Florida Open: First Round Results

The first round of the Florida Open is complete, and Gregg Edwards is in a tie for 58th place after shooting a two-over 73 on the day. After tomorrow, about 2/3 of the field will be cut, meaning that the top 50 and ties will probably advance. Edwards is right on the edge.

Orlando resident Camilo Benedetti leads the tournament with a blazing 7-under 64.

Benedetti was born in Medellin, Colombia, but moved to the US as a sophomore in high school. He starred at the University of Florida and was the first freshman in UF history to win the SEC Championship. He, Nick Gilliam, Bubba Dickerson and current PGA Tour pro Camilo Villegas were part of a dominant UF golf team that won the 2001 NCAA Championship. Benedetti tied the course record by posting a 65 in the final round of that tournament, and finished second overall, ahead of such familiar names as Lucas Glover, Ricky Barnes, D.J. Trahan, and Bryce Molder.

Benedetti's group, which included David Kirkpatrick (two-under 69) and Joseph Alfieri (two-under 69), shot the lights out in the first round.

Edwards was grouped with Guy Woodman (two-under 69) from Old Windsor, England, and David Damesworth (plus-eight 79) of Minneola, FL. Woodman was featured on the Golf Channel series, the Big Break IV as a member of the European team, and made it to the finals of the competition. Recently, he has been trying to qualify for full-time status on the European Tour. Damesworth is a veteran of the Hooters and Moonlight Tours who played college golf at Cornerstone University in Michigan.

Edwards tees off tomorrow at 12:48 PM. It promises to be a hot day, with zero percent chance of rain and a high of 89 degrees.

(click on the underlined links above for more information).

Nuggets News: Thank You Houston

According to ESPN.com, the Houston Rockets have signed Bonzi Wells to a two-year deal for $5 million. This is a fantastic move by the Rockets, because it means he won't be playing for the Nuggets. Thank you Houston.

I just can't imagine that the Nuggets had any legitimate interest in this guy. He's everything Denver doesn't need. And I mean the city as a whole, not just the team. He's a bad character guy and a malcontent and he doesn't shoot threes. I never understood the attraction.

Now if we can just get some value for one of our big men. K-Mart has been talking like he wants to remain a Nugget and play hard this year. If he and Karl can patch things up, I'd be excited about him staying around. We do have a logjam at PF/C now though. Here's what the roster looks like right now:

Starters
PG - Andre Miller
SG - J.R. Smith
SF - Carmelo Anthony
PF - Kenyon Martin
C - Nene

Reserves
Earl Boykins - PG
Julius Hodge - G
DerMarr Johnson - G
Yakhouba Diawara - G/F
Eduardo Najera - F
Linus Kleiza - F
Reggie Evans - F
Joe Smith - F
Marcus Camby - C/F
Jamal Sampson - C

I just can't imagine what the Nuggets are planning to do about this. Someone's gotta go. But all the big names on our front line have proven they are unable to stay healthy, so it's a scary proposition to bank on any of them.

There's been a lot of rumors about K-Mart towards the end of the summer, and none of them sounded any good. The worst was the Zach Randolph for Martin deal. I hope to hear something better than that. And in case anyone was unaware of this, we still need perimeter shooting. For about the fourth consecutive season.

The Florida Open

The Florida Open golf tournament kicks off tomorrow morning, with roughly 144 golfers trying to win their share of $62,000 in a tournament that draws many of Florida's top golfers. The event will run 72 holes, with a cut down to the lowest 35% and ties after 36 holes.

Past winners of the Open include PGA Tour and Senior PGA Tour members Bob Murphy, Gary Koch, Bruce Fleisher, John Huston, Bart Bryant, and Dudley Hart.

Last year's winner Colby Beckstrom won $12,000 for first place by shooting an 8-under 202 over a shortened three rounds of competition at the par-70 Loblolly course in Hobe Sound, Florida.

This year, the event will be held at the Eagle Creek Golf Club in Orlando. The course is a Ron Garl and Howard Swan design that features lots of bunkers, lots of water and some very long holes. From the "tour" tees, the course plays 7,198 yards, although it remains to be seen how long the course will play tomorrow.

And we'll be watching the scores intently. That's because our boy Gregg Edwards tees off at 8:33 AM EST to make a run at that crystal trophy and first-place check.

Good luck brother!

THE FOX FOOTBALL ARROW RETURNS

Fox has brought back the awful Fox Football Arrow during their NFL coverage that shows the down and distance for the offensive team. Instead of the bright yellow from last year, they toned it down a little and made it team colors.

The problem with this is that it obscures the players on the screen. You can't see if there is a tight end or who he is, or who is lined up across from him on the defensive front. It's stupid and distracting.

Honestly, who needs this thing? I guess it helps if you're watching the game at a bar after downing 19 shots of whiskey, and the sound is off on the tv and you've never seen a football game before. And you forgot to wear your contacts. But seriously, who else needs/wants this thing?


Please, Fox, kill the arrow. Not even the glowing puck was this stupid.

Edwards on a Roll

Gregg Edwards continued his recent hot streak by winning the Sarasota Open in dramatic fashion yesterday. It was particularly sweet considering he got the W on his mother's birthday, making for a fine birthday gift. The following is the Sarasota Herald Tribune's article about the event:

SARASOTA COUNTY OPEN
Edwards wins on 5th extra hole
River Club teaching pro bests host pro Cummings at the Golf Club at Capri Isles.

By MARK CARDON
mark.cardon@heraldtribune.com

VENICE -- Host pro Mike Cummings invited 122 other players for the first Sarasota County Open and then almost won his own tournament.

In a thrilling five-hole playoff late Sunday afternoon, teaching pro Greg Edwards bested Cummings on the 550-yard fifth hole at the Golf Club at Capri Isles.

Cummings, who was staring at a bogey, conceded a short birdie putt by Edwards for the victory.

"It's the most fun I've ever had playing golf," said Cummings. "That's what it is all about."Paired together on Sunday after shooting 72s in Saturday's first round, Cummings and Edwards, a teaching pro at the River Club in Bradenton, posted 2-under-par 70s to force a playoff.

Both pros parred the first hole and birdied the second, followed by pars and bogeys.

On the par 5, fifth hole, Edwards hit a driver and 3-wood onto the green. His first putt was short by 2 feet. Meanwhile, Cummings' third shot found the greenside fringe and his chip and putt were short. He conceded Edwards' birdie putt.

Sarasota's Joey Lamielle and North Port's Dave Hronek tied for third at even-par 144. Lamielle shot 73 on Sunday, and Hronek posted a 69, the day's best score.

First-round leader Robert Jacks of St. Petersburg soared to a 76 and finished sixth.In recent outings, Edwards, who has been at the River Club for seven years, shot a 65 on his home course, tying the course record. He also had a 66 in winning a mini-tour event in Lakeland.

"It was a strong field with a lot of good players," said Edwards. "He (Cummings) hung in their. It was good to see him playing so well. He ran a nice tournament."

Charlie Hodges won the first flight with a 145 total, and Richard Brown fired a 70 to capture the second flight at 153. Jack Harding and Lee Kowalski shared the third flight at 174.

Ironically, it was Cummings' idea to start the Sarasota County Open. His goal was to get a competitive field of pros and amateurs in the area together on his home course.