Kite: Most Players Said Good Things About Liberty National

Liberty National co-architect Tom Kite's remarks that a vocal minority in 2009 got too much attention for criticizing the course might carry a little more weight if they hadn't completely blown the place up.

Brett Cyrcalis reports on Kite's visit to Liberty Monday on the even of the Barclays.

“There were a lot people that raved about the golf course, and there were a few people that were critical,” Kite told The Post behind the driving range at Liberty National, where the first tournament of the four-event FedEx Cup playoffs will begin. “We tried to address some of the issues that were a concern to some of the players, and at the same time build on all the really good things most of the players said. It wasn’t written about, but most of the players said really good things.

“It’s easy to write negative stuff,” Kite continued. “It’s more than that. When people say complimentary things about you, you all don’t write about it. There’s no question that that was the case.”

Update on 2013-08-21 00:43 by Geoff

**PGATour.com has a roundup of all the course changes as well as links to hole-by-hole drawings detailing the changes.

Ahmad To Continue Off-Radar Activities, Inks Back 9 Net Deal

Absent from his two-day-a week Morning Drive role at Golf Channel for some time now, it turns out Ahmad Rashad must have been in high-level negotiations to take his earring to Back9Network's vast online audience.

Happier times? Little did I know that it's been reported Ahmad and Kelly Tilghman were not getting along, a report from The Big Lead said back on July 24 and missed by yours truly while vacationing). I've heard it was not true and the two got on fine.

Well there's no Tiger to fight over at Back9Network. And no airwaves yet, either.

For Immediate Release:

Ahmad Rashād Joins Back9Network as Executive Producer and On-Air Host
in Partnership Aimed at Changing the Face of Golf
 
HARTFORD, CONN., August 20, 2013:  Back9Network, the golf lifestyle multiplatform media network, announced today that Emmy Award-winning broadcaster, Ahmad Rashād, will join the network as executive producer and on-air host.  Rashād is leaving behind a co-host role at Golf Channel’s Morning Drive.
 
“We are delighted to welcome Ahmad to Back9Network,” said James L. Bosworth, CEO of Back9Network.  “Ahmad’s personal style, love of golf, and desire to grow the game aligns perfectly with the mission of Back9Network.  In addition, Ahmad brings a unique dimension to our network’s programming with his vision and relationships within both the golf lifestyle space and professional sports.”
 
“Back9Network is a special opportunity that I simply could not pass up,” said Rashād.  “I’m excited for the many possibilities that lie ahead.  Co-hosting Morning Drive was a great experience, and I would like to thank Molly Solomon and the Golf Channel for the past year.”
 
After a successful NFL career that included four Pro Bowl selections, Rashād  covered a variety of sports for NBC, ABC, ESPN, NBA TV, and Golf Channel.  In his new position with the Back9Network, Rashād will perform a number of roles that will help shape the new network’s identity and programming, including creative and executive team membership, on-air hosting, and the production and execution of special lifestyle event coverage around golf majors and other venues around the world.  Rashād also will continue his executive producer and host roles for the NBA.
 
Back9Network, which made its online debut in 2012, is focused on all the things golf fans love about playing and living the game.  Back9Network’s state-of-the-art TV studio and digital video production facility is located in downtown Hartford, Connecticut, which is quickly becoming the sports media capital of the world with ESPN, NBC Sports and YES Network also based in the state.  Back9Network plans to launch its television-programming lineup via cable and satellite in 2014.

GHIN Outage: USGA Did Not Renew The GHIN.com Domain

The United States Golf Association's Golf Handicap And Information Network (GHIN) was rendered inoperable on all digital platforms late last Wednesday, August 14th and all-day Thursday, August 15th. Two sources confirm the online handicap computation service and registry was out of commission because the USGA did not renew the GHIN.com website domain before the expiration date.

In a statement, the USGA says there was an issue with "auto renewal."

"The GHIN Service experienced an issue with its domain name auto-renewal process on Thursday which caused a temporary disruption in service. Appropriate action was immediately taken, and the site is fully operational. We apologize for any inconvenience and assure our customers that steps are being taken to prevent this from happening in the future."

I queried my Twitter followers and several reported getting an "unable to join network" message all day Thursday, while those using the GHIN mobile app were required to re-enter their handicap number and log-in information.

A search of GHIN.com reveals that the address was created on August 15, 1996, updated on August 15, 2013 and now expires on August 14th, 2014.  In the FYI department, USGA.org and USOpen.com both expire on October 5, 2013.

Perhaps Fox Sports could supply a down payment on their new television money to help the USGA cover the two, sometimes even three-figure cost of renewing domains.

Old Town's Maxwell Restoration: A "Grand Slam"

John Dell took a look at the restoration of Perry Maxwell's Old Town Club--ironically once mangled by Liberty National architect Bob Cupp--and comes away calling the Bill Coore-Ben Crenshaw restoration a "grand slam."

This PDF of before-after photos tell the visual story. You won't see many more stunning architectural transformations than this.

From golf chairman Dunlop White:

"Coore and Crenshaw have successfully recaptured the ‘big bone’ presence of our 1939 layout, and today all of our features possess a much larger footprint,” White said last week, just before the re-opening.

The course had been closed since December, and the $1 million restoration had plenty of phases to it. The bunker sizes were restored and reshaped to capture an old-style look and feel that resembles courses in the Pinehurst area.

They even put back the rare double green built by Maxwell.

Old Town used to play at about 6,800 yards from the back tees. It now can play at 7,037 yards.
Coore, who hopes to make it back to Old Town this fall, said by telephone that he and his team, which included Dave Axland, were the most nervous about the double green.

"We knew something had to be done with the double green, and we wanted to make sure it was done right, and when it was completed we liked how it turned out,” Coore said.

Other major changes included fairway expansions from 35 acres to 52 acres that give golfers more choices off the tee and plenty of fairway.

The story also featured this video interviewing superintendent O’Neal Crouch.

The Re-Re-Improved Liberty National Returns...

We architecture geeks will have no complaints this week, still high on The Country Club looking better than it has in years and Colorado Golf Club proving downright amazing to watch even if the Solheim Cup matches ended up a blowout. But reality sets in as the tour moves to the new, re-re-improved Liberty National for the Barclays.

Players will be on fine-watch for saying anything remotely critical after Commissioner Finchem buddy Paul Fireman sank even more millions beyond the initial $250 million he spent on this Bob Cupp-Tom Kite design that brought up the rear in Golf World's PGA Tour course ranking.

Still, it's good fun to go back and read the remarks from last time, including one of Tiger's all time best lines.

Brett Cyrgalis talks to the PGA Tour's Steve Wenzloff about the softening of features and shifting of the 18th green to give the Barclays corporate tent more room, not that anyone will miss the old finishing hole.

“The goal of the modification was really to help increase the overall receptiveness of the golf course,” said Steve Wenzloff, the PGA Tour’s vice president of design services and player liaison. “I say receptiveness as sort of a broad definition. Specially, two facets: the tee shots and the approach shots.”

So you're softening the tee shots and the approaches to the greens, which leaves? Nothing else.

The nuts and bolts of the re-do:

In total, five greens were entirely rebuilt, and an additional six were reconstructed; 13 landing areas were altered; and 11 tee boxes were expanded or moved. Some fairway bunkers were moved farther from the line of play, and the greens complexes generally were made flatter, allowing for more hole locations and less severe run-offs into deep chipping areas.

The 18th green was moved 20 yards down the fairway to allow for Barclays to have a larger corporate tent, and the hole stayed the same length by virtue of a rarely used back tee, 20 yards behind the one used in 2009.

That could be a first...a green moved for a corporate tent.

Playoff "Vernacular" & Logo Change...Again!

Disappointingly, the Reset Cup has not become the preferred description of the algorithm infused, two-points reset system best known as the FedExCup Playoffs, until next year when the vernacular changes again.

For Immediate Something:

NEW LOGO FOR THE FEDEXCUP PLAYOFFS
 
The seventh year of the FedExCup Playoffs kicks off this week at The Barclays, featuring the top 125 players in the 2013 FedExCup standings.
 
For your use, we have attached the new logo, "FedExCup Playoffs," that replaces the previous version, "PGA TOUR Playoffs." We would greatly appreciate any  references going forward to be the "FedExCup Playoffs" and use of the new logo as well.
 
Additional changes to PGA TOUR vernacular are as follows:
 
·        The Playoffs officially become the FedExCup Playoffs (with new logo).
·        There should be no more reference to the Regular Season.

What about lower case regular season?

·        The 2013 PGA TOUR Season concludes October 6 at The Presidents Cup.  The 2013-14 PGA TOUR Season begins October 7 at the Frys.com Open.
·        Reference to a specific tournament will still be by the calendar year in which it is played.
·        There no longer will be a “Fall Series” on the PGA TOUR; those should be referred to as “season-opening events.”
·        The final four events on the Web.com Tour are the Web.com Tour Finals, ending with the Web.com Tour Championship at TPC Sawgrass (Dye's Valley course).

Lenny Dykstra Still Loyal To Sherwood!

The Big Lead posted this shot of baseball great Lenny Dykstra, recently released from prison and nursing an iced vanilla Frapuccino. Even better than that, sporting a red shirt showing his loyalty to Sherwood Country Club where he once lived in Wayne Gretzky's old home and which he also trashed.

Roundup: Europe Trounces U.S. In Solheim Cup

Doug Ferguson's game story on Europe's historic win over the U.S. at Colorado Golf Club notes Europe's 6-rookie squad and Caroline Hedwall's amazing 5-0 record in leading her team to an 18-10 rout.

Phil Parkin's post-match interview with an eloquent, modest Hedwall.

Steve DiMeglio captures the losing moment and the essence of what separated the two squads.

Following a 55-minute weather delay, Sweden's Caroline Hedwall, 24, playing in just her second Solheim, defeated Michelle Wie with a last-hole birdie from 5 feet to give the Europeans the 14 points they needed to keep possession of the Cup. Hedwall become the first player in Solheim history to go 5-0.

The USA, on the other hand, could never get a handle on the undulated, firm and slick greens throughout the tournament and now has lost their grip on the Solheim Cup.

Jay Coffin on the other star from this Solheim Cup, 17-year-old Charley Hull who pummeled Paula Creamer, then asked for her autograph.

John Strege wonders where this leaves the state of American golf.

A Solheim Cup is not entirely indicative of the strength of any specific group of players, but the signs aren't good for the U.S. For the first time, Europe has won consecutive Solheim Cups, and its victory at the Colorado Golf Club was its first in America. Caroline Hedwall, only 24 herself, a star heretofore still in the assembly stage, went 5-0 in these matches, securing the cup for Europe with an 18th-hole birdie to beat Michelle Wie.

Left unsaid in all of this is how yet another American team (male or female) struggled in formats other than singles, and really never quite grasped how to deal with the sensational firm-fast golf presented by Colorado Golf Club.

That may have been part of Dottie Pepper's thinking in issuing this ominous statement about the depth of American golf, as reported by Beth Ann Baldry in her roundup of the last day.

And now, as Dottie Pepper sat beside the 18th green waiting for the final match to come in, the Europeans an hour deep into their celebration, one of the fiercest competitors the game has ever seen stated an obvious, yet painful fact about American golf:

“The world has caught up and passed (us),” Pepper said.

Baldry also handed out grades. The Americans will be going to summer school.

And mopping up a Saturday controversy when Michelle Wie left a green early in celebration, Coffin has her apology Tweets.

Golf Central's highlight package.

The jovial European team interview.



The not-so-jovial USA post match interview, helmed by the classy Meg Mallon.

And just as a viewer, this was yet another win for architecture. While most of these team matches would be interesting if played on a polo field, Colorado Golf Club's brilliant agronomic presentation highlighted Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw's architecture. What a joy it was to watch the ball spending so much time on the ground, doing wonderful things when the players controlled their shots.

Throw in some super hole locations and fresh camera angles from Golf Channel that allowed us to better understand the scale and strategy of the holes, and we once again saw why the powers insisted on team match play for the 2016 Olympics why team events are still better than 99% of the stroke play events.

Kudos to all involved for an entertaining presentation of our sport.

Fitzpatrick, Caddies Shine In U.S. Amateur Final

Jimmy Golen's AP story on Matt Fitzpatrick's 4&3 win over Oliver Goss at the U.S. Amateur at The Country Club touched on many parts of the first English win since Harold Hilton(!), including this on his deceptive dominance.

From Golen's report:

Fitzpatrick never trailed in the final match, taking the lead for good on the second hole of the afternoon round - the 20th of the day - and going 2 up one hole later. Goss cut it to one on No. 9, but fell behind two again on the 10th hole when he lipped out on a 4-foot putt.

Fitzpatrick went 3 up on the 14th hole and then on No. 15, where he had won four of his previous five matches, he was short of the green and Goss was off the back.

Goss' chip missed the hole by about 6 inches and rolled 3 feet past, while. Fitzpatrick two-putted from the closely mown area leading up to the green, hitting his second from less than 6 feet. When Goss missed his par putt, the two shook hands and Fitzpatrick hugged his brother, Alex, who was caddying for him.

"It was nice to win 4 and 3 again today," Fitzpatrick said. "It's kind of a strange thing. I did have a feeling that I could close it out."

Fitzpatrick, who was the low amateur last month in the British Open, got a gold medal for his victory along with exemptions into the 2014 U.S. and British Opens - where he will be paired with defending champions Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose - and a likely invitation to the Masters. His name will be inscribed on the Havemeyer Trophy alongside five-time winner Bobby Jones, three-time winner Tiger Woods and two-time winners Jack Nicklaus and Ouimet.

It's the first time Englishmen have won the U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur in the same calendar year.

The story of the caddies was as compelling as the matches, particularly considering this was the home of Eddie Lowery. Saturday, Ryan Lavner noted the amazing occurrence of semi-final loser Brady Watt picking up Goss' bag for the final, where there was Fitzpatrick's younger brother on his bag. Still, it'd be great to know if a semi-finalist has ever looped for the man he lost to the next day? (NBC showed a photo of Watt and Goss going to a Red Sox game Friday night on the eve of their match!)

NBC's coverage, however, lacked one of those thrilling, pulsating and buzz-killing interviews with a member of the USGA Executive Committee or senior staff. The poor affiliates losing out on such a ratings booster.

Anyway, in his story from Sunday, Lavner noted this about Fitzpatrick, who is following in Luke Donald's footsteps by attending Northwestern.

The Fitzpatrick family has a four-year college plan in place, however, no matter how impressive and mature Matt has seemed this summer in earning low-amateur honors at the British Open and winning the U.S. Amateur, all in a four-week span.

“This might be as good as it ever gets,” Russell Fitzpatrick said. “You just never know. Professional sport is really, really tough. I’ve seen players turn pro, and we never hear from them again. If he decides to play professional golf someday, he has no pressure because he knows he has a fallback option. If he turns pro after one year and it doesn’t work out, and he doesn’t have a degree, if he’s just a flash in the pan, then what’s he go with?”

A super USGA image gallery from the final.

Matt Fitzpatrick's post-win interview with Jessica Marksbury.

Fitzpatrick's parents were interviewed.



Oliver Goss' post-match interview.

You can follow Fitzpatrick on Twitter here.

Dustin Instagram's A Photo Of Paulina Gretzky Wearing A Ring

And it's on her left hand, and it's absurdly large, so I believe this means Ms. Gretzky is off the market. Sorry to Alex and Sam and all of the others who were hoping Paulina would dump Dustin Johnson for them.

Paulina hasn't Tweeted anything personally, but did re-Tweet a congratulatory message from Hannah Selleck.

Thanks to reader Brad Power for spotting and Tweeting this momentus moment in golf history.