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
Bill Fields files a Golf World Monday item (with great photo) on the Himalayas-style putting green that opened at Pinehurst resort, paying homage to a 1919 miniature built in the area.
The resort has also posted this YouTube video of the green's opening. It is free to play for resort guests.
Now if we could just build about 1000 of these around the country...
TJ Auclair reminds us that we can watch Captain Love announce his four picks at 10:15 a.m. ET at this page on the official Ryder Cup website.
Golfweek's Sean Martin compiles an excellent breakdown of the candidates and their records this year, in various cup matches and what they're doing statistically. The staff also weighs in with their selections. Will Jim Furyk's 8-15-4 Ryder Cup record work against him? It's not that the others have stellar Ryder records, if they have one at all (Snedeker).
The SI Confidential gang has a lot to say this week but you can bypass the Tiger's state of mind talk for the Ryder Cup chatter and Captain's picks, where there is little agreement on the final two or so spots.
And of course, most important all were your votes. Whereas of post time, Steve Stricker, Dustin Johnson, Brandt Snedeker were overwhelming choices while Jim Furyk was a lukewarm fourth choice. You can still vote here.
Here's a nice Ed Sherman interview of Ted Geltner, author of a new Jim Murray biography, Last King Of The Sports Page.
Geltner is also on Twitter and posting a daily Murray quote.
Doug Ferguson on another startling win by Rory McIlroy, this time with two huge final day chunks en route to a probable player-of-the-year clinching win over a stellar field.
Boy Wonder didn't make it easy on himself at the TPC Boston. He tore up the turf on a tee shot that traveled 170 yards, and that was the only fairway he hit over the last five holes.
He had to make a 6-foot putt to save par from a bunker, and a 5-foot putt to save bogey after a pitch sailed from one side of the green to the other. And he had to wait as Louis Oosthuizen's birdie putt to force a playoff slid below the hole.
"I had a couple of wobbles coming in, but I obviously did enough and I'm very excited to get a victory," McIlroy said.
Stunningly, the highlights did not include any of the wobbly shots or the super NBC analysis of them, so I've miniaturized the highlight package to celebrate the PGATour.com's move away from YouTube because, well, why would you want to reach a mass audience? You can put your ads on there too Tim!
On second thought, here is Golf Channel's exhaustive recap.
I do not envy the task of Ryder Cup Captain Davis Love as he faces some tough decision with his four selections for the 2012 Ryder Cup team.
Here's a nice breakdown on Sky Sports of the dilemna he faces and a John Huggan infused take on the state of the teams heading into Tuesday's announcement press conference.
I voted first and went with Stricker, Watney, Snedeker and Johnson, going with the youthful guys who are playing well. Furyk is a tough veteran to leave off, but it's time to give a younger guy some more experience and let Stricker do the Tiger babysitting.
You can select up to four...
So many potential playoff ramifications, I don't know or care where to start so let's just focus on Louis Oosthuizen, Rory McIlroy and the Ryder Cup audition.
NBC's final round coverage comes on at 1:30 ET, with Golf Channel offering bonus coverage simultaneously.
For the week, the 18th is playing harder statistically. Last year the hole played to a 4.50 average with 19 eagles, 165 birdies and 23 bogeys. Through three rounds this year the hole has a 4.650 average, 14 eagles, 106 birdies and 28 bogeys.
“We just wanted to create a little more interesting finish,” Hanse said. “If that translated to the hole being harder, fine; and if it was easier that was fine. It was never the goal to go out and make the hole more difficult.”
I think the lefthanded attempt will be reviewed by the Ponte Vedra Unbecoming Grooming and Standards Committee. But I hope the committee just remembers what kind of pressure the playoffs bring!
Thanks to CBSSports.com's Shane Bacon for finding the video:
At the Notre Dame-Navy game of all places. A shame the USGA Executive Director wasn't there to tackle the nut.
Finally, a visual look at the change to the TPC Boston's home hole green courtesy of Golf Channel's first round broadcast of the Deutsche Bank Championship.
Not a huge change from afar but several details standout: the approach area over the wetlands allowing for a shot to land and release, the short grass area to the rear, and the loss of green left where most players bailed out.
2011:
2012:
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
