The fate of golf would seem to lie in the hands of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club and the United States Golf Association. Can we expect that they will protect and reverence the spirit of golf?
MAX BEHR
And Na tries to play the hole with just a 6 iron to see if he can better his 16 in last year's Valero Texas Open. Kudos to all for embracing the comedy of errors instead of the old guard sweeping of "controversy" under the rug.
Bill Clinton is hosting a private fundraiser Wednesday and Arnold Palmer is flying out to greet him at The Tradition, Palmer's west coast home club.
Before then he makes history with his premiere on...Wednesday's Morning Drive in a sitdown grilling from Annika.
The Shotlink gang has broken down the numbers heading into Kapalua, home to its share of wind and mountain-slope aided 400-yard drives, and they report that 2011 was the worst year since 2003 for wayward drives bouncing endlessly along a poorly placed cart path as a handful of spectators who refused to use their bodies as shields, look on.
I must say, while the Players Championship turtle remains my favorite, getting to see a clean version of Sergio's recent club hurl backed by Scott Walker commentary, brought the artistry and technical brilliance of young Mr. Garcia's tantrum to another level.
Just think of all the hours in the gym he put in to get this one-handed (take that Tommy Bolt!) club torque and speed:
Meanwhile, John Huggan's year-in-review involves giving out awards, and while many Huggy's were great reminders of the year, this as-yet-unspoken gripe for the "Most offensive waste of money" was a favorite:
The Presidents Cup, like all events that fall under the PGA Tour umbrella, prides itself on the contribution it makes to charity. Which is great. But oh my, how much more could have been passed to deserving causes had a veritable tribe of golf officials from across the globe – there must have been at least 40 of them – not been expensively kitted out in cashmere suits and jackets for the opening and closing ceremonies at Royal Melbourne last month?
The Huggy committee does not normally jump to conclusions, but it is a safe bet that every one of those officials already owns a nice suit, one that would have failed to offend any of the watching public. What a freeloading disgrace.
Book those tickets to Augusta, Yani Tseng and Tom Lehman, the writers will be expecting you to liven up their dinner and help soothe the pain of having lost to a press release about a not-famous golfer's born-crippled Siamese kitten in the Internet Column division.
Oh yes, and to collect your GWAA player-of-the-year awards alongside Luke Donald.
Loads of good stuff in Doug Ferguson's weekly notes column and since it's a slow week, I'll start with this gem of a stat he unearthed. I'm not sure what this speaks to more, the dearth of old-style three-shotters or the sheer genius of the tour's physio's who enable the lads to hit the ball so far.
STAT OF THE WEEK: Of the 200 hardest holes on the PGA Tour this year, only one was a par 5 — the 14th hole at Pebble Beach was tied for 20th with an average score of 5.341.
Thankfully there is little going on in the golf world, which allows for a little reflection on the year and I can't think of a better way than to look at the work of some of the game's talented photographers.
Golf Digest posts their favorite shots of the year, including Steve Szurlej's photo of Rory McIlroy teeing off at Congressional's remarkable 10th hole scene
Golfweek offers up a large sampling "in no particular order" of images from Tracy Wilcox's shooting adventures for Golfweek in 2011.
And Golf.com goes for the heartstrings with a golfers and their dogs slideshow.
I really enjoy year-in-review items and Steve Elling posts the best overview of the year in pro golf, with this reminder for what continues to be an amazing story that hopefully gets plenty of attention during the first half of 2012:
Storybook tale continues: The Nationwide Tour doesn't get much coverage for obvious reasons. After all, Triple-A baseball doesn't, either. But one of the most heart-warming, fulfilling stories of the year continued to develop on the Nationwide this year when Erik Compton finished 13th in earnings to secure his PGA Tour card for 2012. Compton is, quite simply, a medical marvel and an inspiration in spikes. He's the only known sports figure in the world making a living in a professional game after having received a heart transplant, much less two of them. The obstacles that Compton has overcome defy description.
And what do Dan Quayle, Jack Nicklaus, Kevin Na, Roger Ebert and Luke Donald have in common? They're all part of Mike Walker's compilation of the best quotes of the year.
Regardless of how you feel about the strength/size of field, the course, the time of year or Tiger himself, Doug Ferguson's review of Woods's win sums up why this is a little different. He's stating the obvious, but sometimes the obvious gets lost in the obsession over numbers and personalities.
Woods could win his first tournament of 2012 in Abu Dhabi, and skeptics won’t think it matters until he wins on the PGA Tour (Europe has more top players, though the depth is lacking). He could win at Pebble Beach, and some will say the only measure is the majors.
Here’s how to gauge Sunday: It was a significant win because it was significant to Woods.
He said in August that his left leg feels as strong as it has in years, and that much should be believed. “If the man is healthy, that’s paramount,” Johnson said.
Woods said he has been working hard on his new swing over the last three months, and that much was evident based on the quality of shots he hit at the Australian Open, at the Presidents Cup and at the Chevron World Challenge.
What he needs is confidence, and making two key putts with a tournament on the line is only going to help.
Even Pond Scrummers Huggan and Elling are impressed with the win.
Elling: Wise man, the King. To me, the most important part of the week came in the final 15 minutes, when Woods knew he was down by a shot with two holes to play, and delivered three tactically correct full swings and two clutch birdie putts when he needed them. The rest of the day was full of ups and downs, left and rights, but at the end, it was vintage fare. Long time coming, and it has to do wonders for his state of mind.
Huggan: Is there anyone out there who doesn't want Woods to get back to something like his old form? I know I do. I want to see him taking on another generation of guys he hasn't already speared through the heart multiple times. If that comes to pass, 2012 is going to be a fascinating year of golf at the highest level.
Doug Ferguson captures Tiger Woods' first win in two years with his lede:
After going more than two years and 26 tournaments without a win, and after so much turmoil in his personal life and with his golf game, Tiger Woods stood over a 6-foot birdie putt Sunday to win the Chevron World Challenge and felt as though nothing had changed.
Finally, the outcome was familiar, too.
After his last putt, from 6 feet, fell, Woods reacted as if he had just won his 15th major. He let out a primal scream and pumped his right fist so vigorously it was a wonder he did not wrench his arm out of its socket. With a doff of his cap, he spun around to acknowledge the couple of thousand fans circling the green. Woods also let reporters in on his celebration by sending several bottles of Champagne to the media center.
Ron Sirak summarizes what the win means for Woods.
Throughout his career -- when he was the Full Tiger -- Woods maintained that haunting ability to recede into a tunnel of concentration and dismantle his opposition first mentally and then physically with his shot making. On Sunday, Woods had that look in his eye again. And, when it mattered most, he had the shots to back it up.
"My immediate thoughts?" he said, repeating the question when asked what went through his mind after the birdie putt on No. 18 gave him a final-round 69 and a one-stroke victory. "I wasn't really thinking," he said. "I think I was yelling."
Yes, he was yelling, and ripping a pumped first through the air that had the power of a Tyson right cross. When the winning putt dropped, there was an eruption of joy from the gallery as well as from those in Woods' inner circle who have endured an extremely difficult two years. Fittingly, the victory drought ended at a tournament that benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation.
Sean Martin on the impressive finish and the 9-irons played by Woods.
Then Woods did what he does best. Two holes, two 9-irons and two clutch putts later, everyone got what they wanted. Woods hit a 9-iron from 172 yards on the par-3 17th, then sank a 15-foot birdie putt after Johnson missed from a similar distance. A stinger 3-iron off the 18th tee set up another 9-iron shot, this one from 158 yards, on Sherwood’s final hole.
Woods watched his ball in mid-air, walking down the fairway with both hands holding the club chest-high, perpendicular to the ground. His ball landed inside Johnson’s, which was about 12 feet from the hole. Woods approached the green with his left hand jammed in his pocket and his right loosely gripping his club, lightly twirling it as he strode. Ho-hum.
Brian Wacker on Tiger after the round exhibiting a sense of humor.
Yes, Tiger is back -- at least he was on this day and that gives him a lot of confidence going into 2012.
"I think if I have a good year I should be on the ballot for Comeback Player of the Year," Woods joked.
Kidding aside, sitting at the podium was a position not even Woods could have imagined six months ago as he sat at home on his couch, his leg up and sidelined by another knee injury. Questions swirled about his game, his health and his future. Sunday's win provided at least some answers.
"I had to get healthy and to where I was strong and explosive again so I could practice," Woods said. "Then my practice sessions started building and building and building. I got better each week, and that's because I was healthy and able to get the reps in."
Bob Harig puts the win in perspective and also talks to Joe LaCava, who issues much better stock quotes than his predecessor.
But he had to start somewhere, didn't he?
"Winning means everything to him whether it's an 18-man field or Augusta National,'' said veteran caddie Joe LaCava, who has been on Woods' bag since October. "He wants to win and get in the winner's circle. He knows it's not 144 guys. He knows it's not the Masters.
"But still, winning is winning and you're beating 17 other really good players on a tough golf course in tough conditions. It means a lot. It wouldn't have been the end of the world if he lost and it's not the end of the world that he won. But it does mean a lot.''
Farrell Evans talked to a few Q-Schoolers about Tiger's performance at the Chevron World Challenge (incidentally the last under the oil company name, reports Doug Ferguson). Safe to say Jeff Maggert won't be getting a sponsor's invite anytime soon.
"I'm sure he'll count it as a win," said Jeff Maggert, who shot a 6-under 66 on Sunday at the Stadium Course. "But 18 guys? C'mon! At this time of year, you're fat on turkey looking forward to Christmas.
You can read the entire post round interview with Woods here.
I would add a couple of random notes from the day. First, the golf course, which was frozen right up to the moments before the first group went out. It was a delight watching the tour staff, superintendent Sean Dyer and impressive crew determine if they could stick with the planned-on tee times, then so quickly prepare a defrosting Sherwood for play.
And the firmness and speed remained in the greens even after the thaw, so while some will understandably downplay the field size, time of year and quality of the design, winning on a Sherwood playing as firm and fast as it can is noteworthy. No, it wasn't as fast and fiery as a top major or Cup venue like Royal Melbourne, but it was certainly not in any way soft and when you include the wacky winds all week, this was as complete a test as you're going to get in the States. (I think the relatively high scoring on a five par-5 course speaks to this.)
Now, onto the visuals. PGATour.com posts video of the final two birdies. And right after the winning putt, do note the graceful way Mark Rolfing takes off his shades and hands them to his schlepper!
The Sportscenter highlights:
Geoff
**Robert Lusetich on the normalcy of Woods' win.
“I felt normal,” he said. “I know it’s been a while, but also for some reason it feels like it hasn’t.”
He then dug deep into his old school playlist, to LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out” — released when Woods was just 14 years old — to emphasize the point.
“It’s pretty funny because one of my buddies texted me this morning (with) an old LL Cool J lyric: ‘Don’t call it a comeback; I been here for years.’
“I can’t wait to text him back.”
In other words, Woods doesn’t think he’s back because, in his mind, he never really left. Maybe the great ones have to think like that.
But the truth is, win No. 83 wasn’t like any before.
Jill Painter on the wild fan scene at Sherwood, where record crowds turned up.
They wanted Woods back in the victory circle and let their feet do the talking. They walked through the gates of Sherwood Country Club in record fashion, 68,294 over the past five days.
Woods high-fived a fan en route to signing his scorecard, and the teenage boy said: "I'm never washing my hand again."
Boys dressed in Rickie Fowler orange stuck around and tried to implore Woods' ball into the hole with words.
Woods' heroics turned actor Stephen Bishop, who was in "Moneyball," into an obsessed fan jockeying for Woods' autograph Sunday. Bishop kept asking Woods if he liked the movie, hoping that would get him to sign his hat. There were too many people, five-deep, wanting the same thing as Bishop.
For those wondering what that plane is doing at the Chevron World Challenge this weekend, here's a news release explaining what's up. Though I'm not sure about cleverness of announcing such a stunt in advance.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DECEMBER 3, 2011
Chevron Challenged for Environmental Crimes at Golf Tournament
Groups Demand Company Follow Court Orders and Clean up Toxic Mess in Ecuador
Thousand Oaks, CA – Today Rainforest Action Network (RAN) and Amazon Watch challenged Chevron Chairman and CEO John S. Watson with a high-flying demand that he clean up his company’s toxic mess in the Ecuadorian Amazon. An airplane banner will circle overhead for three hours on two days of the Chevron World Challenge golf tournament, calling on the executive to remediate the environmental disaster in Ecuador after three decades of contaminating the country's rainforest in reckless pursuit of profit.
RAN and Amazon Watch sponsored this message to Chevron, demanding that the company abide by the $18 billion judgment resulting from one of the world's largest oil-related disasters in history. In a historic ruling this fall, a group of Ecuadorian indigenous and farming communities prevailed over Chevron in both U.S. and Ecuadorian courts in their legal efforts to hold the company accountable for human rights violations and the ongoing environmental crisis it caused in Ecuador. CEO Watson and other Chevron executives routinely defy court orders by stating publically that they will never pay.
“Chevron has spent the last 18 years waging unprecedented public relations and legal campaigns to avoid dealing with the environmental and public health catastrophe it left in the Amazon rainforest,” said Ginger Cassady, Director of RAN’s Change Chevron campaign. “Today we’re challenging Chevron to clean more than their public image and repair the toxic legacy left in Ecuador.”
Today’s banner action comes on the heels of damning statements from another group of Latin Americans: government and regulatory officials in Brazil. After Chevron spilled an estimated 110,000 gallons of pure crude into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of the state of Rio, Brazilian officials were outraged by Chevron executives’ response. At first Chevron lied about the origin of the spill, then they low-balled the number of barrels spilled into the ocean and told regulators the damage was contained when it wasn’t. Brazilian officials are threatening fines up to $145 million, as well as possible prison terms, for what they describe as Chevron’s "environmental crimes."
“From Ecuador to Brazil, Chevron has cemented its position in South America as an ambassador of arrogance and environmental racism,” said Mitch Anderson, Corporate Campaigns Director at Amazon Watch. “This is a company that consistently flouts the rule of law with tremendous hubris. As we know from the ancient Greeks, hubris comes with an awful price.”
The Brazil spill is the most recent embarrassment for Watson during his tenure as Chevron’s chief executive. The Ecuador disaster has generated negative publicity for 18 years and cost Chevron hundreds of millions of dollars in legal fees.
Both Chevron and the Ecuadorians have appealed the $18 billion judgment in Ecuador. The Ecuadorians are arguing for a higher damage award. If the judgment is upheld by the country's appeals court, the Ecuadorians will prepare to seize Chevron's assets in other countries, possibly in Latin America, as the company no longer owns assets in Ecuador.
And sadly, the transcript did not reflect what he actually said, but there were witnesses!
Q. Tiger, recently you told me that last year when you came to this event you could only hit the ball one way and still were able to take it to a playoff to nearly win. With a year now under your belt and all the talk we've had about how more comfortable you are, what is your expectation level for this week in terms of going out there and winning?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, last year I was very limited in what I could do, and like I told Sean last year, I just gotta rely on my putter, and hopefully some of the pins set up and the wind sets up correctly for me because I only had that one shot at the time. But now, I feel very comfortable maneuvering the ball both ways and changing my trajs as well, so I'm excited about this week. It'll be interesting tomorrow.
That trajs was actually "trajies" or, "trajeys" or, well, you get the idea.
Ron Sirak reports on the Tiger's sitdown with the scribes and local TV sports anchormen a day before his foundation's event kicks off at Sherwood.
Doug Ferguson focuses on Tiger's comments about wind showing him where his swing is.
It wasn't the results, or even the scores, that pleased him. It was his play in blustery conditions — testing conditions in Sydney at The Lakes, even more demanding in Melbourne.
"Anybody who makes swing changes ... you get exposed in the wind," Woods said Wednesday. "I felt very comfortable in that wind, which was great."
Brian Wacker noted a rare moment of self-deprecating humor from Tiger.
Geoff
**Robert Lusetich focuses on Woods' glaringly different body language heading into the first round.
Fifteen months after starting to work with Foley — several of those months lost to injury — Woods believes he’s finally ready to return to the big stage.
“Absolutely I can sense it,” he said. “I’ve made tremendous strides.”
His friend Notah Begay III asked Woods what it felt like to be in contention at the Australian Open, where he ultimately finished third, his best result of the year.
“I told him I felt nothing,” Woods said.
“And he says, ‘Good, because you’re not supposed to. You’re supposed to be there.‘
"I said, 'Yeah, I know.'"
