"You have to love Manassero."

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There's been quite a bit of chatter about Matteo Manassero's second pre-18th birthday win and most of it focuses on his lack of length off the tee. Naturally, I could use this opportunity to rant about how the game has become so power-lopsided that it's sad the game could potentially eliminate a skilled but distance deficient player from winning majors, but instead I'll leave it to John Huggan and Steve Elling to discuss what Matteo should do.
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Insomniacs Rejoice: Q&A With George O'Grady

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I've scanned Leslie Wilson's Q&A with European Tour honcho George O'Grady twice now and I'm convinced it's actually Watson, the IBM computer developed to answer Jeopardy questions. If anyone finds something remotely interesting or informative, please let me know. The only semi-eye-opening moment:

What is your take on the current state of golf worldwide?

Golf is in a healthy state at present but none of us in the game should be complacent.

Grass-roots golf must be considered a priority as golf continues to be a more global and accessible game.

The youth of the game is the future — we all have to leave a legacy for the youngsters to carry the baton. With The Ryder Cup, golf in the Olympics and growth in all our Tours these are exciting times for golf.

17-Year-Old Manassero Wins Again!

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From an unbylined AP story on Matteo's latest European Tour win before 18 in a field that included McIlroy and Kaymer.

Manassero, who became the European Tour’s youngest winner with his victory at last year’s Castello Masters, said it was “just fantastic” to earn another trophy before turning 18.

“It was tough,” he said. “The course is really tight and all the players were doing good and playing well. It’s just not easy to concentrate, especially to stay calm.”

McIlroy, who had to take a nearly 30-hour flight to Malaysia and arrived only a day before the tournament began, looked visibly tired during the final round, despite maintaining his smile for the huge crowd swarming around him.

However, his caddy ran out of patience when some spectators ignored the ban on taking photos while players were teeing off and asked officials to confiscate some of the cameras.

Sorting Out The Wildly Entertaining Presidents Cup Scheduling Brouhaha

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This one appears only interesting to a few bigwigs until you start to read about the ramifications and the hilarious backdown of a PGA Tour that for once, was outleveraged.

Here goes...

The European Tour schedules the 2011 South African Open the week of the Presidents Cup, even though the Cup's date had been set for some time. Ernie Els, not exactly a favorite of his teammates, balks and suggests he might play the South African Open instead.

Fast forward to the Masters and the all mighty Big Oak negotiating sessions where the PGA Tour, European Tour, Sunshine Tour and a certain heavyset player agent ironed out a deal that, according to Steve Elling who first broke the news on CBSSports.com, has this year's South African Open swap dates with the Dunhill Cup in South Africa, allowing the South Africans to play in the Presidents Cup and their home Open.

The real stunner in Elling's report, which was confirmed today by AP's Gerald Imray: South Africa gets a WGC event at least this year, and perhaps for the next five. Even more amazing, it'll have a $10 million purse, the richest on the PGA Tour.

The tour had no choice but to back down, notes Elling.

Five of the top six players on the Presidents Cup's current International Team points list are native South Africans who would have faced the decision of whether to play their national Open or the team event held in years when the Ryder Cup isn’t contested.

The source said that Australian players might have backed the boycott, too.

So combine the South Africans with the Aussies and well, you have no Presidents Cup team. Which would explain how, even with the date set long before the others, the PGA Tour had to cave even though we know Tim Finchem would rather talk about his old speeding ticket problem than play a World Golf Championship event outside the United States.

Even more amusing, Tiger's Chevron tournament has now been drawn into the equation. Sunshine Commissioner Gareth Tindall, quoted in the AP story:

A date and venue hasn't been decided but Tindall says organizers will look at the first weekend of December, clashing with Tiger Woods' Chevron Challenge and South Africa's own Nedbank Challenge at Sun City.

On Woods' event, Tindall says, "they will have to move it."

And you thought the Presidents Cup was meaningless...

Finchem, O'Grady Find Common Ground Over "Integration": Empty Buzzword Key To Fending Off Any And All Questions

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Rex Hoggard sums up the highlights of George O'Grady and Tim Finchem's numbing Sunday Commissioner's press conference.

Thankfully, they may be dull but the ridiculous idea to further reward the world top 50 with a worldwide exemption appears to be going nowhere:

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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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