Devil Ball Golf

Over 18 days, Devil Ball is running down our top 18 golf holes in the game. We'll jump all over the planet, digging out both the famous and the not-so-famous. We continue with an Augusta hole with a flair for drama.

The hole: Augusta National's No. 16

The stats: Par 3, 170 yards

The story: Augusta National has more than its share of signature holes -- yes, it's a safe bet that there will be at least one more on this list -- but for tournament-changing drama, it's impossible to beat this pleasant little 16 that goes by the name of "Redbud." And while it's just a short to medium iron away from the tee, you'd better stay below the hole, or your second shot could roll right back off the green. 

Take a look at just some of what's happened here. Jack Nicklaus famously birdied this one en route to winning the 1986 Masters. Tiger Woods' chip in 2005 is one of the most famous single shots in recent memory. And Kenny Perry birdied the 16th in 2009 to put a stranglehold on the lead and ... well, let's not go any farther with that one. Anyway, situated as it is -- the final par 3 on the course -- it's naturally won its share of acclaim, and even today golfers will try to undercut (or perhaps enhance) its mystique by trying skip-shots on practice days. Earlier this year, Vijay Singh dropped a routine ace with his skip-shot; just another day's work for the Big Fijian.

Tomorrow: Out to sea ... possibly.

Ah, Independence Day, where we all stuff ourselves and then prance around with flags! Show us the way, Anthony Kim, show us the way!

Happy Fourth of July to you and yours from all of us at Devil Ball and Yahoo! Sports. Hope it's full of fun, food, family and fireworks!

Over 18 days, Devil Ball is running down our top 18 golf holes in the game. We'll jump all over the planet, digging out both the famous and the not-so-famous. We continue with a deceptive Southern beauty.

The hole: Pinehurst #2's fifth hole

The stats: 483 yards, par 4

The story: Here's another beauty of a hole that, much like a Southern woman, will beguile you with its charm and then rip your heart out with the ruthlessness of an assassin. (Come on, surely I'm not the only one.) Anyway, the 5th at #2 is a long beast, one of the longest par-4s on the PGA Tour. You blast your tee shot blind to the gentle left dogleg, and you suddenly find that you're standing with your ball well above your feet for your second shot, thanks to the sloping fairway.

Oh, but the fun's not done yet. You need to chip from that awkward position up onto a tabletop of a green -- a tabletop with a wrinkled tablecloth for a surface. Miss by even a fraction, and you're looking at a wicked up-and-down to save par, or worse. Much worse. And she won't even call when you slink away in defeat.

Tomorrow: An American legend.

There's no figure in golf more polarizing than Michelle Wie. Phenomenally skilled, wasted talent, future of the game, hype without substance -- you could apply all those labels to her at one time or another. Now, author Eric Adelson has dug into Wie's past and present and speculates on her future in his new book "The Sure Thing: The Making and Unmaking of Golf Phenom Michelle Wie." It's not just a biography, it's a breakdown of all the many forces that put Wie on top of the world, and brought her back down again. In the podcast, we discuss the role of Wie's parents in her rise and fall, the dreams she had for herself and her career, and the one decision that her family made that undid all the years of hard work they'd put into her career. What was that decision? Aw, come on, I'm not going to tell you that. You'll have to read the book and listen to the podcast to find out.

As always, we welcome your thoughts, ideas, and recommendations on the podcast. Hit me up at jay.busbee@yahoo.com. Play below, download or subscribe to us through our new iTunes site; we'll love you no matter what you do.

Click here to download.

Over 18 days, Devil Ball is running down our top 18 golf holes in the game. We'll jump all over the planet, digging out both the famous and the not-so-famous. We continue with a knee-knocker.

The hole: The 17th at the Straits Course of Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin

The stats: Par 3, 223 yards

The story: This hole is called "Pinched Nerve," and one look at Tom Watson teeing off there should tell you why. It's a par 3, but there's absolutely nothing routine about this one. Miss the green by inches on the left, and you may as well sling your ball into Lake Michigan there at the left. Hit the ball right, and it's bunkerville and a looming chip onto a tiny green. And this sport is supposed to be fun?

Pinched Nerve is a Pete Dye design, part of the Straits Course (its companion is known as the Irish Course) which hosted the 2004 PGA Championship. Every single hole on the Straits course has a view of Lake Michigan, and if that isn't enough to keep you tightened up, there are more than 1,000 bunkers on the links course. Get ready to hear plenty about the 17th; the PGA Championship returns to Whistling Straits in 2010 and 2015, and the Ryder Cup is scheduled to play here in 2020.

Tomorrow: The brilliant green evil of a Southern classic.

Each week, Five To Watch breaks down the most significant players and storylines for the upcoming weekend's tournament. We're not saying these guys will win, or that you should pick them for your fantasy team; we're just saying you ought to keep an eye on them. You never know what might happen.

Tiger Woods: It's his party and he'll invite Cowboys to Washington if he wants to. And he'll also try to eliminate every single memory of New York from his mind. Can he play both host and champion? Sure, why not?

Anthony Kim: Okay, this is cheating a bit, since he did shoot a 62 this morning. But as the defending champ, he'd be here anyway. Here's hoping this turns his game around and gets him pointed the way he ought to be -- up the leaderboard.

Sean O'Hair: While Kim and Camilo Villegas were looking down, O'Hair came and stole their crown as Next Big Thing. I like every aspect of O'Hair's game, even his name, and it won't be long before he's one of the odds-on favorites week in and week out.

Charley Hoffman: Can you believe El Grande Mullet hasn't missed a cut yet this year? It's true, as Pianowski notes. This guy's moving right up the prestige rankings, and I expect to see him start showing up at the top of the majors very soon.

Fred Couples: Yes, you read that right. We need a couple more good runs out of Freddie before he shuffles off to the Champions Tour, and while the long-driving game of Congressional isn't his strong suit, Couples can put himself back in the game with the flat stick.

All right, your turn. Who's your pick to win this Independence Day weekend? Go!

Upstaging Tiger Woods isn't an easy trick. But if you're going to do it -- and there are very few who can -- what better to do than stick it right to him at his host course? Anthony Kim did just that today, firing a course-record 62 at Congressional and giving him a two-shot lead midway through the first round.

Kim hasn't won a match since this tournament last year, and all the hope and promise that accompanied him throughout the second half of 2008 has evaporated in a run of frustrating golf this season. Still, the guy has the talent and the drive to stay at the top of the golf game, and days like today prove it. In a performance reminiscent of his 11-birdie Masters day earlier this season, he dropped six birdies in eight holes and narrowly missed a 10-footer to close out the round. All in all, an exceptional performance, that shot from the rough above notwithstanding, and this is as good a way as any for Kim to pick up the pieces of his game and get rolling again.

Then again, Tiger still hasn't teed off yet. Buckle up.

Kim sets course record at Congressional with 62 [AP via Yahoo! Sports]

Yesterday we offered you lucky guys a chance to go see Tiger Woods play this weekend at the AT&T National courtesy of Yellowpages.com, as long as you came up with the best Tiger foursome. We got hundreds of entries and comments, some good, some goofy, some thought-provoking, some inspirational. And it was very tough to pick a winner; I'm hoping that we can get some more swag for the runners-up.

Anyway, I had a choice here -- go smart or sentimental. And I picked sentimental, though smart is good too, as you'll see after the jump. Here, though, is your winner, Andrew Richardson. I'll reprint his entire email:

This is tough. I read your Yahoo blog posting and immediately went on to think of celebrities, politicians, golfers, etc. that I would include in my "dream foursome." I even googled "dream foresome" to see what other people might have said hoping to garner some inspiration. I read jokes about golfing with Moses, Jesus and God... I was trying to make this a "canned" foursome that I thought you'd like to hear so I would get picked. Then something dawned on me: Be honest. Think about it for a bit. Don't be something you're not.

So here is my ultimate dream foursome.

1. Me: What fun would it be to have a dream foursome without actually playing in it? Although I would gladly just caddy if that was needed instead.

2. Tiger Woods: The greatest golfer of my generation (possibly ever) and someone that I think I could share some good laughs with. I have a 4 year old daughter and while he could definitely give me tips on the course, I'm sure I could give him some tips off the course on what is coming down the road as a father. It's amazing how your entire perspective on life changes in an instant when you're responsible for another person's life. Not to mention he has the EXACT same voice as one of my best friends from high school. It is scary. Seriously.

3. My dad: The best man at my wedding, a man I can call at any point no matter what and he's there for me. Tim Russert once said "The older I get, the smarter my father seems to get." I couldn't agree more. My father has shaped who I am as a man, a husband, a father and a friend. He has had a more profound impact on me than I can ever tell him in words or show him with my love. He supports me, questions me, challenges me and consoles me. My dad and I used to have such a great time playing together early in the morning, late in the afternoon... Whenever we could. He never missed a match that I played in when I was in high school and supported me all along the way. I can only think of one man I would want in my foursome more than my dad.

4. My grandpa: My grandfather is an amazing, amazing man. He has been through so much (both good and bad) and now in the twilight of his life as he is unable to play any longer, I would pray for one more round with him. The Great Depression, Pearl Harbor, an iron lung, five bouts of pneumonia, a MAJOR car accident with some golfing buddies on their way to Augusta (resulting in the deaths of these friends), quintuple bypass surgery, multiple joint replacements, losing his middle child less than five years ago... My grandpa introduced me to the game when I was about 7. He had a few of his old clubs and a putter cut down for me and I would walk or ride around the course with him while he played. The man was hitting 260+ yard drives in the 1980s and from what I hear could work the ball with the best of him back in his "prime". Even after his accident where his mobility was severely limited, he re-worked his swing since he could no longer turn on the ball and continued hitting the ball right down the middle. Some family friends dubbed him "Waterline" because that's where you could find his ball nearly every time he hit it. I never really cared about the game until just before my junior year of high school, but he was always there helping me with my swing with the patience of a saint. I hated it at the time, but while we were playing he would quiz me on my times tables just to make sure I kept some things in perspective and was focused on the "right" things. J I now regret not realizing how much he cared and how valuable those many hours on the course really meant.

This August I am going back home for my sister's wedding. I hope at that time I can have my dad, my grandpa, my 4 year old daughter and myself go out and play nine. I know that my daughter and my grandpa won't really "play" but to experience this will be more than amazing.

Congratulations to Andrew! Now he's got to figure out which of his foursome to take with him. Fortunately, Tiger will already be there.

After the jump, some honorable mentions.

Over 18 days, Devil Ball is running down our top 18 golf holes in the game. We'll jump all over the planet, digging out both the famous and the not-so-famous. We continue with a classic favorite.

No. 16: Southern Hills' 12th hole

The stats: 458 yards, par 4

The deal: Sure, the signature hole of Southern Hills in Tulsa looks pleasant enough there, doesn't it? Why, Ernie Els is having no trouble whatsoever punching it out of the sand, right? Not so fast.

The hole is a legend, winning accolades from eminences like Ben Hogan and Arnold Palmer, and with good reason -- it's a deceptively tough beauty. Hogan once called it "the greatest par 4 in the United States." Palmer got eaten alive by the hole in 1970, taking a two-shot lead onto the hole in the second round of the PGA and giving it right back with a double-bogey. 

Golfers can carry the water in front of the tee box easily enough, but a fairway bunker requires a carry of 260-plus yards. And trying to approach the green demands a steady hand and ice water in the soul; bunkers surround the hole on three sides, and a creek -- visible on the left side of the photo above -- runs across the front. Miss by even a little, and you're in for some serious hurt. Get away with par, and you can admire the 12th at Southern Hills the best way possible -- in your rear-view mirror.

Tomorrow: We dance along the cliffsides.