Tragic summer shows what is right with PGA Tour fraternity
It’s been a summer of personal tragedy, an endless summer of heartache on the PGA Tour.
Earlier this summer, Ken Green lost his girlfriend, brother and the lower half of his right leg after a horrific RV crash. Just a couple weeks later, Chris Smith’s wife was killed in another crash, his two young children critically wounded. Paul Goydos’ ex-wife passed away after an achingly long battle with painkillers stemming from chronic migraines, and Amy Mickelson is waging a battle of her own with breast cancer.
One thing’s for sure – there has been no shortage of shoulders to lean on this summer.
Funny game, this golf. Guys will spend four days trying to bury one another, if you’ll pardon the term, but when tragedy strikes, the PGA Tour becomes a fraternity, as one.
“Life is full of problems and the Tour has had a rough year, not just me,” Goydos said at the Buick Open this week. “The whole Tour has had a rough year. It’s a pretty good family atmosphere.
“The people out here are very supportive. Sunday, we’re trying to beat each other and Monday we’re trying to support each other. It’s the nature of the game.”
Tragedy struck Smith on Father’s Day, of all times. As could be expected, Smith is having a tough time coming to grips with the finality of what happened on that Indiana interstate, and has admitted to friends he is sleeping two hours a night.
Organizers have put together the Beth Smith Memorial Tournament, slated for August 7 in Indiana. So far, organizers say the response has been overwhelming. Jerry Kelly is donating his share of Caddy For A Cure proceeds to Smith and his family and friends have set up the Beth Smith Memorial Fund Trust.
Smith, who has spent the past couple of seasons on the Nationwide Tour after the better part of the past decade on the big tour, does not plan on playing for the remainder of the year as he helps nurse his children back to health and deal with the enormity of losing a mother, a wife. Golf, like pretty much everything else these days, is not important.
There were rumours Smith was set to give up the game in order to take care of his kids, but the children may have talked him out of it.
Seems they feel getting back to golf in 2010 may be part of the healing process for Chris Smith.
After all, he, like everyone else affected by this tragic summer, seems to have a pretty strong support group at work.
Can RBC Canadian Open move into Buick Open date? Don’t count on it…
For an outfit that is having a tough time rubbing two nickels together, it isn’t exactly earth-shattering news that GM is pulling the plug on its half-century sponsorship of the Buick Open.
Could this news be perking up the ears of Scott Simmons, Bill Paul and RBC as the Canadian Open lobbies for a new date? Seems like Canada’s national championship would be an ideal fit for that slot should the week open up. A week later than their current spot on the heels of The Open Championship, the date would allow players an extra seven days to get over the jet lag and with the Canadian Open being staged at St. George’s and Shaughnessy over the next couple of years, more “name” players might make the trek north.
Sounds promising, but don’t bet on it.
Golfweek, which first broke the Buick Open story on their website, suggests a new sponsor and venue will be announced next week which, at first glance, suggests the date could very well remain the same – just with a different sponsor and course footing the bill.
Sorry, Canada.
On top of that, even in a best-case scenario, it will likely cost RBC between $2 and 3 million to flop dates. That’s a fair chunk of change considering there is no guarantee any more star players – and we aren’t even suggesting the ‘T’ word – would come to Canada.
Switching gears, the demise of the Buick Open, while a no-brainer as far as GM is concerned, is still a kick square between the legs for the PGA Tour.
Only at the Buick will you see John Daly shacking up at Kid Rock’s place, or Bob Seger playing in a pro-am with Tiger Woods.
It’s like Woodstock with a 9-iron.
But, after a quarter century of sponsoring the event, times have changed for GM. They have lost more than $80 billion – yes, with a ‘b’ – in the past four years. Right now, GM couldn’t sponsor a kids’ bake sale. According to GM, they are pulling their marketing bucks from sporting events to focus more on their cars and trucks. Good plan, huh?
The Buick Open, as expected, is about to be referred to in the past tense.
But don’t go penciling in the RBC Canadian Open into the date just yet.
It’s not quite that simple.
Final thoughts from the week that wouldn’t end
Thank you, Nathan Green and Retief Goosen.
Thank you for salvaging something at this RBC Canadian Open. You are without question the latest additions to the RCGA corporate Christmas card list.
About the only guy on the planet that could have enjoyed Glen Abbey this week was Michael Phelps. And, no, there were no bongs being passed around the grounds, either.
Scott Simmons, Bill Paul and the gang at the RCGA had done yeomen’s work hauling the Canadian Open out of the abyss, a horrible date notwithstanding. One would think Mother Nature would have at least shown a little mercy.
If anything, she was as ruthless as ever.
You can be sure the four-plus inches of rain that fell on Glen Abbey will be a topic of conversation in the player’s locker room at this week’s Buick Open, which surely won’t have players getting an early jump at circling the date on the calendar for next July.
Unfair, perhaps, but it’s just how the straws were drawn this week. But for all the work they’ve done, Simmons and Paul deserved to catch a break this week.
They didn’t get it. But it doesn’t take away from the admirable job they, along with RBC, have done getting the Canadian Open ship righted.
Goosen and Green pulled their weight Monday as well.
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OK, BMW doesn’t exactly need the handout like GM but you have to figure the company suits are still smarting after giving away four cars thanks to holes-in-one on #15. Oh, and for what it’s worth, there were eight aces at the Open this week. In the first 32 events of the season, there were 21 total.
Speaking of aces, you’ll be hard pressed to see one quite like Leif Olson’s. Ever.
You couldn’t blame Kris Blanks – whose ball went in the wrong direction following the bank shot– had he tossed his putter through the windshield of Olson’s new ride.
Then again, seeing how Olson has made a whopping $19,000 on tour prior to the Canadian Open, Blanks probably figured his colleague needed all the help he could get.
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Much was made of the gallery following Camilo Villegas being made up of, um, members of the fairer sex at the Open, but it seems the Colombian star has a few male admirers as well.
While walking to the practice range behind a hospitality tent following a long weather delay early in the week, one male patron – evidently fueled by a few too many during the extended break – screamed from the box “I LOVE YOU CAMILO!!!” For what it’s worth, Villegas kept walking without turning around. Probably a good thing.
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With Weir and Stephen Ames getting all the attention from scribes north of the 49th, Chris Baryla and Graham DeLaet quietly went about their own business.
Baryla put together an impressive final-day 66 to share top Canuck honours with Ames, while DeLaet just couldn’t quite get it going Monday and placed 46th.
Oh, and speaking of sneaking up on everyone, DeLaet – who has two wins, a second and third in his past four Canadian Tour starts – has climbed to 166th in the world ahead of the likes of Paul Lawrie, Jeff Quinney, Thomas Bjorn and Mark Calcavecchia.
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MVP of the week, if there was such a thing, goes to Glen Abbey superintendent Scott Bowman and his crew of 75-plus groundskeepers, the sole reason the PGA Tour even had a chance of squeezing 72 holes in. For those not on-site during the week, the course was virtually under water, and the rains just kept coming. If not for Bowman and company, the Open would have been curtains by Sunday morning.
Canadian Open could get more attractive date
As could almost be expected, Mother Nature did no favours for the RBC Canadian Open Thursday but, fear not, there could be brighter days ahead for Canada’s national championship.
The glimmer of hope came in the form of none other than Tim Finchem, when the PGA Tour’s head suit hinted that the PGA Tour is considering adopting a “flex-schedule” where more tournaments would be slotted into different dates in successive years in a bid to get more top players to town.
That has to be seen as welcome news for the RCGA, even if the Canadian Open remains locked into their current date right on the heels of The Open Championship for at least the next three years.
But positive changes could be on the way.
“It’s something we’re looking very carefully at,” Finchem said.
“We’ve had some very preliminary discussions with the RCGA and RBC. We’ll be talking about that more over the next six months.”
They may not be there quite yet, but the RBC Canadian Open seems to be fast-tracking its way back to the glory days after more than a few rather lean years in which its survival was, at best, a coin flip. The fact that the championship has a secure title sponsor in RBC in a day and age where stability is tough to come by means Finchem’s arm probably won’t have to be twisted all that hard.
This is still a national championship. But, it doesn’t need to be stated, many of the world’s best would rather take a flight straight home from the Open Championship than make a detour in Canada.
Times are a-changin’. These days, there are more than a few tournaments on shaky ground but don’t count the RBC Canadian Open among them. In fact, the tournament is as stable as ever meaning if the deep-pocketed title sponsor wants a better date, it is only a matter of time until they get it.
And the wheels are already starting to spin.
“I think that would be particularly beneficial, potentially, for this week because it would be good for this tournament to be able to reach more players,” Finchem added.
Which is nothing but good news for Scott Simmons and Bill Paul.
And now if they could only get a little help from the weatherman…
Just for this week…
Just for this week…
Welcome to RBC Canadian Open week. It may be an exercise in futility, but here’s hoping:
Just for this week, can we not bitch and complain about who isn’t here at the RBC Canadian Open and focus on who is? That ship has long since sailed. Check out the starting field. You won’t see better golf in Canada until this time next year.
Just for this week, can we not hear how Glen Abbey is not St. George’s, Shaughnessy or Hamilton?
Just for this week, can we avoid complaining about the date right on the heels of the Open Championship? It is what it is, and until the PGA gets with it and understands that this is a pretty special tournament, it isn’t changing.
Just for this week, can we not point fingers at who is to blame for our best amateurs not jumping straight to the PGA Tour after a year or two in the pro ranks?
Just for this week, can we stop asking why Mike Weir can’t close out a deal on the weekend?
Just for this week, can we avoid fabricating some reason to blame Bill Paul or Scott Simmons for something, anything?
Just for this week, can we stop talking about Weir blowing it in 2004?
Just for this week, can we avoid references to 1954 and Pat Fletcher. Or 1914 and Karl Keffer? Yes, myself included.
Just for this week, can we use a roll of duct tape on anyone who screams “YOU DA MAN” or “GET IN THE HOLE”? Or at least have security throw them off the grounds for life? Please?
Just for this week, can we not dwell on the fact that Mike Weir is the only Canadian-born regular on the PGA Tour? We know. Really, we do.
Just for this week, can we stop talking about what it is going to take to get Tiger here? If Woods doesn’t feel the need to support a national championship not named the U.S. or British, deal with it.
Just for this week, can we not just celebrate something that is uniquely Canadian, something that is ours? We have the other 51 weeks of the year to be so Canadian and whine about all the other stuff.
Can we not just enjoy this?
Just for this week…
Watson stole the show, Open tech geeks should use common sense and watch DeLaet at Glen Abbey
“Almost. The dream almost came true,” said a subdued Tom Watson Sunday during the runner-up press conference at Turnberry.
Almost, indeed.
Perhaps, after the emotion of this unforgettable week subsides, Watson will look back and realize how much he captivated the golf world at this 138th Open Championship.
Sitting in the fairway of the final hole needing just par to win the unlikeliest of Claret Jugs, there will be those that suggest Watson, at 59, choked away the Open in its final moments.
Not so. Not even close.
In the end, fatigue and Father Time caught up with Watson. Weight of the world? By golf standards, you couldn’t get any more literal.
A few feet. In the end, that was about the difference between Watson and his sixth Open championship. If that approach on the 72nd hole sticks instead of rolling off the back of the green, Watson gets his two-putt and his little corner of history without ever having to roll the dice in a playoff.
Really, wasn’t supposed to be this way for Tom Watson. Some 32 years after one-upping Jack Nicklaus in one of the most memorable finishes ever to a major, most figured Watson would show up in Scotland, play two days of golf, shake some hands, pose for a few pictures and hop on a plane.
He may be coming back to the States minus a Claret Jug, but make no mistake. Tom Watson, with apologies to Stewart Cink, stole the show at this Open Championship. It wasn’t even close.
Years from now, when discussing the 138th Open Championship, Cink will be an afterthought. He just picked the wrong day, the wrong year, to win his first major. Watson, as he should, will be the one lasting impression of Turnberry in 2009.
And when his tee shot on the third extra hole came down somewhere just north of Wales, the ghost of Julius Boros exhaled at last.
Tom Watson hasn’t won a PGA Tour event since Bill Clinton was about to get impeached. Darned if he didn’t come a few feet from shocking the world at Turnberry.
Scratch that. He did shock the world, and put an exclamation mark on his legacy in the process.
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What’s wrong with this picture? If you said those high numbers on Tiger’s scorecard, congratulations…you’re wrong.
Check out the text inside the pink circle. For all the bellyaching overseas about it being The Open Championship and not the British Open, the casual golf fan – of which I am sure there were a few of this past weekend – could have easily been confused into thinking that was Tiger’s scorecard for the U.S. Open (or, any other American scorecard you happened to click on).
Petty? Probably. But considering Ian Poulter’s “British Open” gaffe was splashed all over the front page of newspapers overseas, one would think those designing the Open website would use a little more common sense.
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It was a good news/bad news sort of week for Mike Weir.
After an opening day 67 left him right in the thick of things, a Friday 78 had him packing his bags early, meaning he should be fresh and well-rested for the sea microphones he will face this week at Glen Abbey.
Talk about the Masters and Open Championship all you want, but this is the one Weir really wants right now at this stage of his career, if nothing else than not having to answer that question anymore.
Oh, and Weir shouldn’t feel too bad. He could have been Ben Curtis, who went 65-80 to miss the number needed to stick around Scotland for the weekend.
***
Speaking of the RBC Canadian Open, you may want to keep an eye on Graham DeLaet this week.
Now, we’re not suggesting the native of Weyburn, Sask. is a contender at the Abbey, but if there is a hotter Canadian professional golfer on the planet right now, we have no idea where he is.
DeLaet won his second Canadian Tour crown in three starts at the Canadian Tour Players Cup Sunday in Winnipeg. In his last four events, he has two triumphs, a second and third. Despite playing in just five of 10 events, he leads the money list - and only two Canucks have won the Order of Merit title in the past 12 years – Mike Weir in ’97 and Jon Mills six years ago. He is also eighth on the South African Sunshine Tour money list, even though he only has four starts on that circuit this season.
The timing couldn’t be better for DeLaet to introduce himself to most of Canada this week.
Happy 10th, Jean Van de Velde, Watson turns back clock and did Poulter have to apologize?
Happy tenth anniversary, Jean Van de Velde.
How’s that choke collar feeling these days, a decade later? Still snug?
Yeah, we know, we plugged in the collapse of all collapses in our Video of the Week slot this week, but we had to bring it up in this space as well. Well, just because.
Poor Van de Velde. No matter what he does for the remainder of his career, no matter how many children he may save from burning buildings, he will forever be known for throwing away the 1999 Open at Carnoustie.
Funny how one bad shot can define a man’s career. Or, in the Frenchman’s case, three or four bad shots. On one hole.
Letting it go and getting on with life is probably the right thing to do. Geez, it’s been a decade. But it’s just too much damn fun.
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Someone forgot to tell Tom Watson that time has passed him by and that teeing it up in The Open Championship or at Augusta is supposed to be for sentimentality only.
Watson one back at The Open Championship? What is this, 1977?
It probably won’t last – nor should it, even for a five-time winner here - but his opening round could end up being the story of the week, no matter what happens between now and Sunday.
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Once and for all, can we stop this whining about the event being The Open Championship, or the Open, and not the British Open? We get that whole stiff upper lip thing that they have going on the other side of the pond, but seriously, aren’t there bigger things to worry about?
So Ian Poulter is taking a hit in the European press for referring to the major as “The British Open”, a gaffe which could result in five paddle whacks across the cheeks for the Englishman, one for each time he said it.
“I’m sorry if I offend anybody with saying it or having said it. I won’t say it again,” Poulter said. “I do apologize.”
Newsflash: we know the history and significance of The British Open. Really, we appreciate it. Poulter spends a lot of time over on this side of the Atlantic, where most – although certainly not all – refer to it as the British Open.
Live with it.
In the States, the Open – THEIR Open – is played every July as well. It is the U.S. Open. Up here, our Open is the Canadian Open – a watered down version of a national championship compared to the other two perhaps, but a national championship nonetheless.
For most of us over here, it is the British Open. You know, to save confusion.
We get the tradition. We get the history.
Just as those who are offended should think about getting a life.
Sandy Lyle shows perfect timing in slamming Monty
Sour grapes or not, you have to admire Sandy Lyle’s sense of timing.
Here we are, with the eyes of the world on Scotland for this week’s Open Championship, and Lyle seizes the moment to call out Colin Montgomerie as a cheater.
Asked if pulling out of last year’s Open with sore knuckles may have cost him the European Ryder Cup captaincy for 2010, Lyle thought about turning the other cheek – well, for a second anyway.
“You would have to ask the committee that. But you’ve got Monty with his situation where he was dropping the ball badly overseas. And that is far worse than someone pulling out because he has got sore knuckles. It’s a form of what [could be called] ‘cheating’.”
Ouch. Seems Lyle is still a little bitter at not getting the nod over Monty for 2010. Especially since, at one point, Montgomerie went on record as saying it would be “a shame” if Lyle wasn’t picked for the 2010 captaincy.
The cheating incident to which Lyle refers, for those not keeping score at home, came at the 2005 Indonesian Open when, following a weather delay, many people still believe Monty greatly aided his lie when replacing his ball. While he got off Scot-free, to pardon the pun, others feel Monty pulled a fast one.
Apparently, you can count Lyle among them.
You probably won’t get much of an argument from fans on this side of the ocean, where Monty is about as popular as haggis. Over here, Monty is more often than not a punchline. Fans would much rather discuss his, um, man boobs – and quite loudly at times – than Ryder Cups and Open Championships.
Lyle also thinks Monty may have “cheated” at the 2002 Volvo Masters, when rules officials called him in to review the tape after his ball seemed to move as he addressed his shot.
Lyle continues his rant:
“If anything was going to be held against Monty, you would think, ‘Yeah, well that’s a case where he was breaking the rules.’ And there have been other times where he has been called in to see videos.”
Timing, it is said, can be everything.
And make no mistake, Lyle waited until the eyes of the golf world were fixed on Turnberry before letting the globe know exactly how he feels about Colin Montgomerie.
Separated at birth? You decide…
Recently, I was quietly watching golf when David Feherty began blabbering about something to wreck a perfectly good telecast.
As I looked for the mute button on the remote, my wife called from the kitchen “Wow, is that guy’s voice ever annoying. It sounds like someone I know, I just can’t think of who…”
“Your mother?”, I asked.
Not a smart thing to say. Two or three days later, shortly after I was allowed back in the house, I had a thought, which tends to occur every three or four months.
You know those moments when you can’t quite figure out where you’ve heard that voice before? How about a blog, only using faces instead of voices? In other words, golfers who may have been separated at birth with their sibling?
You make the call:
TIGER WOODS-BARACK OBAMA
One is considered to be one of the most powerful men in the world. The other is the President of the United States.
CRAIG STADLER AND MIKE HOLMGREN, COACH, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
Not only do Stadler and Holmgren have an uncanny resemblance to one another from the shoulders up, but they also have almost identical waistlines. And trust us, that’s not necessarily a good thing.
SERGIO GARCIA AND UH, WELL, ….
Boo hoo. Enough said.
BUBBA WATSON AND LLOYD CHRISTMAS (DUMB AND DUMBER)
This one is tough to catch, since more often than not Bubba has his mug covered with a cap. He may want to think about keeping it that way. Or get a different bowl on haircut day.
BRANDT SNEDEKER AND RICHIE CUNNINGHAM (HAPPY DAYS)
Probably not the most flattering of comparisons, but it could have been worse for Snedeker, seeing how he’s got the Donald Trump weave thing happening.
ZACH JOHNSON AND ACTOR JOAQUIN PHOENIX
Hey, had Joaquin turned down the Johnny Cash gig, Johnson would have been an ideal choice. Then again, after watching Phoenix hallucinate his way through that David Letterman interview, perhaps Zach should have been the first choice.
PHIL MICKELSON AND ACTOR HUGH GRANT
A no-brainer. Lefty and the guy Julia Roberts made famous.
NICK FALDO AND ACTOR HARRISON FORD
Ryder Cup goat and Indiana Jones. Somehow, we’re thinking Ford is a little more popular in Europe than Faldo these days.
LATE ANIMAL LOVER STEVE IRWIN AND JOHN DALY
Big John’s got the same look as the lover of all animals Irwin (well, save for stingrays). Crikey.
MIGUEL ANGEL JIMENEZ AND BORAT
If there is anyone on the planet that looks like Borat, he probably isn’t saying it all that loud. But that’s our job…to find him. Very nice!
GREG NORMAN AND MICK DUNDEE (CROCODILE DUNDEE, PLAYED BY PAUL HOGAN)
The Shark and The Croc. Both from Down Under, both could pass for brothers. Looking for the guy to play Norman in his made-for-TV movie? Search is over. Provided Hogan is comfortable choking it up at Augusta.
FLUFF COWAN AND ONE OF THE OLD GUYS THAT USED TO SCREAM FROM THE BALCONY IN THE MUPPETS
You knew, somewhere there would be a token Muppet reference. Consider it done.
STEPHEN AMES AND ADAM CAROLLA
Who? Well, remember The Man Show, where two guys talked about sports and babes for half an hour? The one where Jimmy Kimmel got his start? Well, Carolla was that other guy. The one no one remembers.
TOM KITE AND BUBBLES FROM THE TRAILER PARK BOYS
Yikes. What the heck were you thinking, Tom? And your mom called…she wants to know what you did with the rest of the Coke bottles you used for those lenses.
CHARLES HOWELL AND, WELL…
What are the two things Howell needs most? A) Another PGA Tour win and B) some fat in his diet. Howell better pay attention during The Open Championship at Turnberry. With those winds, there’s a chance we may never see him again.
RORY MCILOY AND ALFRED E. NEUMANN
He may be golf’s next best thing, but he’s got the look of the poster boy from MAD Magazine
JIM FURYK, SINGER JAMES TAYLOR AND THAT EAGLE DUDE FROM THE MUPPETS
Back to the Muppets, if we may, which isn’t the best news for Furyk. Or crooner James Taylor.
FRANK LICKLITER AND WRESTLING BADASS STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN
If anyone in Lickliter’s gallery happens to yell out a “HELL, YEAH!” after Frankie makes a putt, now you’ll know what they mean. Lickliter looks like he would kick your rear end for asking for his autograph. Might explain why not many people have tried.
COLIN MONTGOMERIE AND BILL PARCELLS
Wow. Not only does Monty resemble NFL blowhard Parcells, but they have the egos to boot – both think they are God’s gift to their respective sports.
GEOFF OGILVY AND ACTOR JAKE GYLLENHAAL
One of the best golfers on the planet shares quite a resemblance to a dude from Brokeback Mountain. Well, the living one, anyway.
Babe, beer, backyard and Big Bertha…
Proof that some guys will do anything for the love of a woman. Or, at the very least, a beer.
Check out the video making its way around the ‘Net in which some brave inebriated young soul apparently drew the short straw and is left dangling a beer can so his squeeze – or, even worse , someone else’s – can try to put a dent in it with a golf ball. (props to Yahoo’s Devil Ball Golf for digging up this beauty)
Pfft. Eat your heart out, John Daly.
If this is legit - and trust me, we have our doubts - kudos to the hottie. She may want to forego her current ambition of serving chicken wing at Hooters and serious consider a career in golf. Great shot, even if it is a waste of a can of liquid gold.
You knew it had to be a beer can and not a juice box. Only after quite of few those wobbly pops would a single moron – let alone an entire flock of ‘em – be daring enough to stand that close to a young lady wielding a driver, no matter how short her skirt is. And yes, the skirt definitely caught our attention first. In fact, we had to replay the video to see if she came anywhere close to hitting the can.
Some tech geek probably altered the actual footage, seeing how you and I could try this for hours and have nothing to show for it outside a good buzz and the pure joy of seeing our buddies spitting out their Chiclets all over the backyard. Note to self: don’t pull out the clubs in the midst of a backyard bash. Only bad things can happen.
Evidently the kids have never see what a golf ball can do when taken right between the peepers. As for the girl, her friends either consider her the next coming of Annika or are just too drunk to care. Gives a whole knew meaning to the term ‘liquid courage’.
Oh, and young lady, great golf swing. Better outfit.
Fairways Web Editor Marty Henwood spent more than six years as the Media Relations Director with the Canadian Tour and has been involved in sports journalism for more than a decade, including stints in newspaper, radio, new media and media relations. He will offer his unique take on the world of golf, with nothing and no one off limits.