Geoff Ogilvy hanging out with President Clinton in a practice round

The Presidents Cup gets underway today at Harding Park in San Francisco. Here are the pairings for Thursday’s foursome  matches:

International vs. US.

Tim Clark and Mike Weir vs. Anthony Kim and Phil Mickelson

Adam Scott and Ernie Els vs. Hunter Mahan and Sean O’Hair

Vijay Singh and Robert Allenby vs. Lucas Glover and Stewart Cink

Angel Cabrera and Camilo Villegas vs. Kenny Perry and Zach Johnson

Geoff Ogilvy and Ryo Ishikawa vs. Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker

Retief Goosen and Y.E. Yang vs. Jim Furyk and Justin Leonard

In case you’re not familiar with the “foursome” format, it’s basically just two guys playing “alternate shot” — Player A hits the drive and then Player B hits the next shot, etc. As you see, PUMA athlete Geoff Ogilvy is paired with 18-year-old phenom Ryo Ishikawa…and they’re taking on the world’s number 1 and 3 players, Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker.

This match will definitely be the one to watch. Ogilvy’s record at past Presidents Cup matches is 2-3-0. He is the top-ranked player on the International squad. And Ishikawa is probably the hottest one — last week he won on the Japanese Tour, his fourth victory since June.

Ogilvy requested to be paired with the young’n. In yesterday’s presser, Ryo said:

The first time I met Mr. Ogilvy was at the Taiheiyo Masters in Japan. He was very nice to me then and also coming into this week, he’s been really nice to me this week. I’m just really happy to be paired with him. Because I had known him in the past, I didn’t know that I would get to pair with him this week, but it was great that it worked out this way and that I get to pair with him. And the other players and caddies have come up me and said, “Geoff really wanted to play with you.” So when I heard that, I was really, really happy.

Aww, shucks! Awfully kind of Ogilvy to step up and mentor the teen! Best of luck to them tomorrow — they best be bringing their A game to beat Tiger/Stricker! But hey, crazier things have happened. Not to mention there’s more chance for underdogs to disappoint in match play. And that’s why it’s so fun to watch. Get excited!

Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images

Thirty of the top players in the world competed at East Lake GC, the final leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs, last week. And if you weren’t watching football, then you saw how exciting the finish was.

Phil and Tiger both made the winner’s circle. Phil won the Tour Championship, but Tiger walked away with the extra fatty $10 million bonus for winning the FedEx Cup. Not a bad payday, huh? Though I think he would have gladly traded the paycheck for Phil’s trophy — we know he doesn’t like finishing second at anything! And it’s not like he needs the money or plays for it.

Phil played a flawless final round and shot 5-under 65 to best Tiger by 3 strokes. His short game deserves the most credit for the excellent victory. He had been struggling around the greens over the past few months, but a short putting tutorial from Dave Stockton last week got him back on track. Phil’s shot of the day came at the 16th hole, where he chipped in for birdie!

As Tiger so often does, he contributed to the excitement toward the end of the day. He was having a ho-hum round until he (finally) made his first birdie on the 15th. Then he followed it with another on the 16th, draining a long putt.

Meanwhile, PUMA athlete Geoff Ogilvy finished T16. After a terrible start (he was DFL after the first round!), he fired an excellent 6-under 64 on Saturday and then even-par on Sunday. Way to come back and great job!

The tournament and playoffs were a success because of the results, but the FedEx Cup hasn’t escaped further scrutiny. No one gets the uber-complicated points system. (I’m beginning to think that the PGA just wants to confuse us.) Even Phil doesn’t get it. After his round he quipped, “I want to see if I understand this right. I shot 65 and Tiger shot 70. He gets a check for $10 million.” He said he was “joking,” but…

So, there you have it — the world’s number one and two winning on the same day — I can’t think of a better way to close the official ‘09 season.

Registration for the PUMA Open Nor Cal is now live! We know you guys can make some seriously tasty wine and can parallel park like a pro but what we don’t know is if you’re ready for the most fun you’ve ever had golfing.

Here’s what to do.

1. Email your boss and tell them that you are going to be sick September 18^th.
2. Get three of your friends together and go to thepumaopen.com to sign up before it sells out!
3. Tell your friends.

Don’t know what the PUMA Open is? Go to thepumaopen.com to find out. Its’ sweet. Really.

So remember back in high school when the year book came out and you feverishly searched the “most likely to” section hoping to see your name? Well that’s how we feel when The Hackers Paradise Bi-Annual Golfer’s Choice Awards come out. We were so excited this year to see our name in lights as Best Golf Apparel Innovation. Click the link to see all the nice things they said about us.

Thanks guys, you have us feeling “Most Likely to Suceed”!

Spring is in full force and PUMA Athletes are standing out on courses across the world this week.

Argentinian Daniel Vancsik is storming the leaderboard at the BMW Italian Open

Jeehae Lee at the Michelob Ultra Open

And Swedish PUMA Athlete Anna Nordqvist is blogging for the LPGA about her tournament in Morelia, Mexico.

Let’s follow their lead and get out there this weekend eh?

When a publication like The Wall Street Journal starts talking about a fashion trend, you KNOW you’ve hit the big time. Check out this article on the triumphant return of some old sartorial favorites. And see our boy Geoff Ogilvy in the slideshow.

That’s our little trendsetter.

There is definitely something about a well dressed man.
PUMA Athlete Geoff Ogilvy is looking sharp today in Augusta sporting a preview outfit from our Special Edition Black and White Collection, available this June at select retailers.
And did we mention the shoes?

Keep watching this space and we’ll tell you when you too can be this cool.

Golf is a sport that’s full of rules. Don’t do this. Don’t wear that. Over here at PUMA, we believe that some of them were made to be broken. So throw your rulebook in the sand trap, and may we suggest that you dress to the nines while doing so.

This season, we were inspired by the sport’s classic silhouettes, but rejuvenated them with hints of modern style, daring graphics, and a playful attitude.

PUMA Golf. Look Better. Feel Better. Play Better.

On our course, fire blowers and world-renowned golfers are one in the same.

Our Smart Quill technology gives you plenty of traction-on the course or as a fashion plate. When something’s this good, why let it go?

Modern golf is only a hop, skip, and a jump away.

While some of our updates this season are visible, others are not. For the first time ever, PUMA Golf introduces Invisibonding to its apparel collection. An alternative to classic stitching, Invisibonding is a light molecular bond that attaches fabric together seamlessly. By welding together two pieces of fabric, a maximum durability is established that can withstand endless rounds of golf, and the multiple wash cycles that follow. This bond also reduces friction to allow precise movement while driving, putting, or partaking in high-fives at the clubhouse.

And because some things are too good to let go of, our Smart Quill technology is back and better than ever. With TPU spikes positioned at specific angles to customize traction during your backswing, downswing, and follow-through - this shoe has some serious brains. Not to mention, the left and right shoe are crafted differently, because we understand that each plays its own role during your swing.

Now that’s what we call smart.