http://davidhbarrett.com Quality Golf Articles by Professional Journalists Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:57:22 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Kyle Stanley’s biggest mistake—or at least the one that set up all the others—in his 18th-hole triple bogey blow-up that cost him the Farmers Insurance Open on Sunday was that he equated playing safe with laying up. With his ball sitting in the intermediate cut between fairway and rough, 237 yards from the hole on the par-five 18th, Stanley considered how to play from there with a three-stroke lead. His main thought should have ... ]]> http://davidhbarrett.com/golf/golf/lifestyle/1467/kyle-stanleys-strategic-error/ More than ever, the first three tournaments on the PGA Tour this year felt like a mere prelude to the real season. These events produced three nice-guy winners (and I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that!), but with most of the big names away the Tour started with a whimper instead of with a bang. The Hyundai Tournament of Champions has been struggling to attract the top players to its season-opening event for about ... ]]> http://davidhbarrett.com/golf/golf/lifestyle/1461/prelims-over-the-real-season-begins/ Part 3 of our 2012 player previews looks at Rory McIlroy back on the PGA Tour and various players of interest. Click here for Part 1 (Luke Donald and Tiger Woods) and here for Part 2 (Nos. 2-8 on the 2011 money list). Rory McIlroy In rejoining the PGA Tour this season, McIlroy has a chance to build on his U.S. Open victory and possibly become the most popular European ever with American fans. Despite the ... ]]> http://davidhbarrett.com/golf/golf/lifestyle/1423/2012-player-previews-part-3-rory-phil-et-al/ Here is Part 2 of my player previews, covering Nos. 2 through 8 on the 2011 money list—including Steve Stricker and Webb Simpson, who finished 1-3 at the season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions. Click here for Part 1 on Luke Donald and Tiger Woods. Webb Simpson Was the Webb Simpson of 2011 for real? The 26-year-old made a huge leap in his third PGA Tour season, finishing second on the money list after placing 70th and 94th ... ]]> http://davidhbarrett.com/golf/golf/lifestyle/1401/1401/ In Part 1 of our 2012 player previews, we look at how Luke Donald reached No. 1 last year and what he needs to do to stay there and what progress (if any) Tiger Woods made in 2011 and what he needs to do to get back to No. 1. Luke Donald Donald made a big leap forward in 2011 because he morphed from a player who makes a lot of pars to a player who makes ... ]]> http://davidhbarrett.com/golf/golf/lifestyle/1387/2012-player-previews-luke-and-tiger/ Yani Tseng made it a dozen victories in 2011 with a win in her homeland of Taiwan at a tournament called the Swinging Skirts Invitational. The event was sponsored by a women’s and men’s amateur golf organization whose players compete in skirts or kilts. Perfect for the silly season, right? Don’t laugh, though. Tseng won over a field that included Suzann Pettersen, Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer, Na Yeon Choi, Stacy Lewis, Brittany Lincicome, Jiyai Shin, and ... ]]> http://davidhbarrett.com/golf/golf/lifestyle/1383/yani-tsengs-dozen-and-the-lpga-outlook/ Based on the results of last weekend, the 2012 season looks like it could be very interesting. In California, Tiger Woods won for the first time in just over two years at his own Chevron World Challenge. An unofficial, 18-player event, to be sure, but at this point any ‘W’ is a good one for Woods—and a positive sign for what lies ahead. In Hong Kong, Rory McIlroy scored a European Tour victory. In South Africa, Lee ... ]]> http://davidhbarrett.com/golf/golf/lifestyle/1373/tiger-rory-lee-wingood-sign-for-2012/ Tiger Woods didn’t exactly make Fred Couples look like he made a great move by using a captain’s pick on him for the Presidents Cup. But he at least made it look like a defensible move. Woods’ 2-3 record was nothing to write home about, but it was the best of the four captain’s choices. Bill Haas went 1-3-1 for the U.S., Aaron Baddeley 1-3-1 for the Internationals, and Robert Allenby 0-4 for the Internationals. Apparently, ... ]]> http://davidhbarrett.com/golf/golf/lifestyle/1361/freddies-not-so-bad-pick/ There has been plenty of talk about Robert Allenby as a Royal Melbourne specialist on the Presidents Cup team, but what about Ernie Els? Allenby grew up nearby, loves the course, finished second there in the 1991 Australian Open as an amateur and won the 1992 Johnnie Walker Classic and 1993 Players Championship there in his first two years as a pro. But Els has some more recent history, winning the Heineken Classic at Royal Melbourne ... ]]> http://davidhbarrett.com/golf/golf/courses-and-travel/1348/els-has-good-memories-of-royal-melbourne/ Taking a middle-ground approach to the Steve Williams mess: Was what Williams said racially offensive?: Of course it was. In some quarters, you’ll hear that since Williams only used the word “black” it was merely factual. These people are not thinking clearly. When you add the word “black” in a comment about an “ass” (or “arse” or “a-hole” or “arse-hole,” whatever it was he said), the “black” is part of the insult. It’s not necessary ... ]]> http://davidhbarrett.com/golf/golf/lifestyle/1337/thoughts-on-the-steve-williams-mess/