Video: Sergio Hits Decent Shot Then Smashes Microphone Anyway. Deafens Veteran Sound Man

Sergio does a Derek Chizora impression on a tee box microphone at the US Open, making mince meat of it.

Veteran TV sound producer Marty Bunkum sitting in a trailer two miles away with a pair of headphones on and just two weeks short of retirement, didn’t fare so well.

The impact of Sergio’s iron on the microphone caused a sharp sound wave measuring 225 decibels; instantly deafening Bunkum.  There is a silver lining however; Sergio made a bogey and it looks like Marty Bunkum will have a quiet retirement. Very quiet!

 

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People Of America I Am Sorry! Funny US Open Golf Spectator Quotes

Ashley Mayo of Golf Digest was in the stands at Olympic Club and overheard a number of spectator exchanges.  Here are the funniest. 

--Man standing behind the eighth green: "Wooowww, look at all these people! What's going on here?!" His buddy: "We're at the U.S. Open, dude."

--Man, talking to Tommy Biershenk after his ball settled on a slope on the eighth green: "Mark that sh-t before it moves, Tommy. Mark. That. Sh-t."

--Spectator sitting on the mound to the right of the eighth green: "This hole shreds golfers to pieces and pulverizes them into a pulpy juice."

--Spectator, watching Sergio walk down the first fairway: "He looks like a canary. Like a thin, Spanish canary."

--Guy: "Do you think Tiger is a beer man or a wine man?" His buddy: "Sh-t, that dude probably drinks firewater, straight up."

--Man, noting Graeme McDowell's pink pants as McDowell walked to the third tee: "Those pants burned my retina."
Here’s the link to the full set of quotes

 

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Rory Knockers- For God’s Sake Gave Him A Break Please

It’s not often I have a rant so I’ll make this short.  It’s addressed to all Rory McIlroy knockers one of whom accused me already of being a sycophant on facebook. (I’m assuming that’s a bad word!)

It’s important to remember that Rory McIlroy doesn't exist solely for our viewing pleasure. The man is young and in love and more than entitled to have a life outside the ropes after  years of hard graft as a youth inside them.

Life and relationships are more important to Rory just now than playing golf, so please Rors knockers give him a break.

He will be back when he's good and ready. I guarantee that.

End of rant.

Scary US Open Pin Placement Chart

Check out the pin placement chart Ryan Ballengee posted. Scary!

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Sandy Lyle’s Seve and Tony Johnstone Story

Dont know if you heard this one but Sandy Lyle told it during his speech at the World Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
The background to the story has Seve and Tony Johnstone paired together in a European Tour event.  Seve had gotten a number of rulings from the referee that day and Tony was a bit annoyed. As Lyle tells the story:
Both men had driven their balls over a hill, and Johnstone calls Seve over.
“The ball is only a couple of inches from this sprinkler head. Can I get a drop?”
Seve folds his arms and grimaces “No”
Johnstone like a Jack Russell tries again and stretches out his foot in a clearly manufactured way.  “If I move my stance a little like this, can I get a drop from the sprinkler now?”
Seve again says “No Tony.”
“Okay” says Johnstone walking away. “By the way, that’s YOUR ball Seve!”

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2012 US Open Fashion. Best Dressed Winners and Losers

There once was a time when Ian Poulter had a monopoly on looking the bomb at the Majors.  Nowadays he’s merely an also ran.  Here’s some of the neater threads on the catwalk at the 2012 US Open.

Ryo Ishikawa-Yonex

Coolness Factor 90%

Ryo is contracted head to toe with Yonex.  They dont just make badminton rackets you know!  With the exception of the hideous belt, Ryo’s clobber takes the biscuit.  And check out those tartans; they’re the same as those he wore at The Masters but hey, he’s a man, and men are allowed to wear the same clothes twice.

Rickie Fowler-Puma

Coolness Factor 83%.  All Puma gear. Loses marks for having the worst moustache in living memory.  That wispy lip duster is scaring my kids.

 

Graeme McDowell- GMac for Kartel

Coolness Factor- 80%. Could do with being a little bit braver on the colours but  it’s not so much about that with GMac, it’s all about the cut.  Graeme has been involved in the creation of all his Tour apparel with Irish company Kartel.  He’s the Tour’s oracle in everything from fabrics to the millimetres that slit at the bottom of the trousers should be!

Accessorize Like Cejka

It’s amazing what a woolly hat and a blue glove can do for an outfit.  That’s ultra smart German Alex Cejka!

 

The Big Fashion Losers

Rory McIlroy- Oakley

When Rory McIlroy won the US Open, Oakley renegotiated their clothing with Rory’s people, and having spoken to Al Jance from Oakley at the Fall 2012 photoshoot in Ballyliffin Ireland, I can tell you they paid a multiple of the previous contract to keep their man.  Why then would they send Rory out for round one dressed as boring as Gary Player, all in black.  It beats the hell out of me, but someone in the marketing department needs a kick in the ass!

Michael Allen

One question.  Why does every man over 50 have to wear a jumper five sizes to big for him?

 

 

 

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Look At The Fear In Bubba’s Eyes!

One Player In The US Open Field Has Played The Course 2,000 Times

You wont believe me (and I don’t blame you) but there is one player in the US Open field that has played the course over 2,000 times.  He is 52 year old qualifier Michael Allen.  Now on the Champions Tour Allen is a member at the Lake Course and used that local knowledge to put together a none too shabby one over round of 71.

He told reporters “It's the only round I've really played in competition out here. So for me it is my best round so far,” Allen said. “You go out with your buddies and play and shoot 66 or 67 and, yeah you played better, but it has never been a U.S. Open or a U.S. Amateur or anything like that. So this is great to play well in these conditions.  And this is a completely different golf course than I played as a member.”

 

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Big Run On Sudocrem At Olympic Club

Some of the biggest names in world golf are waking up today with sore backsides after having their asses well and truly spanked by Mike Davis and his Olympic Club set up. A suitably large dollop of Sudocrem has been sent for!

Mild Chafing- Padraig Harrington +4

Swollen Cheeks- Dustin Johnson +5

That’s some serious Nappy Rash- Phil and Ernie +6

Ring Of Fire- Rors +7 and Bubba +8

May never sit down again- Luke Donald +9

In Ironic Twist Harrington Declares Course “Brilliant” After Two Four Putts

 You want sadomasochism? Try our Podge. Two four-putts and a three-putts and then declares "The course is super. Brilliant.  Actually, not difficult either. It’s nicely setup.  Very playable."

After his round Harrington set off to perform dental root canal surgery without anaesthetic on himself before flinging himself into a pit filled with deadly snakes.

Who Is Michael Thompson?

Shock US Open first round leader Michael Thompson is not so much of a shock to some. When Colt Knost (also in the field) won the US Amateur in 2007 he beat Michael Thompson in the final.  Where was the tournament held? Olympic Club!

In 2008 Thompson won low amateur at the US Open and is a former Hooters Tour “player of the year”.

 

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Golf Is Easy! Nick Watney’s Miracle Albatross. From Three Over to Even Par in One Shot-

In the opening round of the 2012 U.S. Open, Nick Watney holes out from the fairway and cards an albatross on the par-5 17th hole.

 

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Tiger Woods Manufactures A Gem at The US Open

Check out Tiger’s approach to the fourth. Ominous for the rest of the field!

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Folke Nyberg: How GMac Got His Lucky Break

Call it luck, call it skill, call it what you will.  Its about being in the right place at the right time.
When Folke Nyberg was director of golf at Kungsangan Golf Club in Sweden in 2002 he was given one wild card pick by the European Tour  for the Scandinavian Masters which was to be held at at the venue.
After receiving some advice from industry people, Folke chose  to give his wildcard to a  young player going to college in Alabama by the name of Graeme McDowell. This kid could play; he had a better collegiate record than Tiger, but nobody knew him.
GMac arrived at the event and without a practice round  or pro am blitzed his way to his first Tour win!  And such is the man he became, when Gmac won the  US Open Chamionship in 2010, he  sent Folke a message saying “thanks for helping me out at the start!”  Class!
Folke now works as Director of Golf in the V Club, Vilnius, lithuania

Player Quotes From Olympic Club After Practice

Quotes gathered from pressers

Tiger Woods:- "You have to curve it more off the tees here than any other golf course that we play."

Bubba Watson:-There's holes where you can shape it.  There's holes where I'm going to hit a driver and blast it out of the rough, and have a shorter iron out of the rough. The fairways are so narrow that it's going to be hard to shape a ball in the fairway.  If they get hard it's going to roll out of the fairway.  It's going to be very difficult.

Phil Mickelson:- “With the tee back (on the 16th), it eliminates any options.  I would never say it's an unfair hole. I just don't think it's a good hole.”

Monty Gets Puppies Out For The Boys On Olympic Torch Run

Sometimes words just are not enough. I’m surprised these puppies weren’t censored.

 

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Inside the Ropes Report At The 2012 US Open

Here’s the latest from my contact in the media centre and the weather forecasters hut at Olympic Club.

The Course

The “unfair” green on 18 was redone after the 1998 US Open and the players this week have all reported it to be fair.  Punishing if you are in the wrong position, but fair.
Lots of the European contingent had expected tree lined fairways only to be a bit disappointed by the sparse look in places.  Hundreds of giant Pines have been removed; they were either diseased or unstable.
What this has done is to allow the wind from the sea to whistle across the course.
The greens are a hybrid bentgrass, they used used to poa annua.  Stimpmeter readings from the greenkeeping staff (unofficially) are said to be between 11 and 13 metres and maybe even a little faster, depending on the wind drying the course on the weekend.
The greens are tiny but the rough is not even close to being as punishing as expected.  Sure. there will be bad lies but in places it is very patchy.
The course is set up to mostly favour a player comfortable with a left to right shot.  Eight holes have been redesigned to require a new shape with the drive.
The hardest part of the course according to those in practice is the run off areas around the greens.  These are cut shorter than average greens and gathering any errant balls.  Expect lots of precise clean contact chipping for anyone expecting to get up and down. 
The front nine is playing harder than the back nine.  The first six holes in particular are brutal. The longest hole is the 670-yard par five 16th.

The Weather

The official weather man for the USGA has posted charts for the week indicating mild weather, approx 20 degree Celcius with no rain.  A Westerly sea breeze at 15 mph is expected to prevail for the duration of the event.
and finally the consensus among the players and caddies is that 10 under could win!

Tee Times

Click read more below for full list of tee times

Updated: 2012 US Open Free Golf Betting Preview and Tips

Update: Brandt Snedeker was withdrawn from the event with a rib injury.  Original article here: 2012 US Open Free Golf Betting Preview and Tips

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

Dustin Johnson 30/1

Back with a bang last week after a long spell out injured.  Johnson blew up spectacularly against GMac at the US Open in 2010, mistakenly grounded his club in a “bunker” at that years PGA, and hit a ball out of bounds when reeling in Darren Clarke at last year’s Open.  It doesn’t sound the best, but the real point is that Dustin Johnson has gotten himself into position regularly in Majors. He’s great in the wind and has the power on tap when needed. No player has won the previous week and went on to win the US Open, but I will be willing bet against that.  Johnson is due his Major.

 

Luke Donald 13/1

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 30/1

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.

Louis Oosthuizen 55/1

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.

Best Of The Rest

Peter Hanson played well last week in Sweden and has proven over the last few years he has the game to contend at a US Open.  The Swede has top-20 in the last three stagings with a best of tied 7th last year.  Also paid out big time at the Masters tying third.  The question is whether or not Hanson can adapt from the comparably slow greens in Bro Hof Slot to this weeks test.

Long odds glory hunters might take a look at qualifier Mikko Ilonen at 500/1.  Mikko contended last week on the European Tour and is great odds in a number of the betting subcategories. A top 10 is not beyond him.

American Colt Knost is also to be had at 300/1, probably because he has missed the cut in his last five events.  Knost however also has two third place finishes, one of which at the RBC Heritage should have been better were it not for a final round 74. And one other thing the bookies might have missed- He won the 2007 US Amateur champion, at Olympic Club!

 

 

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?

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The Teaching Bay: How To Hack Out Of US Open Rough

The rough the players will face at Olympic Club this week is reported as patchy but it’s generally as punishing as it gets for Tour players. Being able to play quality shots from the rough will be vital. Here are a few points regarding playing from the rough that will help you make a good strike from the lettuce.

The first key to hitting from the rough is to assess how deep or buried is your ball? The club you hit and what type of shot you play are dictated by this because the rough creates resistance as the club enters the grass, causing the club to slow down or decelerate before impact. The heavier the rough, the more rapidly the club slows down. Obviously, the club head slowing down results in a loss of distance. So, judging how much grass is going to interfere with the club head before impact is critical.

When your ball is sitting down in the rough, it’s a good rule of thumb to take an extra club than you normally would for the given distance, but now you also need to alter your technique slightly. In this situation you want to make your swing plane steeper or more upright so you approach the ball with a more vertical angle. This technique minimizes the amount of resistance from the rough.

At address open both your stance and the club face slightly and play the ball in the middle of your stance. Also increase the grip pressure in both hands. This will help keep the club face from closing rapidly as the club enters the grass.

Winners of the Doc’s Day Out July 13th at Mount Juliet with Aimpoint Clinic

Thanks to everyone who entered for the Docs Day out on July 13th in Mount Juliet.  I had over 500 entires so we will definitely do another soon.

The six winners of Doc’s Aimpoint Day out in Mount Juliet are

Brendon Synnott, Dan Walsh, Mary Dowling, Neil Morris, David Lally and David Hoey. I will be in touch by email with details and look forward to meeting you for a great day out!

Dustin Johnson’s Stars and Stripes TaylorMade Hat

TaylorMade have quite the knack at grabbing attention with innovative headwear.  First it was the mysterious “17” hats that turned out to be a marketing gimmick for the RBZ fairway wood and now it’s the “Stars and Stripes”.

The limited edition “Stars and Stripes” Driver Love headwear was introduced by TaylorMade at the Memorial Tournament. The campaign is a charitable effort to support the Salute Military Golf Association and Operation Game On – 50% of every $10  headcover sold is being contributed to the organizations dedicated to rehabilitating combat-wounded veterans through golf.

 

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Dustin Johnson Wins As The Rest Get Wet

Rory McIlroy, Nick O’Hern and co just couldn’t keep the ball out of the drink on 18 and Dustin Johnson strolled to victory at the St Jude Classic. Here are all the highlights.

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