Verizon Heritage

Golf fans (and that includes the players and the caddies) couldn't have asked for more excitement last week at the Masters. What a great finish! The tournament had a star-studded leader board battling on Sunday and Phil Mickelson hit some terrific shots coming down the stretch. The course set up was as fair as I have seen in my 11 years at Augusta National and made for very entertaining golf, especially on Sunday. They kept the greens much softer than normal and the shaved area around the greens were longer than we're used to, so it really rewarded you when you hit good shots. All in all, a very exciting week and everyone loved hearing the roars again this year. Congratulations to Phil and Bones on a great win!

This week we're at the Verizon Heritage Classic, an event that we have not played in 10 years. I drove over to Hilton Head on Sunday night and was invited out on Robert Allenby's boat on Monday for some deep sea fishing. I was really looking forward to getting out there and catching some marlin and tuna, but unfortunately all we caught was sea sickness!
The waves were huge and we all felt awful. Not what we had in mind, but fun just the same.

Having spent a few days here, I can see why everyone has such great things to say about Hilton Head and Harbour Town. It's a great area to bring a family, with condos all around the course and nice restaurants within walking distance, and the golf course is one of the best that we play on TOUR. It's very ‘old school' - short, with lots of dog legs and small greens. Distance won't seem to be as important on this course as accuracy. Because there are so many overhanging trees, you really have to place your ball on the correct side of the fairways to have a clear shot at the pins. If you don't, you'll find yourself having to really curve the ball to get it on the green. Strategy will play an even more important role on this course.

I understand that this is the last year for Verizon as title sponsor for this event, so we're all hoping that someone is able to support it moving forward as it is a great event every year and I know that Mike really likes it here!

We're now into one of my favorite times (as it is for millions of Canadians) of the year - NHL playoffs start this week!! While I'm disappointed that my Stars didn't make it in (I believe in the old saying "there's always next year!"), I'll still love being able to sit around and watch a few games each night.

Before I sign off, I'd like to offer congratulations to my hometown St. Thomas Stars Jr. B Hockey Club who made a great run in the playoffs this year before getting beaten out in the end by LaSalle 4-2. They had a great year, and for the 7th seed to advance that far is fantastic. I know everyone back home was very excited and behind them all the way.

As you can tell, I tend to follow a little bit of hockey! I'll be sure to pass along the CHL hockey updates next report!

Thanks for reading,
Brennan