Tiger’s Return Unsuccessful So Far

May 25, 2010 by Mrs. Hoffman  
Filed under Sports

     Tiger Woods’ decision on when to compete again on the PGA Tour was set up to be a fairy tale.  Woods planned to return on the week of the tour’s most historic tournament on the schedule, The Masters. The Masters is played at Augusta National Golf Club, a course that Tiger ripped apart earlier in his career, winning four green jackets, the prize for winning the championship.  Tiger has finished near the top of the leader board over the past couple years, but after the controversy in his social life and his extended break from the game there was no telling where Woods would finish this year.  Woods surprised all of his critics by finishing at a more than respectable eleven under par, and tied for fourth place.  

     Tiger took his usual month off before tournaments and again competed at the Quail Hollow Championship in Charlotte.  However, Tiger played mediocre on Thursday, and had a horrific round on Friday.  Tiger finished at an unexpected nine over par, his worst as a professional.  It was only the sixth time in 241 tournaments that Woods had missed the cut in during his professional career.  After the tournament, Tiger was unexpectedly light with reporters during his post-round interview.  Tiger joked, saying, “Well at least I’ll have the weekend to watch and see how its really done,” which is an unheard of comment coming from his mouth. 

     Tiger looked to redeem himself a week later at another prominent tournament on the PGA Tour, the Players Championship.  Tiger performed much better than he did in his previous outing, and played his way into the weekend, but did not once scare the top of the leader board.  However, everything seemed to be going smoothly until Sunday morning.  After bogeying his first two holes, Tiger pulled out of the tournament with what was originally diagnosed as a neck injury.  However, after running a few tests it was discovered that Tiger had a bulging disk in his neck.  After this, many questions arose on what Tiger’s already small schedule would look like.  He pulled out of many of the tournaments he was originally scheduled to play in, and once again the golf world was left Tigerless.

     After a week of keeping the media and his fans in the dark, Woods released information on when the next Tiger sighting would occur.  Woods will be competing in this year’s British Open, which will be played at St. Andrews, a course Tiger has had previous success at.  St. Andrews is known around the world as the ”Home of Golf”, so once again Tiger’s return will have drama involved.

Golf Team Looks to Rebound After Tough Season

March 18, 2010 by Mrs. Hoffman  
Filed under Sports

Last year, the golf team’s season did not go according to plan.  A key player was lost early in the season, and the squad never found its consistency.  With new coach Mr. Stevenson at the helm, Rockville golf is looking for a turnaround.  A change has also been made to the CCC East, so Rockville will being facing new schools, and they hope to thrive in their new division. 

    A combination of good young players and senior leadership will be the formula for success this spring.  Joe Philbrick leads the senior class as the best returning player and looks to keep his scores below 40 this year.  Bobby Waggonner and Ben Stokes are other returning senior varsity players.  They look to remain consistent throughout the year and keep their scores under 45.  Tim Chepeleff, a junior varsity player last year, looks to pad the strength of the senior class and looks to continue his good playing from the end of last year.
    Juniors Brian Goff and Andrew Nisbet look to solidify the lineup for the RHS golf team this spring.  Brian Goff has been a consistent varsity player since becoming a freshman and he and Joe Philbrick will need to be on top of their game all season long for Rockville to strive.  Andrew Nisbet came on strong as a sophomore last season and played a few matches with the varsity team.  This year he will be working hard to see more time as he and Brian Goff have a friendly rival that keep the pair motivated.
    All the parts are in place for the Rockville team to have a successful season, it is just a matter of executing.  If everyone maintains their focus, and plays their role the team could be on their way to a great year.  “Winning record or not, we always have a great time out on the course,” Ben Stokes said.