"And of course, there's always the chance he'll get shot."

From reader Don, who watched today's opening round of the Farmer's Insurance Open telecast on Sky Sports with John Hopkins sitting in as one of the announcers:

So he's lumbering on about why he figures Tiger won't match or better Jack's major record. Towards the end he says something to the effect:

'And of course, there's always the chance he'll get shot. Look what happened in Arizona just the other day. I've written about this before...'

That woke me out of my GC stupor. What a whacked out conflation of sport and who knows what...?

Sadly, he was correct, it's not the first time Hopkins has made the suggestion.

"What are the chances that someone actually defends their title when they're not Tiger Woods?"

Reader Tim took exception to something Ben Crane said this week about defending at Torrey Pines. From a BBC posted item:

The defending champion is Ben Crane and asked about his own prospects of recording back-to-back wins at Torrey Pines, he replied: "I'm thinking about it casually here, but I'm not really expecting a lot this week.

"What are the chances that someone actually defends their title when they're not Tiger Woods? It doesn't happen very often."

On the European Tour this season alone there have been three defending champs pulling off a repeat: Pablo Martin, Charl Schwartzel, Martin Kaymer.

Narrow Thinking At Torrey North

I don't think the fairways have been narrowed the on the North Course at Torrey Pines, but the rough is way up thanks to our rain/heat weather combo in the last few weeks coupled with the Tour's decision to keep the rough higher on the North to help offset what is an otherwise pushover for the players. Tiger after round one today:

Anthony and I were talking about this all day to day. These are some of the hardest fairways to hit on TOUR. One, they're angled because they're banked, and they're the narrowest we've seen, and the rough is four or five inches, so it's tough.

Doug Ferguson noted the intentional difference in his game story:

The North Course is not the pushover it has been in past years because of some new length, and not just in distance. Along with being some 90 yards longer, the rough was allowed to grow and is thicker than the grass found on the South Course.

"I didn't know the North was as long as the South," Ben Curtis said after a 70. He knows better, but it felt that way if tee shots did not stay in the narrow, canted fairways.

I guess I've liked the stark difference that has developed between the two Torrey layouts, with the North the scoring day and the South the U.S. Open-style course. But apparently that was a form of injustice and had to be remedied.

Why Are The Waves Near Torrey Pines Fluorescent Yellow?

I figured my eyes and my television were deceiving me during today's Farmers Insurance Open first round telecast from Torrey Pines when the white foamy waves appeared to have been touched up with a yellow highlighter. Then reader Josh emailed and noticed the same thing, wondering if this was caused by camera filters to beef up the green grass? Anyone know?

Because I drove by those waves several times and I'm pretty sure this is not caused by the general public whizzing in the water. Anyway, it's less prevalent in these photos as it appeared live, but you'll get the drift.

 

"Golf Channel Tournament Ratings Setting High Marks"

This post is a waste of your time because as Michael Buteau explained in a Bloomberg story today, the PGA Tour doesn't "depend on" ratings for its business model to work.

Golf Channel Tournament Ratings Setting High Marks
 
PGA TOUR Telecasts up 33% After First Three Tournaments of 2011
 
 
ORLANDO, Fla. (Jan. 27, 2011) – Record-setting tournament ratings have highlighted the start of the new year for Golf Channel, marked by the highest PGA TOUR season opener ever on the network and double digit increases for entire events.
 
After posting an impressive 38 percent event increase year over year for the PGA TOUR season kick-off event, Hyundai Tournament of Champions, and continued increases for the Sony Open in Hawaii, Golf Channel recorded its largest gain with a 60 percent increase in ratings for the Bob Hope Classic.
 
To date, combined ratings for the first three events of the 2011 PGA TOUR season represent a 33 percent gain over last year.
 
The first round of the Hyundai Tournament of Champions represented a 37 percent ratings increase from the same round in 2010, with the tournament average for all five rounds (0.6 household rating/593,000 average total viewers) the best since 2008.  Sunday’s final round of the Bob Hope Classic (0.6/652,000 average total viewers) was the event’s best final round since 2007 that was opposite stiff competition from the NFL playoffs.
 
“We’ve worked extremely hard to improve our tournament telecasts and we’re extremely excited the PGA TOUR on our air is off to a great start,” said Tom Stathakes, Golf Channel senior vice president of programming, production and operations.  “We’re getting better every day, and that will always be our mantra.  Things are looking promising for a great year ahead.”

Scribes Declare Tiger Rested And Ready

Take your pick for coverage of today's pre-Farmers Insurance Open press conference.

Shedloski

Elling

Elliott

Harig

Lamport-Stokes

Ferguson

DiMeglio

Dorman

And if you're a Phil guy, here are two takes on his sitdown with the Tweeters.

Martin

Shedloski

Storyline Pairings, Clarification Edition

A few of you have emailed to ask why the tour is getting a free ride on modifying its longtime pairings policy by putting together a few marquee or storyline-driven groups on Thursdays and Fridays. Jeff Rude explains the concept that has been in place since last spring but only noticed this week with the Tiger-Rocco pairing at Torrey Pines.

Last April, the PGA Tour quietly deviated from a random draw and began arranging one to four Thursday-Friday pairings in an attempt to create more interest. It was a wise choice, and the concept is getting attention this week at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.

In the first two rounds, the two protagonists from the 2008 U.S. Open here, Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate, are paired together, along with Anthony Kim. Woods, winner of his past five starts at Torrey Pines, is making his first appearance here since beating Mediate in that Open playoff.

Two players known for sending tweets on Twitter, Stewart Cink and Bubba Watson, will be paired, along with newly named Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III. Love will wear a wireless microphone.

What some took exception to was the tour's willingness to budge on this issue, when it was long rumored that any potential deal with ESPN during the last TV negotiations was purportedly killed by refusing to budge on pairings. However, the ESPN request was thought to be a demand to deviate from the morning-afternoon pairings formula, something the tour will never (thankfully) consider.

Tiger: Player's Job To Know Rules; Poulter Wants Rewrite

Contrasting views expressed today in different parts of the world.

AP reporting Ian Poulter's view:

Poulter said Wednesday ahead of the Volvo Golf Champions that "if you look at a number of the scenarios and situations that we've had in the last 12 months, I think a lot of rules certainly need to be re-looked at for sure."

Padraig Harrington was disqualified from last week's Abu Dhabi Golf Championships after he didn't replace his ball correctly when it moved after he picked up his marker.

Also this month, Camilo Villegas was disqualified from the Tournament of Champions after a rule violation.

Poulter said, "I think there's no common sense involved with a number of the rules, so that needs to be addressed."

From Tiger's presser today at the Farmer's Insurance Open in San Diego:

Q. There have been a few viewer-called-in rules incidents lately. You've been on television more than any golfer probably ever, and you haven't had a whole lot of those incidents. Do you attribute that to you knowing the rules? Where did you learn to know the rules so well?

TIGER WOODS: Well, I think one is it's our responsibility as players to know the rules. That's just part of playing the game. For us, as players, we're out there doing it for a living. I think we should know the rules.

The only difference is with these rulings are some of these guys who are on TV more than others. I'm sure there are some rules infractions that have happened and will continue to happen, but the guys aren't on TV all the time.

So from that regard, I don't think it's a level playing field. Again, it's part of our responsibility as players to know these rules.

"It’s the first time Woods has been ranked behind someone younger than him."

Doug Ferguson offers one noteworthy observation for an otherwise minor story: Tiger's drop to No. 3 in the world ranking.

What’s more noteworthy about the world ranking, however, is it’s the first time Woods has been ranked behind someone younger than him. He turned 35 over the holidays.

Woods has known this day was coming, even when his game appeared untouchable. In time, there would be a player – or players, in this case – younger than him and not as intimidated.

Sure, there was a brief challenge from Sergio Garcia. Adam Scott reached as high as No. 3, and Paul Casey did the same a year later.

Now, the youth brigade is coming in bunches.

Ahead of him in the ranking is Kaymer, the 26-year-old German who won the PGA Championship last year to become the youngest major champion since Woods.

Tiger Picks The South Over The North

At least, that's what Ed Zieralski is reporting in trying to figure out why Tiger's 11 a.m. North Course tee time was changed to the South.

Woods was scheduled to play the North Course at 11 a.m. in the Pro-Am, but has been switched to the South Course.

Word at the tournament was that Woods was very unhappy with his 11 a.m. tee time and the fact he was playing the North Course in the Pro-Am. Tournament officials switched him to the South, moving Charlie Wi to the North. Tee times are given out based on money earned the previous year. Woods finished 68th on the PGA Tour money list in 2010.

And in case you were (most likely) wondering, Mark Soltau explains why Tiger is no longer getting the first spot out in the pro-am.

"Get The Obama Ball."

(Click image to enlarge)So yesterday I'm walking around soaking up the glorious afternoon at Torrey Pines when I stumble upon a group using pull carts. Naturally, I thought this was a great site at a PGA Tour pro-am instead of folks whizzing around in an EZ-GO. So I stop to watch these fine Americans admiring the ocean from the fourth tee when the professional in the group summons his caddy for his driver.

This esteemed member of the tour proceeds to tee up a ball and hit it from the tee toward the Pacific, oblivious to the notion that there are people on the beach below. Then, just for the why-people-hate-golf files (if littering a public beach with a potentially fatal golf ball on a busy day wasn't enough), I hear the pro-am participants say, "Get the Obama ball." Said pro then hits the pellet toward the sea, this one presumably bearing the President's image.

2011 Farmers Insurance Open Scouting Report

The view from the 5th tee looking toward the North. Brrrr! (Click to enlarge and get really depressed if you live outside of SoCal!)I write to you having donned a sweater as the sun sets and the winter chill finally dropped the temperature below 70 here in La Jolla. But, battling the barely discernable breeze, lush turf and bright sun, I toured parts of Torrey Pines North and South today. I can safely say the courses have never looked better. The combination of heavy December rains, warm weather most of January and the addition of Paul Cushing as superintendent has the place looking remarkable.

A few notes, for what it's worth:

- The greens are stimping just over 12 and they've actually had to slow them down a bit. Staffers were out applying water this afternoon on hot spots, an almost unfathomable notion just a few weeks after the deluge.

Rough on the 5th hole helps accent the artistic bunkering (Click to enlarge at your own peril)- The rough is extremely dense and a solid three inches. You might gravitate to a fairways and greens guy for your fantasy pick this week.

- Even with a few new back tees, the supreme conditioning of the North has it ripe for a super low score. The native push-up soil greens on the North look much smoother than the USGA greens on the South.

- The weather forecast is perfect for the rest of the week, though some possible winds and weekend cooling into the mid-60s with a wind chill making it feel like the low 60s, might mean players will have to keep their sweaters on all day. Again, that's for your fantasy players who have the stat breakdowns on sub-par rounds with sweater versus without.