PGA Clippings, Sunday Edition

The fourth round hole locations are posted, and 15 are 5 or fewer paces from the edge.  Nine holes are 4 or fewer paces from the edges. And based on the tucked holes I saw on TV today, Verne Troyer must be handling the pacing.

I'm not sure what to make of the course statistics, but it appears they a bit off at the official site. PGATour.com has the stats for all three rounds, but they're also severely lacking. How is that course data is becoming so hard to come by?

Doug Ferguson takes a dizzying look at various majors, their winning score and he defends Medinah. It's fascinating how obsessed everyone is with the scoring isn't it? You can bet it if Tiger was out of it and it was a Shaun Micheel-K.J. Choi final pairing, there would be plenty of howling about what a disaster this is.

Tom English in The Scotsman writes, "The birdies landed with such regularity you would have sworn it was the annual turkey shoot at the Bob Hope Classic you were watching instead of one of the pre-eminent tournaments of the year."

Just to show how wacky the U.S. Ryder Cup situation is, John Hawkins posted some thoughts on the standings Friday night. After round 3, things have changed again. He also has an interesting tidbit on Tiger reportedly lobbying for Fred Couples to be picked.

Hawkins's dream best-ball partner, SI's Alan Shipnuck, files a video report following round 3. No direct link is available, just go to SI's PGA homepage.

Mark Lamport-Stokes writes about the "headache" facing Tom Lehman as many of the U.S. players on the Ryder Cup bubble struggle.

Golfweek offers this list of points standings for the U.S. and what players need to overtake Brett Wetterich in the 10th spot, though I'm not sure if I'm misreading it or if they are lacking a few of the promised numbers.

Sandy Lyle writes about Tiger and the likelihood of Darren Clarke returning for the Ryder Cup.

Alex Micelli explains the rationale behind that weird takeaway move that Ryan Moore is using to help his ailing wrist.

Tom English writes about how well Tommy Armour is remembered at Medinah but not in his native Scotland.

John Huggan weighs in on how Henrik Stenson lost and found his game.

If you saw Rich Lerner's TGC story Saturday on Craig Dolch's son Eric and his recent struggles, here's the website with more on his condition and how you can help.

And Jerry Potter quotes Stewart Cink and others about the softness of the greens.

When we come to a PGA Championship or U.S. Open," said Stewart Cink, who shot 73, "you're expected to feel fear on the tee because you know you absolutely have to hit the fairway. That's where the difference is this week. The holes just don't feel that way."

"The balls are landing, making craters like the moon," he said. "I watched Phil Mickelson hit a wood into a par 3, and the ball did not bounce. Literally, it just stuck and plugged in the green in its own pitch mark from 250 yards. Some of that is due to the rain, but the balls have been doing that all week."

Woods's Post 3rd Round PGA Press Conference

Do you understand this first question?

Q. A couple years ago, the USGA was criticized for letting weather intervene and lose control of their golf course at Shinnecock. Is there the anti Shinnecock, and are criticisms justified in the same context of letting weather intervene and lose a certain element of control of the golf course?

TIGER WOODS: Well, you really can't toughen it much up, other than getting the greens a little faster. That's about the only thing you can do. The pins are pretty tough as it is. They are not extremely difficult, like, you know, they could be. But they are still pretty tough.

The only thing that's different is the green speeds are slow enough where you're not really afraid of any downhill putts. You don't have that roll out after a good putt. Everything seems to be stopping.

If I look at most of the telecast, if the guys do miss a putt, it's usually short. In major championships, that's normally not the case. It's always rolling out past the hole a little bit.

And this was a bit surprising... 

Q. Some players have been criticized because they think the course is playing too easy, it's not like a major. Personally, would you rather it be a very, very tough setup or do you mind where you can go out and make birdies and not just be making pars all day long?

TIGER WOODS: I've always preferred the winning score is in single digits. I think that's always good. If I can shoot 1 under par per nine holes for all 18 holes sorry, for all 72 holes, then 8 under par I think is a very good way to play. But, you know, you'd be run over if you did that this week.

Weir's Post 3rd Round PGA Press Conference

Mike Weir was also asked about the scoring and its reflection on Medinah...

Q. This isn't intended on a reflection on an obviously great round, but we have six players in double figures under par now, we have 47 players in the field under par. Without a greater premium on scoring in this circumstance, what separates Medinah from John Deere or a dozen other tour stops in these conditions?

MIKE WEIR: Well, I think a lot. This golf course is still very demanding. Some of those tournaments, you miss the fairway, you can still get on the green. I mean, I hit it in the rough on 18 and I was hitting a sand wedge out. So there's still a premium on hitting the ball in the fairway. Given the conditions and the rain, I think the course was on its way to starting to get firmer before yesterday's rain. So the weekend would have shaped up quite a bit different than what we have right now.

You know, the PGA of America can't control Mother Nature. What can you do? It is what it is. You've got to make some birdies out there.

Ogilvy's Post 3rd Round PGA Press Conference

Lurking dangerously at 11-under despite a first hole double bogey, Geoff Ogilvy was asked about the scoring and setup.

Q. How would you compare the difficulty of this course compared to Winged Foot? And, secondly, given the numbers that people are throwing up there today, is it possible to feel sorry for a golf course given these conditions?

GEOFF OGILVY: I don't think so. I mean, no. I don't think good scores should be I don't think the quality of the golf course should be related to score at all, to be honest with you. I mean, fairly widely known that St. Andrews is one of the best golf courses in the world and they tear that up every time they go and everyone loves playing it.

This is the setup has got so much to do with it. If you had greens as firm as Winged Foot were and rough like Winged Foot was and as narrow as Winged Foot was, there would not be many people under par. If you had Winged Foot as soft as this, we would not be going as low as this but people would have been under par. So much has to do with how firm the greens are and how long the rough is and how narrow the fairways are. Winged Foot, the fairways are very narrow and the ball was bouncing in them so they played a lot narrower as well.

But Winged Foot has some scary greens with slopes and stuff, probably scarier than here, if both were setup identically, which they couldn't be, but Winged Foot was still playing harder. This is still a pretty stellar test. If you had the rough up more, firm greens, it would be pretty hard.

But I like it this way. I think people are having fun watching it and the players are having fun playing it. It's pretty good fun to go out there and have birdies all week in a major. I don't think the quality of the golf course should be judged by the scores we shoot. I think sometimes if we shoot good scores, it should be, hey, that's a good golf course, look how much fun they are having out there, you know. That's the point, isn't it?

Thoughts On Saturday?

It started out thrilling with seemingly everyone having a chance, but thankfully now it's down to about 8 or so likely contenders, with Woods probably in the driver's seat. A Garcia, Ogilvy or Weir charge would be fun tomorrow.

I guess my only thought would be that we saw today how much the "Sub-air" green systems have helped firm up greens at Augusta after rains. It was stunning to see how many balls at Medinah stopped where they landed, even late in the day. 

Your thoughts on the round, the course and the winner?

Live Blog Saturday, PGA

I'm here and recovering from the morning antics of Lundquist, Clampett and Kratzert. I won't bother to start on Kratzert's claim that since the ball is flying longer and straighter, "you have to do something," referring to narrowing fairways.

11:07 - It's a beautiful day in Chicago. Hazy, muggy and wet. CBS reports that 27 players are within 3 shots of the lead.

11:11 - Jim Nantz asks Lanny "who cares" that there are so many red numbers and you have such a great leaderboard. Amen.

11:15 - After Garcia makes birdie, Oosty reports that 20 birdies have been made on No. 2 and it's averaging 2.7. 

11:16 - Oosty reports hole location on No. 11 is 6 feet from back of green, one of the "closest he's ever seen" to the back of a green.(Listed as 21 back and 4 from the left edge on the pin sheet.)

11:34 - Oosty reports over an inch of rain overnight, but notes how smooth the greens are rolling. 7 tied for the lead. 

11:36 - Tiger drains 30 footer on No. 1 for par, still hasn't made a bogey since his opening hole Thursday.

11:45 - Tiger hits 8 iron 196 yards on No. 2, makes birdie. 

11:48 - Ogilvy doubles No. 1 from the center of the fairway. 

11:54 - Loves holes out for birdie from the sand on No. 2 the 24th birdie there! Ten are tied for the lead.

12:00 - Ten tied for the lead are: Woods, Mickelson, Garcia, Love, Toms, DiMarco, Donald, Herron, Andrade, Stenson! 

12:07 - Donald birdies No. 2...the par-2! 

12:15 - Donald birdies No. 3, leads by two at -10. 

12:26 - Contractually obligated interview with Roger Warren, very exciting stuff. Jim thanks Warren for "all of the integrity that comes out of your organization."

12:32 - Davis holes out for second time today on No. 5, this time for birdie. "Maybe he knew what he was doing when he chunked it into the bunker," says Nantz. Oy. Lanny: "they don't put pictures on the scorecard Jim." Double oy.

12:53 - Micheel moves to -10 with birdie on No. 8, within one of Donald's lead.  Hey, where's Bobby Clampett? I haven't heard him once as I catch up on TiVo. What's the point of live blogging if I don't have him to make fun of?

12:58: Donald -11, Tiger, Weir and Micheel -10 

1:01 - Donald birdies No. 6, has 7 putts through 6 holes. Time for first Sandy Tatum commercial with old rich white man talking down to multicultural children about life. What a campaign.

1:19 - Tiger shoots 32, Micheel 30 on the front nine. Wait, I hear Clampett! All is right with the world.

1:31 - Lanny: "What is it about the PGA that brings out the best in Shaun Micheel." Oak Hill members are still asking that question.  

1:33: Sergio and Phil make birdies to get to -9. 

1:34: Donald chips in on No. 9, shoots 31, goes to -13.  

1:36 - Tiger drains 10-footer for par on 10, continues to struggle with that par-5 though. Weir birdies 14, goes to 7-under on the day.

1:47: Weir hits it tight on 15 out of fairway bunker, moves to 8 under on the round and has a shot at the course record. CBS reminds us of his final round 80 in '99 at Medinah. 

2:06 - Isn't it interesting that as the pace slows down (Kostis says they are waiting on every shot on the back nine), the momentum of the telecast and play slows...or maybe it's just time for my afternoon siesta? 

2:23 - Tiger birdies 13...the field is starting to separate finally. 

2:34 - Sergio tap in birdie gets him to -10. Only Tiger, Donald, Ogilvy, Weir and Micheel are ahead of him... 

2:37 - Tiger gets up and down on 14 for birdie, ties Donald for the lead.  

2:42 - Tiger is in a divot on 15. Clampett suspects he'll catch the shot on the "second groove." Tiger sticks it 3 feet from the hole. Makes birdie, is 14 under and 7 under on the round. Third birdie in a row.

3:10 - I'm awake after a brief depature. Woods and Riley walk from 17 tee to green talking. Nantz astutely notes that Tiger's eyes never move while Riley turns his head to talk to Woods. Riley looks like an eager pro-am partner trying to get in a few words with his player. 

3:13 - Tiger drains birdie putt on 17 after three-putt on 16, regains lead, birdie on 18 will break course record.

3:25 - Tiger nearly drains a long one on 18 for birdie, settles for 65 and -14 under finish, which is about to be tied by Luke Donald who sticks it on 17. 

3:32 - Bill Macatee interviews Tiger after his 65. Where is Peter Kostis. Tiger says it doesn't "feel like a major, in a sense" because of the scoring. 

3:54 - Just when we had made it through the entire day with a solid, clean, no-nonsense announce effort, Jim Nantz says that Luke Donald is "artistically, the most gifted guy out here on Tour." Okay fine, but then, "And tomorrow let's see what he can draw up here with Medinah as his canvas." And then Lanny, piling on top of the metaphor, "Let's see if he can paint himself a pretty picture. And hopefully he won't paint himself into a corner."   

PGA Clippings, Saturday Edition

Just a brief weather update from here in the Home of the Homeless, which won't host another PGA in our lifetimes after the '95 debacle: 74 today after morning low clouds, 10-15 mph afternoon sea breezes. Forecasters expect it to heat up Saturday and Sunday, with the highs pushing 75 both days. Oh, and no rain since May. 

Here are your Saturday tee times, assuming they start on time with overnight rains and thunderstorms in the forecast.

I'm not sure how accurate this is, but PGA.com has Saturday's hole locations already posted. 13 of the hole locations are 5 or fewer paces from the edge, 12 of those are 4 or less from the edge. It'll be interesting to see if they stick with that after the overnight rain.

You can view the course stats here, though there isn't much to study. 13 and 16 are playing the toughest. The "cost of rough" stat is not posted.
 
Lawrence Donegan covers the European perspective, with Stenson and Donald providing hope for the beleagured continent. John Huggan has a nice profile on Stenson in the September Golf Digest, but it's not posted online.

Tim Dahlberg pretty much trashes Davis Love in an AP column.

Davis Love III has always felt like he has more at stake in golf than most of his fellow competitors. They merely play the game. He protects it. When a fan yells instead of politely clapping, Love is there to make sure he's removed. If a photographer clicks a shutter at the wrong moment, he's on top of it.

And don't let a writer ask a question that might impugn the integrity of the game, as one tried to do Friday when he dared ask Love what he thought about Greg Norman calling for players to be tested for drugs.

"I don't want to answer anything Greg says," Love said, walking off in a huff.

No wonder Love is having so much trouble making the Ryder Cup team.

He's too busy making sure everyone behaves--and believes--the way he wants them to.

"I think I stand up for the things that Tom Kite or Ben Crenshaw or Byron Nelson stand up for, and sometimes that gets you in trouble," Love said. "I stand up for the things that my mom taught me and what I learned since I was a little kid in Sunday school, and sometimes people don't like that these days."

Either way, Love was so free of outside worries that he managed to do something he's rarely done recently _ get himself in contention for a weekend that matters as much to him as making sure everyone takes off their hat to shake hands after a round.

And it doesn't get any nicer from there.

Finally, Larry Stewart of the L.A. Times had nothing to write about this week, so he covered the CBS conference call where Jim Nantz made these interesting remarks:

What Woods has wrought, Nance said, is "the golden age of golf. There's never been a better time. I know Jack [Nicklaus] and Arnie [Palmer] probably would cringe if they heard me say this, or Byron [Nelson] and Ben [Hogan] and Sam Snead would say, 'Wait a minute, what about our time?' But I believe right now, today, is the best time the game has ever been in….

"Golf has a place in pop culture today like it never has in the past."

Yes, and so does Big Brother 5. Which, by the way airs Tuesday at...

Love's Post 2nd Round PGA Press Conference

Davis Love after posting 137 for two rounds.

Q. I know you'd like to win any of the other three majors, but you've always had a special affinity to the PGA Championship. Could you speak to that?

DAVIS LOVE III: Well, I've always enjoyed it. I think in my 20 years of playing, this has become a tournament that the players enjoy more maybe than some of the other majors just because of the way they set the golf course up, and the approach of the PGA of America. They've really made an effort just because they were the fourth one of the year, they've always been somewhat thought of as the last one or not the best one. You know, they've made a major no pun intended effort in golf courses, in setup. I think Kerry Haigh does an incredibly good job. They're not afraid of red numbers, and I think some of the other people that are setting up golf courses are afraid of red numbers, and therefore it makes it not as good a championship.

THE PLAYERS Championship has gone a little bit in that direction a couple times, getting afraid of it. So I think we're going to move back in the direction of setting up the golf course like this and letting the players play. If a guy is playing great, let him be 7 under through 10. If he hits a bad shot and screws up, he's going to make a triple. I think that's the way it ought to be. I don't think you should have a ten footer for par every hole. I think they do a good job here. Obviously the history of my father and him playing in the Championship and it being important to him has certainly made it important to me.

Love how the ASAP person got THE PLAYERS in caps.  

Ogilvy's Post 2nd Round PGA Press Conference

After posting 137 for 36-holes, placing him one behind that group of 21st century Lou Graham's.

Q. Two part question. Did you feel as relaxed out there as you looked?

GEOFF OGILVY: I was pretty comfortable. It's weird. I mean, I said it to you earlier in the week. It's like public speaking in front of 20 people is quite an awkward thing to do. Public speaking in front of 1,000 people is fine because it's all just a blur. There's just so much craziness and background noise and stuff going on. But it's just kind of a big blur in the background and you're just probably focused a little bit better and you get on with it. I quite enjoy it, too.

Q. What was the most interesting thing said over two days in that threesome, particularly if it was said between Tiger and Phil?

GEOFF OGILVY: I didn't hear anything that they were saying to each other actually. I don't know, they were talking I guess they were talking about normal stuff, schedule or what club did you hit there or I don't know. I don't think they were talking about where they were going to go to dinner tonight. I don't know, I didn't really listen too much, to be honest with you.

Notes From TNT's Coverage...Day 2

Down on your job? Just remember, you could be the poor soul who has to sit through six hours of TNT coverage in search of memorable Bobby Clampett commentary.

And for what? To send to snarky writers, most of whom delete before even opening the email. But not this optimistic soul.

Notes from TNT’s Coverage of Round Two of the 2006 PGA Championship
August 18, 2006

Clampett on a possible match-up between Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods in the final round of the PGA Championship: “You almost get the sense, as they shot 69 yesterday, that we might have another Nicklaus-Watson duo of Turnberry.  It’s a little early to call that, but you just get that feeling.”

You didn't believe me when I posted about this earlier, did you? They left out the part where Kostis questions his sanity.

Clampett on Phil Mickelson's recent struggles:  “It’s been frustrating for Phil because he feels that his practice has gone very well, he just hasn’t been executing in the competitions.”

 Take that Henry Longhurst!

Wadkins on Tiger Woods’ shot on hole #1 in which a member of the gallery reached up and stopped his shot from going further off the fairway into the rough:  “Since it was an intentional deflection an official could have estimated where that ball would have ended up and Tiger should have dropped it and played from that spot.  Tiger, nor anyone in his group, knew that was an intentional deflection so there is no penalty involved.  Since the hole has been played and completed, they will continue on and it’s a non-factor.  Had there been a rules official there that had seen that, they might have moved Tiger’s ball further in the woods making the pitch out even tougher.  But there is no fault or error on Tiger’s part whatsoever.”

Hey, Lanny didn't come up with that on his own. Some mysterious PGA rules expert alerted them to this.

Kostis on international players attending American colleges: “People talk about our college programs in America not producing many good, young golfers.  They do, it’s just that their names are (europeans) Luke Donald, Tim Clarke, Paul Casey.”

Well, let's be fair. Casey's success comes from having a great teacher in Butch Harmon. Wait, no, it's Haney. No it's Utley, that's it!

You Almost Get A Sense, Vol. 2

...that if Phil starts to go low, Tiger will turn it up an notch and chase him. If Phil doesn't go look, don't look for Tiger to go low.

Yes, that's Bobby Clampett's latest bit of wisdom through four holes, which even colleague Peter Kostis could not resist questioning.

I'd love to seen the weird looks Kostis and Feherty were giving each other as Clampett reminded everyone that he MUST own photos of network executives in compromising positions. 

Update on 2006-08-18 19:57 by Geoff

Kostis just said that one of the things Rees Jones did at Medinah was to restore the greens to their original contours.

They just make up as they go. 

You Almost Get A Sense...

...that after the first round 69s and standing four shots off the lead, the Woods-Mickelson rivalry may turn into a showdown like Nicklaus-Watson at Turnberry in '77.

Or so said Bobby Clampett ten minutes before they teed off.

Yes Bobby, you almost do get that sense. Almost.
 

Length Obviously Not An Issue On The Longest Course

Golf World's Tim Rosaforte cautions readers not to panic after the first round's low scoring, and includes this beauty:

With rain in the forecast, the greens already soft, and length obviously not an issue, Medinah No. 3, the longest course in major championship history, is in danger of three more days like this.

Length is not an issue on a 7,500 yard course that is the longest ever played in a major?

PGA Clippings, Friday Edition

The early stories all focus on the Tiger-Phil-Geoff pairing. Lawrence Donegan in The Guardian is the most entertaining:

High noon fell at 8.30 yesterday morning in the western suburbs of Chicago, where the 10th tee of Medinah country club sits next to the busiest road junction this side of Hanger Lane. The two protagonists met under the shade of a Homebase gazebo, next to a basket of bananas. "Phil," said Tiger Woods. "Tiger," said Phil Mickelson. They shook hands and the temperature dropped about 20 degrees. The bananas straightened in anticipation.

John Garrity had several interesting posts at SI.com. First, he had these remarks from Phil Mickelson (ASAP has not posted a press conference with The People's Champion, but I assume the remarks were made there).

...Phil Mickelson said after his round that he wasn't surprised by the scoring onslaught.

"I think we knew the scores were going to be low because the greens are receptive and they're putting so true," he said. Phil then went on to praise the PGA for its course set-up -– a sure sign that today's conditions are softer than cookie dough. "There's nothing ridiculous about it," he said, "no pin placements that are on slopes, no fairways that are eight yards wide. It's just a good straightforward test of golf, and the low score wins."

It's a miracle! Someone other than Geoff Ogilvy pointing out the absurdity of the USGA's fairway widths.

Garrity also had this interesting post on Phil's unusual post-round range work.

Douglas Lowe's Scottish Herald story looks at Tiger's "attack" on the Medinah greens, which seems a bit excessive. Doesn't Tiger say the greens are bumpy at just about every major?

Ed Sherman has some fun blog riffs on the Geoff-Tiger-Phil pairing and another on the vulnerability of the course.

TGC's Mercer Baggs also offers sights and sounds from the Mickelson-Woods-Ogilvy pairing. I really need an abbreviation or acronym for this pairing.

Iain Carter Daly reports on the false rumor that circulated on the Medinah grounds about John Daly's passing.

And finally, PGATour.com is running a complicated Ryder Cup bubble watch. Only player's friends and family should be trying to figure this out.

Garrity Chats With Rees Jones

SI.com's John Garrity blogs about his chat with Rees Jones.

I must have been mistaken about seeing golf architect Rees Jones driving a bulldozer out on the course, because I just ran into him on the press center patio. "Does it bother you to see so many red numbers on the board?" I asked him.

"It doesn't bother me on the first day," he replied. "You see that at most every major, because they're trying to get the whole field through. But there are some real pitfalls out there once they hide the pins."

The flag on the par-3 17th, for instance, will keep moving diagonally right until Sunday, when it is practically in the water. Similarly, the hole on the par-3 second will probably work its way left toward what used to be a bunker, but which is now water, thanks to Jones' handiwork. "The closer the players think they're getting to that trophy," Jones said with gusto, "the harder it is to get there."

Having thrown down the gauntlet, Jones leaned over and picked it up again. "We don't have a backbreaker par-4," he said with a tinge of regret, "nothing over 480 yards. And we didn't convert any par-5s to par-4s, which we often do at majors. And we didn't know the ball was going to hold so well. The players can go for the flag, knowing the ball is not going to scoot."

And...

"But it's not just the softness of the greens," he said. The clouds seemed to close in again on Jones. "It's the equipment, too. The manufacturers seem to be a step ahead of us all the time. They're making balls that come straight down" -- his eyes got big -- "and just stop!"

Rees, you're not supposed to say that. Remember, the ball is off limits in USGA groupthink circles.