Qatar Masters - Awesome Alvaro Attempts to Defend

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He's one of the most unique and appealing players in the world; a 6'3" Spaniard who happens to be one of the biggest hitters... ever. And everyone who meets Alvaro Quiros says he's amazingly nice. Some even say he's too nice. I always wonder what that implies.

When Alvaro Quiros won the impressive looking mother-of-pearl trophy at the Qatar Masters a year ago in a tense final round, many felt it might be followed by a win in the US, and a truly amazing break-out year.

He headed to the US... and to The Masters... ranked 27th in the world, and John Paul Newport of the Wall Street Journal suggested that, with his Mediterranean charm, good looks and perpetual smile, he could be the Tour’s next Spanish heartthrob.

There were some notable Alvaro Quiros moments last summer, the most memorable took place at the PGA Championship in Hazeltine. After missing the cut at the first three majors, Señor Quiros stunned Tiger Woods and Padraig Harrington in the first round with a second shot that rolled onto the 11th green between them, while they were still lining up their putts. The 11th was a 600-yard par-5 uphill into the wind making that second shot, hit with a driver from the fairway "just stupid long". Those were the words Tiger used.

Ultimately sabotaged by his short game, Alvaro Quiros finished T24, and the 2009 PGA Championship will be remembered for Y.E. Yang's historic come-from-behind upset of Tiger Woods. And it all seems so long ago, doesn't it?

Yesterday in Doha the 2009 Qatar Masters champion dropped just a single shot in a four under 68, keeping the chances alive for a historic defense of his title... and the Mother-of-Pearl trophy. Alvaro Quiros is also fighting for a second trip to Augusta and a spot on the European Ryder Cup so this would be a big win for the big hitter from Cadiz, and at three back from co-leaders Paul Casey and Bradley Dredge, it's certainly conceivable.

I know I wouldn't be alone in celebrating a win by the swashbuckling Spaniard.

Photo: Ross Kinnaird, Getty Images

OobGolf Takes Live-Blogging to the Next Level

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Though at first glance it may look like a Facebook photo from a wild sorority party, the graphic at left is actually part Oobgolf's excellent... albeit somewhat salacious... coverage of the PGA Merchandise show.

The Oob guys used CoverItLive.Com, an awesome hosted live-blogging service that enables anyone to create elegant looking, media-rich live coverage and put it on their site by pasting in a few lines of HTML.

On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, oobgolf.com featured a regular stream of photos and commentary that allowed readers to discover the new equipment, gadets and apparel along with the editors who were on-site at the convention center and driving range. They were also introduced to every bootylicious booth babe attractive young spokesmodel on the show floor. Currently one can peruse each day's live blog from the site's archives but to see how powerful CoverItLive is one needs to follow an event while it's happening.

CoverItLive really does bring live-blogging to the next level. I'd venture to say that Live-Tweeting pales in comparison, and there'll undoubtedly be more golf bloggers using it in the near future...which bodes well for golf writers with renegade tendencies and readers in search of up-to-the-minute coverage.

And maybe not so well for certain organizations that wish to control their message.

Live-Tweeting Becomes Golf Media's Latest Debate

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It was kind of inevitable, given today's blurring of journalistic lines... and Twitter's proclivity for provocation in the golf world. (if you don't know what I mean by that ask Parker Mclachlin or Carolyn Bivens)

A couple of days ago I wrote about Alan Shipnuck live-tweeting Phil Mickelson's pre-tournament press release at the Farmer's Insurance Open. At that point everything was all good and proper and within guidelines. Yesterday however, Mr. Shipnuk found himself in the proverbial bunker with his live-tweet of the tourney's first round. At some point during the session the seditious scribe received an email from the PGA Tour regarding a media regulation that makes the live-tweeting of tournaments a violation.

The incident and it's immediate repercussions have been reported in the golf blogosphere by Stephanie Wei and Ryan Ballengee including additional amusing tweets from @AlanShipnuck, so I won't go into that here. However, you can be sure that this latest Twitter polemic will be debated well into the weekend and beyond thanks to the "What happens on Twitter, doesn't stay on Twitter rule" and the evolving ethics of journalism.
Illustration: c/o TwitrGolfers.com

A Turnaround Trip to the PGA Merchandise Show

I'm not a fan of early morning departures.

I don't like early morning anything for that matter, but having only one free day this week, I booked a 6:55AM flight to Orlando and dutifully left my house before sunrise yesterday - in the middle of a snowstorm - for a turn-around trip to the PGA Merchandise show. The last flight back to NY was at 7:55PM which left me just enough time to do what I had to do and get back to my winter wonderland.

If you're into golf in any kind of business sense, the PGA show is an event you probably want to attend. With so many of the industry's major names exhibiting and/or attending, it's certainly the best place you can go to get a feel for the golf world's current mood and it's near term outlook. It's also a great place to meet in person, some of the golf people you've met virtually via Twitter and Facebook.

I'll be posting my observations later today. In the meantime you're probably wondering what the photo at left, featuring a race car and a couple of young ladies in bootie shorts and platform boots provocative outfits, has to do with anything. For the moment let me just say they represent a company offering a $50,000 set of golf clubs, details of which will be included in this afternoon's report.

Photo via my awesome Facebook friend Dennis Thomas

Alan Shipnuck's Live-Tweet from Torrey Reveals a New Physique for Phil Mickelson

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Sports Illustrated Senior Writer, Golf.com columnist and Author, Alan Shipnuck... at Torrey Pines for a Phil Mickelson stalk-a-thon to cover the Farmers Insurance Open... was kind enough to live-tweet this morning's press conference.

Not surprisingly, he did a stellar job. And because some of us were already glued to our Twitter clients for the Apple iPad Intro, the timing couldn't have been better.

@AlanShipnuck's timely Tweets arrived at well-spaced 1 minute intervals and presented the presser in succinct snippets of 140 characters or less.

We learned that Phil feels okay about playing Ping Eye2s... and that he's playing a ball with more spin so has moved down to a 6 degree driver. We also found out that (for family reasons) he'll skip the WGC Match Play but will add a later tournament in its place. The inevitable and much anticipated, "What's your take on Tiger?" was put to rest in one elegant tweet.

Bottom line: with the right reporter present a live-tweeted press conference is an effective way to get up-to-the-minute news out to a busy, multi-tasking populace. BTW, I emphasise "the right reporter" because I myself have tried to live-tweet press conferences before without success. I tend to get distracted by the second or third question and forget I'm supposed to be live-tweeting.

My favorite @AlanShipnuck Tweet of the day concerned Mr. Mickelson's physical appearance, "My observation: Waistline looks pretty trim, biceps are a little brawnier." ~ You know what I'm thinking? This might just herald a return to the era of Phil Mickelson's white belt... and that's fine with me. to hell with rule 32.

Commercialbank Qatar Masters - A Look at the Course

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The above video, presented by director of golf Greg Holmes, will get you familiar with some of the more interesting holes on the Doha Golf Club course, where the Commercialbank Qatar Masters will take place this week.

Check out Golf365's informative post for lots of additional details.

... And here's an engaging preview video from Al Jazeera's Joanna Gasiorowska. Al Jazeera recently signed on as Global Media Sponsor for the Commercialbank Qatar Masters. Jo is on the scene in Doha I hear rumors she'll be playing in the ProAm. You can follow her on Twitter at @JoGasiorowska.



The intrepid Ms. Gasiorowska also recently produced a report on the effects of the current economy on golf and how the European Tour is adapting.

The Bob Hope Classic and My Own Bill Haas Story

female golf pundit, Patricia Hannigan
Here in Connecticut an icy rain fell from sunrise till dusk today and the skies never cleared. But my Monday was made much brighter by a Bill Haas victory at the Bob Hope Classic. You see, I've been a major Bill Haas fan since June 17, 2008.

Before you think I'm weird, the reason I remember the exact date is because that's the day I actually met the gracious southern golfer on the practice green at TPC River Highlands.

It was the week leading up to the Travelers Championship and the players were coming in from the west coast and Torrey Pines, after one of the most memorable US Opens ever. Buzz was just beginning to circulate about the possibility that Tiger might have to take some time off... perhaps even the remainder of the season... to mend his knee... and the prospect of several Tigerless months seemed to cast an aura of uncertainly on the green that day. In light of what's happened since, that seems almost extremely ironic, doesn't it?

Being a weekday... and quite early in the morning... the sparse crowd around the green consisted mainly of prosperous looking senior citizens, clamoring for autographs. They were uniformly equipped with fresh black Sharpies and shiny new golf balls. Once signed, I'm guessing they lovingly placed the balls in windowed display cases.

But, as I say, there was a strange vibe that day. The players spoke among themselves, commiserated with their caddies and went about their practice routines. Most of them seemed in no mood to humor the early morning autograph seekers. But there was one young guy who didn't hesitate to approach the fans standing around the green. It was Bill Haas who... I'll admit... I was unfamiliar with at the time. As he politely proceeded to autograph balls, exchanging pleasantries with the seniors, I complimented him on his pleated trousers which were old-fashioned and oddly elegant. He smiled and said he was surprised I had noticed, he said he preferred pants with pleats though they weren't always easy to find. I asked if I could take a photo, and gave me that great smile.

So, that's the story of how I became a Bill Haas fan on June 17, 2008. And why it was pretty special to see him win in an exciting final round at the Bob Hope Classic today.

Photos:Golf Girl Media

Abu Dhabi Championship: A Win for Global Golf

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Earlier this weekend, respected golf commentator Renton Laidlaw, gave accolades to Abu Dhabi, and declared that it "deserves its mantle as one of the world’s most exciting, emerging golf centers of excellence".

Having covered golf internationally for decades and won golf writing's most prestigious awards, Mr. Laidlaw is clearly in a good position to judge... and it doesn't seem he'd get an argument from any of the golfers... or golf fans... who congregated at Abu Dhabi Golf Club during the past week to contest the first stop in the European Tour's "Desert Swing".

The Abu Dhabi Golf Championship featured an international cast of the world's best. An amazing seventeen different nationalities were represented within the top twenty on today's final leaderboard. It was a group that included at least one player from every continent except... Antarctica!

"Global Golf" has become a trending term lately. ~ Y.E. Yang's win at the 2009 PGA Championship and the designation of the HSBC Champions event in China as a World Golf Championship... along with golf's Olympic re-inclusion... have perpetuated major global golf buzz of late.

Though there was some resentment expressed towards Anthony Kim and other PGA Tour players who have chosen to play European Tour events such as the Abu Dhabi Championship over conflicting PGA Tour events like the struggling Bob Hope Classic, many agree that the future of golf, will depend - to a great extent - on its growth in emerging markets, and with local golfers playing in the Abu Dhabi Championship for the first time, there's reason to believe that a less insular focus may be the best way to achieve that growth. In any case, taking into consideration the above-mentioned events, the sport's global reach seems well positioned to grow.

And now for a couple of my own somewhat impertinent astute observations on the Abu Dhabi Championship:

The prize for the most remarkable golf outfit goes... not surprisingly... to Ian Poulter for the turquoise on turquoise ensemble he wore on day three. The dapper Englishman put up a valiant fight and finished one back in second place.





















Simon Dyson gets an honorable mention for Maroon Monochromatics and Best Use of the Full Cleveland. He posed quite fetchingly in this outfit at the driving range before the second round.





















Juan, a reader from Spain, brought Camillo Villegas and his boldly patterned golf shirt to my attention. Mr. Villegas finished the tournament in a tie for 19th and gets extra points for massive muscles... and because he always indulges the fans with the Spiderman move.









Several readers asked me about the galloping horses behind Martin Kaymer in my previous post. Here they are behind T-13, Sergio Garcia. There were a number of such oversized images set up on the course and they made for some interesting and dynamic photos.
















The prize for Best Smile While Hitting a Sand Shot has to go to Edoardo Molinari. He was also part of the six-way tie for 13th.














Representing the USA in the top 20 was Anthony Kim. Yet another of the T-13s, Mr. Kim may have been paying homage to his beleaguered pal Tiger Woods, with a red shirt on Sunday.














Amazing and awesome Shane Lowery climbed into the top 100 following his excellent fourth place finish... while reinforcing the myth of the portly golfer. BTW, portly = cute in my book, at least where Shane's concerned.





















Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy reinforced his reputation as the "Young Gun to Watch" by finishing in third place, and has evidently gone back to the Ronald McDonald hairstyle he temporarily abandoned in the second half of 2009.





















...and finally, these guys won the prize for Cutest Club Covers at the 2010 Abu Dhabi Championship. Do you know who they belong to?















Click here for the answer.

All Photos:Getty Images

Abu Dhabi Championship - Martin Kaymer's Conquest

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“That was the nicest round of golf I have ever played on the European Tour.”

That's how Martin Kaymer described his winning final round today at the Abu Dhabi Championship. Playing with Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter the baby faced German recaptured the falcon trophy with a 6-under 66 to finish at 21-under 267. Ian Poulter put up a valiant fight but ultimately missed the 15 foot birdie putt that would have forced a playoff.

Check back for a wrap-up report with fashion notes later today.


Photo: Ross Kinnaird /Getty Images

Justin Bieber Golf Video: He Putts... and Goes Nuts

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If you haven't heard of Justin Bieber yet... you probably are spending too much time reading golf blogs. Or maybe you live in an "enclave for active adults". One thing you're definitely not is a pre-teenage girl. Nor are you in any way related to a member of that species.

Justin Bieber is a 15 year old Canadian pop singer. Not long ago his self-made YouTube videos led to a bidding war between music moguls, and recently his popularity caused a riot at a Long Island shopping mall.

He released his debut album on November 17, 2009. It qickly went Platinum in Canada and the US. Yes, he's a phenom. He's been trending on Twitter all week and I've got to admit, his music is pretty awesome. Or maybe I'm just nostalgic for the early days of Hanson.

Not everything about Mr. Bieber is perfect however, his golf skills - illustrated in the above video - are not particularly impressive, and he has no sense of golf fashion. ~ Worst of all he overreacts reacts exactly the way I do when sinking a 20 foot putt.

The Abu Dhabi Championship - Masterful Molinaris

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"Once you're lucky, twice you're good."

That's the title of an awesome book by tech writer, Sarah Lacy. The book is about Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs, but for my purposes it applies to Francesco Molinari and his hole-in-one at the Abu Dhabi Championship yesterday. He accomplished it at the 174 yard fourth hole using his 7-iron. And it was his second such feat. The first one was a couple of years ago at the 2008 Malaysian Open. So yes, no doubt it, he's good. And so is his brother Edoardo. But then you knew that because I've written about the talented Italian brothers on myriad occasions.

It's just about 2:30AM right now here in New England but it's already 11:30AM in Abu Dhabi and the third round is already underway. Both Molinaris are currently in contention, with Francesco's ace helping into a tie for 14th while Edoardo is part of a tie for 9th.

The brothers are definitely a force to be reckoned with, and they'll be a welcome presence in Augusta this April.

Photo: Ross Kinnaird /Getty Images

Golden Bear Birthday - Jack Nicklaus Stylin at 70

One can say a lot about mid-century American golf fashion, and most of it won't be nice.

The sixties and seventies in particular, are generally remembered for outrageous colors and questionable cuts that seem decidedly more Ringling Brothers than Brooks Brothers.

That Jack Nicklaus, managed to transcend the circus-inspired fray and wear the era's fashion with style is a testament to his seemingly innate sense of casual elegance.

In honor of his 70th birthday and his outstanding career, GolfWeek's Ashleigh Korzack's penned an engaging tribute to the Golden Bear earlier this week.

I'm guessing most golf fan share her sentiments. I know I do and I wish Mr. Nicklaus a happy... and stylish... 70th.

Abu Dhabi Championship And Stellar Sergio Garcia

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El Nino's all grown up now.

Oh, he's still demonstrative. That'll never change, but having recently celebrated his 30th birthday he must have felt like a wise elder-statesman next to Rory McIlroy yesterday in Abu Dhabi. They played the first round together and as Karl MacGinty tells it in his piece for the Belfast Telegraph, the round was enjoyed by all.

“It was awesome,” enthused Garcia, now 30, of an idyllic afternoon with McIlroy in the Arabian Desert. “It's good to have a chance to play with Rory. He's an unreal player, one whose name is going to be remembered in golf throughout the ages.”

Both players finished the first round with spectacular 66s one shot back from the leaders.

Photo: David Cannon/Getty Images, Europe

Abu Dhabi Championship - Ian Poulter's Big Birdie

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No...not that birdie!

Though I'll admit his Abu Dhabi falcon IS quite awesome. But I'm referring to a birdie that's distinctly less ... avian. The kind that rolls 70 feet across the final green and drops into the hole. Like the one that gave Mr. Poulter a share of the one stroke first round lead today at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship. I'll have more on the fabulous first round a bit later. So stay tuned, OK?

Photo: Andrew Reddington/Getty Images, Europe

Bob Hope Classic Style - Pink PUMA on Rickie Fowler

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The weather was decidedly brisk in La Quinta today... and the afternoon saw some rain roll in, but it wasn't the washout some were predicting.

And that's a good thing, because it would have been a shame to throw rain gear over one of the most amazingly awesome golf outfits in history. The look was by PUMA. A V-Neck sweater and tailored trousers rendered in several shades of pink and as illustrated in the photo above, Mr. Fowler wore it well. He looked... ethereal. Yes, that's the word, implausible as it may seem when discribing a golf outfit. And the brooding expression (which no doubt reflects the disappointment of a not-so-stellar first round 74) only added to the charm. Ricki Fowler is evidently one of those guys who "looks so cute when he's mad."

Hopefully, the rains will hold off, the tournament will proceed without delay and the one they've been calling a rookie phenomenon will have a better round tomorrow. ~I'm pretty sure he looks cute when he's happy too.

Photo: c/o BobHopeClassicGirls @BobHopeClassic on Twitter

A Tale of Two Golf Tours... And Two Desert Courses

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Two golf tournaments will take place this weekend, each on a desert golf course bordered by date groves and landscaped with exotic gardens.












That the two oasis courses are located on opposite ends of the earth isn't obvious from photos, but one will take place in Abu Dhabi and the other in Palm Springs so geographically, they couldn't be much further apart.












The fortunes of the two tournaments are setting up to be quite disparate as well, and the situation has been discussed, dissected and mused about quite a bit... with some suggesting that PGA players should not be allowed to use "conflicting event releases" that allow PGA players to play overseas. At least not on weeks like this one.

In its fifth year, The Abu Dubai Championship has it's strongest field ever, with 8 of the world's top 15... while the top player in Palm Springs for The Bob Hope Classic's 50th Anniversary is Canada's Mike Weir ranked 37th. Even Mother Nature seems to be taking sides; The PGA Tour is bracing for predicted periods of wind-swept, wintery rain and looking at coningency plans in California while endless clear sunny skies are predicted at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

In the meantime, I'll keep you posted on both tournaments over the coming days, because both are interesting events and in golf, one never really knows who's going to do what, and in this case, where.

Wit & Wisdom - Daly Does "Sports Soup" Tonight!

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You don't want to miss this!

What: Chisled golf champion John Daly hosts Sports Soup

Where: On VERSUS

When: Tonight at 10:00PM ET

Think "Talk Soup" meets "The Daily Show" for sports. That's Sports Soup. ~ Then think "rabble rousing boy next door" meets "wise, witty, elder statesman". And that's John Daly. Sort of.

Anyway, judging from the preview below, the show's going to be lots of fun, as the new, "slimmer than a steel-shafted seven iron" John Daly pokes some light-hearted fun at Tiger Woods... and himself.



Photo: c/o PGA_JohnDaly via Twitpic/Video Versusvstv Getty Images/Swing-David Rogers, Family-David Cannon

Petionville Golf Course - Ground Zero In Ravaged Haiti

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The Port-au-Prince suburb of Petionville, nestled in the hills to the southeast of the capital was... not long ago... a bastion of affluence in the largely impoverished nation of Haiti. The Petionville Club was its hub, a place where diplomats, businessmen and visiting foreigners relaxed poolside after a game of tennis or a round of golf on the undulating nine hole course. ~ That course is now a massive refugee camp, home to tens of thousands of displaced people, most of whom have lost family and friends. It's a disaster that veteran aid workers are calling the worst they've ever faced.

Shortly after the quake struck six days ago, amidst the chaotic initial reports, I came upon a website for The Petionville Club, which featured photos of the golf course's once verdant fairways, including the one above, which judging from its title I take to be a view from the women's tee on the fifth hole. There were also shots of the the clay tennis courts and the large rectangular swimming pool (left).

The site urged members to come to "Wednesday Happy Hour" at the Zona Bar and invited them to the spa for "Gym with Gina" exercise classes. It also suggested they participate in a book club where, "In addition to the books, most members appreciate the opportunity to socialize with a diverse group of people from different sectors of the Haitian & international community while indulging in wine and exotic foods offered by members."

Today, Haiti's only golf course has become the forward operating base of the 82nd Airborne Division. Where privleged club members once dined on on grilled shrimp, and conch with creole sauce, soldiers now distribute boxed humanitarian meals to hungry children and families. The once sparkling pool is empty and debris-strewn and the fairways and greens of the golf course have been transformed into a massive tent city.

Earlier today I went back to the the Petionville Club website and saw that that the header had been changed. It now read, "The Petionville Club Base - 82nd Airborne" The navigation menu was being updated as well. At one point I refreshed my browser and in a click the list of options changed from Tennis-Golf-Racquetball-Stretching/Yoga-Restaurant/Bar to Food Distribution-Logistical-Medical-Security. Some vestiges of the lighthearted copy and alluring photos remained as of my last page view but they too are quickly being replaced by dramatic scenes of the current situation.

Before the earthquake I had never heard of Petionville Club... or its nine hole golf course with sweeping views of the sea. In fact, I never would have guessed there was a course in Haiti because, like many Americans, I knew very well that Haiti was one of the poorest countries in the world... and I conveniently stored that fact in the back of my mind along with other things "I'd worry about later".

The natural disaster that took place there almost a week ago has moved me... and many others... to focus on Haiti and the Haitian people while they attempt to restore order to their devastated country. I hope we can take our assistance beyond the disaster to help them fight the poverty that we ignored for so long. There are many ways to donate to Haiti, the important thing is to find an organization that genuinely helps the people in need. I feel the Red Cross is a good place to start.

In addition Golf Dash one of my favorite golf blogs posted yesterday with a unique and thoughful suggestion on how golfers might collectively empower each other and ourselves to stick with Haiti and help this neighboring country long term.

Golf - Awesome - Thanks - Play - Sergio

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Tweet Cloud is a whimsical new time suck Twitter word-cloud-generator.

Unlike other such gadgets Tweet Cloud allows you to choose a day, week, month or year of your Twitter conversations, which it then aggregates and ... um... regurgitates as a cute multi-colored, word cloud, containing the words you've used most over the chosen period.

My tweets... over the past year... are represented by the cloud above. Top five words, ordered by most used: golf, awesome, thanks, play, sergio. (As a result, I've resolved to give up Sergio and stop over-using awesome).

Tweet Cloud seems to have an uncanny way of telling you things about yourself that you didn't know you knew. If you know what I mean? If not, give it try.


Tweet Cloud was created by Chad Scira and I discovered it via the awesome wonderful Julia Roy.

Sony Open - Once Again Y. E. Yang Stands Out ...

... in another stunning shirt!

~ Yong-Eun Yang made another bold, tricolor shirt statement yesterday at the Sony Open - thanks to his clothing sponsor Le Coq Sportif. ~ And it featured a familiar patriotic color palette.

On the fairways of Waialae however, Mr. Yang met with some pretty epic frustration. While he finished the first round even - which meant T47 on the crowded leaderboard - his playing partners, Zach Johnson and Davis Love III, Both shot 5-under-par 65s and ended up with a share of the six-way-tie lead. But here's the thing: all three partners were 4-under after 14 holes! Unfortunately, the 2009 PGA Championship winner played the next three in 4-over. Which = epic frustration. Which = OUCH!

Yes, golf can be painful, but I believe in redemption and the power of an awesome shirt. So I'm looking for Mr. Yang to make a move up the leaderboard today... and I'm hoping he sticks with his fearless fashion statements.

Oh and speaking of golf fashion statements... I plan to devote some of this cold Connecticut weekend to reading the stories I've missed in my favorite golf blogs. And I intend to start with The Khaki Crusader, a blog where astute observations... and stellar writing... on the ever-changing world of golf style are a given.

Cristie Kerr, President Obama & F. Childe Hassam

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Earlier this week, the victorious US Solheim Cup Team spent a couple of days in the nation's capital.

They toured the town, attended receptions and struck touristy poses at monuments and memorials. They were also given a full tour of the White House which included a get-together with President Obama in the Oval Office.

There was plenty of animated conversation about golf, including the revelation that the Commander-in-Chief had made his first birdie a couple of weeks ago in Hawaii. The President's palpable golf passion certainly made for a natural connection with the ladies of the LPGA. However the team's top ranked golfer, Cristie Kerr, discovered she had an additional affinity with the President: a painting by American Impressionist, Frederick Childe Hassam, brought to light a shared interest in art.

Cristie and her husband Erik have been avid art collectors for a number of years, with a particular interest in the art of the American Southwest, where they have a home in the AZ desert. The Obamas (who went to the Art Institute of Chicago on one of their first dates) are long-time art aficionados as well, but lean towards modern art and black-and-white photography.

Ironically, the painting that sparked the conversation was The Avenue in the Rain (1917), French-influenced and ethereal, and one of Childe Hassam's most impressionistic. It features a row of American flags and their blurred reflections on New York's rain soaked Fifth Avenue, and it's been part of the White House collection since the Kennedy administration... but it had been put into storage during the Bush administration, replaced by a Texas landscape. President Obama brought it back to the Oval Office when he moved in. Without overt reference to soldiers or war, F. C. Hassam's The Avenue in the Rain makes a distinct patriotic statement that clearly resonates with both the golf champion and the President.

Middle Eastern Golfers to Make Abu Dhabi Debut

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The European Tour's Desert Swing gets underway next week at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship and it'll definitely be one to watch for a whole slew of reasons.

Many of the much-hyped young guns of golf will be in contention, including Rory McIlroy, Camilo Villegas, and Anthony Kim. Sergio Garcia will start his 2010 season in Abu Dhabi, and you can also look for exciting players like Alvaro Quiros and the Molinari Brothers.

In addition to the above mentioned stars there'll be a couple of golfers you may not be familiar with. Two of the Arab world's most winning young players are set to make their Abu Dhabi debuts next week as well.

Twenty-three-year-old Othman Al Mulla has played in European Tour events before, in Dubai and Qatar, and has won a number of amateur tournaments across the Gulf. He's from Saudi Arabia. Ahmad Al Musharrakh is from the UAE and recently completed a third post-grad year at the IMG Leadbetter Golf Academy. In mid-December he won the DSCA Open in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The young men are both part of a Youth Golf Development Program being promoted by Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority.

Here in the US, there are lots of misconceptions about the people and culture of the Middle East and I think it's great to see Middle Eastern players on an international stage.

Social Media and the Sony Open in Hawaii

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It's 2010... and there are lots of fun ways to follow this week's Sony Open. Here you have some social media listings:

On Twitter: @SonyOpen and SonyOpen_Live

On Facebook: Sony Open in Hawaii

On the web: Sony Open in Hawaii

The Course: Waialae Country Club

PGA Tour: Sony Open Tournament Overview

PGA Tour: Fan Zone (lists all the current players on Twitter)

Photo Above: First Sunset in Hawaii by @PGAJohn_Daly

Geoff Ogilvy Wins - While His Coach Chats With Fans

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He wasn't on my fantasy team, but in the end, I was definitely pulling for Geoff Ogilvy last night as he valiantly defended his SBS Championship title on the lush fairways of Kapalua.

Though I've long been impressed with his quiet consistency, prior to last night I've never been a huge Geoff Ogilvy fan. It's probably fair to say that Geoff Ogilvy doesn't inspire a lot of "huge fans". After all, he's not prone to on-course theatrics and his personal style tends to be monochromatic and understated. Even the awesome, urban edginess of PUMA... his sponsor for four years... didn't quite rub off on Mr. Ogilvy, and he recently moved his talented toes to FootJoy. I think we can bet Mr. Ogilvy's MyJoys will be black on black on black.

I've long felt that social media could play an important role in engaging golf fans... particularly casual golf fans, and my sudden "engagement" with Geoff Ogilvy yesterday is an excellent example, because what made it happen was a rather spontaneous social media event put together by a Twitter friend of mine.

Early in the day @PureGolfJourney emailed me to say that Geoff Ogilvy's coach Dale Lynch, one of the stellar coaches behind Pure Golf Training, would be broadcasting LIVE on UStream during the SBS Championship's final round. He encouraged me to log in to UStream or Twitter to follow Mr. Lynch's broadcast, ask questions and chat with him and other followers... in real time... about what was taking place on the Plantation Course.

I did log in, and at 7:45PM ET, as promised, there was Dale Lynch sitting on his couch at his home in South Carolina watching the tournament from from his living room. ~ It was an exciting round, and as it progressed it was awesome to be able to chat with the esteemed coach and ask him questions directly via Twitter or UStream. How Geoff had practiced for a particular hole... what techniques he used to stay so calm... and the myriad other questions arose as we watched. Dale Lynch was easy-going and informative, and before long I was "engaged" on a much deeper level, not only with the awesome Geoff Ogilvy, but also with the tournament.

The technology that allowed this to happen is fairly new and getting better all the time. I can only imagine it'll be used in the future in new and exciting ways. In the meantime kudos to PureGolfJourney and Dale Lynch for being pioneers. And to Geoff Ogilvy for making us all proud.

Sergio Garcia's Milestone Birthday Signals Maturity

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Age, it's been said, is a high price to pay for maturity. And these days, even when one does pay... with a milestone birthday or two... there's still no guarantee maturity will actually show up.

Sergio Garcia, who turns 30 today, has probably been called "immature" more than any other golfer in history. Often, the description has been warranted... by relentless whining or excessive sulkiness ... but at other times it's been used because Sergio Garcia was... being Sergio Garcia, the expressive Spaniard. And in an era shaped by the uber-controlled, almost robotic demeanor of Tiger Woods, just about any display of emotion was perceived as immature.

"Sergio Garcia has been inextricably linked with Tiger Woods his entire adult golf life." ~ USAToday sports columnist, Christine Brennan began a story with that sentence a couple of years ago referring, as so many have over the past decade, to the exuberant young Sergio who challenged Tiger at the 1999 PGA Championship at Medinah, and reminding us of other occasions where the two were paired together, exposing the contrast between the two personalities. ~ Whether it was the US Open at Bethpage in 2002, or the British Open in Liverpool in 2006, the conclusion was the same: the concise, business-like Tiger was far more stable and successful and mature than the emotional, flamboyantly dressed, somewhat childish Spaniard.

Right now, as we start a new decade and Sergio celebrates 30, that conclusion is not nearly so obvious. ~ I met Sergio Garcia last June at the Travelers Championship. I just walked up to him, expecting to encounter a petulant and self-absorbed brat. Instead I found a warm, gracious, friendly cute, fine, hot, sexy young guy, who if anything, seemed mature beyond his years.

The Tiger Woods scandal has shattered many of our old perceptions about the world's number one golfer. I think it may also be transforming some perceptions about the one many call the best golfer never to have won a major. It's clearly caused some to question the wisdom of a secretive, highly-controlled public persona vs a more transparent, "I-am-what-I-am" style.

Personally, I hope 2010 is the year of Sergio Garcia. I hope he'll be able to put the heartbreak behind him and heal the injured hand and win a major... or two.

Y.E. Yang's Daring Second Round Shirt Selection

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It was exuberantly red, white and blue.

So much so that it brought to mind images of a tablecloth at a fourth of July picnic. And the pattern was... just crazy enough to be distracting.

Perhaps that might be part of why the PGA Champion ran into trouble today. On the 18th he even managed a triple bogey. Ouch. For the Korean golfer... and for me. Yes, Mr. Yang's on my fantasy team.

That being said, I admire his willingness to take fashion risks. I'm assuming the shirt in question to be Le Coq Sportif, Mr. Yang's clothing sponsor.

One more thing I wanted to point out was an entertaining and interesting post by Kelly Tilghman. ~ In it she recounts the afternoon... a couple of days ago... she spent with Y.E. Yang and Angel Cabrera. Good stuff.

SBS Championship: Of Oral Fixations & Full Clevelands

A couple of quick observations going into the second round:













1) Guys are putting some inappropriate things in their mouths. Let's hope gorgeous Kapalua Golf Course is as organic as its pineapples, or Stephen Ames and Brian Gay may soon have tummy aches.













2) Things are not looking good for those who hoped the Full Cleveland was a one-season-wonder. It's definitely back for 2010... at least according to style icons Dustin Johnson and Nick Watney.









3) Y.E. Yang looks great in Greenwich Green as does Stewart Cink in purple. Or maybe I just like bright colors.

My fantasy team Golf Girl's Guys, got off to a pretty good start and it's snowing again in CT, so I'm looking forward to a couple of awesome evenings in front of the fire watching the SBS Championship.
Photos: Getty Images