Somehow golf just got interesting…

Family time is over, Tiger is back to work...

Hey ladies… Not sure how many of you out there follow golf, or are even interested in golf at all, but this will be one of the few times per year that I’ll even touch on the subject (the others probably being the 4 major tournaments).  In case you haven’t heard, Tiger Woods is coming back to the PGA Tour on Wednesday after an 8 month break to recover from knee surgery.  I mean seriously, have you ever seen so much excitement about someone just entering a tournament?  Well, as you may have figured out, Tiger isn’t just any normal golfer.  And by the way, have you seen the new pictures of him with his new son and the rest of his family?  Pretty cute, I must admit.

 

Tiger’s participation in a tournament makes golf “mainstream”… people who don’t usually care about who’s winning the Bob Hope Desert Classic or the Northern Trust Open will tune in if they know that Tiger is participating.  He is one of those elite athletes who transcends popular culture, people who don’t know the difference between a driver and a 9-iron (me being one of them) will tune in to watch the back 9 (that’s the last 9 holes of the round) on Sunday if Tiger is in the hunt.  So, with that being said, keep an eye out for Tiger starting on Wednesday as he participates in the Match Play Championship (Match Play means you just play against one player…not the entire field of participants)  in Tucson, AZ… the ratings will increase, attendance will increase, and the lead story on Sportscenter may just be about a golf tournament… all because one guy decided to tee it up.  He may not win this week, but I’m told he will be getting his game ready for the Masters, which is the first major tournament of the four, held the second weekend in April.

More info to come on the golf later ladies, will be back soon with some more timely info!

-sportsgirl

I Bet Even Guys Don’t Know What “AFT” Means…

Well ladies… despite the unfavorable outcome from my perspective, after a very exciting finish to the Super Bowl we have finally reached the first weekend of AFT (After Football Time).  OK, well technically the ProBowl is this weekend, but according to my husband, this really doesn’t matter or mean anything….I know, I know, you can stop cheering now.  Just because football is over doesn’t mean that there aren’t any “great” sporting events to watch on TV this weekend… and even if you’re not interested, at least you can make your significant other happy by recommending them to him and then sneaking out to the mall after he dozes off on the sofa!  Here’s a quick look at a couple of events on tap for the weekend:

• The PGA Tour is holding what is usually its first ‘big-name tournament’ (aka Tiger participates) of the year, at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, CA.  Well, Tiger isn’t back from his knee surgery yet… this week he said that he is close to returning but he’s waiting until after his second child is born, which should be very soon.  So, in the absence of Tiger you still get Phil Mickelson and the incredible views of La Jolla and the Pacific Ocean in HD.  Hey, if its freezing where you live, at least watching golf will help you feel warm!
• Two good non-conference college basketball games on Saturday to go along with the usual strong Saturday slate of conference games.  First, #1 UConn is hosting Michigan at 6:00 PM (ESPN), and then later on Sunday Memphis is traveling out west to take on Gonzaga.  Two good matchups among teams that don’t get together too often (or, so I’ve heard).

Lets be honest here… hopefully you are able to get away from watching sports this weekend, especially since most of you have been stuck watching football every single weekend since September.  If not, keep in mind the couple of ideas I gave you above, and enjoy the weekend! 

-sportsgirl

What is the Ryder Cup Anyway?

Usually I might not write about golf, but apparently amidst all of the other sporting events that will be on the television this weekend (football, baseball, etc) the Ryder Cup is on too.  I guess the event is a big deal because it only happens every other year…so, if you happen to be somewhere where the Ryder Cup is on, here are some facts that will keep you in the know…

• The Ryder Cup is a golf event that is “match play” style between United States & Europe and takes place in Louisville, KY this year.  Match play means that whichever player has the least strokes on a hole wins the hole and gets 1 point.  For example, if Phil Mickelson (USA) wins the first 4 holes and Sergio Garcia (EUR) wins the next two holes, the score would indicate that Mickeson is “2 up.” At the end of the round of golf, whichever player has the most points wins the match (the match end early if it is impossible for one side to catch up). 
   
• The last time the US team won was in 1999.
   
• The Ryder Cup occurs every 2 years.  The last time the US won (’99) was also the last time that it occurred in an odd year.  In 2001, the tournament was scheduled for the week after 9/11 and then rescheduled for a year later…hence it now falls every “even” year. 

• This year’s captain for the US team is Paul Azinger and the captain gor team Europe is Nick Faldo (part of the winning team in ‘04 & ‘06)
   
• Half of the US team this year is rookies, and the youngest player on this year’s team is Anthony Kim, age 23, who is looking like he could be Tiger’s main competition over the next decade or so. 

These should be enough good facts to impress the golf enthusiasts in your life (hopefully this won’t be on for too long)…but if you are like me, watching golf is not your favorite…I usually recommend crowd watching…you can count on some good looking, preppy guys drinking some beers.  Also, the wives and kids of the golfers are usually spotted…check out Phil Mickelson’s cute family…

 

 Catch up on some college football stats for the weekend, tomorrow morning…

 

 -sportsgirl