When you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
Dull Viewing Alert: Canadian Open Drenched In Rough
/2011 Scottish-Deere-Women's Open Open Thread
/"Then the Good Ship Tiger – and thus his event – began taking on water."
/Correction: Tiger Did NOT Crown The AT&T Champion
/I posted Joe Ogilvie's tweet yesterday about Tiger impressively sticking around to crown AT&T National Champion Nick Watney, unfortunately no one in the media actually saw or documented this epic moment in tournament hosting lore. From a lens lugger who was at Aronimink:
I must tell you that there are some very confused still photogs out here... I was at the trophy presentation on 18 green after the round. No sign of Eldrick. No pics of it on Getty, pgatour.com, or TW's site. Every photog I've contacted is just as flummoxed as I am. Did we really blow it? Or was this just some Butler-cabinesque made-for-CBS thing that nobody on the golf course got to see?
I reviewed the telecast and there was only David Feherty's fluf, errr....interview.
We'd heard he was on-property yesterday, but nobody I know who was at the public presentation on the actual golf course saw Tiger, let alone him presenting anything. In fact, we were all discussing the fact that he wasn't there, and wondering where he was, while we were shooting the presentation.
2011 AT&T National (Tape Delayed) Final Round Open Comment Thread
/“My agent hates it because it’s probably costing me (endorsement) money off the course."
/"We wanted to get back to Liberty. I think it's one of the most stunning settings for professional golf there is on the planet."
/PGA Tour Matchups, Week One Thoughts
/So week one of the PGA Tour Matchups is behind us and as moderator of 35-player group, I must say there were some impressive performances from the group. Yours truly, not included.
I will admit that I forgot about a few of the matchups when scanning the scoreboard, so I'm not sure how that bodes for the concept. But I'm just happy the PGA Tour is doing something to engage fans with something that provides a fun reason to watch.
“I knew where I was. I knew I needed to make eagle on 18 for 59. It’s tough to hole it from 152.”
/Who Says The PGA Tour Isn't Progressive? "MATCHUPS" Debuts
/I shudder to think how many meetings the underlings conducted with the fuddy-duddies at the top of the PGA Tour BMW 7 Series chain to convince them that this social media thing combined with the gambling thing can draw Americans to certain sports (eh, the NFL).
Anyway, somehow the fun-lovers in Ponte Vedra emerged victorious and this week the PGA Tour debuts Matchups, what I think could be a very positive move in the direction of making the tour more interactive and fun each week. Only quibble: as with their fantasy league excursions, the prizes are still a little underwhelming, but this is a solid start.
I've entered and also started a group under the highly original title, GeoffShackelford.com.
I found the interface and sign up very easy, so if you're on Facebook, join in and let's test this thing out!
Your Kneejerk Reactions: Rory Wins First Major
/"I felt bad. I didn't thank the sponsors. I didn't thank FedEx. I didn't thank the volunteers. I was not quite sure really what was happening right then."
/You gotta love Harrison Frazar and his honesty. From Teresa Walker's AP report on his first win, just two events short of his medical exemption running out:
"It was a whirlwind there. This was the first time," Frazar said. "I don't know if I'm supposed to keep the seersucker jacket. I don't know if I'm supposed to carry the trophy. You don't know who you're supposed to talk to. I felt bad. I didn't thank the sponsors. I didn't thank FedEx. I didn't thank the volunteers. I was not quite sure really what was happening right then.
"The only tournament that I won in Q-school, you walked in, signed your card in the scoring trailer, and they gave you a pat on the back, 'Good job.' You walked out the door. There was nobody there."