Patrick Cantlay.

Many golf lovers are currently talking about young amateur golfer Patrick Cantlay, a 19-year old freshman at UCLA. This kid is having a crazy summer vacation. He received the Jack Nicklaus Award on June 5th at the Memorial, and then qualified for the U.S. Open the very next day.

The first day of Congressional was filled with more bogeys than birdies for Cantlay, finishing on Thursday with a round of 75. However, he followed with 67-70-72 for the rest of the weekend to become the low amateur for the tournament, finishing in a tie for 21st place. Here were his highlights:

Thursday:
Birdies (3):  1st, 6th, 10th.
Bogeys (7): 2nd, 8th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 15th, 18th.
      >> Not such a great start for Cantlay at Congressional. +4 overall for the day.

Friday:
Birdies (6): 8th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 16th, 17th.
Double Bogeys (1): 4th.
      >> Much better, minus the double bogey on the 4th. Even Par after 18.

Saturday: 
Birdies (5 ): 1, 5, 6, 9, 15.
Bogeys (4): 2, 4, 10, 17.
      >> Little progress. -1.

Sunday:
Birdies (1): 17th.
Bogeys (2): 4th, 9th.
      >> Too many pars. Cantlay finishes at Congressional at Even Par. Still pretty incredible for only being 19 years old.

He was quoted as saying that he would only turn professional after he earns his degree from UCLA--thats four years. Patrick seemed confident in his response though, and that was that.

Jump forward a week and here we are at the Travelers Championship, in Cromwell Connecticut. Despite some crazy weather conditions, & playing 36 holes in 1 day, Cantlay had an unbelievable round of golf, giving him the lead going into the third round. Here are his highlights thus far.

Round 1:
Eagles (1): 13th.
Birdies (3): 5th, 15th, 18th.
Bogeys (2): 4th, 11th.
      >> -3 after 18. This was Cantlay's warm up round in my opinion. He had some time to get the kinks out of his game, and by kinks I mean two bogeys, and time to ultimately just get a feel for the course. 

Round 2:
Eagles (1): 13th
Birdies (8): 1st, 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th, 14th, 17th, 18th.
      >> And I thought 13 was supposed to be unlucky? Hopefully he pulls another Eagle there this afternoon. This kid is incredible!

Depending on the outcome of this weekend, I wonder if Cantlay will change his mind on how soon he will turn professional. To quote a Tweet from Jason Sobel, Senior Writer of the golfchannel.com:

"Patrick Cantlay leads Travelers by four. Last amateur to win on PGA Tour was some guy named Mickelson. Not sure whatever happened to him."

The Next Major.

I watch golf on television every week, or when I'm lucky enough, in person. If I'm up early enough & coverage is being shown, I'll even sit down and watch parts of European tournaments. However, I look forward to the four major tournaments like I look forward to my favorite holidays. The Masters is like Christmas for me, and every year after the weekend at Augusta I begin to crave for more. The US Open, although completely fulfilling this year, did not exactly show any competition. Don't get me wrong, I was completely happy with the outcome--I am so thrilled for my favorite Irishman, but I want to see a close match at the Open Championship (July 14th-17th) and PGA Championship (August 8-14th).  

With that being said, there are a few golfers that I would really love to see win.
  >> Sergio Garcia, Luke Donald, & Lee Westwood ~ all who have been in the top 5 world rankings at some point in their careers and have never won a major. I also wouldn't mind to see Jason Day blow everyone away with his young talent.

Maybe I'll get lucky and see some of these guys battle it out for the win? Lets hope so! 

The Ryder Cup.

You're probably wondering why I am deciding to write about The Ryder Cup, especially when it isn't until next year. Well, I'll tell you.

The Ryder Cup (besides the Masters...) is the only tournament that I have not attended yet that I would be completely thrilled to see in person. If you don't know what The Ryder Cup is, I suppose I'll explain it for you very briefly.

           Basically, it is a golf tournament between the United States & Europe. The tournament is played every two years and is a very high profile event. I feel like the tournament probably brings in more money than any other tournament played-- but, I could be wrong about that. The tournament is not competed for money but simply for the joy of winning. The venues alternate between the United States & Europe, and this year it is being played in the States at Medinah Country Club. The tournament is played as match play--which is a little long to explain and is probably easier to understand if you were to just 'Google' what it is. I may just decide to write a separate post one day about what match play is. It's pretty interesting.

Recently I have been trying to figure out how to get tickets for this event, and have just discovered that it is actually pretty difficult. They do a random ticket draw, regardless if you're from the States or Europe, where you must go through an application process. This process was just recently opened on Monday and will go till Friday, September 30th, 2011. If you are randomly selected to attend the event you are notified in October, and your tickets are mailed to you in June 2012.
           >> From what I have seen, this is the only way where you can purchase tickets on your own to go to the RC. Once you actually get into the application, you must decide if you want weekly tickets  or a daily grounds ticket. If you want to be entered for weekly tickets, you must choose between The International Pavillion Ticket, which is $680, or The Season Grounds Ticket, which is $460. Daily Grounds Tickets are $35 for Thursday, and $115 for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. You must also decide how many tickets you want, but only 4 weekly tickets, or 8 daily tickets are allowed. You also cannot purchase a combination of weekly and daily tickets.

So, that's that. I entered my application this afternoon, which you are only allowed to do once. Other applications with your same address will be tossed away and forfeited from the random drawing. I went for the Season Grounds Ticket and asked for two of them. I figure, yes, its expensive, but if I was chosen I could save up the money, and it would be an opportunity of a lifetime.

Wish me luck!

Golf Videos.

I regularly go on YouTube to check out anything golf--highlights from tournaments, interviews, videos of player's swings, and anything else that crosses my path. Last night, just before heading to bed, I found this little gem.

Golf Boys - Oh Oh Oh  -- featuring PGA Tour Players Ben Crane, Rickie Fowler, Bubba Watson, & Hunter Mahan. In my opinion, Crane just completely makes this video. The outfit is incredible: red jump suit, black biker helmet, pink socks?! He also just has the entire ridiculous attitude that this music video needs. Bubba Watson is just killing me too in his overalls. Hahaha.
            My observation after watching this video: Rickie Fowler cannot sing, & should stick to wide rimmed hats. However, his power fist with the lightning striking in in the background was awesome. My favorite scenes were Crane teeing off & then "shooting" the club, realizing at 1:20 that Bubba isn't wearing shoes, & Fowler picking up Crane after his putt.

I would like to see the Europeans do something crazy like this. >> (UPDATE) : Found something as equally entertaining. Watching Ian Poulter dance at 1:12.

The second video I came across today that I absolutely loved is this. Brought a smile to my face while sitting at work this afternoon. (Whoops!) Enjoy!

Holy Moly, McIlroy!

How could I NOT post about this first?

The world is now Rory Nation - All Rory, All the Time - Rory, Rory, Hallelujah.

         As many of you know, it was Sunday Funday for the young Irishman as he clenched his first major win at the 2011 U.S. Open Championship. I'm sure this is a wonderful feeling for Rory after his memorable disaster at Augusta this past April. Shooting under par for all four days of the tournament (65, 66, 68, 69), McIlroy broke away from the pack early, keeping his lead all throughout the weekend.

Here were the highlights.

Thursday:
Birdies (6): 1st, 4th, 6th, 12th, 17th, & 18th.
           >> Just overall great golf. Clean shots, fantastic putting. You can do the math. -6. 

Friday:
Eagles (1): 8th hole, impressive chip in shot.
Birdies (5): 4th, 6th, 14th, 16th, 17th.
D. Bogeys (1): 18th.
          >> Incredible shot on the 8th chipping in for an Eagle. Despite his double bogey, McIlroy still had a tremendous lead. -11 for the day. 

Saturday:
Birdies (4): 5th, 9th, 11th, 14th.
Bogeys (1): 10th.
           >> Saturday was concentration day. Mentally stay strong, play smart, & most importantly,  prepare for Sunday. -14.

Sunday: 
Birdies (3): 1st, 4th, 10th.
Bogeys (2): 12th, 17th.
            >> 10th birdie should have been an Eagle -- & I thought that Yang's shot was incredible! -16 to finish at Congressional, 8 ahead of 2nd place Jason Day from Australia - another young talented golfer who should be kept an eye on in tournaments to come. 


Rory's win has gone down in Golf History. He set numerous records, & his win moved him up to the 4th world ranking position. With all this commotion, a very popular new topic has emerged. 

                         Is Rory McIlroy the new Tiger Woods?

Popularity wise? Absolutely.
Same # of wins? I definitely think so.
Same character? No way.  >> and that is what sets McIlroy and Woods apart, making Rory more likeable, and in my opinion, much more enjoyable to watch.
                           I was lucky enough to see Rory play at the Memorial Tournament - his last tournament before becoming a major champion. With birdies & bogeys, McIlroy kept focus and maintained great character--very entertaining to follow on the course.

Best of luck to the young curly one!

Introduction.

Welcome to Golf Girl Talk!

"Resolve never to quit, never to give up, no matter what the situation." - Jack Nicklaus

My name is Molly Moore ~ a 22 year old college girl in love with the game of golf. This is my outlet for everything golf--thoughts, opinions, news, statistics, randomness--whatever! I hope you all enjoy my posts and I encourage you all to comment/give me feedback as I continue to update this.

Before I begin this blogging adventure, maybe I should begin with a little bit about myself.

• I was born and raised in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan - an incredible town that will always have a special place in my heart. 
• I currently attend Ohio University, studying Communication Studies and Business. I hope to one day work in the golfing industry in an event planning position.
• I became interested in golf at a very young age. My aunt, Cindy Figg-Currier, is a professional golfer on the LPGA tour. Her love for the game has always been strongly demonstrated, and this same passion has ignited inside of me.
• I am currently striving to become a better golfer. I regularly hit golf balls at the driving range and am working towards playing more on the course. I have a decent swing, but my short game is a constant work in progress.
• My favorite golfers include: Jack Nicklaus, Freddy Couples, Rory McIlroy, & Luke Donald. I apologize in advance if I am partial to talking about them, yet I am sure I will be commenting on almost any golfer that grabs my attention!
  
• Outside of school and my love for golf, my interests include: family & friends, traveling, soccer, fashion, and personal fitness.

Thanks for reading. Stay tuned for my next update!