PGA Prez: USGA Needs An Anchoring Condition Of Competition

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In his latest column, PGA President Ted Bishop makes his case again against the anchoring ban.

Bishop is recommending a 12th condition of competition to allow leeway in the rules for anchoring if the governing bodies refuse to back down.

I maintain that the USGA and R&A have underestimated the ramifications a rule change banning anchoring. In my opinion, the next best thing to no ban would be the creation of a 12th condition of competition in USGA rules that deals with anchoring. Presently, the four major championships are not uniform to applying four conditions of competition (for example, the one-ball rule, practice putting at hole last played, embedded ball rule and removal of stones in bunkers are handled differently in the majors).

This way every stakeholder walks away with what they want and everybody plays by the same set of rules. Davis, though, disagrees with the idea saying the USGA doesn’t believe in such conditions for “real fundamental rules.”

Politically, I wonder if the PGA of America had started with this as their position if it would have allowed for more dialogue in hammering out a happier outcome to this battle. What that solution would be, I have no idea.

Tiger: "We wanted to limit the 'stalkarazzi'"

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Interesting thinking by Tiger and Lindsey Vonn in releasing the Lifetime movie publicity photos.

Bob Harig reports:

"It's very simple. We're very happy where we're at, but also we wanted to limit the 'stalkarazzi' and all those sleazy websites that are out there following us," Woods said Wednesday at the Bay Hill Club, where he will play in the Arnold Palmer Invitational starting Thursday. "I've had situations where it's been very dangerous for my kids and the extent they'll go to. We basically devalued the first photos.

"Unfortunately, that's just the way it is in our society right now, and we felt like it was the best thing to do. I'm very happy about it."

Stacy "Lewis’s ongoing success on the greens is a blend of art and science"

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I'm down at the KIA Classic talking to LPGA players for a story and had the pleasure of sitting in on new World No. 1 Stacy Lewis's press conference.

In a recent SI Golf Plus story, Alan Shipnuck wrote about her improvement on the greens:

Lewis’s ongoing success on the greens is a blend of art and science. To sharpen her feel she does a drill in which she hits a long lag putt into open space on the practice green, away from any target. Without peeking to see where the putt ends up, Lewis then drops another ball, closes her eyes and tries to hit the second ball to the same spot. “No exaggeration, 90 percent of the time the two balls are within three or four inches,” says Hallett.

In the press conference, I asked her to explain the more technical side of her approach without divulging too many secrets. Her answer:

STACY LEWIS:  Yep.  Well, it's Aimpoint and everybody can go take a class and learn it, so I guess it's not too much of a secret.  But I learned it, gosh it's been almost three years, two and a half, three years.  It's really based on gravity and how water flows off of a green.  So every time I walk up to a whole, I'm trying to find a straight putt, and once you find a straight putt, it's how much slope there ‑‑ what affects the read is how much slope is there and then how far away you are from the straight putt.  So the further you get from the straight putt, the more it's going to break.  So it's a combination of that and you have a little chart that gives you the exact read for every single putt.  So it's really, it's almost like cheating.  I can walk around and have down to the inch how far every putt's going to break.  So I can ‑‑ and that's the thing, too, is you're walking around, you're feeling it with your feet versus looking at it, and that's kind of the big difference because a lot of times golf courses try to throw you off visually with mounds or hills or whatever it may be on how putts break.

Delicate-Pitch One-Shotters, Or What's Left Of Them

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In Golf World's recent Architecture Issue, Ron Whitten highlighted a handful of the game's great 120 yards and less pitch par-3s.

The collection is posted at GolfDigest.com, and of course any nominations you might have for others he left out are welcomed. The only one missing for my money was the 16th at Engineers, the infamous "2 or 20" hole. You can see it and read about it on GolfClubAtlas.com's write up.

Included in Whitten's group was The Los Angeles Country Club's recently restored bye hole on the North Course, Little 17. (Pictured right.)

Video: Meet The 23-Month-Old Anchorer!

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I know, he's totally adorable, but yes, Owen Kopinski is an anchorer!

He was on the Today Show showing off his anchored swing, and can be seen in the video below draining some bombs with the putter anchored. I still say ban it.

Sorry, Little Owen. This is for the best. Some day when you are winning the Masters with a conventional grip, you'll understand!

Thanks to reader Chuck for sending this Daily Mail write up of Owen's appearance.

The YouTube video:

Flashback: When Lindsey Mocked Tiger

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Thanks to reader John from sending in this Time item from three years ago where Sean Gregory of Time quoted new Tiger Facebook friend Lindsey Vonn uttering less than nice things about her future beau.

And like millions of Americans, Vonn can't help poking fun at Woods' staged event. When a member of her Vonn-tourage tells her that Woods gave a few friends hugs after ending his statement, she cracks, "They're like, 'Yeah, you're awesome, you go have that sex.' " The room breaks into a laugh. Then she describes a skit she would want to perform if asked to host Saturday Night Live: picture Vonn at Woods' podium, blue backdrop and all. "There's something you don't know about me," Vonn says in a faux solemn, apologetic voice. "Tiger, you're like my idol, and I too have a sex problem." More laughter. "That would be freaking funny."

Meanwhile the Deadspin Photoshop contest has turned in some real gems interspersed with plenty of Perkins references and other so-so efforts. It's kind of an odd slideshow window, but just be aware of the arrows on the left and right of the images at the bottom of the post to navigate the hundred or so entries.

My favorite:

If The Golf Thing Doesn't Pan Out, Graeme Can Always Tend Bar

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Nona Blue opened recently according to the Orlando Sentinel and golf.com posted a nice (quick) video of Graeme McDowell showing how to properly tap and serve a Guiness from his newly opened restaurant. There is also a slideshow posted by USA Today.

Reminder to all the mooching media in Orlando this week: Graeme is offering free beer to PGA Tour media badge holders. Try to represent the profession well by not ordering the left side of the menu, okay? And DiMeglio, don't go every day please?

Yours truly asked this tough question at the World Challenge that McDowell won last December:

Q.  You mentioned the free drinks that we're all entitled to at your bar when it opens.  Can you take this opportunity to tell us the name of it?  How much are you going to be working on that here during your off time, and have you thought of a tradition that the bar might have when you actually win a tournament?

GRAEME McDOWELL:  Yeah.  The bar's called Nona Blue.  It's a tavern restaurant.  It's just outside the gates of Lake Nona.  Free bars are with PGA TOUR media credentials only.

Traditionally when I win an event I call home to my home golf club.  Lake Nona has kind of become my second home golf club, and I typically have a free bar for the members for a defined period of time, obviously.