Too much of a good thing isn’t good. What is that old saying, ‘Familiarity breeds contempt.’? I am speaking of the Presidents Cup and by extension the Ryder Cup. Every year we are treated to one of these fine exhibitions of Us versus Them and, yes, I know I called them exhibitions. The thing is, we have one every year and that is too much. The Americans must gear up every year and it is becoming, well, almost monotonous in its familiarity. Can’t one of these events change to every three years so as to give us (and the Yanks) a year off from this?

 

And while we´re at it, why is Michael Jordan the honorayr captain? Here we have a failed baseball player and golfer (more on that in a sec) who will allegedly motivate the Americans on to victory. How about, you know, a touring pro as captain?

Jordan once thought he could qualify for the PGA Tour when his playing days were over. He was given an exemption into the Western Amateur and finished second last in a 163 player field.

Isn´t it interesting how Greg Norman suddenly wants privacy with respect to his recent separation? How ironic. Here is a man who loves a live microphone and who told the world how wonderful Chris is and how she would have helped him win more majors. The man wants the world to know his business success and alleged marital success but requests quiet when things turn sour.

 

 

So I am doing a feature on Canadian Tour grads and one player I want to get a brief quote from his Chris DiMarco. I catch him at a bad time as he - unknown to me - is heading for his pro-am. I stand near him, as is my right, and his caddie half blocks me off as if I am going to pull something. I get Chris´ attention and get a brief cliche quote (he was very brief and I could tell he was in a rush) but after two questions I said that was all I needed and he said, ´great, thanks.´

My point is that is not my first experience with jackass PGA TOUR caddies; they are - on the whole - an arrogant bunch who are consumed with an exaggerated view of their own importance. Folks: you carry luggage for a living, anyone can do your job after a little training (yes, I´ve done it at a Nationwide Tour event) and you live vicariously through your player de jour.

The Canadian Golf Tour continues its global reach with more than 60 per cent of its 2009 Spring Q-School applicants coming from outside Canada.

Not only does the field include a strong American contingent but players from Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, South Korea, Mexico, Wales and Norway are also teeing it up Tuesday morning.

The 7,018 yard, par-72 Morningstar Golf Club is a championship layout that will test the nerves of those hoping to earn a card.

Morningstar is no stranger to the Canadian Tour’s Spring Q-School. It was way back in 1992 that Kyle Coody – son of Charles Coody – won medalist honors here. 

The next spring it was three-time PGA TOUR winner Scott McCarron (pictured) who was medalist while a young Canadian named Mike Weir finished T-6.

Nationwide Tour member Danny Ellis won the event in 1994 with Tim Herron finishing T-4.

Lionel Kunka won at Morningstar in 1995 and Notah Begay III was medalist in 1996. Notables in the 1996 field included Ken Duke and Robert Damron.

It was in 1997 that Spring Q-School was last played at Morningstar.

Grant Mason walked away with a 13 stroke victory after finishing at 22 under par. Notable qualifiers that year were Hennie Otto, Jason Bohn, Jay Williamson and Alan McLean.

If history is any indication, Morningstar will once more have future PGA TOUR winners walk its fairways this year.

Rory McIlroy garnered some headlines when he said that the Ryder Cup is an exhibition and that individual titles are more important. Some questioned the wisdom of saying such an allegedly dumb remark but I say he is right on.

The Ryder Cup is an exhibition; always has been and always will be. It was started that way by Samuel Ryder and it was only when America started losing the thing that it became such a big deal.

He’s also dead on with his other comment. No one can tell me they would rather be a member of three Ryder Cup winners than have three major titles in their trophy case. McIlroy is simply saying what many have probably said under their breath

Tiger Woods is not in a slump and any talk that he is is simply preposterous. Except for the Match Play, he hasn’t finished outside the top ten this season and has been a factor each week – except, perhaps, The Masters.

For a little similar history, let’s look at Jack Nicklaus’ 1972 season – some say it was his best. He won his first event then went four straight without a win (including two well outside the top ten), won Doral, had two more top tens, and then won The Masters. He went three more without a win (with two of those outside top ten country) before winning his third U.S. Open.

He then won three of his last seven with just one finish outside the top ten. That’s seven wins and three runner-ups if you’re counting. Taken on a tournament by tournament basis, Nicklaus had a couple of ‘slumps’ but the overall package is phenomenal.

Sounds a bit familiar, don´t you think?

I’m not sure why so many are making a big deal out of the Tiger and Phil duel at Augusta. Sure it made for some exciting television when the leaders were just grinding things out, but the fact is, both players came apart at the end. Woods bogeyed the last two holes and Mickelson shot 37 on the back nine – including a bogey at the final hole. He also missed makeable putts at 15 and 17.

 

The bottom line: Mickelson finished fifth and Woods T-6. Cabrera, almost forgotten by the commentators who were clearly caught up in the Woods/Mickelson duel, calmly went about his business. Two over on the 13^th tee, he quickly and quietly caught up with birdies at three of his next four holes plus a gutsy par at No. 18.  

 

Cabrera deserves full marks for the victory.

Could someone please tell me why Michelle Wie still garners headlines? She is nearly 20, has never won an LPGA Tour event, and is a middle of the pack player now. Until she piles up the wins or top finishes, she should get just as much publicity as anyone else who finishes well down the leaderboard.

 

There are players younger than her that have won not only tournaments, but majors. It’s time to stop putting every round of hers and the analysis of it in the headlines.  

There is much talk of how to improve field quality at PGA Tour events. Several point to the weak-field Bob Hope Classic and other west coast events as tournaments in dire need of a fix.

A generation ago you didn’t miss the Crosby (AT&T) or the Hope but nowadays the story is different. But it’s not just the opening leg that is hurting for star appeal; the entire schedule is – whether Tiger is there or not.

PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem publicly stated that he would like to see players participate in more events, especially in a tough economy. Ah, but Tim, it is you and your predecessor Deane Beman who caused this problem.

Tour purses have grown astronomically in the last 10 years and the ripple effect has been felt around the world. The European Tour has also driven purses into the stratosphere and now has its own version of the FedEx Cup; the Race to Dubai.

With bloated purses – not to mention appearance money – available, playing a full schedule has gone the way of the persimmon wood. Even No. 125 on the money list (Martin Laird) took home more than $800,000 last season. Add clinics, exhibitions, endorsements and everything else into the equation, and Laird easily earned more than a million. Not bad for 29 weeks of work.

Nothing will change under the current system. However, if the PGA Tour reverted to what they had until January 1, 1983, things would change dramatically.  

Until that time, there was no all-exempt tour. The system was set up so that the top 60 money winners and those who were exempt by winning tournaments were guaranteed a spot in the field. The rest played in a qualifier on Monday to earn a spot. If a player made the 36-hole cut, he didn´t have to qualify the next week. If he finished among the top 25, he got to play in the same tournament the following year.  

It forced the majority of players to do what you and I do: work nearly every week of the year to bring home the bacon. When all that changed, battle-hardened veterans spoke of the fear being taken out of the game and called it the welfare tour.

Gary McCord is credited (or blamed) for creating the all-exempt tour. He felt that the old system taught a player how to qualify rather than play. McCord – who never won a PGA Tour event and usually ended up back at Q-School every year - remembers seeing tournament winners from years gone by having to qualify and felt it unfair. The winners he spoke of (Jerry Heard and Miller Barber) were past their prime. He also complained about golfers going broke as they traveled from town to town in hopes of earning a spot.

I didn’t buy his arguments then and I don’t buy it now. Counting back to 1960 only, the old system bred Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Ray Floyd, Curtis Strange, Larry Nelson, Tom Watson, Tom Kite, Ben Crenshaw, Dave Stockton, Johnny Miller and Hale Irwin among others.

Regarding former winners returning to Monday qualifying? Well, welcome to life. If I did a great job four years ago but stink at it now, I am shown the door.

With the amount of money in the game today, few would go broke bouncing around the country. And if they did, well, it may be time to play elsewhere or get another job. No one is forcing them to play.

To account for the rich talent pool around the world, give exempt status to the top 90 with tournament winners receiving a one year exemption rather than two.

Except for the majors (which are run by separate organizations), winners of the Players and WGC events now receive two year exemptions while European Tour event winners receive one year PGA Tour exemptions.

Everyone else battles it out for a Monday spot.

I doubt the Tour will ever return to the old system – or a derivative of it - but it’s something it may want to take a look at if they want stronger fields each week.

 

Colin Montgomerie was just hired for the most overrated job in sports: Ryder Cup captain. I have never understood the histrionics over who will lead either side in the bi-annual exhibition.

After all, what does a Ryder Cup captain really do, anyway? The course is chosen well in advance, the players are selected through a variety of criteria and the players arrive by charter (private) jet.

 

Granted, the captain is responsible for pairings but it is the players who decide the outcome, not the coach. I’m being partly facetious but it seems like during the matches, all the coach does is drive around the golf course urging his players on.

Golf isn’t like other sports where the coach screams encouragement during play and it doesn’t lend itself the same level of rowdy behaviour (unless the crowd is well-lubricated) that other sports do.

A Ryder Cup coach is an organizer more than anything else and to put Montgomerie or Corey Pavin on some ridiculously high pedestal is to read too much in the position.

By the way, did anyone else notice no one complained about the format now that the Americans own the Cup?

As the Media Director of the Canadian Tour, I am asked many questions. One of the most common is what I do during the off-season since the schedule runs April to September for the most part.

Here´s the answer: The media guide has to be written, edited, and updated. That includes player biographies, tournament statistics, updating of records and choosing photos for features that run in the guide. I also write all the stories on the website and update bios and other informatin there. 

Contact information has to be accurate on the backend as do player statistics and top ten results from the major golf tours. As players come and go, their information must be added or deleted accordingly. I also follow current and former Canadian Tour members as they participate on the top tours around the world. 

Player features have proven popular and an increasing amount of time goes into those. There is also a 6-8 page monthly subscription newsletter that is produced from top to bottom by me.

Various other duties also come up but that is the bulk of what I do during the off-season.

It´s a great job and a wonderful opportunity for me. Like many writers, however, I wish I had the freedom and the time to do more with the Tour.

I still run a freelance writing business and hope to launch a new website in February or March.  

Sergio "Still Majorless" Garcia is at it again. The Spaniard, who didn´t win a match at Valhalla, is blaming the small dressing room with only two showers, his cold relationship with Padraig Harrington, the Spanish anthem played twice, not knowing where the tees and pins were and Nick Faldo for the Ryder Cup loss. What foolishness.

Can´t this guy take responsibility and say that he and the Europeans were simply beaten by a hungrier American team? Besides, the law of averages says that eventually America was going to take back the Cup. It´s the ebb and flow of sports.

Not knowing where the pins and tees are until just before starting is a joke. Players get pin sheets and have the responsibility to find out before the matches start. No one else complained about this.

I think it is high time that Sergio lets his club do the talking - just like Tiger Woods does. Woods has him 14-0 in majors and Garcia´s shining moment in a major continues to be a second place place finish as a fresh-faced 19 year old at the 1999 PGA Championship. That was ten seasons ago and it is time for Sergio to put up or shut up.

 

You have to hand it to Vijay Singh. Coming back from a long layoff to heal some nagging injuries, the Fijian won the Chevron World Challenge with a birdie at the last hole.

I´m not a big fan of this kind of silly season event but Singh defeated a strong field to take home $1.35 million. This is over and above the $10 million bonus he received for winning the FedEx Cup.  Counting this win (it is unofficial), Singh ends 2008 with four titles at the age of 45. Overall, Singh has some 60 titles around the world - all but one coming since 1988.

Beginning next year, this event will be awarding world ranking points. Big mistake. While it does have a pretty good field year after year, it needs a much bigger one if it hands out points. To do otherwise legitimizes such limited field events. What´s next? Points for the Skins Game.

Good for Padraig Harrington and his GWAA Player of the Year Award. He deserves it. After all, he played a full campaign and while Tiger´s record during his half-season was great, it was just that - a half season. Whether he would have won had he played a full year is irrelevant. Fact is, he didn´t.

Tiger´s caddy needs a lesson in humility. Sooner or later his mouth and attitude will catch up to him and he´ll pay a steep price. He bashed Phil Mickelson and even twisted a story around to satisfy his desire for headlines. Perhaps he should win the Jerk of the Year Award. Maybe Mickelson is a prick on occasion; who isn´t? Somehow, I can´t picture Nicklaus and Palmer in their prime dissing each other at this low level. Williams is a well-paid porter. Nothing less, nothing more.

I don´t give a damn how much he gives to charity, that doesn´t excuse such filth. He should be suspended by the PGA TOUR. Heck, a player is responsibile if a caddy breaks a rule. Don´t Williams´ comments fall under ´comments detrimental to golf´?

 

I´m happy to see Corey Pavin being named Ryder Cup captain. I had the privilege of interviewing Corey a few years ago for an article. Alas, money squabbles backed me into a corner and I refused to write the piece. Sorry Corey. Anyway, I digress.

Pavin underwent a transformation several years ago and is now more mellow, yet at the same time, a stronger person. While I think the captain´s role is overrated, don´t be surprised if Pavin makes it two in a row for America.

John Daly went ballistic in Australia when a fan with a camera got too close. While I don´t condone Daly taking it to that extreme, I do side with him on the issue. Fans are not permitted to bring cameras during tournament rounds.

"Why shouldn´t they be allowed to?" say some people. "After all, fans scream when a guy on the opposing team threatens to score." True. However, golf is an individual game and if said team player has a bad game, he still gets paid and has his travel expenses covered. A golfer takes one shot too many and all he has to show for the week is a deficit. He pays an entry fee and covers all of his own expenses on the road.

A mild controversy stirred in Europe when Padraig Harrington said about his relationship with Sergio Garcia, "We have zero in common, bar the fact that we both play golf. He is the antithesis of me, and I am the antithesis of him."

I see nothing wrong with him saying that. After all, Harrington is older, married and has a family. Garcia is in his 20s and footloose and fancy free. I work closely with people that I have nothing in common with, aside from our profession. Many people do.

 

 

 

Michelle Wie will be a card-carrying member of the LPGA Tour for 2009. Good for her. It’s a seemingly more mature and wiser Wie who showed up this week to do what she has to do if she wants to play – get a card. I say seemingly wiser because I don’t like that she isn’t speaking to the media. Dealing with the public and media goes with the territory and she better get used to it. Being a member of the LPGA isn’t a buffet table where one chooses which regulations to follow.

I heard commentators on Golf Channel say that it was okay for her not to speak to the media because she was concentrating on the task at hand. I don’t buy that. After all, other players gave interviews. It is statements (or lack of) like that that has rubbed people the wrong way about Miss Wie and her parents.

What still bothers me is the fawning over her by certain media outlets who view her as the coming messiah of the LPGA Tour. We’re told that with Annika’s retirement, there is a vacuum that must be filled. Don’t names like Lorena Ochoa, Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel mean anything? Pressel has struggled lately but she’ll be back and Ochoa is merely the best female golfer on the planet.

Then there is the Korean golf factory that many on this side of the world resent. Joining Wie on the Tour next year will be Stacy Lewis who led the U.S. Open after three rounds this year.

While Wie certainly has the star power and has been marketed to the nth degree, ultimately it is up to her to deliver the goods. I have little doubt that she will but to what extent remains to be seen.

I´m happy for Michelle Wie and her solid start at LPGA Q-School today. In early 2004 I wrote a piece - and got quite a bit of heat for it - for saying we should wait a while before crowning her the heir apparent.

Naturally, some misinterpretated what I wrote and took it as a shot at her personally. They then responded in kind to me with statements along the lines of I am jealous (the typical lowest common denominator attack and my response is always "Jealous of what?") and that Miss Wie would soon own my life (whatever the heck that means).

What I said back then and am happy to see now, is she should head to the LPGA the best way - via Q-School, or by cleaning up on the Futures Tour. I was for her turning pro and still think it was the wise decision, but I just didn´t like the route she took nor the seeming indifference to her peers. I also didn´t like her seeming sense of entitlement that reeked of spoiled brat.  

Hopefully, and whether she breaks through this week or not, a more mature Michelle Wie will emerge and show the talent that has been dormant for some time.

 

Further to my comments of the other day, I´m glad GM dropped Tiger and I hope it´s the start of a trend not just in golf, but all sports. No, that is not a reflection of Tiger because if anyone deserves good endorsement dollars, it is him. What I don´t like, however, is the fact that any time a golfer, or any other athlete for that matter, signs a huge endorsement deal, it is you and I who pay for it via higher retail prices. Is that lovely golf shirt - possibly created in a sweatshop - really worth the price tag, or is that how you and I get screwed for the big endorsement contracts signed by players who may or may not use the product?

Several PGA Tour events are considering getting rid of courtesy cars for players. The simple reason is the tough economic times that are being experienced by many. It´s about time this happened. After all, the 125th player on the money list (Martin Laird) earned $852,752 this season playing 29 tournaments. Take off about $80-90,000 for travel expenses and you can see why I see no reason why these guys can´t go to the rental counter and pay like the rest of us. Laird no doubt has a few endorsements to top things off.

Maybe this unofficial recession is the best thing to happen to golf in a long time. With a glut of golf courses starting to get hungry for customers, perhaps the cost of a round will become more affordable.

For too long, the recreational golfer has been getting gouged and screwed by the skyrocketing costs of playing a round. Add in the cost of balls, clubs, shirts and everything else, and you have to take out a second mortgage to play more than once per week.

And those in the industry wonder why golf isn´t growing. The answer is obvious.

 

 

It´s nice to see America leading the Ryder Cup on Saturday evening. I´d be surprised if they didn´t win this thing. Prediction: USA: 16 Europe: 12. Paul Azinger will be hailed as a genius, of course. What exactly does a Ryder Cup captain do anyway and does it truly require years of preparation?

The Ryder Cup tees off this week at Valhalla with Europe looking for its fourth consecutive title. While the exhibition, yes, I said exhibition, will be filled with excitement and drama, yours truly hopes it doesn´t become a jingoistic affair - on either side.

Azinger is known for his flagwaving persona but so far he has kept an even keel. Hopefully, the commentators will follow suit and not use terms like ´war´, ´battlefield´, ´courage,´ ´guts,´ ´hero,´ etc., to describe what transpires. It´s a golf exhibition between one continent´s best and a country´s best; nothing less and nothing more.

Anyone who uses the above expressions or something similar to describe the action or players should be immediately shipped off to Iraq, Afghanistan or another hotspot for a month to see what those terms really mean.

I´m already rolling my eyes at some of the verbal diarrhea already being spewed. Witness this beauty by Paul Azinger from the Ryder Cup website, "I couldn´t think of a better place for us to play The Ryder Cup than Louisville, Kentucky. If I could hand pick any place in the country this would probably be the spot."

Yeah, sure Paul. And if you were captain in 2004 at Oakland Hills, you would have said, "I couldn´t think...than Oakland Hills..." Strange that no reporter has asked him why he would rather play in Louisville than say, Pebble Beach, Riviera, Inverness (where he won the PGA) or some other classic course.

Ryder Cup Pet Peeves

1. The ridiculous importance placed on it by both sides. Come on guys, you would rather win a Ryder Cup than a major? I don´t think so.
2. Ryder Cup wives. Who cares? They don´t play.
3. Commentators who resort to hyperbole in the extreme.
4. Players who resort to hyperbole in the extreme.
5. Sergio Garcia. I don´t know, he just bugs me.
6. America having to continually apologize for the green trampling in 1999. Sure it wasn´t the greatest sporting moment but things happen and it was nearly a decade ago.

 

 

This publication is celebrating 22 years in the business. Given the lifespan of magazines, this is truly a wonderful accomplishment and my hat is off to Bob Koczor and the rest of the staff. I´ve been writing for this publication for over four years now and time is the only thing preventing me from contributing more. Bob was good enough to put my name on the inside cover as a regular contributor and gave me a blog as well. Now that the Canadian Tour season is over and my main priority has shifted to producing the 2009 media guide, I´ll be able to submit more articles to Golf Today. It´s a great magazine and I see it only getting bigger and better. Again, congrats Bob.

The PGA Tour is off the week and although it´s because of next week´s Ryder Cup, the organization would do well to make it an annual feature. Heck, have a free week twice per year. It would give players a break and would revitalize them as the season wears on. I used to wonder how someone playing golf several weeks in a row could complain about how tough it is but now I understand. I recently completed my first year as the Canadian Tour media/photographer director and while I enjoyed it thoroughly but didn´t attend every event, I found it exhausting. Six days of covering an event plus one day of travel each week really catches up to you.

Should the PGA TOUR shut down the Reno-Tahoe Open? Just one player in the top fifty in the world is there and only 13 of the top-100. It may be time to close the book on this tournament that draws fewer fans every year. After all, Lance Ten Broeck is in the field and he hasn´t played a tournament on the regular tour in a decade.

Some are already speculating whether or not Tiger would win this week if he was at Firestone. The question is irrelevant and pointless. He´s not there. End of discussion.

Speaking of the WGC at Firestone. While I don´t like the whole WGC event thing, it still has a great field and the Ladies British Open is on (their final major and Annika Sorentstam´s), but who gets top billing on Golf Channel? Yep, the Winless Wonder named Michelle Wie. Something smells here.

 

 

 

I used to attend professional golf tournaments as a fan and for the past 15 years it´s been as a member of the media. From my very first tournament several things have rubbed me the wrong way about golf fans.

1. Golf fans seem to think they are on a first name basis with every player.
2. Once they see the media badge with photo ID and camera equipment (I do most of my own photo work) they pepper me with story ideas. Uh folks, I am about three thousand story ideas behind and the well is continually being filled by me. Second, Joe Smith shooting 66 to move to within 12 of the lead is not a story.
3. "Are you following Weirsy (Mike Weir) today?" Yes I´m Canadian but I´m not following nor am I cheering him. I don´t cheer, I observe. Besides it being a pansy nickname, his winning one tournament in more than four years says something. I´ve never been much of a fan of his temperment. Weir has a reputation for being nice as pie when he´s winning but a bit standoffish and arrogant when he´s not playing well. He also is armed with excuses and gets off lightly with most of the Canadian media.
4. Drunk golf fans.
5. Fans who practice their golf swing with or without their umbrella after a group goes by. You look ridiculous. You don´t go to a baseball game and take practice swings in the bleachers, do you?
6. Fans who whisper when no golfer is within 250 yards of them.
7. "Get in the hole!" Yes, that is still around and it still sounds stupid.
8. Friends who are fans and want free tickets. Don´t ask. Let me offer. Besides, you didn´t cut me a deal on that brake job, did you? Nor did I ask for one.
9. The stuffy look and attitude of some golf fans. We all go to the can the same way.
10. Finally, those gorgeous female golf fans who don´t wear a whole lot on a hot summer day. That just isn´t fair.

 

Michelle Wie received another sponsor exemption, this one into the Reno-Tahoe Open. What a waste of an exemption. Couldn´t the tournament director have given it to a top amateur instead of a winless wonder? Granted, she played well at her last LPGA event and could´ve won the thing, but this was ridiculous long time ago.

She now claims she is relatively pain free. I thought her alleged wrist injuries were completely healed. A little honesty goes a long way.

Wie will eventually win on the LPGA Tour but she can´t even be classified as a prodigy anymore. Paula Creamer won twice when she was 18, as did Morgan Pressel. 

"Will Wie sign her name into history in Reno?" asks the Golf Channel in its latest Wie worship. Why obsess about someone ranked 244th in the world?

 

Golf Channel´s Michael Collins said Canada has a history of denying caddies entry. However, Collins doesn´t say the reason for that is that aforementioned caddies have criminal records. Tell us why or don´t bother.  

He also said, "The last time I tried to leave Toronto, Canadian Customs asked me if I had been arrested while in Canada. Uh, Mike, when you leave Toronto to travel to America, you are dealing with American custom agents, not Canadian.

Enduring a potentially endless series of golf tournament press conferences has to be less exciting and insightful than watching paint dry. The questions and answers are cliche piled upon cliche. Granted, the personal profile is always where you get the best stuff but a little more opening up by a player and even interviewers (including me) would be nice.

Here is an edited sample of a Mike Weir press conference at the Canadian Open today.

Q: I was wondering how your game has evolved because this course never used to fit your eye. So how have things changed?

A: It´s been an evolution of trying to get better. Every day I wake up, I´m trying to find a way to get better. The answer to that is just, I think, an evolution.

Wow, what insight. What I want to know is why you´ve evolved. How are you a better ball striker or putter? At what point do you realize (time frame) that what you are doing isn´t working?

Q: Is your mindset different coming into the Canadian Open than it is for other tournaments?

A: I think for me it maybe is more like a major championship than maybe a regular event on Tour.

Well, duh. Weir is Canadian and a homegrown hasn´t won the event since 1954. He gets asked the same question every year.

 

 

 

Well, after some technical glitches, I am back. I´m tired of Greg Norman and his lovey-dovey with Chris Evert. Now he´s saying he wished he took up tennis instead of golf because it is more suited to his personality. Come on, Greg, hitting tennis balls with your significant other is one thing but in your prime you would have gone up against Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors to name a few. I know you´re head over heels with Evert but must you make me cringe with your recent quotes?

It was nice to hear Erik Compton received a second transplanted heart and is recovering well. Compton led the Canadian Tour´s money list in 2004 but except for a few odd events, he never got past the Nationwide Tour. It´s hard to believe he´s only 28 and on his third heart.

The "Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial" just doesn´t sound right. I miss Colonial National Invitation(al) as the tournament name. 

Golf Channel is airing "Tiger at Torrey: The Chase Continues" on May 26 featuring you know who. Whew, I was getting worried. The network hadn´t mentioned his name in several hours.

 

Call me a traditionalist but I miss the days when PGA Tour events weren’t a revolving door of corporate classics. I yearn for the days of the Greater Greensboro Open (Wyndham Championship); Greater Milwaukee Open (US Bank Championship); BMW Championship (Western Open); Children’s Miracle Network Classic Presented by Walmart (Walt Disney Classic) and, well, you get the idea. Yeah, I know, corporations pump millions into the PGA Tour and its charities but the ever-changing corporate classics make the majors stand out that much more. AT&T is title sponsor at three events and Buick at one time had four. When sponsors pull out – PODS is gone after this season – it creates more confusion for the average fan. Can’t the PGA Tour at least leave the name of the host city in the title? 

Random thoughts just before two weeks of bliss in sunny Arizona...

 

At the Target World Challenge, someone named Tiger Woods is leading the tournament well into the second round. Most players would be showing some rust after a two-month layoff but Tiger just picks up where he left off. More and more I’m beginning to think that his only competition is the history books. Sure, I get tired of the Tiger veneration on the networks but no one is even close to him out there. If he can keep this up for even five more years, he’ll destroy every worthwhile record in professional golf. At (almost) 32, he’s only 22 victories from shattering Sam Snead’s supposedly unassailable 82 Tour wins and just six from overtaking Nicklaus – five if you count their respective U.S. Amateur titles – for most major championships. Is he the best ever? It all depends on what you judge him on. However, when he bypasses both Snead and Nicklaus, he’s got my vote. 

With the advent of satellite television and Golf Channel, it seems like the golf season never ends. Thank goodness for that. Now we finally get to watch the Australian tournaments that for so long we only heard about. No, the golf season isn’t longer than it used to be (see earlier blog); it’s just that more events get television time as compared with thirty years ago.  

I’m glad I’m not the only one who is sick of the whole Greg Norman and Chris Evert thing. Norman’s lovey-dovey talk last weekend turned more than a few stomachs and now the pair is engaged. I’m not touching the subject anymore than that but if you want a few laughs check out some golf message boards about the subject.

Well, you have to hand it to Phil Mickelson. No one knows how to put his foot in his mouth as he does - or come across as so parochial. He is now saying – according to Nick Mulvenney via Reuters - that golf should be in the Olympics and that another way of making the sport more global was for top players to take part in international tournaments, something he was hoping to do more and more.

"In the past I haven´t been able to because it hasn´t been fair on my family," he said.

"Now that my kids are older they can grasp the cultural differences. So I want to make an effort to help globalize golf but also to give my kids a more global education."

Uh Phil…what difference does it make where you play when you are away from your family? Whether it’s Shanghai or San Antonio, you are still away from them.  Heck, bring them along and home school them. Gee Phil, you don’t think Gary Player, Bobby Locke, Ernie Els and others have already ventured around the world to play golf?

 

Mickelson feels that having golf in the Olympics would help the sport develop around the world. Good grief Phil!! Where have you been the past 25 years as golf has boomed everywhere that laying down a golf course is feasible? I wonder if Mickelson has checked all the non-American major (and minor) championship winners on the PGA TOUR in recent decades. 

 

Pretty amazing isn’t it, Phil, what happens when you venture outside your borders for a change?  You realize that a world exists outside of America and that, lo and behold, golf courses, golf tournaments, and damn good golfers are everywhere.

With the PGA TOUR season over, many have complained that the season is too long. It starts in early January and plays until the end of October or early November depending on how the Sunday’s flow. There are cries to shut it down after the FedEx Cup is over or when the Presidents/Ryder Cup is done. People and even some pros complain it can’t compete with football both at the college and pro level. Truth be told, the PGA TOUR season has been the same length for more than 30 years, if not more. Don’t think so? Copy and paste this link to find the 1977 schedule: http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/pga/schedule?season=1977. 

 Change the year going forward and you’ll see that the season has always ended in late October or early November. Heck, in 1988 it ended November 13^th. Just as an aside: note the difference in prize money from then to now. The media coverage and the money rolling in for the players is what have changed. Tempted by a cash bonanza, the majority of touring pros keep right on going until the end.

The fall tournaments have always been there but until recent television contracts, they were always relegated to a few notes in the sports section right beside the horseracing results. The 1987 Tour Championship changed all of that. Hatched as the Nabisco Championship, the limited-field event allowed only the top-30 on the money list to play for even more cash. It induced the boys to pad their schedules in the fall and voila: we have what we have today.  

The European Tour sure didn’t waste any time. Their 2008 season gets underway November 9^th in China. Okay, here is where I agree about too long a season. They go right through to mid-December and then pick it up the second week of January. Granted, some of those events they just borrow from other tours, but doesn’t any of their staff get a few months to decompress and unwind?

The Royal Canadian Golf Association announced on November 1 that Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) has agreed to a sponsorship agreement to become title sponsor of the PGA Tour’s Canadian Open through 2012. Canada´s largest financial institution - and North America´s sixth - basically saved the Open from eventual extinction. The tournament lost close to $3 million in 2007 without a title sponsor and a few more of those would certainly have pushed the event right off the PGA TOUR schedule. The financial giant has spread its tentacles widely in America and will use its marketing savvy to restore what has become a tarnished tournament in recent years.

“On behalf of the PGA TOUR, I would like to congratulate both RBC and the Royal Canadian Golf Association on today’s exciting news regarding the Canadian Open. RBC is a highly respected global brand and world-class financial institution, and we look forward to supporting RBC as our newest partner on the PGA TOUR,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem. “The RCGA has been a valued partner of the PGA TOUR for a number of years and the Canadian Open, as the fourth-oldest tournament on TOUR, has been an integral part of our schedule. Through the RBC Canadian Open, we will continue to showcase the PGA TOUR and golf at its highest level to millions of golf fans in Canada, across North America and throughout the world.” Good old Tim Finchem always likes to put a positive spin on things. I remember him at the 2006 Canadian Open telling the assembled media that there is no such thing as a bad slot on the PGA TOUR schedule.

“We are committed to working together with the RCGA to ensuring the RBC Canadian Open is a premier stop on the PGA Tour,” said Jim Little, Chief Brand and Communications Officer, RBC at the afternoon press conference. He sure has his work cut out for him. With a date through 2012 the week after the British Open and the week before a WGC event, the Canadian Open is in the unenviable position of trying to draw players that normally take the week off.

“In my mind, I didn’t play bad because I played bad; I played bad because I shouldn’t have played. The decision was on my part. But it wasn’t really my fault either, because I really wanted to play.”   

 Those were the words of Michelle Wie after finishing second last at the Samsung World Championship with a final round 71.  If you have a hard time following that  logic you are not alone. It doesn’t make any sense and as seems to be Team Wie’s custom, the blame is laid elsewhere. We have been told repeatedly that Michelle Wie makes the final decision on where and when to play but then we get this convoluted explanation.   Can’t these people take any responsibility for their own actions?

 Some are blaming the media, sponsors, and whomever else they can to explain Wie’s struggles. The media is accused of building her up and tearing her down. Granted, the media can sway public opinion but not all media bought into the hype a few years ago when she burst onto the scene. There were many voices urging patience and a wait-and-see attitude before anointing Wie as the future of women’s golf.  The Golf Channel has been one of the worst offenders in their rush to crown Wie as the best ever. They cover her incessantly and rationalize her poor play with every excuse imaginable. Heck, Lorena Ochoa wins the Samsung and it is her scorecard and Wie’s that are only a click away on page one. 

 Now her agent, Greg Nared, just quit. Again, the speculation will be rampant. Are her sponsors – including Nared - to blame? After all, they paid big bucks for a piece of her and some claim they push her to play tournaments. All we can do is speculate as to the terms of her endorsement contracts but surely the Wie family read the fine print before signing.   

Right now things look pretty bleak in Wie country but nothing lasts forever. We all face challenges in life and eventually recover and move on. Is Michelle Wie damaged for life as some have suggested? Only if she wants to be. It´s a cliche but for every action there is a reaction and Wie´s just happen to be in a public profession. The Wie family chose their path and they must deal with the realities that come with it. Welcome to life.

It’s official in some Canadian media circles and among fans: With his win at the Fry’s Electronics Open, Mike Weir is a god. The guy won a Fall Finish event against a second-tier field for crying out loud; he didn’t cure cancer. Weir has eight PGA TOUR wins which ties him with George Knudson for most by a Canadian but he’s still outside the top-100 of all time. A win is a win yet Weir has done what so many have done before him; capped a hot streak with a victory. Only time will tell what this means to the rest of his career so let’s turn down the propaganda to a more reasonable level.

"You know, when you´re doing great, everybody jumps on the bandwagon, and when you´re not you find out very quickly who´s on your side and who´s not," Weir said after his victory. Sorry Mike, it’s not a question of bandwagon jumping and taking sides; it’s a question of objectivity and balanced reporting.  While some may salivate at the mere mention of you, I refuse to. I don’t because I’m not into hero worship and while I congratulate you on your victory, I prefer to keep my credibility intact.

It´s nice to see that team Wie is at it again. Back in March the winless wonder accepted an invitation to play in the elite-field Samsung World Championship. Seven months later she has made just two cuts on the LPGA Tour and her antics have made her a pariah. While Annika Sorenstam turned down the invitation, feeling she doesn´t want to cause hardship with any players who felt she might be taking their spot in the 20-player field, Wie is using her invitation and by doing so has bumped tournament winner Natalie Gulbis from the field. "She (Sorenstam) didn´t want the perception that she was taking a spot," agent Mark Steinberg said. "She decided to do what´s best for the LPGA." Wouldn´t it be nice if team Wie did the same thing?

Was Sorenstam´s statement an indirect shot at Wie? Perhaps, but it does show that the Swede doesn´t consider herself bigger than the game. Too bad the Wie organization doesn´t feel the same way. Let´s see now; according to the Samsung World Championship website "an exclusive field of the world’s top 20 players will converge at BIGHORN Golf Club to contest the 27th edition of the Championship." Michelle Wie is in 56th spot according to the Rolex rankings. Sure, Samsung can invite whomever they want, yet playing in this tournament means that you have had a great year, something that Wie hasn´t. About the only thing she has lead the LPGA in is controversy.

Wie pulling out would win a lot of points among the players but it won´t happen. Team Wie seems bent on creating its own rules and jumping through the loopholes and the hell with everyone else.

 

 

Don’t tell me the PGA Tour season is over. Now that the big boys have gone home until 2008 the real drama begins as players fight for their jobs in the remaining tournaments. Plenty of familiar faces are in San Antonio this week.

John Daly is trying to salvage the season and his career. He shot 72 in the opening round and at this writing is outside the cut line. Daly will run himself into the ground the next couple of months trying to stay ahead of creditors and ex-wives. With no status, one wonders how long he’ll receive sponsor exemptions if his game doesn’t improve. He’s 41 now and time is quickly running out. Jesper Parnevik scorched the course with a 61 and is another one outside the top-125. It doesn’t seem that long ago that he was considered one of the best in the world. The same goes for 1997 British Open winner Justin Leonard – a two-time winner in Texas. He should keep his card no matter what but he needs a win to gain some confidence. Robert Gamez captured this event two years ago – breaking a 15-year victory drought – and he’s well outside the top-150. He needs some of that 2005 magic to keep his playing privileges for next year. Then there is Chris “I’m too tired to play two Ryder Cup matches in one day” Riley. His once rising star has faded and although he picked up a Nationwide Tour win this season, it won’t help him at the big show; he’s also a long way from top-150 status.

With just five tournaments until the final bell, the remainder of the season should produce some high drama and prove once again that playing professional golf is one tough way to make a living.

After finishing with a 3-1-1 record and defeating Tiger Woods at the Presidents Cup, you would think – according to much of the Canadian media – that Mike Weir’s next act will be a combination of walking on water and fixing the trade deficit. 

 

Come on Canada, take a sedative, it’s just one week out of the year and match play at that. Sergio Garcia blitzes the Ryder Cup every time he tees it up but he hasn’t torn it up anywhere else in recent years. Besides, Woods was batting only .500 in Ryder/Presidents Cup before he took on Weir. Some compared Weir’s singles victory to his Masters win in 2003. Not even in the same universe. One match play win in what is essentially golf’s version of the old Goodwill Games doesn’t hold a candle to a green jacket. 

 

Weir has been shooting blanks since the Nissan Open of 2004 and his last top-three finish was nearly two years ago at the AT&T Pebble Beach where he blew up with a 78 in the last round. It’s nice to rack up the cash but tournament titles are what count on the PGA Tour. If Weir picks up a win or two in what’s left of the season then maybe his performance in Montreal will be seen as the turning point but otherwise, it doesn’t mean a whole lot.