La Costa Blues***
Sounds like La Costa is finally getting old with the players and officials. Check out Vijay and Robert Allenby’s comments. While Mike Aitken of The Scotsman basically writes La Costa's obituary.
"This correspondent attended the first couple of stagings of
the Match Play in Carlsbad and was struck each year not only by how
ordinary this resort course was but also by the relative lack of
interest from the locals. Unlike the vast majority of top class golf
events in the USA, where sell-out crowds are commonplace, the Match
Play struggles to attract galleries of more than 7,000. Perhaps
California’s golf aficionados, accustomed to the charms of Pebble
Beach, Riviera and Torrey Pines, know a mediocre setting when they see
one."
Though the always wet-conditions are part of the
problem, the course itself may be the single worst venue for match play
golf. Devoid of risk-reward scenarios, tension is infrequent and the
tiny crowds have little to cheer about. And they’re coming back again
in 2006. PGA West Stadium would be ideal for this event. Oh well.
***Update: Brian Curley talks about the re-routing of La Costa while Steve Elling has some of the not so nice comments regarding the course conditions.