Tiger Woods: The Speech

Okay, the speech was delivered. Tiger apologized to people, took the blame and wasn't sure when he'd back to play. Did we learn anything? Not much. Tiger delivered a speech, but he didn't say much of anything. Did he write the speech? Most of it? Some of it? Tough to tell.

Would he have even delivered a speech if it wasn't step 9 of the 12 steps? I don't think so. If he offered this speech freely and not as part of a program he would have and should have months ago. We would have received the same information a month or two ago so why wait? Because he wasn't to that stage of the program yet.

I'll admit I was a little confused when Tiger admitted to a "sense of entitlement" leading to his transgressions. The confusing part to me is that I thought he had a sexual addiction. However, he said today that essential he thought he had worked hard enough and achieved enough professional success that he deserved to get laid whenever he felt like it. The entitlement takes away the 'need' for sex. I actually appreciate the admission because it brings him to our level a bit more than being a sex addict did. He is ungodly wealthy, famous and as such had women throwing themselves at him and like many regular folks put in that situation he took advantage. 

The most disappointing statement of the speech was "This is a private matter between a husband and a wife". He basically said he will never answer a direct question about this fiasco, ever.

The overall feeling I got from this was that not much will change with Woods the way people wanted. He will not become more fan friendly, and certainly not more media friendly. Sadly he will probably become more publicly robotic than he had been before, and not the "real" guy we as golf fans hoped to see. He has every right to want to shield his family, but publicly Woods needed to become more open about himself. I fear the divide between Woods and his fans will become an intentional chasm, rather than a figurative embrace.

What do you think?

Front Nine: WGC Accenture Match Play

Rather than pick nine players to watch out for I have selected the outcome of all 64 matches. I did so last year and feel I should fail publicly one more time. Click Here to see my picks and feel free to laugh uncontrollably as my players fall like dominoes.

I'm not sure if you've heard but Tiger Woods is not playing this week. Neither is Phil Mickelson, World #3. Phil is on vacation with his family and Tiger is, well, let's not go there. In any case I still love this event because of the format as I have long been an advocate for more match play. The structure of the event allows for showcasing far more than a few marquee names who happen to be the afternoon tee times on a Thursday. With the top 64 players in the world playing head-to-head American fans are able to watch players from the European and other tours that they would not be exposed to normally.

Good luck to everyone who filled out a bracket this year and I look forward to a great week of match play!

Back Nine: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

After picking the winner last week and some descent also-rans, my second week of the Nine's started with even greater promise. The promise quickly evaporated. Let's thank those who made this all possible:

1. Sergio Garcia - Thanks for the final round 77 there Serg. El Nino opted to use Sunday's round to plummet 32 spots and finish with a stellar T-52.  Grade: D+

2. Luke Donald - At least Luke finished inside the Top 20 for the old Golf Potato. Two closing 71's weren't enough maintain the Top 10 position he had after a second round 65. What I really would like to thank Lukers for was the final hole double-bogey that kept him out of the Top 10. It was his only score higher than bogey for than entire week.  Grade: C+

3. Kevin Na - Thanks for the consistent weekend Kevin. Sadly the consistency came in the form of a pair of 74's. But hey, he held firm at T-56 on Sunday. One more stroke and the next place to go was T-61, and we certainly couldn't have that. Whatever.  Grade: D

4. Jim Furyk - Jim started Sunday tied with the likes of Sergio at the 20th position. At least he didn't hemorrhage as many strokes in the final round as Sergio did, but a closing 74 is little consolation. Jim fell fifteen spots to a T-35. Like Luke Donald, Furyk had one double-bogey all week and chucked it up on Sunday, on a par five. Thanks for three rounds in the 60's and then horfing up the 2-over par.   Grade: C-

5. Retief Goosen - Thanks for making this grade easy to assign. Goose missed the cut by a stroke.  Grade: F

6. Sean O'Hair - The good news, O'Hair moved up eleven spots on Sunday. The bad news, it was to tie for 35th. Sean also joined the group of Golf Potato mediocrity by taking a double on Sunday, and as with my other picks it was his only one of the week.  Grade: C-

7. Matt Kuchar - Withdrew. Thanks.  Grade: N/A

8. Mike Weir - Thanks for opening with a bogey free 67! Double thanks for not breaking par the rest of the week. T-52 Mike, T-52.  Grade: D

9. Phil Mickelson - An actual sincere thanks for being the only pick in the Top Ten this week. The alarming stat is the three rounds in the 60's and a T-8 all came while being ranked 60th in putting this week. Imagine if that revamped putting stroke was working this week. Maybe for the Open. Right Phil?  Grade: B+

Okay so this week I had only one guy miss the cut as opposed to the three last week. However, I had four guys in the top 25 last week including the winner, and only two this week (with decidedly no winners). For the second straight week it's a good thing I'm only an aspiring expert.

Overall Grade: D+

Front Nine: AT&T Pro-Am

After a rough opening week to the Front/Back Nine series the Golf Potato hopes to recover quickly. Here are this week's players holding the proverbial wedge to get me out of trouble:

1. Sergio Garcia - I have seen a few rounds of Sergio's Euro Tour play and I have to say he looked pretty good. Not in that swarthy Spaniard kind of way, his game looked good. The biggest improvement was the putter which last year packed it's bags and filed for divorce. I like his chances to play well in California.

2. Luke Donald - Last week's runner up has long been a "Steady Eddie" type of pick. He traditionally hits a lot of fairways and greens, has a solid short game and can roll the ball on the greens. Injury stopped Luke at the Accenture Match Play last year, ending a very hot start to the 2009.

3. Kevin Na - Kevin "Na Na Naahh" Na is the antithesis of the Luke Donald pick. Na has a world of talent but is a 50/50 shot every week to play well or catch an early flight. The real prediction with Na is this: at some point in the television coverage you will see Kevin drop his club at the end of his swing, signifying a hozelmonster headed towards a spectator's dome. Still, Na tends to play his best golf on the West Coast swing so I'll pick him to have the hozelmonster shank prevent him from winning, not miss the cut.




4. Jim Furyk - "Fists Of" Furyk's worst finish at the AT&T in the past five years is a T39 at 4-under par. As noted from last week, Jim finished strong with two weekend rounds in the 60's. I look for a top ten out of Furyk this week.

5. Retief Goosen - The Goose has finished T6 and solo 4th in two PGA Tour starts this year. Last year he finished solo 3rd at this event. I will be so bold as to confidently say this could be your winner this week, maybe.

6. Sean O'Hair - I love Sean's game. The only thing I worry about with O'Hair is whether or not he is getting enough to eat.==>

7. Matt Kuchar - Matt finally seems to be matching his talent with the pro game. He has gotten off to a great start this year with a solo 2nd and 3rd in four events. In the past three years at the AT&T, Kuchar has finished with a T6 and a T14, even during not so great years statistically. Maybe he just likes being paired up with celebrities.

8. Mike Weir - The Canadian Lefty (not a political statement) was runner up at this event last year. Steve Stricker ended up winning last week after having been runner up the year before. Hmmm. I know Weir missed the cut last week but he finished towards the bottom last year at Riviera, and missed the cut the year before that. Hogan's Alley just doesn't seem to agree with him. Not to worry, historically the AT&T is right up Weir's alley.

9. Phil Mickelson - Phil's good, really good. He could win and should factor. That's it.

Oldies But Goodies

At the end of last year's golf season in Vermont I was chatting with one of the club's members about pros we love that tend to fly under the radar. The one we were in total agreement about was Miguel Angel Jimenez. Nicknamed "The Mechanic", Jimenez lives a life we should all envy. For starters he plays golf for a living, and a very good one. Second, his play is as finely developed as his palette for wine and cigars.Third, if his physique is any indication, this guy is just straight chillin' at all times.

The end of our conversation was an idea, an epic, epic idea. We decided we should get in touch with Jimenez's people (lord knows he has to have people) to set up a book. The idea was that from the first of the year through the Masters in early April we would follow Jimenez on the road to the first major. We would hang with the guy who makes hanging seem like a profession. The book's title; The Mechanic: Tuning Up For The Masters. Anyone know Miguel's people?

In any case, The Mechanic took the Dubai Desert Classic this past week, beating world #4 Lee Westwood in a playoff. Despite only hitting about half of the fairways, Jimenez kept knocking it stiff with the irons. At 46, the win is the 16th overall for the crafty Spaniard.

Speaking of oldies but goodies, you know who finished with a top ten (T8) and was by far the highest American finisher? Sixty year old Tom Watson. Furthering his legacy as one of, if not the best, ball strikers of all-time Watson showed once again he can still play with anyone. Official distance for the Emirates GC is 7301 yards. To put that in perspective, the next PGA Tour stop is at Pebble Beach, 6800 yards and change. Distance is not a problem for Old Tom, even at 60 years old. The finish in Dubai also lessens the idea that last year's run at the British Open was a fluke. Tom Watson, when his putter isn't yippy, is still one of the better players in the world. 

The Back Nine: Northern Trust

Okay, grading time. You may want to put on goggles and a plastic rain poncho to help shield you from the Gallagher-like Sledge-o-matic spray. Fruit, however, will not be sacrificed for your entertainment. No no. I will be crushing my picks with sudden, brute force. Here we go!

1. Phil Mickelson - Thanks Phil. Really. The bid for a third straight win at Riviera ended with second straight final round 73. Lefty finished in a smooth T45...Thanks for playing.  D

2. Steve Stricker - Hey there, a winner! Stricker lit it up in the rain on Friday and held off challengers Luke Donald, J.B. Holmes and Dustin Johnson. The win and Phil Mickelson's monumental Top 50 finish gives Stricker the #2 world ranking, dropping Phil to #3.  A+

3. Robert Allenby - Allenby's hot start cooled a bit and he finished T27, eleven strokes back. I said I didn't see him winning (cause I never really see him winning), but I didn't give the previous week's penalty stroke laden finish enough credit.  C

4. Davis Love III - Maybe Davis needed to watch that '92 highlight recap on Golf Channel that got me all fired up about the pick. The cut was 144, DLIII ended up at 145.  I wish I knew how to write a bomb dropping sound to describe this pick.  F

5. Charles Howell III - Good call Potato. That Roman numeral might as well have been the sign of the beast this week. A second round 76 lead to a 148 total and a missed cut. Numerically speaking Chuck was my worst call of the week. I wish I knew how to write a wet fart sound to decide this pick.  F

6. Brandt Snedeker - Breadeker, or Breads as I have just decided to call him,  finished T20. Nothing stellar, nothing terrible and another Top 25 for the Bread Maker.  C+

7. Adam Scott - Ever just want to reach back and punch yourself right in the face? I put the disclaimer on this one as being a real long shot. I was an idiot for making the pick in the first place, disclaimer or no. Two easy 73's lead to yet another missed cut for one of the great let down talents in the game. My thoughts about the President's Cup experience were about as solid as the 146 Scott excreted all over Riviera.  That was officially the last time Adam Scott will make the Front Nine in 2010.  F

8. Jim Furyk - The 2010 debut for Jimmy "Fists Of" Furyk was a T20. The encouraging part is he got stronger as the week went on, finishing with two rounds in the 60's. I look for Furyk to build off the weekend.  C+

9. Ernie Els - My second best pick aside from Stricker. The Big Easy ended up T10, book-ending two 70's with two 68's. He really looks to be regaining his form, finishing well even when he doesn't have everything working at 100%.  B

My first week included the winner and four players in the Top 25 (including the winner) out of nine picks. I also had the pleasure of watching a third of my picks not even make the cut. Adam Scott...What the hell was I thinking?

Overall Grade: D+

The Front Nine: Northern Trust

So I had this thought...I said "Golf Potato, you should write a series prior to each week's event called the The Front Nine. What you would do is pick nine players (in no particular order) to watch for as potential winners or high finishers. Then at the end of the tournament you could write The Back Nine, reviewing your predictions. The Back Nine would be a report card style piece, patting yourself on the back for good calls and ripping yourself a new one for the bad calls. The idea being that you are not an expert (yet), but you're tired of the "experts" throwing their predictions out there and then not being graded for them, good or bad, on a week to week basis. I shall be graded!" I talk to myself like this frequently, parentheses, air quotes, exclamation points and all...man I'm a headcase.

So here's the inaugural installment of the Golf Potato's weekly series The Front Nine.

The Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club


1. Phil Mickelson - Whoa, here's a stretch. The #2 player in the world and he won this tournament the last two years. Save for a lousy final round last week Phil was right in the fray at Torrey Pines. Lefty loves this golf course and a few more quality swings than last week may be all the difference.

2. Steve Stricker - Wisconsin's finest has opened the season strong, with two top ten finishes in as many starts. Stricker was runner up to Phil last year at Riviera and if not for a shaky driver down the stretch may have won it outright.

3. Robert Allenby - Like Stricker, Allenby has two top ten finishes in as many starts. Allenby finished second last week thanks to some late penalty strokes. I don't see him winning this week (mostly because I don't really see him winning any week) but another top ten is very feasible.

4. Davis Love III - I saw the 1992 tournament highlights on Golf Channel this morning with DLIII and Freddy Couples rocking it out and I got all fired up about this pick. DLIII has played only the Sony this year and finished a solid T5. Also, remember last year when he wanted to make the Masters field and started playing some really good golf, but ended up the odd man out. Right now Love is #76 in the world golf rankings and a strong finish could get him into the field at the Accenture Match Play. Nothing like mini-goals Davis, nothing like mini-goals. Fun side-note on DLIII, he's almost 46 and currently leading the Tour in driving distance.

5. Charles Howell III - Something about that Roman numeral this week. Actually Charles, or Chuck as I like to yell at the television, has had a great start to 2010. He has two top ten finishes in three starts, and despite going 19-under at The Hope had to settle for T26. Chuck has a pair of runner-ups at this event, most recently in 2007 a couple strokes behind one Tiger Woods.

6. Brandt Snedeker - Speaking of 2007 at Riviera, guess who finished 3rd behind TW and CHIII. Breadeker, as I have just now decided to call him, finished T2 last week and T10 the week before. I'd love to see this guy get a win the same 'deserving underdog' reason I'd love to see New Orleans take home the Lombardi Trophy. How cool would that be if it happened on the same day?

7. Adam Scott - This may be one of those picks that makes me look the fool. Last year was such a disaster for Scott that picking him to simply make a cut was a long shot, let alone to contend or win. But I think the President's Cup might have done the trick and Riviera has been kind to him in the past.

8. Jim Furyk - Making his 2010 debut, everybody's favorite grinder will tee it up at Riviera. Furyk really is a long shot pick because he hasn't played this event all that often and is still looking to crack the top 30 when he has played. Last year was sort of a dud for Furyk. He played some stellar final rounds to take a second or third place finish, but never really pieced together four good ones. I like him to be refocused and let's face it, when he's playing well he can win anywhere, including Riviera.

9. Ernie Els - The Golf Potato's preseason pick to be Comeback Player of the Year would certainly help the cause with a win this week. Ernie has finished T12 at this years' Bob Hope and last week was T5 at Torrey Pines. Steady improvement, eh Ernie.