Minds Crossing Over Dubai Ryder Cup Idea

Mark Reason on the European Tour's disastrous idea to possibly entertain a 2018 Ryder Cup bid from their partners, Leisurecorp

Golf is a massive tourist pull in the area and David Spencer, the chief executive of Leisurecorp, confirmed the group's interest in heading a bid for the Ryder Cup.Spencer said: "It makes sense. Golf tourism is a fantastic product that we can gain more market share in. [A bid] has certainly crossed my mind. It's crossed [European Tour chief executive] George O'Grady's mind.

"It's a given that the Ryder Cup in 2018 will not be in the UK or Ireland. Is it possible for the UAE or Qatar to make a bid? Yes. Would a company like Leisurecorp want to be part of that and spearhead that bid? Most definitely."

It makes no sense whatsoever, unless of course, your a tour willing to do anything for a buck.

This is just sad:

Sir Michael Bonallack, the former R&A secretary, sounded a note of caution about the plans: "The Gulf is a major part of the European tour now and I'm sure they'd host it well," he said.

"My concern would be whether they would get the crowds that we see in Europe. It would be great for the fans to experience it as long as it's not too expensive."

Monty Off To Blazing Start: Already Has Vice Captain Ollie Flustered!

Derek Lawrenson reports that the Vice Captain has never actually been offered the job!

He has certainly got a grumpy potential vice-captain on his hands after Jose Maria Olazabal made the stunning revelation on Thursday that Monty had appointed him to the post without even asking the Spaniard if he wanted it.

Anyone know the Spanish for ‘That’s news to me, pal?’

Such was Ollie’s reaction to a series of questions on the subject at the Dubai Desert Classic, where he was in no mood to gloss over what he clearly feels is a terrible breach of protocol.

‘The only words Monty and I have spoken was when I got to the clubhouse on Wednesday and I congratulated him and he said: “We need to talk,” and that was all,’ said Olazabal.

You assume it is the vice-captaincy he wants to talk about?

‘I am not going to guess anything.’

PGA Tour Stengthens Sponsor Platform Ties By Filing Lawsuit Against Sponsor

Garry Smits reports on the lawsuit filed today over Ginn pulling out of their sponsorship obligations. Geese, it's just a Champions Tour event!

The Tour issued a statement to the Times-Union Friday afternoon on the matter. The statement was sent by the Tour's communications department.

"We regret having to take this legal action, but feel we have no other recourse than to try to recover what had been guaranteed to our members through existing agreements with Ginn Companies," the statement said. "We also had no forewarning that Ginn was planning to cancel the 2009 Ginn Championship at Hammock Dunes, and only learned of the decision when the company issued a release late Wednesday. In fact, we had been in discussions with them on possible modifications to the agreement. Until this issue is resolved through the legal process, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time."

Ryan Julison, senior vice-president for corporate communications for Ginn Resorts, said there would be "no comment on pending litigation."

That's not a very original comeback!

Steve Elling also reports and notes several interesting bits about the suit, including this:

According to the filing, the tour was notified by Ginn president Robert Gidel last August that it was going to cancel its sponsored PGA Tour event, the Ginn sur Mer Classic, after its staging last fall. It also served notice that the March 2009 staging of the Champion's Tour's Ginn Championship at Hammock Beach would be the last for that tournament.

With this week's announcement from Ginn, the Champions event won't happen, either. Interestingly, the Ginn sur Mer ended Nov. 2, which meant that while the tour and Ginn officials were publicly maintaining that no determination had been made on future of the Fall Series tournament, plans were well under way to shut it down.

"Who Says Golf Writers Aren't Hip?"

Bob Smiley notes that the golf media's hipness Q-rating took a hit with this question of first round FBR Open leader James Nitties, and the golfer's wonderful gentle explanation.

Rory's 64 Underlines His Ryder Cup Potential!

Isn't it just a tad early for a lede, albeit unbylined, like this? Reader Patrick thought so and sent the link in:

Northern Ireland teenager Rory McIlroy underlined his Ryder Cup potential with a timely eight-under-par 64 in the first round of the Dubai Desert Classic before play was suspended due to bad light.

The talented 19-year-old carded nine birdies to open up a one-stroke lead over Sweden's Robert Karlsson, only a day after new Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie named him as a potential candidate for Celtic Manor next year.

How does a 64 on some slab of desert indicate Ryder Cup potential?

Anyway, another legendary Irishman, Long Beach's Mark O'Meara, played with Rory and declared him the Next Tiger. 

Gee, I remember the days when they were the Next Nicklaus.

"Drawing lines in the sand is not going to solve problems, it's going to create problems." **

I doubt anyone was surprised by the news Ginn was pulling out of its two LPGA and one Champions event since word of their bankruptcy hasn't exactly been a state secret. Wait, what was that Ty?

"We were involved in discussions to address whatever issues there may have been in their ability to perform their contract," Votaw said Thursday. "We were disappointed and surprised with the suddenness of the announcement without any forewarning."

Can you believe it? Problems are arising from the PGA Tour legal department's fantasy insistence that their "ironclad" contracts will carry the day even as a company is literally going up in smoke!

Steve Elling reports on Ginn pulling out, the PGA Tour's reaction and he talks to Ginn's man, Robert Gidel, who explains the crux of the problem:

"What gets frustrating at times is that people who are not at the epicenter of the financial and economic crisis lose sight of what's happening to everyone. We're all in the same soup.

"Drawing lines in the sand is not going to solve problems, it's going to create problems."

As reader Chris, who sent the Elling story in notes, it would appear that "Commission Finchem & Company have had the hammer for years, the other side of the table has it now." 

Update on 2009-01-30 15:19 by Geoff

** I posted the incorrect link above in referencing Ginn bankruptcies. Here it is.

Monty Does Everything But Call Faldo A Blundering Idiot

As quoted by Bernie Mcguire...

The Scot said: "I wasn't in Valhalla but my optimum number is more than last time.

"I will have Olly there with me and other suitable candidates. I have a great understanding and respect for Olly.

"I will have plenty of backroom staff. I think it's very important you have enough help out there.

There's an awful lot going on and I cannot be in two places at once.

"But my goal is to try to gain 14 and a half points."

Monty also revealed his shame for last September's team.

And he insists the disappointment on the faces of the losing players is something he is determined not to see again.

He said: "I watched on TV what was going on. Knowing the players as I did, especially the Harrington and Westwood situation at the end of the matches, I felt ashamed for them to be left at the end there.

"They should have been involved at an earlier stage but I saw enough of what was going on.

"I didn't see the practice days which is important to a team unit. I only saw the match days and when you are so far behind after the first day it's a large hurdle to climb.

"From that very first day it was difficult to see smiles on anyone's faces and I would expect that.

"That was a first-day defeat we hadn't seen for some time. We just need that early momentum as it is very difficult nowadays to pull anything back in a Ryder Cup."

Shock: Thinking Too Much Can Be Bad For Your Game

So good to see that two of the world's great universities are studying the really important stuff...

"I played with so-and-so, and he said four words to us the entire round.'"

The L.A. Daily News is down to five sports writers but they still let Jill Painter file a golf column from time to time, so you can imagine my joy when I got around to my copy last night and read this from new LPGA Tour card holder Anna Rawson, who draws attention for her looks but more importantly, provides interesting fodder with her occasional blog posts at Yahoo and honest assessments like this:

"I was out at Sherwood, and I was disgusted with how the PGA Tour players acted toward fans," Rawson said. "They didn't sign autographs or they'd sign four and walk off. I watched Paula Creamer sign autographs for two hours in Korea.

"Some (PGA) players walked straight past (fans). I couldn't believe it."

And...

Rawson is a model on the side, and if her game continues to flourish, she might be standing for hours signing photographs, autographs and programs, as well as mingling with sponsors at cocktail parties and chatting up pro-am partners more often.

"God, they make so much money (on the PGA Tour). It's disgusting how much more they make than us," said Rawson, who played at USC. "I've heard countless times from people that played in a PGA Tour pro-am and they said, `Wow, you're going to have a conversation? I played with so-and-so, and he said four words to us the entire round."'

Rude On The Demise Of The Golf Scribe

Jeff Rude's excellent piece on the rapid decline in the number of golf writers is not at Golfweek.com, but I think you can preview Golfweek digital this way and find it on page 16. And if you haven't seen the classy new redesign of the print edition, here's your chance. Note the expanded Forecaddie too. Good stuff. Subscribe!

Monty Already Greatest Captain In History Of Ryder Cup **

The British Press is doing what it does best...building him up before they inevitably slap him around. Enjoy it Monty, because you know this won't last.

Mike Aitken in The Scotsman:

But Monty's credentials as one of Europe's greatest Ryder Cup players, along with an intimate knowledge of the men he will lead at Celtic Manor, swung the decision in his favour. Following in the footsteps of compatriots George Duncan, Johnny Fallon, Eric Brown, Bernard Gallacher and Sam Torrance, Montgomerie, who lives in Perthshire, had hoped to be honoured with the captaincy at Gleneagles in 2014.

Mark Reason in the Telegraph:

Many in the game believe that Montgomerie will be just as good a Ryder Cup leader as he has been a player. Peter McEvoy, arguably British golf's greatest captain yet, played with him as an amateur at Walker Cups and Eisenhower Trophys in the Eighties and believes that the Scot has everything it takes.

He said: "His enthusiasm and box office appeal will be very good for the Ryder Cup commercially. Monty will never be out of the newspapers. He loves it. But he's also got a really strong winning instinct.

"People always say that Monty should have won a major, but lacked the killer instinct. I think they've got it the wrong way round. I think he has been held back by a one-dimensional game, but has a hugely winning attitude that he will bring to the Ryder Cup captaincy. He will do what it takes. I can't see a negative."

Nope, me neither.

William Johnson reports that Monty has at least one assistant who will put up with him help him stay in touch with today's players.

Indeed, Montgomerie was so impressed by reports of how influential Olazabal had been in Valhalla last September that he has already offered the Spaniard an assistant's role next year. Olazabal has accepted.

Lawrence Donegan is the only one who sounds cautiously optimistic:

Watching Montgomerie handle his newly acquired status as the most popular man on tour, as well as the dynamics of his personal relations with other players – the good, the bad and ugly – will be one of the more fascinating parlour games of the next 18 months...

Update on 2009-01-29 16:34 by Geoff

**More of the lovefest. Derek Lawrenson in the Daily Mail:

Few will say the committee got it wrong. Here were 15 good men who weighed one alleged indiscretion - when Monty was accused of moving a ball to a more advantageous position after a weather break during a tournament in Indonesia - against the welter of evidence of Monty's good deeds and rightly decided it was time to forgive and move on.

John Hopkins, who also thought Nick Faldo was doing a great job (for a while), in the Times:

Colin Montgomerie will be a good captain of the Europe team at Celtic Manor and he might even be a very good one. He will know the players better than some of his predecessors because he will have been playing alongside them in the days and weeks leading up to the event. This obviously did not apply to Nick Faldo at Valhalla last September.

The Stimulus Bill And Golf

We found out that golf was specifically excluded from the Obama stimulus bill passed by the House Wednesday, but there is good news. There wasn't much infrastructure spending despite projections that far more is needed, meaning we'll probably see more debate about infrastructure.

The current bill's spending:

Infrastructure — $43 billion for transportation projects, including $30 billion for highway and bridge construction and repair and $12 billion for mass transit, including $7.5 billion to buy transit equipment like buses; $31 billion to build and repair federal buildings and other public infrastructure; $19 billion in water projects; $10 billion in rail and mass transit projects.

Of course, as I outlined in Golf World, the game could definitely do a whole bunch with a tiny portion of the "water projects" money!

"I just didn't like the setup there last year. They had 1½-foot rough behind the 11th green."

Bob Verdi files an entertaining Golf World column on the state of Phil Mickelson's game and outlook. I just loved this:

Portions of Mickelson's '09 agenda are established, but there are variables. The Memorial is not among the latter. "I have decided I definitely won't play there," he said. "I just didn't like the setup there last year. They had 1½-foot rough behind the 11th green." Mickelson recalls a sequence when he reached that picturesque par 5 in two with a 3-wood, only to watch as the ball released beyond and into the aforementioned vegetation. Upon hacking out, he was unable to hold his third shot on the green. "On the other hand," Mickelson went on, "Memphis is the week before the U.S. Open. So that's a possibility. I'll wind up with 20 or 21 tournaments, like I usually do."

Jack: he's picking Memphis over Memorial. Is putting the players in place with the tall stuff working for you?

Tiger's Return: The Most Anticipated Event In All Of Sports?

I know it's a press release, but I have a hunch more people will watch the Super Bowl, or for that matter, the World Series of Poker, than Tiger's first round play at Doral. Some nice corporatespeak here for those of you tracking at home:

COMCAST PROGRAMMING GROUP LAUNCHES NEW SPORTS SALES DIVISION
TO EXPAND ADVERTISING AND SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR GOLF CHANNEL AND VERSUS

Comcast Sports Sales to Leverage Networks' New Programming and Live Event Coverage

NEW YORK, Jan. 28, 2009 - Comcast Programming Group launched today the Comcast Sports Sales group to combine the strengths and assets of the GOLF CHANNEL and VERSUS sales teams. The new unit will focus on growing and diversifying sponsorship platforms for the networks and create new opportunities for ownership positions across multiple sports. Comcast Network Advertising Sales President David T. Cassaro will lead the new division.

"The creation of the Comcast Sports Sales unit provides many new opportunities for clients who seek a highly engaged sports audience," said Cassaro. "By bringing together the GOLF CHANNEL and VERSUS sales teams, we are offering the best possible marketing solutions for our advertisers and look forward to building on the networks' ongoing growth and success."

GOLF CHANNEL, currently in 82 million U.S. homes, continues early momentum from a record-setting 2008. Ratings for the first quarter were the highest in the network's history. Trends for tournament coverage outperformed all other networks. And, GOLF CHANNEL garnered its first-ever Emmy Award.

2009 tees off on GOLF CHANNEL with the most anticipated event in all of sports - the return of Tiger Woods. Only in the third year of an exclusive and unprecedented, 15-year agreement with the PGA TOUR, GOLF CHANNEL this year will offer a slate of programming that includes more than 100 tournaments across the world's major tours, incomparable news coverage, groundbreaking documentaries and an entertaining lineup of original shows, like "The Haney Project," featuring Charles Barkley, "Golf in America" and "Big Break."

Offering advertisers one of the best value propositions in television, the network's viewer profile - male, affluent, and hard-to-reach - coupled with the ability to deliver customized, integrated platforms provides partners maximum effectiveness for their advertising dollar. GOLF CHANNEL provides the perfect destination for receptive viewers to pursue their passion.

"Compared to Chrysler, the Buick folks are the shrewdest of opportunists."

Steve Elling takes issue with Bill Dwyre's LA Times piece and the idea of Chrysler not using the Hope to market its products and points out Buick's approach as the more shrewd move to getting the cars out in front of people and the companies back on their feet.