John Holmes's blog

Happy 30th birthday, Natalie Gulbis

Natalie Gulbis and her cousin at Disneyland
Natalie Gulbis via Twitter
Natalie Gulbis took to Twitter on Monday to show us a shot of her 30th birthday visit to Disneyland with her cousin.
By John Holmes

Series: Golf Buzz

Natalie Gulbis, one of golf's most popular players, is celebrating the big 3-0 today – at Disneyland, of all places.

Despite what I'd call an unorthodox swing, she was a sensation as a junior – she won the California Women's Amateur Championship at age 14 and, at 17, she became the youngest player ever to Monday-qualify for an LPGA Tour event (a record that Michelle Wie eventually broke). She was the medalist at the 1998 U.S. Women's Amateur, and won four times during her college career at the University of Arizona.


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How many clubs are tour players using?

Golf bags at the Players Championship
Getty Images
The golf bags at pro tour events are stocked with a wide variety of golf club brands.
By John Holmes

Series: Golf Buzz

As the 2013 golf season struggles to get off the ground out in Hawaii, I thought this would be a good time to check out the state of golf equipment usage on the world's biggest tours. Thanks to Sports Marketing Surveys – SMS is the company that tracks the gear that each player uses in European Tour events – we have a pretty good snapshot of the clubs that many of the game's best players are favoring these days.

Here are some of SMS's observations from the whole of the 2012 European Tour season:


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Monty would be nuts to return as Ryder Cup captain, says Harrington

Colin Montogmerie and Padraig Harrington
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Colin Montgomerie's stellar Ryder Cup reputation could be tarnished if he were to lose as captain in 2014, says Padraig Harrington.
By John Holmes

Series: Golf Buzz

After The PGA of America rocked the golf world by anointing Tom Watson as U.S. Ryder Cup captain for 2014, observers immediately began speculating that Europe would need to respond with an equally large presence.


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Callaway X Hot and X Hot Pro drivers promote consistency and distance

Callaway X Hot driver
Courtesy of Callaway Golf
In its new X Hot drivers, Callaway is able to boost ball speed without sacrificing optimum trajectory.
By John Holmes

Series: Golf Buzz

The distance gains just keep on coming. In debuting its new X Hot drivers, Callaway Golf engineers say they have achieved gains of 13 yards as compared to their RAZR X Black drivers. These advancements are possible, they said, thanks to a host of design and engineering advancements that make the new drivers faster, hotter and more lightweight than their predecessors.


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Rory McIlroy might skip 2016 Olympics

Rory McIlroy
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Rory McIlroy knows that hard feelings are likely to result no matter which flag he chose to play under in the Olympics.
By John Holmes

Series: Golf Buzz

It's still several years before golf makes its return to the Olympic Games in 2016, but already world No. 1 Rory McIlroy is giving serious thought to staying home.

Why? McIlroy might skip the Olympics to avoid the controversy already being generated by the decision over which country he would play for. As a native of Northern Ireland, he – and compatriot Graeme McDowell – are eligible to play for either Ireland or Great Britain, and hard feelings are likely to result no matter what.


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Karen Stupples is half the woman she used to be

Karen Stupples
Karen Stupples via Twitter
LPGA Tour player Karen Stupples kicked off her 2013 by revealing the results of her recent weight-loss program.
By John Holmes

Series: Golf Buzz

I'd venture a guess that many of us woke up this morning thinking about the pounds we ought to shed after our holiday season (or year or lifetime) of indulging. Not LPGA Tour player Karen Stupples.

Stupples tweeted a photo of herself today showing us in dramatic fashion how much weight she's lost.


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Bubba Watson switches to Oakley from Travis Mathew apparel

Bubba Watson
Bubba Watson via Twitter
This photo that Bubba Watson tweeted out a few days ago was the first indication that Watson was changing apparel companies.
By John Holmes

Series: Golf Buzz

Earlier Tuesday, I posted an item on Nike's signing of Nick Watney and Kyle Stanley, but they are just two big-league players whose changes for 2013 are becoming public.


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Nike signs Nick Watney and Kyle Stanley

Kyle Stanley and Nick Watney
Courtesy of Nike Golf
Nike revealed its two new signings in a special announcement on New Year's Day.
By John Holmes

Series: Golf Buzz

The folks at Nike Golf aren't taking it easy on New Year's Day. Instead of sleeping in, the Swoosh has announced that it has signed Nick Watney and Kyle Stanley away from Titleist.

Stanley's story -- crushing defeat at Torrey Pines followed the very next week by a redemptive victory in Phoenix -- is a great one, but Watney is the big story here. He's a five-time winner on the PGA Tour, with the most recent of those coming at the Barclays, the first event of the 2012 FedExCup playoffs. And, of course, he won the FedExCup in 2011.


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Not engaged yet, says Caroline Wozniacki

Caroline Wozniacki
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Caroline Wozniacki spent her New Year's setting everyone straight about the status of her romantic life.
By John Holmes

Series: Golf Buzz

There was a buzz around the arena during Caroline Wozniacki's first-round match at the Brisbane International tennis tournament amid rumors that she and world No. 1 golfer Rory McIlroy had gotten engaged over the Christmas holidays, according to the Australian Associated Press. But alas, Wozniacki lost her match, and then splashed cold water on the speculaton of her romantic status.


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The most creative look back at 2012

Cabot Links
Courtesy of Cabot Links
The new Cabot Links course in Nova Scotia rates a well-deserved mention in Greg Nathan's year in review.
By John Holmes

Series: Golf Buzz

By now, I think most of us have about had our fill of reflections on the year in golf just past and are more eager to get the 2013 party started – I know I am. However, there is one last look back I'd like to share with you because it's different – and better – than any other I've seen.


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