The Olympic Golf Impact, Russian Edition

An unbylined Russian Television story pretty much lays out the scenario that International Golf Federation organizers and Olympic golf boosters predicted about including the game as part of the Olympics. Namely, the push to develop players in places that traditionally have not funded or paid attention to golf. Like Russia.

One of the main prospects is Vladimir Osipov. He is just 16, and would turn 21 at the Rio Olympics.

The Games will see the return of golf, after just two appearances, early in the 20th century. But to make an Olympic dream come true, players need to dig deep.

“Of course I want to go to the Olympics,” he said. “But, to give myself a chance, I need to be high up in the world rankings. So I'll have to turn pro soon and start racking up ranking points, and improve my game.”

For this season, the youngster is setting his sights on the European Amateur Team Championships in Portugal in September, and then probably the World event.

The Russian national side are fresh from a training camp in America and local trainers praised their progress as a unit.

But the sport's officials are after strong performances, not just words of approval.

“To go to the Rio Olympics, golfers will need to rocket up the world rankings,” Nikolay Afanasiev from Russia’s Golf Association said.

Foley: Lay Off My Man Tiger!

Sean Foley is fed up, mad as hell, and not going to take it anymore. At least, as much as a super nice Canadian can get angry. Asked at the end of a Sirius/XM Fairways of Life interview with Matt Adams about Woods after 20 minutes of general golf talk, the instructor came to his pupil's defense. Randall Mell reports:

“I know everyone has a job to do, and I get it,” Foley said. “But if it is about the game of golf, Tiger Woods is an extremely important part of the game, and I think everyone understands that. It has just gotten to the point where the tearing down of Tiger as a person and a golfer has become just too much. I think it is just out of hand.

“I realize it is 2012, and we have dotcoms, and you have to write five articles a day, and you run out of things to write about, but we should be in a position where we are trying to help and lift up and support a player like Tiger Woods, instead of tearing him down, because everyone in the golf industry is better off because of his existence.

“That is basically one thing I want to get out. Tiger is a wonderful person, and he is a good dude, and he lives a complex life. I think things have got to slow down, it has got to stop, the daily referendums and the criticism.”

Duly noted. And that won't happen as long as he's kicking clubs.

Monty Gives Branson Lesson on Plane Wing; No Structural Damage Reported

I know, predictable fat jokes aren't fair these days now that Monty has dropped so much weight that I did a double take when spotting him under the Big Oak.

So here are four minutes of your life you won't' be getting back. But before you move on, in those four minutes we learn Monty is helping Richard Branson launch the "Swingers Club" (yes, the same Monty who has been dogged by...anyway...). And best of all from the Virgin executive, there was this statement about Monty: "If not the greatest, one of the greatest golfers in the world."

I knew I'd get you to watch!

State Of The Game Podcast, Episode 8: Masters Wrap, Clayton In America

The original cast of State of the Game gets together to talk the Masters, Bubba and mudballs, followed by a review of Mike Clayton's American golf trip that included stops at some of the finest designs in the land.

As always you can listen below, or even better, listen/subscribe through iTunes or access the episode directly there.

Story To Watch: Finchem, KB Home And Executive Compensation

Reader Stuart pointed out that the Law Firm of Levi & Korsinsky, LLP has launched an investigation into possible breaches of fiduciary duty by the Board of Directors of KB Home in connection with executive compensation. The national firm has done this before, including in several court-appointed instances.

PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem sits on the KB Home board and has already avoided one potentially awkward scrape with angry shareholders over compensation committee work that approved a $9 million package to CEO Jeffrey Mezger during a year the company lost $1.41 billion.

Finchem was appointed to the KB Home board in 2005. Major League Baseball's Bud Selig is the only other commissioner to serve on a corporate board while also overseeing a professional sport.

Finchem's 2009 compensation of $4.7 million earned grumbling and snickers at a 2010 player meeting. Only about a quarter of that pay is salary, the rest a product of performance bonuses tied to "growing" the tour.

Compared to his PGA Tour compensation, Finchem's income from KB Home is minor, according to Forbes.

In late 2009 it was revealed that as executives received annual raises, Finchem instituted a series of layoffs in several departments and froze the employees 401k program.

Robust Advance Sales For BMW At Crooked Stick Confirm There's Very Little To Do In Indianapolis

From an unbylined AP story suggest the four-day September tournament could approach galleries of 150,000. Or, what Scottsdale actually gets for the week.

Organizers already have announced the tourney will return to Chicago in 2013 and 2015, with Denver hosting it in 2014. But Indy's response could push the city into the BMW rotation or perhaps prompt tour officials to give Indianapolis a chance to fill a hole on a future schedule.

"At the present time, we don't have any openings," PGA Tour spokesman Ty Votaw said Tuesday. "But certainly, Indy's record makes it a market that we would always be interested in at looking at if there was an open spot. A significant number of our events are signed through post-2014."

Phoenix typically has the largest announced crowds for non-majors, but Midwestern cities such as St. Louis and Minneapolis traditionally have drawn well when they make it onto the schedule. Crooked Stick has, too.