USPGA Championship...
 

right where do you start with this great 90th uspga at the well reknown oakland hills the course is reportedly to be 1 of the hardest courses in america i believe it was once quoted as the monster (i'd have to check but think it was ben hogan )
i don't normally have a bet til at least after the 1st round as you can gauge how players are coping better
the course has had a few changes in recent times 1 of the biggest is the par 3 9th hole which has been lenghthened by 38yds to make this a longish 257yds (this by the way would be classed as a par 4 in my book :scribe:)
the course on a whole has a hell of alot of bunkers flanking fairways and greens
it is a longish course standing at 7395yds par 70
in my eyes the consistant fairway finders and greens in regulation players will be the pace setters this time around so my 5 to watch at this moment (before 1st round ) would be
1) Lee Westwood he is playing so consistantly at the moment and in my eyes he deserves a break (oh and i already got money on him 8-P)currently 22-1
2) Robert Allenby he's consistancy at hitting greens in regulation should stand him in good stead 40-1
3)Phil Mickleson he is just starting to hit some form at the right time and should not be taken lightly 15-2
4) my outsider each way bet would be Zach Johnson for no other reason than his accuracy in the driving stakes 55-1
5) and my last this will have to go to Vijay Singh he keeps plugging away season after season and is probably about time he won another big tournament 18-1

all prices from bet365
(by the way i will not be held responsible for anybody who backs any of these unless they win :'D then i want a cut lol)
and besides i will probably change my mind after the 1st round and i'll re evaluate then
Lee

Well Lee..............
 

I will post my selections up over the next day or so...

Last Chance Saloon..
 

Had a very mixed bag of results so far with my Major Golf predictions so far...a few nice returns, some very close calls and good runs for my money, and some absolutely atrocious performances - heres hoping the last Major will see a much better return.

My three mainstays on the US Tour, whom I have followed religiously, Villegas, Mahan and Weekley, all have possibles against their names, but IMO have not yet shown the consistency you really need to be a Major winner - that said, I will however be keeping a vested interest in Hunter Mahan, purely because he needs to let some action back up his words recently about the Ryder Cup, and also in US Tours he has played very well. Its also worth noting his second round at Birkdale was level par, and his style of play could very well suit the Oakland Hills course.

Bally's inadvertent bet on Lee Westwood may yet pay dividends, but im gonna leave him alone and my main European pick will be Robert Karlsson . Karlsson has been awesomely consistent this season, has performed very well in the Majors to date, and shows no signs of slowing down. Very straight, high in the list of GIR's and at 66/1 looks great value.

My next selection is Stephen Ames. Ames has been fairly quiet this season but has made the cut in all Majors so far, and played very well at the recent WGC event, though never threatened the leaders. Hopeful of a very big week.

4th up is a bit out there, as he has no real form to point to, other than a succession of made cuts. But he is a past USPGA winner, has experience round this course having been part of the US Ryder Cup team that played there, and also needs a big finish to give himself a shot of being part of this years Ryder Cup. That man is David Toms. Toms is usually arrow straight and excellent from tee to green. A cold putter normally is Toms weakness that means he posts consistent scores around par, -1, which so easily could be mid 60's rounds. I just have a snakey one for Toms, under the "good run for your money" umbrella.

My last pick is Bart Bryant. Again, another relative unknown, but he is sixth in accuracy off the tees and high up in the GIR's category. This will stand him in fine stead around Oakland Hills, and its also worth noting Bryant has performed very well in his last three Majors. Definitely worth a shout against bigger names.

My bets therefore will be :

2pts e/w Hunter Mahan 40/1
2pts e/w Robert Karlsson 66/1
2pts e/w Stephen Ames 80/1
1pt e/w David Toms 125/1
1pt e/w Bart Bryant 200/1

Good luck all, should be a great finale to the golfing season - until the Ryder Cup anyway!

Superb write up..........
 

Here are my 5 against the field, picking them on previous USPGA form, not necessarily on current form.
Ernie Els 3 top 10's in last 5 years, 16th in other and missed a year through injury trading @ 30
Adam Scott, 2 top 10's in last 4 years and 12th last year. Trading @ 38.
Geoff Ogilvy, top 10 last 3 years trading @ 44
KJ Choi again, top 10 twice last 4 years and 12th last year. Trading @ 50.
Woody Austin, 2nd last year and made the cut previous 5 years. Trading @ 210 :eek!:

Good luck all

This should be a good one..
 

I'll Stick with
 

Jim Furyk..e/w around 25/1 :cool:


oh must tell ya this................DEAD MAN WALKING

The room was full of pregnant women, with their partners. The Lamaze Class
was in full swing. The instructor was teaching the women how to breathe
properly, and was telling the men how to give the necessary assurances to
their partners at this stage of the pregnancy.

She said: "Ladies, remember that exercise is GOOD for you. Walking is
especially beneficial. It strengthens the pelvic muscles and will make
delivery that much easier!" She looked at the men in the room. "And
gentlemen, remember. You're in this together. It wouldn't hurt you
to go walking with your partner."

The room suddenly got very quiet as the men absorbed this information.

Then a man at the back of the room slowly raised his hand.
"Yes?" answered the teacher.

"I was just wondering,"the man said. :h?:






"Is it all right if she carries a golf bag while we walk?" :'D


glk benny:loveme:

not looking good for my boy westwood at the moment :C

I went to play golf for the first time in about 3 years this week.

I went down to the local course and since I'd not played for a while I asked the Pro (who by the way is a mate of mine) if he fancied a round to give me a few tips to improve my game, or at least get it back where it was 3 years ago.

So, am standing on the First, get my driver out (always a mistake) I wind back and release....

Ball goes about 25 yrds (barely makes it past the ladies tee, but did so saved the obligatory penalty!) so I ask my mate what was wrong. His answer....

'LOFT!'

I probed for more, but he would not elaborate.

Any way, bit scratchy, but work our way around the course.

We get to the 11th, I'm in the fringe (not always a pain, but not the best from a Golfing perspective) so dilema, chip from the fringe or putt from the rough... So I elect for the wedge. Well, I get too good a contact and the ball goes sailing past the hole, over the green and into the bunker on the other side.

so I ask my mate what was wrong. His answer....

'LOFT!'

I probed for more, but he would not elaborate.

Any way, cut a long story short, got to the last, I'm three feet from the hole, and well I 4 putt (IT WAS WET!!!)

so I ask my mate what was wrong. His answer....

'LOFT!'

I'm steaming by now, so I say,

'Look, I fluff a drive and your answer is LOFT'

'I chip from the finge and over hit it, and your answer is LOFT'

'I can't putt for toffee, and your answer is LOFT'

'What in the world do you mean by LOFT'

His Answer




















































'LACK'
'OF'
'F***ING'
'TALENT'

FOR SALE - 1 Slightly used bag of Golf Clubs

loooooooooool captain never heard that before

I've got loads.... perhaps we should have a jokes thread!

First round finished...
 

Have you heard this one...
 

lol
 

Nice one's Capt and Tony:'D

Ok - my turn....

Husband and wife both play golf, both average handicaps and one day he decides his going to go to the pro and get some tips.

So... off he trotts and see the pro.

The pro wants to see his swing, so he tees up, winds back and release. He slices the ball badly. The pro says, 'Right, Your problem is Grip.'

I want you to grip the club as if you are making love to your wife. Caress it, treat it as if it is special, love it, love your club.

Now try again.

Slowly he starts his backlift, he can barely feel the club in his hand. He reaches the top of the swing, and starts the downward action. He powers through the ball, and a great follow through, finishing in that all important 'photo' position. The ball has gone like a rocket straight down the middle, and hits the fence with a bang 200 yards away.

Wow.... he says, that is fantastic, I've got to get my wife to try this.

So the next weekend, He encourages his wife to go to the Pro.

So... off she trotts and see the pro.

The pro wants to see her swing, so she tees up, winds back and release. She hooks the ball badly. The pro says, 'Right, Your problem is Grip.'

I want you to grip the club as if you are making love to your husband.

She has another go, but its just as bad

The Pro says, right lets try that again, and this time, take the club out of your mouth.



Hope its not over anyone mark - never like to offend any one.

Hopefully..............
 

Captain
 

Ha ha ha ha ha ha :D:D3:-)

:'D

Awesome performance from Harrington - back to back Majors and his 3rd from his last 5 overall, with the last two probably the most testing courses/conditions players have had to endure over recent times.

Very unlucky to see that Flesch finished 6th Tony...still, a superb nomination mate :clap::clap::clap:

Of my guys, David Toms remained consistent but just fell away, i think 36 holes in one day took its toll on him but again happy with the pick and got a great run out of him, was really only the back 9 in Round 4 where my interest in getting a cash ceased.

Gutted to see Camilo Villegas finish 4th overall....the one time i havent backed the Colombian, though i also didnt follow him at the Open and then watched him shoot 65 in Round 2 amidst the carnage...but he is a MUST FOLLOW next season - he has ranked high in 3 out of 4 majors this season and been very consistent on the US Tour all year, and you normally can find some very healthy odds on him.

Very enjoyable tourney though, and congrats again to Padraig Harrington.

Thanks Sharky....