Finchem Loves Rory's Image And Juxtaposition Capabilities

Bernie McGuire quotes Commissioner Crawley at length talking about Rory McIlroy and you can just see the dollar signs in his eyes as the PGA Tour's big bonus giver speaks.

Because after all, he and his VP's need cash to pay the rules staff.

"Last year, the PGA Tour had an incredibly strong year," said Finchem. "It was as if everything just came together and the fact that Rory advanced a couple of levels in his career and continued demonstrating he's got the capability to this juxtaposition that he can mix it with the better players like Tiger was the key factor in helping the PGA Tour have the great season we had.When a guy takes on the mantle, or identity level, Rory's taken on, it has a ripple effect heading into the future."

Forgive me, but I think that's a fancy way of saying: he's now a legitimate world No. 1 and we are going milk him for every penny we can.

"As an individual, Rory stirs the imagination of people and the amazing thing is that he's like Tiger in a sense in that we saw in the [FedEx Cup] Play-offs, he clearly did not play well as he had on the Saturday, but he can absorb a bad round and bounce back and win. Not many players can do that.

Uh, pssst...Lord Tim, Rory didn't win the FedExCup. He should have but well, you reset the points twice on him!

"From an image standpoint, I like the way Rory handles himself off the golf course," said Finchem. "I notice also when he is asked questions by the media that he is clearly focused on who's listening.

I'm going to give Tim the benefit there and assume he said "focused on who's talking." I hope that's what he said.

"He's complimentary; he's polite and when he speaks there is always a message in there that has real impact. He's smart. Very smart.

Rory's messaging is impactful! He activates and energizes his core audience!

Good Thing Brent Musburger Wasn't Announcing At Kapalua!

Dustin Johnson won the Hyundai Tournament of Some Champions and while it had its moments, according to Doug Ferguson, the reaction first centered on Johnson again teasing us with his epic talent (John Strege has that covered) before the online chatter turned to Paulina Gretzky, interested spectator.

Alex Myers provides the speculation on her presence, J.D. Cuban the images.

Meanwhile Brent Musburger is taking some heat prompting ESPN to apologize for the 73-year-old announcer fawning over Alabama QB A.J. McCarron's girlfriend early into the BCS title game.

Mary Pilon's NY Times story on Musberger included this condemnation of the geezer game caller:

“It’s extraordinarily inappropriate to focus on an individual’s looks,” said Sue Carter, a professor of journalism at Michigan State. “In this instance, the appearance of the quarterback’s girlfriend had no bearing on the outcome of the game. It’s a major personal violation, and it’s so retrograde that it’s embarrassing. I think there’s a generational issue, but it’s incumbent on people practicing in these eras to keep up and this is not a norm.”

Generational? That goes for you too, Myers and Cuban! Different generation.

Jason Sobel writes about Johnson's win and all the reasons to envy him and it sounds like Johnson was better prepared than an understandably stunned McCarron was when he realized how much personal life prying was going on.

When asked about his relationship with her after the tournament, Johnson responded, “Does it matter?” When informed that inquiring minds wanted to know, he followed, “I don’t know who you’re talking about,” while a huge smile splashed across his face.

Update on 2013-01-10 03:03 by Geoff

**Dave Kindred on Musburger:

We need to cut Musburger some slack. It’s true that a guy who has renewed his AARP discount card this many times should know what’s creepy and what’s not and what’s the time and place and what’s not. Still, he has this affliction. He is one of hundreds of millions of human beings who carry the Y chromosome. It causes them to shout out the occasional geriatric-perv-whoop.

The difference is, most do it in privacy. Musburger did it on national television. Viewers were shocked -- shocked, I tell you -- to hear a grown man go slightly off his rocker in the presence of a beautiful woman. But it has happened before. The first time it happened to me, I asked the girl to marry me. She said yes. Mumblety-mumble years later, we’re still married and she sat alongside me when Musburger sang his aria to Miss Alabama.

Prepare To Hear About "The Bear Trap" For Another Four Years...

For Immediate Release...

HONDA CLASSIC EXTENDS PGA NATIONAL SITE AGREEMENT

PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL - The Honda Classic has extended its contract with PGA National Resort & Spa to keep the PGA TOUR event at its current home for at least the next four years.
 
The Honda / PGA National marriage has been a win-win relationship for both parties as The Honda has blossomed into one of the elite events on the PGA TOUR in its six years at PGA National and the Champion course has become known as one of the most challenging layouts in tournament golf. The Bear Trap, comprised of Holes 15-17, is considered one of the toughest stretches of golf on the PGA TOUR.
 
A world class field now plays The Honda each year and last year Rory McIlroy, the No. 1 player in the world, dueled to the wire with Tiger Woods. The 2012 Honda raised a tournament record $1.85 million for South Florida Children's charities.
 
"We feel like we have the best venue on the PGA TOUR," Honda Classic Executive Director Kenneth R. Kennerly said.

Down boy!

"The move to PGA National has allowed The Honda Classic to emerge as one of the top events of the year. The players love the course and enjoy their time in Palm Beach County which is evidenced by the number of top players who continue to move to this area. We are excited that we will be able to stay at PGA National as we move into the future."

Hug Your Superintendent: '12 Hottest On Record In U.S.

Reports Justin Gillis...

The numbers are in: 2012, the year of a surreal March heat wave, a severe drought in the corn belt and a massive storm that caused broad devastation in the mid-Atlantic states, turns out to have been the hottest year ever recorded in the contiguous United States.

"Fitness, Family, Fast and Fun."

Ron Sirak offers good common sense ideas about the state of the game and what needs to be emphasized to "grow" (really sustain at this point) the game. The question I have though as I read it is: which of the five families will have the desire to guide the sport to a healthier future?

Sirak says the emphasis should be on the four f's, fast, fitness, fun and family.

On fun:

We need to focus on the Fun in the game. My father was a 35-year-old steel mill worker when he took up golf. The factory had a nine-hole league -- inspired by our local working class hero, Palmer -- and that league got my Dad hooked on the game. He started playing nine holes on Tuesdays and eventually was playing 18 on Saturday and Sunday, and soon he had a club in my hands.

These sorts of fun, social/competitive events are also a way to get more women in the game. Only 18 percent of rounds played in the United States are by women. The growth potential there is enormous. How about courses encouraging that growth by having daycare centers or play areas so Moms can bring their kids to the course?

EA '14: Your Chance To "Take Down" A Cross-Eyed Bobby Jones, A Juiced Arnold Palmer & An Almost Anorexic Jack Nicklaus

Besides getting to play legends using swings and physiques with which we are unfamiliar, the EA press info says they allow you to "tweak" courses on this edition.

Players, fill us in. Maybe there's a way to de-Fazio Augusta and Riviera? Reesnovate Torrey South? De-Dawson the Old Course?

Here's the preview for the March release of EA Sports' Tiger Woods '14:

Kapalua Is Pretty Much A Disaster But All Hope Is Not Lost: Ian Poulter And Johnny Miller Are Bickering Again!

Another day at Kapalua meant more freakishly severe weather and aborting another round, the second time this week.

Doug Ferguson's game story recounts the various unfortunate lows in what is quickly going down as one of the more unfortunate freak weather events to ever hit the PGA Tour.

Matt Kuchar was mildly critical of Sunday's attempt to even play, reports Bailey Mosier.

"After we went through Friday and then having Saturday blown out, as well, we were kind of expecting that today," Matt Kuchar said.

"With the wind being as strong as it was this morning ... I think most guys pretty much could have told you what was going to happen in the locker room."

Sunday winds sustained 25-35 mph and PGA Tour officials registered gusts up to 48 mph.
"I'm not sure if that was the point to show that we're making every effort to play," Kuchar said.

The tour's Andy Padzur was questioned about the call and also asked about Golf Channel's obligation to next week's sponsor.

Q. Have you guys discussed with the Golf Channel, is there any issues with getting equipment to Oahu or the Sony broadcast on Thursday?

ANDY PAZDER: There is, yeah. The equipment that's here has to get barged over to Oahu, get set up and so forth. We have had conversations with Golf Channel, moving on into a Tuesday finish here, Golf Channel is indicating that they feel reasonably comfortable that they can produce or provide a show on Thursday from Sony.

Obviously we are sensitive to that. But right now our most important focus is on the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and that's what our decisions are being based upon, which is getting 54 holes in.

Q. If weather does not cooperate tomorrow, is it 36 on Tuesday or at what point do you call it all off?

ANDY PAZDER: Can we save that question for tomorrow? (Laughter).

Butch Harmon even predicted some WD's to protect swings. Ryan Lavner reports.

Golf Channel televises from 4-11 ET Monday. No word yet on Tuesday's plan.

But it's not all bad news!

Alex Miceli reports on the row redux between Ian Poulter and NBC's Johnny Miller after Mr. 63 essentially called the Ryder Cup hero a drama queen.

Poulter took a lot of time over his 20-foot birdie putt, just above the hole, wind whipping his pants as he looked it over. The Europeans' Ryder Cup hero continued to step in and out of his stance, refusing to ground his putter until finally hitting the ball.

Johnny Miller, the often-controversial color analyst for NBC Sports' golf coverage, commented about Poulter’s unwillingness to putt.

“You just can‘t stay over the putt that long. You've got to get in there, line it up and hit it,” Miller said initially about Poulter’s inaction. “He surely doesn’t have the Tom Watson attitude so far. He’s afraid he’s going to hurt himself, and that would probably set the game back 20 years.”

Poulter fired back on Twitter after hearing about Johnny's criticism:

“Johnny miller why don't you come interview me live and say that stuff straight to my face,” Poulter tweeted after the round. “Was you watching a different channel.”

Later in the evening, Poulter added another tweet about the commentary.

"Just watched coverage on @GolfChannel. Really sorry I took way to long on 11th.... Just trying to win a golf tournament. Trying to do my job"

The offending moment can be seen in this Golf Channel Golf Central highlight package. One minute in you get some great highlights of the wacky wind-induced activity, including Poulter considering his options. This package also includes Tim Rosaforte talking to the tour's Slugger White about Monday's forecast, which is expected to be have winds gusting 5 mph less than they did Sunday.

You can relive Johnny and Ian's past bickering (mostly Ian tweeting) here, here and here.

They also appeared to have a truce, but that turned out to be a Brad Faxon prank. A darn good one, if I may say so.