Monty Likes Watson's Chances For A Turnberry Repeat

The hill climbing at Omaha Country Club? Not so much.

From Bill Fields' U.S. Senior Open report on Tom Watson's continued good putting:

To the 50-year-old who was not enjoying Omaha CC's hills either, despite bettering Watson's score by a shot, it was still pretty impressive. "Amazing," Mongomerie said. "Fantastic effort. Good home support for him. I think he's quite close [to home]. I think Kansas is the next state down. Flatter, I believe, in Kansas. So we should have played there. Good golf for Tom. Sixteen pars for nearly 64 years old."

Watson will go from Nebraska to Scotland, for another British Open at Muirfield. "He has every chance to do well again, as he did at Turnberry in 2009," Montgomerie said.

"He's just being nice," said Watson, who had more immediate concerns.

State Of The Game Podcast 25: Geoff Ogilvy & Muirfield

Last time we had Matthew Goggin fresh off a solid showing at Merion in the U.S. Open, this time we managed to get Geoff Ogilvy to chat from Scotland during his pre-Open Championship leisure golf. Topics covered include Muirfield, the state of Geoff's game and of course, the state of the game.

We kept him too long but the discussion was great until the cell phone Gods said enough! Hope you enjoy either via iTunes or hitting play on the the player below...

Videos: Muirfield's 13th And 14th

One of my favorite one-shotters on the planet is a Tom Simpson redesign of H.S. Colt's hole and it is the centerpiece of a Golf World story I filed on uphill par-3s. A 191-yard new tee extends the hole and changes the angle in an unfortunate way, but this is still one of the world's most fascinating, beautiful and rewarding par-3s.

The Golf Monthly/Strokesaver analysis:

The original tee view:

The new tee view:

And from the green looking back:

The 14th plays from an elevated tee and there is huge incentive to get past the last fairway bunker 300 yards from the tee, which has been extended to 476 yards. Avoiding that bunker opens up a pretty simple second shot to a receptive green.

Rose-Poulter Phone-In Redesign Of Phoned-In Duval Design!

What a world: David Duval gets some money to be part of one of the Mission Hills courses in China built by Brian Curley, and now that the course has been rebuilt and Duval is not a top player, hipper, younger player-architects are called in to...phone it in.

From Doug Ferguson's AP notes column:

Mission Hills China announced two weeks ago that U.S. Open champion Justin Rose and Ian Poulter of Ryder Cup fame will stage an exhibition match Oct. 28 to celebrate the opening of the redesigned "Rose-Poulter" course.

Brian Curley is the architect of the redesign. The course had been "designed" by Duval and was known as the "Duval" course.

Rose said in the press release, "We've had a number of discussions with Brian Curley and I look forward to coming to Mission Hills in October and seeing the end result."

Glad to see we're exporting the best of golf to China!

Johnny On Rory: "You're asking for huge trouble when you change all your clubs and your golf ball at the same time.

From a Q&A with Ron Kroichick in the SF Chronicle, touching on many topics:

"Then I would say it's one thing to change your driver or wedge, but you're asking for huge trouble when you change all your clubs and your golf ball at the same time. I did it with Wilson, and I went into an immediate slump for four or five months.

"His 9-iron and wedge have been really horrendous, and he just lost the magic with his putting. He's hit the grand slam of things you have to watch out for when you're at the top. He's a bit of a mess."

CBS Video: American Lake GC For Wounded Vets

Many thanks to reader Eugene for spotting and sending this CBS News report by Chip Reid on what the American Lake Golf Course is doing for wounded vets. The course is staffed by more than 200 volunteers and was designed with injured vets in mind.

"They make sure the walls of the bunker aren't too steep," said Jim Martinson, who lost both legs to a landmine in Vietnam 45 years ago, "and that you can get up to the tee boxes and things like that."

Martinson admitted he never golfed in his life. "I thought that was the stupidest game in the whole world," he said. But he doesn't feel that way anymore. "It's the greatest game in the whole world."

He tries to pass along that feeling of optimism to the recently disabled. "I tell them, 'Don't let your life be over. Do whatever you want. Set a goal,'" said Martinson.

It's a message that Aaron Boyle has taken to heart. "I don't care what people think," he said. "I love the game. If I didn't have the game, I don't know if I'd be the same person I am today."

Update on 2013-07-11 16:14 by Geoff

**Mike Seidl has a nice post with images of American Lake from a few years ago that still holds up well.

Video: Paul Lawrie Goes All Happy Gilmore

Literally.

Thanks reader Brian for this, which also gives us a sneak peak at a very lean and fast looking Castle Stuart. Paul Lawrie is also looking fit these days...

Update on 2013-07-12 23:01 by Geoff

**Seems the European Tour was filming a spot...

Videos: Muirfield's 11th And 12th Holes

Muirfield really picks up steam with the blind tee shot at the 11th to kick off a number of outstanding driving holes coming in. A new tee has extended this hole 33 yards while the green is one of the more interesting on the course with a steep front.

The Golf Monthly/Strokesaver analysis:

The approach to the eleventh green in 2012, with the red flagstick for the 5th green directly behind:

There isn't great reward for hitting driver at the 380-yard 12th even if the wind is helping, so most players will lay back to less than 263 yards setting up an approach to a tightly bunkered green with the short left bunker being particularly deep.

The 12th hole video:

View of the approach to the twelfth:

Els Grateful For Castle Stuart's Width

Nice little zinger from Ernie Els to Graeme McDowell about the supposed ease of Scottish Open host Castle Stuart, as reported by Alex Miceli.

“Been to Muirfield a couple of times now so I kind of know what I need to do,” Els said Wednesday in a press conference before the pro-am. “I’m trying out two new drivers from Callaway and thank goodness, according to Graeme (McDowell), we have a lot of width in the fairways.”

Update on 2013-07-11 06:44 by Geoff

**In Nick Rodger's report from Castle Stuart (botched in the posting) quotes someone named Gilbert saying that Graeme McDowell apologized for his remarks about the event.

Gilbert said: "Graeme has been in touch to apologise. He's not the first person to say something they regret so we've got not problems whatsoever with him. In fact, he's been a true gentleman. He said he'd consider issuing a statement himself but we agreed that would keep the matter running. So my hope is that he will play at Royal Aberdeen next year after saying what a great course it is.

"He was fantastic for taking the time to get in touch and I admire him for that. He said we should catch up at the Open for a chat and I was really impressed with how he has handled this situation."

John McGreechan's Daily Mail report (thanks reader Ryan) has the full name of the above mentioned Gilbert.

But Martin Gilbert, chief executive of title sponsors Aberdeen Asset Management, last night revealed: ‘Graeme has been in touch to apologise and he’s not the first person to say something they regret, so we’ve got not problems whatsoever with him.

Video: Junior Shoots 59 On Pinehurst No. 1

Great video from Alex Podlogar at Pinehurst No. 1 interviewing 16-year-old Will Grimmer of Cincinnati, Ohio after shooting 59 in the North/South Junior Amateur.

Phil Wants To Know More About The Hanoverians And Jacobites

From a Herald story on Phil Mickelson's pre-Scottish Open press conference:

Mickelson, who posted a record sixth runners-up finish in the US Open last month, is finalising his preparations for the third major championship of the year by playing in the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open.
Castle Stuart is just five miles away from Culloden, which in April 1746 saw the final confrontation of the Jacobite Rebellion where English troops defeated those of Bonnie Prince Charlie.

"There are some plans to check out the battlefields of the war back in 1746 between the Hanoverians and the Jacobites," said Mickelson, whose wife and children are with him in Scotland. "I'm not sure, I've got to read up on it."