Firing Up The Match Play

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WGCNEC05logo.gifWriters are already moaning about the weekend match-ups at La Costa. Earlier in the week, John Hawkins suggested ways in his new Golf Digest blog to fire up the match play.

Since no one except me and Bobby Jones like the idea of the stymie making a cameo, and with the event moving to a course over 20 miles outside of Tucson next year, the prospects of renewed energy coming to the WGC Match Play appear dim at best.

So I'm wondering if anyone is aware of a round robin format similar to something we see with Olympic team sport competitions where the individual brackets would play amongst themselves (maybe even 9 hole matches?), with the player having the best record in each bracket moving on to the semi-final matchs?

The idea would be to create a series of short matches that would have big names playing every day through Friday (or even Saturday), perhaps with sem-finals Sunday. And as Mike Tirico has suggested on the air, maybe a Monday late afternoon, prime-time-in-the-east finish?

Thoughts?

Where Good Tournaments Go To Die?

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Rex Hoggard in Golfweek:

Next year, the Match Play is moving to a new course in Tucson, Ariz., that few have ever heard of, in an out-of-the-way part of town. Never been there, but it sounds like the place good tournaments go to die.

But it won't be Tucson that kills the Match Play. That honor belongs to TV. Television execs fear match play's capricious ways like Ames fears bulletin boards.

47 Inches Too Many

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Classic moment on No. 1 today of the WGC Match Play.

Vijay Singh is teeing off, trying out a new driver that looks like something Rocky Thompson once used. You may recall that the first hole (old 10th) has water way off the tee that sometimes comes into play for tee shots finishing in the trees.

Here's what the ABC guys said as Vijay's drive took off and headed for the lake.

PAUL AZINGER: Vijay is another player who is experimenting with a 47-inch driver like Phil did yesterday. And hitting it a mile.

NICK FALDO: It's in the water! Well that extra inch was worth it.

PAUL AZINGER: That is Un-be-lievable.

MIKE TIRICO: That's like 320 to where the fairway runs out on 1.

PAUL AZINGER: That's ridiculous. That is not in play. 

MIKE TIRICO: I remember that from last year, it's about 320 to the fairway running out there, maybe 330.

IAN BAKER FINCH: The center of the fairway is 336.

NICK FALDO (laughing): Well, he gotten good news. The 47 inches worked! 

Ames-Tiger History

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Lorne Rubenstein had this little backstory in his column previewing yesterday's Tiger bloodgeoning of Stephen Ames:

There's also some history between Ames and Woods. Ames was quoted in the Calgary Herald during the 2000 Masters as saying that Woods thinks he's bigger than the game, doesn't get along well with his fellow players, and doesn't act right on the course. He called Woods "a spoiled 24-year-old."

Ames wasn't playing that Masters, but his comments generated a stir. He said he was misquoted, while the writer maintained that he quoted him accurately.

Bring Back the Stymie, Vol. 5,810

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L2110_new_frame.jpgReaders of The Future of Golf know that I have a strange predilection for the stymie, inspired in large part by Bobby Jones' passionate Golf is My Game plea to bring it back.

I believe it would make for must-see viewing at the WGC Match Play (which induced a deep 30-minute nap for me today).

Today's quote of the day from Max Behr was part of a June 1917 Golf Illustrated editorial decrying the Western Golf Association's abolition of the stymie.  Here is a bit more Behr, courtesy of the USGA's new online database search engine.

But if the stymie is to go there is no reason why we should rob the game one iota of the stress it lays upon the character of the golfer. Golf is not only a contest of skill, but a contest of morale as well. The great match players know this and take every opportunity of delivering a blow to the courage of their opponents. Openings of this nature are liable to occur anywhere in a match but the great majority come with the final putt at every hole.  

Of course the stymie debate went on for another oh, 45 years until it was completely gone from the game.

Why not bring it back for just one week? Shoot, Stephen Ames might have only lost 8&7 if he could have stymied one of Tiger's birdie putts. But I bet that would have been the highlight of the match.

9&8

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The best thing about K.J. Choi not speaking any English? He can't piss off irritate Tiger.

Doug Ferguson reports on Tiger's 9&8 smothering of Stephen Ames, who made an unwise comment about his chances in light of Tiger's erratic ball striking. Tiger was asked about it after the round:

Q. Were you aware of Stephen's comments yesterday that you weren't striking

TIGER WOODS: Yes.

Q. I assumed you were.

TIGER WOODS: Yes.

Q. What was your reaction when you saw that?

TIGER WOODS: 9 & 8.

Q. Obviously you like challenges, the idea of someone saying you're not driving the ball well. It must have lit a fire under you.

TIGER WOODS: You might say that.

Q. It would be better if you said it.

TIGER WOODS: As I said, 9 & 8.

Later one of the scribblers revealed that he is attempting to become the last golf writer on the planet to write about Tiger entering his 30s.

Q. Even after today, Tiger, you're off to a good start. Do you think you can be as dominant through your 30s as you were through your 20s?

TIGER WOODS: That's ultimately what you want to happen. But you have to work. I've done a lot of things to put that together, but it's very exciting.