"SI is a dead magazine walking."

Clay Travis analyzes the news of Time Warner spinning off magazines like Sports Illustrated and concludes that it's only a matter of time before print is gone and SI becomes another online Grantland.

I wouldn't agree, and certainly hope he's dead wrong. But then again this is shocking...

SI's descent has been a slow slide, preciptated by difficulty leaving behind print dollars to chase Internet dimes.

As recently as last year do you know what the posted rate was for a full-page ad in Sports Illustrated?

$392,800.

$392,800!

When you were making that kind of money, it was hard to get very excited about the opportunity of the Internet. You want to know who the companies were that got very excited about the opportunity of the Internet? The ones that didn't have the ability to sell full page magazine ads for $392,800.

In the halcyon days of print, the magazine business was amazing. Hell, all of print was. You might read the articles, but the magazine or newspaper existed for one reason -- as a mobile ad device to deliver advertisements to your doorstep. Yep, the first mobile ads were in print media.

"Golf can get terribly po-faced at times."

Thanks to reader Ryan for sending in Tom English's Scotsman commentary on Rory McIlroy's apology/rationale for withdrawing, and as usual English has a thought provoking take that rises high above what we were subjected to earlier in the week.

Though I must admit, I didn't anticipate where he was going with this in bringing up past high profile WD's by Ian Poulter and Sandy Lyle, along with how "golf can get overly pious about these things." And his conclusion makes for a fascinating statement about the culture of golf.

That is the way of it. Tell a porky and save yourself some hassle. Everybody will turn a blind eye and we’ll all carry on as before, pretending that there is no chicanery in golf. No doping, no cheating, no gamesmanship and, in this instance, nobody who just has one of those lousy days when all they want to do was get out of there. Nobody is allowed to just quit. It has to be an injury. Or an “injury”.

Dave Shedloski says the same issues plagued McIlroy's game when opening with a 73 at Doral on a day the Blue Monster was defenseless. But I still like his chances of making it to the weekend!

"Anchoring will be done and gone. And we will move on, as we always do."

Longtime USGA observer Jim Achenbach explains how the anchoring ban comment period has gone for the governing bodies.

Then he lays out how he thinks the proposed rule and political infighting will play out from here.

The USGA and R&A once again will thank everyone who submitted comments. They will talk about the family of golf. They will make it clear we’re all in this together. Then they will discuss the sanctity of the rules – history has shown us that the rules are the foundation of the game; we cannot disturb that bedrock without shaking and agitating the game itself.

Then it will be over. Except for the details and the method of implementation, anchoring will be done and gone. And we will move on, as we always do.

Video: Phil Explains How You Too Can Recover From Cart Paths

Steve DiMeglio on how Phil Mickelson hit a 450-yard drive on the 419-yard 17th hole, finished on a cart path and then made birdie en route to an opening 67 in the WGC Cadillac at Doral.

The video:



Even better, Phil's got a few minutes of footage "in the can" for his next short game DVD upon giving Steve Sands an impromptu live clinic on the Art Of The Cart Path Recovery:

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.