The Dilemma Course Officials Face Across the Country

Bob Harig in the St. Petersburg Times writes:

For the second year in a row,  Tiger Woods  made Doral his personal playground, firing at pins and making birdies as if it were a pitch-and-putt course. His 20-under-par performance that culminated in his 48th career victory Sunday came a year after he set the tournament record at 24 under. Five times in the past 11 years, the winning score has been 18 under or lower. Three more times, it has been 17 under.

Those kind of numbers raised questions last week about Doral's viability as a World Golf Championship venue, which the tournament will become next year.

Wind has always been the course's main defense, and there has barely been a breeze, save for a day or so, during the past two tournaments. Technology, of course, has rendered many courses of long ago a far tamer test. But the lower numbers in recent years have been shocking.

Uh oh, Bob didn't get the memo! That's bias there, because after all, there is no evidence that technology has completely changed the game, just speculation. (As opposed to the overwhelming evidence that "agronomy" is responsible for 350 yard drives.)

Here, history suggests it is odd to see such low scores. But what can tournament officials do? Trick up the course to the point of absurdity?

It is a dilemma that course officials face across the country. Protect the integrity of the course against the best players in the world, or let them go at it?

Or they could be like Doral, probably pretty happy to have Tiger Woods as a back-to-back winner.