WMPO is same party with a different host
Same tournament, different name.
It may now be known as the Wasted Ma – oh, sorry, my bad – WASTE Management Phoenix Open, but this is still golf’s Party Central – just with someone else picking up the tab.
Even with a different name, it remains the rowdiest stop on tour and those not possessing thick skin may as well not even commit to the event. As in the past, there were the raucous cheers at 16 and boos for missed greens and missed putts.
From Geoff Shackelford, who was in the middle of the party in the desert:
Saturday’s 16th hole party is revealing in that you find out which players have a little personality and sense of their role as entertainers. You also see who ought to stay home because they can’t take a joke.
Only Andres Romero looked spooked by the scene, backing off a tee shot and then chunking it well short of the green. Among the players embracing the scene while I was there bouncing between 16 and 17 tees: Y.E. Yang (threw glove and balls into crowd), Phil (more thumb’s ups than normal), Kevin Streelman (brought gifts for the crowd by the tee), Ian Poulter (lots of playful banter with crowd), Rich Beem (full post-birdie putt dance), Matthew Goggin (impersonated playing partner Tom Lehman’s signature birdie putt celebration), Lehman (applauded the crowd), and Rickie Fowler (jovial until his missed birdie putt).
On the sour puss side, Robert Allenby and Zach Johnson gave scornful head shakes after the crowd booed a Greg Chalmers missed putt.
Geez, Robert Allenby playing Shooter McGavin in the PGA Tour’s version of Happy Gilmore? Who knew?
Perhaps the purists, the traditionalists, shake their heads when they see the beer flowing, the girls flashing, at Mardi Gras on grass, but the players, for the most part, don’t seem to have an issue with it. The galleries and packed, the joint is hopping and people actually talk about the golf.
Given what story has dominated the headlines in recent months, that can never be a bad thing for the PGA Tour.
There is a reason plenty of players circle this date on the calendar as soon as the schedule is released. It’s one of the most popular events on tour because most players embrace the atmosphere.
Well, save for a few who may want to take the week off in 2011.
Will Sergio Garcia ever grow up?
At times it is difficult to remember comprehend that, yes, Sergio Garcia is actually 30 years old.
Maybe it’s time he started acting it. Enough with the tiresome whiny, spoiled brat routine.
If you weren’t paying attention to the Accenture Match Play last weekend, choosing instead to watch the Olympics or get into that inevitable debate over Tiger’s staged apology, you may have missed Ian Poulter steamrolling over everything in his path en route to his first triumph on this side of the Atlantic. In his semi-final showdown butt kicking with El Nino, the Englishman slapped around the Spaniard to a 7 & 6 tune.
Afterwards, instead of biting his lip and admitting Poulter had his number, Sergio chose instead to be, well, Sergio.
Poulter didn’t get into a whole lot of trouble against Garcia except on #7, the only hole of the day that he would lose. Poulter found himself in the junk and called a rules official over, looking to get a drop. After being told he could take the drop, Poulter took a while to make up his mind whether or not he actually wanted to use it. In the end, he played his shot from the original lie.
Shortly after making rather short work of his foe, the two shook hands before Garcia pulled Poulter aside and let him know what he thought about the delay.
But that wasn’t enough. Garcia then went on CBS and decided to carry on:
After the match, Garcia was asked if he felt Poulter should have played the shot he intended when asking for relief.
“Well, probably,” Garcia said. “That’s what I would have done after trying to get relief. But he did what he thought was right, and he’s the one who has to live with it, so he’ll be fine.”
Yes, Sergio, he will be fine, provided he keeps getting to meet you at match play. Instead of just sucking it up and admitting he was second-best, Sergio had to haul the Kleenex out of the bag and whine about the only hole of the day he won.
So lame. So Sergio.
And, sadly, so predictable.
John Daly hawking underwear he “doesn’t want to take off”
Warning: if you’re eating breakfast or lunch as you read this, swallow right now and don’t take another bite. Trust me.
Ready? John Daly is going to be posing in underwear. A lot.
See, aren’t you glad I gave you that little heads-up?
Relax, Daly isn’t going to be an underwear model in the literal sense but will merely be hawkin’ briefs, having signed on as a pitchman with Slix, a gitch company that has been in business for a few months.
Relax, Alessandra Ambrosio. You aren’t out of a job yet.
You just knew that lap-band surgery would come in handy somewhere, didn’t you? And given the state of Long John’s game – and yes, that Long John pun is unintentional – you’ve got to take what you can get when it comes to endorsement deals.
From Heather Jones at Real Women Golf:
“Slix boxer briefs are the most ridiculously comfortable underwear I’ve ever put on,” says my bud, JD. “When I’ve got my Slix on, it’s all good.”
Hmmm. I’m guessing when he’s not wearing his Slix, things are pretty good too, but according to JD, this underwear is something he “doesn’t want to take off.”
Something about that is just plain wrong, isn’t it? Two safe bets we can now put down on Daly:
1) He is going to be a heck of an underwear pitchman and
2) He doesn’t go commando when playing golf.
Between his new undies and those ridiculously wild pants he wears courtesy of Loudmouth Golf, Daly is turning into a trimmed-down, over-par fashion statement, which new squeeze Anna Cladakis probably finds quite irresistible.
We’re guessing Anna is in the minority.
Tiger and Augusta, Canadian Tour back at it and a random Olympic hockey thought
Right now, nothing is more important to Tiger Woods than family, and rightfully so. But now that those first awkward words have been spoken –even if no questions were fired his way – maybe Tiger can protect his family most by getting back on the horse – and yes, you’ll have to pardon that expression – and make his return to the sport on the biggest stage in golf.
Augusta National.
Prior to Friday’s announcement, I would have given even odds that we’d see Tiger at The Masters. His record, his ego would almost dictate an appearance. Right now, that seems very much in doubt.
It says here he may want to give serious thought to booking a flight to Georgia the first week of April.
Simply put, the easiest way to make this story go away is to have Tiger return to the links and start beating the living daylights out of everyone up on the leaderboard. Only then will the talk get back to golf.
And there is no better stage for him to return than Augusta. Win or lose The Masters, at least Woods can start getting his name back in the paper for the right reasons.
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Lost in the gong show of Tiger and the Accenture Match Play was the Canadian Tour, which kicked off its 2010 season this past weekend in Colombia – surprise, surprise - in a $220,000 event co-sanctioned with the Tour de las Americas and European Challenge Tour.
With 2009 Order of Merit champion Graham DeLaet having made the jump to the PGA Tour, there are several Canucks looking to follow in DeLaet’s footsteps.
My money is on Wes Heffernan or James Love stealing the Canadian spotlight on the homegrown circuit, but don’t count out darkhorse Derek Gillespie of Oshawa. To many, Gillespie, without a tour win in close to seven years, is yesterday’s news. But a few months removed from a $100,000 payday on The Golf Channel’s Big Break, Gillespie still has the game to find his way to at least the Nationwide Tour.
If he can catch lightning in a bottle early this season and get some confidence, watch out.
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RANDOM OLYMPIC THOUGHT OF THE WEEK: What’s with Canadian women’s hockey coach Mel Davidson letting her troops roll up an 18-0 win over shell-shocked Slovakia in women’s hockey? The same Slovakia that has a pool of about 300 players to choose from nationwide? Impressive feat. There’s some serious Olympic spirit there, huh? For those keeping score, Canada went 3-0 in the round robin, outscoring the opposition 41-2. No wonder most of the world views international women’s hockey as a complete joke.
Tiger still calls shots and that isn’t about to change
Tiger Woods has always talked when he wants, where he wants and with who he wants, so it should come as little surprise that Woods and his people are keeping a tight lid on this pseudo press conference.
He has always controlled his message, and that isn’t about to change. Especially now.
Today will be a staged event. Very little media and all of Tiger’s associates right at his side. No questions and, you can be assured, no real breaking news. What Tiger doesn’t want known will remain a secret. That’s the way he does things and maybe that is the way it should be. About golf, and nothing else.
Even the mighty Golf Writers Association of American, which could have sent three select writers to Ponte Vedra Beach, took a pass on attending.
According to AP golf writer Doug Ferguson, Tim Finchem circulated a memo to players which read in part:
“As we understand it, Tiger’s therapy called for a week’s break at this time during which he has spent a few days with his children and then will make his statement before returning,” Finchem said in a letter Thursday. “Accordingly, there was very little flexibility in the date for the announcement.”
Finchem said in the letter that Woods’ management asked for the facilities, and “we agreed as we would for any member of the PGA Tour.”
Wow. Daly, Thorpe, Barron, you guys catch that?
The timing of the announcement seems a little peculiar as well, seeing how the third round of the Accenture Match Play will be staged Friday as well. Woods’ handlers point out that the press conference was scheduled outside the window for television coverage, but it’s hard to view the timing of the media get-together in Florida as a mere coincidence. For those in need of a refresher, Accenture dropped Tiger from its sponsorship payroll shortly after this whole fiasco went public. Take that, Accenture.
Friday, if nothing else, should be very interesting.
No matter what comes out of his mouth in Florida, one thing hasn’t changed over the past few months.
Tiger still calls the shots.
Giving Tom Watson exemption into U.S. Open a no-brainer
There’s no way the USGA could screw this up, is there?
OK, scratch that. Of course they could. The question is, will they?
As noted by AP golf writer Doug Ferguson, the legendary Tom Watson is still waiting for that seemingly inevitable exemption into this summer’s U.S. Open.
This little snippet from Ferguson’s piece:
“The decision was that our committee is going to look at it in April,” said Mike Davis, senior director of rules and competition. “They feel like if there’s any special exemption, they want to look at it closer to the time of the Open.”
In other words, consider it a slam-dunk that Watson will get the nod to play at Pebble Beach, but the drama is going to be carried on for another couple of months.
This is what we call a no-brainer. There was that dramatic performance at last summer’s British Open when he finally bowed out to Stewart Cink in a playoff. Then, just a few weeks back, Watson took on a strong field in Dubai and wound up eighth. Oh, and if there is a sentimental reason needed, he is also a former U.S. Open champion at Pebble Beach.
Watson doesn’t seem to pay any attention to those numbers on his birth certificate, even if everyone else does.
For the record, the USGA doesn’t automatically award special exemptions into the national championship and, in fact, Nick Price was the last to be given the free pass five years ago.
The fact that Watson doesn’t get into the U.S. Open on his proverbial number itself doesn’t seem right. Runner-up at The Open Championship doesn’t get you’re a ticket into the Open on this side of the pond? Huh? Time to look at those exemption categories, methinks.
That said, according to Adam Schupak at Golfweek, Watson might want to book his plane ticket to Pebble Beach right about now:
Some insiders tell me it’s a done deal and the USGA just waited for the end of Jim Vernon’s reign as president to avoid any implication of favoritism, because Vernon and Watson are old fraternity brothers.
Yeah, because we known there are never politics involved within golf’s governing bodies, right? If anyone believes Watson’s exemption into the U.S. Open would be the result of favouritism or politics, they clearly haven’t been paying attention.
Tom Watson should be there on his own merit, his own play. He’s earned the right to be at Pebble Beach.
Anything else just isn’t fair.
David Duval comeback a feelgood story golf needs
His is a comeback story that just keeps getting better.
Once ranked the top player on the planet, David Duval found himself falling into golf’s abyss, relying on qualifiers, past wins and sponsor’s exemptions for a chance to return to the game full-time. Kind of like golf’s version of handouts and hand-me-downs.
Despite all those attempts to resurrect his career, Duval, at least prior to this week, was still regarded as an afterthought on the pro tour. Or so one would think after watching The Golf Channel bail on his closing holes Friday night. Rather than hang around for a few extra minutes to air the final few holes of his round, I guess TGC figures everyone would rather watch another Golf Central instead of a feelgood story in a sport that, quite frankly, could use one.
No matter. Duval is intent on writing his own story.
He flirted with a win at the U.S . Open last summer at Bethpage Black, a triumph that would have been THE story of the year. Bigger than Tiger, bigger than Yang, bigger than all of ‘em. And he just missed at Bethpage, just like he just missed at Pebble Beach.
There aren’t many golf fans rooting against this guy. He hasn’t always been the most pleasant of players and at times has been flat-out abrasive, but his comeback is well worth watching. Duval has always been a bit of an enigma, and not many can put a finger on when, and how, it all went so wrong for him.
People want Duval to bounce back. Once forgotten, Duval is now anything but. Can he keep it going? Like everything else with him, you just never know.
But it’s going to be fun to watch.
David Duval’s bandwagon is getting full. Don’t expect people to be jumping off anytime soon.
News just keeps getting worse for Jim Thorpe
Forget kicking a man when he’s down. Jim Thorpe could only be so lucky.
No, the truck that mowed down Thorpe backed up and ran him over again.
Already set to serve a one-year prison sentence for not paying the taxman, the news got a whole lot worse for the Champions Tour legend when he learned, apparently via email, that he was no longer welcome on the PGA Tour, at
Jeez, when it rains, it pours, huh? Well, welcome to Jim Thorpe’s personal monsoon. Not only does he have to report to jail by April 1st for his year in the pokey, but he’ll also face two years of supervised release, 200 hours of community service and must pay back close to $2 million in back taxes and penalties.
Uh, just guessing, but that restitution may have to wait. Did we mention, as we sit here Thorpe is an out-of-work 61-year-old?
From his chat with Jim McCabe at Golfweek:
“I’m surprised, because it’s a misdemeanor,” Thorpe said. “It’s stupidness on my part, but I didn’t think it deserved a jail sentence. I could see if I hurt someone or it was drugs or a serious felony.”
“I don’t know the bylaws, and there’s probably something in the (regulations),” he said. “I guess they feel they have to protect other players.”
Protecting from what, we really don’t know. Maybe Thorpe is just too nice a guy and has a tough time handling money. Who knows? The PGA Tour likely has a good reason to banish Thorpe and, as is their practice, refuses to discuss all things related to disciplining its players. Thorpe had hoped to play in this week’s Ace Group Classic and play as much golf as he could before being led away in the ‘cuffs. That is no longer an option.
Most will find it tough to find sympathy for a multi-million dollar athlete who tried to sneak out the clubhouse door when it came to paying taxes. Truth is, it isn’t inconceivable to think that Thorpe could square things up with the IRS by pulling out his chequebook and signing his name.
That really isn’t the point, though.
Sure, what Thorpe did was wrong. He’s admitted as such. But once in a while, you’ve just got to look the other way and cut a guy a break, never mind a guy in his 60’s who has been a face of the Champions Tour for so long.
As Thorpe said in Golfweek:
“Golf is the only thing I know. I don’t know anything else.”
And now the only thing he knows is being taken away from him.
Five to watch at Pebble Beach
Ahhhhhhhhhh, nothing quite like Pebble Beach for the PGA Tour’s best. Well, the ones that actually show up, anyway.
If you look closely enough, you might actually see players draw blood as they chew through their bottom lip watching their amateur partner take half an hour, four approach shots and six putts to finish a hole.
One of the more entertaining weeks on the PGA Tour schedule, there is another carrot dangling in front of the pros this week: the U.S. Open, which will be staged at Pebble later this summer. So, for those that take home a cheque this week, consider it two bonus practice rounds – albeit in totally different conditions that they’ll see this June.
On that note, we’re breaking down the field and taking a peek at five to watch once they start playing for keeps Thursday:
5. SERGIO GARCIA
El Nino touches down on this side of the pond for the first time in ’10, which means Pebble Beach should be invaded be swarms of giggling teenage girls, paper and pen in hand. Not sure why Garcia is worth watching this week, since he hasn’t played here in nine years – unless our math is wrong, which could very well be the case. And with showings of T59 (2001) and T35 the year before, he hasn’t exactly shot the lights out at the Beach. That said, for whatever reason, we’re going with a hunch this week.
4. LUKE DONALD
Just missed the top payday last week, finishing runner-up at the Northern Trust Open. Sure, the Donald hasn’t won on the PGA Tour since ’06 but, to be fair, he has battled a wonky wrist for the past couple of years. Could be ready to break through big-time this year and in five starts here, has three top 20’s. We’re sold.
3. PHIL MICKELSON
Yeah, we know, Lefty will be one of the favourites every week he plays, at least until you-know-who gets back. Of course, the critics will point out that Mickelson has a T55 and MC at this event in the past two years with uninspiring rounds of 72-71-71-71-72-78. What they won’t mention, of course, is he’s hoisted the hardware three times at Pebble Beach (2007, 2005, 1998). Rather slow start out of the gate in two 2010 starts, which might be even more of a reason to put a few skins down on Mickelson this week.
2. RETIEF GOOSEN
The Goose is loose and we’re buying. Not only has Goosen managed a fourth and sixth in two events this year, he has finished inside the top ten eight times in his last nine starts around the globe. This week marks just his second start here, but his first wasn’t too shabby – a third one year ago.
1. MIKE WEIR
Opening with a sixth place showing at the Bob Hope in January, Weir was humming right along, posting six straight sub-70 rounds to start 2010 before sliding off the rails with a second-round 77 last week to miss the number at the NTO. Should serve to light a fire under him this week and, considering he was second at Pebble Beach last year, that may bode well for the Canadian. Oh, and Weir has seven top tens in 12 starts here – the best docket of any non-winner.
Canadians holding their own; thoughts on Lefty’s wedges and waffles
Glancing at early-season results, one – or at least one hailing from Canada – has to be pretty optimistic with the performance of the Canucks to date.
Between Mike Weir, Stephen Ames and rookie Graham DeLaet, the trio has made six of eight cuts with one top-six and an additional four top-25 showings.
Chris Baryla, on the other hand, has struggled early in his freshman season, missing the weekend in all three starts.
From the department of brutal honesty, Stephen Ames – never one short on words - opened with a 68 at Riviera but withdrew, thanks to the miserable conditions.
“I play golf for fun, not for money. This is not fun,” Ames said.
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Just wondering what all the whining is about when it comes to Lefty and a handful of others finding a loophole and using the PING Eye-2 wedges (well, Lefty until last week anyway). Most players are looking for any competitive edge, where one swing can make the difference between missing the cut and, well, that month-long vacation in Aruba.
Mickelson is playing fair and within in the rules. If he wasn’t, what he is doing would result in a DQ.
Then again, some players just aren’t happy unless they’re crying about something.
Don’t believe us? You’d be amazed how many players go storming in to speak to the tournament director if they aren’t in the one of the lead six or seven groups of the draw. Of course, the answer is always the same. Want a better tee time? Make more birdies.
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Geez, what will Tom Watson do for an encore? Just wondering.
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Speaking of Mickelson, good news for arteries but bad news for drunk guys everywhere. No longer will you be able to stagger into a Waffle House in the wee hours after shutting down (or getting tossed out of) the local watering hole in the hopes of seeing Phil Mickelson as you send your cholesterol count through the roof.
Turns out Lefty pulled the plug (and likely saved his heart a tremendous beating in the process) on a deal that would have seen him acquire more than a 100 Waffle Houses.
Somewhere, kid Rock is shedding a tear. And, likely, throwing a punch.
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.
