For What It's Worth...

...During the Golf Channel's 30 minute show between Sunday's TNT and CBS coverage, Rich Lerner of The Golf Channel asked the PGA's Roger Warren about moving PGA Championship tee times up an hour to ensure the round was finished.

Warren claimed that the forecast was too sketchy to make such a concrete move. But it's hard not to imagine that had they teed off earlier, the round might have finished before the weather arrived. CBS would have come on the air with the last group teeing off, and at the worst, finished a little early.

So just remember, there are several hundred very bitter writers sitting in a New Jersey tent, armed with laptops, ready to pounce. A Monday finish fiasco has been long overdue at golf's majors, because giving the networks a strong prime time lead in has taken a priority to finishing rounds at a reasonable hour.

And as I type, Phil Mickelson is being asked by a scribbler and he's choosing his words very carefully, pointing out that they finished in the dark yesterday and that alone should have been reason to move the times up a bit.

Comments

[NRH]

If this doesn't teach them a lesson I don't know what will. It has come close to happening at Bethpage and a couple of times at Augusta. I hope the press pounces since it is inexcusable. According to TGC, at no time did the PGA of America even approach CBS about moving the starting times up despite the dicey forecast. So now we have ignorance on their part and it wasn't as if CBS would approach them.

Why not play it safe? At what point does the extra advertising revenue earned in prime time fail to make up for the inconvenience of everybody involved at the tournament and disappointed viewers? We are talking about logistical nightmares with flights, rental cars and hotel rooms in addition to cutting into a work day, which all cost money. When a Monday finish happens, there is no retention among fans of who the winner is. Quick...name the winner of last Monday finish that you can remember. Tiger in 2000 at the AT&T, right? That is because it was Tiger, it was a seven shot comeback and it kept his winning streak alive. Nobody cares because they just want to go home or get to the the next Tour stop.

If we have learned one thing from the first four months of the PGA Tour this year, it was to avoid a Monday finish at all costs. We saw more radar and interviews with that poor official (his name slips me but I should know it!) at stop after stop. The folks that run the US majors are too stubborn and like Geoff mentioned this has been a long time coming. Now the PGA of America has egg on their face when their major has consistently provided golf fans with the most memorable Sundays since 1999. It was going to happen again today despite the uneven play...we had names and backstories galore. I would take Micheel, Curtis, Hamilton and Lawrie on a Sunday against a household name on a Monday every time. By the way, has it actually rained in NJ since they halted play? I know, I know - lightning is nothing to ignore. Sorry, I am a west coaster and believe in odds.

Somebody will send me an email tomorrow to tell me who won. I will open it up, stare at the name and wonder how it happened. Maybe I will get to see some highlights 10 hours later on ESPN News. Great.

Umm Geoff, by the way, 88 yards to the hole on 18 at Chicago Golf cllub in the Walker Cup today? Please.