This Is It...

The Georgia Golf Report...it was a grand idea.  It needed to be done, and no one was doing it.  But after starting strong and gaining momentum, I have come to find out that I am no longer the one to keep it going.  The good news, for me, is that this very endeavor led to something bigger, something that I'll be sharing more about soon.

So photography will once again, for the most part, define my role in golf.  Please view my golf photographs at RobertMatre.com, and view my other photographs, along with works by other contemporary artists, at MatreGallery.com.  On twitter, follow me @RobertMatre.

Even though this particular format only lasted two and a half months, there is the possibility that I may try it again in the future, perhaps as a weekly, monthly or even quarterly report.  I want to thank every one who visited often, shared my enthusiasm and contributed both ideas and content.  It remains an exciting time in Georgia for golf, and I look forward to capturing much of it with my camera, and at least for now, I'll leave the reporting to others.

I leave you with a dozen of my favorite images from Augusta National Golf Club and The Masters.  This seems like an appropriate farewell.

-Rob Matre

WGC-Cadillac and Puerto Rico Open

It's a dual events for the second time in three weeks on the PGA Tour which means more Georgians to follow.  The field at the WGC-Cadillac has the top 50 players in the world all in one place against the backdrop of new ownership at Doral and a much anticipated re-do of the Blue Monster course by architect Gil Hanse.  More on that is another post.  For now:

WGC-CADILLAC - GEORGIA PLAYERS
Jonathan Byrd
Charles Howell III
Bubba Watson
Zach Johnson
Matt Kuchar

PUERTO RICO OPEN - GEORGIA PLAYERS
Kevin Kisner
Kris Blanks
Jason Bohn
Erik Compton
Roberto Castro
Will Claxton
Brendon Todd
Blake Adams
Troy Matteson
 Kyle Reifers
Heath Slocum
Vaughn Taylor
David Duval

Pot o' Gold Pro-Am

photo: Mark Schultz / Georgia Golf Report
The 2012 Pot o' Gold Pro-Am kicks off today at Sunset Country Club in Moultrie, GA.  This event was first played in 1956 and this year represents the 57th consecutive year it has been played.  The format is one pro and three amateurs playing a best ball competition as well as individual competitions for low pro, low senior pro and low individual am. 

The history of the event on the amateur side includes a great list of champions including Bill Ploeger, Allen Doyle (4 times), Jim Stuart, Dave Womack (twice) and David Noll (4 times). 

The other interesting aspect is this event is Sunset Country Club.  It is an old country golf course with tiny push up greens and a handful of quirky holes that definitely require local knowledge to navigate.  The old golfing adage of staying below the hole goes a long way here....and did I mention the greens were tiny!

The Georgia Golf Report will be reporting in person for the next three days as we have the honor to be playing in the event for the first time.  You can follow the action online at litepogproam.com.

The Honda Classic - Wrap Up

Wow.  I am not sure anyone expected that level of drama and excitement involving Tiger Woods when the day started on Sunday.  It was a good omen of things to come for golf fans when the golf gods decided that the early tee times, which would have meant taped delayed TV and thus all drama drained out of the day, were not such a good idea.  A morning weather delay pushed the tee times for the leaders back so we could all witness a great day of golf live as it happened.

The PGA Tour has enjoyed an amazing first two months of the year with week after week of high drama and exciting finishes and that continued this week.  How much better can a regular tour event get than the drama of Rory McIlroy having to play those last 5 holes looking at the name Tiger Woods on the leaderboard....with the world #1 ranking as the prize.

As Jack Nicklaus so simply put it on the broadcast, "if he cant finish it off then he does not deserve to be #1 in the world".   Finish it off he did.  Well done and congratulations Rory McIlroy.  Impressive stuff.

On the Georgia scoreboard, a weekend that started with great promise turned into what should be a great learning experience for two young stars.  Both Harris English (77/T18) and Brian Harmon (73/T12) struggled on Sunday but had front row seats that should make them better able to handle it next time they get there...and should be many next times for both of them.

GEORGIA SCOREBOARD

T12   Brian Harmon
T18   Harris English
T18   Vaughn Taylor
T21   Davis Love III
T26   Erik Compton
T26   Charles Howell III
T26   Troy Matteson
T36   Stewart Cink
T44   Heath Slocum
T47   Cameron Tringale
T56   Chris Kirk
T56   Kris Blanks
T62   Jason Bohn

Art + Golf: Mark Boomershine

Mark Boomershine
Great Scot!
mixed media on paper
11 x 14 inches unframed

Smokin' Hot & Cool, a solo exhibition of new works by Mark Boomershine, opens on Friday, March 16, 2012, from 7 - 9 p.m. at Robert Matre Gallery. 

Robert Matre Gallery
650 Miami Circle
Atlanta, GA 30324
T 404.217.4523
matregallery.com

Harris & Harman At The Honda

Tomorrow is a huge day in the young careers of Harris English and Brian Harman, who will find themselves in fine company at The Honda Classic.  English is T2/-9 and will play in the final group with leader Rory McIlroy (-11) and Tom Gillis (T2/09).  Brian Harman followed his course record 61 in the second round with a 1-under 69, and stands at T4/-7, and will play alongside Keegan Bradley and Justin Rose.

Round 3 recap from PGATour.com:

Harris English post-round interview:

The Cut Line- Honda Classic

After two days of The Honda Classic, the story lines for Georgians in the field begin right at the top.  Davis Love III fired a then course record 64 in day 1 to grab the lead only to have UGA's own Brian Harman better the course record by 3 shots with a 61 Friday afternoon.  He actually had a run at 59 as he was 9 under (Par 70 this week) with 2 holes to play including a par 5 but finished par/par.

Overall at the halfway point, we have 4 Georgians in the top 10 including Harmon (T5), Vaughn Taylor (T5), Harris English (T8) and Charles Howell III (T8).  Davis Love III (T11) and Stewart Cink (T18) are also in strong positions headed to the weekend.

Overall, 13 of 20 Georgians entered made the cut.

The Cut Line Scoreboard
T5  Brian Harman   -6
T5  Vaughn Taylor  -6
T8  Harris English   -5
T8  Charles Howell III   -5
T11  Davis Love III   -4
T18  Stewart Cink   -3
T26  Erik Compton  -2
T31  Troy Matteson  -1
T42  Jason Bohn  E
T60  Kris Blanks  +1
T60  Chris Kirk  +1
T60  Cameron Tringale  +1
T60  Heath Slocum  +1

MISSED THE CUT
Will Claxton   +3
Blake Adams   +5
D.J. Trahan   +5
Brian Gay   +7
David Duval   +8
Briny Baird   +9
Brendon Todd   +10

The Honda Classic Preview

20 Georgia players will make the trip to Florida for The Honda Classic, although Charles Howell III is the highest ranked of the bunch at #69 in the OWGR.  A world class field will compete over an over-rated PGA National, home to the over-hyped "Bear Trap".  Any drama will likely come in spite of the venue, not because of it, as no joy or excitement will come from watching the world's best players grind out pars in Palm Beach in March. The U.S. Open this is not.  

The first appearance in this event as a pro by Tiger Woods will earn most of the attention, with the long list of big-timers including Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood.

GEORGIA PLAYERS
It just doesn't get much better than a floating car.Adams, Blake
Baird, Briny
Blanks, Kris
Bohn, Jason
Cink, Stewart
Claxton, Will
Compton, Erik
Duval, David
English, Harris
Gay, Brian
Harman, Brian
Howell III, Charles
Kirk, Chris
Love III, Davis
Matteson, Troy
Slocum, Heath
Taylor, Vaughn
Todd, Brendon
Trahan, D.J.
Tringale, Cameron

MAJOR CHAMPIONS
Bradley, Keegan
Calcavecchia, Mark
Cink, Stewart
Clarke, Darren
Duval, David
Els, Ernie
Furyk, Jim
Harrington, Padraig
Leonard, Justin
Love III, Davis
McDowell, Graeme
McIlroy, Rory
Olazabal, Jose Maria
Oosthuizen, Louis
Schwartzel, Charl
Weir, Mike
Woods, Tiger
Yang, Y.E. 

NOTABLES
Crane, Ben
Fowler, Rickie
Huh, John
Karlsson, Robert
Kim, Anthony
Levin, Spencer
Moore, Ryan
O'Hair, Sean
Poulter, Ian
Rose, Justin
Stanley, Kyle
Stenson, Henrik
Vegas, Jhonattan
Villegas, Camilo
Wagner, Johnson
Westwood, Lee
Wilson, Mark

Match Play & Mayakoba Wrap-Up

Matt Kuchar made it to the quarterfinals of The Accenture Match Play where he was defeated by eventual champion Hunter Mahan in a loss that can only be blamed on Nick Faldo.  That equals a T5 finish and must be considered a good showing.

GEORGIA SCOREBOARD
T5     Matt Kuchar 
T17   Bubba Watson
T33   Jonathan Byrd
T33   Zach Johnson

At The Mayakoba in Mexico, Will Claxton finished at -8/T9, and probably made it back home before John Huh finally defeated Robert Allenby on the eight playoff hole.  Claxton's finish will put him in the field at The Honda Classic next by virtue of a Top 10 finish.

If you you want to feel a little bit better about your own game, it's worth looking at the bottom of the scoreboard to find that Zack Miller shot 81-92 to finish at +31 and miss the cut by a mile.  But kudos to him for having the courage to finish out and post a score.  There should be no shame in golf.

GEORGIA SCOREBOARD
T9     Will Claxton   -8
T12   BRiny Baird   -7
T16   Vaughn Taylor   -6
T16   Charles Howell III   -6
T26   Brian Harman   -5
T37   Heath Slocum   -2
T55   Erik Compton   +1
T55   Brian Gay   +1
CUT   Kyle Reifers   +6
CUT   Kevin Kisner   +6
CUT   Matt McQuillan   +8
CUT   Roberto Castro   +9
CUT   David Duval   +14

 

Weekend Tour Reports

I'm done with match play predictions, a true exercise in failure.  So here is a round-up of how Georgia players are faring in tournament action around the globe.

WGC ACCENTURE MATCH PLAY- Matt Kuchar is still alive and will play Hunter Mahan this morning.  Kuchar has defeated fellow Sea Island resident Jonathan Byrd, Bulldog rival Bubba Watson and former World #1 Martin Kaymer en route to the semi-finals.  

MAYAKOBA CLASSIC / PGA TOUR- Swainsboro, GA, native Will Claxton is tied for the lead at -8 in the PGA Tour's opposite field event in Mexico.  Charles Howell III is T9 at -4.

EGOLF TOUR- Atlanta resident and former Bulldog Adam Mitchell is T6/-5 through 12 holes of the final round of The Oldfield Open in South Carolina.

Round 2 Match Play Predictions

I went 14-18 in my First Round predictions.  I must acquit myself, so here are my Round 2 predictions, minus my snappy commentary.  Note that Bubba Watson and Matt Kuchar will square off today in the spirit of Clean Old-Fashioned Hate.

Disclaimer: These predictions are presented for informational purposes only, and should not be considered in any potential wagering, unless your goal is to lose money.  Of course one consider betting against my picks...

BOBBY JONES BRACKET

Round 2 Preditions 

#16 Ernie Els over #9 Peter Hanson

 #13 Kyle Stanley over #5 Brandt Snedeker

#15 Robert Rock over #10 Mark Wilson

#3 Dustin Johnson over #11 Francisco Molinari 

BEN HOGAN BRACKET

Round 2 Predictions

#1 Martin Kaymer over #8 David Toms

#4 Matt Kuchar over #5 Bubba Watson

#2 Steve Stricker over #7 Louis Oosthuizen

#14 Y.E. Yang over #6 Hunter Mahan


GARY PLAYER BRACKET

Round 2 Predictions

#1 Rory McIlroy over #9 Anders Hansen

#5 Keegan Bradley over  #13 Miguel Angel Jiminez 

#10 John Senden over #2 Jason Day

#3 Charl Scwhwartzel over #11 S Bae


SAM SNEAD BRACKET

Round 2 Predictions

#8 Robert Karlsson over #1 Lee Westwood

#5 Tiger Woods over #4 Nick Watney

#15 M. Manissero over #10 Martin Laird

#11 Paul Lawrie over #14 Ryo Ishikawa


Adjusted Final Four Prediction:

Kyle Stanley over Keegan Bradley

Matt Kuchar over Tiger Woods


Adjusted Championship Prediction:

Kyle Stanley over Matt Kuchar

Match Play Prediction Fever...Catch It!

The Accenture Match Play Championship is not the best tournament of the year, but the opening round is certainly one of the best days of the year.  Only four Georgia players are in the field of 64: Jonathan Byrd, Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar and Bubba Watson.  predicting golf tournaments is nearly impossible, which is why it's so much fun to make predictions in this tournament.  So here goes...

BOBBY JONES BRACKET

Round 1 Predictions

#1 Luke Donald over #16 Ernie Els- Ernie seems to always lose in the first round as the favorite, and the trend should continue as the underdog.  #1 could be on upset alert though.

#8 Jason Dufner over #9 Peter Hanson-  This match may not get a lot of TV time.

#13 Kyle Stanley over #4 K.J. Choi-  One thing we know, both of these guys are tough.  I see Kyle's breakout year continuing.

#5 Brandt Snedeker over #12 Retief Goosen- Retief just can't rely on that putter the way he used to.

#2 Adam Scott over #15 Robert Rock- I look forward to this match.  Sorry Robert, but Adam also has a handsome head of hair, and the game to win this match.  Also, his caddy is such a gritty competitor.

#7 Bo Van Pelt over #10 Mark Wilson- Mark Wilson is a proven winner, but Bo has also been solid recently.  

#3 Dustin Johnson over #14 Jim Furyk- If Jim Furyk has slipped all the way to a #14 seed, then there must be trouble.  I'm not sure this is the match to solve the problems.

#6 Thomas Bjorn over #11 Francisco Molinari- Of all the returns to form, Thomas Bjorn's may be the least expected.  I see it continuing here.

Potential 2nd Round Match-Ups

Kyle Stanley vs. Brandt Snedeker- A rematch from Kyle's heartbreak and Brandt's victory Torrey Pines.


BEN HOGAN BRACKET

Round 1 Predictions

#1 Martin Kaymer over #16 Greg Chalmers- The only question here is will Martin sport that neck thingy.

#8 David Toms over #9 Rickie Fowler- Rickie shouldn't even bother packing his orange jumpsuit.  The man in khaki pants will roll.

#4 Matt Kuchar over #13 Jonathan Byrd- The Battle of Sea Island goes to The Whistler.

#12 Ben Crane over #5 Bubba Watson- The Golf Boys Jinx shall contiue for all of them except for the instigator, one Ben Crane.  Please keep all microphones away from these two.

#2 Steve Stricker over #15 Kevin Na- Any chance Kevin will win this match?  Na. 

#10 Aaron Baddeley over #7 Louis Oosthuizen- Louis plays badly in America, and will lose to Baddeley in Arizona.

#3 Graeme McDowell over #14 Y.E. Yang- Great match between tough competitors, but Graeme's game is in better shape.

#11 Zach Johnson over #6 Hunter Mahan- Tough call here, but Hunter may already be fearing a potential second round match against Grame McDowell, and all those Ryder Cup nerves bubbling to the surface. 

Potential 2nd Round Match-Ups

Martin Kaymer vs. Rickie Fowler- This would offer an entertaining contrast of game, style and personality.

Matt Kuchar vs. Bubba Watson- Georgia vs. Georgia Tech, also known as Clean Old-Fashioned Hate.

Graeme McDowell vs. Hunter Mahan-  A rematch of the Ryder Cup clincher would be the match of the tournament, even though it would come early.


GARY PLAYER BRACKET

Round 1 Predictions

#1 Rory McIlroy over #16 George Coetzee- Dear George, it aint gonna happen.

#8 Kyung-tae Kim over #9 Anders Hanson- Another match that will receive no TV time unless it's the last one left on the course, and even then that might go ahead to Golf Central.

#4 Sergio Garcia over #13 Miguel Angel Jiminez- Possibly the best match in the opening round.  Hard to pick a winner here, but Sergio is gaining momentum.  Match play may expose that putter though.

#12 Geoff Ogilvie over #5 Keegan Bradley- There's always one 12/5 upset right, or is that only in March?

#2 Jason Day over #15 R.C. Bello- Bello came out of nowhere to qualify for this event. There's a victory in that achievement, and that will be his only victory this week.

#7 Simon Dyson over #10 John Senden- I predict a tiny gallery will be viewing this match.

#3 Charl Schwartzel over #14 Gary Woodland- There sure was a lot of chatter about this being Woodland's big year.  The wait will continue.

#6 Ian Poulter over #11 Sang-moon Bae- Poulter thrives in match play, shouldn't be any different this year.

Potential 2nd Round Match-Ups

Sergio Garcia vs. Keegan Bradley- The former "Best Player Without A Major" and the most recent Major Winner.

Charl Scwartzel vs. Ian Poulter- A master of match play and The Masters Champion, both in slim fitting slacks. 


SAM SNEAD BRACKET

Round 1 Predictions

#1 Lee Westwood over #16 Nicholas Colsaerts- Did you hear Lee could take over the #1 spot in the OWGR with a victory this week?  Should you care?

#8 Robert Karlsson over #9 Fredrik Jacobsen- These 8/9 matches are tough to call.  I'll go with Robert over The Swedish Seve.

#4 Nick Watney over #13 Darren Clarke- Darren used up most of his magic last July.  I just don't picture him playing well in the dessert.

#5 Tiger Woods over #12 G Fdez-Castano- At least Tiger won't have to worry about a match-up with Phil this week.

#2 Webb Simpson over #15 M. Monassero- Monasserro is still in that promising stage, while Webb has fully arrived.

#7 Alviro Quiros over #10 Martin Laird- The Q could be built for this course.

#3 Bill Haas over #14 Ryo Ishikawa- Both players have momentum, in opposite directions.

#6 Justin Rose over #11 Paul Lawrie- Very impressed with the surprising return to glory for Lawrie (see how I did that right there?)  It will a quick return to Scotland as well.

Potential 2nd Round Match-Ups

Darren Clarke vs. Tiger Woods- Darren beat Tiger at his best in the championship match years ago.  A rematch would be highly entertaining.

Webb Simpson vs. Alviro Quiros- A compelling battle of playing styles.


FINAL FOUR PREDICTIONS 

Adam Scott over Matt Kuchar

Charl Schwartzel over Webb Simpson


CHAMPIONSHIP PREDICTION 

Adam Scott over Charl Schwartzel 

An Epic West Coast Swing

An incredible month of golf continued in thrilling fashion Sunday at Riviera, with Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley offering 72nd hole heroics, followed by Bill Haas' own victorious fireworks on the second playoff hole with his long birdie putt on the famed tenth hole.  Four Sundays in a row have given golf fans memorable finishes.  It's difficult to remember a season opening with this much excitement before the tour even makes it to Florida.  Let's hope it continues.

Among the Georgia players, Jonathan Byrd,  looking sharp in his cardigans, was in contention on Sunday but ultimately slipped to -4/T8, three shots out of the playoff.  Bubba Watson quietly finished -2/T13.  Georgia Tech had a good showing, with all five alumni making the cut, led by Bryce Molder, who played in the final group with Phil and Keegan, but slipped to -1/T17.

GEORGIA PLAYERS
T8   Jonathan Byrd   -4
T13   Bubba Watson   -2
T17   Zach Johnson   -1
T17   Bryce Molder   -1
T24   Matt Kuchar   E
T24   Cameron Tringale   E
T34   Briny Baird   +2
T42   Erik Compton   +3
T59   Vaughnn Taylor   +8
T67   Stewart Cink   +10
T69   Troy Matteson   +11
CUT   Blake Adams   +4
CUT   Brendon Todd   +6
CUT   Jason Bohn   +6
CUT   Chris Kirk   +8
CUT   Charles Howell III   +8
CUT   Kris Blanks   +8
CUT   Ryuji Imada   +11

Inside The Field At Riviera

The best field of the 2012 PGA Tour Season has assembled for The Northern Trust at Riviera, one of the tour's best venues.  17 Georgia players are in the field, which includes 15 major winners and a long list of other big names, including top amateurs Patrick Cantlay and Jordan Spieth.

GEORGIA PLAYERS
Blake Adams
Briny Baird
Kris Blanks
Jason Bohn
Jonathan Byrd
Stewart Cink
Erik Compton
Charles Howell III
Ryuji Imada
Zach Johnson
Chris Kirk
Matt Kuchar
Troy Matteson
Bryce Molder
Brendon Todd
Cameron Tringale
Bubba Watson

MAJOR WINNERS
Keegan Bradley
Angel Cabrera
Stewart Cink
Fred Couples
Ernie Els
Jim Furyk
Retief Goosen
Padraig Harrington
Trevor Immelman
Zach Johnson
Justin Leonard
Phil Mickelson
Geoff Ogilvy
Vijay Singh
Y.E. Yang

NOTABLES
Aaron Baddeley
Patrick Cantlay
K.J. Choi
Jason Day
Luke Donald
Rickie Fowler
Sergio Garcia
Bill Haas
Ryo Ishikawa
Dustin Johnson
Anthony Kim
Spencer Levin
Hunter Mahan
Ryan Moore
Justin Rose
Adam Scott
Brandt Snedeker
Jordan Spieth
Kyle Stanley
Jhonattan Vegas
Camilo Villegas
Johnson Wagner
Nick Watney
Gary Woodland

A Look Back At Riviera, Circa 2004

My first real tournament shoot was at Riviera in 2004, back when it was called The Nissan Open.  It will always remain one of my favorite tournaments on the PGA Tour, and Riviera still stands out as one of the best courses I've had the pleasure to walk.  Perhaps I may one day enjoy the pleasure of actually playing there.

I traveled to the West Coast that year because I had just been offered a book deal featuring my golf photographs, even though I wasn't even a photographer at the time and had only taken a few pictures of Tiger Woods at a practice round in Atlanta a few months before.  It didn't really matter that the publisher would go out of business before a book would be released, as my golf photography had grown into something more meaningful than a quick series for a book.  My goal in the beginning was to reveal something about the players, but I would soon become more interested in revealing something about the game, with the players in leading and supporting roles, characters in a bigger story. 

Here is a slideshow of fifteen players from that first shoot at Riviera, including Georgia players Stewart Cink (in a Thrashers hat), Charles Howell III and Zach Johnson.  It was so long ago that even Tiger Woods played in this event, although he is not pictured here.  I chose these particular players because all fifteen are also playing in this week's Northern Trust Open, a full eight years later.  

This was also the first time I had ever shot with a digital camera, which at the time seemed like a risky endeavor, still reliant upon black & white film, attracted to gelatin-silver prints and wary of digital conversions and prints. Even though I processed images from the beginning in black & white, they are shown here in their original color format.

East Lake By Satellite

I love viewing golf courses by satellite, so I thought I might start to share some of the images of Georgia courses.  This bird's eye view of East Lake GC in Atlanta shows off its compact routing, which makes it one of the very best venues in the world for viewing a golf tournament.  The back 9 is particularly good for spectating, with two greens (11 & 13) and tee two boxes (12 & 14) in the same vicinity.  It's a long way off still, but if you want to see the stars of the PGA Tour up close, I mean really up close, be sure to attend The Tour Championship in September.

click to enlarge

Adam Henley Is "The Caddy"

Russell Henley of Macon and UGA begins his rookie season on The Nationwide Tour this week in Colombia, and his brother Adam Henley will be joining him on the bag.  Russell will provide the golf excitement, while Adam will provide the entertainment as he chronicles their his adventures in his new blog "The Caddy".  

Russell & Adam Henley in the final round of the 2011 Stadion Classic at UGA, where Russell won as an amateur on The Nationwide Tour. photo: Robert Matre
Here is a primer, in his own words.

From "Here we go!"

What I don’t want to do is give a shot-by-shot narrative of each round.  Boring!  I’m going to try to focus on the people we meet and the places we go.

Golfers are an interesting breed.  Very superstitious.  Very methodical.  Very boring.

My bro and I have two constant goals at each tournament:  to have a much fun as possible, and not to be scared about any shot.  Other than those two goals, we just try to laugh a lot and trip out and make fun of ourselves (and others).

We just got back from two weeks in Florida playing in two Hooters Tour events.  Bro is hitting the ball very well and if the putts will fall, he should have a great year.  The Hooters Tour is tough.  Everybody is grinding their asses off for small purses, the courses are terrible, the towns are small without much to do, but the worst thing is there are no Hooters Girls.  Can you imagine how disappointing it is to go to two events sponsored by Hooters, and I saw exactly zero females?  The events would be a lot better if there were Hooters Girls tending the pins or riding around in carts or serving beer and wings at the turn or giving out the prize money.

From "Correction from my first blog"

I was mistaken when I said that my brother makes fun of other people. He does not. I make fun of other people.

From "Colombia Day 1"

After we got to Colombia we picked up our gear and loaded on a bus with about 40 other Nationwide players, caddies, and officials.  Then some dude got on the bus and told us we were welcome to explore Bogotá but not to go anywhere alone and not to go anywhere after dark.  You ain’t gotta tell me twice, I get it.

The one of the coolest things that has ever happened to me took place.  We were escorted via police motorcycles from the airport to the hotel.

There were really like bad-ass dirt bikes with blue and red sirens on them.  There were about 15 or 20 motorcycles that literally surrounded our bus.  Some of the bikes would ride ahead and shut down intersection traffic.  Some of the bikes would hang really close to our bus.  The maneuvers that these cops pulled on the bikes were unbelievable, and all the while, they are talking AND TEXTING on their cell phones.

View Adam Henley's "The Caddy" blog here, and follow him on twitter @adamhenleyuga. Follow Russell Henley on twitter @russhenleygolf.

Georgia In Second Place Entering Final Round At Lady Puerto Rico Classic

The 11th ranked Georgia Bulldogs trail #10 LSU by 4 shots heading into the final round at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic.  Individually, Marta Silva Zamora leads Georgia in 3rd place at -2, and Emile Burger is in 6th place at E.  Emily Tubert of Arkansas and Laura Gonzales of Purdue are tied at the top at -3.

TOP 5 TEAMS
1   LSU   +14
2   Georgia   +17
3   Oklahoma St.   +18
4   Arkansas   +21
5   Northwestern   +29

GEORGIA INDIVIDUALS
3      Marta Silva Zamora   -2
6      Emilie Burger   E 
T25   Rocio Sanchez Lobato   +11 
T41   Milena Savich   +15 
T54   Collins Bradshaw +19

Phil Romps, Tiger Struggles, Brendon Todd Snags A Top 10 & Brian Harman Shares Pro-Am Title

Phil Mickelson crushed the field, and his chief rival Tiger Woods, en route to an epic victory at storied Pebble Beach Golf Links, in a victory as impressive, satisfying and major as a non-major can be.  

Brendon Todd finished with a 9-under par total and a share of ninth place, the lone Top 10 among the Georgia contingent.  Brian Harman fired an opening round 8-under-par 64 at Pebble Beach, but could not improve upon that and finished at -7/T20, along with Davis Love III and Brian Gay.  Harris English birdied his final hole on Saturday, the difficult ninth at Pebble, to assure his fifth consecutive made cut to start his rookie season on the PGA Tour, an impressive feat.  Harris will skip Riviera for a much deserved rest.

In a nice consolation prize, Brian Harman and his amateur partner Gregg Ontiveros shared the Pro-Am title with Padraig Harrington and J.P. Mcmanus.

GEORGIA SCOREBOARD
T9/-9.......Brendon Todd
T20/-7.......Brian Harman
T20/-7.......Davis Love III
T20/-7.......Brian Gay
T29/-5.......Zach Johnson
T40/-3.......Harris English
T40/-3.......D.J. Trahan
T40/-3.......Heath Slocum
T50/-2.......Roberto Castro
T61/+1.......Cameron Tringale
T65/+2.......Kyle Reifers
MDF/E.......Ryuji Imada
MDF/E.......Kris Blanks
MDF/E.......Bryce Molder
CUT/+1.......Jason Bohn
CUT/+2.......Blake Adams
CUT/+2.......Scott Dunlap
CUT/+4.......David Duval
CUT/+4.......Kevin Kisner
CUT/+4.......Troy Matteson
CUT/+7.......Matt McQuillan
CUT/+9.......Vaughn Taylor

COMPLETE FINAL LEADERBOARD

Final Round Highlights:

The Quality Of Potential Excellence

promise |ˈpräməs|
noun
a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that guarantees that a particular thing will happen
• the quality of potential excellence
• an indication that something specified is expected or likely to occur

Toger & Phil at Torrey Pines, 2008 US Open. Photo by Robert Matre. click to enlarge.For a game that seemingly offers so much promise, it guarantees us nothing.  Golf will never let us down, but it will break our hearts as often as it warms them.  Looking at the definition of promise, "the quality of potential excellence", either in witness or personal achievement, is what we cling to.  It's what brings us coming back time and time again.

For 15 years Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have been golf's greatest rivalry, yet there are few, very few, actual head-to-head showdowns between the two.  Today, they play together at Pebble Beach in the penultimate group, a pairing and venue that need not be defined by further superlatives than "best".

There are no guarantees on this day, in the unfolding of this final round, in the outcome.  They may both play poorly.  Charlie Wi may go low and win going away.  But there is the potential for something epic to happen, and some may even consider it a promise.  Such is the quality of potential excellence.