Brendan Pruntygives us a sneak preview of the Barclays big debut at Bethpage Black and notes one key change to the PGA Tour plans for the 7th hole compared to the USGA's U.S. Open setup.
During the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Opens, the USGA played it as a 500-plus yard par-4. At the end of next month, it will play as a 550-yard-plus par-5 for The Barclays. While Mickelson continuously professed his love for the course and the New York-area galleries, the changes at the seventh were welcome news.
“I’ve always been a fan of the original designer’s interests in how a golf hole is designed to play from its inception,” Mickelson said. “As opposed to somebody else who comes in and tries to alter it for their own benefit or ego.”
Interesting video clip from CBS This Morning of Phil Mickelson talking to Charlie Rose in the days after the Open and says he's come to the conclusion he has been lethargic. I couldn't see it at the Scottish Open where his energy levels seemed high until Sunday, whereas at the Open he definitely did seem to be slightly off.
Faced with having to figure out what to do with himself during another dreary English weekend in Lytham where Internet download speeds will hopefully top Scotland's 5kb-a-minute max
After missing the cut at the Greenbrier, Phil Mickelson asks for and gets a last minute sponsor's invite to play at Castle Stuart in the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open
A few of you emailed to ask if Greenbrier founder Jim Justice gets a break on the purported appearance fees he paid to lure Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson to the West Virginia resort (which looked incredible in the late evening light during Golf Channel's rain delaybonus coverage).
Mickelson several times this year has admitted to being unable to shake himself from a lethargic state on the course, which certainly seems to be reflected in his play. He was looking for answers Friday, too. For the second year in a row. “I don't get it,” Mickelson said. “I certainly struggled a little bit on the greens both years, but nothing that should have led to these scores.”
Mickelson three-putted his first hole from 15 feet, missed another short one later in his front nine, and never really recovered. He also absorbed a one-shot penalty early when he dropped his ball on his marker, dislodging the coin.
"It doesn't feel like the parts are that far off," he said, "but I'm not putting them together."
It didn't help that Mickelson had a one-shot penalty for a fluke incident where he dropped his marker and it hit his ball. Jonathan Wall with the details.
Despite a shaky start, Tiger got it going over his final nine holes, but missed birdie putts at Nos. 13 and 15 proved costly as he fired a 1-under 69 to miss the cut at the Greenbrier Classic by a single shot.
"I didn't quite have it," Woods said. "I drove it really good today and I just did not have the feel for the distances. The ball was just going forever. I know we're at altitude, but I just couldn't get the ball hit pin high no matter what I did, and subsequently, I made some bogeys."
He gets several tournament directors and agents to talk, and they are not pleased to see what's going on.
The tour uses a very narrow, if not convenient, definition of "appearance fee." If a player has deeper business dealings with a corporate entity beyond taking cash to play, then he's generally free to ink a personal-services deal for whatever dollar figure he can command. If this sounds mostly like semantics, well, the line forms here.
As one very high-profile international player put it on Tuesday, "This week marks a change. Appearance money [is being paid in the] U.S. but not in Europe."
After arriving Tuesday, Woods was not specifically asked if he was being compensated by Justice this week, though a local reporter did ask if Justice resorted to “pulling his arm” to get him there.
"What sold it to me was watching it on TV and seeing how players enjoyed it," Woods said unblinkingly.
Um, did he say "sold?"
Mickelson played at Greenbrier last year -- for two days. He missed the cut.
"I know for a fact that Phil got $1 million last year," one top-tier agent insisted, citing a figure that was echoed by two other tour-related sources.
Following the news conference, Mickelson told one Golf Channel insider that he felt Diamond was being made a “scapegoat” for the Libor scandal that surfaced four years ago. He did not disclose whether he has been in touch with Diamond since his resignation.
“Personally I’m crushed because I have really enjoyed my time with Bob,” Mickelson continued in the news conference. “I think the world of him as a person, as a CEO, and I think that these last 5-6 years that I’ve been associated with the bank, the time I’ve spent with him, I’ve really enjoyed and I’ve cherished and it’s been one of the most interesting parts of my career.”
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning Drive, is co-host of The Ringer's ShackHouse is the author of eleven books.
