Hanse: Rio Olympic Course "Right up against the deadline now"

It's not sounding like much fun down in Rio for Gil Hanse, awaiting the green light to build the 2016 Olympic course.

From an unbylined wire story covering Hanse's Thursday appearance on Morning Drive.

"It just seems like there's this bureaucracy that won't seem to let its tentacles go," said Hanse, who hopes to begin moving dirt on the property that will be home to the course around April 1. "I'm disappointed in that. I'm disappointed in myself because I thought, gosh, it's the Olympics, you can't get any bigger than that. They've got to be able to just move this through.

"Unfortunately I was dead wrong with that."

More From Clark & Scott...

Jim McCabe goes into more depth on the media sitdown with anchorers Adam Scott and Tim Clark, and as McCabe lays out it there is a little more desperation in their voices. And I do sympathize with some of their points. Still, there is one major question not addressed: what exactly is being taken from you besides anchoring the putter against your chest?

The piece is well worth reading from beginning to end, but a few comments worth noting...

“Statements are thrown out like, ‘They’re good players, they’ll be all right.’ Well, hang on a second. Tim has spent thousands of hours practicing a method that is allowed. Keegan Bradley has spent thousands of hours practicing, rehearsing this method that’s been allowed. How do you just cut the legs out from us over your view that you don’t like seeing a junior putt (by anchoring)?”

Thousands of hours practicing? Might want go with hundreds there Tim!

He decided to try the long putter and practiced with various grips and stances for months until he settled on a method that suited him. He concedes that it felt a bit awkward, that because very few people used the technique he was “self-conscious” about it, but there were two over-riding aspects. One, it felt better on his arms, and two, it was clearly within the rules and no one raised an issue with it.

And again, the same grip and putter can still be used, so what's the big deal?

“We have a great game,” Scott said. “As professionals, we have great tours, and we should be working together on this. I’m shocked that they went ahead and proposed the ban before getting Tim Finchem’s point of view. Why would they want to rock the boat like this? I just don’t think golf is at a point where it needs a shake-up.”

Interesting that Scott is under the impression that Tim Finchem's and the tour's perspective was not known to the governing bodies when they made this decision.

Anchorers Clark & Scott To Gov Bods: Just The Facts Please

Doug Ferguson gets Tim Clark, lead anchorer, to speak about his appearance at the Torrey Pines player meeting where the proposed anchoring ban snowballed from done deal to PGA Tour opposed.

"What we have here is a different method of putting," Clark said. "It's not wrong. It's not against the values of the game. It's still a stroke. People who come out and say, 'It's not a stroke, you don't get nervous,' I can't believe that. I've been using it for 15 years. I get nervous. I miss putts under pressure. Putting essentially will always come down to 99 percent brain and mindset and confidence.

"If I felt I was cheating, I wouldn't be using it."

So what exactly changes when the putter end gets moved an inch away from touching your chest? Apparently a lot.

Adam Scott begged for mercy. And facts.

"Now we're making rules for the betterment of the game based on zero evidence? Incredible," Scott said.

"What did they think when they allowed it?" the Australian added. "You're dealing with professional athletes who are competitive, who want to find better ways. ... What do they think when they've got super talented golfers putting in thousands of hours of practice with a long putter, short putter, sand wedge, whatever? It was just a matter of time. They're going to get good."

PGA Of America Rules Out Crooked Stick; Rota Of Muggy, Middle-American Major Venues Reduced To Four

The PGA of America says Crooked Stick doesn't have the space to host the 2019 PGA, but the PGA Tour holds options to go there with Playoff(C) events in '16 and/or '18, reports Phil Richards.

And before you flyover staters get all pithy in the comments, I have two words for you: Bellerive 2018.

No one deserves that. No one!

One-Legged Cancer Sufferer Scores St. Andrews Ace!

The Daily Record with the inspiring (short) story of the one-legged "pensioner who has cancer and poor eyesight" named Joe McLaughlin.

The 70-year-old aced the Jubilee's par-three fifth.

Incredibly, it was Joe’s fifth hole-in-one in 60 years of playing. The former teacher, of Glenmavis, Airdrie, lost the lower half of his left leg in 2009 after developing a blood clot in his thigh.

He has daily chemotherapy after being diagnosed with skin and bone marrow cancer and has a cataract in his right eye.

The Trump Blue Monster Renovation Plan Revealed...**

Torleif Sorenson posts Gil Hanse and Donald Trump's vision for the TPC Blue Monster at Trump Doral, though I'm hard pressed to see many major changes other than the par-3 15th which has lots of water around it.

The Donald told the media Tuesday that it's going to be an island green.

But Bradley Klein explains that's been a source of disagreement between the design partners.

But when it came to a proposed island green, Hanse balked. When Trump urged extension of a pond to encircle the otherwise placid, landlocked green on the par-3 15th, Hanse resisted, explaining that it would be out of character with Wilson’s emphasis on diagonal lines of play. So the plan now is to project the relocated green out into a corner of the expanded pond and form a sharp diagonal, with the putting surface flanked by water front left and deep to the rear.

Update on 2013-03-06 16:18 by Geoff

**Here is an updated plan. You can tell because the logos are getting tackier by the plan.

At least the one above will provide a point of comparison. The 15th is still not an island green. Thankfully.

As a bonus, a close up of the 15th and 16th holes.

Texas Rep Introduces Amendment To Suspend Obama Golf Trips

Nicholas Ballasy reports that Republican Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert has introduced an amendment to a Continuing Resolution that would not provide the White House with any taxpayer funds to transport President Barack Obama to and from any golf course as long as White House public tours were not being offered due to budget cuts.

“None of the funds made available by a division of this act may be used to transport the president to or from a golf course until public tours of the White House resume,” the amendment reads.

The video:

Whew: Rory And Caroline Speaking Again On Twitter

Check that theory question off the list.

With Caroline sensing Rory's dismay at red card issued in the Champions League showdown between Manchester United and Real Madrid, this means writers who did not get the Sunday exclusive on his reasons for quitting at last week's Honda can focus their Wednesday press conference skepticism on the gaping holes in his WD story and game.

The spellbinding Twitter exchange that washes away all of our worries.