Golf Etail Blog

Golf officials hope to shed the sport’s elitist image as it vies for an Olympic return.

Golf, along with rugby, are on the International Olympic Committee’s shortlist to make a return to the 2016 Games, to be held in Rio de Janeiro. The committee is expected to make its decision this Friday.

A few stars were on hand in Copenhagen, Denmark, to support the bid, including Michelle Wie, who said that taking part in the Olympics would be “the highest achievement for every golfer.” If the bid succeeds, it will mark the first time since the 1904 Games that golf has appeared.

According to this article from Reuters, the IOC is eager to refresh its Games program to attract younger audiences. The sports will be back at the 2016 Olympics should they win a simple majority of votes on Friday.

The DealTeam is booking tickets to Rio as we write this. The early bird gets the worm!

It’s football season, all right. We can tell because that’s all our Facebook friends are talking about!

But what about golf? The DealTeam’s favorite pastime is getting the shaft as fall takes hold of sports fans’ attention spans.

Never fear! Golf.com has come up with a way to marry the best of both worlds with its new weekly series that profiles a college football town with tips on where to play golf, eat and drink while you’re there.

This week’s spotlight is on Eugene, Ore., where the Oregon Ducks will face off against the Utah Utes, undefeated champions of the 2009 Allstate Sugar Bowl.

If you just happen to be in the area, here’s what Golf.com suggests you do.

If you’re not in the area, no worries. They’ll profile a different game location each week of the season.

A few weeks ago we delivered you the goods on Y.E. Yang’s PGA Championship victory over Tiger Woods.

(Woods wasn’t happy. But who can blame him? Nobody likes to lose. Especially on national television.)

Now, ever better goods than before – the shot that gave Yang the come-from-behind lead over Woods.

Talk about exciting – The DealTeam can’t stop watching this clip! It’s the embodiment of professional sports.

As they say, you win some, you lose some. Yang definitely deserved that one!

ESPN is calling it the “victory felt around the world,” the L.A. Times says it’s the one of the greatest upsets of all time, and the GlobalPost declares the PGA Championship a turning point for Asian golfers worldwide.

And it’s all thanks to South Korea’s Y.E. Yang, winner of the championship, who beat top player Tiger Woods by finishing eight-under 280 by shooting a two-under-par 70 in the final round.

Woods wasn’t happy about the defeat, especially since he had the lead before the final round, but he had this to offer reporters as he left the links visibly distraught: “I hit the ball so much better than my score indicates. I hit it great all day, and just didn’t make anything. I played well enough to win the golf tournament, but I did not putt well enough to win the golf tournament. It was just a bad day at the wrong time, and that’s the way it goes.”

Yang, 37, took the lead at the 14th hole with a 75-foot pitch for eagle while on the final hole, hitting a towering shot from 197 yards with a hybrid club to set up his closing birdie, ultimately becoming the first Asian to ever win the PGA Championship.

“You never know in life, this might be my last win as a golfer. But this is a great day,” Yang told The New York Times. “It’s going to be a great foundation for me to continue playing on the PGA Tour. It means the world right now. It hasn’t sunken in, but I do know the significance of it.”

The 91st PGA Championship tees off in Chaska, Minn., tomorrow – and we all know what that means: Golf aficianados will be whipping out the greenbacks to get in on the action.

Now, we’re not condoning gambling, but if you’d like to take a peek at the odds and place your bets (toootally of your own free will), you can probably figure out how to do so right here.

Before you start spending all your lunch money, however, consider digesting this PGA Championship Preview provided by the BetUS Staff.

In other news, while you’ve got making money on your mind, renegade Tiger Woods will have to shell out a few backs after he publicly criticized a rules official after winning the Bridgestone Invitational.

After Woods and fellow golfer Padraig Harrington were put on the clock at the par-5 16th, Woods told Harrington, “I’m sorry that John got in the way of a great battle,” referring to European Tour chief referee John Paramor who told Woods and Harrington they were being timed.

Woods felt that because they were being timed, Harrington rushed three difficult shots, leading to triple bogey.

PGA Tour officials had no sympathy for Woods when they slapped him with a fine and cited section VI-D of the PGA Tour’s player handbook, which says, “It is an obligation of membership to refrain from comments to the news media that unreasonably attack or disparage tournaments, sponsors, fellow members, players, or PGA Tour.”

Unfortunately, there’s no word on how much Woods’ crash course on the PGA Tour player handbook will cost.

Yet, somehow, we think he can afford it.

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.

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!

In less than 24 hours, the U.S. Open kicks off at Bethpage Black. What can we expect? Here are just a few of the anticipated highlights:

20-year-old Rory McIlroy will make his first start in the U.S. Open. The Northern Ireland native is fresh off his professional debut at The Masters where he achieved the third-highest average driving distance of all the players to make the cut.

As we mentioned in an earlier post, Phil Mickelson will play in the tournament after receiving encouraging news regarding his wife’s breast cancer diagnosis. Mickelson met with the media to discuss his return before heading out for practice rounds with Jim Furyk, Justin Leonard and Darron Stiles.

Andrew Svoboda also will play. He replaces Robert Karlsson, who withdrew after suffering an eye injuring during the first week of the St. Jude Classic.

Two words: Tiger Woods. He’s been practicing the course for several days now, which may have its advantage. The last time the U.S. Open was held at Bethpage Black – back in 2002 – Woods won.

So who will be the victor this year – will it be Woods, Mickelson, or maybe rookie McIlroy? Nobody knows for sure, but we’ll be glued to our sets all weekend to find out!

The DealTeam has its finger on the pulse of golf fashion. I mean, just look at us. We’re pretty sharp, eh? But there’s one trend in particular that we’re watching very closely – the white belt!

It’s everywhere these days. Especially the PGA Tour. Have you noticed? We have!

It’s so ubiquitous, in fact, that Golfweek magazine dedicated an entire video segment to the trend. The verdict? Some golfers are gung-ho, while others are hesitant to jump on the white-belt bandwagon.

Check it out – then let us know what you think about the fad. Does it have staying power – or will it join fingerless gloves and velour pullovers in the golf fashion hall of shame?

Can’t hit the links as much as you’d like? Don’t sweat it.

Yahoo! Fantasy Sports has just launched “Golf ‘09″ – your FREE ticket to weekly and segment prizes!

It’s so easy, too – you don’t have to be a pro to play. Just pick a foursome of PGA Tour players for each tournament, then earn fantasy points based on your golfers’ scores per round.

All right, so there’s a little more to it than that, but you can check out the official rules here.

THIS WEEK (May 7-10)

Tournament: The Players Championship

Course: TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

Purse: $9.5 million

Defending champion: Sergio Garcia

Who will win? It could be YOU!