Azinger Regrets Not Being There To Tell Boo and J.B. To Avoid The Big Lake On 18

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Apparently his boys were so stupid focused on the job at hand that they needed to be told to hit the fairway?

Brian Hewitt reports:

“There’s only one thing I would have done differently at Valhalla,” Azinger said. “And that would have been making sure I was on the tee box on the 18th hole in the Friday afternoon fourballs match when Boo Weekley and J.B. Holmes both hit their balls in the water. If I had been, I would have made sure they knew where their tee balls needed to be.”

Holmes and Weekley had a 1-up lead at the time over Lee Westwood and Soren Hansen and wound up halving their match as a result of the wayward drives.

“I was really kicking myself Friday night,” Azinger told FM104.3 The Fan, a Denver-based sports talk radio show hosted by Jerry Walters and Jon Lawrence. “I was by the 17th green and I couldn’t get my cart to the 18th tee because of a TV tower. I should have gotten off the cart and just walked through the tower. Fortunately for me, that was my only regret for the week.”

"We're just happy to be coming back to a great golf course."

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In Leonard Shapiro's story on Tiger's tournament moving to Aronimink for two years, I couldn't help but wonder after reading this what they'll do if the players inevitably fall in love with Aronimink and dread returning to dreary Congressional.

McLaughlin said he was "thrilled" that the tournament will return to Congressional after 2011, despite the close vote. "It gives us clarity that we know we will be back in Washington at Congressional from 2012 to 2014. It's difficult to speculate on why the vote was so close this time. We're just happy to be coming back to a great golf course."

"The club has made alterations that will help the course assume some of its former personality."

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Thanks to reader Don for catching this in Lorne Rubenstein's column on Mike Weir's interest in course design:

Tournament chairman Billy Payne told Weir during the Tour Championship in Atlanta two weeks ago that the club has made alterations that will help the course assume some of its former personality.

"They've moved the tee up on 7 and changed the green contours there," Weir said of the tight par-4. "There are other changes also, at 11 where the tee's been moved up a bit, and maybe at 18, too."

"How to fix the FedEx Cup playoffs and ensure drama at the playoff finale?"

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This concept has popped up again, meaning someone at the PGA Tour is doing a good job peddling it. Jeff Rude writes:

The best plan: Play the Tour Championship on Wednesday-Saturday and award the tournament winner the trophy and $1.26 million check. Then the top four players in FedEx Cup points at that point start from scratch and play 18 holes Sunday for the current mega-bonuses, including $10 million for first.

"We're so heavily involved in the project, whereas in some others we've been hired guns."

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Thomas Bonk talks to Jack Nicklaus about Quivira Los Cabos, "a branded Nicklaus oceanfront community, two Nicklaus golf courses and a Nicklaus golf club in Los Cabos, Mexico."

Apparently this will be like the Bear's Club, whatever that means.

This one is special, Nicklaus said. "We're so heavily involved in the project, whereas in some others we've been hired guns."

Stevie To Make Commentating Debut; Looks To Rebrand Image As Gallery-Eating, Camera-Heaving Lunatic

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From our friends at Brener-Zwikel:

STEVE WILLIAMS MAKES HIS COMMENTATOR DEBUT AT INAUGURAL KIWI CHALLENGE
Famed caddie for Tiger Woods will join NBC team for Nov. 15-16 telecast of Challenge Season event featuring Kim, Scott, Snedeker and Mahan

NEW YORK (Oct. 6, 2008) – Steve Williams, who is accustomed to being in front of the camera toting Tiger Woods’ golf bag, will find himself in front of the camera toting an NBC microphone across two golf courses in his native New Zealand.

The Wellington-born Williams will make his TV commentator debut at the inaugural Kiwi Challenge, which will be televised in HDTV on NBC Saturday, Nov. 15 and Sunday, Nov. 16 in the United States.

In New Zealand, the Kiwi Challenge will air on Sky TV Thursday, Nov. 26 and Friday, Nov. 27 from 8:30-10:30 p.m. (NZ time).

One of the most famous caddies in the world, Williams will serve as an on-course commentator for the event, which features United States Ryder Cup heroes Anthony Kim and Hunter Mahan joining Adam Scott and Brandt Snedeker in a 36-hole, stroke-play event that offers one of the largest winner’s checks in golf -- $1.5 million -- out of the $2.6 million purse.

“This is my first experience at this,” Williams said. “I’m doing this because the Kiwi Challenge will bring great exposure for New Zealand and give New Zealanders the opportunity to see four of the world’s best players in one group. Seldom would we have four players of this quality at a tournament.”
Country first!
Walton plans to use Williams as a way to bring the beauty of New Zealand in general and the two courses in particular to a worldwide viewing audience. Williams will not only discuss his native land’s points of interest along with noteworthy elements of the two courses and what they mean to the players, but he’ll provide insight on what golf means to New Zealanders.

"The telecast will weave vignettes about both properties and shots of other points of interest in New Zealand in with the golf competition. And Steve will be a big part of that,” Walton said.
Boy, I can't wait for those insights.  

Sarah Visits The Villages!

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Sounds like a great scene when the Republican Vice Presidential candidate spoke at the home of the PGA Tour's most consistent advertiser!

At one point while signing autographs for the sweltering crowd, a surprised Palin laughed when a supporter reached over and handed her a giant, plastic lipstick replica -- an obvious reference to a joke delivered by Palin at the Republican National Convention. Palin's comment about the only difference between a pit bull and a hockey mom being lipstick has since inspired a volley of campaign rhetoric. As the crowd cheered, a smiling Palin autographed the novelty before moving on for more autographs and handshakes.

The line to see Palin passed the Old Mill Playhouse with the marquee that said "The Villages Welcome Governor Palin." It went by the 2-for-1 beer tents and passed the vendors that sold $20 baby-girl pink T-shirts and buttons -- 3 for $10 -- that said, "I'm Proud to Be Voting for the Hot Chick."

“It is all becoming a bit old hat"

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I couldn't find this mentioned anywhere else, but you can see where Neil Squires of the Daily Express is basing these comments regarding the Euro Tour's "Race to Dubai":

The billionaire backers behind the European Tour’s Race to Dubai are considering everything from floodlit tournaments and new team events to numbers on the back of shirts as part of their drive to make the sport more relevant to the next generation.

There is a price to pay for accepting £50 million of oil money and the European Tour’s decision to get into bed with Leisurecorp, the sporting arm of the Dubai government, could well have ramifications beyond merely side-stepping the credit crunch. The kaleidoscope will be shaken when the first Race to Dubai begins at the HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai in a month’s time. The pieces may take some time to settle but when they do golf’s landscape could be changed markedly.

“Our ambition is not necessarily to change the format of golf but to enhance it and make it more relevant to the next generation,” said David Spencer, the chief executive of Leisurecorp. “It is all becoming a bit old hat – there have to be new things to make it more colourful. You have to chase the dream. You have to believe anything is possible.
Naturally, he is right that golf needs some new formats. But numbers on the back of shirts? Maybe that's why Seve passed out?

Meanwhile this Scotsman story buries one observation of note regarding venues on the newly announced schedule:
Ten events have still to confirm venues, including the British Masters. However, O'Grady insisted that in spite of the financial downturn 98 per cent of the 2009 schedule was rock solid.
Here is the schedule.

"Any tweaks are in the hands of the R&A."

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In this Mike Aitken story on Turnberry closing November 1st to prepare for the Open Championship, he quotes LeisureCorp head man David Spencer on what changes to expect.

"We plan to increase the number of holes at Turnberry from 45 to 54 and to build a new golf academy with Taylor Made, which will still be supported by Colin Montgomerie. Our relationship with Greg Norman, an Open winner at Turnberry, is fairly well publicised.
"Several weeks ago, Greg, Peter Dawson, the chief executive of the R&A, and myself, walked the course. But Greg will not be doing any design changes to the Ailsa. Any tweaks are in the hands of the R&A. But as far as the Kintyre and the Arran are concerned, we would like to see Greg Norman involved."

Great to get that clarified. If you don't like the new look Turnberry, you know it wasn't our fault!