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Nitties Imposes A Chick Ban
By Nick Walshaw
December 13, 2008 12:00am

RISING Aussie golfer James Nitties has finally revealed the real secret to his PGA qualifying success - he placed himself on a chick ban.

Only three days after earning himself that elusive PGA tour card, Nitties has told The Daily Telegraph how abstaining from both birds and booze now has him chasing $1million paydays.

The Newcastle wonderboy, whose Australian Open bid was yesterday ruined by a serious case of jetlag, says he first decided to swear off his favoured Coopers Pale Ale in October - before adding all red markers as well.

"Yeah, it all started two months ago leading up to Q School,'' he says with a smile. "The plan was to get off the booze and sort of keep the girl situation out of it too.

"I mean, being a golfer in Australia it rarely happens anyway ... tell a girl you play golf for a living and she usually laughs at you. But I just thought it was important to put that sort of stuff to the side for a while.

"So since October I've been really focused. Practising, training, in the gym all the time. It's great when it pays off.''

Still only 26, Nitties has developed something of a party boy reputation on the Aussie golf scene.

But the Cronulla Sharks supporter - "as a kid they were my favourite animal'' - says there are plenty of professionals who drink far more than him.

"I don't think I'm that different to everyone else, I just say what I think,'' Nitties continues. "A lot of guys out there on the PGA tour party way too much. But they just hide it. But for me, I work hard and there are times when I like to go out and have a good time too.

"I'm a 26-year-old bloke, I'm not got to stay at home every night with a glass of water and a book. So sometimes I say things that people don't want to hear ... but that's their problem, not mine.''

Of course, the beer and birds ban officially comes to an end today after Nitties failed to make the Australian Open cut, finishing four over. Needing a strong finish yesterday, Nitties instead struck trouble on the 15th - when a drive he pulled left finished up wedged in a tree.

"Yeah, that ended my week,'' he laughs. "But I hadn't played well and there are no excuses. But it does provide a perfect chance to lift the grog ban.''

Source: http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24792414-5012690,00.html
 

Capital_Shark

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Sounds like a fun bloke. I can imagine what a hoot it would be to sit around stone-cold sober reminiscing about all the chicks you didn't score.
 

bort

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if your going to get no action you might as well do it on purpose i guess, but sober? outrageous
 

sharks195

Jaws
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Well we might have a new high profile Sharks supporter, maybe if he gets really big he can be number one ticket holder, at least he is more likely to turn up than some others...
 

Hughesy215

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Just interested in seeing how many keen golfers we have on this forum

I know myself and The shire have had a hit a few times... do we have any others out there?
 

Gil

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I play golf and I vote.

I usually go for a hit once or twice a month, sometimes more
 

Sharky Pete

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Ernie Els has won the British Open after a late hole collapse by Australia's Adam Scott

Jim Tucker in Lytham
The Courier-Mail
July 23, 2012 8:44AM


ADAM Scott spent his early golfing life idolising Greg Norman and, sadly, it is not a British Open title he has emulated but a Shark-like collapse.

As a 15-year-old schoolboy in Queensland, Scott had tears in his eyes watching Norman fritter away a six-stroke lead to lose the 1996 Masters to Nick Faldo at Augusta.

Scott was moist eyed momentarily himself immediately after his greatest chance at a major disappeared with one errant decision and a few missed putts with his broomstick putter when it mattered most.

He led by four midway through the round and four with the same number of holes to play.
Sporting labels can be cruel. Choke is the cruellest.

It is no disrespect to the great golf that Scott played for 68 holes at Royal Lytham and St Annes, his brilliant six-under 64 to open his quest or his affable character. In pure golf terms, his final four holes were an inglorious crash.

Four holes to glory. Four bogeys.

South Africa's Ernie Els (67-70-68-68) did shoot four-under on the back nine to topple Scott with a fine closing two-under 68 to take his first major in a decade but it was still a case of the Australian losing the Open with his five-over 75.

Scott (64-67-68-75) was all class in dealing with every question about cracking at the death. He learnt from Norman to deal with victory and adversity up front and with character.

It wasn't uncontrollable nerves or the wind or thinking too far ahead that tripped him, Scott said.

Did he now know how Norman felt at Augusta in 1996 and in other close seconds and thirds?

"I mean, look, Greg was my hero when I was a kid and I thought he was a great role model how he handled himself in victory and defeat," Scott said.
"It's tough. I can't justify anything that I've done out there.

"I didn't finish the tournament well today. I hit a poor shot on each of the last four holes. But next time, I'm sure there will be a next time, and I can do a better job of it.

"It came down to not making putts the last four holes."

Would there be tears?

"I don't think so. Maybe it hasn't sunk in yet. Maybe there will be a bit more disappointment when I get home and kind of wind down. It's all a lot to digest.
"I'm a positive guy. I want to take all the good stuff that I did this week and use that for next time.".

Scott hit a super driver down the middle of the tough par four 17th but his six iron into the green rode the wind left and ended up short, wide and bouncing into tricky heavy rough. He chipped on to the green but missed the long putt for par.

This poor second shot into the 17th was the one he rued when aiming further right to the centre of the green may have been sure par territory.

Suddenly, instead of a comfortable par and a one-stroke lead going to the last, he was level with Els.

"I hit a six iron and pretty much as I looked up and saw the line it was on, I knew it was riding the wind too early to hold its line. I knew I was in a bit of trouble," Scott said of the 17th.

In was tough for Scott to pick over the wreckage of the last four holes, a missed putt for bogey on the 15th, a three-putt on the 16th for another when a 1m putt lipped out, taking the wrong angle to the 16th green with the crosswind and the 18th.

Scott stood on the 18th tee looking at a classic par four with 17 bunkers providing potential disaster either in the fairway or around the green.

When the most reliable driver of the tournament hit his three wood into the fairway bunker he was cooked. He could only play out on to the fairway.
His heroic third shot to the green gave him a 2m putt to make the play-off. It was off line to the left and the dream was gone.

"I was surprisingly calm the whole round. I probably spent all my nerves over the 24 hours leading up to playing. Once I was out there I felt completely in control," he said.

"If I make either putt on the 15th or 16th, it's a very different position but I put myself in a position where I had to hit a great tee shot off the last and I didn't hit a great one."

Scott gave Els great credit for breaking a 10-year drought without a major.

"I respect Ernie a lot and he is a player who is a worthy champion here for sure," Scott said.

"You know, he said he felt for me and not to beat myself up. He said he beat himself up a bit when he had chances to win. He felt I'm a great player and I can go on to win majors which is nice."

Scott had been bidding to join Peter Thomson (1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1965), Kel Nagle (1960), Norman (1986, 1993) and Ian Baker-Finch (1991) as the only Australians in the Open's 152-year history to kiss the famous Claret Jug.

Cruelly now he will take a dubious place in Australian sporting history.

Of the other Australians who made the halfway cut, Ogilvy charged home with a three-under 67 to finish equal ninth at even par, with John Senden also closing in style with a 68 for a four-over total and a tie for 34th.

Greg Chalmers (76) was joint 45th at six over, Aaron Baddeley (74) equal 69th at 10 over after making the Open cut for the first time in seven attempts and Brendan Jones (76) in a tie for 72nd at 11 over for the championship.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...four-stroke-lead/story-e6freuy9-1226432200817
 
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Played a couple of rounds before knee surgery and am really keen to start playing regularly. Hopefully get back out there in a few months.
 

dier

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I got a small 9 hole course down the road. Go there a fair bit, go for a full day of golf about twice a month. Still suck though haha.
 
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