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    • Callaway's RAZR Fit driver / Callaway Golf

      Welcome to Devil Ball's Proving Ground, where we put the latest golf equipment through its paces. Today we take a look at Callaway's RAZR Fit driver.

      Testers -- Jonathan Wall -- Handicap: 2.4 / Jay Busbee -- Old enough to drive but not drink

      Target Golf Audience -- All Players

      Instead of the typical Proving Ground, we're going to change things up for the RAZR Fit.

      Usually the reviews on this site are one-sided. One of us gets a club, tests it out and we give our take on it. While there's no problem with that, Busbee and I don't exactly have the same handicap, so it feels like we're only give you a review from one angle.

      So we're going to try a dual review this time around. That way you get a review from a both sides of the spectrum. Will it help you make a decision on this club? Who knows. But hopefully this gives you a comprehensive look at one of the most talked-about drivers on the market.

      Initial Thought

      Wall: If there's one thing you never have to worry about with Callaway, it's a busy golf club. I don't know about you, but when I step up over a tee shot, the last thing I want is to be distracted by some funky design staring me in the face. As usual, the RAZR Fit is clean as clean can be. Callaway ditched the two-piece crown design, going back to a one piece that looks good to a traditionalist like yours truly. Throw in some simple red and black paint on the bottom of the club and your have a what I'd consider to be an ideal driver in the looks department.

      Also, whoever made the call to nix the I-MIX connector for the OptiFit deserves a serious raise. Not to knock the old design, but the I-MIX connector was bulky and the ferrule broke easily when you tried to adjust (at least in my case). The OptiFit is more inline with a lot of the other adjustable drivers (you adjust from the sole, not the hosel) on the market. The new connector is incredibly sturdy, and when I tested it out to see how easy it was to adjust, I went from open to closed in as little as 20 seconds. Not bad, Callaway.

      Busbee: This is just a damn pretty club. Really. I mean, this club is prettier than some of my dates back in college. What, that's not the kind of initial impression you're looking for? All right, this: the RAZR Fit is exceptionally well-balanced, with a feel right out of the sleeve that it's an extension of your arm. This is the kind of club that demands you take it to the range, NOW, and put it to use.

      Read More »from Devil Ball Proving Ground: Callaway’s RAZR Fit driver
    • Come on, Zach! Wall needs a two-point week. (Getty Images)So in an attempt to inject a bit more life and interest into tournaments, and because we're all inveterate gamblers who are one bad card from being out on the streets, Jay Busbee and I are playing a golf version of a football suicide pool: We each pick one golfer per tournament and see how they do against each other, straight up. Victory over the other guy gets one point, victory in the tournament gets three points, and a tie lands you half a point. (Double for the majors.) And when we burn a golfer, he's done for the year. We turn our attention to the FedEx St. Jude Classic.

      Wall: OK, now I'm starting to get a little worried. After losing the last two weeks, I need to find a hot hand to end the drought. So I'm going with Zach Johnson. He's finished inside the top-15 in two of his three appearances at the tournament, and with a win and two second-place finishes in his last four starts, the Masters champ seems like a solid pick. But knowing my luck recently, he'll probably miss the cut.

      Busbee: To paraphrase Fight Club: I am Robert Karlsson. I am Robert Karlsson. I am the guy who finished second two years in a row. He's close, oh so close, and this seems like a good track for him. He's yet to win a PGA Tour event, and yes, he's been a pro for more than 20 years, but Memphis is a good place to go for salvation. Just ask Elvis.

      Last week: And Busbee wins again. He's picked up three points in the last two weeks and goes from being two points down to up one, after his Memorial selection, Luke Donald, finished in 12th. Steve Stricker did Wall no favors. He finished T50, folding like a cheap lawn chair over the weekend. Thanks a lot, Strick.

      Current score: Busbee - 4.5, Wall - 3.5.

      Read More »from Showdown, Week 22: Zach Johnson vs. Robert Karlsson
    • Tee markers at the FedEx St. Jude Classic. (Getty Images)It's tournament time! With the U.S. Open on the horizon, some of the biggest names in golf will make one final tune-up at TPC Southwind for the FedEx St. Jude Classic. Here's a tournament primer to get you prepared for the week.

      The course: TPC Southwind has provided an ample test over the years for golfers gearing up for golf's most grueling week. At 7,200 yards, the Memphis, Tenn., layout isn't incredibly long, but it does reward guys who hit fairways and greens on a consistent basis -- just like the U.S. Open. You can't bomb into the rough and expect to score here. With some of the narrowest fairways on tour, it's no wonder last year's field hit the short grass 57 percent of the time, as well as 59 percent of the greens in regulation. Both ranked the course inside the top 15 (most difficult) in both categories on tour. With small, undulating greens, it shouldn't come as a surprise that TPC Southwind also ranked as the ninth-most difficult course (+0.987 shots over par on average) on the PGA Tour's in 2011. The par-4 fifth hole is the hole to watch this week. Ranked as the toughest on the course, the 485-yard has a large tree on the right side of the fairway that's in play; and if you go left, you have to contend with some large mounds that have made life difficult for players over the years.

      The schedule: The tournament runs Thursday-Sunday. It'll be broadcast on the Golf Channel from 3 to 6 p.m. ET on Thursday and Friday; and on CBS from 3 to 6 p.m. ET on Saturday and Sunday.

      The field: Rory McIlroy is the only member of the Official World Golf Ranking top-10 in FedEx St. Jude Classic field, but he'll be joined by some other notables, including Zach Johnson, Dustin Johnson, Graeme McDowell, John Daly, Ryo Ishikawa, and Davis Love III.

      Read More »from Shotgun Start: Previewing the FedEx St. Jude Classic
    • It's time for the latest Devil Ball Power Rankings, our look at who's up and who's down in the world of golf. Your panelists are an esteemed group of the world's greatest golf journalists ... or so our mothers tell us. Devil Ball Golf's Jay Busbee and Jonathan Wall, CBS Sports/Eye on Golf's Shane Bacon, and Golf Channel/Golf Talk Central's Ryan Ballengee bring you these, our rankings.

      1. Luke Donald. Last week: 1
      2. Tiger Woods. Last week: NR
      3. Jason Dufner. Last week: 2
      4. Matt Kuchar. Last week: 7
      5. Rickie Fowler. Last week: 6
      6. Hunter Mahan. Last week: NR
      7. Rory McIlroy. Last week: 3
      8. Bubba Watson. Last week: 8
      9. Justin Rose. Last week: 4
      10. Lee Westwood. Last week: 10

      Dropping out: Zach Johnson, Phil Mickelson.

      Also receiving votes: Zach Johnson, John Huh, Phil Mickelson.

      All right, your turn. Who's your No. 1?

      Read More »from Devil Ball Power Rankings: Welcome Tiger Woods to the ranks
    • Casey Martin, with cart, in 1998. (Getty Images)

      One of the best stories in years is the fact that Casey Martin has made his way back into the U.S. Open, more than a decade after he was part of one of the most contentious stories in sports. But what was the story? A whole generation of golf fans has no idea what the Martin story was all about, so here's a quick primer.

      Martin is a victim of a circulatory disorder in his right leg which makes it painful for him to walk long distances. However, he's also an exceptional golfer ... a sport in which competitors must walk long distances. Martin fought the PGA Tour over the right to use a cart, arguing that walking is not a fundamental element of the game.

      Many golf advocates, including Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, disagreed with Martin's premise. In 1997, Martin sued the PGA Tour, and the case reached the Supreme Court.

      In 2001, the Court ruled that Martin did indeed have the right to use the cart. Writing for the 7-2 majority, Justice John Paul Stevens denied that the cart gave

      Read More »from A quick primer on Casey Martin’s history

    • Welcome to Teeing Off, where Devil Ball editor Jay Busbee and head writer Jonathan Wall take a day's topic and smack it all over the course. Suggest a future topic by writing jay.busbee@yahoo.com, or hit us on Twitter at @jaybusbee and @jonathanrwall. Today, we consider where Tiger's most recent gem fits into his pantheon.

      Busbee: When we saw Tiger Woods hit that amazing shot on 16 on Sunday at the Memorial, we all knew it was a classic. (I believe I instant-messaged you a reaction that can't be repeated here.) But with a couple days' perspective, let's try to see how it fits into Tiger's all-time best shots. In terms of what it meant, I believe it's got to go top 10, with the chance of going top 5 if this is the start of a Tiger revival. Think about it: The shot is amazing in its own right, it happens on a Sunday, it propels him to victory, and it may herald the return to greatness of one of golf's immortals. Where does it rank in your favorite Tiger shots, and what tops your list?

      Wall: There's no question the shot on No. 16 has to go into Tiger's all-time best shots. The degree of difficulty was incredibly high (Woods even admitted anything could've happened if he flew it past the hole), and the fact that he actually holed the shot and went on to win the tournament has to catapult it into the career highlight reel. But where exactly does it go on the list? It certainly doesn't beat out the chip-in at the 2005 Masters, the shot from the fairway bunker and over the water at the 2000 Canadian Open, the 40-foot-roller-coaster ride on the 16th green at the 2001 Players Championship, or the shot in the dark on the 18th hole of the WGC-NEC Invitational. However, you can make a case that it could slot in somewhere around number six or seven. It really was that good. As far as what tops my list, you can't even find video of the shot! That would be the fairway bunker shot at the 2002 PGA Championship. If you don't play golf it wouldn't seem all that difficult, but let's consider what he actually did on the shot. He hit a 3-iron from an awkward stance in the fairway bunker (with the bunker lip staring him in the face) from 215 yards out, into a 30 mph crosswind and over a tree that was directly in front of him ... and still managed to get it to within 12 feet of the pin. Tiger Woods is the only guy on the planet who could've pulled off that shot.

      Read More »from Teeing Off: Where does Tiger’s Memorial shot rank all-time?
    • Rock music and golf generally don't have a lot of crossover; while guys like Alice Cooper have actually achieved some distinction in the game, for most it's more of a goof, a way of killing time while not killing brain cells. And for rock stars like Bruce Springsteen, champion of the blue-collar worker, well, golf doesn't quite fit into the image.

      But then, the image doesn't always fit real life, either. That's why Vini Lopez, Springsteen's first drummer, will be caddying in his very first U.S. Open later this month. Lopez loops for longtime club pro Mark McCormick, and on Monday, the unlikely duo won one of four invitations to the Open at the sectional qualifying in (of course) New Jersey.

      McCormick is a fascinating story all his own; he's 49 years old and has never played in a major. He told ESPN's Ian O'Connor that this was his last shot, his final attempt at playing in an Open ... and he'd be bringing Lopez along for the ride.

      "And it finally happened," Lopez told O'Connor. "Maybe

      Read More »from Bruce Springsteen’s former drummer will caddie in the U.S. Open
    • Davis Love III will be in another U.S. Open. (Getty Images)Monday was the longest day of the golf year, and for many, the most dramatic. U.S. Open sectional qualifying is the 36-hole last-ditch hope for several well-known names and dozens of unknowns to reach one of the great events in all of sports. Sure, the galleries are less crowded than your average bar on a Tuesday afternoon, but there's more drama than most four-day tournaments.

      While the qualifying isn't done -- most play at Memphis was rained out and will conclude on Tuesday -- Let's take a quick look at many of the big names who did (and didn't) make the cut to play at Olympic in a couple weeks, shall we?

      Casey Martin: The winner of a landmark 2001 Supreme Court lawsuit allowing him to use a cart in competition. He'll get his own profile in just a bit.

      Dennis Miller: Won his way in with the best putt since Tiger Woods at Augusta's 16th half a decade ago.

      Davis Love III: The Ryder Cup captain jumped from 16th at Memorial to shoot a 139 over 36 holes in Ohio, qualifying for the third

      Read More »from U.S. Open qualifying lets in a few, leaves out some big names
    • For 364 days out of the year, the golf world focuses on the biggest names in the sport: Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson. Those are the names that matter. But for one day in June, guys like Alastair Presnell, Cameron Wilson, Jim Herman and Dennis Miller take center stage.

      You likely have no clue who any of them are, but these up-and-coming youngsters and tour journeymen are a lot like you and me. They have a dream -- to one day play in the U.S. Open. They give $150 to the USGA and hope their game holds up through Local and Sectional qualifying. And if it does, maybe, just maybe they'll be able to tee it up and tell their kids about the time they hit balls on the range with Tiger Woods at Olympic Club.

      That's what U.S. Open qualifying is all about. It's about the incredible storylines that make the tournament one of the greatest events in sports.

      On Monday, golfers from all walks of life hopped in their cars and headed to Sectional qualifying sites around the country for what's known as "Golf's longest day," a grueling 36-hole test of wills.

      [Related: Jonathan Wall: Rickie Fowler blows up at Memorial but should still be a U.S. Open favorite]

      But at the beginning of Monday's Sectional at Scioto Country Club, it looked like Dennis Miller wouldn't even get a chance to make a run at his dream. The 42-year-old pro from Youngstown, Ohio, who was the third alternate in the field, was on the outside looking in when he showed up.

      Even worse? Even if he did make the field, his site was loaded with pros who had just played in the Memorial. Needless to say, the odds were incredibly slim, but Miller made the most of the opportunity, getting into the field and shooting 71-70 to make a four-man playoff for three spots.

      Read More »from Video: Journeyman golfer holes incredible putt to punch U.S. Open ticket
    • Tiger Woods is still a ratings machine. (Getty Images)So you want to know what a Tiger Woods win is worth to a major television network, huh? As you can probably imagine, it's worth a lot. A whole, whole lot.

      A prime example would be last year's Memorial, which posted an overnight household rating/share of 1.6/4 with Steve Stricker as the champion.

      It's not a bad rating for a tournament ... until you compare it to the overnight household rating from Woods' dramatic win, which posted a 3.8/9. If you have trouble with TV math, that's a 138 percent improvement in one year. Let's say that again: We're talking about a 138 percent jump. That's pretty darn impressive.

      Hard as it is to believe, the rating actually peaked at 5.7/12 during the early portion of Sunday's final round; you would have expected the dramatic finish at the end would have pulled in a few more eyeballs. But, honestly, who really cares at this point.

      CBS is probably still doing cartwheels over the finish. You can bet NBC will be hoping for a similar outcome in a couple weeks

      Read More »from Tiger Woods’ Memorial win gives CBS a massive ratings spike

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