CA Course Reporters: Wednesday's entries

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Editor's note: Courtney Burris, Johnie Freatman and Owais Durrani will be blogging this week at the World Golf Championships-CA Championship. The three are part of the CA Course Reporters program. Check back each day to see what they have to say.

I wish I could call these guys my friends!
By Courtney Burris

You know those quirky, silly facts that you only know about your best friends? Today I had the opportunity to meet, listen to and watch a few professional golfers that I wish I could call my best friends. Until then I will settle for watching them on television and being graced with their presence for this next few days.

Retief Goosen.... almost everyone knows that he is this ultra-cool South African guy who won the 2001 and 2004 U.S. Opens. Several "Retief -- savvy" fans might know that he has already won the 2009 Africa Open. Few, however, know that he has been playing golf since he was 9, and that he grew up just a short drive away from Ernie, who is seven months younger than he is. After chatting with him a while the question, "What do you think about playing with Tiger?" came up. He said that he greatly enjoyed playing with him, and said that, "Tiger plays with a 15th club."

At that point I was totally confused. Luckily I changed my hair back to brunette from my momentarily blonde shade, and I finally caught on to the joke. Retief went on to say that Tiger's 15th club is the crowd that is always by his side. He said that the crowd is overwhelming, but you just have to focus and tune it out. Mr. Goosen was an absolute pleasure to meet and I sincerely wish him the best of playing this week.

After meeting Retief, I spent some time in a few press conferences. First was defending World Golf Championships-CA Championship winner, Geoff Ogilvy. Geoff is quite the character. He is very outspoken and funny guy. He completely blew me away with the amount of golf history that he knew. I would definitely put my money on him if a game of golf Jeopardy ever comes along. He knew all sorts of facts about tournaments that occurred no less than 30 years before he was even born! I also found out that Mr. Ogilvy is an avid reader, enjoying everything from books about cycling, From Lance to Landis by John Walsh, his current selection, to books about crime. I cannot wait to watch this outgoing golfer tee it up this week.

I have had quite the day today and sincerely look forward to tomorrow's sunshine and a few more sneak peeks at the world's best golfers.

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A day full of highlights
By Owais Durrani

Wow, what an interesting four hours. The day began with a casual tour of the media room, eating facilities, interview room and practice facilities. There was a definite air of excitement and anticipation everywhere you went. After the orientation with our surroundings, we sat in on two press conferences. First up was Geoff Ogilvy. Expecting an emotionless Ogilvy with not much to say, I was proven wrong. Ogilvy threw out jokes one after another and was a really pleasant man to be around. He was not the same calm and disciplined player you saw on the course, but a man with a great sense of humor and a laid back attitude. Following Ogilvy was Davis Love III, an experienced veteran with insight on many aspects of the game and the future. One could see the wisdom and sensibility with which he spoke.

Following our experiences with the press room, we went on an adventure to the equipment vans, the holy grail of golf clubs. Inside the colorful van we learned about the process for ordering a club, the intense year-round schedule the van followed and even saw Luke Donald's driver being worked on. The van has the capability to provide the players with anything they need -- even if that's making a new driver from scratch. Now that's what I call convenience!

Have you ever wondered what the players' locker room looks like from the inside? Clubs, shoes, socks and hats everywhere -- yes it's true. The dimly lit room with wooden lockers felt like a very relaxing place; it reminds me of my bedroom. The coolness and cozy feeling of the locker room provides players with the environment to decompress and let go of all the stress. After the locker rooms we met with Wade Stettner, the PGA TOUR's very own meteorologist. Even though the weather was perfect today, Wade showed us all the fancy equipment he uses to provide the PGA TOUR with the most accurate weather for forecasts. Amazingly, the equipment was very compact and friendly to travel with, letting Wade travel from stop to stop without the equipment getting in his way.

Finally the highlight of the day was our meeting with Retief Goosen. Goosen, one of the nicest people you will ever meet, gave us insight into his life as a PGA TOUR pro. Starting golf at the age of 9, Goosen discussed with us the people he hangs out with on the TOUR, his two U.S. Open victories, and his feelings when playing Tiger Woods. Retief explained to us that winning his second U.S. Open was no easier than his first, and he admitted that he believed, when starting his career, that his game would be better suited for winning the British Open of all majors. Retief grew up very near Ernie Els, and he said he hung out most with Sergio Garcia and Michel Campbell -- not bad company. Finally Retief described the experience of playing with Tiger. When I asked him if his game changed at all when playing with Tiger, he explained that the massive galleries following Tiger were what made it hard to concentrate at times and keep focus. Retief was truly a nice guy and a pleasure to be around.

Today we really saw the golf tournament from many points of view -- and it's only our first day. The truly memorable experiences created a hunger in me to explore even more aspects of the tournament. Tomorrow we will actually have a full eight hours to explore the tournament and I can't wait. Well, talk to you tomorrow!!!

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Plenty of storylines at Doral
By John Freatman, Jr.

What an exciting time for the golf world! Here at Doral, before the first competitive shot of the week has been struck, there is a palpable buzz in the air. Yes, the world's greatest player is making his first stroke-play appearance since his thrilling victory in last year's U.S. Open. However, there are many other intriguing storylines to be focused upon. An apparent phenom is in the midst of his first action on the PGA TOUR, a seasoned major champion is trying to win his third World Golf Championships event in the last year, and controversy continues about the difficulty of Augusta National. However, this is not to understate the fact that some guy named Tiger is indeed back.

This tournament is emblematic of the reality that competitive golf can be played by a range of ages. Northern Ireland's 19-year-old Rory McIlroy has burst onto the international scene in the last year with a win in the European Tour's Dubai Desert Classic and currently sits at No. 16 in the world golf rankings. Playing just his third tournament on the PGA TOUR, the legend is just beginning to grow among fans west of the Atlantic.

On the opposite end of the spectrum lies 48-year-old Kenny Perry, an ageless wonder who continues to show that some things, like one's golf game, get better with age. He has not slowed down since winning three events last year and making the Ryder Cup. Quietly, he has already won this year's FBR Open and is currently second in the FedExCup standings. Could this be the week he breaks through in a World Golf Championships event?

In addition to being a U.S. Open champion, Geoff Ogilvy can boast of being the only player besides Tiger Woods to win at least three World Golf Championships. Fresh off his latest win, in the Accenture Match Play Championship two weeks ago, Ogilvy looks to stymie Woods' return to stroke play, just as last year he ended Woods' five-tournament win streak. However, in Ogilvy's press conference today, the topic at times shifted to the perceived unfairness of Augusta National. He alluded to a previous comment he had made that if people weren't aware of Augusta National's history, they would walk off after he first hole. He clarified this, saying he was merely referring to the green speed. He added that the difficulty of the course would be eased if shorter irons could be used to reach Nos. 13 and 15, a thought that Tiger echoed.

Like you, I can't wait to see what occurs this week and what the storylines will be come Sunday night.