, bring the right arm down and under the left shoulder (allowing the left arm to bend). Repeat 5-7 times coordinating the breath with the movement. Doing this regularly will build the power between your shoulders and hips needed to hit much longer shots.

 

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2012 US Open Free Golf Betting Preview and Tips

2012 US Open, THE OLYMPIC CLUB,
San Francisco, California
June 11-17, 2012 

Luke Donald 12/1

If Luke Donald is to win a Major, this has to be the perfect location in which to do it.   Donald lies eighth in driving accuracy, leads the Tour in scrambling and ranks highly in pretty much everything else. Except driving distance.  Just as well so that this will be the shortest US Open track in a long while with the emphasis on a whole different skillset to the norm.

 

Jason Dufner 25/1

You just wonder was Jason Dufner wise to rest off tournament golf since the Colonial a few weeks back.  Dufner was on a roll of two wins at the Zurich Classic and Byron Nelson and was just overtaken by Zach Johnson at Colonial.  However if he can hit the ground running at the Olympic Club with the same temperament and regulation golf that we saw last month, he has to have a great chance.  Performed well at last seasons USPGA in coming second to Keegan Bradley and is the form dog coming into the week.

 

Matt Kuchar 28/1

Matt Kuchar has a simple repeating swing and the patient demeanour to win what promises to be an ultra tough US Open.  Kuchar had a shot at winning the Masters this year tying third in the end, then showed he has the guts to win in exalted company at Sawgrass.  Kuch turned 20 on final round Sunday when the US Open was last held at the Olympic Club in 1998.  He competed as an amateur and tied for 14th. "I can remember walking off the course at Olympic Club and just being dead tired after my rounds at the U.S. Open," he said of the occasion. Top 15 in the last two stagings.

 

Brandt Snedeker 100/1

Things havent got so smoothly for Snedeker since starting the season with a win at The Farmers Insurance Open.  The highlights have been good weeks at the Accenture and Volvo Matchplays and a top 20 at the Masters.  He also withdrew from the Memorial with a rib strain so all eyes will be on his form in Memphis in the lead up.  Sneds no nonsense routine eliminates a lot of the US Open headfunking and his results have borne that out. Tied for 11th last year at Congressional and tied eighth at Pebble in 2010. Add another tied ninth When Tiger and Rocco battled it out in 2008, and that's three top 10's in the last four stagings for the visored one.

Louis Oosthuizen 40/1

Louis Oosthuizen is one of my favourite players so I need a bit of leeway on this one.  Oosthuizen has won a Major already and did so with all the class and poise of a man who has plenty more in the locker.  Stood tall in the face defeat at Augusta and even won the following week in Malaysia.
Though he has been quiet since, and missed the cut badly at Jack's place is one for the biggest of occasions. Tied for ninth last year at Congressional.

Past Top 10's

2011
1    -       Rory McIlroy      -16    F    -2    65    66    68    69    268
2    1       Jason Day    -8    F    -3    71    72    65    68    276
T3    12       Kevin Chappell    -6    F    -5    76    67    69    66    278
T3    -       Robert Garrigus      -6    F    -1    70    70    68    70    278
T3    -       Lee Westwood      -6    F    -1    75    68    65    70    278
T3    1       Y.E. Yang    -6    F    E    68    69    70    71    278
T7    8       Peter Hanson    -5    F    -4    72    71    69    67    279
T7    1       Sergio Garcia    -5    F    -1    69    71    69    70    279
T9    18       Charl Schwartzel    -4    F    -5    68    74    72    66    280
T9    12       Louis Oosthuizen      -4    F    -4    69    73    71    67    280
2010
1    1       Graeme McDowell    E    F    +3    71    68    71    74    284
2    2       Gregory Havret      +1    F    +1    73    71    69    72    285
3    1       Ernie Els    +2    F    +2    73    68    72    73    286
T4    2       Phil Mickelson    +3    F    +2    75    66    73    73    287
T4    1       Tiger Woods    +3    F    +4    74    72    66    75    287
T6    17       Matt Kuchar    +4    F    -3    74    72    74    68    288
T6    4       Davis Love III      +4    F    E    75    74    68    71    288
T8    5       Brandt Snedeker    +5    F    E    75    74    69    71    289
T8    2       Martin Kaymer    +5    F    +1    74    71    72    72    289
T8    1       Alex Cejka    +5    F    +2    70    72    74    73    289
T8    7       Dustin Johnson    +5    F    +11    71    70    66    82    289
2009
1    1       Lucas Glover    -4    F    +3    69    64    70    73    276
T2    3       Phil Mickelson    -2    F    E    69    70    69    70    278
T2    1       David Duval    -2    F    +1    67    70    70    71    278
T2    1       Ricky Barnes    -2    F    +6    67    65    70    76    278
5    2       Ross Fisher      -1    F    +2    70    68    69    72    279
T6    9       Tiger Woods    E    F    -1    74    69    68    69    280
T6    9       Soren Hansen      E    F    -1    70    71    70    69    280
T6    1       Hunter Mahan      E    F    +2    72    68    68    72    280
9    16       Henrik Stenson    +1    F    -2    73    70    70    68    281
T10    22       Rory McIlroy      +2    F    -2    72    70    72    68    282
T10    15       Matt Bettencourt    +2    F    -1    75    67    71    69    282
T10    10       Sergio Garcia    +2    F    E    70    70    72    70    282
T10    5       Ryan Moore    +2    F    +1    70    69    72    71    282
T10    2       Stephen Ames    +2    F    +2    74    66    70    72    282
T10    5       Mike Weir      +2    F    +4    64    70    74    74    282

Technorati Tags: 2012 US Open Betting Preview and Tips,PGA Tour top tipster,European Tour top tipster,Paddypower golf betting tips,betfair golf betting tips,The Memorial 2012 Preview,2012 US Open power rankings,Who will win at Olympic Club?

My Facebook Friends Are Heading To The Olympic Club for the 2012 US Open!

Facebook is wonderful. It’s great to have friends both professional and amateur from all over the world and hear of their successes.

I've been following the progress of a fb friend Edward Loar who was trying to get into his first ever US Open as a 34 year old PGA Tour rookie. I'm sure lots of pros will know him from mini tours over the years.  And fair play to him, he finally made thru in Columbus. Watch out for the name Ed Loar at the Olympic Club! Dream come true. Congratulations from GCD!

Well done also to another fbf Sam Osborne who also made it through US Open qualy.  Sam posted a pic of the scoreboard with the good news.  We will be watching out for both for you guys!

 

To friend Doc and golfcentraldaily on facebook click here

 

 

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2012 FedEx St. Jude Classic Free Golf Betting Preview and Tips

FedEx St. Jude Classic , TPC Southwind · Memphis, Tennessee
early odds on the exchanges

also see my 2012 US Open Betting Preview and Tips here

Zach Johnson 13/1
All eyes will be on Rory McIlroy 11/1 this week but I think Zach Johnson is a great shout both here in Memphis and next at the Olympic Club. Zach still continues to operate under the radar even though he won last time out at Colonial and also has two seconds in his last four starts. He ranks fourth in scrambling on the PGA Tour stats and seventh in strokes gained in putting. Finished under par in 32^nd here last year but didn’t posses the formline he has right now.
JB Holmes 50/1
Big hitting JB Holmes recovered from a torrid time at The Players to post a tidy top 15 last week at Muirfield Village. That included a final round of 67 on one of the toughest tests on the PGA Tour and what a boost that should be coming into this week. Good each way value at 50/1.  Don’t just believe Holmes is all about power, he has the touch of a surgeon at times.
David Toms 38/1
Top 15’s at Quail Hollow and Sawgrass were followed by an MC at Colonial for Toms. TPC Southwind has always rewarded greens in regulation merchants and great putters and Toms certainly fits that bill with three top 10’s in the last six years. His best finish here was in 2009 when a final round of 65 grabbed him a tie for second.
Brian Gay 65/1
There’s not too many courses that suit Brian Gay’s shorter game but TPC Southwind traditionally is one. The winner by a country mile here in 2009, Gay also has a fourth place finish in 2007. After a good fourth place in Texas, Gay has struggled to three missed cuts since sending his odds West. Bit of a long odds glory shot, but I thought I should tell you!
Brandt Snedeker 22/1
Sned pulled out just prior to his third round last week at Memorial citing a strained rib and remains a doubt coming into this week. If fully fit he has the game to contend at Southwind and has a best of tied fifth in 2007. Top 15’d again last year and worthy of note.
Best Of The Rest
2012 has been an absolute shocker for Robert Karlsson 40/1 but if there is anyone who deserves a bit of luck from a Tournament, it’s the Swede. He’s lost in playoffs here for the past two years, to Harrison Frazar and Lee Westwood.
There’s also a bit of value to be had in Graeme McDowell 24/1 who has changed his schedule around this year to include this event. For the past couple of years GMac has played in Wales before the US Open but skipped it this year. Played great golf at the Matchplay in Spain a few weeks back and if he can handle the soaring heat in Memphis could turn in a good performance.

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What’s In The Bag Tiger Woods At The 2012 Memorial

Congrats to Tiger Woods on his epic win at the 2012 Memorial Tournament.  Here’s what’s in the bag of Tiger Woods heading into the US Open.

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3 Minutes 7 Seconds of Memorial Memories from Woods

Here’s all the action from the final round of the 2012 Memorial Tournament including the by now legendary Tiger Woods chip in.

 

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Video: Tiger Woods Miracle Chip In On 16 at The Memorial

Congratulations to Tiger Woods on a simply stunning final round at The Memorial. Here's the video of Woods wonder shot chip-in on the 16th hole en route to victory.  Jack Nicklaus said of it, "That was one of the most incredible pitch shots you'll ever see played"

 

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2012 US Open: The Bluffers Guide To The Olympic Club

The US Open is just around the corner and you’re going to need to be able to impress your mates at the bar with your knowledge of the venue during the million and one ad breaks on Sky Sports. Luckily I have just the crash course!

Dirty Harry

This years venue is The Olympic Club. It’s set in a huge athletic club near the centre of San Francisco. That’s bottom left USA to you and me; the place with Earthquakes and the Golden Gate bridge. It’s also the spot where Dirty Harry asked the punk if he felt lucky, where Steve McQueen did his Bullitt car chase and where Alcatraz prison sits just across the bay.

Janzen

The Olympic Club has a number of courses but the US Open will be played at The Lake Course designed by Willie Watson and Sam Whiting back in 1924. The course has hosted the US Open once in every decade since the fifties. The last time it hosted was in 1998 when Lee Janzen won beating Payne Stewart by just one shot.

The only clubs that have hosted the U.S. Open more times than The Olympic Club are Oakmont Country Club (8), Baltusrol Golf Club (7), and Oakland Hills Country Club (6). The course was rebuilt in 1927 after a huge storm damaged the entire estate and further tricked up in 1955 by none other than Robert Trent Jones Sr. who the USGA hired before that year’s US Open.

The course is short by Tour standards at 7,163 yards but has been made a little longer by changing the par from 71 to 70 for US Open week.

Ending Par 5’s

That only leaves two par 5’s, the 16^th and the 17th. The 16^th will measure 670 yards and is going to be set up so as to nearly impossible to hit in two shots. The 17^th has had a bunker popped right in the middle of the lay up area to force the players to go for it in two shots.

The McIlroy Factor

The USGA traditionally don’t like players ripping up their US Open tests and with Rory McIlroy getting it to 16 under last year, let’s just say they were not best pleased. The average winning score over the previous five years was one over par and you can bet your bottom dollar on a return to that kind of brutal test at The Olympic Club.

 

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