Multimedia: What’s an AT&T National without Tiger?
July 3, 2008
The PGA Tour’s AT&T National returned to Congressional Country Club in Potomac, Md. this week. Tiger Woods, the host of the tournament, had surgery on his knee two weeks ago and won’t be there this week.
Multimedia Reporter Richard Simon scoped out the course to see what kind of impact Tiger’s absence will have on the tournament. Watch the video below.
Baltimore golf course receives high honor
June 18, 2008
Public courses in Baltimore and “best of” lists typically don’t match.
Well, that changed last week when Mount Pleasant was ranked 12th in Golfweek magazine’s listing of the top 30 municipal courses in the country.
It’s a pretty impressive honor considering the other courses on the list — Bethpage (Black), Torrey Pines (South), Indian Wells and TPC Scottsdale. Torrey Pines played host to this year’s U.S. Open and Bethpage hosts the Open next year.
What surprised me the most was that Mount Pleasant placed seven spots ahead of Torrey Pines’ North Course, which is played along with the South Course the first two days of the Buick Invitational.
Mount Pleasant, which hosted the Eastern Open from 1950-1963, is one of the most challenging treks I’ve played in the state. When I competed there in high school tournaments, it was rare to ever see a winning score under par.
If there was any way to add a driving range to the facility, I wouldn’t be surprised to see bigger tournaments played there.
Do you think any other public courses in the city or state should be recognized (Rocky Gap is on my list of potentials)?
RICHARD SIMON, Multimedia Reporter
Sphere: Related ContentAge not an issue on LPGA
June 9, 2008
Yesterday, Yani Tseng, at the mere age of 19, defeated the likes of Lorena Ochoa and Annika Sorenstam for her first major championship title at Bulle Rock in Havre de Grace.
Tseng isn’t the youngest player to have won a major on the LPGA. Last year, Morgan Pressel, at 18, won the Kraft Nabisco.
Young players performing well at the majors has become a common trend on the LPGA.
Think about it: Michelle Wie, at age 16, finished in the top-10 three times in the first three major championships of 2006.
Barring Tiger Woods’ first major win at the 1997 Masters (he was 21), there hasn’t been too much major success though for male golfers in their late teens to early twenties.
The only two male players who have had major success that come to mind are Justin Rose, who tied for fourth at the 1998 British Open at age 18, and Ricky Barnes, who at 22, was on the first page of the leaderboard for a significant part of the 2003 Masters, before finishing 21st. Young guns like Anthony Kim and Kevin Na have had early success on tour, but not at the majors.
Alright, golf nuts: I have some theories, but I want to hear from you. How do you explain this major championship trend?
RICHARD SIMON, Multimedia Reporter
Sphere: Related ContentFuture of Bulle Rock as host still uncertain
June 4, 2008
The McDonald’s LPGA Championship starts tomorrow at Bulle Rock Golf Course, and already, there are questions as to whether the major championship will come back to Havre de Grace after its five-year contract expires in 2009.
In truth, Bulle Rock is no Pinehurst. And, as Don Markus of The Sun points out, charitable donations dropped to an all time low last year. LPGA Commissioner Carol Bivens addressed that issue:
It’s not that it’s unimportant, but the venue, the setup, the fans, the field, the buzz, the whole fan experience — especially for a major — is what’s most important to the LPGA.
So, this week is shaping up to be important.
This is the last chance for Marylanders to see Annika Sorenstam (above left) play competitively in the area. Sorenstam, a 10-time major winner and eight-time player of the year, announced three weeks ago that she would retire from competitive golf at the end of the season.
The world’s No.1 women’s golfer, Lorena Ochoa, is seeking her third straight major championship.
Tickets are $22 Thursday and Friday, and $25 Saturday and Sunday. Spectator parking is at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen.
RICHARD SIMON, Multimedia Reporter
Sphere: Related ContentWhat’s bad for the goose could be bad for the golfer
March 6, 2008
There’s only one way to start an article about a golfer in Florida charged with cruelty to animals and killing a migratory bird after hitting the bird with a golf ball, and Sarah Lundy of the Orlando Sentinel aced it. So here is the top of her story on the Sentinel’s Web site:
“Pro golfer Tripp Isenhour took aim with his golf club and shot a birdie at Grand Cypress Golf Club. Well, it was actually a red-shouldered hawk with an annoying call.”
Isenhour, 39, was in the midst of his speaking part for an instructional video on Dec. 12 when, about 300 yards away, the hawk got so loud it disrupted filming at least twice, according to the story.
So, Isenhour did what any guy would do: he drove a golf cart over to the tree where the hawk was perched and hit golf balls toward the bird, Lundy reported.
The bird flew away, landed in a tree about 75 yards from the filming site, and Isenhour again started hitting golf balls toward the bird, Lundy wrote.
Only this time Isenhour did what most guys cannot do: he hit it. The bird fell 30 feet and died soon after, Lundy reported.
Now, I know what all of the golfers reading this are thinking, and the answer is no — I don’t know Isenhour’s club selection. But Isenhour could face up to a $10,000 fine for his shot, Lundy reported.
If I were Isenhour’s lawyer, I would launch what I have just dubbed the “Randy Johnson Defense,” named after the baseball pitcher who hit a bird during a 2001 spring training game.
Then again, Johnson’s incident was accidental and it appears Isenhour’s was premeditated. The golfer might have a tough time crying fowl in front of a judge or jury.
Click to hear the sound of a red-shouldered hawk.
DANNY JACOBS, Legal Affairs Writer
Sphere: Related ContentAll the news that’s not fit for print
February 21, 2008
Warren Brown, the owner of CakeLove bakeries (with an upcoming Canton location) who we recently profiled for his environmental practices, is facing new competition. The (Washington) Examiner reports that “cupcake wars” began with the recent opening of Georgetown Cupcake. Apparently, employees at G.C. say they’ve sold more than 1,000 cupcakes a day at $2.75 a pop. You have to wonder how many bakeries the sweets market can bear…
- Is recreational golf a dying industry? Our sister publication in Long Island and the NY Times each examined the declining popularity of the corporate leisure activity.
- MoCo Council President Mike Knapp explains the county’s new gender identity law, which aims to protect the rights of transgender citizens. The crux? “Some people are confused about the effect of this new law on … the use of a public bathroom or locker room,” said Knapp. “Nothing is any different than it was before. People can feel safe and confident that they can walk into the restroom. Their safety is as protected as it ever was.” Whew.
- Paul Gordon at Maryland Politics Watch writes about the “blurring of the line between civil marriage and religious marriage” in last year’s legislative debate on the Orthodox Jewish divorce law. He points out one opponent of said law, Sen. Anthony Muse (Democrat-Prince George’s), who, he says, is a “pivotal committee vote on the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act” now up for debate.
- For our attorney readers: how would you feel if your nomination to become a federal judge was publicly protested by a former inmate?
JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor
Sphere: Related ContentLocal courses miss top 50 in golf course rankings
August 29, 2007
Maryland golf courses just aren’t up to par, according to GOLF magazine’s new ranking of the top 100 courses in the U.S.
The highest-ranked golf course in the area was the Blue Course at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, which narrowly missed landing in the top half at No. 51. Its 2005 rank was No. 45.
The top rated-rated course in the Baltimore area was Baltimore Country Club in Timonium. But its rating fell drastically, to No. 84 from No. 63 in 2005.
New Jersey’s Pine Valley course held onto its top spot, and courses in New York and Pennsylvania were well represented in the top 10.
So how about it, golfers — are metropolitan-area courses just not up to snuff? Did the magazine miss excellent courses in the state?
Thanks to our sister blog in Long Island for tipping us off.
-JACKIE SAUTER, Multimedia Editor
Sphere: Related Content-
Business
Business postsLaw
Law postsRecent Posts
- In the market for a (used) car?
- DNA: What are the odds?
- Three Restaurant Weeks ahead
- Can the city support an NBA or NHL team?
- What’s in a name?
- A foot-stompin’ good time
Recent Comments
- Anonymous: Yes - Harry Johnson!
- Jeff: Of course it can’t. NBA ticket prices are outrageous, and the NHL isn’t any better. (Plus, it...
- Publicus: No.
- Aequitas: There are certainly many types of cases where some (but not necessarily all) people would...
- Anonymous: I think the recent rise in wine festivals is due to ever-increasing alcohol abuse. For some reason,...