A new fashion line for golfers - bullet proof vests

I don't think Celebrity Chef Paul Prudhomme woke up Tuesday morning thinking he better put on his Kevlar vest to dodge golf balls at the Zurich Classic, but it might have been a good idea in hindsight.

Prudhomme was setting up his cooking tent on the practice range at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans this week when he felt a sting in his right arm. Ouch...darn bees! Where's the vinegar?

As most of us do when stung by a bee we swear and then shake our arm. What we don't expect to see is a .22 caliber bullet fall out of our sleeve.

Deputies believe the famous chef was hit by a falling bullet, probably fired from within a 11/ mile radius of the golf course (probably a range). The good news is that the celebrated chef didn’t require medical attention.

The bad news is that falling bullets are not uncommon and can often cause serious injury or even death. Lucky for Chef Prudhomme, he was only grazed and was able to return to creating delicious concoctions in 5 minutes.

I did a little research and learned that the mortality rate among those struck by falling bullets is about 32%, compared with about 2 – 6% normally associated with gunshot wounds. The higher mortality is related to the higher incidence of head wounds from falling bullets. It sounds like Chef Prudhomme beat the odds on this one.

Apparently, the bullet cut Prudhomme’s skin on his arm above the elbow and put a hole in his white chef’s coat. Those jackets are expensive. Maybe he should auction it off on eBay. I bet he'd get a fortune for it.

Golfgal

---

What, no ‘fore!’? Bullet stings chef
— From Our Press Services
The Commercial Appeal
27 Mar 2008

Chef Paul Prudhomme was setting up his cooking tent on the practice range at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans golf event this week when he felt a sting in his right arm, just above his elbow. Prudhomme shook his shirt sleeve and a .22caliber bullet... read more...

Tech Tags: The Commercial Appeal newspaper Celebs Advice Games

Britney Spears meet John Daly - You two were made for each other!

Guess who's playing in New Orleans this week?

No...let me rephrase that...

Guess who's scheduled to play at the Zurich Classic in New Orleands this week?

Give up? It's John "I don't need a coach; I need a woman in my life" Daly.

Surprised? Yeah...so was I...Who would even think to offer him a sponsor's exemption right now?

And, get a load of this..."Wild Thing" is also scheduled to appear at the Shell Houston Open the week after, and also at the Verizon Heritage in Hilton Head, the week after the Masters.

You're wondering about my need to rephrase? Well, JD isn't exactly "Mr. Dependable" when it comes to showing up for work these days. He's only "scheduled" to play at these events...who knows if he'll show up.

He was DQ at the Arnold Palmer Invitational (I know I know...he had an excuse, but it's funny no one else missed their tee times that day). Then Daly withdrew from last week’s PGA Tour event in Puerto Rico citing stress.

Stress...right... You have no one to blame but yourself Big Boy! The world is your oyster, John, and you're shucking it!

Sorry golf fans, but JD is no longer someone I feel sorry for. He's a big boy (in more ways than one) with 4 kids and he has got to start taking some responsibility for his life and his failings. What gets me isn't John's problem with drinking and being a good ole boy off the course, it's his attitude.

“I don't need a coach,” said Daly. “I need a woman in my life." Puleeeeze John...you don't need a wife, you need a mother!

You're like a big kid who needs some "tough love" discipline. I feel like you're becoming the Britney Spears of golf. What if you go so far that the courts take your 4 beautiful kids away from you? Will you grow up then?

You haven't finished in the top-10 on the PGA Tour since 2005 and have only made 3 cuts in 7 tournaments this year. You get new clubs and so all's well with the world now? "Tuesday was the best day of my life. I got MacGregor clubs that Greg Norman made. I'm hitting the ball great. I'm close now. New Orleans is going to be a great week." Talk about denial!

According to the Orlando Sentinel, John’s tired of ‘all the negative s***’, and hopes that the next reporter who writes about him will “write happy, write something positive"

Okay John...I'm ready....Give me something positive to say and I'll shout it from the Internet rooftops!

My fingers are poised on the keyboard John...but they're starting to cramp up.

Golfgal
http://www.golfgal-blog.com/
http://www.golfforwomen.com/magazine/blogs/golfgal/

Big Break Ka'anapali from the inside out

Hey everyone.

It's almost time for the Big Break Ka'anapali and I'm going to be following that series very closely. Why? Because I'm going to have a special guest along the way. I am really thrilled that Christina Lecuyer, one of the Big Break Ka'anapali Golfgals, will be helping me bring "behind the ropes" commentary to you.

Check out my post on Golf For Women magazine and come back to read next week's interviews with Christina.

Check out the Preview Video....



Hmmm...seems like some intersting shows ahead. I know The Golf Channel tends to try and provoke the contestants on the the Big Break and so you can't really tell how much of what we see is "the whole story". But one thing is for sure... these women are not only beautiful, they are fierce competitors and they've got game!

I hope you'll join me on Golf For Women while I follow the series and get an inside "behined the scenes" scoop on what really went on. And please do share your rants and raves about the show with me and the rest of the readers.

Golfgal

Tiger, Jordon, Gretzky, Ichiro - Now we know their secret!

Okay...I know I know...this post isn't really all about golf. But golfguys and golfgals do like other sports too. Me....I am a big Seattle Mariners fan and I love Ichiro. So when I saw this story in the Seattle Times, I just had to share it.

Ichiro to me is the Michael Jordan/Wayne Gretzky/Tiger Woods of baseball. There is a magic about him when he steps up to the plate. He has the best arm in baseball. He makes catches no one else even tries to reach. He runs faster than spit!

So what's the secret - how do great athletes just seem to be in a league of their own? Apparently, they have "very fine prefrontal cortexes". Well, at least Ichiro does, according to Dr. Kenichiro Mogi.

For 70 days over three different spans of last season, a four-person, one-camera crew followed Ichiro's every move, trying to discern his professional methodology. The result was a TV show about Ichiro's meticulously crafted daily routine of preparing for a game. It's rather fasinating. I'll let you read the story to find out why "lunch" is so important to him. It is interesting how he follows the same routine every day - a ritual that lets him "fine-tune his brain state so that he can concentrate fully on baseball."

Another interesting tidbit...Ichiro can actually report on his own internal feelings in an accurate language. According to Dr. Mogi, "In order to do that, you need to have metacognitive abilities - all related to that "fine" prefrontal cortex in his brain.

But what surprised me the most (and Dr. Mogi) was that according to Ichiro, "He's felt no sense of accomplishment to this point in his career because his records have been achieved from what he perceives as a deficient state."

A "deficient state"...Does this sound like Tiger Woods or what! The best in the world are never satisfied, no matter how successful they are. How can they be happy? Nothing is ever good enough. I guess that's a topic for another post...

Anyway...maybe this "feeling" megacognitive is what made Gretzky know where the puck would be, what gave Jordan the instinct to know where the ball would end up, and Tiger the ability to feel putts go in that look impossible to everyone else.

Whatever it is...it's magic to watch and I can't wait to see Ichiro pull a rabbit out of his cap at the opening game on March 31st and watch Tiger dazzle the crowd at the World Golf Championships this weekend with yet another impossible putt.

Golfgal

Tiger's Roar Louder Than Ever - Why?

Isn't this a great shot?

I don't think I've ever seen Tiger Woods get so excited after winning a tournament. That putt (reminiscent of 2001 with Lefty) will be watched over and over, but not for the putt...for Tiger's hat flinging dance of joy.

Why do you think he was sooooo expressive? Sure it is his 6th win in a row in 6 months. Sure it is Arnie's tournament and he loves the King. Sure, he is now tied with Ben Hogan with 64 wins. Was it any of the above, or all of the above or something else entirely?

Watching him win the majors and hugging his dad with tears in his eyes was pretty standard for Tiger. We knew he was emotional, but this was very different. It was like he let his passion out for a while - something he carries with him all the time, but he usually keeps it in check, privately, except for his fist pumps. This time, as he danced backwards, with that stare on his face, he looked like he was about to explode... and explode he did.

I just loved it! He seemed so much more human to me than the machine that cranks out win after win after win. Remember the Fedex Cup? Ho hum...Tiger won...he wouldn't even kiss the Cup. No...this one really meant something to him and I'd love to know exactly what it was that made it so special.

Perhaps we'll never really know. Maybe he doesn't really know himself. Certainly the interviews at the end of the day didn't get the answer to that question from him.

But it really had to be something special for Tiger to take off his hat. According to Charles Barkley, Tiger doesn't like taking off his hat because he's losing his hair and he can't pull of baldness like Chucky can. :)

Can you imagine what will happen when he wins the grand slam this year. What clothes will he remove then!?

Did you hear what Arnie said to him when he gave him a hug? It was tough to get it all, but what I heard was, "What else is new?" Haha...

Golfgal

---

Hear him roar: Tiger’s winning streak rolls on
BY ANDREW BOTH
Ottawa Citizen
17 Mar 2008

• Bart Bryant ORLANDO, Florida questions whether the average golf fan truly understands the magnitude of Tiger Woods’ dominance. Woods yesterday extended his six-month winning streak to six official tournaments — five on the PGA Tour and one on the... read more...

Tech Tags: Ottawa Citizen newspaper Sports

Daly Skinned by Telus

John Daly makes history in golf. He must be the first champion ever NOT to be asked to return to defend his title at an event. But anything can happen in golf and today, Daly, the 2-time defending champion of the Telus World Skins Game, will not been invited to be part of the five-man field in Vernon BC this summer.

I saw John play at the Skins Game at Nicklaus North with Jack, Stephen Ames and Vijay Singh. He was a sight to behold (smoking, laughing and yes, ripping it!). He was a crowd favorite.

Last year at the event, JD won 12 skins and $220,000 by chipping in for an eagle at the 13th hole. He beat Geoff Ogilvy (5 skins, $125,000) and Canada's Stephen Ames (1 skin, £15,000). South Africa's Retief Goosen and Scotland's Colin Montgomerie came away empty handed. So...JD can still play....if he really wants to.

Brad Pelletier, vice president and managing director of IMG Canada, which runs the event said, “What I can tell you is this — we have our five players locked up and John Daly is not one of them. We had spent considerable time looking at things and decided we wanted to change up the talent mix on it. Recent events this week had no bearing on it.”

Pelletier went on to say that Daly simply did not fit what he called a new "theme" for the Skins Game. Riiiight...what tournament in golf ever followed a "theme" besides winning? I may not be happy with JD's behaviour of late, but defending champions should "defend".

Let's cut the crap Brad. You DON'T NOT invite a defending champion. Unless of course, you're afraid. And as a fellow Canadian, if you are doing this because you are risk adverse and afraid, then I am embarrassed for you. You should be ashamed.

Pelletier said this year’s field for the June 16-17 event at Predator Ridge was finalized about a month ago. Do you believe that? I don't. But I am glad to hear that Mike Weir will be in the field. I will probably attend the event as it is in 'close to home' territory, but Pelletier better not be within ear range of me.

Golfgal

---

Predator Ridge takes a pass on defending champ Daly
BY BRAD ZIEMER VANCOUVER SUN
The Vancouver Sun
14 Mar 2008

Troubled golfer John Daly won’t be gripping and ripping it — or chug-a-lugging cold ones, for that matter — at the Predator Ridge Resort in Vernon during this summer’s Telus World Skins Game. Daly, the two-time defending champion of the made-for-TV... read more...

Tech Tags: The Vancouver Sun newspaper Sports

Golf legend Freddie Couples Booms it at Bay Hill

Freddie Couples - glides instead of walks - doesn't like the limelight that comes with fame - not crazy about being surrounded by fans - known for quotable quotes you have to read twice to understand - shy but fun - self proclaimed as lackadaisical, bad luck with the ladies...

I've heard all these things about Boom Boom, but the thing I've heard the most is that Freddie Couples is the answer you hear most often when asked, "If you could play with a PGA player for 1 round, who would it be?"

I've always liked Freddie because he looks yummy and he plays great. He's laid back and did I mention, he's oh sooo cute :) If Freddie were younger, I'd put him the same "eye candy" category as Paul Casey and Adam Scott. They make women who DON'T love golf, sit down and watch it on a Sunday afternoon.

I read a really great story obout Fred Couples in March 2008's Golf Digest. It was honest and heartwarming in many ways. And it really made you feel like you knew the real Fred Couples. That didn't happen for me with the Tiger story published earlier this year. Everything about Tiger feels "screened" - never giving away too much. The story and interview with Freddie was refreshing. And I like him even better than I did a week ago.

I wasn't golfing back when Freddie was in his prime, but I did watch him on TV. And I do remember thinking how his life must be oh sooo good.....such a good looking guy with such talent. Life for him must be a bowl of cheeries. Note to Golfgal...Appearances are usually deceiving. Freddie has had his share of struggles. Read the article. And if you can't remember what he was like back in his hay day, then check out this tribute to Freddie.



I love him in that sandtrap at the British Open - "Hello down there!"

Anyway, Freddie's back in the limelight again with his 65 at the opening round at Bay Hill. I hope his back stays healthy through the 72 holes and we see him paired with Tiger on Sunday. Wouldn't that be great! 65 is his lowest round since the 2006 Northern Trust. Freddie hasn't qualified for THE PLAYERS yet, but a win this week would ensure his spot at TPC Sawgrass.

Anyway, in honor of Freddie, I decided to watch the Robin Williams HBO Special last night. That Scottish golf skit always makes me LOL! Wouldn't it be great to have him as Freddie's assistant on the President Cup's team?

Golfgal

---

Couples outplays Father Time at Bay Hill

The Vancouver Sun
14 Mar 2008

ORLANDO, Fla. — It was like a giant hand reached up and turned back the clock for former champ Fred Couples who fired a five-under 65 to seize a share of the first-round lead at the Bay Hill course Thursday. The 48-year-old American shares the lead at... read more...

Tech Tags: The Vancouver Sun newspaper Sports

Daly fires caddie - Harmon fires Daly

I feel like a parent with a problem child. You love them to death, but you just can't put up with them anymore. You try love in all its flavors, including "tough love", but nothing works. Some people don't want to be helped and they certainly don't want to help themselves. Sometimes you just have to walk away...

Such is the story of John Daly...

I don't know what made him fire his caddy on Thursday (does anybody know?), but it certainly didn't help him make the cut.

And then his behavior afterwards (hanging around the course on Saturday drinking like he was at a frat party), just isn't what professional golfers should be doing. And it's not done by anyone, except JD.

Does he want to self-destruct? Sometimes these are cries for help, but so many have tried so hard to help him and he just doesn't seem to want it. Maybe he just hasn't sunk low enough...but he's getting there.

And the one person who just might have been able to turn his game around has now given up as well. As Butch Harmon said in a Golf Channel interview, “When I started working with John the understanding was that I would help him with his golf game if he helped himself. Quite frankly I don’t see any reason for us to continue going down that road. I don’t even want to be associated with him now.”

And Harmon didn't hold back any punches in his interview with AP, "My whole goal for him was he’s got to show me golf is the most important thing in his life," said Harmon. "And the most important thing in his life is getting drunk."


This is such a sad story. I feel like all his fans all be going to an Al-Anon meeting.

What's the next step...Intervention?

Sigh...
Golfgal

---

John Daly’s priorities?

San Jose Mercury News
12 Mar 2008

John Daly continues to mine the sports world for firsts. Our previous favorite was when he told of gambling at the $ 5,000 slot machines — who knew those existed? Now comes word that Daly has achieved the rare feat of being kicked off the team in an... read more...

Tech Tags: San Jose Mercury News newspaper Sports

Second thoughts

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Weekday
11 Mar 2008

John Daly fired caddie Peter Van Der Riet during a rain delay Thursday at the PODS Championship in Palm Harbor, Fla., because Daly wanted Tampa Bay Buccaneers Coach Jon Gruden carrying his bag instead. “To the surprise of absolutely no one,” wrote... read more...

Tech Tags: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Weekday newspaper The second page

Is Ernie tired of playing or tired of playing Tiger

No one loves Ernie more than I do, so no one is more disappointed to hear the news that he won't be playing at Bay Hill than me. Sniff...

According to Els’ management company, he was tired and needed rest before the Masters.

A lot of people are quite critical of Ernie and I'm not really surprised. They probably just look at the surface (he won one week, he missed the cut the next, so he quits).

But I think there must be more to it. When Ernie shared publicly the challenges he faces as a father of a severly autistic son, I can only imagine how emotionally exhausting that was for him. And it probably put a lot of stress on the family being in the public eye like that. Bay Hill is a big tournament and maybe he wants to escape the media for a little while.

So, as a huge fan, I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt. But I do wonder if he withdrew from the tournament because he just doesn't feel ready to take on the Tiger again.

Take your time, Ernie. We'll still be here!

Golfgal

Golf Sponsor Supports International Women's Day

I was very pleased to see the sponsor of HSBC Women's Champions, take a leadership role in the support of International Women's Day today. Bravo HSBC!

I've been a fan of HSBC ever since I won a TaylorMade Superquad driver by making a comment on their golf forum that was voted best post for August 2007. I love that driver! I've increased my distance by 20 yards at least with it. And lots of men come up to me and ask to see it :)

I was a bit disappointed that no sports companies are involved in any significant way in this cause.

Women athletes struggle so hard for equality. A good example is women ski jumpers (who have jumped since 1924!) being denied entry into the 2010 Olympics. Maybe if some ski equipment manufacturers had been more involved in those women's issues, the ski jumpers would have had the support they needed to make those cavemen at the IOC change their discriminatory minds!

I wish some of the golf manufacturers who support women's charities (e.g. Callaway) would step forward. We have our own issues with gender inequality and could use more sponsors recognizing that women make most of the buying decisions in the home.

Golfgal

Botox - from lips to yips

Just when you think you've heard it all...

Would you believe, Allergen, the makers of the wrinkle warrior drug, Botox, spent US$193,000 on a study to determine if small injections of Botox into the hands of golfers could cure the yips.

Charles Adler, a professor of neurology at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz., and Debbie Crews, a sports science researcher at Arizona State University in Tempe conducted a study on 50 golfers - 25 yippers and 25 non-yippers.

Golfers hit putts at 4 different holes from 2 to 4 metres. A wireless CyberGlove measured muscle activity in their right hand and forearm, while an EEG, monitored their brain activity.

The theory is that yips are primarily caused by muscle cramping and that condition could be treated by Botox injections. The study results will be compiled in a couple of months and then we'll know if Botox is ready to move out of the cosmetic market and into sports.

What's really interesting is that Botox is not considered a performance-enhancing drug and so it isn’t banned under golf's new drug policy, according to PGA Tour executives.

I remember Johnny Miller had the yips later in his career. Too bad Botox wasn't around then. Can you imagine his caddie going through his golf bag before each round saying, "14 clubs, check...2 dozen Titleists, check...6 pairs of gloves, check...extra shoes, check...4 syringes of Botox, check.

Now the golf bag manufacturers are going to have create yet another special compartment for syringes and drugs in a drug-free sport!

What will they think of next?!

Golfgal

www.golfgal-blog.com

Ian Poulter - a raw meal deal

It's a rare occasion when I read an article and say to you..."READ ALL OF THIS". But today, that's what I'm going to. So after you read this post...read the article below.

For those of you who know me, you know I love spunk, talent, style and perseverance (not necessarily in that order). And no one epitomizes that more than Ian Poulter!

Ian Poulter is one of my fave golfers and it's not because he has a unique sense of style that I love. I don't care what he wears...I just love his spunk, his talent and his perseverance.

I really think he was given a raw deal about his article in Golf Magazine - mis-quoted and taken out of context. And I'm not impressed with Tiger arrogantly shouting at the Acccenture Match Play Championship, "How’re you doing, No 2?". Tiger...you are starting to show some class-less behavior!

Ian Poulter is not some namby-pamby rich kid. He's worked very hard for what he's accomplished and he has a right to be proud of himself and a right to dream of being better than he is today.

Did you know...

He worked in a pro’s shop earning two and sixpence while his peers were playing full-time on the amateur circuit

Did you know...

He rose above practically all of his peers to stand, just nine years later, inside the world’s top 25.

Did you know....

He went from a £100 Ford Fiesta to glamorous multi-million pound homes in Buckinghamshire and Orlando in just seven years.

Did you know...

He took Justin Rose under his arm when Justin was missing 21 halfway cuts in a row and "taught him out to laugh again."

He didn't do this from being full of hot air. He is a good person, can play a mean round of golf and he deserves better than what the media portray.

I love his style, his gumption and his passion. I love Ian Poulter!

Ian...never stop being who you are. Your fans love you and it does not matter what those other nimrods say!

There...you have it!

Golfgal

Poulter needs his Nicklaus side to come to the fore
by DEREK LAWRENSON Golf Correspondent
Daily Mail
03 Mar 2008

ENGLISHMAN Ian Poulter was once described in this newspaper as being ‘half Jack Nicklaus, half Del Boy’. Right now, in the battle of wills between the two, Del Boy appears to be cruising to a five and four victory. All that laughter and abuse you hear... read more...

Tech Tags: Daily Mail newspaper City&finance

Ernie Els and I had something in common on Sunday

Goosebumps!

For those who have read my blog before, you probably already know that Ernie Els is my favorite golfer. Sure, Tiger is the greatest golfer in the world, but when you look at the whole package...no one can beat the Big Easy. Even Johnny Miller said of Ernie on Saturday during the broadcast, "...Not a finer guy out here on tour!"

So today, when asked after his round what it would mean to win the Honda Classic, Ernie said, "I've got goosebumps!" Me too Ernie...

After 3 1/2 years without a win on the PGA Tour (his last was Jack's Memorial Tournament in 2004), it is no wonder that Els was feeling nervous. But his 67 was enough to beat out Luke Donald by one shot and bring him back in the winner's circle again. I couldn't be happier!

But let's take a look at what happened to the rest of the field.

First, you have to feel bad for co-leader Mark Calcavecchia after his bunker shot on the 15th (which was a decent shot), trickled down into the rocks, resulting in a double bogey. From there it was all downhill. I like Mark. When the Canadian Open was abandoned by many, Mark came up here and won it. I've enjoyed watching him ever since.


And what about that rookie, Matt Jones. Have you ever seen so many facial expressions on someone after they hit a shot? Haha...A cutie for sure, Jones is a 27-year old that looks 16 and gets carded every time he orders a drink in a bar.

I hope he watches some re-runs of this weekend's broadcast. "Baby Faced Jones" should know that he received two thumbs up from Johnny Miller, who called him a "champion in the making" and even said he had a better swing than Luke Donald (and Miller really loves Donald's swing). So you know that Johnny was impressed with the Australian. And that should give Matt some extra confidence this year. Maybe rookie of the year? Could be...

Anyway, I am confident that Ernie will take this win and run with it. Wouldn't it be amazing if he could follow it with a green jacket in April? I think he can do it, (okay...maybe he'll need a little help from Tiger) and I'll be cheering for him the whole way!

Golfgal