"Patty is the best person I could have asked to be on my bag, not only is she a great caddie, she is a great person and a legend on the course."

First Tee grad Alex Phillips is filing PGATour.com diary items from the Walmart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach, and it was fun to read that her caddy for the week is none other than Hall of Famer Patty Sheehan.

Is That GUR?

Did anyone else think that was a white ground under repair line around the telephone poles at Crooked Stick's 9th hole for the U.S. Senior Open?

Update on 2009-07-31 02:26 by Geoff

I'm told it's actually the 6th hole, it's one of Pete Dye's random tributes to Ma Bell and is in fact marked Ground Under Repair.

Free Admission For 3M Championship

I guess you could say this is what it has come to for the Champions Tour, or perhaps a great way to, eh, errrr...deliver value though capacity de-activated engineering?

Blaine, Minn. (June 4, 2009) – Tournament officials with the 3M Championship, held July 10-12 in Blaine, Minn., announced today that the 2009 Champions Tour event will be free for the public. The tournament is the first ever free Champions Tour event with free admission, parking and shuttles.

“Giving back is the right thing to do,” said Hollis Cavner, tournament director. “We’ve received such tremendous support from fans and corporate partners over the past 17 years. We are thrilled that we have an opportunity to say thank you and provide this free gift to golf fans.”

“3M and its employees are thrilled to be part of this first in golf,” said Bob MacDonald, senior vice president, marketing, 3M “The 3M Championship has a long history of bringing firsts to the game of golf and today’s announcement is another example of the tournament’s continuing innovation.”

The 3M Championship is a golf tournament on the Champions Tour – a series of annual PGA TOUR golf events for golfers 50 years of age and older. The 3M Championship is played at the Tournament Players Club (TPC) Twin Cities, a course designed by professional golfer and golf course designer, Arnold Palmer. Joining Palmer at the 2009 3M Championship will be some of golf’s greats including Fred Funk, Lee Trevino, Nick Price, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Hal Sutton and more.

The 3M Championship consistently ranks as one of the top Champions Tour events for crowds and charitable giving. Last year, the 3M Championship was voted the No.1 event on the Champions Tour by the players, earning the coveted Champions Tour Players Award.

Colorado GC Gets "Oldest Senior Major"

And it would seem well positioned for a PGA Championship not too long after. Of course, when they play the Senior PGA in May, thunderstorms aren't the problem they are in August.