Sunday's Open Championships Clippings

When ABC wrapped up Sergio's round, Paul Azinger noted that he believed it was a good thing Sergio missed his last birdie putt, reasoning that he would be just a bit less likely to take Sunday for granted. When I heard Azinger say it, I wasn't so sure, but now I'm thinking he has a point. We'll know soon enough.

John Huggan files the game story for Scotland On Sunday while Doug Ferguson offers this in his AP piece:

Garcia showed no signs of flinching, especially on the final hole. He hit a 5-iron from 220 yards that was so pure he chased after it, screaming out instructions with an intensity that showed he already knew the outcome.

“Oh, be good,” he said. “BE GOOD!”

It hopped onto the green and stopped 12 feet left the flag, and the only disappointment was having to settle for par.

“I wanted to make the putt on 18 just for them, and to hear the roar, that would have been just out of this world,” said Garcia, who was at 9-under 204 and holding the 54-hole lead in a major for the first time.

Huggan also looks at Tiger's position.

The putting, too, needs some work, despite his apparent contentment with his stroke. An average of 29 this week is but average for a leading professional. Then again, maybe we should not be too surprised. This would not be the first major title Woods has failed to win because of shoddy work on and around the greens. While we have all marvelled at his ability to hole out where other, lesser, players would be succumbing to the pressure of the moment, his short game, statistically at least, does not live up to that stellar reputation. This year he lies 100th in scrambling on the PGA Tour.

But I don't know about this...

Woods is a better player tee-to-green than he was back in 2000, when he won three of the four major championships. But he did so almost without missing a putt of any consequence. The swing he used at that time wasn't effective enough for him to win without making more than his fair share with the shortest club in his bag. Now Woods can win even when his putting is no better than average.

Mark Reason says it's not over until they've played 18, so he looks at its design evolution and various horror stories.

A BBC report captures Tiger's suggestion that since Paul Lawrie came back from 10 the final day in 1999, anything is possible Sunday.

Frank Hannigan signed up for the LiveUKTV site that afforded BBC access and serves up several gems...typos corrected:

No commercials obviously is a blessing. The American carriers TNT and ABC-ESPN sell the British Open to death. The audience is "away" from golf about ll minutes an hour. The R&A should be ashamed of itself for allowing a contract permitting such excesses.

And...

Full disclosure insists I reveal that Mr. Alliss is a close friend. That doesn't mean he is not the greatest ever to do golf talking. Why? Another day.

The decision by the small bore minds who run ESPN to hire young Alliss, age 76, to do some of their weekend television was made only at the last minute and, undoubtedly, under pressure from the R&A and its secretary Peter Dawson.

Steve Elling looks at Steve Stricker's epic 64:

Longtime caddie Tom Mitchell leaned up against a metal rail, his head down, as he tried to organize his thoughts and describe the amazing metamorphosis of his boss.

 Then, something clicked and his eyes brightened.

“If you change the things you think about,” he said, all Yogi Berra-like, “the things you think about will change. Does that make sense?”

Does it ever. Nobody has walked that home-made talk more than Steve Stricker, who reinvented his work ethic, readjusted his goals and his flagging attitude, then resurrected his career.

A mere 1½ years after he flopped at PGA Tour Qualifying School in an attempt to resuscitate his game, Stricker shot a 7-under 64 to match a course record at fabled Carnoustie Golf Links, leaping into second place, three shots behind 54-hole leader Sergio Garcia.

Ferguson also files this focusing on Chris DiMarco and his resurgence, though I feel less sympathetic about his shoulder injury after reading this...

There was an injury last year when he slipped during a ski vacation, and a flask in his back pack jabbed him in the ribs. He has taken a cortisone shot for his left shoulder, which might need surgery at one point.

Damon Hack zeroes in on Jim Furyk, who had this to say about his links preparation:

“When I came over, I didn’t do a good job of adjusting, and a good player should,” he said. “You should be able to adjust both ways and be able to play. A good player will come over and adjust in any conditions and play well. I just didn’t do a good job of it.”

Jim Litke hopes this is the beginning of a Tiger-Sergio feud rivalry.

AP's Paul Newberry ponders Ernie Els's devastating triple on the 6th hole, an 8 that marred an otherwise excellent card.

Newberry also reports on John Senden's wacky 18th hole approach shot. Naturally it's not on YouTube.

Golf.com supplies the best of SI's Saturday photos, including the woman hit by an errant Tiger shot...

David Davies in the Sunday Telegraph files a diary of observations, including a note about Peter Dawson outdriving Vijay three times in a pre-Open round.

Tim Glover files a similar diary.

Graham Otway says Paul McGinley believes he still has a shot.

Gary Van Sickle picks the five he believes still have a chance. McGinley isn't one of them and he says Tiger's going to need a 61 or 62.

Rex Hoggard thinks it's got the makings of a classic Sunday, I think and hope Sergio makes it a fun stroll because A) he's due, (B) golf needs him to take it to the next level and (C) we really need a major where the course is set up decently and where it separates the field organically. So far so good.

Tom English points out the absurdity of all the player insistence that golf could not possibly be impacted by performance-enhancing drugs...

PHIL Mickelson feels certain that golf has not been touched by the scourge of performance-enhancing drugs, so much so that when asked last week what the punishment might be if one of his fellow players was caught taking something he shouldn't be taking, the world No.2 dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "I don't know what the punishment should be," he said, "but I don't think there's even a remote chance that [doping] will happen."

Nick Faldo said the same thing yesterday. "Bottom line, nothing helps golf," he announced, emphatically.

Nothing, Nick? Not even a remote chance, Phil? One question here, chaps. How the hell would you know? Have you studied the possible benefits of steroids or Human Growth Hormone and concluded that there is absolutely no advantage to be gained by taking them? Have you done a quickie course in endocrinology while we weren't looking? How can you be so definite? What research have you done? Name the expert who says that golf has nothing to fear from performance-enhancing drugs and we'll say no more about it. Just one expert. Bet you can't.

And finally, semi-Open related, Dan Manoyan catches up with Bob Rosburg.

Rossie can be heard on Golf Channel's broadcast from Milwaukee and also during ABC ESPN on ABC's memorable and oddly emotional (at least for me) segment on Jean Van De Velde's collapse.

Q: What are some of your most memorable moments as a broadcaster?

A: Probably three things stand out. No. 1 was the first time I covered the British Open in '77, (Tom) Watson and (Jack) Nicklaus had the great duel that year. They were one shot apart but 10 ahead of everybody else. It was unbelievable golf. Another time was Watson pitching in at No. 17 on Pebble Beach (1982 U.S. Open) to beat Nicklaus. The other was the whole (Jean) Van de Velde thing (at the 1999 British Open). I was there and it took 45 minutes to play the hole. I was thinking to myself, this will be nice. I can go home, have a couple drinks, get some dinner and be on the plane the next day. Two hours later, I'm still out there and it's raining.

Q: What was your most embarrassing moment as a broadcaster?

A: Oh, I don't know. A lot of times I have said something like "he's got no chance" and then he'll knock it stiff. I have felt you have to say something before the shot, not second-guess after. I'm out there to give my opinion before the shot. Sure, I've made mistakes, but I've never had a player come up to me and get mad at what I said. You have to have an opinion or there is no sense being out there.

"Rough misses the point of golf."

Geoff Ogilvy pens a Scotland On Sunday guest column about rough.

Rough is golf's most boring hazard and too much of it on any course can only lead to less interesting play. Rough misses the point of golf.

Fast forward...

It's commonsense really. Golf has to be more interesting if we can stand on tees and decide for ourselves what club to hit and where to hit it.

Take the fourth hole here at Carnoustie. In the first round last Thursday, the pin was tucked away behind the bunker on the left side of the green. So the ideal spot for the drive was actually ten yards or so into the rough on the right. Which was where I chose to hit. I was prepared to accept a less-good lie in order to create a better angle for myself. In the end, I pushed my drive a bit and ended up on the 15th fairway, which gave me an even better line in. But the fun part of the whole process was the standing on the tee and working it out.

Don't get me wrong though. I'm not anti-rough necessarily. Rough like we have here this week gives the talented player a chance to recover.

Which is great and as it should be. The recovery shot might be the most exciting thing to watch at this level. But it disappears completely when the set up is overly penal. When that is the case, there is no point in being good at recovery shots; you'll never get to try one.

And... 

Look also at the 69 Tiger Woods shot in the third round of the US Open at what was almost a rough-covered Oakmont last month. We had the best golfer in the world - one of the two best ever - playing close to his best and he could manage only one under par? All that proves is that there is something wrong with the course.

Happily, none of the above has been the case here at Carnoustie, even if I did miss the cut. Take a close look at the way this great links has been set up this week.

This is the way your own course should be presented for the club championship. The rough is an annoyance but not the end of the world.

You have to hit two good shots on any hole to make a birdie. The greens are running at a speed where you can put the pin in almost any spot on almost every green. It has been a fascinating test.

Open Championship Photo Caption Fun, Vol. 3

Why, who is that bitter man tailing Sergio? Oh why, no...is that USGA President (thankfully not for much longer) Walter Driver? I'm bet Walter thinks the gallery is clapping for him. Captured by SI's Bob Martin and posted at golf.com:

 

Hjorth, Miyazato, Lee and Kim Set For HSBC Final Four

And if you know their first names, well, you really are watching way too much of Golf Central.

Saturday Open Live Blog

All times Pacific Daylight Time...

6:31 - Watched the first half hour in bed with Jeeves serving me tea and crumpets. Great to have Faldo-Azinger-Tirico back, what a difference in style. Azinger was wearing his granny glasses when their on camera opening started, creating the first opportunity for ribbing.

6:32 - Is Ivor Robson selling programs on the first tee? I'm not so sure about that podium and umbrella. 

6:41 - DiMarco birdies 17, heads to 18 -5 on the day and -3 for the tournament. Writers can feel their "all 4 majors will be over par stories" slipping away.

6:45 - Sergio birdies No. 1, goes to -7 with a three shot lead over Weir, Stricker, Jimenez, Choi. 

6:48 - Tiger fails to his his chip close on No. 12, Terry Gannon sounds dejected as they can feel his chances slipping away. Are ABC execs crying in his headset?

6:50 - A UK reader says they're talking grooves on the BBC, with Wayne Grady saying: "18 years ago they said there was no problem.  Now they say there is.  I could have told you that 18 years ago.  Square grooves make it easier to control the ball."  Uh Wayne, being able to drive the ball 300 yards with ease also makes it easy to control your second shots a lot better too! 

6:54 - DiMarco sticks it on 18, with a chance to get to tie the course record with his birdie putt. 

6:55 - ABC's GolfTrack graphic thingy is pretty cool, showing us that weird clump of grass added in the midst of the third fairway. It doesn't look too great. 

7:03 - Synergy baby! ABC features Tiger talking about the last four holes at Carnoustie...courtesty of his EA sports game, complete with EA logo and graphics of computer-generated Tiger playing the holes.  

7:11 - You know I thought that first hour featured an unusual amount of golf. And now I know why, here comes the commercial catch up. Plenty of time to read the paper.  Why now when Alliss is in the booth!?

7:22 - Tirico asks Alliss what he thinks of the setup: "a bit too easy" and he wishes more drivers would be hit, but he doesn't know how you do that without the players using a  "softer ball."

7:24 - And it's time for our third commercial break of the hour! Wow, really playing catch up!

7:33 - 1999 flashback and we get to hear Melnyk and Curtis Strange commentating. Oh how they aren't missed. 

7:37 - And now it's time for the affiliates to pay their bills. I think we can get two more breaks in before Tiger hits 18 tee! 

7:44 - Next commercial break, I think we could two more in before 8 am PDT! 

7:50 - Stricker drains a long par putt on 15 (well, he did it like 10 minutes ago). Remains 7 under on the round, course record in jeopardy, all balconies of that ugly hotel behind 18 are shut down as facility goes on a John Philp suicide watch. 

7:53 - And guess what, another commercial break! No. 6! 

7:54 - Our UK eyes report that Wayne Grady counted 53 people inside the ropes following Tiger as he played No. 18! 

7:57 - Azinger counts 34 people and four carts in the fairway behind Tiger!  

8:01 - Tiger scraps it around for a 69, Alliss says a lesser man would have been over 80. 

8:02 - Garcia and Choi have taken an hour and 30 minutes to play the first seven holes.  And we've seen an hour and a half of commercials. Yes, we're taking the first break of the 8 o'clock hour. Think we can match the six breaks last hour?

8:11 - Cool flashback of ABC's 1962 Open coverage at Carnoustie. Arnold Palmer tells Jim McKay that Troon was the toughest course he had ever played.

8:12 - Sergio moves to -8, takes a two shot lead over Stricker who has 18 to par for a new course record.

8:15 - Second commercial break of the hour. Long way to go to catch up with last hour! 

8:17 - Uh, I'm going to the mall soon to pick up one of those Sergio caps. Where should I go first? The adidas store or Hot Dog On-A-Stick? 

8:28 - And now yet another word from our sponsors. 

8:38 - Wow, Steve Stricker is getting choked up in his interview with Tom Rinaldi. Steve, hang in there bud, we need you strong for tomorrow so you can bring the trophy home. Oh wow, and he said "sorry" after Rinaldi passed it back to Tirico. Great to see such genuine emotion from one of our own! 

8:42 - Okay, the Jack playing 18 at St. Andrews RBS ad was cool the first time, but the third time and during our fourth commercial break, well, it loses its luster. 

8:53 - Back, wanted to really focus on commercial break 5, especially that Titleist NXT ad which has been airing all week. Goose bumps! 

8:55 - From our UK eyes and ears, Peter Alliss on BBC talking to Sam Torrance: "I heard your father was a tremendous success the other night at the golf writers' dinner. Brought the house down."  

9:08 - The golf course is fantastic [this time], no one could tell." -Stewart Cink on the difference between 1999 and 2007 

9:11 - Okay, I'm all for quirk on a links course, but watching John Senden's shot ricochet off the OB fence right, then hit the OB post left of 18 green and then bounce back onto the green, is just a bit much.

9:17 - Garcia -9, Stricker, -6, Weir -4, Choi -4, Jimenez -4

9:18 - Tom Meeks is here, mentioning the movable obstruction cables, was that Azinger snickering in the background? And watching the Tiger drop from early in the week, Meeks noted that the cables seemed movable but the man on the ground determined they weren't. Boy what a difference he got in terms of lie! From thick rough to matted down stuff. Ah, doesn't matter, he's not going to win...right?

9:44 - I'm back, Had a little browswer upgrade to run. I know you were worried that I'd nodded off. How could I with a course letting a great leaderboard play, and doing it all at a reasonable pace? I wish the US Open and Masters moved at this pace.

9:48 - What's with the lukewarm applause for Sergio's incredible shot on 16!?  Wow, what a shot. Are they all wearing mittens!?

9:53 - Uh, could those guys pile up a little more gear behind Sergio on 16? Are we setting up camp? 

9:55 - Garcia -9, Stricker -6, K.J. Choi -4, Els -3, Furyk -3 and remarkably, ABC doesn't find a way to put Tiger's name on that mini-leaderboard.

9:59 - Azinger: "if it weren't for Steve Stricker shooting 64, this would be a walk." 

10:05 - Sergio's second shot to 17 plunks a cameraman, naturally, all of the other photographers start taking a photo of their fallen comrade. Lovely. Sergio looks concerned when checking on the poor lad. Then pulls out a glove to sign. What do you write in a situation like that? "To The Poor Bastard I Nailed Plunked Hit With A Ball At Carnoustie On Open Saturday, Warmest Regards, Sergio."

10:09 - Whoa, Sergio hits a pretty little lob shot about 3 feet, gets up and down to stay -9. ABC stat: No bogies for Sergio in the last 23 holes, make that 24 now.

10:21 - Sergio calls for his second to "BE GOOD" on 18 and as Faldo notes, one of the rare 100% calls, as he sticks it 10 feet. What a shot. 220 yards, it's dark and rainy and cold with the burn to carry.

10:24 - Why is it that every year the unreserved seating in the grandstands is full, while the reserved seating is always about half empty?

10:26 - Sergio misses, but posts 68, leaving him at -9. Stricker is -6, oh wait, there's Walter Driver shaking hands with Sergio. So glad he was out there to observe the round! They truly will let anyone inside those ropes.

Saturday's Open Championship Clippings

A nice, diversified leaderboard--jeese, I sound like I'm writing about a mutual fund--has assembled at Carnoustie and Doug Ferguson's round two game story captures it better than I did. He also notes who will be missing:

Missing from the mix is Phil Mickelson, who missed the cut for the second straight time in a major.

Lefty figured he needed a par on the final hole to have any chance, then promptly hit a power fade into Barry Burn for double bogey and a 77. It was a setback for the three-time major champion, who lost in a playoff last week at the Scottish Open.

"I thought I was playing better than this," Mickelson said.

For the UK perspective, here's James Corrigan's Independent game story.

Douglas Lowe focuses on Jim Furyk's play and his activities off the course.

Lorne Rubenstein is swooning over the magic of links golf, oh and Mike Weir whose struggles may be coming to an end.

Steve Elling focuses on Sergio's opening hole shank.

Brian Viner looks at Tiger's opening tee shot that ended up in the burn.

Golf.com shares 22 photos from round 2 including our final Monty shot of the week, taken by Fred Vuich...

Kevin Eason gets a few words from Monty on his failed bid to make the cut.

Michael Bamberger ponders the wonders of evening golf in Scotland.

Chris Lewis asks ten burning questions heading into the weekend.

Will Buckley likes the less commercial atmosphere at Carnoustie compared to the K Club.

Tim Glover considers the OB on 18 and the various victims of this extreme finishing hole.

In terms of difficulty, the 18th, with a scoring average in excess of 4.7, was playing the hardest, followed by the 15th, another hardcore par four, which was nearly averaging 4.5. The toughest holes were to be found on the inward nine.

The 18th, though, is the scariest of the lot and only 29 per cent of the field were hitting the green in regulation after the first two rounds. This figure compares to 88 per cent at the 11th.

Gary Van Sickle talks to Arron Oberholser, who not surprisingly has fallen in love with links golf, though he too has doubts about the 18th hole's OB.

"I don't know why they have that fence there, they don't need it," he said. "It would be a shame to have a guy come to the last hole with a one-shot lead, pull his second shot just a little bit and it goes out of bounds, and you've lost the British Open. This is 18 holes of great golf but that last one is questionable."

And notes from the Independent include several fun items, topped off by this, which you had to see on the telecast or later on The Golf Channel to full appreciate (and which I would post on YouTube if I had the capability): 

Alliss came up with another cracker when the television cameras lingered on a rear-view shot of a couple of certain age out on course. The woman was repeatedly tapping and tickling her chap's posterior. "Good job the cameras aren't the other side," Alliss said, alluding to the effects of the playfulness. "Or we might get a big surprise."

TNT's Coverage The First Two Days

Did anyone else watching the first two days of TNT's Open Championship coverage here in the States feel that the network had an excellent two days? They announcing mixes were kept fresh, preventing Bobby Clampett from ever being on the air long enough to start reaching into his bag of mysterious comments. Paul Azinger was a nice edition, though it would be nice to let Peter Alliss work alone for his hour. Jim Huber's pre-packaged pieces on Hogan and the Carnoustie 10th tee tea bar were excellent, and despite the BBC's typically wretched production values, the pictures were pretty interesting.

Of course, there were the announcing highlights that I know you all want to relive.

Peter Alliss on Tiger Woods’ second round struggles: “Well the old boy is out of sync. I don’t know if he’s missing mommy or daughter or son or whatever it is. It’s not like him to look bothered. He is looking like the American version of Colin Montgomerie.” 

Ouch.

Clampett on Jim Furyk’s second round : “(Jim Furyk) has been so close lately. I look for Jim to continue this run; he’s such a steady player right at the peak of his game. Carnoustie is a golf course that as it dries out more, we can see a little sunshine in the distance, the wind is supposed to pick up, that will favor a guy like Furyk.”

Uh huh.

Terry Gannon on European drought of winning a Major : “There are a million reasons that people come up with why the Europeans have not won a Major yet. They (do) win the Ryder Cup. I’m not sure there’s one that really holds water in the end. There’s a guy named Tiger Woods who wins a lot of (tournaments).”

Thankfully, some common sense!

Clampett on Garcia’s cautious play : “(Sergio Garcia) is just tentative and that’s really going to hold him back, because that’s indicative of what’s going on in his mind right now. He knows he has the lead and he’s a bit protective.”

Uh, Bobby it's Friday and the holes were tucked. Cut the kid some slack!

Clampett on Vijay Singh’s out-of-bounds shot on the 18th fairway : “That’s what I feel is unfair about 18. I would prefer them to grow rough over there (instead of bleachers). It just makes the penalty so unfair. I know other players share my sentiments as well.”

Hey, good point!

Johnson on Choi’s successful shot from the “Barry Burn” : “That shot had YouTube (website) written all over it.”

Ernie, uh how do I put this? Not enough people watch golf for items to get posted on YouTube. Sadly. Maybe that'll change one of these days.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

Nick Faldo on how he feels after his second round: “I’m feeling old.  There are three departments of this game.  There’s the swing and everyone’s different.  There’s the physical side and everything aches.  There’s the mental side and I’m shocked.  Apart from that, I’m feeling spot-on.”

Faldo on his son, Matthew, being his caddy : “That’s probably the number one reason why I’m out there doing this because I’m standing there thinking, ‘Why am I doing this?’ He’s great; he was encouraging me all the way. Every time I hit a shot he’d say, ‘Forget it, come on. Stay loose, relax. You can birdie this one.’ And I’d say ‘Matthew, we’re in the ditch.” But he’s always positive.”

Ah, glad he's joining the booth this weekend! 

Johnson on Woods wearing gloves to warm his hands as the temperature drops at Carnoustie : “The gloves have come out. Tomorrow, the gloves come off in round three.”

Oy. 

Meeks Chimes In!

TNT asks Tom Meeks to chime in on Alan Holmes's dreadful and unorthodox relief ruling for Tiger Woods, and even the former USGA man had trouble endorsing what was done. Thankfully for Holmes, Peter Alliss was there to rescue the embattled rules, uh, expert. Sort of. 

Meeks reported that Holmes picked up the television cables, found "tension" and determined they could not be moved.

"In his opinion they were not readily movable."

Alliss then chimed in: "he tried to lift them. It's none of his business."

Precisely. Which of course was the most unusual aspect of it all. The official taking a proactive approach like that. Right?

So naturally, Alliss then said, "The fact remains that it really doesn't matter," and that Tiger "dropped it in a worse place than he was in before."

Huh?

Alliss then went on about how the papers have "blown it all out of proportion" as they tend to do with all of these things like Gary Player's remarks.

Come on Peter...either the rules of golf matter or they don't.

What's The Risk?

During Friday's TNT Open Championship telecast, Peter Dawson sat down with Paul Azinger and Ernie Johnson to tell us what an irresponsible man Gary Player was for not outting someone during his Wednesday press conference. (I'll post the exact remarks when TNT hopefully sends them out.)  Peter Alliss chimed in later with the same remark, that Player should have named names.

Dawson had to scold Player for making such a surprise statement and he made sure to let us know that he believes golf is clean. Oh but, by the way, the R&A is initiating a drug testing policy at the same time!

Now, if Player is so off base and out of line and golf is so clean, why would the R&A be establishing a policy?

More perplexing was Azinger, who suggested that a drug testing policy and program was a "risk."

Other than the cost, policy issues and annoyance factor, what is the risk?

That up and coming players might be discouraged from popping an Effexor or injecting themselves with something that won't help their long term health?

What's the risk of drug testing in golf?
 

Update on 2007-07-21 01:39 by Geoff

Here are the exact remarks from the nice folks at TNT:

Peter Dawson, Chief Executive of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, joined Ernie Johnson and Paul Azinger in the booth

Dawson on the 2007 Open Championship : “(The Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews) could not be more pleased. This is an exciting Open Championship played on the toughest golf course that we have.”

Dawson on the criticism following the 1999 Open Championship : “To be honest, I think anytime you have a championship when the player reaction to a golf course is so negative, you have to be stung by it. What we’ve learned from that is just how important player reaction is.”

Dawson on the fine line of altering a course due to players’ complaints : “It’s a delicate line. The one issue we can never control in the United Kingdom is the weather pattern. We don’t interfere with the golf course as much as what is the norm in the United States. We let nature take its course.”

Dawson on Gary Player’s assertion that some PGA Tour players are taking performance enhancing drugs : “It came as something of a surprise. Just how Gary (Player) has this particular piece of information that nobody else seems to have is bit of a mystery to me. It goes down as another one of the smallest of unsubstantiated rumors about performance enhancing substances in golf.”

Azinger on Player’s claim : “I was blindsided by this as well. I’ve been on the tour 26 years and I haven’t heard anything at all. I don’t know anyone that is (using performance enhancers). Gary may have put his foot in his mouth a little bit. The players are angered by it and they want to hear some names (of users) if he wants to (make the assertion).”

Azinger on drug testing PGA Tour players : “It’s easy to have a knee-jerk reaction to this (claim) and want to test the players. It may be the right thing to do at this point. It’s also a risky thing to do, I don’t know if the sport needs it.”

Dawson on drug testing PGA Tour players : “It’s certainly a complex and costly exercise to introduce a fully-fledges anti-doping policy across the whole world of golf. I think today, golf may have to recognize in these modern times that we have to not just say we’re a clean sport but demonstrate it as well.”

Azinger on performance enhancing drugs versus advances of golf technology : “(Technology) has done a pretty nice job so far. The metal-wood has been the greatest advancement in the sport since I’ve been on the tour (26 years). More so than even the golf ball. If steroids help you make a four-footer, which I don’t think they can do, then I don’t think we have too big of a problem.”

More USGA Groove Spin

The USGA has posted two more reports on why U-grooves need to be banned. One report, the "Long Rough Height Report," is a reply to former USGA technical director Frank Thomas's suggestion that they should just grow more rough because after 4 inches of the thick stuff, grooves don't matter. They have now proven Frank wrong! Oh joy!

The second report titled Reductio ad Absurdium PGA Tour Skill Rankings features all sorts of fancy graphs and charts about how driving accuracy means nothing to finish in the top 10 on the PGA Tour money list. After a cursory reading, I could not find one reference or even an acknowledgement of the role narrowed fairway widths have possibly played in chipping away at driving accuracy statistics.

I suppose that would make a big mess of the premise.

What I find most fascinating with both reports is the USGA's astounding determination to protect the integrity of rough. They are willing to ask every golfer to change out their U-grooved clubs so that rough, a cancer upon the game which has only been introduced and harvested through the years to quell distance gains, is preserved.

Meanwhile, a ball rollback would bring distances back in line with the existing architecture of thousands of courses, allowing for the integrity of a course design to be restored via width and shot values. Rough would be a minor part of the game, used on courses looking to save money on maintenance.

Instead, the governing body of North American golf appears willing to do just about anything to preserve a non-architectural element that only adds time to rounds and misery for most golfers. For the good of the game?

Friday's Open Championship Clippings

Doug Ferguson's round 1 game story on Sergio Garcia's impressive course record 65. And for the UK perspective, here's Lawrence Donegan's take for The Guardian.

Alan Shipnuck offers a decent reason not to root for Sergio.

Paul Kelso tells us more about 18-year-old Rory McIlroy, who beat Tiger Woods.

McIlroy's talent has been an open secret in Northern Ireland for some years and he has been nurtured by support from the Sports Council and the Irish Golf Union, who have funded his career worldwide since he left school aged 16 with "a few" GCSEs.

He resisted the lure of travelling to America to complete his golf education in the university system - "I didn't really fancy the school part," he conceded - preferring to stay within the amateur fold in Europe and take up the occasional invitation to professional events.

My kinda kid!

Tan, rested and ready, embattled Carnoustie greenkeeper John Philp finally spoke to a media member and of course, sounds like he really wishes the course was a whole lot tougher, like '99.  Graham Spiers was the lucky inkslinger:

“There’s no doubt the course is easier,” Philp said. “There is no longer the intimidation factor on the tee for the players because the fairways are wider and the rough isn’t as dense. This time, the players can definitely feel more comfy on the tee. The course is not as fearsome.”

And that's a good thing, right John? I guess not if your ego is all tied up in a high winning score.

Tony Jimenez reports that Retief Goosen didn't take kindly to Gary Player's performance enhancing drug accusations... 

"I don't know what Gary was trying to prove," the world number 11 told reporters after launching his British Open challenge with a one-under-par 70 on Thursday. "I am very shocked at his comments.

"I don't know why he said that. I don't know if he is trying to damage the sport. If he wants to come and make these comments, why doesn't he name them?"

And of course if Player named names, he's be roasted even more!

Allan Patullo on Monty's grumpy (I know, shocking) post round demeanor.

No wonder he slammed his putter into his bag at the 18th. There was little surprise, too, when he by-passed reporters afterwards and headed instead for the putting green. Seasoned Monty watchers had seen this movie before, one that might be titled The Changeling.

But it doesn't look like he'll be brandishing a winner's cheque on Sunday, and nor is it likely that Monty the showman will be appearing in front of reporters any time soon. He gave us 3,677 words on Wednesday - golf is the sort of sport where such things are recorded - but we should have known some of these should have been kept for a rainy day.

And Lynne Truss of all people offers Monty a putting tip.

Claire Middleton tracked Ian Poulter down for a fashion compliment and got a revealing reply:

Poulter is usually one of the brightest fellows to follow on the course, but last year's Liberace sequins have been replaced by a more mellow olive check - which sounds pretty revolting, but is actually very smart.

He cheered up a bit when the Diary (feeling a bit blown away by the tirade above) mentioned this. "The clothing is a business and if you think it's smart, that's lovely," he said.

And here I thought he dressed like that because he actually liked wearing pink pants. 

Finally, John Huggan talked to Paul Casey about Nick Faldo's remarks that players need to be less chummy. Huggan picked up this SI "They Said It" worthy quote:

"The friendship obviously works well in team matches," said Casey. "But I know a lot of the guys who are friendly when they want to be friendly but can still be extreme competitors. I mean, Geoff Ogilvy is a good pal of mine and I took a lot from his US Open win last year. It hasn't paid off yet, but I've watched and learned. I think I'm as good as him. I don't go around saying it, but I think it a lot."

Uh Paul, you just went around saying it.

Walter Driver Sending R&A Thank You Gifts; Vows To Loan USGA Jet If More Open Boondoggles Are Delivered

Just as they were mopping up the Graham Brown debacle by sending him off for race rehab...

Yesterday, however, an R&A spokesman said: "It was mutually agreed, given the media interest in this matter, that Graham Brown would take no further part in this championship."

...the next rules committee chairman, Alan Holmes, bungled a Tiger Woods ruling in ways that even a USGA committeeman could never comprehend (but they surely must be enjoying the other governing body looking so ridiculous!).

The UK papers weighed in with less than stellar reviews of the incident. Derek Lawrenson writes most hostile fashion in the Daily Mail:

Everyone in professional golf knows that if your ball comes to rest against television cables, you mark the ball with a tee peg, move the cables and take a free drop. Woods did not get the chance to carry out this basic procedure after carving his drive into the rough to the left of the 10th fairway.

Like Woods, Roe was aghast at the ruling. He said: "It's perhaps the easiest rule to knowand what really disappoints you is that this guy is going to be the next rules chairman and he can't even get that right."

Just to put this into context, Tiger Woods was playing in Arizona in 1999 when a rules official declared that a 1,000lb boulder was a movable obstruction.

James Corrigan in the Independent says:

On the left side of the 10th, Holmes adjudged that a collection of television cables was an "immovable obstruction" and told Woods he could shift his ball away without penalty. No one was more shocked than the player himself, and he duly capitalised on this widely perceived lucky break by making par. It was a weird drop, I was as surprised as anybody," he admitted. "I've never seen that ruling before. I didn't ask for the drop, the guy told me I could. He tried to move them and said he couldn't. Every time I've played around the world they've picked them up, no problem."

Holmes insisted his decision had been correct and labelled accusations that he had been intimidated by Woods stature "ridiculous". They were levelled most vehemently by Mark Roe, a former professional who was following Woods in his role as a radio summariser. "In 21 years as a pro I've never seen a drop like it," said Roe. "His first lie was absolutely horrendous and he would have struggled to play the shot. I think the R&A official became like a jellyfish because it was Woods. Some rulings are complex; this was not."

Roe proved his point by picking up the cables with one hand and moving them three feet; a respected journalist did likewise. Nevertheless, the R&A backed its man with conviction. Holmes is due to be the next chairman of the governing body's rules committee and, after a week in which one of its high-ranking members was stood down for making racial slurs in a pre-Championship speech, it is the last thing the R&A needed.

And Lewine Mair shares this from the offending official:

Holmes said it was "absolutely ridiculous" to suggest he had given Woods a favourable ruling because of who he was. "I applied the letter of the law," he said. "It was a simple decision and that's it. I couldn't move the cable appreciably so it became immovable."

What You Missed If You Had No Choice But To Mute The TNT Telecast

I've tried reading these backwards, in Spanish and through the Ali G tranzlata, but no luck deciphering the wisdom... 

Clampett on the weak spot in Tiger Woods’ golf game: “If there is a weak point in Tiger (Woods’) game, that is his weakest point, the little boring, blasé chip off the green. I don’t think it’s tough enough to get his attention.”

Kratzert: “You had to look deep for that weakness, didn’t you?”

The Martin and Lewis of golf.

Clampett on Ernie Els making a birdie from the bunker on the first hole:  “When (Els) was 14 years old and a tennis star and then switched to golf, he asked his dad to blow out the tennis court in the backyard and build a chipping green with a bunker…guess that practice paid off.”

Ha! Good one!

Clampett on the ovation McIlroy received at the conclusion of his round:  “What a moment.”

Johnson: “Don’t wake up kid.  Wow, what a day.”

Clampett: “(Rory McIroy's) going to be a name to remember for a long time.”

Johnson:  “A couple of years ago he stopped playing junior events.  He’s with the big guys now and more than holding his own.”

Goose bumps.

Clampett on Toru Taniguchi (+1): “(Toru Taniguchi) may be the most confident man in the field with back-to-back wins in Japan coming in (to Carnoustie).”

How could you forget Monty!

"I think they're as confused as some of us players"

Gary D'Amato talks to PGA Tour brass about FedEx Cup scenarios (get your pen and paper out) and asks if fans care about the FedEx Cup standings?

"I think they're as confused as some of us players," [Kenny] Perry said. "I think only when it plays out in September will we all have a better feel for it."

Said Goydos: "I have a pretty good idea of what I need to do, but the reality is that I don't think the public has a good grasp. The Tour needs to do a good job of educating. That's their big challenge."

Bernhard Langer is No. 53 in the FedEx Cup points but said he would skip the playoffs because he has committed to play in tournaments on the European and Champions tours. But he thought fans would embrace the FedEx Cup, once they understood how it worked.

"I think the American people are used to playoffs from all the other major sports," Langer said.

Uh except in those playoffs, it's easy to figure out who gets eliminated.  

I Guess That's Where The Tour Stands...

Oh I know there's all that legal mumbo-jumbo at the end of the PGA Tour's junk emails (which I so enjoy receiving) about not being responsible for an "advertiser's content." But I also bet the lawyers and VP's could say no to an ad campaign that puts the PGA Tour in an uncomfortable position.

Apparently the Titleist NXT ads, which were very funny for about a year--unfortunately that was three years ago--do not concern the PGA Tour, even though they are part of a campaign suggesting that proponents of equipment regulation are uh, batty!

(click to enlarge)