Fighting for their Livelihood is not too strong a statement for these guys. They are playing for a relatively large purse and a large jump in potential lifetime earnings. I am not sure if there is a parallel in any other sport. 6 rounds of golf where every stroke counts. The top 25 finishers and ties will earn 2008 U.S. PGA Tour cards. The others are looking at much smaller purses on the Nationwide Tour. I am not sure how they handle that pressure.

My favorite story among the field is Tommy “two gloves” Gainey! Nicknamed “two gloves” because he wears a black glove on both of his hands during play. Some of you might remember him as the very likable contestant on the Golf Channel’s reality TV show Big Break IV. Tommy Gainey was eliminated in the seventh episode. He is presently 4th at the Crooked Cat Course in Winter Garden, Florida. Good luck Tommy! <– Not that he’ll need it. He is scary talented.

Another “notable” is Notah Begay III (hehe). You may know him as a real up and comer and best pals with Tiger Woods. Well he’s not doing so well right now as he is presently 88th — way outside the number. I hope he finds him game on the Nationwide Tour next year. I am predicting that he’ll try to play on one of the other smaller tours (European, Asian) outside of the US instead as the purses are higher.

If you can’t relate to this golf story and you are a fan, take time to read Tales from Q School: Inside Golf’s Fifth Major by John Feinstein. It is one of the best golf books out there. The stories of the players will suck you in and stick with you long after you’ve put the book down. Read my review of the book in previous posts under Ace’s Reviews – Books and Audiobooks.

Feel free to contact me via email at golface.wordpress@gmail.com or leave a comment.

Ace

Congrats to Jack and the US Team on a sound spanking of the International Team.

Here are the results:
• Scott Verplank, U.S., def. Rory Sabbatini, International, 2 and 1
• Ernie Els, International, def. Lucas Glover, U.S., 2-up
• Phil Mickelson, U.S., def. Vijay Singh, International, 5 and 4
• Mike Weir, International, def. Tiger Woods, U.S., 1-up
• Angel Cabrera, International, def. Woody Austin, U.S., 2 and 1
• Adam Scott, International, def. Zach Johnson, U.S., 2 and 1
• David Toms, U.S., def. Trevor Immelman, International, 2-up
• Stewart Cink, U.S., def. Nick O’Hern, International, 6 and 4
• Geoff Ogilvy, International, def. Steve Stricker, U.S., 1-up
• K.J. Choi, International, def. Hunter Mahan, U.S., 3 and 2
• Charles Howell III, U.S., def. Stuart Appleby, International, 2 and 1
• Retief Goosen, International, def. Jim Furyk, U.S., 2 and 1

Note that in my previous post I predicted a 6/6 split. It ended up a 5/7 split. I missed the mark, however, on the winners of the individual matches. Thank goodness I’m not a betting man!

Ace

The US only needs 3 wins so the cup is all but over. But good golf is sure to be seen.

The key matchups include Woods vs Weir and Mickelson vs Singh. If we split the singles the US will have won by 3. Here are my predictions (winners in bold):

Post your picks in the comments!

Ace

Woody Austin take a dive at the President’s Cup in Canada. What a nut!

What a hilarious scene. Taking a swing a ball near a water hazard, Woody Austin looses his balance, spins and dives headfirst into the water hazard. He’s more clown than golfer. I half expected him to come out of the water with a fish in his mouth. Maybe we should call him Bear Austin?

Tiger Woods just ran away with the FedExCup and the Tour Championship. He was unstoppable and has it locked up after 16 holes. He’s at -24 with 2 holes remaining and his closest competitor 2007 Masters champ Zack Johnson is 8 strokes back. There’s little more to say – Tiger just put on a clinic today!

On another note: Loud mouth Woody Austin (Tiger’s playing partner yesterday and the subject of a much debated whiff putt) was little more than a footnote on the final day as he is currently +4 on the day. You’re right Woody, Tiger is hard to catch.

Now I really can’t stand this guy! If you saw the missed stoke by the Woodpecker on hole 15 of the 3rd round of the FedExCup, you know what I mean. You can see the video in the VoPod Video link in the next column (Stroke or Not) but suffice it to say that my playing chums would have read me the riot act if I tried that in a casual game, let alone a PGA tour event.

From the looks of it Mark Calcavecchia will be paired with Tiger in the final round on Sunday. Calc seems to be a good guy. I hope Tiger wins but wouldn’t be too upset if Calc took the tournament. Tiger appears to have both hands firmly gripped on the FedExCup. It would take a serious meltdown for him to loose it now.

Ace