Golf World: Avoiding three-putts

With yet another Masters now history, it again becomes apparent how important putting is to become a prolific scorer. The greens at Augusta were very fast and very undulating.

Most of us average 32 to 36 putts a round. If you averaged 28 putts a round like the PGA Tour players do, you would immediately cut six strokes from your score. The amateur's problem is those pesky three-putt greens. So, the question is, how do you become a better long putter?

First of all, becoming a good long putter is a combination of good feel and good mechanics. To be a good long putter, you must have good pace and rhythm to your stroke. There should be no "hit" in your stroke. The backswing and the follow-through should be the same distance.

For example, if you go back 20 inches, then you should come through 20 inches. This ensures a pendulum stroke. Equal distance back and through gives you a very symmetrical stoke. In addition to this, the pace of the stroke should be the same speed in both directions.

Count to yourself when practicing long putts. Say "One and two" for good tempo. Some of the things I see in poor long putters is off-center hits. For example, if you hit the ball toward the toe of the putter, you will lose compression of the face to the ball, and you will most likely come up short of the hole.

Most long putts come up short. I think a good rule of thumb is to try to keep the ball on the high side of the hole, and try to hit the putt a foot past the hole. Most three-putt greens take place because you come up short of the hole and the ball finishes on the low side of the hole.

Another problem when we come up short of the hole is an "open" clubface at impact. This problem will cause a left-to-right spin on the ball, plus additional loft at impact. Try getting more weight on your front leg at address to offset this problem.

Most amateurs move their head and body too much on the long putts. Keep your head and body as still as you can on these long ones, and you are more likely to hit the ball in the center of the face with good speed. After all, speed is the most important element in becoming a good long putter.

To be a good long putter, light grip pressure is a must along with keeping that pressure constant throughout the stroke. Poor putters are always tightening their hands on the club as they go through the stroking process. Of course, this causes the dreaded "yips.''

Two drills that would be beneficial:

-- The right hand and arm only drill. To do this drill, just putt several balls with your right hand and arm only. This will give you the feel of the distance.

-- Putting at different distances with clubs on the ground. Do these drills and then practice trying to put that 40-footer inside an imaginary, two-foot circle.

Work on the pace and tempo of your putting stroke, and you will soon start becoming a good "lag" putter. You wouldn't mind taking six strokes off your next round? Just ask Charl Schwartzel, the new Masters champion.

Source http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/glf-golfworld041811/glf-golfworld041811/

Europe poised for another run at green jacket

A green jacket defined the golden era of European golf.

For the better part of two decades, Europeans seemed to have part-ownership of Augusta National by winning the Masters six times in a seven-year stretch, and 11 times in the 1980s and 1990s. Seve Ballesteros was the first European in a green jacket. Nick Faldo won three times. Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer and Olazabal each won twice.

Perhaps it was only fitting that when the world ranking made its debut in 1986 at the Masters, the top three were Europeans.

"It would be nice to recreate some of that magic," Justin Rose said Monday under the large oak tree next to the Augusta National clubhouse. "And I think this is as good a time as any."

On paper, European golf has never been stronger.

They have won two of the last three majors — Martin Kaymer in a playoff at the PGA Championship, Graeme McDowell at Pebble Beach in the U.S. Open. Padraig Harrington was the last player to win successive majors, at the end of 2008.

And then there's the world ranking.

Europe would have had the top five spots except for Phil Mickelson winning the Houston Open to go to No. 3. As it is, Kaymer and Westwood are Nos. 1 and 2, with Luke Donald, McDowell and Paul Casey at Nos. 4-5-6. Tiger Woods is at No. 7.

About the only thing missing from this new era of European dominance is a green jacket.

"It's been too long," said Ian Poulter, among those determined to change this trend. "There's more guys with more chances."

Olazabal was the last European to win the Masters, holding off Greg Norman in the final round in 1999. A year later, no Europeans were among the top 10 at the Masters, and none came particularly close to winning except for Westwood last year when he was runner-up by three shots to Mickelson.

Europe now seems more poised than ever.

In the middle of that great European run from two decades ago, they had four of the top 10 in the world. Now there are six Europeans in the top 10, and nine of the top 20.

"If you look at the guys who compete week in and week out, we've got more now than what we had 15 years ago," Poulter said. "There's definitely more of a chance now. But you've got a lot of good players to go up again. Tiger and Phil have won quite a few of these jackets over the last few years."

Woods and Mickelson have combined to win six of the last 10 times at the Masters, although it's Mickelson who comes into the first major as the biggest favorite. Not only is he the defining champion, Mickelson made 18 birdies on the weekend to win in Houston.

For a tournament that had lacked a clear favorite, it has one now.

"It seems that everyone has pretty much got Mickelson in the green jacket Sunday evening and there's not much use in turning up at this point," McDowell said with a grin. "He's a great player around Augusta, and if you finish ahead of him, you've got a decent chance."

All McDowell wants is a shot on the back nine Sunday.

That would be a good starting point for Europe to win the only major that has eluded him over the last 12 years.

Westwood was just starting to get good as a junior when Faldo won the Masters in back-to-back years. Then came Woosnam in 1991, winning with a par on the 18th hole in a year in which Olazabal and Tom Watson were tied for the lead going to the last hole.

Francesco Molinari remembers Olazabal coming back from a career-threatening injury to win in 1999.

"For every European, it was inspiring," Molinari said. "It's been awhile, but I think we're ready for another run."

Poulter was folding shirts and selling candy bars in a golf shop in England toward the end of the European run. He remembers Woosnam winning, and Langer and Olazabal in back-to-back years. And no one could forget Faldo winning his last green jacket in 1996 when he rallied from a six-shot deficit against Greg Norman.

"They were just so strong," Poulter said. "They were on the board every year. They were the best in the game around that era. I guess it's been a while since you've had those guys back in that position. But if you look at Europe in the world ranking now, we've filled that back with guys who are definitely going to have a chance."

Poulter and Westwood shared the 36-hole lead a year ago. Westwood fought to the end, while Poulter faltered.

It would be surprising if Europe didn't show itself when the Masters begins on Thursday. Donald, Casey and Rose each have flirted with contention over the years, and Harrington appeared to take a step forward last week with his play in Houston.

The best proof is not the names, but the numbers.

Beyond the ranking, Europeans keep showing up at the top of World Golf Championships — Donald, Molinari and Poulter have won three of the last five. And then there was that little exhibition at Celtic Manor last October, with Europe winning the Ryder Cup again.

Now comes the first major of the year. What once were hopes for Europe now are expectations.

"There's no shortage of great players, especially in Britain and Ireland," said McDowell, who played a full practice round Monday with Poulter and Rose. This current crop of European players has been compared with Woosie, Ollie, Ballesteros, Lyle, Faldo and Langer. I think if you compared them with this crop, yeah, you've got to start suggesting that it's time to start winning the Masters.

"There's no doubt we've got the talent. We've got the players," he said. "But it's tough to win."

Source http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jGtSCZ1NpT8HOGIag8lEc1dtFUXw?docId=ee1720644b994a808c2cbad4f8a311b8

Click here to find out more! Obama administration calls on United Nations to support gay rights

The Obama administration Tuesday called on the U.N. Human Rights Council to fight discrimination against gays and lesbians around the world.

"Human rights are the inalienable right of every person, no matter who they are or who they love," Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe, U.S. ambassador to the council in Geneva, said in a statement. "The U.S. government is firmly committed to supporting the right of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals to lead productive and dignified lives, free from fear and violence."

The council has condemned human rights violations based on sexual orientation or gender identity, including rape, torture and murder.

"It is a really pressing issue globally that there continue to be killings on the basis of sexual orientation and persecution on that basis," said Suzanne Nossel, deputy assistant secretary of State for international organization affairs. "I think this will stimulate dialogue and increase recognition of the importance of the issue among governments."

The Obama administration's expression of support for U.N. action on the issue marks a change from George W. Bush's presidency. His administration generally sidestepped the issue in the United Nations.

The statement was the most recent in a series of moves by the Obama administration to show support for gay rights, including holding that the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between one man and one woman, was unconstitutional and moving to end the "don't ask, don't tell" policy toward gays in the military.

Last weekend, in a statement with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, President Obama announced the creation of a government position to monitor gay rights in the Western Hemisphere.

Fred Sainz, vice president of communications at the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights advocacy group, said the U.S. was finally stepping into the role it should have held all along as a worldwide leader in promoting equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

"For those who have been denied their equality for decades, change will never come soon enough," Sainz said. "But there should also be no doubt that in the past two years more positive change for and on behalf of gay people has been made than ever before."

Source http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-obama-gays-20110323,0,5104981.story

Rising Calls to Replace Top Man at Medicare

Members of Congress, including Democrats, have urged the Obama administration to search for another Medicare chief after concluding that the Senate is unlikely to confirm President Obama’s temporary appointee, Dr. Donald M. Berwick.

Dr. Berwick’s principal deputy, Marilyn B. Tavenner, has emerged as a candidate to succeed him. Lawmakers of both parties said Monday that Ms. Tavenner, a former Virginia secretary of health and human resources with extensive management experience, could probably be confirmed.

In a letter to the White House last week, 42 Republican senators urged Mr. Obama to withdraw the nomination of Dr. Berwick to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which runs insurance programs for more than 100 million people. If those senators stick together, they could block confirmation.

Mr. Obama bypassed Congress and appointed Dr. Berwick while the Senate was in recess last July. The appointment allows him to serve to the end of this year.

The president has nominated Dr. Berwick three times, most recently in January. No confirmation hearings have been held, and none are scheduled.

Reid Cherlin, a White House spokesman, said the president would not withdraw the nomination. “The president nominated Don Berwick because he’s far and away the best person for the job, and he’s already doing stellar work at C.M.S.,” Mr. Cherlin said.

It is not clear whether the White House will fight for the nomination or press the Finance Committee to hold a confirmation hearing, which could provide Republicans another opportunity to criticize the new health law.

Dr. Berwick, a pediatrician and a health policy expert, was hired to run Medicare and Medicaid. In recent weeks, the White House has expanded his portfolio to include federal regulation of private insurance.

As a co-founder of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, a nonprofit organization in Cambridge, Mass., Dr. Berwick advised hospitals on how to save lives by upgrading care and reducing medical errors.

He became caught up in the partisan battle over the new health law. Republicans challenged him to explain comments in which he had discussed the rationing of health care, praised the British health care system and urged health care providers to reduce the use of ineffective procedures near the end of life.

At a hearing of the House Ways and Means Committee last month, Dr. Berwick said, “I abhor rationing.” Representative John Lewis, Democrat of Georgia, told Dr. Berwick, “I love your testimony, not just like it but I loved it.”

Republicans were hostile.

“In your testimony, I see nothing but platitudes,” Representative Charles Boustany Jr., Republican of Louisiana, told Dr. Berwick.

Representative Geoff Davis, Republican of Kentucky, said Dr. Berwick’s answers bordered on equivocation. And Representative Tom Price, Republican of Georgia, told him: “You missed your calling. I think you would make a great lawyer.”

Several people who work with Dr. Berwick at the Medicare agency said they were disappointed that the White House had not done more to promote him. “Everybody here admires Don and the work he’s done, but he is not going to be confirmed,” a supporter said. “That’s inevitable. The Republicans will block him. There’s not a lot of optimism that the White House can do anything about it.”

Ms. Tavenner, a nurse, worked for more than two decades at the Hospital Corporation of America, first as a nursing supervisor, then as a hospital executive and eventually as president of the company’s outpatient services group.

Source http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/08/health/policy/08medicare.html?_r=1

Obama Meets With Zuckerberg, Jobs

President Barack Obama recently convened with members of the U.S. tech elite to discuss how the industry can boost economic growth.

The President met with 12 of the most important tech company leaders, including Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, Apple founder Steve Jobs, Google head Eric Schmidt, Twitter founder Dick Costolo and Netflix chief Reed Hastings. The group convened at the home of John Doerr, a partner at venture capital firm, Kleiner Perkins, just outside of San Francisco.

"The president specifically discussed his proposals to invest in research and development and expand incentives for companies to grow and hire," said Jay Carney, press secretary of the White House.

The dinner was part of a larger national discussion on how the tech and mobile industries can boost the economy with job growth and exports. The U.S. leader believes technology and innovation will help to develop economic competitiveness and create jobs. Earlier this week the White House released its budget, including billions of dollars for new R&D spending.

President Obama also revealed a measure that will allow companies to claim all business investing as an expense in 2011, which should encourage companies to innovate.

"I am convinced that if we out build, out innovate and out educate as well as out hustle the rest of the world the jobs and industries of our time will take root here in the U.S.," said the President earlier this week. "Our people will prosper and our country succeed."

Innovation and hustle has certainly helped the U.S. to gain the lead in mobile technology. Over the last year, Apple and Google seized the lead from European and Asian companies like Nokia and Sony Ericsson by pioneering smartphone ecosystems, which combine devices, online markets, apps, content and services as an integrated package.

The President also has focused recently on measures expanding broader aspects of technology in the U.S., including an initiative to expand wireless and broadband access to underserved rural areas in the country, as well as free up air spectrum by encouraging broadcasters to sell off their government-owned airwaves to wireless providers.

Source http://www.mobiledia.com/news/82495.html

Woods upbeat after Dubai golf flop

Another week without a win for Tiger Woods, but the fallen star of world golf insists he is still on the right track and will redouble his efforts ahead of The Masters.

The 35-year-old American failed to find the vital spark he has been looking for on the final day of the Dubai Desert Classic, a tournament he won handsomely in 2006 and 2008.

Starting the day just one stroke off the lead and with realistic hopes of a first tournament win in 15 months, bogeys at two and three soon took the wind out of his sails.

Woods clawed his way back up the leaderboard with birdies at the sixth and the 11th, but with the gusting wind buffeting his remodelled swing, bogeys at the 12th and 14th effectively ended his challenge.

He came in with a three-over 75 and a tie for 20th place.

At least that was an improvement on his tie for 44th place at Torrey Pines, California two weeks ago when he opened up his season and Woods doggedly remained upbeat.

"There were quite a few positives this week. Also a couple of glaring examples of what I need to work on, which is good. I'll go to work next week," he said.

"It's just like anything, all of my old feels are out of the window when the wind blows, so that's the thing when you are making a change.

"I went through this with Butch (Harmon) and I went through this with Hank (Haney).

"It's fine when the wind is not blowing, but when I have to hit shots and the wind blows, the change of feels and the new swing patterns, they get exposed."

Woods undertook to drastically remodel his swing under the watchful eye of Canadian coach Sean Foley last year in the middle of the personal turmoil that beset his marriage and career.

It also followed the extensive knee surgery he underwent in 2008 following his dramatic US Open win at Torrey Pines which kept him sidelined for eight months.

Woods did briefly show glimpses of his old form in Dubai, notably with his eagle finish to the first round and his bogey-free 66 on Friday.

But when he needed to find another gear at the weekend to break free from a bunched leaderboard, the game just was not there.

Still, he said that things were improving.

"It was a step in the right direction, there's no doubt," he said.

"I improved a lot considering where I was at Torrey Pines a couple of weeks ago. That's a step in the right direction.

"It's progressing. It's progressing."

Woods heads back to the United States to continue his buildup to the Masters in early April and is expected to play next in the WCG Matchplay in Arizona at the end of this month.

Source http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gj5kY1cNa6suhlPBC4HPM0XBQ5xQ?docId=CNG.7019387216ceafe233df45fb263bc775.c61

Tseng closing in on No. 1 in women's golf

Yani Tseng jumped three spots to No. 2 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings with her victory Sunday at the Australian Women’s Open.

Tseng trails No. 1 Jiyai Shin, who was among the players Tseng beat in Australia. Shin tied for second.

Tseng, last year’s LPGA Rolex Player of the Year, is scheduled to tee it up again this week at the Ladies Masters in Australia, where she should have a chance to gain the No. 1 ranking for the first time in her career. The LPGA season begins next week in Thailand.

''It's always been my goal to be world No.1,'' Tseng told Australian media after her victory Sunday. ''I think I'm getting a little bit closer. I'll do my best and keep working hard. I just feel confident and relaxed. Before, I was thinking too much. I was trying to win. Now I know I have to stay focused on my swing, and play one shot at a time. I know I can win.''

Source http://www.thegolfchannel.com/shag-bag/tseng-closing-1-womens-golf-41381/