Taking The Pulse On All-Male Membership Coverage...

The reactions to the R&A press conference varied from "still the same stance" to writers seizing on Peter Dawson's suggestion that they will be taking a look at the policies of clubs. Or their own Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews (remember, a separate entity from the "R&A").

Dawson did try to open the door, but by blaming the media only ensured that the issue will not go away. So a split decision on his performance.

Moira Gordon in The Scotsman says the R&A "would consider its position on men-only golf clubs as the issue threatened to overshadow the start of the Open Championship at Muirfield."

John Huggan for GolfDigest.com:

Disappointingly but predictably, Dawson then had nothing new to offer in this ongoing debate. Resorting to the arguments he has repeatedly used since he assumed his present job in 2000, the former executive for Grove Manufacturing, a company involved in the manufacturing of hydraulic cranes trotted out the same old defense of the indefensible.

Mark Tallentire of The Guardian says Dawson "broke new ground over the vexed issue of the Open being hosted by single-gender clubs on Wednesday and suggested that the issue would be addressed after the tournament at Muirfield."

Oliver Brown and the Telegraph noted Dawson's mention of a "hard push" to change the policy on all male clubs, but also noted Dawson's irritability on one topic. Well two.

Under prolonged and uncomfortable cross-examination, Dawson was disdainful of the suggestion by one reporter that an all-male policy could be likened to an all-white one, describing it as a “ridiculous question”.

He said: “There are sectors of society that are downtrodden and treated very badly indeed, and to compare this with a men’s golf club is frankly absurd. There is no comparison whatsoever.”
He also expressed his irritation that “the media are, with boundless energy, giving out the message that such clubs should be condemned to extinction”.

Emily Dugan, The Independent's "Social Affairs" correspondent, seized on the "increasingly bizarre press conference" and reported that Dawson defended the policy.

The Herald's Hugh Macdonald went the "bowing to pressure" route, saying the R&A is "reconsidering its stance on single-sex clubs."

Jonathan McEvoy of the Daily Mail also went with a "Men-only clubs may be kicked into long grass" theme. The story also includes a photo of Lindsey Vonn Dufferning with Dufner!

Golf Channel's "Live From" delivered a refreshingly deliberate and comprehensive 9-minute package on the press conference, with surprising comments from Shona Malcomb of the Lades Golf Union as well as an interview with Alex Salmond.

Many of Dawson's remarks are shown too:

Surfaced Photo Suggests Dawson Missed Calling As Bond Villain

Or at the very least, based on this AP photo from Wednesday's R&A Press Conference at the Open Championship, a bit role in a Monty Python film.

The photo accompanies Golfweek's Alex Miceli's account of R&A Chief Inspector Executive Peter Dawson's blame-the-media press conference addressing the Muirfield and R&A membership issues.

Lindsey: Tiger And I Will Never Marry

Sorry all you pre-nup attorneys and experts, Lindsey Vonn says you'll never get the chance to speculate on the negotiations, telling Vogue,  "No, thanks! I am definitely not getting married. To anyone."

Life must go on...but thanks to Sam Weinman for this vital pre-Open news.

R&A Presser Primer: "Peter Dawson would be advised to bring a tin hat"

Euan McLean, writing for the Daily Record, says "it will be a game of cat and mouse as [Peter]Dawson tries to defend the indefensible" during Wednesday's and prepares us with the stock answers Chief Inspector Executive Dawson will give to defend the R&A's stance on membership.

What's interesting in this piece--headlined in print "R&A have to lead way with a sex change"--is McLean's focus on the R&A instead of the Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. And just a reminder, the R&A is a separate entity from the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews. Got that?

Ewan Murray says there is hypocrisy from all angles in the membership debate, while appearing to put down yesterday's Telegraph report that a change in club secretary will change things at Muirfield.

There is hypocrisy, too, from those in the media who dish out routine kickings to male-only clubs such as Muirfield or Troon yet appear there at the drop of a hat if a game is on offer. Peter Dawson, the chief executive of the R&A, meanwhile defends the hosting of the Open at such clubs by pointing to the legality of Muirfield's membership criteria. That is a dubious argument; something needn't be illegal to be immoral and archaic.

On another traditional R&A press conference topic, Eamon Lynch explains why a Royal Portrush-hosted Open Championship has no chance of happening in the playing lifetimes of Mssrs. McIlroy and McDowell: riot season.

Open Championship Scenes, Monday And Tuesday

A few images of the always enchanting Open Championship grounds, Muirfield edition.

Here are my explanations for the inevitable questions: yes, that is a hat from the 1992 Open; the steep backswing belongs to Thaworn Wiratchant; the incredible Open Championship poster is held up for the camera by artist Lee Wybranski.

And yes, it is an enormous thrill and privilege to walk these grounds and at days end, to hang out in Gullane.

Phil On North Berwick: "The architecture, there, is exquisite."

The 14th tee view this week at North Berwick (click to enlarge)For the architecture wonks out there, Phil Mickelson at Muirfield for The Open Championship today, talking about links golf and the neighboring North Berwick:

Q. Where was the first time you played links golf? And can you tell us the best experience you've had in The Open Championship?

PHIL MICKELSON: Well, the first time I played links golf was in the Walker Cup in 1991, Portmarnock Ireland, but the first time over here was in '92. I tried to qualify for The Open Championship at Muirfield over at North Berwick, and that was really one of my first experiences. I remember that golf course very vividly. And I feel like that course had such an influence on architecture in the early 20th Century that a lot of the holes -- probably the most emulated hole ever is the Redan hole throughout the world. But some of the features, like the green on 16, some of the blind shots, the architecture, there, is exquisite.

Tiger: Fiery Muirfield Similar To Hoylake In '06

Lee Wybranski's official Open graphic (click to enlarge)From Tiger Woods' Tuesday morning press conference, where it sounds like he and many others won't be using driver very often:

This golf course is playing similar to that. It's quick. And so far I've played a couple of days now, three days, and I've only hit a couple of drivers here. I remember Jason was playing with me the other day and he hadn't hit a driver yet. A lot of irons off the tees. Some of the holes, 4-iron was going 280. 3-iron is going a little over 300 yards. So it's quick. That's on this wind. So obviously it could change. Like what we had in '02, it could come out of the northeast and it could be a totally different golf course.

Q. Does it matter, the amount that the ball runs on the fairway after it lands has got to be the important thing?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, it's being able to control that as best you possibly can. Downwind holes, that if you hit -- I've hit 3-wood, I'll run probably close to 80, 90 yards. Sometimes a little bit more than that. And you can chase balls that can go a long ways. And on 17 yesterday I hit 3-iron, 3-iron over the green. And granted, it's just all in the run. It all depends on where you land it. It could land into a slope and get killed or land on the backside and it could shoot forward another 40, 50 yards. And that's the neat thing about links golf, is that it's predictable, but also unpredictable at the same time.

Telegraph: Secretary Change, Progress Coming To Muirfield

Oliver Brown reports that longtime club secretary Alastair Brown, a defiant voice on the club's problematic stance against admitting women, will be retiring sometime after The Open.

He will be replaced by a "reformer" in Stuart McEwen.

McEwen, who more recently served as director of golf at Gleneagles, has drawn widespread praise for his innovative work at Kingsbarns on the Fife coast since its founding in 2000, adding to the sense of a possible shift in Muirfield’s controversial position towards women.

One source close to the process said: “The notion of women members is talked about openly now, rather than in whispers. It is not a case of if any longer, but when.”

It won't look good if even the Honourable Company Of Edinburgh Golfers moves into the 21st Century as the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews holds its ground!

Scottish Open Scores A 1.3 Final Round Overnight Rating

Nice numbers from the experimental (not anymore!) 2013 Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, which aired on Golf Channel and for the first time, NBC (see Mike McCarley Q&A here).

A few of the "overnight" numbers are below, with one rating point generally equating to 1.14 million viewers. The final numbers won’t be available until Wednesday for Golf Channel but it appears the Scottish easily outdrew the U.S. Senior Open. Phil Mickelson obviously gets a huge "assist" in this. But still, mighty impressive:

· Golf Channel’s coverage of the final round of the European Tour’s Scottish Open (9:30A-12P), leading into NBC’s coverage, delivered a 0.28 in the overnights, up 27% vs. Golf Channel’s Final Round coverage last year (8A-12:45P, 0.22). NBC’s continuing coverage of the Scottish Open final round (12-2:45P) received a 1.3 (first time for event on NBC, no comparison available).
 
Also note that US Senior Open was up YOY – which can be attributed in part to lead-in of Scottish Open.
 
· NBC’s coverage of the U.S. Senior Open final round (2:45-6P) posted a 0.99, up 29% YOY (3-6P, 0.77).