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Former PGA Tour Caddie Greg ‘Boats’ Rita Dies

by James on March 1, 2010 in News with No comments

An unfortunate and sad bit of news to pass along today. Former PGA Tour Caddie Greg ‘Boats’ Rita passed away at 9PM on Saturday, February 27th. Back in 2007, Rita was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Ever since the diagnosis he battled like a true champion.

During his career on the PGA Tour, Greg caddied back-to-back US Open wins for Curtis Strange, won an Open Championship with John Daly, and also had what it took to caddy for David Duval and Mark O’Meara.

He will be sadly missed. May he rest in peace.

Deepest condolences and sympathies to his family and friends from the team at GolfCrunch.

Gatorade Gives Tiger Woods the Boot

by James on February 27, 2010 in News, Players with No comments

So, it’s official. Gatorade has ended all endorsement deals with Tiger Woods. I’m sure none of you see this as a surprise. Gatorade discontinued the Tiger Woods branded drinks way back in November, long before any of the recent ‘issues’ arrived on the public scene. The formal announcement solidifies what we already knew was coming.

The Gatorade deal is just the latest major sponsor to drop Woods over the past little while. AT&T and Accenture have already given Eldrick the heave-ho.

A Gatorade spokeswoman commented on the developments:

“We no longer see a role for Tiger in our marketing efforts and have ended our relationship…We wish him all the best.”

The good news here (if there is any), is that Gatorade is standing by their commitment and relationship with the Tiger Woods Foundation. Good on ’em. The Foundation does a lot of good work, and taking sponsorship monies away from such a good cause would be a huge gaffe … at least in my opinion.

There’s no doubt that Gatorade wishes Woods the best, as he’s made them a lot of money… and vice versa. Still, one has to wonder if Woods will ever regain sponsorship contracts like this one in the future. If he can get his personal life back in order, and get his golf game up to the level we’re used to seeing, maybe Gatorade will give him another look, sign him, and release a new beverage:

Redemption.

[Via: PGATour]

I MISS the Old David Duval, But I LIKE The New One Much More

by James on February 25, 2010 in News, Players with No comments

Yeah, you heard me. I miss the old David Duval. The one that won 12 PGA titles and 1 major championship (2001 British Open). The thing is, while I MISS the old David Duval I LIKE the NEW David Duval much more.

Sure, he’s not winning like he used to, heck, is just trying as hard as he can to stick around on tour. But he seems grounded, humbled and most importantly you can really tell that beneath it all he’s always been a nice guy. When David was #1 in the world he was stoic, a rock of confidence that didn’t shed an ounce of emotion. That was his thing. He internalized and kept everything in-check to play his best.

After his fall from grace things have changed. If you watch him out on the course now you can almost ‘feel’ his effort. His desire to win. His emotions oozing out of him and his absolute desire to get back the game he lost.

Don’t get me wrong, I think David knows if he can’t work his way back to the game that put him on top of the world, the game that garnered a British Open title and even an amazing 59… He’ll be OK with it. Maybe that’s another thing I appreciate about the guy these days too. There seems to be that inner peace about him. And that’s why I’m pulling for him so much. The former #1 is now the underdog. He’s trailing by 4 with 9 holes to go. Can he do it? I don’t know, but I’m pulling for him.

John Daly Inks Deal with Slix Underwear

by James on February 24, 2010 in News, Style & Fashion with No comments

‘Big JD’ is no longer ‘Big JD’. You know how I know this for certain? He’s just been sponsored by an underwear company.

That’s right, John has inked a deal with Slix, a company that offers shirts, underwear, socks and more… all along the way promising unmatched comfort and performance. Now, I’m not sure what I’m looking for when it comes to ‘performance’ underwear… I think my base criteria is that it stays covers what it needs to cover, and stays in place all day. That’s not too much to ask, is it? 🙂

Regardless, as you can see in the shots I’ve included here, it looks like John has started a new career in underwear modeling. I bet he never thought in a million years he’d be doing something like this!

Congrats to John and Slix on the new partnership. Hopefully it’ll be a comfortable and well-performing partnership for years to come.

For more information on Slix and what they have to offer, take a few moments and hit up getyourslixon.com.

Note: In case you haven’t heard, we’re running a contest with the help of John Daly as well. Check out the details right here. Comment or tweet about the contest, tell us which LOUDMOUTH pants you’d like to see John wear… and the winner will receive a pair of LOUDMOUTH pants, PLUS, John will wear the pair of your choosing at his next PGA Tour Event in Puerto Rico. For real! 🙂

Paul Casey is my Hero for Today

by James on February 23, 2010 in News with No comments

How can you not like Paul Casey? I mean, seriously. The guy seems like such a down-to-earth fella, heck, I’d like to tee it up and play a quick 9 or 18… I’m sure I’d learn a few things from the guy.

Last year after winning the Houston Open, Paul promised to return with help for local charities. Almost a year has passed, and it looks like Mr. Casey is delivering on his promise. Paul, together with his wife Jocelyn are donating $100,000 to charity via the Houston Golf Association. What can I say, but a big *thumbs up* (guess that’s not saying anything, is it?)

Over the weekend Paul finished second in the Accenture match play to Ian Poulter, and although he came up just a little bit short (he lost 4 and 2 in the 36 hole finale), he still took home $850,000 for his troubles. That’s a lot of cash to play golf for a few days. I’d take it.

With that said, I hope more PGA Tour Professionals will take a page out of Paul’s book here… Especially those professionals entrenched in the top 50, with no worries of losing their card. Let’s face it, they make millions upon millions each year in prize money and endorsements… How much money does one really need? If you’re making $5 million a year, surely you could afford to donate $100,000 or $200,000, or perhaps even $500,000 to charity? Do good by doing good!

The Houston Open is on this year April 1st through 4th. Paul will be working with the tournament director Steve Timms to determine which charity (or charities) will receive monies.

Again, a huge *thumbs up* to Paul and Jocelyn. Good on ya.

[Via: PGATour]

Caught on Camera: Augusta National Covered in Thick Blanket of Snow

by James on February 23, 2010 in News, Courses with No comments

Uh oh. Say it ain’t so! The hallowed grounds of Augusta National were doused with a somewhat thick blanket of snow when the southern blizzard hit… 4 to 6 inches of snow to be exact! If the Masters’ were to start tomorrow, I’d have to put my money on anyone playing the new Srixon Z-STAR X Tour Yellow ball. Would be much easier to spot in the snow 🙂

For more amazing images taken by someone over at Augusta National (perhaps a member or one of the greens crew?), head on over to JimGolfRank.com.

Amazing stuff!

Note: Pictured above is a view of the 16th hole from behind the green.

Commissioner Finchem Taking the Heat Over Woods Apology

by James on February 21, 2010 in News with No comments

PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem made an apology today. One that many players will undoubtedly appreciate. Coming under fire for not letting the field know ahead of time that Woods would be taking center stage, Finchem commented ‘It’s just a screw-up on my part’.

Many of the players taking part in the World Golf Championships – Accenture Match Play Championship this week took exception to Woods making his first public appearance at the event. They felt the public apology was ‘selfish’, and it served as a somewhat major distraction. I can only imagine how distracting it would be… However, I thought these were ‘Professional’ golfers, right? Should they not be able to handle any situation and put it out of mind? C’mon boys, lets be professional. I mean, you’re only making millions of dollars to play a game we all love… Let Tiger say his part and move on, OK?

Whatever the case, Finchem’s timely apology to the field was no doubt appreciated… Especially when you consider how quick Finchem was to act and apologize. Woods’ could learn something from the commish here, me thinks 🙂

[Via: PGATour]

Please Pardon Our Dust… GolfCrunch.com is Launching Soon!

by James on February 21, 2010 in News with No comments

Please pardon our dust here at GolfCrunch.com… but we’re just getting started! If you haven’t already, make sure you follow us @GolfCrunchLive on Twitter, and bookmark GolfCrunch.com in your web browsers. Lots of great things are coming to the site, and we’ll keep you posted.

Stay tuned to this space for all sorts of news, reviews, editorials, contests and more… all about the game we love… GOLF!

If you have any questions or have an urge to join our editorial staff, feel free to drop us a line at info AT GolfCrunch dot com.

All the best… and we’ll see you in the clubhouse.

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