Gretzky Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic Presented by Gretzky Samsung
Apparently they held a Nationwide Tour event in Collingwood this weekend but nobody heard about it. You probably heard that Wayne Gretzky and a bunch of his friends were in town for a little pro am. Hockey stars, former hockey stars, friends and brothers of former hockey stars and friends and brothers of friends of former hockey stars. Oh yeah, a former NFL star and the wife of a former hockey star.
Please don’t take this the wrong way. I have nothing against a pro am format and the cast of players in this one was pretty significant. However somewhere along the way, this event became more like a Wayne Gretzky and Friends celebrity bash than a serious golf tournament. And serious it was! Second largest purse on the Tour behind the Tour Championship. Fifty-two of the Top 60 players on the Nationwide Money List. A dozen Canadian pros trying to win a tournament in their home country and launch their careers to the next level.
In case you hadn’t heard, Justin Hicks edged Casey Wittenberg for the title in a playoff. Of the top five players, three of their final round scores were 62, 63 and 64. Half of the Canadians made the cut. There was a lot of very good golf played at Georgian Bay Club and Lora Bay this past week by a lot of people who would likely break an ankle if they ever strapped on a pair of skates. You just didn’t hear much about them. Pity!
Canadian Chris Baryla shot 72 – 96, the second round score coming after his wonky back gave out but he hung in there anyway because he got into the field on a sponsor’s exemption and didn’t want to let anyone down. Would be a great story if he jumped off the bench to score the winning goal on Hockey Night in Canada. Don Cherry would call him gritty. Didn’t see much coverage of that story however. Lots of pictures of Wayne and Friends though.
Wayne Gretzky, Ford and Samsung are committed to this event for three years. Good for them for getting behind it and making it happen. However maybe next year the people who help promote and publicize the event will get the message that this is about extremely talented golfers. The hockey players are the sideshow.
Was Augusta Watching?
The USGA hit a home run this year with their course set-up at Torrey Pines for the US Open. Virtually every player interviewed had glowing praise for the course and the way it played. “Tough but fair” was a frequently heard observation and in this case I think they even meant it.
The Saturday back nine charge put together by Tiger that featured two eagles was one of the most exciting rounds I’ve witnessed in quite a while and proves that if a course is set up properly it can protect par and still provide real scoring chances for players that can pull off great shots. More importantly, it didn’t appear that the leaders were just playing defense all day. Holes such as 13, 14 and 18 made for great drama with real risk reward options.
Contrast that with the constricting set-up at the Masters the last two years. No more roars on the back nine at Augusta. No more Sunday charges starting at Amen Corner. It’s all about defense and not making a mistake. The pressure to win a major is probably the same at both events but one makes for boring television while the other is pure excitement.
Here’s hoping that somebody with a reasonably open mind from Augusta National was watching the US Open and was able to put 2 and 2 together. If so, maybe the 2009 Masters will feature some changes that bring back the traditional excitement that made the tournament a can’t miss event. If not, it will be another opportunity to catch up on some sleep.
Peter Mumford is the Editor and Publisher of Fairways Magazine in Toronto. Fairways is intended for avid golfers and this blog site is an extension of that same philosophy - we don't dumb it down for the uninformed!