• Hate to be Rude: Art Sellinger
Jeff Rude’s “I Hate To Be Rude” column appears on Golfweek.com on Friday, the same day as his video show of the same name.• Weirdest thing about the 2008 Tour money list? This week’s top-125 bubble boy is none other than Davis Love III. The 44-year-old, a 19-time winner and member of every Ryder and Presidents Cup team from 1993-2005, has moved up in earnings to No. 125, the last fully exempt spot, after strong finishes at Turning Stone (third) and Justin Timberlake’s Las Vegas tournament (T-6).
After coming back from ankle surgery and the longest layoff his career early in the year, Love took months to peel off the rust and regain confidence, particularly with his scoring clubs. He didn’t even make the FedEx Cup playoffs, for he was 154th in points when they started. Outside of the Fall Series, his best finish was T-19 at his beloved British Open.
The ankle bothered him more than he wanted to admit. His recent good showings probably come from improved wedge play. He has brought only wedges to recent practice sessions in an attempt to leave fewer strokes out on the course. The good news is that Love insiders say he’s driving the ball straighter and longer than he ever has.
Love is playing at least two of the last three Tour weeks in an effort to keep his card. If he falls out of the top 125, he plans to use a one-time exemption for being in the top 25 of all-time earnings.
Love has famous-name company in the card battle. Outside the 125 line, from 126 to 142, are several players who have won major championships or played in Ryder Cups: Vaughn Taylor (126), Rich Beem (133), Tom Lehman (134), Bob Tway (135), J.J. Henry (137), Chris DiMarco (141) and Jesper Parnevik (142).
Bottom line: It’s harder to keep your card than ever before because of Tour depth.
• The PGA Tour, of course, has sprained a rib muscle and spent millions of dollars trying to improve its late-season schedule the last couple of years. In the meantime, the start of the year has deteriorated. That means Hawaii.
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have skipped the season-opening Mercedes Championships for tournament winners in recent years for different reasons. This January, Padraig Harrington and Sergio Garcia will join those two heavyweights as Kapalua absentees.
The Tournament of Champions used to be a premium event. But now, for the sake of sponsors and fans, something needs to be done to improve its field. Lately the field has been in the 30-32 range, minus a couple of superstars, and other Tour players have been brought in to fill out pro-am groups.
A change in eligibility wouldn’t hurt. The field should be expanded, and thus enhanced, by adopting something like the following:
– Include tournament winners from the past two years.
– Include all past Mercedes champions.
– Include the five highest players in the world ranking not otherwise exempt.
Here’s what’s not acceptable: Doing nothing.
• News of the week, quotes of the week, same thing. It’s an Annika Sorenstam deal. If you didn’t like her announcement in June that she would retire at year’s end in the near-prime of her career, this qualifies as good news.
She doesn’t sound like someone prepared to put her clubs away for good. And that’s good, if that’s what she wants. The public, of course, would like to see more of one of the best golfers of all-time.
Her quotes from China this week are telling. She talked of maybe coming back in a few years to play. She said she’s “leaving the door open” and not using the “R word.” She said she has “never said this is the end.” And my favorite: “I might come out on tour sooner than later.”
Better to try to pad her record at 38 than in her 40s. But she has other challenges that will occupy her time. She’s getting married in January and can keep busy with her golf course design, clothing line, charitable foundation and golf academy.
And now, possibly, competing some more. This seems like a happy “stay tuned” story.
• One more time: I’d be shocked if Corey Pavin isn’t the 2010 U.S. Ryder Cup captain. And I’d be even more shocked if Love isn’t the American leader in 2012.
• Las Vegas, of course, is known for gambling, entertainment and a stream of neon. Last week, when the PGA Tour visited for Justin Timberlake’s event, eagles soared.
In a rarity, even for the best players in the world, six of the TPC Summerlin’s ten par-4 holes yielded eagles. Often a par-5 hole or two might undergo such assault, but six par 4s?
All told, players made 95 eagles for the week with 14 coming on par 4s. The driveable, 341-yard 15th, which plays shorter because players can take a shortcut angle, gave up nine eagles.
• If you took Zach Johnson’s final two rounds at the Valero Texas Open (62-64) and his first two at Las Vegas (62-65), his 253 would break Tommy Armour III’s 72-hole Tour scoring record of 254. But Johnson’s feat isn’t a record, of course, because the rounds came over two events.
Still, it’s a good story for the grandkids someday. Or for the 19th hole today.
Posted: 10/24/2008
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