What Would You Rather Watch Files...Tiger Early Vs. French Open Playoff Edition

I have to tell you I was riveted checking online for the results while the Golf Channel was showing every move Tiger made Sunday morning. The SI/golf.com gang wasn't too enthralled to miss the French Open playoff, either.

Hack: Was anybody else miffed that Golf Channel switched its coverage Sunday from the European Tour's French Open playoff to show Tiger and the other final-round rabbits at the AT&T? Jimenez had just lit his cigar, for crying out loud! I know television is about ratings, but as a viewer I felt cheated, and I bet I wasn't alone.

Herre: Geez, Damon. Stuck for something to do on the 4th of July?

Hack: I was cramming! Not easy driving these rowdy Confidential buses!

Evans: I was mad as hell about it since I had been watching the tournament since 9 am.

Typical east coast elitist! Just imagine living on the west coast and watching since 6 a.m. Go on...

I know the Golf Channel has contractual obligations with the PGA Tour and the sponsors, but for the love and respect of the game ...

Van Sickle: Early coverage, with or without Tiger, is lame. It does not make for good TV.

I'm hoping the fallout from weak PGA Tour ratings is a rethinking by networks of how many hours they cover in the new contract. It seems the networks could pick up the leaders for the opening nine on Golf Channel and present a tighter, more compelling 2 hour telecast on the network. Anyone else for that?

"One Open place has been reserved for the leading player, not already exempt, finishing in the top five at each of the Barclays Scottish Open and the John Deere Classic."

What do you think of those contingency exemptions by the R&A and should the USGA follow suit? I'm still saying no, the more qualifying spots the better...


"For one or two days of the Women’s Open, the second hole will be set up to play as a drivable 250-yard par 4."

Bradley Klein notes what should make for even more interesting viewing at this week's Women's U.S. Open.

That will make the hole doubly interesting, because the lay-up – dealing with that mid-fairway bunker short of the green – would be no simple matter. As for trying to drive the green, players would face a formidable challenge thanks to six greenside bunkers. Depending on the hole location, being short-sided would leave a near-impossible recovery and place par very much in doubt.

“The L.P.G.A. needs its stars right now.”

Reader Tim enjoyed Karen Crouse's pre-U.S. Women's Open look at the role motherhood plays in LPGA career decisions, focusing on Cristie Kerr's choice to put off child rearing to pursue her career. But as Tim notes, there is one major oversight in the piece: 2009 Women's Open Championship winner Catriona Matthew, who won just eleven weeks after giving birth.

Every day, Stevens said, they talk about starting a family. At 45, he gets paternal pangs watching a television commercial with a father frolicking with his children, but is careful not to press Kerr about having a baby.

“There’s a little pressure on her,” he said. “The L.P.G.A. needs its stars right now.”

For Kerr, the impediment to motherhood is golf, and there is no automatic relief. A woman’s athletic prime and her peak child-bearing years are like carbon copy pages in her reproductive calendar. A woman’s fertility peaks in her mid-20s and declines sharply after the age of 35, a real conundrum for golfers, whose games, like the courses they play, take years to mature.

“I really feel like I can be No. 1 in the world,” Kerr, 32, said before this season. “I feel like I’m just coming into my golfing prime. I’m just starting to be in the best shape of my life.”

Meanwhile the SI boys are smitten with Kerr after she made an office visit to tape a video for the severely overpriced ($4.99) iPad edition:

Gorant: Kerr was in the office last week, and I can tell you she's brimming with confidence, deservedly. Almost feels like too obvious a pick though. Someone will surprise, especially on a course like Oakmont, which seems to be all about the unexpected.

Herre: Look for Cristie in this week's SI iPad edition, where there's video of her taking the Pop Culture Grid quiz.

Van Sickle: Watch out for Hilary Lunke and Birdie Kim.

"TEAMS AND CAPTAINS ANNOUNCED FOR THE OPEN CHAMPIONS CHALLENGE"

Even though Seve can't make it and Jack has said his St. Andrews goodbye, they've assembled a stellar field for Wednesday, July 14th's pre Open Champions Challenge.

Each team will have a captain for the Challenge.  The captains of the seven teams are the most senior competitors.  Peter Thomson, whose team of Tiger Woods, Sir Nick Faldo and Mark Calcavecchia boasts a total of 12 Open Championships between them, will be a non-playing captain as he is unable to play for medical reasons.
 
The winning team will be presented with a cheque for £50,000 to be donated to charities of their choice.
 
“We anticipate a very special occasion”, said David Hill, The R&A’s Director of Championships.  “I am sure all supporters of The Open Championship will be excited by the prospect of seeing so many legends of the game make their way around the Old Course’s natural arena”
 
The Pipes and Drums of The Black Watch 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, one of the world’s most celebrated pipe-bands, will get the event underway at 3.10pm on Wednesday 14 July before play begins at 3.40pm.
 
Tickets are still available for Wednesday with a ticket providing full access to the course to see players practise as well as for The Open Champions Challenge.  Large crowds are anticipated and spectators may wish to book now to avoid queues at the pay gates.
 
Ticket Prices
Adults £40
65+ yrs £30
16-21 yrs £20
Under 16 yrs — Free of charge
 
Format
The Open Champions Challenge will be played over holes 1, 2, 17 & 18 of The Old Course.  The best score recorded at each hole by an individual player will count as the team score.
 
TEAM AS FOLLOWS (Captains in Bold)
 
3:40     Roberto de Vicenzo
            Ben Curtis
            Tom Lehman
            Sandy Lyle
 
3:52     Peter Thomson
            Mark Calcavecchia
            Sir Nick Faldo
            Tiger Woods
 
4:04     Arnold Palmer
            Ian Baker-Finch
            Stewart Cink
            Mark O’Meara
 
4:16     Gary Player
            Todd Hamilton
            Justin Leonard
            Greg Norman
 
4:28     Bob Charles
            John Daly
            David Duval
            Bill Rogers
 
4:40     Lee Trevino
            Padraig Harrington
            Tony Jacklin
            Paul Lawrie
 
4:52     Tom Weiskopf
            Ernie Els
            Tom Watson

"It would be preposterous to play an event week before Wimbledon on a clay court but such is the commercial reality of the golf tour"

Mike Clayton offers his thoughts on the weekend in golf, but leads with an item on the absurdity of playing a soggy American-style layout for the Scottish Open the week before the Open on a links. Apparently his design partner, Geoff Ogilvy was listening as he withdrew to prepare for the Open by playing a week's worth of links golf.


"It has a little bit to do with the ball."

In Doug Ferguson's account of Tiger's switch to a slightly harder cover in preparation for the Open Championship, it is suggested that his improved driving distance is a combination of ball and improved mechanics.

"The more I keep playing, the better I get," Woods said Saturday after recovering from an atrocious start to shoot even-par 70, making up little ground in the AT&T National. "It has a little bit to do with the ball."

Woods still uses a One Tour, this ball marked with a star symbol between the two words. He started using it this week at Aronimink, most likely as part of his preparations for the British Open in two weeks at St. Andrews, where the wind is often a major factor.

The world's No. 1 player often has talked about how he uses one of the softest golf balls on tour, which gives him greater control around the greens. This version would be helpful in windy conditions because it spins less.

This is the real eye-opener:

Once among the longest hitters in golf, Woods was 21st in driving distance last year. Going into the AT&T National, he was ranked 78th based on two measured drives per round. Through two rounds on a fast, firm Aronimink course, Woods was leading the tournament in driving distance at just over 328 yards.

His additional length was most evident during the second round, when he was playing with Dustin Johnson. On consecutive holes, Woods hit one drive 26 yards past Johnson, and another 10 yards past him. Both led to birdies.

So, we've heard all of these years that the ball is not the real reason for distance gains over the last decade. And we've been told that rolling back the Overall Distance Standard via new ball rules would be complicated and in general, not feasible. Yet here we have Tiger switching balls (and perhaps improving his swing), but we are seeing a serious difference in his driving distance with a simple switch.

Why can't we contemplate a future with a ball that has the characteristics of the pellet Tiger's been using?  A little spinnier, but sharing many of the components that make the modern ball last longer?

Rose Leads By Four: World Braces For Next Jim Nantz Reading Of A Floral-Themed Apropos Lyric

Should Justin Rose go on to win his second PGA Tour event in three starts and set himself up as a favorite heading into the Open Championship, it's hard to imagine a more emotional reading than last time.

But in the interest of helping out Jim Nantz's assistant, would anyone care to nominate their favorite rose-themed song for possible inclusion in tomorrow's final round AT&T National telecast?

Why Go Back To Congressional When You Have Philadelphia?

I never understood the AT&T National locking itself into Congressional for several years past the 2011 U.S. Open, and having seen just a bit of the event today at Aronimink, you have to think someone is wondering if they can get out of the contract and move the event to Philadelphia. Even if Anonimink doesn't want it on an annual basis, perhaps a rotation of classic designs in the area?

Which Apocalyptic Sign Is This?

Nine remaining contestants will receive a surprise visit from course designer Greg Norman for the opening challenge, with the winners receiving immunity to the next episode.  For the remaining contestants, the popular “glass break challenge” returns, followed by an emotional challenge that will eliminate one contestant from the series.  Each player is competing to win her “Big Break” – tournament sponsor exemptions to the Lorena Ochoa Invitational presented by Bamanex and Corona Light on the LPGA Tour and the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters on the Ladies European Tour.

So does this speak to the state of Greg Norman's image and course design career that he's resorting to reality show appearances at courses he's designed, or is this just how watched and followed the "Big Break" series has become?

Judging by the story on Norman's site, this appears to be a badge of honor...

The 13th season of Golf Channel's popular series, Big Break, premieres on Monday, June 21st at the 18-hole, Greg Norman-designed golf course at Sandals Emerald Bay, Great Exuma, Bahamas - the newest Luxury Included® Sandals Resort. Featuring an all-female cast of 11 aspiring professional golfers, the 10-episode reality series showcases the contestants competing against one another in a variety of physical and mental challenges. During Big Break Sandals Resorts, one contestant is eliminated each week, with the final player receiving a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to earn a sponsor's exemption to the Lorena Ochoa Invitational and the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters.

$100 Million...

...more like it, no? Still a lot of money. Elin would have to win ten Fed Ex Cups. Just saying.

TMZ Isn't Always The Problem...

...what does it say that they are the voice of reason in shooting down the ridiculous stories about Tiger having to cough up a $750 million divorce settlement. I don't care what he might have invested in, it's not possible that he has that much money.