Deutsche Bank Extends To 2016

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Another impressive job by the PGA Tour brass to get a prominent (and slightly troubled) sponsor to re-up, this time Deutsche Bank through 2016 for the playoff event where relations have had their ups and downs.

Michael Whitmer says the contracts were signed Wednesday.

For Immediate Release:

NORTON, Mass. – The PGA TOUR and Deutsche Bank today announced that the global banking firm has extended its sponsorship of the Deutsche Bank Championship by four years, through 2016. The announcement comes as the tournament, the second of four FedExCup Playoff events, celebrates its 10th anniversary this week.

Deutsche Bank has been title sponsor since the tournament’s Labor Day Weekend debut at TPC Boston in 2003. EMC Corporation also has renewed as the local presenting sponsor through 2016. 

“We are extremely proud of the success and positive impact the Deutsche Bank Championship has had over these first 10 years,” said Seth Waugh, CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas. “The tournament's growth and ascension to the FedExCup Playoffs is a testament to the great fans of New England and terrific partnership with the PGA TOUR and Tiger Woods Foundation, as well as EMC as the local presenting sponsor. We are delighted to announce the continuation of our title sponsorship through 2016.”

Since its inception, the Deutsche Bank Championship has generated more than $20 million for charity. The Tiger Woods Foundation serves as the tournament’s host organization and primary beneficiary and the event also benefits many charities throughout New England via various events, programs and its Birdies for Charity initiative.  
“Deutsche Bank has been a valuable partner of the PGA TOUR and the Tiger Woods Foundation over the past decade and has helped to generate a significant impact on the region’s economy and charities through its sponsorship of the Deutsche Bank Championship,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem. “With today’s announcement, the Deutsche Bank Championship will continue its positive influence throughout the region and maintain its important role in the FedExCup Playoffs. We sincerely thank and congratulate Deutsche Bank for this new four-year commitment.”

Medinah Rounding Into Shape, Slowly

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Sean Jensen visits Medinah for an update where the fairways are finally getting a break from being played "aggressively" by members and guests according to director of golf course operations Curtis Tyrrell.

The PGA's Kerry Haigh recently paid a visit and is only concerned with the fairway conditions, which should thrive with cooler weather and minimal play since the course was closed on August 20th.

The fairways are his only concern because of a combination of wear and tear, as well as weather. Tyrrell said the different types of grass at Medinah ideally grow at a soil temperature of around 50 to 65 degrees. But with a hot June and July — including a stretch of 45 days when the soil temperature was over 80 — the fairways, in particular, took a beating.

‘‘Rain would help and some cooler temperatures, and if we have one of those great Chicago Septembers, we’ll be just fine,’’ said Michael Belot, the director of the 2012 Ryder Cup. ‘‘The course will be in phenomenal shape.’’

Added Tyrrell, ‘‘The fairways are really filled in.’’

A nice video report features Tyrrell talking about tree removal and Rees Jones' renovation of Medinah.

“I’ve got a high school diploma. What else am I going to do?

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Michael Whitmer talks to players about what a change in the rules would mean for those anchoring the putter to their body and gets this nice bit of self-deprecating humor from Carl Pettersson.

Pettersson estimates he’s spent “10,000 hours, 15,000 hours” practicing with a club he’s used for 15 years. If the club is banned, could he adapt?

“Would I adapt? Well, I’d have to,” Pettersson said. “I’ve got a high school diploma. What else am I going to do?

Kasich: "Joe Biden told me that he was a good golfer. And I’ve played golf with Joe Biden, I can tell you that’s not true."

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Arlette Saenz on Ohio Governor John Kasich's jab at Vice President Joe Biden during the GOP convention, which I read about on Twitter and figured was said in classic golfer-to-golfer trash talk after the team of Kasich-Biden reportedly lost to Obama-Boehner. But the video is a bit creepy. He really is angry about Joe's game!

“Folks, let me tell you this – Joe Biden disputes a lot of those facts, but Joe Biden told me that he was a good golfer. And I’ve played golf with Joe Biden, I can tell you that’s not true, as well as all of the other things that he says,” Kasich said Tuesday at the Republican convention.

Rachel Weinter and Paul Kane note that Kasich's remarks also broke the agreed-upon parameters of last summer's golf summit  inspired by Golf Digest and carried out with class by all parties. Until now.

Still, Kasich’s comments appear to have broken the code of last year’s golf summit, for which all sides agreed not to discuss what happened on the course other than to say that the Obama-Biden team won its $2 bet. When Obama gave a joint address to Congress three months later, Boehner and Biden were caught on a live mic before the speech discussing the speaker’s sub-par round of golf during the August recess at a resort course in Nebraska. 

The video:

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Greg Norman Survives Scary Jet Landing; Vows To Keep Flying Private

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Tim Rosaforte fills us in on the text from Greg Norman after the former Presidents Cup Captain survived a harrowing private jet malfunction en route to Geneva Airport. He was heading there for the Omega European Masters.

Anyway, the Shark is fine, a good time wasn't had by all and he's not about to be seen flying commercial anytime soon.  

Tavistock Cup Angling To Be Even More Obnoxious In '13

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The, eh-em, charity event that is the Tavistock Cup will include two more teams helicoptering in and depriving some PGA Tour event of entrants in 2013, reports Jason Sobel, who is undoubtedly working the phones knowing how badly we are dying to find out which rich guy's club will be supplying tour pros in ugly uniforms.

More importantly, what uniforms will the media wear now that there are more teams?

Bubba Makes Clear What He Thinks Of Golf Channel's Daytime Programming

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Nice catch by Jonathan Wall. And nice focus by "On The Range" correspondent Alex Miceli to be so locked in as to be oblivious to the background activity.



The real gift of this video was the Bentley the bulldog puppy video that flashed up after Miceli. Much more cuddly and funny.

"That essentially leaves Love having to look at five players - maybe more - for two spots."

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It wasn't that long ago that Captain Davis Love appeared to have a wealth of attractive options for his four Ryder Cup Captain's picks, but as Doug Ferguson lays out, Love now faces a tough decision made tougher by Nick Watney's win Sunday.

Working on the premise that Steve Stricker and Jim Furyk are locks and leaving two more picks, Ferguson writes:

Watney was enduring a lost season until winning The Barclays. That doesn't make him a frontrunner, but he is a big blip on the radar at the very least. Brandt Snedeker already was under consideration - a winner at Torrey Pines, a contender at the British Open and a guy who can putt. He showed that at The Barclays, making a 15-footer for par on the 17th and a birdie putt from about that length on the 18th to finish alone in second.

Dustin Johnson, who has won every year since his rookie season in 2008, tied for third at Barclays. His sheer power and talent is difficult to ignore. Fowler showed up on the leaderboard until Saturday, when Bethpage Black became Bethpage Brown and sent scores soaring. Not to be forgotten is Hunter Mahan, who was poised to make the team on his own until he finished toward the bottom of the pack at Firestone and missed the cut at the PGA Championship and the Barclays.

The list can get even longer depending on the Deutsche Bank Championship, especially if Bo Van Pelt or someone like Bill Haas were to win.

No one will be under greater pressure than Mahan. He won twice this year, but has only one top 10 over the last five months. And he is the opposite of Furyk, who has qualified for every team. Mahan has been a captain's pick twice for the Presidents Cup, once for the Ryder Cup.

No love for Rickie?

I'd go with who is playing (and putting) well, meaning Watney and Snedeker. You?

Video: Fairway Hole-Out Leads To Walk-Off Win In Canada

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How many times have we heard announcers say a player has to hole out from the fairway to have any hope of winning only to be disappointed. Not on the Canadian Tour, as Jay Busbee explains Eugene Wong's final hole eagle from the fairway to win the 2012 Canadian Tour Championship by a shot over Joe Panzeri.

It was caught on video and posted by PGATour.com.