Obama blasts GOP candidates for failing to defend gay soldier

Speaking at an event hosted by a prominent gay advocacy group, President Obama on Saturday night chastised the his GOP presidential rivals for failing to speak up when some members of the audience at a debate last month booed a gay soldier.

“We don’t believe in the kind of smallness that says it’s okay for a stage full of political leaders -- one of whom could end up being the President of the United States -- being silent when an American soldier is booed,” Obama said at the Human Rights Campaign’s annual dinner in Washington. “We don’t believe in that. We don’t believe in standing silent when that happens. We don’t believe in them being silent since. You want to be Commander-in-Chief? You can start by standing up for the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States, even when it’s not politically convenient.”

Obama was referring to an incident that took place at a Sept. 22 Republican debate in Tampa, Fla., hosted by Fox News Channel and Google.

Just days after the official end of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that banned gays from serving openly, a gay soldier who had been deployed to Iraq drew boos from some in the audience when he asked the GOP candidates if they intend to “circumvent the progress that’s been made for gay and lesbian soldiers in the military.”

2012 candidate and former senator Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) answered that if elected, he would reinstate DADT.

Source http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/44/post/obama-blasts-gop-candidates-for-failing-to-defend-gay-soldier/2011/10/02/gIQAK74QFL_blog.html

Top-ranked Donald fond of Canadian Open

The last time the world's top-ranked golfer showed up at the Canadian Open, he left with the trophy in tow.

No pressure, Luke Donald.

"(The top ranking) always brings a little more expectation, a little bit more media, a little bit more time commitment, but I'm excited for the challenge," Donald said after Wednesday's pro-am event at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club.

"Since being No. 1, I've been able to hold on to it for a number of weeks now. I'm trying to draw on all the good things that got me to No. 1. I draw from all of those positives and bring that to each week."

This week's showdown at Shaughnessy marks Donald's fifth appearance at what's now known as the RBC Canadian Open, but it's his first since he reached the summit of the world golf rankings earlier this year.

Vijay Singh had just finished his ascent to the top of the point-based standings when he arrived at Glen Abbey in 2004, continuing his roll in what turned out to be a dream season and spoiling what would have been a national celebration when he clipped Canada's beloved lefty, Mike Weir, in a playoff.

Ironically, Donald is paired with Weir and world-No. 8 Matt Kuchar for Thursday's opening round at Shaughnessy.

That threesome would create a stir at any PGA Tour stop, but they're certainly not the only big names in the field for the latest instalment of 'our' national open championship.

Golf fans can thank RBC for that.

Not only is the financial institution entitled to splash its logo across Shaughnessy as the title sponsor of this week's Canadian Open, it also provides backing for a handful of golf's big names, including Donald, Kuchar, Ernie Els, Jim Furyk and Anthony Kim, plus Weir, Stephen Ames and a slew of up-and-coming Canucks.

Appearance fees are outlawed on the PGA Tour, but you bet can the guys with the RBC logo on their hats and bags were "¦ um "¦ encouraged to attend this event, and it's no surprise they're all at Shaughnessy this week. Kinda like Tiger Woods always showed up at the Buick Invitational during his partnership with the automotive company.

This week's event has also attracted darn good golfers that don't belong to Team RBC, with Masters champion Charl Schwartzel, Puma posterboy Rickie Fowler and 'Long' John Daly among the headliners.

Names like Paul Casey, Justin Leonard, Hunter Mahan, Louis Oosthuizen, Geoff Ogilvy, Camilo Villegas and defending champion Carl Pettersson should also ring a bell for most golf fans.

All told, seven of the current top 25 players in the world will tee it up at the latest instalment of 'our' open championship. That might seem like a watered-down field for an event that counts Arnold Palmer, Greg Norman and Woods among its past champions and Jack Nicklaus as a seven-time runner-up, but the truth is it's not a bad turnout for the week after a major that's contested on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

After missing the cut at the British Open, Donald jetted to Chicago for the weekend and then continued on to Vancouver.

With US$5.6-million in earnings around the world so far this season, he could have afforded a vacation.

And with most of his contenders taking a week off, he likely doesn't have to worry about losing his top billing this week, either.

But the 33-year-old has always had a soft spot for the Canadian Open, where he survived his first cut as a professional at Royal Montreal in 2001. The archived world rankings for the following week don't even show his name, meaning he wasn't yet among the top 200.

"The focus really isn't on the world rankings," Donald added. "It's nice to be world-ranked No. 1, but the focus for me is always the same -- that is to continually try to improve every aspect of my game a little bit each day and continue to get better and continue to put myself in position to win tournaments."

Source http://www.torontosun.com/2011/07/20/top-ranked-donald-fond-of-canadian-open

EP 6-year-old wins Little People World Golf Championship

Eden Prairie’s Pranay Singh faces a dilemma. When asked to name his favorite golf memory, he has a hard time deciding. Is it last year’s hole-in-one he carded on the No. 7 hole at Waters Edge in Shakopee, or the up-and-down that iced last week’s Pepsi Little People World Golf Championship Tournament in Quincy, Ill.?

When pressed, the soon-to-be first-grader wearing the Snoopy belt picks the up-and-down.

“The kid he was playing against hit his tee shot a couple feet from the hole,” said Vivek Kumar, Pranay’s father. “Pranay chunked his. It was the last hole and Pranay was leading by three. If the other kid birdies and Pranay gets a five, it’s a tie.”

Singh’s second shot settled just off the green, some 20 yards from the hole.

By the time he hit his third shot, the green was ringed with an estimated 100 spectators.

Going for par, he hit a flop shot that bounced once and then rolled in the cup. Game over.

Singh finished with a two-round 61 (30, 31), besting the second-place finisher (Texas’ Rohan Kommineni) by four strokes. The field included 30 golfers.

His all-time favorite golf memory? “Winning,” he said.

Early start

Yes, Singh started golfing at an early age.

“He started walking at 11 months,” said his dad, “and held his first club shortly after that.”

At first, he used plastic clubs and a plastic ball. From there, he progressed from a plastic ball to a real ball. The rest, as they say, is history.

His favorite club? “Driver,” he said, “because it goes far.”

At a hair shy of four feet, the 6-year-old can hit a ball 140 yards.

But that’s not his strength; his strength is his short game, minus the putting.

“He’d rather hit from just off the green than just on the green,” said his dad.

As one might guess, his golfing ability has attracted some attention.

“More experienced golfers watch him swing and get pretty depressed,” said mom.

The true measure of his ability, however, can be seen on the course.

“They see us at the tee box,” said dad, “and right away think they’ll play through.”

“But they never catch us,” adds Singh.

In July, Singh will take his game to San Diego, where he’ll compete in the Junior World Championships, a tournament that Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson won in their youth.

Last year, Singh finished 21st. This year’s goal? “Winning,” he said, while adding that he thinks he’ll have to shoot a one-under- par 53 to do so.

When asked if he’s ever finished under par, he smiled before he answered. “Not yet,” he said.

Read more: Eden Prairie News - EP 6 year old wins Little People World Golf Championship

Source http://www.edenprairienews.com/view/full_story/14514017/article-EP-6-year-old-wins-Little-People-World-Golf-Championship-

Johnny Miller: The show will go on without Tiger Woods

The U.S. Open will miss Tiger Woods this week at Congressional Country Club.

But Johnny Miller said golf fans have begun to acclimate to the absence of the game’s marquee attraction.

“I think the U.S. golf fan, the world golf fan is unfortunately getting used to not having Tiger around,” said Miller, the lead analyst during NBC’s coverage of the 111th U.S. Open. “Obviously we’d like to have him here and it was a heartbreak for him and us that isn’t here. But golf is bigger than Tiger.

“For awhile, it was a toss-up.”

Woods, 35, will miss his first U.S. Open since he was an amateur in 1994 as he continues to recover from injuries to his left knee and Achilles tendon.

During his career-long, 19-month winless streak, Woods has been plagued by lingering injuries and personal strife, and has undergone a major swing change.

In the process, he’s played just 22 full-field events worldwide, with six top-10 finishes - nearly a third his 2009 total (17) in 19 events. That year, he won eight times, but underachieved in his mind because he didn’t win a major.

Woods’ Sunday charge on April 10 at the Masters indicated better days were to come, even though he missed some key putts that ultimately led to a tie for fourth place.

The old Tiger - who won 14 major championships - never would have missed two short putts he needed on the back nine of a major championship.

But rather than work on his game, Woods had to rest injuries he re-aggravated during the third round at Augusta National. Woods tried to play a month later at The Players Championship, but withdrew after shooting a 43 for nine holes.

If Woods, a three-time U.S. Open champion, had played this week, he’d have been rusty, lacking confidence and likely out of the mix on Sunday.

Miller, the 1973 winner, would have liked to have seen for himself, but said the U.S. Open will go on without Woods and provide the kind of drama no tournament in the world can match.

“Everyone wants to see who can handle the pressure and play well and be a hero or make mistakes the last day,” Miller said. “There’s nothing like the U.S. Open. There’s more trainwrecks and carwrecks than any other championship.

“I’m sure the ratings would be higher if Tiger is in contention on Sunday, but bottom line it’s going to be great. It’s the U.S. Open, man.”

Source http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/fromthebunker/2011/06/15/johnny-miller-the-show-will-go-on-without-tiger-woods/

The Colin Montgomerie Summer Golf School at Turnberry

Turnberry, A Luxury Collection Resort, located on the beautiful southwest coast of Scotland is offering golfers the perfect opportunity to improve their game at the “Monty Summer Golf School”, 19th-21st August 2011. Hosted by world-renowned golfer and Ryder Cup stalwart Colin Montgomerie, golfers of all skill levels will be given the chance to benefit from the world-class tuition provided by Colin and his talented team.

Taking place at the Colin Montgomerie Links Golf Academy, the first links golf academy in the world, the golf school aims to help golfers get the most out of their game. Colin will share his distinctive teaching philosophy working to develop individual golf swings whilst teaching personalised improvement techniques and discussing the specific challenges of links golf. Colin Montgomerie commented:

“Links golf is notoriously difficult and that’s why we created the world’s first links golf academy at Turnberry to help golfers improve their technique and performance at one of the world’s most famous

links courses.

“Any golfer of any ability will benefit from spending a few days learning from a team of experienced golfers and understanding the unique skill set required to accomplish these tough courses. I am very much looking forward to meeting our new recruits this summer.”

The Turnberry professional golf team are all well trained in the ‘Monty Method’ having worked closely with Colin and will be on hand to provide step-by-step instructions and guidance for guests. The Academy is located just a few yards from the Clubhouse and the first tee of the world class Ailsa and Kintyre Championship courses, whilst the 9-hole Arran course is the ideal place to perfect one’s short game. All three courses will be played throughout the three-day clinic.

Home to the iconic Ailsa, an Open Championship course four times over, Turnberry provides a fantastic setting for high-calibre play during this exclusive weekend hosted by the legendary world-class golf pro. The fully-inclusive golfing experience starts at £798 per golfer and includes tailor made sessions with Colin and the Turnberry team and play on all three of the resort’s famous courses.

Source http://www.golfinternationalmag.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2605:the-colin-montgomerie-summer-golf-school-at-turnberry&catid=7:press-room&Itemid=9

Top five year-round golf courses in the world

There's a reason why so many professional golfers live in Florida. It's warm there year-round and they can practice their craft any day of the year. If golfers could have a choice, they would live in a place where it's warm all the time so they can live on the golf course.

Here's my picks for five public courses I would want to play golf year-round, if money were no object and I lived nearby:

Despite the occasional hurricane and afternoon thunderstorm, Florida is a fantastic place for golf. Florida has over 1,000 golf courses from which to choose. Florida has an entire golf culture in the state and you can find courses just about anywhere. Get tee times early in the morning before it gets too hot to play. Golfers would have trouble playing every course in a single year. TPC Sawgrass hosts the PGA's Players Championship in mid-May and is one of the premier public courses in the state. TPC Sawgrass is in Ponte Verde Beach.

Ironwood Hills, Hawaii

Hawaii has some of the most unique golf holes on the planet due to its unique geography. Some holes drop a few hundred feet from the tee box to green. Others are right near the ocean with the surf in the background. With over 50 courses on six islands, living in Hawaii is a golfer's paradise. The lone course on Molokai is Ironwood Hills. It has only nine holes and doesn't even have a pro shop for one of the most remote golf courses in the world. It's a public course and costs $36 to play.

Cable Beach, Bahamas

The Bahamas are a vacation paradise with some resort elements. Even though there aren't many golf courses from which to choose, you'll soon forget your troubles as you play near the ocean and among the palm trees. Cable Beach Golf Club is the oldest golf course in the Bahamas and is a par-71. It was just renovated to become a nine-hole course among the palm trees.

Denaru Golf Club, Fiji

If you can make it to the South Pacific, Fiji has over 300 islands and a dozen golf courses. Pro tournaments are played on the islands every year with good reason. This tropical destination has some of the best golf in the world. Denaru Golf Club was designed by Japanese golf pros and is one of the three championship courses on Viti Levu Island. If you want to play right next to the ocean with some palm trees swaying in a warm ocean breeze, this is your place.

Innisfail Golf Club, Australia

North Queensland in Australia has a tropical climate and is warm year-round. Although the area is known for its surfing and nature preserves, there are over 50 courses to play in the sun. Turtle Point Golf Course at Laguna Whitsundays is considered one of the best courses in Australia. There's a reason Greg Norman learned how to play golf down under because there are great courses to play all the time. Innisfail is a public course in the middle of lush tropical surroundings. Like other courses in the middle of nature, it has nine holes that can be stretched into 18.

Source http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/pga/news?slug=ycn-8398863

Official apologizes for Obama chimpanzee email

A California Republican official has apologized for sending an email that depicts President Barack Obama as a young chimpanzee.

"To my fellow Americans and to everyone else who has seen the email I forwarded and was offended by my action, I humbly apologize and ask for your forgiveness of my unwise behavior," Marilyn Davenport said in a statement obtained by CNN.

Davenport, who is a Tea Party activist and an elected member of the central committee of the Republican Party of Orange County, said she felt the email was a joke, CNN affiliate KTLA reported.

The email contains a doctored photo of what appears to be a family portrait of two adult chimpanzees posing with a young chimpanzee with Obama's face pasted on it.

Local GOP chair weighs in on Obama email

The caption that ran with the photo says "Now you know why no birth certificate," the affiliate reported.

Davenport said she would not repeat her error in the apology that included two Bible passages.

"I am an imperfect Christian lady who tries her best to live a Christ-like honoring life," the statement said. "I would never do anything to intentionally harm or berate others regardless of ethnicity. So I ask for your forgiveness, for I am truly sorry."

Despite criticism, Davenport told the affiliate that she does not need to resign her position because of the e-mail.

Source http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/04/19/california.apolgoy/