TaylorMade-adidas Golf PGA Stroke Play Championship / January 24-27, 2010
The TaylorMade-adidas Golf PGA Stroke Play Championship is held annually in Port St. Lucie, Florida. This rigorous and prestigious PGA of America event begins with a field of 240 that is cut to low 70 and ties after 36 holes. I'm proud to say that LBG was well-represented in the field.
Curt Sanders, Assistant Professional at Eagle Point Golf Club in Wilmington, N.C., was near the top of the leaderboard, shooting 73-69-72-74=288 and finishing T-21. Curt and I have been working together for more than a year now, and I can tell you that he is one remarkable guy. His dedication to his profession -- serving, learning, teaching and playing -- is second to none. Congrats, Curt!
Jeff Hull -- our own golfgnome! -- battled back from a tough start, made the cut and finished 37th with rounds of 76-72-73-72=293. I talked with Jeff the week prior to the tournament and told him I wished I could import some of the Hawaii weather I was enjoying. He had played very little since the end of October and felt he had been unable to put in the time needed to get his game into 'tournament shape'.
Billy Anderson, head professional at Eagle Point and an LBG stalwart, also made the cut with rounds of 75-71-79-78=303 and was T-67. Billy is the reigning South Carolina Open champion and the 2008 Carolinas Section PGA champion.
Congrats, guys. You are the best!
I wish I could have offered our readers daily scores, playing conditions and other relevant tournament information with regards to our LBG contestants. Unfortunately, absent personal interviews with the players, I could not; and that is because the PGA of America failed miserably in covering one of its most important events.
To wit:
I could find (1) only the scores of the Top Twenty finishers; (2) only at the tournament's end and well 'after the fact'; (3) with no other tournament news on conditions, etc.; and (4) then only after considerable searching. In today's Internet age where even Section events often can be followed with 'real time' cards and daily recaps, this woeful coverage of a national event is totally unacceptable.
We -- the club members, students, friends, family, coaches and interested others of these most talented of all PGA of America club professionals -- know the effort and dedication they bring to these championships. We want to know the events of each day and what they're up against. We want to know the field size and the cut line. Aw, heck, how about getting the correct tournament dates on the website? Maybe I'm missing something here, but someone 'up the line' has dropped the ball here, and in so doing, has done us all a disservice.
[NOTE: I have edited my original post and included scores and rankings from the link provided below by Jeff Hull.]
Nevertheless, I stand by my above post as written and defy any normal human being to find the link on the PGA of America's website (via normal navigation procedures).
Thanks so much for your coverage of the PGA Winter Stroke Play Championships, and most importantly, your passionate support of LBG students and followers. I played fairly well for the first tournament of the year, and am excited about the work we are doing on my game. Thanks.
On a very postive note for LBG, I attended a teaching seminar at this year's PGA Show given by Martin Hall. Martin is the 2008PGA National Teacher of the Year and is a most enjoyable and informative speaker about the game of golf. In a presentation entitled "The Red Lights, Yellow Lights, and Green Lights of Teaching," he mentioned your contribution to his teaching ability, particularly in the area of the alignment of the right forearm and lag (spoken in his terms using the TGM definition),and mentioned the value in teachers visiting this website for furthering their education. What a testimonial!!
Considering there were some very influential golf professionals in the room, from top 100 teachers to directors of instruction at prestigious places such as Oakmont and Baltusrol, it made me proud for you and for all involved with this site. Keep the desire to get the right information to the public alive. Well done!
All the best, and can't wait to see you and talk golf soon.
On a very postive note for LBG, I attended a teaching seminar at this year's PGA Show given by Martin Hall. Martin is the 2008PGA National Teacher of the Year and is a most enjoyable and informative speaker about the game of golf. In a presentation entitled "The Red Lights, Yellow Lights, and Green Lights of Teaching," he mentioned your contribution to his teaching ability, particularly in the area of the alignment of the right forearm and lag (spoken in his terms using the TGM definition),and mentioned the value in teachers visiting this website for furthering their education. What a testimonial!!
Considering there were some very influential golf professionals in the room, from top 100 teachers to directors of instruction at prestigious places such as Oakmont and Baltusrol, it made me proud for you and for all involved with this site. Keep the desire to get the right information to the public alive. Well done!
Thanks for this 'man on the street' report, Curt. It is always gratifying to know you've made a difference.
Martin Hall is a class act and well-deserves his 2008 PGA Teacher of the Year award. We first met in April 2004 at my 'comeback' school at the PGA TOUR Academy in St. Augustine, Florida. As is every great teacher, he is a sponge for information and, as evidenced here, readily credits those who have helped along the way. Thanks, Martin!
Linear Mode
