When you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
Riviera and Bel-Air host the U.S. Amateur that year and Los Angeles Country Club the Walker Cup in 17, so why not come to southern California for the U.S. Women's Amateur.
Tod Leonard with the report and backstory of how Dean Knuth for the ball rolling.
3rd hole fairway view in 2012 (click image to enlarge)John Huggan played Muirfield recently, says the rough is not quite as horrid as rumored, but confirms the R&A's "Treatment" has included a beefing up of the 377-yard third hole to ensure that strategy is non-existent.
Traditionally, this semi-blind par-4 has required the tee-shot to be placed at least left-of-center to allow a look at the flag. Unfortunately, the ideal spot -- one your correspondent has been aiming at for the last four decades or so -- is suddenly covered in thick rough that reduced this mere mortal to a mindless hack back into play. By my estimation, around seven or eight yards of fairway have been eliminated, on both sides, left and right.
Thanks to WeiUnderPar for spotting Chris Alcantara's account of PGA Tour player Kris Blanks forgetting the loaded gun in his backpack as he went through security at Palm Beach International.
Just after 6 a.m. Sunday, Kristoffer Blanks, was on his way to catch a plane headed to Charlotte, N.C., when he entered an airport security checkpoint and placed his black backpack onto an X-ray conveyor belt.
As the bag went through screening, a Transportation Safety Administration officer found a .40-caliber Glock 27 with eight rounds in the magazine, a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office report said.
Deputies responded to the airport, took Blanks’ bag and arrested him on charges of carrying a concealed weapon.
During an interview with deputies, Blanks said he forgot to take his gun out of the bag after he returned home from a road trip the week before, the report said. He added he did not have a concealed weapons permit.
But other than that, everything was kosher!
Kris hasn't mentioned the incident on his Twitter account...yet.
In light of the PGA Tour's intriguing press release buried lede about taking a page from the groove rule change and adopting the anchored putting ban in 2024 for amateur play, what do you think?
For Immediate Release and on a Monday too!
PGA TOUR Policy Board Allows USGA’s Ban on Anchored Strokes
Rule 14-1b will go into effect in PGA TOUR competition beginning January 1, 2016
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL (July 1, 2013) – The PGA TOUR Policy Board today acknowledged that the USGA’s ban on anchored strokes, known as Rule 14-1b, will apply to PGA TOUR competitions beginning on January 1, 2016. In making this acknowledgement, the Policy Board also passed a resolution strongly recommending, along with the PGA of America, that the USGA consider extending the time period in which amateurs would be permitted to utilize anchored strokes beyond January 1, 2016.
PGA TOUR competitions are conducted in accordance with the USGA Rules of Golf. However, the Policy Board reserves the right to make modifications for PGA TOUR competitions if it deems it appropriate.
“In making its decision, the Policy Board recognized that there are still varying opinions among our membership, but ultimately concluded that while it is an important issue, a ban on anchored strokes would not fundamentally affect a strong presentation of our competitions or the overall success of the PGA TOUR,” PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem said.
"Would not affect a strong presentation of our competitions?" Nothing like a little authentic frontier gibberish!
“The Board also was of the opinion that having a single set of rules on acceptable strokes applicable to all professional competitions worldwide was desirable and would avoid confusion.”
The USGA and R&A jointly announced the proposed ban on anchored strokes in November 2012; then, following a “comment period,” the governing bodies announced on May 21, 2013 that the ban would go into effect on January 1, 2016.
With respect to golf at the recreational level, the Policy Board noted that the USGA followed a similar course with respect to groove configurations on golf clubs in 2008 where the new groove configurations rule became applicable for elite play in 2010, while the rule does not apply to recreational play until 2024.
“The Policy Board continues to believe that extending the time period the ban would go into effect for amateurs would be beneficial for golf participation and the overall health of the game,” Finchem added.
So nice they are concerned for the amateur game!
“Although the Board has elected to follow the USGA in this case at the elite level, it continues to be mindful of its responsibility to review future rule changes that might be adopted by the USGA in order to determine whether they should apply to PGA TOUR competitions,” Finchem said. “It is not inconceivable that there may come a time in the future when the Policy Board determines that a rule adopted by the USGA, including in the area of equipment, may not be in the best interests of the PGA TOUR and that a local rule eliminating or modifying such a USGA rule may be appropriate.
“Having said that, we have been assured by the USGA that as we move forward we will have an open and effective communication process on a number of levels with the decision makers at the USGA,” Finchem added. “Importantly, this will include a direct communication between the Commissioner’s Office of the PGA TOUR and the USGA Executive Committee. Such a process will ensure that our position is fully and carefully considered and addressed in future rule making.”
Golf Course Architecture magazine has surveyed 240 golf architects from 28 countries to select their World Top 100 courses and the first signs of a trouble came with the release of courses 92-100.
The amazing Fishers Island, which the Golf Digest panel puts in the top 10 American courses, is lumped in with design-light places like Shadow Creek, Torrey Pines (South) and Peachtree.
The final 10 will be released by July 12th.
Randall Mell with some great behind-the-scenes stuff from Inbee Park as the seemingly cool cat was just like all of the perpetual worriers who've won majors, fretting away her Saturday night away en route to a positively stunning third-straight major win in the U.S. Women's Open.
Unable to sleep, Park opened the door of her bedroom and waved for her mother to come inside for a talk. Park confessed she was feeling nervous trying to become the first player since Babe Zaharias in 1950 to win the first three majors in a season. She confessed that she was worried about letting down friends and fellow South Koreans. She confessed she was worried about disappointing her family.
LPGA has designated the Evian Championship in September a major.
Beth Ann Baldry on the possibility of Park winning the Women's British at St. Andrews (talk about stars aligning...), but not a true "Grand Slam" because the LPGA de$ignated the Evian Championship in September a fifth major.
This year, however, there are five major championships up for grabs, and according to golf historian Martin Davis, that means she needs to win all five to, by definition, win the Grand Slam.
The term "grand slam" originates from bridge, a card game in which players win tricks. When someone clears the table, they earn 13 tricks, or a "grand slam." Bridge was quite popular around the time Bobby Jones won the four biggest tournaments of his era in 1930, prompting The Atlanta Journal's O.B. Keeler to use the bridge term to famously describe Jones’ improbable feat.
“It doesn’t refer to four,” Davis said. “It refers to running the table.”
John Strege looks at the putting mastery that is key to Park's success.
Putting guru Dave Stockton believes that good putting begins with the mind, not the mechanics, and that Park "mentally is in a league of her own out there," he said. "What I love that I see is her total lack of being affected by where she stands. She's very calm, very composed and it serves her well. The rhythm with her stroke and throughout the whole swing, most of the time in a U.S. Open you see others losing that. But she's withstood it really, really well. I think it's because of that demeanor that no shot is more important than the last one or a future one. She doesn't change her routine depending on the pressure."
Inbee will be making the rounds Monday morning with her third major championship trophy of 2013. Courtesy of the LPGA media relations folks:
7:30 a.m. – Golf Channel’s Morning Drive
8:30 a.m. – NBC’s Today Show
9:30 a.m. – ESPN’s Sportscenter
The champion's post-round interview highlights from the USGA:
The USGA's recap helmed by Senior Southampton Correspondent Hunki Yun:
Thanks to Pete Finch for Tweeting this fantastic Kate Briquelet NY Post story on the good folks at Metropolis Country Club throwing such a tizzy over a breast-feeding guest from Belgium that they called the police who evacuated the premises and lost their collective minds over a backpack.
Nice lede from Kate...
What a bunch of boobs!
This is particularly good fun:
When Remans, on the verge of tears, questioned why terrorists would breast-feed at a ritzy club, the cop allegedly replied, “In Sri Lanka, babies are used by terrorists.”
Minutes later, the Greenburgh Police Department arrived.
Detective Scott Harding allegedly yelled, “Close the doors!” and two other diners were told to leave the terrace.
“He was walking as if he was acting in a Western movie,” Neijens said. “He had one hand on his gun, one hand on his Taser.”
Neijens said the officer warned the couple they were trespassing and said some people at the club thought they were terrorists because of their black backpack.
Paul Casey's conveniently now at 40-1 and the former strong contender at the 2010 Open Championship ended a two-year drought in winning the Irish Open convincingly over Robert Rock.
Alistair Tait reports on Casey's mental and physical leap that has come after two years of struggle:
“Psychologically this is huge,” Casey said. “It feels like a first win again. I have struggled with the confidence and this is a huge relief knowing I am moving in the right direction.
“I have great golf in me for 10 years plus. This is a massive confidence boost.”
Randall Mell reports a real oy veyer from the third round of the U.S. Women's Open at Sebonack.
Korda shot a 5-over 40 on the front nine. She shot a 36 on the back nine with her boyfriend on her bag. By day's end, she was tied for sixth.
“The first few holes, I was very shaky, but my boyfriend/caddie kept me very calm out there, and kept it very light,” Korda said. “And it was kind of funny seeing him fumble over yardage. Like I said, it just kept it very light out there.”
Korda said her boyfriend will remain on the bag Sunday, but he won’t continue to caddie longterm.
“I think everybody has problems every week,” Korda said of the disagreements with Gilroyed. “You blame the caddie, the caddie blames you. It's just up in the air. I just felt like enough was enough today. I just wasn't mentally ready for it.”
Jason Sobel quotes D.H. Lee as saying his was gesturing obscenely to his ball but a review of the video would seem to suggest he was looking at the gallery after hitting his second to Congressional's 12th over the green.
ESPN was brave enough to post the video, with the requisite blurring of the heinous hand gesture.
Comments were attributed to Ernie Els on Wednesday about Muirfield but he hadn't played the course until Thursday, telling PGATour.com's Sean Martin that setup looks good to him. And at 25-1 as the last man to win at Muirfield, that's good news to punters.
“I love the course,” Els told PGATOUR.COM on Friday. “I think it’s set up very similar to 1992 and 2002. The rough is good, the fairways are good, some of the holes have been lengthened.”
Andrew Rice was "handed a pristine collection of older model Titleist golf balls" that included Tour Balata 100's, Professional 90's and early model Pro V1's.
He enlisted a consistent driver in Atlantic Golf Club's Zack Brady and had him hit six shots with the old balls and the current Pro-V model on the Trackman. And guess what they found?
"The huge leap in distance off the tee on the PGATour in 2000 is due to only one thing – the introduction of the Pro V1." An increase in distance of almost 10% over the scuff resistant Professional.
The Tour Balata averaged 261.6 yds, the Professional 90 262.1 yds, the Pro-V1 392 286.4 yds and the current Pro-V1 298.4 yards.
Two weeks before the Open Championship, Ewan Murray quotes Rory McIlroy saying something he may regret.
"I have got a couple of commitments next week and the week after as well," McIlroy said. "If I didn't have those couple of things to do over the next couple of weeks, I probably would have added an event."
**In Derek Lawrenson's account of the Irish Open and the huge hit sponsor's are taking by losing all of the homeland heroes, he mentions another obligation: a cousin's wedding. That helps a little but still likely leaves one of the two weeks as an event that could have been added.
This was McIlroy's last event before the Open at Muirfield in just over a fortnight's time and he admitted in an ideal world he would be playing in the French Open next week, or the final event before the season's third major, the Scottish Open. A couple of contractual commitments have put paid to that, plus a long-time promise to attend his cousin's wedding.
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
