"17 was a 5-iron. I think we had 220 hole"

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America was treated to yet another self-indulgent American youngster, this time the tedious Webb Simpson contending at the Transitions Championship before eventually...really, eventually...losing by one to Gary Woodland. I've seen Simpson's slow play schtick before so it came as no surprise watching him take his sweet old time around Innisbrook, but it was still fun to read the Twittersphere erupting over his antics. Unfortunately he was not asked about his rudeness after the round.
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Poulter Wigs Out Over TCup Criticism; Wheels Out Charity In Its Defense

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Steve Elling examines the growing hostility toward the Conspicuous Consumption Cup which is has been a generator of massive charity dollars and massively unfair criticism, says Ian Poulter who was touchier than normal on Twitter today about the "T-Cup," citing a range of charitable contributions ("Over six" million in one Tweet, $8 million in another.)
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"Expand the field, have a cut, be more inclusive."

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Oh did I hear it for suggesting the WGC-Cadillac at Doral was not must see TV. But just a few weeks after the match play where we saw a unique format and a daily dose of great golf, it's hard to get excited about a limited-stroke play field where players mostly show up because of the easy money and even easier world ranking points.
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Doral's Attendance Woes...

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Jeff Rude writes about the leaders even noticing the small crowds at Doral and asks...

Why the small crowd on such a perfect day? Well, part of the answer was in the question;

it was a perfect day in Miami, and there’s an ocean a few miles away. It’s a big weekend for NCAA basketball conference tournaments. Woods isn’t in contention.

Might ticket prices be a reason? Yes, tickets cost $50 at the gate Saturday. But daily tickets bought before March 1 were as low as $20 daily and $90 for the week.

$50 is of course ridiculous for a walk-up price in a town where there is plenty to do. That price point backfired dreadfully last year in Los Angeles, another town where there are plenty of cheaper alternatives.

"No. 1 Kaymer, No. 2 Westwood and No. 3 Donald deserved better than the 58 people who saw them on the seventh hole."

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Gene Wojciechowski on the massive draw that world Nos. 1-3 were down at Miami's WGC Cadillac Championship.

I mentioned this to Westwood in the locker room after darkness cut short Thursday's play. Said that I was a little surprised about the small size of the Kaymer, Westwood and Donald galleries.

The top 3 players in the world -- Lee Westwood (No. 2), Luke Donald (No. 3) and Martin Kaymer (No. 1) -- were grouped together in the first round of the WGC-Cadillac Championship. The pairing was a combined 14 under par through 10 holes Thursday.

"Really?" he said, smiling.

"You're not?" I said.

"Not here."

"But it's still 1, 2 and 3 in the world."

"And it's still from Germany, England and England."

"So I'm being naive about this?"

"Yes."

"It's hard to win anything when you're reconstructing your golf swing and your personal conduct at the same time. It's like trying to change clothes in an airplane bathroom."

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After sitting in on captivating press conferences by Trevino, Watson and Baker-Finch, Tiger's Wednesday performance at Doral was particularly painful to get through. But the writers are paid the big bucks to find something compelling in his remarks and found a few things worth writing about. (Steve Elling's take on Tiger's short game overhaul was already noted here.)
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Doral vs. Castle Stuart From The Air

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Turfundeground’s Eric J. von Hofen shot this footage of Doral and I hoped it would look better, but it actually looks even more tired and ordinary than it really is. On the ground it has moments, though I haven't seen this year's changes. Then again, any course that has to be tinkered with nearly annually just isn't really worthy of much architectural discussion, is it?
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