Season-long running golf thread

Hondo, to answer your question about the Sentinel and traveling in the wake of Woods' departure on the Elling/Orlando thread (and don't get me re-started on that), that's a good question.

I would imagine they'd still do a fair bit of traveling, considering all the golf in Florida. Yes, they'd cover the majors as well.

I would, however, bring Randy Mell of Ft. Lauderdale into the mix. He's covered some stuff in South Fla. for the Sentinel as well as his own paper.

 

But at that time, the tour didn't play in consecutive weeks like it does now (I believe there was a three-week layoff between Nos. 5 & 6 of Nelson's streak). And Nelson didn't have a Gulfstream to cart him around either.

 

Planning to drive up and watch Sunday's round at the Nissan Open. Birdscribe, how's the crowd flow this year without Tiger in the field?

 

The crowds are great, largely a factor of the unseasonably warm Nissan Open weather (where it rained all of 10 minutes this week and the temp is supposed to be in the 80s today) and the great field we've had even without Tiger. This is the best field to date this season.

The final group today is Harrington, Mickelson and Chuckie Howell. Sergio and David Howell are in the group behind them and Robert Allenby and Rocco Mediate are behind them.

 

The youngsters (Pressel, Creamer) are off to a great start in Hawaii in the LPGA opener, as is vet Sherrie Steinhauer. I'm interested to see what kind of second year Pressel has.

 

I'm one of those golf fans that likes to find a good spot and camp out and let everyone come through. Birdscribe, what hole at Riviera would you recommend for me and my group if we do it?

 

Two holes come immediately to mind: No. 10, the greatest short par-4 on the planet and No. 18, which has the natural bowl around the green to set up shop at. If you're there Sunday, that's the place to be, watching players hit up to the pin, which will be in its customary back-left locale.

There's an area where you can see the ninth green, the second green, the third tee (with a short walk) and the 10th tee. It's just down the hill from the clubhouse and on the way to the range.

 

Thanks for the advice, Birdscribe. I'm looking forward to bringing sunscreen instead of an umbrella tomorrow.

 

Holy crap. Nice ace there, Rich Beem. Love the reaction too. Actually looked like he was having fun.

 

I followed Rich for 18 holes at the "still dead" Booz Allen Classic last year at Avanel. Beem has a lot of fun out there when he's playing well and will bullshit and joke with the fans. He started talking to one about fitness and the fan asked how often he runs. Beem replied, "Shit, I run from the couch to the fridge for a beer." Seemed like a cool dude.

 

You'd be having fun too, if you A) just won a car, and B) vaulted about five players in the process. Beem's now in solo third, two behind Harrington and five behind Mickelson, who probably isn't going to be caught this week unless he stops finding fairways.

Sucks for Retief Goosen, who had the ace on the wrong hole (16) on the wrong day (Friday). The car promotion was only for the weekend on No. 14.

 

So... do we start calling that tree on Riviera's 12th "Mickelson's Branch" now?

Punch in for birdie on No. 10 and bounce one off the trees on No. 12. Looks like it's Phil's tournament and world this week...