"If enough letters were written to the PGA Tour maybe it would bring enough attention to it and something could get done because it's vile. But the Americans just don't seem bothered about it."

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Dave Tindall looks at spitting in golf and wonders why Americans are much more tolerant of it than the British. Warning, yours truly provided my thoughts. And something tells me that you all will have plenty to say as well.

In the UK, there will be an appalled reaction from the anchor, even an apology to viewers. In the US, discussion will simply focus on the shot ahead or current state of the leaderboard.

So what's going on here? Does the UK have more prudish presenters?

Probably not but that isn't the point away. The general feeling on these shores is that spitting looks terrible when done by a golfer who is hardly generating loads of the stuff simply by walking.

In fact, it would be more unusual for our TV presenters NOT to mention it when it's done so brazenly.

The other general concensus is that it appears to be, shall we say, an American disease.

What baffles many UK golf fans is that it's not just the American young bucks (i.e. Dustin Johnson, whose phlegm levels were clearly set to high during his win at Pebble Beach) who are guilty but also some of the well-to-do veterans such as 'Gentleman' Jim Furyk.

Tiger Woods is a serial spitter too, prompting well-known cricket commentator Jack Bannister to tell Talksport viewers last week: "Tiger's speech lasted 13 minutes and I think it's the longest time I've seen him go without spitting."

"Is the tour afraid it would have to announce too many of these annoying indiscretions, that its players are not as pristine as advertised?"

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Bob Harig wonders what might have happened to John Daly had his fines, suspensions, warnings and other assorted disciplinary red flags been made public years ago. And he asks why the tour is so determined to keep disciplinary actions private.
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Olympic Golf After The Winter Olympics

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Suffering from Vancouver Olympic withdrawals tonight, I was forced to consider what made the last two weeks so special. And while the many storylines were wonderful and set up quite beautifully by NBC for a mass audience, it's those once-every-four-years thrills provided by various unique competitions that has me more convinced than ever that barring a complete re-imagining of its format, golf in the 2016 Olympic games will be a complete and utter failure.
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"Daly’s file, now public record, provides an unprecedented look into his professional and personal life, and the Tour’s efforts to get him help."

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Garry Smits gets ahold of John Daly's PGA Tour file on the eve of Daly's positively horrific-sounding reality show. The file became public record after Daly sued Morris Publishing in 2005, and it "became part of the court file after Daly dropped his appeal last fall of a summary judgment issued in favor of Morris on March 23, 2009, and after Daly was ordered to pay Morris’ attorney fees."
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"I guess presidential should be emphasized, the person who did the setup did the same things for President George W. Bush."

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Reuters photographer Joe Skipper tells us all about the day of Tiger's statement reading and how the highly orchestrated event played out.

We gathered at the Marriott Sawgrass Convention Center, located about a mile from the TPC Sawgrass clubhouse, where the event was held. We were ‘registered’ by PGA employees, our drivers licenses checked, and we received special credentials labeled ‘pool media’.

It had the feel of a Secret Service wrangling. Where the pool participants are identified, and then placed in a ‘holding room’ prior to a specifically timed and coordinated departure. Reporters from AP, Reuters and several other organizations joined us. The only thing missing was the checking of our gear and the presence of a four-footed friend.

Good to see the PGA Tour coordinating so much and on such short notice!

As we walked into the room, a look at the audience front row revealed Tiger’s mother, Kultida Woods. Further down was Tim Finchem, PGA Tour Commissioner, and Tiger’s college friend, PGA golfer Notah Begay. It was remarkably quiet in the room, the most notable sound coming from the television camera operators speaking with their director. Our group took particular interest in Tiger’s mother, who reacted to the camera sounds with an occasional annoyed look. We were given freedom to move in the back of the room and on the side with most of the TV lights on it. We waited for 11 a.m. surrounded by silence.

So, I guess it goes without saying that a good time wasn't had by all?