State Of The Game Podcast 10: "The Open won't be going to Portrush..."

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That's the sunny take of John Huggan, who also wrote in Golf World about the dynamics of trying to return the Open Championship to Royal Portrush.

That sticky subject is one of many topics we cover, including the U.S. Open at Olympic Club, this week's Scottish Open and the Open Championship at Lytham.

You can access the show, hosted by Rod Morri and including Huggan and myself this week, via a direct link, via iTunes, via iTunes subscription, or the player below:

The Open Is Coming! Which Means This Site Will Fly Into Full Open Championship Mode

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I'm off to work on some stories for next year's Open Championship, to review Trump International Scotland for Golf World, and to take in the Scottish Open this weekend. This will be followed by next week's coverage of the Open Championship from Royal Lytham for Golf World and GolfDigest.com.

After the Open, I have a dream round of golf in the greater Edinburgh area on tap (details, photos and video likely at some point). This will be followed by a few days of vacation.

So bear with me the next three weeks as posting frequency, times and content will vary depending on WiFi access, the news, media regulations, moods, the weather or the need to withhold certain observations for magazine stories.

But as always, your submissions for blog worthy stories will be greatly appreciated. And a special thanks to the art department for the "stamp" mastheads.

"With designer glasses for goggles and haute couture as a wetsuit, Foley has been swimming upstream ever since."

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Jim Moriarty files the kind of profile that makes a Golf World contributor proud and is a must read. But since you all subscribe and received your issue last week, you know this.

Just in case you don't, here's a link to the digital edition where you'll learn the story of Sean Foley's rise both as an instructor to star players and simply the progression of a career devoted to the game. No matter how you feel about his philosophy, I'll be shocked if you aren't in admiration of his devotion to golf.

The story is also supported by interesting shots from Darren Carroll's camera.

Good Times In Cleveland: IMG Taking Former Agents To Court, Tracking Them With Private Investigators

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Alex Miceli with a wildly entertaining story of ten-percenter sharks feasting on each other, with a legal battle breaking out between IMG and two former agents, Jon Wagner and Jon Heaston.

A pre-trial conference is scheduled for July 10 in Cleveland regarding a contempt-of-court allegation by IMG against Wagner, possibly stemming from what IMG contends was inappropriate contact between Wagner and Immelman. During a sponsor day at CordeValle resort in San Martin, Calif., on the Monday after the U.S. Open, Wagner, Immelman and David Fry attended and were videotaped together by a private investigator whom sources say was hired by IMG.

Still pictures from the video were submitted to the court as evidence of Wagner’s violation of the temporary restraining order.

Wagner would not comment about the pre-trial conference, but Immelman was not pleased by the allegation and what he sees as a violation of his privacy.

“I was caught totally off guard when I heard about the pictures,” Immelman said via phone. “I’m trying to do my best efforts for one of my long-standing partners, Old Mutual and its guests, and pictures were being taken. I understand there are legal issues outstanding, but I felt like it was crossing the line.”

 All for a measly ten percent!

Westwood Injures Himself In On-Course Slip

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From an unbylined wire report, and just twelve days before the Open for the top title contender.

He was walking to the first tee in the third round of the Alstom French Open at Paris' Le Golf National.

"I was talking to Richard Sterne's caddie and not looking where I was going," Westwood told Sky Sports. "I slipped on wooden sleepers down the side of the cart path. My left foot went forward about two feet and my right foot stayed where it was.

"It left like I strained something at the top of my right leg and tweaked my right knee as well. I didn't really have much confidence in it and as the round went on I just kept stretching my groin out. It seems to have eased off but I am still a little bit wary of it. I felt if I stopped it might make it worse by seizing up, so I thought it was better to keep it moving.

The USGA Is Back! Twosomes Taking Over Five Hours; Excessive Setup And High Scores

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The U.S. Women's Open committee or the weatherman or someone blew it Saturday judging by Gary D'Amato's account. The setup was set in stone before Saturday's winds kicked up, but that also may have been the problem.

"I think Blackwolf is starting to snarl a little bit," said Ben Kimball, director of the Women's Open.

How Meeksian!

Paula Creamer was asked if the difficult setup was the USGA's response to the low scores and player comments after the first two rounds.

"One hundred percent," she said. "Yes. One hundred percent."

Kimball disagreed, saying it was determined during site visits weeks ago.

"The actual setup and strategy for the week was done in advance of when I even got here," he said. "We didn't go off course; we didn't have a knee-jerk reaction to anything any player said or try and do anything to try to dictate any particular score today."

The average round for the twosomes...twosomes was 4 hours, 50 minutes. Twosomes!

Stina Sternberg points that it took the final group of Pettersen and Wie 3:06 for...nine holes! But the USGA also seems to have suspended their station system that would have meant slow play penalties.

The tougher conditions, in addition to the already intimidating length of the Blackwolf Run layout, with flags teetering near the water's edge on many holes, resulted in rounds taking painfully long on Saturday. The final pairing of Wie and Pettersen made the turn in 3:06 after being forced to wait for up to three groups to tee off before them on some holes. Slow play has been a hot-button topic on the LPGA Tour this season, culminating in a much-disputed loss-of-hole penalty for Morgan Pressel in the semi-final of the Sybase Match Play Championship in May, but no penalties have been given out so far this week. As long as the sluggish pace is a result of the course setup, it's difficult to penalize the players.

Randall Mell quotes Kimball on the pace Saturday with optimism for improved pace Sunday.

“Tomorrow, we’re hoping for improvements,” Kimball said. “There are some things with the setup that will help.”

Na Yeon Choi opened up a six stroke lead, reports Dan Manoyan.

Kohler: “These Asians have done so well because they know the meaning of work."

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An unbylined AP story quotes Herb Kohler talking about Asian golfers knowing the meaning of work and that the "Americans have now seen what the Asians can do, and they’re starting to work.”

But this gave me a bigger laugh:

Kohler said his company has 11 manufacturing plants in China, which produce products mainly for sale to Chinese customers.

“We’re very successful in China because of the attitude of those people toward work,” Kohler said. “They love to work, they know how to work and they do what it takes. And they love to win.”

I'm sure they love making toilets at those lavish wages!

Source: Tiger ($1.8 Mil) Edges Phil ($1 Mil) In The Greenbrier Indirect Payment Cup

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Robert Lusetich on the two megastars missing the Greenbrier Classic cut, reveals what they were "indirectly" paid.

According to a source close to Justice, Tiger Woods was paid — indirectly, so as not to contravene PGA Tour rules that prohibit appearance fees — $1.8 million to sprinkle star dust on the Old White course this week.

For the second straight year, Justice indirectly paid Phil Mickelson $1 million and, for the second straight year, the Californian left the stately Greenbrier resort early after laying an egg.