Goldman Elevator Gossip, Golf Edition
/I'm a big fan of the Goldman Sachs elevator gossip tweets whether they are real or not.
Though something tells me there is no one out there who could make up one that appeared today:
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
Kneejerk Olympic Non-Announcement Reaction
/As always, the emphasis on jerk...
Read More"Players are asked to collect Bomb and Shrapnel splinters to save these causing damage to the mowing machines."
/Thanks to reader Jonathan for Shaun Usher's post on the "Lists of Note" blog of "Wartime Golf Rules".
Read MoreBack Nine Network Launch Video
/Just a hunch, but based on the launch video shot mostly at last week's PGA Show, I'm sensing the Back Nine Network will not be the channel of choice for the grill room TV sets at Augusta National. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Read MoreOlympic Architect Choice Postponed Until March
/As I tweeted earlier today, it appears the panel of four is deadlocked with a longshot in the mix. The committee decision must be unanimous.
AP is reporting the committee was "extremely pleased with the high quality of the eight proposals" by the finalists, but will wait until an IOC visit in March.
The Donald Endorses The Fervent Anti-Golf Candidate!
/The only businessman bullish on golf these days has endorsed the presidential candidate who has lashed out at the current presidents proclivity to bat a ball around the links now and then. What a country!
Read More"Woman Undercover"
/Great stuff from Pete Finch with acting by LPGA Tour player Kim Hall playing different female characters at different courses to see what kind of reactions women get at courses.
Read More"To realize that we actually have had 400 years worth of artistic expression around this game is really remarkable."
/Nice backstory piece by Howard Pousner on Atlanta's High Museum exhibition, "Art of Golf."
Read MoreWoodland Trying To Drive TPC Scottsdale's 10th
/Encouraging sign to see the PGA Tour post the quirkiest highlight from round one of the Waste Management Open, when Gary Woodland tries to drive the tenth green.
Read More"[Hyler] used the governing body's position of authority to attend to a handful of the game's growing concerns without wielding it indiscriminately or arrogantly."
/Ryan Herrington reviews Jim Hyler's tenure as USGA President. Hyler is outgoing this week, with Glen Nager taking over at the USGA's Annual Meeting in Houston. I'll be there with some notes, observations and thoughts. And maybe even an update on year nine of the ball study!
Read MorePhil's Legal Eagle: "If we can stop one person, then it's one less person who can get away with this."
/Doug Ferguson with an update on the Courthouse News report from yesterday regarding Phil Mickelson and an anonymous commenter.
"'You're going to put a what?'"
/
Adam Schupak with a fun flashback story of Deane Beman asking Gary McCord his thoughts on the future TPC Scottsdale site, home to the in-progress Waste Management Open.
"I remember I was at Phoenix Country Club," McCord said, "and I got a phone call from Deane Beman and he goes, 'Gary, I need a board member to go out and look at some land we're looking at.' So Ed Sneed and I go out and we're sitting on the burn out there where the driving range is for the East Golf Course and there's the Scottsdale Airport. There were a few buildings around a few hangars and nothing else. There's nothing. I turn and look at Pinnacle Peak. There's a few homes, I think Desert Highlands (Golf Club) had opened and then there's nothing. I look north and I don't see anything. I turn to Ed and I said, 'What the hell is this?' He said, 'I don't know.'
IGF Head: “All the presentations have been first class."
/AroundTheRings.com talks to International Golf Federation executive director Antony Scanlon who says he is “extremely pleased with the quality of the submissions” from the last two days of Rio 2016’s course design contest.
Read More"Los Angeles Accuses Northern Trust of Mismanaging Assets"
/Edvard Petterson of Bloomber reports that L.A. City Attorney Carmen Trutanich's office has filed suit against the bank and PGA Tour event sponsor in Los Angeles, claiming the bank mismanaged assets in the city employees’ pension fund by placing them in “highly risky” sub-prime loans.
Read MoreR&A Awards Portrush...An Amateur
/2 February 2012, St Andrews, Scotland: Royal Portrush and Carnoustie have been chosen as future venues for the Amateur Championship.
Portrush, venue for the 1951 Open, will host the Championship for the third time in 2014 on its renowned Dunluce Links with the initial stroke play qualifying stage shared with nearby Portstewart.
In 2015, the Championship will be staged at Carnoustie for a fifth time with qualifying also taking place at Panmure, a previous Open Local Final Qualifying course.
Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, The R&A’s Executive Director – Championships, said: “The Amateur Championship has a proud tradition of being contested over the finest links courses in the British Isles.
“I am delighted that the Championship will be returning to two past venues that will offer Irish and Scottish golf fans the chance to watch some of the world’s best amateur golfers in action.
“Previous Championships have seen some of golf’s greatest names, such as past champions Jose Maria Olazabal , Sergio Garcia and more recently Matteo Manassero, announce themselves on the world stage. I’m sure in 2014 and 2015 we will again see some future household names competing for the trophy.”
Portrush - which can count 2010 US Open Champion Graeme McDowell as well as Open winners Padraig Harrington (2007, 08) and reigning Champion Darren Clarke among its members - has a long history of hosting championship golf.
It first hosted the Championship in 1960, won by Ireland’s Joe Carr, and then again in 1993 when England’s Iain Pyman came out on top. It was the scene of Max Faulkner’s Open victory in 1951 and has hosted the Senior Open Championship six times, most recently in 2004. Portrush was recently named by the European Tour as the venue for this year’s Irish Open.
