Category: Feature Articles

Practice, Practice, Practice, these words are the call of any person who seeks to win, and few understand this principle more than Tony Finau. Professional golfers understand this principle better than most, in my view. There are reports that Tiger Woods would hit over 500 balls every day, then spend hours on his short game. Considering Tiger’s devotion to the game, is there any surprise he is widely considered the greatest of all time? The experts will tell you that practice must be planned; simply beating hundreds of balls doing the same things will get you the same result, bogies… Read More »

Preparation alone  does not guarantee a victory, but lack of it does guarantee a defeat. Walking several holes with Cameron Champ on a practice round prepping for the start of the 2022 PGA Championship was a special treat for this writer. There are times when the effort of preparation is its own reward, irrespective of the week’s outcome. Missing the cut at The PGA Championship was surprising because Champ had been playing well (T10 at the Masters; T6 at the Mexico Open; T38 at the Byron Nelson). The numbers don’t lie. At just 25 years old, Cameron Champ has quickly morphed into… Read More »

Practice, practice, practice. It’s what professionals do. However, winners seem to know what to practice in order to top the field and secure that almighty win. Tiger Woods came to Southern Hills Country Club a few weeks ago—and again last Sunday—to work on shots that, hopefully, have him on Sunday’s back-nine near or on top of the heap. MGM had a chance to walk nine holes with Tiger Monday morning of Tournament Week, and to observe first-hand the meticulous way he carved out shot, after shot, after shot. That alone should strike a little fear in the rest of the field…. Read More »

The quality of the field year after year, the difficulty of the course, the history of the competition, the place on the yearly PGA Tour schedule–all point to serious consideration of the tournament being called the “Fifth Men’s Professional Golf Major”.  By Herschel Caldwell The subject of The Players becoming the fifth major comes up annually and fervently. However, many top professionals look on The Players as a uniquely private “professional players only” experience with narrow entry and minimized participation (not owing to the open championships where anyone has a chance to qualify regardless of status or professional achievement. The… Read More »

The following article was produced by PGA Tour Headquarters : emilytillo@pgatourhq.com “As the nation celebrates Black History Month with observances and activities honoring the historic contributions of African Americans, THE PLAYERS is no exception. This month, THE PLAYERS introduced Foreward Together, a new exhibit that highlights and chronicles the milestones and impact of African Americans in golf. The exhibit, which also highlights Jacksonville leaders’ contributions to the integration of golf, will be on display at TPC Sawgrass during the month of February and will relocate to the atrium of Jacksonville City Hall for display throughout March.” Foreward Together features interactive… Read More »

Tiger Woods, Willie Mack III, Harold Varner III, Tony Finau*, Cameron James, Joseph Bramlett, Ryan Alford, Kamaiu Johnson, Mulbe Dillard 2021 was the year that Golfers of Color and Black American professional golfers made tremendous strides. PGA Tour wins by Tony Finau and Cameron James, top ten finishes by Harold Varner III, and the excellent play of Joseph Bramlett and others, are all encouraging signs of an even- greater 2022 year. We begin this story with the “teasingly hopeful” possibility that Tiger Woods might return to the PGA Tour. Woods has been very cautious and upfront about when and/or if… Read More »

   The 44th Ryder Cup Matches will be held in Italy in autumn 2023 at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Guidonia Montecelio near Rome. One can rest assured that the Europeans have not forgotten the merciless “whooping” suffered at Whistling Straits.     A quote from the movie “The Legend of Bagger Vance” speaks to the mystic of the golf purest: “You can never win at golf, and all you can do is play.” Once you have a mindset of winning rather than playing, the sharp edge of competition becomes blurred by what motivates one to compete. The focus… Read More »