Slow Update

It took all morning for the women's rankings to be posted, but the results are in and the top tiers stay the same with the addition of Natalie Gulbis to Tier V. The Koreans seem to be on a roll, and Jeong Jang is so close to moving up a tier.

Top Notch Field

Those guys who get paid to keep the rest of us informed of the goings on in the golf world have to be drooling at the chance for storylines this week. The top seven golfers in the world are going to be there along with David Toms, Chris DiMarco, David Howell, and Davis Love III.

Will Phil Mickelson get a chance for a rematch against Tiger Woods? Will Vijay Singh find a new fault with Mickelson? How about a South African pairing on Sunday? Will Jim Furyk or Sergio Garcia play better? What will Love do after his performance last week? There's DiMarco who seems to be an easy media favorite or even Toms. Or what if Howell outplays them all so that the announcers and sports writers can stop telling us that we don't know who he is? (I, personally, could never forget David Howell once I learned he's been to a Scottish ceilidh.)

Golfer to watch this week: For the aforementioned reasons, David Howell.

Love in Most Accents

First off, I have to say cheers to Geoff Ogilvy. After all, he is the only golfer with whom I know I share an ancestor, even if it is 700 years ago. However, it will take a bit more work for him to reach the top tiers, so Davis Love III gets the headline here.

By outplaying one Aussie accent (Hensby), a Swedish-American accent (Pettersson), whatever American accent DiMarco has, a pure Irish accent (Harrington), and a Mid-Western American accent (Johnson), Davis Love III managed to climb to number 14 in the world rankings. This puts him alone in Tier V since the top Brits (Monty, Howell, and Donald) moved up to Tier IV and Campbell, Cabrera, Perry, Sabbatini, and Stenson slid out of the top tiers.

CrossQuote 5 Answers

(A)[Thomas] Levet, (B)[David] Howell, (C)Drink, (D)Stink, (E)Ireland, (F)Setting, (G)I won
"Well, it's not like I invented the World Rankings." - Michelle Wie

CrossQuote 5

Today's quote comes from Michelle Wie:

A.		French 2004 Ryder Cupper(L)		_		_		_		_		_
				4		26		18		14		6
B.		Inaugural HSBC Champion(L)		_		_		_		_		_		_
				25		9		27		19		3		30
C.		Water hazard		_		_		_		_		_
				23		32		5		8		13
D.		Play terribly; smell badly		_		_		_		_		_
				7		21		12		37		35
E.		Country hosting 2006 Ryder Cup		_		_		_		_		_		_		_
				15		29		2		11		33		17		31
F.		Disappearing below the horizon		_		_		_		_		_		_		_
				39		22		10		24		16		34		38
G.		Victory exclamation (2 wds.)		_		_		_		_
				36		1		28		20

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Anagram Set 5 Answers

Tiger Woods, Allenby, Geoff Ogilvy, Chrysler, Arizona, Tom Lehman, Verplank, Fields Open
Bonus: Morgan Pressel

Anagram Set 5

DIEORSTWGO
_ _ (_) _ _ / _ _ _ _ (_)
BELNYAL
_ _ _ _ (_) _ _
EFGLOVFGOYI
_ (_) _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ _ _
HLRSYRCE
_ _ (_) _ (_) _ _ _
INAORZA
(_) _ _ _ _ _ _
AELMMNOTH
_ (_) _ / _ _ _ (_) _ _
KLNPRVAE
_ _ (_) _ (_) _ _ _
LNOSDEFPEI
_ _ _ (_) _ _ / _ _ (_) _

Bonus answer: _ _ _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Bonus hint: Notable name missing from first Rolex Women's Rankings

Fields Open

All of the top ranked players are in the Fields field except for Annika Sorenstam and Yuri Fudoh. This gives everyone else a chance to make up a tiny bit of ground on Sorenstam. The JLPGA doesn't begin its season until March.

Golfer to watch this week: Let's see what Sakura Yokomine does with her sponsor's exemption.

Ta Da Da Da

Now that the women have an official ranking system, I figure, Hey, why not tier them, too? Without further ado, the inaugural top 5 tiers of female golfers are:

Tier I
Annika Sorenstam

Tier II
Paula Creamer
Michelle Wie

Tier III
Yuri Fudoh
Cristie Kerr
Ai Miyazato
Lorena Ochoa

Tier IV
Jeong Jang
Hee-Won Han
Juli Inkster
Grace Park

Tier V
Karrie Webb
Sakura Yokomine

Like Tiger, Annika has such a sizable lead over her nearest rival that I had to use the same adjustment system that I've been forced to use in the men's rankings. Tier II is certainly interesting. Oh, to have been a fly on the wall when Morgan Pressel read the press release (although it would be a bit risky).

A review of some of the less familiar names: Since I'm not Japanese, I've never heard of Yuri Fudoh, the most dominant player in the JLPGA. Ai Miyazato, gave Fudoh a run for her money the last couple of years, but Miyazato will be a good LPGA rookie to keep an eye on this year. Jeong Jang's British Open win undoubtedly gave her a boost in the rankings. Hee-Won Han was the JLPGA Rookie of the Year in 1998 and the LPGA Rookie of the Year in 2001 and now has 4 wins under her belt on the LPGA. Fudoh may have shaken one of the youth nipping at her heels over in Japan, but for the time being she's still got Sakura Yokomine to provide some good competition.

All together now

With Match Play drawing straight from the top of the world rankings everyone in the top tiers is in the event with the exception of absentee Sergio Garcia. With an ounce of presumption, here is how the top 17 players should be seeded:

Bobby Jones Bracket
Tiger Woods v. Craig Parry
Adam Scott v. Lucas Glover
David Toms v. Ian Poulter
Henrik Stenson v. Paul Casey
What I'd like to see: Woods v. Stenson in the third round.

Gary Player Bracket
Vijay Singh v. Graeme McDowell
Chris DiMarco v. Mark Calcavecchia
Kenny Perry v. Carl Pettersson
Rory Sabbatini v. Miguel Angel Jimenez
Angel Cabrera v. Peter Lonard
What I'd like to see: Sabbatini v. Tim Clark in the Quarterfinals

Sam Snead Bracket
Retief Goosen v. Paul Broadhurst
Jim Furyk v. Zach Johnson
Colin Montgomerie v. Niclas Fasth
Luke Donald v. Richard Green
What I'd like to see: Furyk v. Montgomerie or Paul McGinley in Round 3 followed by Furyk v. Donald or Darren Clarke in the Quarterfinals for some good Ryder Cup action previews.

Ben Hogan Bracket
Ernie Els v. Bernhard Langer
Phil Mickelson v. Charles Howell III
Michael Campbell v. Geoff Ogilvy
David Howell v. Steve Elkington
What I'd like to see: Els v. Mickelson in the Quarterfinals.

Golfer to watch this week: Let's see if Rory Sabbatini can carry some momentum into the Match Play.

South African Open?

This week's tournament gave South Africa reason to turn to golf over the weekend with three of their own on the leaderboard. Oddly enough the South African missing from that group was Ernie Els although he finished solidly enough for his first event in the States this year with a final round 67. I knew Rory Sabbatini was playing well this year, but I was still a bit startled when I updated my tiers this morning and found Sabbatini in 16th. Henrik Stenson is the other new add, and there are no other changes between tiers.

CrossQuote 4 Answers

(A)[Joanne] Carner,(B)Lorena [Ochoa],(C)[Mickey] Wright,(D)[Schick] Intuition,(E)Devoted,(F)Fudge,(G)Duty,(H)IOO[C]
"I couldn't figure it out. I wore deodorant and everything." - Marlene Hagge on having five caddies in one day.

CrossQuote 4

Today's puzzle has a women's focus with a quote by Marlene Hagge:

A.		Last amateur to win LPGA event(L)		_		_		_		_		_		_
				2		34		13		45		24		40
B.		Current Mexican LPGA golfer(F)		_		_		_		_		_		_
				5		22		30		39		35		31
C.		LPGA golfer with 82 wins(L)		_		_		_		_		_		_
				21		23		1		46		43		16
D.		Official razor of the LPGA		_		_		_		_		_		_		_		_		_
				20		7		19		12		44		33		15		27		32
E.		Zealous in affection		_		_		_		_		_		_		_
				36		14		38		17		8		26		6
F.		Shave strokes off one's score		_		_		_		_		_
				9		4		28		11		37
G.		Obligation		_		_		_		_
				25		18		42		41
H.		Olympic governing body, plus C		_		_		_
				10		29		3

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Anagram Set 4 Answers

Kuala Lumpur, Mike Weir, Arjun Atwal, McDowell, Adam Scott, Nissan Open, Turtle Bay, Creamer
Bonus: Malaysia

Anagram Set 4

AUAKLULPUMR
_ _ _ (_) _ / _ _ _ _ _ _
EIEIKMRW
_ _ _ _ / _ _ (_) _
JLANRTAUWA
_ _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ (_) _
CEMLODLW
(_) _ _ _ _ _ _ _
DSOATACMT
_ _ (_) _ / _ _ _ _ _
INSNOSNAEP
_ _ _ (_) _ _ / _ _ _ _
BELRUYTAT
_ _ _ _ _ _ / _ _ (_)
RMRECAE
_ _ _ (_) _ _ _

Bonus answer: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Bonus hint: Country hosting the European Tour this week

Half Awake

Half of the top 16 golfers are playing at the Nissan Open this week while the other half take the week off. Hopefully the skies will allow for more than half a tournament this year. Tiger Woods looks for a third straight win in 2006 but Ernie Els makes his 2006 debut on the PGA Tour this week and should provide for some good competition this week. Adam Scott defends his title this week and undoubtedly would like nothing better than to win the event as a 72-hole tournament this time around. Luke Donald looks to play more like he did last Thursday than he did the rest of the week. Jim Furyk, Chris DiMarco, Kenny Perry, and Angel Cabrera add to the names topping this weeks field at Riviera.

Golfer to watch this week: Angel Cabrera who makes his 2006 PGA Tour debut along with Els.

Sweet 16

The top 16 golfers remain the top 16 in some order for yet another week. The points difference between Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh is now the same as the the difference between Singh and Ian Woosnam at world number 303. Singh sneaked in a good finish at Pebble Beach this week increasing the gap between him and Goosen again. Meanwhile, Els has managed to move up past Mickelson and Garcia is going nowhere. Adam Scott's sixth place showing allows him to be lumped with Furyk, DiMarco, and Toms instead of Perry and Montgomerie this week. David Howell, Michael Campbell, Luke Donald, and Angel Cabrera round out the top 16 once again.

CrossQuote 3 Answers

(A)Write,(B)Wes Short,(C)[Frank] Nobilo,(D)[Tim] Herron,(E)[Stan] Utley,(F)Woosie,(G)[Bernard] Hunt,(H)White
"It's not whether you win or lose - but whether I win or lose." - Sandy Lyle

CrossQuote 3

Today's quote is from one of today's birthday boys:

A.		Compose a blog entry		_		_		_		_		_
				17		13		38		28		31
B.		2005 Michelin at Las Vegas champion(F,L)		_		_		_		_		_		_		_		_
				29		45		24		3		11		20		35		6
C.		Kiwi Champions Tour TGC analyst(L)		_		_		_		_		_		_
				39		43		26		1		22		40
D.		"Lumpy" (L)		_		_		_		_		_		_
				30		9		41		21		5		19
E.		Short-game guru(L)		_		_		_		_		_
				16		32		42		25		14
F.		2006 Euro Ryder Cup captain, for short		_		_		_		_		_		_
				7		23		15		44		36		34
G.		1973/1975 GB&I Ryder Cup captain(L)		_		_		_		_
				8		27		4		2
H.		Standard golf ball color		_		_		_		_		_
				37		33		18		10		12

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Icon blurb

I'm excited I finally got a digital copy of the profile pic I wanted to put up. It's a portion of the lawn of Stirling Castle in Scotland. Therefore, it is a "royal green." The whole picture actually includes a neighbouring golf course, but it had to be cropped for the purposes of the small image.

What will Jim do?

Adam Scott defends his title from Retief Goosen, Adam Scott, Colin Montgomerie, Michael Campbell, and Angel Cabrera at the Johnnie Walker Classic while Vijay Singh, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Chris DiMarco, and Luke Donald yuk it up with celebs at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Golfer to watch this week: I am hard pressed to find interesting stories at the moment for the top 10 golfers playing this week. However, I am curious what a win by Furyk would do to the rankings right now so he gets my look for the week.

Tiger, Tiger burning bright...

Tiger's off to a roaring start, and Vijay's going nowhere fast. Subsequently the gap between Tiger and Vijay is the same as the gap between Vijay and world number 266 Kazuhiko Hosokawa. The top 16 players are the same as last week with no additional golfers qualifying to be added to the top tiers. I did a little bit of upshifting in the tiers for Vijay no longer stands alone. Sergio's going to have to do better than his last three rounds to stay in Tier II, but for the moment that's where he stands.

J.B. Holmes will have to continue his good play for a while longer before he shows up in the top tiers, but I can't close this entry with no mention of him at all. I find it interesting how tickled pink the media gets with stories about young guns like J.B. Holmes, Bubba Watson, Sean O'Hair, etc. when they're near the top of the leaderboard, but the very next week the leaderboard might be filled with names like Kenny Perry, Bart Bryant, Fred Funk, etc. and the same media figures will immediately revert to bemoaning how few good American players are in their 20s. Guys! It's gonna be okay! Death is not lurking just around the corner! Just because there's no Wie, Creamer, or Pressel does not mean there's no future for men's professional golf in the U.S.

Now I'll calmly step off that box of Tide and gather my thoughts for a look at the week ahead.

CrossQuote 2 Answers

(A)Ian Poulter,(B)[David]Feherty,(C)Shank,(D)Birdie,(E)Teeming,(F)Guests,(G)Awe,(H)Brainy,(I)Aided

Imagine if they were drinking Australian beer. They'd be passed out. - Robert Allenby

CrossQuote 2

I can't seem to get away from that crazy 16th hole. Here's a quote from Robert Allenby on the spectators at the FBR's 16th.

A.		Union Jack pants wearer(F,L)		_		_		_		_		_		_		_		_		_		_
				5		31		21		47		53		27		32		10		37		16
B.		Golf Magazine "Sidespin" columnist(L)		_		_		_		_		_		_		_
				9		17		41		46		30		55		13
C.		Hit the ball with the club heel		_		_		_		_		_
				49		11		34		6		22
D.		One under par		_		_		_		_		_		_
				45		1		19		44		33		7
E.		Swarming with fans		_		_		_		_		_		_		_
				40		51		15		2		20		35		25
F.		Friends visiting a club		_		_		_		_		_		_
				4		54		12		50		29		28
G.		Feeling of wonder Tiger inspires		_		_		_
				26		14		38
H.		Cerebral		_		_		_		_		_		_
				36		39		48		8		24		43
I.		Assisted		_		_		_		_		_
				3		23		52		42		18

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