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Adam Scott Likely To Become No.1 In The World Despite Not Playing At The Byron Nelson

Adam Scott and Tiger Woods There have been 18 players ranked No.1 in the world since the Official World Golf Rankings were introduced in 1986.

It looks like we are on the verge of the 19th player, despite the fact that he will not even be teeing it up this week at the Byron Nelson Championship.

Adam Scott entered the PLAYERS Championship on Thursday needing just a tie for 16th place to leap in front of Tiger Woods as the No.1 player in the world. Scott recorded a T38 finish, well back of the finish he needed to assume the ranking. That however doesn’t appear to matter if the predictions are true.

Woods has not been able to play since undergoing back surgery at the beginning of April. He missed the Masters for the first time in his career, and was unable to defend his PLAYERS Championship victory from a year ago. Woods has been the No.1 player in the world for more weeks than any other player, and will get one more week before Scott likely assumes the throne.

There were four players in total who had the chance to the top of the golfing ladder at the PLAYERS Championship. They were Scott, Matt Kuchar, Bubba Watson, and Henrik Stenson. Kuchar is the only player of the four teeing it up this week at the Byron Nelson Championship, but even with a win he wouldn’t take over the top spot this week.

A decade ago, it looked like Scott would eventually become the No.1 player in the world, or at the very least the biggest challenger to Woods. After years of underachieving, Scott is back on top and is one of the most consistent players in the world. That play resulted in a victory at the Masters in 2013, his first Major Championship win.

Scott has arguably the best swing in golf. It’s certainly the most appealing visually. It’s been the putting that has held Scott back. Of course, come next year he will not be able to use his current anchored putter. He has yet to change however.

Woods is still sidelined and likely won’t be back before the U.S. Open. The more likely scenario is a return for the British Open and PGA Championship. If he can’t return by then he likely wouldn’t qualify statistically for the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Effectively, Woods’ season would be done.

Scott will likely carry the No.1 ranking into the U.S. Open from Pinehurst, where he will be tabbed as a favorite to win.

Will Jordan Spieth Win A Major In 2014?

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Those in the golf arena knew who Jordan Spieth was before the 2014 Masters.

Now, the rest of the world does.

Spieth, who finished runner-up to Bubba Watson a few days ago, will be a headliner in whatever tournament he plays in for about the next year at least. And if he continues to have more success, he could be the next big thing in golf in America.

At the start of the front-nine on Sunday, it looked like Spieth could be the one wearing the green jacket at the end of the day. But a four-shot swing in two holes to close out the front nine shut the door on that.

Still, Spieth gained a lot of followers on Sunday. He is only 20 years old, has a win on the PGA Tour at 19 years old, and played in the Presidents Cup last year. Going forward for the marquee events like the PLAYERS Championship, U.S. Open, and the other two Majors, Spieth will be a favorite to win.

The biggest question will be how Spieth responds to the disappointment of losing the Masters. He won’t get much time to dwell on it, as he teed it up this week in South Carolina at the RBC Heritage. Spieth is paired with 2014 Ryder Cup Captain Tom Watson, matching the Youngest player and oldest player in the field.

Spieth has all the makings of being a superstar. He doesn’t hit the ball very far, but he is polished. Of course, any player on tour could look like a short hitter compared to teeing off with Bubba Watson. There were times where Spieth was 50-70 yards behind the now two-time Masters Champion.

And Spieth finishing second isn’t the only big story as far as how they respond. There is plenty on Bubba Watson. The last time he won the Masters he went into a virtual slump. He finally won again two months ago in California, his first since the Masters win in 2012. Watson admitted that he is more prepared to play other tournaments as a Masters winner, and we can look forward to him contending in the Majors.

Don’t be surprised to see Spieth and Watson in contention for the U.S. Open, British Open, and the PGA Championship.

If Spieth performs well, he can help golf fans through the absence of Tiger Woods, whose return to golf following back surgery is still to be determined.

Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews Wants Vote To Allow Female Members

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Royal & Ancient Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden.

That’s one of the acronyms that’s been attached to golf in times when the issue of men and women have come into play over the past.

First is was Augusta National, which received plenty of attention for not allowing women members. Then they admitted Condoleezza Rice as the first female member ever.

Now, the R&A (Royal & Ancient), the governing body of golf in Europe has asked for a potential vote in September to allow female members.

St. Andrews, where the R&A is based, is considered the home of golf and has a very historic significant within the game. This vote could be huge in terms of growing the games for women over in Europe and as well as elsewhere around the world. The current members of the R&A are being asked to support the proposition set forward by it.

While it seems rather crazy that in this day and age people are still not admitted based on gender, the fact of the matter is that golf clubs around the world still have a strict policy. Even in the United States, there are golf clubs that do not permit women on the grounds of the club. Augusta received a lot of attention because the golf course is home to the Masters. But there arem any where PGA Tour events are not held that invoke the same policy of male membership only.

If golf wants to continue to move forward, decisions like the one made the R&A are very important. You would think that governing bodies want to make the game as accessible as possible to all. Of course, there are other issues affecting golf that is hindering its growth. Such issues include the length of a round and how much it costs to play the game.

Golf remains a very expensive sport to play, which automatically limits those that will have the capability to play.

And let’s not forget that the game is extremely difficult to play as it is. Adding things like this would tend to decrease those numbers.

The R&A has certainly made the right decision to move this to a vote and try to open up the membership base. This could be the start of something great, and come July at the British Open there should be plenty of support for it.

Tiger Woods Missing Arnold Palmer Is A Good Sign For His Appearance At The Masters

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The news that Tiger Woods withdrew from the 2014 Arnold Palmer Invitational shouldn’t be particularly concerning for fans of the No.1 ranked golfer in the world.

Woods has won the Arnold Palmer Invitational eight times in his career, and with a ninth would break the all-time record for most wins at a single event by any player in history. Woods loves playing at Bay Hill, probably almost as much as he loves playing at Augusta.

That love for playing in the Masters could be the underlying theme here. With the 2014 Masters less than a month away, Woods and his team probably knew that the only way his back has a chance of being 100 percent for the first Major Championship of the year was to take an extended break and focus on resting.

Woods probably needed some tough convincing to withdraw this week on the advice of his doctors and surrounding cast. If anything, Woods has been stubborn and hard-headed in the past when it comes to injuries. He has routinely played at less than 100 percent and has probably missed more time because of it.

The fact that Woods is 48 and his window of consistently contending for Majors is dwindling likely played a factor here. Woods is not a fast healer like he might have been 10 years ago. The fact is that his body is quite a bit different. While Woods remains in fantastic shape, he is approaching 40 and the body reacts to events differently.

While we might not get a chance to see Woods in action at Bay Hill this week, we all would much rather see him 100 percent at the Masters the second week in April.

Woods remains at 14 Major Championship victories, with the last coming in 2008 at the U.S. Open. If Woods does not win the Masters, it will be a full six years since that U.S. Open victory that Woods will have last won a Major Championship. That seems almost impossible considering how he has been in contention over these last six years, only to fail to produce.

The way that the slate of Majors sets up in 2014 though is very appealing for him. Woods has Major wins on three of the four courses, with the only one he hasn’t won on being Pinehurst for the U.S. Open. In 2005, the last time that U.S. Open was held at Pinehurst, Woods finished second to Michael Campbell.

At the very least, Woods has to be confident that he has had plenty of success on the Major Championship venues for this season.

How Will Tiger’s Back Affect Him Heading Into The Masters?

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It’s clear that the last two tournaments Tiger Woods has entered he has not been 100 percent healthy. In fact, one resulted in a withdrawal during the final round, and the other resulted in a final round 78. Actually, had it not been for Woods’ withdrawing at the Honda Classic, he might have withdrawn at the Cadillac Championship for the second-straight week in the final round. But instead he gritted it out to finish the tournament.

Woods will get a week off in between the Cadillac Championship and the Arnold Palmer Invitational, not playing at Innisbrook in Palm Harbor or the Valspar Championship this week. Continue reading →

Jason Day Captures Accenture Match Play; Major Championship Next?

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Add Jason Day to the list of top players that has yet to win a Major Championship.

Day won the Accenture Match Play from Dove Mountain on Sunday for his first World Golf Championships victory. The win is not a big surprise though. Day has been playing some great golf over the last year and has been routinely in contention to win Majors. In fact, he has been a favorite of PGABettingOdds.com to pick to win several tournaments that he entered. Continue reading →

Augusta National Loses Eisenhower Tree After Ice Storm Rolls Through Area

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Arguably the most-famous tree in golf was removed this past weekend thanks to a series of ice storms that made their way through the Southeast. Going forward, Augusta National and The Masters will be without the Eisenhower Tree.

Made famous thanks to former President Dwight Eisenhower’s hatred for it, the Eisenhower tree became a staple annually at the first Major Championship of each season. When players teed it up on the 17th hole, the large tree stared them right in their faces up the left-hand side of the fairway. Continue reading →

Cheyenne Woods Captures First Professional Win In Australia

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We’ve grown accustom to hearing the name Woods atop the world of golf. But for the first time there is another Woods that has won a professional tournament. Cheyenne Woods, the niece of No.1 ranked player in the world Tiger Woods, captured the Australian Ladies Masters over the weekend.

Woods, just 23 years old, carded a 4-under par round of 69 on Sunday at Royal Pines to win by two shots over Minjee Lee. Continue reading →

2014 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am Chock-Full Of Big Name Celebrities

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Bill Murray The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am is one of the fun events on the PGA Tour, and it gets going this Thursday. Looking down the list of notable names of celebrities that will be on hand competing, many of the typical players on in there.

It’s not often that we get to see some of our favorite movie stars, television actors and athletes doing things outside of their profession. But one thing that they all have in common is a passion for golf. This week at Pebble Beach they get the chance to play in competition in front of PGA Tour crowds at one of the greatest venues in all of golf. Continue reading →

Tiger Woods Missed Secondary Cut At Farmers Insurance Open; Cause For Concern?

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Many thought that Tiger Woods would come out and win the 2014 Farmers Insurance Open this past week. After all, he had won the event seven times before + Torrey Pines is a golf course that he loves to play.

After the first couple of rounds Woods was right around the cut line, needing a low third round to shoot back up into the conversation.

The opposite happened.

Woods needed an eight-foot putt on the 18th hole Saturday to stay-off an 80. That’s right, Woods carded a 79 during the third round. What’s more, is that Woods missed the secondary cut on the PGA Tour. A secondary cut is a cut made at the 54-hole mark when there are more than 78 players playing on the weekend. Those players still get paid for making a 36-hole cut, but do not get the chance to compete on Sunday.

Now of course the questions center on Tiger and his upcoming events. Woods was rather positive on his performance though. Rather than categorizing it as catastrophic with the big number 79, he merely said he was a fraction off. On a golf course like Torrey Pines’ South layout that can easily turn a 69 into a 79. But it is rather concerning considering the success the No.1 ranked player in the world has had.

I say let’s cut him some slack for this one. It’s one event. And not just that, it’s the first event he’s played in 2014.

If Woods puts up some more mid-70s rounds through February and March on into the Bay Hill, then around that time we can begin to seriously question what in the world is going on. But until that point comes, let’s just sit back and watch him get his year underway.

We probably won’t see Woods until the Accenture Match Play Championship, so that is not even a stroke play round. His next stroke play event will likely come at the Honda Classic near his home in Florida to open up the Florida Swing.

Another player who had difficulties this week was Phil Mickelson. Lefty admitted he had back pain during the tournament and had to get several treatments. This is the first time in his career that Mickelson has undergone back treatments. However, he is no stranger to playing in pain with the arthritis in his joints.

Woods and Mickelson aren’t getting any younger that’s for sure. But still I think we can expect these two to have some good years in 2014.