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
Who uses a cell phone as their only alarm? Oh right, your former No. 3 playoff seed, Jim Furyk.
You think Fluff's doing a little muttering today?
In related news, Dustin Johnson is preparing a thank you note for Furyk.
Adam Schupak reports on the topsy-turvy day for some of the tour's lesser knowns as they battled to reach this week's playoffs. I don't want to spoil it for you, but let's just say if the Scott Piercy Fan Club had cause to celebrate last night.
Heartwarming to see Tiger entering the event he's typically skipped (except to play lovely Liberty National) from the admittedly clogged portion of the schedule.
After The Barclays, only the top 100 are eligible for the second round, the Deutsche Bank Championship outside Boston, which ends on Labor Day. That will be the final event before U.S. Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin announces his four wild-card picks.
The WGC Bridgestone drew a 2.3 overnight rating on Sunday, off 51% from last year when he won and the same as 2008 when he didn't play.
But hey, it was the highest rating any non-major PGA telecast since the final round of The Memorial in June (3.2).
So at least Tiger still can say he delivers a television audience. Or so it appears.
Because I'm under doctor's orders to only watch 15 minutes from every hour of televised golf at courses with bunkers surrounded by rough and/or back-and-forth tree-lined routings featuring indecipherable holes, my exposure to this weekend's No. 1 world ranking talk was limited. However, I noticed quite a bit of tweeting about Phil Mickelson "choking" at the chance to pass Tiger Woods in the world rankings.
I'd sum up my feelings on this vital chase for No. 1 in the world, but reader Mr. BoJangles did the heavy typing for me:
a little off topic, but does #1 really mean anything in golf? Seriously. Why is it even discussed? It doesn't help you win majors. The only thing I can think of is the Match Play pairings, you get a one-seed. Being Ranked #1 is meaningless in every sport except college football. What was Shrek ranked? Or Graham?
Someone told me Greg Norman was ranked No. 1 for a lot weeks back in his prime. And I was like, who cares? He won 2 majors.
If Phil takes No. 1 over Tiger, what does that mean, really? Tiger's won 14 majors, Phil's won [four]. Who's going to have the better golf career when they're both retired? Anyway, that's just my rant on the golf rankings and every other ranking for that matter. I think rankings are retarded and while I'm at it, college football needs a playoff system. That will never happen.
77 final round at Firestone where in years past he could have shot that left-handed, on his knees in the rain.
**Steve Elling on Sunday's round and the state of Tiger's game:
He's obviously going through tough stretches because his personal life has hurt his golf game," said Anthony Kim, who played alongside Woods on Sunday. "It's obviously not where he wants to be. But he's a tough guy. He's the most mentally tough guy you're going to meet, and I think he'll be fine.
"It's just a matter of time before golf becomes a priority to him again and he starts grinding and he starts winning golf tournaments."
If Kim's first-blush analysis is accurate, it's hard to imagine why golf isn't a priority for Woods already. The quickest way for him to rehab his image would be to reel off a win or two, but he's headed in completely the other direction, and Phil Mickelson had a chance to supplant him as world No. 1 if he finished fourth or better Sunday afternoon.
After the round, Woods looked as deflated, crestfallen, exhausted and downcast as anybody can recall seeing him, as a pro or amateur. He was the guy cleaning up after the horses in the parade, the caboose on the tournament train, and there's no indication there are brighter horizons coming.
This AP photo by Amy Sansetta says it all (thanks to reader Peter).
And we have our first in-print declaration by a golf writer suggesting that Ryder Cup Captain Corey Pavin pass up the chance to select Tiger Woods.
Pavin said he plans to meet with Woods this week at Whistling Straits to "gauge his interest" in participating in the Ryder Cup. Why bother? Woods' interest has never been stirred by these team events that he has privately considered an intrusive obligation on his time and talent.
Woods wisely never says anything publicly about his distaste for what he considers an over-hyped exhibition with no upside or financial benefits. But he never goes out of his way to sound excited about the biennial affair either.
In a news conference before this week's WGC event at Firestone, Woods gave the same robotic response to three successive questions trying to ferret out his enthusiasm for being a captain's pick if necessary.
"I'm planning on playing my way into the team," he repeated.
That arrogance-masked-as-humor was easier to stomach when Woods could back it up with his clubs. Now that he seems incapable at the moment of summoning up greatness by the sheer force of his will, he could have simply said, "I plan to play my way on, but if I don't I hope my captain understands that I want to be there and help the U.S. retain the cup in any way I can."
That's what Rusty Miller reports. By the looks of that Getty Image I'd have guessed they were watching one of Tiger's tee shots. Or something else your devious caption minds will suggest.
Nice note from Bob Harig this week on a forgotten 59 by Sam Snead at, you guessed it, the Greenbrier in 1959.
It doesn't count in the PGA Tour record book because the event was not a tour-sanctioned tournament. But it got plenty of attention nonetheless.
According to West Virginia's Register-Herald, Snead shot 59 on May 16, 1959 at the Greenbrier Open, a pro-am event staged at the annual Spring Festival at the Greenbrier.
Snead played alongside three amateurs and Robert Harris, the director of golf and recreation at the Greenbrier. Harris noted that at the time that Snead "did what no one thought was possible. He shot a 59 in a competitive event on a championship golf course during the Greenbrier's annual Spring Festival pro-am.
"Although the PGA Tour does not recognize the feat in their record books, the world recognizes that Sam was the first golfer, either professional or amateur, to achieve that goal."
Sports Illustrated called Snead's 59 "the greatest competitive round in the history of the game."
Snead did shoot 60 in an official PGA Tour event, one of 24 recorded overall. He became the seventh player to do so, accomplishing the feat at the 1957 Dallas Open at Glen Lakes Country Club.
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
