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
They really, really like each other. Just not enough to continue working together. For Immediate Release...
ACUSHNET COMPANY AND RORY McILROY ANNOUNCEMENT
Fairhaven, MA (October 30, 2012) - Acushnet Company, which manufactures the Titleist and FootJoy brands, and Rory McIlroy, jointly announced today that McIlroy's relationship with Acushnet will not extend beyond December 31, 2012. McIlroy has trusted Titleist and FootJoy equipment throughout his professional career that commenced as an 18-year old in September 2007.
"Our goal has been to provide Rory with the best equipment and service that would help him be the best player he could possibly be," said Wally Uihlein, Chief Executive Officer, Acushnet Company. "He has been a great ambassador for the Titleist and FootJoy brands, and in turn, we are proud of how our equipment has contributed to his success. We wish Rory all the best, both personally and professionally, going forward."
"I would like to thank Wally Uihlein and all of the tour staff and employees at Titleist and FootJoy for everything they have done for me since I turned professional in 2007,” said McIlroy. "I have enjoyed five very exciting and successful years with the company and I will always appreciate the contribution Titleist has made in helping me become the player I am today.”
This is not a huge surprise given Acushnet's tradition of not severely overpaying one player to use their stuff (Davis Love exempted). But the mutual statement is unusual.
Even as McIlroy was getting courted by other companies, Titleist did not put up a big fight. The company has a history of putting the brand before the player, as it did with Woods, Mickelson, David Duval after he reached No. 1 in the world and Sergio Garcia.
It prides itself on having the most tour players use its golf ball, though it also has some 80 players around the world under contract to use its golf balls and golf clubs. This year might have been particularly costly, however, especially with incentive clauses in the contracts. It had six players from the top 16 in the world as full staff players – McIlroy, Adam Scott, U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson, Jason Dufner, Steve Stricker and Nick Watney.
**John Strege on Nick Faldo calling McIlroy's club switch "dangerous" during a "Morning Drive" appearance Tuesday.
"I've changed clubs and changed equipment, and every manufacturer will say, 'We can copy your clubs, we can tweak the golf ball so it fits you.' But there's feel and sound as well, and there's confidence. You can't put a real value on that. It's priceless."
I asked earlier if Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, who were obviously wearing microphones during their Monday exhibition, knew that their conversation could be heard. After watching this Golf Channel clip it's hard to believe Tiger thought this was going out live.
I base this assumption on the number of casual f-bombs that were dropped. (Deep, I know.)
You be the judge:
**Bob Harig on Tiger's comments, included this:
It is no secret that, despite the progress Woods has made in the past year, the short irons have yet to come around. He often hits his approach shots just as close to the hole with his long irons as he does with the short ones.
For example, Woods ranks second on the PGA Tour this year in proximity to the pin from 175 to 200 yards, averaging roughly 30 feet from the pin. Yet, from 125 to 150 yards, he ranks 69th at roughly 22 feet.
Another way to look at it: He is first in greens in regulation percentage (65.13 percent) from 175 to 200 yards, but is only 115th (70 percent) from 125 to 150 yards.
Karl MacGinty of the Irish Independent slips in some fun details about the cutthroat battled to be Europe's next Ryder Cup Captain while endorsing Paul McGinley for the 2014 job.
Meantime, reporters at last week's BMW Masters in Shanghai were advised before Clarke's pre-tournament press conference that he would not be taking any questions on the Ryder Cup captaincy. Wise move.
And the endorsement of McGinley...
The Ryder Cup is the financial powerhouse which drives European golf, so one understands why the Tour executives might consider it vital to have someone of Clarke's charisma to focus support in the run-up to a home match.
Yet the staggering atmosphere at Medinah showed how irresistible the Ryder Cup has become to the corporate sector and golf fans, making it utterly futile to waste one of the most naturally gifted team captains Europe is likely to produce.
Over the weekend, McGinley was endorsed by Luke Donald.
Mind you, I'm not complaining. But since the streaming feed of the Rory McIlroy vs. Tiger Woods "Duel at Jinsha Lake" wasn't streaming, I never heard any of the banter.
The most awkward revelations:
On the 10th hole, Woods admitted to “struggling with Sean (Foley),” his swing coach, saying, “I’ve been hitting my short irons so (expletive) far.” He went on to explain how he rarely took a divot with his short clubs under former coach Hank Haney, but now, though, “all of a sudden, I’m thinking divots.”
Whoa Nellie!
Woods said he lost eight pounds last week in Kuala Lumpur, and that the heat was so suffocating, “it felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest. I had sweat dripping off my shirt when I was over the ball.” Apparently, he also lost his pin sheet on Saturday, which could help explain the third-round 69 that dropped him off the pace. (He eventually finished joint fourth.)
They couldn't get him a replacement pin sheet?
They talked scheduling. Woods noted that this was his first full season since 2005; that he likely will dial back his number of events next season; and that, post-British Open, U.S. players are plenty busy – maybe even too busy – with the FedEx Cup and all of the late-season jet-setting.
Problems, problems, problems!
**The Golf Channel highlights.
Hurricane Sandy's track appears ominous with flooding for a massive area expected, but in the near term coastal storm surges are the primary concern. Including for some prominent golf courses. Not as dramatic as the fake photos making the rounds, but serious stuff.
Brian Benedict of Seawane Golf And Country Club posted these on Facebook:
Rockaway Hunt Club, near New York's Kennedy Airport, courtesy of reader Jim. I'm told this shot of the 15th normally looks like a dogleg left golf hole:
**Greg Millard tweeted this of Country Club of Fairfield before high tide at noon.
**Mark Andrews Tweeted this photo of Fishers Island's 13th.
**More photos, starting with Robert Deruntz showing an unidentified pro shop on Facebook.
And Oak Hill Country Club, site of the 2013 PGA Championship, posted this gallery:
**From Maidstone super John Genovesi, courtesy of the GCSAA, the 15th tee:
**Greg Millard Tweeted this of Country Club of Fairfield Tuesday.
**Rye Golf Club from reader Sam:
Next year the Web.com final event will be turned into a three or four event playoff merged with a field of elite non-top 125ers from the PGA Tour. Algorithms will be dictating status of those who get in a few fall "calendar year" 2013 events before the first "re-shuffle" makes it all meaningless.
So soak up the final 25 Web.com grads, with notes from Sean Martin. And Bill Nichols' wrap-up of Sunday's event in the Dallas suburbs that included a heartbreaking finish for Adam Hadwin and joy for Justin Bolli.
Steve Crawford of the Augusta Chronicle reports that a site plan has been filed with the city by Cranston Engineering Group to demolish the existing kitchen area and an adjacent building to make way for a new building.
The inevitable jokes will arrive that they need more closet space and women's bathrooms, though it sounds more like updating outdated food preparation area.
Not as fun or sexy, I know! Still, nice Rick McKee cartoon in the Chronicle from a few months ago after they admitted their first female members.
Not for viewing by anyone under 18 or averse to rough language. Courtesy of Deadspin.
The Champions Tour hasn't gotten this kind of love from the YouTube generation...ever.
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
