Wednesday, May 31, 2017

The Memorial Tournament Preview 2017

The Memorial Tournament Preview

Memorial Tournament Preview

Dates: May 29-June 4, 2017
Where: Dublin, Ohio
Course: Muirfield Village Golf Club
36-36—par 72/7,366 yards
Field size: 120
2015 champion: William McGirt
Purse: $8,700,000 ($1,566,000/winner)
FedExCup: 500 points to the winner
Format: 72-hole stroke play
Twitter: @MemorialGolf

2017 The Memorial Tournament Presented by Nationwide

The Tournament, founded and hosted by golf’s greatest champion, Jack Nicklaus, is conducted each year with three goals in mind: to honor the memory of individuals living and deceased who have distinguished themselves in the game of golf; to showcase the world’s best golfers competing on one of the most challenging venues in the world for the enjoyment of spectators; and to benefit many Greater Columbus Charities in alliance with the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation, Nationwide Children’s Hospital and numerous other local organizations.

How William McGirt won the Memorial Tournament in 2016

William McGirt began the final round of the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide tied for the 14-under lead with Matt Kuchar and Gary Woodland, before his final-round 1-under 71 resulted in sudden death with Jon Curran.
On the second extra hole, No. 18, par was good for his first career PGA TOUR win in his 165th start at the age of 36 years, 11 months, 15 days. It was McGirt’s first playoff on the PGA TOUR.

Final 2016 Leaderboard

1 William McGirt 70-68-64-71—273 (-15) won on second hole of sudden death
2 Jon Curran 68-67-68-70—273 (-15)
3 Dustin Johnson 64-71-68-71—274 (-14)

More on William McGirt

McGirt’s victory came in his fourth start in the Memorial Tournament; 1st/2016, T40/2015, MC/2014 and T37/2013.
McGirt is seeking to become the first player since Tiger Woods, who won three consecutive Memorial Tournament titles in 1999, 2000 and 2001, to successfully defend at Muirfield Village.
With his win, McGirt joined three of the last seven winners, David Lingmerth (2015), Hideki Matsuyama (2014), and Justin Rose (2010), who made the Memorial Tournament their maiden victory on the PGA TOUR. Before Rose, Tom Lehman (1994) was the last player to make the Memorial Tournament his first PGA TOUR victory. Kenny Perry (1991) and Keith Fergus (1981) are the other players on this list.
McGirt was the first American-born winner of the Memorial Tournament since Matt Kuchar in 2013. Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) won in 2014 and David Lingmerth (Sweden) won in 2015.
McGirt advanced to last year’s TOUR Championship for the first time in his career, posting a T17 at East Lake to finish a career-high No. 24 in the FedExCup.
Best result this season is T3 at RBC Heritage with four sub-70 rounds.
After qualifying for the Masters Tournament with his win at the Memorial Tournament, McGirt shot 69 in the opening round at Augusta National this year to sit second, four back of Charley Hoffman, before eventually finishing T22.
Currently No. 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

FedExCup and the Memorial Tournament

The 2016-17 season marks the 11th year of the FedExCup, the season-long points competition highlighted by four FedExCup Playoff events, with the FedExCup champion being crowned at the completion of the TOURChampionship. Some FedExCup notes regarding the Memorial Tournament:
- Five FedExCup champions are in the field: Jordan Spieth (2015), Billy Horschel (2014), Bill Haas (2011), Jim Furyk (2010) and Vijay Singh (2008).
Nine of the 10 winners of the Memorial Tournament since the inception of the FedExCup in 2007 have qualified for the season-ending TOUR Championship. William McGirt advanced to last year’s TOUR Championship for the first time in his career, posting a T17 at East Lake to finish a career-high No. 24 in the FedExCup.
10 of the top 10 and 23 of the top 30 in the FedExCup standings are in the field, highlighted by Dustin Johnson who is No. 1.

Dustin Johnson

Made nine consecutive starts at the Memorial Tournament. His third-place finish last year marked his second top-10 at Muirfield Village Golf Club (4th/2011). His only missed cut came in 2013.
Posted 10 birdies in opening-round 64 to lead the Memorial Tournament after round one last year, eventually finishing third.\
Ranks No. 1 in the current FedExCup standings and No. 1 in Official World Golf Ranking
With three wins this season (Genesis Open, WGC-Mexico Championship, WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play), has won for the 10th consecutive season on TOUR (the current-best streak).
Awarded the Jack Nicklaus Trophy as Player of the Year for the 2015-16 PGA TOUR Season.

Jordan Spieth

Returns to the Memorial Tournament for a fifth appearance. Spieth’s best finish at the event was T3 in 2016.
His four opening rounds at the Memorial Tournament have been par or better (72-69-68-70).
Youngest winner of the FedExCup and of the TOUR Championship (22 years, 2 months).
Owns nine PGA TOUR wins: 2013 John Deere Classic, 2015 Valspar Championship, 2015 Masters Tournament, 2015 U.S. Open, 2015 John Deere Classic, 2015 TOUR Championship, 2016 SBS Tournament of Champions, 2016 DEAN & DELUCA Invitational, 2017 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Finished runner-up at last week’s DEAN & DELUCA Invitational.
In 2013, earned a Captain’s Pick from Fred Couples for the U.S. Team for the Presidents Cup played at Muirfield Village where he went 2-2-0. Was also voted Rookie of the Year in 2013.
Awarded the Jack Nicklaus Trophy as Player of the Year for the 2014-15 PGA TOUR Season.

Jason Day

Has made five cuts in eight starts at the Memorial Tournament with T27 last year matching his best finish in 2009. Sat three strokes off the lead after 54 holes last year before final-round 74 contributed to T27, six strokes back.
Defeated Brandt Snedeker 6 and 4 in Sunday singles match during 2013 Presidents Cup held at
Muirfield Village.
Columbus resident and member at Muirfield Village Golf Club.
No. 3 in the Official World Golf Ranking

Matt Kuchar

Earned sixth top-10 finish in 11 starts at the Memorial Tournament with T4 last year after sharing 36-and 54-hole leads – 2008 (T10), 2009 (T5), 2010 (T8), 2011 (T2), 2013 (won) and 2016 (T4).
Lone missed cut in 11 appearances came in 2003.
Third-round scoring average at the Memorial Tournament is 69.40 with 10 of 10 rounds under par.
Best result this season is T4 at the Masters Tournament.

Rickie Fowler

Posted a runner-up finish in his first start in the Memorial Tournament when he held at least a share of the lead in each of the first three rounds in 2010. Shot final-round 73 to finish three back of Justin Rose.
In seven starts in the memorial Tournament, has not posted a top-20 finish since runner-up in 2010.
Missed cut in last three appearances at Muirfield Village.
Got back in the winner’s circle this season with victory at The Honda Classic, his fourth on the PGA TOUR.

Phil Mickelson

In 16 Memorial Tournament starts, has collected top-10 finishes in 2002 (T9), 2006 (T4) and 2010 (T5).
Seeking to become the first left-handed player to win the Memorial Tournament. Mike Weir’s T2 in 2008 is the best finish by a left-hander.

Adam Scott

Adam Scott is making his 10th start of the season; a T6 at THE PLAYERS in his most recent start was his third top-10 of the season (CIMB Classic – T10, Masters – T9).
Scott has three top-five finishes in nine appearances at the Memorial Tournament, including a T4 in his most recent start at Muirfield Village in 2014 (T4/2014, T5/2007, T4/2006).
Scott has missed one cut in his last 28 official PGA TOUR starts (2017 Shell Houston Open).

Justin Thomas

Thomas is a four-time TOUR winner, including three wins this season (CIMB Classic, SBS Tournament of Champions, Sony Open in Hawaii). Thomas shot 59 (-11) in the opening round of the Sony Open in Hawaii to become the seventh player with a sub-60 round on TOUR.
Thomas sits No. 3 in the FedExCup standings, trailing leader Dustin Johnson by 415 points and just 10 points behind No. 2 Hideki Matsuyama.
Thomas was T37 in his debut at the Memorial in 2014 but has missed the cut the last two years.

Hideki Matsuyama

Won the Memorial Tournament in his first appearance in 2014 and returned in 2015 to finish T5. Missed the cut last year.
First player from Japan to win the Memorial Tournament.
Has shot under-par in eight of 10 rounds at Muirfield Village (70-67-69-69-64-71-71-70-74-73) for a 69.8 scoring average.
Currently No. 2 in the FedExCup standings behind Dustin Johnson.

Kevin Kisner

Won last week’s DEAN & DELUCA Invitational for his second PGA TOUR victory (2015 The RSM Classic), moving from No. 17 to No. 7 on the FedExCup standings.
Holed a pitch for eagle on the 72nd hole in the dark to force playoff, which took place on Monday, at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans last month. With teammate Scott Brown, lost at the fourth hole of sudden death to Cameron Smith/Jonas Blixt.
Was also runner-up at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March.
Missed the cut at the Memorial Tournament last year but was T8 in 2015 with four sub-par rounds.
Posted a T46 in his first appearance in 2014.

Jon Rahm

First-year member Jon Rahm, 22, will make his tournament debut.
Currently No. 4 in the FedExCup and No. 9 in the Official World Golf Ranking, Rahm won his maiden PGA TOUR victory at the 2017 Farmers Insurance Open. He then went on to finish in the top-five in three of his next four events, including a runner-up at the World Golf Championship-Dell Technologies Match Play, where he lost to Dustin Johnson in the final.
Rahm was runner-up at last week’s DEAN & DELUCA Invitational, one stroke behind winner Kevin Kisner.
Rahm was the Jack Nicklaus Award recipient last year. The award, created in 1988, is given annually to the national players-of-the-year at each level of collegiate golf. Winners of the Nicklaus Award include Tiger Woods (1996), Phil Mickelson (1990-92), David Duval (1993), Justin Leonard (1994), Stewart Cink (1995), Luke Donald (1999), Hunter Mahan (2003), Bill Haas (2004), Ryan Moore (2005), Justin Thomas (2012) and Jon Rahm (2016) among many others.

Additional Player Notes

Peter Uihlein will make his first appearance at the Memorial Tournament. The 27-year-old won the U.S. Amateur while attending Oklahoma State University. Earlier this year he finished T5 at the Puerto Rico Open, one of 25 career PGA TOUR starts. Uihlein, a European Tour member, was voted as European Tour Rookie of the Year in 2013.
Scott Gregory, 22, is an Englishman who won the 2016 Amateur Championship at Royal Porthcawl. His Amateur Championship win earned him a spot in The Open last year, as well as this year’s Masters, missing the cut in both events. Gregory also represented England in the most recent World Amateur Team Championship in Mexico, helping his country finish second behind Australia.
Stewart Cink (52) will this week attempt to catch Kenny Perry, who has 55 rounds of par or better at the Memorial Tournament. The record remains with Jay Haas, who owns 68 rounds of par or better at this event.
Vijay Singh, the 1997 Memorial Tournament winner, will make his 25th appearance at the Memorial Tournament, tied for fourth-most with Fuzzy Zoeller. The three players with more starts are Jack Nicklaus (30), Jay Haas (29), Roger Maltbie (27). Singh comes into the Memorial Tournament off a runner-up finish at the Senior PGA Championship last week
With the Memorial Tournament host Jack Nicklaus a six-time Australian Open winner, and Australian icon Greg Norman as the 2017 Memorial Tournament Honoree, four young Australian players are set to compete as sponsor exemptions in the Memorial Tournament:
- Matthew Griffin, 33, was the No. 3 ranked amateur in the world in 2008 and represented his country at the Eisenhower Trophy before turning professional. He has won three times on the PGA TOUR of Australasia, claiming the Order of Merit title in 2016. He is also a winner of the OneAsia Order of Merit (2013) and a two-time winner on that Tour. In 2014, he won the KPGA Championship on the Korean Tour. He plays golf right-handed but writes left-handed. He made his lone PGA TOUR start at the WGC-Mexico Championship earlier this year, finishing 75th .
- Brett Coletta, 20, had a stellar amateur career before making his PGA TOUR debut at the 2017 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The 2015 U.S. Amateur medalist and runner-up to fellow Aussie Curtis Luck at last year’s Asia Pacific Amateur, made his first start as a professional at the 2017 SMBC Singapore Open, finishing T65 with rounds of 69-72-74-75. As an amateur he won the Queensland Open on the PGA Tour of Australasia last October.
- Curtis Luck, 20, made his professional debut at the Valero Texas Open, his most recent start on TOUR. Luck came into prominence in his homeland as the runner-up at the 2014 Australian Amateur. He also won the 2016 Western Australian Open on the PGA Tour of Australasia. He had previously planned to turn professional in October 2016, but when he won the 2016 U.S. Amateur in August and the Asia-Pacific Amateur in October he decided to wait and accept the invitation he received this year to the Masters. He was a member of the winning Australian team at the 2016 Eisenhower Trophy and was also awarded the Emerging Athlete of the Year at the 2016 Australian Institute of Sport Performance Awards. Luck, formerly No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, is recognizable as he sports a beard and ponytail. He made his PGA TOUR debut in March this year at the Arnold Palmer Invitational where he was disqualified after signing an incorrect scorecard in the second round. He finished T46 at the Masters in his final start as an amateur.
- Ryan Ruffels, 19, was born in the United States, but moved to Australia after his dad, tennis professional Ray Ruffels, received a job offer there. Ryan had a notable amateur career in Australia which included becoming the youngest person in the PGA Tour of Australasia’s history to make the cut in one of their tour events, achieved at the 2013 Queensland Open. Ryan made his first professional PGA TOUR start at the 2016 Farmers Insurance Open where he finished T43. He has made seven cuts in 10 starts as a professional on the PGA TOUR with a T20 at the 2016 Zurich Classic of New Orleans his best result. He also made the cut as an amateur at the 2015 RBC Canadian Open. Last year, he made his PGA TOUR Latinoamérica debut at the Copa Diners Club International in Ecuador, where he carded a week low 7 under 64 on the final round to finish in a two-way tie for second in September. He posted three other top 10s in five other starts in Latin America to finish the season ranked 22nd on the Order of Merit. Ruffels is fluent in both Spanish and English. Ruffels posted a T38 result in his first appearance at the Memorial Tournament last year.

Memorial Tournament Preview Notes on the field

Six of the top 10 players in the Official World Golf Ranking: Dustin Johnson (No. 1), Jason Day (No. 3), Hideki Matsuyama (No. 4), Jordan Spieth (No. 6), Jon Rahm (No. 9), Adam Scott (No. 10) and 31 of the top 50.
17 major championship winners with a combined total of 29 major titles, led by Phil Mickelson with five.
Six past winners of the Jack Nicklaus Trophy as PGA TOUR Player of the Year: Dustin Johnson (2016), Jordan Spieth (2015), Luke Donald (2011), Jim Furyk (2010), Padraig Harrington (2008), Vijay Singh (2004).
21 PGA TOUR winners this season: Brendan Steele (Safeway Open), Justin Thomas (CIMB Classic, SBS Tournament of Champions, Sony Open in Hawaii), Hideki Matsuyama (WGC-HSBC Champions, Waste Management Phoenix Open), Rod Pampling (Shriners Hospitals for Children Open), Pat Perez (OHL Classic at Mayakoba), Mackenzie Hughes (The RSM Classic), Hudson Swafford (CareerBuilder Challenge), Jon Rahm (Farmers Insurance Open), Jordan Spieth (AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am), Dustin Johnson (Genesis Open, WGC-Mexico Championship, WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play), Rickie Fowler (The Honda Classic), Adam Hadwin (Valspar Championship), Marc Leishman (Arnold Palmer Invitational), D.A. Points (Puerto Rico Open), Kevin Chappell (Valero Texas Open), Cameron Smith/Jonas Blixt (Zurich Classic of New Orleans), Brian Harman (Wells Fargo Championship), Si Woo Kim (THE PLAYERS), Billy Horschel (AT&T Byron Nelson), Kevin Kisner (DEAN & DELUCA Invitational).
Nine past champions of the Memorial Tournament: William McGirt (2016), David Lingmerth (2015), Hideki Matsuyama (2014), Matt Kuchar (2013), Steve Stricker (2011), K.J. Choi (2007), Carl Pettersson (2006), Jim Furyk (2002) and Vijay Singh (1997).

Greg Norman, Tony Lema, Ken Venturi and Harvie Wood Honored At 2017 Memorial Tournament

Norman won 20 times on the PGA TOUR, 91 times worldwide and remained atop the Official World Golf Rankings for an astounding 331 consecutive weeks.
Tony Lema, Ken Venturi and Harvie Wood will be honored posthumously.
The 2017 Memorial Golf Journalism Award, created to honor and pay tribute to golf journalists, will go to Jerry Tarde, the Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Golf Digest.

Muirfield Village Golf Club

Muirfield Village Golf Club is one of four Jack Nicklaus designs on TOUR in 2015-16 (five, if Nicklaus’ redesign of PGA National Resort & Spa/The Honda Classic is included). Other Nicklaus courses to host events on TOUR this season include the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West/CareerBuilder Challenge, Montreux G&CC/Barracuda Championship and Glen Abbey GC/RBC Canadian Open.
Muirfield Village Golf Club was named after Muirfield, Scotland, where Jack Nicklaus won the first of his three Open Championship titles in 1966. Along with hosting the Memorial Tournament every year since its inception in 1976, Muirfield Village has also hosted several national championships and international team competitions, including the 1986 U.S. Junior Amateur, the 1987 Ryder Cup, the 1992 U.S. Amateur, the 1998 Solheim Cup and the 2013 Presidents Cup. Muirfield Village is the only venue to have hosted the Ryder Cup, the Solheim Cup and the Presidents Cup.

Miscellaneous Memorial Tournament Preview Notes

Since 2005, the Memorial Tournament has been decided by two strokes or less each year, except for 2010 when Justin Rose earned a three-stroke win over Rickie Fowler.
There have been seven playoffs for the title in the 40-year history of the event, including the inaugural tournament in 1976 when Roger Maltbie won. Other playoffs occurred in 1984, 1991 and 1992, 2014, 2015 and 2016.
In the 40-year history of the Memorial Tournament, nine international players have won the event (David Lingmerth/Sweden/2015, Hideki Matsuyama/Japan/2014, Justin Rose/England/2010, K.J. Choi/South Korea/2007, Carl Pettersson/Sweden/2006, Ernie Els/South Africa/2004, Vijay Singh/Fiji/1997, Greg Norman/Australia/1995/1990, David Graham/Australia/1980).
Six players have multiple wins at the Memorial Tournament; 5/Tiger Woods (1999-2001, 2009, 2012), 3/Kenny Perry (1991, 2003, 2008), 2/Jack Nicklaus (1977, 1984), 2/Hale Irwin (1983, 1985), 2/Greg Norman (1990, 1995), 2/Tom Watson (1979, 1996).
No player has ever taken less than 100 putts at the Memorial Tournament, however, four players have used exactly 100 putts: Spencer Levin (2012), Joe Ogilvie (2008), John Mallinger (2008) and Ernie Els (2004).
Since 1983 when records began, three players have scored an ace during the tournament and gone on to win, most recently Steve Stricker in 2011. Jim Furyk (2002) and Kenny Perry (1991) are the other players to achieve this feat.
Rod Pampling was the last player to make an ace at the Memorial Tournament, holing his tee shot at the par-3 16th hole in the final round last year.
There has never been a wire-to-wire winner at the Memorial Tournament.
Last year’s 36-hole cut of 142 (-2) is the lowest in tournament history.
John Huston holds the 18-hole tournament record 11-under 61, posted in round one in 1996. Tom Lehman owns the 72-hole tournament record of 268 (-20), set in 1994.In 162 competitive rounds at Muirfield Village Golf Club, the scoring average has been below 71 only 12 times.
During last year’s opening round, Hudson Swafford posted five birdies, one eagle and no bogeys to shoot a 7-under 29 on the front nine, tying the low front-nine scoring record at the Memorial Tournament: John Huston (1996/R2), Mark Wilson (2007/R3), Aaron Baddeley (2014/R1) and Hudson Swafford (2016/R1).
No player has recorded a sub-30 back nine at Muirfield Village since Bobby Wadkins shot 29 in 1977.
Jon Rahm was the Jack Nicklaus Award recipient last year. The award, created in 1988, is given annually to the national players-of-the-year at each level of collegiate golf. This year’s winner will be announced on June 1. In addition to receiving the Jack Nicklaus National Player-of-the-Year Award, the five recipients representing all divisions of college golf will compete in the Barbasol Shootout for an exemption into the PGA TOUR’s Barbasol Championship, held July 20-23, at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Grand National in Opelika, Alabama. The Barbasol Shootout will be held Saturday, June 3 at the storied Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio -the same club where Jack Nicklaus first learned the game of golf.

VIA PGA TOUR

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Devereux Polo Review

Mizuno 2017 NEXLITE SL Ultra-Light Spikeless Waterproof Mens Golf Shoes

I have honestly never seen Mizuno golf shoes before, but it makes sense; Mizuo makes a wide variety of athletic equipment, including running shoes. Golf shoes is a natural extension of their hard golf goods feature.

Features:

Breathable, lightweight and waterproof.
Impact Grip system ensures stability through the ball and a solid powerful base in firmer conditions.
Mizuno Wave Platform – Award winning cushioning and stability trusted by runners worldwide.
275 gram shoe engineered by Mizuno’s award winning running team – for golfers who walk the course.
Sofrina SK upper is used to reduce the total weight

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Tuesday, May 30, 2017

ShopRite LPGA Classic Winners and History

First held in 1986, the ShopRite LPGA Classic was held annually from 1986 to 2006, and then again from 2010 to the present. The location has always been Atlantic City, although the venue has changed several times. The current course is the Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club.

In its first run, the tournament was played as a 54-hole event except for 1990, when it was a four-day, 72-hole event.

The tournament’s original incarnation was the Atlantic City LPGA Classic. In 1992, it acquired ShopRite as a sponsor and changed its name to the ShopRite LPGA Classic. In 2007 season, the LPGA swapped the traditional ShopRite Classic dates in early June for a new tournament, the Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika. This didn’t sit well with the sponsors and ShopRite ended the tournament. In 2010, however, the ShopRite LPGA Classic returned as a three-day tournament.

In 2013, Acer, a Taiwanese computer hardware and electronics company, was added as a presenting sponsor.

Multiple winners of the event are Betsy King (1987, 1995, 2001), Annika Sörenstam (1998, 2002, 2005), and Juli Inkster (1986, 1988).

Julie Inkster was the first winner of the ShopRite LPGA Classic.

A complete list of ShopRite LPGA Classic winners is below

Year	Champion	Country	Score	Tournament location	Purse ($)
ShopRite LPGA Classic
2016	Anna Nordqvist (2)	Sweden	64-68-64=196	Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club	1,500,000
2015	Anna Nordqvist	Sweden	67-69-69=205	Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club	1,500,000
2014	Stacy Lewis	United States	67-63-67=197	Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club	1,500,000
2013	Karrie Webb	Australia	72-69-68=209	Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club	1,500,000
2012	Stacy Lewis	United States	65-65-71=201	Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club	1,500,000
2011	Brittany Lincicome	United States	72-64-66=202	Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club	1,500,000
2010	Ai Miyazato	Japan	66-67-64=197	Dolce Seaview Resort	1,500,000
2007-2009 – not scheduled
2006	Seon Hwa Lee	South Korea	65-69-63=197	Seaview Marriott Resort	1,500,000
2005	Annika Sörenstam (3)	Sweden	67-65-64=196	Seaview Marriott Resort	1,300,000
2004	Cristie Kerr	United States	66-68-68=202	Seaview Marriott Resort	1,300,000
2003	Angela Stanford	United States	65-67-65=197	Seaview Marriott Resort	1,300,000
2002	Annika Sörenstam (2)	Sweden	68-67-66=201	Seaview Marriott Resort	1,200,000
2001	Betsy King (3)	United States	65-69-67=201	Seaview Marriott Resort	1,200,000
2000	Janice Moodie	Scotland	66-68-69=203	Seaview Marriott Resort	1,100,000
1999	Se Ri Pak	South Korea	63-69-66=198	Seaview Marriott Resort	1,000,000
1998	Annika Sörenstam	Sweden	66-65-65=196	Seaview Marriott Resort	1,000,000
1997	Michelle McGann	United States	72-65-64=201	Greate Bay Resort & Country Club	900,000
1996	Dottie Pepper	United States	67-66-69=202	Greate Bay Resort & Country Club	750,000
1995	Betsy King (2)	United States	66-71-67=204	Greate Bay Resort & Country Club	650,000
1994	Donna Andrews	United States	67-66-74=207	Greate Bay Resort & Country Club	500,000
1993	Shelley Hamlin	United States	67-67-70=204	Greate Bay Resort & Country Club	450,000
1992	Anne Marie Palli	France	69-69-69=207	Greate Bay Resort & Country Club	400,000
Atlantic City Classic
1991	Jane Geddes	United States	71-68-69=208	Greate Bay Resort & Country Club	300,000
1990	Christa Johnson	United States	69-67-69-70=275	Sands Country Club	300,000
1989	Nancy Lopez	United States	67-70-69=206	Sands Country Club	225,000
1988	Juli Inkster (2)	United States	72-69-65=206	Sands Country Club	225,000
Atlantic City LPGA Classic
1987	Betsy King	United States	70-71-66=207	Marriott Seaview Country Club & Resort	225,000
1986	Juli Inkster	United States	67-71-71=209	Marriott Seaview Country Club & Resort	225,000

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Nordea Masters Winners and History

Currently the only European Tour event in Scandinavia, the Nordea Scandinavian Masters has been held since 1991 under a variety of sponsorship names.

The tournament’s origins date to the late 1960s, when it was the Volvo Open. Later, that was renamed the Scandinavian Enterprise Open. In 1991, the Scandinavian Enterprise Open merged with the PLM Open to form the Scandinavian masters.

Nordea is a financial services group in the Nordic and Baltic regions.

A list of past winners of the Nordea Scandinavian Masters follows, as well as the predecessor tournaments, the Scandinavian Enterprise Open and the PLM Open

Scandinavian Masters Past Winners

Year	Winner	Country	Score
Nordea Masters
2016	Matthew Fitzpatrick	England	272 (−16)
2015	Alexander Norén (2)	Sweden	276 (−12)
2014	Thongchai Jaidee	Thailand	272 (−16)
2013	Mikko Ilonen	Finland	267 (−21)
2012	Lee Westwood	England	269 (−19)
2011	Alexander Norén	Sweden	273 (−15)
Nordea Scandinavian Masters
2010	Richard S. Johnson	sweden	277 (−11)
SAS Masters
2009	Ricardo González	Argentina	282 (−10)
2008	Peter Hanson	Sweden	271 (−9)
Scandinavian Masters
2007	Mikko Ilonen	Finland	274 (−6)
EnterCard Scandinavian Masters
2006	Marc Warren	Scotland	278 (−10)PO
Scandinavian Masters by Carlsberg
2005	Mark Hensby	Australia	262 (−22)PO
2004	Luke Donald	England	272 (−16)
Scandic Carlsberg Scandinavian Masters
2003	Adam Scott	Australia	277 (−11)
Volvo Scandinavian Masters
2002	Graeme McDowell	Northern Ireland	270 (−14)
2001	Colin Montgomerie	Scotland	274 (−14)
2000	Lee Westwood	England	270 (−14)
1999	Colin Montgomerie	Scotland	268 (−20)
1998	Jesper Parnevik	Sweden	273 (−11)
1997	Joakim Haeggman	Sweden	270 (−18)
1996	Lee Westwood	England	281 (−7)PO
1995	Jesper Parnevik	Sweden	270 (−18)
Scandinavian Masters
1994	Vijay Singh	Fiji	268 (−20)
1993	Peter Baker	England	278 (−10)PO
1992	Nick Faldo	England	277 (−11)
1991	Colin Montgomerie	Scotland	270 (−18)

Scandinavian Enterprise Open Past Winners

Year	Winner	Country
1990	Craig Stadler	United States
1989	Ronan Rafferty	Norther Ireland
1988	Seve Ballesteros	Spain
1987	Gordon Brand, Jr	Scotland
1986	Greg Turner	New Zealand
1985	Ian Baker-Finch	Australia
1984	Ian Woosnam	Wales
1983	Sam Torrance	Scotland
1982	Bob Byman	United States
1981	Seve Ballesteros	Spain
1980	Greg Norman	Australia
1979	Sandy Lyle	Scotland
1978	Seve Ballesteros	Spain
1977	Bob Byman	United States
1976	Hugh Baiocchi	South Africa
1975	George Burns	United States
1974	Tony Jacklin	England
1973	Bob Charles	New Zealand

PLM Open Past Winners

Year	Winner	Country
1990	Ronan Rafferty	Northern Ireland
1989	Mike Harwood	Australia
1988	Frank Nobilo	New Zealand
1987	Howard Clark	England
1986	Peter Senior	Australia
1985	Denis Durnian	England
1984	Tommy Horton	England
1983	Peter Dahlberg	Sweden

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Adulting, Handling a Stressful Career & Creating a Flexible Life Plan – Episode 17 – The Chasing Joy Podcast

Adulting, Handling a Stressful Career & Creating a Flexible Life Plan

Adulting, Handling a Stressful Career & Creating a Flexible Life Plan

I’ve always been a fan of a good, soul searching, deep diving, heart spilling conversation. It’s like a sweaty workout for the soul. You leave refreshed and simultaneously tired and energized. These kinds of deep conversations were a huge driver behind starting this podcast. I love listening to shows that go deep and get real. I wanted to offer more of those conversations. I selfishly wanted the chance to talk to amazing people and ask them all my questions.

I also wanted the opportunity to capture conversations with people I already knew. Special people in my life, who I think we can all learn from. One of those special people is my big sister Nellie. She’s been my rock and my lighthouse for all my life. Guiding my actions and teaching me more than she knows. Today on the show I wanted to talk about one of our favorite topics: “How do you even Adult?”

During this call we talk about everything from feeling lost out of college, to feeling inadequate at a new job, to trying to make your Wednesdays as special as your Fridays, to giving yourself the permission to set boundaries and so much more. Grab your favorite iced coffee or matcha, plug in your earbuds and get walking, because this is a good one!

Lets learn how to make Wednesdays as special as Fridays
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Adulting, Handling a Stressful Career & Creating a Flexible Life Plan

On this episode we talk about

Choosing where to move after college
Making friends again after college
Why college doesn’t really prepare you for your first job (and why that’s ok)
Balancing ambition and burnout
Coping with disappointment when you don’t feel like you’re meeting your goals
Managing feeling mediocre when you’re in the beginning of your career
Creating small moments of purpose and meaning when you feel overwhelmed by your work so you don’t live for the weekend
How to make Wednesdays as special as Fridays
De-stressing after work and feel energized for the next day
How Nellie decided to leave her first job
Why you have to shift inward to find peace with your current situation
How seasonal work can give you freedom
What to do when the trip you planned turns out different from what you expected
Being more honest with yourself when you are planning a trip – what do I need vs. think I should need
Giving yourself permission to be honest with yourself (about what you’re comfortable with)
Making decisions based on intuition vs. what you think other people are expecting
Social media and travel comparison
Making big life decisions without over planning

This episode is perfect for anyone who

Navigating the begining of their career
Is feeling stuck at their job or feels like they live for Friday
Trying to figure out where they want to live
Is working a 9-5 job and wants more flexibility
Is feeling lost when it comes to making big decisions
Wants to travel without the comparison trap

Listen to the Episode on itunes

Get Involved

Hang out with the Joy Squad on Facebook for your daily dose of health, wellness and joy filled conversation. (and you’ll get sneak peeks on new things coming to the blog and podcast first)

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If you love the show and want to support it in some way, leave a review on iTunes. It helps get the show in front of new people.

Adulting, Handling a Stressful Career & Creating a Flexible Life Plan

The post Adulting, Handling a Stressful Career & Creating a Flexible Life Plan – Episode 17 – The Chasing Joy Podcast appeared first on In it for the Long Run.

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The First Step To Quitting Your Job to Travel

I remember back when I was one of few travel bloggers making a full-time living online. Those days are long gone.

It’s different now. Simply put, it’s become a lot easier and there are a lot more opportunities out there, so many more people are making a full-time living. And that goes way beyond the travel blogging industry — it’s never been easier to make money online.

Earning a living online, never having to go into work again, having the freedom to travel year-round, and being your boss — that’s the dream for a lot of people.

But travel blogging is not the only way. In fact, I’d discourage 99% of people against it. Travel blogging is a very tough nut to crack, it requires a lot of time and effort, and most people don’t have the writing and photography skills for it.

And being a professional Instagrammer? Well, honestly, that’s extremely difficult to do unless you’re young, thin, conventionally attractive, and, let’s face it — white and blonde. It’s hard enough if you have all those characteristics; if you don’t fit that mold, you’re going to have a much more difficult time.

But there are other ways to quit your job and travel.

There’s writing books, creating products, starting companies, becoming a coach. And for many people, it can earn them enough money to quit their jobs.

What if you’re not sure what you want to do yet? What if you are interested in multiple ideas — maybe you like the idea of freelancing, maybe you’d like to start a business — but don’t want to drop a ton of money on just one specific course in case it’s not right for you? Where do you even begin?

Enter the Paradise Pack.

Introducing 2017’s Paradise Pack

The Paradise Pack is a collection of digital resources and guides that will teach you how to make money online so you can travel the world. They are sold together at more than 90% off.

Want to start your own business? Want to become a freelancer in your field, or even a new field? Want to build a blog and turn it into a business? The Paradise Pack will help you do those things.

Want to earn free flights from travel hacking? Want to teach English online? The Paradise Pack will help you do those things, too.

The products altogether cost more than $2600 — here, they’re available in a bundle for just $197.

The Paradise Pack is only available for one week each year, and the products change every year, so this will be your only chance to get this exact pack.

Today is day one. I’m posting this today because people who buy by midnight tonight will receive a bonus: a workshop on how to make the most of the pack.

The Paradise Pack sale ends on Monday, June 5.

And now some questions:

Haven’t I seen this before?

I’ve promoted the Paradise Pack twice before, in 2015 and 2016 — but it’s a completely different collection every year. There are occasional repeat products, but for the most part they’re new offerings.

The guys behind the Paradise Pack, Jason and Travis, make efforts to put together an excellent, original collection each year. I’ve tried out some similar packs geared around making money online, and I think the Paradise Pack consistently has the best collection on the web.

Previous years’ packs have been fantastic — which you certainly noticed. More than 100 Adventurous Kate readers have purchased the pack!

Do you make a commission on it?

Yes, I make a commission. Regular people like me make 30% from sales. Authors of the products in the pack earn more, however — they make 50% from sales.

Someone makes a commission on every pack sold, no matter what. There are no discounted packs. So no matter how you buy it, a commission will go to somebody.

Do what I do — buy it through the blog of someone whose work you enjoy.

Is it worth the $197 price?

Absolutely. For all that you save and earn as a result of this package, from free flights to business income, it would be worth it if it cost triple. Quadruple. Quintuple.

$197 is a lot of money. I get that. If it’s too much for you, it’s too much. But if you actually put in the effort with these products, you will earn it back several times over. I promise you that.

Is there anything else I should know?

Yes. 10% of sales will to two charities: Pencils of Promise, a charity that builds schools for children in developing countries, and Travel Access Project, a charity that funds scholarships for travel and education.

So far the Paradise Pack has raised more than $50,000, enough to build two schools in Guatemala! Pencils of Promise is a rare charity that puts 100% of its online donations directly toward their programs.

Paradise Pack Products That Are Especially Worth It

Every year, there are a few standout products in the Paradise Pack. Here’s what I think are the most valuable:

Zero To Your First $10K by Brian Lofrumento (value: $497)

Why? Because every beginner needs some extra help getting started.

No matter who you are or what kind of business you want to start, this course will guide you through earning your first $10,000.

This product targets people at the beginning of their journey, so whether you’re starting to make money online for the first time or moving into a new industry, it will help you find your way through launching a brand new product or service.

The Social Media Rockstar Academy by Ka Sundance (value: $299)

Why? Because a big audience translates into more money.

As much as I hate when the words “rock star” are presented as one, this course is valuable in that it shows you how to build an enormous social media following in a very fast time frame, as well as creating videos that showcase your product or services. The bigger base audience you have, the more money you can make passively.

Frequent Flyer Masterclass by Travis Sherry (value: $147)

Why? Because everyone wants to fly for free.

Getting free flights is one of my readers’ most frequent requests. This course will teach you how to hack the frequent flying system and get free flights, even business class flights, all over the world. With the Frequent Flyer Masterclass, learn how to travel anywhere in the world for less than a hundred bucks using frequent flyer miles.

Cruise Ship Jobs 101 by Amanda Hathorn-Geary (value: $147)

Why? Because working on cruise ships is one of the most surprisingly fun and lucrative ways to see the world while getting paid.

And if you want to find a way to work a cool job, save a ton of cash, and have months-long breaks, working on a cruise ship is a great way to go about it. This book while show you the ins and outs of getting hired for one of these gigs. It’s not a sustainable-for-the-rest-of-your-life kind of gig, but it can be a lot of fun for a few months or years, especially if you use it to start a nest egg for future travels.

Other Included Products

Here are the other products included in the pack:

Rock Your Systems by Natalie Sisson (value: $69)

“How can you find more free time while still growing your business? Hint: It’s SYSTEMS. Put systems in place in your business in under a week using the power trio of Asana, Google Drive, & Slack. Get sh*t done so you can spend your time doing whatever else makes you happy.”

Easy Language Hacking Guide by Benny Lewis (value: $269)

“Discover the fast and easy way to learn 6 popular languages with these easy language hacking guides. You’ll learn tricks that show you where to focus your efforts for quick results in language learning. Plus, Benny is throwing in a live Q&A so you can ask all your language questions.”

A Better Life for Half the Price by Tim Leffel (value: $49)

“If you’d like to upgrade your life without giving up everything you like to do, lowering your cost of living may just be a matter of changing your address. You’ll get the ebook, special reports, and a three-part video series to help you choose the best destination for you!”

Virtual Assistant Foundation by Danielle Greason (value: $197)

“Become skilled in four core digital marketing support services to get started as a virtual assistant or freelancer right away. Learn Danielle’s in-depth client workflow processes and follow steps to landing your very first paying client.”

Become a Super Learner by Jonathan Levi (value: $147)

“We’ve all experienced the frustration of an ever-growing reading list, struggling to learn a new language, or forgetting things you learned in even your favorite subjects. This course is about hacking your learning, reading, and memory skills, improving your ability to learn new skills or information quickly and effectively.”

House Sitting and Travel Lifestyle Summit by Nat and Jodie (value: $97)

“Get all the inspiration, advice, and actionable steps you need to start house sitting and traveling the world with free accommodation. Learn actionable strategies from those already doing it — over 60 world-class house sitters!”

I Kinda Wanna Be a Coach! by Jacob Sokol (value: $197)

“In this virtual conference, Jacob Sokol and 27 other world-class coaches and business experts share the most important tools, mindsets, and strategies they wish they had known about when they first started. Includes audio, video and pdf versions. Get started becoming a great coach with a booming business!”

Freelance Writing Guide by Dave Lee (value: $197)

“Writing about travel in a way that transports, inspires, entertains, and teaches is easier said than done. Discover and develop your style of storytelling! In addition, you’ll have access to a private Facebook group to ask questions, get feedback on writing assignments, and connect with others taking the course.”

FYI, this course is a division of my beloved Travel Blog Success. Like all of the courses, the Facebook group is worth the cost of the course alone!

21 Days to Discover Your Passion by Chelsea Dinsmore (value: $97)

“Feeling uninspired? Have no clue what you’re passionate about? Break through with Passion Discovery Actions to help you build your mindset, create congruence, define your change, and set up rituals for success. Build massive momentum toward doing work you love in just 21 days.”

The Complete Guide to Starting a Lifestyle Business by Sean Ogle (value: $47)

“Sean’s a true pro who has had success with multiple types of lifestyle businesses. In this guide, he shares everything you need to create a business that gives you the freedom and flexibility to do what you want.”

The 30-Day Money Cleanse by Caroline Makepeace (value: $97)

“This six-week online program will help you improve your relationship with money (and create more of it!). Move from limitation and lack of money to confidence, comfort and security about where it’s coming from, how to value and treat it, and where to spend it (i.e. on things you love!).”

Teach ESL Online by Rose Breuer (value: $37)

“Ever thought about teaching ESL online? This ebook is for you! Learn how to start and run an online teaching business, how to make great lesson plans in less time, and much more. Includes recorded lessons with real ESL students and an exclusive Q&A video with Rose.”

Sweet Ass Journal to Develop Your Happiness Muscle in 100 Days by Heath Armstrong (value: $39)

“Create a personal foundation full of habits and strategies in alignment with your dreams. Build the foundation you need to smash resistance and build your freedom empire.”

Family Freedom: A Guide To Becoming a Location Independent Family (value: $27)

“Want to have more freedom with your whole family? Learn how to make money on the road, what to do about insurance, mail, etc., and options for schooling the kids! This guidebook shows you: it’s doable.”

Branding Masterclass by Tommo and Megs (value: $97)

“Follow an actionable system to create or improve a niche brand that will really stand out. Test your brand ideas for profit potential and assess your monetization options. Define your perfect target customer. Find your direction: complete your personalized blog brand business plan.”

Heart Centered Sales Systems by Emily Utter

“Rock your sales without feeling salesy! Be an expert with this collection of word-for-word scripts, trainings, and a cheat sheet for overcoming common buyer objections. Quickly add tens of thousands of dollars in sales to their bottom line.”

BONUS PRODUCT

There is one bonus available for those who buy on the first day:

Mastering the Paradise Pack Worship by Jason and Travis

“We’re offering a special bonus for action takers! Get the Paradise Pack before Tuesday, May 30 at 11:59pm, and you’ll be invited to a special Mastering the Paradise Pack workshop. Get your specific questions answered and walk through the best ways to use the Paradise Pack in this interactive workshop!”

But does it actually work?

Will these resources help you build a life like mine with the ability to travel full-time? They only will if you make the effort. Nothing in life is free; if it were easy, everyone would be doing it by now. So be prepared to study, and work, and build.

And be ready to make mistakes. God knows I made about a million of them in building my business. The important thing is that I never stopped working on my business, even when times got hard.

Still on the fence? Read about the Paradise Pack here and see if it’s for you.

And if you’re ready to go?

Get the Paradise Pack here for $197.

And with that, I’ll see you on the road.

Please note that affiliate links are used in this post. If you purchase the Paradise Pack, I will receive a commission at no extra cost to you. By purchasing items through my affiliate links, you’ll help ireuce the ever-increasing expenses of running this site. Plus…the payment for this one comes in two days before my birthday, so think of it as giving me a little present while getting yourself something much better? Thanks!

from Adventurous Kate http://ift.tt/2s9g0TA

Mizuno JPX-900 Hot Metal Irons

Miuno JPX Hot-Metal Irons

The Mizuno JPX-900 hot metal irons feature:

360 ° One Piece Cup Face: New material Chromoly 4140M yields a high strength to weight ratio allowing us to craft a New 360 ° One Piece Cup Face, delivering an extremely large rebound area low and deep in the head with an ultra-thin face

Powerframe: Weight Removed from behind 360° One Piece Cup Face is redistributed out to the extreme perimeter of the club for added stability, and forgiveness, without the bulk

98% average retention of ball speed, across the entire face.

Products from Amazon.com

2016 Mizuno Golf Iron Set JPX 900 Hot Metal - RIGHT HAND - STEEL / NIPPON - NS PRO 950 - REGULAR 5-9, PW,GW (7 CLUBS)

Price: $787.49
Mizuno Golf JPX 850 Irons 4-PW/GW Regular Flex Steel (XP 105)

Price: $449.00
Mizuno Golf MP-4 Club Iron Sets, Steel, 3-PW, Right Hand

Price: Check on Amazon
Mizuno Golf JPX 850 Forged Irons 4-PW/GW Stiff Flex Steel XP 115 (Left Handed)

Price: $449.00
Mizuno Golf Men's JPX-900 Iron Set 4-GW Steel Right 4-GW, Stiff

Price: $899.95
NEW Mizuno 2016 JPX-EZ Forged 4-PW+GW Irons TT XP-95 Steel Regular Shafts JPXEZ

Price: $549.99
Mizuno Golf MP-54 Club Iron Sets, Right Hand, Steel, 3-PW

Price: $599.99
MIZUNO SET JPX-900 FORGED RH STEEL (PROJECT X LZ 5.5) STIFF 6-PW (5 PCS)

Price: $749.38

‹ ›

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9 Tips for Piano Exam Success in 2017

Selecting and Practising Piano Exam Repertoire is a new series on my blog, which will begin in earnest next week. Today’s post is in preparation, offering a few practice ideas to make piano exam study a more fruitful and rewarding affair.

Some of you have written (over the past year or so) requesting information about piano exam programmes and how best to select and practise various pieces, so I hope this series of posts might be helpful and of interest. Choosing appropriate pieces from any syllabus is always a major consideration; an important part of exam preparation is deciding which set works combine effectively, offering an attractive, interesting programme whilst also displaying your particular strengths.

I’m going to focus on two exam boards: ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) and Trinity College London (starting with the old syllabus (2015-2017), moving to the new one over the coming months). Every post in the series will feature three pieces (for each grade) which complement one another, are fun to play, and supply engaging technical and musical demands.

These pieces are usually contrasting in style and character, which is an element I will emphasise in my selections. These selections are merely personal preferences, because all works within the syllabus lists have already been carefully chosen to present engaging programmes. My objective is to provide a few tips and practice ideas for the chosen three pieces (much of which can be transferred to other repertoire too), and I hope you find these helpful and informative.

Before I launch into the repertoire, I offer a few suggestions for those preparing for piano exams. Whether you’re a young student taking Grade 1 or a mature student taking Grade 8, there are many ways of making sure you achieve your goal. Here are a few practice ideas to utilize during the months leading up to the big day.

A piano exam practice schedule is a good idea. It doesn’t need to be fanatically followed, but if you can make a promise to yourself to practice little and often, your playing will immeasurably improve. Decide just how much time you can devote to piano playing every week; it might be 20 minutes per day, or 20 minutes twice per day. The regularity of your practice is important, as is focused, mindful concentration. Five days per week is optimum, and it can be useful to work in two sessions as opposed to one.
Include all exam elements in each session. Piano exams normally consist of three pieces, scales & arpeggios (or technical exercises), sight-reading and aural (there are other options too, for some exam boards). Aim to include all (or at least three of the four tests) elements at every practice session, perhaps working with a stop watch or clock, so you don’t spend too much time on one area.
A set routine can be profitable. During the practice session try to establish a ‘rota’; perhaps start with sight-reading and follow this with scales and technical work at every session. By doing this, you will quickly cover two important parts of your exam whilst you are still fresh and able to fully concentrate. Leave the set pieces until later in the practice session.
Sight-reading usually requires your full attention, and although it might seem tedious and onerous, if you can regularly devote time to it, improvement will be significant and will make all other piano endeavours feel easier. Ten minutes at the beginning of every session is ideal.
Moving onto scales, arpeggios and technical work, you may need a quick pause between sight-reading and scales; it’s best to take regular breaks. If you’re preparing for a higher grade exam (Grade 6 or above), you might need to practise scales and arpeggios in rotation, as aiming to include all in one session can prove taxing and take too much time. Work out a timetable whereby all technical work is practised thoroughly, allowing you to concentrate fruitfully on each one.
Set pieces; each piano piece may also benefit from a rotational approach, particularly if they are advanced and complicated. It’s a better plan to practise slowly and assiduously as opposed to skimming over lightly, which may necessitate working at a smaller amount of material at each practice session.
Performance goals. Once the pieces are within your grasp i.e. you can play them through slowly, aim to finish the final practice session of the day with a ‘play-through’ of at least one piece. This can be a valuable exercise to gauge your progress, note what has been achieved weekly (or daily), and become accustomed to establishing the mental thought process required to think from beginning to end without any breaks or hesitations.
Time keeping. A worthwhile exercise is to play each piece slowly with a metronome. Set the metronome to a very slow speed and go through your piece, playing along precisely to the electronic pulse. This can highlight any technical problems, as well as instilling accurate pulse-keeping, and it will also consolidate fingerings, notes and rhythms. Many find it beneficial to ‘play through’ a work slowly, devoid of emotional content, proffering the space and time to think about physical movement around the keyboard i.e. how flexible, relaxed and comfortable you feel whilst playing each piece (for me, a really important aspect of piano playing).
Aural. Surprisingly, it is possible to practice parts of this element on your own. Singing can be done at the piano, testing yourself on the expected patterns, such as intervals and scalic movement (I provide my students with various intervallic ‘tunes’). You can even play (and sing) the actual singing tests yourself. This is also true of cadences and any chord progressions; you can ‘learn’ how they sound whilst playing. More tricky tests such as recognising styles of music should ideally be honed over a period of time; YouTube provides all the music you’ll ever need in order to become familiar with how various genres ‘sound’.

These ideas can be easily implemented. Piano exams can be daunting, but if prepared carefully and not left until the last-minute, they offer much enjoyment and the perfect opportunity to really improve your playing.

The first post in my new series will feature the ABRSM Grade 1 piano exam. You can find out more about Grade 1 here.

My Books:

For much more information on how to practise repertoire, take a look at my new two-book piano course, Play it again: PIANO. Covering a huge array of styles and genres, 49 pieces from approximately Grade 1 – 8 are featured, with copious practice tips and advice for each piece.

If you are thinking about playing the piano, my guide-book, So You Want To Play The Piano? is full of useful information.

The Faber Music Piano Anthology is also a valuable resource for those who desire a collection of standard repertoire from Grades 2 – 8, featuring 78 pieces in total.

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Monday, May 29, 2017

The Military Pavilion At The LPGA Volvik Championship

Behind the ninth green, the LPGA Volvik Championship built a pavilion for military veterans to enjoy the tournament. The LPGA Volvik Championship works to raise awareness for organizations that benefit military families, such as the Eisenhower Center and National Network of Depression Centers.

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Tiger Woods Busted For DUI

Multiple sources are reporting that Tiger Woods was arrested for DUI Monday morning.

No one looks good in a mugshot.

I think that at this point, Tiger has a lot more to worry about than when he is going to return to professional golf.

With all of his money, why is Tiger even driving after imbibing. Doesn’t he have handlers on call?

A few years ago on this blog, I offered my services to Tiger as the “adult in the room” — the one who would be willing to say “no, you can’t.” I offer it again.

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Panoramic View of The 18th At The Volvik Championship

Here’s a panoramic view of the 18th green on Sunday at the LPGA Volvik Championship. Click to embiggen.

As I shot this photo, the final groups were coming in, and the crowd building. At that moment, Shanshan Feng was heading down the 17th fairway, up by two. Minjee Lee was on eighteen, which she would eventually birdie to get to one back of Feng. The A123 System grandstand is straight ahead, and on the right is the Tito’s Vodka grandstand, where in addition to having a nice view, you could get a nice Tito’s American Mule or lemonade.

The LPG Volvik Championship was a lot of fun for me as a spectator/blogger. There was great golf, and everything about the tournament seemed to be well run. I hope that the the tournament will return to Ann Arbor for many years to come.

I’ll quote a couple of guys I overheard as they were leaving the tournament grounds on Saturday: “I feel like I got my money’s worth here today.”

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In Honor of Memorial Day

This Memorial Day, lets take time out from the cookouts and golf to remember those who gave their lives so that we can have cookouts and golf in relative freedom and security.

Originally called Decoration Day, it was originally intended to honor the dead of the Civil War. In 1868, General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic (a Civil War veterans group) issued General Order 11:

The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land.

The former Confederate States had instituted a Memorial Day in 1866. When the holiday was co-opted by the Grand Army, the southern holiday was changed to Confederate Memorial Day.

Michigan made Memorial Day an official holiday in 1871. By 1890, it was official in all of the northern states.

Following the Great War (World War I), the holiday became a day to remember the dead of every war in which the United States participated.

The Uniform Monday Holiday Act, passed by Congress in 1968 scheduled George Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day and Veterans Day on Mondays to create long weekends. It took effect in 1971. In 1978, Veterans Day was moved back to November 11.

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The Memorial Winners and History

The Memorial Winners

The Memorial Winners and History

During Masters week in 1966, a young Jack Nicklaus spoke of of his dream of founding a golf tournament which would—like The Masters—would be inspired by golf’s history and attract the world’s best players. Nicklaus also wanted to support charities in his hometown of the Greater Columbus area.

Ten years later, players at the first Memorial Tournament teed off at Muirfield Village, a residential and golf community just outside Columbus, Ohio. Muirfield Village was developed by Nicklaus and had opened in 1974. As the story goes, it’s built on a piece of land that he enjoyed playing on as a young lad.

In keeping with his original idea of making a connection to golf’s history, each year the Memorial Honors great golfers of the past, and a plaque for each is installed at the Muirfield Clubhouse. A list of past winners follows. The tournament also has fulfilled his dream of benefiting charities in Ohio.

The primary charity for the tournament is Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

The Memorial Tournament Presented by Nationwide is a restricted field event, with only the first 75 players on the previous year’s money list guaranteed invites. Nicklaus apparently has a hand in selecting the remaining players. In John Feinstein’s Moment of Glory, he recounts that in spite of struggling with a shoulder injury for two years, Shaun Micheel was given an exemption in 2009:

… in part because he remembers that Micheel had played hurt the previous year. “I remember seeing him and he said. “Shaun, why don’t you withdraw? You’re hurt.” I said “Mr. Nicklaus, I wouldn’t ever pull out of your event.”

Nicklaus also guides the continual upkeep on the course. In 1996, he introduced special rakes to the tournament which created furrows in the traps, making sand play more difficult. That experiment lasted three years. He also has tinkered with the length of the rough, trying to find the right balance between punishment and shot making.

The 2013 President’s Cup will be played at Muirfield Village.

A list of The Memorial winners is below:

Year	Player	Country	Score
2016	William McGirt	United States	273 (-15)
2015	David Lingmerth	Sweden	273 (-15)
2014	Hideki Matsuyama	Japan	275 (-13)
2013	Matt Kuchar	United States	276 (-12)
2012	Tiger Woods (5)	United States	279 (-9)
2011	Steve Stricker	United States	272 (-16)
2010	Justin Rose	England	270 (-18)
2009	Tiger Woods (4)	United States	276 (-12)
2008	Kenny Perry (3)	United States	280 (-8)
2007	K.J. Choi	South Korea	271 (-17)
2006	Carl Pettersson	Sweden	276 (-12)
2005	Bart Bryant	United States	272 (-16)
2004	Ernie Els	South Africa	270 (-18)
2003	Kenny Perry (2)	United States	275 (-11)
2002	Jim Furyk	United States	274 (-14)
2001	Tiger Woods (3)	United States	271 (-17)
2000	Tiger Woods (2)	United States	269 (-19)
1999	Tiger Woods	United States	273 (-15)
1998	Fred Couples	United States	271 (-17)
1997	Vijay Singh	Fiji	202* (-14) 54 holes
1996	Tom Watson (2)	United States	274 (-14)
1995	Greg Norman (2)	Australia	269 (-19)
1994	Tom Lehman	United States	268 (-20)
1993	Paul Azinger	United States	274 (-14)
1992	David Edwards	United States	273 (-15)
1991	Kenny Perry	United States	273 (-15)
1990	Greg Norman	Australia	216 (E) 54 holes
1989	Bob Tway	United States	277 (-11)
1988	Curtis Strange	United States	274 (-14)
1987	Don Pooley	United States	272 (-16)
1986	Hal Sutton	United States	271 (-17)
1985	Hale Irwin (2)	United States	281 (-7)
1984	Jack Nicklaus (2)	United States	280 (-8)
1983	Hale Irwin	United States	281 (-7)
1982	Raymond Floyd	United States	281 (-7)
1981	Keith Fergus	United States	284 (-4)
1980	David Graham	Australia	280 (-8)
1979	Tom Watson	United States	285 (-3)
1978	Jim Simons	United States	284 (-4)
1977	Jack Nicklaus	United States	281 (-7)
1976	Roger Maltbie	United States	288 (E)

and the past Memorial Tournament honorees:

**The Memorial**
Year	Honoree
2012	Tom Watson
2011	Nancy Lopez
2010	Seve Ballesteros
2009	JoAnne Carner and Jack Burke Jr.
2008	Tony Jacklin;Ralph Guldahl;Charles B. Macdonald and Craig Wood
2007	Louise Suggs and Dow Finsterwald
2006	Michael Bonallack; Charles Coe; Lawson Little; Henry Picard; Paul Runyan and Denny Shute
2005	Betsy Rawls and Cary Middlecoff
2004	Lee Trevino and Joyce Wethered
2003	Julius Boros and William C. Campbell
2002	Kathy Whitworth and Bobby Locke
2001	Payne Stewart
2000	Jack Nicklaus
1999	Ben Hogan
1998	Peter Thompson
1997	Gary Player
1996	Billy Casper
1995	Willie Anderson; John Ball; James Braid; Harold HIlton and JH Taylor
1994	Mickey Wright
1993	Arnold Palmer
1992	Joseph Dey
1991	Babe Zaharias
1990	Jimmy Demaret
1989	Henry Cotton
1988	Patty Berg
1987	Old and Young Tom Morris
1986	Robert de Vicenzo
1985	Chick Evans
1984	Sam Snead
1983	Tommy Armour
1982	Glenna Collett-Vare
1981	Harry Vardon
1980	Byron Nelson
1979	Gene Sarazen
1978	Francis Ouimet
1977	Walter Hagen
1976	Bobby Jones

The post The Memorial Winners and History appeared first on GolfBlogger Golf Blog.

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