Harding Buzz

One can only hope that Sunday's incredible buzz at Harding will lead to more public course restorations...at a more reasonable cost. Though key holes played a role, it was the combination of personalities like Daly/Woods/Garcia and the enthusiastic crowds that made Harding special.

Gary Van Sickle wrote about the buzz after Saturday, while Doug Ferguson's AP notebook has some interesting quotes from Tim Finchem, who can already $mell the governing bodie$  moving in for a piece of the action...err, excuse me, the opportunity to position themselves in the the northern California marketplace.

"We know the USGA was already interested in Harding after we got it rebuilt,'' PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said Sunday. "Looking at some of their different championships, I've got to believe the PGA of America would have some interest after this week. We want to sit down with all the interested parties and talk about the best possible schedule.''

Finchem said the key was to stage tournaments that would raise money for The First Tee and to continue repaying the city for the $16 million renovation. [That'll take a while!] A steady diet of championships would mean Harding Park stays in pristine shape, although residents would not be able to play as much in the weeks leading up to a tournament.

"If I owned this place -- if this is my baby, but it was not for profit -- I would want some texture to the communication of this place,'' Finchem said. "That would be being interested in having the best women play, the best seniors, and being interested in getting these guys back. That would round out the field.''

Texture to the communication of this place?