PGA Tour: Gulf in the Golf of Mexico: Notes from the Ballwasher

First topic message reminder :

1).The Tour's second "international" odyssey of the year wraps up this week following trips to Malaysia, China and Mississippi. There's quite a gulf between the quality of fields in Kuala Lumpur and, especially, Shanghai and that assembled for the "OHL Classic of Mayakoba", but it will still yield a million bucks to the winner, and trips to Augusta National, Sawgrass and Whistling Straits next year.

2).And there's quite a gulf between the greatest golfer Mexico has produced, the very great Lorena Ochoa, and all other Mexican Pros. Steely Dan sang that "Guadalajara won't do", but it was perfect for Lorena and seems pretty good for Carlos Ortiz, who earned a "battlefield promotion" last year from the web.com Tour. Way too early to tell what sort of career Ortiz will enjoy, but he's off to a good start, made the cut in his first three events of the year and could be a star for Mexico and the PGA Tour to savour. We have Camilo and Jhonny Vegas, plus the Argentinian gauchos, but Ortiz could prove a welcome addition to the increasingly diverse tour.

3).This year's US Ryder Cup Team is developing a penchant for winning tournaments, or getting into play-offs that they subsequently win, by holing out sand shots, Bubba following in the recent footsteps of Spieth and Kuchar. Didn't watch any of it, but good for Bubba - slowly putting together quite the golfing CV.

4).Bad luck, though, for Tim Clark, who nevertheless extended his string of consecutive years with a runner up finish to 11, tied with Phil Mickelson for the longest current streak on Tour. Win totals tell a different story:
Clark: 2
Mickelson: 42.

5).Lee Westwood has now cashed at the WGC ATM 45 times, the most since WGC's began. The top 6 in WGC appearances are:
45: Westwood
43: Els
41: Woods
40: Furyk
40: Harrington
40: Mickelson

6).And, speaking of Harrington, what a horlicks he made of a promising position halfway thru' last week's Sanderson Farms event. Alas, he followed rounds of 70 and 69 with a pair of 76's, including a total of 15 shots on just one hole, the relatively straightforward 12th which he butchered with a 6 and then a 9. Sorry Padraig, it seems every tournament you tee it up in it's just a matter of time before you throw in the towel. Disappointing - how's about kicking Ronan off the bag, get someone else in your ear?

7).I fancied a Southern golfer to bring home the Sanderson chicken last week, just didn't expect it to be a Southern Canada winner. Nick Taylor was the world's #1 amateur five years ago but his pro career had been a shambles, mixing wins on the Vancouver mini-tour with futility elsewhere. But he clinched his Tour card with a brilliant final round of 63 in the web.com Tour Final and he has almost three exempt years ahead of him, not to mention tickets to Maui, The Players and PGA. He's the first Canadian-born player since Mike Weir in 2007 to win on Tour - bypassing Messrs DeLaet and Hearn in the process.

8).I'm thinking Holland's Robert-Jan Derksen has played his final European Tour event as he heads for retirement. Kinda enjoyed watching him play, instantly recognizable with distinctive shirts and cap-less barnet, but it made me think back to Pros who have retired when still eligible for their respective Tours.
Does Joe Ogilvie count this year?
Bill Rogers and Baker Finch quickly receded following Open Championship fame and attention.
And we remember Jodie Mudd returning to his Old Kentucky horse farm, Keith Fergus becoming a leading collegiate golf coach, and Craig Parry going home to Australia, but it doesn't happen often.
A couple of guys from 10 or 15 years ago, Lennie Clements and Bret Ogle (is he commentating?) both dropped out of sight, no idea why. Demons or fatigue? Notah Begay is among the many who migrated to the broadcast booth, following others whose status had become marginal.
Any other notables? Must be dozens who just call it a day when we're not looking.

9).Back to Mayakoba and the gulf between Tour prosperity and abandonment of a dream: Robert Karlsson led last year's Mayakoba tournament after 54 holes, blew up on his back nine with a 3-hole stretch of +4 and disappeared back to Europe with no status. A win would have retrieved his Tour card, a second place finish, which he missed by three strokes, would likely have dominoed in to Special Temporary Membership. But no, and a fine career will most probably never be fully recognized outside Europe; a tale of freakishly bad health and bad luck. Not to mention that he's one of very few regulars in Europe or the States to have played his first Major in the 80's!

10).Padraig Harrington joins a relatively strong contingent of Europeans at Greg Norman's highly regarded Mayakoba course, including Gonzo (who's been in terrible form this past month or so), Quiros, Knox, Jacobson, Pettersson and Brian Davis. Camilo and Cabrera are there also while Harris English is the defending champion.
It looks like the weather should mostly cooperate so let's sit back with fingers crossed that Harrington plays well for 65 holes and storms to the victory that eluded Karlsson. Isn't that what Fantasy Golf is all about?

Yes, I think John Hahn shares more DNA with Martin Kaymer than James Hahn.

Interesting the Dustin Johnson is hinting that he is returning to play at the Farmers on February 5th.

That would put his 'sabbatical' right at 6 months as he WDed from Bridgestone right around the end of July.

Judging by where he was born, probably more likely to have some "Nicklaus" DNA than Kaymer . . . . . .

Think I saw the last hole DJ played. Little did we know!

"Hahn" is a pretty common German surname.  

I had a college roommate from Maryland who last name was Hahn.  He most definitely had German ancestry.

Not much German ancestry in Matthew Fitzpatrick's lineage but he's really struggling - any idea how many qualify?

Is he the stupid wee sh**ite that flunked out of college when he realised his mother wouldn't be there to tuck him in at night any more?

kwinigolfer wrote:- any idea how many qualify?

Wow, what a difficult question to find the answer. I found the answer buried in this article.

http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/qualifying/season=2014/tournamentid=2014995/news/newsid=242844.html
.

The Indian (Lahiri) went bogey free on the opening day, carding five gains along the way, and he is ideally placed to pick up one of the cards available to those finishing in the top 25 and ties at PGA Catalunya Resort.

The article says that there is a 4th round cut, to Top 70 and ties and the final two rounds will be at the Stadium Course.

I don't recognize most of the names inside the Top 25 cutline

McLaren wrote:Is he the stupid wee sh**ite that flunked out of college when he realised his mother wouldn't be there to tuck him in at night any more?

I think he dropped out when he learned that he was expected to go to Class and Study something besides the golf swing.

Faldo and Monty found out the same thing at the University of Houston, and its academic reputation is is nowhere close to Northwestern reputation.

Didn't Montgomerie end up graduating from Houston Baptist?


Thanks for the Top 25 info, GPB. Preferred lies for Hahn today - curious that the two courses seem to have such a wide disparity in "degree of difficulty".

kwinigolfer wrote:
Thanks for the Top 25 info, GPB. Preferred lies for Hahn today - curious that the two courses seem to have such a wide disparity in "degree of difficulty".

Looks like the easier course is the "Tour" Course.

I know many 36 hole facilities have a Championship course and a easier "member" or "resort" course (e.g. Torrey Pines) so it is not surprising that one of the courses is easier than the other.

Justin Walters shot 62 today, and a couple of others shot 65.

Whats all this Tiger Woods/Dan Jenkins malarkey?

http://www.theplayerstribune.com/tiger-woods-straight-up-not-true-not-funny/

Mac,
It's a spoof article by the late Dan Jenkins in the most recent lamentable issue of Golf Digest.
Imagine the Tiger letter is a similar spoof.
Perhaps suggesting neither has a sense of humour.

As mentioned elsewhere, somewhere, Golf Digest has plummetted in quality recently, politically incorrect and headed for the print industry's version of the knacker's yard if it doesn't get back to basics.

I thought Tiger's response was parody as well, but it looks like it could be genuine.

Hard to tell what is true and what's not true.

http://www.cbssports.com/golf/eye-on-golf/24819142/tiger-woods-camp-sent-angry-letter-to-golf-magazine-over-inteview

The reply looked genuine to me

Yep, Tiger's verified Twitter account makes reference to the letter.

Apparently the letter at the Players Tribunes site is the real McCoy.

https://twitter.com/TigerWoods/status/534799105122652160

Well, no-one accused Woods of having a sense of humour - and Dan Jenkins is so out of touch with anything in the six decades following Hogan . . . . .
They deserve each other.

If Woods wasn't such a miserable sod with the press, he might not attract stuff like that. Can't wait to see what Feinstein's (2 e's before i's there) take on it all is.

GPB wrote:

kwinigolfer wrote:
Thanks for the Top 25 info, GPB. Preferred lies for Hahn today - curious that the two courses seem to have such a wide disparity in "degree of difficulty".

Looks like the  easier course is the "Tour" Course.

I know many 36 hole facilities have a Championship course and a easier "member" or "resort" course (e.g. Torrey Pines) so it is not surprising that one of the courses is easier than the other.

Justin Walters shot 62 today, and a couple of others shot 65.

That's right GPB. Stadium course is the championship course that has hosted The Spanish Open etc. Tour course is the resort course. They're both nice but Stadium course is longer, tighter and has more water.

kwinigolfer wrote:Well, no-one accused Woods of having a sense of humour - and Dan Jenkins is so out of touch with anything in the six decades following Hogan . . . . .
They deserve each other.

If Woods wasn't such a miserable sod with the press, he might not attract stuff like that. Can't wait to see what Feinstein's (2 e before i's there) take on it all is.

Lot of truth to all that Kwini.... but still... what't the point in even writing such "parody"... if not to twist a disgruntled "you wouldn't participate in my/my daughters book" knife in TW's back... and even more... what's the justification for a mag like GD to publish it..... bizarre if you ask me. I suspect Feistein's "he wouldn't participate in my book either" reaction will be just as raucous.

Spot on analysis by Christine Brennan.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/golf/2014/11/18/tiger-woods-dan-jenkins-fake-interview-christine-brennan/19246965/

Christine Brennan wrote:Instead of ignoring a devilishly funny and scathingly accurate fictionalized portrayal of a Q-and-A that never actually took place between Golf Digest columnist Dan Jenkins and his immature and arrogant self, Tiger decided to tell the whole world to read it.

He didn't just come out and say: Read this. No, he actually went to a section of Derek Jeter's new website, apparently reserved for whiny multimillionaire athletes, and blasted the Jenkins piece even though it is clearly labeled "fake" on the cover of the December issue of Golf Digest

Spot on analysis?

Maybe, though can't stand her stuff. But she certainly was way wide of the mark with the "devilishly funny" description! Whiny columnists even worse than whiny athletes in my book.

Talk about the silly season.

Lighten up Francis.

I found Jenkins satire on the money.

Davie wrote:The reply looked genuine to me

Not to me, the claim of having "a sense of humour", "laughing at himself" and having "some good interviews" was sort of a giveaway for me.

Well looks like you were wrong regardless

Davie wrote:Well looks like you were wrong regardless

Odd that he should complain about a pack of lies and then dish out a few of his own. "Sense of humour" , the irony, he's just demonstrated that he doesn't

On balance, having read the openly fake interview, and the potentially true response... Tiger comes off second best in both. Should have let it slide.

I can understand Tiger's anger. A pretty thinly-veiled attack rather than satire is how it came across to me.

Better to be thought of as an idiot than open your mouth and confirm it, eh 9C?

Anyone got the link to the original "spoof" (or have I just missed it in the above?)

Read the article last night. I found it mildly amusing.

Although John Feinstein thinks TW's response was a PR stunt of sorts, I think it was a PR gaffe by team Tiger.

http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-tours-news/2014-12/dan-jenkins-fake-interview-with-tiger

Getting much more attention now than it deserved or ever would have.

Two curmudgeonly, humourless sods who deserve each other.

Will Golf Channel have the balls to ask Woods about this at his WC event? You'd bet against it!

Roller_Coaster wrote:Anyone got the link to the original "spoof"  (or have I just missed it in the above?)

Dan Jenkins spoof

http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-tours-news/2014-12/dan-jenkins-fake-interview-with-tiger


Tigers players tribune response

http://www.theplayerstribune.com/tiger-woods-straight-up-not-true-not-funny/


Shotrock

I agree the Jenkins article was a little funny, some truths that tiger should accept as well.

Tiger should just have shut up. Rookie mistake. Did he also fire his PR agent? Well he should.

Cheers, not a brilliant or funny article in any way. Jenkins gets money for old rope, Woods should have just left it. Bleating at that one doesn't reflect particularly well on him and I guess boosts readership for the company he complained to.

Quite Roller.
The media is so desperate for a Tiger headline that it's like Golf Digest had to make one up.
And Woods fell into the trap and the feeding frenzy will be satisfied, for another week at least. Vonn gave it an extra day of life and now sycophants like Feherty (who works for Golf Digest's competitor) jump in too.
No-one cares about golf here during Thanksgiving (next week) and, hey presto the press can book off down to Isleworth for more Tiger at his WC. Where it will no doubt get new life, and Woods can become miffed that it dominates the back pages all over again.

Dan Jenkins reclining in Fort Worth with his Jack Daniels and dreams of Ben Hogan, quietly chuckling to himself and counting his dosh.

Just read the article. Desperately unfunny. A crass attempt and self-praise and self publicity. Unbelievable that it made it into print, reads like it was written by a bored no mates loner on a golf forum (oh the irony!).

It's obviously hurt Tiger, am surprised that he took the bait and responded, you'd think he's been around long enough to raise above all that stuff.

Thoughtful piece by Karen Crouse in the NY Times about the Jenkins / Woods mud-slinging.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/20/sports/golf/dan-jenkins-and-tiger-woods-verbally-spar-over-fake-story.html?ref=golf&_r=0


Worth reading, if only for a rare reference to Sexy Rexy Caldwell.

A fairly considered article indeed.

As ever with these types of controversies, I'm always semi-annoyed that the sport gets pulled into the gravity of the story. This is two people having a spat and a war of words. It's almost coincidental that they are both involved in golf, but somehow golf attracts some of the tarnish.

Quite, Bob.

I think what annoys me most is that it's all sponsored by a one-time respectable magazine which is dumbing down and paying the price. I hope.