Red Numbers Can Be The Game's Friend!

/

Over at GolfDigest.com I posted about some of the nuances we're seeing today that have bred some downright thrilling Ryder Cup golf.  It's so simple really. A little room off the tee, hole locations not buried in places to prevent birdies, green speeds within reason and an overall philosophy of allowing for aggressive play.

The question I ask, as always: why can't we do this all the time in golf?

Is protecting par really that sacred?

Is everyone able to watch day one enjoying it as much as I am?

"Unashamedly, we have to be commercial when we allocate the event"

/

I posted this as the last item on the GolfDigest.com clippings post along with a few more new items, and while the matches are proving quite compelling so far, I'd hate to see this item get forgotten. Paul Kelso writes:

George O'Grady, chief executive of the European Tour, is proud of the commercial profile that the event now enjoys and says there is no limit to where it might be staged; he would even consider staging it in Dubai, soon to be the setting for the European Tour finale.

"Unashamedly, we have to be commercial when we allocate the event," he said this week. "The Ryder Cup underwrites the finances of the Tour and funds all the game development and charitable work we do. Every penny we make goes back into the game, but we have to make as much as we can from the home match."

O'Grady believes the tournament has thrived because it delivers measurable benefits to the regions that act as host, and does not rule out a match in the Middle East.

Unashamedly, won't someone step up and explain to the European Tour that it's one thing to subject us to some truly awful golf courses, but another thing entirely to go outside of Europe?

"Sources close to Sea Island said the PGA Tour believes the concentration of touring pros that reside on the island will help strengthen the field."

/

Thanks to all of the readers who sent Jon Show's story on the PGA Tour courting Sea Island for a possible Fall Finish event. A couple of noteworthy items from the story:

Industry sources said the tour is trying to sell a $2 million annual title sponsorship, which would include rights fees, ad inventory and four rounds of live coverage on Golf Channel.
Two Fall Series tournaments are title sponsored by their host resort courses, but sources said such an option is unlikely in this case because of Sea Island’s financial position. The company, which owns two resorts and a high-end housing community on the island, recently announced massive layoffs as a result of the weakening economy and downturn in the real estate market.

And I thought this was kind of sad statement about the way you have to take tournaments to the players to get them to play. I know, I know, the Fall Series interferes with Caitlin's cotillion, etc...

The Fall Series, which starts this week at the Viking Classic in Mississippi, was created last year as a package of seven events played after the conclusion of the FedEx Cup season. The inaugural series failed to attract most top-ranked players, but sources close to Sea Island said the PGA Tour believes the concentration of touring pros that reside on the island will help strengthen the field.

"Montgomerie has vowed to ban them if he becomes captain, although he said that when he was single."

/

One of the great traditions of modern Ryder Cup coverage: making fun of the wives and questioning their role.

Paul Forsyth is the first to weigh in this year:

The wives, of course, are the Ryder Cup’s biggest sideshow. Whether they are to be known as Wags or Wabs (wives and birdies), they will be lined up in front of the cameras for the opening ceremony. Faldo is reported to have asked Valerie Bercher, from whom he was divorced two years ago, to assume the role of lady captain, which is another way of saying she has helped with the wardrobes. “She’s a pretty cool, chic lady and knows how to dress them well,” he said, although Irish designer Paul Costelloe, who kitted them out at the K Club in 2006, was expected to be the guiding hand.

Quite what the wives add to the occasion is unclear. Montgomerie has vowed to ban them if he becomes captain, although he said that when he was single. Westwood insists they have a calming effect. “They are important, especially when you go to an away match. It’s always nice to see a familiar, friendly face inside the ropes. If things are going well, it’s great. If things are going badly, it gives you a lift. That’s the nice thing. You have worked so hard all year to make the team, and you can share it with your wife.”

Hopkins Defends Faldo In Totally Nonsensical Manner

/

How else to explain The Times' John Hopkins giving Captain Faldo a standing-O for sharing a private comment from Paul Azinger about his two geezer assistants. And why, but to deflect attention from Faldo's much criticized decision to go with one assistant? Yep, that's something to praise. If you can make sense of the reasoning, please explain in the comments link below!

Interesting, this, isn't it? A bit of subtlety from Faldo, who is not known for it. He has stuck a knife between Azinger's ribs so quietly that Azinger probably hasn't even noticed it. And he has given it a quick twist by quoting Jack Nicklaus, who believes that Stockton and Floyd have too much baggage with them. "He (Azinger] is not sure about that one," Faldo said. "Too many cooks."
It doesn't really matter whether Faldo is right in what he says. Azinger has been put firmly on the back foot. Ignore what Faldo said and Faldo's comments will assume a certain veracity. By answering them, Azinger would give them a patina of truth.
It is hard to conclude anything other than this: well done Faldo.
Wow, that's just a disturbing piece of journalism. It's one thing to savor the drama, gamesmanship and spirited antics, but quite another to encourage childish behavior.

Perhaps Hopkins should read Daniel Wexler's almost Rodney King-like plea for everyone to just get along.

"Where's the rest of the team?"

/

Hard to imagine there was much to say about the Euros boarding a chartered jet to Louisville, but Giles Smith managed to file and entertaining look at the festivities and questions about the rather light load Captain Faldo had with him.

Sky Sports News had Peter Staunton on the ground at Heathrow and when Ian Payne, in the studio, with a slight yelp in his voice, asked, 'Where's the rest of the team?', Staunton was able to point out that some of the players were based in the United States and would be joining up later. It wouldn't have been worth a golfer's while, Staunton said, to fly over to London in order to fly straight back out again.