Click here to listen. Annika Sorenstam has officially begun to chip away at Lorena Ochoa's top Rolex Ranking. A win at the season-opening SBS Open led a "Tiger-esque" charge that has remained strong through her latest victory at the Michelob Ultra Opening this past weekend. Sorenstam is back in the "feared-zone" once again! Challengers are falling by the wayside. Even Lorena Ochoa could not keep up on Saturday, pushing herself out of a chance for a Sunday duel with a disappointing 74. It was the first time Ochoa has been out of a visible top-ten spot on the leaderboard since 2007. Did Sorenstam's charge give Ochoa the jitters? With a wedding plan in the works and her increasing reliance in other golf interests, are we seeing Annika's final push for glory or the beginning of a new commitment towards "untouchable" status? I also found Michelle Wie's name on the leaderboard. She was in her usual "cut" position, a spot which seems to be more comfortable a fit as times goes on. "I just feel really rusty" claimed Wie who needs to borrow more than an oil can from the Tin Man in order to elevate her game...maybe an infusion of Annika's blood? Where Wie's game is stagnating, other LPGA rookies seem to be coming on strong. Na Yeon Choi is eyeing the Rolex Rookie of the Year Award loading up on points over her nearest competitor. Oh, I'm sorry...I thought Michelle Wie was in the race too but...that's right...she never went to Q-School and qualified like the rest of the Tour! This week Golf for Beginners discusses the challenges that Michelle Wie faces and wonders whether or not her constant disappointments as a professional golfer have helped her grow as a person. We also offer up a few easy golf tips. One simple visual we offer is where to focus your eyes when hitting the ball for best contact. Another is the role a golf companion has on your game. Is it better for you to play with better golfers or those who play more on your level? Click here for more easy golf drills. Send your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com. Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed:http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or through iTunes. Subscribe to our newsletter! Click Here to receive our archived podcasts and 100's of easy golf tips free! Check us out on MySpace! "Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)" This podcast is supported by Arizona Golf Packages, 1-866-444-0992. Photo Credits:ZeeNews.com, DAN VIDETICH/SCANPIX .

Click here to listen. "Spider-Man", "Trendsetter" and even "Rock-Star" are some the monikers which come to mind when branding 26-year-old Camilo Villegas. Magazines are targeting him, with People voting Villegas one of its hottest bachelors and Golf Digest naming him one of the most ripped golfers on tour. His flexible signature maneuver on the green is memorable. And ladies are attracted to his retro look from international clothier J. Lindeberg, who has been hailed as the most influential fashion designer in Sweden, claiming to have "reinvented the wheel" when creating golf fashion. Villegas seems a bit overwhelmed by the attention thrust upon him and prefers to talk about golf, not girls. "If people like the way you play, the way you dress, the way you look, that’s all good. But the bottom line is my goal is to play good golf," Camilo stated in a Golfweek interview. Take a tip from Natalie Gulbis, Camilo, and expand your horizons. Calendars and reality shows make plenty of money too and can turn Camilo Villegas the golfer into Camilo Villegas "business entrepreneur". Camilo's ability to stay focused on his golf game is one reason why we have chosen a putting tip from the up-and-coming Columbian player. Another reason for our selection is that Villegas' positive putting stats on the PGA Tour don't lie. Golf for Beginners also takes a look at the mental game, honing in on how to outthink and outplay the competition. This week's putting drill uses quarters as an incentive to make your view of the golf hole bigger and easier to hit. Click for more golf drills... Send your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com. Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed:http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or through iTunes. Subscribe to our newsletter! Click Here to receive our archived podcasts and 100's of easy golf tips free! Check us out on MySpace! "Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)" This podcast is supported by Florida Golf and Travel, 800-514-5131. Photo Credit:Radio Santa Fe.

This week, we discuss the results of the Byron Nelson and whether or not Adam Scott should be discussed as a legit opponent to Tiger Woods. Ryan speaks with Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club owner Gay Davis about the club, its involvement in women s golf and championship golf, and the bias against the Pacific Northwest. Kim Taylor from MetLife joins us to discuss the MetLife blimp and a documentary surrounding the story of it and golf. Finally, Ryan makes the argument that Callaway support bifurcation for all of the wrong reasons.

Click here to listen. It may be quite presumptive of me to claim that Phil Mickelson's chances have vastly improved (as has the rest of the field at the upcoming Wachovia Championship) now that Tiger Woods has withdrawn due to arthroscopic knee surgery. Woods is the defending champion and for him to be rehabilitating puts the players on the PGA Tour at ease. But seeing Phil's face smattered across the television screen as the big draw makes you really wonder if the Golf Channel and CBS Sports are going enough to create excitement. Perhaps the secret ingredient might be more face-time for Adam Scott, sudden-death victor at the Byron Nelson Classic! There is no doubt, however, that because Lorena Ochoa took a siesta the roadblock was cleared to escalate Annika Sorenstam to victory at the Stanford International. Still, Annika required a sudden-death playoff with Paula Creamer in order to cinch the deal claiming, "It could have gone really any way. I'm just fortunate that this time it was my turn." Our Golf for Beginners podcast this week contains a great number of easy golf tips and drills. One exercise comes from David Leadbetter who suggests a way to gain power in your golf swing through weight shift. Try this technique on the range and you will surely feel a difference on the golf course! Another drill from Hank Haney offers the benefits of weighted clubs to help warm up, gain feel and build clubhead speed before a round. Send your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com. Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed:http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or through iTunes. Subscribe to our newsletter! Click Here to receive our archived podcasts and 100's of easy golf tips free! Check us out on MySpace! "Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)" This podcast is supported by Arizona Golf Packages. Photo Credit:Sportsnetwork.com, ESPN.com, Robin Sellick

Click here to listen. Yesterday the Pope pre-empted golf, proving that religion trumps sport, at least on network television. Whether or not you were interested in Sunday Sermon, broadcasters forced you to watch Pope Benedict XVI at Yankee Stadium, forcing the PGA Tour to stream live coverage on the internet. For those without an internet connection, flipping the remote yesterday provided little in the way of diversity. If Tiger Woods was heavily in the mix, would CBS-TV interpose both Pope Benedict and golf? Or, would Tiger be relegated to a spot in the sports section of Monday's newspaper? I wonder who would have received the higher share? We also discuss the two swings each golfer must bring to the course and how to integrate these two different movements into your weekly practice session. The pursuit of putting nirvana is also one of our topics. Incorporating these drills into your training plan should help lower your scores so you can confidently "putt for dough"! Send your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com. Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed:http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or through iTunes. Subscribe to our newsletter! Click Here to receive our archived podcasts and 100's of easy golf tips free! Check us out on MySpace! "Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)" This podcast is supported by MyrtleBeachGolf. Photo Credit:Flickr.com

Click here to listen. The hype surrounding the possibility of two drivers in his bag didn't help Phil Mickelson's bid to win a third Masters Tournament. Both Els and Mickelson fumbled around to get "the perfect fit" this week, combining Callaway I-Mix heads and shafts depending on their particular "game plan". Mickelson claimed that the course length urged him to carry two drivers but my belief is that Callaway needed Phil to promote these clubs which seem to work more for a professional than the average "Joe". It didn't work. Mickelson should have toyed with an extra wedge in his golf bag as he intended to on Tuesday and Els should have probably flown out to Las Vegas to visit with his newest instructor, Butch Harmon, directly after being cut on Friday. Complaining of bad posture, a collapse at the top of his swing and too much hip and shoulder turn, Els should have realized before the Masters that it's not a change in golf equipment that was needed but rather a parting of the ways between he and David Leadbetter. Moral of the story for all golfers; it's not the arrow, it's the Indian... I guess the next question should be, "When will Callaway Golf debut a putter with adjustable head and shaft technology for conditions like "blade-drag" or help with overspin? Tiger Woods may be just the buyer for it! As for this week's Golf for Beginners podcast, we discuss Mickelson's use of the Callaway I-Mix technology. Our show also contains a few easy tips from Phil Mickelson, one of which deals with how to hit your golf ball in different types of lie. Our other "Lefty" golf tip describes what setup to the ball determines its trajectory. Finally, a hearty congratulations to the UNBEATABLE Lorena Ochoa who is now officially "one-up" on Tiger Woods this season! Send your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com. Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed:http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or through iTunes. Subscribe to our newsletter! Click Here to receive our archived podcasts and 100's of easy golf tips free! Check us out on MySpace! "Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)" This podcast is supported by Arizona Golf Packages. Photo Credit:Skysports.com, Golf.com

Click here to listen. Lorena Ochoa's impressive victory at the Kraft Nabisco Championship have golf bloggers scurrying to find comparisons between her elevated game and that of the incomparable Tiger Woods. After all, both Woods and Ochoa won their respective last major event of 2007 and both are rolling through a green light towards achieving the exalted Grand Slam. Even Lorena feels that 2008 might be the one where she tops Tiger, jokingly(?) stating just before her 26th birthday, "Maybe next year (2008) I improve (on) his year, but this year has been pretty similar, and I enjoy the that they talk about it. He won seven times - a major, too. Me, too. So we're the same." Tiger Woods seeks his fifth Masters win and has racked up a total of thirteen major trophies since he turned professional over eleven years ago with a greeting of "hello world" to clicking cameras. Tiger, in fact, has already achieved a Grand Slam, but has not yet won all four majors in a single year. Statistics show Woods on a win streak from September 2007 all the way through his fifth place "blip" in March of this year, garnering up an amazing six wins and about four million dollars in official prize money through that period alone! Ochoa is not far off of the mark finishing 2007 with a $1 million win at the ADT Championship. For 2008, she has already won three events out of four entered, same as Tiger, and has taken the first major of the year. But, even so, Lorena Ochoa is going to have to work five times as hard as Tiger Woods for golf fans to believe that the two are on parallel ground, although Ochoa is the "best of the best" on the LPGA Tour for now. Remember the chatter about Annika Sorenstam when she was in her heyday? Sorenstam seems to be resigned to passing the torch and is becoming more of a fossil of a bygone day. Annika has reconciled and is relieved with her second-place Rolex ranking. As Annika has mentioned, "I'm not the best player out here, but I've achieved a lot." There is no denying that! But, could you imagine for one minute what Tiger Woods would do if their positions were reversed? Would he be tolerant of his slip in status or be more fired up than ever to regain the top spot? This week on Golf for Beginners, we offer some interesting facts about the Masters Tournament. Did you know, for example, that Tiger Woods is the youngest golfer to ever win at Augusta? Can you name the oldest winner? We also offer an easy golf tip from Jim McLean, perfect for driving range practice (I used it myself this weekend!) I am in agreement that this paintbrush technique might just be the least expensive and unlikely training aid! Barry and I also talk about the best time to remove your golf glove to enhance feel around the golf course. Send your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com. Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed:http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or through iTunes. Subscribe to our newsletter! Click Here to receive our archived podcasts and 100's of easy golf tips free! Check us out on MySpace! "Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)" This podcast is supported by Myrtle Beach Golf and Florida Golf Travel. Photo Credit:Tabascohoy.com, GolfMagazine.com

Click here to listen. After the sheer devastation Lorena Ochoa inflicted upon her LPGA cohorts as well as upon Superstition Mountain, it's unlikely that she will need much more of a tune-up for the upcoming Kraft Nabisco Championship. I'm betting along with the odds that Ochoa wins her first major trophy this week. I'll even up the ante to say that Lorena Ochoa will sweep the majors this year, saddling alongside of Tiger Woods for an LPGA/PGA Tour tandem Grand Slam! Michelle Wie's wrist forced her to pull out of the Safeway, opting instead for a May exemption at the Michelob Ultra Open. Wasn't it better anyway that Wie stayed home? If Annika Sorenstam couldn't get within ten strokes of Ochoa, how well do you think Wie could have done? Every year (and this one is no exception) I also feel it is my duty to alert all fans of the Kraft Nabisco event that the DinahShore Weekend 2008 will be taking place in Palm Springs as well. This weekend it's not just about women's golf! Catch Pat Benatar, the GoGos, Tila Tequila and others live for "the greatest women's week on earth!" Babes in bikinis are yet another topic of discussion on this week's Golf for Beginners podcast as a new season of the Big Break airs on the Golf Channel. Will men be drawn to this show because of the sheer talent of the ladies vying for an exemption into an LPGA Tour event or for the more feminine attributes of its stars? We also offer up a few easy, practical golf tips to help you through the course. A simple sand trap "trick" will get you positioned correctly over the ball every time. A pressure-proof tip is also featured. Send your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com. Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed:http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or through iTunes. Subscribe to our newsletter! Coming soon! Click Here to receive our archived podcasts and 100's of easy golf tips free! "Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)" This podcast is supported by San Diego Golf Central and Florida Golf Travel. Photo Credit:Golf.com, Nobodyssweetheart.com

Click here to listen. PGA of America President Brian Whitcomb joins forces with Golf for Beginners this week to spread the word about an exciting tournament designed especially for us, the amateur golfer! The McGladrey Team Championship is the opportunity for golfers with a verifiable USGA handicap to compete on a national level promoting teamwork and cameraderie as two of its goals. Teams of three golfers each will first qualify locally through August. Then, a PGA Professional golfer will join the group for the Sectional Qualifiers which begin in September culminating in a National Championship to be played October 20-22 at the famed Pinehurst Resort in N.C. Approximately fourteen thousand golfers signed up for the inaugural Championship and attendance is expected to double. Women, who only made up about 4.5% of last year's total entrants (650), are expected to easily top 15% of the total number of competitors! Brian's personal take on the McGladrey Team Championship is that it "blends the competitive spirit and bridges the relationship between the PGA professional and their members and guests that they're playing with as well as the fraternal and social side of this great game." The sponsors slogan, "With the right team, anything's possible" along with the PGA of America's ideology to increase the public's desire to "play more golf, and ensure accessibility to the game for everyone, everywhere," are also dominant principles behind this successful recurring event. Team McGladrey asked LPGA golfer Natalie Gulbis, Masters Champion Zach Johnson and PGA Tour fan favorite and XM radio show host Chris DiMarco to also join forces with this event "because they capture the very same qualities we strive to achieve with all of our client engagements – integrity, excellence and passion." Listen to this week's show to find out more about this exciting best-ball team tournament. Choose your teammates today and sign up at: pga.com/teamchampionship. The best of luck to all who enter! Barry said he's got a "trick up his sleeve" to win the McGladrey Team Championship. Find out what that is and hear Brian's response on our podcast! Send your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com. Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed:http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or through iTunes. Subscribe to our newsletter! Coming soon! Click Here to receive our archived podcasts and 100's of easy golf tips free! "Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)" This podcast is supported by Myrtle Beach Golf and Florida Golf Travel.

We go over the Masters in three ways. First, how did Trevor Immelman manage to win a green jacket. Second, how Augusta National is not the same anymore. Then, how the media took the kid gloves off about the golf course. Ryan then lauds Lorena Ochoa for getting into the LPGA Hall of Fame.

We preview the Masters from all angles. First, ESPN.com Golf Editor Jason Sobel joins us to give us the buzz surrounding the tournament. We then talk about the real contenders for the championship. The changes to Augusta and their impact on scoring will also be discussed. Ryan also will go over the Kraft Nabisco Championship.

This week, Ryan discusses what LPGA fans face when they get inadequate mainstream golf coverage and that they are not alone in feeling like they get gipped sometimes. Colin Montgomerie is a hot topic, as his race baiting excuses for why he was not invited to the Masters seem to be sparking controversy and apologies. Bubba Watson is being called a jerk for what he said about Steve Elkington. It is a lesson in deciding what should be private in pro golf. Finally, Ryan promotes a column on course setups and wonders if Woody Austin likes being known as an honest guy.

This week, Ryan goes over the first round of the CA Championship and whether or not it is more likely that Tiger Woods could win 12 in a row or win the 4 majors in a single season. He then rails about John Daly getting yet another exemption, this time into the Buick Open, and wonders at what point something will be done. Several interesting news and notes are touched upon from PGA National being so difficult to other, lighter items. Finally, a quick note about Ochoa not winning in Mexico last weekend and to not worry.

Click here to listen. The new ruling handed down by the USGA allowing golfers to interchange shafts and clubheads prior to a game depending on course (and human) conditions have clubmakers Callaway and TaylorMade quickly putting out new technology. Callaway's I-MIX adjustable FT-5 driver and TaylorMade's Tour Van in a Box interchange shafts and clubheads with the golfer optimizing the driver to his or her own comfort level. For example, as Jeff Colton, Sr. VP of Research and Design for Callaway states, "if they're feeling a little weak that morning, play a lighter shaft, or if it's been raining that week, drop some loft on a clubhead using your normal shaft." I say, "Huh?" Am I the type of person who will constantly interchange shafts and heads depending on if I'm hitting a fade or draw that day? I can't even hit a fade or draw on purpose most days and am extremely happy when my drive propels 200 yards straight down the fairway. Callaway I-MIX Interchangeable golf clubs Adding or subtracting weights or switching out heads with Callaway's "revolutionary system" doesn't suit the average amateur golfer but would be an innovation for club fitters and for those low handicappers who wish to "tweak" their club. Unfortunately, the average golfer needs more tweaking with their swing and should send a message to these clubmakers that, for $350 for a driver head and yet another $350 to be shelled out for the interchangeable driver shaft, this marketing strategy will be a dud. TaylorMade Tour Van in a Box Manufacturers at the PGA Show forum lauded the new club innovation stating that the next step are the ability to change grip, loft, lie and bounce. Golf Channel's Chief Technical Advisor, Frank Thomas advises that, "the USGA is opening a can of worms that will soon get out of hand and be difficult to monitor." This week, Golf for Beginners discusses the pros and cons of this new convertible technology and it's impact on the masses. We also offer up a few easy drills and golf tips designed to improve ball striking. Jim Flick's discussion about "risk-reward" taken from Golf Digest Magazine is also analyzed. Sam Snead shaved strokes off of his game by using this technique and we show you how in our weekly golf podcast! Send your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com. Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed:http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or through iTunes. Subscribe to our newsletter! Coming soon! Click Here to receive our archived podcasts and 100's of easy golf tips free! "Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)" This podcast is supported by Myrtle Beach Golf and Florida Golf Travel.

Click here to listen. When Tiger Woods first tied, then surpassed, Arnold "the King" Palmer's PGA Tour win record, the press was quick to gobble it all up and regurgitate it incessantly. Buzz regarding when Woods will gain ground on Jack Nicklaus' record and finally achieve top-dog status by pushing past Sam Snead's long held eighty-two win feat are now mentioned in almost every golf fanatics conversation. As Tiger and company head over to Bay Hill this week to try to conquer this tough course once again (Woods is seeking his fifth victory), another record is in fear of being trounced, but with much less fanfare. Defending champion Vijay Singh will be looking to climb to the very top of another "most wins" column, that is, the all-time win list internationally. Currently tied with Harry Cooper (31), success at Bay Hill would secure Singh his own bragging rights. But we all know how Singh is about bragging. When Vijay was told he beat Sam Snead's record, he snubbed it complaining, "there’s no trophies for doing it." Conquest for Singh this week would bring his "over-forty" streak to twenty possibly agitating him as the press recognizes this achievement in tandem with the more influential international one. This week on our Golf for Beginners podcast we discuss Tiger's winning streak at Bay Hill and Palmer's needling Woods with an "earful" after his slip of position on the PGA Tour's all-time win list. We also offer up a few easy-to-picture golf tips from both Hank Haney and Tiger Woods regarding proper pre-shot routine and hitting the ball straighter. Send your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@worldgolf.com. Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed: http://feeds.worldgolf.com/stacy_solomon or through iTunes. Nextel/Sprint cell customers type http://www.mymbn.com/podcast/ in your browser and click on "sports casts". Our station number is 1955. Subscribe to our newsletter! Click Here to receive our archived podcasts and 100's of easy golf tips free! "Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)" This podcast is supported by Arizona Golf Packages and Florida Golf Travel. Photo Credit:PE.com, Rediff.com

Click here to listen. It was kind of comical (in a purely charming and farfetched way) watching Lorena Ochoa handily defeat her closest opponents wire-to-wire by eleven strokes at the HSBC. Annika Sorenstam could not muscle up the cojones to take her on. Paula Creamer hadn't enough reserves in her tank. And according to Ochoa, "on the weekend I wasn't as good with the putter but I managed to shoot under par every day." Could Lorena Ochoa be the next "Tiger Woods" of the LPGA Tour? Woods/Ochoa being groomed for greatness Perhaps Annika's record prior to 2007 is strong like Tiger's but, if Lorena continues her winning ways, Sorenstam may be just a golf memory, making babies instead of birdies by next season. Annika Sorenstam had a successful run a few years back, with accolades that included numerous majors, Vare Trophies, mulitple wins in the same event, etc. When one looks at her career, it is worthy of a place in history. But, after an injury sidelined her last year, Sorenstam is now struggling to place second instead of clearing the field like the stallion of yore. Still, some players never even achieve six top-ten finishes in a single season with a healthy back. But it was Ochoa who compared best with Woods last year. Lorena took home eight trophies; Tiger garnered seven wins including the coveted FedEx Cup. So hats off to Mexico's Lorena Ochoa whose quick and easy work made the rest of the field look like amateurs in her presence! As for this week's Golf for Beginners podcast, Barry compared Ping G10 irons to Mizuno's MP-30 Forged irons at the driving range. Find out which golf clubs suited him "to a tee" and which of these two sets might improve your distance and feel! Also, we offer a golf tip from Hank Haney straight out of Golf Digest Magazine. Find out how you can make your waggle work for you. And Barry wonders if, after my "audience" with the Ryder Cup, it now has my named etched upon it? Send your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@worldgolf.com. Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed: http://feeds.worldgolf.com/stacy_solomon or through iTunes. Nextel/Sprint cell customers type http://www.mymbn.com/podcast/ in your browser and click on "sports casts". Our station number is 1955. Subscribe to our newsletter! Click Here to receive our archived podcasts and 100's of easy golf tips free! "Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)" This podcast is supported by SGHGolf.com and Florida Golf Travel. This podcast is supported by New Roc Harley Davidson, your worldwide parts and accessories distributor. Great rides start here!. Photo Credit:http://www.golfforwomen.com.

Click here to listen. During last year's Honda Classic one caddie remarked to another, entirely off-the-cuff, that his player used a certain golf club off of the tee. PGA Tour golfer Mark Wilson wound up calling a two-stroke penalty on himself after finding out about this infraction, thus proving to viewers the importance of playing by the rules. In spite of losing the two strokes he still won the tournament (in a sudden-death playoff), and with his integrity intact! Wilson continued, "The rules should be held in high regard by every player." With the honor of the game at stake, some people may find Rule 8-1 to be a bit illogical noting that you must still hit the shot no matter what help you receive in selecting a club. Other common rules infractions I regularly behold on the publinks include improper ball marking on the green as well as failing to hole out. Do golfers really want to abide by the rules or simply use whatever guidelines they remember hoping they don't get caught? Everyone remembers the Wie/Bamberger incident forcing a DQ on Michelle? The fact that the enforcement of the game lies predominantly from calling penalties on yourself, I have noticed that golf is one sport where players really want to keep the competition above-board!!! As the great Bobby Jones once said, "When you cheat in golf, the only person you're cheating is yourself." Greens at the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship are an average of 90 feet which means long putting was the order of the week. Although Tiger Woods' putting was dynamic throughout the contest, David Leadbetter helps us get closer to the hole (and even sink a few) with an easy reminder on this week's Golf for Beginners podcast. We also offer a few simple mental game tips to instill a positive mindset! Send your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com. Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed:http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or through iTunes. Subscribe to our newsletter! Coming soon... Click Here to receive our archived podcasts and 100's of easy golf tips free! "Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)" This podcast is supported by Myrtle Beach Golf Vacations and Florida Golf Travel. Photo Credit:http://honda-classic-golf.com.

Click here to listen. Jeff Quinney patiently stalked Phil Mickelson during the final round of the Northern Trust Open, waiting perhaps for Lefty's golf club to become entangled in the kikuya grass or for Mickelson to erupt as with his eleven last week. Four birdies over a six-hole stretch for Quinney placed Lefty in a precarious position leaving the possibility of another playoff and yet another close call. Mickelson is used to hanging tough, but rarely for making a charge and instilling fear into his opponents. Instead, Mickelson watched as the tables turned and Quinney fell to pieces, bogeying four of his final six holes at Riviera. It might have taken Phil longer to come out of his winter cocoon but the results couldn't have come at a better time. Still, the "I can beat Phil" mentality makes any tournament in which Lefty contends exciting and that is precisely why the PGA Tour needs Phil Mickelson. In contrast to the interesting faces on the men's tour, Carolyn Bivens claims that the rising stars of the LPGA are enough to sustain it without Michelle Wie's assistance. "The fate of the LPGA doesn’t rise or fall with any one woman, and that includes Michelle." voiced an emphatic Bivens last month. But, like Phil Mickelson, Michelle Wie is exciting to watch. Whether she's up or down, heading for an 88 or mixing it up with Annika Sorenstam, golf fans will tune in to an LPGA Tour event not as much to watch Morgan Pressel or Paula Creamer but to see what commotion will come from the Wie Camp. This week's Fields Open should prove very interesting as to the emotional and physical state of Michelle Wie. Golf for Beginners podcast this week questions the success of the LPGA Tour without Michelle Wie. Can Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa maintain the ratings that Wie can achieve? We also discuss Rule 5-3 from the Rules of Golf which deals with the replacement of a damaged golf ball. Tom Watson posture tips rounds off this week's popular internet radio show. Send your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com. Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed:http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or through iTunes. Subscribe to our newsletter! Coming soon Click Here to receive our archived podcasts and 100's of easy golf tips free! "Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)" This podcast is supported by Myrtle Beach Golf Vacations and Florida Golf Travel.

Click here to listen. Where an eleven on a hole is a mishap which any golfer would prefer to forget, Phil Mickelson will be reminded of his m/c at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am for weeks, even months to come. He wasn't even in the list of golfers on the cut line who got paid for their efforts and went home...nope, not Lefty. He made sure that this collapse would be one for the history books. Recall the 2006 U.S. Open? I'm sure talk of that previous loss will now be regurgitated along with this mishap throughout the golf season until Mickelson returns to form, does something spectacular and/or wins a major tournament. And what about Vijay Singh who easily had the edge on Sunday but fell apart when his solid play needed to carry him to victory? Singh held a three-stroke lead with only five holes remaining...the deck was stacked in his favor! Defeated by Steve Lowery, a player who was 305th in the world rankings prior to this weekend and had a seven-year gap in the "win" column of his PGA Tour resume, this loss looks strangely familiar to last week's playoff defeat of Mickelson to relative unknown J.B. Holmes. Singh stated, "One bad shot after another, three holes in succession." Phil's statement? He's says striking the ball well but he "never felt good on the greens". Those words could have been echoed by either Vijay or Phil, take your pick. Playing aggressively instead of safely, choosing the wrong clubs, problems with the putter...these errors happen to even the greatest golfers. Well...almost all of the top golfers...all except Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods has the mental game needed to rebound from a slight lapse in judgment. He doesn't dwell on his mishaps but uses quick thinking to adjust to his surroundings and overcome obstacles. Both Mickelson and Singh made errant shots which caused their following efforts to careen into a downward spiral in which they could not mentally recover. This could be the difference between winning the Grand Slam this season and simply accepting loss as a part of the game. As Phil remarked, "Well, it's just the way it sometimes goes. Sometimes I just don't score well, and I try not to weigh too much into that because I hit a lot of good shots this week." Would Woods have taken an eleven in such a matter-of-fact manner? This week's Golf for Beginners podcast is loaded with tips from the fairway to the green. What happens when your beautifully hit tee shot woefully lands in a divot? How do you recover? We also discuss the sweet spot myth with the assistance of LPGA Teaching Professional Lana Ortega and the Rules of Golf that pertain to hitting another golf ball either when chipping up, or, from on the green. Send your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com. Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed:http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or through iTunes. Subscribe to our newsletter! Click Here to receive our archived podcasts and 100's of easy golf tips free! "Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)" This podcast is supported by Myrtle Beach Golf Vacations and Florida Golf Travel. This podcast is supported by New Roc Harley Davidson, your worldwide parts and accessories distributor. Great rides start here!.