King Of Golf For A Day

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Thanks to reader Jim for Ron Green Jr.'s take on a old favorite. I can't say I disagree with any of his ten wishes, especially this one:

10 No cars, fountains or signs in water hazards

The only things allowed in water hazards are whitecaps, algae, Titleists, disobedient putters, ducks, rocks and bass. And Tiger Woods' 9-iron Steve Williams dropped in the pond at the K Club in Ireland three years ago.

Another DVR Alert: Nicklaus-Watson At Turnberry

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I'm sure the ESPN on ABC On BBC telecast will feature the inevitable revisiting of Nicklaus-Watson at Turnberry, but this Monday night Golf Channel show sounds promising despite the presence of "award winning" journalists.

ORLANDO, Fla., July 6, 2009 – One of the most memorable showdowns in major championship history took place at the 1977 Open Championship at Turnberry, when Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson engaged in a historic 36-hole battle for the Claret Jug that became known as “The Duel in the Sun.”

When the 2009 Open Championship returns to Turnberry, Ayrshire, Scotland, next week, GOLF CHANNEL will chronicle the story of the duo’s epic battle in a special presentation, Duel in the Sun, airing Monday, July 13 at 9 p.m. ET. The half-hour special includes tournament footage from the original broadcast and features recent interviews with Nicklaus and Watson, third-round leader Roger Maltbie, 1977 U.S. Open Champion and third-place finisher Hubert Green, and several award-winning journalists.

Duel in the Sun will document the Nicklaus-Watson pairing in the final round at the 1977 Open Championship, where they separated themselves from the field. Watson, going for his second major of the year, birdied the 71st hole on Sunday to take the lead for the first time, ultimately finishing one shot ahead of Nicklaus at 12-under-par. Green, who finished 11 strokes back of Watson at 1-under-par, was the only other player to break par for the tournament.

Duel in the Sun will re-air Monday, July 13 at 9:30 p.m. ET and Tuesday, July 14 (Monday night) at midnight ET.

"It has been sobering in recent weeks to see confidence drain out of the golf game which won three Majors in 13 months"

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Karl MacGinty offers a sobering Padraig Harrington asessment and though he calls it a "ludicrous" comparison to Ian Baker Finch's swing tinkering, is it really that far off?

Meanwhile Padraig offered this assessment of Turnberry in his website diary:

it was definitely a worthwhile trip as the course had changed dramatically since I had played it 6 weeks ago. The rough has grown substantially which now makes it a very tough course; there is definitely a premium for hitting fairways.

Monty Probably Won't Be Talking To Gary Player About His Experiences As President's Cup Captain

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It's nice that Player at least soft-pedaled the part about the 2006 U.S. Open.

Asked which Scot had made the most impact on him during his career, Player replied: "I'm a great believer in looking at the record book. It doesn't lie. And Colin Montgomerie was the leading money winner on the European Tour eight times. That was phenomenal and for me it was a tragedy he never won either the Open or the US Open.

"If ever someone threw the US Open away, though, it was him at Winged Foot. He needed a par on the last hole to win, a bogey to tie and made double. It's a great shame he didn't win one. You have to be careful what you say, but (at 46] I think it's too late for him now.

"Who goes down in history as the better player – Sandy Lyle or Colin Montgomerie? It's a very debatable issue. But if you said to me personally, whose record would you rather have, Montgomerie's or Lyle's, then I'd take Lyle's."