Young guns rising on PGA Tour

CROMWELL — It happens all the time, in every professional sport. One generation passes the baton to the next, allowing it to finally have its time in the spotlight. Golf is no exception.

Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods — despite his injuries and slump — are the leaders of this generation, but their grips have become somewhat loose. The next wave of players, just as Mickelson and Woods once were, are standing in the wings, waiting to grab away that Sunday afternoon starring role as the PGA Tour comes to TPC River Highlands this week for the Travelers Championship.

The young guns include guys like Rickie Fowler and Anthony Kim, Brendan Steele and Jhonattan Vegas, Gary Woodland and Charl Schwartzel, Keegan Bradley and Dustin Johnson, Martin Laird and Rory McIlory.

And the list goes on and on and on.

Welcome to the world of the 20-somethings, golf’s new kids on the block. Players with big games and a maturity far beyond their years.

Already in 2011, six players in their 20′s, have won on the PGA Tour.

Schwartzel, just 26, won the Masters in April. Vegas, 26 won the Bob Hope Classic. Laird, 28, captured the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Woodland, 27, won the Transitions Championship. Steele, 28, won the Valero Texas Open, and Bradley, 24, took the Byron Nelson Championship.

And that’s just the tip of the Tour iceberg.

Louis Oosthuizen, 28, won the 2010 British Open, Bill Haas, 29, is the defending champion of the Viking Classic. Johnson, 26, won four Tour events last season. And although he hasn’t won (yet), Fowler, at the ripe old age of 22, already has two second-place finishes on his brief resume.

“I think the future is in good hands in the game of golf,” McIlroy said at the Masters. “Rickie (Fowler) has just turned 22, I’m 21, Jason (Day, who won the 2010 Byron Nelson Championship) is 23. You know, very early stages of our careers, and to be challenging in maj or championships already, it’s a huge step in the right direction, and hopefully we can only get better.”

And they are. McIlroy, for example, is making a formidable bid to win the U.S. Open this weekend in Bethesda, Md.

GREATER UNDERSTANDING

“Everyone’s just getting better and better from a younger age,” Adam Scott said at the Masters. “There’s so much more being put into the sport of golf from all aspects that you need: physical, mental. Everyone is understanding how to prepare better and everyone is really hungry and passionate for it. I think we are going to keep seeing crops of young guys popping up. Every generation learns from the one before.”

And boy, are these guys learning. In January, Vegas — in just his fifth professional start and second as a Tour member — won the Bob Hope in a playoff against two other 20-somethings, Haas and Woodland. Two months later, Woodland erased that playoff loss with a one-shot win at the Transitions. Not bad for someone who had just started playing the game eight years ago.

The next week, Laird won the Arnold Palmer — beating both Phil and Tiger in the process — and then it was Schwartzel’s turn, birdieing the last four holes at Augusta to win the Green Jacket.

Steele then won the Texas Open in April, and in late May at the Byron Nelson, Bradley, the nephew of LPGA Hall of Famer Pat Bradley, captured his first victory in a playoff, the fourth Tour rookie to win so far in 2011.

“I think it has a lot to do with the Nationwide Tour. That really trains us well,” Bradley said in a phone call last week. “We’re ready to come up on the PGA Tour and contend right away.

“If you notice, a lot of the guys that have won are Nationwide Tour graduates, and I think that plays a big part of it. The Nationwide Tour does everything the PGA Tour does but on a smaller scale. It’s the closest you can come to getting prepared for the PGA Tour. It teaches you how to travel, how to deal with a caddy, the pro-ams, all the corporate stuff. It prepares you as best it can. Nothing can prepare you for what the PGA Tour brings, but it’s the closest you can come.”

“Obviously there are a lot of great young players right now and we’re all playing really well,” Dustin Johnson said at the Byron Nelson in May.

In just his fourth full year on Tour, Johnson has four wins and 19 top-10 finishes, earning over $11 million. Right behind him are a bunch of other rising stars, led by the 22-year-old McIlory, who held a four-shot lead after three rounds of the Masters before a disastrous 80 on the final day cost him a Green Jacket. Still, last season, he won at Quail Hollow and finished T3 at both the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship, and no one was close to his first two sparkling rounds at the 2011 U.S. Open.

Fowler, also 22, has two top 10s and seven top-25 finishes already in 2011.

A YOUNGER BUZZ

Even PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said in a December 2010 teleconference, when asked about looking ahead to 2011, that the 20-somethings were looking strong.

“I’ve never in my tenure seen so much buzz and interest about rookies and young players creating exciting performances,” Finchem said.

Bradley, Vegas and 2007 Travelers Champion Hunter Mahan — who seems like a seasoned veteran at age 29 — are in the 2011 Travelers field, along with Kim, Laird and Steele.

“You kind of make yourself into a household name and you got to start somewhere.” Steele said at the Texas Open in April.

For the moment, the regular household names aren’t really even being talked about like these cardiac kids are. Woods, now 35, isn’t even playing as he battles a troubling left knee injury and an ongoing Achilles problem. He hasn’t won since 2009. Sergio Garcia, 31, hasn’t won since 2008 and has just one win since 2005. Davis Love III, 47, hasn’t won since 2008, and John Daly, 45, hasn’t won since 2004. Ernie Els, 41, has just three wins since 2005, and Vijay Singh, 48, also hasn’t won since 2009.

Only Mickelson, who just turned 41, has a solid 2011 resume, winning the Shell Houston Open in April.

“I think you go through cycles. I think you go through cycles of players that are really good players,” Jack Nicklaus said at the Memorial. “The McIlroys and the Fowlers and the (Jason) Days, these young kids, all of a sudden, they say, `Hey, I can do that.’ “

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Royal Travel: Kate Middleton and Prince William to Tour US & Canada

On their first day in the States, the twosome will meet technology entrepreneurs at the Beverly Hilton hotel and spend some time with prominent California politicians.

Saturday, July 9 kicks off with a Santa Barbara based charity polo match where the Prince plays and Kate hands out prizes.

William is the president of BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) and he will attend a black tie gala dinner on Saturday night at L.A.’s Belasco Theatre in support of the organization.

Sunday, day three of their U.S. tour, is more serious with charity work coming to the fore. It begins at Tusk USA, an organization that raises money for African wildlife. Then, it’s over to Inner-City Arts, a local program focusing on using art to help disadvantaged and homeless children.  Their final event is for military veterans and families at Sony Pictures Studios.

While the couple is sure to be photographed together across the continent, the Royals will not be coming alone.  They’ll travel with an entourage of seven schedulers and assistants, and the palace has taken measures to ensure the Duchess will look her best while dashing across the continent and hob-nobbing with Hollywood royalty!

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Michigan tour bus company shut down after 6 people travel in luggage compartment

By
Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 8:13 AM on 13th June 2011

A Michigan tour bus company has been ordered to cease operations after six people were found in the luggage compartment of a travelling coach – complete with mattresses and pillows.

The driver told police there wasn’t enough room in the passenger compartment for a 235 mile journey to northern Ohio.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s shutdown order for Haines Tours of Gladwin called the company’s operations an ‘imminent hazard’.

Dangerous: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s shutdown order for Haines Tours of Gladwin called the company’s operations an ‘imminent hazard’

According to the order, an Ohio State Highway Patrol officer found six of 62 passengers in the luggage area during an inspection of the bus, en route from Roscommon, Michigan to Clyde, Ohio on May 27.

The order, which named Haines Tours and Roger Haines, read: ‘Based upon your present state of unacceptable safety compliance regarding the unauthorized transportation of passengers in the cargo area of your motorcoaches, your motor carrier operations substantially increase the likelihood of serious injury or death if not discontinued immediately.’

Long journey: The driver told police there wasn’t enough room in the passenger compartment for a 235 mile trek to northern Ohio

It is not the first time the company has been caught using the luggage compartment for unauthorised purposes.

In August 2010, Haines Tours was
cited for using the luggage carrier as a sleeper berth for drivers.

The order continued: ‘Despite being warned in August, 2010 that it cannot transport people in the luggage compartment of its buses in violation of federal regulations, it continues to place people in the luggage compartment.’

Officials said the company would be permitted to resume operations after outlining the cause of its
non-compliance and how it plans to comply with safety regulations in the future.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in a statement: ‘People’s lives were needlessly placed at risk.

‘Safety is everyone’s responsibility and it begins with practising common sense. That means not putting human beings in cargo holds.’

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Official National Baseball Hall of Fame Travel Company: Sports Travel and …

Hatfield, MA (PRWEB) June 08, 2011

Sports Travel and Tours www.sportstravelandtours.com, founded in 1996, is the official travel company for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and a preferred travel supplier for many AAA offices nationwide. Sports Travel and Tours announces the beginning of its annual series of baseball road trips, where participants experience first hand, the excitement of Major League games in new, popular and historic stadiums around the country and in Canada.

“Our exclusive partnership with the National Baseball Hall of Fame allows us to design exceptional trips that no other tour operator can offer,” states Jay Smith, president of Sports Travel and Tours. “A unique aspect of our tours is the exclusive opportunity for participants who have visited all of the Big League stadiums, to be inducted into the Stadium Hall of Fame in a gala, all star ceremony in Cooperstown New York. We are the only organization in the world, to offer this distinction to baseball enthusiasts.”

Highlights of 2011 baseball season trips and events include:

Baseball Road Trips – From April to August and from East Coast to West Coast, Sports Travel and Tours offers multi-city, hosted tours that combine games with opportunities for sightseeing. A child, 17 and under can travel free with parents or guardians, on a 2011 Baseball Road Trip

Hall of Fame Classic Weekend – June 18-19: Seven Hall of Famers and 20 other former major league players take to Doubleday Field for a game of legendary stars in this annual Father’s Day Weekend event. The Weekend will feature family-friendly events and a golf fundraiser for the Museum.

2011 Baseball All-Star Game – Chase Field – Phoenix, AZ, July 12, 2011

See these Future Hall of Famers in Action at the All Star Game.

2011 Baseball Hall of Fame Weekend – National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum – Cooperstown, NY, July 22-24, 2011. Class of 2011: Cooperstown welcomes second baseman Roberto Alomar, pitcher Bert Blyleven and baseball executive and general manager Pat Gillick. More than 50 Hall of Fame members make the annual trip to Cooperstown to be part of this special weekend.

Baseball Hall of Fame Museum – Cooperstown, New York, where baseball’s rich history is preserved and the game’s greats are honored. Trips are available at any time throughout the year.

World Series Gala – Late October (date TBD) Enjoy the excitement of this Fall Classic at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, NY.

Now, baseball fans can have access to world class games and all-star events. Packaged tours and customized VIP programs with front-row seats and gala pre-post game parties are also available for individuals and groups. For more information about Sports Travel and Tours, please visit: www.sportstravelandtours.com.

About Sports Travel and Tours:

Sports Travel and Tours has been providing unique motor coach tours that combine exciting Major League baseball games with opportunities to visit memorable attractions and destinations around the USA and Canada. The company also offers packaged and customized tours that provide participants with opportunities to experience virtually any sporting event, as their slogan is: “Any Game Any Place Any Time.” For more information or to arrange an interview contact Annemarie Osborne Annemarie.Osborne@gmail.com or Teresa Weybrew teresa@sportstravelandtours.com or call (413) 247-7678, or visit www.sportstravelandtours.com.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2011/6/prweb8548899.htm

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NH has new photography tour

The tour is categorized by the state’s seven different tourism regions, beginning in the Seacoast. The first stop is Strawberry Banke, Portsmouth, where visitors can experience life in the 17th century. In the Merrimack Valley Region, the Ponemah Bog Preserve in Amherst sits on over 75 acres. The Monadnock Region offers views at Tucker Brook Town Forest in Milford.

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