When you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
Thanks to reader Steven for noticing that on top of Monty's WD at the BellSouth (there goes the gate revenue!), 14 others have pulled out.
What's the deal? Are they making the players come back for the final round on a Monday in August?
Doug Ferguson is covering the LPGA's first major of the year, and on behalf of his AP colleagues, gets a little revenge for this season's LPGA shenanigans.
But there is much work to be done if the LPGA Tour, as new commissioner Carolyn Bivens recently gushed, is really "one of the hottest properties in the sports world."
Of course, it's hard to take her seriously when Sorenstam's 2006 debut was shown on tape delay in the evening by The Golf Channel, which devoted its afternoon coverage to the Canadian Tour.
Now comes the first major championship of the year, and there is work to be done.
It takes away from the aura of a major when an Oscar Meyer "wienermobile" is parked between the putting green and the practice range. Equally rare at a major championship is when the top players have to play a pro-am for two days before Thursday's opening round.
The reasons why the LPGA Tour is riding a wave illustrates how far it has to go.
You go Doug! Oh and you thought the wienermobile couldn't be topped?
And there is Christina Kim, who speaks her mind, and sometimes she makes sense.
Sometimes she doesn't.
Asked about the world ranking in women's golf, which has been lampooned since the day it was published, Kim thought it should be based on more than performance.
"I think there should be opinion put into that," she said. "I think there should be other factors, not necessarily popularity, but if people, you know ... it's hard to describe. I think you have to have your heart and opinion put down on paper. And for that reason, I don't think it's ever going to be a truly successful means of ranking."
Key words: not necessarily popularity.
I mean, you know, it's like, you have to have your heart and opinion put down on paper.
You just can't make this stuff up.
I often find myself concerned that our friends outside the United States are missing out on the wonderful world of MBA/marketingspeak.
Then I read stories like this one courtesy of reader Graeme that nourish the soul.
Because as Martin Blake shows us in The Age, true leadership has made it to golf in Australia. Look out Ponte Vedra and wherever in the world the LPGA headquarters is located, because Paul McNamee is going to give Commissioner's Finchem and Bivens a run...for their inanity.
Paul McNamee has taken the reins of the Australian Open golf championships — both men's and women's tournaments — with a warning about unrealistic expectations.
McNamee, who has signed a three-year contract as executive chairman of the Open, says the notion that the men's tournament can become the "fifth major" is rubbish.
Ah, you're thinking, I like this guy. Here's the first sign of trouble.
McNamee confronted a similar malaise when he took over the running of the Australian Open tennis 12 years ago, although he made one distinction yesterday. "In brand development yes (it's similar), but there's one very important difference we should never forget. It (the Open golf) is not a major. It's not going to be a fifth major. But in brand development I do see similarities."
Brand development. Remember that Ponte Vedra. You can platform and re-contextualize it all you want, but never forget your brand development. And how does McNamee envision his brand development?
One of the methods he intends using is adding music as part of the entertainment package. "What I'd like to see is the Australian players feel they're really now being put on a pedestal and that the event really rocks. Once you do start selling tickets to the general public you are in the entertainment industry."
Adding music? Really rocks? Hey wait, the LPGA already has first dibs on rocks.
So I wonder, when he says rocks, does McNamee envision something like Al Czervik cranking up the volume to Journey's Any Way You Like It?
As for the intensely unpopular Moonah Links, McNamee really shows why he's fit to be running major golf events. Yes, that's right, you are no one in golf until you have a raging conflict of interest, and McNamee passes with flying colors!
This year's Australian Open is at Royal Sydney from November 16-19, but McNamee will soon have to confront the fact that Golf Australia has a contract to play the tournament three out of every five years at Moonah Links, a venue that has attracted savage criticism from Australian players. It is complicated by the fact that he is an investor in Moonah Links, giving him a clear conflict of interest that drew a laugh from him yesterday.
"You have to respect the contracts are in place," he said. "Whatever it is, it is."
No, you have to respect that a man has taken 2004's sports cliche of the year--it is what it is--and given it a gritty, post-modern Yogi Berra edge.
Whatever it is, it is!
And don't forget Paul, until it's done, it's not done.
For over a year now flogging (or Tigerball) has been a much-debated topic on this site and written about on Golfobserver.com, so it was nice to see the Golf World cover story on this radical new approach that younger players are taking.
Ryan Herrington and Tim Rosaforte explore the concept with excellent sidebar support from Dave Shedloski, Matthew Rudy and E. Michael Johnson, focusing on the how the players are able to power the ball via equipment and improved physical conditioning (though in lumping J.B. Holmes in here, they appeared to ignore his comments earlier this year that suggest physical conditioning has little to do with his prodigious length).
The main story is a solid overview with several interesting anecdotes. Though I was disappointed that they didn't explore the role that course setup may be playing in all of this. (The narrower they get, the more pointless it becomes to worry about hitting it in the short grass...).
Loved this from Bubba Watson:
My goal is to hit it inside the white stakes. No matter where it is, fairway, in the trees, as long as I have a swing [I'm happy].
More worth your time is Herrington's blog post on the story. He looks at who in college golf will be the next wave of floggers ("big bangers" just doesn't quite work).
He includes more comments from a coach quoted in the story who talks about the mindset of younger players:
“A lot of people look around and say, ‘that’s really different,’ ” says Georgia Tech coach Bruce Heppler. “Well, not to [them] it’s not. It’s second nature. [They've] done it [their] whole life.
“It’s just crank it on down there and deal with it,” he continued. “Because I think they feel like short shots, no matter how hard they are, they’re really not that hard any more. You heard growing up ‘Don’t get that in between yardage. Don’t get that finesse shot.’ Well they laugh at that now. There are no hard shots if you know what you’re doing. They’ve figured out how to get it up and down and how to hit the flop and how much better the wedge is. How much more spin … now you’re reading you can get too much spin. So there are no hard shots if you know what you’re doing. So it just becomes an absolute birdie fest.”
“I think it’s a culture. Guys just play different. I mean I can go up and down my team and it’s little guys and it’s big guys. To see where we play from … that’s one thing about being at a place where you play the same place all the time. We’ve been at Golf Club [of Georgia] for eight years, nine years now. I can’t tell you how different it is. There were par 5s initially they didn’t go for. And longer par 4s now that they just try to knock it on, shorter ones now. Or just get it up there around the green and get it out of the bunker rather than with a wedge.”
And Herrington ends his post with this:
One last point … this philosophy of play in many respects is much like baseball catering to home runs and basketball evolving into dunk contests. Yet while people dig the long ball, that doesn’t mean it’s good for the game. Just as each of the coaches said that the Big Bang theory is practiced in college golf, they all each lamented this fact, longing for the time when shot-making was still important. I have to say I agree with them. By becoming infatuated with distance, players aren’t necessarily better, just longer.
Oh boy, another one to the add to the converted list. This media bias is contagious!
Andrew Both writes:
At a meeting hosted by commissioner Tim Finchem last week, players were given some examples of their projected retirement payouts.
For example, a 2006 rookie who has a Fred Couples-type career - more than 20 very successful years on tour - can expect to receive a pension of about $247 million, according to the tour's figures.
OK, you say, but not many players have as good a career as Couples. True, but consider the case of a player who has a Don Pooley-like career, 20 years on tour averaging about 75th on the money list. He can expect a payout of about $142 million, not bad for a so-called journeyman.
Of course, these figures, provided to SportsTicker by a player at the meeting, are only projections, educated guesses at best, but even if they are grossly overstated, the tour's bottom feeders will still be very well taken care of barring a major long-term economic catastrophe.
Some of the newer tour members were flabbergasted to learn these figures, and there are skeptics who doubt their accuracy.
"Where is this money coming from?" asked one insider. "You're talking billions of dollars. Are these guys smarter than every other investor in the world? If a journeyman stands to get that sort of money, how much can Tiger expect?"
It seems the key to receiving a massive pension is longevity, keeping your job for a decade or more, even if you never win. And you thought it was all about the trophies.
Sean, try to keep the posts to 500 words or less! And thanks to reader Noonan for this story.
From Larry Stewart in the L.A. Times, writing about 60 Minutes producer Rick Schwartz:
Schwartz and a camera crew visited Earl's home in Cypress, as well as the home of Woods' mother, Kultida, in Tustin Ranch. After the crew was done shooting in Tustin, Kultida invited Schwartz in for lemonade and showed him her shrine to her son — pictures, trophies and lots of memorabilia.
"One picture stood out," Schwartz said. "It was of Tiger the night he won his first Masters. He was curled up in bed in a rented Augusta house, sound asleep, arms wrapped tightly around his first green jacket.
"I asked if I could bring our cameraman in just to shoot that one picture. Kultida smiled and said there was more of a chance of me winning the Masters."
Sabbatini, Ames and Oberholser are the last three to qualify...
Watching players struggle with 6-8 inch rough at TPC Sawgrass that Tiger Woods took issue with because it compromised Pete Dye's design concept, I couldn't help but wonder what will happen when a player is injured by such a setup tactic.
Imagine an injured wrist, elbow or shoulder caused by rough that was harvested to take driver out of the players hands. And why? Because players might make a few too many birdies and hit 350-yard drives, causing people to notice that the game is out of balance.
Readers of The Future of Golf know that I wrote about the possibility of a player someday suing a governing body over a Meeks-like setup boondoggle, but I think injury is going to come first.
If a player is injured trying to hit out of ankle high, over-fertilized rough watered differently than fairways, will this be shrugged off as a "rub of the green," "that's the risk they take" situation?
With the USGA's David Fay suggesting at last year's SI Roundtable that he would like to see 8 inch rough heights for shorter holes like Winged Foot's 6th, it seems that the anti-birdie, anti-distance rough is going to be coming to major championship golf. Inevitably someone will get hurt.
How absurd is that?
Tom Hansen writes about the latest Florida TPC course at Treviso Bay:
Gray leans over his dusty, green Land Rover and expands the rolled-up drawings. [Arthur] Hills and [Hal] Sutton have already collaborated on the layout of the course. They used aerial photos to create the potential masterpiece.
That's a new one...I wonder if they've ever met?
Gray explains that the 1,050-acre project is actually four parcels of land. One parcel, called B, won't be developed for several years.
"People don't realize how big this development is," he said.
The 7,200-yard course will occupy the south end of the project. It stretches almost to State Road 951. The golf course will be separated from most of the housing development by the wetlands. Only 40 estate sites will be for sale on the golf course.
"It's going to be pretty core golf," Gray said.
We had core golf, now we have "pretty core."
In the March 25 issue, Golfweek's assistant managing editor and business writer Martin Kaufman felt compelled to comment on colleague Jim Achenbach's original Ohio Golf Association ball story, citing this quote:
"We are leaning to one that optimizes (distance efficiency off the tee) between 100 and 105 miles per hour (driver swing speed)," said Alan Fadel, chairman of the OGA ball committee. "The ball is not going to benefit somebody at 120 (mph) the way the current ball does. We are trying to achieve a little more equality, that's all."
Kaufman appears to not understand that Fadel is referring to the impact of optimization (where properly matched players in the 115 mph-and-up range are getting excessive turbo boosts that effectively work around the USGA's Overall Distance Standard).
So there you have it: Golf's honchos officially have begun to embrace mediocrity rather than celebrating excellence. Years from now, the OGA's foolhardy decision might be remembered as a beachhead for the establishment of a welfare state for mediocre Tour players.
First, this "foolhardy decision" amounts to a 2-day, totally optional state golf association event where the ball is provided free of charge. This is not The Players Championship THE PLAYERS.
Those of us who have followed the issue know that one of the underlying issues with recent distance increases is that of skill, and the blurring of lines between the very good player and the super-elite.
Players of supreme skill like Tiger Woods or Ernie Els would be even better in an event using a ball like the one the OGA has selected. Their games would not be brought down by such a ball. They'd be even better. Tiger has even hinted that he's well aware of this possibility, which is one reason he can't campaign too hard for a change in the ball spec that introduces more spin or one that impacts the role of optimization.
Kaufman sees it the other way, and brings up the issue of equality. He believes the governing bodies have a desire to bring everyone down to the same level.
Any effort to legislate equality, whether in sports or broader society, is inherently problematic, if not doomed to failure. It sends a perverse message that top performers will be penalized for excellence, while laggards can count on benevolent rulers to shield them from superior performers.
And...
Players who swing the driver 120 mph and can control the ball's flight should hold an advantage over players who swing 105 mph. Swinging a golf club abnormally fast reflects superior athletic ability and training. And yes, it reflects superior skill. You remember skill, don't you. Golf used to celebrate it.
I seriously doubt any governing body wants to bring everyone together via an equipment change. (Course setup, that's another story.) Those swinging 120 m.p.h. would regain the proper edge that they deserve with a properly handled rollback.
Groups like the OGA want to eliminate the 350-yard drive born out of the optimization of launch conditions. Groups like the USGA--assuming the Joint Statement is to be believed--want to reward the player who is physically strong and who can swing the club "abnormally fast," but also reward those who are genuinely precise with their ball striking.
Modern equipment has blurred distinctions in these two areas.
Reader MacDuff's once again shows us how a 2007 "FedEx Cup" points race would shake out. For those wondering, here is a link to the points system he has developed.
Despite its fifth major status, extra points were not awarded for The Player Championship THE PLAYERS. Why do I suspect that the PGA Tour points breakdown will treat The Players Championship THE PLAYERS like the other majors?
1 Singh 11609.37 8
2 Sabbatini 10891.66 7
3 Toms 10509.37 6
4 Mickelson 10346.87 7
5 Petersson 10233.33 9
6 C.Campbell 10200 9
7 Glover 9854.16 7
8 Furyk 9587.5 7
9 Pernice 9437.5 7
10 Gf. Ogilvy 9387.5 6
11 T.Woods 8859.37 5
12 Lehman 8350 7
13 Weir 8334.37 6
14 Verplank 8187.5 6
15 Donald 8109.37 5
16 Van Pelt 8065 8
17 Villegas 8025 7
18 Rollins 7675 7
19 Parnevik 7567.5 8
20 Chopra 7424.5 8
21 D.Wilson 7400 7
22 Oberholser 7300 6
23 Mayfair 7191.66 7
24 Olazabal 7150 5
25 Franco 6800 7
26 JB Holmes 6695.83 6
27 G. Owen 6662.5 6
28 Barlow 6657.5 7
29 Appleby 6650 6
30 Garcia 6550 5
31 Ames 6500 5
32 Choi 6400 6
33 Funk 6337.5 7
34 Pat Perez 6262.5 7
35 Palmer 6166.66 6
36 Warren 6050 6
37 Rose 5966.66 5
38 T.Clark 5892.5 6
39 J.Ogilvie 5845 6
40 Pampling 5792.5 5
41 Love III 5762.5 5
42 Bohn 5733.33 6
43 Gay 5662.5 7
44 Bjornstad 5655 6
45 Z.Johnson 5612.5 6
46 Goosen 5537.5 4
47 Jobe 5392.5 5
48 Vn Taylor 5362.5 5
49 Langer 5354.16 6
50 Jerry Kelly 5325 4
51 N.Green 5262.5 6
52 Imada 5212.5 6
53 Els 5200 5
54 Westwood 5187.5 5
55 Calc 5150 7
56 Bub Watson 5075 5
57 Purdy 5037.5 5
58 Couples 5025 6
59 Cink 5021.33 5
60 Allenby 5012.5 5
61 DiMarco 4984.37 4
62 Bertsch 4900 6
63 Leonard 4895.83 5
64 Bryant 4862.5 5
65 A.Scott 4800 4
66 Fischer 4787.5 7
67 Triplett 4750 4
68 Watney 4737.5 6
69 F.Jacobson 4687.5 4
70 Senden 4625 4
71 Matteson 4600 6
72 M.Wilson 4590 4
73 Olin Browne 4487.5 6
74 Gore 4387.5 4
75 J.Smith 4350 4
76 Crane 4345 4
77 Atwal 4312.5 4
78 Howell III 4300 8
79 Sluman 4287.5 8
80 Baird 4200 5
81 Frazar 4187.5 6
82 Br.Davis 4162.5 6
83 Harrington 4050 3
84 JJ Henry 4050 4
85 Cook 4000 4
T86 Veazey 3962.5 4
T86 Kenny Perry 3962.5 4
88 D. Howell 3925 3
89 Hart 3925 4
90 Branshaw 3875 4
91 Curtis 3875 5
92 Hoffman 3852.5 4
93 Faxon 3787.5 5
94 Estes 3775 3
95 J.Byrd 3750 3
96 D.Clarke 3725 3
97 Slocum 3725 6
98 Lonard 3662.5 5
99 Herron 3657.5 4
100 Immelman 3650 4
101 Maggert 3625 6
102 Kent Jones 3537.5 4
103 Micheel 3500 4
T104 S.Jones 3475 4
T104 Cabrera 3475 4
106 Beem 3356.25 5
107 Stankowski 3265.5 5
108 RS Johnson 3225 3
109 Waldorf 3200 4
110 Sean O'Hair 3187.5 5
111 Dickerson 3137.5 6
112 Gove 3125 3
T113 Azinger 3112.5 4
T113 Petrovic 3112.5 4
115 H.Stenson 3012.5 3
116 S. Maruyama 3000 5
117 Ridings 2912.5 4
118 Gamez 2887.5 4
119 Garrigus 2850 3
120 Lowery 2837.5 4
121 JL Lewis 2800 5
122 Flesch 2775 5
123 Huston 2762.5 3
124 B. Quigley 2750 3
125 Points 2737.5 3
126 Mahan 2662.5 5
127 Levet 2637.5 5
128 Kaye 2487.5 3
129 M. Cambo 2437.5 2
130 Allen 2400 4
131 Goggin 2387.75 3
132 Pavin 2362.5 3
133 Sindelar 2325 5
134 Barron 2293.75 3
135 Lickliter II 2287.5 2
136 Poulter 2250 3
137 Stricker 2225 2
T138 Geiberger 2225 3
T138 Dawson 2225 3
140 Driscoll 2175 4
141 Baddeley 2100 4
142 Bren Jones 2050 2
143 Kevin Na 2037.5 2
The PGA Tour Driving Distance average dropped again from 288.956 yards after Bay Hill, to 288.12 following Just when you think one of those wonderfully empty MBA favorites is no longer en vogue at PGA Tour headquarters, along comes this story on the soon-to-be-demolished Sawgrass clubhouse...
The clubhouse will be replaced, but according to Dave Pillsbury, the Chief Operating Officer for PGA Tour Golf Course Properties, the old one will not be forgotten.
"It's going to be all about where we've been," he said. "It will be a platform for what's to come, but it's also going to celebrate where we've been. ... When you walk in the doors, we want you to be immersed in the history of this event and of Sawgrass."
By my count, the Commissioner never used platform in last week's gathering with the media.
More from Tiger Woods after Sunday's final The Players Championship, before it becomes THE PLAYERS:
TIGER WOODS: Since I've played here, I've never liked the way they've set it up with the rough high because the golf course wasn't meant to be played that way. I've talked to Pete Dye, and it wasn't meant to be played that way. It's supposed to be hard and fast and all the palmetto bushes are supposed to be coming into play. When we played the Amateur here in '94 that's the way it was, but they've cleaned it up and changed the golf course and changed, I think, how Pete wanted it initially to be played.
Hopefully when we come back here in May, it will be playing like that. Hard and fast is great, but six, eight inch rough, I don't think that's the right combo.
Stephen Ames after The Players Championship THE PLAYERS:
It was a difficult year for my wife and myself. And my boys, yeah, they probably watched it all as they came in this afternoon. They're probably sitting in front of the television watching it. It's going to be a big thrill and a wonderful vacation now.
Q. Have you spoken to Jodi yet?
STEPHEN AMES: I haven't, no.
Q. Is that going to be a two week vacation?
STEPHEN AMES: Not sure yet (laughing).
Q. Seriously, is there a possibility you won't play The Masters?
STEPHEN AMES: I have no plans of playing at Augusta. My kids have just come out of for their spring break, and we had plans to go somewhere else. My priorities have always been my family first. If it comes down to that, it's probably going to be a two week vacation, yes.
Q. What is the status of your citizenship?
STEPHEN AMES: For which country (laughter)?
Q. For your individual country.
STEPHEN AMES: I am born in Trinidad and Tobago. I am also a Canadian citizen. I live in Canada and have been there for the last 12 years.
Ah, but this rally killer was not successful...
Q. Is it possible your wife might talk you into Augusta?
STEPHEN AMES: I don't know. I'm not sure about it yet.
Q. What will determine whether you go to Augusta? Would your wife and children have to say go, pop?
STEPHEN AMES: No, I'd rather go on vacation to be truthful.
Q. So are you telling us you will not play The Masters?
STEPHEN AMES: I don't know yet. We'll see.
Looks like he changed his mind...with the help of his family.
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
