Golden Bear Still Not Over Ford-Era Demons

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I saw the headline to Robin Abcarian's story and thought, when did Jack Nicklaus ever lose to Doug Ford?

Turns out, it's Gerald Ford he's still upset about and it seems Mr. Nicklaus feels he kind of cost Ford a chance in 1976 by not campaigning for the former president in Ohio, thus explaining his desire to campaign for Mitt Romney this weekend.

 “He asked me to get involved and I didn’t,” Nicklaus said. “I said, ‘Mr. President, I’ve always stayed away from politics. I deal with people on both sides.’ And he respected that and he never had an issue with that, and we played a lot of golf after that. But I didn’t help him and he lost Ohio by several thousand votes. Had he won Ohio, he would have won the election. I’ve always had big regrets about that.

 “In spite of me not doing that, he paid me a great honor: I was a pallbearer at his funeral. He was such a good friend, such a nice man. That’s why I’ve gotten involved.”

Who Wants To Re-grass Harding Park's Greens!?

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As if the old regime at PGA Tour Design Service's bloated renovation price tag ($23 million) wasn't already tragic enough, conversations are taking place about Harding Park's greens needing re-grassing in advance of a 2016 "playoff" event at the San Francisco muni.

Ron Kroichick reports.

The project, if it happens, figures to occur after next year’s Schwab Cup. That still would allow time for the new greens to round into shape before Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Co. come to Harding in ’16.

City officials also must find a way to pay for any renovation of the greens, no small obstacle given ever-present budget constraints.

“Resources are always going to be an issue, so we need to figure out the smartest way to do it,” Ginsburg said.

Considering that the city is struggling to fend off suggestions that the other city courses be closed due to budget constraints and that $23 million bought an uninspired design that in a more ideal economy should be renovated, maybe the PGA Tour can pick up the tab on this one since it's their precious members who have to have things absolutely perfect? 

"Is Augusta National doing the right thing having events that qualify 14 year olds into the event?"

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That's the question Steve Elkington posed on Twitter and after reading your many observations on the original post about Tianlang Guan's stunning Asia Pacific Amateur win, I think it's a question worth pondering.

And not to take away from Guan's stellar play or that of the kids (Zhang, Hossler) who contended at this year's U.S. Open, but maybe the broader questions should be: what is allowing people to play the game so much better at a younger age and is that a good thing?

Either way, Guan is setting lofty goals for himself!

First Thing Rory Can Buy With His Nike Money: The Ryder Cup Crown Vic

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In an Onionesque tale of bureaucracy, Marie Wilson says the village of Lombard wants to sell the 2005 Vic that got Rory McIlroy to Medinah on time, but first they have to get to the bottom of a scandal! 

This scary notion that Deputy Chief Pat Rollins drives the car to and from home in case he's called to a crime scene during his off-duty hours. Perish the thought!

Trustees continued discussions Thursday night, but did not come to a conclusion on whether Rollins should be allowed to drive his squad car back and forth between his home about 10 miles from the limits of the village. Village Manager David Hulseberg said the car used to transport McIlroy cannot be sold until trustees address those concerns and authorize the purchase of a replacement vehicle.

"If you've ever made a golf trip to Pinehurst, chances are you're familiar with the Pine Crest."

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And Ron Green Jr. filed a nice tribute to the venerable Pinehurst inn, which opened for business on November 1, 1913 and began its centennial celebration.

Thanks to reader Chip for this.

Step inside and it's not much different than it was 100 years ago when Mrs. E.C. Bliss of Edgewood, R.I., opened the Pine Crest. The ceilings are low, the floors are gently uneven in spots and the stairway to the second floor creaks.

The Pine Crest Inn is not ultra-modern or part of a chain or terribly expensive. Instead, it's comfortable like your own den. It's a place where people running the place know their guests names and they take pride in making them feel at ease.

Liberty National Largely Undamaged By Sandy

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Brian Wacker with a roundup of a few significant venues in the eye of Sandy and Liberty National, home to the 2013 Barclays so CBS can show the Statue Of Liberty 400 times, has gone largely unscathed. Heaven knows, the players will be relieved.

Days after the storm, Cupp, who designed Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, N.J., with Tom Kite, was still getting damage reports from up north, which included news that a loose ferry boat ended up about 10 feet from the cart path on the 10th hole.

There was also water in the lower parts of the clubhouse and several trees down on the course, which will host The Barlcays next year.

“The storm surge in Jersey City on the wind side of the bay was 12-15 feet, but the water was not salty because most of the water at that point is from the Hudson River,” Cupp said Thursday via text message. “I’d say they dodged a bullet.”

A reader sent in this photo making the rounds of the ferry in question: