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Ramblings From The Easy Chair

by G. Rennie

The Copperhead Course at Innisbrook  Resort was one tough test for the PGA Tour’s best this weekend and a deserving first time champ earned his title with aggressive down the stretch shotmaking.

Kevin Streelman was the man of the hour and is now in full spotlight. One old hand who stayed under the radar at this tournament (as well as a few others this season) is new half – centenarian Vijay Singh. Vijay finished tied 38th at even par for the week and was never in the running.

I saw a few quick glimpses of his play but never heard a word from our friendly talking heads about the cloud that Vijay is playing under with his admitted rules infraction. Why is he allowed to play the Tour?  For the integrity of the pro game I think he should be on a back bench in the caddy shack somewhere until the Tour makes a ruling on his culpability, eligibility to play and duration of his discipline.VJ 2013

Tim Finchem has given this player a pass, so far, at least, and he has, unwittingly, I suppose, diminished each competition while showing that the PGA Tour isn’t serious about eliminating the use of performance enhancing drugs.

This story broke back in early February with Vijay’s surprisingly candid revelation in an SI profile on drugs in sports.  Folks at PGA Tour headquarters were caught unawares but you’d expect the cadre of suits in tow would have fashioned some type of professional response, moved ahead with dispatch to some desired end point and communicated their plan, a little bit, a least, to the public and the frenzied press.

Perhaps Tim  has been too consumed by the self inflicted wound he administered with his public announcement of his opposition to the proposed rule change by the USGA and R&A to ban an anchored stroke (the death knell for belly and broomstick putters). That might be it but my money’s on something a bit more visceral and befitting the lawyerly maneuverings of a first class shark.

I think Vijay’s got something on the commish. I don’t know what it is but Vijay’s been a resident of Ponte Vedra , home of the Tour, for a long time. He gets around, knows some of the dark out of the way places, bumps into folks, and uses that camera on his smart phone. It’s just a theory, as plausible as any explanation I’ve heard out of Tour HQ.

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