You might have heard that there are a few championship cups at stake this month. And for my money, it is yet to be determined which one will be the most exciting or the most important.
The FedEx Cup. I assume that the PGA Tour considered what would happen if only six guys actually had a chance to win the FedEx Cup in the final week. I also assume that they knew that the third round had a real chance to be concluded at more than twenty under par. In their defense, they had no idea that Atlanta would spend the year closer to the sun than normal and suffer through the worst summer in twenty years and perhaps lose several greens just before the Championship. We all hate that, but not as much as the Tournament Director who lost his Pro-Am and a couple of million dollars.
But it is what it is.
So, here’s what it comes down to: If Tiger wins first or is tied for second he wins. If Stricker wins he wins and if he finishes second and Tiger finishes third he still wins. Mickelson needs a little help. If he wins and Tiger finishes no better than third, Phil is the Champion. Rory Sabbatina needs to beat Mickelson and Stricker and have Tiger finish no better than thirteen. K.J. Choi needs even more help. He needs Mickelson to finish third or worse, Stricker fourth or worse, and Tiger to finish twenty-second. He may have to steal Tiger’s clubs for that to happen and that still may not be enough. The only other guy with any chance is Aaron Baddeley who basically needs to win on Sunday and have Tiger, Steve, Phil, Rory and K.J. to finish dead last.
Any of the other twenty-four players can win the Tournament, but they cannot win the FedEx Cup even if the top six players don’t play. For the Tour’s sake, I hope the top six play well. It might be a little embarrassing if the first FedEx Cup winner shoots 80 on the final day.
The Walker Cup. This may turn out to be the most exciting cup of the year. The U.S. team, with our guy Colt Knost, needed a 254-yard 4-iron from Jonathan Moore on 18 to set up a four foot eagle putt to win 12.5-11.5. By the way, it’s the first time the U.S. has won the Walker Cup on foreign soil since a couple of guys named Phil Mickelson and David Duval won at Portmarnock outside Dublin back in 1991.
Our boy Knost and the hero of the day Jonathan Moore were the only two players not to lose a match. Doesn’t Jonathan Moore sound like he ought to be playing for the Brits?
The Solheim Cup. In a grumpy old man sort of way, I like the ladies’ game and the Solheim Cup. Perhaps it’s because the ladies’ game is a lot closer to mine than Tiger’s. However, I must admit that I miss the craziness of Michelle Wie, but alas she is hitting the books at dear old Stanford. Fear not however, with only nine tournaments in the record books, the U.S. has already made it a habit of kicking European butt without Michelle Wie. The three European wins have been over there, but only one of the U.S.’s six wins has been away from home.
U.S. Team Captain and Hall of Fame member Betsy King brings veterans Juli Inkster, and Pat Hurst along with past team members; Laura Diaz, Cristie Kerr and Sherri Steinhauer are all three-time members of the American squad as well. Twenty-one-year-old Paula Creamer is making her second Solheim Cup appearance after leading the Americans in her rookie debut with 3 points in 2005.
The U.S. Team will also showcase four rookies including Nicole Castrale, Brittany Lincicome, Stacy Prammanasudh and Morgan Pressel. Natalie Gulbis, a member of the victorious 2005 U.S. Team, and Angela Stanford, who played on the 2003 U.S. Team in Malmo, Sweden, round out the 12-member team.
For the Europeans, all you need to know is that Swede Annika Sorenstam leads the way, along with England's Helen Alfredsson and long hitter Laura Davies, who has played in all nine previous stagings of the event.
They will tee it up at Halmstad Golf Club in Halmstad, Sweden this week with nary a Korean in sight.
The Nextel Cup. The Nextel Cup holds the honor of being the only cup that you could actually die winning, that is unless you drown at the America’s Cup, get hit between the eyes with a puck at the Stanley Cup, or break your putter over your head at the FedEx Cup. In any case, Jimmie Johnson has a chance to accomplish what Jeff Gordon last did 10 years ago and win consecutive Cup championships. First, Johnson will have to hold off Gordon and 10 other drivers in the Chase Cup.
Imagine, ten guys having a chance to win… what a concept.
The World Cup, Etc. There is one of these for every sport ever invented, isn’t there? And, let’s not forget the Stanley Cup, America’s Cup, the Ryder Cup, and a dozen other cups you never heard of.
But in case you missed it, the Anaheim Ducks won the Stanley Cup four games to one. The Swiss won the America’s Cup and for the second time in a row; no Americans were even in the race. The Ryder Cup is next year, isn’t it? And just about everyone either has or will win a World Cup in their lifetime.
Stay tuned for the winner of the Tees2Greens Cup.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Tee It Up On The Twenty Yard Line
The only guy that Tiger and Phil may be scared of over the next couple of weeks is New England Patriot quarterback Tom Brady, and who can blame them. This time of year the name of the game is TV ratings and I suspect that the PGA and the FedEx Cup are about to get a dose of reality. Welcome to the NFL, where “These Guys Are Good” as well as big and fast and the owners of Fall TV ratings.
It’s not Tom Brady’s fault. He was willing to accept golf in its traditional role of second-level tournaments and made-for-TV events from now through Thanksgiving, but golf would have none of that, and now it may have to pay the price. Perhaps finishing second in the ratings is acceptable for golf, but even that goal requires beating NASCAR, and one should never underestimate the drawing power of the redneck nation.
Listening to Phil Mickelson after his win on Sunday probably didn’t give the Commissioner much comfort because he never said that he would play round three, and sure enough he has pulled out. I don’t doubt for a minute that there will be terrific galleries in Chicago (even without Phil) and Atlanta over the next couple of weeks, but FedEx is counting on more than just big galleries. Television potentially reaches more people in 30-seconds that all those galleries combined, but who’s counting? And, why should we care if our beloved game finishes second or even third in the TV ratings during their inaugural big-deal playoff event, as long as we get to watch golf? Isn’t this predicament exactly why TiVo was invented?
But what really happens if golf gets its butt kicked over the next two weeks? Perhaps the TV executives are forgiving, or perhaps the big-time advertising dudes run for cover, and not just from the FedEx Cup but from golf in general. The horror story that we all hope to avoid is the one where the corporate sponsors stop answering their phones when your favorite tournament calls. Then there is that small story right under golf’s bad TV rating story that innocently mentions that Tiger, Phil and the other big boys still think the season is too long, which is French for don’t count on me returning next year.
I am a pessimist, but for good reason. I simply don’t want golf to go the way of Tennis and become almost a second-tier sport, which is always a danger for country club sports. Check out the stats; golf, in terms of participation, is not growing; yet the prize money and the ticket prices are higher than ever. Who do they think they are, baseball?
Tiger is the biggest thing to happen in golf for many years. People who couldn’t pick Phil Mickelson out of a two-man lineup are watching Tiger Woods and only Tiger Woods play golf on TV. Chinese kids know who Tiger is. Look at the ratings. When Tiger’s not playing golf ratings drop like the XFL play-offs.
So, what’s going on? It seems like the Commissioner is asking Tiger, Phil and the boys to take on Tom Brady and the NFL head-on, and neither Tiger, Phil, nor any of the other boys are sure they want that responsibility. Would you?
It might help if they made the FedEx Cup a winner take all tournament, or perhaps a WFL cage match. Maybe Tiger and Phil will stage a legendary battle and each day the stakes will get higher. On Sunday with the Dallas Cowboys staring them down, Tiger will bet Phil his 250-foot yacht and Phil will promise to give back Butch Harmon and sign up for Jenny Craig if he loses.
How about we play the final round on an episode of Dancing With The Stars? Hell, Tiger has got to be a better dancer than Jerry Rice.
It’s not Tom Brady’s fault. He was willing to accept golf in its traditional role of second-level tournaments and made-for-TV events from now through Thanksgiving, but golf would have none of that, and now it may have to pay the price. Perhaps finishing second in the ratings is acceptable for golf, but even that goal requires beating NASCAR, and one should never underestimate the drawing power of the redneck nation.
Listening to Phil Mickelson after his win on Sunday probably didn’t give the Commissioner much comfort because he never said that he would play round three, and sure enough he has pulled out. I don’t doubt for a minute that there will be terrific galleries in Chicago (even without Phil) and Atlanta over the next couple of weeks, but FedEx is counting on more than just big galleries. Television potentially reaches more people in 30-seconds that all those galleries combined, but who’s counting? And, why should we care if our beloved game finishes second or even third in the TV ratings during their inaugural big-deal playoff event, as long as we get to watch golf? Isn’t this predicament exactly why TiVo was invented?
But what really happens if golf gets its butt kicked over the next two weeks? Perhaps the TV executives are forgiving, or perhaps the big-time advertising dudes run for cover, and not just from the FedEx Cup but from golf in general. The horror story that we all hope to avoid is the one where the corporate sponsors stop answering their phones when your favorite tournament calls. Then there is that small story right under golf’s bad TV rating story that innocently mentions that Tiger, Phil and the other big boys still think the season is too long, which is French for don’t count on me returning next year.
I am a pessimist, but for good reason. I simply don’t want golf to go the way of Tennis and become almost a second-tier sport, which is always a danger for country club sports. Check out the stats; golf, in terms of participation, is not growing; yet the prize money and the ticket prices are higher than ever. Who do they think they are, baseball?
Tiger is the biggest thing to happen in golf for many years. People who couldn’t pick Phil Mickelson out of a two-man lineup are watching Tiger Woods and only Tiger Woods play golf on TV. Chinese kids know who Tiger is. Look at the ratings. When Tiger’s not playing golf ratings drop like the XFL play-offs.
So, what’s going on? It seems like the Commissioner is asking Tiger, Phil and the boys to take on Tom Brady and the NFL head-on, and neither Tiger, Phil, nor any of the other boys are sure they want that responsibility. Would you?
It might help if they made the FedEx Cup a winner take all tournament, or perhaps a WFL cage match. Maybe Tiger and Phil will stage a legendary battle and each day the stakes will get higher. On Sunday with the Dallas Cowboys staring them down, Tiger will bet Phil his 250-foot yacht and Phil will promise to give back Butch Harmon and sign up for Jenny Craig if he loses.
How about we play the final round on an episode of Dancing With The Stars? Hell, Tiger has got to be a better dancer than Jerry Rice.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Hold My Green Jacket While I Hit This Five Iron
Here’s the dilemma; you are twenty something years old, you’ve won the U.S. Public Links Tournament and now the U.S. Amateur title, the historic Walker Cup looms just ahead, you’re not broke, but you are a long way from rich. You’re feeling pretty good about your game especially now that the likes of Phil Mickelson says that you are good enough to turn professional. On the horizon appears to be big money endorsements, and the kind of prize money that you only dreamed of. So, what’s the problem?
The Masters and the U.S. Open, that’s what.
The winner of the U.S. Public Links and the U.S. Amateur earns an invitation to the Masters and the U.S. Open, but not if he turns professional.
Now, you might be thinking that with all your talent you’ll have a dozen chances to play in the Masters and the U.S. Open… but what if you’re wrong? What if you turn down the opportunity to play in the two biggest golf tournaments in the world, and then, for whatever reason, the Masters and the U.S. Open never come calling again?
That’s the dilemma facing Colt Knost, a student of T2G’s own Randy Smith.
In his dreams Colt can see himself driving down Magnolia Lane, staying in the Crow's Nest, strolling alongside the azaleas, walking across Hogan Bridge and trying to keep his ball out of Rae's Creek. He can imagine hobnobbing with Tiger and the boys at the Champion’s dinner, but he knows if he turns pro there is a chance that he’ll be sitting in his living room in 2008 watching it on television, just like you and me.
What would you do?
The last person to decline an invitation to the Masters was 1992 U.S. Amateur runner-up Tom Scherrer, and it took him until 2001 to earn a second invitation. He had nine years to think about that decision, most of them on the Nationwide Tour, but at least he finally made it.
Perhaps Colt Knost is better than Tom Scherrer; only time will tell. I remember the big smiles of amateurs Matt Kuchar and Ricky Barnes at the Masters and see the difficult times that both players have endured after turning pro. Matt Kuchar’s world ranking is 150 and Ricky Barnes, an amateur superstar, has yet to make it to the PGA Tour and who knows if he will ever return to the Masters.
If Colt doesn’t already know it, the difference between good and great is razor thin. Bull Durham’s “Crash” Davis said the difference between a 250 hitter and a 300 hitter is one hit a week; a seeing-eye single, a Texas Leaguer. Golf is the same; a couple of putts around, a lucky kick off a tree, a fifty-footer now and then, and you’ll keep your card, otherwise pack up your car for the Nationwide Tour, or any one of a dozen other regional tours.
Colt Knost is already in the middle of a great golf adventure. His resume reads like the All-American that he is, and let’s face it, he’s already accomplished more in golf that most of us can even imagine. Friend, and Walker Cup captain Buddy Marucci, bluntly told Knost he would be crazy to pass on a whirl around Amen Corner, but it’s not his decision, or Randy Smith’s, or your, or mine, it’s Colt’s.
"I think about it every day," Knost said. "It's hard not to think about it, because everybody I see comes up and asks. It's about 50-50, people saying I should turn pro or stay an amateur. ... It's obviously a good problem to have." Colt says that he’ll make his decision by the end of September; until then he’s busy with the Walker Cup.
For what it’s worth, Colt seems like a nice young man and we wish him all the best with his difficult decision. Personally, I think I would live in my car, if need be, so I could play in the Masters and the U.S. Open.
What do you think Tom Scherrer would do if he had it to do over again? What would Randy do? What would you do?
The Masters and the U.S. Open, that’s what.
The winner of the U.S. Public Links and the U.S. Amateur earns an invitation to the Masters and the U.S. Open, but not if he turns professional.
Now, you might be thinking that with all your talent you’ll have a dozen chances to play in the Masters and the U.S. Open… but what if you’re wrong? What if you turn down the opportunity to play in the two biggest golf tournaments in the world, and then, for whatever reason, the Masters and the U.S. Open never come calling again?
That’s the dilemma facing Colt Knost, a student of T2G’s own Randy Smith.
In his dreams Colt can see himself driving down Magnolia Lane, staying in the Crow's Nest, strolling alongside the azaleas, walking across Hogan Bridge and trying to keep his ball out of Rae's Creek. He can imagine hobnobbing with Tiger and the boys at the Champion’s dinner, but he knows if he turns pro there is a chance that he’ll be sitting in his living room in 2008 watching it on television, just like you and me.
What would you do?
The last person to decline an invitation to the Masters was 1992 U.S. Amateur runner-up Tom Scherrer, and it took him until 2001 to earn a second invitation. He had nine years to think about that decision, most of them on the Nationwide Tour, but at least he finally made it.
Perhaps Colt Knost is better than Tom Scherrer; only time will tell. I remember the big smiles of amateurs Matt Kuchar and Ricky Barnes at the Masters and see the difficult times that both players have endured after turning pro. Matt Kuchar’s world ranking is 150 and Ricky Barnes, an amateur superstar, has yet to make it to the PGA Tour and who knows if he will ever return to the Masters.
If Colt doesn’t already know it, the difference between good and great is razor thin. Bull Durham’s “Crash” Davis said the difference between a 250 hitter and a 300 hitter is one hit a week; a seeing-eye single, a Texas Leaguer. Golf is the same; a couple of putts around, a lucky kick off a tree, a fifty-footer now and then, and you’ll keep your card, otherwise pack up your car for the Nationwide Tour, or any one of a dozen other regional tours.
Colt Knost is already in the middle of a great golf adventure. His resume reads like the All-American that he is, and let’s face it, he’s already accomplished more in golf that most of us can even imagine. Friend, and Walker Cup captain Buddy Marucci, bluntly told Knost he would be crazy to pass on a whirl around Amen Corner, but it’s not his decision, or Randy Smith’s, or your, or mine, it’s Colt’s.
"I think about it every day," Knost said. "It's hard not to think about it, because everybody I see comes up and asks. It's about 50-50, people saying I should turn pro or stay an amateur. ... It's obviously a good problem to have." Colt says that he’ll make his decision by the end of September; until then he’s busy with the Walker Cup.
For what it’s worth, Colt seems like a nice young man and we wish him all the best with his difficult decision. Personally, I think I would live in my car, if need be, so I could play in the Masters and the U.S. Open.
What do you think Tom Scherrer would do if he had it to do over again? What would Randy do? What would you do?
Friday, August 24, 2007
Tiger Spots The Field The First Tournament
In Commissioner Tim’s FedEx Cup dream the media world is sitting at his feet listening carefully as he describes how golf’s version of the “Final Four” exploded on to a hundred million TV screens, and how each successive week’s tournament was bigger than the week before. Then, with the fate of all mankind at stake, and a TV audience bigger than the Super Bowl, Tiger came from behind to win the $10,000,000 by one FedEx point with a double-eagle on the final hole.
Now, cut to a beautiful sunset with Tiger and Phil, tears of joy running down their faces, carrying Commissioner Tim on their shoulders and whispering in his ear, “Commissioner Tim thank you for saving golf and America.”
Lastly, with his blackberry filled with offers by the networks to drop the Super Bowl just so they would have the opportunity to air next year’s FedEx Cup, the Commissioner pulls a FedEx Championship tee-shirt over his head that reads “I told You So.”
It could happen, or then again Tiger could skip the first FedEx Cup Tournament.
I’m sure that the golf chairman of some of the regular season tournaments that Tiger skipped in 2007 are tempted to send Commissioner Tim an email saying, “How does it feel?” And, who could blame them?
Like it or not, Commissioner Tim, Tiger is in charge and you’re not. He, and he alone will decide when and where he will play, FedEx Cup or not. He decides which tournament will have TV ratings and which ones will not. He decides who will make their title sponsor happy and who will not. It’s Tiger’s Tour, so get used to it.
Unlike Commissioner Tim, Tiger didn’t ask for the power he has amassed; he won it fair and square, and now that he has it, perhaps only father time will ever take it away. For the most part, Tiger understands his power and has done a reasonable good job in being as fair as possible. However, he can’t play in every tournament even though we wanted him to.
In the reality show called “Tiger’s World” I suspect there is strange karma between Commissioner Tim and Tiger as they gaze at each other across the room. He knows that Tiger owns him and Tiger knows that he knows. In his mind, he doesn’t have to wash Tiger’s car, but he wants to keep his options open. Could Tiger take Commissioner Tim’s job? Probably not, but he could most likely get him fired if he was so inclined. But, Commissioner Tim shouldn’t worry about Tiger taking his job, what he should worry about is Tiger starting his own Tour. Greg Norman tried it a few years back, and gave birth to the World Championship Tournament idea, and Tiger’s drawing power is ten times Norman’s. But then again, Tiger already owns the PGA, so Commissioner Tim listens to what the boss is saying.
For example, for years Tiger, Phil and some of the other big guns have been complaining that the season is too long. However, what Commissioner Tim heard was that the end of the season didn’t have big enough purses. Not exactly the same thing is it?
Now, I don’t think that Tiger was trying to make a point by skipping the first FedEx Cup Tournament, but he did send a message, didn’t he?
Listen to what Kenny Perry had to say about his friend Tiger Woods. "It's pretty cool when a guy thinks he can spot us a week and still win the deal. I think he's great for the game. He could probably skip the first two tournaments and he'll win the last two. You never put anything past him."
Then Perry said what Commissioner Tim really fears. "As goal-oriented as that guy is, I know he wants (to win) that first one. Then, after that, we probably won't see him playing in any more of them."
For Commissioner Tim’s sake, I hope Kenny Perry is wrong, but just in case I’d at least think about washing Tiger’s car and consider making FedEx pay in advance next year.
Now, cut to a beautiful sunset with Tiger and Phil, tears of joy running down their faces, carrying Commissioner Tim on their shoulders and whispering in his ear, “Commissioner Tim thank you for saving golf and America.”
Lastly, with his blackberry filled with offers by the networks to drop the Super Bowl just so they would have the opportunity to air next year’s FedEx Cup, the Commissioner pulls a FedEx Championship tee-shirt over his head that reads “I told You So.”
It could happen, or then again Tiger could skip the first FedEx Cup Tournament.
I’m sure that the golf chairman of some of the regular season tournaments that Tiger skipped in 2007 are tempted to send Commissioner Tim an email saying, “How does it feel?” And, who could blame them?
Like it or not, Commissioner Tim, Tiger is in charge and you’re not. He, and he alone will decide when and where he will play, FedEx Cup or not. He decides which tournament will have TV ratings and which ones will not. He decides who will make their title sponsor happy and who will not. It’s Tiger’s Tour, so get used to it.
Unlike Commissioner Tim, Tiger didn’t ask for the power he has amassed; he won it fair and square, and now that he has it, perhaps only father time will ever take it away. For the most part, Tiger understands his power and has done a reasonable good job in being as fair as possible. However, he can’t play in every tournament even though we wanted him to.
In the reality show called “Tiger’s World” I suspect there is strange karma between Commissioner Tim and Tiger as they gaze at each other across the room. He knows that Tiger owns him and Tiger knows that he knows. In his mind, he doesn’t have to wash Tiger’s car, but he wants to keep his options open. Could Tiger take Commissioner Tim’s job? Probably not, but he could most likely get him fired if he was so inclined. But, Commissioner Tim shouldn’t worry about Tiger taking his job, what he should worry about is Tiger starting his own Tour. Greg Norman tried it a few years back, and gave birth to the World Championship Tournament idea, and Tiger’s drawing power is ten times Norman’s. But then again, Tiger already owns the PGA, so Commissioner Tim listens to what the boss is saying.
For example, for years Tiger, Phil and some of the other big guns have been complaining that the season is too long. However, what Commissioner Tim heard was that the end of the season didn’t have big enough purses. Not exactly the same thing is it?
Now, I don’t think that Tiger was trying to make a point by skipping the first FedEx Cup Tournament, but he did send a message, didn’t he?
Listen to what Kenny Perry had to say about his friend Tiger Woods. "It's pretty cool when a guy thinks he can spot us a week and still win the deal. I think he's great for the game. He could probably skip the first two tournaments and he'll win the last two. You never put anything past him."
Then Perry said what Commissioner Tim really fears. "As goal-oriented as that guy is, I know he wants (to win) that first one. Then, after that, we probably won't see him playing in any more of them."
For Commissioner Tim’s sake, I hope Kenny Perry is wrong, but just in case I’d at least think about washing Tiger’s car and consider making FedEx pay in advance next year.
Golf Is Truly An International Game
Americans are famous for their lack of knowledge about the rest of the world. It’s one of many reasons the people from across both ponds think less of us than we think they should. However, golf may be somewhat of an exception. What golfer hasn’t heard of Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Sergio Garcia or any one of a dozen other international players… and there is a good reason for that phenomenon. This week’s ranking of the top fifty golfers in the world places only sixteen Americans in that group. Of course, three of those sixteen are the first three, Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk and Phil Mickelson, and five of those sixteen are in the top twenties.
According to the rankings the number two power in the world is Australia with a total of nine players, two of which are in the top ten and three in the top twenty. Third is South Africa with six players, one top ten and four top twenties. The inventors of the great game, the Scots/ English, rank fourth with five players (one Scotsman and four English), no top tens and only two top twenties, followed by the Swedes with four players with one in the top ten.
If you’ve been watching the majors you know that both Argentina and Spain have two players each. Likewise, our Canadian friends up north have two players, and unlike the ladies’ Tour, which is dominated by Koreans, the men’s Tour only has one.
It’s a bit of a surprise, because they are such rabid golfers, but the Irish have only one player in the top fifty; Padraig Harrington is the number six ranked player in the world, which is exactly the same number for the country that claims the number seven player in the world, Vijay Singh from Fiji.
Certainly golf doesn’t come close to soccer in the number of players participating around the world, and I guess it really doesn’t challenge soccer in the number of countries participating either, but it makes you proud to know that the top ten players in golf represent seven different countries and that they have 850,000,000 frequent flyer miles collectively.
World Rankings
1 Tiger Woods
2 Jim Furyk
3 Phil Mickelson
4 Ernie Els
5 Adam Scott
6 Padraig Harrington
7 Vijay Singh
8 Sergio Garcia
9 Geoff Ogilvy
11 Luke Donald
12 Choi Kyung-Ju
13 Rory Sabbatini
14 Steve Stricker
15 Justin Rose
16 Zach Johnson
17 Retief Goosen
18 Trevor Immelman
19 Angel Cabrera
20 Paul Casey
21 Niclas Fasth
22 Stewart Cink
23 Scott Verplank
24 David Toms
25 Stuart Appleby
26 Nick O'Hern
27 Andres Romero
28 Charles Howell-III
29 Arron Oberholser
30 Richard Green
31 Aaron Baddeley Aus
32 Ian Poulter
33 Brett Wetterich
34 Woody Austin
35 Robert Allenby
36 Stephen Ames
37 Richard Sterne
38 Rod Pampling
39 Tim Clark
40 Anders Hansen
41 Boo Weekley
42 Colin Montgomerie
43 Davis Love-III
44 Jose M Olazabal
45 Robert Karlsson
46 Mike Weir
47 John Senden
48 Carl Pettersson
49 Hunter Mahan
50 Chris DiMarco
According to the rankings the number two power in the world is Australia with a total of nine players, two of which are in the top ten and three in the top twenty. Third is South Africa with six players, one top ten and four top twenties. The inventors of the great game, the Scots/ English, rank fourth with five players (one Scotsman and four English), no top tens and only two top twenties, followed by the Swedes with four players with one in the top ten.
If you’ve been watching the majors you know that both Argentina and Spain have two players each. Likewise, our Canadian friends up north have two players, and unlike the ladies’ Tour, which is dominated by Koreans, the men’s Tour only has one.
It’s a bit of a surprise, because they are such rabid golfers, but the Irish have only one player in the top fifty; Padraig Harrington is the number six ranked player in the world, which is exactly the same number for the country that claims the number seven player in the world, Vijay Singh from Fiji.
Certainly golf doesn’t come close to soccer in the number of players participating around the world, and I guess it really doesn’t challenge soccer in the number of countries participating either, but it makes you proud to know that the top ten players in golf represent seven different countries and that they have 850,000,000 frequent flyer miles collectively.
World Rankings
1 Tiger Woods
2 Jim Furyk
3 Phil Mickelson
4 Ernie Els
5 Adam Scott
6 Padraig Harrington
7 Vijay Singh
8 Sergio Garcia
9 Geoff Ogilvy
11 Luke Donald
12 Choi Kyung-Ju
13 Rory Sabbatini
14 Steve Stricker
15 Justin Rose
16 Zach Johnson
17 Retief Goosen
18 Trevor Immelman
19 Angel Cabrera
20 Paul Casey
21 Niclas Fasth
22 Stewart Cink
23 Scott Verplank
24 David Toms
25 Stuart Appleby
26 Nick O'Hern
27 Andres Romero
28 Charles Howell-III
29 Arron Oberholser
30 Richard Green
31 Aaron Baddeley Aus
32 Ian Poulter
33 Brett Wetterich
34 Woody Austin
35 Robert Allenby
36 Stephen Ames
37 Richard Sterne
38 Rod Pampling
39 Tim Clark
40 Anders Hansen
41 Boo Weekley
42 Colin Montgomerie
43 Davis Love-III
44 Jose M Olazabal
45 Robert Karlsson
46 Mike Weir
47 John Senden
48 Carl Pettersson
49 Hunter Mahan
50 Chris DiMarco
Monday, August 13, 2007
Tee It Up With Barry
Like it or not Barry Bond is now baseball’s all-time leading homerun champion with 756 dingers. With a hat size akin to a basketball, and late career numbers that read like they were written on a prescription pad, baseball will not plant an asterisk beside his name even though he maybe be indicted later this year for the BS he told the grand jury.
Sorry Hank.
For an athlete, probably any athlete, the temptation to use steroids or some other kind of performance enhancing drug is obvious and perhaps even rational. In baseball it may only take one great year to get that big contract and the same goes for football. Now you’re set for life, even if that life turns out to be a shorter than expected. But according to Robert Earl Keen, when you’re 30 years old, “The road goes on forever and the party never ends,” or at least that’s the way it feels.
If you’re keeping score, track and field, baseball, football, cycling, gymnastics, swimming, even snowboarding (although those drugs may just be for fun) have all been touched by drug problems… the exception is golf. Is that logical?
Imagine you’re the 125th player on the PGA Tour. You’ve bounced back and forth between the PGA and the Nationwide Tours. You’ve made a few bucks but never enough to make life secure. Rightly or wrongly, you believe that the only thing holding you back is that your average driving distance is 265 instead of 295. Are you tempted?
What would you do for fame and fortune?
Has your doctor ever prescribed steroids? Mine has. There are no needles; in many cases it’s a clear gel that rubs on like suntan lotion. It’s not scary, nor does it feel dangerous, and it definitely doesn’t feel wrong. In my case, the steroid was to build bone density, however I did notice a bit more zip in my step, and over time (six months) I became more aggressive to the point I stopped using the drug on my own.
Perhaps golfers are immune to the temptations, or perhaps the Commissioner is. I suspect that like baseball, golf has figured out that the fans come to see the long-ball, and as good as some of the Punch and Judy players are, what we really want to see is someone hit the ball ten miles. And, just like baseball, as long as you will pay for it (no matter what “it” turns out to be) the sport will do everything in its power to serve it up. You want full contact golf? Well, if you’ll pay to see it, the WWA and PGA will start merger talks tomorrow.
We like to think that we have changed over the past 30,000 years; we’ve become more civilized, after all we now have doctors at ringside, but that doesn’t change the fact that men still hit each other in the head for our pleasure. I say this while fully admitting that I like a good a boxing match as much as the next guy. I don’t know, perhaps it is Neanderthal, brain-stem stuff that draws us to the car-wreck and the long-ball, and maybe it will take another 30,000 years for us to appreciate the finer things that life has to offer. Until then we’ll tee it high and watch it fly.
Are professional golfers using steroids? More than likely. Do I want to see Tiger and the boys peeing in a cup before each round, frankly no. However, I do hope that those players that are tempted will get some good advice from their doctors and others who know the real dangers of steroids.
Sorry Hank.
For an athlete, probably any athlete, the temptation to use steroids or some other kind of performance enhancing drug is obvious and perhaps even rational. In baseball it may only take one great year to get that big contract and the same goes for football. Now you’re set for life, even if that life turns out to be a shorter than expected. But according to Robert Earl Keen, when you’re 30 years old, “The road goes on forever and the party never ends,” or at least that’s the way it feels.
If you’re keeping score, track and field, baseball, football, cycling, gymnastics, swimming, even snowboarding (although those drugs may just be for fun) have all been touched by drug problems… the exception is golf. Is that logical?
Imagine you’re the 125th player on the PGA Tour. You’ve bounced back and forth between the PGA and the Nationwide Tours. You’ve made a few bucks but never enough to make life secure. Rightly or wrongly, you believe that the only thing holding you back is that your average driving distance is 265 instead of 295. Are you tempted?
What would you do for fame and fortune?
Has your doctor ever prescribed steroids? Mine has. There are no needles; in many cases it’s a clear gel that rubs on like suntan lotion. It’s not scary, nor does it feel dangerous, and it definitely doesn’t feel wrong. In my case, the steroid was to build bone density, however I did notice a bit more zip in my step, and over time (six months) I became more aggressive to the point I stopped using the drug on my own.
Perhaps golfers are immune to the temptations, or perhaps the Commissioner is. I suspect that like baseball, golf has figured out that the fans come to see the long-ball, and as good as some of the Punch and Judy players are, what we really want to see is someone hit the ball ten miles. And, just like baseball, as long as you will pay for it (no matter what “it” turns out to be) the sport will do everything in its power to serve it up. You want full contact golf? Well, if you’ll pay to see it, the WWA and PGA will start merger talks tomorrow.
We like to think that we have changed over the past 30,000 years; we’ve become more civilized, after all we now have doctors at ringside, but that doesn’t change the fact that men still hit each other in the head for our pleasure. I say this while fully admitting that I like a good a boxing match as much as the next guy. I don’t know, perhaps it is Neanderthal, brain-stem stuff that draws us to the car-wreck and the long-ball, and maybe it will take another 30,000 years for us to appreciate the finer things that life has to offer. Until then we’ll tee it high and watch it fly.
Are professional golfers using steroids? More than likely. Do I want to see Tiger and the boys peeing in a cup before each round, frankly no. However, I do hope that those players that are tempted will get some good advice from their doctors and others who know the real dangers of steroids.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Gentlemen Start Your Engines
I am not a NASCAR guy and frankly I wouldn’t know the NEXTEL Cup from any other athletic cup, and as of this moment, I feel exactly the same way about the FedEx Cup. Perhaps it is because I have never experienced the excitement of a FedEx Cup fight to the finish, and once I do, I will buy the tee shirt. But for now, I’m still skeptical.
I’m not sure why I feel this way, maybe it’s because it feels contrived, like a made for TV stunt that serves no real purpose. A playoff system makes sense for football and other team sports, but isn’t every golf tournament a playoff, and doesn’t the money list tell us who the best golfer was in any given year? Which number is most important: Tiger’s $5,214,385 in winnings, or his 20,899 FedEx points?
Another thing that bugs me is that this exclusive playoff system is limited to the best 144 players, or in other words, just about everyone. The first cut is to 120 players, which means only 24 players are eliminated. Which begs the question: did those 24 ever have a chance in the first place?
A week later, the field is cut to 70 players, or about the same number of players that normally make a Friday cut each week. The following week 70 becomes 30 and we’re ready for the Tour Championship, which if I recall, used to be the top 30 money winners. It will be interesting to see how many of the top 30 money winners and the 30 players making the cut are the same. Sure, there will be a few blind hogs finding an acorn, but I’ll be surprised if the top 30 money winners are not well represented.
Perhaps my skepticism is because I have never believed that this tournament is about trying to identify the best player; it about money, for both the player and the PGA. And the money is big, really big. Each of the four tournaments has a purse of $7,000,000, plus, when all is said and done, the overall points leader picks up a cool $10,000,000. Then there is TV money, sponsor money, ticket sales, concessions, and of course tee shirt sales.
An oddity of the tournament (and NASCAR) is that the winner of the playoffs and the winner of the $10,000,000 points leader bonus may not be the same person, which creates all kinds of interesting scenarios.
Imagine some kid from out of nowhere is leading the Tournament, but the guys in second and third place are dueling for the points lead and the $10,000,000. Now, the kid from out of nowhere can’t possibly catch the points leader, but the points leader could catch the kid from out of nowhere. A birdie ties the kid, but it’s a dangerous shot and brings 6 into the equation. A par retains the points lead and the $10,000,000 prize.
Can you say lay up?
Frankly, I could never imagine a situation where a golfer might get booed, but this could be the case. I don’t like the idea of golfers playing for second place, or trying to stay in the top ten so they could be the overall points winner. I understand that golf is how these guys make a living, but I hate the thought of a business decision deciding a tournament. It’s enough to make Dale Earnhardt turn over in his grave.
On the other hand, if Tiger kicks everybody’s butt, wins the tournament and the $10,000,000 points bonus and all is right in the universe, who cares? Which brings me back to where I started; what’s the point?
But I’m trying to keep an open mind.
I’m not sure why I feel this way, maybe it’s because it feels contrived, like a made for TV stunt that serves no real purpose. A playoff system makes sense for football and other team sports, but isn’t every golf tournament a playoff, and doesn’t the money list tell us who the best golfer was in any given year? Which number is most important: Tiger’s $5,214,385 in winnings, or his 20,899 FedEx points?
Another thing that bugs me is that this exclusive playoff system is limited to the best 144 players, or in other words, just about everyone. The first cut is to 120 players, which means only 24 players are eliminated. Which begs the question: did those 24 ever have a chance in the first place?
A week later, the field is cut to 70 players, or about the same number of players that normally make a Friday cut each week. The following week 70 becomes 30 and we’re ready for the Tour Championship, which if I recall, used to be the top 30 money winners. It will be interesting to see how many of the top 30 money winners and the 30 players making the cut are the same. Sure, there will be a few blind hogs finding an acorn, but I’ll be surprised if the top 30 money winners are not well represented.
Perhaps my skepticism is because I have never believed that this tournament is about trying to identify the best player; it about money, for both the player and the PGA. And the money is big, really big. Each of the four tournaments has a purse of $7,000,000, plus, when all is said and done, the overall points leader picks up a cool $10,000,000. Then there is TV money, sponsor money, ticket sales, concessions, and of course tee shirt sales.
An oddity of the tournament (and NASCAR) is that the winner of the playoffs and the winner of the $10,000,000 points leader bonus may not be the same person, which creates all kinds of interesting scenarios.
Imagine some kid from out of nowhere is leading the Tournament, but the guys in second and third place are dueling for the points lead and the $10,000,000. Now, the kid from out of nowhere can’t possibly catch the points leader, but the points leader could catch the kid from out of nowhere. A birdie ties the kid, but it’s a dangerous shot and brings 6 into the equation. A par retains the points lead and the $10,000,000 prize.
Can you say lay up?
Frankly, I could never imagine a situation where a golfer might get booed, but this could be the case. I don’t like the idea of golfers playing for second place, or trying to stay in the top ten so they could be the overall points winner. I understand that golf is how these guys make a living, but I hate the thought of a business decision deciding a tournament. It’s enough to make Dale Earnhardt turn over in his grave.
On the other hand, if Tiger kicks everybody’s butt, wins the tournament and the $10,000,000 points bonus and all is right in the universe, who cares? Which brings me back to where I started; what’s the point?
But I’m trying to keep an open mind.
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