"Thoughtful setup equals more fun"

/

Lance Rigler documents a small but nice example of shifting tees around and how some college golfers are finding it both fun and challenging.

The best examples might have been Nos. 16 and 17. Playing from the tips, the par-5 16th hole featured a back right hole location and gave players all they wanted today. It stretched over 680 yards and played to a 5.13 scoring average.

However, players were immediately rewarded with the par-4 17th, where a good drive could find the putting surface. What a swing of emotions that were produced in that two-hole stretch.

“The kids are saying this is a lot of fun,” said Vanderbilt coach Tom Shaw. “The setup today with some of the tees up and some of the tees back, it really makes them think.”

"It looks like 'Potpourri for $100, Alex.'"

/

That's Gary Van Sickle's line from this week's SI Roundtable, which was joined by yours truly even though I vowed not to do it again until they found an old AOL chat room to make life easier.

Uh, I think it's safe to say I won't be offered a job at CBS or Liberty National anytime soon, and my friend Peter Oosterhuis probably won't be wild about my laughing gas comment either (he is giggly these days!).

 

Read More

Heath Slocum Win Means He Can Take Next Two Weeks Off And Still Reach The World Series

/
There's some nice reporting to check out on Heath Slocum's upset win at The Barclays. The scribblers surely had plenty of time to whip up some fun lines, since twosomes of the world's best took four and a half hours to get around Liberty National. I doubt it was because they were busy sketching out the architectural details. More likely all of the lift, clean and cheat drops to get away from the catch basin divot clusters.
Read More

USGA Makes Final Two Walker Cup Picks...

/

Anyone who follows this stuff have anything to add about the committee's choices?

 

TRINGALE AND UIHLEIN ADDED TO USA TEAM FOR 2009 WALKER CUP MATCH
 
Far Hills, N.J. (Aug. 30) – Cameron Tringale, 22, of Laguna Niguel, Calif., and Peter Uihlein, 20, of Orlando, Fla., have been named to the 2009 USA Walker Cup Team by the International Team Selection Committee of the United States Golf Association.
 
Tringale and Uihlein are the final two players selected to the USA Team that will compete against 10 amateurs representing Great Britain and Ireland in the 42nd Walker Cup Match, to be played Sept. 12-13 at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa.
 
Tim Jackson, 50, of Germantown, Tenn., has been named as the first alternate for the team. Ben Martin, 22, of Greenwood, S.C., will be the second alternate.
 
The eight players previously named to the USA Team on Aug. 9 are Bud Cauley, Rickie Fowler, Brendan Gielow, Brian Harman, Morgan Hoffmann, Adam Mitchell, Nathan Smith and Drew Weaver. The captain of the USA Team is George “Buddy” MarucciJr.
 
The USA Team has won the last two Matches, posting one-point victories at Chicago (Ill.) Golf Club in 2005 and at Royal County Down in Newcastle, Ireland, in 2007. The USA leads the series overall, 33-7-1.
 
For the first time, the Walker Cup Match will comprise 18 singlesmatches and eight foursomes (alternate shot) matches in 2009. Ten singles matches will be played on Sunday.
 
This change marks only the second time in the 87-year history of the Walker Cup that the format has been altered.
 
From 1963 to 2007, the Match comprised 16 singles matches and eight foursomes matches. From 1922 to 1961, the Match comprised four foursomes matches on the first day of play and eight singles matches on the second day of play.