Vijay Singh at the 2012 ATT National

Vijay Singh, The Big Fijan, ended the first round of the 2012 AT&T National tied for second place at three under par.  When I think of Vijay Singh, the first thing that comes to mind is not only his remarkable success, but his longevity on the PGA tour.  At 49 years, he has amassed one of the greatest records in PGA history.  Here are just a few stats:

• Overtook Tiger Woods in 2004 at the top of the World Golf Rankings which he held until March 2005.  He regained his #1 ranking just two weeks later after three consecutive wins.
• In 2005 he became the youngest living player to be elected to the hall of fame.
• In 2007 he won The Mercedes Benz Championship giving him 18 wins over the age of 40 - surpassing Sam Snead and making him the all time leader of wins over the age of 40.  His record now stands at 22.
• In 2008 he won the FEDEX cup, topped the money winning list and became the leader in all time PGA wins for a non-American.
• He is the second man to exceed all time tour earnings of $60 million behind Tiger Woods.
• 540 weeks in the top 10 of the World Golf Rankings.
• In 2011, he missed his tee-time at the U.S. open ending the longest streak of consecutive majors played by a professional golfer at 67.

This short list of accomplishments (far from complete) paints the picture of Vijay Singh as one of the greats.  And quite honestly, I love seeing the elder statesmen of the sport continue to perform at an exceptional level of play.  I play golf. I watch golf. I eat, breath, and sleep golf.  However, as I walked the lush fairways of Congressional Country Club, I saw herds of "kids" playing the game.  Names I did not recognize.  It made me wonder - will any of these kids come close to the longevity and success of Vijay Singh?

I wish Vijay the best through the rest of the tournament.  However, with only one round in the bag and only five strokes differentiating the top 29 players, anything could happen.

Have fun, and go make some great photography.

Craig

Tiger Woods at 2012 AT&T National

It is always a great pleasure to combine my passion for photography with other passions.  I regularly have the opportunity to do this with my food photography (Craig's Grape Adventure) but rarely get the opportunity to do so with my other obsession - golf.  Yesterday, was one of those rare moments.  I had the opportunity to do some shooting during the practice round of the AT&T National at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda Maryland.

The practice round is the only time when cameras are allowed on the course.  Also, yesterday was a perfectly pleasant day - when play starts on Thursday, temperature are forecasted in the upper 90's with typical DC area oppressive humidity.  In other words, everything conspired in my favor yesterday.

in 2011, I did some shooting at the practice round of the U.S. Open (also held at Congressional).  If you did not see my posts from the US Open, here is your chance to go back and see some photography of select golfers you may enjoy.

• Miguel Angel Jimenez

• Phil Mickelson

• Dustin Johnson

• Sergio Garcia

• Ernie Els

• Black and white photography from the 2011 US Open
• Photographic Wrap-up of the 2011 US Open

While wandering the course yesterday, enjoying the weather and the opportunity to do some shooting, I came across a crowd - something not normal for most golfers during a practice round.  I walked over to see what was holding the interest of the gaggle of spectators.  Not surprisingly, the group was gathered to watch Tiger - so today's post focuses on several shots I was able to grab of Tiger.

Check back soon for more shotes from the 2012 AT&T National.

Have fun, and go make some great photography.

Craig

Blue Angels at 2012 Andrews Air Force Base Air Show (part 2)

In a recent post (Blue Angels at 2012 Andrews Air Force Base Air Show) I shared a number of photos featuring the Blue Angels - all black and white.  Today I am sharing an additional collection of photos of the Blue Angles, but all color.

There is a completely different feel to the two collections.  I decided to present the black and white in one collection and the color in a second because they evoke a different response and work much better when viewed separately.  I encourage you to look at the two collections and compare.

Have fun, and go make some great photography.

Craig