Videos: Above Castle Stuart

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John Huggan in Golf World Monday defended Castle Stuart links, host of this week of the Scottish Open and criticized recently by Graeme McDowell (but defended ably by Paul Lawrie.)

Anyway, I stumbled on these overhead videos posted on YouTube that brought back some fine memories of one of the coolest tournament venues and settings on the planet and made me downright jealous I won't be there this week.

The first, set to Coldplay:



And a different but equally compelling view:

Videos: Muirfield's 7th And 8th Holes

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Two-time winner at Muirfield Nick Faldo believes a key to success in an Open there is managing its set of difficult par-3s and while the 4th is severe because of the green complex, the slightly uphill 185-yard 7th is sneaky because of its relatively benign green complex. However, the green is exposed to the elements, framed dreadfully by a horribly misplaced course structure that pops up behind the green's all-important horizon line. Using a 3-iron in his prime, Faldo calls the shot a "giant chip shot" because of the vital need to keep the ball out of the wind here.

The seventh is not a particularly interesting bit of design, but because of the wind and uphill angle, a miss-hit can get in a lot of trouble here and spoil a fine start.

Golf Monthly's 7th hole analysis and Strokesaver flyover:

View from the tee and that building which, when completed, no doubt made for an interesting meeting of the Green Committee:


The eighth hole features a lovely setting and some nice ground features, plus a deceptive second shot, but the fairway pinching to 81 yards may discourage a risk taker from using their driver unless the wind is helping out of the left. Last year the rough was worse on this hole than any other, but hopefully the warm weather is thinning it out.

The video:



The fairway view:


The bunker fronting the green that is actually thirty or so yards short of the uneventful putting surface:

NY Times Profile Of Casey Wasserman

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Brooks Barnes files an NY Times Businss profile of 39-year-old Wasserman Media Group head Casey Wasserman, who has amassed 1300 clients, at least $150 million a year in revenue and significant clout, may be contemplating a bid for IMG.

And there was this:

Mr. Wasserman, who is married with two young children, works from an office near U.C.L.A. But he conducts much of his business in the field. Last month, he flew to Philadelphia and hung out around the putting green at the Merion Golf Club, where the United States Open was about to begin.

Wearing aviator sunglasses and chewing cinnamon gum, an asthma inhaler tucked inside a trouser pocket, Mr. Wasserman warmly greeted clients like Kyle Stanley and Rickie Fowler. United States Golf Association officials pulled Mr. Wasserman aside to ask for help with a new ad campaign. Perhaps one of his young players would participate? After some banter that took place outside of my earshot, Mr. Wasserman said brightly, “We will see if we can make it happen.”

And Just Like That, Stephen Gallacher Is In The Open!

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After narrowly missing, Stephen Gallacher is in courtesy of John Daly's rare pre-event WD due to pending elbow surgery.

JOHN DALY WITHDRAWS FROM THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

8 July 2013, St Andrews, Scotland: Former Champion John Daly has withdrawn from The Open Championship at Muirfield due to injury.

Stephen Gallacher is the 1st Reserve and will take his place in the Championship which is played from 18-21 July. The Scot is the next non-exempt player in the Official World Golf Rankings.

The 38-year-old won his second European Tour event at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic in February. His best finish in The Open was tied 23rd at St Andrews in 2010. There will now be ten Scots in the starting field at Muirfield.

Golf Channel: 124,000 Viewers Per Minute In 2nd Quarter '13

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For Immediate Release:

ORLANDO, Fla. (July 8, 2013) – Golf Channel continues to carry momentum after marking 2012 as the most-watched year ever and first quarter 2013 posting the most-watched quarter ever by wrapping June with the most-watched second quarter in network history. Second quarter reached nearly 29 million unique viewers.
 
For 24-hour Total Day (6AM-6AM), 124,000 average viewers per minute were tuned into Golf Channel in second quarter 2013, representing an 8% year-over-year increase compared to second quarter 2012, 39% vs. second quarter 2011 and 44% vs. second quarter 2010, according to data released by the Nielsen Company.
 
The record numbers in second quarter 2013 are built off Golf Channel’s viewership momentum in 2012, which drove Golf Channel’s status as the fastest-growing network on U.S. television since joining the NBC Sports Group (among networks serving 80 million or more homes throughout that span).
 
HIGHLIGHTS FROM JUNE:
· June 2013 logged the network’s most-viewed June mark with almost 18 million unique viewers.
· Golf Channel’s LIVE FROM THE U.S. OPEN and MORNING DRIVE drove the network to its most-watched U.S. Open Week for an East Coast venue.
· The week of the U.S. Open, MORNING DRIVE reached almost 2 million unique viewers, setting a new weekly high for the daily morning show in 2013.

GOLFCHANNEL.COM AND GOLF CHANNEL MOBILE POSTS RECORD TRAFFIC
Golf Channel’s digital presence experienced its best quarter ever with GolfChannel.com and Golf Channel mobile pulling in record numbers for unique visitors and page views. GolfChannel.com was up 26% in unique visitors and 39% in page views vs. second quarter 2012, while Golf Channel Mobile was up 47% in unique visitors and 76% in page views vs. second quarter 2012.  Contributing to these record numbers was GolfChannel.com’s and Golf Channel Mobile’s best month ever in June for unique visitors.  This was driven by GolfChannel.com’s and Golf Channel Mobile’s best month ever in June for unique visitors.

A.V. Club Returns To Bushwood: "It's like going to ruins…only for 80s snob versus slob comedy."

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Thanks to Shane Bacon for finding Kyle Ryan's A.V. Club story and short film from Grande Oaks Golf Club, home to much of Caddyshack's filming.

Included are some great shots of the foundation remnants of the caddyshack and other photos of the Caddyshack merchandise sold at Grande Oaks where the logo features a gopher.

The video:


The golf club that hosted Caddyshack’s raucous production

PGA Tour Slugs Break 4 Hours Thanks To Looming Monday Finish!

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Because of the decision not to tee off early in threesomes off split tees--a controversial call which John Strege explains may not have been to Greenbrier resort boss Jim Justice's liking--the Greenbrier Classic faced a fight to finish before Sunday night darkness.

While the rush may have benefitted tournament winner Jonas Blixt, third round leader Johnson Wagner wasn't quite so amused, reports Jason Sobel.

“It was dark, it was really dark,” said the 54-hole leader, who shot a 73 to finish in a four-way tie for second place. “We should have played threesomes early this morning. Not that, that would have made any difference with my round, but the last few holes I felt like we were just trying to finish.

Even better was this buried lede:

The final twosome played in three hours and 38 minutes.

That's right, they can break four hours in twosomes with marshals to find balls if it means not coming back the next day. But most weeks now that is not the case, which is why I know you'll be shocked to learn that the PGA Tour did not make Golf Channel's list of golf "entities" doing something about pace of play.

The final round highlights courtesy of PGA Tour Entertainment:

West Lothian's Gallacher Misses Open By £755

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A Press Association story on Marc Warren finishing raggedly in Paris but still edging out fellow Scot Stephen Gallacher by £754 on the final pre-Open Championship money list.

Punters Note: Watson Has 22 Putts In Greenbrier Final Round 67

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Okay so he finished T38 but the 63-year-old five time Open champion Tom Watson--including 1980 at Muirfield--is rounding into form. Just saying…he certainly is a candidate for low geezer. 

Jason Sobel with the post-round quote from Greenbrier's Pro Emeritus.

Watson is generally around 500-1 according to Oddschecker, where you can also see that Graeme McDowell is holding steady at 25-1 after his win in Paris.

"Our government must withdraw all funding and support for the R&A in its schemes to deliver golf to young people."

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tells the world that a significant part of it remains backward and ridiculous. We permit Muirfield to be Scotland for a week or so and thus we tell the world that we treat women like second-class citizens.

The Observer's Kevin McKenna files what figures to be the first of many columns denouncing the Honourable Company Of Edinburgh Golfers and the R&A over their discriminatory membership policies, writing that the Open at Muirfield "tells the world that a significant part of it remains backward and ridiculous."

This was more interesting:

Our government must withdraw all funding and support for the R&A in its schemes to deliver golf to young people. Nor should government ministers, who are supposed to represent us all, be sharing platforms in the run-up to the Ryder Cup next year with officials who see nothing wrong with awarding golf tournaments and all the prestige that goes with them to clubs that refuse to treat women as equals.

Muirfield shames this country. Equally shameful, though, is how successive liberal administrations in post-devolution Scotland turn a blind eye.

Paul Lawrie On Graeme McDowell Dissing Scottish Open: "He should know better."

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Nick Rodger talks to Paul Lawrie about this week's Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open at Castle Stuart, which Graeme McDowell recently said was an event that had "lost its prestige" on a course he called too easy and too one-dimensional.

Lawrie's response:

"My answer to what he said would simply be that the Scottish Open has a title sponsor, it's got more money than Graeme's national open and it's played on a links course," said Lawrie in defence of the Scottish event which has a purse almost double that of the Irish Open and still holds that much sought after slot in the schedule the week before The Open itself. "Everyone is entitled to their opinions but they were poor comments. He should know better."

He left out that the Scottish now also has American network television coverage!

Ewan Murray has a nice Observer summation of the whole bizarre situation with top players, Castle Stuart and schedules prior to the Open.

McDowell has a share of the French Open lead with Richard Sterne heading into final round play

Videos: Muirfield's 5th and 6th Holes

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The players get a reprieve at the 559-yard 5th where a benign opening to the green allows those hitting the fairway to have a go in two, assuming the wind is favorable.

The view from the 5th tee (click to enlarge):


Hopefully you've made birdie at the fifth because the 467-yard sixth is narrow with fantastic contours that almost guarantee an unlevel lie and obscured views to a green. The second shot is framed by Archerfield Wood as a backdrop, which distorts depth perception. The hole also features an old stone wall just under 300 yards off the tee and at the dogleg, adding to the fun here.



Bunkers out of play for today's players before the fairway narrows and the rolls begin:

The wall at 300 or so yards from the tee:

Videos: Muirfield's 3rd And 4th Holes

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Counting down to Muirfield kicked off with the 1st and 2nd hole analysis by Golf Monthly with Strokesaver flyovers, so we move on to the 3rd and 4th holes.

At 377 yards the third features a tee shot that must be less than 289 yards to avoid the pinching bunkers. The left side opens up the best angle of attack for front and middle holes to a 44-pace deep green.

The fourth features a new and quite difficult tee at 227 yards from a new more leftward angle into the right-to-left shaped green. The old tee, now one of six on the hole, played more into the length of the green and hopefully wil be used if the wind is up since this exposed green complex would be difficult with a short iron approach.

A zoomed-in view from the new back tee shows the alignment of flagsticks at four, twelve green and the thirteenth.

A view of the approach shows why run-up approaches will be difficult if not impossible due to the slope taking balls to penal bunkers short right of the green.