Who Forgets To Sign After A 61? Oh Right...A Golf Professional
/The latest rules related debacle features the Canadian Tour's Jose de Jesus Rodriguez who fired a 61 Saturday in the Economical Insurance Group Seaforth Country Classic.
When you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
Immediate Friends And Family Of Several PGA Tour Pros Grind Out Spellbinding Final Day Of FedEx Cup Qualifying
/Adam Schupak reports on the topsy-turvy day for some of the tour's lesser knowns as they battled to reach this week's playoffs. I don't want to spoil it for you, but let's just say if the Scott Piercy Fan Club had cause to celebrate last night.
"I think it's a stupid rule."
/Scott Michaux tracks down Roberto de Vicenzo to talk about the Dustin Johnson boondoggle and you can't help but sense chaos played a role in both sad days for the game.
Read MoreGolf Course Taking Down City Hall...And The Police Station
/Sarah Netter reports on another municipal golf calamity, Buena Vista's Vista Links, which may take down City Hall. Literally. Since they used it and the police station as collateral against a $9.2 million loan. Thanks to reader Joel for this.
Read MoreShock: LPGA Viewer Turns In Inkster For Violation; World Stunned To Learn LPGA Has Viewers
/Mike Tokito for The Oregonian explains how Juli Inkster should be in second place of the Safeway Classic, but was instead disqualified for an absurd rules breach once again missed by officials but picked up by one of the six people watching the telecast.
Read More"The four biggest events in golf are too important to be compromised to the extent that last week was."
/John Huggan makes two valid points with regard to the PGA, Whistling Straits and Dustin Johnson. The first:
Read More"They (the USGA) want to have data to present against emotional arguments."
/Ryan Ballengee adds a few important details about the USGA's ball testing event in Canada and features quotes from an equipment company goon perspective.
"[The] USGA may have progressed on collecting data with short distance balls," the source said. "[A] few years ago, OEMs were asked to provide balls with 20% less driver distance."
So, is there a desire to roll the ball back?
The source says the data collection may be done in the event that a ball rollback is eventually needed, but that it is not imminent because of the flattening of distance increases in the last three years.
The source added, "They (the USGA) want to have data to present against emotional arguments."
Actually, the manufacturers getting emotional on this topic clouded their judgment and has them now boxed in a corner with little wiggle room for club innovation. All to protect those little white balls that we'll always have to buy to play the game, no matter how far they fly.
“When the No. 1, most-recognized athlete isn’t playing, there’s a falloff, but it doesn’t mean the falloff translates into a proportional drop in the value we deliver to our partners.”
/The Mirage set the first "value" reference over/under at 31 words for Ty Votaw's response to Richard Sandomir's look at sagging golf ratings. If you took the over you won easily.
Read MoreRules Of Golf Outrage Going Viral
/I'm not sure if this speaks to a general disdain for the rules or maybe just the power of ESPN.com, but as happened during the last freakish golf story (Tiger and his women), an item about the Dustin Johnson violation has landed in my email box in three different chain email forwards in the last two days. The text does not include a byline, but unlike in the Tiger case, this one is real and it can't be spoofed because we know the incident was already teetering on the edge of farcical.
Read MoreTalking (2010 Majors) With Rod Morri
/Talkingolf.com's Rod Morri interviewed me this week about the 2010 majors and in particular, the architecture and setups we saw. It's a long one...you were warned. But Rod knows his stuff and asks some great questions.
There is also a version with media player embedded on the News And Reviews page.
Rod has also interviewed Tom Doak and Bill Coore.
"I believe technology from a distance perspective is now absolutely stable."
/If you are looking for a little perspective on the USGA's stance on technology, there's no better place to look than Pat Jones' interview of architect Steve Smyers, chair of the USGA's Green Section committee.
Read MoreFeedback From USGA's Prototype Ball Testing Event
/Lost in the PGA Championship hoopla was Monday's USGA-hosted competition for select Canadian Tour invitees to play modified balls as part of the organization's ongoing ball testing.
Prior to the competition, played August 16th at Greystone Golf Club in Milton, Ontario, the event was comprised of a small field organized by tour deputy Dan Halldorson, who you may recall, refused comment a few weeks back when it was revealed the USGA might be conducting tests in Ontario. The field of luck rollback-ball testers played 18-holes with a small competition and purse featuring something in the neighborhood of $1500 for first place (reportedly it was a 67), coupled with an appearance fee in the $200-300 range.
Read MorePrior to the competition, played August 16th at Greystone Golf Club in Milton, Ontario, the event was comprised of a small field organized by tour deputy Dan Halldorson, who you may recall, refused comment a few weeks back when it was revealed the USGA might be conducting tests in Ontario. The field of luck rollback-ball testers played 18-holes with a small competition and purse featuring something in the neighborhood of $1500 for first place (reportedly it was a 67), coupled with an appearance fee in the $200-300 range.
Rory Commences Biennial Pre-Ryder Cup Competition To See Who Can Provide The Most Provocative Bulletin Board Material
/Granted, he was just being honest. But maybe this is the spark Tiger has been looking for:
Read More"I chuckle at the thought of Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Byron Nelson or Bobby Jones having a swing coach. They would have killed him!"
/Dan Jenkins sits down for a most enjoyable Q&A with Stephanie Wei for the WSJ online.
Read MoreAtwal's 61 Positions Him For Run At Next Year's FedEx Cup
/Is there any question that we have to root for Arjun Atwal to win this week's Wyndham Championship, not only because he's experienced his share of hard luck, but also because he's ineligible for this year's playoffs, even with a win. I might even tune in just to hear how television spins this one!
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