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    • swingerA golfer who achieves success at an early age, goes on a tear that dominates the golf world, then gets caught in illicit affairs? Who on earth could we be talking about? Tiger Woods? Think again, friend. This is the story of Tree Tremont, and it's the focus of the new novel by Sports Illustrated writers Alan Shipnuck and Michael Bamberger. Called, appropriately enough, "The Swinger," it hits stores next week, though it's available now for pre-order through Amazon and other fine booksellers.

      Shipnuck joins us today to talk "The Swinger," and since he's a Sports Illustrated writer of no small repute, we also get him on the hook to talk a little about Woods, Rory McIlroy, Yani Tseng and other matters of interest to the golfing community. It's good stuff, check it out.

      As always, I'm joined by Shane Bacon, writer here and at Dogs That Chase Cars. (Follow Shane on Twitter right here, and while you're there, follow me too.)

      We welcome your thoughts, ideas and recommendations on the podcast.

      Read More »from Devil Ball Golfcast 76–Alan Shipnuck, co-author of ‘The Swinger’
    • 118071589 levet

      If 2010 was the year of the 59s, then 2011 might be the year of the freak celebration injury.

      Exactly three months ago to the day, Stacy Lewis won the Kraft Nabisco Championship, and tradition says that the winner must jump in Poppie's Pond next to the 18th green. Sadly, Stacy's mom Carol nearly broke her leg in the jump, ending up with just a torn muscle from the leap into uncharted waters.

      Thomas Levet (above on the left, with his manager Patrice Bartez) probably could have used some advice from Carol. After winning the French Open, his country's championship, the 42-year-old went for his own cannonball experiment into the lake at Le Golf National and might have injured himself right out of the British Open in two weeks.

      Levet's management company, IMG, confirmed on Tuesday that Levet is in a cast after breaking his shin and will be receiving "intensive treatment" to the fracture so that he can hopefully get it ready for the British Open next week, a tournament he nearly won in 2002

      Read More »from Thomas Levet might miss British after celebration injury
    • ATTNational-Aron

      Sizing up the TV coverage from the AT&T National ... and away we go.

      The final round of the AT&T National was a definite must-watch for golf fans. Nick Watney, Rickie Fowler and K.J. Choi were contention, giving the tournament more than enough star power to draw people to their couches on Sunday afternoon.

      With Watney walking down the back nine nursing a one-shot lead, viewers at home figured they were in for a great finish. Little did most of them know that the great finish they were watching had already happened an hour earlier.

      CBS decided to tape-delay the round, after a chance of showers forced tournament officials to move all tee times up. That meant when the network went live on the front nine, players were already well into the back nine.

      This isn't the first time CBS has pulled this stunt before. It happened earlier this year at the Honda Classic, and rain never even hit the area. Who knows if the storms would have delayed the final round, but what seems to be the biggest

      Read More »from GolfTube: Tape delays, fun with Nantz, and Philly frustration
    • Fowlercollapse

      When you're 22 years old, people expect you to make mistakes and learn from your experiences. It's part of growing up and becoming an adult, and no matter who you are, everyone goes through this process.

      For Rickie Fowler, he's done a lot of growing up since he turned pro back in 2009. In just his second professional tournament, Fowler came within a playoff of winning his first PGA Tour title, an experience many thought would help him not only grow as a player, but also give him the knowledge to close the deal the next time around.

      Since that final round in 2009, Fowler has had a number of chances to close out tournaments on Sunday and capture his first win, but every time he's put himself in a position to win, he's fallen flat in the final round.

      He had a chance to do it again at the AT&T National, coming into Sunday tied with Nick Watney. Nothing Fowler had done recently made you believe he was ready to win, but given the heartache he'd experience over the last few seasons, you had

      Read More »from Rickie Fowler suffers another final round meltdown
    • bubba twitter

      Bubba Watson's first trip to France, and first time out in a non-major on the European Tour, wasn't exactly a great first impression.

      Watson complained about the fans and the tournament, and insulted a lot of the people of France with some of his remarks about their landmarks. It sure wasn't his best week, but Bubba is back in the states, and has apologized for his actions this past week at the French Open, where he missed the cut after rounds of 74-74.

      The above tweets are what Bubba sent, following those up with a message that said he will play the British, Scandinavian Masters, Denmark and Schuco Open, so if those messages looked like just damage control, it seems they weren't.

      Watson is the type of guy American golf needs to be a face, and a popular face, so it's good that he acted quickly and said he was sorry.

      We've all played bad golf and acted out of character after it, and I'm sure we've all regretted what we've done or said (I know a few of my broken wedges would sure

      Read More »from Bubba Watson apologizes for his actions at French Open
    • 117975547 fowler

      It's probably not fair to say that Rickie Fowler, a 22-year-old in just his second full season on the PGA Tour, is in desperate need of a win, but the only person you can really blame for that is Fowler himself.

      The man with the monochromatic outfits and dreamy golf swing might look like a kid most of the time (remember when he got in trouble for wearing his hat backwards?), but the expectations he brought on tour, when in just his second start as a pro on the PGA Tour found Fowler in a playoff, are extremely veteran. People have wondered this year if Rickie had the stuff  to close, and as we saw with Rory McIlroy at Augusta National, holding a lead at a big event isn't the easiest. But McIlroy was able to buck that just a few months later, taking home his first major championship, and while the AT&T National isn't exactly the U.S. Open, it would mean a lot for American golf.

      Face it, the youth of American golf is starting to resemble the American men's tennis scene; a lot of names

      Read More »from Can Rickie Fowler finally buck that first-win monkey?
    • Watney27

      For three-plus months of the PGA Tour season it appeared the golf world had an answer to one of the biggest question marks coming into this season: If Tiger Woods couldn't continue to be the most dominant American golfer in the game today, who had the ability to pick up the torch and lead the way?

      That golfer for the early part of the season appeared to be Nick Watney. Despite his quiet demeanor and relatively boring game, Watney was setting the world on fire with a win and five top-15 finishes in his first six events. But as soon as Watney started to look the part of best American, he quickly disappeared off the radar, finishing T-46 at the Masters and missing the cut at the U.S. Open.

      It seemed like Watney couldn't handle the pressure. And just when he started to become an afterthought, Watney went out and hopped right back right back into the picture on Saturday with a mind-blowing back nine at the AT&T National, firing a video game-esque 8-under 27 on an Aronimink course that some

      Read More »from Nick Watney blisters Aronimink with back nine 27
    • 117870271 copyJustin Leonard needed a change. After years of being one of the more consistent players on tour, the former British Open champion hit the proverbial wall this year, posting one top-15 finish in his first 8 starts before starting a downward spiral that saw him miss the cut in 7 of his last 10 events.

      Adding insult to injury, Leonard's struggles were coming from a part of his game that had been the foundation of his career on the PGA Tour: his putting. We all remember his incredible 45-footer on the 17th hole at the Ryder Cup that helped the United State stage the most improbable comeback. Leonard had ice water in his veins when it came to big putts, but for some reason, he had lost his touch.

      That's when Leonard and longtime instructor Randy Smith figured it was time for a change. Leonard turned to short game guru Marius Filmalter at the Memorial, as he looked to shorten his putting stroke and kick-start his game.While he didn't see immediate success in the last few weeks, there are

      Read More »from Putting change paying off for Justin Leonard after two rounds
    • Rory McIlroy turns in one of the greatest performances in golf historyb0619roryLet's take a look back at the big stories that dominated June 2011 here at Devil Ball. Away we go, starting with this nugget: remember who won the U.S. Open?

      • Even after expressing sympathy for noted fourth-quarter vanisher LeBron James, Rory McIlroy went out and absolutely throttled the U.S. Open field for four straight days in one of the most exceptional tournaments you'll ever see.

      • Henrik Stenson lost his temper and hurt himself. Ain't that always the way?

      • NBC omitted the words "under God" from the pledge before the final day of the U.S. Open, which really didn't upset anybody at all. Really.

      • Over on the women's side, Yani Tseng saw McIlroy's victory and raised him a ten-stroke hammering at the LPGA Championship.

      • Tiger Woods split with longtime agency IMG. What might that mean for his career? Meanwhile, Woods grew a fancy new beard, scared a baby, and knocked the bottom out of U.S. Open ticket prices with his absence.

      • Kevin Na is the world's slowest golfer. Science says

      Read More »from The Neverending Rory: This was June @ Devil Ball
    • 117843763 bubbaThere are moments when ignorance really is bliss, like the first time Boo Weekley made it over to the British Open and was a quote machine, famously saying, "It's been rough on the food. Ain't no sweet tea, and ain't no fried chicken."

      There are others when not doing your homework, literally, can be insulting. That's the battle Bubba Watson is facing at the Alstom Open de France, his first ever regular Race to Dubai event on the European Tour. Watson, the 12th ranked player in the world, has rubbed the French locals the wrong with with some of his quotes about landmarks and his actions, according to Bernie McGuire.

      "I think this might be the only time I play in Europe. I miss my home," Watson said.

      "I love France. France is a nice place. Paris is a beautiful city. I went to the Eiffel Tower, to the Louvre, somthing like that, and the arch way, and saw the castle that we are staying next to (Versailles Palace)."

      Watson described the Eiffel Tower as 'that big tower' and the Arc de

      Read More »from Bubba Watson’s popularity not translating in France

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