Golf Etail Blog

Depending where you’re located, the rest of your week might be bleak.

(We’re talkin’ weather-wise; personal dilemmas aren’t our deal. But if you want to know what our deal is, look here! Shameless, we know.)

In any case, courtesy of the Associated Press and InsideBayArea.com, here’s a list of this week’s tournies to help you ride out those summer storms.

Let the thunder roll…

• PGA TOUR: Buick Open, today-Sunday, Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club, Grand Blanc, Mich. TV: Golf Channel (today-Friday, noon-3 p.m. and CBS (Saturday-Sunday, noon-3 p.m.). Notes: Tiger Woods, the 2002 and 2006 winner, is in the field. After Woods won his own AT&T National for his third victory of the year, he missed the cut in the British Open. … Woods and rock ‘n’ roll legend Bob Seger headlined Wednesday’s pro-am, and their fivesome finished 8 under par. At least one member of the group paid more than $100,000 for the opportunity to play with Woods and Seger. … Defending champion Kenny Perry is skipping the tournament to stay near his cancer-stricken mother. Mildred Perry is battling blood cancer. … General Motors Co. will end its half-century run as sponsor of the Buick Open, a person briefed on the decision said Tuesday. The decision calls into question the fate of the other tour stop sponsored by GM, the Buick Invitational held in February in San Diego.
• LADIES GOLF UNION: Women’s British Open, today-Sunday, Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club, Lytham St. Annes, England. TV: TNT (today-Friday, 7-9 a.m.) and ABC (Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-noon; Sunday, 10 a.m.-noon). Notes: Last year, Jiyai Shin won her first major title, a three-shot victory over Yani Tseng at Sunningdale. … The tournament became an official LPGA Tour event in 1994 and was elevated to major status in 2001, replacing the du Maurier in Canada.
• USGA: U.S. Senior Open, today-Sunday, Crooked Stick Golf Club, Carmel, Ind. TV: ESPN (today-Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.) and NBC (Saturday-Sunday, noon-3 p.m.). Notes: Last year, Eduardo Romero won at the Broadmoor (Colo.), beating Fred Funk by four shots. … The Pete Dye-designed course opened in 1964. … John Daly won the 1991 PGA at Crooked Stick. … The 2010 tournament will be played at Sahalee (Wash.).
• PGA EUROPEAN TOUR: Moravia Silesia Open, today-Sunday, Prosper Golf Resort, Celadna, Czech Republic. TV: Golf Channel (today-Friday, 6-9 a.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 5:30-8 a.m.). Note: This is the inaugural event, and Miguel Angel Jiminez, the course designer, tops the field.
• NATIONWIDE TOUR: Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational, today-Sunday, Ohio State University Golf Club, Columbus. TV: Golf Channel (today-Friday, 3:30-5:30 p.m.; Saturday, 3:30-6:30 p.m.; Sunday, 4-6:30 p.m.). Note: In 2007, BYU star Daniel Summerhays won the inaugural event to become the first amateur champion in tour history.

A few thoughts from a very satisfied customer ….

Dear Customer Support,

I want to thank you for your super-fast handling and shipping of my order. I ordered golf shoes on 07/15, they were shipped that very same day, and I received them two days later! I have NEVER had such quick service from an online company before.

I would tweet this; however, I don’t know how to tweet, so I am just letting you know how much I appreciate your great service. I have told several friends about your website and I will definitely order again from you in the future. THANKS! Oh, I really like the shoes and they fit perfectly.

A very satisfied customer,

Kerry B
July 22, 2009

Kerry, Thanks for your kind words. We look foward to seeing you again!

By now you’ve heard all about 59-year-old Tom Watson’s phenomenal showing at the 2009 Open Championship.

Watson, who shot a first-round 5-under 65, just one stroke behind the leader Miguel Angel Jimenez, and tied for the lead in the second round after sinking a dazzling putt on the 18th green, became the oldest man to have the lead after any round of a major. He also became the oldest player to lead a major going into the last round.

But what should be heralded as a genuine accomplishment and a testament to one man’s athleticism is being tarnished. People are coming out of the woodwork to comment on Watson’s ultimate defeat by compatriot Stewart Cink – solely based on his age. In fact, one golf reporter – CBSSports.com’s Mike Freeman – suggested that golf shouldn’t be considered a sport “when it takes a playoff round to finally beat Watson despite Watson’s age.”

Harsh criticism from someone who stands on the sidelines, Mr. Freeman.

To add insult to injury, Watson’s said to be grieving over his loss, with his wife Hilary declaring that “her husband’s failure to par the 72nd hole to secure his sixth Open title will live with them forever,” according to Britain’s Mirror.co.uk.

Heartache or not, Mr. Watson, you’re a grand golfer – and we here at GolfEtail enjoyed every minute of your triumph. You may not think you prevailed – but we do. And it gives us great pleasure to bask in the glory of this game with you.

We look forward to seeing you give your all at the Senior British Open tomorrow!

Wow! What a week. After Tiger missed the cut I was honestly thinking it would be a ho-hum Open Championship, and franky Tiger missing the cut would be THE story. So, thank you Tom Watson … what a run!

I have to admit I was pulling pretty hard for him on Sunday and thought he would make that put on 18 to win. He had been magical with that Odyssey White Hot XG#7 putter all week. Could you believe the 30 footer on #1, the 25 footer on #9, or the 60 foot bombs on #16 & #18 all on Friday; or just when you thought he was fading how about the 40 footer on #16 on Saturday. He had done it all week, but this just wasn’t meant to be.

Paul Azinger’s comment basically stating that " … If Tom had won it again it would not have changed his life at all, but with Cink winning it is a life-changer…", I thought was dead on, and it’s the only consolation I could derive from the outcome.

Anyway, I found the entire story simply compelling. Too bad it didn’t have quite the story book ending I was hoping for. It would have been nice to see the final Open Championship Scoreboard reading "Well done Tom. See you at St Andrews 2010".

Any of my fellow lady golfers interested in a roadtrip to the great state of Tennessee? It seems the man who brought “sexy back” is bringing golf back too.

Here’s the story:

In late 2007, Justin Timberlake bought the former Big Creek Golf Course to save it from commercial development. An avid golfer and entrepreneur, Timberlake then invested in the course’s $16 million eco-friendly renovation. Next week (July 25, to be exact), the newly renamed Mirimichi golf course will open – and it’s safe to assume that its owner, who calls Tennessee home, will be there to kick things off.

The DealTeam wonders what other big names will be there to help Timberlake out? Any guesses?

… from a very pleased customer!

I bought an Adams LH OS GW from you guys just about a month ago or so on Ebay (EQSirenity). Yesterday in a charity golf tournament, I got my raffle ticket drawn for a chance to hole out from 100 yds for $2000. I debated on my PW or GW for a minute. The pin was hidden behind a bunker and a slight rise so that only the flag was showing. Decided on the GW because the pin was tucked up pretty close and wanted a little more height. Took a good 75% swing…..made dead solid contact and watched the ball take flight on line to the pin. Felt like I hit it way too far until the group behind the hole started screaming. Walked up laughing as I saw the ball mark was 3 inches from the cup. Apparently, it had hit…bounced once and backed right up into the hole. Thought you might like to hear a “good news” story in a time when there aren’t too many of those out there. Thank you so much for offering such a great club at such an affordable price.

Feel free to share this story with anyone you wish. I proudly told everyone who asked where I got the wedge.

-Darren
June 2009

I might be a fierce contender on the links, but I still have a soft side. Which is probably why this story from golf writer Gary Van Sickle made my heart melt!

Gary’s son Mike will make his PGA Tour debut, playing as an amateur in the John Deere Classic (through July 12), and Gary will be right there beside him – as his caddie.

This isn’t the first time Gary’s served as Mike’s looper – as he details in his story on Golf.com – but it is his first time assisting his son in the big leagues. What a milestone! Pops must be so proud.

I have a feeling my fellow DealTeam member Brassie Spooner is envious…

This is absolutely hilarious. Anthony Kim has my vote for shot of the year!

Bullseye!

I gotta tell ya – being a member of the DealTeam is exhausting work. We’re everywhere!

It’s not enough that we’re always dolling out great deals on top-of-the-line golf equipment and apparel on GolfEtail.com, now we’re on Twitter too. We worked overtime yesterday sending out tons of exclusive coupon codes to our loyal followers. Well, I’m beat, and now I have to ask – when will the insanity stop? I hardly have time to try out my new set of Adams Idea Tech OS Iron Set. And that’s a travesty, my friends. A real travesty!

It makes me wonder … What will the Bigwigs have us doing next – posing for pictures at AT&T National?

Although, when I think about it, maybe that’s not a bad thing. At least you’d get to see more of my handsome mug!