R.I.P. Andy Williams

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The legendary crooner hosted the PGA Tour's San Diego stop 21 times under various tournament names including the Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational, the Wickes-Andy Williams San Diego Open, the Isuzu-Andy Williams San Diego Open, the Shearson Lehman Brothers Andy Williams Open and of course most memorably of all, the Shearson Lehman Hutton Andy Williams Open.

The Kansas City Star has a nice photo gallery of Williams, including this shot with Tom Watson.


"Waugh could ultimately replace Tim Finchem as PGA Tour commissioner."

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Golf World's Tim Rosaforte breaks the hearts of all the Commissioner wannabes in Ponte Vedra by revealing the worst kept secret in golf: Seth Waugh might be available to be the next Commish and would be welcomed with open arms by a lot of people.

Waugh could ultimately replace Tim Finchem as PGA Tour commissioner. Their friendship was apparent the previous night at a pro-am draw party, where a four-year extension of Deutsche Bank's sponsorship was announced, along with the company's seven-figure investment as a First Tee Trustee.

Well let's not stretch it there Rosie, these two did have a nice flare up two years ago when Commissioner Empathy-free kicked in that purse increase clause on a bank that really wasn't in a position to be putting up even more money.

The Waugh-Finchem dynamic is unique in that Waugh has a way of playfully teasing Finchem in public and getting a smile out of the commissioner, as he did twice during the pro-am draw party. As for potentially replacing Finchem, there is no timetable. Waugh will not discuss it at length, both out of respect for Finchem and his decision to focus the next few years on Clancy. In actuality, the timing could be perfect. Finchem's latest contract expires in 2016, which means should Waugh be considered for, and want the job, at age 58 he'd be ready for the challenge.

"The commissioner thing is an uncomfortable thing to bring up," Waugh said. "Tim likes his job, right?

Yes, but at 65 he is staying on past the same retirement age that he's invoked on many loyal servants now spending more time with their families. Anyway, go on Seth...

Lots of folks have asked me about it, a lot of people behind the scenes are talking about it. Let's see how it all plays out."

I'd say that's a big yes!

Deutsche Bank Extends To 2016

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Another impressive job by the PGA Tour brass to get a prominent (and slightly troubled) sponsor to re-up, this time Deutsche Bank through 2016 for the playoff event where relations have had their ups and downs.

Michael Whitmer says the contracts were signed Wednesday.

For Immediate Release:

NORTON, Mass. – The PGA TOUR and Deutsche Bank today announced that the global banking firm has extended its sponsorship of the Deutsche Bank Championship by four years, through 2016. The announcement comes as the tournament, the second of four FedExCup Playoff events, celebrates its 10th anniversary this week.

Deutsche Bank has been title sponsor since the tournament’s Labor Day Weekend debut at TPC Boston in 2003. EMC Corporation also has renewed as the local presenting sponsor through 2016. 

“We are extremely proud of the success and positive impact the Deutsche Bank Championship has had over these first 10 years,” said Seth Waugh, CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas. “The tournament's growth and ascension to the FedExCup Playoffs is a testament to the great fans of New England and terrific partnership with the PGA TOUR and Tiger Woods Foundation, as well as EMC as the local presenting sponsor. We are delighted to announce the continuation of our title sponsorship through 2016.”

Since its inception, the Deutsche Bank Championship has generated more than $20 million for charity. The Tiger Woods Foundation serves as the tournament’s host organization and primary beneficiary and the event also benefits many charities throughout New England via various events, programs and its Birdies for Charity initiative.  
“Deutsche Bank has been a valuable partner of the PGA TOUR and the Tiger Woods Foundation over the past decade and has helped to generate a significant impact on the region’s economy and charities through its sponsorship of the Deutsche Bank Championship,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem. “With today’s announcement, the Deutsche Bank Championship will continue its positive influence throughout the region and maintain its important role in the FedExCup Playoffs. We sincerely thank and congratulate Deutsche Bank for this new four-year commitment.”

Tavistock Cup Angling To Be Even More Obnoxious In '13

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The, eh-em, charity event that is the Tavistock Cup will include two more teams helicoptering in and depriving some PGA Tour event of entrants in 2013, reports Jason Sobel, who is undoubtedly working the phones knowing how badly we are dying to find out which rich guy's club will be supplying tour pros in ugly uniforms.

More importantly, what uniforms will the media wear now that there are more teams?

These Guys Are Good, Especially On Twitter Files: Charlie Beljan Edition

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There is apparently someone on the PGA Tour named Charlie Beljan who, through the miracle of the all-exempt tour and of course, hard, hard, work, has racked up $424,278 dollars this year thanks to a T3 at Greenbrier (you all remember it!). Best of all, for the real thinkers of society
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Flashback: Contrasting R&A And PGA Tour Slow Play Stances

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The R&A's Jim McArthur yesterday. Well worth reading again:

I have to say to you, we are intent on doing what we can to improve the pace of play in golf.  I mean, I think we feel that particularly maybe not so much at professional golf but certainly amateur golf that slow play is, in some ways, if not killing the game, is killing the club membership because of the time it takes to play.  And whatever we can do in our events, and bear in mind that we are not seeing the players week in, week out.  We see them two or three times a year, professionals once a year, amateurs two or three times a year, we're doing whatever we feel we can in the circumstances to contribute to improving the pace of play.

But it needs to be a concerted effort, not just the R&A, not just the Tours, but the golf unions and other golf organisations to, I think, come to a coordinated effort to improve the speed.

And I think we should ‑‑ personally I think we should be aiming in club amateur golf for three and a half hours maximum for a threeball, perhaps elite amateur four hours.  These should be maximum times, and we should be trying to improve these at all times.

Tim Finchem in May at The Players, talking about how the PGA Tour is a different beast than the everyday game: 

Anything we can do from‑‑ we reach all of the fans.  Anything we can do from a communications standpoint to encourage people playing faster, we will do.  But clubs have got to take the initiative to drive play, and the average player has got to take the initiative and say, guys, let's go out here and play in three hours and 45 minutes, and that doesn't happen too many places.

So if I'm watching‑‑ I'm giving you a long answer, but I've been talking about this for a long time.  If I'm watching a PGA TOUR player, and I'm going to go through the same pre‑shot routine that that player takes, and he's hitting it 69 times and I'm hitting it 93, I'm going to be playing a lot longer than that guy.  So it's a different game from that perspective.

At least one of the Five Families talks a good game.

Post Q-School World: "It certainly is weighing a lot on every top college players' mind."

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I finally had a chance to read the specifics of the finalized PGA Tour-kills-Q-School concept and of course it's as goofy as you'd expect for a fully comprised, non-sensical attempt to suggest PGA Tour players just missing their card should play for three weeks with Nationwide Tour also-rans and somehow feel good about life. But the PGA Tour is all about the money, and I get that this helped them wring a few more pennies out of a sponsor.
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