In case you missed it, the PGA Tour now has a generation gap. It runs from the ages of 33 (Tiger Woods) to later this year when Phil Mickelson turns 39. The guys who fall in between will earn fortunes that most of us can only dream about, but they’ll never have the acclaim merited by their bank accounts.
Today, Tiger can look around him and smile. He has the knowledge that he can beat everyone of his peers (age wise). He can look ahead at those who are tumbling into their 40s and know that he has already beat them and fully understand that they have entered the land of diminishing returns.
What Tiger has to worry about is the absolute law of the jungle. As Jack Nicklaus stalked Arnold Palmer and Gary Player and as Tom Watson stalked Nicklaus and as Woods has stalked them, or at least their records, there are those who have him in their crosshairs. In the past, youth has always been served and there’s no reason to think it isn’t going to happen again.
Since Tiger started winning majors, we’ve been looking for a challenger for his crown and all we found were pretenders. In the name of Dumb and Dumber, we were looking in the absolutely wrong place. We looked first at Phil, then Ernie, then Retief and then Vijay. In retrospect we have to wonder why. If you were given those four names for Final Jeopardy, the question would be, “Name five professional golfers Tiger Woods dusts with regularity.”
The threat to Tiger’s crown is creeping up on him. The collision should come within the next three to five years. That will be about the time Tiger is recovering from his fifth knee surgery, will step back and take a look at his situation and figure out that he has a fortune he and those who will follow in clan Woods will never want for a mansion or a yacht. There will probably be three or four children tugging at his heartstrings when he leaves for another tournament. He’d climbed the highest mountains. He became the most recognized person in the world. There will be few if any mountains to climb. Don’t be surprised if he decides that enough is enough. Why risk having his legacy clouded even the slightest?
Then the fun starts. Last September, on a visit to Ireland, I spoke with Christy O’Connor, Jr. a longtime friend. Being one of the best golfers Ireland ever produced (he almost holed a 2-iron on the last hole of Ryder Cup match against Fred Couples at the Belfry to secure Europe’s first Ryder Cup in forever), I asked if the acclaim Padraig Harrington received in the Old Sod was as raucous as I imagined. “Sure it’s been great,” said Christy, “but nothing like it’s going to be Rory McIlroy.”
Trust me. This 19-year old shaggy-haired long hitter with a deft touch around the greens lacks only one facet that will make him a super star and that’s experience. It won’t take much when you consider that Tiger’s buddy, Mark O’Meara opined that Rory’s development is ahead of Tiger’s at a similar stage of their respective careers. That’s good enough for me. If it wasn’t, after McIlroy won at Dubai this year, Ernie Els averred that the kid will certainly be the number one golfer in the world in the near future.
Before the crown is given to Rory, players such as Camillo Villegas, Anthony Kim and Nick Watney may have something to say about it.
Today, we may have a generation gap that has not produced a serious contender for the crown. Today, Tiger knows he’d better not have another hiccup. The best thought he can have right now is that because there are four real contenders, they knock each other off in a chase for his records.
Earlier in Tiger’s career, a popular theory was that Tiger’s real competition had yet to play. You can’t say that anymore.
==========================
A heartwarming story was written at the Puerto Rico Open a PGA Tour event that ran opposite the WGC CA Championship. Michael Bradley an affable 42-year old pro from Florida won for the first time in 11 years.
The gap wasn’t because of a loss of game, or a lack of dedication. A seriously injured back made four rounds in four days a living hell. Most times when he tried, he was in such a state that making the cut was not unlike his chances of climbing Mount Everest. He did qualify for the Tour for the 2007 season and in one of his first tournaments, he broke his ankle and was out for the season. Thus his victory in Puerto Rico was truly a feel good story.
Bradley was automatically in the field for the Transitions Championship in Tarpon Springs, Fla. Sad news came across the wire on Wednesday afternoon. Bradley had withdrawn because of an undisclosed injury. Golf and life share one thing in common. Both are unfair.
Bartender, four bottles of water for the four contenders and a glass of well-aged wine for Tiger so that his body may follow in like kind. For me? It’s too late for the well-aged wine. Water is best served in its solid form, so just draw me a young, cold draft beer. That always brings a smile to a curmudgeon.
See you on the first tee,
Jack
Friday, September 18, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
A chink in Tiger's armor?
I’ve got to admit that my curmudgeonly side got the best of me during final round coverage of The Barclays. When Tiger Woods hit his second shot into 18 a mere six feet – 10 inches from the hole, the entire CBS broadcast team went into rapture. I was waiting for David Feherty to tell Woods his putt was conceded and let’s go to the sudden death playoff, which of course Woods would win. Then they could fall all over each other trying to bore viewers with hyperbole over hyperbole.
Woods then proceeded to do the unthinkable. He missed. He didn’t even scare the cup. Then to add insult to injury, Heath Slocum won the event on the 72nd green by holing a 20-foot putt for the biggest win of his modest career. Then all they could talk about was how Slocum vaulted from 124th to third place in the FedEx Cup point standings.
Hey guys! No one and I mean no one cares. All the FedEx Cup has managed to do is extend interest in the Tour past the PGA Championship.
Heaven forbid, the CBS clan would hint at what has become one of the biggest, if not the biggest story of the year. Tiger Woods has become beatable. Where once conceding that putt would have been on everyone’s mind. It’s no longer the case. Missing the cut at Turnberry, putting like a rag doll in the final round of the PGA Championship and the Barclay’s debacle have become commonplace occurrences. He just doesn’t lose his touch for a hole or two; it’s now for a tournament at a time.
One could surmise that Tiger isn’t crazy about it either. His visible and I would imagine vocal emanations would reflect it.
In a way, this syndrome is reminiscent of what Tom Watson went through. Always a fearless putter, Watson would either make his birdie putt, or knock it seven feet past the hole. That was okay, because he knew he’d make the comebacker. Tiger has always been the same way.
The day came when Watson didn’t make the par putt. Then there was another and another and another. Although there were extenuating circumstances at the time which have since been remedied, it gave credence to my belief that there are just so many putts in a pair of hands and Watson had run through his supply. This may be the start of a similar syndrome for Tiger.
He may go on to win the last three playoff tournaments and people will forget his shortcomings, but he won’t. He’s the one person who knows, make that feels the seepage of the confidence that is the trademark of his putting stroke.
No doubt, he is licking his chops at the prospect of having Pebble Beach and St. Andrews on tap for the US and British Opens in 2010, but now there is a crack in his wall of invincibility.
His goal of 19 professional majors, once considered a tap in, is getting longer and the last thing Tiger needs is a tougher putt.
Bartender, I think we’ll pass this week. You do dispense fabulous swing oil, but that stuff can make a putting stroke, shall we say a tad jittery. Thanks anyway.
See you on the first tee,
Jack
Woods then proceeded to do the unthinkable. He missed. He didn’t even scare the cup. Then to add insult to injury, Heath Slocum won the event on the 72nd green by holing a 20-foot putt for the biggest win of his modest career. Then all they could talk about was how Slocum vaulted from 124th to third place in the FedEx Cup point standings.
Hey guys! No one and I mean no one cares. All the FedEx Cup has managed to do is extend interest in the Tour past the PGA Championship.
Heaven forbid, the CBS clan would hint at what has become one of the biggest, if not the biggest story of the year. Tiger Woods has become beatable. Where once conceding that putt would have been on everyone’s mind. It’s no longer the case. Missing the cut at Turnberry, putting like a rag doll in the final round of the PGA Championship and the Barclay’s debacle have become commonplace occurrences. He just doesn’t lose his touch for a hole or two; it’s now for a tournament at a time.
One could surmise that Tiger isn’t crazy about it either. His visible and I would imagine vocal emanations would reflect it.
In a way, this syndrome is reminiscent of what Tom Watson went through. Always a fearless putter, Watson would either make his birdie putt, or knock it seven feet past the hole. That was okay, because he knew he’d make the comebacker. Tiger has always been the same way.
The day came when Watson didn’t make the par putt. Then there was another and another and another. Although there were extenuating circumstances at the time which have since been remedied, it gave credence to my belief that there are just so many putts in a pair of hands and Watson had run through his supply. This may be the start of a similar syndrome for Tiger.
He may go on to win the last three playoff tournaments and people will forget his shortcomings, but he won’t. He’s the one person who knows, make that feels the seepage of the confidence that is the trademark of his putting stroke.
No doubt, he is licking his chops at the prospect of having Pebble Beach and St. Andrews on tap for the US and British Opens in 2010, but now there is a crack in his wall of invincibility.
His goal of 19 professional majors, once considered a tap in, is getting longer and the last thing Tiger needs is a tougher putt.
Bartender, I think we’ll pass this week. You do dispense fabulous swing oil, but that stuff can make a putting stroke, shall we say a tad jittery. Thanks anyway.
See you on the first tee,
Jack
Friday, August 14, 2009
A kinder, softer Tiger?
It’s beginning to appear that there is an answer to the question, will having children change Tiger Woods? Now, don’t think this is a definitive answer, but a couple of things that he’s said recently lead one to believe that this is just may be a kinder, softer version of El Tigre.
EXHIBIT #1. Following the final round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, Tiger was incensed that he and playing competitor Padraig Harrington had been put on the clock for being out of place. He reasoned that it caused Harrington to exercise less than crystal clear judgment when confronted with a wayward drive on the 16th hole that called for a precise recovery. Harrington’s eventual recovery came to rest in an awkward lie next to a fairway bunker.
From there, his third shot buried in the grass to the right of the green. Rather than pitch onto the middle of the green and perhaps make a bogey, his brain cramped and he shot at the pin. With water lurking tightly behind the hole, his chances for recovery were slim and none and Slim had just left town.
Granted, Woods, who had also driven into the woods, but played to the middle of the fairway before knocking his third shot to six-inches from the hole, may have altered Harrington’s thinking as well. After holing out for a triple-bogey eight, Harrington appeared to be in shock and the tournament was over.
After receiving the trophy, Tiger publicly lashed out at rules official John Paramor for putting the twosome on the clock. “I told Padraig that he (Paramor) ruined a great battle that we had going,” said Woods.
Huh?
Tiger sticking up for an opponent and not just an opponent, but the guy who was giving him all he could handle was confusing at best. He’s always been the ultimate step on the throat of the opponent when he is down type of guy. This left Harrington to defend Paramor by saying, “the players make the rules and we have to obey them. As a rules official, he was doing his job. When you’re out of position and on the clock, the quickest way to get off the clock is to put the ball in play and I didn’t do it.”
Was “Tiger the Intimidator” on hiatus? Why did he leave “Tiger the Compassionate” in charge? Sam and Charlie are getting to him.
EXHIBIT #2. We all know that Tiger lives for the Majors and the Majors alone. Not only have they been the focal points of his golf schedule, they’ve been the focal points of his life. A year without winning a Major has been like a year without sunshine for Tiger and those around him. Let’s just say he gets poor grades in “Plays Well With Others” until he returns to the winner’s circle.
When he arrived at the PGA Championship pitching a 0-for-2009 in the Majors, he followed up his defense of Harrington just a couple of days before with this gem.
“Even if I don’t win a major, this has been a great year,” he said. “Winning five times coming back from my knee problems is pretty good. Not many players get to do that.”
If his father, Earl, had been alive, you can make book that once he was revived; he would have chased his son down and washed his mouth out with soap. Someone has turned the ultimate competitor and intimidator into a wuss.
Having typed all this I am compelled to mention that Tiger has won two weeks in a row and has fired a five-under par 67 in the opening round of the PGA Championship. More than his score in that round, I noticed one appearance of Woods ablaze in that round. After a rare wayward drive, he did let loose with a string of off-color words and invective that have unfortunately been accepted as part of his lore. This begs that a question be asked.
If his kids can soften Tiger’s heart, why can’t they do something about the really classless language he spews? We kind of like the competitive stuff, but not so much the garbage mouth.
Bartender, please pour a tall tumbler of ice water for Mr. Woods. Better yet, inject it directly into his veins. While you’re at it, please remove the cup of human kindness. Thanks.
See you on the first tee.
Jack
EXHIBIT #1. Following the final round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, Tiger was incensed that he and playing competitor Padraig Harrington had been put on the clock for being out of place. He reasoned that it caused Harrington to exercise less than crystal clear judgment when confronted with a wayward drive on the 16th hole that called for a precise recovery. Harrington’s eventual recovery came to rest in an awkward lie next to a fairway bunker.
From there, his third shot buried in the grass to the right of the green. Rather than pitch onto the middle of the green and perhaps make a bogey, his brain cramped and he shot at the pin. With water lurking tightly behind the hole, his chances for recovery were slim and none and Slim had just left town.
Granted, Woods, who had also driven into the woods, but played to the middle of the fairway before knocking his third shot to six-inches from the hole, may have altered Harrington’s thinking as well. After holing out for a triple-bogey eight, Harrington appeared to be in shock and the tournament was over.
After receiving the trophy, Tiger publicly lashed out at rules official John Paramor for putting the twosome on the clock. “I told Padraig that he (Paramor) ruined a great battle that we had going,” said Woods.
Huh?
Tiger sticking up for an opponent and not just an opponent, but the guy who was giving him all he could handle was confusing at best. He’s always been the ultimate step on the throat of the opponent when he is down type of guy. This left Harrington to defend Paramor by saying, “the players make the rules and we have to obey them. As a rules official, he was doing his job. When you’re out of position and on the clock, the quickest way to get off the clock is to put the ball in play and I didn’t do it.”
Was “Tiger the Intimidator” on hiatus? Why did he leave “Tiger the Compassionate” in charge? Sam and Charlie are getting to him.
EXHIBIT #2. We all know that Tiger lives for the Majors and the Majors alone. Not only have they been the focal points of his golf schedule, they’ve been the focal points of his life. A year without winning a Major has been like a year without sunshine for Tiger and those around him. Let’s just say he gets poor grades in “Plays Well With Others” until he returns to the winner’s circle.
When he arrived at the PGA Championship pitching a 0-for-2009 in the Majors, he followed up his defense of Harrington just a couple of days before with this gem.
“Even if I don’t win a major, this has been a great year,” he said. “Winning five times coming back from my knee problems is pretty good. Not many players get to do that.”
If his father, Earl, had been alive, you can make book that once he was revived; he would have chased his son down and washed his mouth out with soap. Someone has turned the ultimate competitor and intimidator into a wuss.
Having typed all this I am compelled to mention that Tiger has won two weeks in a row and has fired a five-under par 67 in the opening round of the PGA Championship. More than his score in that round, I noticed one appearance of Woods ablaze in that round. After a rare wayward drive, he did let loose with a string of off-color words and invective that have unfortunately been accepted as part of his lore. This begs that a question be asked.
If his kids can soften Tiger’s heart, why can’t they do something about the really classless language he spews? We kind of like the competitive stuff, but not so much the garbage mouth.
Bartender, please pour a tall tumbler of ice water for Mr. Woods. Better yet, inject it directly into his veins. While you’re at it, please remove the cup of human kindness. Thanks.
See you on the first tee.
Jack
Thursday, July 9, 2009
U.S. LPGA merging with Asian LPGA?
As we head towards the British Open, which the Brits arrogantly refer to as The Open Championship (like we refer to baseball’s World Series), let’s take a look at what is going on in the golf world.
After his surprise win in the U.S. Open Lucas Glover is becoming “the guy who won’t go away.” I was willing to bet you that by the time Father’s Day 2010 rolled around, the most wrongly answered golf trivia question would be, “Who won the 2009 U.S. Open?” By the way, did I tell you that I might not be perfect?
There are some things that are definitely might be happening and it’s not all good.
There is definitely growing unrest among the LPGA rank and file. Word has it that there was a “special” dinner held during the recent Jamie Farr Classic. Evidently, the restaurant’s special of the night was “Roast Bivens au jus.” The girls aren’t thrilled with Commissioner Carolyn Bivens’ strategy.
While it would have been difficult to forecast the economic debacle now gripping the country from very far out, the LPGA has been hard hit. Unfortunately, under Bivens’ direction, most of the tournament contracts run out this year. The climate calls for conciliatory communication between the LPGA and their tournament sponsors. Instead, Bivens has maintained a hard line in sponsor negotiations.
The results haven’t been good. It could be that the Tour will lose three tournaments in Hawaii (they’ve lost Kapalua for certain). They may also have none in Florida or Arizona. This is a major disaster waiting to happen.
Here’s something you may want to think about. The big announcement out of the LPGA Daytona, Fla. headquarters has been about a new tournament to be held in Korea in 2010. Given the heavy Korean population already on the LPGA rolls, it’s not a stretch to think that the LPGA is heading towards being part of a hybrid that will fold the Asian LPGA and the US LPGA tours into one.
This won’t be a victory, but it will be a solution. However the odds are that Bivens won’t be a part of it. The players view her more as a major part of the problem and definitely not the solution.
As a contrast, the PGA Tour will have the bulk of their sponsorship contracts expire at the end of the 2010 season. Don’t be surprised if purses drop in the new contracts for part if not the entire term. Players will still make a great living because they won’t lose many sponsors. However, I can see a major restructuring of the FedEx Cup.
What may suffer if the economy doesn’t come around in short order are the Nationwide and Champions Tours. The only thing they have going for them are the relatively inexpensive purses. Their Golf Channel TV exposure isn’t all that attractive and the schedule breaks don’t allow a build up of continual interest. They should survive, but who knows in what form.
Yet again, out thoughts and prayers are with the Mickelson family as word has come out that Phil’s mother has also been diagnosed with breast cancer. Two of the most important women in Phil’s life have been diagnosed with this terrible disease. NO family deserves this.
Bartender, sorry but this bearer of bad news has again lost his thirst. It has to get better. By the way, allow me to be the first to prematurely congratulate Tiger on his latest addition to the Major trophy case. Maybe next time, he can favor us with a goblet of claret.
See you on the first tee,
Jack
After his surprise win in the U.S. Open Lucas Glover is becoming “the guy who won’t go away.” I was willing to bet you that by the time Father’s Day 2010 rolled around, the most wrongly answered golf trivia question would be, “Who won the 2009 U.S. Open?” By the way, did I tell you that I might not be perfect?
There are some things that are definitely might be happening and it’s not all good.
There is definitely growing unrest among the LPGA rank and file. Word has it that there was a “special” dinner held during the recent Jamie Farr Classic. Evidently, the restaurant’s special of the night was “Roast Bivens au jus.” The girls aren’t thrilled with Commissioner Carolyn Bivens’ strategy.
While it would have been difficult to forecast the economic debacle now gripping the country from very far out, the LPGA has been hard hit. Unfortunately, under Bivens’ direction, most of the tournament contracts run out this year. The climate calls for conciliatory communication between the LPGA and their tournament sponsors. Instead, Bivens has maintained a hard line in sponsor negotiations.
The results haven’t been good. It could be that the Tour will lose three tournaments in Hawaii (they’ve lost Kapalua for certain). They may also have none in Florida or Arizona. This is a major disaster waiting to happen.
Here’s something you may want to think about. The big announcement out of the LPGA Daytona, Fla. headquarters has been about a new tournament to be held in Korea in 2010. Given the heavy Korean population already on the LPGA rolls, it’s not a stretch to think that the LPGA is heading towards being part of a hybrid that will fold the Asian LPGA and the US LPGA tours into one.
This won’t be a victory, but it will be a solution. However the odds are that Bivens won’t be a part of it. The players view her more as a major part of the problem and definitely not the solution.
As a contrast, the PGA Tour will have the bulk of their sponsorship contracts expire at the end of the 2010 season. Don’t be surprised if purses drop in the new contracts for part if not the entire term. Players will still make a great living because they won’t lose many sponsors. However, I can see a major restructuring of the FedEx Cup.
What may suffer if the economy doesn’t come around in short order are the Nationwide and Champions Tours. The only thing they have going for them are the relatively inexpensive purses. Their Golf Channel TV exposure isn’t all that attractive and the schedule breaks don’t allow a build up of continual interest. They should survive, but who knows in what form.
Yet again, out thoughts and prayers are with the Mickelson family as word has come out that Phil’s mother has also been diagnosed with breast cancer. Two of the most important women in Phil’s life have been diagnosed with this terrible disease. NO family deserves this.
Bartender, sorry but this bearer of bad news has again lost his thirst. It has to get better. By the way, allow me to be the first to prematurely congratulate Tiger on his latest addition to the Major trophy case. Maybe next time, he can favor us with a goblet of claret.
See you on the first tee,
Jack
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
My heart and mind not on U.S. Open...
I realize that my mind should be at Bethpage Black and I should be telling you who is going to win this week’s U.S. Open and why. Sorry, but I can’t get there. My mind is divided right now and one place it isn’t is Bethpage Black.
You see my mind is in a hospital room in Jackson, Miss., and a home in San Diego and my heart is split between the two.
You’ve probably read, or heard about the tragic car accident that befell golfer Ken Green. His RV plunged off the side of a highway in Mississippi following a front tire blowout and plunged 20-something feet before crashing into a tree. The crash killed Green’s brother and his girlfriend as well as Ken’s German shepherd, Nip. It also left Green with a right leg so mangled that it had to be amputated. His right orbital bone is so smashed that extensive surgery is required to reconstruct it and there’s a deep gash on the side of his head that is described as “troublesome.”
His medical charts alone are enough to sicken you. It’s what is not written that is the real tragedy.
You see, Ken Green isn’t your typical 50-year old professional golfer who glided with seamless effort from the PGA Tour to the Champions Tour. Ken Green’s trip to the Champions Tour was through a mine field where demons grabbed for a piece of his very being every step of the way. He was in the abyss of living hell.
After a painful divorce which left him almost penniless, Green had his first bout with the demon that threatened at times to end his life, clinical depression. When you type it or say it, the phrase seems harmless enough. In truth, it’s a cover up for a demon telling you that “I’m going to make you hate yourself so much that you’ll take your own life.”
There was a day when that demon would usually win. Even with all the tremendous steps that have been made in treating this disease, it’s not a case where if you take a pill it will clear up in a day, or two. Quite often it’s two steps ahead and one step or even more back. It takes determination and it takes love from others.
For years, Green lingered in the morass. He lost his golf game that had earned him five PGA Tour victories. He lost his money and he lost friends. Most of all, he lost his mind. Only through sheer guts and determination coupled from love and assistance from his family and friends like his buddy Mark Calcavecchia did he get through.
His game started to come back as did control of his life. Through a lot of help from Calcavecchia, he was able to gain sponsors exemptions into Champions Tour events. When his RV left the road in Mississippi he had won $123,906 in limited action. He had more sponsor exemptions in his pocket and he was on his way to gaining some playing status for the 2010 season. Some think it was more money than he’d made in the entire last decade. Life was getting better and now this.
He’s said through a spokesperson that he’s going to fight back and play again on the Champions Tour with help of a prosthesis. This is a good sign. He’s going to need that spirit to face what lies ahead for him. He’d better walk the straight white line when he’s back on his feet. The demons have his scent and they’ll be after him. I pray they lose again.
Ironically, back in the mid-80s when Green was at his peak, he was asked what would be a mark of success that would tell him that he’d made it?
“If when I die, at the end of the national news broadcast, they flashed my picture and said, ‘Pro golfer Ken Green died today.’ I think that would be great,” he answered.
You’ve made a lot of national broadcasts, Kenny, and you’re still alive. Let’s keep it that way.
Meanwhile, on the west coast sits, by all accounts, just a great lady. If she wasn’t so humble and down to earth, she might be the target of every catty remark made around golf. She has it all. She’s bright, beautiful, wealthy, has great healthy children and a husband who truly loves her. Yes, one would think, she has everything.
A few weeks ago she received news that she has even more. Amy Mickelson has breast cancer. I don’t know where the shock came from. Unfortunately, I know people and families who have been devastated by this despicable disease, but it wasn’t supposed to happen to her.
To his credit, Phil immediately cut short his playing schedule, taking an “indefinite leave of absence” from the PGA Tour. This came as no surprise because in the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst, he left his cell phone on during play because Amy was due to have a baby at anytime. Phil swore he’d walk off the course immediately if the call came that Amy was in labor. Looking out for her man, Amy didn’t go into labor until the following day, so Phil finished second in a battle with Payne Stewart at Pinehurst.
Phil returned to the Tour last week at Amy’s insistence and he’s in the field at Bethpage some 3,000 miles away. He says the four to five hours he spends between the ropes gives him an opportunity to think about something other than his wife’s disease.
I’m sure that playing is cathartic for Phil, but I wonder what it will be like for him starting Thursday on his first tee. Back in 2002 at Bethpage, the vaunted, tough New York fans adopted him as their hero. It was a different time back then. New York was still recovering from the shock of 9/11. They needed their own hero. Tiger belonged to the world. Phil belonged to New York.
I hope Phil understands that all the pink shirts, hats, visors and pants being worn in what is predicted to be a huge gallery following him isn’t just New York having a bad clothes day. It will be a transference of energy through him to Amy telling them both that New York and the world for that matter is praying for her and to a lesser degree him as well to help see them through what could be difficult days to come.
Some have offered in print that it would be great if Phil could win this week. I have to believe that Phil would gladly give up all wins past and future if Amy could win her battle with cancer.
Bartender, take the rest of the day off. I’m just not in the mood if you know what I mean.
See you on the first tee,
Jack
You see my mind is in a hospital room in Jackson, Miss., and a home in San Diego and my heart is split between the two.
You’ve probably read, or heard about the tragic car accident that befell golfer Ken Green. His RV plunged off the side of a highway in Mississippi following a front tire blowout and plunged 20-something feet before crashing into a tree. The crash killed Green’s brother and his girlfriend as well as Ken’s German shepherd, Nip. It also left Green with a right leg so mangled that it had to be amputated. His right orbital bone is so smashed that extensive surgery is required to reconstruct it and there’s a deep gash on the side of his head that is described as “troublesome.”
His medical charts alone are enough to sicken you. It’s what is not written that is the real tragedy.
You see, Ken Green isn’t your typical 50-year old professional golfer who glided with seamless effort from the PGA Tour to the Champions Tour. Ken Green’s trip to the Champions Tour was through a mine field where demons grabbed for a piece of his very being every step of the way. He was in the abyss of living hell.
After a painful divorce which left him almost penniless, Green had his first bout with the demon that threatened at times to end his life, clinical depression. When you type it or say it, the phrase seems harmless enough. In truth, it’s a cover up for a demon telling you that “I’m going to make you hate yourself so much that you’ll take your own life.”
There was a day when that demon would usually win. Even with all the tremendous steps that have been made in treating this disease, it’s not a case where if you take a pill it will clear up in a day, or two. Quite often it’s two steps ahead and one step or even more back. It takes determination and it takes love from others.
For years, Green lingered in the morass. He lost his golf game that had earned him five PGA Tour victories. He lost his money and he lost friends. Most of all, he lost his mind. Only through sheer guts and determination coupled from love and assistance from his family and friends like his buddy Mark Calcavecchia did he get through.
His game started to come back as did control of his life. Through a lot of help from Calcavecchia, he was able to gain sponsors exemptions into Champions Tour events. When his RV left the road in Mississippi he had won $123,906 in limited action. He had more sponsor exemptions in his pocket and he was on his way to gaining some playing status for the 2010 season. Some think it was more money than he’d made in the entire last decade. Life was getting better and now this.
He’s said through a spokesperson that he’s going to fight back and play again on the Champions Tour with help of a prosthesis. This is a good sign. He’s going to need that spirit to face what lies ahead for him. He’d better walk the straight white line when he’s back on his feet. The demons have his scent and they’ll be after him. I pray they lose again.
Ironically, back in the mid-80s when Green was at his peak, he was asked what would be a mark of success that would tell him that he’d made it?
“If when I die, at the end of the national news broadcast, they flashed my picture and said, ‘Pro golfer Ken Green died today.’ I think that would be great,” he answered.
You’ve made a lot of national broadcasts, Kenny, and you’re still alive. Let’s keep it that way.
Meanwhile, on the west coast sits, by all accounts, just a great lady. If she wasn’t so humble and down to earth, she might be the target of every catty remark made around golf. She has it all. She’s bright, beautiful, wealthy, has great healthy children and a husband who truly loves her. Yes, one would think, she has everything.
A few weeks ago she received news that she has even more. Amy Mickelson has breast cancer. I don’t know where the shock came from. Unfortunately, I know people and families who have been devastated by this despicable disease, but it wasn’t supposed to happen to her.
To his credit, Phil immediately cut short his playing schedule, taking an “indefinite leave of absence” from the PGA Tour. This came as no surprise because in the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst, he left his cell phone on during play because Amy was due to have a baby at anytime. Phil swore he’d walk off the course immediately if the call came that Amy was in labor. Looking out for her man, Amy didn’t go into labor until the following day, so Phil finished second in a battle with Payne Stewart at Pinehurst.
Phil returned to the Tour last week at Amy’s insistence and he’s in the field at Bethpage some 3,000 miles away. He says the four to five hours he spends between the ropes gives him an opportunity to think about something other than his wife’s disease.
I’m sure that playing is cathartic for Phil, but I wonder what it will be like for him starting Thursday on his first tee. Back in 2002 at Bethpage, the vaunted, tough New York fans adopted him as their hero. It was a different time back then. New York was still recovering from the shock of 9/11. They needed their own hero. Tiger belonged to the world. Phil belonged to New York.
I hope Phil understands that all the pink shirts, hats, visors and pants being worn in what is predicted to be a huge gallery following him isn’t just New York having a bad clothes day. It will be a transference of energy through him to Amy telling them both that New York and the world for that matter is praying for her and to a lesser degree him as well to help see them through what could be difficult days to come.
Some have offered in print that it would be great if Phil could win this week. I have to believe that Phil would gladly give up all wins past and future if Amy could win her battle with cancer.
Bartender, take the rest of the day off. I’m just not in the mood if you know what I mean.
See you on the first tee,
Jack
Friday, May 15, 2009
What we missed at The Players...
Sorry for the delay this week good people. The final round of the Players Championship left me comatose. Henrik Stenson put the pedal to the medal and the rest of the field emulated a bad NASCAR driver and turned right and piled up on the wall.
I will, however, give NBC immense credit for not bowing to temptation and putting Tiger Woods on the screen every time. It’s just a shame that they didn’t have anything better to replace him.
Sunday’s viewing reminded me of golf last year post—U.S. Open. We got to see some interesting players and learn more about them than we would if Tiger had been able to keep his ball on planet Earth.
There were a couple of things that we missed over the weekend that could have been interesting to see.
On Saturday, the cameras could have caught the utter disgust Masters champion Angel Cabrera showed towards playing partner Kevin Na. It seems Cabrera took exception towards Na’s pace of play. Granted, you might not want Na as a pace car, but he’s certainly gets the ball in the air quicker than noted lava flows Ben Crane and Sean O’Hair.
Reports from someone who was there said the atmosphere turned nasty. Although not able to convey his message in English, Cabrera got his point across via body language. At times it appeared that the pair might come to blows. Unless Na is proficient in Korean martial arts disciplines, the odds favor the Argentinean in less than one round.
Gee, you don’t think that the fact that Cabrera was en route to a not so smooth 77 had any bearing on his demeanor do you? The fact is, as so often happens on the PGA Tour, there was no where to go. They were in place on the course and no PGA Tour official warned them as they did Ian Poulter and Brian Davis on Sunday.
Reports from colleagues who cover the South American Tour as well as the European Tour have, “he has a great game when he’s putting good,” as the response to the question, “what type of guy is Angel Cabrera?” Reading between the lines, one can assume this is what Sergio Garcia will be like when (or if) he grows up.
Speaking of pace of play, I’ve heard some complaints about Aaron Baddely’s tour of TPC Sawgrass on Sunday. Many were shocked that it took him three hours and five minutes to shoot a 66 while playing alone.
First of all, he was playing with a marker who attested his score on every hole. Secondly, and this is perhaps the most telling reason, it’s an unspoken response to an incident that occurred a few years ago.
Mark Calcavecchia and a fellow player were to lead off the final round. They decided to see how fast they could complete their round. They walked off the 18th green one hour and 20 minutes after striking their first tee shot and almost four hours ahead of the second group, which in all fairness was a threesome.
According to reports, in an outburst of incredible hypocrisy, they were fined by the PGA Tour for making a farce out of tournament play. The result is why we now have an unwritten rule concerning the minimum amount of time to be taken to complete a round of golf under these circumstances.
*****
Sometimes it’s nice to be old enough to have flashbacks. A great occurred yesterday when I read that Christy O’Connor was selected by the veterans committee for induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame. The flashback didn’t include any of his 24 European Tour victories or his 10 Ryder Cup appearances, including a winner in 1957.
The flashback was to a Monday in June 22-years ago. It was the week of the Irish Open at Portmarnock Golf Club just outside of Dublin. In those days, the driving range wasn’t open on Monday of a tournament week for some reason, but there at the far end of the range was Christy O’Connor hitting balls while his caddie shagged them for him. O’Connor, at the age of 64, had been given a sponsors invitation to play. Surprisingly to everyone but himself, he went on to make a serious run at making the cut. But his quest was denied by the raging winds from the Irish Sea.
A month earlier, I had read an article in which Sam Snead was quoted as saying that Christy O’Connor may have been the best ball striker ever hit a golf ball. I ambled over to where Christy was hitting balls and waited for an opportunity to introduce myself. When I did, I quickly mentioned the Snead quote and asked him what he thought constituted a great ball striker.
He stopped for a second and said, “He’s a man who can control his golf ball in any conditions.” When pressed farther, he added as he looked at his clubs, “you have to be able to hit every one of those 140-yards.” I asked if he could do it. He looked at me and looked at his clubs and waved his caddie in and had him walk 140 paces out on the range.
He started at the driver and worked his way down through the bag. The caddie never moved more than three paces. I thought he might have a problem hitting his wedges that far, but he deftly hit the equator of the ball with the leading edge of the blade and it went 140-yards.
As he reached for his putter and raked a ball into address position, he looked and said, “What do you think, Jack?” I quickly replied, “Christy, its good, pick it up.”
We headed to the bar in the clubhouse where we were joined by Christy’s pal, Harry Bradshaw, the former Ryder Cupper and Pro Emeritus and they regaled me and those around us with wonderful tales about golf before we knew which end of the club was which. It was a day I never want to forget. That day, Christy entered my Hall of Fame and I’m happy the rest of the world finally got the message.
Bartender, a tall glass of gin, one ice cube and a tonic on the side, no lemon or lime (“If I wanted a fruit salad, I’d have asked for one,” says C. O’Connor) for the man known as “Himself”, World Golf Hall of Famer Christy O’Connor. Also a glass of water to wash down the mood elevator of your choice for Señor Cabrera. Me? Just a chair at Mr. O’Connor’s table. I know he has more stories to tell and I don’t want to miss one.
See you on the first tee,
Jack
I will, however, give NBC immense credit for not bowing to temptation and putting Tiger Woods on the screen every time. It’s just a shame that they didn’t have anything better to replace him.
Sunday’s viewing reminded me of golf last year post—U.S. Open. We got to see some interesting players and learn more about them than we would if Tiger had been able to keep his ball on planet Earth.
There were a couple of things that we missed over the weekend that could have been interesting to see.
On Saturday, the cameras could have caught the utter disgust Masters champion Angel Cabrera showed towards playing partner Kevin Na. It seems Cabrera took exception towards Na’s pace of play. Granted, you might not want Na as a pace car, but he’s certainly gets the ball in the air quicker than noted lava flows Ben Crane and Sean O’Hair.
Reports from someone who was there said the atmosphere turned nasty. Although not able to convey his message in English, Cabrera got his point across via body language. At times it appeared that the pair might come to blows. Unless Na is proficient in Korean martial arts disciplines, the odds favor the Argentinean in less than one round.
Gee, you don’t think that the fact that Cabrera was en route to a not so smooth 77 had any bearing on his demeanor do you? The fact is, as so often happens on the PGA Tour, there was no where to go. They were in place on the course and no PGA Tour official warned them as they did Ian Poulter and Brian Davis on Sunday.
Reports from colleagues who cover the South American Tour as well as the European Tour have, “he has a great game when he’s putting good,” as the response to the question, “what type of guy is Angel Cabrera?” Reading between the lines, one can assume this is what Sergio Garcia will be like when (or if) he grows up.
Speaking of pace of play, I’ve heard some complaints about Aaron Baddely’s tour of TPC Sawgrass on Sunday. Many were shocked that it took him three hours and five minutes to shoot a 66 while playing alone.
First of all, he was playing with a marker who attested his score on every hole. Secondly, and this is perhaps the most telling reason, it’s an unspoken response to an incident that occurred a few years ago.
Mark Calcavecchia and a fellow player were to lead off the final round. They decided to see how fast they could complete their round. They walked off the 18th green one hour and 20 minutes after striking their first tee shot and almost four hours ahead of the second group, which in all fairness was a threesome.
According to reports, in an outburst of incredible hypocrisy, they were fined by the PGA Tour for making a farce out of tournament play. The result is why we now have an unwritten rule concerning the minimum amount of time to be taken to complete a round of golf under these circumstances.
*****
Sometimes it’s nice to be old enough to have flashbacks. A great occurred yesterday when I read that Christy O’Connor was selected by the veterans committee for induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame. The flashback didn’t include any of his 24 European Tour victories or his 10 Ryder Cup appearances, including a winner in 1957.
The flashback was to a Monday in June 22-years ago. It was the week of the Irish Open at Portmarnock Golf Club just outside of Dublin. In those days, the driving range wasn’t open on Monday of a tournament week for some reason, but there at the far end of the range was Christy O’Connor hitting balls while his caddie shagged them for him. O’Connor, at the age of 64, had been given a sponsors invitation to play. Surprisingly to everyone but himself, he went on to make a serious run at making the cut. But his quest was denied by the raging winds from the Irish Sea.
A month earlier, I had read an article in which Sam Snead was quoted as saying that Christy O’Connor may have been the best ball striker ever hit a golf ball. I ambled over to where Christy was hitting balls and waited for an opportunity to introduce myself. When I did, I quickly mentioned the Snead quote and asked him what he thought constituted a great ball striker.
He stopped for a second and said, “He’s a man who can control his golf ball in any conditions.” When pressed farther, he added as he looked at his clubs, “you have to be able to hit every one of those 140-yards.” I asked if he could do it. He looked at me and looked at his clubs and waved his caddie in and had him walk 140 paces out on the range.
He started at the driver and worked his way down through the bag. The caddie never moved more than three paces. I thought he might have a problem hitting his wedges that far, but he deftly hit the equator of the ball with the leading edge of the blade and it went 140-yards.
As he reached for his putter and raked a ball into address position, he looked and said, “What do you think, Jack?” I quickly replied, “Christy, its good, pick it up.”
We headed to the bar in the clubhouse where we were joined by Christy’s pal, Harry Bradshaw, the former Ryder Cupper and Pro Emeritus and they regaled me and those around us with wonderful tales about golf before we knew which end of the club was which. It was a day I never want to forget. That day, Christy entered my Hall of Fame and I’m happy the rest of the world finally got the message.
Bartender, a tall glass of gin, one ice cube and a tonic on the side, no lemon or lime (“If I wanted a fruit salad, I’d have asked for one,” says C. O’Connor) for the man known as “Himself”, World Golf Hall of Famer Christy O’Connor. Also a glass of water to wash down the mood elevator of your choice for Señor Cabrera. Me? Just a chair at Mr. O’Connor’s table. I know he has more stories to tell and I don’t want to miss one.
See you on the first tee,
Jack
Monday, May 4, 2009
Kelly wins, The Players Championship looms, Daly makes cut, and Quail Hollow
Jerry Kelly wins in New Orleans. The Players Championship is on the horizon and John Daly makes the cut in the Spanish Open. Let’s not forget that the people who run the Quail Hollow Championship (nee Wachovia Championship) get it right.
Kelly’s win at the Zurich Championship may not have been one for the ages, but you can score one for the good guys. Kelly had been on a seven year hiatus from the winner’s circle before winning last week. He had become what is known as a “field filler.” That’s the type of player who may not have the chance of a snowball in hell of winning, but in order to have a full field for the tournament, you hope he enters. His biggest plus for the tournament sponsor has always been that he gives good Pro Am. You never have a bad time in Jerry Kelly’s company and that’s a very big deal in the eyes of tournament sponsors.
In addition, he’s also immensely popular with his fellow pros and that can’t be said about everyone on any professional Tour. In fact that can’t be said about more pros than you might think.
The only downside of Kelly’s victory was that it pointed out Charles Howell’s lack of ability to finish the job. Howell should have won. He’s technically the better player, but Kelly has the heart of a hockey player (which he was in college) and he never stops grinding. You have to believe that if he had to do it, he could miss hitting all 18 greens in regulation and still post a sub par round.
**********************************
It’s a wonderful thing that the PGA Tour has stopped trying to force feed the media and the public that the Players Championship is really the fifth major. Yes, they draw a tremendous field. Yes, the purse is fantastic. Yes, they’re trying to build tradition by holding the championship at the same venue. That might work, but not in our lifetime and that includes the infant in your lap to whom, as a dutiful, parent you’re reading this wonderful piece of golf writing. It just won’t work.
The Stadium Course is like an aging starlet. While it all may look great, the truth is, nothing is real. The land was a swamp before Pete Dye saw something no other human being could have seen and turned it into a quirky, unconventional golf course.
The Players Championship is what it is. It’s a wonderful tournament with three diverse, if not weird finishing holes (there’s really no flow or rhyme or reason why they’re there). Having written that, I fall in line with those who want a three-hole playoff in case of a tie at the top on Sunday. In that context these holes would work.
**********************************
John Daly, Loudmouth pants and all, made the cut in the Spanish Open. Could this be the start of a comeback for Daly? It could be only if he gets through the next month without incident. Never forget that he’ll always be a train wreck in progress. He’s the next Miller Lite away from disaster and he’s two words (I do) from starting a marriage destined to be his fifth appearance in divorce court.
Much has been said about JD dropping 40-plus pounds after having the Lap Band procedure. However, according to a source who should know, there was no procedure. If this is correct, that’s the best news ever. It shows that somewhere along the road, Daly has acquired a modicum of self control. Who cares what the reason is. The fact he’s done it is a big step towards regaining his life.
**********************************
May all tournament sponsors take note of the strategy employed by the tournament committee of the Quail Hollow Championship. Maybe it was the fact that until this year the event was known as the Wachovia Championship, but the committee was looking at the added pressure on the discretionary dollar.
They felt that the public would rather cheer for golfers making birdies than golfers sweating out pars. Thus, they reduced the rough from four to two inches giving players a chance to reach greens from the cabbage. In turn, however, they did quicken the pace of the greens and make the putting surfaces firmer, so a birdie still had to be earned but was attainable.
Kudos to a tournament committee that remembered that to the spectators, a golf tournament is still entertainment. By the way, combining the greens of this year and the rough of years past and there sits a U.S. Open course begging to be played. USGA, please take notice.
Bartender, back up an ice cold beer with a shot of brandy (a Cheese Head state favorite spirit) for Mr. Kelly. Please take a can of Slim Fast from the cooler for Mr. Daly. Add a magnum of champagne for the Quail Hollow Championship tournament committee. Also, if you could, reach back into your earlier hippie days and grab a tab of acid for Mr. Dye and maybe he can envision another version of the Stadium Course. Me? Make that two cans of Slim Fast.
See you on the first tee,
Jack
Kelly’s win at the Zurich Championship may not have been one for the ages, but you can score one for the good guys. Kelly had been on a seven year hiatus from the winner’s circle before winning last week. He had become what is known as a “field filler.” That’s the type of player who may not have the chance of a snowball in hell of winning, but in order to have a full field for the tournament, you hope he enters. His biggest plus for the tournament sponsor has always been that he gives good Pro Am. You never have a bad time in Jerry Kelly’s company and that’s a very big deal in the eyes of tournament sponsors.
In addition, he’s also immensely popular with his fellow pros and that can’t be said about everyone on any professional Tour. In fact that can’t be said about more pros than you might think.
The only downside of Kelly’s victory was that it pointed out Charles Howell’s lack of ability to finish the job. Howell should have won. He’s technically the better player, but Kelly has the heart of a hockey player (which he was in college) and he never stops grinding. You have to believe that if he had to do it, he could miss hitting all 18 greens in regulation and still post a sub par round.
**********************************
It’s a wonderful thing that the PGA Tour has stopped trying to force feed the media and the public that the Players Championship is really the fifth major. Yes, they draw a tremendous field. Yes, the purse is fantastic. Yes, they’re trying to build tradition by holding the championship at the same venue. That might work, but not in our lifetime and that includes the infant in your lap to whom, as a dutiful, parent you’re reading this wonderful piece of golf writing. It just won’t work.
The Stadium Course is like an aging starlet. While it all may look great, the truth is, nothing is real. The land was a swamp before Pete Dye saw something no other human being could have seen and turned it into a quirky, unconventional golf course.
The Players Championship is what it is. It’s a wonderful tournament with three diverse, if not weird finishing holes (there’s really no flow or rhyme or reason why they’re there). Having written that, I fall in line with those who want a three-hole playoff in case of a tie at the top on Sunday. In that context these holes would work.
**********************************
John Daly, Loudmouth pants and all, made the cut in the Spanish Open. Could this be the start of a comeback for Daly? It could be only if he gets through the next month without incident. Never forget that he’ll always be a train wreck in progress. He’s the next Miller Lite away from disaster and he’s two words (I do) from starting a marriage destined to be his fifth appearance in divorce court.
Much has been said about JD dropping 40-plus pounds after having the Lap Band procedure. However, according to a source who should know, there was no procedure. If this is correct, that’s the best news ever. It shows that somewhere along the road, Daly has acquired a modicum of self control. Who cares what the reason is. The fact he’s done it is a big step towards regaining his life.
**********************************
May all tournament sponsors take note of the strategy employed by the tournament committee of the Quail Hollow Championship. Maybe it was the fact that until this year the event was known as the Wachovia Championship, but the committee was looking at the added pressure on the discretionary dollar.
They felt that the public would rather cheer for golfers making birdies than golfers sweating out pars. Thus, they reduced the rough from four to two inches giving players a chance to reach greens from the cabbage. In turn, however, they did quicken the pace of the greens and make the putting surfaces firmer, so a birdie still had to be earned but was attainable.
Kudos to a tournament committee that remembered that to the spectators, a golf tournament is still entertainment. By the way, combining the greens of this year and the rough of years past and there sits a U.S. Open course begging to be played. USGA, please take notice.
Bartender, back up an ice cold beer with a shot of brandy (a Cheese Head state favorite spirit) for Mr. Kelly. Please take a can of Slim Fast from the cooler for Mr. Daly. Add a magnum of champagne for the Quail Hollow Championship tournament committee. Also, if you could, reach back into your earlier hippie days and grab a tab of acid for Mr. Dye and maybe he can envision another version of the Stadium Course. Me? Make that two cans of Slim Fast.
See you on the first tee,
Jack
Friday, April 24, 2009
McIlroy says No Thanks to PGA Tour
When a 19-year old young man with a world of game decides he’s going to turn professional, he’s confronted with a myriad of choices. The decisions he’s forced to make could quite possibly be responsible for the success or failure thereof that will follow. Is this a fair burden for a teenager to bear? Probably not. Hey kid, welcome to the real world of professional golf.
In the past week, the PGA Tour offered a special membership to Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy. To the surprise of many, he respectfully declined the offer. In this corner, the belief is that he showed wisdom and maturity beyond his years. Of course, it didn’t hurt that he had the counsel of Tubby Chandler, golf’s super agent in the European theater.
Even though a player such as Mark O’Meara, a close friend of Tiger Woods, has said that McIlroy’s development is ahead of Woods at that age, Rory is staying home. At this stage of his career, it’s a wise move. He should get used to the professional routine on more familiar turf. There is a lot to learn. He has to learn how to travel and what is an effective practice routine as opposed to what is a realistic one. He’s much better off doing this near his support group than trying to get along alone some 4-5,000 miles away from home.
A decade ago, a 19-year old was faced with similar decisions and he choice was to be a world player. On the surface, it appears that Sergio Garcia made the right decision. He’s won seven times on the PGA Tour and eight times on the European Tour with his resume filled in with four more wins on other tours. He’s amassed a fortune in excess of $30 million. Yet, there are those and at times Sergio is among them that feel he has underachieved in some areas.
Garcia’s biggest win was the 2008 Players Championship in a playoff with Paul Goydos. The first thing he said in his acceptance speech was to thank Woods for not being there. Following a much less than stellar Masters this year, Sergio proceeded to blame the course and the setup for his lackluster play. Someone in his entourage wrote an apology that Sergio delivered and if you think this apology to Augusta was heartfelt, then when was the last time you heard Garcia use the word “iconic” when describing a golf course—or an icon for that matter?
I know it’s unfair, but in this day a professional golfer’s resume is judged by the number of majors won and not the body of work.
There is a school of thought that Garcia’s problems stem from the fact that he tried to do too much too early. This led him away from the progression of experience that includes building a mental toughness that deals effectively with adversity. His physical game has developed tremendously. His mental game…maybe not so much. Unfortunately, it’s the latter that can be the difference between winning and losing a major. Just ask Kenny Perry.
This brings us back to the shaggy, curly-haired Irish kid. McIlroy will play in the WGC events and maybe a selected few events around the three majors held in the U.S., but he will be a European Tour member first and foremost until his physical and mental development reaches the point where he can handle it comfortably. Rest assured that he’ll be here and that he’ll be a great performer when he does. It just won’t be right now.
Bartender, I’d love to buy a pint for Mr. McIlroy, but I don’t want to go to jail either, so please pour him a rock shandy (an Irish concoction of lemonade and orange soda). Also, the usual for Senor Garcia, a small wheel of Spanish cheese and a bottle of Spanish red whine.
See you on the first tee,
Jack
In the past week, the PGA Tour offered a special membership to Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy. To the surprise of many, he respectfully declined the offer. In this corner, the belief is that he showed wisdom and maturity beyond his years. Of course, it didn’t hurt that he had the counsel of Tubby Chandler, golf’s super agent in the European theater.
Even though a player such as Mark O’Meara, a close friend of Tiger Woods, has said that McIlroy’s development is ahead of Woods at that age, Rory is staying home. At this stage of his career, it’s a wise move. He should get used to the professional routine on more familiar turf. There is a lot to learn. He has to learn how to travel and what is an effective practice routine as opposed to what is a realistic one. He’s much better off doing this near his support group than trying to get along alone some 4-5,000 miles away from home.
A decade ago, a 19-year old was faced with similar decisions and he choice was to be a world player. On the surface, it appears that Sergio Garcia made the right decision. He’s won seven times on the PGA Tour and eight times on the European Tour with his resume filled in with four more wins on other tours. He’s amassed a fortune in excess of $30 million. Yet, there are those and at times Sergio is among them that feel he has underachieved in some areas.
Garcia’s biggest win was the 2008 Players Championship in a playoff with Paul Goydos. The first thing he said in his acceptance speech was to thank Woods for not being there. Following a much less than stellar Masters this year, Sergio proceeded to blame the course and the setup for his lackluster play. Someone in his entourage wrote an apology that Sergio delivered and if you think this apology to Augusta was heartfelt, then when was the last time you heard Garcia use the word “iconic” when describing a golf course—or an icon for that matter?
I know it’s unfair, but in this day a professional golfer’s resume is judged by the number of majors won and not the body of work.
There is a school of thought that Garcia’s problems stem from the fact that he tried to do too much too early. This led him away from the progression of experience that includes building a mental toughness that deals effectively with adversity. His physical game has developed tremendously. His mental game…maybe not so much. Unfortunately, it’s the latter that can be the difference between winning and losing a major. Just ask Kenny Perry.
This brings us back to the shaggy, curly-haired Irish kid. McIlroy will play in the WGC events and maybe a selected few events around the three majors held in the U.S., but he will be a European Tour member first and foremost until his physical and mental development reaches the point where he can handle it comfortably. Rest assured that he’ll be here and that he’ll be a great performer when he does. It just won’t be right now.
Bartender, I’d love to buy a pint for Mr. McIlroy, but I don’t want to go to jail either, so please pour him a rock shandy (an Irish concoction of lemonade and orange soda). Also, the usual for Senor Garcia, a small wheel of Spanish cheese and a bottle of Spanish red whine.
See you on the first tee,
Jack
Monday, April 13, 2009
Masters brings intimacy between golfers and gallery
I guess it began two years ago. I actually started to lose interest in the Masters. They say it’s a tradition like any other although I never quite figured out the meaning of that phrase—until last Friday.
In the coverage of the final holes of Gary Player and Fuzzy Zoeller in the Masters, it finally hit me. The answer came from both Zoeller and Player and the galleries. There was an intimacy between the golfers and the people on the other side of the ropes that you don’t find in any other tournament.
I recalled walking the course with another writer during my first trip to the Masters in 1983. As we looked at the massive early week galleries and my friend pointed out that, if we came back the next day, the next year, or the next decade that the same people will be sitting in the same place. It was just what people did.
You’d have to think that after 52 years in Player’s case, or 31 in Zoeller’s case that they would recognize this as well. Because these two players in particular have never had an aversion to chatting with the galleries anywhere that the recognition factor would only heighten. No, these people weren’t just a collective gallery, they were friends of longstanding.
By the way, other players who normally wouldn’t say mud on a golf course even if they had a mouth full tend to be a bit more open at the Masters. I can tell you that you won’t find this two-way relationship at the other three majors. It’s easy to dismiss this by thinking that the reason is the Masters is played at the same course every year. That might be a contributing factor, but it’s certainly not the only one.
There really is an aura at Augusta National that breeds an intimacy between golf, golfers and fans that hasn’t been found anywhere else and most likely never will although it seemed that the tournament committee tried to quell it for the past two years by turning the course into a survival program.
This year, they gave the golfers, the galleries and the people glued to their TVs at home, the real Masters back. All they had to do was set up the course that was fair and they did. Of course, it didn’t hurt that the Saturday night rain softened the greens. Everyone caught a break on Sunday when Tiger and Phil were paired together and both brought their “A” games. Another ingredient was that both were so far back, they had to fire at every pin. You can do that on a fair setup at Augusta National.
Yes, this Masters brought back memories of some of the best of all time and that was before Angel Cabrera two-putted for par on the second playoff hole. For me, the memories that will last forever occurred on Friday afternoon. The South African golfers who had already finished came back to the 18th green to greet Player for one last time. Trust me; you wouldn’t see this anywhere else.
Another was the greeting Fuzzy got at the 18th hole. From tee to green it was a steady wave of applause and cheering. By the time he and his daughter Gretchen who caddied for her father reached the green, both were unsuccessfully fighting back tears. As the TV camera panned the gallery it showed that many were having the same problem.
It’s that shared emotion found only at the Masters that makes it a tradition unlike any other.
Bartender, please have a single malt scotch delivered to Mr. Player and vodka and tonic delivered to Mr. Zoeller. They’ll both be on the balcony outside the champions locker room where they can now be found during the weekend of the first full week in April resting comfortably while their friends on both sides of the ropes will be celebrating the tournament that they helped build in the minds and hearts of golfers everywhere.
See you on the first tee.
Jack
In the coverage of the final holes of Gary Player and Fuzzy Zoeller in the Masters, it finally hit me. The answer came from both Zoeller and Player and the galleries. There was an intimacy between the golfers and the people on the other side of the ropes that you don’t find in any other tournament.
I recalled walking the course with another writer during my first trip to the Masters in 1983. As we looked at the massive early week galleries and my friend pointed out that, if we came back the next day, the next year, or the next decade that the same people will be sitting in the same place. It was just what people did.
You’d have to think that after 52 years in Player’s case, or 31 in Zoeller’s case that they would recognize this as well. Because these two players in particular have never had an aversion to chatting with the galleries anywhere that the recognition factor would only heighten. No, these people weren’t just a collective gallery, they were friends of longstanding.
By the way, other players who normally wouldn’t say mud on a golf course even if they had a mouth full tend to be a bit more open at the Masters. I can tell you that you won’t find this two-way relationship at the other three majors. It’s easy to dismiss this by thinking that the reason is the Masters is played at the same course every year. That might be a contributing factor, but it’s certainly not the only one.
There really is an aura at Augusta National that breeds an intimacy between golf, golfers and fans that hasn’t been found anywhere else and most likely never will although it seemed that the tournament committee tried to quell it for the past two years by turning the course into a survival program.
This year, they gave the golfers, the galleries and the people glued to their TVs at home, the real Masters back. All they had to do was set up the course that was fair and they did. Of course, it didn’t hurt that the Saturday night rain softened the greens. Everyone caught a break on Sunday when Tiger and Phil were paired together and both brought their “A” games. Another ingredient was that both were so far back, they had to fire at every pin. You can do that on a fair setup at Augusta National.
Yes, this Masters brought back memories of some of the best of all time and that was before Angel Cabrera two-putted for par on the second playoff hole. For me, the memories that will last forever occurred on Friday afternoon. The South African golfers who had already finished came back to the 18th green to greet Player for one last time. Trust me; you wouldn’t see this anywhere else.
Another was the greeting Fuzzy got at the 18th hole. From tee to green it was a steady wave of applause and cheering. By the time he and his daughter Gretchen who caddied for her father reached the green, both were unsuccessfully fighting back tears. As the TV camera panned the gallery it showed that many were having the same problem.
It’s that shared emotion found only at the Masters that makes it a tradition unlike any other.
Bartender, please have a single malt scotch delivered to Mr. Player and vodka and tonic delivered to Mr. Zoeller. They’ll both be on the balcony outside the champions locker room where they can now be found during the weekend of the first full week in April resting comfortably while their friends on both sides of the ropes will be celebrating the tournament that they helped build in the minds and hearts of golfers everywhere.
See you on the first tee.
Jack
Friday, April 3, 2009
Not even Tiger is bigger than the game...
I’ve got to admit it. I am somewhat an Internet junkie. Sports (golf in particular) sites are of special interest. I’m particularly fond of Golf.com, although after this morning, not so much.
While I’m not in the habit of writing critiques of other writer’s work, this morning a column typed by Michael Walker, Jr. Senior Editor of Golf Magazine caused me to burp uncomfortably. Mr. Walker proudly proclaimed that Tiger Woods is bigger than the game of golf.
I take exception to that statement and not in a casual way. This is not a new theory by the way. There are a lot of pundits who echo Mr. Walker’s feelings and they all seem to have a definite commonality. They share one very definite trait. None of them have as much as one gray hair. We can also add that none of them EVER saw Jack Nicklaus in his prime. By the way, the writers of Jack’s era never and I mean never would dare write that the Golden Bear was bigger than the game of golf. Writers of that time certainly had their faults, but shortsightedness wasn’t one of them.
Everyone gushes over the TV ratings when Tiger plays. The TV networks go so far overboard that if Tiger is playing on the weekend, in contention or not, their focus is on him. Forget the leaders. God forbid they should cover the story of the tournament. I might also add that the only place where a human could possibly have a lower profile than the Witness Protection Program is to be the third member of the threesome in the final group on Sunday with Tiger near the top.
This is not to say that Tiger isn’t a great golfer. The numbers confirm his status. However, and I can’t say this enough, he’s not the greatest of all time—yet. He may well become the greatest of all time if his health holds up. After numerous knee injuries, that’s not a guarantee. It’s a probability, but certainly not a guarantee. Having said that, he will NEVER be bigger than the game. No one ever has and no one ever will.
There have been stars before Tiger who’s reputation in the game was at least the equal of Tiger during their era. Sam Snead and Byron Nelson were two of the greatest players of all time, yet the dominant player of their era was Ben Hogan. I’m not going to go off on a tangent about what Hogan could have done had he not been in a near fatal car crash. The fact is, he was in an accident and that fact can’t be changed. When you think about it, that fact enhances Hogan’s lore. His accomplishments post-crash speak volumes about his dominance.
Speaking of dominance, Young Tom Morris dominated the British Open to the point where other players wouldn’t play if he was entered. Was he bigger than the game? No, and his father was credited with the reinvention of the game and he wasn’t bigger than the game either.
People cite TV ratings as the true measuring stick. Truth is, if it wasn’t for the charisma of Arnold Palmer golf on TV may have been delayed for years.
As a final point, if Tiger is in fact bigger than the game, why haven’t people flocked to golf courses to try the game he’s mastered? They haven’t, even in better financial times, they stayed away. Folks, Tiger is a great player, but bigger than the game? It hasn’t happen yet and it never will.
Bartender, please pour a shot of Sodium Pentothal for Mr. Walker and a goblet of nectar of the gods for Mr. Woods and add a dose of humility as well. He doesn’t need it, but an ounce of prevention can keep him from believing some of the drivel being written about him.
See you on the first tee.
Jack
While I’m not in the habit of writing critiques of other writer’s work, this morning a column typed by Michael Walker, Jr. Senior Editor of Golf Magazine caused me to burp uncomfortably. Mr. Walker proudly proclaimed that Tiger Woods is bigger than the game of golf.
I take exception to that statement and not in a casual way. This is not a new theory by the way. There are a lot of pundits who echo Mr. Walker’s feelings and they all seem to have a definite commonality. They share one very definite trait. None of them have as much as one gray hair. We can also add that none of them EVER saw Jack Nicklaus in his prime. By the way, the writers of Jack’s era never and I mean never would dare write that the Golden Bear was bigger than the game of golf. Writers of that time certainly had their faults, but shortsightedness wasn’t one of them.
Everyone gushes over the TV ratings when Tiger plays. The TV networks go so far overboard that if Tiger is playing on the weekend, in contention or not, their focus is on him. Forget the leaders. God forbid they should cover the story of the tournament. I might also add that the only place where a human could possibly have a lower profile than the Witness Protection Program is to be the third member of the threesome in the final group on Sunday with Tiger near the top.
This is not to say that Tiger isn’t a great golfer. The numbers confirm his status. However, and I can’t say this enough, he’s not the greatest of all time—yet. He may well become the greatest of all time if his health holds up. After numerous knee injuries, that’s not a guarantee. It’s a probability, but certainly not a guarantee. Having said that, he will NEVER be bigger than the game. No one ever has and no one ever will.
There have been stars before Tiger who’s reputation in the game was at least the equal of Tiger during their era. Sam Snead and Byron Nelson were two of the greatest players of all time, yet the dominant player of their era was Ben Hogan. I’m not going to go off on a tangent about what Hogan could have done had he not been in a near fatal car crash. The fact is, he was in an accident and that fact can’t be changed. When you think about it, that fact enhances Hogan’s lore. His accomplishments post-crash speak volumes about his dominance.
Speaking of dominance, Young Tom Morris dominated the British Open to the point where other players wouldn’t play if he was entered. Was he bigger than the game? No, and his father was credited with the reinvention of the game and he wasn’t bigger than the game either.
People cite TV ratings as the true measuring stick. Truth is, if it wasn’t for the charisma of Arnold Palmer golf on TV may have been delayed for years.
As a final point, if Tiger is in fact bigger than the game, why haven’t people flocked to golf courses to try the game he’s mastered? They haven’t, even in better financial times, they stayed away. Folks, Tiger is a great player, but bigger than the game? It hasn’t happen yet and it never will.
Bartender, please pour a shot of Sodium Pentothal for Mr. Walker and a goblet of nectar of the gods for Mr. Woods and add a dose of humility as well. He doesn’t need it, but an ounce of prevention can keep him from believing some of the drivel being written about him.
See you on the first tee.
Jack
Friday, March 27, 2009
Bay Hill tourney brings gossip galore...
It’s been a great week for gossip and rumors here in Central Florida as the Arnold Palmer Invitational has been held at Bay Hill. With the tournament brought some of the all-time gossip mongers, namely the American and European golf literati. This year, they were accompanied by every Japanese journalist and photographer who knew the difference between the club head and grip.
Here are a few of the better rumors that made the rounds. Some have credence while others need a Credence Clearwater Revival.
It was pretty much agreed that the Skins Game, that Thanksgiving weekend staple is about to bite the dust. It’s about time. This show has been on life support for an inhumane amount of time. It’s become dull at best.
Who is to blame? This time it’s the players. When this show actually captured the imagination, the thought of a golfer actually winning a million dollars for playing 36 holes was incredible. Today, it’s ho hum stuff. Moreover, somewhere along the way, the players forgot that the main thrust of the Skins Game was to entertain the viewers.
To this end, the producers of the show made sure that Chi Chi Rodriguez, Lee Trevino and Fuzzy Zoeller were in the mix. The golf seemed secondary as the golfers heckled each other and even took shots at themselves.
As the players aged, the one-time kickoff to the Silly Season became somber as the quest for the dollar heightened. The closest this program approached charisma was the inclusion of Fred Couples, the King of the Silly Season.
Fred’s a nice enough guy, but charismatic? Sorry, you lose me there. Current producers say it might be saved by a change in format. Try Robin Williams, George Lopez and Bill Murray, but keep the camera on the latter because he can turn quite dour in a heartbeat.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
People were wondering if Vijay Singh might have come back too soon after arthroscopic knee surgery. On Wednesday, it was announced that Singh would be a “Game Time” decision at Bay Hill as he’s trying to come back after a couple of weeks recovery.
Of course the media has been traumatized by the length of Tiger Woods’ recovery. Let’s get one thing straight. In no way do the media rely on Singh as they do Woods. Although, it’s a case of choosing your poison.
With Singh, you’ll get an overdose of surliness. While Woods has mastered the art of speaking a lot of words and not saying anything that could be construed in any way as being a) insightful, or b) interesting. However, having said this, if Tiger burps it will be discussed for days.
The truth is, through sheer stubbornness alone, Singh will be out there. BTW, he was a starter and was hovering around the cut line early Friday afternoon.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Guess who didn’t just leave the William Morris Agency? That’s right, Michelle Wie and her parents from hell (PFH)
Word has it; the Morris Agency fired Wie when the family decided not to sign a series of one-year contracts, standard operating procedure.
The Family Wie chose the Morris Agency when Michelle turned pro at age 16. Evidently, the envisioned her as movie/TV star as well as a golfer. The next three years were a living hell. Three advisors from the Morrison Agency couldn’t take it for more than a year and begged off the account.
What will be interesting is the future relationship between the PFH and the dictatorial IMG. Trust me. IMG doesn’t fool around. In the end it’s their way or the highway. Stay tuned for this ongoing saga.
********
If you’re touring Australia in the next few months, don’t mention that you’re a Tiger fan. In order to fulfill his $3 million appearance fee for the Australian Masters, taxes had to be raised.
That should be a lucrative trip for Tiger later this year. He’ll get his three mill for the HSBC Championship appearance money, plus Australia. You can bet the odds are pretty good that he’ll get a golf course design contract for the usual $20 million on this trip as well.
Bartender, please give everyone a refill and give the tab to Tiger. I think he can afford it.
See you on the first tee,
Jack
Here are a few of the better rumors that made the rounds. Some have credence while others need a Credence Clearwater Revival.
It was pretty much agreed that the Skins Game, that Thanksgiving weekend staple is about to bite the dust. It’s about time. This show has been on life support for an inhumane amount of time. It’s become dull at best.
Who is to blame? This time it’s the players. When this show actually captured the imagination, the thought of a golfer actually winning a million dollars for playing 36 holes was incredible. Today, it’s ho hum stuff. Moreover, somewhere along the way, the players forgot that the main thrust of the Skins Game was to entertain the viewers.
To this end, the producers of the show made sure that Chi Chi Rodriguez, Lee Trevino and Fuzzy Zoeller were in the mix. The golf seemed secondary as the golfers heckled each other and even took shots at themselves.
As the players aged, the one-time kickoff to the Silly Season became somber as the quest for the dollar heightened. The closest this program approached charisma was the inclusion of Fred Couples, the King of the Silly Season.
Fred’s a nice enough guy, but charismatic? Sorry, you lose me there. Current producers say it might be saved by a change in format. Try Robin Williams, George Lopez and Bill Murray, but keep the camera on the latter because he can turn quite dour in a heartbeat.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
People were wondering if Vijay Singh might have come back too soon after arthroscopic knee surgery. On Wednesday, it was announced that Singh would be a “Game Time” decision at Bay Hill as he’s trying to come back after a couple of weeks recovery.
Of course the media has been traumatized by the length of Tiger Woods’ recovery. Let’s get one thing straight. In no way do the media rely on Singh as they do Woods. Although, it’s a case of choosing your poison.
With Singh, you’ll get an overdose of surliness. While Woods has mastered the art of speaking a lot of words and not saying anything that could be construed in any way as being a) insightful, or b) interesting. However, having said this, if Tiger burps it will be discussed for days.
The truth is, through sheer stubbornness alone, Singh will be out there. BTW, he was a starter and was hovering around the cut line early Friday afternoon.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Guess who didn’t just leave the William Morris Agency? That’s right, Michelle Wie and her parents from hell (PFH)
Word has it; the Morris Agency fired Wie when the family decided not to sign a series of one-year contracts, standard operating procedure.
The Family Wie chose the Morris Agency when Michelle turned pro at age 16. Evidently, the envisioned her as movie/TV star as well as a golfer. The next three years were a living hell. Three advisors from the Morrison Agency couldn’t take it for more than a year and begged off the account.
What will be interesting is the future relationship between the PFH and the dictatorial IMG. Trust me. IMG doesn’t fool around. In the end it’s their way or the highway. Stay tuned for this ongoing saga.
********
If you’re touring Australia in the next few months, don’t mention that you’re a Tiger fan. In order to fulfill his $3 million appearance fee for the Australian Masters, taxes had to be raised.
That should be a lucrative trip for Tiger later this year. He’ll get his three mill for the HSBC Championship appearance money, plus Australia. You can bet the odds are pretty good that he’ll get a golf course design contract for the usual $20 million on this trip as well.
Bartender, please give everyone a refill and give the tab to Tiger. I think he can afford it.
See you on the first tee,
Jack
Friday, March 20, 2009
The generation gap on the PGA Tour
In case you missed it, the PGA Tour now has a generation gap. It runs from the ages of 33 (Tiger Woods) to later this year when Phil Mickelson turns 39. The guys who fall in between will earn fortunes that most of us can only dream about, but they’ll never have the acclaim merited by their bank accounts.
Today, Tiger can look around him and smile. He has the knowledge that he can beat everyone of his peers (age wise). He can look ahead at those who are tumbling into their 40s and know that he has already beat them and fully understand that they have entered the land of diminishing returns.
What Tiger has to worry about is the absolute law of the jungle. As Jack Nicklaus stalked Arnold Palmer and Gary Player and as Tom Watson stalked Nicklaus and as Woods has stalked them, or at least their records, there are those who have him in their crosshairs. In the past, youth has always been served and there’s no reason to think it isn’t going to happen again.
Since Tiger started winning majors, we’ve been looking for a challenger for his crown and all we found were pretenders. In the name of Dumb and Dumber, we were looking in the absolutely wrong place. We looked first at Phil, then Ernie, then Retief and then Vijay. In retrospect we have to wonder why. If you were given those four names for Final Jeopardy, the question would be, “Name five professional golfers Tiger Woods dusts with regularity.”
The threat to Tiger’s crown is creeping up on him. The collision should come within the next three to five years. That will be about the time Tiger is recovering from his fifth knee surgery, will step back and take a look at his situation and figure out that he has a fortune he and those who will follow in clan Woods will never want for a mansion or a yacht. There will probably be three or four children tugging at his heartstrings when he leaves for another tournament. He’d climbed the highest mountains. He became the most recognized person in the world. There will be few if any mountains to climb. Don’t be surprised if he decides that enough is enough. Why risk having his legacy clouded even the slightest?
Then the fun starts. Last September, on a visit to Ireland, I spoke with Christy O’Connor, Jr. a longtime friend. Being one of the best golfers Ireland ever produced (he almost holed a 2-iron on the last hole of Ryder Cup match against Fred Coupled at the Belfry to secure Europe’s first Ryder Cup in forever), I asked if the acclaim Padraig Harrington received in the Old Sod was as raucous as I imagined. “Sure it’s been great,” said Christy, “but nothing like it’s going to be Rory McIlroy.”
Trust me. This 19-year old shaggy-haired long hitter with a deft touch around the greens lacks only one facet that will make him a super star and that’s experience. It won’t take much when you consider that Tiger’s buddy, Mark O’Meara opined that Rory’s development is ahead of Tiger’s at a similar stage of their respective careers. That’s good enough for me. If it wasn’t, after McIlroy won at Dubai this year, Ernie Els averred that the kid will certainly be the number one golfer in the world in the near future.
Before the crown is given to Rory, players such as Camillo Villegas, Anthony Kim and Nick Watney may have something to say about it.
Today, we may have a generation gap that has not produced a serious contender for the crown. Today, Tiger knows he’d better not have another hiccup. The best thought he can have right now is that because there are four real contenders, they knock each other off in a chase for his records.
Earlier in Tiger’s career, a popular theory was that Tiger’s real competition had yet to play. You can’t say that anymore.
==========================
A heartwarming story was written at the Puerto Rico Open a PGA Tour event that ran opposite the WGC CA Championship. Michael Bradley an affable 42-year-old pro from Florida won for the first time in 11 years.
The gap wasn’t because of a loss of game, or a lack of dedication. A seriously injured back made four rounds in four days a living hell. Most times when he tried, he was in such a state that making the cut was not unlike his chances of climbing Mount Everest. He did qualify for the Tour for the 2007 season and in one of his first tournaments, he broke his ankle and was out for the season. Thus his victory in Puerto Rico was truly a feel good story.
Bradley was automatically in the field for the Transitions Championship in Tarpon Springs, Fla. Sad news came across the wire on Wednesday afternoon. Bradley had withdrawn because of an undisclosed injury. Golf and life share one thing in common. Both are unfair.
Bartender, four bottles of water for the four contenders and a glass of well-aged wine for Tiger so that his body may follow in like kind. For me? It’s too late for the well-aged wine. Water is best served in its solid form, so just draw me a young, cold draft beer. That always brings a smile to a curmudgeon.
See you on the first tee,
Jack
Today, Tiger can look around him and smile. He has the knowledge that he can beat everyone of his peers (age wise). He can look ahead at those who are tumbling into their 40s and know that he has already beat them and fully understand that they have entered the land of diminishing returns.
What Tiger has to worry about is the absolute law of the jungle. As Jack Nicklaus stalked Arnold Palmer and Gary Player and as Tom Watson stalked Nicklaus and as Woods has stalked them, or at least their records, there are those who have him in their crosshairs. In the past, youth has always been served and there’s no reason to think it isn’t going to happen again.
Since Tiger started winning majors, we’ve been looking for a challenger for his crown and all we found were pretenders. In the name of Dumb and Dumber, we were looking in the absolutely wrong place. We looked first at Phil, then Ernie, then Retief and then Vijay. In retrospect we have to wonder why. If you were given those four names for Final Jeopardy, the question would be, “Name five professional golfers Tiger Woods dusts with regularity.”
The threat to Tiger’s crown is creeping up on him. The collision should come within the next three to five years. That will be about the time Tiger is recovering from his fifth knee surgery, will step back and take a look at his situation and figure out that he has a fortune he and those who will follow in clan Woods will never want for a mansion or a yacht. There will probably be three or four children tugging at his heartstrings when he leaves for another tournament. He’d climbed the highest mountains. He became the most recognized person in the world. There will be few if any mountains to climb. Don’t be surprised if he decides that enough is enough. Why risk having his legacy clouded even the slightest?
Then the fun starts. Last September, on a visit to Ireland, I spoke with Christy O’Connor, Jr. a longtime friend. Being one of the best golfers Ireland ever produced (he almost holed a 2-iron on the last hole of Ryder Cup match against Fred Coupled at the Belfry to secure Europe’s first Ryder Cup in forever), I asked if the acclaim Padraig Harrington received in the Old Sod was as raucous as I imagined. “Sure it’s been great,” said Christy, “but nothing like it’s going to be Rory McIlroy.”
Trust me. This 19-year old shaggy-haired long hitter with a deft touch around the greens lacks only one facet that will make him a super star and that’s experience. It won’t take much when you consider that Tiger’s buddy, Mark O’Meara opined that Rory’s development is ahead of Tiger’s at a similar stage of their respective careers. That’s good enough for me. If it wasn’t, after McIlroy won at Dubai this year, Ernie Els averred that the kid will certainly be the number one golfer in the world in the near future.
Before the crown is given to Rory, players such as Camillo Villegas, Anthony Kim and Nick Watney may have something to say about it.
Today, we may have a generation gap that has not produced a serious contender for the crown. Today, Tiger knows he’d better not have another hiccup. The best thought he can have right now is that because there are four real contenders, they knock each other off in a chase for his records.
Earlier in Tiger’s career, a popular theory was that Tiger’s real competition had yet to play. You can’t say that anymore.
==========================
A heartwarming story was written at the Puerto Rico Open a PGA Tour event that ran opposite the WGC CA Championship. Michael Bradley an affable 42-year-old pro from Florida won for the first time in 11 years.
The gap wasn’t because of a loss of game, or a lack of dedication. A seriously injured back made four rounds in four days a living hell. Most times when he tried, he was in such a state that making the cut was not unlike his chances of climbing Mount Everest. He did qualify for the Tour for the 2007 season and in one of his first tournaments, he broke his ankle and was out for the season. Thus his victory in Puerto Rico was truly a feel good story.
Bradley was automatically in the field for the Transitions Championship in Tarpon Springs, Fla. Sad news came across the wire on Wednesday afternoon. Bradley had withdrawn because of an undisclosed injury. Golf and life share one thing in common. Both are unfair.
Bartender, four bottles of water for the four contenders and a glass of well-aged wine for Tiger so that his body may follow in like kind. For me? It’s too late for the well-aged wine. Water is best served in its solid form, so just draw me a young, cold draft beer. That always brings a smile to a curmudgeon.
See you on the first tee,
Jack
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Who cares if the grass is greener on the courses?
I know this isn’t news to anyone, but economic times are tough everywhere. This, in turn, forces everyone to make tough decisions. I’d venture a guess that few people, if any are masochistic to the point of liking to make tough decisions. However, there is a dilemma and the golf industry has a bull’s-eye brightly painted on its back.
Forget the equipment side of the industry. Let’s talk about the playing fields that are being cut by a double-edged sword.
The cost of maintaining a golf course to the standards both the public and in most cases management has gone through the roof. Of course, the owners of these facilities aren’t going to bite the bullet on this. Instead the cost, usually accompanied by a “service charge”, will be passed on to the consumer, thus hiking the green fee to the point of being cost-crazy. Rather than suffer the added charge, golfers will stay away in droves, find another course to play, or as is happening in alarming regularity—not play at all.
Can anything be done to halt the mass exodus from the game that is rapidly approaching? Sure, but the question really is, will the facility owners/managers and the golf public put up with it?
Maybe, golf course superintendents will have to water down their pesticides a little. It also might save some money if they don’t water the course as much. Of course, the latter suggestion concerns a major peeve of mine. Golfers and superintendents, oh throw in owners and managers as well, have for too long of a time had an irrational fascination with the color green.
Since the days when Old Tom Morris began designing courses, the color green has been more of a product of the environment than a part of the equation in the design of a golf course. If there was a healthy rain fall, the grass was green. If there wasn’t … ever hear of the phrase “hard and fast?”
Of course, this doesn’t mean that the course should go without water. Obviously, the grass should be kept alive, but do you really enjoy reaching your ball in the middle of the fairway only to find a glob of mud on the ball? Particularly when it hasn’t rained for a week and a half?
Better yet, is the color green worth parting with a lot more of your “green” just for aesthetics? It certainly isn’t in this corner.
I know, this is radical thinking, but the idea was spawned from reading margin notes from a rather radical thinker in his day, Donald Ross. The margin notes were on his drawings of the holes at Salem Country Club in Peabody, Mass. They dealt with the playing characteristics of the course; i.e. land the ball at point A and it will bounce and roll to point B. When I checked some of these out, there was no way that could happen because the course was too soft.
What had happen was the plans of perhaps one of the greatest golf course architects of one of his best works were eliminated in the name of the color green.
I think the time is here for courses to start rolling back some of the conditioning tools they use. It’s time to mow the grass and not drown it or poison it with chemicals. If the owners don’t have to spend as much money, the smart ones won’t charge as much. This will help keep golfers coming through the door.
It’s also time for golfers to get on board with this. Everywhere in the world except here in the United States, the color brown is quite acceptable and definitely has its place. By the way, this goes for greens as well.
In Florida, most courses over seed Bermuda-grassed fairways and green with rye grass during the winter for one reason and one reason only, so the golfers can play on a green colored surface. The truth be known, the best playing surface in the world is dormant Bermuda grass. On the fairways and rough every lie is perfect. As for the greens, every putt rolls true and the speed is ideal. Will owners and superintendents let these courses go dormant? No, because they’re convinced golfers want the color green to blanket the course.
Let’s hope that golfers will accept these changes. They will if they don’t have to fork over as much “green.” The truth is, golfers don’t want to put their clubs in storage, but they will if the price to play isn’t under control. Give them a chance to walk away and they may never return.
Bartender, enough of this talk about the color green. I know Patrick’s Day (that’s what they call it in Ireland since Pat was stripped of his sainthood) is on its way and that’s the only green we should discuss. So, if you would be so kind, pour me a dram of your finest Irish whiskey, because as you know, it’s a fine BROWN liquor.
See you on the first tee,
Jack
Forget the equipment side of the industry. Let’s talk about the playing fields that are being cut by a double-edged sword.
The cost of maintaining a golf course to the standards both the public and in most cases management has gone through the roof. Of course, the owners of these facilities aren’t going to bite the bullet on this. Instead the cost, usually accompanied by a “service charge”, will be passed on to the consumer, thus hiking the green fee to the point of being cost-crazy. Rather than suffer the added charge, golfers will stay away in droves, find another course to play, or as is happening in alarming regularity—not play at all.
Can anything be done to halt the mass exodus from the game that is rapidly approaching? Sure, but the question really is, will the facility owners/managers and the golf public put up with it?
Maybe, golf course superintendents will have to water down their pesticides a little. It also might save some money if they don’t water the course as much. Of course, the latter suggestion concerns a major peeve of mine. Golfers and superintendents, oh throw in owners and managers as well, have for too long of a time had an irrational fascination with the color green.
Since the days when Old Tom Morris began designing courses, the color green has been more of a product of the environment than a part of the equation in the design of a golf course. If there was a healthy rain fall, the grass was green. If there wasn’t … ever hear of the phrase “hard and fast?”
Of course, this doesn’t mean that the course should go without water. Obviously, the grass should be kept alive, but do you really enjoy reaching your ball in the middle of the fairway only to find a glob of mud on the ball? Particularly when it hasn’t rained for a week and a half?
Better yet, is the color green worth parting with a lot more of your “green” just for aesthetics? It certainly isn’t in this corner.
I know, this is radical thinking, but the idea was spawned from reading margin notes from a rather radical thinker in his day, Donald Ross. The margin notes were on his drawings of the holes at Salem Country Club in Peabody, Mass. They dealt with the playing characteristics of the course; i.e. land the ball at point A and it will bounce and roll to point B. When I checked some of these out, there was no way that could happen because the course was too soft.
What had happen was the plans of perhaps one of the greatest golf course architects of one of his best works were eliminated in the name of the color green.
I think the time is here for courses to start rolling back some of the conditioning tools they use. It’s time to mow the grass and not drown it or poison it with chemicals. If the owners don’t have to spend as much money, the smart ones won’t charge as much. This will help keep golfers coming through the door.
It’s also time for golfers to get on board with this. Everywhere in the world except here in the United States, the color brown is quite acceptable and definitely has its place. By the way, this goes for greens as well.
In Florida, most courses over seed Bermuda-grassed fairways and green with rye grass during the winter for one reason and one reason only, so the golfers can play on a green colored surface. The truth be known, the best playing surface in the world is dormant Bermuda grass. On the fairways and rough every lie is perfect. As for the greens, every putt rolls true and the speed is ideal. Will owners and superintendents let these courses go dormant? No, because they’re convinced golfers want the color green to blanket the course.
Let’s hope that golfers will accept these changes. They will if they don’t have to fork over as much “green.” The truth is, golfers don’t want to put their clubs in storage, but they will if the price to play isn’t under control. Give them a chance to walk away and they may never return.
Bartender, enough of this talk about the color green. I know Patrick’s Day (that’s what they call it in Ireland since Pat was stripped of his sainthood) is on its way and that’s the only green we should discuss. So, if you would be so kind, pour me a dram of your finest Irish whiskey, because as you know, it’s a fine BROWN liquor.
See you on the first tee,
Jack
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Tiger's return can't help as Yanks fall short at WGC event
To the amazement of so many people who were salivating over the Blessed Return of Tiger Woods in the Accenture Match Play Championship, the WGC event did play itself out to a fitting conclusion even after Woods was eliminated in the second round by South African Tim Clark.
I hope that the powers that be in tournament golf were watching what transpired before Australian Geoff Ogilvy defeated England’s Paul Casey in the 36-hole championship match and Stewart Cink (the lone American in the Final Four and with Justin Leonard the only two Yanks in the Elite Eight) defeated England’s Ross Fisher in the consolation match. The rest of the world not only has caught the American professional golfers; as a unit, they’ve surpassed them.
By the way, it’s going to be worse before it gets better. Perhaps the time has come to restructure international team competitions and why not.
The glitter and glory of this format is the Ryder Cup. Somewhere in the shadows rests the Presidents Cup, or Ryder Cup Lite as it’s known in this corner. Well, here’s a news flash for you. The rest of the world team is on the verge of being able to dust both the U.S. and European teams. Maybe it’s time for them to play on the grand stage.
It would be self-defeating plan in search of fairness to set up the U.S. against EVERYONE. There would have to be (many) strokes given our boys to make it close. However, the playing field might be leveled a bit if we add all of North, Central and South America to the mix. You’ve got to think that Camillo Villegas and Andres Romero, not to mention Mike Weir would add some quality depth.
The questions to be answered would be what is the fair format? How many matches per day? The Ryder Cup has undergone many format changes. There have been two days of singles matches. The Foursomes (alternate shot) format could be eliminated, or reduced to one round of matches and replaced with Better Ball matches.
Another question is with a European base, would the addition of South Africa, Australia and Asia upset the balance to a point where it just doesn’t work? It’s a possibility, but any format that would put a Hall of Famer such as Ernie Els on the big stage is worthy of consideration. Also, this could allow stalwarts such as Oglivy, K.J. Choi and Japan’s teenage “Prince of Golf”. Ryo Ishikawa a spot on the stage when he’s ready.
If you put these players into the mix with Euros such as Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Casey, then add in younger stars such as Rory McIlroy and Oliver Wilson, Paul Azinger couldn’t find enough pods to put players in an attempt to find a winning combination.
However, somewhere there is an effective formula. A draft from the World Rankings could build some interesting teams, but would ruin the loosely based nationality aspect currently in place. It seems to me that the European flag encompasses a dozen countries. I know, under one flag like the U.S. flag represents the states.
Another possibility is a mega-match with the world divided into thirds with a team representing three segments of the world. The only problem is the scheduling. Two teams playing matches while the third stands down is a long and drawn out format.
With the globalization of golf and the increasing high quality of play worldwide, the time is here to take advantage of the potentially tremendous showcase for golf that would involve the entire world.
**************
We will forgo the usual toast that ends these musings to note with eternal admiration for Charley Stine, the founder of Golfweek at the age of 81. Charley was a newspaperman of the highest order. Golfweek began as Florida Golfweek, produced in his garage in 1975. He financed it with his paycheck he earned as the Managing Editor of the Winter Haven (Fla.) News Chief as well as from the paycheck earned by his wife Jackie a dental hygienist.
Charley had a vision of a publication that would be chocked filled with news. If you wanted tournament results, pro or amateur, you read Golfweek. A newspaperman through and through, he wanted his publication to be the pinnacle of pure golf news dissemination. He succeeded as Golfweek became the standard in the industry. True to his newspaper roots, Golfweek was under Charley’s edict, a “Golf Newspaper.”
In 1983, “Florida” was dropped from the title and Golfweek became a national “Golf Newspaper.” Any news a reader wanted from any state in the country could be found in Golfweek. It was their expressed goal to have news from every state in the country every week. They succeeded.
In 1990, Charley sold Golfweek to Rance Crain and the Turnstile Publishing Co. who still own the publication.
In 1975, Charley set out to create a “Golf Newspaper.” In the end, he created a “Golf Bible.” Eventually, all newspapermen have a -30- at the end of their lives. Thankfully, what Charley stood for and accomplished will live on.
See you on the first tee,
Jack
I hope that the powers that be in tournament golf were watching what transpired before Australian Geoff Ogilvy defeated England’s Paul Casey in the 36-hole championship match and Stewart Cink (the lone American in the Final Four and with Justin Leonard the only two Yanks in the Elite Eight) defeated England’s Ross Fisher in the consolation match. The rest of the world not only has caught the American professional golfers; as a unit, they’ve surpassed them.
By the way, it’s going to be worse before it gets better. Perhaps the time has come to restructure international team competitions and why not.
The glitter and glory of this format is the Ryder Cup. Somewhere in the shadows rests the Presidents Cup, or Ryder Cup Lite as it’s known in this corner. Well, here’s a news flash for you. The rest of the world team is on the verge of being able to dust both the U.S. and European teams. Maybe it’s time for them to play on the grand stage.
It would be self-defeating plan in search of fairness to set up the U.S. against EVERYONE. There would have to be (many) strokes given our boys to make it close. However, the playing field might be leveled a bit if we add all of North, Central and South America to the mix. You’ve got to think that Camillo Villegas and Andres Romero, not to mention Mike Weir would add some quality depth.
The questions to be answered would be what is the fair format? How many matches per day? The Ryder Cup has undergone many format changes. There have been two days of singles matches. The Foursomes (alternate shot) format could be eliminated, or reduced to one round of matches and replaced with Better Ball matches.
Another question is with a European base, would the addition of South Africa, Australia and Asia upset the balance to a point where it just doesn’t work? It’s a possibility, but any format that would put a Hall of Famer such as Ernie Els on the big stage is worthy of consideration. Also, this could allow stalwarts such as Oglivy, K.J. Choi and Japan’s teenage “Prince of Golf”. Ryo Ishikawa a spot on the stage when he’s ready.
If you put these players into the mix with Euros such as Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Casey, then add in younger stars such as Rory McIlroy and Oliver Wilson, Paul Azinger couldn’t find enough pods to put players in an attempt to find a winning combination.
However, somewhere there is an effective formula. A draft from the World Rankings could build some interesting teams, but would ruin the loosely based nationality aspect currently in place. It seems to me that the European flag encompasses a dozen countries. I know, under one flag like the U.S. flag represents the states.
Another possibility is a mega-match with the world divided into thirds with a team representing three segments of the world. The only problem is the scheduling. Two teams playing matches while the third stands down is a long and drawn out format.
With the globalization of golf and the increasing high quality of play worldwide, the time is here to take advantage of the potentially tremendous showcase for golf that would involve the entire world.
**************
We will forgo the usual toast that ends these musings to note with eternal admiration for Charley Stine, the founder of Golfweek at the age of 81. Charley was a newspaperman of the highest order. Golfweek began as Florida Golfweek, produced in his garage in 1975. He financed it with his paycheck he earned as the Managing Editor of the Winter Haven (Fla.) News Chief as well as from the paycheck earned by his wife Jackie a dental hygienist.
Charley had a vision of a publication that would be chocked filled with news. If you wanted tournament results, pro or amateur, you read Golfweek. A newspaperman through and through, he wanted his publication to be the pinnacle of pure golf news dissemination. He succeeded as Golfweek became the standard in the industry. True to his newspaper roots, Golfweek was under Charley’s edict, a “Golf Newspaper.”
In 1983, “Florida” was dropped from the title and Golfweek became a national “Golf Newspaper.” Any news a reader wanted from any state in the country could be found in Golfweek. It was their expressed goal to have news from every state in the country every week. They succeeded.
In 1990, Charley sold Golfweek to Rance Crain and the Turnstile Publishing Co. who still own the publication.
In 1975, Charley set out to create a “Golf Newspaper.” In the end, he created a “Golf Bible.” Eventually, all newspapermen have a -30- at the end of their lives. Thankfully, what Charley stood for and accomplished will live on.
See you on the first tee,
Jack
Friday, February 27, 2009
The second coming
I freely admit that I’ve started my back nine on this planet, but I’m not old enough to have seen the first coming of the Messiah. However, if you listen to broadcast and read written reports, the second coming has occurred this week.
In case you missed it and I doubt that, Tiger Woods is back.
On Wednesday, The Golf Channel’s Kelly Tilghman yet again displaying her lack of knowledge of golf and golf history proclaimed that Woods’ return was the biggest “in the history of golf.” If she had an iota of an idea of what she was talking about, she may have recalled that in 1953 Ben Hogan returned to tournament golf following a 1952 near-fatal car accident to win the U.S. Open. Woods, on the other hand, is returning from a knee surgery that is performed on athletes every week of the year.
I would call for some perspective here, but that would suggest that the person I was calling to would have a clue about the subject she was speaking. I won’t waste my time.
Perhaps you could say that it’s unfair to pick on Ms. Tilghman because it appears the entire media, broadcast and print, swallowed the Kool-Aid on this one. However, I’ve never been one to avoid taking the easiest shot and in this case as so often happens, she’s a very slow moving target.
The fact is, with few exceptions, the media and moreover the PGA Tour has missed the point. Believe it or not, golf was played since the U.S. Open last year and played at a very high and entertaining level. However, the Tour and the media all but ignored it.
Case in point number one. Padraig Harrington won both the British Open (a successful defense) and the PGA Championship. He heads into the Masters with a chance to win three in a row and be the first to do it since … let’s see … Oh yeah, Tiger Woods. Should Harrington be successful in Augusta, what are his chances of getting the acclaim Woods did? Slim and none and Slim just left town. Trust me on this, any Harrington stories will be balanced by “What happened to Tiger” epics.
Case in point number two. Camillo Villegas wins the last two tournaments of the Fed Ex Cup series. On a Tour often bereft of charisma and star power (except Tiger of course) this Columbian is dropped into the Tour’s lap. With the growing Spanish-speaking population in this country, Villegas could bring a whole new segment of the population to the game and the viewing audience. Does the Tour do anything with this? Not yet. At the Bob Hope event Villegas stuck his hand into a cactus bush and came out with a handful of needles. A comely young lass in the gallery offered her tweezers to Villegas to remove the needles. She wasn’t the only one either. It reminded one of a day when a gallery removed a boulder from you-know-who’s line of fire.
Case in point number three. Remember the Ryder Cup? I thought you might. It was best golf theater in years. It had everything and everyone except whom? That’s right, TW himself. What it had were the players who will mold the future of the PGA Tour. Players like Hunter Mahan, Anthony Kim (who isn’t lacking game or star power either), JB Holmes and Ben Curtis will be on radar screens for a long time to come. Yet, during Woods absence, it seems they never appeared on the Tours’.
Here is something the Tour and the media has to understand—Tiger Woods isn’t going to play forever.
Even at tender age of 32, the phenom has suffered more injuries than most golfers his age. This was his third knee surgery. He started having recurring wrist problems when he was a teenager. There will come a day when enough will become enough and he’ll limp away.
Another thing to consider is who’s to say he’s going to play another 10 years? Sure he’s perhaps the fiercest competitor in all of sports—now. What happens when there are no more mountains to climb, no more records to set? What will light his fire? It just may be hanging out with Elin, Sam and Charlie and who knows how many more children there will be.
I’ve got to believe that golf is only stage one of his career and it’s not forever. What then?
It’s time the Tour and, yes, the media get their collective heads out of their butts and take advantage of the resources that surround them before the Woods ride ends and they’re left looking at each other asking, “now what?”
Bartender, fix me an Alka Seltzer if you will. The sycophantic aura emanating from PGA Tour headquarters and press rooms everywhere has made me nauseous.
See you on the first tee,
Jack
In case you missed it and I doubt that, Tiger Woods is back.
On Wednesday, The Golf Channel’s Kelly Tilghman yet again displaying her lack of knowledge of golf and golf history proclaimed that Woods’ return was the biggest “in the history of golf.” If she had an iota of an idea of what she was talking about, she may have recalled that in 1953 Ben Hogan returned to tournament golf following a 1952 near-fatal car accident to win the U.S. Open. Woods, on the other hand, is returning from a knee surgery that is performed on athletes every week of the year.
I would call for some perspective here, but that would suggest that the person I was calling to would have a clue about the subject she was speaking. I won’t waste my time.
Perhaps you could say that it’s unfair to pick on Ms. Tilghman because it appears the entire media, broadcast and print, swallowed the Kool-Aid on this one. However, I’ve never been one to avoid taking the easiest shot and in this case as so often happens, she’s a very slow moving target.
The fact is, with few exceptions, the media and moreover the PGA Tour has missed the point. Believe it or not, golf was played since the U.S. Open last year and played at a very high and entertaining level. However, the Tour and the media all but ignored it.
Case in point number one. Padraig Harrington won both the British Open (a successful defense) and the PGA Championship. He heads into the Masters with a chance to win three in a row and be the first to do it since … let’s see … Oh yeah, Tiger Woods. Should Harrington be successful in Augusta, what are his chances of getting the acclaim Woods did? Slim and none and Slim just left town. Trust me on this, any Harrington stories will be balanced by “What happened to Tiger” epics.
Case in point number two. Camillo Villegas wins the last two tournaments of the Fed Ex Cup series. On a Tour often bereft of charisma and star power (except Tiger of course) this Columbian is dropped into the Tour’s lap. With the growing Spanish-speaking population in this country, Villegas could bring a whole new segment of the population to the game and the viewing audience. Does the Tour do anything with this? Not yet. At the Bob Hope event Villegas stuck his hand into a cactus bush and came out with a handful of needles. A comely young lass in the gallery offered her tweezers to Villegas to remove the needles. She wasn’t the only one either. It reminded one of a day when a gallery removed a boulder from you-know-who’s line of fire.
Case in point number three. Remember the Ryder Cup? I thought you might. It was best golf theater in years. It had everything and everyone except whom? That’s right, TW himself. What it had were the players who will mold the future of the PGA Tour. Players like Hunter Mahan, Anthony Kim (who isn’t lacking game or star power either), JB Holmes and Ben Curtis will be on radar screens for a long time to come. Yet, during Woods absence, it seems they never appeared on the Tours’.
Here is something the Tour and the media has to understand—Tiger Woods isn’t going to play forever.
Even at tender age of 32, the phenom has suffered more injuries than most golfers his age. This was his third knee surgery. He started having recurring wrist problems when he was a teenager. There will come a day when enough will become enough and he’ll limp away.
Another thing to consider is who’s to say he’s going to play another 10 years? Sure he’s perhaps the fiercest competitor in all of sports—now. What happens when there are no more mountains to climb, no more records to set? What will light his fire? It just may be hanging out with Elin, Sam and Charlie and who knows how many more children there will be.
I’ve got to believe that golf is only stage one of his career and it’s not forever. What then?
It’s time the Tour and, yes, the media get their collective heads out of their butts and take advantage of the resources that surround them before the Woods ride ends and they’re left looking at each other asking, “now what?”
Bartender, fix me an Alka Seltzer if you will. The sycophantic aura emanating from PGA Tour headquarters and press rooms everywhere has made me nauseous.
See you on the first tee,
Jack
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Michelle Wie's game lacks experience
It’s now official. Michelle Wie is officially a card-carrying tournament tested member of the LPGA Tour. No longer is she an interloper. In one week she showed what many had thought about her.
She’s got some game and she has no experience. Perhaps the early stages of her career would have been better spent learning how to play tournament golf as opposed to learning how to swing a club. She needed to learn how to hit shots under the gun, but her parents were more concerned about her media image. This is not to say that her image isn’t important, but she’s only 18 and not old enough to have her image take a hit. Besides, no one is going attack an 18-year-old.
In retrospect, her time would have been better spent competing as an amateur. True it wouldn’t have been as profitable, but golf-wise Wie would have been much better off. Rather than honing her competitive skills with a full summer of tournaments, she had about seven opportunities a year. Predictably, when an opportunity arose, she didn’t play well.
This past Friday, Wie entered unchartered waters as she took a three-stroke lead into Saturday’s final round of the SBC tournament. The Golf Channel broadcasting team decided to take the high road during the final round and portrayed the action as an Angela Stanford charge. The fact was, Wie was learning how hard it is to swing a golf club with both hands wrapped around your throat. Unfortunately, the degree of difficulty was enhanced, by brain cramp after brain cramp.
When she needed to make a shot and take control of the situation, she was flustered. She hit a 3-wood off the tee on a par 5 she could have easily reached in two had she hit driver. She didn’t take advantage of a drop situation where she could have saved a shot. Instead she took an option from which she couldn’t reach the green. She blasted three drives off the charts to the right. All this happened over the final nine holes.
She just wasn’t ready. There are a lot of flaws in her game and none of them have anything to do with her swing. A lot of times a player who throws away a tournament will chalk it up as a “learning experience.” They’ll claim that it was actually a positive step forward. Don’t believe it for a moment.
In her favor, the LPGA Tour moves out of the country until the end of March. Perhaps that will give her time to regain her psyche. It had to be pretty bruised by the end of Saturday’s round.
Another thing in her favor is she’s only 18. That means after five years on the LPGA Tour she’ll still be just 23-years-old and hopefully a lot wiser. Time is definitely on her side and that’s important.
No, there was nothing positive that came from the SBC final round for Wie, unless she remembers and admits her mistakes. Until then, she’ll go on probably losing more tournaments than winning and that’s sad. She should have already been through these growing pains. Let’s just hope it won’t be too traumatic for her. The LPGA needs her now and will in the future. She has to survive in one piece to achieve her potential. It would be a disservice if six years from now, we’re asking, “what if?”
Bartender, please bring a pitcher of ice water for Ms. Wie, although I think it would be better if injected into her veins rather than served by the glass.
See you on the first tee,
Jack
She’s got some game and she has no experience. Perhaps the early stages of her career would have been better spent learning how to play tournament golf as opposed to learning how to swing a club. She needed to learn how to hit shots under the gun, but her parents were more concerned about her media image. This is not to say that her image isn’t important, but she’s only 18 and not old enough to have her image take a hit. Besides, no one is going attack an 18-year-old.
In retrospect, her time would have been better spent competing as an amateur. True it wouldn’t have been as profitable, but golf-wise Wie would have been much better off. Rather than honing her competitive skills with a full summer of tournaments, she had about seven opportunities a year. Predictably, when an opportunity arose, she didn’t play well.
This past Friday, Wie entered unchartered waters as she took a three-stroke lead into Saturday’s final round of the SBC tournament. The Golf Channel broadcasting team decided to take the high road during the final round and portrayed the action as an Angela Stanford charge. The fact was, Wie was learning how hard it is to swing a golf club with both hands wrapped around your throat. Unfortunately, the degree of difficulty was enhanced, by brain cramp after brain cramp.
When she needed to make a shot and take control of the situation, she was flustered. She hit a 3-wood off the tee on a par 5 she could have easily reached in two had she hit driver. She didn’t take advantage of a drop situation where she could have saved a shot. Instead she took an option from which she couldn’t reach the green. She blasted three drives off the charts to the right. All this happened over the final nine holes.
She just wasn’t ready. There are a lot of flaws in her game and none of them have anything to do with her swing. A lot of times a player who throws away a tournament will chalk it up as a “learning experience.” They’ll claim that it was actually a positive step forward. Don’t believe it for a moment.
In her favor, the LPGA Tour moves out of the country until the end of March. Perhaps that will give her time to regain her psyche. It had to be pretty bruised by the end of Saturday’s round.
Another thing in her favor is she’s only 18. That means after five years on the LPGA Tour she’ll still be just 23-years-old and hopefully a lot wiser. Time is definitely on her side and that’s important.
No, there was nothing positive that came from the SBC final round for Wie, unless she remembers and admits her mistakes. Until then, she’ll go on probably losing more tournaments than winning and that’s sad. She should have already been through these growing pains. Let’s just hope it won’t be too traumatic for her. The LPGA needs her now and will in the future. She has to survive in one piece to achieve her potential. It would be a disservice if six years from now, we’re asking, “what if?”
Bartender, please bring a pitcher of ice water for Ms. Wie, although I think it would be better if injected into her veins rather than served by the glass.
See you on the first tee,
Jack
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Post PGA Show quips
It’s taken about 10 days, but I think I’ve recovered from the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando. It was three days plus the Demo Day. By the closing on Saturday evening, my legs felt like two fiery stumps. Memo to self—avoid any exhibition that brags about having “10 miles of aisles.”
Okay, having gotten the nagging and complaining off my chest, in retrospect and careful thought, I’ve got to say the golf industry could be in worse shape than my legs. Even the big boys like Callaway, TaylorMade and Titleist are pulling in the reins and it’s not just the economy that’s causing it.
Sure the backpedaling economy is the largest reason, but the final stranglehold is being applied in Far Hills, N.J. at the USGA headquarters. Dick Rugge, who sets the limits on technology used in designing clubs and golf balls tightened the belt on creativity to the point where there’s very little new on the market.
Sure, PowerBilt created some buzz with their Air Force One driver because the head is injected with nitrogen gas that will support the club face which will expand the sweet spot. However, I think the fact that they offer three different thicknesses of the club face which will match up with swing speeds will have a lot more positive effect for the player. At least they’re thinking about the wide spectrum of golfers rather than the small percentage who swing 100 MPH-plus. They’re one of the few who do.
TaylorMade, in a presentation separate from the show introduced their new R9 driver, fairway woods and Burner irons. During the presentation, they related tremendous success stories about golfers with 100 MPH swing speeds gaining 30 yards off the tee and adding a club and a half of distance with the irons. During Q&A following the presentation, the question was raised asking what will be the effect if the swing speed is closer to 85 MPH. After a couple of hems and haws, they answered that improvement wouldn’t be at those distances, but the golfer could expect some added distance with the driver, perhaps 10 yards and maybe a half club with the irons.
Let’s see should I buy a new set of irons for $800-plus and a driver for more than $300? That’s more than $1,100 and in return, I might hit the ball 10-yards farther off the tee and five yards with the irons. It’s obvious, that TaylorMade, et al have been caught up in the USGA syndrome where they cater to the top one percent or so of the golfers and blow smoke up the butts of the rest.
By the way, the USGA’s role in the smoke blowing is when they tell any golfer with a handicap higher than one that they’re here for them. They do nothing other than provide a handicap system and make rule books available all for a fee. Do they run competitions for higher handicap golfers? No. It’s a not so subtle bias.
Now, it appears the equipment companies have adopted similar strategies (have you ever tried to hit a ProV1 with a slower swing speed? You’ll lose distance) coveting the one or two percent of low handicap golfers. Is that wise in this economy?
Personally, I left the show with no incentive to buy a set of clubs. That hasn’t happened very often.
Now, if the USGA really wants to something that may entice people to play more, they could broaden the parameters for conforming equipment for the higher handicappers and have different standards for different skill levels.
The highest handicappers could have the hottest equipment on the market. They will enjoy the game more and will probably play more often. Once they improve to the next level, their conforming equipment will be cooled off a bit and so on and so on until they reach the highest tolerances. A suggestion would be that once a golfer’s handicap reaches the next skill level, he/she won’t be able to fall back to a higher handicap group.
The pros of course will have the most difficult equipment setups.
Players would love the opportunity to make the game a little easier by not being held to the same demands facing Tiger Woods. Equipment companies would love it because as the players improve they’ll reconfigure what is in their bag.
Personally, I never thought I’d write or even think these thoughts, but given the state of the industry, the time has come for radical strategies.
******************
There were two other notes of interest. Shortly before the show, McGregor was acquired by Dick’s Sporting Goods. This gives the sporting goods giant control of Maxfli, Slazenger and McGregor. Given anyone of these, maybe not, but with all three Dick’s has entered the realm of a player in the industry. The good news is this might give Greg Norman, who’d taken over McGregor a little more than a year ago, time to practice and be ready for what might be his last charge for the Masters. Don’t fault Norman for this. His task to right the McGregor ship was more than Herculean in a good economic climate. In these days it was downright impossible.
If you’ve ever won an Irish crystal trophy at a golf event, it was most likely made by Waterford Crystal. They made crystal golf trophies an art form and greatly elevated the beauty of crystal in all products. Don’t count on crystal being handed to you in the winner’s circle this year. The Friday before the show they closed the doors of their Waterford, Ireland facility. They’re looking to sell, but will be fortunate to get pennies on the dollar.
******************
Every year, I try to find a “Product of the Show.” This is a tongue-in-cheek award given to the company that exhibits a product that when walking down an aisle makes you come to a screeching halt to find out more about it.
Drum roll please! The 2009 winner is…Anti Monkey Butt Powder.
This breakthrough product provides golfers with relief from Monkey Butt, a sweaty condition that attacks the nether regions during both the heat of the competition and the day as well. It comes in pink for ladies and white for men. As an added bonus, Anti Monkey Butt Powder contains calamine for those real itchy days. Trust me, this is all true. I couldn’t make this up.
Bartender, please decant a fine brandy from my Irish crystal decanter for Greg, Parker and myself. We’ll toast the remains of the golf industry with the hope that those companies just hanging on will survive.
See you on the first tee,
Jack
Okay, having gotten the nagging and complaining off my chest, in retrospect and careful thought, I’ve got to say the golf industry could be in worse shape than my legs. Even the big boys like Callaway, TaylorMade and Titleist are pulling in the reins and it’s not just the economy that’s causing it.
Sure the backpedaling economy is the largest reason, but the final stranglehold is being applied in Far Hills, N.J. at the USGA headquarters. Dick Rugge, who sets the limits on technology used in designing clubs and golf balls tightened the belt on creativity to the point where there’s very little new on the market.
Sure, PowerBilt created some buzz with their Air Force One driver because the head is injected with nitrogen gas that will support the club face which will expand the sweet spot. However, I think the fact that they offer three different thicknesses of the club face which will match up with swing speeds will have a lot more positive effect for the player. At least they’re thinking about the wide spectrum of golfers rather than the small percentage who swing 100 MPH-plus. They’re one of the few who do.
TaylorMade, in a presentation separate from the show introduced their new R9 driver, fairway woods and Burner irons. During the presentation, they related tremendous success stories about golfers with 100 MPH swing speeds gaining 30 yards off the tee and adding a club and a half of distance with the irons. During Q&A following the presentation, the question was raised asking what will be the effect if the swing speed is closer to 85 MPH. After a couple of hems and haws, they answered that improvement wouldn’t be at those distances, but the golfer could expect some added distance with the driver, perhaps 10 yards and maybe a half club with the irons.
Let’s see should I buy a new set of irons for $800-plus and a driver for more than $300? That’s more than $1,100 and in return, I might hit the ball 10-yards farther off the tee and five yards with the irons. It’s obvious, that TaylorMade, et al have been caught up in the USGA syndrome where they cater to the top one percent or so of the golfers and blow smoke up the butts of the rest.
By the way, the USGA’s role in the smoke blowing is when they tell any golfer with a handicap higher than one that they’re here for them. They do nothing other than provide a handicap system and make rule books available all for a fee. Do they run competitions for higher handicap golfers? No. It’s a not so subtle bias.
Now, it appears the equipment companies have adopted similar strategies (have you ever tried to hit a ProV1 with a slower swing speed? You’ll lose distance) coveting the one or two percent of low handicap golfers. Is that wise in this economy?
Personally, I left the show with no incentive to buy a set of clubs. That hasn’t happened very often.
Now, if the USGA really wants to something that may entice people to play more, they could broaden the parameters for conforming equipment for the higher handicappers and have different standards for different skill levels.
The highest handicappers could have the hottest equipment on the market. They will enjoy the game more and will probably play more often. Once they improve to the next level, their conforming equipment will be cooled off a bit and so on and so on until they reach the highest tolerances. A suggestion would be that once a golfer’s handicap reaches the next skill level, he/she won’t be able to fall back to a higher handicap group.
The pros of course will have the most difficult equipment setups.
Players would love the opportunity to make the game a little easier by not being held to the same demands facing Tiger Woods. Equipment companies would love it because as the players improve they’ll reconfigure what is in their bag.
Personally, I never thought I’d write or even think these thoughts, but given the state of the industry, the time has come for radical strategies.
******************
There were two other notes of interest. Shortly before the show, McGregor was acquired by Dick’s Sporting Goods. This gives the sporting goods giant control of Maxfli, Slazenger and McGregor. Given anyone of these, maybe not, but with all three Dick’s has entered the realm of a player in the industry. The good news is this might give Greg Norman, who’d taken over McGregor a little more than a year ago, time to practice and be ready for what might be his last charge for the Masters. Don’t fault Norman for this. His task to right the McGregor ship was more than Herculean in a good economic climate. In these days it was downright impossible.
If you’ve ever won an Irish crystal trophy at a golf event, it was most likely made by Waterford Crystal. They made crystal golf trophies an art form and greatly elevated the beauty of crystal in all products. Don’t count on crystal being handed to you in the winner’s circle this year. The Friday before the show they closed the doors of their Waterford, Ireland facility. They’re looking to sell, but will be fortunate to get pennies on the dollar.
******************
Every year, I try to find a “Product of the Show.” This is a tongue-in-cheek award given to the company that exhibits a product that when walking down an aisle makes you come to a screeching halt to find out more about it.
Drum roll please! The 2009 winner is…Anti Monkey Butt Powder.
This breakthrough product provides golfers with relief from Monkey Butt, a sweaty condition that attacks the nether regions during both the heat of the competition and the day as well. It comes in pink for ladies and white for men. As an added bonus, Anti Monkey Butt Powder contains calamine for those real itchy days. Trust me, this is all true. I couldn’t make this up.
Bartender, please decant a fine brandy from my Irish crystal decanter for Greg, Parker and myself. We’ll toast the remains of the golf industry with the hope that those companies just hanging on will survive.
See you on the first tee,
Jack
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Lopez dissed by Bob Hope Classic
George Lopez could have made a bigger deal out of the ill treatment he got from the committee of the Bob Hope Classic, but unlike the committee, he had too much class.
For the past few years, Lopez worked tirelessly as the official host of the Tours’ only 90-hole celebrity-amateur tournament. He called in markers with his celebrity friends to have them come out and play in the event. He begged celebrities that didn’t owe him a favor. Once they got there he spoiled them rotten.
Lopez was also instrumental in improving the quality of the professional. On his own expense, he would go to tournaments to personally recruit players for the Hope. While patrolling the practice range, he’d usually put on impromptu walking stand up act. He loved the tournament and was totally dedicated to it.
Late last year, he received a two-minute phone call from a committee member informing him that his voluntary services were no longer needed. A quick thank you was added, followed by a good bye.
To be honest, replacing Lopez with Arnold Palmer makes the situation more palatable. It’s the 50th anniversary of the tournament and Arnold won the first event and won the last of his 62 Tour wins at the Hope as well as three in between. Palmer definitely has history on his side.
So, why couldn’t be the Bob Hope Classic hosted by Arnold Palmer with George Lopez. Lopez certainly would gladly take a back seat to Palmer. He gets it.
What no one gets is why the hasty replacement without the courtesy of an explanation. It only fuels speculation.
Palm Springs houses more Republicans than GOPers who attended the Republican National Convention. In case you haven’t noticed, this number doesn’t include many Mexican actor/stand up comics.
Speaking of his stand up act, it deals with the life of a Mexican getting along with the Anglo world. While not a blue act, it is at the least, colorful. Given the ultra conservative climate surrounding the Hope, there could have been an element that felt they didn’t want to associate with a guy like this. Sure, why would the BOB HOPE Classic want to be associated with a comedian?
OOOOOOOOOOOOO
The LPGA took a hit when Annika Sorenstam left the circuit to marry Mike McGee with plans to start a family. This left the crown to Lorena Ochoa. Now, it’s Ochoa’s turn to drop a bomb.
Recently, the charming and talented Mexican announced her engagement to Aero Mexican CEO Andres Conova. She also alluded to the fact that she plans to have a limited career so she could start a family.
This a hit the LPGA could hardly stand.
Bartender, how about a bottle of tequila for the table and Spanish Rosetta Stone for yours truly so even if I can’t join the conversation, I can understand what’s being said.
See you on the first tee,
Jack
For the past few years, Lopez worked tirelessly as the official host of the Tours’ only 90-hole celebrity-amateur tournament. He called in markers with his celebrity friends to have them come out and play in the event. He begged celebrities that didn’t owe him a favor. Once they got there he spoiled them rotten.
Lopez was also instrumental in improving the quality of the professional. On his own expense, he would go to tournaments to personally recruit players for the Hope. While patrolling the practice range, he’d usually put on impromptu walking stand up act. He loved the tournament and was totally dedicated to it.
Late last year, he received a two-minute phone call from a committee member informing him that his voluntary services were no longer needed. A quick thank you was added, followed by a good bye.
To be honest, replacing Lopez with Arnold Palmer makes the situation more palatable. It’s the 50th anniversary of the tournament and Arnold won the first event and won the last of his 62 Tour wins at the Hope as well as three in between. Palmer definitely has history on his side.
So, why couldn’t be the Bob Hope Classic hosted by Arnold Palmer with George Lopez. Lopez certainly would gladly take a back seat to Palmer. He gets it.
What no one gets is why the hasty replacement without the courtesy of an explanation. It only fuels speculation.
Palm Springs houses more Republicans than GOPers who attended the Republican National Convention. In case you haven’t noticed, this number doesn’t include many Mexican actor/stand up comics.
Speaking of his stand up act, it deals with the life of a Mexican getting along with the Anglo world. While not a blue act, it is at the least, colorful. Given the ultra conservative climate surrounding the Hope, there could have been an element that felt they didn’t want to associate with a guy like this. Sure, why would the BOB HOPE Classic want to be associated with a comedian?
OOOOOOOOOOOOO
The LPGA took a hit when Annika Sorenstam left the circuit to marry Mike McGee with plans to start a family. This left the crown to Lorena Ochoa. Now, it’s Ochoa’s turn to drop a bomb.
Recently, the charming and talented Mexican announced her engagement to Aero Mexican CEO Andres Conova. She also alluded to the fact that she plans to have a limited career so she could start a family.
This a hit the LPGA could hardly stand.
Bartender, how about a bottle of tequila for the table and Spanish Rosetta Stone for yours truly so even if I can’t join the conversation, I can understand what’s being said.
See you on the first tee,
Jack
Monday, January 12, 2009
Starting off the 2009 season...
I’m starting to like the off season as much as the season itself. As for action, with the money being offered, the Silly Season isn’t silly anymore. If you don’t believe it, ask the IRS. This is the real deal. With the race to Dubai, the European Tour has a 53-tournament schedule. Play close attention to how many of our guys fork over the $3,500 membership fee to the Euros. It will be interesting.
Always a favorite in this corner is John Daly. PC’d after being over served at a Hooters in North Carolina, he was vilified everywhere. Okay, he was drunk and belligerent, but he was never arrested. Most bartenders who I know (and I know a few…look at the name of this blog) would recognize the condition of the person on the outside of the bar. They’d stop serving him long before he was awarded the orange wardrobe the local constabulary gave him.
Now, PGA Tour commish Timmy Finchem has suspended JD for six months. Granted, the suspension is probably not solely for this event, but rather for the compilation of his misdeeds. In effect, this might be a good turn of events for Daly. He can play on the European Tour and if he’s serious about finding his enormous game again, will be able to do it under the radar. This has to be a good thing for the PGA Tour’s version of a rock star (Fred Couples aside).
There is a potential downside for Daly however. Previously saddled with three or four of the wackiest wives in the world (Like he’s been the sanest of husbands), the word is his latest girl friend has the potential to rock the world of wacky. Oy vay, JD when is your life going to stop being a soap opera?
*********
Michelle Wie actually did something on her own. She qualified for the LPGA Tour. Now, we might be able to get a true sense of what her real talent is. Hopefully, her parents will stop insisting that she play against the boys on the PGA Tour. In fact, hopefully now that Michelle has turned 18, they will leave her alone altogether. Unfortunately, the Korean culture may keep her subservient to her parents forever.
I never thought I’d say this, but her talent might have been maximized had she had a father more in the mode of Earl Woods. Think of this, her talent level has waned since she almost made the cut as a 13-year-old at the Sony in her native state of Hawaii. The closest she has come to legitimate accomplishment since then was one miss-signed scorecard last year that could have secured her playing privileges for 2009. Now she’ll be on the LPGA Tour on her own merit with something she’s never had before—respect from the other card carrying members.
Hopefully for Michelle this current event will catapult her career to what had been predicted for her years ago. All she has to do is take control of her career and ignore the incessant caterwauling of her overbearing parents.
Bartender, please bring a case of Miller Delight for John Daly. I think he’s going to need it. Another night in jail might provide him some relief. Also a glass of red (make that Stanford Cardinal red) wine for Michelle. Yeah, like she’s never had a glass of wine before. Me? I’m just going to sit back and watch this car wreck.
See you on the first tee.
Jack
Always a favorite in this corner is John Daly. PC’d after being over served at a Hooters in North Carolina, he was vilified everywhere. Okay, he was drunk and belligerent, but he was never arrested. Most bartenders who I know (and I know a few…look at the name of this blog) would recognize the condition of the person on the outside of the bar. They’d stop serving him long before he was awarded the orange wardrobe the local constabulary gave him.
Now, PGA Tour commish Timmy Finchem has suspended JD for six months. Granted, the suspension is probably not solely for this event, but rather for the compilation of his misdeeds. In effect, this might be a good turn of events for Daly. He can play on the European Tour and if he’s serious about finding his enormous game again, will be able to do it under the radar. This has to be a good thing for the PGA Tour’s version of a rock star (Fred Couples aside).
There is a potential downside for Daly however. Previously saddled with three or four of the wackiest wives in the world (Like he’s been the sanest of husbands), the word is his latest girl friend has the potential to rock the world of wacky. Oy vay, JD when is your life going to stop being a soap opera?
*********
Michelle Wie actually did something on her own. She qualified for the LPGA Tour. Now, we might be able to get a true sense of what her real talent is. Hopefully, her parents will stop insisting that she play against the boys on the PGA Tour. In fact, hopefully now that Michelle has turned 18, they will leave her alone altogether. Unfortunately, the Korean culture may keep her subservient to her parents forever.
I never thought I’d say this, but her talent might have been maximized had she had a father more in the mode of Earl Woods. Think of this, her talent level has waned since she almost made the cut as a 13-year-old at the Sony in her native state of Hawaii. The closest she has come to legitimate accomplishment since then was one miss-signed scorecard last year that could have secured her playing privileges for 2009. Now she’ll be on the LPGA Tour on her own merit with something she’s never had before—respect from the other card carrying members.
Hopefully for Michelle this current event will catapult her career to what had been predicted for her years ago. All she has to do is take control of her career and ignore the incessant caterwauling of her overbearing parents.
Bartender, please bring a case of Miller Delight for John Daly. I think he’s going to need it. Another night in jail might provide him some relief. Also a glass of red (make that Stanford Cardinal red) wine for Michelle. Yeah, like she’s never had a glass of wine before. Me? I’m just going to sit back and watch this car wreck.
See you on the first tee.
Jack
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
