Reset Cup: Rory Wins Again, Then Loses His Huge Playoff Lead

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From Doug Ferguson's game story covering Rory McIlroy's impressive win over a star-studded leaderboard at Crooked Stick in the 2012 BMW Championship:

Any of the top 30 players who advanced to the Tour Championship have a mathematical shot at winning the $10 million prize.

McIlroy earned 2,500 points for winning the last two playoff events, each time 1250 more points than the second place finishers, giving him a commanding 3,232 point lead. Except that this is the Reset Cup, and now McIlroy holds a measly 250 point lead, allowing the other top five players a legitimate chance to win the vaunted trophy.

The full results here.

Mike McAllister tells us about the top 30 advancing. He explains the movement of several players near the bottom, a series of truly spellbinding moments in golf television history that NBC covered dutifully to keep Ponte Vedra happy. Even better for us viewers, allowed for perfect channel changing to NFL and U.S. Open tennis until the telecast returned to the superstars clogging up the leaderboard.

Sean Martin breaks down each of the top 30 to advance and earn exemptions into the first three 2013. Way to go John Huh, overcoming the Q-School baggage!

Jim McCabe on a how Hunter Mahan played himself into the Tour Championship without a top 10 since April and weekend rounds of 80-77. In his usual canded manner, Mahan reveals he's "out of gas," showing perhaps how hard he worked to find his game for the Ryder Cup. I mean The Playoffs.

The SI Confidential gang was very happy to see Phil Mickelson finish T2 and T4 in consecutive weeks just before the Ryder Cup.

ESPN's highlights:

"The cream has risen to the top, hasn't it?"

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That's Lee Westwood quoted in Doug Ferguson's BMW Championship gamer where a storyline pairing leaderboard emerged without the rule staff having to do a thing. As opposed to the Crooked Stick grounds crew who somehow made the course playable after 2.94 inches fell overnight on an already water logged course.

The full leaderboard. Golf Channel's Golf Central highlight package from round three.

Check out the last four groups:

Woods/D. Johnson - 1:15 - Former bomber/current bomber contrast of styles and also possible Ryder Cup teammates despite their struggles in the Presidents Cup.

Scott/Garrigus - 1:25 - Who let them in the middle of this?

McIlroy/Westwood - 1:35- Former "stablemates" have had an awkward and awkwarder relationship since

Mickelson/Singh - 1:45 - Former footwear feuding rivals still won't be sharing any stock tips even if they've softened with age and injury

The leaderboard seems to be validating Crooked Stick as a venue, something the WGA has already taken note of as they are making clear a return would be A-OK with them according to this AP note.

ESPN's highlights:

Pete Dye On Building Crooked Stick

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Dan McFeely talks to Pete Dye about Crooked Stick's backstory as the PGA Tour visits for the BMW Championship.

Both story and accompanying video include Mr. Dye talking about how the course was created and stories about negotiations with Mrs. Kerns over purchasing her farm for the course.

Fun stuff as only Pete can tell it both in McFeely's written version and in the video.

Maybe Golf Course Living Isn't For Everyone Files

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Reno's KRNV news first reported, AP has picked it up (viral!), and the New York Daily News has the dreaded mug shot of 53-year-old Jeff Fleming, who fired pellets from his shotgun at a golfer who accidentally shanked a ball into Fleming's house, breaking a window.

Alyx Sacks reports for KRNV:

According to Reno police Fleming started an argument with two golfers on the 16th hole after one hit his house with a golf ball and broke a window.

Fleming is accused of coming out of his house with a shotgun and at some point in the argument fired once at the golfers hitting one of them.

"Based off of some of the golfers we've seen around here today yea I think it's a pretty common thing to hit into houses that are pretty close to a course like here at Lakeridge so I mean I think buying a house on the course you got to be prepared for golf balls to come into your property," golfer Dan Dooley says.

Police say Fleming fled his house on Wycliffe Circle before they arrived on scene.

He later taken into custody without incident after police found him at this attorney's office.

That's the place you want to be found by police.

Van Sickle's Simplified Scoring System...And No Reset!

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I think he's simplified the idea, but Gary Van Sickle's cumulative scoring idea for the FedExCup has much more merit than I remember because it, (A) makes the boys play all four weeks, (B) introduces the much-needed danger element in the early stages where a missed cut at Barclays means you're out or a few rounds dogging it can cost you a chance, (C) ties the events together while offering a nice reward for those winning the actual tournaments.

Here's the top 10 going into the BMW, with five-shot victory bonuses for the Deutsche Bank and Barclays winners:

1. Rory McIlroy (-26)
2. Louis Oosthuizen (-24)
3. Nick Watney (-21)
T4. Brandt Snedeker (-20)
T4.Dustin Johnson
6. Tiger Woods (-17)
T7. Kevin Stadler (-13)
T7. Lee Westwood (-13)
T7. Phil Mickelson (-13)
10. Brian Harman (-12)

 

Chris Berman To Continue Plaguing U.S. Open Telecast For Rest Of The Decade

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ESPN announces a new deal locking up Chris Berman for six more years starting in '13.

 One of the preeminent sports commentators of his generation, Berman will continue as the leading voice and face of ESPN’s National Football League studio coverage as host of Sunday NFL Countdown, Monday Night Countdown and Monday Night Football halftime, NFL highlight segments on SportsCenter and the NFL Draft. He will also continue to host the Major League Baseball Home Run Derby and ESPN’s U.S. Open golf coverage.

ESPN had prepared us for this, but still, six years? Where was he going to go?

Awful Announcing took note of this year's awful announcing by Berman.

The Big Lead used the occasion to relive some of Berman's finest moments, including his classic rant.

Maybe Berman can buy some new golf clothes now?

Tiger And Rory Now Doing Joint Post-Round Interviews; Gym Sessions And Wine Country Weekends May Be Next

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The signs have been there but longtime watchers of Tiger looked away: he's in love!

The Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy bromance went public Thursday at the BMW Championship when the two lovebirds gave a joint Golf Channel interview after an impressive scoring duel over Crooked Stick Golf Club.

Randell Mell writes:

“It's fun to play with him, and he's just an amazing talent,” Woods said. “You watch him swing the club and watch him putt and play, he doesn't have a lot of weaknesses. You can see that, in the next decade or so, as he really matures and understands some of the nuances of the game, he's only going to get better, and that's kind of fun to see.”

Huh? Lions don’t share their turf, do they?

Bob Harig also noted the burgeoning romance in his round one story.

They ate breakfast together Wednesday morning, bumped into each other in the media center after their pro-am rounds, managed to poke fun at one another, and were mostly all smiles during the first round of the BMW Championship at Crooked Stick. Afterward, they yukked it up together for a TV interview.

It helps when you are playing well, as both did on a warm, humid day with a water-softened course in the opening round of the third of four FedEx playoff events.

Accompanying Harig's story is a revealing image from Getty's Scott Halleran (right).

Look at how those two gaze at each other!

Let's be frank here. Tiger does not like anyone who is a threat to his game, holds grudges and it's one of the reasons we respect him. Unlike some of his peers, who are gentlemen to the point that they will never achieve greatness, Tiger wants to win and win big. Anyone who gets in the way is the enemy, just as was the case for all-time great predecessors like Ben Hogan. (I know it's hard to believe, but by all accounts the Hawk could be a real beauty when the gates opened.)

But now as Tiger gets older and much, much shorter off the tee, he has become openly smitten with young Rory, cooing over "the kid" in a joint post round interview with Steve Sands, viewable in Golf Channel's first round highlight package. 

I, not normally a cynic, have a few theories on why Tiger has taken such a liking to someone who so clearly stands in the way of reaching the much-vaunted goal of 19 majors.

  • Rory is about to sign with agent Steiny (example: Stricks, Kooch...Rors next?)
  • Rory mentioned that he saw the aerial videos and might be interested in buying Privacy for him and Caroline. To which Tiger, tired of the $1 million in annual upkeep, realized he's found a sucker buyer he needs to be nice to.
  • Rory wondered out loud about playing at Sherwood in December and Tiger is trying his best to lure a box office draw to help save the sponsor-less event he hosts to help fund his foundation.
  • Rory is about to sign with Nike (rumored but doubtful since this could eat into how much Nike pays and markets Tiger).
  • Rory heard Tiger knows a lot about designing courses, wants to learn from Tiger and Tiger doesn't want to tell Rory the bad news that even the purveyor of a lowly golf blog has more design credits to his name than Tiger.

Or maybe Tiger is just setting the lad up, only to go all gamesmanshippy and glaring-stare Tiger when they meet in Sunday singles at the Ryder Cup?

I hope it's that. Because if this Mutual Admiration Society stuff goes on much longer...

The lovefest continues Friday at 9:39 a.m. ET with Golf Channel coverage at 3 p.m. ET.

**This from Golf Channel: Golf Channel will now air the second round coverage LIVE from 11:30am - 3:00pm. There will be a taped re-air immediately following the live telecast on Golf Channel from approx. 3:00-6:00pm.

Just In Case: Euro's Importing 400 Rainsuits!?

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Anticipating either colossal storms or a vast shortage of GORE-TEX in the state of Illinois, European Ryder Cup supplier ProQuip will have 400 rainsuits shipped to Chicago, reports Bernie McGuire. Apparently they heard about that AmEx bill the PGA of America racked up at Celtic Manor buying suits last time out.

To kit out the 12 players in Olazábal’s team, plus caddies, ProQuip has supplied 90 pairs of waterproof trousers, 60 full-zip jackets and 60 half-zip playing tops.

ProQuip will only reveal the slim-fit garments feature an exclusively developed, highly technical, lightweight fabric that is super-quiet and supremely soft, enabling the players to perform their best in all weathers.

Olazábal and his four vice-captains also receive rain suits, as well as backroom staff, the six boys and six girls that make up the Junior European Ryder Cup Team, plus board members and Official Partners of Ryder Cup Europe.

Gee, and I thought the PGA of America was shameless when it came to having too many hanger-on types!

Irony: Augusta's Muni Shuttered

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Newer readers wonder why I'm hostile toward The First Tee, which, while no doubt a fine program with fantastic tax implications for those who give to the program, too often receives all of the attention from those generously giving to "grow the game."

However, the problem for American golf's future remains the same: we may be introducing new people to the game through The First Tee, and then turning them loose to limited or unappealing options for graduating to a "big" course. Like in the case of Augusta, Georgia, where there's a well funded First Tee and now we learn, the closed muni, a.k.a. The Patch.

Susan McCord and Gracie Shepherd report the sad news of The Patch's closure Wednesday, complete with Club Car picking up its leased equipment and a hapless city government that feeds off of golf-related tax dollars refusing to turn the lease over to interested parties who requested some basic repairs.

Augusta commissioners decided not to make the repairs or comply with other requested concessions, so the Kelly group backed out.

“We had a good alternative, but they didn’t like it,” an irritated Commissioner Joe Jackson said Thursday, referring to other commission members.

In fact, someone placed a sign at the clubhouse Thursday pointing those wanting to play to three commissioners – J.R. Hatney, Bill Lockett and Alvin Mason – and suggesting they were responsible for the public golf course closing.

Jackson said those commissioners certainly didn’t help The Golf Course at Augusta LLC, the new firm headed by the Kellys.

An angry Jackson even suggested the city’s handling of the situation might warrant termination of top city personnel.

“Someone’s going home,” he said.

Beermeister: “We tried to stack the deck in our favor by releasing the beer in areas where we don’t have to explain who Sam Snead was."

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There is one minor issue with the new Slammin' Sam beer, created in part by former Golf Channel staffer Casey Bierer, and pointed out by The Pilot's Tom Embrey.

The line’s packaging and marketing will depict famous images of Snead from the 1950s and ’60s. Ironically, Snead was pretty much a teetotaler, especially when he was on the circuit playing.

“We tried to stack the deck in our favor by releasing the beer in areas where we don’t have to explain who Sam Snead was,” Bierer said.

Bierer said he hopes to expand the brand in the future to reach more than just golfers.

“Our inspiration was Sam Snead,” Bierer said, “So golf courses are a natural target, but this is not just for golf courses, it’s not a novelty product. It’s something we think everyone will enjoy.”

Slammin' Sam is available at Pinehurst Resort along with 31 other beers.

Monday's Deutsche Bank The Second Most Watched Playoff Event, Ever!

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Yes, I spoke too soon about the no-press-release-in-the-in-box-part, but the format still needs work if a star-studded leaderboard on a cool course is only drawing a 3.3...and that's record territory?

For Immediate Release...

Ratings for Golf Channel on NBC’s Final Day Coverage of Deutsche Bank Championship was Second Only to Tiger-Phil Showdown at Same Event in 2007

NBC Sports Group Sets Multiple Ratings Records to Begin 2012 Playoffs

ORLANDO, Fla. (Sept. 6, 2012) – NBC’s final round coverage of the Deutsche Bank Championship on Monday became the highest-rated and most-watched PGA TOUR Playoff round in five years, and the second-best round among all four Playoff events since the race for the FedExCup began in 2007.

Scoring a 3.3 household rating and 4,808,000 average viewers, the 1:30-6 p.m. ET broadcast was second only to the final round of the Deutsche Bank Championship in 2007 (3.4/4,900,000), which featured a finishing duel between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. This year’s final round also bested the same round last year by 83 percent.

“The PGA TOUR Playoffs have provided a stage for the best players in the world to showcase some incredible golf and the resulting competitive drama has garnered more attention than ever before,” said Golf Channel President Mike McCarley. “Tim Finchem and his staff at the PGA TOUR deserve credit for their vision in creating an exciting playoff environment, which after five years has delivered on the promise of what golf can be at this time of year.”

Whoa Nellie, going out of your way to thank the Commish for the great "vision." Easy there Mike, that quote will come up in the next negotiations! Don't encourage them!

Golf Channel early round coverage of the first two tournaments of the PGA TOUR Playoffs – The Barclays and Deutsche Bank Championship – and its branded coverage of the third and final rounds of the Deutsche Bank Championship on NBC have set several ratings milestones, creating a wave of ratings momentum heading into the final two Playoff events of the 2012 season. These record audiences continue to contribute to making Golf Channel the fastest-growing network on U.S. television among those serving more than 80 million households.

· Round two of the Deutsche Bank Championship on Golf Channel (1.5/1,526,000) was the highest-rated and most-watched early round for this event ever (2003-2012) and was 84 percent higher than the same round in 2010, the last time Tiger Woods played in the event. It also was the second-most-watched Playoff early round in the history of the FedExCup (best was round two of the 2007 TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola (1.9/1,721,000).

· Metered market overnight ratings for third round coverage of the Deutsche Bank Championship on NBC (2.5) was up 67 percent over the same round in 2011 (+47% versus 2010) and the best since 2007 (2.8).

· Golf Channel’s second round coverage of The Barclays (1.4/1,344,000) topped any previous record since the tournament became a Playoff event on Golf Channel in 2007 and was the highest-rated and most-watched early round for this event on cable (1995-2012), including telecasts on ESPN and USA Network. Round two ratings were 58 percent better than round one and also topped the same coverage in 2011 by 116 percent.