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by G. Rennie

We’ve all the heard the saying “I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out” which is a reference to the pugilistic nature of modern professional hockey. I think we’re approaching the time when we can say, without much exaggeration, something similar about a PGA golf tournament. The 16th hole at the TPC Scottsdale, in what’s now called the Waste Management Phoenix Open, is more like a football game atmosphere than a golf tourney, at least in my mind.

When did booing become an accepted form of fan interaction on the PGA tour?  Why do players need to placate the vultures there to keep them relatively quiet while they play out the hole?

It used to be that folks who overindulged in adult beverages were a distinct minority who were appropriately removed from the premises when their behavior became boorish. At TPC Scottsdale this Neanderthal behavior is, it seems, encouraged. This is done directly by the PGA Tour, the locals who put the tournament on, and the corporate entities who subsidize so much of the tour now with their hospitality venues.

Well on Sunday this seething cauldron of foolishness got it shoved back in its face when the ever stylish Ian Pouter gave the crowd the international signal for “Go Get Stuffed”. Poulter will take some heat for this but I think he’s more justified in his rebuff to the rowdies than he’ll get credit for from the talking heads and pundits who sup at the table of Prince Tim and the PGA Tour.

The arena that the PGA has built around #16 reminds us of the modern stadia that all modern team sports use to showcase their product. This is the latest manifestation of Tim Finchem’s “penis envy” issue as it relates to other sports, most notably NFL Football and NASCAR. The commish doesn’t seemed satisfied with the game of golf as it’s been played for several centuries, he’d rather turn it into some garish spectacle to help garner additional advertisement revenues generated by increased TV ratings from the casual viewer tuning in because there’s  blood in the water. There’s a real downside to the headlong pursuit of riches, or the win, at the expense of integrity and identity. Just ask Al Gore.

I say they should tear down that arena at 16 for starters, sell only near beer or cactus juice, and invite Jack and Arnie to teach the PGA big wigs, staff and then the spectators at 16 some basic etiquette and sportsmanship.

Can you imagine someone booing a shot by Jack?

by Jeff Skinner

So Hunter Mahan goes low on Sunday to steal the win at The Phoenix Open and finally get his 2010 season headed in the right direction.  YE Yang blew it when he drowned his ball on the 17^th and Rickie Fowler decided to use one of his best weapons and lay up on 15.  His wedge came up too short for him to convert it for a birdie and overtake Mahan.  We should get use to seeing Fowler’s name on the top of the leader board, he’s got some game.  It’s Mahan’s first win since the 2007 Traveler’s and maybe this is the year he fulfills all the expectations that surround him.

Ai Miyazato pulls back to back wins to open the LPGA season.  She wins the HSBC Women’s Championship to go with her season opening win at the Honda PTT LPGA Thailand.  Miyazato shook off two straight bogeys to come back to shoot a respectable 69 but Cristie Kerr has to be kicking herself for the way she finished her day.  She had the lead during her back nine but two poor drives caused her to bogey both 17 and 18.  Recently she has earned the reputation of the best American closer but on Sunday she threw up on herself with those bogeys and it cost her the tournament.

The real excitement on Sunday happened right where the PGA Tour hoped it would: at the par three 16^th hole at the TPC Scottsdale.  Each year the tour promotes the 16^th as the loudest and craziest hole in golf. A few years ago they even surrounded the entire hole with bleachers and skyboxes to give it that “stadium feel.”  The fans there are the loudest and most obnoxious in golf.  They certainly aren’t ruled by the normal rules of etiquette that apply to fans at every other golf tournament.

The Tour and television encourage the fans to be loud and rowdy in an effort to make this tournament a little different and get more eyes watching it.  The fans cheer a good shot and unlike anywhere else in golf, they boo a poor shot and find other ways to show their displeasure.

For years the Phoenix Fanatics have given it to the players that miss a birdie, fail to hit the green or three putt.  They are not a merciful group and no one is spared from their venom.

Almost all the players say they like the hole and think it is good for golf to have such excitement at a single hole but I think most of them are just trying to be politically correct and avoid being the focal point of the wrath of the thousands of drunks that surround the hole.  If a player came out and said that the hole is a joke and a disgrace, he wouldn’t make it out of the 16^th alive.  The hooligans fans would absolutely kill him, at least figuratively.

So yesterday the fans got a little taste of their own medicine.  It started with a good shot by the always gregarious Ian Poulter.  He put his ball in birdie range and was loudly cheered by the fans.  But when he missed his birdie putt the cheers turned to boos and jeers.  Poulter putted out to more boos and chants of USA, USA and who knows what else was being screamed at him.  After he gave a thumbs up and a clap or two he gave the one finger salute back to the morons that populate the 16^th.  That’s right; the bird, flipped them off, gave them the finger.  So maybe it isn’t a polite response but it is certainly the most appropriate.  Those drunken idiots deserved it.  While Ian’s at it he should also shoot that middle digit at the PGA Tour and Tim Finchem for perpetuating the Coliseum mentality at the 16^th.

I’m all for the fans enjoying themselves and I don’t mind them having a few beers but the situation at the 16^th crosses the line.  After a day of drinking and partying at the 16^th those fans are generally out of control.  It’s about time the PGA Tour did something and I don’t mean about Poulter.  He’ll probably get fined but what he did was no worse than what thousands of those fans do all day and they are all encouraged to be loud and obnoxious by the PGA Tour.

Maybe I’m in the minority but I tune in to watch golf and I really don’t care to see a bunch of liquored up, knuckleheads carry on.  If I wanted to see that I’d turn on C-Span and watch Congress.

Picture from Ryan Ballangee at Waggle Room

by Jeff Skinner

This time of year if you live in a cold weather section of the United States, playing a little golf is nothing more than a dream.  But as many golf fanatics know there is that magic elixir that can satisfy the yearning for some birdies, divots and skins: The Golf Trip.

This week I have spent a few lovely days away from the cold and snow of New York’s Hudson Valley and been warming my old bones in the warmth of Tampa, Florida.  Even though the natives down here are complaining about how cool it is, to us Northerners it is heaven.

As New York digs out and deals with another storm that continues to dump more and more snow, I sit here reveling in the fact that we actually played all the golf we planned to and even got an unexpected bonus: an extra night in Tampa because our flight home was cancelled due to the weather.

A little warm weather golf in the middle of winter can be just enough to help us make it through to the start of a new season. I can’t wait.

Knuckleheads from the North

As Phil Mickelson demonstrated at the end of the season, the putter can be a “weapon of score reduction.” After a few hours with putting guru Dave Stockton, Phil went on to win two tournaments and The Presidents Cup, putting lights out the whole time. The putter is the club that can reduce your score the quickest but at the same time it can be the club that causes us the most aggravation.

It’s critical to have a putter that fits you right, that allows you to make solid, centered contact with the ball and most importantly feels right. Feel is a critical aspect of putting and even golfers with the most mechanical of putting strokes recognize the importance of feel.

I have experimented with some putters over the years and determined that I like a little more weight in my putter. I have added a few lead strips to my putter head and have been sold on a heavier putter for years.

I recently tested a few of the “Mid-Weights” from Heavy Putter and found them to be quite suitable to my more weighty expectations. When Heavy Putter made its debut with the original Heavy Putters I tried those but found them to be too weighty and unsightly to look at. They looked like a piece of the Flux Capacitor that was left on the floor. No such issues with the Mid-Weights.

After listening to players and consumers feedback they have reduced the weight and made the Mid-Weights in the shape of many traditional and classic putters. I tried out the CX2, J2 (both Blades) and the H3 a Mallet. All three felt great. They had just enough weight to feel very comfortable and had that “swing by itself” feel. All you had to do was bring it back and the putter comes through the hitting area with a good follow through all by itself. That’s part of the thinking behind the Heavy Putter philosophy: heavier mass engages the body’s larger stable muscles, resulting in a more consistent pendulum stroke.

Each putter has a weighted shaft to better distribute the weight so it doesn’t feel like a sledge hammer and a thicker, mid-size grip that feels perfect in your hands.

The putter face is scored and the ball comes off the face with little skid and rolls true. The classic designs of the Mid-Weights make them easy on the eyes as you stand over your putt. Most importantly to me the putter feels right. It swings easy and gives plenty of feedback and feel. With a few practice putts you’ll adjust to the weight and before long it could be your “weapon of score reduction.”

by Jeff Skinner

In a recent poll taken by The Los Angeles Times they ask their sports readers, What is the best golf movie of the last 35 years?  Truth be told there haven’t been that many golf movies and good golf movies are few and far between.  The results of the poll aren’t surprising.  Caddyshack was a runaway winner.  Heck, that’s on many movie goers list of all time best movies, not just sport movies. I’d have to agree that Caddyshack is the standard that all other golf movies are measured against but they probably shouldn’t be. 

Caddyshack has grown into a classic and its lines are quoted by golfers and non-golfers alike.  It truly is more than a film.  It changed comedy and culture with a “Cinderella Story” and an overzealous greenskeeper, not to mention the career of Rodney Dangerfield.

 Second on the list was Tin Cup.  Who hasn’t stood there on the course stubbornly hitting ball after ball from the same spot, just to prove you can make that one damn shot.  Costner was good but Rene Russo was mighty fine.

 In Third place was The Legend of Bagger Vance.  People are confused when they say that Bagger was a golf movie.  It was really a movie of redemption, forgiveness and spirituality.  Golf was only the vehicle that allowed the characters to redeem themselves and find their “authentic swing.”  The soundtrack is fantastic and serves as the trigger for the characters to feel their spiritual selves.  I’ll take that and Charlize Theron any day of the week,

 After those the quality falls off greatly.  It’s a shame too because there are two of the best stories in golf that were butchered by Disney when they tried to make a movie that appealed to the masses.  Unfortunately, The Bobby Jones Story and The Greatest Game Ever Played failed to capture the essence of the greatest golfer of his day and turned the most unlikely win in a major championship ever into a bad video game.

 The rest of the list is a waste but Caddyshack, Tin Cup and The Legend of Bagger Vance will never disappoint you, no matter how many times we watch them.

by Jeff Skinner

So much golf, so little time.  There was a ton of great golf over the weekend that featured exciting endings and a big breakthrough. Who needs Tiger Woods?

Ian Poulter and Paul Casey represented England well as Poulter finally broke through for his first win in America and moved to fifth in the world.  English golf is alive and well.  With all the success of the Europeans in the Match Play, Monty must be licking his considerable chops.

It looked like a runaway at the LPGA in Thailand.  Suzann Pettersen had a five stroke lead to start the last round but an amazing nine under par 63 gave Ai Miyazato the win in the LPGA’s opening event.

Cameron Beckman shoots a final round 67 to jump up and take the Mayakoba Classic.  Big John Daly had started so well with three rounds in the 60’s but he blew up and carded a disappointing 81.

In the most exciting finish of the day, not including the USA hockey win over Canada, Bernhard Langer holed out from a bunker for an eagle on his first playoff hole to beat a stunned john Cook.  Are you kidding me?

All this golf makes all of us that are still snowed in yearn for a little green grass and a few swings.  Here’s where I spent some time this week.  At a heating driving range where they clear off a few practice greens and even heat the balls.  Heated balls…you have to love that!

by Jeff Skinner

Shortly after Tiger’s apology everyone in the media voiced their opinions on his statement and what he should do next.  Two of Tiger’s biggest supporters, David Feherty and John Hawkins had different takes on Tiger’s future.  Feherty is a true Tiger fan and rarely says anything negative about Woods.  Hawkins claims Tiger is the best ever but has some suggestions for Tiger to improve his on the course behavior.  Both Feherty’s video and Hawkins article are worth the time.  View Hawkins article.

Watch CBS News Videos Online

by Jeff Skinner

I have never seen so much raw emotion from a golfer.  Watching him on The Golf Channel yesterday was a moving experience.  No I’m not talking about Tiger Woods; I’m talking about Charlie Rymer.  Rymer got so choked up offering his analysis of Tiger he couldn’t talk.  I like Rymer, he’s always insightful and funny and after yesterdays near sob fest I like him more.  He showed that he’s human; much like Tiger showed during his speech, he is human also.

Tiger is indeed human a flawed human for sure, but still human.  I can understand Rymer’s compassion for Tiger easier then I can understand Tiger’s behavior.  How a man betrays the people he loves like that is beyond me.  But at least Tiger is trying to set things right.

Forget the planned environment that Tiger’s people cooked up and the absurd rules set forth by what must have been a hundred public relations and crisis management specialists.  Tiger hit all the right notes and at least it’s a start to regain his life.  Unfortunately we’ll all have to go through this again when he comes back to play only then he’ll have to answer questions.  Couldn’t he have opened these proceedings to the press, read his statement and answered questions for ten minutes?  After his statement, if he had spoken for one minute without the script and spoken from the heart he would have come off more sincere.  Then if he spent ten minutes answering questions he would have the biggest portion of his “public comeback” behind him.

Tiger and his speech writers came up with a fairly good piece but at times it sounded too calculated.

He’s right when he says his real apology to Elin will come over time.  That’s the truth.  Earning her trust will not be easy and it shouldn’t be.

Of course his people made sure he spoke about all the good he has done with his foundation so we all know what a great guy he is.

He certainly apologized often enough and to all the effected parties.

I heard a little “Rehab 101” in there with references to entitlement, boundaries and selfishness.

Tiger got a bit antagonistic when admonishing the tabloids for following his wife.  I can understand Tiger trying to protect his family from that.

I thought it ironic when he said’ “It’s up to me to start living a life of integrity” and “Character and decency are what really count.”  Sounds like The First tee slogan, Integrity, Character, Decency.

His reference to his Buddhist upbringing was odd.  Buddhism asks you to lead a moral life, be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions and to develop wisdom and understanding.  Strike three on all counts Tiger.  Its teaching also says that wealth does not guarantee happiness.  He’ll have to go a long way to get back to his Buddhist roots.  How many Buddhists have a billion dollars in the bank and a 155 foot yacht?

Overall, Tiger said what needed to be said for him to try and set this episode behind him.  If he is truthful and sincere about earning back his family’s respect than that is certainly his most important and difficult task.

If he wants to change his on course demeanor like he said I have a suggestions.  Look people in the eye and recognize they are there.   Spend a few minutes in the press tent talking with the press, not at them. Follow the same media rules all the other players do.  Lose the swat team of security that insulates you from your fans and finally, try signing an autograph or two with a smile and maybe you’ll find a smile or two coming back at you.

by Jeff Skinner

Something revolutionary took place in golf yesterday.  It wasn’t the fact that all four number one seeds have been dispatched from The Accenture Match Play Championship.  It’s not the fact that John Daly shot a three under par and didn’t retire again.  It’s not even the fact that Thongchai Saidee a twelve seed from Thailand advanced to play Jeev Milkha Singh a fifteen seed in the third round of The Match Play.  While on a normal day any of those events would be shocking they pale in comparison to what the Golf Writers Association of America did last night.

The GWAA has announced that they will boycott the orchestrated Tiger Woods Media Event.  The Board of directors has voted unanimously to boycott the event unless Tiger’s people open it up to all accredited media.

This is not an insignificant action.  Tiger and his people have manipulated, bullied and abused the mainstream media for years.  On a good day Woods has viewed the media as a necessary evil and on most days he just viewed them as evil.

The president of the GWAA, Vartan Kupelian said, “I cannot stress how strongly our board felt that this should be open to all media and also for the opportunity to question Woods.”  The GWAA, which has over 950 members, will not send three pool reporters that it had agreed to earlier. The main wire services will still attend and there will be no shortage of television coverage as The Golf Channel, ESPN, ABC, CBS and NBC all plan to carry the event live.

Maybe this is the first sign to Woods and his agent, Mark Steinberg that it isn’t business as usual any longer.  Whatever Woods wanted previously he always received and if he didn’t want something to happen, it never did.  The boycott should be a signal to the Woods camp that the golf writers can’t be manipulated any further.  Woods might have to act like a human being for awhile and maybe treat the writers like they are people also.

Commissioner Tim Finchem has looked terrible during this entire episode.  He obviously talked to someone from Tiger’s camp and gave the go ahead for the TPC Sawgrass venue, but he says he hasn’t talked to Tiger.  He says he does not know what Tiger will say today.  Really Tim?  So Tiger, or his people, call and ask to use your facility for what is the biggest story in golf, in sports really, and you don’t inquire as to the content of his statement.  Sure, we buy that.

Overall Finchem has been a good commissioner and the players and the PGA Tour have done well under his reign, which happens to coincide with Tiger’s emergence as a television ratings machine.  The fact that Finchem can say with a straight face that he has no knowledge of Tiger’s subject matter is farcical.  Even from a distance it’s easy to see that when Tiger passes wind, Finchem gets a face full.  Listen to him on the ESPN video.  He mentions Tiger’s rehab and his rehab schedule.  So he had to have some intimate knowledge of Tiger’s schedule but none of what he plans to say in his statement.  Sorry Tim that just doesn’t sound like an executive that has a handle on his resources.  It sounds like someone trying to protect his meal ticket and maybe save a little face at the same time.

Chip Shots…

Lost in all the Tiger-Gate Media Event controversy was all the golf played yesterday.  How’s this for irony: because Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson opted out of The Match Play Ross McGowan got in as the 64^th seed.  With Woods, the number one seed gone, Steve Stricker became the number one.  McGowan gets to play Stricker and beats the top seed in the tournament in nineteen holes.  McGowan goes from sitting on his couch to cashing a nice check and getting a little publicity.

There were plenty of great matches and a few more surprises:  Paddy loses to Jeev Milka…Matt Kuchar takes out underachieving Anthony Kim…Defending Champ Geoff Ogilvy beats Alexander Noren in a lopsided 7 and 5 win… Proving that the long ball isn’t everything Tim Clark took out Vijay and Mike Weir humbled Alvaro Quiros…Brian Gay a 14 seed beat Kenny Perry a 3 seed…Ross Fisher loses to Thongcha Jaidee (Who?)…and both Molinari brothers are sent packing.

Things get more interesting in the second round today:  Can McGowan keep it up against Ryo Ishikawa?…Ian Poulter vs Adam Scott looks interesting…Martin Kaymer vs Tim Clark, could one of these two win their first PGA tournament?…Rory vs Oliver Wilson, this tournament is deep in Euro talent…Allenby against Donald, two friends trying to knock each other out…Furyk vs Schwartzel, could another number one go down…a very hot Lee Westwood looks to send Nick Watney home…Ernie Els and Retief Goose tee off in a battle of truly experienced and classy golfers…Can Oqilvy defend? He’ll have to beat Camilo if he does.  It will be interesting….The Match Play always is.

On the other side of the world the women of The LPGA finally kicked off their 2010 season at The Honda PTT LPGA Thailand and there are many familiar names at the top of the leader board. Tour stalwart Suzann Pettersen and sophomore MJ Hur share the lead at -6.  All-American girl Stacy Lewis, long bomber Brittany Linicome, Tour cornerstones Cristie Kerr and Angela Stanford and Yani Tseng are all two back of the lead.  Tour headliners Paula Creamer and Lorena Ochoa are tied with four others three strokes off the lead.  This is what the LPGA needs at the start: big name players staying in contention.

Let’s not forget about The Mayakoba Classic in Mexico today.  Our favorite comeback story of the year tees it up today, no it’s not John Daly, it’s David Duval.  It will be interesting to see if Double D can keep it going from last week. If Duval does win I’m sure he’ll appreciate it but it will only feed his desire to win a regular full field event or maybe even a major.  Big John is in the field and let’s hope he can make the cut and not meltdown again.  Erik Compton makes his 2010 debut on the PGA Tour after playing some on The European Tour.  Chris DiMarco continues his struggle to regain his game that has been hampered by multiple injuries.  The Big Break is well represented as James Nitties and Matt Every are both in the field.  This is a good opportunity for a player to break through and get his first win.  Some pundits knock these “opposite events” but with all the great golfers out there having a place to play while the elite of the world compete elsewhere gives them a chance to prove themselves, whether it is for the first time or to re-establish their games.