Rory Going Bode Miller On Us?

Sabbatini on 15 (click on image to see full view)A boring day at the Nissan ended on this very interesting note.

Meeting with the germinalists after his third round 67, Nissan Open leader Rory Sabbatini was asked about his dominating performance and revealed a stunner right up there with skier Bode Miller's decision to try out some new ski's for the men's downhill:

Q: Rory, when is the last time that you felt you had this much command of your game.

RORY SABBATINI:  You know, actually, the funny thing is I don't feel like I'm hitting the ball very well right now.  I'm probably going to switch my irons back out tomorrow, back to my old set because I don't feel like I'm hitting my irons very well.  I'm driving the ball well, I'm putting well, I'm chipping well.  I just found right now I feel like my irons aren't feeling as confident as I should be.  So I think I'm probably going to go back to my old set of irons tomorrow.

Q.  What would those be?

RORY SABBATINI:  The Pro Combos.

Q.  What are you hitting now?

RORY SABBATINI:  I'm hitting the NDS Nikes.

Q.  Have you ever switched irons in the middle of a tournament?  Have you ever switched irons with a 4shot lead?

RORY SABBATINI:  No, I haven't had too many 4shot leads.  No, it doesn't make any difference to me.  For me, it's just a situation of being able to feel like I can really control my irons, control the shaping of them and things like that. Right now I'm just kind of struggling with mine and I'm going to go back to my old ones.  If I get out on the range tomorrow morning, and they feel OK, they'll be in the bag.

Q.  Rory, two things, on the iron thing: how long have you had these irons in your bag now, how long have you had them in the bag?  And do you usually travel around with two sets of irons?

RORY SABBATINI:  They have been in my bag since Tuesday of Sony.  They have been in the bag the whole year for all of my tournaments so far.  I just decided to try them at Sony.  They worked.  It's not that there is any difference in the irons, that I don't feel they are good irons.  Right now, my confidence level isn't in them because I don't feel like I'm controlling the ball as well as I need to.

Q.  Do you always carry two sets with you?

RORY SABBATINI:  No. Well, since having the bus now I can, yes.  I normally have about 30 clubs under the bus.

Torrey Pine$

Tod Leonard reports on the looming fight over a huge green fee increase at Torrey Pines.

At the top of his list of concerns are the increase in green fees and the funding for a new clubhouse. City Golf Manager Mark Woodward is proposing hiking green fees for residents as much as 57 percent on the North Course by 2011 and 75 percent on the South. Woodward has said the increases will pay for the maintenance of the golf courses, while higher out-of-town rates will fund the new clubhouse. In the proposed budget, $1.2 million per year from the golf enterprise fund would go to paying off the new clubhouse complex.

“The only justification (in the report) for raising green fees is that they are benchmarking against other courses,” Zucchet said. “But let's be honest and say you want to fund a new clubhouse and make other capital improvements. We can disagree that that's a good thing or not, but that's why they're doing it. They want to be able to service a debt they intend to saddle the golf enterprise fund with.”

Zucchet said he is opposed to public funding of the clubhouse, citing the mostly private funding of the renovation of the clubhouse at Bethpage State Park in New York, which hosted the 2002 U.S. Open. He said he also doesn't see enough financial detail in the proposal that justifies that kind of expenditure.

“I'm not aware of any daily users clamoring for a new clubhouse,” Zucchet said. “It's sort of like the Chargers stadium. I would support them having a new stadium if they were paying for it. The people with the special interests at Torrey Pines should pay for the new clubhouse.” 

TCC in 2013?

Don't write The Country Club off yet for the 2013 U.S. Open. The club remains interested...but is the USGA?

Ernie's Site Time

From Friday's sit down with the assembled inkslingers at Riviera:

Q.  Most people have a 100-mile drive to La Costa, your’s is going to be like 5,000?

ERNIE ELS:  Yes, I'm doing (designing) a golf course in Hawaii, in Honolulu.  Fly out Sunday night and I will be back Monday night in San Diego.

Q.  A little spot inspection thing?

ERNIE ELS:  Just an in-and-out thing. You get there Sunday night – sleep. Probably get up at 6 in the morning, I want to be in the plane 3 o'clock coming back.  That will get me back about 11 o'clock or so.

You know, how do I say this nicely. Wasn't he going to be taking it a little easier this year on the travel front? 

Greetings From LA, Vol. 5

Well the forensic people found signs of a Christian Lacoix shoe on my lowly Rockport, so it's a match. Elin got me. Ebay here we come!

Wasn't it a cold but lovely day? That is, until the rain decided to make a mess of things. Even though the heavy stuff was in the forecast, several players were caught off guard and did not have umbrellas or Gore-tex. Including Tiger.

Uh, isn't this the point of having a tour bag?

I spent the morning walking with Jason Gore. He's struggling a bit with the putter, but otherwise playing fine. He hits the ball, uh, quite long. Particularly when he's pissed.

At various times I made stops by the short par-4 10th to watch just how poorly players manage the hole. With a back (Sunday!) hole location, it was remarkable to see how many people tried to drive the green even though that play brings 5 into the equation.

Els on 10 (click on image)Early in the day, Ernie Els drove the 10th, the very same play that began his demise in the 1995 PGA final round. But hey, that was then, this is now, when he's battling to...make the cut.

Naturally, he made birdie from the 11th tee, so I'm sure he'll continue to swing away at No. 10.

And that's the very beauty of it: the 10th remains as tempting as ever, even the face of all this athleticism.

I'm not sure if Hank Kuehne is tempted easily or just not a very smart player, but a day after driving it in the bunker backing the 10th hole alternate green (40 yards offline), he took another crack at it and made a mess of things. These pictures give you a nice idea how he was lucky to make 5.

Kuehne Hits Into 10 (click on image)
Kuehne from the bunkerI decided to follow Kuehne to see how he recovered, and to also watch Joe Ogilvie, Tour policy board and good natured sport about the columns I write using him as the lead character. Kuehne nearly blew it O.B. on #11, attempting to scale the 80 foot tall range fence. Somehow he stayed in bounds and made par. Then on No. 12 he nearly visited the 11th fairway.
Kuehne approaches 12

The 13th got even uglier with a visit to the left trees, followed by a lay up in the barranca, a swipe from there and finally one more for a miracle bogey. I couldn't take it anymore, nor could I stand staring at the outfit (which would go over wonderfully in certain parts of this town). 
Kuehne on 13

Since it was getting dark and cold (Junior Chamber of Commerce weather!), I ventured toward the press center. Even though the tent is located 350 yards off the 2nd tee, it's now in play baby!

At least 10 players made visits to the press room without actually entering. But the scene was welcomed by the scribblers who don't like to leave the premises for fear of missing first lunch menu crack, even though the fare has been uninspired even by the Junior Chamber's normally low standards.

View from the media centerBefore arriving back, I took in the Holmes-Faxon pairing along with the Ogilvy-Browne-Johnson group. Thankfully, Saturday will feature a Tiger-J.B.-Geoff Ogilvy pairing. Yes, the three players I want to watch most will all be together. Unfortunately, about 5,000 other people are thinking the same thing. 
Ogilvy on 9

Finally, a few more fun photos from the day, including Geoff Ogilvy on No. 9, J.B. Holmes on No. 11 and a distinguished spectator on No. 12.

J.B. Holmes Saturday (click to enlarge)
A fan... (click to enlarge) 

Simers v. Faxon

Apparently no one told Brad Faxon about T.J. Simers, the L.A. Times columnist who needles pro athletes.  

Sounding Off

Peter Yoon and Thomas Bonk have a note on the airhorn sound that kept interrupting Thursday play at the Nissan. And this money quote that probably explains why the neighbor isn't too pleased:

Michael Yamaki, the general manager at Riviera, said the situation should be corrected.

"Eventually we'll have to deal with her," he said. "She can't intentionally do stuff like that. It's too bad. You don't want to have bad relationships with neighbors."

Then maybe you should deal with her.

Greetings From LA, Vol. 4

A chilly but lovely day at the Nissan. Elin stepped on me. She tried to give me a "flat." (At least that's what we used to call it when someone stepped on your heel with the intent of displacing your shoe. I'm sure that's just what she had in mind...)

Anyway, the shoe will be on ebay at the end of the tournament. I'm working on the certificate of authenticity.

Meanwhile, out on the golf course...

The setup was very solid, with a nice mix of tough and medium hole locations. I didn't see any that could be called "easy." The greens were very firm and sneaky fast. A bit crusty too. Combine that with the varying wind directions and morning/afternoon cool temps and...you have 68 players under par!?

J.B. on 17 (click to enlarge)I spent the morning alternating between the Holmes-Taylor-Faxon group and the Ogilvy-Johnson-Browne pairing. Holmes was struggling a bit and seems to have a significant distance gap between his 3-wood and driver. Several holes at Riviera force him to lay up, and his 3 wood was leaving him a bit too far back.That said, he hit a 310-yarder on No. 2 that actually landed in the fairway upslope and bounced backwards. No. 3 he popped one 346, and on No. 5 he hit a 343 yarder. Yes that's right, he just blew it over the ledge that most players lay-up short of...with their drivers.

The Holmes tee shot on 17 wasn't as bad as his ax-murderer reaction makes it look.
(click on image to enlarge)

Long drive of the day doesn't go to Holmes, but to Stuart Appleby for a 385-yarder on No. 3.

For some reason the third tee has become a launching pad the last few years, with only 5 drives hit under 280 yards in round 1. Note the ShotLink shot distribution pattern below. I remember when the fairway bunker was sort of in play on a windy day. Even today with the wind in the player's faces for the afternoon rounds, the bunker isn't even a consideration.

A few years ago, most of the writers in the press tent would have shrugged and said, "so, you move the bunker." But it's fascinating how much that has changed. Most realize now the ramifications and the dilemmas facing courses, architects and course owners.
ShotLink of No. 3, Thursday

Wilson Speaks

Dean Wilson (click to enlarge)Some great questions and comments from the likeable Dean Wilson after his first round 64.

Q.  It seems like they've had a pretty healthy mix of guys who have won this thing from little guys like Corey Pavin, it doesn't seemingly exclude anybody?

DEAN WILSON:  Yes, I think that's one of the great things of a style course like this.  I like to see where guys can mix it up, where you might have a guy that's not so long going against a guy that hits it a long way versus some courses, like said, it's so long, it's tougher for the short hitter to compete because these guys are just getting up there and blasting it so far and the penalty for being a little off-line doesn't really matter.  

Q.  A couple of years ago, somebody could have made the exact same comments, saying it's tough to compete against a guy that's out there blasting 300.  When did 340 become part of the equation?

DEAN WILSON:  I guess when Bubba Watson joined the TOUR.  I played in the second last group in Phoenix and watching where John Holmes hitting it.  It's incredible just watching those guys hit the ball and how farther it's getting out there.  It's a different ball game.

And here's Dean Wilson telling a story about Steve Elkington and the use of the back No. 6 tee.

Q.  Dean, you talked about these guys hitting it far, but it seems also to be hitting it straight more often than not too, which is a little bit scary, isn't it?

DEAN WILSON:  Yes, exactly.  Bubba hit 11 of 14 fairways in the final round of Sony.  That's why he had a great round.  When you hit it that far  some of these courses, what they're doing to me, it seems like every time they make a change to a course, they're just adding new tees, making it longer and longer and longer and it's taking some guys out of the game.

And I kind of find it funny, saying they're Tiger proofing it.  They are just putting it right into his hands where it's tougher for a guy like me to compete against them.

I haven't played this course a lot, but coming out and playing practice rounds and seeing where some of the tees are, and hearing what  I played a practice round with Steve Elkington in that par3, on the front, (No.) 6.  The first thing he said, we went on the practice rounds, we always go to the back tees, we got to the back tees, and he said well this tee ruins the hole.  He said it used to be a great hole before.

Now we are sitting back there hitting 3 and 4irons just trying to get it in the safe part of the green rather than trying to take a chance at something.

So just stretching those courses out, just makes it  I don't think it makes it any better is what I'm saying.

Latest Riviera Changes: No. 3

Saving the worse for last, here are a few photos of the new hole location added to Riviera's wonderful third green.

3rd at Riviera (click to enlarge)Feeling Nicklaus-esque with its sunken-quadrant, circa 1991 Sherwood feel when Jack would throw a tier in just about any old place no matter how badly it fit, the apparent thought process behind the "restoration" of this hole location was George Thomas's original sketch. 

It showed a hole location in exactly the spot where one has been restored. Unfortunately, we also know that Thomas's sketches did not bear much resemblance to what was actually built. He tinkered in the field, or Bill Bell did. The result was a better course. Unfortunately, architects who rely on plans and who do restorations, seem to not be aware of the in-the-field methodology and it has led to a disappointing addition to Riviera's third.

Aerials do not show such a pronounced hole location, nor do photos indicate the funky tiering that is now in the once wickely subtle third.
Rear view 3 (click to enlarge)

Besides enlarging a green that was nice because of its fairly small square footage (and yet, number of versatile hole locations), the addition is fasinating because it seems to eliminate some of the deceptive qualities that have long made No. 3 unique.

Whether that deception crept into the design intentionally or through the evolution of the fronting bunker is debatable, but either way the real charm of this approach was the slight angle that the fronting bunker sat at, making goes at right side hole locations a bit daring (in the way that #12 at Augusta works, only with sand in this case).

And like the added hole locations on 8, 9, 12 and 13, the new work looks exactly that: like new, modern design ideas added to really nice old architecture.

Harding For President's Cup?

Harding Park sounds like an ideal site for the 2009 President's Cup.

Greetings From LA, Vol. 3

Pro-Am day, that means plenty of chances to duck for cover. (The media center is situated between the first and second fairways).

Ernie Els came to the interview room right when Tiger Woods talked to the press above No. 18. I picked Tiger, and it was your basic debacle, with a bunch of TV folks asking banal questions about how Tiger is feeling, when did you open the learning center, etc... Oh and a bunch of questions asking why he's never won at Riviera.

Els apparently didn't have much to say in his chat, though I was hoping to ask him about changes he's making at Wentworth. The driving range buzz is not positive.

Elsewhere...

Speaking of range buzz, a few players have said that they are pretty sure the USGA is going to regulate driver head size, taking the driver back to a 290 cc's limit for competition.

Oddball Thursday pairing: Brad Faxon and J.B. Holmes. The Tour's shortest driver statistically and the second longest.

The greens are the firmest they've been in years. With it dry and breezy tonight look for firm and fast surfaces in round one, unless the hoses come out. Hopefully they'll leave the watering work to the bunker crew.

John Daly and Pro Am Partner (click to enlarge)If you ever think PGA Tour pros make too much money, don't forget just how dreadful pro-ams can be. I was speaking to one player on the putting green and a pro-am guy interrupted to tell his life story, all because he and the player went to the same college.

Driving Distance All Holes v. Measuring Holes

Poking around ShotLink today, I wanted to see what the players were averaging on all drives versus the two measuring holes. Here are a few players, with their average and their rank. (The NA's don't have enough drives to earn a rank).

Player                                Driving Distance Avg.               Driving Distance
                                          (2 measuring holes)                 (All Holes)

Bubba Watson                   320.5 (1)                                    310.5 (2)

Tiger Woods                      306.3 (NA)                                 305.6 (NA)

Phil Mickelson                   298.9 (17)                                  301.8 (4)

Davis Love III                     292.8 (50)                                  291.5 (44)

Charles Howell                  287.7 (81)                                   287.2 (80) 

Jeff Gove                         293.5 (47)                                    287.2 (80)

Jason Gore                       292.8 (50)                                    294.6 (26) 

Sergio Garcia                    282.4 (125)                                  293.7 (30)

Jim Furyk                         267.5 (180)                                  275.8 (168)

Brad Faxon                       257.3 (187)                                  263.1 (188) 

John Daly                         302.2 (NA)                                    298.5 (NA)

Olin Browne                     272.6 (174)                                   273.5 (174)

J.B. Holmes                     313.5 (2)                                       314.6 (1)

All Feel, No Thoughts

Lorne Rubenstein looks at the emergence of the "thoughtless" player.

Riviera's 7th Then and Now

The old barranca/hazard on Riviera's 7th then and now. Note the subtle but significant change to the fairway edge caused by the late 30s flood. Oh, and the cool bridge.