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No contest as Spieth and Thomas take down Tiger and Rory in latest edition of The Match

detlef32 — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 14:00:50 +0000

Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas fired seven birdies in 10 holes en route to beating Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy 3&2 in the latest instalment of The Match, a charity exhibition held at Pelican Golf Club in Florida.

Woods and McIlroy were outgunned in all departments of the match, which was due to be played over 12 holes, but only went as far as the 10^th due to the one-sided nature of the contest.

All four players were mic’d up and using custom carts for the floodlit match, which was Woods’ first televised appearance since missing the cut at The Open in July after sitting out last week’s Hero World Challenge due to injury.

“Tiger and Rory, what happened?” Thomas and Spieth said on Twitter after the win. “How do you lose to us two? It’s alright, everybody does!”

Woods admitted he had not hit a golf ball for over two weeks ahead of the contest due to plantar fasciitis, although he got up and down from just short of the green at the driveable par-four first to tie the hole with a birdie.

Thomas drained a long-range birdie at the second and Spieth rolled in from 15 feet at the par-three next, while Thomas two-putted from off the green using a five-wood for a winning par in the one-club challenge hole.

McIlroy missed a 12-foot birdie try to win the next and the teams claimed a share of the sixth with pars, before the world No 1 drained a 20-footer at the seventh to win the only hole of the contest for him and Woods. Thomas restored their advantage on the very next hole, rolling in from 12 feet for birdie, with Spieth then matching Woods and McIlroy’s birdie on the 10th to seal the victory.

The contest was the seventh edition of The Match and third appearance for Woods, having been beaten by Phil Mickelson in the inaugural event in 2018 and partnering Peyton Manning to victory in the 2020 contest.

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Tiger Woods becomes latest PGA Tour star to criticize Official World Golf Rankings: ‘It’s a flawed system’

detlef32 — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 22:23:38 +0000

Jon Rahm has an ally, and a very important one at that. Rahm spoke out against the Official World Golf Rankings two weeks ago, and on Tuesday at the Hero World Challenge, Tiger Woods agreed with his sentiments.

Rahm’s argument, in its most basic form, was that the OWGR should not be rewarding the RSM Classic winner with 37 points and the DP World Tour Championship winner with just 22 points when the latter had to defeat seven top 25 players in the world and the former had to defeat none. The OWGR, on the other hand, has structured its points system to reward beating bigger fields rather than smaller ones (the DP World Tour Championship had just 50 players while the RSM had 156).

“OWGR, it’s a flawed system,” said Woods. “That’s something we all here recognize. The field at Dubai got less points than Sea Island, and more of the top players were there in Dubai, so obviously there’s a flawed system.

“How do you fix it? You know, those are meetings we’re going to have to have. We’re going to have to have it with World Golf committee and as well as … the main tours that are involved in it. Somehow come up with a better system than is in place now.”

The problem here is that the OWGR is likely always going to be a flawed system. It represents a zero-sum game (there can only be one No. 1 and one No. 2 and so on), which means that somebody is almost always going to be upset about how points are constituted.

World No. 1 Rory McIlroy disagreed with Rahm (and now Woods) about the current system.

“So when you look at two different fields, you’ve got a 50-man field here versus a 144-man field there [actually 156],” he said. “So just in terms of how the strengths of field is calculated, they have 90 more players to contribute to their strength of field. So the reason that this has got 21 points [actually 22] and the RSM has got 39 [actually 37] is the person that wins the RSM has to beat 139 other guys [actually 155]. You only have to beat 49 other guys here. It’s a much fairer system. I think it rewards people that — it’s pure numbers. Strength of field has not hurt people feelings.

“Has it upset people? Yes, because people have been used to getting a certain amount of [OWGR] points in one event and now it’s dropped. But I would say those events were getting more than they should be. I think it’s the fairest system that you can come up with right now. And a lot of work went into that, five years of algorithms and analysis and work went on into the system, so it’s not as if it changed overnight. A lot has went into it. It’s the best one that we can come up with right now, and I think it will take a while. It will take another 18 months for it to play out because everyone gets two years into the rolling system.

“It’s a little bit — as it’s being rolled out, there’s a little bit of discrepancy, but once we get two years into it and have the minimum divisor and all the events. I think you’ll see a fairer reflection of where everyone is ranked in the world that is eligible.”

Woods didn’t call the OWGR laughable like Rahm did, but surely the members of the OWGR — which include the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, Augusta National Golf Club, PGA of America, R&A, USGA and International Federation of PGA Tours — will take into account Woods’ words about a revamped system that was recently implemented in August.

“I remember in my career, when I had a big lead in my career, I didn’t have to play a single tournament the next year and I still would be ranked No. 1,” said Woods. “We changed that system then. So it has been changed in the past, and I’m sure this will be changed hopefully soon.”

All of this is extraordinarily nuanced, of course, and as Data Golf pointed out, the OWGR actually rewards the lower half of smaller fields more than it does the lower half of bigger fields.

There are also very few instances of small fields with great players on the top tours. It’s a problem that I’m not positive is big enough to deserve a solution. Regardless, this will be discussed into the future, especially given the demand from LIV — which also has small fields with some good players — for OWGR points in the near future.

Woods spent a record 683 weeks atop the Official World Golf Rankings. Greg Norman is second with 331.

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‘PGA Tour 2K23’ release date: Price, new features, consoles and more on latest golf video game

detlef32 — Wed, 19 Oct 2022 02:13:51 +0000

2K Sports’ golf vertical has produced its latest golf video game, “PGA Tour 2K23”, which can be played across multiple platforms and features Tiger Woods as its cover boy. After skipping 2022, 2K has linked Tiger’s cover in 2023 to his pal, and the previous front man for this project, Justin Thomas, who graced the cover back in 2021. This year’s edition has engendered a lot of excitement — and a lot of different versions of the game — as it hits shelves this fall.

Below is everything you need to know ahead of the release of “PGA Tour 2K23”:

Release date

The official release date for “PGA Tour 2K23” Deluxe Edition and PGA Tour 2K23 Tiger Woods Edition is Tuesday, Oct. 11 while the release date for “PGA Tour 2K23 Standard Edition” is Friday, Oct. 14.

Trailer

Who is the cover athlete?

Tiger Woods is the cover athlete, and he’s featured on all three editions of the game.

2K Sports

Price and systems

The game’s standard version for Xbox Series X|S and PS5 is $69.99, while a version for Xbox One, PS4 and PC is $59.99. The Deluxe Edition for PS4, PS5, PC and Xbox Series X|S is $99.99. The Tiger Woods Edition for PS4, PS5, PC and Xbox Series X|S is $119.99.

New features

MyPlayer and MyCareer experience

Fight your way up from Q-ASchool to the Korn Ferry Tour to the PGA Tour, and try to top the FedEx Cup list against J.T., Tiger and Jon Rahm.

Gear and apparel

“PGA Tour 2K23” will feature equipment from Titleist, Callaway, PING, Bridgestone, TaylorMade, Mizuno and Wilson as well as gear from Nike, Air Jordan, FootJoy, Tattoo Golf, Original Penguin, Black Quail, Adidas, TravisMathew, Linksoul, Goodr, Ecco Puma, Hugo Boss and Greyson.

Swings

Three-click swing: The three-click swing requires you to hold and release the A/X button (depending on your platform of choice) for power, and tap it twice to line up your swing path and club face angle. It’s as simple as one, two, three.

Analog swing: If you’re looking for a swing that mirrors a traditional real-life golf movement, the analog swing stick swing should be a good fit for you. To begin the motion, pull straight back on the analog stick and time your push forward as the power meter reaches the sweet spot for a silky smooth shot laced down the fairway.

Courses

This edition’s courses include East Lake, TPC Twin Cities, TPC Summerlin, TPC Southwind, TPC Scottsdale, TPC San Antonio, TPC Louisiana, TPC Deere Run, Renaissance Club, St. George’s, The Country Club, TPC Boston, Riviera Country Club, TPC Sawgrass and Quail Hollow.

Players

You can play this game as Tiger Woods, Rickie Fowler, Brooke Henderson, Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Lydia Ko, Justin Rose, Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, Lexi Thompson or Will Zalatoris. Additionally, you’ll be able to play in the future with folks from Dude Perfect and Barstool Sports as well as Michael Jordan (available with the Deluxe Edition and Tiger Wood Edition).

Wasn’t there once a popular Tiger Woods video game?

From 1999-2014, Tiger Woods licensed his name to the EA Sports version of the PGA Tour’s game, but he has not been involved in video games since then until this recent resurgence with the 2K franchise. Woods’ EA game reportedly generated more than $700 million from beginning to end.

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Feeling chipper? Then take a look at Ping’s latest club

detlef32 — Mon, 19 Sep 2022 11:53:47 +0000

Golfers who often prefer to use 7- or 8-iron to chip their ball from the fringes of the green, rather than take a more lofted – and riskier – wedge, will be excited to know that Ping has launched a new club, the ChipR, which combines elements of a putter and wedge to help golfer’s improve their performance around the greens.

The investment-cast, 431 stainless steel club is inspired by the PING Chipo, introduced by PING founder Karsten Solheim in the late 1970s for golfers who lacked confidence with a traditional wedge and frequently struggled around the green.

“Golfers who fear chunking or blading their chip shots are really going to benefit from the new PING ChipR,” said John K. Solheim, PING CEO & President. “We’ve learned a lot since my grandfather, Karsten Solheim, invented the Chipo, but his insights were spot on as always. Our research indicates that a third of golfers who tested the ChipR saw better results compared to a traditional wedge.

“We’ve engineered a lot of technology into the ChipR to help golfers avoid the poor chip shot and save strokes around the green. It represents another score-lowering option from our engineers for golfers in search of game improvement and more enjoyment on the golf course.”

With the length of a putter (35”) and a loft closer to a 9-iron (38.5°), the ChipR is designed to be used on shots of 40 yards or less around the green with a putting-like stroke, resulting in bump-and-run style shots that ensure the distance control and consistency that leads to shorter putts.

The ChipR is designed for shots hit from tight lies on the fringes of the green or the fairway for those who don’t fancy taking on a riskier shot with a lofted wedge

“Applying a putting-style stroke takes a lot of the margin for error out of chip shots and is more comfortable for a lot of golfers,” Solheim said. “Knowing that, we’re building the ChipR at our standard putter length and lie angle to make setting up to the ball easier while providing the right amount of loft to get the ball in the air and eventually rolling closer to the hole. We recommend applying the same amount of force for a putt of the same distance. A lot of golfers will be amazed at how easy it is to use and more importantly, the number of strokes they’ll be saving.”

The ChipR’s compact size and shallow face combine with the cambered sole to optimize performance and provide versatility from the rough and fringe. The precision milled MicroMax grooves deliver consistent and predictable trajectories for improved control.

“We designed the ChipR to fit seamlessly into a golfer’s set,” Solheim added. “Whether they replace an existing wedge or another club in their bag, it’s a tremendous option to save strokes around the green. Just like all our clubs, it’s forgiving and can be custom fit and custom built to match the needs of the player. We’re excited to get it into golfer’s hands so they can share their results with us and their playing partners can ask them how their short game got so good.”

The PING ChipR is available for custom fitting and pre-sell from today (July 12) at authorised PING golf shops around the world.

RRP : £160 (steel), £170 (graphite), eu.ping.com

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Bushnell unveils latest feature-packed GPS watch

detlef32 — Sat, 10 Sep 2022 18:40:38 +0000

Bushnell Golf has launched a new feature-packed GPS golf watch which boasts a colour touchscreen display, slope-compensated distances and comes preloaded with 38,000+ courses around the world.

The ION ELITE’S built-in slope feature offers more precise compensated distances to account for a hole’s incline or decline providing golfers with even more precise yardages. A clearly visible blue surround is shown on screen to clearly inform the golfer that slope distances are calibrated and being displayed. Slope Technology can also be disabled to make it legal for tournament play.

The sleek, modern design design allow the ION Elite to also be worn as an everyday timepiece with a visual clock face off the golf course.

On the course, it offfers large, easy-to-read front, centre and back distances, GreenView with moveable pin placement and GreenView, which provides accurate distance based on a golfer’s line of play. HoleView provides access to a visual layout of the current hole in play allowing you to understand what lies ahead for blind shots or doglegs.

“The ION ELITE is ground-breaking and enhances our GPS portfolio. This best-in-class, wearable device is part of our 25-year continuation of producing the best electronic measuring devices in the market.” said Darren Bragg, Bushnell Golf Commercial Manager EMEA.

It offers a 12-hour+ battery life, a shot distance calculator, and the ability to get up to six hazard distances per hole. Preloaded with 38,000+ courses, it also has auto-course recognition and automatically advances from hole-to-hole.

Available at retailers and online from September 1, the ION ELITE Golf GPS watch comes with two colour options (Black and White) and has an RRP of £199 /€239.

For details, visit www.bushnellgolfglobal.com.

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