Over the Green

Those entering the World Golf Hall of Fame Monday night is certainly deserving; iconic golf scribe Dan Jenkins, LPGA veteran Hollis Stacy, two time major winner Sandy Lyle, Peter Alliss who moved from winning tournaments to being the voice of golf…and of course Phil Mickelson.

Mickelson among his contemporaries has the most wins on Tour (40) after Tiger Woods with his run beginning at the 1991 Northern Telecom Open as a junior amateur at Arizona State and the latest at this years’ AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. His college career was outstanding: the only left-handed U.S. Amateur Champion, one of four to win NCAA Championship and U.S. Amateur in same year and among the short list of four players who were four time first-team All-Americans.

His four major championships (2004, 2006 and 2010 Masters and the 2005 PGA Championship) thrilled millions plus he has won overseas three times. Additionally he has represented the United States nine times as a member of the President’s Cup team and eight times on the Ryder Cup team.

Lefty as his fans affectionately call him was elected to the Hall the first year he became eligible, after his 10th year on TOUR in 2003 and turning 40 last year.

A remarkable and Hall of Fame deserving career no doubt.

He’s an avid pilot and with wife Amy is dedicated to their three children and various charitable works including the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, Homes for Our Troops and Birdies for the Brave along with the Phil and Amy Mickelson Foundation.

But all that is not what this column is about – the best reason for honoring Mickelson with induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame is he exemplifies the best of the traditions of golf – honesty, sportsmanship and competitive spirit.

Stories of his taking time to sign fans autographs after rounds are legion. He smiles, waves and interacts with the crowd even during tournament rounds and then of course there’s his thrilling way of attacking the golf course. Some might say on occasions too thrilling but Lefty plays to win not for second with a slashing unorthodox swing and go-for-broke style.

Reminds one of another World Golf Hall of Fame member doesn’t it?
Arnold Palmer.

The golf media is filled with similar headlines; some variant of, “Tiger Woods Clinches President’s Cup.”
Phooey.

In fact and just as accurately it could be said by only winning one match of the five in which he participated, he contributed to the Internationals point total.

Let’s face it, Woods played poorly and was fortunate to be on a team that played very well, but then isn’t that the idea of a TEAM format?

Give kudos to Mickelson, Furyk, Mahan and Toms plus even maybe Watney for beating the opposition. Additionally the Internationals really never got it together, as they never seem to do in these matches and contrary to some of the media voices leading up to the contest.

Bottom line – great play by four or five Americans and lousy play by just about all the Internationals was the reason we won…not because Woods made his one single point on the final day.

It’s the nature of the beast but golf journalists tend to focus on the negative things going on in our game and not the positive. Proactive programs like the immense effort being put forth by the PGA of America to bring back former players to the course and recruit new golfers often get scant attention.
So far the programs (Play Golf America, etc.) have been about a wash with as many leaving as starting but in these economic times that could be construed as a win of pretty large proportions.

Another positive is golf is more affordable than any time in the last 20 years or maybe longer because fewer players (mirrored by the closing of courses) has meant a relentless downward pressure on greens fees and other prices. Additionally all but very a few equipment makers have a low priced but hi-tech line of clubs (and balls). They don’t promote them as “low priced” but they obviously are and meant to fill the need at the low end price point.

On the professional side Tiger Woods should be back with a vengeance next year trying to salvage his place in golf history and catch Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 major championships. With four more to tie the Golden Bear and Tiger having plenty of playing years ahead he should be able to do it. Setting a new major win record is not the cast iron lock it may have once been but still he is not someone to bet against. Aside from trying to wipe out the stain on his record book pages of the personal and professional ugliness of 2010, Woods signed a reportedly $110 million (not $600 million like was speculated) divorce settlement with former spouse Elin Nordegen. Could that be viewed as a half a billion dollar win?

Phil Mickelson’s wife and mother seem to have survived their cancer battles and it remains to be seen whether Lefty’s chronic and incurable psoriatic arthritis will end his Hall of Fame career. At 40 Mickelson is a respected winner (41 worldwide, 38 in U.S. with 4 majors) and its not outside the realm of speculation he could win a lot more including more majors like the U.S. Open where he has so often contended. He did a great job mentoring younger Ryder Cup team members in Wales, raising his status in the profession even higher.

The young Americans seem to be on the prowl too with Dustin Johnson, Ricky Fowler and Anthony Kim recently in the spotlight. Seemly fearless they are fun to watch – now they have to become frequent winners. There may even be hope for Hunter Mahan in that he could use his Ryder Cup experience and the final match loss to be stronger and more competitive.

Euros are better than ever. Justin Rose, Roy McIlroy, U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell and PGA winner Martin Kaymer lead the list and could Lee Westwood take a turn as world number one ranked player? Sergio Garcia may be ready to play to his potential and if not, the 17-year old Italian Matteo Manassero (winner of the Castello Masters, youngest European Tour winner…ever) has the looks and game to be an attraction. If fans like competition, and all claim they do, the operative statistic is Euros won three of the four 2010 majors and the Ryder Cup so they may be at, at last, parity with the Americans.

Speaking of non-Americans, extremely popular 41-year old Ernie Els has made the decision to live full time in Florida to play more on the PGA Tour. One can’t help but think of another international player who played out of a base in the Sunshine State, concentrated on the U.S. events, and after the age of 40 won 26 times worldwide (24 times in this country including one major) and who has been induced into the Hall of Fame. Wouldn’t it be exciting if the Big Easy could do the same as Vijay Singh?

So the next one of your friends goes into a dissertation about the sad state of golf you can remind him or her there are some very positive things going on.

In October 2000 the introduction of Acushnet Golf’s Titleist Pro V1 changed the golf ball business and immensely strengthened Acushnet’s dominant position in the marketplace.

More importantly for golfers the Pro V1 changed the way golf is played by producing much more distance with less curvature in flight while maintaining control of short shots. Longer, straighter, better around the green created a stampede to buy them, a real “game-changer.” MORE…

Has anyone noticed? The past couple of weeks in the world of golf have been very unusual if not down right weird.

An Oklahoma amateur shoots a score of 56 in a local member-guest tournament, an Alabama teen records a 57 in his state’s Boys Junior Championship plus of course Stuart Appleby humbles the field with a 59 at the Greenbrier Classic for a classic come-from-behind win. Kind of makes David Frost’s 61 yesterday up in Minnesota to take his first Champions Tour event almost irrelevant…except presumably to Frost.

In the race for number one ranking in the world Tiger Woods played the four days at Firestone like his was trying to give away his top spot to Phil Mickelson and Mickelson played like he didn’t want to take it. If it’s of any significance or what may be a preview of the coming PGA Championship, Tiger won the two man battle of the fourth round Sunday with a 77 to Lefty’s 78. One could compare these two efforts to winner Hunter Mahan’s 64, but that would be labeled cruel and unusual punishment.

And by the way, Woods personal problems have not fallen out of the media but then again gawkers drive slowly past a car wreck too.

Not to be out done in the unusual department, the LPGA’s triple A league Future’s Tour saw a rules official disqualify Sarah Brown during her round from the International at Concord for carrying a nonconforming Ping wedge, which the world now knows was conforming to the Rules of Golf. Tour management tried to compensate Brown with the laughable sum of $2,000 which Brown refused. However Brown and the Tour did eventually reach an undisclosed settlement. No one is blaming Ping or Brown and everyone is beating up on the Future’s Tour and the two officials who acted with world class stupidity. The USGA so far has escaped public outrage as the cause of this fiasco due to the “groove rule” they instituted last year.

And then as if to provide icing on the cake, Acushnet is suing TaylorMade Golf for trumpeting TMaG’s signing of Camilo Villegas. The young superstar is presently under contract with Acushnet’s Footjoy and Titleist brands and used in advertising for those products. TMaG inked a deal with Villegas starting in the 2011 season and put out a press release telling the world.

This is not normally done as it does lessen the endorsement value of any golfer to the company he is currently accepting a paycheck from and who knows when the shoe may be on the other foot.

Acushnet is asking for an injunction to stop TMaG from any further mention of Villegas until the end of the year and will ask for money to compensate for the loss of his endorsement for five months. Of course Villegas probably isn’t too happy either since he’s included in the law suit.

It’s hard to imagine what PGA Championship week will bring.

Jack Nicklaus, the best player ever, golf icon, etc. was quoted this week with the comment Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin needs a “brain scan” should Tiger Woods not be one of the top eight in the points qualifying list for the US team and Pavin does not make him a captain’s choice. Could be, since Woods has the second best all time major record but as golf cognoscenti know he hasn’t performed very well in Ryder Cup competition with a 10-13-2 overall record for five Ryder Cups.

Of course the current leader of the points list, Phil Mickelson, also has a losing record at 10-14-6.

If the Ryder Cup team were chosen as of the May 24 point standings here are the Ryder Cup records of the next nine players, seven of whom would all automatically qualify with Pavin being allowed four picks.

Anthony Kim 2-1-1
Jim Furyk 8-13-3
Lucas Glover-Ryder Cup rookie
Hunter Mahan 2-0-3
Steve Stricker 0-2-1
Dustin Johnson- Ryder Cup rookie
Stewart Cink 4-7-4
Ben Crane- Ryder Cup rookie
Matt Kuchar- Ryder Cup rookie

Woods is number 11 and Nick Watney (Ryder Cup rookie) rounds out the top 12.

Some of my fellow media members are screaming for Pavin to consult with 2008 winning captain Paul Azinger to gain insight how the 2008 winning captain created the team that took the Euros at Valhalla. To date Pavin has not had that conversation, which on the face of it seems to be poor judgment but maybe he read Zinger’s book and doesn’t need a meeting.

That could rate as the worst thinking since…well it would be right along side not making Woods one of his four picks.

And in the for-what-its-worth department Nicklaus’ Ryder Cup record was 17-8-3, Palmer’s 22-8-2 and Watson’s 10-4-1.

Its amazing how little media attention has been devoted recently on Tiger Woods and his problems. Oh, there’s been speculation about a purported impending divorce and how soon everybody’s latest hero Phil Mickelson can overtake Woods as the world’s number one ranked golfer.

There’s been even more pontificating over the departure of Hank Haney as Tiger’s swing coach. (Two germane points: 1 – don’t forget Haney fired Woods and 2 – all the top swing coaches know what they are doing, it comes down to if player and coach can build a deep level of communication)

Woods return at the Masters and then withdrawal from the Players Championship with a weeks/months old neck injury, after saying just a few days before he had no physical problems, illustrates he has very long way to go before he understands his responsibility as a world class golfer/role model/pitchman.

The intemperate if not foul language still in evidence after his vow to change, most likely is a sign of something much deeper that is still amiss.

Watching the PGA Tour event this past weekend honoring Byron Nelson who is remembered as one of golf’s great gentleman brings to mind other dominant players of living memory such as Palmer, Nicklaus, Watson none of whom by any stretch of the imagination have gotten themselves in the mess Woods has made.

All of them suffered through the loss of a father and mother and at least in one case had heart wrenching family problems but each still maintained the civility and integrity which arises from intelligence and character.

Golf as a game and golf as a business needs a healthy, happy and functioning Tiger Woods. Lets hope he can pull himself together and start functioning as we all want him to as a man, champion and hero.

The headline could be, “Masters victor overcomes personal problems & wins.”

That winner of course was Phil Mickelson not Tiger Woods. It was Mickelson who posted a convincing triumph over the emotions from watching both his wife and mother battle cancer as well as, almost incidentally, trouncing the field by three shots. Lefty displayed both an inner strength of character plus his world class ability to play this very difficult game under stressful circumstances.

The 2010 Masters should not be looked at as a morality play with the guy in a white hat overcoming the black hats though already the post mortems being written are sounding that way. Plus it was not Woods failure to play winning golf that defined the four days at Augusta National Golf Club (in spite of the pre-tournament odds making him the favorite those who understand tournament golf did not gave him a serious chance – too much baggage).

This year’s rendition of golf’s classic symphony was defined by the incredibly steady play of Mickelson, who has been the poster child for major-losing misjudgments, with three rounds of 67 and a “bad round of 71”…amazing.

There were flashes of the less consistent Phil though. At the time some questioned his choice to hit his second shot on 13 between two trees from a lie in pine straw, over water to mounded green notoriously hard to hold. But Lefty said later the lie was good and the gap between the trees was much wider than it looked on television, in essence a shot only slightly harder than normal…amazing.

His four-foot putt for eagle missed but the birdie had the fat lady singing.

Woods on the other hand did not play up to his standard of the past, venting his anger with profanity both Saturday and Sunday making it obvious more work is required on a lot of things with the golf game not highest on that list. The world’s number one finished T-4, said he was taking time off and doesn’t know when he will play again…amazing

The WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship begins tomorrow without Tiger Woods, a three-time winner, who is still on the self-imposed hiatus from tournament golf and according to his last public statement, repairing his marriage. Golf’s other major star Phil Mickelson is not playing in order to take his family on vacation during his children’s school break.

The Match Play is a lot of fun for most players and fans even though there is the risk (terrifying to advertisers and television executives) the favorites will lose in the early rounds leaving them with key matches such as number 22 in the world playing number 56. Presumably this is the reason the PGA Tour does not have more match play events or at least events different than the usual four rounds medal play.

With an $8 million purse ($1.35 million to the winner) there are a lot of reasons to show up in Tucson if you have qualified and challenge 2009 winner Geoff Ogilvy. Forecasting a winner though is very hard since, say #56 can have a hot week and blow away his opponents – its happened before – and then never be heard of again (think of Kevin Sutherland in 2002 and Jeff Maggert in 1999).

This year has not caused a lot of early fan interest either with the top four seeds being Steve Stricker, Lee Westwood, Jim Furyk and Martin Kaymer. All have proven to be wonderful players but only one major championship among them, Furyk’s win at the U.S. Open in 2003.

Without both Woods (world ranked #1) and Mickelson (#3) there’s no doubt television ratings will suffer not to mention tournament attendance. Tucson is known for its’ enthusiastic golf fans but the Winter Olympics is strong competition for viewers’ attention.

Mickelson said he is not in the field because of the cancer treatments for both his wife and mother which have caused his playing schedule to be pushed to a lower priority. He did say publicly however he would have liked to be at the Match Play Championship but felt he needed to spend time with his wife and children.

There are no signs from the Woods camp of him returning to the Tour and contrary to what some commentators have said, Woods does owe a debt to golf; the game which provided him the stage to become famous and make his hundreds of millions of dollars. In addition if and when he does return he will have to deal with the many fans that feel betrayed by his spectacular fall from grace plus don’t forget the charities, businesses, stockholders and employees hurt economically as a result of his being caught in his deception.

So the bottom line is a new champion will be feted Sunday night and it won’t be either of the Tour’s biggest names.

At last week’s PGA Merchandise Show two topics dominated many conversations with the first being the Tiger Woods debacle. His fall from grace and his return to the PGA Tour was discussed endlessly with a significant minority raising the question of “if he will return” rather than “when.” However, since speculation is at best only grist for tabloids, the second and less sensational topic was the controversy over the groove change imposed on short irons.

Briefly, since the USGA failed to stop the equipment makers from producing vastly improved drivers and balls resulting in what the rules makers consider unacceptable driving distance increases by PGA Tour professionals the Association decided to make it more difficult to generate spin on approach shots. The logic being that, especially from the rough, the ball would be harder to stop on the green. The method chosen was to decrease the allowable size of grooves on medium and short irons with an attendant dulling of the groove edges. Using the new grooves less spin is imparted to the ball so though it may hit the green there is a greater chance of it being unable to stop and running over. A neat solution but it doesn’t take into account amateur golfers just the 1,000 or so touring professionals around the world. MORE…