Olde Homestead Golf Club's Blog

Bubba Watson’s Wait is Over

He’d been close on numerous occasions, with 4 second place finishes on his resume since 2006. In a game as fickle and conditional as golf, winning can be just as much a matter of timing as anything else. But when you’ve been so close on numerous occasions yet just can’t seem to cross the finish line, it can cause you to doubt yourself and whether or not you have what it takes to win. But on Sunday afternoon, all of that frustration and doubt finally ended for Bubba Watson, who defeated Corey Pavin and Scott Verplank in a sudden-death playoff at the Traveler’s Championship to earn his first-ever PGA Tour win.

And as one could expect, it was highly emotional. “I’m a very emotional guy. I cry all the time. When I go to church on Sunday, I cry at church. I couldn’t get the ‘Yes’ out of ‘I do’ at my wedding. The pastor said, ‘You got to say it. You can’t just nod. You can’t nod.’ Everybody has issues. My family had some issues. My dad is battling cancer. My wife last year thought she had a tumor in her brain. We got lucky with that one, and now, we’re battling with my dad. It’s emotional.”

Emotional on so many levels, for sure. It’s always nice seeing a good guy win, and Bubba Watson most certainly qualifies in that department as well. He’s not just a winner as a person, but as a professional golfer as well. Congrats, Bubba. May it be the first of many more to come.

Play With Guys Your Own Age, Would Ya?

Corey Pavin is an absolute bulldog. Being outdriven by guys by nearly 50 yards and nearly half his age, you’d think that he’d appreciate the competitive scenery at the 50-and-over stage. But for some odd reason, Corey still enjoys seeing how his game measures up against the young guns.

Last weekend at the Travelers Championship, Corey’s primary goal was to scout the talent for his upcoming Ryder Cup team. But he caught a little fire on the way, posted four rounds in the 60′s, and found himself knee deep in a three-way playoff Sunday evening. Unfortunately a popped-up tee shot with 3wood would lead to his undoing on the first playoff hole, but Corey showed that he’s still got plenty of game to contend. Maybe he should give a little more consideration to being a playing captain at this year’s Ryder… he’d certainly get my vote.

Every Rose Has It’s Thorn

When it’s good, it’s really good. When it’s bad, you just can’t get finished with the round soon enough. For Justin Rose, the past couple of weeks have been about as good as it gets. But Sunday, oyi… Sunday was the culmination of many bad things. Justin Rose entered the final round with a 3-shot lead, but lost his concentration, lost his swing, and imploded coming in Sunday afternoon with a 4-over par performance on the final 9 holes, essentially giving the tournament away. He barely finished inside the top 10, tied for 9th.

Kerr’s Epic Performance in LPGA Championship One to Remember

With an incredible 8-stroke lead after the third round Saturday evening at the LPGA Championship, Kerr said that she didn’t want to let up. And she meant every word that she said. Sunday, Kerr continued her phenomenal performance as she totally dominated both the course and the field, shooting a final round of 6-under par 66, and winning the 2nd major of the LPGA season by one of the most lopsided margins ever in a major – 12 strokes. As an added bonus, Sunday’s win elevated her to number 1 in the world rankings, at least for now. And by the looks of things, she plans on staying there for a while.

Our congrats to Cristie Kerr and one of the most dominating performances ever in major tournament golf. As Johnny Miller would say, good stuff.

Calcavecchia Earns Honorable Mention in Champions Tour Debut

Calc’s Champions Tour career certainly didn’t get off on the right footing, as just minutes prior to his first tee shot of the tournament on Friday he realized that he had two different types of balls in his bag and no pin sheet. But once he got that squared away, he slowly got things moving in the right direction. In Calc’s first senior tournament, he carded only one bogey and managed all three rounds in the 60′s, shooting 12-under for the event, three shots back of the winner, Loren Roberts, finishing tied for 6th.

Congrats on a solid start in the new chapter, Calc.