Your Cookies. Your Choice.
Cookies help provide our news service while also enabling the advertising needed to fund this work. We categorise cookies as Necessary, Performance (used to analyse the site performance) and Targeting (used to target advertising which helps us keep this service free).We and our vendors process data for the following purposes:
Use precise geolocation data. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Store and/or access information on a device. Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development.
Cookies Preference Centre
Manage Consent Preferences
Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then these services may not function properly.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not be able to monitor our performance.
Store and/or access information on a device 109 partners can use this purpose
Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.
Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development 141 partners can use this purpose
Use limited data to select advertising 111 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times an ad is presented to you).
Create profiles for personalised advertising 83 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities.
Use profiles to select personalised advertising 83 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects.
Create profiles to personalise content 38 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests.
Use profiles to select personalised content 34 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on your content personalisation profiles, which can reflect your activity on this or other services (for instance, the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. This can for example be used to adapt the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find (non-advertising) content that matches your interests.
Measure advertising performance 132 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance, whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of advertising campaigns.
Measure content performance 60 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which content is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine whether the (non-advertising) content e.g. reached its intended audience and matched your interests. For instance, whether you read an article, watch a video, listen to a podcast or look at a product description, how long you spent on this service and the web pages you visit etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of (non-advertising) content that is shown to you.
Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources 74 partners can use this purpose
Reports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising) content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents).
Develop and improve services 83 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers.
Use limited data to select content 38 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type, or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times a video or an article is presented to you).
Use precise geolocation data 46 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, your precise location (within a radius of less than 500 metres) may be used in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Actively scan device characteristics for identification 27 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, certain characteristics specific to your device might be requested and used to distinguish it from other devices (such as the installed fonts or plugins, the resolution of your screen) in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Ensure security, prevent and detect fraud, and fix errors 90 partners can use this special purpose
Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them.
Deliver and present advertising and content 97 partners can use this special purpose
Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.
Match and combine data from other data sources 72 partners can use this feature
Information about your activity on this service may be matched and combined with other information relating to you and originating from various sources (for instance your activity on a separate online service, your use of a loyalty card in-store, or your answers to a survey), in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Link different devices 53 partners can use this feature
In support of the purposes explained in this notice, your device might be considered as likely linked to other devices that belong to you or your household (for instance because you are logged in to the same service on both your phone and your computer, or because you may use the same Internet connection on both devices).
Identify devices based on information transmitted automatically 86 partners can use this feature
Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends when accessing the Internet (for instance, the IP address of your Internet connection or the type of browser you are using) in support of the purposes exposed in this notice.
Save and communicate privacy choices 68 partners can use this special purpose
The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices.
Cookie List
In the swing: Lefty looking right on form again
PHIL MICKELSON ADMITTED after he won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Sunday that he’d had doubts.
“I’ve had some doubt these last couple of weeks, given the scores that I’ve shot, yet on the practice range, playing and practicing, having these great practice sessions, I started to wonder if I’m going to be able to bring it to the golf course,” he said.
If we’re being honest, he had very good reason to feel that way.
Mickelson may have been speaking above about his game in general, but I came across an article not so long ago by David Dusek of Golf.com that detailed Mickelson’s putting stats for 2011. You can find it here.
The results are shocking. For a man who has built a career on the quality of his short game, the fact that he was ranked 108th on Tour for overall putting was obviously going to result in poor form. He was never known for being the most constistent player off the tee, but what he lacked in that department he more than made up for with his genius around the greens.
Sure, we can remember Mickelson having some ridiculous lip-outs and horseshoes on short putts, but his mid to long-range putting has always been exceptional. You simply don’t win four Majors without being an exceptional putter, particularly around Augusta National where he has won three US Masters.
His game looked in really bad shape over the last few months and towards the end of last season and had slipped to 17th in the World Rankings before his win on Sunday. As well as not hitting great, his putting had deserted him.
Change in fortunes?
But it would be no surprise if this win was the catalyst for a significant change of fortune for Phil Mickelson, particularly given the manner of victory. He looked to be in control of his ball off the tee, produced some stunning wedge play, and his putting was strong.
If he can keep up that level of play he’ll contend every week.
Obviously that’s a big ask, but he now knows that his work on the range has been of value and that will give him great belief for the upcoming tournaments. He’s also got his putting back.
The key moment in Sunday’s round came on the par-three 12th. Tiger Woods, playing with Mickelson, held a bunker shot for birdie to put the pressure on Mickelson who was 30 feet away for par. It looked like a real momentum swinger was on the cards in favour of Woods, but when Phil’s 30 footer sank to the bottom of the cup you felt it was going to be his day.
YouTube credit: pgatour
Tiger has silenced a lot doubters over the last few months with a win and handful of other top 5 finishes, but his Sunday performances in the last two tournaments have raised some new questions for some. His performance on Sunday was certainly far from what we would expect given the position he was in, but the fact that he was in contention yet again is a positive for him.
Another man who was in contention but couldn’t convert was Rory McIlroy at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. Tied for the lead at the half-way stage and playing well, he seemed to make too many mistakes over the final two days. Four bogeys on the card on Saturday is too many for a man trying to win a tournament.
Final word for Padraig Harrington who had his most convincing performance in a long time at Pebble Beach. He actually won the amateur side of the tournament with his partner JP McManus and even though it’s a team event, he’ll have enjoyed the win and will certainly be happy with his performance of seventh in the individual event. Let’s hope that’s a sign of a change of fortune for the 3-time Major winner.
Post-script
Above, I mentioned that Mickelson was ranked 108th in putting. I agree with anyone who argues that overall putting can be difficult to quantify, but there is far more reliable information out there now than ever before, particularly with the PGA Tour’s new ‘ShotLink’ technology.
For anyone who is interested in golf statistics and would like to understand it in greater depth, I suggest a series from Slate Magazine’s Michael Agger called ‘Moneygolf’. The specific article on putting is available here and the link to the entire series is here
Hate Valentine’s Day? Find refuge at one of these events…
Howzat for drama? Ireland’s cricketers hang on against Kenya
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am column Editor's picks Golf Opinion Pebble Beach Phil Mickelson Tiger Woods