MacDuff's Post Memorial FedEx Cup Standings

As always, a big thank you to reader MacDuff for compiling this mythical look at a 2006 PGA Tour FedEx Cup race. It continues to reward those who play well and play often...but we know that's not necessarily what the TV folks are looking for!

^{1    Mickelson    19309.37        12
2    Furyk    17687.5        12
3    Singh    16009.37        13
4    Glover    15854.16        11
5    Pettersson    15758.33        14
6    C.Campbell    15587.5        13
7    Toms    14821.87        10
8    Gf. Ogilvy    14737.5        10
9    Van Pelt    14002.5        15
10    Sabbatini    13754.16        12
11    Appleby    13737.5        11
12    Weir    13421.87        11
13    Z.Johnson    13075        11
14    Pampling    12885        11
15    Cink    12871.33        11
16    Oberholser    12775        11
17    Pernice    12600        9
18    Mayfair    12566.66        12
19    Gay    12525        12
20    Olazabal    12375        8
21    Vn Taylor    12137.5        10
22    T.Clark    12110        11
23    Verplank    12037.5        10
24    Donald    12014.37        8
25    Goosen    11962.5        9
26    B. Quigley    11500        10
27    A.Scott    11425        8
28    Love III    11412.5        11
29    Bohn    11363.33        12
30    Purdy    11312.5        11
31    Funk    11100        11
32    Herron    11022.5        10
33    D.Wilson    10937.5        11
34    Ames    10862.5        8
35    Parnevik    10767.5        12
36    T.Woods    10659.37        6
37    Immelman    10650        8
38    Choi    10537.5        10
39    Hoffman    10375        10
40    Senden    10350        9
41    Jerry Kelly    10325        9
42    RS Johnson    10305        10
43    Els    10077.5        10
44    Villegas    10062.5        10
45    Warren    10012.5        10
46    Lehman    9825        10
47    Wetterich    9775        7
48    JJ Henry    9162.5        9
49    Garcia    9112.5        8
50    Waldorf    9087.5        11
51    Palmer    9066.66        10
52    Rose    9041.66        11
53    Chopra    8992        11
54    J.Ogilvie    8945        9
55    Watney    8912.5        10
56    Estes    8837.5        9
57    Jobe    8817.5        9
58    Bertsch    8725        10
59    Leonard    8708.33        10
60    Crane    8685        9
61    Hart    8680        9
62    Imada    8680        10
63    G. Owen    8662.5        9
64    Baird    8242.5        8
65    Micheel    8162.5        9
66    Bryant    8150        8
67    Howell III    8137.5        12
68    Franco    8087.5        8
69    Harrington    7962.5        7
70    Couples    7925        8
71    N.Green    7877.5        10
72    Rollins    7862.5        8
73    Flesch    7782.5        12
74    Lowery    7700        10
75    Azinger    7625        9
76    Austin    7500        12
77    S. Maruyama    7462.5        9
78    Allenby    7450        7
79    Maggert    7437.5        8
80    JB Holmes    7420.83        7
81    Sluman    7412.5        12
82    Calc    7342.5        12
83    F.Jacobson    7337.5        7
84    Branshaw    7325        8
85    Beem    7293.75        9
86    DiMarco    7284.37        8
87    J.Smith    7225        8
88    Olin Browne    7075        12
89    Poulter    7062.5        8
90    Bjornstad    7005        9
91    Lonard    6975        9
92    Baddeley    6962.5        8
93    JL Lewis    6937.5        11
94    Bub Watson    6850        7
95    D. Howell    6825        6
96    Barlow    6712.5        8
97    Langer    6541.66        8
98    Slocum    6475        9
99    Fischer    6425        9
100    M.Wilson    6415        7
101    Gronberg    6350        7
102    Triplett    6275        7
103    Pat Perez    6262.5        7
104    Stricker    6225        5
105    Barron    6193.75        7
106    Pavin    6087.5        6
107    B. Haas    6050        8
108    Geiberger    6037.5        8
109    Sean O'Hair    6037        8
110    Br.Davis    5992.5        8
111    Durant    5962.5        10
112    Sindelar    5925        9
113    Sutherland    5900        8
114    Cook    5875        5
115    Faxon    5875        9
116    Curtis    5775        9
117    Gove    5737.5        6
118    Leaney    5712.5        7
119    Atwal    5625        5
120    Kenny Perry    5587.5        6
121    Gore    5525        6
122    J.Byrd    5500        4
123    Ws Short Jr    5437.5        10
124    Westwood    5187.5        5
125    Goggin    5125.25        5
126    Cabrera    5100        5
127    Matteson    5037.5        7
128    Petrovic    4925        7
129    D.Clarke    4900        4
130    Gamez    4800        8
131    Armour III    4700        6
132    Mahan    4550        9
133    Dickerson    4450        8
134    Nick Price    4300        4
135    Kaye    4287.5        7
136    Lickliter II    4275        6
137    Frazar    4237.5        7
138    Veazey    4225        6
139    Andrade    4207.5        7
140    David Duval    4200        6}

Sand Saves At Memorial

Ken Gordon reports in the Columbus Dispatch:

The first-round sand-save percentage (36.0) was the lowest of the Memorial Tournament. Cumulatively, it ended at 43.8 percent, still lower than the PGA Tour average coming in (49.1) and the 2005 Memorial (47.1), but certainly not a catastrophe.

And this...

"It was more of a game strategy than it was bunker play," Stewart Cink said, "because there’s no way to hit out a good shot out of these terrible lies."

Wie Watch* ** ***

PGATour.com's Brett Avery is doing a live blog on Michelle Wie's quest at Canoe Brook.

There is also this live scoring, but it's not nearly as up to date or interesting a complete waste of time.* Wie was through 8 holes and the live scoring page is still listing her tee time. Stick with the Avery blog.

Update on 2006-06-05 19:17 by Geoff

** USGA.org's front page story today with sectional qualifying underway and Michelle Wie attempting something historic?

"Keeping The U.S. Open Customer Satisfied."

Yes, a story on the history, sagas, importance and overall something or other of U.S. Open merchandising.  At least they didn't say the U.S. Open consumer. That's next year.

*** Apparently the most exciting day of the year for friends of Open hopefuls (and surely one of the busiest for USGA.org)  finally won out, and the merchandise story has been set aside as of 3 p.m. EST.

Furrowing A Failure Or Success?

Despite the negative player comments and the heated debate that CBS did their best to pretend wasn't happening by actually showing player interviews (imagine a NASCAR or NFL telecast running so timidly from an interesting controversy), it seems that the bunker furrowing at Muirfield Village brought attention to the question of whether a bunker should be a hazard.

It would also seem that most everyone who didn't vote on a rake spec while serving on the Tour policy board believes bunkers are too good and that this was a great start to restoring the hazard element.

It would also seem that furrowing wasn't the perfect way to go about it,  since it appeared fairway bunkers were treated different than greenside bunkers and there was a debate about which direction to rake in, the depth, the motivation, etc...

And there are also questions about how this little experiment will influence Green Committees across the land.

Finally, the excessive rough that has overtaken the sport would seem to make the concept seem more "unfair" than it really is.

My verdict: it was delightful to see bunkers mean something again. It was even more fun hear select players who have pushed a $elfish agenda on the distance issue--the primary culprit behind all of this setup madness--whine over something that appeared in part because of deregulation.

Your verdict?

PGA Tour Driving Distance Watch, Week 22

Carl Pettersson.

Boy, the athleticism and physical conditioning on the PGA Tour today is mighty impressive!

Anyway, after the soggy Memorial, the PGA Tour driving distance average dropped to 288.9 yards, down from 289.5 following last week's event in Memphis.

There was 1 350-or-longer drive, with the season total now at 945.

Here's an article about that drive along with some stuff about Bubba Watson's caddie woes.

Oh yes, it was Bubba Watson driving the 14th at Muirfield Village! He relates this story about standing on the tee box after driving the green.

"Someone yelled, ‘flex!’ " Bubba said, "so I wanted to show him I don’t have any muscles because I don’t work out. The only time I visit (the tour fitness trailer) is to say hello to friends."

The Sectional Storyline

AP's Doug Ferguson looks at Michelle Wie's quest to qualify for the U.S. Open and weighs her chances.

Sectional "Storylines"

Highlights from the USGA media department release on U.S. Open qualifying "storylines":

<sup>June 5
Littleton, Colo. (Columbine C.C.): 25 golfers for 1 spots

Steve Irwin of Golden, Colo., the son of three-time U.S. Open champion Hale Irwin, is in the field. The younger Irwin has never competed in an Open, while his father has 34 appearances, the second-most in history. 

Tyler Parsloe, 16, of Littleton, Colo., is hoping to follow in the footsteps of two other Colorado teens who recently qualified for the Open as 16-year-olds: Derek Tolan (2002) and Tom Glissmeyer (2003). Parsloe is one of four 16-year-olds to advance to sectional qualifying. 

Surrey, England (Walton Heath Golf Club): 71 golfers for 8 spots

Graeme McDowell of Ireland is a former Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cupper. 

Francesco Molinari of Italy is the older brother of 2006 U.S. Amateur champion Edoardo Molinari. Francesco captured the 2006 Italian Open. 

Gary Wolstenholme of England is a career amateur and is the all-time points leader for the Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup squad. He also is a two-time British Amateur champion. 

Rockville, Md. (Woodmont Country Club): 51 golfers for 4 spots

Tommy Armour III of Las Colinas, Texas, is the grandson of 1927 U.S. Open champion Tommy Armour. He will be looking to play in his seventh Open. His grandfather competed in 27.

David Berganio Jr. of Sylmar, Calif., is a two-time winner of the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship (1991 and ’93).

Wayne Defrancesco of Rockville, Md., will proceed to sectional qualifying at Woodmont C.C. where he is a teaching professional.  He finished with the low score of his qualifying field in Baltimore, Md. 

Gordon Vietmeier, 39, a teaching professional and a native of Pittsburgh, Pa., moved ahead to sectional rounds after qualifying at Quicksilver Golf Club.

Summit, N.J. (Canoe Brook C.C.): 153 golfers for 18 spots

Several New York-area residents will be trying to make it a special week at Winged Foot. 

* Charlie Meola grew up on the public courses near his house in Mamaroneck. But every once in a while he'd work up the nerve to take a few clubs and a handful of balls, cut through a couple of yards and sneak into Winged Foot Golf Club. Meola, now 31, has since returned to play the famed courses by entering through the front gates. The Mahopac Golf Club pro moved a step closer to playing Winged Foot in one of golf's majors. He fired an even-par 71 in his U.S. Open local qualifier at Siwanoy Country Club. 

* Ben Hoffhine’s apartment on Fenimore Road in Mamaroneck is as a little more than a mile down the street from Winged Foot Golf Club, and it’s likely there isn't a golf pro in the world who lives closer to this year's championship site. Hoffhine, the head pro at Wykagyl C.C. in New Rochelle, shot a 70 to earn medalist honors at his local qualifier at Atlantic Golf Club. 

* Another qualifier from the Atlantic G.C. site was Andrew Svoboda, a Winged Foot member (4-time Club champ) and former Met Open champion who advanced to the quarterfinals of the ’04 U.S. Amateur at Winged Foot. Svoboda has since turned pro. 

* Heath Wassem, the head pro at Fenway Golf Club in Scarsdale, also advanced at his local qualifier at Cherry Valley Club in Garden City. Fenway is located not far from Winged Foot. 

* Rick Hartmann of Sag Harbor, N.Y., is the pro at Atlantic Golf Club in Southampton. He played in the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and finished tied for 46th. He is paired with Michelle Wie on Monday. 

* George Zahringer of New York is the oldest winner of the U.S. Mid-Amateur. He was 48 when he won in 2002 at his home course, The Stanwich Club in Greenwich, Conn. 

USA Walker Cupper Nicholas Thompson of Coral Springs, Fla., will be trying to advance to his first U.S. Open. He advanced from a Weston, Fla., qualifier. Thompson now plays on the PGA Tour. 

Brock Mackenzie of Yakima, Wash., was a member of the 2003 USA Walker Cup team. Mackenzie qualified for the 2004 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills as an amateur. 

Geoffrey Sisk, 41, of Marshfield, Mass., will be attempting to qualify for his fifth U.S. Open. Sisk made the cut at Shinnecock Hills (T40) in 2004. He also made the cut at Pinehurst in 1999, finishing tied for 30th. 

Michelle Wie, 16, of Honolulu, Hawaii is attempting to become the first female to ever play in a U.S. Open. Wie was medalist (shot even par 72) at her qualifier at Turtle Bay Resort in Oahu, Hawaii. Wie won the 2003 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship as a 13-year-old, becoming the youngest winner of an “adult” USGA championship.

Former major winners Mark O’Meara (1998 Masters and British Open) and Mark Brooks (1996 PGA) are in the field. 

Hunter Mahan of Plano, Texas, won the 1999 U.S. Junior title and was the runner-up at the 2002 U.S. Amateur. He has competed in one U.S. Open (2003). 

Ricky Barnes of Stockton, Calif., was the 2002 U.S. Amateur champion. He competed in three U.S. Opens as an amateur, but has yet to qualify since turning pro in 2003.

Former Walker Cupper (1995) Kris Cox of Dallas, Texas, will look to draw on his good memories of Canoe Brook, where he shot a course-record 64 on the South Course to help him qualify for the Open in 2004.

Ben “Bubba” Dickerson of Plano, Texas, won the 2001 U.S. Amateur, but turned pro after the Masters and thus forfeited his exemption into the ’02 Open. He is hoping to qualify for his first Open. 

Austin Eaton III of North Sutton, N.H., won the 2004 U.S. Mid-Amateur and was a semifinalist last summer at the U.S. Amateur. 

David Gossett of Germantown, Tenn., won the 1999 U.S. Amateur and made the cut at the 2000 Masters. He is paired with Michelle Wie in this qualifier. 

John Nieporte of Boca Raton, Fla., would like to have a special Father’s Day at Winged Foot. His father, Tom, is Winged Foot’s longtime head professional.</sup>

<sup>Columbus, Ohio (Brookside Golf & C.C./Lakes Golf & C.C.): 144 golfers for 21 spots
Sam Saunders, Arnold Palmer's grandson, survived a six-man playoff to grab one of the final three berths available from his qualifier at Orlando’s MetroWest Golf Club. An 18-year-old amateur, he was the stroke-play medalist at the 2005 U.S. Junior, where he recorded a hole-in-one. Palmer has played in 32 U.S. Opens, while Saunders will look to play in his first. 

Jason Gore of Valencia, Calif., who was the ‘Prince of Pinehurst’ in 2005, went on to win three Nationwide Tour events and the PGA Tour’s 84 Lumber Classic. Gore played in the final pairing last June, only to shoot an 84 on Sunday.

Cincinnati native Brett Wetterich, who earned his first PGA Tour win in May at the EDS Byron Nelson Classic, needed a playoff to advance from his local qualifying site in Cincinnati.

Pinehurst, N.C., native Drew Scott, who is the golf coach at Rice University in Houston, survived a playoff to get one of the last two remaining spots at his qualifier in Daniels, W.Va.

Two-time major winner John Daly (1991 PGA and ’95 British Open) hopes to make it to his 14th U.S. Open, where his best finish is a T-27 in 1996. 

J.B. Holmes of Campbellsville, Ky., competed on the 2005 USA Walker Cup squad and then captured his first PGA Tour event as a rookie this past January at the FBR Open in Phoenix 

Trip Kuehne of Dallas, Texas, is a two-time USA Walker Cupper and the runner-up to Tiger Woods at the 1994 U.S. Amateur. He also was low amateur at the 2003 U.S. Open.

Kevin Marsh of Las Vegas won the 2005 U.S. Mid-Amateur. 

Ryan Moore of Puyallup, Wash., would like to get back to the venue where he won the 2004 U.S. Amateur. Moore also won the 2002 and ’04 APL titles and competed on the 2003 USA Walker Cup team. 

Kyle Reifers of Columbus, Ohio, competed on the 2005 USA Walker Cup team and is one of three players not to turn professional. 

Jeff Sluman of Hinsdale, Ill., captured the 1988 PGA Championship and competed in 17 U.S. Opens. 

D.J. Trahan of Mt. Pleasant, S.C., won the 2000 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship and was on the 2001 USA Walker Cup team.

Camilo Villegas of Colombia was the 1999 U.S. Junior runner-up and one of the top rookies on the PGA Tour. The 2004 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills was his professional debut.

Chris Devlin, a native of Northern Ireland, advanced to sectional qualifying rounds.  He is currently a member of the golf team at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. 

Brad Hardin of Nashville, Tenn., moved ahead to sectional qualifying.  He is the brother of Leigh Anne Hardin, who was the 1998 U.S. Girls’ Junior champion. 

Columbus, Ohio #2 (Double Eagle Golf Club): 37 golfers for 2 spot

Michael Putnam of Tacoma, Wash., was a member of the 2005 USA Walker Cup team. He qualified for the 2005 U.S. Open as an amateur. Putnam, a member of the Nationwide Tour, was the medalist at the Somis, Calif., local qualifier.

Chez Reavie of Scottsdale, Ariz., won the 2001 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship and qualified for the 2004 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. 

Creswell, Ore. (Emerald Valley G.C.): 25 golfers for 1 spots
Clay Ogden of West Point, Utah, won the 2005 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, including a quarterfinal victory over Michelle Wie.

Alejandro Canizares, 23, a native of Spain, finished first in local qualifying in Phoenix, Ariz.  The former ASU Sun Devil was the 2003 NCAA national champion and was also named Freshman of the Year. 

Houston, Texas (Lakeside Country Club): 32 golfers for 2 spots
Tom Kite of Austin, Texas, the 1992 U.S. Open champion, will be looking to compete in his 34th Open. Only Hale Irwin (34) and Jack Nicklaus (44) have competed in more U.S. Opens.

Anthony Kim of La Quinta, Calif., competed on the 2005 USA Walker Cup team and advanced to the semifinals of the 2005 APL. 

Kevin Tway of Edmond, Okla., won the 2005 U.S. Junior title on his 17th birthday. He is the son of 1986 PGA Championship winner Bob Tway, who will try to qualify in Columbus, Ohio. 

June 6

Tampa, Fla. (Old Memorial Golf Club): 59 golfers for 3 spots
Fred Ridley of Tampa, Fla., won the 1974 U.S. Amateur and just completed his two-year term as USGA President. The 53-year-old will try to qualify at his home club. 

John Calabria, 58, of Naples, Fla., is the oldest player to come out of local qualifying. 

Eric Cole, 17, of Orlando, can look to his mother for inspiration on the course. Laura Baugh captured the 1971 U.S. Women’s Amateur as a 16-year-old and competed in 14 Women’s Opens, including a tie for eighth in 1979. 

Matt Every, 22, of Daytona Beach, Fla., was low amateur at the 2005 U.S. Open and a member of the ’05 USA Walker Cup team. He recently was named the Ben Hogan Award winner. 


Atlanta, Ga. (Ansley Golf Club Settindown Creek Course): 65 golfers for 4 spot
Matt Kuchar, the 1997 U.S. Amateur champion who made the cut at both the 1998 Masters and U.S. Open, will look to play in his fifth U.S. Open. 

Brian Harman of Savannah, Ga., won the 2003 U.S. Junior and was a key member of the victorious 2005 USA Walker Cup team. Harman just completed his freshman season at the University of Georgia. 

Nick Flanagan of Australia won the 2003 U.S. Amateur and competed at the ’04 Open, but missed the cut.

St. Louis, Mo. (Fox Run Golf Club): 27 golfers for 2 sports
Jay Delsing of St. Louis, who owns a pair of runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour, will be vying to play in his third U.S. Open, but first since 1992 at Pebble Beach, where he tied for 33rd.</sup>

Azinger Furrows Brow At Furrows*

From the Dayton Daily News, Bucky Albers reporting:

"It's a joke, really," Azinger said after turning in a 71 Friday that left him at even par after 36 holes. "Peter Lonard is one of the best fairway bunker players I've ever seen. We were the same. He couldn't hit it out, and neither could I.

"It neutralizes everybody who is a good bunker player. The best players in the world are trying to separate themselves from the next guy down. It just makes it harder. Jack (Nicklaus) separated himself his whole career."

Someone mentioned that bunker shots weren't Nicklaus' strong suit. "He was not a great bunker player, but he was never in them," Azinger said.

Azinger said the players have no say-so about playing conditions, and he doesn't think they should have any input because each would prefer conditions that favor his skills.

Update on 2006-06-05 02:16 by Geoff

After his final round, Azinger had this to say:

"I think that they probably avoided the bunkers this week. I didn't hit too many bunkers, and it cost me big time. I didn't hit it very good, so it's supposed to cost me. I don't have a problem with the concept that a bunker should be difficult, but I do have a problem with a bunker being prepared in a way that makes somebody who's phenomenal the same as somebody who's terrible, does that make sense?"

And I'm not sure about this logic...

"If you hate the bunkers being easier, just take them out. Make the whole place grass, if the bunkers are that easy, make the whole place grass. They're not that easy."

How about hard bunkers and less tall grass? 

USGA Rough "Flexibility"

How's this for a strange take offered by the New York Times's Charles McGrath not offering tiered rough on Winged Foot's three most birdieable holes.

[Fay] explained later in an e-mail that he was looking for "the mythical half-stroke penalty": the shot that has a chance of getting to the green but that probably won't stay there. Fay added that the U.S.G.A. would also be flexible; on some of the easier holes, like Nos. 5 and 11, the rough might be six inches, and on 6, a 321-yard par 4 that some of the boomers may be able to reach off the tee, he intended to let the grass sprout to eight or beyond. "They're going to need a scythe to get it out of there!" he said happily.

Ah, spoken like a frustrated golfer.

You know, somehow the word flexible in the context of harvesting rough to stop birdies, just doesn't quite work, does it?

Length, he added, wasn't everything, explaining that the Winged Foot doglegs are so severe — in some cases, golfers can't see the green from the tee box — that a player who can't shape his drives may run out of real estate. "Look what happened here at the P.G.A. in 1997," he said. "On the last day you had Davis Love, one of the longest hitters in golf, and Justin Leonard, one of the shortest."

To which, McGrath counters with this: 

A couple of days later I spoke to Rick Smith, Phil Mickelson's swing coach, who said of No. 9: "You've got to blast it there. On the other hand, you're better off in the fairway with 240 in than being in the rough. If guys are struggling, they're just going to hit something accurate." About the driver question, he said: "Initially, Phil felt he wouldn't use both, because the fairways are so narrow — only about 22 yards. But with the length of some of those holes, he's reconsidering, and depending on the conditions, no question he might bring along the other driver."

Sounds like Phil may be flogging!

The story also has Fay predicting Tiger will only driver around 4 times around. Wanna bet? 

Huggan on Euro Scheduling, Wentworth's Redesign

John Huggan's Sunday in The Scotsman ;) column looks at the European Tour's scheduling dilemma, the Fed Ex Cup, and Ernie Els' redesign work at Wentworth. Naturally, he's skeptical.

The biggest thing on O'Grady's mind is easy to identify. Next year, America's PGA Tour will embark on a radical new schedule climaxing with something called the Fed-Ex Cup, a 'play-off' series modelled on the mystifyingly-successful NASCAR, in which cars drive round and round in endless circles to no obvious purpose.

Regarding the European Tour...

With more and more of Europe's leading players spending more and more time in the US, the traditional European Tour schedule will have to adjust. For instance, the British Masters, which was held at the Belfry three weeks ago, will move to September to avoid a clash with the Players Championship, which will switch from March to May.

"It will become readily apparent when we refine our 2007 dates where we're trying to focus ourselves. We spent a lot of effort with various players to find the right period to put tournaments in. We are examining where we are with the PGA Tour, because they bring a welter of marketing muscle and money to any situation."

Allow me to decode. Without actually saying so - the man is a diplomat - O'Grady is alluding to the fact that the PGA Tour in the shape of commissioner Tim Finchem is a classic bully, who couldn't care less about the effect of his actions on anyone other than his members. For the good of the game is not a phrase that the former Washington lobbyist is too familiar with.

On the upside, many doubts remain about the long-term success of the Fed-Ex series thingy. The suspicion here is that, as with so many things in golf, it will come down to the level of interest that one Tiger Woods can muster. If the world No.1 decides that he has better things to do, like winning the major championships that history will actually remember, the whole thing will quickly fold.

Which would not be good news for Finchem. If recently- released viewing figures are anything to go by, America's ever-shortening attention span is causing many of Uncle Sam's nieces and nephews to reach for their remotes when a golfer appears on their TV screens - Tiger or no Tiger. Should the Fed-Ex series fail to deliver - sorry, couldn't resist that - it is hard to imagine where the PGA Tour would go next. China, probably. Still, all of that is for the future.

As for Wentworth...

Even at the new, turbo-charged Wentworth, misgivings remain. Take Ernie Els's new fairway bunkers - one left, one right - on the opening hole. While O'Grady enthused about how their presence would provoke players into thinking on the tee, it was hard not to shake one's head inwardly.

Rather than encouraging thought and choice, the traps dictate only how the hole has to be played. As things stand, the drive is now merely a test of execution - can you hit it between the bunkers?

Had Els placed one or more bunker up the left side, which offers the more favourable angle into the distant green, and merely left the right side as it was, the players would have been offered a genuine option. Driving close to the bunker would bring reward in the shape of an easier approach; playing safe down the right would take the sand out of play, but leave a more difficult second shot.

That's called strategy, folks.

Come to think of it, a bunker stuck right in the middle of the fairway would have been better. That really would have made the players ponder.

Hawkins: It's All About Jack

Golf World's John Hawkins misses the point behind the Memorial bunker furrowing, chalking it up to appeasing Jack Nicklaus. He obviously didn't get the message that people find it ridiculous when players would rather their ball up in sand than rough.

The lead reminds you that Darwin, he ain't.

Fortify a PGA Tour venue with four inches of lush rough? Bravo! Gooseneck the fairways, hide the pins, triple-cut the greens? You betcha. Create furrows in the bunker sand? Are you freakin’ nuts?

And the real reason behind this furrowing madness...

As for the notion that tournament officials ignored standard procedure as determined by the tour’s own policy board, one can only chuckle. The players themselves are all too aware of how little influence they have in Camp Ponte Vedra’s version of democracy, particularly when it involves Nicklaus. Jack wanted grooves in the sand so the boys would have harder time short-siding an approach, splashing out to two feet and moving on. The tour wasn’t about to object to the wishes of the man they just named 2007 Presidents Cup captain, a man who almost always gets what he wants and is usually right.

“Why does everybody want a free ride?” Jack pondered during the Friday telecast. “You don’t hear much [complaining] from the good players. The tour said it wants to keep doing this—we’ll find out whether [it has] any guts or not. It will be interesting to see what [happens] next week.”

Next week? You can bet the tour will follow the path of least resistance at Westchester and beyond. The bunkers will return to their pristine state, the moaning will cease, and it will be business as usual. Nicklaus has always cast the Memorial as something of a Masters knockoff, complete with its own little set of rules (caddies wear white jumpsuits, no reporters on the practice range), many of which have been abandoned over the years. It’s Jack’s way of reminding us who he is, a right to which he is perfectly entitled, and Camp Ponte Vedra isn’t about to play the role of heavy one week each year.

Somehow, I think there is a whole lot more to this than coddling Jack Nicklaus's ego.

And the NCAA Men's Title Goes To...

Oklahoma State...because they need another title like UCLA needs another basketball men's volleyball crown. And OSU redshirt freshman Jonathon Moore took the individual title too.

Final team scores are here, final individual scores here, and Ron Balicki's Golfweek.com game story is here. 

Week In Review, May 28-June 3: Bunker Furrowing

Rex Hoggard's column about reduced playing opportunities for Tour school grads spawned a heated debate about the current PGA Tour system and its future.

Sam Weinman penned a great story from Winged Foot and a debate broke out over...Tiger wearing shorts.

Randell Mell revealed the worst kept secret in golf: the feud between Rees and Robert Trent Jones Jr., and Rees'  plans to redo his dad's course, with DK noting, "Well Rees is nothing if not consistent. He'll even tear up his father's course in the name of "progress".

But the big story of the week: Jack Nicklaus adding furrowed rakes to the anti-distance equation for this week's Memorial. And the early reviews were understandably mixed.

JPB: "I think this is an area where added difficulty is more interesting. Perfect, consistent bunkers aren't interesting. Getting luck involved after a poor shot is interesting. It is why poker is interesting on TV, the better hand loses a lot. It isn't like good shots are getting punished; you just have a variable punishment. Better tough bunkers than 22 yard wide fairways and excessive rough IMO."

All For Furrows wrote: "I second JPB's thoughts - bunkers have not been enforcing the penalty they were meant to enforce on better players. I hope the PGA Tour has a thick enough skin to put up with the whining of the players and to continue this experiment at other Tour stops, and the implement it."

Matt: "One of my favorite courses in the world, the original Muirfield, held up a few years ago to technology in the British Open. I think, in part, due to the severity of the fairway bunkers and the players opting to take the strategic route 'round the course."

AP Maran wrote: "As the game continues to distance itself from the original, "unfair" game where not-perfect fairways, bunkers and greens where part of the obstacle, now they try to make it unfair again but by preparation, inspite of Jones comments. Next step must be cutting the greens unevenly, make fairways 20 feet wide and always 10 inches high rough in front of the greens. All prepared with the best intentions.

Chris wrote: "The USGA has allowed most of the skill level to be reduced by todays technology, Nicklaus's idea (out of desperation) makes sense."

Gus: "The fact that so much thought and effort is going into the bunkers and other maintenance minutia is disturbing. Most, if not all courses in America spend more time, money, and effort maintaining bunkers than they do greens. This is an upside down priority. While this may be fine at a big tournament, the fact that it is happening to some degree at every course only raises the cost of playing the game and leads to a decline in participation. If Jack wants to make the bunkers difficult again, he should do what we do at the muni- rake them once or twice a week only. It's a hazard after all.

Smolmania: "At the Dunes Club, a cool nine hole Nugent design in New Buffalo, MI which is supposed to be an homage to Pine Valley, the bulk of the bunkers on the course (of which there are many) don't have rakes. Makes for some difficult shots out there, but bunkers are after all supposed to be hazards."

R Thompson writes: "Another "Mickey Mouse" course set up to try and bring back some integrity to the sport, where the USGA has had their head buried in one of those deep troughs."

RM: "After reading about the furrowing this week, then watching the telecast today, then reading these comments, I am now definitely in favor of this practice. Even tour pros (or especially tour pros) need to realize that there is more to this game than ordered play on perfect grounds."

DK: "They're panicking that they have just seen the wave of the future and they are lashing out at everyone. This is hilarious and better than I thought it would be. Mickelson seemed to be the only one with poise."

MacDuff: "if it sounds like sour grapes, then that's just what it is...bad breaks and uneven lies are part and parcel of the auld game...perhaps pros of recent decades have had it too cushy; expectations of perfection can only breed a "princess & the pea" mentality."

Pete the Luddite: "I like the furrows. Even better, bring out the horses and run them through the bunkers a few times. Too much grooming these days, let them earn their way out of the bunker!"

Glyn:  "When a pro is happy to be in a bunker because they know they can make an easy out, something is wrong. Like Jack said, I would rather see interesting recovery attempts in reasonable rough than ho hum bunker play."

JohnV: "Now that the bunkers are inconsistent, I'd like to see the rough that way also. I'm tired of perfectly manicured rough. Guys should get good and bad breaks there also. For me nothing is harder than a pitch to a downhill green from a bare dirt patch with a big clump of grass behind the ball. Why do they think we call it "rough"?"

JM: "The furrows seem to be sifting out much more than the more skillful players... there's nothing worse than a guy who blames the course for his own mistakes (or opens his mouth and inserts his foot like Price). Consistency across the tour is certainly an issue, though. I agree. Two thumbs up for Nicklaus."

a.c.: "why is changing the rake any more or less "Mickey Mouse" or "tricked up" than narrowing fairways or growing the rough longer, Mr. Maggert?"

Sean Murphy: "Are we seeing the first examples of bifurication in the rules of golf at the professional level? So, if it's bifurication making its way into the sport at the professional level, to try and artificially increase the difficulty level that there once was, I say, bring back the wood headed clubs, and the three piece wound balls. Lets get this bifurication going, lets make golf at the professional level "TOUGH AGAIN", right John Hawkins?"

Yet Another Cup...

Mark your calendars, Monty and Goosen are named Captains in the Europe/US vs. Rest of the World in the IMG Goodwill Cup...

More Muirfield Moaning

As much as I'd like to side with the players, their cause is hurt by a consistent inability to articulate why bunker furrowing is a bad idea and by their reluctance to address the distance issue that has led to situations like this. 

Ken Gordon had these comments in the Dispatch:

"They’re not very good, that’s about all you can say," Jeff Maggert said. "We don’t play any other tournament like this. I think you’ll see players looking to pop this event off (their schedule) if they keep doing it."

And..

The idea was to make the course more old-school. But Mark Brooks thought the change actually hurt shortgame artists more than the bombers.

"If a guy’s got a good short game, he can play more aggressively if he’s got reasonable opportunities to recover," Brooks said.

"It’s about (losing) the art of the recovery shot. (Ben) Crenshaw, (Seve) Ballesteros, those guys didn’t drive the ball great but won tons of tournaments from hitting it all over the place because they were great at recovery shots."

One of the biggest issues was the element of surprise. Players said they did not know about the change until they showed up this week.

"It’s something that I think kind of shocked us this week," Steve Flesch said. "Some of the players are like, Wait, wait.’ We’re used to hopping in there with a perfect lie and knocking it on the green."

Joe Ogilvie is one of four players on the PGA Tour policy board.

"It’s a communication issue," the Lancaster native said. "I don’t think there would be nearly be the controversy here if the PGA Tour and the Memorial Tournament had communicated to the players. We’ve got terrible communication on the tour, period."

Later, that was the major concession made by PGA onsite tournament director Slugger White.

"We’ve taken some criticism and we’ll just look forward," White said. "It’s change, and everyone is a little bit stubborn when it comes to change. We all are.

"Looking back, probably we should have prepped these guys (players) a little earlier, and I’ll take the blame for that."

Not everyone was hot and bothered. Sergio Garcia said it made players think a little more, changing clubs to avoid hitting bunkers, "so it’s good."

And Dave Hackenberg in the Toledo Blade:

Pro golfers don't react well to change, and the reaction to the bunkers was overwhelmingly negative.

Davis Love III was so angry - despite a 3-under 69 - that he blew past media members after making a double bogey out of the fairway bunker at No. 18 and declined comment.

Shaun Micheel spoke for Love, who is one of four players on the PGA Tour Policy Board.

"I had breakfast with Davis this morning, and he told me that the policy board had approved a standardized rake used for all tournaments," Micheel said.

The columns, they just keep on a coming! Actual, a breakfast of complaining and Tour policy board political chat between Micheel and Love is just too easy, even for me.

"Are we not supposed to make anything?" [Micheel] said. "Hey, fill 'em with water and paint hazard lines around them. There's a lot of frustration. [The players] had no warning. We showed up Monday, and they were furrowed and raked sideways. Today, every trap is raked parallel to the fairway. So they changed the conditions.

"They used to have the most beautiful sand here. What's wrong with guys shooting good scores?"

I'm with him on the last point. That would be a good question for the Commissioner.