RipCordless

A pop-culture consumer who keeps it, by design, in the shallow end of the pool.

golf

FFL Invitational Golf Tournament

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A golfing tournament centered around fantasy football owners, the FFL Invitational has been the pinnacle of my personal golf season for years. Originally designed for aficionados of fantasy football, the golf tournament is a lowest individual score, winner-takes-all-format that became an “invitational” for anyone that fancies themselves as a mediocre player — hey, that describes me!

I’ve played in this tourney for a while and have managed to pull a second, third and fourth place trophy a handful of times; however, I’d never won the thing. I began to think the winner’s circle was as elusive as a bar of soap in the tub, almost but not quite — until this weekend when I managed to capture lightning in a paper sack.

Golf is an elusive game and Sean Connery put is best when he said, “Just when you think you have it figured out, it let’s you know you don’t,” but this Saturday every facet of my game was liquid smooth. I normally shoot in the low-90’s on a typical round but my score of 80 (or 8 strokes over par) in the 2012 FFL Invitational tied the historical record in the tourney and cleared the field by nine strokes. But it was the details which enabled me to hoist the trophy. From the UPS guy that suggested a change to my chipping technique at the range, to Ken Allen recommending I line up my putts with the seam of the ball, everything clicked into position. Bottom line, I’m chuffed with the result so please excuse my momentary aggrandizing.

But if Sean Connery’s statement rings true, the next time I hit the course, golf will elbow me in the throat and take me back down a peg or two — maybe, time will tell.

Masters 2010

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I’m a golf fan. I love golf despite its ability to drive me insane, to frustrate me, but with that pain I’m also rewarded with exceptional moments of clarity, the company of good friends, and some of the most beautiful scenery this side of interesting. All of these means I watch golf on TV as well. I don’t normally watch the standard tournaments but always try to watch the majors. Of the four major golf tournaments each year, my favorite is The Masters.

With the Tiger Woods situation being played again and again in the popular media, I found myself sitting on the fence as to my opinion of his conduct. Initially, I was quite annoyed at his personal behavior — as is my right — but thought if he took the entire year off, worked on his personal conduct and focus on his family, then I would respect a decision where he sacrificed a year of his golf life to rectify his image.  But no…

Tiger chose to return to Augusta and play in the first major of the season. I’ve watched his respective, clearly sincerely apologetic, press conferences and have been marginally impressed. He seems sincere and genuinely introspective but I still wanted him to sacrifice something on the altar of the golf gods. He chose not to.

Unsure if I was going to pull for or against him, I tuned into Saturday’s third-round action to see what was up. It took me all of 30 seconds to begin pulling against Tiger and smiling when he missed a short par putt. Though the action of the weekend isn’t over, I would have to say I’m pulling for the field rather than the spectacular return of Tiger.

It Pays to Be a Winner

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Though I’m a golf fan, I rarely watch the weekly tournaments on TV; however, I always make the exception when it comes to the four golf majors held each year. The first, The Masters, is always my favorite and essentially ushures in golf season. The U.S. Open is always a great challenge and fun to watch. The British Open (now called The Open) is difficult to see schedule wise (time difference) but always a unique challenge, then you have the PGA Championship which tends to be a little of this and a dash of that.

But this year’s British Open was something different. Tom Watson, one of golf’s elder statesmen was leading the championship after three rounds and seventeen holes. Arriving at the 18th tee, he needed a par for victory and I was pulling for him with everything I had. I could taste a potential victory. Watson would become the oldest person to win a major, ever. His image would grace every sports magazine and website for months as people revelled in his victory but fate had other ideas.

He missed a 4-foot putt on the 18th to push himself into a playoff with Stuart Cink. At the conclusion of the 4-hole playoff, Watson was a full six shots behind the winner and I’m telling you, it was difficult to watch. I’m sure I, like so many others, saw a guy we all respected, a guy who deserved another championship, just become unable to execute down the stretch. I’m sure the pundits will diagnose his swing, his demeanor, his nuance and even his replacement hip as potential cause but that doesn’t interest me. I’m grateful to have watched Tom Watson fight over the course for the last four days. Though I desparately hoped he would claim his fifth British Open, I wish I could shake his hand, tell him thank you for the memories and maybe even ask him for a lesson or three. Tom Watson is a class act.

2009 US Open Golf

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I’ve been an avid golf fan for years. Picked it up while overseas and brought it back home with me. I have a middle-class set of clubs, some old but fabulous technology in my hybrids, driver and woods, and a putter that finally made me happy. All in all, I enjoy the game; however, I was recently bitten by the golf bug all over again.

Watching the US Open, hosted at Bethpage Black in New York, was a wonderful event. Though some of the early action was rained out, the weekend and the final Monday round was brilliant. Even though I was actively pulling for Mickleson (due to his wife’s recent cancer diagnosis and him being an all-around nice guy) and Duval (how can you not root for this underdog?), I was pretty impressive with Lucas Glover, the eventual winner by two strokes over Mickleson and Duval.

In the second major on the PGA tour this year, Glover kept it together and managed to squeak out a rock solid victory. Meanwhile, his playing partner, Barnes, succumbed to the pressure and lost his game amidst the constant cameras, the huge crowds, and multiple wayward shots. I have to hand it to Glover, he held his mud in the pressure cooker of the US Open and earned his victory. Well done.