Smarter Lay-ups — Blake Cathey, PGA-Kiawah Island Golf Resort

When you are faced with having to lay-up make sure you do the math in order to lay-up to a good distance. Too often you will tend to always hit a 3 wood. The problem is that you generally end up too close to the green to hit a full shot. An example would be if you are 230 yards from the green and your favorite shot is to have 60 yards into the green then hit your 170 yard club.

NEWPORT, Wales (AP)—Phil Mickelson salvaged some pride with his first win in this Ryder Cup, a 4 and 3 pounding of Sweden’s Peter Hanson in singles.
The world’s second-ranked player finished the team portion of the matches 0-3. That pushed the total number of losses in his eight Ryder Cup appearances to 17—one more than Raymond Floyd and the most by a U.S. player.
“Every one of us can look back on a match and say that this could have been the deciding factor, that could have been the deciding factor,” Mickelson said after the U.S. lost 14 1/2-13 1/2.
“I want to try to be a leader, and the best way to lead is through play. … And when I didn’t win any of my first three points, I felt more disappointment than I’ve ever felt, because this was an opportunity for us to win here in Europe. The fact that we came so close, and I let some of these opportunities to gain points for our team slide, it does hurt more than some of the past losses.”
ONCE IS ENOUGH—Even though Colin Montgomerie said last week that he wouldn’t consider another stint as Europe’s captain, Lee Westwood decided to give it a shot.
Discussing Montgomerie’s legacy in the Ryder Cup—eight appearances, five wins, an unblemished record in singles as a player and now this victory as captain—Westwood said, “It’s difficult to talk about it when he’s 15 feet down the table from me.
“I grew up watching Colin. … Sorry, that’s not meant in a bad way, that, Colin. It’s not meant to make you feel old. But you know, unless he wants to do it next time, it’s the cherry on the top, isn’t it, when you can become a winning captain?”
Westwood barely finished talking when Montgomerie cut off any further speculation.
“I would just say to finish off that, that this is a one-hit time. I’m delighted that Europe have won this trophy, and I will not be doing this again, I can assure you,” Montgomerie said.
“We have a number of fantastic vice captains, plus (Jose Maria) Olazabal, and one of those five, I’m sure, will be your next European Ryder Cup captain who will defend, hopefully defend the trophy at Medinah in 2012,” he added. “It will not be me.”
THANKS, BUT NO THANKS—Handed a convenient alibi, Jim Furyk handed it right back.
Earlier in the week, the teams debated whether playing in the FedEx Cup would help or hurt a player. Some thought it would help them stay sharp, others that it would result in fatigue.
Nine members of the U.S. team qualified for the 30-man field compared to just one from Europe. Considering the soggy course conditions and the number of matches jammed into the third session—when Europe took 5 1/2 of a possible 6 points and built a 9 1/2-6 1/2 lead going into Monday’s singles—Furyk was asked whether winning the FedEx cost him his legs here.
He earned a half-point in the alternate-shot match, but lost both his better-ball and singles matches.
“I’m not making any excuses. I didn’t play the first session, so basically, I slept all week,” Furyk said. “I got to sleep in no matter what. So I’ve got no excuse, no regrets. I’m well rested, and I said it after I won the FedEx Cup in the media room there, if you can’t get up for a Ryder Cup, you can’t get up.
“There’s 12 guys here that were committed to trying to win the Cup, trying to bring it back to the United States, and we have got no excuse for ‘I was worn out.’ I had a week off before going to Atlanta, so playing two weeks in a row is not tough, trust me.”
OLE! OLE! OLE!—The Ryder Cup might take a back seat to the Olympics and World Cup in terms of global popularity. But when it comes to serenading the players, the fans in Wales were the equal of any.
Supplementing the “Ole! Ole! Ole!” chant that has become a staple of European sporting events, fans rocked the grandstands at Celtic Manor nearly every time the Italian brothers Edoardo and Francesco Molinari passed by, singing “There’s only two Molinaris …” to the tune of “Guantanamera.”
When Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell passed by during a match against American opponents, the chants became “We’ve got G Mac, you’ve got Big Mac!”
Fans even greeted the fog wafting above the valley where the Twenty Ten course sits.
“Foggy, foggy, foggy!” one grandstand alongside the first tee chanted.

 
“Oi, oi, oi!” the other roared back responsively.
The singing also produced one of the most sportsmanlike moments of the final day. Europe’s Martin Kaymer was playing Dustin Johnson in singles when fans launched into “He’s got your major, he’s got your major!” The reference was to Kaymer’s win at the PGA Championship, where Johnson grounded his club in a bunker at the 18th hole and after being penalized, finished one shot out of the playoff in which Kaymer beat Bubba Watson.
Upon hearing it, Kaymer put up his hands calling for the fans to stop. They did.

Captain Montgomerie tips Olazabal Colin Montgomerie tips Jose Maria Olazabal to succeed him as Europe team captain after confirming he will stand aside after his side's thrilling Ryder Cup victory over the United States.  English duo Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter will take a two-shot lead into Saturday's third round of the Masters at Augusta. The pair ended eight under, two shots clear of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, KJ Choi, Ricky Barnes and Anthony Kim, with YE Yang another shot adrift after a sunny but breezy second day in Georgia. First-round leader Fred Couples, 50, and fellow veteran Tom Watson, 60, both dropped back to three under alongside Dane Soren Kjeldsen (71) after rounds of 75 and 74 respectively. Westwood, who is chasing a maiden major title after thirds at the USPGA and Open last year, eagled the second and reached 10 under after 13 holes to lead Poulter by two. But the world number four dropped two shots at the 14th after tangling with the trees and pine needles down the left, before clawing a shot back at the 15th only to bogey 18 for a 69.  McDowell Seals Ryder Cup for Europe- By LARRY DORMAN The Ryder Cup came down to the final match after an American rally, but Graeme McDowell sealed a victory for Europe. Ryder Cup Victory a Reflection of European Unity- By CHRISTOPHER CLAREY The Europeans have created a tradition and an esprit de corps that many a team from a single nation cannot match. Westwood Has Europe on a Roll From the Start- By CHRISTOPHER CLAREY Known for falling short in the majors, Lee Westwood has spurred the Europeans to a big lead at the Ryder Cup. Europe Wins Ryder Cup- By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The Ryder Cup came down to the final match after an American rally, but Graeme McDowell sealed a victory for Europe. With One Day Left, Europe Surges at Ryder Cup- By LARRY DORMAN More rain forced organizers to postpone the final singles phase to Monday. Europe has a 9 ½-6 ½ lead. Trailing Early, Europe Seizes the Momentum- By CHRISTOPHER CLAREY The Americans moved ahead, building a 6-4 advantage after winning the opening fourball session and the expanded foursome session that followed. This Time, Cink Ensures He Won’t Be Overlooked- By CHRISTOPHER CLAREY Overlooked by his captain during Thursday’s opening ceremony, Stewart Cink was indispensable on Saturday. On Golf Woods, a Man on His Own, Is No Longer One of a Kind- By CHARLES McGRATH Tiger Woods’s rapid fall from grace seems to be affecting his performance, which now has something of the everyday golfer about it. Tv Sports- PGA Says Viewership Decline Shouldn’t Be Costly in TV Talks: By RICHARD SANDOMIR A 35 percent drop for the final round of the P.G.A. Championship on CBS came on the heels of a 53 percent drop in viewership on ESPN for the fourth round of last month’s British Open. On Par Q&A With Graeme McDowell- By JOE BRESCIA Graeme McDowell talks about his U.S. Open win, his love of snooker and cars and how he's preparing for the Ryder Cup. On Golf Woods Strengthens His Ryder Cup Case- By LARRY DORMAN Tiger Woods showed broad improvement at the Barclays, perhaps easing doubts about his readiness for the Ryder Cup. Mentor city parks and recreation officials think they've found the missing link to help boost Black Brook Golf Course to a new level. The 37-year-old driving range was scheduled for a renovation project this fall, but city staff decided to change their approach. "As the time drew near to begin, it became evident we could do better than just rehab what we have," said Bob Martin, director of parks, recreation and public facilities. "The Black Brook Golf Course is viewed by many as a premier public course with 40,000-plus rounds of golf played there each year. With that impetus, we felt it should have a premier driving range." To reach that goal, the city contacted golf course designer Brian Huntley of Brian Huntley Golf Sense Inc., based in Uniontown. He was consulted when the city purchased the property in 2005. As a result of the most recent consultation, a number of upgrades are proposed to bring the driving range up to par with the rest of the facility. They include: -- Shifting the driving range several degrees west to increase the distance between private property and the range -- Configuring the range to appear more like a fairway with 10 target greens built in -- Adding drainage and irrigation to improve usability throughout the year -- Installing a larger tee area with a practice bunker on one side and an uneven turf area on the other -- Increasing the shooting distance of the range to 340 yards, up from 300 yards "We are confident … that this will provide a unique and challenging addition to Black Brook," Martin said. The majority of the site work will be completed by a Public Works Department crew. Costs are expected to come in under $150,000 and will be covered by bed taxes via the Community Recreation Facilities Fund. "It will allow us to save a considerable amount of money on this project by doing the work in-house," Martin said. The golf course was opened in 1929 and the driving range in 1973. The range now grosses $60,000 a year in revenue on average. The new design is expected to bring in at least $100,000 annually, Martin said. This figure doesn't include the additional rounds and outings that are anticipated once new customers come to Black Brook because of the practice facility, he added. "We are estimating our return on investment to be three years," he said. Tim Ausperk, the course manager and head golf professional, said the changes should help players improve their skills. "People have difficulty taking their game from the driving range to the golf course, but when (they're) hitting practice balls on an actual golf hole, it should better prepare them for taking their game to the course," he said.