Our Day At The Drew Brees Dream Foundation Golf Tournament

I want one.

A great event to benefit a great charity took place last Friday at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex, and BS was there to participate, along with a host of others.

I got into town very late on Thursday night/Friday morning, flying into Midway in Chicago and then renting a car and driving down. I got several offers to hang out and go together via Twitter but each random person I stopped near on Cicero Avenue looked at me weird. I imagine some of them would have carjacked me if I had been driving something better than a Dodge Caliber.

Anyway, on Friday I made my way to the golf complex and the first person I met was contest winner Doug Ledman. As you may recall from his son's contest entry, Doug -- Purdue class of '78 -- was a teacher for 32 years, recently retired, and has put four sons through Purdue. If ever there was a guy who deserved a day like this, it's Doug.

We got lunch and after saying hello to Gene Keady, we caught up with Ed, the kind soul who donated the two foursomes for this event. We then found Michelle, the runner-up to Doug in the contest and eventually the rest of the crew trickled in. We had two more players who were there from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lafayette as well as contest winner Martin and B-Dowd's brother, whom you may know as K-Deezee from his handful of Handsome Hour appearances.

We began on the 12th hole of the Ackerman course and learned that we'd be playing the back nine of Ackerman and the front nine of the Pete Dye-designed ass-kicker known as Kampen. Within a couple of holes, we came across the drink girl for the first time...and her helper was Danny Hope.

We had missed the green to the right on the par 5 we were playing and so we now were chipping on. And it was my turn as Coach got out and stood to watch. Outstanding. So now I'm trying to force out of my mind that not only do we need my chip to get close, but I have Danny Hope evaluating me. Fortauntely, I hit one of my better flops and Coach even complimented my shot. Kind of a nice ego-booster.



Coach Hope with the BS foursome.

 Coach Hope spent at least ten minutes with us, talking about football and life and asking about us. And, as pretty much anyone who has met the man will attest, he's a very hard guy not to like. Coach asked where I was visiting from and I told him about living in Houston until recently and now moving my life back to New York.

"Are you gonna be in Houston when we come to play Rice?" Hope asked excitedly. "Maybe you'll be there to close on your house!"

Coach also talked about how many guys are coming back with experience and how talented he thinks the team can be. The funny thing was while he did talk to us personally and asked about us -- and listened -- he also seemed to still be working from his bullet points on why the team is looking good. Maybe that's just his style and his laser focus, I don't know. But as I said, it's hard not to like the guy.

After we'd taken a number of photos and he'd happily obliged, I said, "Thanks for being patient with us, Coach." To which he responded, "Hey, thanks for being patient with us."

I later learned that he spent a good 10-15 minutes with the other foursome, too, to the point where K felt like he was taking too much of the coach's time. Good guy.

We moved around the course at a decent clip, given it was a scramble that was quite well-attended and only once did I make a wrong turn and wind up at the incorrect tee. It just so happens that it was the tee Morgan Burke was at as well and as he gave me that "WTF?" look that you give a yahoo on your local muni course, I just shouted, "Sorry, Morgan, wrong tee!" and did a U-turn without stopping to do the K-turn approach. At which point Ed said, "Well, I guess we really will be driving over the tee boxes." (We were only close, not actually on it.)

The Boiled Sports sponsorship signs appeared on holes 1 and 11 (I think) of Kampen and looked terrific. As I said to Ed, the thing I enjoyed most about them was knowning Burke would see them and curse.

Someone on Twitter said last week that they had just realized how cool our logo is. A great compliment and I hope others thought that too as they shanked their drives.

A nice perk on the day was that the refreshment stops were complimentary, including alcoholic refreshment. Given that I'd had a couple beers already and that it was, you know, free, I decided to try the MGD 64 Lemonade. I don't know why, either, but it wasn't half bad.

Ed, for some reason, said "I thought you might try one of those." Sure, sure... but if it had been a Leinenkugel, everybody woulda been fine with it. Snooty, if you ask me.

We weren't a foursome full of dedicated golfers, so the fact that we wound up with 15 pars and three bogeys as a team sounded okay to me. And our 74 wasn't nearly the worst score. Of course, the other BS foursome managed to post a 66, which I was impressed with....but was stil 11 shots off the winners. Wow.


J demonstrates the form of an old man.

 After the round, we gathered under the tent once again for some more chow (from Brunos!), drinks and the charity auction to raise money for the Brees Dream Foundation.

Drew himself ran the auction and managed to get people to up their bids by being his charming self. He auctioned off three autographed Saints #9 jerseys for $750 apiece, plus a signed helmet for $1200. Sadly, our bid of $20 came up short.

He also sold nine -- nine -- two-person packages to go to the Saints-Steelers game in October and get sideline passes (and air and hotel, etc.) for $3500 apiece.

In the end, the fairly short charity auction raised $50,000 for the Brees Dream Foundation. Gotta feel good about that.

Drew also took a couple shots at the NFL owners, which drew some laughs, but I guess the last laugh wll be on the people who spent $3500 to go to a Saints game this fall that might not happen. Heh. (Yes, yes, I know they'll make good on it.)

Drew expertly cajoling money out of the deep pockets of Purdue alums.

After the auction, a couple of us headed to the pro shop to cash in our $10 credits there, and Michelle managed to get a photo with the man of honor -- it's amazing how much more normal it seems when a young girl asks for a photo with an athlete rather than a middle-aged dude like me.

My Drew story of the weekend didn't come until the next morning. As I walked into Triple XXX for breakfast at 7:45 AM before hitting the road, who is sitting at the counter but the man himself. What's neat about being a celebrity at Purdue is that as much as he is beloved, he's also able to be himself. I imagine if he was eating in a greasy spoon in New Orleans, he might be endlessly pestered. But in West Lafayette, people let him enjoy his breakfast -- yes, he ordered the Drew Brees -- with only a modicum of fuss.

All in all, a terrific day with some great people. Congrats again to the winners of the BS contest and special thanks again to Ed Sigo, class of '97, who generously donated the funds needed for the two foursomes and the sponsorship signs. He said multiple times that no thanks were necessary, but we are extremely appreciative.

BS Giveaway - Oprah-Style

OOOH!! So close!

Holy moly. That was quite a display of voting you all put on there. It's also interesting that you guys seem to care more about who wins a free round of golf than you do bout football and basketball questions (based on the number of votes). Duly noted.

As you can see at the right, Entry 1 won out by the narrowest of margins, in a true Bush-Gore kind of showdown. Of 1868 votes cast, 1731 of them were for either Entry 1 (Doing it for Dad) or Entry 2 (Ladies Tees). The winning margin was 65 votes, or just 3 1/2 percent. Amazing.

As you may recall from the rules I posted, B-Dowd and I get to vote as well. And our singular votes carry as much weight as the nearly 1900 already cast. What can we say, we like having arbitrary levels of power.

Of course, it really doesn't seem fair for someone to lose by such a slim margin, regardless of how we cast our votes. Our wonderful benefactor for this event, Ed, felt this way as well and so he contacted me during the fierce battle:

"I am seriously considering sponsoring another foursome based on the entries. I am a sucker for this stuff."

Basically, Ed isn't as mean as us and couldn't stand the thought of any of our finalists losing and he DID, in fact, pony up for another group. SO... as Oprah herself  might say...

YOU get a spot and YOU get a spot and YOU get a spot....

Yeah, each of the finalists is hereby cleared to play in the event. The top two vote-getters will play with me and Ed, while the others will play with B-Dowd's brother in the other foursome (you've heard his handsomely dulcet tones as a fill-in on the Handsome Hour from time to time). And then we'll all have some brews and be merry at the cocktail reception afterwards. (And then at Harry's into the wee hours if I can slip Ed's American Express card away from him.)

Seriously, thanks to everyone who entered and voted. And a big thanks to Ed Sigo, one of the more generous people we've met in a while.

BS Foursome Finalists Awaiting Your Vote

So here we go.

The following four entries are the finalists for the Boiled Sports golf givaway. If you haven't been reading and aren't up to speed (or have a really bad memory), catch up here and here.

Let me also do the obligatory, "all the entries were great" thing. No, but seriously, they really were. I wish we could buy another foursome or two and declare many winners because, honestly, a golf outing with the witty readers of BS would probably be more fun than should be allowed.

That said, we only have the one slot to give away. And here's where we need reader input. Please read the following four entries and then vote in the poll at the right. No, it's not perfectly scientific, but then again, you aren't determining this by yourselves. We'll close the poll on Thursday evening and B-Dowd and I will confer and, at that time, share our votes with one another. Between, me, him and your votes, hopefully we'll arrive at a consensus. If not, a dance-off will commence. Enjoy.

(And, for the record, these are in no particular order. Just the order I opened the Word docs in.)

Entry 1 -- "Doing it for Dad"

What’s up fellas? I would like to enter my father into this contest and am writing without his knowledge. He’s a Purdue grad from way back in 1978. He’s spent the last 31.5 years teaching U.S. History and Psychology at Connersville High School and this is the first year of his retirement. He now resides in Lafayette and is a season ticket holder for football and split a season ticket package for basketball this season. While in Lafayette he works as a substitute teacher at Central Catholic Junior/Senior High School.


I don’t think his golfing skills would work out that well for winning a trophy but the guy is no slouch. To give you an idea he falls somewhere between Judge Smails throwing his club and Ty hitting every putt on the green. Basically what I’m telling you is he’d probably be good for a shot here or there.

Sure it’s weird to enter my dad rather than myself but I’m not much of a golfer and I don’t think anyone is more deserving. He put 4 kids through Purdue. He has an entire room in his house, where I still live, with Purdue memorabilia. He’s kind enough to put up with his son who lives with them despite having a full time job so I can save money for a wedding that’s upcoming.

Don’t worry about him not being old and curmudgeon like. He isn’t one of the olds at Mackey and Ross Ade. Our seats are in the last row of Ross Ade so that we can stand and clap without any idiots yelling at us to sit down. At Mackey he’s constantly standing and cheering, but more importantly the guy is only in his early 50’s so stop being so judgmental you jerks!

Most importantly to me he puts up with his blogging son who has a full time job and still lives at home. The guy is a saint who raised 4 boys and probably wanted to yell at times but was the best father in the world. The guy deserves so much and I try to give it to him whenever I can, oh man that sounds dirty oh well there’s no going backward only forward (stupid typewriter).

He’s not exactly a hot female golfer but let me tell ya all 5’5 of him is a real catch. If nothing else there’s no way you’d be the smallest guy in the foursome. So he’s got that going for him, which is nice. Also, he has a rather large collection of vintage Playboy’s that I might have snuck looks at in my early years. Keep that in mind.

As you can tell he’s a good dude who I’m sure would love the opportunity to be involved in such a great event. You’ll also notice I only used one space after a period per your earlier tweet (yes I’m clearing sucking up).

Entry 2 -- "Ladies Tees"

So I heard you all need a fourth partner for the Drew Brees Golf Outing and I think I am your girl. I do have some golf ability considering I took the golf class at good old Purdue and the pro thought I had played before (the first day of class was my first day swinging a golf club…ever). But more importantly, I am five foot tall and blonde and although I do not think my back side looks near as good as Natalie Gulbis’s, I get told otherwise.


Besides, I think you should pick me because I am graduating in a week (how cool of a grad gift would free golf be right?) and on my way to law school (read: no life for the next three years), and I could use one last breath of fun before I start living in a library. I want to go into sports and entertainment ideally, so even though I can be a girly girl, I can also talk sports with the boys. And you do not have to worry about walking on eggshells with me either. I have bunches of guy friends and am in a sorority so dirty jokes and cursing like a sailor are my idea of a good time.

Other than that, since I weigh about 100 pounds soaking wet, drinks from the drink cart will not put you out much money since I am a lightweight or cheap date, whichever way you want to look at it. The best part is you will get 18 holes to make fun of me for using hot pink women’s and junior clubs and not being able to drive more than 100 yards off the tee (don’t worry my short game is decent).

I will stop writing now, since after all it is senior week and I should be drinking or doing something irresponsible, like trying to get kicked out of Harry’s.

Entry 3 -- "The Purdue Lifer"

I hope you’ll read this letter and really consider adding me as the crucial fourth member of your group for the Drew Brees golf outing:

First of all, I am currently a Purdue student. I’ll be a senior in the fall. I am majoring in political science and just completed a semester internship at the Indiana Statehouse. I am actually the fourth generation to attend Purdue from my family, and both my parents graduated from Purdue.

More importantly, though, I am a true bleed-black-and-gold Purdue fan. I have been indoctrinated in the culture of Purdue. I love Purdue and have loved it my whole life. It was actually one of the first words I ever spoke.

I have been attending Purdue basketball and football games my whole life. I was there when three Purdue Petes celebrated another Big Ten Championship in 1996. I was there for the field-storming when Purdue beat Notre Dame for the first time under Tiller (but I wasn’t allowed on the field). I’ve enjoyed many spankings of IU in Mackey and Ass Hall. I was there for the deafening atmosphere in Mackey when JaJuan and Etwaun beat the Buckeyes this year. I finally got to storm the field myself when Purdue beat Ohio State two years ago with Joey Elliott. I made the road trip to Detroit for Curtis Painter’s heart attack comeback against Central Michigan. And my best Purdue memory actually involves Drew Brees—I was there for “Brees to Moraleeeeees!”

Having a chance to meet Drew Brees would be so unbelievable to me. The Brees Rose Bowl team was probably my favorite team at Purdue. I got to meet a lot of the guys from the team before and after the games. I was watching warm-ups and Tim Stratton threw me the football from the field. For a ten year-old kid, that was a moment I will never forget. And I really admire the athlete and person Drew Brees has become. He’s a real role model for me.

But enough of the Purdue sentimental crap: The real reason I should be included in your foursome is because I am an awesome golfer, if I do say so myself. I consider myself a modern day Ty Webb (Chevy Chase in Caddyshack), not because I measure myself with other golfers by height but because I have developed that force in the universe that allows me to be the ball.

I try to play almost every day. I went out on the course on Mother’s Day for a round with my mom and grandmother. I know I should have let them win, but I just can’t help getting really competitive when it comes to golf. So, yeah, I basically kicked their asses.

Anyway, I’m a big fan of your Web page and of the Handsome Hour, so please give me this great chance.

Entry 4 -- "Porter Roberts Likes His T-Shirt"

I became a Boiler in 1987 when my oldest brother Dave went there. I put up with IU crap in Greenwood, Indiana. When I got my license I was more excited to visit my other brother Ben, who was then a Boiler, than I was to drive around scenic Fort Wayne.

Some may say I take my love for Purdue sports too far. After Chad Austin's Ass Hall dagger in '97, I saw him wearing his hat tilted to the side when speaking with the media after the game, and I felt obligated to do the same the next day in school. That same year I printed out the NBA stats of Alan Henderson & Glenn Robinson to confront a moron who told me that brittle knees was Big Dog's equivalent as a player.

At Purdue, I was a 4 year season ticket holder for football and basketball. I was there for the Morales catch, the Dorsch bird flip, and unfortunately, saw us lose to ND in our last home game while I was a student. I participated in the 3 consecutive field rushes in 2000. I went in Old Gold to Columbus for the rainy OSU game in 1999 and watched helpless as Dorsch got an easy FG blocked (for the 57th time in his career) that would have tied the game. I was also in Bloomington that year when Vinny ran a punt back that allowed us to win and me to breathe for the 1st time in about 46 minutes.

My co-rec run-ins with Purdue basketball players were almost all positive. Although my intramural team won the game, a then-redshirting Willie Deane threw down a memorable dunk. Mike Robinson/Michelle Duhart were good people and teammates. Alan Eldridge surprisingly had me in the athleticism department, while Tony Mayfield surprisisingly did not. I got into a verbal spat with Joe Marshall (which I was told was quite entertaining) and ended up scoring over him to win the game. While funny, I was slightly embarrased to play against Porter Roberts while wearing a t-shirt with his picture on it (1996 Big 10 title shirt). Porter noticed and complimented me on it, escalating the embarrasment.

My appreciation for Drew has continued since his days as #15. I spend a little too much every year on him in my fantasy football auction. I was angry at any Purdue alum that rooted for the Colts in the 2010 Super Bowl. I have donated to his charity and twice written him letters seeking an autographed gift for my ex-girlfriend. Both times he kindly obliged.

I would appreciate this gift more than some others. Perhaps as importantly, my golf game will not show anyone up. The odds of me playing an entire hole well are equivalent to the odds that Danny Hope will one day be described as the Bill Belichick of the Big 10. Lastly, in honor of Francis from the movie Summer School, this contest is very, very, very, very cool. Thanks.

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Vote now. Polls close Thursday. Winner announced Friday.

Update on the Contest to Play In Our Group At the Brees Golf Event

Entries are actually continuing to come in (what else should I have expected from current and recent Purdue students other than procrastination on your assignment?) for the chance to join the BS foursome and today is indeed the deadline. And here's how I want to handle this.

We will cull the entries to the best three or four (or ten or 16 or whatever I feel like) and we'll post them here. We'll then ask you, the readers, to cast your vote in a poll on who should win the fourth spot in the foursome.

You, the readers, will count as a vote; I will count as a vote; and B-dowd will count as a vote.

If we have not determined a winner that way (that is, if we've all voted for someone different), the three finalists will battle one another in a test of skills much like the end of Billy Madison (or Gladiator, your pick). Only instead of academic trials, you'll be subjected to evaluations on boozing, cartwheels and pole-dancing.

The poll will only be up for a few days so that we can wrap this up by the middle of next week.

Stay tuned.

Play Golf With Us at The Drew Brees Charity Outing -- For Free!

Entries have slowed to a trickle, much like the content around here.

However, you still have a couple more days to get your entries in for the chance to win the fourth spot in the Boiled Sports foursome at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex and Amusement Park on June 17.

Imagine it! You could play golf with me!

Okay, not enough? How about this: you'll be playing in a charity golf scramble -- for free -- with a chance to meet Drew Brees. While I can't promise you'll meet Handsome Drew, I can promise you that you'll get your beers bought by me during the round.

We've received some fun entries so far but I'm sure there are more out there. Refer to this post for the rules -- they're pretty simple. Even for our readers. Hey-yo!

Who Wants to Win a Free Round (With Us) at the Brees Golf Outing?

Thanks to the stunning generosity of our new favorite reader Ed Sigo, Boiled Sports will not only have a foursome at the Drew Brees Dream Foundation Golf Outing on June 17, but we will officially be sponsoring two holes, one on each course. (Is my excitement over being a sponsor largely because of the potential of Morgan Burke or Tom Schott seeing a “Boiled Sports” sign at a Purdue event and shanking their drive out of bounds? Perhaps.)

As for how this relates to YOU, dear readers, well, we have a slot to give away in our foursome to a deserving reader of this site. Boilerdowd cannot make it to the event because the last time I took him on a golf course, he held the club by the wrong end and ran around in jean shorts cursing at geese in his path. Also, he’ll be out of town that weekend performing at a wedding (well, performing or attending, I can’t remember which – no matter).

Ed is donating one of the two remaining spots in the foursome to his favorite local charity, Big Brothers Big Sisters, in the hopes that one of the many good citizens who participate as a “Big” will get the opportunity to play in this cool event.

Which leaves one slot remaining. And it could easily be yours. First off, what it means if you get it:

1) Entry into the afternoon session of the Drew Brees Dream Foundation Golf Outing (value: $150) on Friday, June 17. The afternoon session is a scramble, so if you’re unfamiliar with golf, let me just tell you that this is the less stressful kind of tourney and you can drink beer all afternoon.

2) Lunch preceding the round (indeterminate value; at least $10). Lunch and registration is at 12 noon, tee off is at 1:30 pm.

3) Cocktail reception (value: variable), awards ceremony (value: depends on how bad we are) and live auction, where you can buy autographed Drew Brees memorabilia (you’re on your own here).

4) Your beverage of choice from the cart girls driving around, on me (value: depends on how hot the cart girls are).

5) The pleasure of my company for eighteen holes (value: honestly, can you put a price on this?). Ed will also be there and he’s probably more entertaining than I am, plus he is donating this foursome, so he’s already a lot cooler.

So how do you win this coveted afternoon? Here’s how.

Send us an email at BoiledSports@gmail.com that contains your own personal essay on why you should get to go. Put it in an email, attach it as a Word doc, mime it out, record it from the can… we don’t care. Just tell us in 500 words or less why you should be the fourth player in the BS foursome at the Handsome Drew Brees Golf Outing.

We’d love to show bias towards current or recent students, but we also understand it’ll be June and there might be fewer of you in the area. (Also, women are welcome to apply. BS is an equal-opportunity offender.)

As mentioned, limit your entry/explanation/essay/begging to a maximum 500 words. We can’t be expected to pay attention for very long, given our ADD. And, quite honestly, if you need more than that much to make your case, well, you must not have a good reason.

If you’re funny, your chances go up. If you’re a good golfer who can help us win, your chances go up (actually, that’s only a nice perk – hackers are welcome to apply, too). If you’re Natalie Gulbis or a reasonable facsimile, you’ll win without any further debate.

Oh, and this is for entry to the events described above only. You provide your own golf clubs, balls, spikes, funny hats, plaid pants, etc., as well as transportation and lodging for the event. Ed’s a generous guy, but he’s not going to be your sugar daddy. Don’t make me create fine print for this.

All entries are due by Friday, May 20. This gives us time to determine a winner and for you to get your travel in order, should you need it.

Who Wants to Play Golf With Drew Brees?

Well, for the right price, you and your friends can play in Brees Dream Foundation Golf Outing. Drew's tournament is at Purdue's Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex. (No word on if Drew will drive your cart wearing a jaunty driving cap.)

Actually, the pricing isn't too bad, especially if you can hoodwink your company into "sponsoring" this "charity event" for you. $150 per golfer for either the morning tournament or the afternoon scramble, or $250 to play in both.

And if you are able to get your foursome sponsored...anyone want to bring us as guests? We're housebroken (pretty much) and can play golf (in the loosest definition).

The event includes lunch and a cocktail reception after the days' golf is over, in case you're not yet drunk. Not surprisingly, the live auction for Drew Brees autopgraphed memorabilia will commence following a day of drinking in the sun. ("I'll give you...a million dollars for that pair of game-used skivvies!!"  "Sir, those aren't for sale."  "Fine. TWO million then.")

The event's proceeds go to the Purdue Athletes Life Success Program (PALS).

Boilers Over USC!

In women's golf, that is. Sorry to get you excited.

As reader Ben writes, "I know you don’t normally cover golf, but the ladies are leading the NCAA with 1 day to go. Boiler up!"

Well, Ben, actually we do enjoy golf around here and have written a fair amount about the game -- the men's game, that is. But, remember, we're sexist pigs who don't watch a whole lot of women's sports (besides boilerdowd's season tickets to the WNBA's Indiana Fever)

Anyway, I checked the files and this was the first women's golf-related photo I had handy.

Anybody else in the mood for some Cheerios?

Jeer, Jeer, For Old Notre Dame

The young lady pictured here plays for the Notre Dame ladies golf team. She's a senior, her name is Annie Brophy and since Brophy rhymes with "trophy," she must have felt entitled to one.

I don't know what went on in her blonde head, but Annie decided to lie about her score on the front nine this past weekend, saying she carded a 30 with five birdies and an eagle.

The news story is still hazy, in my opinion, but somehow people got wise to the fact that this seemed a bit off. Backbedaling furiously on the back nine, Brophy apparently lied again and claimed "quadruple-bogey/triple-bogey/bogey on Nos. 10-12."

Officials disqualified her for "unsportsmanlike conduct," and:

“She thought she was being funny,” said Cross, who believes the Irish senior was unaware of the impact her dishonesty had on the rest of the field and left the course embarrassed.

Maybe she was just being funky?

Seriously, though, I don't get how lying and cheating is funny. When I play my buddies on the weekend, I get pissed if someone seems to be bending the rules. I also find it hard to believe a senior in college who has presumably played golf for the majority of her life doesn't understand the impact dishonesty has on the game. Golf is one of those few games where your honesty is of paramount importance.

As my dad once said to me, if you cheat at golf, you cheat at life.

Am I the only one?

If you've been watching the President's Cup, you've seen the awesome uni the team is wearing.

Tell me I'm not the only one who thinks the entire team looks like 75 year-old men.

I'm Just Like Tiger Woods

I love golf and I really enjoyed the Masters again this year, but when this guy (Angel Cabrera, pictured) wins a major, it doesn't do much for the argument that this should be considered a "real sport." He's overweight, he's aging and he smokes. Then again, I guess that's why many of us love golf -- because we never feel truly out of it if guys like this can win.

I did feel bad for Kenny Perry, who seems like a truly nice guy but who imploded with two holes to go. Had this been Phil Mickelson, we'd be talking about it for months. Because it was Kenny Perry, though, it'll only sort of be remembered. Kind of like Jean Van de Velde.

But the inspiration for the title of this post was Tiger's situation on the 18th on Sunday. Playing well for most of the day, he hits his drive wayward and into some trees. Hell, I miss the fairway plenty. So he then has to punch it out. I'm also familiar with this shot. And then he shanks it and it rockets off a tree in a far different direction than he intended.

I'm telling you, I'm just like this guy. We were even born the same year and have hot wives. It's amazing you can tell us apart.

Annika Sorenstam Kisses Golf Goodbye

Annika Sorenstam quietly stepped away from golf a week or so ago, deciding she'd had enough and wanted to move on to other things in her life at the age of 38.

Annika always seemed classy and sweet, not to mention easy on the eyes... while also being head-and-shoulders better than everyone else in her sport.

She's reportedly made more than $20 million playing golf and many millions more in endorsements. And she's got great parents who supported her instead of pushing her and forcing her to play golf incessantly. Like the complete opposite of oh, say, Michelle Wie's situation.

Annika once shot a 59 and once played with the men at the 2003 Colonial. (Which prompted one of my favorite Phil Mickelson lines ever: during a press conference when asked about her chances, he thoughtfully said she had the chance to do better than people thought and could possibly finish, "maybe 20th." He was then immediately asked where he thought he might finish and he said, "Well, I hope higher than 20th.")

I love golf and while I don't really watch ladies golf, I do think Annika was always a terrific representative for the sport and I always think it's awesome when we see the best ever at a particular sport. And I think she was just that for womens' golf.

But mainly, I just wanted to post that picture.

Her Underwear is Ryder-ing Up

Okay, first, if you're wondering if I've been waiting for a chance to do a golf post in order to use that pic, you're right.

Today begins the Ryder Cup at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, and the United States is hanging in there and is at least not off to the horrible starts they've gotten off to in the last couple of Cups.

Without Tiger Woods, many think the Euros are just too strong but I do think playing in their home country is helpful for the U.S. And, sure, the Euros have won five of the past six, but let's not forget one key thing. This is a country vs. continent contest.

Back when the Ryder Cup began in 1927, it was the United States vs. Great Britain. Then after the U.S. dominated for 40+ years, Great Britain apparently annexed Ireland and all Ireland's great players. And then, in 1979, they said, the hell with it, let's just take anyone and everyone from Europe. Gotta have Seve Ballesteros and Sergio Garcia and so on.

Sure, sure, the U.S. is larger, I get it. But the game was invented over there so I'm not sure how many advantages we need to give them. I guess it'll just make it sweeter when we take them down, even without Tiger.

Green Jackets Are Studly

Hey! The Masters started today. And some dude named Ian Poulter had a hole in one (they're going with "Poulter Heist" over on ESPN.com). Tiger's even for the day with only like 20 guys to jump over... nothing for him.

And since I like to share old commercials that I think are cool, here's evidence that Tiger can do things with a golf ball that no human should be able to do.

Come on... seriously...