My Top 3 Picks To Win the British Open

When pondering over three players I believe will have the best chance winning the Open this week, I have picked a favorite, middle of the pack and a dark horse who I believe one of the three have an excellent chance of becoming the next Open Champion. My picks are based off of odds, current player rankings, past performances in the British Open and recent success this season, also known as a hot streak.

My Favorite- Luke Donald is coming off of a 9 under final round score of 63 to win the Scottish open last week. Do not forget that he is also the #1 ranked player in the world, not Rory McIlory. I think Donald will be very successful this week in effort to prove naysayers wrong. Luke claims himself as half Scottish, half British. He has already won the scottish, now its time to complete the rest of his heritage and win the British. Look for Donald and McIlroy to exchange blows until the last putt is made on Sunday.

Middle of the Pack- Y.E Yang has been a contender in every major championship over the past couple of years, every major championship except for the British Open. Yang's best finish in the Open is T-60th, I believe he will change this around and be competitive all week with a chance to win on Sunday. In 2009 Yang won the PGA over someone with the name of Tiger. In 2010 he tied for 8th in the Masters  and this year he tied for 3rd in the U.S Open. No asian has ever won the Open Championship, history has to change eventually!

The Dark Horse- Ryan Moore always seems to be under the radar. Moore has had a very solid year thus far, recording three top 10 finishes and a runner up finish at the Travelers Championship a few weeks ago. I have always liked Ryan's game, he is a great putter and he controls his approach shots very well. These could be the two keys this week in distinguishing the players who are successful and those who are not.

Luke Looking for First Major

After his victory this past week at the Scottish Open, Luke Donald is full steam ahead to the British Open at Royal St. George's. Donald has been the number one player in the world for seven weeks now and is looking to finally scratch his name off of the players yet to win a major list. After the U.S Open blood bath, Rory McIlroy is the overwhelming favorite to win the British. We cannot forget about #1, Luke Donald who has been known for being an artist and musician away from the golf course. Look for Luke to paint a perfect picture along with creating a symphony of beautiful sounding harmony amongst the home crowd this week in route to hoisting his first major trophy.

Donald describes himself as half British, half Scottish since his father is originally from Scotland. Well what could be a more perfect two weeks for Luke than winning both of his home countries championships and further sealing his #1 world ranking, Rory who? No player has ever won the Scottish and the British in back to back weeks, look for Donald to make this stat rubbish!

Has a New Era of Golf Arrived?

Going in to the final round of the 111^th U.S Open, Rory McIlroy and everyone else knew it would have taken every bit of a complete meltdown disaster for him to not walk away with his first major. It is a little unbelievable that the last two U.S Open champions both hail from the small country of Northern Ireland, this might be something we should get use to seeing in the near future. McIlory’s talents are endless and he is believed to be by most of his golfing colleagues, the best player on tour. Graeme McDowell believes Rory is the best player he has ever seen! That statement might be a little biased and over the top being that McDowell and McIlory are fellow countrymen, but we all have to believe that Rory is the next best young talent to take over the game at twenty-two years of age. Could his eight shot dominating victory at Congressional Country Club lead to a new era of golf, as we know it? If so, how will this next step affect the fans of American golf without a figure such as Tiger Woods? These questions will all be answered if the trend of International domination continues in the game of golf, which we all need to believe it will.

Even though McIlroy thoroughly impressed everyone tuning in this past week, television ratings were down 26 percent compared to last years U.S Open at Pebble Beach when Tiger Woods was in contention. Johnny Miller said that the atmosphere on Sunday felt like a European Tour event being broadcasted on the Golf Channel. This comparison leads us to believe that without Tiger, the average American fan is uninterested. Hopefully this trend does not progress in the future and soon enough an American superhero or group of them will bring us back to the game we all grew to love. Don’t be alarmed because the young American talent is apparent and once they can develop the attitude to become a champion just as Jack and Tiger did, the U.S. will be able to compete on an International stage. Until then we should get used to seeing our fellow countrymen on the bottom page of the leader board.

New York Week #1

        When I think of one word that comes to mind about my first week in New York City it has to be, Overwhelming. Overwhelming is a word that can sometimes be taken negatively, but in my case it is nothing but positive. Coming from smaller environments, such as Tulsa and Oxford, I have always wanted to experience the big city life. It has not been long enough for me to develop the attitude of a new yorker but I think with time I will be cussing and hollering with the best of them, maybe I will even develop the classic New York accent, pronouncing coffee as "cawffee." One thing I know I wont develop is a love for the Yankees, sorry but the Phillies will always be my team.
        My first week has consisted of many things that I never thought I could accomplish in under one week. The first night was a little sketchy, since Hayden (my girlfriend) and I are new to this whole big city atmosphere we decided it would be a marvelous idea to just walk aimlessly from our apartment in hopes to find a semi-nice restaurant where we could eat. It turns out that we walked straight in to the spanish Harlem area, in the midst of darkness. I guess we should have just ate at the Subway below our apartment.
        Our next night was our first time for us to go out in the city, with a few friends we knew from home. After a long night of drinking at multiple pre-game locations (people apparently don't go out until midnight in New York) we decided to call the night over with after seeing a girl projectile vomiting outside the club we were about to go in to. Needless to say it sort of ruined our night, oh well I think I ended up spending thirty-five dollars on two drinks, it was a blessing in disguise.
        The Subway system in New York should just be called a Labyrinth of disgustingness. Already being someone who is extremely claustrophobic and easily grossed out by everything, taking the subway to work everyday might be very interesting (tune in to see what happens). I work at the Time-Life building which is right across the street from Radio City Music Hall. The building is amazing and my office is on the 32nd floor. I am interning for Golf Magazine, which is an absolute dream job for me. On my second day of work I went to a Rickie Fowler photo shoot with the company and met him along with the president of Puma. They were all really nice and down to earth. I was given a Rickie Fowler Puma golf shirt, which was as my father would call it, loud.
        Everything is coming at me a hundred miles per hour but I absolutely love it and wouldn't trade this lifestyle for anything. Tonight, Hayden and I are going to the Yankees/Sox game where we get to see old knuckleballer, Timmy Wakefield take on the home town favorites. It should be a good game even though Teixeira wont be playing. See you all next week.

Relief Efforts After Deadly Tornado

Tuscaloosa, Alabama was the scene of a tragic thunderstorm that took the life of at least 32 people. The mile long tornado carried winds reaching up to two hundred mph, and left everything in its path completely destroyed. Brittany Shields, a student at the University of Mississippi, was left worrying about her boyfriend, a resident of Tuscaloosa.

“It took me so long to come in to contact with him, which left me very concerned,” said Shields.

Although Mark lost his home and his vehicle, he and his roommates were unharmed, except for a few cuts and bruises. Not the same can be said for others, the tornado caused 195 deaths in the state of Alabama, 32 in Tuscaloosa. Many were left homeless and unable to acquire food. Good Morning America Video

On Wednesday April 27^th, President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency for the search and rescue responses in Alabama. Danielle Schlegelmilch, a Red Cross employee, was immediately on the scene following the terrible twister. The American Red Cross provided relief for those left without their home. The Red Cross is also distributing relief supplies and providing emotional support for the victims. Over 1500 people have sought refuge in the Red Cross shelters across Alabama.  The American Red Cross                    

Danielle stated, “We will be here to provide aid until we are no longer needed, we still have a lot of work left to do.”

While relief efforts seem to be put in place, precautions for severe storms such as these are not always taken seriously. At the University of Mississippi, classes were not cancelled; causing students to believe the threat was not serious. Precautions need to be taken to allow a safe environment for all.

“After witnessing what happened to the University of Alabama, we all should take things more seriously and take the proper precautions necessary,” said Shields.

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The Gulf Shores are Clean Once Again

              

            The BP oil spill was the largest accidental marine spill in the history of the petroleum industry. Since this accident, Gulf Shores, Al was hit majorly from the lack of tourists in the area. Rental homes were left inhabited for most of the past eight months.

Well worry no longer, the white sandy beaches are back to normal. Almost all of the sand in the thirty-two mile stretch of beaches was scooped up before being put threw a giant sifter. Once the sand was cleaned it was placed back in the same location, almost like a giant kitty litter.

Jackson Gilmore, a local from the coast said, “I think the beach looks better now than it has ever before.” “I have never seen the sand so white!”

The local businesses are pleased to hear that everything is back to normal if not better than before the oil spill. The Gulf Shores attract many travelers during spring break; the timing couldn’t appear to be any better. Restaurants and other businesses are expected a large revenue during next weeks spring break period.

Gilmore said he plans to head back home for spring break and work as a waiter and bartender at the Dog House Grille, a job he has held for a few years.

“I am excited to be home making money during this spring break, instead of spending all of it.”

Gilmore believes that the number of vacationers will be back to normal once again after being down 15% last summer. New, white sandy beaches make the Gulf shores a great place to visit for a cheaper price than most spring break vacations. Brian McCarthy, a student at the University of Mississippi has plans to visit the coast and all of the new things it has to offer over spring break next week.

“The Coast couldn’t be in better condition at a better time.”

Whoever thought the Gulf would repair from this disaster so fast? The largest marine spill in history has been cleaned up and the sandy, white beaches are ready for reopening. If you are looking for a great, affordable location for family travel, Gulf Shores is the place to visit.

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