Tiger Only Missed The Seven Hole Opening Of First U.S. Design

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One of the strangest things about Tiger's follow-up surgery to his follow-up back surgery was the willingness to miss the opening of his first U.S. course design.

Yet, reading Art Stricklin's account of the opening, I'm starting to understand why alleviating back pain took priority over what seemed like an important career moment. Why? Turns out this is only the opening of seven holes, not 18. That suggests a certain (not unprecedented) anxiety by the developer to generate publicity but also makes me understand why Tiger put his ailing back ahead of the opening.

From Stricklin's report:

“For this day to finally come is very exciting,” said Bryon Bell, President of Tiger Woods Design. “It’s really important for this course to finally be open, and the real payoff is to hear the members talking positively about it.”

Nearly 100 members were on the grounds at Bluejack, which had a seven-hole loop open for the initial play, with the full course expected be ready by early 2016.

Wake us when all 18 are open. Right Tiger

Such A Relief Files: Vijay Agrees To Represent Fiji In Rio

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Granted, he still has to qualify and stay off the deer antler spray, but because of the Olympic Golf format the 52-year-old should be eligible to represent Fiji next summer in Rio.

And because I know you were losing sleep at night wondering what his decision would be, I bring you good news and bad news for whoever gets stuck in an Olympic Village room with the Big Geezer Grump! He's in!

The Jet reports:

“Vijay is a proud Fijian who has been successfully representing our nation for more than 30 years, bringing great credit to Fiji by reaching the top of world golfing. For him to agree to be part of the Fijian team for Rio if he qualifies is something that every Fijian sports fan will welcome. Because I have no doubt that on his current performance, the chances of him doing so are very high”, he said.

The Prime Minister also revealed that Vijay Singh has agreed to mentor the Fijian Rugby Sevens team, which has already qualified for Rio, along with the Under 19s National Football team.

And when I think mentor, I think Vijay!

Anchorers Go Down In...Schwab Cup Success

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Sure there may be a few stragglers through December, but the era of anchored putting essentially came to and end this weekend when Bernhard Langer and Michael Allen battled Billy Andrade down the Charles Schwab Cup Championship stretch. The first two are achorers but will have to give up the habit January 1, 2016.

But as Al Tays notes at GolfChannel.com, Langer is sounding more optimistic going forward than he has in recent years.

Langer has anchored his broomstick putter for 17 years, but he says he's not worried about making a change.

"I've thought about it a little bit," he told reporters in Scottsdale. "I've gathered a few putters, different styles, different lengths, different grips. My first thought is I'll probably go back to what I did before I went to the long putter, which was what [Matt] Kuchar does, holding the putter against the left forearm that way, and Soren Kjeldsen in Europe does the same thing.

"I putted that way for seven years and I won a number of tournaments including the Masters, and if you can putt on the Masters greens and win with a grip like that, I would think I could do it in other tournaments, but we'll see. There's other options."

On the flatbelly circuit, Adam Scott notched a second place finish in Malaysia and looked good over the putter, while former anchorer Ernie Els hasn't been quite so confident over his blade.

New President Bush Bio Opens With An Old Golf Story

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As George (41) Bush's presidential legacy continues to grow in stature and Rummy's feathers are ruffled (not to mention 43's) over the new biography authored by esteemed historian Jon Meacham, it turns out golf is a nice part of the much-anticipated tome.

While I'm not sure pollsters would buy Jerry Tarde's assertion that President Bush is the "most beloved living president who played the game," we golfers adore anyone who made pace of play a priority and whose family has long been front and center in American golf.

Tarde says the book opens with a golf story about Samuel Prescott Bush standing on top of the Hotel Traymore in Atlantic City. Nucky Thompson was apparently not around, however.

"A prominent Midwestern industrialist, Bush was at the Jersey Shore in the early summer of 1915 to take part in what was described as ‘the highest golf driving contest ever held in the history of the great Scotch game,’ ” Meacham writes. “Facing the Atlantic, in a long-sleeved dress shirt and formal trousers, Bush, driver in hand, took his stance and swung smoothly. He connected just the way he wanted to—cleanly and perfectly.

The ball rose rapidly, a tiny spinning meteor. Bush’s shot streaked out over the sea, soaring over the white-capped waves before disappearing deep in the distance, the sound of its splash lost in the wind and turf.

“Bush won, of course. Though his opponents did what they could, they failed to surpass Bush’s dramatic drive. It was not the most serious of competitions, but that did not matter. The New York Times reported Bush’s triumph. A contest was a contest.”

SMU Signs Two-Time Cancer Survivor Justin Thompson

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Golfweek.com's Kevin Casey's story about Justin Thompson committing to SMU for 2017 is of note for a few reasons. Mostly that Thompson is a two-time cancer survivor (Casey details Thompson's battle) and that he's a pupil of Jordan Spieth instructor Cameron McCormick.

But there is also the idea that the program, hit with a virtual death penalty by the NCAA and Bryson DeChambeau dropping out, might scare off prospective recruits.

So far it sounds like they are not slowing down in the signing department.  

It's fitting that someone who has already gone through so much adversity will soon enter a golf program beset by sanctions for the near future. When asked about that potential hurdle to committing, Thompson felt that by the time he gets on campus most of the sanctions will have dissipated, and the fact that the current players and coaches weren't involved in the violations swayed him to minimize their importance.

Besides, if something were to go awry, Thompson has already had plenty of experience in that department. And it's only made him better.

“With the cancer experience, you learn about having courage, having faith and that there’s a plan for everything," Thompson said. "I’m stronger and more mature as a person than had I not gone through it.”

20-Year-Old Li Haotong On Cusp Of History

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Doug Ferguson reports that Kevin Kisner holds a two-stroke lead over Dustin Johnson, a former HSBC Champions winner. But if you've watched any of the event (and the ratings say you haven't), there is a really fun story potentially looming with 20-year-old Li Haotong.

Ferguson filed a separate story on Haotong, who gets some pretty entertaining crowd reactions to his shots.

“This tournament is so big - it’s too big,” Li said after a 6-under 66 that left him one shot out of the lead going into the final round. “I know that the final day, a lot of people are going to be making a lot of birdies. That’s why I thought my goal of this tournament would be making the top 10, because making the top 10 will already be a highlight and a milestone for my short career.

“I hope that tomorrow I can do well and finish at the position where I want to.”

Here's a little taste of a Li roar. Golf Channel coverage starts at 10 pm ET:

Not So Happy Gilmore: Peterson's Bold Shot Vanishes

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Maybe this will just make the shot that much more legendary?

Either way, John Peterson's Happy Gilmore moment last week in Malaysia has vanished from Jason Dufner's Instagram account.

One witness who refused to go on the record says men clad in pleated pants, light blue Oxford shirts (extra starch) and Footjoy Classics rolled up to Dufner's home in black BMW X5's in the wee hours this week. After having found Dufner's cell phone believed to be the same one used to record the Peterson video, the agents were heard yelling "Geronimo secure, Geronimo secure!"

The account matches previous stories from tour players and caddies, hinting that the raid was conducted by the PGA Tour Fun Police, a super-secret outfit headquartered in the basement of TPC Sawgrass' 198,000 square foot clubhouse.

Dufner was not immediately available for comment.

There is good news, however. It's called YouTube!  **The Fun Police are more nimble these days!



Adidas Plans To Lay Off 14% Of Taylor Made Global Workforce

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Steve Pike with the analysis following Adidas CEO Herbert Hainer's comments that came while announcing third quarter earnings, which were up 7% for Taylor Made.

But not enough to save jobs, apparently.

“While this will negatively impact profitability by a low-double-digit million euro amount in the fourth quarter, the immediate result will be a more nimble organization, which will have a positive effect on the Group’s profitability from 2016 onwards,’’ Hainer said.

Adidas Group reported TMaG sales for the Q3 of 2015 at 159 million Euros in the quarter, an increase from 138 million Euros the same period in 2014. For the nine months of 2015, Adidas Group reported TMaG’s sales increased seven percent to 678 million Euros. That’s approximately $738 million –only about $100 million less than rival Callaway Golf’s total sales estimate for 2015. The Adidas Group did not release TMaG’s earnings numbers.

Video: Strong Trick Shot, Stronger Camera Work

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I don't see this one yet on Morning Drive's hashtag for collegiate team trick shots but it appears Oklahoma State is up next against TCU. And while many of those have been pretty imaginative, I have to say this Oklahoma State beauty posted by their SID suggests a level of production values that raises the bar. Maybe too much? Hard to say as the shot is still pretty sweet.

Thanks to RM for catching this from Ryan Cameron, OKSU's SID.

Two Polls: Can Caddies Ever Write Memoirs And How Many Majors Was Steve Williams Worth To Tiger Woods?

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On Monday's Morning Drive, we kicked around the new Steve Williams book which has resulted in the caddie taking a huge credibility hit (if social media is to be believed).  I'm more fascinated by what the book could do to his re-emerging role as Adam Scott caddie, which is utterly fascinating to watch in person if you're a golf fan, as he clearly raises the level of Scott's game (to the point I was sure after 54-holes that Scott would win The Open last year).

Doug Ferguson talked to Scott this week and he doesn't see the book as a distraction. We shall see.

That said, the comments here and elsewhere suggest strong objection to the Williams book. The combination of a slave reference, the surprise timing and the New Zealand e-book release approach suggests that the former luggage handler was working around a non-disclosure agreement of some kind. Williams now tells AAP he regrets the use of "slave" and isn't pleased with the publisher for pushing that as the first glimpse of the book.

It all does feel a bit unseemly, yet at the same time, as Jaime Diaz notes in his reading of the book, there are some fantastic golf nuggets.

Williams has vital stories related to the history of the game that should be shared for future generations who will marvel at the accomplishments of his most famous client. Like Hank Haney's book, the more sordid moments are forgotten because the golf stories are so incredible.

I've also heard bits and pieces suggesting that caddies are like lawyers, bound to protect client confidentiality by an unspoken code? Therefore, this leads to two very separate questions.

The first: Is there a good time for a caddie to write a memoir?

Is there a good time for a caddie to write a memoir?
 
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The second question, prompted by a very interesting discussion on this week's By-The-Minute Golf Podcast featuring Lawrence Donegan, John Huggan and guest Robert Lusetich: how many majors was Steve Williams worth to Tiger? Yes, it's a number that can't be known, but I think a gut reaction poll result is still intriguing to get a better sense of how we all view the importance of this particular caddie who is widely considered one of the best at his profession. (For the record, I'm voting two.)

How many majors was Steve Williams worth to Tiger Woods?
 
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Phil Flew To Vegas To Dump Butch

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The jet fuel is definitely tax deductible and as Tim Rosaforte lays out in this GolfDigest.com item, Phil Mickelson gets bonus points for firing his legendary coach and friend in person.

Rosaforte writes:

This was not going to end bitterly, the way Harmon and Woods ended. Those two have hardly talked since 2002. Mickelson was equally as high road as Harmon, saying the teacher deserved to be told face to face.

"I respect him as a person and as a teacher and as a friend, and just wanted to talk to him in person about it,” Mickelson said. "It’s not something you do over the phone. He’s been good to me long before we ever started working together. That stuff is never easy, but it’s what he deserves.”

Harmon appreciated that. “He did it in a classy way,” he said.

Phil, I have Lifetime Networks on one, should I put them through to voice mail?

Boo Weekley: "Honestly, this wraparound season sucks. It does, seriously."

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Why provide commentary when I can just let Boo Weekley do all the heavy lifting? He's teeing it up as defending runner-up in the Sanderson Farms Championship and needs to make a nice check to offset the inevitable fines for conduct becoming of an honest PGA Tour member.

Weekley...

Q. How have you come to view the wraparound season and the importance of trying to get out to a big jump in the fall?

BOO WEEKLEY: Honestly, this wraparound season sucks. It does, seriously.

Q. It's long?

BOO WEEKLEY: It's just, it's stupid. I still ain't figured out this FedEx -- what does this FedExCup stuff do? It ain't doing nothing, but it is what it is. It's supposed to be the players tour. It's Tim Finchem and them's tour is what it is.

It's aggravating having to play this much, but yet it's important to come out and try to get a good start. I mean, it's good for the rookies, I think. It gives them something they can up can out and get their feet wet before they actually get into the bigger tournament. I think that's a good thing.

Q. Does it just feel like a warn out extension?

BOO WEEKLEY: It's just golf after golf after golf. Ain't no time for hunting and fishing, man. You know, you've got to come in here and bring my rods over here to go fishing, but you can't go fishing because you get out there and next thing you know somebody's aggravating you, and you can't actually enjoy going fishing.

Phil Parts With Butch: "I need to hear new ideas"

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The biggest name in the Butch Harmon stable is bolting for a swing instructor to be determined.

Alan Bastable with the exclusive for golf.com, includes Mickelson's statement.

“I’ve learned a great deal from him in our eight years together,” Mickelson said in a statement to Golf.com. “It’s just that at the moment I need to hear new ideas from a different perspective.”

Butch is also putting a positive spin on the firing.

In a statement issued by Mickelson’s camp, Harmon said: “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with Phil and we’ve had great success together. Helping him win the Open Championship in 2013 was one of the pinnacles of my career. I see nothing wrong with him seeking advice from another source. We’re great friends and always will be.”

So, who should Phil go with? Vote!

Which instructor should Phil get "new ideas" from?
 
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