"That's how it started."

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Thanks to reader Andrew for the new Met Golfer roundtable on rules. It seems Arnold Palmer is now getting official credit for the groove rule change.

Dick, can you take us through the process of how the 2010 condition of competition on grooves came about:

Rugge: It started with Arnold Palmer, who came here to the USGA offices in January 2001 for a meeting to talk about a lot of things regarding equipment.  He sat next to me, and near the end of our meeting, he stuck his finger in my face and kind of scolded me and said, "The biggest mistake the USGA ever made was to allow square grooves in the game."  That's how it started.

As reader Andrew noted, "I wonder what would have happened had Palmer said the biggest mistake they made was letting the ball go so far."

"It was no accident that last weekend's Masters leader board was almost exclusively filled by players either exceptionally thoughtful or prodigiously talented or both."

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Besides a nice rant about the modern ball (I always enjoy those), John Huggan makes a couple of worthwhile points when considering the play of Europeans at this year's Masters.

In defense of the current band of better-than-average European players, coming up well short (so far at least) isn't all their own faults. Tiger and Phil Mickelson apart, standing out from the pack isn't easy these days. Look at both the PGA and European Tours. So far this year, only South Africans Charl Schwartzel and Ernie Els have won more than once on either. Parity is king. Of course, much of that all-too prevalent stalemate has been caused by the high level of quality control involved in the manufacture of today's clubs and balls. For one thing, bigheaded metal drivers have made mastering what should be the hardest club in the bag almost routine for virtually every professional. So separating oneself from the rest is more difficult. The deserved edge previously enjoyed by the likes of Greg Norman and Nick Price -- the best drivers of their generation -- has been diminished greatly.

And this about Augusta National's design and setup:

When those relatively unimaginative players -- their senses dulled by all of the above -- pitch up at a major championship venue like Augusta National (where short grass still prevails and many holes can be played in a variety of ways) they are suddenly faced with a test paper that is, to paraphrase the great Bobby Jones, "unfamiliar." It was no accident that last weekend's Masters leader board was almost exclusively filled by players either exceptionally thoughtful or prodigiously talented or both.

"There were rave reviews for the changes made to the famous West Course by the Ernie Els design team ahead of the BMW PGA Championship 2010"

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A good time was apparently had by all at Wentworth when European TV's finest showed up to play the Ernie Els redesigned West Course.

Love the write up:


A team of broadcasters from the BBC and Sky Sports enjoyed their first sight of the modernised West Course at Wentworth Club when they faced a line-up from BMW, The European Tour and the host club.

Former Ryder Cup Captain, Sam Torrance, was joined by fellow BBC commentators Alan Hansen, Tim Henman and Sir Matthew Pinsent alongside Di Stewart, Robert Lee and Steve Beddow from Sky Sports as the team of broadcasters registered a hefty 7-2 victory.

Paul Davies of the BBC and Sky Sports’ Jason Wesley jointly accepted the plaudits from George O’Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour after defending their trophy.

There were rave reviews for the changes made to the famous West Course by the Ernie Els design team ahead of the BMW PGA Championship 2010, with the visually stunning eighth and 18th attracting special attention.


Even better, look how well dressed they get for a shindig. Take note, writers.

2010 Masters Images: How Do They Do It?

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I always marvel at the post-Masters images because it's such an awkard tournament to photograph without inside-the-ropes access and the lens masters usually shoot from the same club-designated perches. But more than that, I'm always fascinated by the thought process of whether to shoot scenes like No. 18 tight or wide, as Robert Beck did with Phil's birdie putt on 18. Despite Jim Nantz declaring that final putt a no-brainer for Phil to have made (is there any automatic putt at Augusta?), Beck's instinct was to go with a wide frame shot, hoping for a great reaction from Phil and fans. It paid off with this week's cover:


GolfDigest.com posts their "outtakes" from the week, including this beauty from J.D. Cuban:


Golf Digest's Dom Furore also offers this exclusive look at Tiger's return:

Kostis: "I wouldn't be surprised if I'm interviewing a different Tiger Woods next year at Augusta."

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I'd be surprised if Peter Kostis gets to interview Tiger anytime soon, but after essentially agreeing that Woods did a terrible job with the post-final round Masters interview and Kostis's solid questioning, he says we need to give Tiger time to become a nicer person.

Tiger will never become a robot golfer. Nor should he try to. I love that Tiger is passionate and expressive about golf and wants to play it as well as he possibly can—every time he tees it up. But telling people that he's going to consciously tone down his behavior sounds like Superman saying that he's going to wear a necklace made of Kryptonite.
 
Let's give Tiger some time see if he can change. If he can lose the cursing and the club throwing, but keep the passion and fire that helps make him great, then all will be well with the golf world.

I wouldn't be surprised if I'm interviewing a different Tiger Woods next year at Augusta. Between now and then he's got a lot of things to think about and a lot of stress to deal with inside the ropes as well as out.

Change takes time. Let's give him some.