DVR Alert: Golf Channel's "Legendary Conversations" With Jack, Arnie, Gary & Lee

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From Golf Channel, Monday night at 10 ET for an hour:

Legendary Conversation: Nicklaus, Palmer, Player, Trevino (Premiere)
Airtime: Monday, 10-11 p.m.

Guests: Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Lee Trevino
Moderator: Rich Lerner

Hall-of-Famers Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Lee Trevino come together for a rare, roundtable-style interview to share stories and experiences from their legendary careers. Rich Lerner hosts.

A preview from Rich Lerner on Morning Drive:

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.