"Bad economy or not, the silence has been as deafening as it is surprising."

Gary Van Sickle profiles Paul Azinger and learns that the victorious Ryder Cup Captain has not been inundated with offers.

Azinger is riding the wave, a crest that he says is more powerful than anything he felt after winning the 1993 PGA Championship, his lone major title. He has Ryder Cup in his blood and it's running hot, so don't blame him if he can't — or won't — let go of his Valhalla moments.

A U.S. Open victory is said to be worth millions in off-course opportunities. Not so the Ryder Cup. Azinger says he hasn't received a single offer post-Valhalla — even his equipment deal is set to expire at year's end. Bad economy or not, the silence has been as deafening as it is surprising.

Sorry, but Azinger continued his pre-Ryder Cup media blackout well after the Cup, turning down a Tonight Show appearance and probably many other publicity opportunities. In a world with a depressingly short attention span, you have to capitalize on the moment. Azinger passed. 

"When someone says 'Lorena' I think of the way she opens up all her press conferences with a 'hello everybody.'"

Kevin Baxter profiles Lorena Ochoa for the L.A. Times and focuses on her humility. Naturally, The Brand Lady offered a profound insight:

Adds LPGA Commissioner Carolyn Bivens: "When someone says 'Lorena' I think of the way she opens up all her press conferences with a 'hello everybody.' I would say that's pretty unusual for a world's No. 1 athlete in any sport. It's one thing to do it as part of a public persona. It's another thing to be a very authentic role model."

Saying "hello everybody" in the press room makes her an authentic role model?

"Bankruptcy is another matter, however."

Steve Elling makes a case for why it'll be hard for companies to justify spending government bailout money on PGA Tour sponsorships.

But even more interesting was this item, which may punch a hole in the PGA Tour's "ironclad" contract status and gloating.

Six automakers sponsor events on the PGA Tour, including two by Buick, which is hemorrhaging money so quickly, it might not make it to the end of the year. Bankruptcy is an increasingly likely scenario, according to the automaker, which could and should jeopardize the two Buick stops on the '09 tour calendar.

Understand that when the tour signs a deal with a title sponsor, it is written in blood. Just because Wachovia and Buick are in hot water doesn't mean the tour contracts are void or that financial details will be changed. The suits at tour headquarters play hardball. Tournaments must buy their way out of deals if they wish to escape before the contract term runs its course.

Bankruptcy is another matter, however.

"That would really be the one scenario where we would consider (voiding a contract)," tour communications chief Ty Votaw said two weeks ago at the Ginn sur Mer Classic, an event that is on life support because of the swan-diving real-estate market. "And if that was to transpire, we'd be standing there in line along with all the other creditors." 

Par Mates Are Here!

Thanks to reader Chema for news of this classy, much needed effort to grow the game at Las Vegas' Royal Links.

Attention Eliot Spitzer: I know you are mostly a tennis man, but I think it's time to take up the Royal and Ancient!

From the Par Mates page, where you can learn more about these Rhodes Scholars:

Par Mates are extremely attractive and outgoing young ladies / girl caddies that will keep the golfers company during their round and help with course arrangements like orientation, introduction to course personnel, call in food and beverage orders, maintaining scorecards, shopping assistance in the golf shop and other services designed to replicate the five-star assistance provided by major hotel concierges staff. They’ll even repair divots, fix ball marks, clean balls, clean clubs and help with yardage, ball flight and obstacles. Additionally they will serve as your personal hostesses during the round to eliminate any hassles or drudgeries and make the experience more pleasant, enjoyable and fun. 

Cost: $225 per caddy
Booking Requirements: 72 hours in advance of your tee time

"We are disciplined in our approach to negotiating programming rights"

You can't blame Turner for pulling out of the R&A sweepstakes when the dollar figure is at $25 million, but the timing of their press release seems odd. Perhaps they want to make sure ESPN knows that no one else is bidding? 

Don't the folks at Turner understand we all lost interest in them when they sent Bobby Clampett packing?
 

Turner Sports Declines to extend TV rights with the R&A for The Open

Turner’s 7-year deal with the R & A culminates with TNT’s coverage of the 2009 British Open Championship from Turnberry, Scotland, July 16 -19

Statement from David Levy – President of Turner Sports

"We are disciplined in our approach to negotiating programming rights. While we were unable to reach terms on future rights that made economic sense for our company, we respect and value the R&A and our partnership of the past six years, and look forward to TNT's final year of covering The Open."

Turner Sports will air approximately 28 hours of the 2009 Open Championship on TNT during its four days of coverage. TNT will also continue to air approximately 17 hours of golf’s final major, the PGA Championship, with this year’s event taking place August 12-16, from Hazeltine National Golf Club inChaska, MN. TNT will also air in 2009 the PGA Grand Slam of Golf, the toughest event in the sport to qualify for with only that year’s major winners receiving an automatic invitation. The 2009 PGA Grand Slam of Golf will be held at the Port Royal Golf Course on Oct. 20 & 21. Turner Sports also operates and manages two of golf’s premier Web sites in PGATour.com and PGA.com. 

Compton Opens With 70

Steve Elling reports on Erik Compton's opening round 70 at second stage, while Adam Schupak sat down with Compton for this Golfweek.com Q&A. 

Poulter Too Distraught To Play On After Driver Theft

I didn't pay much attention to the story about Ian Poulter getting his driver stolen at the HSBC until he pulled out of the European Tour event in Singapore citing the theft and the inability of Cobra to get him a replacement.

"I am really gutted," he told reporters on Wednesday. "I have been thinking about it for four hours and I have decided to withdraw because my new driver will not arrive on time.

And the real fault lies with...the OWGR!

"It is disappointing because I did not come all this way not to play. But with so many world ranking points at stake, if I played badly (by using a different driver) I may have lost ground."

He couldn't get it around for 18 holes without either a fill in or his version of a 3-wood?

Update on 2008-11-13 03:45 by Geoff

John Hopkins writes about the importance of the driver and defends Poulter...sort of.

In short, the driver is built to the player's specification. It is like a tailor-made suit. Understand that and you understand Poulter a little better. Whether he should have withdrawn is another matter. Other golfers might have made do with another driver or simply gone without. Poulter is different. Always has been, always will be.

“One walk here, Tiger put down 22,000 steps [on his pedometer]"

Tom Cunneff fills us in on Tiger's press conference to unveil The Cliffs' design Included is a full color course rendering with a disclaimer I've never seen before (but probably wise): "Artist rendering subject to change."

Naturally, I will be getting some mileage (pun fully intended) out of this: 

Several site visits also helped Woods with his rehabilitation from the knee surgery he underwent days after winning the U.S. Open in June. He and Anthony, a noted outdoorsman, went on long strolls around the property.

“One walk here, Tiger put down 22,000 steps [on his pedometer],” said Anthony. “And to show you his enthusiasm, he just had his operation on his knee, and we've got this big group of boulders out here, and so Tiger's climbing up on these boulders, and jumping from one to the other. I'm thinking the whole time, he's going to fall off, and I see the headlines: 'Tiger re-injures knee on a High Carolina rock pile.'”

The bigger headline, were it true, would have been: "Tiger Charges By The Step!" But I guess he was humoring boss Jim Anthony, who gives pedometers out like they're business cards.

The Golf Club of California Closes

Thanks to reader Scott for Tod Leonard's extensive and fascinating look at the demise of The Golf Club of California, which closed its doors November 1. 

The moral of this story: don't let home developers design golf courses. Or run them.

Deep Thoughts

On the news that American Express is seeking $3.5 billion in government funds because the company packaged pools of credit card debt and sold them to investors in the securitization market (good one!), I'm just wondering if (A) this means we won't get those incredibly cool little TV's at majors and (B) if this is part of the USGA's education in improved business practices. 

After all, in Walter Driver's 2007 President's letter, he wrote that the USGA was "learning from our corporate partner, American Express, how to be more responsive and tailored to our individual Members."

Maybe they're packaging pools of lousy handicaps to investors in the secularization market?

“We do say he created the course"

The Perthshire Advertiser's Gordon Bannerman reports on the new design credit for Jack Nicklaus's Gleneagles Centenary Course, home to the 2014 Ryder Cup. You may recall that players were not too fond of David Kidd's redo. Include Jack in that category.

But it has emerged that Nicklaus isn’t impressed with Gleneagles playing around with his original design, which opened on the “finest parcel of land I have ever been given to work with” back in 1993.

The Golden Bear is growling over Gleneagles tampering with the original design without his knowledge or input. It barely rates a mention on his website, which profiles the many Nicklaus Signature courses which have emerged around the globe.

Now, instead of billing it as a course designed by Jack Nicklaus, Gleneagles flag it up as being “created” by the golfing legend.

A spokeswoman for Gleneagles said: “Jack Nicklaus designed the course for us in the early 90s.

“In the last few years and in the build up to being the hosts for the Ryder Cup, we have had another designer tweak a few holes.

“We do say he created the course and we have an ongoing relationship with the Jack Nicklaus organisation.”

"He still takes seven or eight pricy anti-rejection medications every day"

Steve Elling reports on Erik Compton starting Q-school second stage Wednesday and notes:

A newlywed with a baby girl due in late February, he told CBSSports.com on Sunday that he pays $600 a month for health insurance through the bridge program called Cobra, designed to fill gaps in coverage when workers are between jobs. He said it expires in six months and after that, he'll be scrambling for answers. His 14-hour heart surgery last May 20 and resulting hospital stay cost $1 million, he estimated. He still takes seven or eight pricy anti-rejection medications every day, he said.