Why Are The Waves Near Torrey Pines Fluorescent Yellow?

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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"

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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.”

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

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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

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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."

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(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

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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.

South American Wins; Reminds World Of The Olympic Golf Movement It Has Already Forgotten About**

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Sean Martin, in Golfweek's "Rapid Reaction," tells us the reasons we should be excited about Jhonattan Vegas' exciting win at the Hope and not one of his reasons has anything to do with the 72-holes of WGC-lite stroke play golf headed to Rio in 2016.

Kaymer Passes Woods In World Ranking; That Should Kill At Least 10 Minutes During This Week's Tiger Presser

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Not to go all Caroline Wozniacki on you here, but I'll be sitting in on Tiger's Wednesday presser at Torrey Pines and you can already envision the opening moments after getting passed by HSBC winner Martin Kaymer.

Q: Tiger, Martin Kaymer has just passed you in the World Rankings and you are No. 3, he is No. 2. Does this inspire you to play better?

TW: I'm really happy for MarKay, he's a great guy and has worked really hard to get to this point. What was the second part?

Q: Does this inspire you to play better?

TW: I have plenty to inspire me to play better.

Q: Tiger, the last time you were here it was you, Rocco, the U.S. Open and 25,000 screaming San Diegans. Does dropping to No. 3 in the world put a cast on what should be an otherwise emotional homecoming, of sorts?

TW: Not really, Seany and I have been working hard on some great things and I'm eager to get out there and test them out.

Q: Tiger, how's the Achilles since the cortisone shot and has it been aching more since you dropped from No. 2 to No. 3?

TW: My Achilles has won 14 majors. (Smiles) (Laughter for joke that wasn't really very funny).

USGA To Re-Open Discussions About Rule On Scorecard DQ's

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First we learned the R&A is open to revisiting the scenario of disqualifications for signing incorrect cards that, at the time players signed them were not incorrect. Now, Mike Davis, Senior Director of Rules and Competitions, confirms to the USGA is "absolutely going to reopen" discussions with the R&A. The Padraig Harrington situation was the final straw.

"We're all bothered by what is a narrow set of circumstances where someone can get the facts right and still be disqualified. In Harrington's situation, he thought ball was replaced and only television is telling us otherwise. He knew the rules, he thought he did everything right, he just didn't know all the facts. So the USGA and R&A will open it up again, but we also have to make sure we don't do something that has domino effect."

Davis was speaking after just returning from R&A meetings in St. Andrews and said emails have already been exchanged between the USGA and R&A on ways to remedy the rule without creating unintended consequences, such as allowing players off the hook for not knowing the rules. Which was not the case in the Harrington scenario.