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
From Gary Van Sickle's post-Presidents Cup wrap up:
The inconsiderate media moment of the week came during the International team's post-loss press conference when a nationally known columnist seated in the second row took a cell phone call while an International player was answering a question. Guess who's got fewer manners than a fifth-grader?
SI's Gary Van Sickle is caddying for son Mike's PGA Tour debut this week, writing about it and Tweeting about it. First Tweet reports that Mike has been called into the press room. Oh to be a fly on the wall when dad tries to coach son answering questions.
I can hear Golf Digest stylist Marty Hackel now. Jim Furyk is putting on the oversized shoes and Marty's yelling, "Jim, red is your color. It brings out your freckles. And think of the leverage you'll get with those size 24's!"
As Furyk skeptically slips on the red nose, Marty: "First, it's how you wear it. And second, it'll give you SPF 200. No chance of a burn!"
Furyk: "But what about the puffy shirt?"
Marty: "It's veeeeerrrrrrrryyyyyy retro. You look fantaaasssstic."
There is actually a serious story to accompany Golf World's U.S. Open cover by John Hawkins too. But a Marty breakdown of the fashion would have been nice.
Craig Dolch files a very nice column about the emotional mixed-bag that Phil Mickelson faces this week and compares. Uh, editors, did we really need this tagline at the end of the column?
Craig Dolch is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.
Look, we all understand that Craig's a subversive rebel looking to undermine the integrity of the PGA Tour and most weeks you need a disclaimer to distance yourselves from his radical views. But on this column? On this topic? Really? Let's give it a week off, eh?
Alex Miceli reports the first of two blows for the golf writing cause (not to mention a less humorous security breakdown). The first involves an autograph seeker slipping into Tiger's press conference and after hearing one too many banal questions, finally blurted out his request.
“Jack’s going to hate me for this. (Interloper stands up) Tiger, congratulations for winning the Memorial. I’m a normal person that snuck in here with a patron badge. I was just wondering if I could get an autograph.”
Nicklaus apparently intervened and got the man Tiger's autograph before they carted him off.
The Rally Killer of all Rally Killers? Or does this make him a Point Misser?
While the above exchange is not in the transcript, this low blow was:
Q. Tiger, not to be fishing, but wonder if I could maybe get personal on the issue of do you actually read anything that we write or watch anything that guys say on TV, or is it secondhand information?
TIGER WOODS: It's more TV.
"In the face of some tough questioning" Sergio Garcia endures a withering cross examine from the Internet Sports Writer of the Year, who also close-talked and ordered the former World No. 2 to read putts pose for a lame photo during a round at Turnberry. Refreshing to see Britain's top tabloid pursuing the questions we've all been wanting answered: What's wrong with your puttin...oh, wait, sorry.
So on Monday he was prepared for bad weather. What he was not prepared for were questions about his relationship with Morgan-Leigh Norman, the daughter of Greg, a relationship that had ended in March. Yet when confronted with the unexpected, Garcia did not flinch. He spoke truthfully and honestly. He did not ask for the conversation to go off the record or say that he did not want to talk about it ask for the tape recorder to be turned off. In fact, at one point he was given the opportunity to end the interview and play the last hole but declined, saying instead, "I don't want to play. I'm talking."
I'm weeping. The courage! The focus!
The interview, which took place between the 14th and 18th holes of the Ailsa course on Monday afternoon and was tape recorded, began with his memories of the 1996 Amateur. It soon moved to his current poor form and he explained that the break-up of his relationship with Morgan-Leigh was the reason for that and he went on to speak about it. An article about this appeared in The Times on Wednesday, May 27, headlined "It was being dumped by my girl that drove me into the rough, Sergio Garcia reveals." In the story Garcia said: "It was probably the first time I have been really in love. It took me a while to get over it.
Well at least the original story was given proper attribution. You don't often see that in a tabloid like The Times!
I noticed that headline at Golfweek.com on a Tom Canavan story, but I can't find where Michelle Wie actually talked about winning a men's event.
From her Sybase Classic transcript where she answers questions about playing in men's events.
Q. I believe you've talked in the past about someday competing in the Masters. Is that still part of your vision for the future, and if so, do you see a realistic scenario of attaining that goal?
MICHELLE WIE: Yeah, for sure that's definitely one of my goals that I started out with, and I still have it.
Q. Is playing in men's tournaments also a part of your goals at this point, and how realistic do you think that is?
MICHELLE WIE: You know, I think that's definitely a part of my goals. You know, like I always say, dream high and stuff, set your goals up high, and I think it's definitely -- I'm not saying it's an easy goal to achieve. I'm not going to be like, oh, I'm going to go out and win a men's event, it's not like that, but it's one of those long-term goals where I see myself getting to. I see myself getting there, and it's one of those goals that really motivates me and pushes me to be a stronger player, a better player.
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
