10 Things I Think

by Jeff Skinner

1.  As much as all of us like to see big names add to their win total each week there is a special joy in watching a PGA Tour player win for the first time.  Cheers to Michael Thompson and his gutty win at The Honda Classic.  That kiss on the 18^th green has to be so special.

2.  Stacy Lewis proves once again that she is the best American player in the game.  Her win at The HSBC continues her good start to 2013.  After a T15 to start she finished third last week and now a victory.  This is the face of women’s golf in America.

3.  If Lewis’s story isn’t inspirational enough how about Erik Compton’s finish at The Honda.  Compton’s T4 finish is the best of his PGA Tour career and he has pocketed $353,958 so far this season.  Living with his third heart, after two heart transplants there isn’t a more emotional figure in the game.

4.  Tiger Woods looks so strange when he tees off hours before the leaders.  If it looks strange to us imagine how Woods feels about it.

5.  Rory McIlroy will speak to the media on Tuesday from the Blue Monster at Doral and hopefully will take the first step (apology) to putting this sad episode behind him.

6.  The Web.com Tour moved to Columbia but two very familiar names garnered attention.  20 year old Patrick Cantly became the second youngest winner in the tour’s history and former amateur phenom Jordan Spieth finished T4 and he’s only 19.

7.  Listening to Jack Nicklaus never gets old.  His commentary is always spot on and his perspective unrivalled.  I’d listen to him if he was calling one of his granddaughter’s soccer games.

8.  And watching Jack’s better half, Barbara Nicklaus is just as impressive.  Barbara Nicklaus is the matriarch of the PGA Tour.   Jack admits that he wouldn’t have been the man he is without Barbara and the respect they have for each other is obvious.

9.  The European Tour released a statement announcing their full support of the R&A and their proposed ban of the anchored stroke.  Take that Tim Finchem and they even took a swipe at the course setup on the PGA Tour.  “The whole issue has received far greater focus and comment in the United States than in the rest of the world, perhaps because of the numbers of their golfers using the anchored method, and the set up in general terms of their golf courses and the firmness and speed of their greens.”  Hmm, those Euro’s like slow, fuzzy greens.

10.  Back to Jack and his position on the anchor ban.  “I’ve been very neutral on it,” he told NBC “but the thing that would disturb me was if the Tour took another position other than the USGA’s final position. The Tour has always played by one set of rules … and I think we should stay that way.   It may be to some of the fellas’ detriment, one way or the other, but what I think the ultimate decision should be is the ruling bodies of golf and not the Tour.” If the greatest player of all time opinion’s mean anything, and they should, today’s tour players should listen up.

Bonus, for me, anyway.  Great news in my inbox this week as local courses send emails announcing their opening dates.  In a few weeks we’ll be back out on grass hitting real shots instead of scraping sponge balls off my living room carpet and gouging my ceiling.  Thank God, it’s been a long winter.