If I Had Tiger's Money They'd Never Find Me

Mike Kern in the Philadelphia Daily News catches up with Chris Patton, the heavyset 1989 U.S. Amateur Champion at Merion.

For one week in August 16 years ago, Patton owned the sport. The 6-1 Clemson senior, who made Craig Stadler look like Richard Simmons, came to Merion as a relative unknown and left with a place in history. He won the U.S. Amateur, beating another surprise, 32-year-old Danny Green, in the 36-hole final, 3 and 1. Phil Mickelson and Jay Sigel were among the favorites that year.

It made for great copy. The Amateur returns to Merion next week for the first time since then. Patton's story will be replayed. He had never seen the course before. He has never been back. His caddie, Chris Stout, had never seen it before, either. "So we're standing on the tee," Patton said at the time, "and I ask him what the hole does, and he says, 'I don't really know.' So right away, I'm thinking this ain't too great. But he turned out to be a big help. I really appreciated him pushing me along. Together, we sort of figured it out."

And my favorite line from Patton:

"You know, if I had Tiger's money," he confides, "they'd never find me."

Frank Fitzpatrick in the Philadelphia Inquirer writes about another U.S. Amateur winner at Merion, Bobby Jones.

The Golf Gene

NY Times columnist John Tierney writes about "The Golf Gene." He theorizes on why men are drawn to golf, why women are not and he touches on his experiences in disc golf.

Basically, he's trying to do a Maureen Dowd anthropological/pop culture/Freudian analysis column, minus the wit.

Fast and Fiery

Lawrence Donegan writes from Firestone about Paul McGinley's fine play and his thoughts on course setup.

Paul McGinley, one of the more thoughtful members of the professional circuit and therefore one of the more strident critics of the obsession with ever longer courses, sounded like a man who had found nirvana yesterday and not just because he shot a four-under-par 66 to vault up the leaderboard at the NEC Invitational here. Firestone Country Club, built in 1929 as a recreational facility for the workers at the eponymous rubber company, is an old-style course, its narrow fairways lined with matured trees and its greens defended by subtle slopes. At 7,360 yards it is not particularly long by PGA tour standards, yet with the average score for the first two rounds at a fraction below 72 - two over par - it is one of the more troublesome.

What does it say when 7,360 yards is "not particularly long by PGA Tour standards?"

"That's because the course is playing fast and fiery," the Irishman said. "Why don't people get it into their heads that the way to stop technology is not necessarily holding the ball back. Let's find a way of making the courses fast and fiery like it was today. That way length isn't so important; then ball control becomes important; course management becomes a factor; keeping the ball below the pin as well."

Sadly Paul, most in golf think that fast and fiery is bad because such conditions merely shorten courses. The other benefits (premium on placement, variety of shots, accuracy, introduction of temptation, etc...) just don't outweigh the desire to prevent the occassional 350 yard drive. Of course, the players carry it so far now (thanks to those workout programs) that the 350 yard drives are all carry and no roll! 

Rough Raking

If you want a good laugh, go to the 2005 PGA's official site and click on the home page link to "Launch Photo Gallery." 

Once there, look to the right side of your screen and select images for Sunday, Round 4. The first image in the upper left of the thumbnail gallery is a shot of one of the volunteers proudly raking the rough. You can't make this stuff up!

Rangefinder Update

Jeff Shelman in the Minneapolis Star Tribune regurgitates the Laser Link press package while writing about founder Michael Plitman's quest to speed up play (and sell $240 devices to golfers). Shelman does have some new information on the reported USGA-R&A agreement first reported by Jim Achenbach in Golfweek: not yet.

Last week, officials from the USGA and the Royal and Ancient Golf Association -- the game's governing body outside of the United States -- met in Kohler, Wis. Changing Rule 14-3b was one of the items discussed. Plitman is confident that the rule will be changed effective Jan. 1, but it has yet to be announced.

He also notes:

Golf legends Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer both have a share in the company, and the range finder is installed on their home courses.

It's All About The Brand...

Larry Stewart in the LA Times talks to Mark Shapiro, ESPN's executive vice president of programming and production. Shapiro is leaving the network and is known to not be a big fan of golf. Tim Finchem probably won't be shedding many tears. But more importantly, the ESPN brand will be losing a dear friend in Shapiro:

"Yes, I have a great job. I love my job. I love my boss. I love my employees, I love the ESPN brand.

"I'm leaving for a bigger and better opportunity. We are trying to take over a theme-park company that is seriously underperforming.

"At ESPN, I was in the entertainment business. My aim was to raise ratings and strengthen the brand. At Six Flags, I'll be trying to improve attendance and strengthen the brand."

Schneider in Golf World

The lead to Stu Schneider's Golf World PGA TV column:

Now I know why that new Kyra Sedgwick cop show was promoted so often during the PGA on TNT. On the first show, Gary McCord, David Feherty and Bobby Clampett guest star as suspects in the murder of the English language.

Add Campbell To the List

U.S. Open winner Michael Campbell is another one who just doesn't get it. A liberal technophobe not only living among us, but winning a major .

"It's going the wrong way by toughening the golf courses up through length," said Campbell.

"They should put a stop to something because it's getting ridiculous now. There's no controlled shot now. Technology has really helped players with a lot of clubhead speed, Ernie (Els), Tiger (Woods), John (Daly), rather than the average guy like myself."

Wait, you mean the average golfer isn't getting the benefits that the pros are? I'm stunned.

The rest of the quotes in the story are painful, but should be read to be believed. Darren Clarke and Luke Donald want more rough. Tall, nasty stuff.  No mention of more narrowing from any of them, perhaps because they realize that hasn't done a bit of good.

I wonder what makes them think that taller, thicker rough will be a positive?

It's also fascinating that yet again, it's the courses that have the burden to address the situation, not the governing bodies.

Firestone's Bowling Alleys

I forgot to point out this interesting quote from Tiger's NEC early week press conference.

Q. You say this is one of the best golf courses. Tell us why.

TIGER WOODS: It's straightforward. There's no hidden agendas. There's no elephant burial grounds like we play nowadays where it's target golf and the fairway angles so that it ends at a certain distance and that's it. Every hole is like a bowling alley and you've got to somehow fit a ball down there.

Never heard "bowling alley" used to describe a course in a positive way!

Hannigan on the PGA

Frank Hannigan says the PGA's Sunday debacle is actually worse than it appears and ends with this anecdote:

When the l967 Open was played at Baltusrol — the one Nicklaus won after hitting an ungodly l iron to the final green — there was a monumental thunder storm immediately after Nicklaus and his fellow competitor, one Arnold Palmer, holed out.

The USGA Executive Committee at its next meeting voted unanimously that it would never again schedule a U.S. Open to end after 6 p.m. so that it would have more than two hours, on the year's longest days to cope with weather delays. That action was simply ignored by the present crop of USGA nickel-and-dimers at Bethpage.

Ah, there were giants in those days. There are weasels in these days.

My Tent Is Bigger Than Your Tent

The Boston Globe's Jim McCabe reports in Golf World on The Country Club and their 2013 U.S. Open hopes (or is it a dilemma?). He ends this excellent piece, clearly with a bad taste in his mouth after speaking to USGA and PGA officials:

In 1999 the folks at The Country Club provided the stage for what would prove a measuring stick by which all golf spectacles would be judged and especially impressive was the 20,000-square-foot merchandise tent. Nice, but guess what?

 "We could have fit it inside our merchandise tent at Shinnecock Hills [at the 2004 U.S. Open] two or three times," said a USGA official, sounding very much like a PGA of America official.

Hit A 1-Iron By the Plaque and Still Not Get There

E. Michael Johnson in Golf World writes that technology has not rendered Baltusrol obsolete because, well, the scores were higher than '93 and because Davis Love says so.

"Technology has not changed as much as everyone makes it out to," said Love."We can hit 1-irons by the [Nicklaus] plaque and still not get there."

We can hit 1-irons by the [Nicklaus] plaque and still not get there?

Did Davis mean to say that the players can hit a drive by the plaque with a 1-iron and still not get home in two? Or did Love mean that you would hit driver past the plaque but still not reach the green in two with a 1 iron? 

I think it was the latter of the two based on what Johnson wrote:

Love wasn't speaking hypothetically. During a practice round last week, he hit a number of 1-irons from where the Golden Bear famously knocked a 238-yard 1-iron onto Baltusrol's 18th on the 72nd hole in '67--and failed to reach the green with any of them.

First, who carries a 1-iron anymore? Second, Tiger's hitting 7 iron from 190 into 18, so he would go at the green from the plaque with what, 4 iron from 238? Now he is working out! Goosen hit 5-iron from not far in front of the plaque, so a key fact seems to have been left out here: what kind of wind was Love hitting into.

Or Davis really needs to have his lofts checked.

Johnson sees technology has not having an impact by pointing out that the winning scorewas higher than it was for the 1993 Open, and he writes:

As for those claiming it's because they lengthened the track by 300-plus yards and grew rough, well, the cost of rough was fair: 0.489 of a stroke--hardly excessive.

No mention that the fairway widths were 10-15 yards narrower than the '93 Open, as reported by Golf Digest's Ron Whitten. The fairway is oh, 20-40% narrower this time around. What will they be next time, 10-15 yards wide? Is there a concern at that width as opposed to 25 yards on a sloping fairway?  Apparently not.

Finally, this:

As for the added length, [Kenny] Perry says it equals out. "You're hitting your driver farther so the holes are playing about where we played from in 1993," said Perry. "I'm playing my approaches from about the same spots." Added Janzen, "Even though technology has advanced how far we hit the ball, I hit a lot longer clubs to the greens today than I [did then]."

Huh? So for some, the course is lengthened and it balances out to play the same. But Janzen hits longer clubs to the greens than he did in 93, even though technology has helped him advance his ball?

Maybe someone else needs to get their lofts checked.