Sunday, September 1, 2013

Twiter Mirror proves big hit at PGA Championship


Twiter Mirror proves big hit at PGA Championship

PGA.COM August 6, 2013







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Zach Johnson and Lee Westwood are just two of the player enjoying the Twitter Mirror()



One of the innovative ways that the PGA Championship is bringing major championship golf closer to the fans is the use of a special "Twitter Mirror". This unique device actually comes from Twitter and has been used at many high-profile events including the Oscars, Grammys, the NBA All-Star game and The French Open just to name a few.

The concept is simple. A special set up of the Twitter Mirror is positioned in a high trafficed area and let the players take over. The screen (which has a reflective surface (thus, the Mirror)) has branding on it much like the finished photo so the players know how their image will appear. A countdown clock then begins and as it hits zero, the image is snapped. Upon approval, a "tweet it" button is pressed, and the image goes live via the PGA.com Twitter handle.

Though it's the week of a major, the players seem to be enjoying sharing smiles and some fun to break the tension early in the week. Many have asked that we include their twitter handles as part of the outgoing tweet. Of course, we're happy to oblige.

Come Thursday morning, the business will be all about golf and chasing the Wanamaker Trophy. But for early in the week, it's refreshing to see the players still able to have some fun and give us a sneak peek into their personalities and more social side.

You can see all the Twitter Mirror pictures by following us on Twitter at @PGA_com

or you can see them via our Facebook album at our Facebook page.

Shaun Micheel: The epitome of one-and-done


Shaun Micheel: The epitome of one-and-done


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DOUG FERGUSON (AP Golf Writer) August 6, 2013AP - Sports








PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP) -- The press room at Oak Hill looked the same as it did 10 years ago to Shaun Micheel, with a few notable exceptions.

The Wanamaker Trophy was gone.

The empty chairs outnumbered reporters by a 5-to-1 margin.

And it was the wrong day of the week.

''I wish it wasn't Tuesday,'' he said, settling into a chair to talk about the memories of his PGA Championship victory a decade ago at Oak Hill.

The final major of the year feels more like a reunion to Micheel. He brought his wife and two children - the oldest was three months from being born when he won - along with his wife's parents. Micheel was trying to figure out a way to get them inside the ropes so they could follow his amazing footsteps in 2003, all the way to that 7-iron on the 18th hole that stopped 2 inches from the cup and sealed his win.


''I'm anxious to show them where I had one piece of history, I guess,'' he said.

It's his only piece of history.

''One and done'' takes on a new meaning when it comes to Micheel. He is among 54 players since 1970 who have only one major championship. What puts Micheel in a league of his own is that since 1970, he is the only player whose major remains his only victory.

And he hasn't been particularly close. The only other time since Oak Hill that Micheel was in a press room on Sunday was at the 2006 PGA Championship at Medinah. He was runner-up that year to Tiger Woods by five shots.

''Had you told me that when I hoisted that trophy on Sunday night ... if somebody had whispered in my ear that you're going to become a non-exempt player on the tour, and you're going to be a non-exempt player on the Web.com Tour, I would have told you that you were crazy,'' he said. ''Or thought I was dead or retired.''

Micheel had the lowest ranking (No. 169) of any player to win the PGA Championship. He had gone 163 tournaments without winning until the PGA Championship. He has gone 215 tournaments since then.
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Phil Mickelson, right, greets Shaun Micheel between press conferences at the PGA Championship golf t …


''It's amazing, no doubt about it,'' Hunter Mahan said. ''It is surprising not to win again. You would figure he'd always go back to that win and figure out what he did that week, from a mental or physical perspective, and find that.''

To be sure, it's been a frustrating ride for Micheel, some of that out of his control.

He was diagnosed with low testosterone in 2005, and said he had to go through hoops to get a therapeutic use exemption from the PGA Tour when drug testing began in 2008. Then he had surgery on his left shoulder that affected his swing. Even now, he can't get his arm in the same position it once was.

Micheel wishes he had taken more time away to let his shoulder heal, but he kept his perspective. There are no free rides on the PGA Tour. And he's not the only player who had to cope with an injury. Andy North's career was hampered by 13 surgeries.

''A lot of guys can relate some personal stories that affected the way you do you work,'' he said. ''Unfortunately, I'm so exposed out there and everything that I do - good or bad - it's out there to be dissected.''

The record shows one win in 378 starts on the PGA Tour. And it happened to be a major championship.
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Shaun Micheel speaks during a news conference at the PGA Championship golf tournament at Oak Hill Co …


Does that say more about Micheel or the PGA Championship?

''Anyone on tour can win one of these if they have a good week,'' Geoff Ogilvy said. ''It's probably the best field, isn't it? I guess it says that every player in the field who players for a living can win this tournament.''

Ogilvy, however, touched on another point that speaks to those other 377 tournaments Micheel played.

''It's really, really hard to win regular tournaments,'' he said.

This major once had a reputation of producing first-time winners, none more surprising than a PGA Tour rookie named John Daly, who got in as the ninth alternate at Crooked Stick in 1991. During one stretch, 18 players won the PGA Championship in a 19-year stretch until Tiger Woods repeated in 2000.

Micheel's name stands out among the list of PGA champions. But so does the way he won.
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Shaun Micheel speaks during a news conference at the PGA Championship golf tournament at Oak Hill Co …


You might not know much about Micheel, but there is no forgetting the shot. With a one-shot lead over Chad Campbell, he was in the first cut of rough from 175 yards out when he hit a 7-iron that stopped 2 inches from dropping into the cup.

But it was more than just that one shot. What often gets overlooked is that Micheel was atop the leaderboard the entire weekend and didn't flinch. He shot a 68 in the second round for a two-shot lead, added a 69 to share the lead with Campbell, and closed with a 70.

''It tells me he's a tough guy,'' Mahan said. ''And that he wasn't afraid of the big moment.''

Micheel is aware of the ''one-hit wonder'' chatter and he doesn't fight it. He doesn't have as many wins as Lee Westwood, Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia or even Mahan or Brandt Snedeker. But that one trophy he has is a big one, and he wouldn't trade it.

''I'm happy with my place in history,'' he said.

What would a player rather have on his career record? Eight wins and no major, or one major as his only win? Woods had both in 1999 - one major among his eight wins - but he doesn't dismiss Micheel's win in the PGA Championship.

''He's going to go down in history as a major championship winner. That just puts you automatically into another category,'' Woods said. ''These are the biggest events with the most pressure, the best fields on the most difficult courses. On top of that, hell, he hit one of the greatest shots you've ever seen on 18 to finish it off.''

Micheel returned to Oak Hill on Sunday and stopped by the marker just left of the fairway that commemorates his shot.

''There were two guys standing there, and I wanted to hit a 6-iron,'' Micheel said. ''But they wouldn't let me hit a 6, so I had a 7 and came up 10 yards short of the green.''

Six darkhorses who just might win this week


Six darkhorses who just might win this week

PGA.COM August 6, 2013







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Jordan Spieth, at age 20, could become one of golf's youngest major champions.(Getty Images)


By Stan Awtrey, PGA.com Contributor

PITTSFORD, N.Y. - Ten years ago Shaun Micheel became one of the biggest longshots to win a major championshipwhen he claimed the PGA Championship at Oak Hill. It was the first - and only - victory of Micheel's career.

Plenty of other players facing long odds have won the PGA Championship, too. The list over the last 20 years includes Mark Brooks in 1996, Rich Beem in 2002 and Y.E. Yang in 2009. Even the wins by Martin Kaymer in 2010 at Whistling Straits and Keegan Bradley in 2011 at the Atlanta Athletic Club could be considered surprising.

So can another darkhorse shock the world this week at Oak Hill, or will the vintage Donald Ross design reward someone with more experience?

"They say that you have to be able to putt to win a major championship," said first-time PGA Championship participant Scott Brown. "But I think this week, the player who wins will be the guy who is the best ball-striker. This is a ball-striker's course. If you can't do that and keep it in the fairway, it's going to be tough."


Brown was finishing a practice round with Zach Johnson, who was a longshot when he won the Masters in 2007. The odds on Brown would be equally long; he's exempt on the PGA Tour for the first time and won the Puerto Rico Open in his second start of the season. He's fresh from the British Open, his first major, where he missed the cut.

Brown isn't the only longshot this week, though. Here are five guys who most would be surprised to see holding the Wanamaker Trophy on Sunday evening, but who just might accomplish this major feat:

Jordan Spieth: He's already got one victory this year, but the idea of a 20-year-old winning a major championship is hard to grasp. Still, Spieth has been among the top 10 in three of his last six events. In addition to winning the John Deere Classic, he played well at Colonial and Congressional, two difficult venues.

Boo Weekley: The popular Floridian ended a five-year winless drought this year with his victory at the Crowne Plaza Invitational. Weekley has one top-10 and two top-25s in four appearances in the PGA Championship.

Jimmy Walker: He played well at the PGA Championship at year ago at Kiawah, where he tied for 21st, his best finish in a major. He's had a consistently good year, making the cut in 16 of 19 events, with nine top-25 finishes.

Peter Uihlein: The former Oklahoma State All-American left school early and joined the European Tour. He won the Madeira Islands Open in May and earned a full exemption there. He's coming off a tie for 10th at the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open.

Gary Woodland: He was the last player to get into the PGA Championship field, thanks to his victory at the Reno-Tahoe Open. The long-hitting Kansan has made the cut in both previous appearances at the season's final major, including a tie for 12th at the Atlanta Athletic Club in 2011.

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