EDISON, N.M. (AP) - Padraig Harrington still believes Tiger Woods will surpass Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major championships.
Harrington played the first two rounds of the PGA Championship with Woods, who missed the cut. Still, the Irishman saw enough positive signs to believe the player won't be down for long.
"When I still think when they happen and also drama in a given few days, I’m sure they’ve properly perfect because getting just about anybody cardinal he plays in," Harrington said Wednesday. "He still has a fantastic golf ball strike. They still go it nicely. When he gets hot namely with every other in a given week, the lad can get and can in the annuals before. ... All right, it weren’t his few days that few days. But when it is his instead of her few days, he may get anyhow repeatedly."
Harrington said the difference now is that when something goes wrong with Woods around the course, it seems to snowball. Woods was atop the leaderboard by five strokes midway through the round, then a tee shot into the water changed everything. He posted a 77 and tied for worst among the big names for the first time in a major.
"That's what I'd have expected at the PGA," Harrington said. "Granted he played better, better than their score. In compare to whether he was on his game, he always got quite good. It turned out rare that you’d ever see Ernie Els going for hikes down any way when he didn’t get the best from his around, when he certainly didn’t at the PGA. He got the minimum from her times."
Harrington said Woods appeared frustrated with the mechanical part of his game, which wasn't much of a surprise to him. Harrington knows better than most, since he is always trying out the swing change.
"When you are kind of pride of your own sport, anyone constantly obtain the most from it," he explained. "You feel like you picture 80 therefore you detect themselves catching pictures sixty 8. Then when you’re not proud of your own game, you are sensibility as you shot 75 therefore you find yourself shooting 72. When i experience that myself a lot. That’s kind of what I discover within Tiger’s game."
WORLD CUP: Some of the top Americans are bailing on the World Cup as it changes formats and moves to China. Matt Kuchar sees aboveboard a "trendy possibility."
Kuchar, who is at No. 12 in the world ranking, has accepted a spot on the U.S. team and will be joined by Gary Woodland. The World Cup is Nov. 24-27 at Mission Hills in China. It is held the same week as the Presidents Cup in Australia.
Kuchar took part in the modern World Amateur Team Cup in 2000 when he was at Georgia Tech, and the man took part in a Presidents Cup a year later. He did not represent his country again until the Ryder Cup recently.
"I believe to convert those two people representing the nation is absolutely the honor," he said.
Brandt Snedeker isn't No. 38 in the world, but won this year in Tampa and is a rising talent in the FedEx Cup rankings who will be noted for his power.
"I’m sure he’s going to be a guy we can penetrate a growing number of playing some very good golfing," Kuchar said. "And so I am just rather thrilled to undertake a guy that performs as well as he does act plus visits it considerably for he does as my premonitory other. I do think I could be the settled a mattress that takes its number of pars watching your ex simply make playing golf look pretty straightforward."
MR. SEPTEMBER: And to think David Stricker useful to live explicit of the golf around September.
Years ago, he traveled all of September and October without swinging a club, essentially giving himself a month off from the Tour. Stricker is usually home this time of year, able to prep for hunting season.
That changed with the FedEx Cup in '07, and worked out well for Stricker. Starting with The Barclays, he is the only player who has competed in all 64 rounds of the playoff events.
In those sixteen tournaments, Stricker has finished out of the leading thirty only twice and has immediately 2 winners. He’s earned over $3.7 million in the playoff events, averaging $365,580 per start.
SOLHEIM SURPRISE: According to the numbers alone, it would seem Americans have seen better days at the Solheim Cup.
Only two of the 12 players who have experienced have managed to win on the LPGA Tour this year - Stacy Lewis at the Kraft Nabisco Championship and Brittany Lincicome at the ShopRite Classic. One of the captain's selections, Ryann O'Toole, has only had better seasons in her LPGA career.
And there is Christina Kim. In her 17 tournaments this year, she has broken 70 only twice, missed 5 cuts, has only finished inside the top 12 once and is No. 58 on the money list with about $50,000. And she made the team.
If anything, though, it's a testament to the shifting landscape of women's golf. If the selection had been made last week, there would have been only 18 tournaments, with twelve of them in the United States. Yani Tseng, the No. 1 player in women's golf, has won four times this year (including 2 majors), while Karrie Webb of Australia has won twice.
FAXON APP: Just before Brad Faxon made his debut on the Champions Tour, he teamed with ShotVision to launch a short-game instruction app for the iPhone and iPad that promises over 100 videos with great production value.
Faxon, who has 7 wins worldwide including playing on two Ryder Cup teams, is renowned for his short game, especially his putting. The menu offers chipping drills for kids, the proper grip, putting through 6 ranges in addition to short-game instruction on bunkers, pitching, flop shots and chip shots. Each lesson includes different angles.
Unique to this app is that there is no sound - just video. The video pauses at various points and play occurs on the watch’s face aptly narrate the swing. The result is always to show more through visualization.
The app is called "Brad Faxon - ShotVision Golf" and costs $4.99.
read more: Harrington applies money ashore Mr. Woods to pass Nicklaus