Bird Caught In A Webb

Webb Simpson will forever be known as a US Open champion. He'll forever be known as a major championship winner who made a great comeback in the final round to reach this feat.

Problem is, he'll also be known as the US Open champion who got interview-bombed by a fella affectionately known as the Bird Man. We can talk all we want about how rude it was for Bird Man to jump in front of the camera and make bird noises while Webb Simpson was trying to soak in the moment, but the look on Bob Costas' face when Bird Man took over the show was priceless.

By now you've seen the video, but what's sad for Simpson is years down the line if he wins more major championships, anytime people go to YouTube to catch highlights of his first major win, the video at the top of the search results will forever be the Bird Man Interview-Bomb.

I suppose it's safe to say we won't forget who won the 2012 US Open, but not for the reasons we should.

Tiger, Tiger Woods, Ya'll

Forbes released their list of highest paid athletes this week and once again Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were present. This time, however, they found themselves a little further down the list. While Woods normally has a stranglehold on the No. 1 spot and Mickelson usually comes it at No. 2, Woods dropped to No. 3 behind Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.

Interesting how a sport that is virtually dead has the two highest paid athletes in the business. You can chalk Tiger's fall on the list to an unproductive couple of years, but if you look at everything he has.. err.. hasn't accomplished, the fact that he's still third on the list says everything you need to know about the marketability of Tiger Woods.

He's recession proof and horrible-play-means-you-make-less-money-all-around proof. Forbes list makes this a fact.

Speaking of Tiger, we were all witness to another roller coaster of golf play from him at the US Open. He held a share of the lead going into the weekend and ended up finishing  T21 +7. The constant "Is Tiger Back?" conversation usually changes from week-to-week or month-to-month, but he accomplished being back and then being far from winning a major in the span of two days. He had a little bit of a slide on Saturday and then completely blew apart Sunday.

All in all, that's classic Tiger these days. It's a far cry from the "Eye of the Tiger," intimidate and win Tiger we know and love. I was dumb enough to pick him to win, but then again, so were a lot of other people. I was right for two rounds and in gambling, 50% isn't bad, right? Just imagine if I'd have hedged and went with Webb starting Saturday. BIG BUCKS!.... except I don't gamble outside of this golf blog.

A few other notes on the US Open before we put it to bed for 2012:

- The only way to describe what Jim Furyk did on Sunday was that he choked. No other adjective applies. I love Furyk, but that was a classic meltdown. He got way too into his own head and it cost him.

- Unfortunately, Casey Martin didn't make the cut after being well within contention after the first round. His is a great story and I certainly hope he'll make another run at it next year or in other tournaments down the line if his leg can handle it.

- If you want to find out how well Mickelson did this weekend, go ahead and check out the leaderboards posted online and get your scrolling hand ready. Really, Phil... +16? Don't bring yourself down to the level of we common men/women golfers. It's bad for your look.

- The final round viewership went up 30% this year from last with over 8 million viewers. With Tiger in contention, in prime time, that's no surprise.

Travelers Championship

I typically tune into the Travelers every year simply because it's a well run tournament on a great course but I'm taking a mini vacation this week so updates will be minimal and most likely on Twitter if they do come along. Here's my picks anyway:

1. Ryan Moore
2. Webb Simpson
3. Hunter Mahan
4. Frederik Jacobson
5. Brendan Steele

Round 1 Tee Times

The Field

First and second round tee times | The Field | Broadcast Schedule

Welcome, friends....to a tradition unlike any other. I'm eagerly anticipating those words from Jim Nantz this weekend as well as the soothing piano music that accompanies the scenic views only Augusta National can provide. Nothing about The Masters ever gets old. No matter who wins each year, there are always compelling stories eminating from the tournament and lasting memories to be remembered for years to come. Yep, it's that good. Here at Hurricane Golf, we want to make sure you're prepared before tomorrow's Round 1 tee times, so here ya go.

Power Rankings [via PGATour.com]

1. Tiger Woods; 2. Rory McIlroy; 3. Phil Mickelson; 4. Hunter Mahan; 5. Luke Donald; 6. Adam Scott; 7. Justin Rose; 8. Bo Van Pelt; 9. Lee Westwood; 10. Keegan Bradley

The Top 3 choices from PGATour.com can be mixed up any way you want, it just depends on how you're feeling about a particular player at the moment. Wods is the easy No. 1 selection, but I would put Rory at No. 1, Woods at No. 1 and bring Charl Schwartzel into the Top 10 since he is the defending champion. I also think Lee Westwood should be higher strictly on the fact that I believe he's do for his first major (but I guess you can say that at any major until he wins). It wouldn't surprise me in the least if Westwood won this weekend or if Bradley grabbed his second major in as many years.

Food for thought

This column by Rick Reilly of ESPN has little to do with the Masters and a lot to do with Tiger Woods' extended family. I'm not one to usually give any credence to Reilly's work, but I thought this column was interesting and debate worthy depending on how you feel after reading it. I was a little torn after reading it and found it hard to really back Tiger, but I'll let you read it yourself and come up with your own opinion.

Chairman Billy's Payne

Augusta National Chairman Billy Payne is back in the news again, taking heat for not having only male members at Augusta. This is only going to get worse for him and Augusta until they bring their policies into this century. The more they fight it, the worse it's going to get. It would be a good faith showing from Green Jacket owners to speak up on this matter in support of allowing women into their membership circle. How long is Payne going to put a black eye (really the only one I can think of) on the tournament by not growing with the social structure of our time? At some point, it's not going to be about the Masters anymore until this gets done.

There have been a lot of columns/opinions on this so I grabbed one I thought was worth reading from Alan Shipnuck at Golf.com.

A year to rebuild for Green

It's pretty impossible to forget what happened to Rory McIlroy at The Masters last year. I mean, who can forget one of the most historic collapses in major championship history? It was awesome seeing Rory come back at the US Open and slay his demons, but it's even better he can laugh about it now.

Now, if it happens this year, too... I'll be convinced Augusta has put a curse on him, but I don't expect it.

The Field, ranked

Even though I just dropped you a Jason Sobel article, I look forward to this next one every year, in which he ranks the Masters field from 96-1. I'd be content in life if I could ever just get my name in the 96 slot. I could care less about winning, just being able to play the course would put a check mark next to something highly ranked on my bucket list. I don't expect this to happen, but ya never know.

Vegas Lines

For those of you so inclined, here are the betting lines for the 2012 Masters. I'm sure you can guess who's got the best odds to win....

Tiger Woods 7/2; Rory McIlroy 5/1; Phil Mickelson 8/1; Field (Any Other Golfer) 12/1; Luke Donald1 5/1; Lee Westwood 18/1; Hunter Mahan 20/1; Adam Scott 25/1; Keegan Bradley 25/1; Justin Rose 25/1

Go here for prop bets.

Crazy Masters Week Story

Some guys dog ate his Masters tickets and had to take some interesting measures to get them back. If I ever win the lottery for Masters tickets you can be sure they'll be in a fire-safe vault the second I receive them.

Masters Picks

I'm making these picks not based on knowledge of the current state of all these golfers and how their games will be at Augusta, but how I want it to play out for my sheer entertainment.

1. Tiger Woods

2. Phil Mickelson

3. Rory McIlroy

4. Bill Haas

5. Fred Couples

6. Tom Watson

7. Jim Furyk

8. Keegan Bradley

9. Bubba Watson

10. Hunter Mahan

Masters Giveaway

If you're part of our Fantasy Golf league, be sure to make your picks this week. Top 3 finishers will be getting some prizes!

And while you're at it, check out our Deal of the Week and new VIP Membership.

Lots of action on the PGA Tour this week, including the Tavistock Cup and Arnold Palmer Invitational. Tavistock is already underway and the Arnold Palmer kicks off on Thursday from Bay Hill Country Club & Lounge in Orlando, FL.

If Tavistock is just a blip on your golf radar and you're ready to get into API already, tune into live interviews on PGATour.com today. Martin Laird is up at 11am CT and Commissioner Tim Finchem goes live at 12pm CT. I've got a feeling the Finchem interview will be a bit dry, but you never know, and it's always good to hear from the Commish.

I'm not very big into Power Rankings in any sport, but I as curious what Rob Bolton on PGATour.com had to say heading into Bay Hill. The competition has been very strong in 2012 and we've seen a lot of different faces atop the leaderboard this year. From week-to-week, the golfers on the PGA Tour are doing a great job of keeping the "content" fresh and that's a good sign early in the year, especially with the Masters just around the corner.

Top 10 via Rob Bolton

1. Tiger Woods - Not sure I agree with Woods topping this list because he's been playing pretty streaky golf lately, but I understand why he's here. Woods is returning to form moreso lately than we've seen in a long time and I think he'll be very tough to beat once he gets that first win under his belt.

2. Justin Rose - Rose is coming off a WGC-Cadillac win, so anywhere in the Top 5 would have been a fine placement in my eyes.

3. Webb Simpson
4. Bo Van Pelt

Both golfers are finishing in the Top 10 very frequently this year and when you put yourself in contention that often, it only takes a few improved holes over the course of 72 holes to get yourself a first place finish.

5. Jim Furyk - Happy to see Furyk contend last week at Transitions after such a tough 2011. Basically, if he's healthy, he's going to contend.

6. Hunter Mahan
7. Sergio Garcia
8. Bubba Watson
9. Jeff Overton
10. Ernie Els

No question 2012 has proven to be a good year for this group so far. I think you can take any combination of those five and shuffle them around in the 6-10 slots and no one would have complaints. My guess is this grouping a five golfers will win before the 1-5 ranked golfers do. Just a hunch, though.

The 2012 season is well underway, but for me, it truly gets started today as the Accenture Match Play opens up at the Ritz Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain in Marana, AZ.

I’m a sucker for a bracket, and even though I failed to find an online league that lets you make picks and tracks the progress so I could open this up to a challenge, I’ll take the old school paper bracket anyway.

Instead of trying to take a few hours of really researching everything and making picks that will ultimately be horrible anyway, I decided to pick match ups I want to see as this tournament progresses. It’s probably better that way, as you all know my track record with picks is just about as good as every other expert out there.

Will Tiger triumph? Who will be the high-seed that makes a run? Is Sergio really playing up to his potential? Let’s get to it...

Round 1

Bobby Jones Division
Donald over Els; Dufner over Hanson; Choi over Stanley; Snedeker over Goosen; Scott over Rock; Wilson over Van Pelt; Furyk over Johnson (UPSET!); Molinari over Bjorn

Ben Hogan Division
Kaymer over Chalmers (Mario from the Heat??); Toms over Fowler; Kuchar over Byrd (struggled with this one); Watson over Crane; Stricker over Na; Baddeley over Oosthuizen; McDowel over Yang; Mahan over Johnson

Gary Player Division
McIlroy over Coetzee; Hansen over Kim; Garcia over Jiminez (really looking forward to this one); Bradley over Ogilvy; Day over Bello; Senden over Dyson; Schwartzel over Woodland; Poulter over Bae

Sam Snead Division
Westwood over Colsaerts; Jacobson over Karlsson; Clarke over Watney (UPSET!!); Woods over Fdez-Castano; Simpson over Manassero; Laird over Quiros; Haas over Ishikawa; Rose over Lawrie

Round 2

Bobby Jones Division
Donald over Dufner; Choi over Snedeker; Wilson over Scott; Furyk over Molinari

Ben Hogan Division
Kaymer over Toms; Watson over Kuchar; Stricker over Baddeley; Mahan over McDowell

Gary Player Division
McIlroy over Hansen; Garcia over Bradley; Day over Senden; Poulter over Schwartzel (say that 10x as fast as you can)

Sam Snead Division
Westwood over Jacobson; Woods over Clarke; Simpson over Laird; Haas over Rose

Round 3/Sweet 16

Bobby Jones Division
Choi over Donald; Furyk over Wilson

Ben Hogan Division
Watson over Kaymer; Mahan over Stricker

Gary Player Division
Garcia over McIlroy; Day over Poulter

San Snead Division
Woods over Westwood (am I really doing this again??); Haas over Simpson

Round 4/Elite 8

Bobby Jones Division
Choi over Furyk

Ben Hogan Division
Watson over Mahan

Gary Player Division
Garcia over Day

Sam Snead Division
Haas over Woods

Round 5/Final 4

Watson over Choi
For me, picking the Jones and Hogan divisions felt the toughest. A lot of the matchups seemed like the kind of decisions I would finally come to after hours of deliberation, but since I was just picking to get the matchups I hoped to see, I felt like I had to cut some really good golfers. Regardless, I like the way Watson is playing right now, but it’s difficult to ever pick against Choi because he always has something up his sleeve it seems.

Haas over Garcia
I wanted so badly to put Tiger in the Final Four so I could watch him square off against Garcia to see who could get more pissed off at themselves throughout the match if things were going poorly, but game recognize game and I had to put Haas in the Final Four and championship match. He won this past Sunday and is really coming into his own on the PGA Tour. 2012 is going to be a special year for him.

Championship

Haas over Watson
Like I said previously, I really think 2012 is the Year of Haas. He made huge strides in 2011 and so far it’s rolled over nicely for him in 2012. Watson’s game goes through crests and valleys and while I could see him winning this tournament, I just think Haas has a couple more birdies in him.

Bill Haas didn’t just win the TOUR Championship and FedEx Cup on Sunday, he ignited a debate in the sports world that was running on all cylinders Monday.

The topic in questions wasn’t whether Haas was an unlikely double winner, but whether or not his shot on the par-4 17th in the second playoff hole was the Shot of the Year. Haas’ approach shot rolled into shallow water and was partially submerged near the left front of the green. He put his right foot in the water, swung, and watched as the ball rolled to about three feet. He and Hunter Mahan both made par on the hole.

When Mahan was unable to match Haas’ par on the third playoff hole, the son of golfer Jay Haas earned two trophies - the FedEx Cup and TOUR Championship - and stuffed $11.4 million into his pocket. Not a bad Sunday afternoon for a player who has been on the cusp of glory all year.

Whether you believe Haas’ shot was the best of the year or not, it was the best of the weekend. If you need proof of that, look no further than right here. Personally, I think it's the best of the year. Many have discounted it because it wasn't in a major, but when you make a clutch shot that's worth $11.4 million and 2 important trophies, the shot not being hit in a major really isn't a good reason to discredit it.

Haas said having his family there to watch, especially his father Jay, helped him to play a little better because he’s “trying to perform for him.” To say Jay Haas is a proud father today is more than likely a grave understatement. Bill didn’t win a major on Sunday, but he took home the next best thing on the PGA Tour.

Don’t be surprised if you see a lot more Haas in the headlines going forward.

I'm sure you're not surprised that I didn't pick Haas to win the FedEx Cup, for that kind of good decision has escaped my picks all year. I've picked him to win tournaments this year - none of which he actually won - and I'll pick him again in the future, with more confidence that's for sure. Let's see how my picks turned out (all were made before the first tournament of the FedEx Cup)...

1. Stricker, 18th - Injuries killed his chances.
2. Mickelson, 15th - Never had a special tournament.
3. Donald, 3rd - NAILED IT!
4. Watney, 9th - Close enough?
5. Choi, 11th - Closer enough?

In review, I got one right and missed the rest by an average of 10.25 spots... which means I made pretty decent picks, but only on was worth bragging about. It's like that old saying, even a blind squirrel finds a nut. Cliche? Yes. True? Very.

1. US Open Power Rankings - Every tournament, I try to post the PGATour.com Power Rankings, partially because I sometimes use it to help me make picks, and also because I sometimes find it quite amusing. I'm not sure what the formual for it is - it can't be any worse than my formula to pick winners - but with the bigger tournaments it seems as though all you have to do is grab Phil, Westwood, who's ever No. 1 in the WGR that week, a defending champ, a Euro and a US youngster and you've pretty much got your power rankings.

I'm not tryin to diminish whatever work was put into the list, but every week before I click on it, I mock up a dummy power rankings and see how it stacks up. Needless to say, I do a better job with those guesses than I do with my official picks each week. In fact, I hit 8/10 names this week.

2. Groups to Watch - There will be no better group starting on THursday than Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy. You've got the savvy vet, the young gun, and the bomber looking for his first major. The storylines are compelling and you can bet the drives are going to be back back back back gone, especially on the reachable Par 5's.

That may be the best group to watch, but the most entertaining (due to outfit selection) will be Rickie Fowler, Ian Poulter and Hunter Mahan. By the end of watching them play you'll either be 1. blind because of McIlroy 2. Metrosexual because of Poulter or 3. somewhere in between all of that because of Mahan. Viewer discretion is advised.

3. Tee Times - I have nothing snarky to say about this year's tee times, other than when I looked through them I was really hoping Tiger Woods had changed his mind and wanted to shock everybody with a comeback. I knew I wasn't going to get that satisfaction when I saw a link come across Twitter for this: Das Boot.

4. The inevitable Who-of-the-best-to-never-win-a-major-might-win-the-US-Open-this-year speculation. Looking  through the list of U.S. hopefuls (Steve Stricker, Matt Kuchar, Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson and Nick Watney), I'm mostly pulling for Johnson because I think he's really on the verge of becoming special, but I think Watney probably has the best chance in that group. He's played solid all year and it might very well be his time.

For the U.K., the obvious person to root for is Lee Westwood. He's in the same boat Phil was in for so many years. At some point - and we just saw this with Dirk Nowitzki in the NBA Finals - you just want a guy to win so you don't have to hear about them anymore. It got that way with Phil. When the media starts to speculate whether it will ever happen for a guy - whether they have what it takes to ever get it done, it just gets old and you start to feel for them... unless they're LeBron James.

5. Assuming you knew what the old name and logo of the FedEx Cup finale was, you may or may not be disappointed that it has changed. I could not tell you what it was called or labeled last year, even though I watch every single round of the finale. That really says something about the "playoff" and the brand of the tournament, doesn't it? I spent at least 6 hours watching coverage of the FedEx Cup finale and when they actually changed the title and sponsor, I couldn't remember the first one. Something about that just seems ridiculous to me.

6. If you can't make it to Congressional this week, you can still "walk the course" with this video series. I spent some time going through each of the holes and the one thing that really stood out to me was how intimidating this golf course looks right now. Maybe part of that is because it's got the US Open label this year, but also hearing golfers on Twitter saying it's a true test of golf kind of pushes it over the edge for me. I think a true test of golf is scary because I know I'd fail that test, but every year I love watching the professionals struggle a little bit. And, I think you do too.

7. Phil Mickelson was once the best to never win a major - a title he held for quite awhile. See how the US Open  escaped him so many times before. If nothing else, this is a great slideshow to show the way Phil's body has changed over the years. Maybe you're not into that kind of thing, but it's still entertaining. It's not until slide 13 that the pounds start to really show, which was around 2006. It's good to see Phil getting back to pre-Hefty days for the sake of his golf game and health.

8. I've been struggling with my putting lately and actually found this tutorial from Golf.com pretty helpful. Check it out if you can't seem to hit those short putts with consistency. I don't know what it is, but when I'm on the green inside of 10 feet, I don't seem to be able to put the same kind of smooth stroke on the ball. I'm guessing it's because of nerves, but I went through this exercise and it did some good.

9. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

2011 Players Championship Round 1 Links

Full Coverage from GolfChannel.com

Leaderboard

Round 1 Tee Times

Shot Tracker

Featured Group: Bubba Watson, Luke Donald, Mark Wilson

PGATour.com Expert Picks:

GolfChannel.com Expert Picks:

My "Expert" Picks:

1. Hunter Mahan
2. Steve Marino
3. Phil Mickelson
4. Matt Kuchar
5. Luke Donald

One can call The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass many things, but unspectacular is not one of them. The charm of this tournament is partially due to the discussion of whether or not it should be the fifth major, but mostly because of how beautiful and unique the golf course is.

When I bought EA Sports Tiger Woods PGA Tour golf for the first time back in 2006, I did so in part because I was moving home for the summer in college and couldn't play it on my roommates Playstation 2 anymore, but also because I wanted to play TPC Sawgrass.

After honing my skills for a few months, it was time to pack up and move back to Akron for my sophomore semester. I was moving into my first apartment with my best friend, knowing full well it would be the funnest time of my life. Part of the excitement was because I knew there would be some epic Tiger Woods battles in my future.

After everything was unpacked, I got a challenge from my roommate Pat in the form of a simple, one word question... "Tiger?" I nodded my head, got the case of beer out of the fridge and it was time to roll.

We didn't even have to debate what course to play, and it wasn't even mentioned. We loaded up our custom made players and got ready to tee off on the first tee of TPC Sawgrass.

Before the first shot was even hit, Pat said to me, "I can't wait to get to 17."

Fitting. I can't give you the hole-by-hole summary of how the match unfolded, but one moment (hazily) still stands out above any other. I was down one heading into to No. 17 after I had used my "Gamebreaker" to hole a shot from the fairway on 16. For those who don't remember, if you built up enough good shots, your "Gamebreaker" would fill up, allowing you make virtually any shot, from anywhere.

Little did I know, Pat had been saving his Gamebreaker for a few holes and when we finally got 17, I noticed he had a huge smile on his face.

"I'm about to Ace No. 17 and it's going to be beautiful," he said. All I could think about was the fact that I was about to lose because there was little chance he would screw up enough for me to surmount a two-stroke deficit.

The round ended, and I lost by 1 because Pat had "tamed" No. 17. Which led to the following exchange:

Pat: That's the best course on a video game ever.
Me: Yep
Pat: Again?
Me: Yep
Pat: Beer me. 

Gladly.

We must have played four straight rounds on TPC Sawgrass that night. Which is what makes watching the tournament live so compelling. I know the course, because I've conquered it in a video game and to see real people doing it in real life is a treat.

If you tune into CBS this weekend, be ready to feast your eyes on a lot of red umbrellas - it's time for the Travelers Championship once again.

One day is already complete and the TPC River Highlands course is making a promise to golf fans: golfers will shoot under par on this course. The Travelers Championship produces more circled numbers than a Bingo competition. 

Just look at the past champions' scores: 2009 - Kenny Perry (-22); 2008 - Stewart Cink (-18); 2007 - Hunter Mahan (-15); 2006 - JJ Henry (-14).

Birdies were non-existent at the U.S. Open, leading to many complaints from the fans and media that the viewing experience was less than spectacular. Golf is a sport that needs incredible shots from god-like golfers to translate on a television screen and that wasn't the case at Pebble Beach. Fortunately for the U.S. Open, the scenery and golfer drama/anxiety kept it interesting. 

The Travelers will have no such issues. What it will lack in superstar appeal (no Woods, Mickelson, or Els) it will make up for in quality, birdy-laden golf. Fans like seeing a tournament in which any player has a chance to get hot and shoot up the leader board. 

While looking through the final scores from previous years, the easiest thing to notice is how many scores are under par. Which led me to researching the following: the winner's score; how many golfers shot under par on the round; how many golfers were within 3 strokes of the leader; differential in score between first and last; and best name on the leaderboard. Here are the results:

2009
Winner: Kenny Perry, -22
# of Players under par: 69
# of players w/in 3 shots: 2
First/last stroke differential: 26
Best name: Boo Weekley

2008
Winner: Stewart Cink, -18
# of Players under par: 65
# of players w/in 3 shots: 3
First/last stroke differential: 23
Best name: Tag Ridings

2007
Winner: Hunter Mahan, -15
# of Players under par: 42
# of players w/in 3 shots: 1
First/last stroke differential: 23
Best name: Tripp Isenhour

2006
Winner: JJ Henry, -14
# of Players under par: 47
# of players w/in 3 shots: 2
First/last stroke differential: 24
Best name: Tjaart Van der Walt

2005
Winner: Brad Faxon, -14
# of Players under par: 53
# of players w/in 3 shots: 6
First/last stroke differential: 27 
Best name: Hidemichi Tanaka

Averages (past 5 years)
Winning score: -16
# of Players under par: 55.2
# of players w/in 3 shots: 2.8
First/last stroke differential: 24.6

What does all of this tell us? Two things: 

1. This course pretty much plays exactly the same every year and materializes the same results. Golfers must shoot in the double-digits under par to win the tournament and there are always a few golfers closely behind. As of Friday morning at 11:00 am ET, only Justin Rose was in the double-digits at -13, leading by 6 strokes. With a lot of golf to play, though, that will certainly change.

2. Some golfers have really sweet and original names.

--Tony Bosma