Golf Confessions

Tiger Woods had orthoscopic knee surgery today in Utah.  This is the same knee that Tiger has had work done on in the past.  The operation found some minor damage that had been causing some pain.  The recovery time is expected to be about four weeks.

Tiger is lucky that he does not have as much damage as what Ernie Els experienced when he tore his knee up in a freak boating accident.  Els knee took him out of competition for almost a year, and he is just know getting back into form.

Tiger will have to work very hard in order to be ready for the Tournament Players Championship and the Open which is played in June.

More and more people are suffering from a wide variety of allergies these days.  When you are on the golf course and you are haveing a sneezing spell or you can’t get your eyes to stop tearing, you may be suffering from an allergy.  These problems can be very aggrivating and may make your time on the course miserable.

Steve Elkington from Australia, who has had a very successful career on the PGA tour suffered for years with his allergic reaction to grass.  For a professional golfer, being allergic to grass is not something you want to hear.  Today with proper diagnosis and care most people with allergy problems are able to get proper medical treatment that can make their lives more tolerable.

This time of year most golfers are looking forward to getting back on the course and enjoying their golf game.  The tempratures are starting to rise and the beautiful Spring time of the year is blooming  all over.

All golfers should be very aware of the dangers that prolonged exposure to the sun can cause.  The threat of skin cancer is something that everyone should take serious and take the proper precautions to try and avoid any complications.  Merkel cell carcinoma, also called neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin can be quite serious.  This form of cancer may be associated with older golfers that are constantly exposed to the sun.  Also if there is a family history of skin cancer one should be extra cautious.  Anyone that is playing in high altitudes should take care to cover up.  Some of the things that all players may want to think about when they are out for extended exposure is sun screen 15 or greater, wide brim hats and wear sunglasses. 

The money that the PGA is playing for has certainly gone up in recent years.  The top 25 players on the PGA have already topped the million dollar mark.  The thing that stands out to me about this list of top 25 is that there are 12 foreign players on this list.  The PGA is certainly turning into a world tour and the American players are not doing well relative to their dominace just a few short years ago.

The first major of the year was won by Trevor Immelman from South Africa.  Trevor has a home in Florida, but travels the world over playing golf.  With the merge of the foreign born players doing quite well on the PGA, the likely hood of another winner in the three remaining majors is very likely.

The LPGA is totally dominated by the foreign players.  The top 25 as of today shows only 5 players from the US in this group.  Most of the tournament winners come from outside the US.

The PGA and the LPGA are certainly the top places to play in the world.  These tours have the best competition and the big bucks are on these tours.  If one looks at the surge of the foreign players on both of these tours, it is very likely that the players from the US will have a very hard time finding a spot. 

Most of these players on both tours have found a spot on college golf teams to hone their skills and have gone on to claim most of the limited spots an each tour.  The US kids had better get their acts together if they have dreams of playing on the big tours. 

Unlike so many things in life you are not guaranteed a spot to play just because who you are.  It is a numbers game and you better shoot a number or you will slamming your trunk and headed down the road.  And just because you have a famous successful father that played will only open so many doors, you still have to shoot the number.  You don’t have to go very far to see what I mean, just ask Gary Nicklaus, Wayne Player or Guy Boros.

Once these players get a solid foot hold into the system it gives immense hope to the youngster in their homes over seas and these guys seem to have the internal fortitude to seize the moment.