(Mike Davis/Flickr)I JUST RECEIVED MY TIGER WOODS newsletter. Following are excerpts:Things are lot better since I last wrote to you. I’m a lot more mobile, which is really nice. I can’t catch Sam yet, but I’m getting close. The big thing is I’ve start…

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Continue reading → News from Tiger

A HALL OF FAME GOLFER, Judy Rankin began her broadcast career in 1984, a rare female walking the fairways with and reporting on PGA Tour professionals.“I was quite sure I was going to be a miserable failure,” Rankin told Golf Digest.That was 24 yea…

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Continue reading → I Like Judy Rankin

Thomas Bonk of the LA Times catches us up on how badly television ratings have been hit the last three weeks without Tiger… It’s all a matter of perspective. The PGA Tour and its truckload of sponsors aren’t even asking…

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Continue reading → “Tour broadcasts feel the pain”

Padraig Harrington wasn’t playing like he had a wrist injury! He fooled a number of us and pulled off his astounding back to back win at the British Open showing no signs of distress! Maybe that’s what it takes to win a major this year! Play through th…

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Continue reading → What Wrist Injury?

Padraig HarringtonYEARS FROM NOW, someone might ask Greg Norman what he did on his second honeymoon.“Let’s see, we traveled, did some sightseeing, shopped a little, I almost won the British Open, stuff like that.”So Norman didn’t win The Open C…

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Continue reading → Harrington Wins British, Norman Continues Honeymoon

Padraig Harrington was impressive down the stretch yet again this year, successfully defending his Open crown at Royal Birkdale. Harrington joins an elite group of back-to-back Open winners of the last 50 years–Palmer, Trevino, Watson, and Woods.

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Continue reading → Harrington goes back-to-back at the Open Championship

With winds gusting as high as 48 mph on Saturday, I think Anthony Kim was the only player out on the course with this train of thought: This is awesome. I actually like playing in this stuff. I grew up…

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Continue reading → The wind factor…

I HAD FORGOTTEN. Or, perhaps more accurate, I might not have truly appreciated Greg Norman. This British Open at Royal Birkdale has re-opened my eyes to the enormous talent of the Great White Shark.To be the 54-hole leader at The Open Championship at a…

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Continue reading → Greg Norman Displays Greatness at British Open

(Honeyfield/Flickr)I WAS STILL TRYING TO GET USED to Greg Norman being in contention at the British Open, someone who now plays more tennis than golf, when another ghost from golf’s not-too-distant past appeared on the British Open leaderboard. David…

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Continue reading → David Duval in Contention at British Open

Who would have thought before the week began that Greg Norman and David Duval would be within three strokes of the lead after day two of the British Open? And how about Jean Van de Velde? Last year, he wondered…

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Continue reading → Unlikely leaderboard after day two

With all of the cameras and spectators, it’s extremely rare to lose a ball in a professional tournament, let alone a major. But earlier today on the 6th hole at Birkdale, a wayward second shot from Phil Mickelson ended up…

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Continue reading → Mickelson couldn’t find ball on 6, results in triple

Defending championPadraig Harrington(Doyle/Flickr)RAINY, WINDY, CHILLY. Welcome to Royal Birkdale and the 137th Open Championship. The Brutish, er, British Open.Old Man Par and Royal Birkdale won today as 156 players donned long sleeves and rain gear t…

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Continue reading → Rocco Mediate Leads Brutish Open

ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-SIX GOLFERS will be playing for it over the next four days. It’s been accidently struck by the golf swing of five-time champion British Open Tom Watson. It’s held various libations consumed by winners over the decades. And it once…

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Continue reading → 2008 British Open: The Claret Jug

What to do, what to do! With no Tiger playing in the British Open this year, I haven’t been looking forward to watching it as much I usually do. I know it will still be great golf and I know that there will be a lot of drama, but I’m used to having a f…

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Continue reading → OK, I’LL GO WITH SERGIO

Lee WestwoodI THOUGHT I’D GET SOME HELP figuring out the British Open, so I turned to the scribes, a few national golf writers and sports columnists. I dashed off an email to three and heard from one, Ian O’Connor, a FoxSports.com columnist and the…

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Continue reading → Fox Sports Columnist Picks Westwood in British Open

FORTY-PLUS HOURS OF TV COVERAGE are on tap for the British Open this week at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England. It’s TNT on Thursday and Friday, and a combination of TNT and ABC on the weekend. All times are U.S. Eastern Time (ET).Thursday, July 1…

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Continue reading → 2008 British Open TV Schedule

The granddaddy of them all. Scene of Tom Watson’s last Open Championship in 1983,Mark O’Meara’s in 1998 when last played here, Royal Birkdale again requests the honor of your presence to crown the year’s champion golfer.

What to expect…

Expect rough, lots of rich green rough. When the spring is…

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Continue reading → 137th Open Championship Preview

IN AN UNPRECEDENTED ACTION by The Royal and Ancient Golf Club, the British Open will be contested this week in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, an R&A official told ARMCHAIR GOLF why the world’s oldest golf championship w…

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Continue reading → Stunner: R&A Moves British Open to Milwaukee

AS I WATCHED HIM STRIDE UP the 72nd fairway at Royal Birkdale, the thought occurred to me, “Why didn’t he win another major?”I flipped on the Golf Channel last night as they were airing one of their classic highlight programs, the 1976 British Op…

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Continue reading → Johnny Miller’s British Invasion

YOU’RE DYING TO KNOW, RIGHT? OK, here it is: Neither of us is playing in the British Open.Ba-da-bum. (I’m glad you can’t throw tomatoes at me.)But seriously, Kenny is taking more heat than Phoenix asphalt. Why? What am I missing? Somebody tell me…

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Continue reading → What Kenny Perry and I Have in Common

IF YOU CAN SPARE seven and a half minutes, I’ll point you to a great slice of golf history, a rare on-camera interview with Ben Hogan.It’s edited, with only Hogan speaking. I’m not sure of the source, but it may be the CBS interview conducted by Ke…

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Continue reading → Ben Hogan Interview

If you can spare seven and a half minutes, I will point you to a great slice of golf history, a rare on-camera interview with Ben Hogan.It’s edited, with only Hogan speaking. I’m not sure of the source, but it may be the CBS interview conducted by …

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Continue reading → Ben Hogan Interview

I DIDN’T REALIZE I was being prophetic when I wrote this pretend flyer on Monday:LOST: One-legged golfer, missing at last major. Answers to Tiger. And U.S. Open champion.I heard the jarring news this afternoon about Tiger Woods regarding the severity…

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Continue reading → Tiger Woods Is Badly Hurt

(O’Neal/Flickr)TIGER WOODS CLINCHED his third U.S. Open title today in a 19-hole playoff with journeyman Rocco Mediate. Could we have honestly expected any other result?It’s like watching a movie. You know how it’s going to end. Well, you think you…

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Continue reading → 2008 U.S. Open: The Inevitability of Tiger Woods

LEGENDARY SPORTS BROADCASTER Jim McKay died this weekend. He was 86. Something I didn’t know: His real name was James McManus, but he legally changed it after hosting a program a CBS executive dubbed “The Real McKay.”Some of us grew up with McKay…

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Continue reading → Remembering Jim McKay

(Pat Perez Golf)I welcome back Pat Perez to ARMCHAIR GOLF. Currently ranked 58th in the world and 50th in FedEx Cup points, Double P is having another solid year on tour that includes two top tens and about $800,000 in earnings after 13 events.That sai…

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Continue reading → Armchair Q&A: Pat Perez

(Speedpics Flicks/Flickr)IT WAS THE SEVEN FEET that Sergio Garcia conquered on the 72nd hole that won him one of the most-coveted trophies in golf, The Players Championship.Garcia’s seven-foot par putt on the last green was struck with a smooth, deci…

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Continue reading → Sergio Garcia Rolls Into Redemptionville

John Derr interviewing Ben Hoganfor CBS Radio.John Derr is a former golf journalist and CBS broadcaster who covered 62 Masters. His friends in golf included Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan and Sam Snead.I asked him what was new this morning. “Celebrated 90th …

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Continue reading → Former Masters Broadcaster Shoots Age

(C O’Neal/Flickr)“Tiger Woods, whose hopes for a calendar Grand Slam ended with a thud,” reported ESPN.com.“And it ends the American’s hopes of a Grand Slam of all four majors this year,” concluded BBC SPORT.Here they come. The doubters. The …

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Continue reading → Tiger Woods Will Still Win the Grand Slam This Year

No. 13 at Augusta National Golf Club. (Wally Baba/Flickr)On the trail of a golf story from yesteryear, I stumbled across Errie Ball, a Welsh-born pro who was befriended by Bobby Jones at the 1930 British Open and soon after came to America to be assist…

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Continue reading → Errie Ball: Last Man Standing from First Masters

In his book, FANATIC: 10 Things All Sports Fans Should Do Before They Die, Jim Gorant takes you on his pilgrimage to golf heaven on earth, Augusta National. It’s good stuff for the golf or sports junkie. Jim provides vivid glimpses into this world-fa…

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Continue reading → Armchair Q&A: SI’s Jim Gorant on the Masters

Errie BallImagine talking to a person who played in the first Masters in 1934, a Welsh-born friend of Bob Jones who came to America at Jones’ urging in 1930. I talked to him a few weeks ago. His name is Errie Ball. He’s 97 and lives in Florida with…

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Continue reading → Jack Fleck Still Owes Him a Buck

Sergio Garcia came close at Carnoustie.(Brian Doyle/Flickr)Golf Central is running an online poll to determine the putt of the year.And the nominees are…• Zach Johnson’s birdie on the 15th hole during the first round of The Barclays• Tiger Woods’…

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Continue reading → 2007 Putt of the Year

In 1963, Bob Charles, an earlier “Lefty,” won the British Open.On Friday, at age 71, Charles fired a second-round 68 to make the cut in the New Zealand Open.How’s that for longevity?”Although officials could not confirm it yesterday, it’s thought Sir B…

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Continue reading → Bob Charles, 71, Makes Cut in New Zealand Open

(Getty Images)Playing yesterday in the shadow of Tiger Woods, Justin Rose had another solid finish at the BMW Championship.As reported by BBC SPORT, the 27-year-old Rose is now Britain’s top golfer, climbing to No. 13 in the world rankings. Rose over…

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Continue reading → Justin Rose Continues Climb

The Peter Alliss baby weight question has been answered. During British Open week I wrote that someone had stopped by the ARMCHAIR GOLF BLOG wanting to know “how heavy was Peter Alliss as a baby?”(Central Press/Getty Images)(Alliss, of course, is a…

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Continue reading → Peter Alliss Was a Big, Big Baby

SI golf correspondent Chris Lewis spent 2006 shadowing the world’s best golfers and some of the lesser-known (but often quirky) Tour pros. The result is his new book, The Scorecard Always Lies: A Year Behind the Scenes on the PGA Tour.After reading t…

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Continue reading → Armchair Q&A: Chris Lewis, Author of ‘The Scorecard Always Lies’

(AP Photo)Now that Padraig Harrington has a firm grasp on the Claret Jug and his first major, will he go on to win more majors?I certainly think he can. Harrington has been a strong international player for a while now and he’s only 35. He showed me a …

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Continue reading → Will Padraig Harrington Win More Majors?

What’s it really like behind the scenes at the British Open?We all get to see the drama unfold on the golf course, but where is Tiger staying, what’s he doing to kill time and why would he say things like “the golf seems pretty unimportant” bef…

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Continue reading → This Week: Q&A with Chris Lewis, Author of ‘The Scorecard Always Lies’

(Getty Images)As I write this it’s 3 a.m. in Carnoustie, Scotland. Sergio Garcia is fast asleep. (Hopefully.)Garcia has a three-shot lead heading into the final round of the British Open. He has led wire-to-wire with rounds of 65, 71 and 68. Steve Stri…

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Continue reading → Sweet Dreams, Sergio

(Photo: PGACup.com)It’s Open week and people are scouring the Web for all manner of Open golf-related facts. For example, someone stopped by here this morning wanting to know “how heavy was Peter Alliss as a baby?” (Peter Alliss is a BBC golf com…

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Continue reading → Peter Alliss’s Baby Weight and Other Burning Questions

(AP Photo: Todd Hamilton)Silver and shiny with the British Open winner’s name engraved on it, the Claret Jug is the most prized and recognizable trophy in all of golf.And here’s something you might not know, especially if you live on the western si…

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Continue reading → A Brief History of the Claret Jug

(BBC SPORT Golf)Seve Ballesteros announced his retirement today at Carnoustie, the site of this week’s British Open. I’m sure it’s the right decision. Sadly, Seve has no game left and apparently no desire. But it’s still bittersweet to see a gr…

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Continue reading → Seve Ballesteros Calls it a Career

(Getty Images)Or is it “van de Velde”?CBS Sportsline spelled it “van de Velde.” So did the PGA Tour and the BBC.But a slew of others have it as “Van de Velde,” including OpenGolf.com, Sports Illustrated, Down the Middle (shameless plug) and…

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Continue reading → The Real Reason Jean Van de Velde Lost at Carnoustie