The Golf Insiders

Holly G s in the studio with Rich B and special guest Phillip Jaffe, PGA Member/Teaching Professional and Designer of Palmbird Putter Grips. The duo talks about Sergio Garcia's Monday finish with his new caddy.

Bob Harig, ESPN.com, calls in and talks about Sergio Garcia's long overdue win at the Wyndham Championship. Bob had actually picked Sergio to win. The trio also talk about the upcoming Ryder Cup selections for Davis Love III. Furyk, Stricker, and maybe Hunter Mahan and Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler or Brandt Snedeker. Bob also talks about the FedEx Cup Playoffs and how it keeps the top players around after the PGA Championship whereas before the FedEx Cup, players were very sporadic where they played or if they even played the rest of the year.

Bob and Holly also talk about how they might improve the FedEx Cup playoffs so that it is a lot easy to understand.  Bob says its hard for the players to know where they stand let alone the fans know who is winning.

Holly and Rich B talk about the upcoming World Amateur Handicap Golf Championship in Myrtle Beach, S.C. with Chris King. More than 3,000 golfers from all 50 states and more than 20 foreign countries vie to become world champion. The largest and most fun-filled amateur golf tournament on the planet was first played back in 1984 with 684 participants. The tournament is played on approximately 60 different Myrtle Beach area courses, including several Top 100 public layouts, and each flight plays a different course each day. www.worldamgolf.com

Phillip Jaffe, PGA Member/Teaching Professional and Designer of Palmbird Putter Grips keeps the club head online and helps you make a lot of short putts. It is designed after the bird of paradise flower. The PalmBird’s Design, covers a larger surface area in your palms, which allows the putting stroke to be initiated from the shoulders instead of the hands and wrists and is naturally back weighted.

Jeff Shain, Orlando Sentinel, calls in to talk to Rich B and Holly G about Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore being accepted as members at Augusta National.  Jeff talks with the team about the two-year vetting process to get accepted as a member.  Jeff also gives his thoughts about The Barclays and the rest of the Playoffs for the FedEx Cup.

Holly will be at the World Am in Myrtle Beach doing the Golf Insiders Show.

Holly G and Rich Bianco are in the studio and are joined on the phone by Bob Harrig, ESPN.com. The trio talks about Rory McIlroy's big win at the PGA Championship. Bob and Rich talk about the huge European showing at the PGA Championship with most of the Top 10 finishers being European. Bob and Holly also talk about Tiger and Rory.

Bob Baldassari, Senior Director of Player Development, PGA of America, calls in and talks about the PGA Championship and everything else that went on at Kiawah Island Resort (Ocean), Kiawah Island, South Carolina during the week of the PGA Championship. Bob also talks about the upcoming events for the Juniors and growing the game of golf. The PGA of America comprises 27,000 men and women professionals with one singular goal in mind - to make the game of golf more enjoyable for you. Bob also talks about beginner golfers and the It's Okay rules that make it more fun for golfers who are just starting out to use until they learn the game.

Todd Lewis, the Golf Channel, calls in from Greensboro to talk to Holly and Rich B about golf . Todd talks about Rory's big win and how effortlessly he seemed to play over the weekend. Todd also talks about the spotlight now being more on Rory much as it has been on Tiger for years. Todd discusses the changes to the greens at the Wyndham Championship, Sedgefield Country Club, Greensboro, North Carolina and how the greens will be a lot faster than they were in the past and how that will affect the scoring.

Jeff Shain, Orlando Sentinel, calls in to talk to Holly and Rich about Rory's win. Jeff talks about the horrendous traffic backup issues in the South Carolina area around the PGA Championship. Jeff talks about the young talent on the Ryder Cup and that Davis Love III has to pick some veterans ... like Stricker and Furyk.

Jeff Babineau, Golfweek Editor, wraps up the show with his thoughts about the PGA Championship and the redesigned Golfweek.com web site.

Holly G is joined in the studio by Michael Jamison, International Network of Golf, Sean Gorgone, PGA Class A Pro.

Todd Lewis, the Golf Channel, calls in from S.C. to talk about the PGA Championship and the changes to the grass and the wind that surrounds the course and how it affects the play. Todd also comments that this is the longest golf course. Holly asks Todd who he thinks will do well at the event and how the play of some of the players play of lately will affect them.

Mike Jamison talks with Todd about the fact that players are ready to play once they leave the Web.com Tour, like Keegan Bradley is doing. Todd also mentions that Tiger is not as formidable as he has been in the past where players didn't think they could beat him. Todd also mentions a heated debate segment upcoming on the Golf Channel about the status of Anchoring the Putter.

Jeff Shain, Orlando Sentinel, calls in from S.C and updates everyone on the weather and how much rain has been falling in the area and how it may affect the tournament. Jeff discusses Tiger's putting and how it is improving of late. Holly and Jeff review Furyk's collapse and failure to close the deal at the Bridgestone Invitational where Keegan Bradley walked away with the tournament title. Jeff feels like Dustin Johnson to win the PGA Championship.

Dr Bob Winters, calls in and talks about what it takes to get in the right state of mind to play golf. Bob mentions that it is 72 holes of golf and nothing is over until the end of the tournament. You have to keep playing until the game is over and you can't really try to protect the green. Jim Furyk shot a 69 but Bradley shot a 64 to win.

Sean asks Dr. Bob about Tiger. Dr. Bob feels that Tiger needs to take it one play at a time and go back to his basic mental fundamentals. That is how he won so many championships and if he wants to beat Jack's record, Tiger needs to go back to the mental basics and he can do it. Dr. Bob Winters is teaching out of the David Leadbetter Academy and can be reached online at www.DrBobWinters.com.

Bob Harig, ESPN.com, calls in to talk to the team about the weather at Kiawah Island Resort (Ocean), Kiawah Island, South Carolina. Bob discusses the player's take on the golf course there and how most have been very complimentary so far about the cours. Bob feels that may change depending upon the weather as the tournament gets underway.

Holly asks Bob if there is someone flying under the radar who might step to the front and win the PGA Championship? So much parody on the Tour of late.

Host Holly G and special guest host Jay Golden, teaching Pro at Winter Pines Golf Course in Winter Park are in the studio talking golf.  Jay talks about the problem with Tiger's putting and leaving it short. Jay talks about Dave Pelz and his numerous experiments on putting. Pelz's conclusion was that you need to hit a putt with the speed enough to roll past the hole 18 inches. Why were some many putts coming up short?

Bob Harig, ESPN.com, calls in from Akron, site of the upcoming World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational and talks about his article on Adam Scott and how he is doing after his Open Championship collapse.  Bob and Jay also talk about the equipment in today's game and how it has changed over the years. Holly and Bob also discuss the last major of the season, the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island's Ocean Course. The conditions and how Tiger and others may fare?

Jeff Babineau, Editor of Golfweek, calls in and talks about Scott Piercy's ability to outlast the field at the RBC Canadian Open.  Jay and Jeff talk about how a major championship should test the player's entire game. Jeff talks about Tiger's conservative approach at the last Major.

Holly asks Jeff about the potential upcoming ban on anchoring the putter to your body. Jeff mentions that it's legal at the time according to the rules. Some players are made to feel like they are doing something illegal when they are not. Jeff mentions that he feels that if it keeps people in the game that they should allow it. The trio also talk about Jeff's article on Adam Scott and Stevie Williams getting together after Adam Scott lost the Open and discussing the results.

Jeff Shain, Orlando Sentinel, calls in from the Bridgestone to talk to Holly and Jay. Jeff explains what the World Golf Championships are about. It was designed to create avenue that the best golfers could come together and compete more often outside the majors. The trio talk about the WGC Bridgestone right before the final major of the season. It used to be Tiger's tournament.

Jay and Jeff discuss Rod Perry who is a local golfer that is now qualified to compete in the upcoming PGA Championship.

Jeff wraps up the show talking to Holly about the upcoming Ryder Cup. Jeff feels that it is going to be a lot of fresh faces at Medinah.

Host Holly G and Rich B are in studio as golf heads and kickoff the show congratulating Zach Johnson on his big win at the John Deere Classic. Mike Bender, former golf teacher at Timacuan Golf Club was on Johnson's bag, as his regular caddy was playing in a tournament on the Senior Open Championship.

Brian Hewitt, Global Golf Post editor nearly 400,000 subscribers, talks about the season's third major, the Open Championship. Brian was saying that the winner of the tournament will be declared the Champion Golfer of the Year. With all the rain in England of late, the golf course will be green and the speed of the greens will be a little slower. As always the weather plays an integral part of the Open Championship and determines whether you are 15 over or 16-under par. Brian and Holly talk about the top 3 players in the World and how they may fare at the Open? Brian has Tiger and Luke Donald in the pool for the top two at the Open Championship. Brian has a sense that Luke Donald, the #1 in the World, might be the week he gets it done. Follow Brian at (www.globalgolfpost.com)

After the break, Rich and Holly talk about Roger Chapman wins the Senior PGA Championship.

Todd Lewis, The Golf Channel, calls in to talk to Holly and Rich about the Open Championship.  Todd talks about how Tiger's short game is not as good as it used to be and he doesn't think Tiger will do as well. Todd feels that Tiger is NOT the favorite even though odds makers have him as such.  If the course was faster and firmer, then Tiger would be the favorite. But since it won't be, Todd doesn't like Tiger as the Champion. He still doesn't feel Tiger is at the top of his game.

Luke Donald or Lee Westwood's chances at winning their first major. Luke doesn't start well at major championships and Todd feels that would be the key for Luke if he starts well, he could finish well. As for Westwood, Todd doesn't like his chances either because his short game is not great. For the Open Championship, you have to get up and down a good bit. Follow Todd at  (www.golfchannel.com) Todd feels that an Englishman will win the Open Championship.

Jeff Shain, Orlando Sentinel/Tribune Newspapers, calls in from the Open Championship in the U.K., to wrap up the Show.  Jeff tells listeners that the weather will be way better than previously expected. The bunkers are penal enough as is with a multitude of them at Royal Lytham, but Jeff says with the rain of late there on top of the type of  sand, bunker play will be heavier and clumpy. Jeff picked four Europeans including Justin Rose, Lee Westwood, Padraig Harrington and Retief Goosen. Follow Jeff on his blog at (http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports-golf/)

Host Holly G and Rich B are in the studio back from vacation and are talking to Bob Harig, ESPN.com, start off talking about the unlikeliness of Ted Potter Jr and Troy Kelly ending up in a playoff at the Greenbrier Classic.  The duo also talks about Tiger and Phil both missing the cut at The Greenbrier, which has never happened before, where the two have missed the cut at the same tournament since turning pro. Bob also talks to Holly about the upcoming Open Championship and how the course is set up with 3 Par 3s on the front 9 and finishing with 4 straight Par 4s on the back 9 at Royal Lytham and St Annes Golf Club about 30 miles south of London, England.  Holly asks Bob about the Big 3, or the Top 3 in the Official World Golf Ranking, Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood.

Brian Hewitt, Global Golf Post Editor, calls in to talk to Rich and Holly about all things around the world of golf. Bob talks about the weather at the British Open and how it is supposed to be cold and wet.  The last 15 majors have all be won by 15 different players. Brian also researched that the World #1 has fared at the Open Championship. Since 1986 106 majors, the #1 player going into those championships has only won 14 times, and 11 of the 14 was Tiger. #1 Luke Donald has already been over practicing on his long game at Royal Lytham. Holly asks Brian if he thinks Tiger will surpass Jack for the most major titles. Brian doesn't feel that Tiger is dominant any longer, but he is dangerous.

Jeff Shain, Orlando Sentinel, calls in to talk to Holly and Rich about covering the Open Championship and how close it is to the third major of the season. Jeff discusses the Champions Tour and the U.S. Women's Open. Na Yeon Choi shot a 65 on Saturday when the Field's average was 77 en route to her first Major win. Holly talks to Jeff about the upcoming Greenbrier Classic.

Todd Lewis, The Golf Channel, calls in to talk to the duo about the British Open. Todd feels that this is the most unpredictable of all majors due to the weather.Todd feels that Tom Watson may be in the mix on the weekend. If there is a setup that favors Luke Donald, this is the Major for him.

Host Holly G and Rich B are in the studio talking all things golf. Webb Simpson wins the U.S. Open at Olympic.

Todd Lewis, The Golf Channel, calls in from the Travelers Championship to talk to the duo about the U.S. Open. Todd shares about his experience playing Olympic the Monday after the U.S. Open by winning a media lottery.

Webb Simpson really did well on Saturday to set himself up for his win on Sunday. When Todd spoke with Webb Saturday before his round, Webb's goal was to go out and shoot a 68 after being +5 after the first two days. Webb did just that on Saturday and posted the same score of 68 on Sunday for the eventual win.

Webb's victories have been graduating up from his first win on the PGA Tour and then won in a playoff before winning the U.S. Open.

Todd talked to Jim Furyk after his final round at the U.S. Open and his trouble on 16 on Sunday after the USGA had moved the pin up 100 yards.  The same thing has happened to legends in the game to include Phil Mickelson. Jim said that it will take him a few days to get over it.  Todd also talks to Holly about Lee Westwood's chances of winning the Open Championship for his first major. Also talk about Tiger's unraveling on Sunday. The duo talks about Tiger and how his life has changed over the past 1 and 1/2 years and how it has affected his mental game.

Bruce Berlet, who has covered golf in Connecticut for more than 40 years, calls in to talk to Holly and Rich about the US Open and the upcoming Travelers Championship. The Travelers has always had a great draw of Tour players following the U.S. Open and they have done that by offering extra special services and travel arrangements for the players, their families and their caddies. Bruce talks about how fan friendly the tournament is maybe second to only Phoenix. Bruce also talks about the storied history of the now Travelers Championship there at the TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Connecticut.

Jeff Shain, Orlando Sentinel, calls in to wrap up the Show. Jeff talks about the U.S. Open and how it unfolded at the end. Graeme McDowell's chances as well as Jim Furyk. Simpson never grabbed the lead until after he was in the clubhouse.

Host Holly G and Rich B are in the studio talking everything U.S. Open preview and the wrap up of the FedEx St Jude Classic.  Dustin Johnson won

Listen to sound bytes from Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods', Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson on their preparations for the U.S. Open.

Bob Harig, ESPN.com, calls in to talk to the team about the U.S. Open and all the story lines around it. Bob feels that Olympic doesn't usually bode well for the star players or the favorite. He wouldn't be surprised if that didn't continue with someone off the radar winning the year's second major. Players will start on Hole 1 and Hole 9 because it is closer to the clubhouse.

Holly and Rich talk about Tuck and O'Neil's upcoming Monday after the Majors event at Shingle Creek Open. www.espnflorida.com

Todd Lewis, The Golf Channel, calls in from Olympic and talks about the beauty of the area surrounding Olympic. Also about the 14-year-old boy from China, Andy Zhang, who qualified as an alternate for the U.S. Open. Then he got the call Tuesday from the USGA and accepted the invitation to play in the tournament.  Also, Dennis Miller from Youngstown, Ohio finally made the cut for the U.S. Open after 12 tries. He made it in a playoff after his ball hung on the lip of the cup and finally fell in.  Todd also talks about Casey Martin being able to play and ride a cart due to his circulatory problem in his leg. Also, a lot of other stories at Olympic.

Jeff Babineau, Editor Golfweek, calls in to talk to Holly and Rich from the U.S. Open.  Jeff talks about some of the "other" notable golfers and their chances at the Open. Jeff feels that players need a lot of heart to play the course because of its difficulties. If they miss a shot or two, not to let it get them down. The trio talks about Phil Mickelson's chances and the fact that he is a U.S. Open five-time runner up there needs to win one to complete his resume'.

Jeff Shain, Orlando Sentinel, calls in to wrap up the show from Olympic and talks about the inland fog coming in from the ocean and the moisture in the area even though there won't be any rain to speak of, according to the forecast. Jeff talks about Graham McDowell and his chances after missing a few cuts of late. Also Ricky Fowler's chances and how well he has been playing of late with the exception of shooting in the 80s.

Holly G and Rich Bianco are in the studio and open the show talking about The Players Championship and the gallery. Kevin Na was being heckled by the gallery for not being able to pull the trigger. Rich B feels that the gallery needs to be more understanding. Matt Kuchar, a native of Winter Park, Fla.

Bob Harig, ESPN.com, calls in to talk to the team about Matt Kuchar's victory and press conference. Bob talks about Matt Kuchar being the runner up and finishing in the top 10 for the past couple of years, but this win gives him a "major" like title since this tourney is often thought of as a 5th major. Bob and Holly talk about Rory McIlroy's missing the cut and his thoughts on that as well as Tiger's play.

Rich talks about Hunter's Creek and their Get Golf Ready for May and the event Hunter's Creek is holding May 19th at 9 a.m. Golf 2.0 bringing people back to the game.

Holly mentions Kuchar complimenting his mother for adding on golf at the country club even though both his parents were tennis players.

Dr Bob Winters, sports psychologist at the David Leadbetter Academy, calls in to talk to Holly and Rich about the pain that was going on in Kevin Na's head. Dr Bob has played golf at all levels. He talks about Na "freezing" before his shots ... the body and mind looking for a trigger to let you release the club. Dr. Bob said that he knows that Na has many idiosyncrasies. Dr Bob said that Na is experiencing performance anxiety.  ASD- Acute Stress Dysfunction ... a disruption and dysfunction going on.

Todd Lewis, The Golf Channel, phones in and offers his thoughts on Matt Kuchar's win at The Players. Todd brings up the family surrounding Matt that helps him. This week is the Byron Nelson Classic and the defending champ is Keegan Bradley. Todd talks about Keegan's adjustment after winning big on the PGA Tour.  Todd also talks to Holly and Rich about Tiger and the last three tourneys have been the worst in his career.

Jeff Shain, Orlando Sentinel, calls in to wrap up the Show. Jeff talks about "local boy done good" Matt Kuchar's big win.  Jeff feels that maybe this is the start of something for Matt.

Rich Bianco is in the studio and joined on the line by Holly G. Friday Holly was in Daytona shooting a commercial with Sean Foley and then in Tampa for the Champions Tour event. Sunshine State Conference Championship event at The Concession last Monday and Tuesday. Second Straight Conference Title for the men and the women had a one stroke win over.

Bob Harig, ESPN.com, calls in and talks about the Valero Texas Open and the lack of the Top 50 players in the field after the Masters.  The Valero is the third longest running tournament on the PGA Tour with more than 9 decades on the Tour. Bob mentions that even though the field is not full of top players, there is still a lot of good golf being played. Holly feels that Matt Kuchar needs to step up and win a tournament.  The only other that might want it more would be Justin Leonard in his own backyard.

Rich and Bob talk about Carl Pettersson’s win at the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head, S.C.  Ironically he would not be eligible to play for the European team at the Ryder Cup. He is not a member of the European Tour and with the commitments he would have to play there, which he doesn’t want to.

Jeff Shain from the Orlando Sentinel calls in to talk to the duo about golf and the lack of events going on. Rory McIlroy jumps back to Number 1 in the OWGR without even playing.  Jeff explains to the listeners that the World Golf Rankings are based on a two-year rolling tournament schedule. So each time a player adds another event, the first event on the two-year timetable drops off. Jeff also talks about an article he is working on about how to continue to grow the game of golf during these trying times.

Todd Lewis from the Golf Channel calls in to talks about The Golf Channel's coverage of the Tour. Holly asks Todd about Luke Donald's trials of this season. Todd feels that Luke is the most under rated #1 player in the World. With his accomplishments last year there is a lot of belief that he should do it again this year.  Luke has told Todd that his short game is off at this time and that he will be working on it before he competes again. The trio also talks about the former number one players, like Luke who have not won a Major championship.

Sean Gorgone, Golf Master Instructor and Coach at Sweetwater Country Club, calls in to the Show to talk to Rich and Holly about being named the North Florida Section PGA Player of the Year.