Brendan Jones Expects To Boycott 2016 Rio Golf; Games Expected To Go On

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On the eve of the London 2012 games a BBC viewer today would have learned that most of the people here are already bored with the entire thing and it hasn't even started yet (safe to say, the dreary summer weather is getting to them!). But expect to read a few stories about golf entering the Games in four years.
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Video: I Have Seen Trump International Scotland...

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...and the verdict is? Greatest course in the world?

Well, unfortunately that will have to wait until Golf World Monday, followed by a feature story for Golf World reviewing Martin Hawtree's design. In the meantime, enjoy this excellent Guardian compilation of Internet reaction to the course. 

One hint about my review you might pick up from the below and decidedly low quality iPhone video compilation is the repeated use of the word "extraordinary."

"Every attribute Scots hold dear has been offended by this man – and yet attention and hostility have served only to feed his overwrought sense of self-importance."

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It's great fun to ask locals about Donald Trump and the reaction I'm getting is fairly similar to that of Lesley Riddoch in this Guardian piece.

Though it's fascinating how many prefaced their disdain for Trump International by saying they supported the project but simply think The Donald has gone too far in his wind-turbine campaign.

It takes quite a lot to unite the people of this notoriously fractious little country in a collective shudder. But Trump has effortlessly managed to strike the wrong note in just about everything he's done. He sneered at locals in modest homes who wouldn't move out of his way. He bragged about his power and wealth. He designed a hotel that made Disneyland look culturally authentic. He staged, posed toe-curlingly brazen photocalls. He struck a bullying manner with staff, reporters, supporters and opponents.

He made endless reference to Hebridean roots – among root-bound Scots unaccustomed to the endless and self-conscious display of national credentials. He used pictures of rusting Hawaiian wind-turbines in misleading Scottish newspaper ads to oppose a renewables test centre supported by every political party and business organisation in the north-east.

In his bizarre appearance before Holyrood's energy committee, Trump explained his opposition to the planned European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre – a test centre that should help reduce the need for onshore wind farms – by calling it a "tourism-crushing eyesore". Asked for proof, he responded with the unforgettable line, "I am the evidence." It grabbed headlines – it also sealed the man's fate.

Today's Golf Course Brouhaha Files: At Least It Wasn't Over Slow Play

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At least this one at Orange County's Casta Del Sol breaks the string of recent golf course spats/fights/assaults over slow play. 

From KABC TV, courtesy of reader Diane:

It all started with a game of golf at Casta Del Sol when Michael Payne allegedly got into a fight with four other golfers ahead of him at the 18th hole.

Nick Chambers says his 21-year-old friend was part of the foursome.

"He got approached from a guy from behind saying that he was stealing his golf balls," said Chambers.
Chambers said his friend denied the accusation, but the fight escalated.

Investigators accuse the 46-year-old Payne of punching one golfer in the face, then attacking Chambers' friend with a golf club, bashing him on the wrist as the victim tried to leave in a golf cart.

"He got in the cart to go get the marshal and go get help, and then he was chased down by the golfer with a golf club," said Chambers.


Callaway CEO On Cuts: "If this surprised anybody, they weren't paying attention"

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Frank but accurate comment from Callaway CEO Chip Brewer in an exclusive interview with GolfDigest.com's Stachura and Johnson to explain staff cuts of 250 and other business restructuring.

"The golf club and golf ball business is what gets our excitement levels up. Clearly, we're very grounded in reality and we're going to come out with more aggressive, authentic and relevant programs, and that's going to extend from sales to marketing to product. In the past, they've claimed to be authentic and they haven't always been authentic, in my opinion. They've been high quality but they haven't always driven innovation and been as responsive as they could.  We're changing all that and the team is excited as hell about that.

After spending two days walking backwards to new tees on classic courses, I'd be more than happy to suggest for the 8941st time that Callaway would be wise to establish itself as the friend of classic courses by developing a slightly rolled back ball for use at the museum pieces of the game. Now that's innovation!

Post Q-School World: "It certainly is weighing a lot on every top college players' mind."

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I finally had a chance to read the specifics of the finalized PGA Tour-kills-Q-School concept and of course it's as goofy as you'd expect for a fully comprised, non-sensical attempt to suggest PGA Tour players just missing their card should play for three weeks with Nationwide Tour also-rans and somehow feel good about life. But the PGA Tour is all about the money, and I get that this helped them wring a few more pennies out of a sponsor.
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The Donald Declares His Course The Greatest In The World...After Nine Holes

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A wire story from The Scotsman was not nearly as fun as the printed version I got to read over breakfast, so I'll have to dig up a few of the quotes in there.

But for now, this was great fun from opening day of Trump International Golf Links where the developer declared it was the greatest in the world before he'd even finished his round!

After completing the first nine holes with George O'Grady and Sandy Jones, the chief executives of the European Tour and the UK PGA respectively, Mr Trump called it the "greatest golf course anywhere in the world".

"We're having a great time, the course is playing great and the weather has held up," he said. "Colin loves the course and he's playing really well, he's a great player and a great guy."

Though by the sounds of this Monty quote from another story by Martin Dempster, he was being paid to be there. Not that such a thing would influence his views.

“We are similar in that way and it’s why I will never give up as a competitor, no matter what I am doing. For instance, it’s not right to be trying to beat the boss [Donald Trump] today, but I will be trying.”

George O'Grady, head of the European Tour, loved it, as quoted in this Dempster story on the prospects of major events at Trump International.

“It’s a man’s golf course – it’s meant for the highest level of play,” acknowledged O’Grady as he gazed down the first fairway of the Martin Hawtree-designed layout.

“What he [Trump] and I have agreed is that, when we are both ready, we would try and persuade someone to come here – and I don’t think it will be too difficult a task. There’s the Scottish Open to think about and I’m sure that’s in the mind of our sponsors, but there are other events as well. It’s certainly capable of taking the biggest and best, I would say.
“It is a unique golf course and, once the photographs of it are seen, many people will want to come here.”