Welcome to the PGA Championship Blog, where Golfweek’s reporters will deliver the latest inside news and happenings all week from Oakland Hills.
No offense to the U.S. gymnastics team, but the squad’s bronze-medal
winning effort on Monday drew the type of celebration one would expect
from the winning team.
Golf may be destined to become an Olympic sport, but it’s going to take
some getting used to. Tiger Woods said it best, “Second (or third)
sucks,” no matter the color of the medal.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Aug. 12
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Unbelievable finish.
Now I must brag.
One,
I managed to spend six days at Oakland Hills without eating one of the
free Snickers ice creams bars available in the media center. This is
significant only because one would have eventually turned into 20.
Two,
I have successfully predicted the winner of the last two major
championships. Yup, I stuck with Paddy through both back-to-back acts.
Don’t believe me? Well, look
here and
here.
This is significant only because I already want to submit my pick for the 2009 Masters. Hint: He’s Irish.
“I
know I love the idea of the back nine of a Major on a Sunday,”
Harrington said tonight. “I love it so much that I’m actually
disappointed I’m seven months away from the next major, and I don’t
know what I’m going to do.”
Beware the PaddySlam.
– Eric SoderstromPosted Aug. 10
BLOOMFIELD
TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Just when you thought you’ve seen everything, the
powerful J.B. Holmes hit a shot about 4 feet on the first hole of the
final round.
With a wood.
Chopping woods out of the trees is no way to start Sunday at a major.
– Jeff RudePosted Aug. 10
BLOOMFIELD
TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Ben Curtis, who has an apparel deal in which he
sports the logo of the local team at Tour events, came off the course
this morning after finishing up a 68 and taking the 54-hole lead and
was greeted with this one from a member of the media:
"People in Michigan are getting excited – this is the best they have seen someone in a Detroit Lions outfit play in long time."
Funny stuff.
Remember,
Curtis won his major at Royal St. Georges (2003 British Open) when he
posted a score and a few players behind him stumbled down the stretch.
Don't take the fact he's the 54-hole leader lightly: The PGA champion
has come out of the last group each year beginning with 1996 (Mark
Brooks). Last guy to come from behind? Steve Elkington, in 1995 at
Riviera.
– Jeff BabineauPosted Aug. 10
BLOOMFIELD
TOWNSHIP, Mich. – J.B. Holmes, currently tied for second at 1 under,
delivered the line of the morning Sunday, when asked by a television
reporter after his round what he was going to do until his final-round
tee time.
“Wait,” he said.
– Eric Soderstrom
Posted Aug. 10
BLOOMFIELD
TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Irish guy was frowning when he left Oakland Hills
this morning, despite finishing up a round of 4-under 66 that included
a stretch of four consecutive birdies on the back nine and vaulted him
into a tie for fourth place, three shots behind Ben Curtis, heading
into the final 18 holes this afternoon.
Harrington, who has said
all week that he is struggling to focus, missed a 6 footer for birdie
on 17 and bogeyed 18 after a bad bunker shot.
“Right at this moment disappointing,” said Harrington, when asked to describe his round.
“Still
losing my focus at times and I know how I stand and I am not 100
percent but a couple things go your way, you dont need to be 100
percent. I am delighted to be in the postion I am and give my some
chance,” said Harrington. “I’m disappointed as I feel I have left many
shot out there over the three days but it doesn’t matter if I am in the
heat of the hunt with nine holes to go this afternoon.”
Harrington
then left the course to go back to sleep, “for an hour and go through
my normal (exercise and stretching) routine after that.”
He
wasn’t worried about actually falling asleep, either. Harrington slept
for an hour on the locker room floor yesterday during the rain delay –
without a pillow.
Curtis’ plan, on the other hand, is to try not to sleep.
“If I fall asleep, I probably wouldn’t wake up,” he said.
– Eric Soderstrom
Posted Aug. 9
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – While we were sorry to see Kenny Perry
withdraw from the PGA with an eye injury – as an aside, he must be the
first player to qualify for a Ryder Cup team without having completed a
major in the same season – it worked out for the best. He doesn’t do 36 holes in a single
day anyway.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Aug. 10
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, MICH. – It's 6:30 here at soggy Oakland Hills and PGA officials are getting ready to call play for the day.
Expect officials to scramble on Sunday to complete play, but don't expect a champion until Monday.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Aug. 9
BLOOMFIELD
TOWNSHIP, MICH. – Thunder just shook the press room. Rain is leaking
through a few spots in the roof. And the Tiger Woods-Bob May duel from
the 2000 PGA Championship is on the big screen.
Before
you accuse CBS of a cheap trick to show a currently disabled Tiger
Woods in his most dramatic major competition, consider that just maybe
that wonderful showdown could draw better ratings than a Sunday finish
here.
Particularly if, I don’t know, Ben Curtis and Charlie Wi are going toe-to-toe down the stretch.
Think about that press release: Saturday ratings 6.2 during rain delay, Sunday finish 4.8.
– Jeff Rude
Posted Aug. 9
BLOOMFIELD
TOWNSHIP, MICH.–For two days a hard golf course was the star of the
show story and players were the supporting cast. But players narrowed
the gap on the marquee some Saturday before a long afternoon weather
delay.
News of the day besides storms: The PGA of America
watered the course to soften it and make it more playable and cut the
rough in landing areas. Then Andres Romero shot 65, which he called
“almost perfect,” and praised the course setup as “perfect.”
Both
his score and praise were different for a place that yielded a deluge
of complaints and only 13 under-par rounds the first two days.
– Jeff Rude
Posted Aug. 9
BLOOMFIELD
TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Paul Azinger, who shot 76 Saturday and said Oakland
Hills South is the hardest course he's ever played, was asked what kind
of leader he envisions himself being as captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup
team next month.
Will he be inspirational?
"I think if
they need to be inspired by me, then they are hurting," Azinger said in
true self-deprecating fashion. "I don't know. I mean, if I'm an
inspiration, I'm happy to be that. I'm not looking to motivate or
inspirate. Those guys are inspired ... is 'inspirate' a word?"
"I think it is now," one reporter told him.
Added Azinger, "It rhymed, though. It totally rhymed."
– Jeff Babineau
Posted Aug. 9
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Seems “The Monster” is rather thirsty. It’s 3:53 p.m., and still raining. Hard.
– Eric Soderstrom
Posted Aug. 9
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Even with Mother Nature intervening, a
storm halted play at 2:16 p.m. with the leaders waiting their turn on
the first tee, players and onlookers shouldn’t expect birdies to start
dropping when the rain drops stop. There are few birdies to be had even
on a rinse-and-repeat Oakland Hills.
“There are no easy pin positions out there,” said John Merrick, who posted an even-par 70.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Aug. 9
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, MICH. – Let’s get
this straight. PGA officials may have given Oakland Hills a bath last
night, but that doesn’t mean “The Monster” is entirely washed up.
“They
did a better job of setting up the course today,” said Mike Weir, who
shot 1-over 71 Saturday. “You could tell there was a little more
moisture out there, some on the greens, a little on the fairways...”
Weir still hit driver, 8-iron over the green at the 529-yard par-5 second hole.
“So the ball is sill rolling,” he cautioned.
When exactly the ball will stop rolling is only up to Mother Nature. Thundershowers are imminent.
– Eric Soderstrom
Posted Aug. 9
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Disgruntled players were greeted with a softer, more user-friendly Oakland Hills Saturday morning.
According to Rees Jones, the architect who tweaked the Donald Ross
design to prepare for the 90th PGA, officials cut the rough in the
landing areas back to about 3 1/2 inches, watered the fairways in the
landing areas and double-watered some greens that were becoming too
demanding. As a result, six players were under par as the early wave
made its way around the layout.
We call that damage control.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Aug. 9
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Leave it to
our man Monty to lighten the proceedings at the torture chamber known
as Oakland Hills South, even after he signed for an 84 Friday and was
headed back across the pond.
He needs to make something happen
in the next few weeks in order to help captain Nick Faldo if Faldo is
to make Monty a member of this year's Ryder Cup team. An inquisitor on
Friday made it sound as if Monty's missed cut at Oakland Hills meant
his ship had sailed.
"So I'm not on the team, am I?" quipped Monty. "Sorry, I didn't realize you looked like Nick Faldo, I apologize. I'm sorry."
That's Monty. Always good for some excitement.
– Jeff Babineau
Posted Aug. 9
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Never like to hear the “U” word this early
in the proceedings, but there is a consensus building among battered
touring pros that Oakland Hills is inching toward “unfair” territory.
“Look, I played bad so this isn’t sour grapes,” said Trevor Immelman,
who struggled to rounds of 76-77. “I got to the ninth hole (on
Thursday) and I had to wait 10 minutes while they watered the greens.
You see that on Saturday and Sunday, not Thursday. That means it’s
getting away from them.”
Stephen Ames, never one to couch his criticism, echoed Immelman’s
sentiments: “I would say they are trying to trick the golf course up.”
The only trick, at least through two windswept rounds, is on the players.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Aug. 8
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, MICH.–There might not be a fountain of youth on the PGA Championship leaderboard. But there is a stream.
Early
afternoon Friday, six twentysomethings were within two shots of the
lead and tied for seventh or better on a bunched board.
JB. Holmes, Sergio Garcia, Sean O’Hair, Justin Rose, Anthony Kim and Ryan Moore were among those leading the youth movement.
Holmes,
by the way, is making a strong case that he belongs on the U.S. Ryder
Cup team that will meet the dominant Europeans next month in his native
Kentucky. If he doesn’t qualify among the top eight on points (he’s
16th), I’d be shocked if captain Paul Azinger doesn’t pick the long
hitter.
Zinger, after all, has referred to Holmes as his "show pony."
– Jeff Rude
Posted Aug. 8
BLOOMFIELD
TOWNSHIP, MICH. – If you haven’t heard, today is Aug. 8, 2008. That’s
8-8-08, which I guess means the entire day is toll-free.
You will never see 8-8-08 again after today, so make sure to make the most of it.
Andres Romero sure did Friday morning at the PGA Championship, making an eight on No. 16, a number divisible by eight.
Of
course, eight might be a lucky number in most Asian cultures, which is
why China chose to kick off the Olympics today, but it’s a yucky a
number in golf.
Romero’s eight dropped him about 70 spots on the leaderboard after opening with an even-par 70.
Romero,
who started his round on the back nine, also made double-bogey on No.
18 to make the turn in 42, which, for the record, is not divisible by
eight.
Beware of the snowman. I’m sure we’ll two more today at Oakland Hills.
– Eric Soderstrom
Posted Aug. 8
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Tough Day 1 at the “Monster” for
golf’s most prolific. Forget the scoring average, rounds under par or
eye-soar “others.” The best snapshot from Thursday came as Mathew
Goggin stumbled off after an opening 81.
Swing coach Dale Lynch: “You want to hit balls?”
Goggin: “No thanks. I’ve hit enough shots today.”
–Rex Hoggard
Posted Aug. 8
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, MICH. – Kenny Perry, a three-time winner on the
PGA Tour this season, withdrew after the first round of the PGA
Championship due to the scratched cornea he suffered Tuesday night
while adjusting a hard contact lens. Perry shot 79 Thursday.
This means two things:
• The hottest player in golf will not be around for the rest of the week.
•
Someone who played only 18 holes in the majors this year could end up
being PGA Player of the Year. If he remains hot through the FedEx
playoffs, there’s a good chance he will win that award based on the
PGA’s points system.
That not only would be odd, that would be golf history.
– Jeff Rude
Posted Aug. 7
BLOOMFIELD
TOWNSHIP, MICH. – Nearly 8 o'clock on a Thursday – sounds like some
Billy Joel song you'd hear while drinking gin – and there is but one
birdie recorded on the day at Oakland Hills South's arduous, par-3
ninth hole.
Well, the PGA of America calls it a par 3. At 257 yards, I like to classify it as more of a driveable par 3.
Who got the deuce? That would be Badds, Aaron Baddeley, who shot 71.
Most
shining finish belongs to the highly underrated Ken Duke, who is a very
solid player. He closed out his day going 3-3-3 (birdie-par-birdie),
which is pretty tidy considering that as evening drew near, No. 16 was
the course's fourth toughest hole and No. 18 its toughest. It was a
bogey at 18 that kept Sergio Garcia from doing the unthinkable here at
the Hills ... turning in a bogey-free card.
– Jeff Babineau
Posted Aug. 7
BLOOMFIELD
TOWNSHIP, MICH. – As afternoon turned to night, the PGA Championship
lead was nothing if not spiritual at the top. I mean, who lit the
candles and made us meditate on the flames? Have we seen anything like
this, at least since Larry Nelson and Kermit Zarley stopped competing
in majors?
The clubhouse leaders were Robert
Karlsson, something of professional golf’s Dali Lama, and Indian Jeev
Milkha Singh, who meditates and has done yoga since his teens. On the
scoreboard’s third line at the time was Retief Goosen, who must be
spiritual because he has never shown an emotion in public.
What follows are pertinent quotes over the years from all three evolved men:
•
Karlsson: “My only focus is on how I react to a golf shot, how I
choose to react. To let it go, every shot. Then I’m totally clean and
have nothing with me on the next shot. I’m free at the golf ball and
that’s all I care about. I have no focus whatsoever on the result. It’s
so much easier if you don’t care about bad shots, or good shots as
well.”
• Singh: “I follow yoga meticulously. Now I can
focus better, be patient and stay healthy. ... I have learned to be
humble. One should not forget where one started from.”
• Goosen: “ .”
– Jeff Rude
Posted Aug. 7
BLOOMFIELD
TOWNSHIP, MICH. – Trevor Immelman won the Masters several weeks after
having a large tumor removed, Tiger Woods won the U.S. Open on a broken
leg, Padraig Harrington the British Open with an injured wrist.
And now we have a leading candidate as next Wounded Warrior to win a major and complete the AMA Grand Slam.
After
opening with 68, Jeev Milkha Singh revealed he has a right foot injury
he suffered about eight weeks ago. He hasn’t played practice rounds in
recent tournaments and here got in only nine holes Tuesday and nine
Wednesday. On top of that, he says he can’t put any weight on his right
foot and that a doctor wanted him to take four weeks off.
– Jeff Rude
Posted Aug. 7
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP,
MICH.–There’s Vijay Singh of Fiji. There’s Jeev Milka Singh of India.
And that’s not even the first note of the song. There are millions of
Singhs in India, said the Singh that shared the clubhouse lead the
first afternoon of the PGA Championship.
“Like you
have Smiths and Joneses in the U.S. we have got millions of Singhs, and
everybody is not related,” Jeev Singh said, drawing laughs.
– Jeff Rude
Posted Aug. 7
BLOOMFIELD
TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Thursday morning, Paul Goydos was escorted out of the
scoring area by personnel for Drug Free Sports to provide a sample for
the PGA Tour drug-testing regime.
Goydos, who shot 4-over 74 and had not gone to the bathroom on his back nine, was more than happy to oblige.
“So
there I go, I did something in my life,” said Goydos, who became the
first golfer in history to be drug tested at a major championship.
“Let’s see Tiger Woods do that.”
– Alex Miceli
Posted Aug. 7
BLOOMFIELD
TOWNSHIP, Mich. – For those wondering why the tee marker on the left
side of the 10th tee box looked a bit out of whack Thursday afternoon,
there’s an easy answer.
Adam Scott kicked it.
A bit
troubled after making double-bogey on the poisonous par-3 9th, Scott
walked up the hill to the 10th tee box, swung with his right leg toward
the tee marker, and rotated it about 90 degrees. You could hear a small
ding, though it wasn’t loud enough to distract playing partners Ernie
Els and Fred Couples, who were finishing up on the 9th green.
He watched as both Els and Couples made 5- to 7-footers for par.
Scott, who made the turn in 4 over, had three putted from 7 feet, pushing his 3-foot bogey putt just left of the cup.
It
was the fourth double-bogey of the day at that point on the 257-yard
9th hole, which at 5 o’clock Thursday afternoon was playing to over a
3.5 stroke average. Only the 498-yard par-4 18th hole was playing more
difficult (4.6).
– Eric Soderstrom
Posted Aug. 7
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – The thought just occurred as we await the
news of Kenny Perry’s scratched cornea that 2008 may go down as the
year of the injured major champion.
Trevor Immelman won at Augusta National not long after abdominal
surgery. Tiger Woods won the U.S. Open on one leg. Padraig Harrington
won the British Open with one good wrist. And, if all goes according to
script, Perry will win Glory’s Last Shot with one good eye.
–Rex Hoggard
Posted Aug. 7
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – So as
not to feel left out in submitting a Paul Azinger blog item, I offer
his take on the notion that the Europeans dominate the Americans at the
Ryder Cup because they have more fun.
“Americans have
looked like they don’t have fun because they’ve been behind,” the 2008
U.S. captain said. “But the Europeans have hung out at the U.S.
team room the last couple of Ryder Cups because we’re having fun. Maybe
we’re having too much fun.”
Now there’s a new one.
– Jeff Rude
Posted Aug. 6
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A
summer in La Jolla seems to have agreed with the Ogilvy family. Geoff,
wife Juli and daughter Phoebe have spent the last three months in the
San Diego area for relief from the oppressive Scottsdale summers.
The
extended vacation may be just a prelude to moving to the area in the
near future. According to Ogilvy, the family spent time looking
at houses in the area and could see his brood making the move to the
San Diego area in the near future.
“Its as close to Australia as I have found in the United States,” Ogilvy said. “”The beach and the weather, it’s great.”
– Alex Miceli
Posted Aug. 6
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Paul Azinger is currently leading the race for Quote of the Week.
Azinger was asked Wednesday if he was worried that seven out of the top 13 players in the Ryder Cup standings would be rookies.
“I’ve said this all along, that to me, experience is important, but it also is overrated,” Azinger said.
Now
for the good part: “I mean, experience now, anyone who has played Ryder
Cup in the last six Ryder Cups has experienced getting their ass beat.
“So, I mean, I’m not looking for experience.”
– Eric Soderstrom
Posted Aug. 6
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – The PGA walked U.S. captain Paul Azinger
into the press center and the questions, predictably so, were fixated
on next month’s matches.
After about a 40-minute Q&A, ’Zinger was headed out for a practice round when he was asked another Ryder Cup question.
“I really want to focus on this championship,” said Azinger, who won
the 1993 PGA but hasn’t won on Tour since 2000. “I want to be the next
Greg Norman.”
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Aug. 6
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich.–The USGA
announcement of an upcoming change from U to V grooves may not have
sent a ripple through the PGA Championship, but it did get players’
attention.
The concensus among players seems that
the new groove rule figures to change a few things in PGA Tour
competitions. Like put more of a premium on driving accuracy,
make the fly-lie more of a factor, make getting up and down
from the short side of the green more difficult and perhaps even change
pitching technique to a style using more hands.
One
longtime touring pro known for his ball-striking joked that the new
rule “might keep me out here until I’m 63.” He was kidding, but
the point was clear: This just might prolong some careers.
“It’s
going to help all the guys who drive it better,” said Kenny Perry,
three-time winner on the 2008 Tour. “We’ll see how those guys can
control those jumpers out of the rough. ... (In college) I just to hit
those 210-yard 8-irons and stuff coming out of the rough. It will be
kind of funny watching that. The people behind the greens better wear
hard hats.”
The new rule applies to clubs manufactured
after Jan. 1, 2010, the same year that the USGA will enforce the
new regulations through a condition of competition for the U.S. Open,
U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Senior Open and each of their qualifying
events. All USGA amateur championships will apply the new regulations
after Jan. 1, 2014.
– Jeff Rude
Posted Aug. 5
BLOOMFIELD
TOWNSHIP, Mich.–Timing isn't always everything, but I'm thinking the
USGA announcement on grooves the week of the PGA Championship isn't all
that different from Scott Boras revealing A-Rod's contract intentions
the week of the World Series.
I mean, sometimes respect needs to wait a week.
– Jeff Rude
Posted Aug. 5
BLOOMFIELD
TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Dow Finsterwald stopped by today at the 90th PGA
Championship. Looking spry and still very fit a month shy of his 79th
birthday, Finsterwald is being honored at this year’s championship on
the 50th anniversary of his PGA victory at Llanerch Country Club in
Havertown, Penn.
The win was significant to Finsterwald
personally for obvious reasons; but he also considers the 1958 PGA
Championship significant for the fact if was the year the PGA switched
from match play to medal play for its championship – a “major step,” he
called it.
“Match play did not lend itself to television because
the cameras at that time were not sophisticated enough to be stationed
all around the course,” he explained. “Well, naturally, you all realize
a match could end 5 and 4, and you had no cameras to see the
finish. So it was a logical thing to happen in '58.”
Finsterwald
has seen some great players compete through the years, so his list of
top ones comes as no surprise: Jones, Hogan, Nelson, Snead, Palmer and
Nicklaus all could Tiger a run for his money had they played in the
same era.
“These guys, I think, would be winners whenever they would have played,” he said.
And who was a bit underrated? Billy Casper and Gene Littler came to mind.
“Littler
was just a marvelous player,” he said. “And they didn't call him ‘Gene
the Machine’ just for something to say. He was literally a
machine there for awhile.”
– Jeff Babineau
Posted Aug. 5
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – The newest cause célèbre in major
championship setup is offering players a classic, risk/reward short par
4. At the PGA Championship that will be the sixth hole, which will play
at about 305 yards during either Rounds 3 or 4.
“Not only is the PGA doing it, but I just played in (an amateur event
at Maidstone Club in New York) and they’re doing it,” said Rees Jones,
who tweaked Oakland Hills and Torrey Pines for half of this year’s
Grand Slam.
“It’s a wave. Next year at Hazeltine (site of 2009 PGA) we’re looking
at the possibility of 14 as a driveable par 4 (around 300 yards). I
don’t know if we have a driveable par 4 at Bethpage (2009 U.S. Open). I
was there a week ago looking for it.”
The rub is that officials shortened Oakland Hills’ sixth for the 2004
Ryder Cup, but had Jones add a new tee for this week’s championship.
Make up your mind already.
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Aug. 5
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – As is customary at any PGA Tour event
nowadays, Anthony Kim was screamed and yelled and squealed at by
autograph seekers as he made his way onto the putting green at Oakland
Hills late Tuesday afternoon.
Kim, certainly a player to watch
here at the 90th PGA Championship, smiled before throwing a few balls
down onto the green. He started to putt.
About five minutes
later, about 100 feet away on the other side of the putting green, Boo
Weekley approached the practice green, having just finished his
practice round for the day on the ninth green.
Kim’s back was turned.
“Anthony Kim, Anthony Kim, Anthony Kim,” Weekley hollered, in the best high-pitch voice he could muster.
“Anthon-eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
(For the record, Weekley held that last note for about five seconds.)
C’mon. Come sign somethin’.”
Both players laughed, then went about their business. Afterwards, they both signed some autographs.
– Eric Soderstrom
Posted Aug. 5
BLOOMFIELD
TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Best part about winning two consecutive British
Opens? That lackluster record you’ve put together in PGA Championships
gets deleted from memory.
Apparently.
Wait, what?
When
Padraig Harrington was introduced to the media at his pre-tournament
press conference Tuesday at Oakland Hills, a PGA media official noted
the Claret Juggernaut’s best finish to date (in the PGA) “was tied for
17th in 2002 at Hazeltine.”
Harrington was then asked if he had any theories on why Europeans have struggled so much at the season’s final major.
Said
Paddy: “Yeah, I was curious when they read out my best finish ‘tied for
17th.’ I realized I obviously have struggled for 10 years. So I don’t
know. I couldn’t tell you. ...”
That only makes me feel better
about picking Harrington to win this week, which some people may
consider a shot in the dark, considering only three guys have pulled off
the British Open-PGA Championship exacta.
But Paddy obviously has the blinders on.
– Eric Soderstrom
Posted Aug. 5
BLOOMFIELD
TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Grooves aren’t that sexy to talk
about, but they will make an impact on the PGA Tour when the new USGA
and R&A rules take effect in January 2010.
One golf-writer colleague is so excited about it he asked which grooves letter we were on: U, V, W, X or Y.
However, Tour players know it will become a real issue.
“Sweet,”
Justin Rose said of the changes, which are designed to restore the
challenge of playing shots to the green from the rough by reducing
backspin on those shots. “I think it is going to make a difference in
short game. Some of the grooves you can get on your lob wedge are
insane. You can hit shots where you don’t have to have the skill of
hitting the ball high anymore; you can hit it in low and spin it.”
Others disagree with the new rules.
“Very
short-sighted,” Frank Thomas, former USGA technical director, said of
the changes. “It’s affecting 99.9 percent of golfers, and they have not
really defined the problem effectively that they are trying to resolve.”
Thomas said the new rules will be a burden to club manufacturers and possibly add to the downturn in the game in the U.S.
Though
the new rule takes effect Jan. 1, 2010, older clubs are grandfathered
in until 2014. Rose said he believes a lot of Tour players will stash
clubs before the rule takes effect. Not a bad idea.
– Alex Miceli
Posted Aug. 5
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Just checked the tee times for Rounds 1
and 2 here in the Motor City. Vijay Singh and David Toms will be joined
on the first tee Thursday afternoon by John Daly and entourage (which,
given the venue, could include Detroit staple Kid Rock).
When is someone going to offer Daly $25M to call it a career?
– Rex Hoggard
Posted Aug. 5
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Posted: 8/4/2008
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