All Systems Go At TPC Boston
/The Deutsche Bank Championship is a go. From the folks at Brenner/Zwikel PR:
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
"You wonder, though, if it also might become an issue down the road."
/Ryan Herrington in Golf World Monday, writing about the Walker Cup snub of John Peterson and also Scott Langley, noting both were graduating seniors who remained amateurs this summer to be considered for the Walker Cup team:
Read MoreThe Wildest, Wackiest And Worst Walker Cup Omission Ever?
/
Ron Balicki runs down this year's Walker Cup selections by the USGA and captain Jim Holtgrieve and even as a distant admirer of the event, all I can do is shake my head and wonder what John Peterson had to do to make the team. After losing in extra holes in the sweet 16, the recent NCAA and Jones Cup winner and world No. 7 who missed winning the Nationwide Tour's prestigious Children's Hospital Invitational by a stroke this summer was inexplicably passed over.Kraft Wins U.S. Amateur; Driveable Four Plays Huge Role
/It was one of those shame-somebody-has-to-lose matches, but Kelly Kraft bested Patrick Cantlay at Erin Hills. Ryan Lavner reports on Kraft's improbably rise and notes this, which suggest they're not hurting for money at SMU.
Read MoreJob Creator Azinger Runs Afoul Of ESPN Policy
/
Paul Azinger's Tweet about his job creating prowess and the Presidents decision to play golf on his vacation got the once-a-year ESPN announcer a slap on the wrist. John Strege explains how the "discipline" was consistent with another ESPN announcer's comment about Sarah Palin. 
Wie Leads Canadian Open And In Public Perception
/
Michelle Wie is co-leading the Canadian Open with a long putter. Earlier this week, the LA Times's Diane Pucin looked at Wie's decision to get her degree from Stanford, featuring this criticism from Annika Sorenstam:DVR Alert: Old School Tennis!
/Thanks to reader Rob for noticing that the cool folks in tennis took a very slight risk and played an exhibition featuring retro equipment, something that should have happened in golf by now.
Read More
"The distance elite players are hitting the ball hasn't fundamentally changed the balance of skills that lead to good scoring."
/John Paul Newport makes the case above--distance gains have not fundamentally changed the game--and I'm not sure if this was the best week to write this story after a soft Plainfield looked completely overmatched by modern equipment (a stunning 31 players finished in double digits under par for 54 holes while the winner was 19-under for 3 rounds).
Read More2011 Barclays/Surrounding Area Evacuation Open Comment Thread
/I never thought I'd live to see the day when our largest city is shutting down at noon and just south of there the PGA Tour would try to keep playing to get in 54 holes to preserve the integrity of the playoffs!
Read MoreU.S. Amateur Semi's Set
/Coverage is from 3-5 ET, making for a nice lead-in to the Travers. Pete Kowalski reports on the final four:
Read More"Shackleford is tough because he runs every time."
/
As thrilling as the playoffs are and as frightening as Irene appears to be, my eyes will be on Shackleford's trip in Saratoga's Travers Cup (NBC 5 pm ET), one of the biggest three-year-old races outside the Triple Crown. Jerry Bossert explains that the big guy can lock up the 3-year-old division with a win and even notoriously-stingy-with-praise trainer Bob Baffert compliments Shack, reports Tim Wilkin.
Trainers who are running against Shackleford have nothing but respect. Hall of Famer Bob Baffert watched Coil chase down Shackleford in the Haskell, but he had to fight for it.
"Shackleford is tough because he runs every time," Baffert said. "Dale has done a fantastic job with him and he is tough to get by. In the Preakness, it looked like Animal Kingdom was going to run right by him, and he didn't let him by. He just said, 'No way, Jose. You aren't getting by me.' When Coil got to him (in the Haskell) it looked like he was going to run right by and win by a length and a half. Shackleford is a real good horse."
Jesus Castanon has been riding him in the mornings, which gives him an edge in the karma department.
Here's Shack's final workout and his dirty post-workout rolling around ritual.
The Barclays Shortened To 54 Holes, At Least
/I think the game will survive this, For Immediate Release:
Read More"Think about a University of Michigan football game. You could put that many people on this golf course and they would move around just fine."
/Gary D'Amato talks to Mike Davis about Erin Hills and he compares this week's U.S. Amateur site with Pebble Beach, Shinnecock Hills and Oakmont, saying, "This stands up with all of them."
He also loves the scale of the place.
"I guess I'd put it this way: If I compare this to, say, Bethpage or Pinehurst, which would be our biggest U.S. Open sites, this makes those sites look tiny in terms of what you can do," Davis said. "It is a huge site.
"This might be the first U.S. Open where we don't have to put a cap on tickets. . . . Think about a University of Michigan football game. You could put that many people on this golf course and they would move around just fine."
Ed Sherman also declares Erin Hills a hit, and notes the setup early in the week was a far cry from last year and has been important in winning over players.
The United States Golf Assn. went fairly easy with the pin placements during the first two rounds of match play, resulting in some low scores. The USGA also is learning about the place. But tellingly, USGA Executive Director Mike Davis told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, "This is a course we could set up so that 15-over par would win a U.S. Open. I'm not kidding you."
I believe him. I was out there Wednesday afternoon when the wind was blowing 20 to 25 mph. I didn't see many birdies as the players were doing their best to hang on.
