welcome to my PGA Tour Golf blog

   First, Welcome all as I take this opportunity to introduce myself, I'm Kyle Swiatlowski, a New Jersey native with an insatiable interest in golf and all of it's aspects. My love comes from a closely tied childhood with the game, through constant exposure as a result of my fathers occupation, a Heads Greenskeeper at a Private membership golf course in Alpine New Jersey, Montammy Country Club, I became a sponge at an early age for all things golf. From the age of 3 I had a club in my hands, and while the size of the clubs has changed since then, the love of the game is as strong as ever. One of the benefits of my father’s occupation is being able to play and experience a number of different golf courses for free, a luxury of being a part of the USGA. In truth, either a Tee Time at nearby course or a bucket of balls at the driving range occupies most of my free time, regardless there’s always time for some golf. I believe that my love of the game comes from a love of nature and the out-doors, golf to me represents one of the most beautiful games available for us to play. This outdoor environment and the natural aspect of the terrain make you a craftsmen, an “artist” during every shot, and a very high respect is necessary to even play the game well. Of all sports Golf is far and away the most humbling, one-day you may believe that you have the game mastered, only to come back the next and shoot over 100. It takes perseverance and a steady head and hand to master the complex game. This fact gives me even more respect for the professionals in the PGA tour, for them to come as ready to play as they do to every event is mind-boggling to me. While consistency is the most important aspect of Golf at that level, the player’s professional attitude and execution make them a pleasure to watch during these tournaments. In High School I played competitively for my high school and had a chance to experience the aggressive nature of the game, as Match play was the standard. However, with no galleries and shouting fans, the atmosphere is nothing to compare to a PGA event. So with that said, contained in this blog will be a plethora of topics in regards to the current news in the game, conditions, golf courses, and new technology to name a few. I'll be posting a variety of topics here on the blog that I encourage everyone to respond too with your own unique perspectives and ideas.

          Throughout the course of the coming months there is a lot happening in the professional golf world including the ever-prominent Ryder Cup. The culmination of the golf season, where only the best make it in, and the pressure is on as the tournament takes on a new element, pitting the United States versus the European Nations in a battle for bragging rights and standing in the modern golf world. Players from each side compete throughout the year at all of the tournaments to accumulate points that will solidify their spot on the team, some have buy ins however, the majority of players have to earn their stripes. This will bring me to my first blog concerning the state of affairs of the United States Team, Recently on Sept. 10^th the coach of team USA released his four very important Captain’s Picks, adding 4 players to the list of Eight already to qualify. They are Stewart Cink, Zach Johnson, Tiger Woods, and Richie Fowler. Now while all of these names are recognizable, one stands out like a sore thumb. Tiger Woods, does he or does he not deserve a spot on this prestigious team, not even a year after his personal life took a turn for the worse. The three names that aren’t Tiger’s have all had outstanding seasons playing consistent and finishing high in the leaderboards, but Tiger, well that’s another story. Since his debacle Tiger has failed to truly make his comeback in the golfing world. He is visibly distracted and often seems easily irritated and out of it. In the past two tournaments he had displayed small beacons of hope that he might soon return to the illustrious Tiger of old, only to be disappointed by mediocre and average finishes. In fact, at Ridgewood Country Club no more than two weeks ago, Tiger went for being the leader to finishing in the heart of the pack.

         With this said, I have to raise the question of whether of not I can truly believe that Tiger is the one for the spot, especially that of a captain. I feel that Tiger’s “redemption story” has had far to great of an impact of the decision of the United States Team, they could be letting a time bomb into the mix with the other golfers. Now while, I will never question Tiger’s golf abilities, in fact, I will even admit that when he is on his game, he is the best in the world, I will raise the question of whether or not I believe that his head is in the right place to begin the most important golf tournament of the year. With so much riding on the tournament especially for Tiger it could turn out to be one of the best decisions made for the team or one of the worst. Time will only tell.