Iconic Trophies Highlight Golfing Year And George O'Grady's Love Of Posing

I'm not sure what's more giggle-worthy, the European Tour Commissioner's pose or the garrish Dubai World Championship loot Lee Westwood's posing with. What's that in Westwood's right hand, a gold-plated mace? Is he going to be leading a high-end marching band?

Comments

[OxfordBufties]

It surely isn't any cheesier than what Finchem would have come up with if he had the world No. 1, three major champions and the Ryder Cup to display. Would you have made as much fun of that? I doubt it. It would have been fair to acknowledge the substance behind the "cheese".

[Geoff]

Ah spoken like a new reader. Or a touchy European. Either way, move that mouse of yours over to Journal Topics and scroll on down to Tim Finchem.

[digsouth]

Where's Will Ferrell?

[Tottenham Hotspur]

Westwood is defending the Race to Rubai event and is holding the trophies.


http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2010/tournamentid=2010082/videoaudio/videoid=131983.html

[Tom Dunne]

Based on the distinctive design, Lee has clearly procured a dwarvish battle mace. +1 damage vs. frost giants!

[OxfordBufties]

Thanks Geoff, but you don't need to remind me of your history of dissing the Commish. What I was trying to say that it was a bit cheap (and very unlike you) not to have got past the cheese to the golf (which you usually do very well).

[Adam Clayman]

Has anyone called for Finchem's resignation?

[Press Agent]

The same way we like to have all of our golf courses look the same, we should also have our trophies look the same eh? God forbid anyone thinks or does anything different... lol. The hypocrisy is laughable.

[Bob S]

Finchem would be standing on a box to be that tall ...

Where are all the Americans? I thought American golfers were the best in the world? Maybe the Americans are only the best in America ...

[chico]

No need to apologise Oxford B-Geoff dishes it out to everybody-and I'm sure he;s big enough to take a bit back!
It would have been a bigger surprise if that picture hadn't been taken.
Happy holiday to you all over there-even Scott!

[thusgone]

wait. are the good people at the european tour proposing that the fifth major be a Dungeons & Dragons competition of some kind?

[The Q]

Enjoy it while it lasts Euros. Soon it will be back to normal. This was an anomalous year as you will soon be choking majors away as usual, see the current (short lived #1 to be sure) for exhibit A.

Bask in the sunshine for the moment and talk your Euro trash, but soon it will be back to American hegemony againl

Its obvious the only good thing America has done the past 65 years has been to keep you barbarians from annihilating each other as you did pretty much continuously from 1200 to 1945.

So I guess we've got that going for us.

[The Q]

P.S. I sure hope that everyone can see tongue firmly in cheek

[chico]

Gee whiz The Q-you must be Scott's dad!

[Tim in Hoylake]

Ahoy Q; less hegy; more money. Tis the American way.

[Ky Laffoon's Ghost]

Well, it is a pretty impressive haul. Westwood does look like he absconded with a few props from the "Lord of the Rings" set though. Reminds me of a picture of two of those trophies I have seen before:
http://www.sportsvideodaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/bobbyjonesgrandslam.jpg

Geoff is like Harry Truman. When Truman was taken to task about giving the opposition hell he replied that he just tells 'em the truth and they think it's hell.

[Tighthead]

When coaching the Falcons, Jerry Glanville commissioned a gaudy monstertrophy which he titled the California Trophy because Atlanta beat the 49ers, Raiders, Rams and Chargers or something. It was awesome.

[jjshaka]

"I dub me, Sir Chokesalot."
Get it, cause he can't finish...... Happy Thanksgiving to Geoff & Co.

[Ludell Hogwaller]

I had intended to remain somber all during the anniversary, but Q's rant triggered a grin and then the Lord of the Rings prop comment actually resulted in outside the skull laughter and then the comparison to Jerry Glanville's trophy . . . well, now all the relatives in the house think I'm high.

[Bar Fedora]

Oxford, you mean a picture kind of like this one?

http://touchstonesports.com/tiger_trophies_2.JPG

Clayman, why would anyone call for Finchem's resignation at this point? Is there new news??

[sir real]

I concur with Ky....pretty damn impressive year for the Euro clan...dominant! With Tiger and Lefty, for different reasons, looking for better form, where are the other American studs? A pretty weak answer from the Yanks in 2010. Kudos to the hungry world travelers.

Happy Thanksgiving all you Shackeltonians!

[Jock]

I love it when Geoff gets all bitchy :-)

[Adam Clayman]

The spread between the pga tour and european tour has shrunk under his leadership. The value of golf as a high profile sport, is dropping like a hot knife thru butter. Plus, their product sucks. From Fed up cup, to the Golf channel, nothing innovative, nothing compelling. Project Manager has to go home.

[Ky Laffoon's Ghost]

You want the PGA TOUR to be interesting? Yeah, I know. Interesting golf is an oxymoron to anyone outside the fold. But all Tim has to do is go back to the future: 60-exempt from the money list with a few tweaks on other exemptions for winning various and sundry events. There is a lot of *personality* out there that would do the TOUR a world of good, if only they could displace 40 or 50 time servers. Wouldn't have to worry too much about players showing up to play, either.

Now, it's off the make the baked macaroni and cheese for tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving!

[d.b.cooper]

Dominant, my ass.

Kaymer only won the PGA because Johnson pissed it away. Legendary Lee was gifted one in the States....now he has two wins in 12+ years, lol.

Louis O. isn't reallly a Euro. Glad to see he is going to step up to the plate next year.

The euros remind of a little terrier dog that has been nipping at the heels of a much bigger dog for many years. They have a little success and now they must yap, yap, yap about it.

Kind of sad, imo.

[Tighthead]

Happy Thanksgiving even though it is 6 weeks late.

[Bar Fedora]

Clayman, suits me. That his pay is completely out of whack for a non-profit should probably factor in as well. I bet Flinchem's retirement account is HIGH-8-FIGURES at this point -- think about that. Seriously, I want to see some specific disclosure on that.

What did you think of the picture?

[Bar Fedora]

For fun I ran through the 2008 Form-990 and picked out a few of the highest paid employees of the tour, they are listed below. They divide comp of each employee up between "the organization", "related organizations", and "other comp from the organization and related organizations" -- so those are the 3 buckets. Total cash comp is the last number.

Flinchem has to have a retirement account rivaling that of Dick Grasso of NYSE fame!

TIMOTHY W FINCHEM , Commissioner...3,888,712 + 1,296,237 + 1,950,091 = $7,135,040

CHARLES L ZINK , Co-COO...645,643 + 1,063,786 + 593,531 = $2,302,960

EDWARD L MOORHOUSE , Co-COO...987,789 + 665,954 + 588,230 = $2.241.973

THOMAS E WADE , Exec VP & Chief of Marketing...848,423 + 212,106 + 491,670 = $1,552,199

RONALD E PRICE , Exec VP and CFO...517,905 + 633,673 + 467,038 = $1,618.616

TY M VOTAW , Exec VP Communications...414,815 + 276,543 + 266,631 = $957,989

RICHARD L GEORGE , Chief of Operations...588,209 + 147,051 + 372,951 = $1,108,211

MICHAEL P BODNEY , Senior VP President's Cup...345,274 + 86,318 + 206,288 = $637,880

CARLTON P WHITE II, VP Rules and Competition...391,562 + 77,304 = $468,866

HENRY T HUGHES , CEO THE PLAYERS...514,938 + 128,735 + 348,974 = $992,647

WORTH W CALFEE , President - Nationwide Tour...497,214 + 124,304 + 327,603 = $949,121

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pretty eye-popping numbers there huh?!?

2007 is a little harder to decipher but I'm pretty sure Flinchem made $4,750,584 that year...so he was up 50% in '08 vs. '07. If anything the '07 number looks a little low.

So you think he'll make 8-figures cash comp in 2010??

[Bar Fedora]

PS -- as I think about it the "other" bucket could include a healthy portion of non-cash comp, doesn't change the overall picture.

[China Golfer]

I don't get why everyone gets on Westwood's case for not winning in America more... for someone who's not a member of the PGA Tour he's done pretty OK; he only plays in a handful events stateside every year. Besides, during his slump - when he didn't win ANYWHERE - he wasn't even exempt for playing in the States. Cut the guy some slack. He's won a bunch in Europe, which after all is his tour. He's the world number one - and clearly deservedly so for his record over the past two years - no-one has been more consistent in the big events. He doesn't need to play in or win events like the Greater Buttkiss Arkansas Classic to prove he's the top dog.

[bs]

It's a good haul, and a good picture apart from the silly stuff on the right (although you can see why they wanted the World #1 in the shot) - they are setting themselves up if next year there's only the Harry Potter gear to show.

Let's see what happens - at least the sport has about half a dozen very interesting narratives set up for next year.

[bs]

And I know it's a commercial world, but you shouldn't wear those stupd caps in a photo like that.

[Adam Clayman]

No thoughts, other than it's a photo opportunity for the ET to say "Nah nah nah nah nah".

[Rock]

Mine's bigger than yours.

[digsouth]

BS....


must wear caps to hide forehead glare.

[digsouth]

To all my friends in Europe:

why does the high tone voice guy announcer from the Open not pee all day? Is tis some self imposed penal deal, or a psrt of the job description?


I will always enjoy him saying " Mark Calcavecchia" Classic.

[Bar Fedora]

China Golfer, "no-one has been more consistent in the big events"....is that the same as saying "Lee has a whole bunch of top-5's in the majors"?

And that's #1 material?

Lee Westwood won the New Orleans event in his 7th start on the PGA Tour, this back in 1998. It took 102 more starts before he won again on the PGA Tour. In those same 102 starts he missed 25 cuts. The previous #1 was winning an event (or more) at the same pace Lee was missing cuts.

In total on the PGA Tour Lee Westwood has 111 starts, 2 wins, and 26 missed cuts. I can clearly see why he would prefer not to take a card on the PGA Tour.

[digsouth]

i have nothing for or against LW.

I just cannot see how he plays so well with that swing.

[digsouth]

Bar:

thanx for the post.

Isn't there a law about excess compensation for non profit execs? Pretty sure there is.


Lock em up. Delay needs company.

[James H.]

d.b. thanks for the laugh - I'd love to play all your piss away golfers.

Johnson appears to have the IQ of a buffalo gnat and he's the best you got?

How many Majors does he have again?

Kaymer has one