PGA Golf Talk

Hunter Mahan has had a pretty good summer. The 28-year-old PGA golfer got engaged to his Dallas Cowboys cheerleader girlfriend in June, finished a career-best 8th at the Masters, and won his biggest PGA event to date last weekend- the Bridgestone Invitational. The former Oklahoma State first-team All-American felt right at home in Akron, Ohio. Mahan captured the $1.4 million prize shooting a 64 on the final day of the PGA tournament. The victory also guaranteed Mahan a spot on the USA’s Ryder Cup team. In 2007, Mahan was apart of the winning USA team at the President’s Cup. The headline story at Firestone Country Club was the horrific tournament Tiger Woods had. Woods shot 18 over PAR for his worst PGA finish in his career. The PGA will now sets course for Whistling Straits-where the 2010 PGA Championships will be held. The golf world will see if Woods can get his game together or if a lesser known name like Mahan steals the show once again.

It was a day for the youngsters at the 2010 Waste Management Phoenix Open in Scottsdale, Arizona with twenty-eight year old Hunter Mahan outlasting twenty-one year old Rickie Fowler. Mahan has been playing really great golf the last two years on the PGA tour, but hasn’t been able to win a tournament before last Sunday. Finishing sixth at the U.S. Open and tenth at the Masters last year, it was a matter of time before Mahan lifted another trophy on the PGA tour. His last win prior to the Phoenix Open was in 2007 when he took home the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut. Mahan did not win without incident on Sunday, as he found crack in his driver early on his day. Having to get the rules committee to allow his girlfriend to go retrieve another driver from his car, Mahan was able to avoid penalty helping him claim the $1,080,000 winner’s prize. It doesn’t hurt that she’s also a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. Sounds like a keeper Hunter!

The 90th PGA Championship, Aug. 4-10, at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Township, Mich., marks the sixth visit of the season’s final major to the state of Michigan. It will also be the third PGA Championship conducted on Oakland Hills’ South Course. It was the first time in a decade that the PGA Championship’s final match did not involve a Hogan, Nelson or Snead. The lack of a legend didn’t deter 7,000 spectators from the gate, which presented a problem for Ferrier as he spent the evening planning his strategy in dealing with the crowd that would follow his opponent, Harbert, a Michigan State University graduate. As the countdown reaches 17 days, tickets have already begun to sell for this event.

Michelle Wie was left devastated on Sunday after she was disqualified for breaking the game’s most basic rule – she forgot to sign her scorecard. The 18 year old after finishing second on Friday and Saturday was just one round away from winning the State Farm Classic. She was seen leaving the Panther Creek Country Club in a SUV with her parents leaving behind Yani Tseng leading the tournament at 18 under followed by Katie Futcher, Hee-Won Han and Ji Young Oh. The tickets for this event are up for grabs.

35-year-old PGA Professional Dan Rooney delievered a perfect pitch at Wrigley Field on Thursday on behalf of the Chicago Cubs. While this was perfect, the pitch he made off the mound later was even more so. He is the founder of Patriot Golf Day and the Folds of Honor Foundation, and will serve his country by making his third round at Iraq as an F-16 fighter pilot. This event was part of the promotional campaign for the upcoming second annual Patriot Golf Day. And while the Cubs lost, Rooney believes this was a victory because it made people aware of the causes he supports. The tickets are already available for this upcoming event.

Tiger Woods who left the golf course after the Masters, finishing three shots behind Trevor Immelman is hoping to return to the game in the Memorial that will start on May 29th and is hosted by Nicklaus. Woods has already won three times in this course. Woods is returning after a surgery to remove cartilages from his leg. At present Woods is able only to chip and putt and over 30 yards is a difficult task for him. He hopes that he will be able to play full shots within a week. If he is unable to organize his play by the time the Memorial starts, he will definitely return in the U.S Open which starts on June 12th at the Torrey Pines.