Obama Gets In Round No. 60
/The man likes his golf. From the White House Dossier blog's reprinting of the pool report:
Read MoreWhen 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
2011 Honda (Delayed) Classic Open Comment Thread
/So it's not live on Golf Channel or NBC and Rory Sabbatini has a five stroke lead. But if anyone's ball gets stuck in a tree, you can chat about it here.
RTJ Jr. Goes To The Whip In Olympic Course Designer Derby!**
/An unbylined AP story looks at the circus that has become the race to land the Olympic golf course design bid.
Robert Trent Jones Jr. visited Brazil this week and secured a spot in the race to build the course, joining a field that includes Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros, Greg Norman and others.
You know, I don't want to be cruel, but...Seve?
"The game of golf is in Brazilian hands," said Jones, who formed a partnership Wednesday with retired Brazilian golfing great Mario Gonzalez to vie for the Olympic course design work.
Nice touch. I was wondering when someone would sign Gonzalez up!
Uh, I was able to confirm a 1953 Argentine Open win for Mr. Gonzalez. I wasn't sure if it was 52 or 53. How the memory fades.
"We have dozens of designers interested in this course, the international reaction has been great," said Paulo Pacheco, the Brazilian golf confederation's vice president of marketing. "I think it's even possible that one of these designers will offer their work free of charge just because of the importance of having their name associated with this historic tournament."
Just remember that when they charge you a $1.5 million shaping fee!
Update on 2011-03-06 07:36 by Geoff
**I pulled out my handy copy of Daniel Wexler's wonderful Book of Golfers. He desribes Mr. Gonzalez as "the greatest player ever produced by Brazil," having first won the Argentine Open in 1940, played in three Masters and having captured eight Brazilian Open titles. He was born in 1923.
"It’s serious enough that it scared me pretty well."
/
As someone who recently had something removed that was less serious than Rory Sabbatini's skin cancer, I think it's great to see him using the situation to spread the gospel and perhaps starting a foundation to help the less fortunate. Oh, and he has a five shot lead going into Sunday's Honda finale, reports Larry Dorman:"It’s really going to be something when they play it at the induction, almost like he’s there.”
/
Larry Dorman looks back on the innovations and final days of Frank Chirkinian, who just over a week ago taped an induction speech for the World Golf Hall of Fame ceremony."That's just the way it works - action and reaction."
/John Huggan writes about Tiger's struggles and gets some interesting stuff from Hank Haney taking issue with a Johnny Miller swing analysis.
Read MoreSorry, Had To Turn The Spam Filters Back On
/The site was hacked again today and the spam has been relentless on older posts, so for a few days I'm going to have the comment posting filter switched back on that requires you to enter those swell letters before sharing your brilliant thoughts with the golfing world. New password on this end should help too.
Sorry about this!
"One overpowering feeling hit me: I don't like this. I want to go home."
/
One of the more engaging and articulate PGA Tour players has reached a point where it's just not fun any more, and while I'm sure some will criticize Harrison Frazar for admitting in this SI Golf Plus guest essay, I admire him that much more for writing from the heart."We want viewers on their couch to feel as if they're right there at the event..."
/I was starting to think the new most powerful man in golf, Mike McCarley (sorry Tim), was going to share more stuff about cross-pollinizing core values with brand metrics, but it appears he's actually thinking about how to make golf more exciting and watchable on television. Really!
Read MoreShoplifters Have Spoken: We Love Adjustable Drivers!
/Barry Leibowitz explains that "decaptitated" drivers are turning up in suburban Pittsburgh's finer Dick's Sporting Goods outlets.
Investigators believe the couple is re-using the stolen driver heads to make custom clubs - or selling the stolen heads to someone who is doing that. The clubs are marked for retail, but the security code is on the shafts so the couple can leave the stores with the stolen heads without triggering anti-theft alarms.
The heads on the TaylorMade and Callaway clubs are worth $300 to $400 each.
Someone else is getting the shaft.
R.I.P. Frank Chirkinian**
/
Tim Rosaforte broke the news on Twitter and the tributes are sure to start rolling in. In the meantime, here was his epic Golf Digest My Shot. And this is a link to Craig Dolch's story earlier this year when it was learned that Chirkinian was going into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
"I blame the top players, and you know who I mean."
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Ron Sirak on Nick Price's tough words regarding the potential demise of the Heritage Classic following his Honda Classic second round.
"It's sad, really sad." Price said. "That's one of our great tournaments. And it's one of the great courses of all time we play on our tour." Indeed, since Arnold Palmer won the inaugural Heritage in 1969, the tartan jacket has been put on by Johnny Miller, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, Davis Love III, Greg Norman and Price in 1997.
"When I won there I was really on top of my game," Price said, "and I used every club in the bag. A lot of the golf holes today are taking strategy out of the game. You have that at Harbour Town. I really hope something can be done to save that tournament."
MGWA Clearly Out Of Families To Give Awards To!
/I'm going to guess you'll be able to spot which one stands out there...
The MGWA is pleased to announce the honorees for the 2011 National Awards Dinner: Ernie Els, the Winnie Palmer Award, for his foundation work on behalf of autism; CBS Sports broadcaster Jim Nantz, the Lincoln Werden Golf Journalism Award; Donald J. Trump Family, Family of the Year; Metropolis Country Club, Club of the Year; Nationwide Insurance, the Bing Crosby Tournament Sponsor Award; Mary Bea Porter-King, Distinguished Service Award.
Pinehurst #2 Reopens...
/...naturally, I'd love to hear a review from anyone who plays it anytime soon. The special #2 website offers a poll for those who do play it and there are plenty of photos and videos worth checking out.
