Week in Review, May 21-27: Players Say The Funniest Things

/

WeekInReview2.jpgWhat should have been a quiet week in May produced several interesting comments from noted Tour players, and plenty of great stuff as usual from you readers. Thanks as always for the laughs and insights. Some highlights:

On the news that Donald Trump had cleared a vital hurdle with his Scottish course by preventing windmills from being raised within view, Scott noted, "If the location of the golf course is also a good place for windmills, then the golf played there is going to very difficult. There are not very many successful golf courses built where the wind always blows. (why would you build a windmill farm in a place without constant winds?) But what does Donald Trump golf designs know about site location and prevailing winds?"

Everything, Scott!

Regarding Ben Crane's inability to speed up, earning him yet another lecture (but no penalty) from the Tour, OldSchool writes, "The neglect by PVB to deter this professional conduct unbecoming of a professional at Q-School and even on the Nationwide Tour has added to this topic. Rory made a bad decision last year on how to deal with this, to date it's the only real decision that has been made. Where Rory drew a ton of outrage over that incident, he also helped bring the awareness level way up. What's happened to Ben Crane thus far, nothing?"

Speaking of the Tour, their rumored FedEx Cup points system continues to be met with plenty of questions. Reader J.P.:  "Skewing points for Majors and WGC's, (and THE PLAYERS) is ridiculous. The PGA Tour has been running all sorts of "incentivizing" plans since 1998. These plans have all worked as designed, putting more money into top players pockets, while allowing these players to continue to play only 18 to 20 tournaments a year."

Meanwhile J.T. loves the new logo unveiled: "I thought your art department must have spent a few minutes coming up with that logo, but then I realized that it was the real thing. Brilliant design, how do these people come up with such creative ideas!!!"

On the thrilling news that the PGA will be returning to Oak Hill in 2013, Stan DeBarons reports enthusiastically: "I just got off the phone with my travel agent. I've secured for August 2013, a hotel room for the week as well as tickets for the Rochester Dinner Theater's production of Fiddler On The Roof for friday night."

Photos were posted of the new look Ohio State course, dubbed a "Nick-enzie" by Jack Nicklaus and host to this week's NCAA Women's Championship won by Duke. Reader AP Maran writes, "As MacKenzie said regarding bunkers 'It is often possible to make a hole sufficiently interesting with one or two bunkers the most,' and here we see a lot of bunkers added, many of them with Nicklaus favorite type with the tongue of grass in the middle, none resembles a MacKenzie bunker. the two in 12th and 13th are hideous monsters, freak show."

RM wrote, "1. The visual experience of this course is now dominated by the bunkering. The bunkers don't seem to flow with the rest of the course. 2. I believe the brown dirt bunkers gave the course a more natural feel. I love Augusta, but the glaring white sand is not always a good look. 3. If I were a student, I'd rather play the old course for $18 than the new course for $30. I'm sure there is some local muni that will see a rise in student play."

Now, for those player remarks.  On Davis Love's assertion that there have been minor advances in equipment, Steven T. writes, "Minor advances in equipment? Will Titleist cut him off of his 5M/year deal now?"  OldSchool wrote, "With all the minor advances in equipment, why all the major renovations in golf courses?: And DK: "Minor? Hell by his own words Mickelson has gained about 80yds since 1997."

Jim Furyk and Colin Montgomerie called for the golf ball to be rolled back this week, prompting Sean Murphy to say, "Interesting to finally see more of the games elite players speaking out about the state of the game (the distance SNAFU), especially since the PGA Tour is dependent on TV ratings, and where John Hawkins has informed everyone on how low and miserable those ratings go. People are tired of watching "Long Drive Contest Scrambles". It's not golf and has little appeal when compared to how golf use to be played at the professional level."

The rough harvest at uh, "The Foot," as dubbed so dreadfully by Tim Rosaforte, is going well if you like lots of rye grass, but not so well in the view of Walter Driver, who whipped out his Blackberry to message staffer Mike Davis.

NRH: "The head of the USGA using a Blackberry on the course? God help us." And Pete the Luddite: "Let's hope that they do something about what can only be a debacle in the making and set the rough up better than described. I don't think they will, though. Players and fans may complain, but as long as the tv ratings and ticket sales are up, why change, right?"

R. Thompson wrote, "I'm situating myself for another Major let down at Winged Foot. Tapered rough, and wind mills on the greens, who are these clowns in the blue blazers? They are the Ivy League, badminton, intermural, all star team. It's obvious these fellows couldn't beat there way out of a wet paper bag."

Ian Woosnam's assertion that shorter players have little future touched off several comments. Steve White wrote: "Did he watch last week's playoff at Colonial? Richard S. Johnson is 5-7 and still managed to hit the drive on the second hole of the playoff just shy of 300. I also don't see Tim Herron, who hit his drive on the same hole 350 yards, as a fitness obsessed player, yet he managed to get to the winner's circle. These kind of generalizations in Woosnam's answers are meaningless, at best.

Reader Dean didn't agree: "You're right Steve, every leader board is chock full of overweight gluttons pounding 350 yard drives and yet some 5'7, working his ass off overtime, manages to walk a tight rope some given week to prove that distance is not an issue. Wether its Clark at Augusta or Johnson at Colonial, where are the rest of the 5,7 players filling up the leader board. Give us one leader board this year with 4 players under 5'9."

Finally, Brad Faxon touched off a firestorm with his remarks about the ball getting too much blame and athleticism being the source of future distance advances.

Glyn: "who said he never works out?...was that J.B. Holmes.? Must be natural athleticism. So if it's athleticism, it shouldn't matter what ball a pro uses right?"

Chuck: "...somebody needs to seriously get in Faxon's face about accusing Nickluas of holding to his position on golf ball developments because, 'If Jack Nicklaus had a successful ball, he would never say another word. But he's never sold a ball that's made a dime.' That says it all to me. Maybe Faxon is actually right. That players' opinions on balls are shaped -- determined, really -- by the company that they have their ball endorsement deals with. If so, I rest my case. Faxon, we know who you're working for. Please don't ever apologize for your statement, or retract it in any way. It is too valuable as ammunition in the ball-regulation battle. A question for the class -- Can anyone name one Titleist staff player who has openly talked about his or her views that the golf ball should be better regulated?"

And Barry: "See the movement of my pocketwatch, back and forth, back and forth....you are feeling very relaxed now...repeat after me..."distance is not changing the game"..."the ball is not a problem"..."this is not about the money..."

Paying Excessive Rent

/

Sam Weinman reports that the PGA Tour and Westchester Country Club have come to an agreement where the venerable course will host the new FedEx "playoff" event four of the next six years.

And here's why the Tour execs get the big bucks...

For the club, there appears to be much to like about the deal. In it, the tour would pay the club $800,000 in years that it hosts the Classic, and $400,000 in years that the tournament is played elsewhere.

Since the two parties haven't determined whether the event will be held at Westchester three or four years, the total value of the six-year contract would be either $3.6 million or $4 million. That's compared to the current contract that was supposed to extend through 2010, in which the club would receive $500,000 a year over the next four years.

Wow, $800,000 for not hosting two events. When did Westchester CC become a charity? 

"The new identity leverages the equity of both the FedEx and PGA TOUR logos."

/

img9457141.jpgFrom PGATour.com, on the big news that a logo has been developed for the FedEx Cup:

"The FedEx Cup, represented by this new tri-color logo, will become synonymous with a new measurement of achievement on the PGA TOUR," said Ric Clarson, senior vice president, brand marketing for the PGA TOUR. "Fans will associate this logo with a dynamic season-long competition to determine the FedEx Cup champion."
You hope.
 "We are excited to launch the next phase of our sponsorship of the PGA TOUR by introducing the new logo for the FedEx Cup," said Laurie Tucker, senior vice president of marketing at FedEx. "This will further help us to establish FedEx as the premier sponsor of the PGA TOUR and highlight our consistent values of reliability, excellence and leadership."

Oh and here's the money quote...

"The new identity leverages the equity of both the FedEx and PGA TOUR logos. These brands are best of class. Combined, the new logo communicates that FedEx Cup is a pinnacle event in golf," said Tucker.

The new identity leverages the equity of both the FedEx and PGA TOUR logos.

And we wonder why people hate America?

The New John Daly...Gulp

/

Geoff Calkins in the Memphis Commercial Appeal writes about John Daly's new book and his recent book signing.

"My Life In & Out of the Rough," is the title of Daly's book, and who ever figured the guy for an author?

"Shakespeare sucked," Daly wrote, and it's about time somebody said it. Compare these two romantic passages:

A. "For where thou art, there is the world itself, and where thou art not, desolation."

B. "All told, we did it 10 times that day."

Shakespeare wrote A, Daly wrote B.

Who does a better job of getting to the essence?
And...

 

Endorsing wines, though? When Daly has struggled so mightily with alcohol? There's something pathetic about that, like Art Schlichter endorsing a bookie.

The same goes for the book, which outlines Daly's bold new strategy for dealing with alcohol and gambling.

Alcohol: He's going to drink beer instead of Jack Daniel's.

Gambling: He's going to switch to $25 slots. 

Tour Should Bring Majors To New Orleans!?

/

Dan Daly, writing about the need for major sports to give New Orleans a chance, writes:

Memo to Tim Finchem: Would it kill you to hold a major golf championship somewhere in the New Orleans area? For goodness sakes, the PGA was once held in French Lick, Ind. (In 1924, to be exact. Walter Hagen beat Jim Barnes, 2-up, for the title.) How about cutting the Crescent City a break?

Shouldn't a Fox/Washington Times sports columnist know that the PGA Tour does not control the major championships.

Golf World: Troubles At Torrey Pines

/

gw20060526_cover.jpgJohn Strege pens this week's excellent Golf World cover story on Torrey Pines (but only found at ESPN.com!?) and wins this month's prize for best lead (because I know how much he'll appreciate it, he will be getting a year-long subscription to Mother Jones Psychotic.).

Anyway, the lead:

Where to begin in this sordid saga of politics and passion that has provoked an uncivil war in San Diego and is sucking the euphoria from Torrey Pines GC's imminent appointment with history? The South Course renovation? Fait accompli. The North Course redesign? Tabled. A new clubhouse? A tournament support building? Expensive minutiae.

So let's begin with the strip club.
Strege ably covers the entire saga, but these comments from David Fay left me wondering something:
The sunny disposition that the city's claim largely is based on has taken its leave in the wake of this growing rift. "I won't say it's a Hatfield and McCoy situation," says USGA executive director David Fay, who has rejected overtures to enter the fray. "It hasn't gotten that bad. But it's definitely a family feud. I think there's a compromise position. What that is, I don't know."

And...

"Being a resident of New Jersey," Fay says, "I'm no stranger to squabbles involving municipalities. This is a San Diego issue that not only elected and appointed officials have to sort through, but also the citizens. I can't control the perception. It would not surprise me that some might look at the 2008 Open and wish it weren't being played at Torrey Pines, but that's not unique, either. It happens at every club, every championship we go to, even Winged Foot [site of the 2006 Open]. We had that at Bethpage, too. But it's definitely a minority."

Now, he says this is something for the people of San Diego and for the USGA not to involve itself in. As with many things the Executive Director says, he makes great sense...on the surface. But when you dig deeper...

The erosion of trust had begun and inevitably rumors followed. The Friends of Torrey Pines was said to be behind the North redesign, that to entice the USGA to return with, say, a U.S. Amateur, a strong 36 holes would be required. "I heard that," says Jay Rains, who heads the Friends of Torrey Pines and later became a member of the USGA Executive Committee. "The Friends of Torrey Pines is dedicated only to the U.S. Open in 2008."

My understanding is that the Friends of Torrey Pines continues to include Jay Rains, who is still also on the USGA Executive Commitee.

So wouldn't the USGA have an interest to get involved with someone so involved in both organizations? Or is it an obligation to get involved? Especially considering the millions it will rake in at the 2008 Open? Is that enough rhetorical questions?

It's Going To Be The Athleticism...

/

Brad Faxon, in an interview with Jason Sobel of ESPN.com:

Q: Should golf's governing bodies develop a scaled-back, uniform golf ball?

A: No. There's no way. The ball gets too much blame. There's a lot of other factors. Any gain you see in distance over the next few years is going to be athleticism more than technology.

 

I guess I didn't change Brad's mind at that little SI roundtable we did a year ago last week! I tried!  

Sideways Golf Trip

/

rec01.jpgRex Pickett, author of the fun novel Sideways, writes about how the film adaption of his book changed his life and the fortunes of central California's wine country.

He also provides tips on where to play and stay in this lengthy TL Golf story..

The novel has much more golf in it than the film, including some pretty detailed (and accurate) scenes at La Purisma. I posted an Amazon link in the lefthand column if you want to read more.

Texting Mike Davis...

/

In Tim Rosaforte's story about the Winged Foot rough harvest, he noted that USGA President Walter Driver impersonated a green chairman-gone-mad by text messaging new course setup man Mike Davis with concerns about the new tiered rough.

Well, it turns out there were several messages sent to Davis as Driver played Winged Foot in a charity event Monday. Thanks to my Blackberry monitoring friends at the NSA, I have obtained Driver's messages to Davis. 

02:22:12 PM EST   Driver here. Lost a ball already in the third cut on #1.  Bad caddy but still…get this taken down ASAP so XC doesn’t have to play this in advance scouting rounds week before Open.  And the intermediate cut is too low.  Have Greynook raise it ¼ of an inch, because I advanced several balls with spin. Must be the grooves ruining game. But still, get on this right away. That is, the height of the intermediate cut, not the grooves. Rugge is handling that for me.
02:31:45 PM EST   Driver here again. Just four-putted #1. Why didn’t you have Fazio soften this green?

03:11:01 PM EST   Driver here again. Just birdied 4 from rough. But that's not why I'm writing. Lost Blackberry reception on 4 green. Please look into this. Can't have this during Open.

03:55:50  PM EST   Driver here again.  Just played #6. Fairway too wide. Paced it off at 21 yards. And I’m not sure about eliminating intermediate cut on the short holes. That was DBFay’s idea right?  Please advise ASAP. Tom Rostafort is hanging around, wanting quotes. I have to make sure blame is properly attributed.

05:45:23 PM EST   Okay, you must be in a meeting and that’s why you haven’t responded to these messages. Driver here yet again. We are at almost 6 hours through 16 holes, big wait on 17 tee. Call pro shop and tell them I have the Citation prepped and waiting over at KHPN (Westchester County Airport for those of you who still fly coach). I don’t want to keep the plane and my guests from Goldman Sachs waiting. We have to be at Pine Valley for a breakfast meeting and golf to analyze possible 2021 Walker Cup.

Woosnam: "You've got to be more like anywhere from five foot ten to six foot four to play this game now"

/
Ian Woosnam at the BMW Championship, with help from the assembled inkslingers:
Q. What do you think of the modern obsession with fitness regimes, diets, coaches, all the stuff that goes on, head coaches?

IAN WOOSNAM: I think obviously once you see some players doing it and if you want to get to that standard, and they are successful at doing it, everybody has got to go along with it.

I think obviously these times and days, professional golf, it's a highly, highly tuned sport and very physical now. If you want to hit the ball a long way, you've got to be very, very fit. I think most probably in the modern time of golf now, being my size is probably gone. You've got to be more like anywhere from five foot ten to six foot four to play this game now I think. I just don't think you can generate the speed. You could look at maybe there will be an exceptional small player, but I think the taller player with the golf clubs are going to hit the ball a lot further now.

Q. Is it a much more interesting game, though?

IAN WOOSNAM: I think with the modern equipment you sort of aim straight and hope it goes straight. When we used to play the game, you used to sort of try to fade it, draw it; there was more a variety of shots. It was more like tee to green and then hope you 2 putted. But now there's such a variety in the game, really.

Q. Do you think you've had more fun than the guys have now?

IAN WOOSNAM: Yeah, definitely. Oh, yeah. You go in the gym for two hours before you go off, play your game of golf, do a bit of practice and then a couple more hours in the gym, I don't think that was for me. (Laughter) I don't think I would have been making it.

Q. You've been on the Tour for a long time, what do you think in historic sense of the standard of golf now, is it as good as it was or better than it was?

IAN WOOSNAM: I think you can look at it two different ways. The equipment has changed such a lot, everybody is working out. As you say, it's a different game all together. I think you've got to look at the way the game is played now and what it was played before. You know, if you watch any of the histories or videos or anything, there has been time where equipment has changed the game completely and we're going through a phase now where the game has just been completely changed.

Q. What do you think about the standard of golf on the Tour today, is it better than when you won the Masters?

IAN WOOSNAM: Well, I wouldn't say so, no. What I would say is that there's more people got a chance of winning these days than what there used to be.

Q. Because of the equipment?

IAN WOOSNAM: Don't get me into that one.

Q. Because of the equipment or because of the new attitude?

IAN WOOSNAM: I think the equipment is so good. With a wooden driver and bladed clubs and other kind of golf balls, it was very difficult to get the ball in the air. Even a wooden club, you get the ball in the air, you would hit it a long way. I think that's why I hit it a long way was because I managed to get the ball in the air and it went a long way with a strong driver. Nowadays the clubs are so big, the clubs just automatically get the ball in the air for you. Everybody has a better chance of scoring better really.