On Our Mind Golf Blog

Phil Mickelson, winner of this year's Northern Trust Open and World Golf Championships - CA Championship on the PGA Tour, has suspended his Tour schedule after learning that his wife, Amy, has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

The story, which was first reported by PGATour.com, also revealed that while more tests are scheduled, the treatment process will begin with a major surgical procedure, which could happen within weeks.

Peering across the 16th green at Upper Montclair Country Club to watch Michelle Wie knock in her par putt during the first round of last week's Sybase Classic, a one-man commotion just yards away at the 8th green caught my attention.

"It's in, it's in the hole," a man bellowed as he motioned back toward the tee box to indicate that the ball had dropped for a hole-in-one.

South Korea's Ji Young Oh didn't do anything spectacular at the 2009 Sybase Classic, but a great exhibition of golf can often make the game appear rather ordinary.

Using a simple formula of fairways and greens, mixed with a number of crucial sand saves and delicate greenside chip shots when the situation called for them, Oh pulled away from a top-tier field to capture her second career LPGA Tour victory by four shots over Norway's Suzann Pettersen. 

Michelle Wie worked her way through LPGA Tour qualifying school at the end of 2008, giving her the opportunity to finally become a full-fledged member of the Tour long after becoming its most recognizable name.

For now she is happy competing against her peers on a weekly basis, getting to play a full schedule and experience a number of tournaments she hadn't visited in the past, including this week's Sybase Classic. 

Twenty-two-year-old LPGA Tour star Paula Creamer exhibits all of the qualities associated with the All-American girl next door, from her down to earth demeanor to her honest, engaging smile. Unfortnately, Paula has to be disqualified because she resides in the same gated-community as golf god Tiger Woods, and he doesn't fit the profile of your typical neighbor.

A title Paula is deserving of right now is most important American female golfer. Even with the loss of a few sponsors and tournaments, the future of the Tour doesn't seem to be in immediate danger, but like many companies, the LPGA is reeling from the recession. A marketable and recognizable face contending and winning golf tournaments would mean a lot to current and potential sponsors looking for a return on an investment into an LPGA event. That's where Ms. Creamer comes in. 

The private Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, New Jersey is playing host to the LPGA Tour's Sybase Classic this week. The golf course is right off of State Route 3, which makes it convenient for fans traveling to the tournament, and it's within earshot of New York City, so the players and the sponsor's guests have plenty to do when they're not at the golf course.

I roamed the course, which was relatively empty on Monday, and took some photos. It was a really nice day for golf, still a bit cold here in the Northeast but overall not bad. Bigger crowds will start to arrive tomorrow when the Pro-Am events are played. Monday is usually a very slow day at a professional golf tournament, unless it's The Masters, or any other major for that matter.

Mired in a financial mess, there was two-time major champion John Daly selling memorabilia across from the most famous golf club in the world, Augusta National, during Masters week. Daly's been in worse situations, but this scene had to be disheartening for fans, family and friends who've stuck by his side during his well-documented slide into a state of disrepair.

"I don't have one sponsor right now," said Daly in an exclusive interview with the NY Post that ran the Thursday The Masters began. "I'm on the verge of bankruptcy with the bad economy and the loss of sponsors. I don't want to go that route." 

At the age of 9, Alex Cejka and his father fled communist Czechoslovakia, escaping by heading west through three or four countries. The journey was more like a 'vacation' for Cejka who said at the time he really didn't know what was going on.

He and his dad got away on foot, by train, by bicycle and they even swam across the Rhine River. They wound up in Germany, where they settled in Frankfurt. That's where Cejka really picked up golf, getting his first clubs and taking his first lesson.

They say you never forget your first, especially if you walk away with more than $1.7 million.

Five players who've yet to win on the PGA Tour are in contention after 36 holes at The Players Championship, including 36-hole leader Alex Cejka who has never held a lead going into the weekend in a Tour event. 

The first round of The Players Championship is in the books, and it was an ideal day for scoring at TPC Sawgrass. The field averaged a score of 72.084 and 57 players recorded under par rounds.

Last year, TPC Sawgrass was the sixth most difficult scoring course out of 54 PGA Tour stops, behind Royal Birkdale (British Open), Oakland Hills (PGA Championship), Torrey Pines (U.S. Open), TPC Southwind (Memphis) and Muirfield Village (The Memorial).