Love To Be Named Ryder Cup Captain In Special Thursday News Dump!

This is not a stunning revelation considering he was one of Corey Pavin's lieutenants and is a logical choice to be the next U.S. captain, but it is a mystery why Davis Love's captaincy is going to be announced this week.

A) Jose Maria Olazabal will be announced as the European Captain Tuesday. Isn't that enough Ryder Cup news for one week? Or maybe even one month?

B) The announcement will be in Chicago, far away from the golf media in the deserts.

C) The Bears and Packers are playing for the NFC Championship Sunday, which, as AP's Doug Ferguson tweeted, should ensure that the news is on no one's radar screen in Chicago.

Breaking: Someone Wants To Build A Golf Course...In America!

Paul Dunn pens a Pilot guest essay decrying the Pine Forest project in Pinehurst going before the Moore County Board of Commissioners this week.

Developer MHK Ventures Inc. estimates the planned gated community could ultimately contain 600 to 700 homes, two 18-hole and one nine-hole golf courses, a 300-room resort hotel and a commercial district. With 43 excellent golf courses already situated within the so-called Golf Capital of the World, one might question the project’s financial prospects with the economy in deep recession.

After 9/11, ClubCorp abandoned bold plans for Pinehurst Courses No. 9 and 10. The Dormie Club, Legacy Lakes and Little River haven’t seen strong demand for golf venue homes. Stonehill Pines, ambitiously touted to be a major Foxfire project, lies dormant on the drawing board. So the first question the public and commissioners should ask is, “Are 45 more holes of golf and another resort hotel realistic at this time and place?”

"Just get it up-and-down."

If you watched the Sony Open finale you know Mark Wilson won by two thanks to a birdie on the last hole. It turns out the birdie wasn't necessary after Steve Marino missed his lengthy eagle putt, but as Doug Ferguson notes, Wilson did not know where he stood. I never know how guys do this, but it worked!

Wilson hit into a bunker and blasted out some 12 feet past the hole. But his par putt caught enough of the lip to fall, and he clutched his fist. Only later did Wilson reveal that he didn't look at a leaderboard, not wanting to think about anything but making birdies.

He asked his caddie as they walked toward the 18th green where they stood, and the caddied told him, "Just get it up-and-down." Wilson obeyed, pitching to 4 feet. The putt became easier when Marino missed his eagle.

"Saltman's explanation of his initial reaction and subsequent retraction, along with evidence from two fellow professionals, will be at the crux of Tuesday's hearing."

While most like John Huggan are looking ahead to Tuesday's announcement of Jose Maria Olazabal as the next Ryder Cup Captain, Lawrence Donegan reports that it's the day of Elliot Saltman's cheating hearing. Sounds like a he said-he-he said situation.

All have been instructed not to discuss the details of the case but the Observer has established that Saltman faces charges of incorrectly replacing his ball at least five times during the first round of the event in Russia – marking the ball in one position (at "eight o'clock" on its circumference) on the green and replacing in another (at "six o'clock"), marginally closer to the hole.

These alleged infringements were drawn to his attention by his playing partners at the end of the round, after which all three met with Gary Butler, the European Tour rules official in charge that week. After that meeting, Saltman was disqualified. The Scot this week denied any wrongdoing, but in an interview with journalists in Spain last month he indicated that, in the immediate aftermath of the events in Russia, he agreed he had broken the rules. "I accepted what was said at the time because I was in shock at the time and I didn't want to be labelled a cheat. I am sorry now that I didn't stand up for myself,'' he said.