Turbotodd

Okay, golf fans, if you watched the Tournament Players Championship this weekend, you know you hardly have reason to complain.

All around nice guy and professional golfer, Matt Kuchar, follows a shot during his victory at this weekend’s Tournament Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponta Vedra Beach, Florida.

Other than Kevin Na’s “yips,” which seemed to bother co-playing partner Zach Johnson during Saturday’s third round more than it did anyone else, weren’t quite enough to keep Na from leading as they walked into the final round yesterday.

But it was Matt Kuchar (everyone on the course just yells at him, “Kooch!”) who walked away with his biggest ever title on Mother’s Day, a sweet birdie putt on the 16^th at Sawgrass all but cementing his victory.

Scotland’s Martin Laird and the ever fashionable Ricky Fowler, who finally won his own first PGA Tour victory just last week at the Wells Fargo Championship, were hot on Kuchar’s heels, but they’d fallen too far away by the time they reached 16, 17, and 18, the winding hat trick of a finish at Sawgrass that includes the infamous 17 “island” green.

Zach Johnson had been on a bit of a tear of his own, starting the round at 7 under and only four behind Kuchar, eagling the par-5 second and getting to 11 under with a birdie on the par-5 16^th — no Master’s par 5 layups for Johnson at Sawgrass!

But Kuchar refused to fall back to the pack.

In terms of drama, there was plenty of it, but most of that drama came from other players.

As Kuchar approached 17, the victory clearly in view, I could only pray, “Kooch, don’t slop another one in the water!” which so many others had done during the week. But no, he put it safely in the middle of the island green and two-putted for his par.

On 18, he hit a nice solid drive in the middle of the fairway (remembering there’s water all along the left side of the hole) and talked sports with his caddie as they walked up towards the green.

No biggie, Kooch seemed to be saying, but it was a biggie indeed, and elevates the well-liked Kuchar into a whole new class of the game.

Which is perfect, because it’s just in time for the coming U.S. Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.  If there’s not been enough drama for you this year on the PGA Tour, I hope and expect June 14-17 at the Olympic Club to be about as much drama as a golf fan can stand.

More on that in future posts…but for now, let’s celebrate Matt Kuchar’s well-deserved and long overdue “big win” — the 33 year-old “kid’s” been at since he won the U.S. Amateur in 1998, and finally he can say he belongs in the big leagues.

And it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy!

Don’t think for a moment I didn’t notice that the PGA’s Tournament Players Championship tournament started yesterday down in Ponta Vedra Beach, Florida.

I’ve been busy this week, but not sooo busy that I would ignore this classic golfing event.

It is a tournament that began the week with Phil Mickelson’s induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame, along with Scottish golfer Sandy Lyle, Peter Alliss, and Hollis Stacy, and the incomparable Texas sportswriter, Dan Jenkins (author of Dead Solid Perfect and Semi-Tough).

You can watch some highlights of Dan’s acceptance speech, along with Phils’ and others, here.

It’s worth the price of admission just to hear Dan Jenkins riff the names of all the famous golfers he has either 1) played rounds of golf with 2) had cocktails with 3) written stories about.

Jenkins related one story in particular, whereby one of the greatest golfers ever, Ben Hogan, offered to give Jenkins golf lessons, three times a week, for four months, to prepare Jenkins to compete in the National Amateur.

Jenkins thanked Hogan profusely for the offer, but explained that all he’d ever wanted to be was a sportswriter.

Hogan looked at him like “he’d looked at other people, with that cold stare,” and, Jenkins explained, “you don’t know if you’re going to get a bullet in the head or a dagger in your heart. And so you just wait for him to speak.”

Finally, Hogan smiled and said, “Well, keep workin’ at it.”

“And that,” Jenkins explained, “is what I’ve been doing for the last sixty years.”

As for Michelson’s speech, get your box of Kleenex ready.

Phil, whom you could argue is still “mid-career,” especially based on his recent golfing performance, explained that “We’re all in it together to enjoy this great game.”

He thanked everyone, “for competing with me…for your friendships. This has been so much fun and I love sharing this with everybody.”

He also went on to thank his fans, but with his typical good humor explained, “The fans have made this such a fun ride. It’s been their energy that has pulled me through. I’ve tried to reciprocate by launching drive after drive in their general direction.”

The audience, and I, found that one liner hilarious!

I actually had the good fortune to be hosted by the PGA at Ponta Vedra back in 1998, when we were featuring them as a customer in our advertising campaign.

I saw the World Golf Hall of Fame right before it was open to the public (I really must get back there!), and I also had the special privilege of giving the TPC Sawgrass Course a go.

I wasn’t playing nearly as much golf during those times, so my game was middling at best.

But, I made it through the round okay, and when I hit 17, the one with the floating green, I think I tried three times before the ball finally stayed on the green (I chuckle to this day when a pro drops a ball in the water on 17.  I did NOT laugh when Angel Cabrera dropped four of them in the water there yesterday.  Remember that nightmare hole inTin Cup???)

On 18, with that perilous water that essentially makes up the entirety of the hole’s left perimeter, I decided I would hit irons all the way. My drive was a three-iron that faded left and settled about three feet from the water.  So much for playing it safe!

My second shot was another long iron, which landed promptly on the green about six feet from the hole.

I sank the putt and ran giggling off the green, and have never been back.

I birdied 18 at TPC Sawgrass playing only irons.

Take that, Phil Mickelson!

Have you ever visited a place where you couldn’t get connected to the Internet, yet you were waiting on a vital piece of information or attempting to monitor an evolving situation?

That was my plight over the weekend.  In my case, it was nothing urgent or critical…well, it was to me…but fortunately no lives were at stake.

I was out in west Texas with some good friends for our annual “gun camp,” whereby we take all our firearms and proceed to shoot at harmless paper targets and clay pigeons. Trust me, no animals are harmed in this particular enclave, unless they happen to get in front of our vehicle on the long drive west.

My cell phone service, which is now provided by Virgin Mobile (who subs from the Sprint network), was mostly useless, both voice and data, due to our extreme location. But every once in awhile some packets would stream through and I would get an email update.

So, I spent all of Friday and Saturday mostly clueless about what was going on in Augusta, which for a rabid golfer and fan like me is pretty much torture.  My non-golfing buddies found my plight quite amusing.

Smoke signals were sounding pretty good by the end of the weekend.

However, once I was back on the road heading back to Austin yesterday afternoon, I had a different plight: I didn’t want to be communicated to.  I didn’t want to go into a restaurant where I might overhear an ESPN update.  I didn’t go into the Stripes convenience store for the same reason, particularly as the drive got us closer to the 5 PM hour.

I had no idea what was going on at the Masters, but I wanted to find out for myself and watch it unfold naturally and in its due time.

That is the beauty of the Masters tournament, golf’s greatest, and that’s precisely what happened — and nobody spoiled it for me.  Partially because I kept my cell phone off, refused to listen to my voicemail until I’d watch the last round in its entirety, and watched that last putt of Bubba Watson’s (hey, another Watson namesake!).

Congratulations, Bubba Watson!

You played a brilliant round, and your twisted pitching wedge out of the woods on 10 on the second playoff hole will go down in Master’s history.  I still can’t believe you made that shot!

I also couldn’t believe Louis Oosthuizen’s double-eagle on the second hole, something that’s never happened on that hole during Masters tournament play in its entire history.  The “albatross,” as some refer to a double eagle three under par hole, is a rarity in golf — more rare than holes in one, I would imagine.

But watching Oosthuizen’s brilliant 250+ yard shot roll onto the green, down the green on a line straight toward the hole, was the kind of drama and pivotal moments that we’ve come to depend on the Masters for.

There were other exciting moments throughout the few days, and some heart-stopping, like Phil Mickelson’s triple-bogey on four yesterday.  Why he didn’t go back to the tee instead of trying to hit out of the bamboo???…Well, those are the kinds of decisions that only golfers can try and rationalize, usually after the fact, and usually too late.  But those three strokes probably cost Mickelson this year’s tournament.

By the time I finished watching the Masters, it was 12:30 AM and I was emotionally exhausted and in tears as I watched Bubba hug his mom on the 10^th green.  To lose his father to cancer, then adopt his first child, and now suddenly win the green jacket….it was a storybook Masters.

Well, except for that one small part about my new CEO not being offered up a green jacket.  That one small detail left a bad taste in my mouth this year, and for me allowed an otherwise great and gigantic golf tournament to play out on just that much smaller a stage.

Day one of the 2012 Masters was about what you might have expected, if filled with a few surprises.

Augusta National may have been the “star” today — she was playing very tough, despite the soft greens, and the winds (and, later in the day, light rain) and heavy air, made for some long play.

I can’t remember the number of players who were short (in Rae’s Creek) or right on 13, and only the longest hitters were consistently hitting greens in regulation.

If you take a look at the final leaderboard for the first round, it is, not surprisingly, a “who’s who” of men’s professional golf.  As far as the top of the leaderboard, well, it was Henrik Stenson’s to own at 6 under until a snowman (a quadruple bogey 8) on the closing hole dropped him back to −1 (he’d also bogeyed 16 to take him to 5 under).

Lee Westwood came in “under the radar,” as the announcers kept telling us, shooting a sweet 5 under, his last birdie coming at the 17^th.

South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen came alive in a birdie run on the last five holes to land at 4 under, along with Sweden’s Peter Hanson.

Then, there was a six-way tie for third, including that most interesting man in the world, Spaniard Miguel Anjel Jimenez.

Beyond that, it was your typical PGA log jam, with former Master’s winner Zach Johnson at 2 under, followed by fellow Augusta green jacket owner Vijay Singh, and 2010 FedEx champion Jim Furyk.

Even Steve Stricker’s in the running at 1 under.

That’s where you also found Irishman and favorite Rory McIlroy, while Tiger came in at even par and Phil Mickelson arrived at 2 over, after a disheartening bogey on 18.

Tomorrow is another day, but if today’s play was any indication, round two should be filled with plenty more drama before we see who survives the cut and moves into the weekend and “moving day” on Saturday.

Here’s what I’m seeing at Augusta so far on day one of the 2012 Masters.

Or should I say, what I’m not seeing.

No birdies by anyone on 11, 16, and 18 as of press time.

Tiger just wasted a birdie opportunity on 15, a hole he would typically be in on two but had to chip onto the green for his third shot during today’s round.

Stenson continues his lead at −5, having given up a stroke at 16, with Jason Dufner coming on strong at 3 under through 8 and 10 holes to play.

Lee Westwood is also coming on strong, with three consecutive birdies at 5, 6 and 7.  Keep an eye on Lee — he’s hungry for it.

Keegan Bradley is also playing consistently, 2 under through 16, and tied by both Woods and Woods’ playing partner Miguel Angel Jimenez.

Save for Stenson’s additional two strokes on the field, it’s wide open on day 1!

Well, we’re over halfway through Tiger Woods’ first round at Augusta, and he’s about to make his way to the backside of Amen Corner, having parred both 11 and 12 (although his par putt on 12 almost spun out right).

He just hit his tee shot on 13 and wailed one out to the right with a clear shot to the 13th green.

Henrik Stenson is the surprise of the day, having eagled both holes 2 and 8, and now sits at 6 under through 13.

Scotsman Paul Lawrie is hanging in second place having finished his round at 3 under for the day, but there’s still plenty of golf left to play, and Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson are just getting their round going.

Spain’s Alvaro Quiros has the shot of the day thus far, having gone into the creek on 13 on the right side of the green, and opting to play a brilliant shot from the hazard, water and all, and planting it about 10 feet past the hole.  He missed the putt for his birdie conversion, but saved par and avoided what could have been the first major disaster of today’s round.

We’ll see what Tiger does with his approach on 13, but if history’s any guide, he’ll be aiming straight for that flag on the far right of the green.

Today’s the best day of the year!  Happy Master’s, everybody!

The Master's leaderboard on the Masters.com Website during this morning's opening round in Augusta.

I’ve had the TV blasting from the moment I woke up this morning, and I’ve minimized my conference call schedule to make sure I can pay appropriate attention to day one of the 2012 Masters’ tournament from Augusta, Georgia.

As of this writing, Martin Kaymer has jumped out to −2 after 9, while Henrik Stenson is −2 but through 3.   The course seems to be playing difficult so far, with very few red numbers thus far.

Tiger Woods just played #1 and is at even par.

The big question overnight was whether Augusta would allow for lift, clean and place (where the golfer can pick up their ball and clean off any mud, grass, etc.), but apparently it wasn’t necessary, despite the 14 inches of rain the course saw overnight on Tuesday.

Now, to your viewing options: This year, I’m keeping tuned into the Masters iPad application that IBM helped build for the tournament.  It includes a nice top-shelf interface that includes a leaderboard, livestreaming video from both featured groups and Amen Corner, and a news stream that keeps you in touch with the latest from the round.  It’s a VERY nice one stop Master’s shop.

I’m also tuning into the Golf Channel for ongoing commentary for highlights, and soon, I’ll be tuning into the AT&T U-Verse Master’s coverage, which will allow me to custom follow one of two featured groups, Amen Corner, and/or 15/16.  Nice job, AT&T!  You should promote that more!

And of course, on Masters.com, you can find everything you need to know about the tournament, including all the pairings, results, and live video coverage of Amen Corner, 15/16, and of course, pictures from today’s round.

You can also follow the hashtag #masters on Twitter, but be forewarned — it’s trending like #egypt during the Arab spring, and this is only day one!

It’s Tuesday of Master’s week.  I caught a couple of the interviews from the media room today.  Tiger was looking very confident, but so were Phil and Rory.

I’m really digging Golf Central’s “Live from the Masters” coverage, and looking forward even more to seeing a new feature from AT&T U-Verse this year, whereby they will be following “featured” groups of golfers on individual dedicated channels.

Guess who I hope to follow?  Tiger, of course, who’s paired up with Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez (“The most interesting man in the world…!”) and Sang-Moon Bae, South Korea’s 25 year-old golfing wunderkind, 10:35 EST on Thursday.  Hmm, do I have any conference calls then??

Yesteday, some good news from Gartner.  They announced that based on their definition of middleware IBM has once again been named the overall marketshare leader in middleware software.

The rankings are based on total worldwide revenue for 2011 and mark the eleventh consecutive year of leadership for IBM.

According to the report, IBM was the leading software vendor with 32.1 percent market share, extending its lead to nearly double that of its closest competitor.

According to Gartner, IBM grew 12.4 percent in 2011, faster than the overall market. The worldwide application infrastructure and middleware software market grew 9.9 percent to $19.4 billion, according to Gartner.

Besides its overall lead, according to the Gartner report, IBM holds the number one market share position in key sub-markets growing faster then the overall IT market.

For example, the Business Process Management Suite (BPMS) segment grew at 11.2 percent in 2011, Gartner said. IBM was named the number one vendor in BPMS software with a 27.1 percent share; almost triple that of its closest competitor. BPMS software enables companies to develop and implement processes that help their businesses be more agile and grow.

Gartner reported that IBM continues to be number one in other growing and key areas including the Enterprise Service Bus Suites, Message Oriented Middleware Market, the Transaction Processing Monitor market and Integration Appliances.

Gartner also reported double digit growth by IBM for the Portal Products and User Interaction segment IBM’s continued market share leadership in middleware has been a key reason for the company’s strong growth.

Coming back to the Master’s, I’ll hope to add some more color before fleeing for the wilds of West Texas on Friday for my annual “gun camp” trip with some good friends.

If I didn’t have a real job, I could spend this entire week blogging about The Masters.

It’s my favorite sporting event of the year, of all sporting events. If you’re an avid golf fan who knows anything about golf history, that’s kind of the way it must be, at least for American golf.

The Masters was initiated by Clifford Roberts and beloved amateur golfer, Bobby Jones, at Augusta National, a new course Jones had built in Augusta, Georgia.  The first Masters was played in March 1934, officially billed as “Augusta National Invitational.”

Jones himself came out of retirement to play the tournament, which helped bolster awareness of the new tournament that was destined to become the pinnacle of American golf’s four majors.

Over the years, it attracted and helped craft the legends of the best of the best in golf: Ben Hogan, Gene Sarazen, Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Tiger Woods.

To date, Jack Nicklaus was the record for the most Masters victories: Six. Tiger Woods and Arnold Palmer have four each.

My handicapping for this year’s tournament? Well, I’d say like any major, it’s a pretty wide open field. But, if I were a gambling man, I’d certainly have Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, and Tiger Woods up at the top of my list.

Hunter Mahan, fresh off his Shell Open victory in Houston yesterday, with a putter that is mostly sizzling, would lead the next tier, a group to which I would include Graeme McDowell, Luke Donald, and Angel Cabrera.

I also wouldn’t rule out Jason Day, Jason Dufner, or even South Korean newbie Sang-moon Bae.

But my money’s going to be on that first group. Tiger’s victory at Bay Hill was well-timed, and his laser iron shots were made for Augusta (and let’s not forget Tiger tied for 3rd last year at Augusta). And Rory demonstrated in last summer’s U.S. Open he could move past the psychological barrier of the hole 10 disaster at Augusta and literally run away with a major victory.

So, it’s anybody’s guess, really.  And that’s why we golf fans love The Masters so much.

It has so much tradition…and yet so much uncertainty.

Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce is back in business, as “Mad Men” kicked off its long-anticipated fifth season last evening on AMC.

And so was Tiger Woods, who started pulling magic iron shots from his pixie-dusted golf bag yesterday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, leaving Irish lad Graeme McDowell babbling in his Tiger mid-iron dust.

Tiger Woods is back, ladies and gentlemen, and the Master’s is just around the corner!

I’ll spare you all the nitty gritty details, but if you’re a golf fan, and you watched his final round yesterday, you know of which I speak.

The old Tiger Woods has been replaced by a newer, more mature Tiger Woods, one who can maintain the celebrated spontaneity of golf while working through a tough track like Bay Hill with utter precision.

Though McDowell’s putter was zoning in from the next Florida county yesterday, it still wasn’t a match for  Tiger’s laser precise approach irons, the kind that can make a grown mid-teen handicapper weep.

Who needs to sink long putts when you can hit a Nike ball 185 yards and put it four feet from the hole for a virtual gimme??!

I just hope Arnold Palmer is feeling better. The golfing “King” and Bay Hill host had to be taken to the hospital due to some blood pressure issues yesterday afternoon and so wasn’t there to offer up Woods’ his seventh Bay Hill title.

But that’s okay…today, Arnold’s expected to be resting at home, and Tiger’s back in the hunt and celebrating his first PGA Tour victory in two and a half years.

Much as many of us liked beating up on him while he was gone, we couldn’t be happier to see him not only playing, but fiercely competitive, once again.

As for my thoughts about Don Draper and company…well, that one will require further fermentation before I can offer any cogent comment.  Shaken, not stirred.