Behind The Scenes With Captain Love

There are no startling revelations in Alex Miceli's entertaining look at Davis Love's Captain's pick selection process, but it's hard not to take away from the piece that (A) even Brandt Snedeker's of the world pretty much never see the inside of a commercial airport terminal these days, (B) Davis solicited advice from just about everyone, including son Dru when it came time to start whittling the names down, and (C) Jim Furyk was the lock of all locks.

Anyway, from Miceli's Golfweek story:

After the PGA, Love relied on a lifelong habit of his late father’s. Davis Love Jr., a teaching professional who died in a 1988 plane crash, was noted for writing his thoughts on a yellow legal pad. So Love III wrote the contenders’ names in a column on a legal pad, plus the eight qualifiers’ and his four assistant captains’: Couples, Mike Hulbert, Jeff Sluman and Scott Verplank. Love also included his brother, Mark, and son, Dru, on the list.

In late August, Love asked each one on the list to offer his picks during the week of The Barclays and then early in the next week’s Deutsche Bank.

“I made my little chart,” Love said of the voters’ suggestions. “That gave me some clarity that we had guys really, really agreeing from two to three players pretty consistently.”

Comments

[Del the Funk]

And to think Tiger's win at Memorial didn't really count because all the Euro's were "tired" after winging it back from Wentworth while enveloped kid glove leather covered Lazy-Boy's aboard G4's and the like!

Speaking of the Euro Tour, today they announced the cancellation of the Andalucia Masters. That's the fourth Euro Tour event in Spain cancelled this year (others...Madrid Open, Castellon Masters, Iberdrola Open).

From yahoo sports --> "European Tour boss George O'Grady says "this is extremely disappointing news to receive, especially at such a late date"...Andalucia officials say government austerity measures led to their budget being slashed, meaning they can't come up with the 3 million euros ($3.84 million) needed in prize money."

Now hold on a minute, the government was kicking in? Where's the outrage like when govt funds were used to finance the Australian Masters?

Additionally, I thought this Euro Tour was now considered the equal of the PGA Tour? What gives?

[Del the Funk]

A few other snippets from a Guardian article...

George O'Grady, the chief executive of the European Tour, also suggested the body will now be looking for recompense. "This is an area we have a tight legal contract with which is being ignored. We have been long-term partners with the Junta for over 25 years."

(similar to the "ironclad" contracts the PGA Tour had with Bobby Ginn?)

"This year a lucrative matchplay event in Turkey – featuring Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood and Luke Donald among others – will take place in early October."

(bet that one doesn't have any trouble with funding, Tiger is showing up...takes place a week or two before Andalucia scheduled)

"We always felt this one would be rescued, and we were prepared to go the extra mile with our own money, whether we cut the prize fund or things like that..."

(sounds like a miserable situation...where does the next domino fall?)

[KCMG]

Have you people no idea what is going on in the Eurozone, particularly affecting Spain (among the ET countries? Greece, mercifully, has no event).

The Spanish economy, albeit bucked up slightly by decisions made in Germany a day or two ago, has been in freefall for some considerable time. If there are stringencies to be observed, golf may well precede hospitals in public funding cuts, and golf may precede layoffs in private sponsor cuts.

As for public funding in Europe, the European Tour has been a building project since its inception. It has always had a role in helping foster the growth of golf throughout Europe and, later in its trajectory, elsewhere in the world, and to that extent has often partnered with governments interested in developing a golf profile in their own countries. I believe the outcry in Australia was not about the organization of the event but over the fact that public money was going toward paying a single figure his appearance fee.

[DTF]

KCMG, of course we do.... And it shouldnt have caught George O'Gady by surprise either but obviously it did and he didn't have a backup plan in place.

Are you aware of how bad thing are in places like California or Mississippi or Louisiana? The PGA Tour has never cancelled an event that was weeks away due to lack of funding, at least not that I am aware of. Personally not a big fan of Finchem but bottom line he has a better model, better players, better funding, and top to bottom a better tour. Don't get me wrong, the Euro Tour us a GREAT little tour, if I were good enough I'd for sure go play it for a while....but it's not close to being in the same league with the PGA Tour.

As for the Oz appearance fee....all tourneys have revenues, and expenses. Who and how much is not relevant, what matters is were overall finances properly managed such that the event was a success and would be ongoing? Yes in Oz, no at Andalucia.