IGF Calls on International Golf Stars Who Won't Push Their Design Services For Final Olympic Bid Presentation

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IGF Calls on International Golf Stars to Take Part in Final Olympic Bid Presentation at IOC Session on October 9.

Harrington, Pettersen, Wie, Manassero confirmed for Copenhagen
 
Copenhagen, Denmark (October 5, 2009) – The International Golf Federation has announced that professional golfers Padraig Harrington of Ireland, Suzann Pettersen of Norway and Michelle Wie of the United States, as well as 16-year-old (British) Amateur Champion Matteo Manassero of Italy, will participate in the final presentation before the International Olympic Committee membership on Friday, October 9 during the IOC’s 121st Session.
 
The four golfers will join Ty Votaw, Executive Director of the IGF Olympic Golf Committee, which has coordinated golf’s Olympic bid, and Peter Dawson, chief executive of The R&A and joint secretary of the IGF. Golf and rugby sevens, the two sports recommended for the 2016 Olympic Programme by the IOC Executive Board, will present their final case to the full IOC membership before it votes that same day on whether to accept one, both or neither sport.
 
“We have demonstrated to the IOC Executive Board throughout the evaluation process that golf’s bid to become an Olympic sport has received unprecedented support from both amateur and professional golf organisations around the world and leading international players,” Votaw said. “Now, we must reaffirm this support before the full IOC membership and we couldn’t be more pleased than to have Padraig, Suzann, Matteo and Michelle help to communicate this support during our final presentation.”
In June, when the IGF presented to the IOC Executive Board in Lausanne, Switzerland, Votaw and Dawson were joined by Global Ambassador Annika Sorenstam, 2010 European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie, PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem and LPGA of Japan President and World Golf Hall of Fame member Hisako “Chako” Higuchi.
Leading up to Friday’s vote, golf and rugby sevens emerged from a year-long evaluation that included formal presentations by seven candidate sports, the submission of a Detailed Questionnaire and responses to questions raised by both the IOC Programme Commission and the IOC Executive Board. The IOC Executive Board announced its recommendation of golf and rugby sevens following a meeting in Berlin, Germany on August 13.
On Friday, October 2, the IOC selected Rio de Janeiro as the host city for the 2016 Olympic Games.
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Orender: "Basketball is what's in my future."

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Donna Orender blabs on and on to Mechelle Voepel about the bright future of the WNBA, sending the no-so-subtle message that she's unwilling to take the LPGA Commissionership. Brand Lady 2 is not happening. My loss as a blogger, but the LPGA Tour's gain if Orender's buffet line manners were any indication of her potential for Commissionership buffonery.
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"I saw one of the most remarkable sights I have come across in 50 years of playing and watching the sport."

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Photographer Rob Matre just opened an exhibition where some of the proceeds go to the Jordan Thomas Foundation to benefit children in need of prosthetics. And for more inspiration, the one-legged Manuel de los Santos just played in the Dunhill Cup and plays to a three handicap. John Hopkins profiled de los Santos and courtesy of reader Jeff, there's this video of his swing:



"A course like this sends a message that the city of New York has made a huge effort to build something very special"

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John Paul Newport looks at the $123 million Jack Nicklaus-designed New York muni, Ferry Point. Brooklyn's Tom Dunne follows up with some thoughts on the potential impact of the course which Jack says could host a major. Didn't someone say that about Liberty National too?
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Chrissy Will Do Anything To Get Out Of Attending The Presidents Cup

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Leave her man? The same week he has shoulder surgery?

It wasn't long ago she was looping in the Augusta par-3 contest, suggesting Greg's ex "get a job," instilling "different thought processes" in Greg, filming nauseating Golf In America segments, buying back Greg's old house, then visiting the White House and taking all of the attention away from Tim Finchem. I suppose in that light, the Presidents Cup would be a letdown.

Doug Ferguson reports the surprising split between Christine Marie Evert Lloyd Mill Norman and Greg Norman and says it was announced on a Friday afternoon to help squelch any rumors when Chrissy didn't show next week at Harding Park.

Oh yes, this will really put the fire out.

And to think it was just three weeks ago she was taking Tim Rosaforte's money and consulting on Adam Scott's selection to the team.

Thus began the exercise of going through a process of elimination that started with me blurting out, "Well, you'll never take Adam Scott. He's playing like ..."

Greg never flinched, but I should have known looking at Chris' raised eyebrows and the way she shifted and looked out of the window that Scott was going to be one of Norman's choices. I even mentioned that Adam was dating the Serbian tennis star Ana Ivanovic and they were both slumping. Shortly after this awkward moment, a straight-faced Evert made the bet.

"You're going to be surprised," she said.

I'll say!

R&A Contemplating Out-Of-Bounds Tee For Road Hole

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Earlier this week it was noted here (courtesy of Trevor Immelman's Tweet) that the Road Hole still features a silly roadblock of rough about 310 yards off the tee.

Now we learn this from John Hopkins' Spike Bar column:

An intriguing whisper was circulating in St Andrews recently. The Royal and Ancient have asked a leading player his thoughts on the positioning of a new tee on the 17th, the famous Road Hole. The tee would be 40 yards back from the existing one and therefore over the fence, which used to be the line of the old railway line from Leuchars. Clearly, the 2010 Open, the 150th anniversary of the event next July, is on the minds of the R&A.

First, as a blogger who has made a study of the R&A's emasculation of rota courses in place of regulating distance, this one will be particularly fun since it's only the most famous hole in golf.

Second, isn't it a bit late in the game to be scouting out a possible new tee for a major that is only ninth months away? Particularly when the tee in question will be off the property and driving over a stone wall and a billboard for the Old Course hotel? I can only imagine how tastefully it will erupt out of the landscape.

At least we know the R&A has experience now with this hole off-course tee thing when it went over so well last time in 2005 when they couldn't really figure out the whole OB thing on No. 2.

"But it is often these small things that make the biggest impression, especially at the margins."

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I must say the 74 comments (at blog posting time) on the Jerry Tarde editorial calling for loosening of cell phone rules made for great reading. Thanks for all of the great remarks. I'm sure Jerry was tickled at all of the kind remarks about his stance and the state of Golf Digest. (Note to self: don't send Jerry that email with story idea for a while.)

Lawrence Donegan noted the story on his Guardian blog and echoed the comments many of you made and put the issue into the context of golf club's current problems:

Golf clubs are in trouble. Why are they losing members? Obviously, the economy is the main problem but they don't help themselves with their insistence on maintaining petty restrictions that exist, it seems to me, only for the benefit of those who take pleasure in, well, maintaining petty restrictions. This is not an original point, and it might be a small one. But it is often these small things that make the biggest impression, especially at the margins.

And...

On a grander philosophical level (a speciality of the Guardian golf blog, as regular readers will know), it would be better if golf clubs - and Golf Digest - focused their attention on those things that harm the game far more than any jeans-wearing, car park shoe-changing, hat-wearing reprobate ever could - extortionate joining fees (especially in the States), insidious bigotry (or every shape and form) and slow play.