At times here at Golf is Hard we will offer our opinion, make predictions and offer Monday-morning quarterbacking about the people who try to make a living playing this crazy game. In other words, you can expect pro-tour commentary and updates so we all stay in tune to what is
going on in their world.

Me? I am waiting for Tiger to come back…it has been kind of boring watching golf without Tiger, can’t wait to see him kick butt again.

In case you are not familiar with the pros, here is a brief rundown on the tours they play:

The PGA Tour - the best male players in the world, most commonly seen on TV
each weekend. Great win last week by Kenny Perry, what happened to Anthony, Camilo and Phil? Thinking about Tiger’s return I believe!

The LPGA Tour - the best female players in the world, Annika is gone, Lorena
rules. Paula Creamer is the best American (ranked 3rd). Watch for Natalie and Anna Rawson (and I hope they play well too). Michelle Wie will win in ‘09.

Champions Tour - 50+ year-old men, tons of great players from the past and
still highly competitive. Bernhardly has to hardly wait for a win any Langer.

European Tour - men’s tour across the pond. The best European and other
worldly players make a very good living there. How about the “teenager”, 19 y/o Rory Mcllroy, winning last week, 16th in the world already and hasn’t played in the US. We’ll see, hope he plays well here in 3 weeks.

Nationwide Tour - minor league tour for aspiring male pros, many have made a
nice career there. Not often on TV

Futures Tour - minor league tour for aspiring female pros, also not often on TV

Golf is Hard TV - The best place to get really good golf instruction that works. Send your questions to me…you will get better.

Here is a prediction. My partner, Marc, will break 90 this year and maybe even think about keeping a handicap. ttys

Just saw this story about Annika Sorenstam planning on retirement… oh no! I was going to post this weekend about how the Annika/Lorena rivalry could develop nicely into a much needed matchup but I guess not! Just as Annika regained her swagger too… darn it.

The upside is that if Paula Creamer can really get it going, she can definitely push Lorena to the limit. Go Paula Go!

Amazing round by Paula Creamer to win the Fields Open shooting an incredible 66. She’s awesome and is my favorite LPGA golfer right now. I saw her on a show on the Golf Channel and was impressed by her maturity and talent.

But as good as Paula was this weekend, Tiger is even more awesome. I watched a lot of golf this week and can’t take my eyes of Mr. Woods. The guy is simply electric. His concentration is simply amazing. I’m in awe.

I’m watching Tiger get the trophy as I type this out. When he’s on, he’s not beatable. But what makes him great (just like it made MJ great) is that even when he’s not on, you still have to be nearly flawless to beat him (talk to Aaron B. about that).

Yes, she’s got a pretty face, but this girl can play golf. I’m happy she finally won, I was getting way sick of hearing about how she’s the Anna K of golf. No way. Rock it Nat.

Hmm.. have you seen her official site? Very slick.

She’s also got a wicked sense of humor as this video shows.

We took my 2 girls to see the finals in New Rochelle today at the HSBC Women’s Match play. First of all, the Wykagyl Country Club is simply gorgeous. The grass was so green it hurt your eyes.

Secondly, before even talking golf, the place was empty. No idea if this is because LPGA isn’t a big draw, or because the top players were all knocked out early or because the Open (I knew Sergio couldn’t go wire to wire!) was on. The good news was that we got close, real close to the action. The bad news was that it was QUIET, unlike when I saw Tiger last year at the U.S. Open. That was loud and exciting.

The golf however, was great. The accuracy and precision of the shots were stunning. The women were so athletic and solid looking in person - it always amazes me at how big athletes are when you see them up close.

Seon Hwa Lee of South Korea jumped out to an early lead and held on the entire way for the victory.

Afterwards, we got Maria Hjorth to sign my girls hats which was pretty cool. HSBC also did a great job with freebies (chairs, water, granola bars) and had a terrific spectator area set up with putting, golf simulators and even free lessons (no, I didn’t get one!).

All in all, a terrific day! I just wish Natalie, Morgan or Paula had been playing.

Yes! I got some tickets for this great event - and I’m taking my 2 young daughters to their first ever golf tournament. Should be tons of fun if it isn’t too hot in New Rochelle on the 22nd. They have a pretty cool site with games and a golf academy as well - check it out.

In the meantime, as I was coming into Grand Central tonight, I saw that HSBC had a terrific interactive display promoting the event. I snapped a few pics, but didn’t have time to try the simulator or the putting game because I didn’t want to miss my train. In addition to HSBC and Golf info, First Tee was there promoting themselves - it’s a terrific kids golf program. Check it out if you have kids.