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Weekly Ezine March 13/05

 

 

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In this edition:


 

Tour Results, Schedules, and News:

If you are Brett Wetterich looking at Vijay Singh and Padraig Harrington going very low in front of you, you might shoot over par too. At the Honda Classic, that is exactly what happened. Wetterich went into the final round in a position he has never been in before and his 1-over is not too bad. However, on the PGA Tour the last couple of years, when the best are in the field, they usually give what the fans want. Singh and Harrington were 8-under and 9-under respectively (after barely making the cut) ending up in a playoff with Joe Ogilvie. Harrington came out on top with a par on the second playoff hole for his first PGA Tour win. Vijay Singh succeeded in staying ahead of Ernie Els in the world rankings by finishing in the top 25. Want to guess how Vijay lost? You got it, he missed a short putt. The TV broadcasters figured if he would have putted well, he probably would have won by about 8 shots.

For the second week in row Ernie Els shot 7-under to come from way behind on Sunday to win by one shot over Henrik Stenson at the Qatar Masters.

Des Smyth was one of the few players to be under par at the SBC Classic on the Champions Tour Sunday. His four under round got him the victory to be the second Irishman (with Padraig Harrington) to win in the U.S. on the weekend.

For the first time in his tournament's 26 year history, Arnold Palmer will not play at the Bay Hill Invitational this week. Jack Nicklaus will likely skip the Masters to be with his grieving family after his grandson's tragic death.


PGA Tour:

2005 The Honda Classic: Click here for full field results

1. Harrington, Padraig -14
2. Ogilvie, Joe -14
2. Singh, Vijay -14
4. Perez, Pat -13
5. Toms, David -12
6. Faxon, Brad -11
6. Ogilvy, Geoff -11
6. Wetterich, Brett -11
9. Furyk, Jim -10
9. Glover, Lucas -10
11. Andrade, Billy -9
11. Baddeley, Aaron -9
11. Owen, Greg -9

European Tour:
2005 Qatar Masters click here for results

Champion's Tour:
2005 SBC Classic click here for results

Nationwide Tour:
No Event Scheduled click here for results

LPGA Tour:
2005 MasterCard Classic click here for results


For full field scores and stats on all the tours, go to PGA Tour.com.


Upcoming Events:

PGA tour:

2005 Bay Hill Invitational presented by MasterCard
Mar 17-20
Bay Hill Club and Lodge
Orlando, Florida
Defending: Chad Campbell
Purse: $4,500,000 ($810,000 to winner)

TV Coverage:
Thursday 3/17 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM ET USA
Friday 3/18 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM ET USA
Saturday 3/19 2:30 PM - 6:00 PM ET NBC
Sunday 3/20 2:30 PM - 6:00 PM ET NBC

European Tour:

2005 TCL Classic
Mar 17-20
Yalong Bay Golf Club
Sanya, Hainan Island, China People's Republic of
Defending: Inaugural Event
Purse: $1,000,000

Champion's Tour:

2005 Toshiba Senior Classic
Mar 18-20
Newport Beach Country Club
Newport Beach, California
Defending: Tom Purtzer
Purse: $1,550,000 ($232,500 to winner)


Nationwide Tour:

2005 Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by Dynamic Ind
Mar 24-27
Le Triomphe Country Club
Broussard, Louisiana
Defending: Jimmy Walker
Purse: $450,000 ($81,000 to winner)


LPGA Tour:

2005 Safeway International Presented by Coca-Cola
Mar 17-20
Superstition Mountain G&CC
Superstition Mountain, Arizona
Defending: Annika Sorenstam
Purse: $1,000,000 ($150,000 to winner)


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Recommended Product:



"Body Golf" Will help you improve your game and make it more fun

At first I thought the ThinkanReachPar.com site and products looked a little amateurish. One thing I have learned on the internet is that some of the best products do not have the best designer websites. Since then they have actually polished up the site (probably because of all the sales they are making).

Anyway, Dr. Myers has somehow figured out how to make the body work for you to improve your golf on the course. His Body Golf Series has proven to be the best compliment to my manual on the mental/strategic game based on feedback about results from my customers. Those of you who have purchased my manual will likely benefit from body golf, and those of you who have neither can increase your chances of considerably lowering your scores by getting both.

The LowerScores Manual has received feedback over the last two years that shows it has lowered handicaps (over a minimum of 2 months) by an average of 22% (about 200 people). Several people have not even used all the strategies. Those who do have averaged slightly over 30%.

People who have used the manual and the Body Golf Series (about 26 people) have reported an average handicap drop of 42%. The feedback comes from golfers ranging from +2 handicaps to over 30 (when we stop counting). The average handicap of those using our manual is around 18. Imagine taking 42% or more off your handicap.

The most dramatic example was Eduardo from San Diego who got both of the above in April of 2003 when he was playing 2X/week with a 23 handicap. Eduardo had been playing golf for about eight years. He sent me an email in August of the same year when he broke 80 for the first time. I called him this winter (2005) for an update and he reported that he was still playing about twice a week and had competed in a couple small amateur tournaments last summer from a 5 handicap. I am a little math challenged but I believe that is a drop of close to 80%. He said the only other thing he has done to improve his game is to a get a putting training aid that helped him line up his putts better.

Tap here to learn more about Body Golf.

Rating: 5 out of 5


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Tip of the week:

Avoiding Comfort Zones in Golf
Patrick J. Cohn, Ph.D.
Peak Performance Sports

What prevents amateurs from shooting the scores they are capable of? I believe many players limit themselves with so-called comfort zones, just to mention one barrier. A comfort zone becomes a problem whenever a player is playing better than expected or is breaking new ground. I teach golfers how to break out of self-limiting expectations and preconceived beliefs. Comfort zones don't limit great players on tour, such as David Duval, Tiger Woods, and Davis Love, III. Comfort zones actually benefit pro golfers when they can bring a poor round back into their scoring zone and turn a score of 76 into a 72.

When going low, pros don't just try to "get it in the clubhouse" when they get to four under par after 12 holes. If a pro gets to four under par after 12, that's great, but he doesn't stop there. His goal is to get to five under. This attitude, adopted by many professionals, is far from the mindset of the amateur who is playing better than expected or on the verge of breaking a personal best score. In my new book, "Going Low" I teach golfers how to play without the restriction of a comfort zone.

Shooting a personal best round requires many important skills. Great golfers play well because they know how to practice efficiently, are dedicated to improvement, and know the best way to prepare themselves for a round of great golf. I'm not talking about hitting two buckets of balls to get ready for tomorrow's match. Pros are dedicated to quality practice, focused preparation, and improving their games daily. This is the foundation for the development of confidence.

To shoot a personal low round you also need to know how to prepare to play the course, have the ability to make a game plan, and deal with the distractions of the group. You also need to practice in a way that makes your swing repeatable. You must learn how to score your best when it counts, and simplify your game so you can focus on playing golf instead of always working and grinding at it. Going low also requires that you discard any preconceptions about what is and what is not possible to achieve.

The first step to going low is to unlock the self-imposed limits of your own success. I want my students to identify their own mental barriers and unhealthy beliefs that prevent them from consistently playing their best. The next step is to eradicate unhealthy expectations and irrational beliefs so you can unlock your own success. For example, once Roger Banister broke the four-minute mile, everyone broke it because the barrier had been shattered. The first step is to break your own self-limiting beliefs. In articles to follow, I talk more about how to overcome self-limiting expectations and comfort zones.

Note: This article is based on Dr. Patrick Cohn's new book Going Low: How to Break Your Individual Scoring Barrier by Thinking Like a Pro.

Dr. Patrick J. Cohn is a master mental game coach who works with golfers of all levels including PGA and LPGA Tour players. Visit Peaksports.com to gain access to over 400 exclusive mental game articles, audio programs, and interviews with athletes and coaches to enhance your golf potential.


For more golf tips click here.

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Subscriber feedback :


Do you have relevant questions, comments, or opinions about golf that you would like to be heard? Have any suggestions to improve this ezine? Please email them to sean@lowerscoregolf.com


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2005 PGA Tour Money Leaders:

1 Phil Mickelson 6 events $2,723,056
2 Tiger Woods 5 events $2,366,333
3 David Toms 7 events $2,240,483
4 Vijay Singh 8 events $2,102,313
5 Adam Scott 5 events $1,363,753
6 Stuart Appleby 3 events $1,154,936
7 Padraig Harrington 3 events $1,087,826
8 Joe Ogilvie 7 events $1,071,910
9 Ernie Els 3 events $1,018,640
10 Justin Leonard 7 events $922,200

 

 

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Good Golfing,

SEAN HARDER

sean@lowerscoregolf.com