Power Play Coming Up!

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Kevin Garside reminds us that today is the debut of Power Play at a soggy ("pissing down rain" -Poulter) Celtic Manor.

The format, played out over nine holes, offers players two pins to aim at, one with a greater degree of difficulty yielding more points. The format has been trialled at more than 400 clubs over a period of three years. The made-for-TV event is designed to appeal to a new audience, attracting those who might not otherwise engage in golf.

Gary Player is PowerPlay's leading advocate:

“PowerPlay is not meant to take the place of tour golf but to augment it. And if golf is to grow and develop a grass-roots following in other parts of the world PowerPlay is a great idea. Just look at what Twenty20 has done for cricket. You would never have visualised anything like that.

The event appears to have some impressive organizational backing and television outlets across the globe. It's coming on Golf Channel live at 12 ET.

NCAA May Madness: Rough Obsession Returns

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Northwestern coach and Luke Donald instructor Pat Goss posted this image from the NCAA Men's Golf Championship's today:

Well-informed sources say these signs were posted last year as well, which means the NCAA pulls these out of storage to ship to the NCAA's. All to preserve the integrity of the "rough."

Good to know the NCAA brings its point-missing ways to golf, too.

"The course set-up is making guys lash out."

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Lawrence Donegan reports on the Paul Casey-Ernie Els pairing Saturday going off without a hitch despite Casey's criticism of Ernie Els's Wentworth redo 3.0. Seems the setup is now to blame for the lousy architecture, though I'm pretty sure the European Tour staff didn't redo the greens or import that pretty water hazard from Florida!
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Woman Qualifies For Canadian Tour!

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Thanks to reader Bob for this Score Golf item on Isabelle Beisiegal, a 32-year-old Montreal native who qualified in the the Canadian Tour's Spring Qualifying School. This makes her the first woman to successfully earn status on a men's professional golf tour.

On the back nine Isabelle would make bogeys on eleven and twelve and sit four over par for the day with six holes left to play. She then birdied the par 5 thirteenth before a stubbed chip from off the green at fourteen lead to another bogey. She would make another birdie on the short par 4 15th, but here drive on 16 found the water off the tee and lead to another bogey.

Her tee ball on the par 3 17th left her with a six-foot put for birdie which she would go onto make, and then ground out an up and down par on the eighteenth hole which gave her a fourth round score of 75, and a tournament total of 296 (+8) which would be good enough to earn the last non-exempt card.

"I went into today just trying not to get ahead of myself. I focused on thinking about where I was and not what could happen. I was assured in the fact that no matter what happened it was going to be ok."

Ernie Responds To Wentworth Design Bashing: "I do not believe you will find better surfaces to putt on anywhere in the world."

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The only thing worse than player architects who have not business messing around with a classic course is a player architect who hasn't a clue how to defend his work. Lawrence Donegan on continued criticism of Ernie Els' latest redo of Wentworth, with Ernie's reply to Ian Poulter.
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