So, How Many 2009 Wishes Came True ?

Last year, exactly 365 days ago, I wrote a post which contained my "2009 Wishes for Golf". I could think of no more appropriate way to close out the year than to look back on a select few of these wishes and see how many came true..so without further adieu, I will turn this over to Bushwood's Magic Genie - aka "G-Money" (his replies follow in quotes):

(1) For the LPGA, I wished:

• Great performances by marquee players - " Sorry, maybe next time"
• Stability among the sponsors - - "No prob, among those who hung around" - Fail..
• A replacement for Carolyn Bivens - " SCORE !!! Wish granted..."

(2) For the PGA

• Sponsor stability - "Sorry, it's the economy stupid - and we gotta use the TARP funds to pay them bankers their bonuses".
• A quick recovery for Tiger - "Well he recovered all right...but a funny thing happened on the way out of the driveway"...
• Early wins for some of the players we wish were BCC members (Boo, AK,DLIII,Bubba,JB, IP,Shark, Rocco): "Complete strikeout"
• Solid performance at a major by Kenny Perry - "Almost,kimosabe...almost - #18 at August was just too cruel to KP"

(3) For Sergio, some humility and class: "How about a really crappy season and an injured claw at the very end ? Karma is a bitch, el nino...so get some manners or u will have a worse 2010"..

(4) For Michelle Wie, a focus on the LPGA, some solid results, and some space from the 'rents: "Well, you played better,won your first event, and did not seem to make references to the PGA tour - so thats a SCORE. It looked like you were getting some distance from the helicopter duo,but the moment you won,BJ practically ripped the trophy from your hands and did a lap around the 18th green. Two words of advice - patricide now"

(5) For the “twentysomething golf blogger” – a return trip to TGC Amateur Nationals- hope to see you there. "Wish granted - although we both played better, there's still room to get better"

(6)For Amber Prange : Early success in the Spring events - "Not so much early success came your way,but you played in an LPGA event AND got full playing privlieges on the Duramed Futures tour in 2010 - so I'd call that SCORE".

All in all, we should not be surprised or complain....because just like in golf, sometimes we got the break and our wish was granted, and other times we "lipped out". We have lots to be thankful for, and lots to look forward to in 2010. Happy New Year to all of the BCC members and readers !

Sunglasses on the Links - Supah Cool or Oh So Cruel ? ?

If you watched much any of the St. Jude's Classic this weekend, you were confronted with a couple of interesting observations. And if you followed players like Brian Gay (the eventual winner), Robert Allenby, or John Daly you probably concluded that golfers have finally embraced sunglasses as a necessary piece of equipment.

However, I think this weekend was merely a fluke - as most pro golfers STILL do not wear sunglasses on the links. It's really difficult to understand,but Tiger, Phil, Geoff Ogilvy, Lorena Ochoa, Steve Stricker, and MANY others are still among the majority of pro golfers who have not embraced performance eyewear as a necessary piece of equipment - despite plenty of reasons to do so.

To better understand this topic, let's take a brief sashay down memory lane. The first golfer that I recall regularly wearing sunglasses on tour was none other than David Duval. Back in the days when Double D (sorry, I could not resist using that phrase !) was ranked at the top of the heap, he was rockin a pair of Oakleys that we were,um, very noticeable. Like it or not, ol' DD (there I go again) had started a fashion/performance trend. Within a few years, it was very common to see many amateurs (from your local muni to college players everywhere) sporting the upturned Oakleys on the back of their golf caps - but still very few pros. Before you think this was all sizzle and no steak, note that eyecare professionals everywhere were strongly recommending that we protect our eyes from the sun whenever we spent prolonged periods outdoors. Couple that with the eyewear makers developing a much better understanding of the specific needs of various sports and the athletes that played them, and SHAZAAM, sport specific eyewear was born. Now you can find not only sport specific eyewear(from a design/performance perspective), but also sport specific lenses (Oakley, Nike, Kaenon, and Maui Jim are just a few who make "golf specific" lens tints). On the LPGA side of the house, none other than the "American Beauty" herself, Paula Creamer has worked with Sundog to design her own line of Sunglasses - fashion forward and performance oriented.

Now I know that some of the traditionalists out there will scoff at all of this - thinking that eyewear is only a "fad" or simply a "fashion item". I disagree, however - my belief is that performance eyewear is here to stay.

Here is a brief listing of PGA and LPGA players who always have their shades available :

- Davis Love III - Rory Sabbitini - Brian Gay

- Robert Allenby - John Daly - Paula Creamer

- Zach Johnson - David Duval - MIchelle Wie

- Chris DiMarco - Ian Poulter - Yani Tseng

- Morgan Pressel - Carin Koch - Christina Kim

- Henrik Stenson - James Nitties - Kristy McPherson
To further support my position, one needs to look no further than the breeding grounds for our professional tours - the college and high school ranks. Take a look there, and fully 80% of the players count eyewear among their "required" equipment. In conclusion, one may assert that the games leaders are actually laggards in recognizing the need to protect their eyes, AND look damn cool while doing it.

Oh, In case you are looking for me, I'll be the guy in the Visor (that's a topic for another post) and sunglasses, calmly lining up my birdie putt on #18 !

LOOK FOR AN UPCOMING REVIEW OF GOLF EYEWEAR FROM OAKLEY, KAENON,AND MAUI JIM !

P.S. - If you are curious, Brian Gay was wearing Kaenon's "Jetty Black" with a G12 lens on Sunday in Memphis.

Tiger, I got your back man...(Did I just write that ?)

World #1 Tiger Woods (L) Tiger's New Coach (R)

A couple of weeks back, I willingly admitted that I am not a Tiger "fan" - no doubt he is the baddest of the bad a$$es, but I prefer to root for other golfers. It's all cool - he knows he is welcome here at BCC anytime, but he has to pay for his brewskis just like the rest of us.

Anyway, today I read (another) absurd article from an AP writer (name withheld) who proclaimed that "Tiger is back, but without the same power". The article goes on to document how Philly Mc was blowing it by Tiger, and how Tiger is hitting "two more clubs" now than he was pre-injury. Furthermore, Tiger is now averaging "only 300 yards " off the tee. Now, all that may be true....but when did we start equating pure length with winning ? For the last several years, TW has not been the longest off the tee ( I think, by design) - but does that really matter ? I mean, we CONSTANTLY hear that "distance is not everything", and "drive for show, putt for dough"....but now, thanks to the AP, we know that was all just bullsh!t.

Well, I am so friggin glad that we cleared that up. This can only mean one thing for Mr. Ferguson the AP dude...that's TGC on your phone right now offering you a job alongside Kelly T.

Tiger, for God's sake, get rid of Hank Haney and hire this guy, he has got it all figured out....

Bonus Factoid: I'm picking Ian Poulter to win this week at The Players. As much as I cheer for the Red,White,and Blue, I have a feeling that the spiky one is poised to kick some major arse this weekend...