With iron after iron, Tiger dissects Royal Lytham
With iron after iron, Tiger Woods dissected Royal Lytham Friday to the tune of a second consecutive 3-under 67. Whether his game plan of bunting his way around will work is yet to be seen.
Great Scott! Aussie fires 64 to take Open lead
Adam Scott brought in a different mindset on Thursday morning: Play the first hole like it is the 72nd hole of a tournament. After a 6-under 64 at Royal Lytham, looks like it might work out.
Duval at peace with himself despite struggles
During a 45-minute session with the media on Wednesday at the Open Championship, David Duval was so well-spoken and relaxed that he resembled a veteran politician or lawyer.
Rude: McIlroy has grown from '11 Open experience
One year after fading at the Open Championship and blaming the weather, Rory McIlroy says he has grown from the experience and has regained his form.
Rude: Just getting to Lytham was an adventure
The longest drive at Royal Lytham is the route for your correspondent simply to get to the golf course.
Open Championship: Duval is a changed man
David Duval returns to Royal Lytham, site of his lone major title, as a different golfer than in 2001. Given his happy new life, that's just fine.
Rude: Simpson is a true throwback champion
Webb Simpson, who is skipping the British Open because of the pending birth of his second child, is just the latest major champion with an unorthodox swing.
Rude: Possibilities are endless for Open final round
Any number of scenarios could play out Sunday at the U.S. Open – some are just more interesting than others.
Rude: Tiger proves to be the biggest star
Despite the Hollywood buzz and huge galleries surrounding the Open's rock-star group, one player emerged in a league of his own - Tiger Woods, simply reminiscent of old times. Jeff Rude.
Rude: Woods plays safe as Mickelson goes wild
Jeff Rude: Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson played decidedly different rounds Thursday at Olympic. Mickelson was a story of duck-and-cover, while Woods excelled in his conservatism.
Rude: Do we benefit from USGA's unique pairings?
Tiger-Phil-Bubba. Donald-McIlroy-Westwood. K.J.-K.T.-Y.E. Someone at the USGA is having some fun with the pairings, but Jeff Rude wants to know if the viewer benefits.
Marsh has two holes-in-one, WD in same week
Champions Tour player Graham Marsh had holes-in-one on back-to-back days, and then had to WD due to a sore back.
Summers goes from cleaning toilets to U.S. Open
Affable Aussie Anthony Summers, an unlikely sectional winner and one-time toilet cleaner, can't wipe the smile off his face entering the U.S. Open.
Hate To Be Rude: Dufner has figured it out
Hate To Be Rude: After years of heartache, Jason Dufner has won twice in the past four weeks and is coming into his own at the age of 35.
English's 60 propels young star into British Open
Behind stellar rounds of 60-63, former Georgia star Harris English will head to Royal Lytham for the British Open after taking the top qualifying spot in Texas on Monday.
Rude: Henry finding success at Byron Nelson
J.J. Henry is enjoying success at the HP Byron Nelson Championship and it's easy to see why.
Hate to be Rude: Vivid memories of Hogan, Nelson
As the Tour makes its annual two-week stop in Dallas/Fort Worth, memories of Ben Hogan (left) and Byron Nelson flow – especially for Jeff Rude.
Na battling a case of the waggles at Sawgrass
Kevin Na admits he has a hard time pulling the trigger, but also says it's not nearly as painful for viewers as it is for him. Jeff Rude explains.
Augusta National's power forces Finchem to fold
Jeff Rude weighs in on Tim Finchem's stance defending the PGA Tour's sanctioning of the Masters, regardless of Augusta National's controversial membership policy.
Rude: Alliss steals show at Hall inductions
With wit, wisdom and a little something extra for a grade-school teacher, Peter Alliss stole the show at Monday night's Hall of Fame induction says our Jeff Rude.
Rude: Questions you didn't hear in Tiger's fan presser
Hate To Be Rude: Tiger fielded softball questions from his fans on Monday instead of participating in a typical tournament press conference. Here are some, ahem, questions that were left on the cutting-room floor.
Hate To Be Rude: Media advice for Bubba
Bubba Watson should take the advice of Al McGuire and Arnold Palmer on dealing with media.
Hate To Be Rude: Allen finds himself on top
Hate To Be Rude: Michael Allen, who knows what it’s like to play for survival, finds himself on top of the Champions Tour.
Hate To Be Rude: A Masters for the ages
Hate To Be Rude: Bubba Watson’s thrilling victory at Augusta ranks among golf’s most significant major championships. Where does it rank in the all-time top 20 major moments?
Couples' third round kills shot at Masters glory
Fred Couples' hopes for middle-aged Masters glory ended Saturday with a third-round 75.
Rude: Tiger relapsing into old problems
Jeff Rude: Tiger's back? Not by the looks of his dismal performance in Augusta over the first two rounds, where he looked more like a circus act than a contender.
Rude: Tiger escapes a 'loose' first round
Jeff Rude: Tiger Woods hit the ball all over the course on Thursday, and somehow managed to shoot 72. That 'might have won him the tournament,' says a certain former coach.
Rude: Augusta's message contradicts itself
Jeff Rude: Billy Payne addressed the media on Wednesday, deflecting questions about potential female membership, but he did talk about growing the game. Shouldn't they go hand-in-hand?
McIlroy will be tested with Cabrera pairing
In 2011, Rory McIlroy says that Angel Cabrera's speed on the course threw him off his own game. He'll get a chance to prove he's learned from that in the first two rounds in 2012.
Monkey glands? Yep, it's on the menu
Monkey glands? Yep, it's on Charl Schwartzel's Champions Dinner menu. Um, yummy?
Rude: Wi has a change in fortune at Bay Hill
Jeff Rude: Charlie Wi posted an octuple bogey last week at the Transitions. He had a shaky track record at Bay Hill. So, of course, he is the early leader at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Tiger strains back in pro-am, says he's fine
Hate To Be Rude: Tiger Woods gets a scare on Wednesday when he felt a twinge in his back, but says he is healthy and is showing a more cautious nature in dealing with injuries.
Rude: Tiger's short game is the obstacle
Jeff Rude: Tiger Woods seems to be healthy. And his ball-striking is impressive. It will be the work he does on the greens that will allow him to win over the next few weeks.
Palmer has uncommon connection with fans, press
On the eve of his PGA Tour invitational, Arnold Palmer makes a connection that stands as a model for any era says our Jeff Rude.
Rude: Goosen surges despite back injury
Retief Goosen already has pulled out of Bay Hill next week because of his bum back. But he somehow pulled off a 6-under 65 on Saturday in Tampa to vault into a share of the lead.
Hate To Be Rude: Golf is ushering in its future
Like Hogan-to-Palmer and then Palmer-to-Nicklaus and then Nicklaus-to-Woods, this appears to be a convergence of eras as Woods-to-McIlroy ushers golf into its future.
Rude: Players are making it look easy at Doral
We knew these guys were good, but some of the scores this week at Doral are just head-scratching. But as we've learned this year, not even a three-shot lead is safe. Jeff Rude
Rude: Smallest player Kruger swings big stick
South African Jbé Kruger isn't even 5 1/2 feet tall, but his game is blossoming into something big in 2012. Jeff Rude
Well-rested Scott tied for early lead at Doral
After playing only five competitive rounds since November, Adam Scott showed no signs of rust Thursday at Doral, tying Jason Dufner for the first-round lead. Jeff Rude
Hate to be Rude: Consistency at the top
Add Rory McIlroy to the world's best, and the game's upper rung suddenly gets a lot more interesting. With the Masters drawing near, Jeff Rude explains why that's good for the game.
Hate to be Rude: A career of off-course omens
A chance meeting with Mark Wilson and Lee Westwood (pictured) on the eve of the WGC-Accenture Match Play semifinals is the latest on a long list of off-course omens for Jeff Rude.
No harm meant by Kuchar's post-round Faldo remark
Right after the affable Matt Kuchar played poorly in losing 6 and 5 to Hunter Mahan in the WGC-Accenture Match Play quarterfinals Saturday, he playfully said this to a television interviewer: “The only thing that will make me feel better is if I punch Nick Faldo square in the back of the neck.”
Why the break between quarterfinal matches?
At first glance, the 1-hour, 45-minute gap between the tee times of Saturday’s second and third quarterfinal matches struck some people as odd. Yes, there was some grumbling in the press tent because the move was driven by television.
Westwood playful about bad Match Play record
There have been a lot of comments about Lee Westwood's poor record at the Match Play, but plenty of them have come from the World No. 3 himself. Jeff Rude
Rude: Tiger has time to fix putting before Masters
Jeff Rude: Tiger Woods played wonderfully on Thursday - until he got to the green. There he looked like a lost soul. Woods says he can fix his putting woes, but is it really that simple?
Rude: Tiger didn't win, he simply survived
Jeff Rude: Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano boldly said the other day that Tiger Woods was “beatable.” As it happened, he was so right. He just didn’t do it.
Rude: Tiger to find motivation in opponent's presser
Jeff Rude: Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano spent much of his press conference praising his match-play opponent Tiger Woods, but one answer likely will pull Tiger out of hibernation.
Rude: Tiger needs Sultan of Sunday swagger
Jeff Rude: Tiger Woods fails to win when in years past it would have been a formality. Here’s a suggestion: Pop in a video of those glory years and find what worked so well.
Hate to Be Rude: The difficulty of closing on Tour
Recent final-round collapses underscore just how difficult it can be to wrap up a victory on Tour. For years, gutsy frontrunner Tiger Woods had spoiled us. Hate to Be Rude
Hate to be Rude: Stanley keeps his chin up
Kyle Stanley, two days removed from a stunning 72nd-hole collapse, built on an outpouring of support to embrace the promise of better tomorrows.
