Tiger One-Ups Jack!

So Tiger, who wouldn't be caught dead on the par-3 course before the Masters (and who can blame him after what it's turned into) because he's preparing for the tournament, will play the former champion challenge event on Wednesday of Open Championship week. That leaves Jack, Nick Price, and Johnny Miller as the only living absentees (along with 89-year-old Kel Nagle).

"I was surprised to hear for the first time that they might be going to refer projects to me in the future. I look forward to them coming."

An Nick Tabokoff story on Greg Norman closing his course design office and opening one in China notes this from his spokesman.

Norman's spokesman Bart Collins said from the US that the company had "retrenched two or three executives" in Sydney.

Love the military terminology. So much more masculine that the B-school lingo. Or are they one and the same?

This was rather astounding:

Despite no longer playing golf regularly on the circuit, Norman remains Australia's highest-earning sportsman, with BRW estimating that he earned $15 million last year, largely because of his success in golf course design.

And now for the all out obfuscation (writer jargon for lies):

Mr Collins said Norman had the highest respect for his recently departed Australian course architects, Harrison and Kruse.

"If the project isn't appropriate to Greg Norman, we'll refer work to them," he said.

But Mr Harrison said last night: "I was surprised to hear for the first time that they might be going to refer projects to me in the future. I look forward to them coming."

Crenshaw's Fellow Player-Architects Compliment Colorado Golf Club...

...but is it me, or does it sound like it's killing them to pay a compliment to this week's Senior PGA host site?

"It's a good test," said Watson, who also designs courses. "It has great variety to it. There's plenty of room (in landing areas), and yet there's some toughness that you have to worry about. . . . That's the way golf should be played."

After playing Colorado Golf Club for the first time, Tom Kite said it's worthy of hosting a major championship.

"The golf course is going to stand up very well to the players. It's very difficult," Kite said. "There's a lot to know. We're going to have to kind of fly by the seat of our pants to learn the golf course as we go."

With the thin air, and depending on the wind and slope of the terrain, a shot that normally would require 180 yards might be 220 or 130, said Bernhard Langer, who already has won twice on the 2010 Champions Tour.

"It's kind of crazy," he said, "and then you have to figure how much the ball is going to run when it hits. But it's a great golf course, great layout, beautiful scenery. And some interesting design work."