PGA Tour: Twelve Days of Christmas: Notes from the Ballwasher

First topic message reminder :

With the time of sunset, here at least, now becoming later by the day there is northern hemisphere optimism that one of the most dismal facets of winter is at least improving, (even if sunrise is still also creeping later for another week or two).

And the Twelve Days of Christmas will be starting soon so here are some thoughts as to what else is going on apart from:

1).A partridge in a pear tree? Or the number of Tour wins each for Fowler and Spieth. Extend it to stroke play Tour wins and include Day and Poulter too. Wouldn't bet against at least three of those four (sorry Poults) securing win number two in 2015, but we'd've thought that last year also.

2).Two turtle doves? Or the number of times Tiger Woods completed 72 holes in a Tour event in 2014. Surely we can expect more in 2015, but how much more?

3).Three French hens? Or the number of notable golfing trees removed from the landscape this year.
~The Eisenhower Tree on #17 at Augusta.
~The tree overhanging the 6th tee at TPC.
~And last week's storm brought down one of the cypress trees guarding Pebble Beach's 18th fairway.

4).Four calling birds? Or Augusta National, Chambers Bay, St.Andrews, Whistling Straits, major venues all in 2015. Very interested in seeing Chambers Bay - don't know anything about it. Not sure I much care for Majors being played at courses that haven't been tried and tested by Father Time or the Pros, but more of the same due soon when the US Open rolls in to Erin Hills.

5).Five golden rings? Well, not all golden exactly, but we should know fairly soon if the Olympic golf course will be ready in time for the five Olympic rings to be circling around it in Brazil. What a farce it will be if the course is not suitable, or in suitable condition, for Gold Medal competition.

6).Six geese-a-laying? Or the six strokes by which Jordan Spieth won the Aussie Open. Not sure whether the appropriate yardstick for this was a 6-stroke win over luminaries such as Scott and McIlroy, or that his closest pursuer was Rod Pampling. Remember him?

7).Seven swans-a-swimming? Or the number of strokes Brad Fritsch won by at web.com Q-School. Good for him, very unlucky to have lost his PGA Tour card each of the past two years having had to withdraw from several events due to back problems. The perils of journeymen playing while nursing injuries.

8).Eight maids-a-milking? Or just eight months (more like seven full months really) for Tour Pros to earn their cards for 2015/2016. There are two more events this season than last, but so far no-one has accrued sufficient points to qualify to join otherwise exempt players. Lots of speculation that the West Coast Swing will be weaker this year as players take a break, but the other side of the coin is "notable" pros adding early events to their schedule in the hope of achieving some sort of comfort level asap. Messrs Donald and Poulter may fall in to that category.

9).Nine ladies dancing? Or nine plus three ladies dancing with the Solheim Cup as battle is joined in Germany; Carin Koch and Juli Inkster are the Captains, and if the competition is half as exciting as last year's, it will be some show. So long as the Europeans win, of course.  

10).Ten lords-a-leaping? Or the ten drinkies consumed by Jeff Overton at a College Basketball game recently before being escorted from the premises by Madison Square Garden arena security. Boom Baby more likely to receive a gardening leave notice from Tim Finchem than a Christmas Card.

11).Eleven pipers piping? Or eleven US Ryder Cup Task Force members piping the "Call for Freddie" tune. Who knows what will come of that; will Fred even answer the phone (as he's usually loth to do "in case there's someone there")?  

12).Twelve drummers drumming? My favourite drummers in 2014 were named Bjorn, Donaldson, Dubuisson, Gallacher, Garcia, Kaymer, McDowell, McIlroy, Poulter, Rose, Stenson, Westwood.


Perhaps by the time these notes resurface Tommy Fleetwood will have qualified for The Masters, Tony Jacklin will be celebrating a much-overdue knighthood and all of us will have enjoyed a safe and festive off-season.
Happy Christmas.

Prairie Dunes might be somewhat similar to "heathland" from what I know about it, tho' only seen it on TV.

Super

Are you a geologist? Maybe you can explain the difference between the sandy soil of a links and what appears at least to be the sandy soil of a heathland?

Mac, I'm not a soil scientist, but there's more acidity and organic matter in Heathland soil than links type soil, although like links also sandy. Often peaty in nature too.

You might have noticed that the soil of links courses tend to become more mature and appears less sandy (e.g the difference between the Eden Course and TOC) as the dunes continue to grow outwards to the sea year after year, effectively moving the course inland and vegetation becomes more mature as you go inland.

For example parts of TOC i.e those bounding the New (2,3,4,5) would have been nearer the coast at one point, but the Fife coast gathers more sediment than any other dune system in the UK, whereas other parts, eg. Yorkshire coast and Norfolk lose sediment.

You can still see the influence of the dunes on these holes, which effectively underlie the course and made it interesting land for a course in the first place.
They still have bits of the course where they can remove the first few feet of mature soil and expose lots of sand for dressing greens, drainage etc.

I've often thought it would be wonderful to have The Open Championship played on some of the Heathland greats. Walton Heath (or Sunningdale would be perfect) ... plenty of space (with the two courses), composite course makeup (so many good holes to choose from), close to London so good gate virtually guaranteed.

Having played in the "Surrey Belt" numerous times, my observation has been that these courses (1) drain exceedingly well, so can and usually are more "natural" in appearance and routing (2) have that unique heather hazard (you can advance the ball, but learning how much to bite off ain't easy) (3) showcase some amazing architecture (notably Harry Colt and James Braid among others).  Love to see it in the rota.

Shotrock wrote:I've often thought it would be wonderful to have The Open Championship played on some of the Heathland greats. Walton Heath (or Sunningdale would be perfect) ... plenty of space (with the two courses), composite course makeup (so many good holes to choose from), close to London so good gate virtually guaranteed.

Having played in the "Surrey Belt" numerous times, my observation has been that these courses (1) drain exceedingly well, so can and usually are more "natural" in appearance and routing (2) have that unique heather hazard (you can advance the ball, but learning how much to bite off ain't easy) (3) showcase some amazing architecture (notably Harry Colt and James Braid among others).  Love to see it in the rota.

I'd be more for having a new ET tournament that showcased the best Heathland courses. Wentworth monopolises at the moment and it really isn't the be all and end all of Heathland, Sunningdale should get a shout but there are others e.g. Hankley, SGH, Swinley. Away from Surrey/Berks there's Woodhall & further north Ganton.

I'd leave the Open where it is except for adding one more to the rota & taking TOC off the ludicrous "every 5 years". Having now played 7 of the current 9 I don't think any could be described as tired and in terms of the finishing stretch and it's capacity for drama, they all have it although TOC & Hoylake are a notch or several down from most of the others. In terms of dramatic finish Carnoustie is in a class of it's own.

Wentworth is increasingly right on the cusp between parkland and heathland, I would have thought, Ernie tipping the balance with every change.
A reminder from JAS that many of the courses he mentions have been European Tour venues at one time or another . . . .

Lights out scoring in Dubai - some geezer named Clarke in with a 64 and the clubhouse lead - says he won a Major once. Well, I never!

Kwini - seeing what is being done to return other heathland courses back to their origins, Wentworth would need a huge tree clearing programme. Literally thousands of trees would have to come out.

Played Sherwood Forest earlier this year. They had an enforced tree clearance in January when a tornado removed approx 1700 trees overnight. Have to say course is superb, and while I can't speak to before and after as hadn't been there before to "event" members reckon while traumatic it has improved the place. Heather was stunning. Course has one of the best short par 3s I've seen let alone played - number 7 from memory. Absolute picture and proof they don't have to be long to be difficult.

Agree about Wentworth - last time I was there was 30+ years ago, almost unrecognizable from what I see on TV every spring.

Oakmont & Pinehurst are among courses that have been "deforested" here, but can't see that happening with Wentworth's now owners!

Golf Channel reporting that Mike Kerr will take over Adam Scott's bag in succession to Steve Williams. Hope they're a good fit; Scott clearly benefitted from having a forceful presence beside him when Williams took over after Tony Navarro was replaced.

Wonder why so many successful caddies come out of Zimbabwe, but the supply of top golfers has shrunk so much following the McNulty/Price/Leadbetter/Johnstone/Watson generatio? Although one could hardly say Fatty DeJonge has shrunk . . . . . . .

Interesting piece with Lance Armstrong in Golf Digest.

http://www.golfdigest.com/magazine/2015-01/my-shot-lance-armstrong

P.S. Thanks for your weekly articles during the year kwini, looking forward to more in 2015!

Happy Xmas to all!

puligny wrote:Kwini - seeing what is being done to return other heathland courses back to their origins, Wentworth would need a huge tree clearing programme. Literally thousands of trees would have to come out.

Played Sherwood Forest earlier this year. They had an enforced tree clearance in January when a tornado removed approx 1700 trees overnight. Have to say course is superb, and while I can't speak to before and after as hadn't been there before to "event" members reckon while traumatic it has improved the place. Heather was stunning. Course has one of the best short par 3s I've seen let alone played - number 7 from memory. Absolute picture and proof they don't have to be long to be difficult.

A bit of a bugger that hole, isn't it? No more than a flick with a SW or GW, but you daren't miss and you seriously do not want to be above the flag on the wrong tier. Love Sherwood - a really good challenge and picturesque to go with it.

kwinigolfer wrote:Golf Channel reporting that Mike Kerr will take over Adam Scott's bag in succession to Steve Williams

So from Wayne to Mike, eh?

Navy - absolute cracker of a hole and course is a gem. Really enjoyed it and will going back springtime. Not played others around there but plan is to try a few more on next visit. Hear there are several worth the trip?

Rory has qualified for the 2015 Masters in 10 of the 12 different categories professional qualifications available.

Missing from his Masters Pro Qualification resume is former Masters Champion and Players Champion from last three years.

Rory will make it 11 of 13 because he will be in the top 50 on March 30th.

According to a golf channel headline, Arjun Atwal is crediting his buddy, Tiger Woods, for his win in the Dubai Open this past weekend.

I wonder if Arjun blames his buddy when his OWGR ranking plunged to the 1100's.

Arjun is lucky still to be alive after his boy racer exploits of a few years ago. Every day is a bonus for him, especially when Tiger engineers invites for him to his tournaments. And there's nothing wrong with that. Is there?

GPB wrote:According to a golf channel headline, Arjun Atwal is crediting his buddy, Tiger Woods, for his win in the Dubai Open this past weekend.

I wonder if Arjun blames his buddy when his OWGR ranking plunged to the 1100's.

What an arselicker. Sounds like those God botherers who thank god for helping them win (a.k.a cheating) but don't mention the invisible sky zombie when they finish dead last.

This is what Atwal said about Woods...

"....he’s always guided me on the right way I should go with my game or my health, and how to go about rehabbing."

Is it supposed to be a joke?

Yeah, because 9C is a master at rehab and health isn't he? What a dolt.

Maybe 9C will count this as a "W"

No Masters invite for Atwal, but these are the invitations as things currently stand:

http://www.pgatour.com/news/2014/12/23/masters-eligibility.html


News also that Rose and Stenson are joining Sergio as he defends his Qatar title in the New Year.

Another Win McMurray (you remember her report about Tiger and his bulging d1ck don't you?) moment in prospect as Steve Stricker went under the knife earlier this week for surgery on a bulging disc. He reckons it'll be 8 weeks before he's able to practice again, but these things have a habit of making Murphy an optimist so participation in The Masters must be somewhat at risk.

Interesting that he played two Silly Season events in Florida before calling in sick. Who said those guaranteed pay-days aren't attractive, even to the most successful pros?

Kwini, just wanna say thanks for all your articles over the year. I practicality never get the time to engage in a bit of chat these days, (blame Cisco and their CCIE programme). But I read most of them but don't think a quick quip would do you justice. I have to say there are some great characters on here, It seems no one is safe from a bit of stick, and its great to see Shotrock and the other US guys involved. Anyway, have a great Christmas lads and lassies, enjoy !

Cheers B_t_b,
Great to have the Irish guys involved as well!
Looking forward to some Wexford hospitality next door tomorrow - Happy Christmas to you!

puligny wrote:Navy - absolute cracker of a hole and course is a gem. Really enjoyed it and will going back springtime. Not played others around there but plan is to try a few more on next visit. Hear there are several worth the trip?

Others definitely worth a shout if you like Sherwood are Hollinwell (you have to play this one), Coxmoor (nice course, shame about the way they treat Societies!) and Worksop. They're all similar in terms of terrain - heather, birch, bracken, oaks etc. Greens at Worksop can be sublime...and fast. My favourite is Hollinwell - just a seriously good course in a gorgeous location.

GPB wrote:Rory has qualified for the 2015 Masters in 10 of the 12 different categories professional qualifications available.

Missing from his Masters Pro Qualification resume is former Masters Champion and Players Champion from last three years.

Rory will make it 11 of 13 because he will be in the top 50 on March 30th.

Has anybody ever qualified under all of them... or would have under the current professional exemption criteria?

Arjun Atwall... what a dumba$$... he should know by now that if he wants compliments [or no notice at all] instead of derision... he should credit "different" friends... :-)

robo:  I am just wondering where Atwal's buddy was when Atwal was falling to the 1100's in the OWGR.

If the buddy assisted him to the Dubai Open win, it not a very leap to think the buddy assisted him to a bunch of Missed Cuts and indifferent finishes.

Or is it a case of a bandwagon jumper?

GPB wrote:robo:  I am just wondering where Atwal's buddy was when Atwal was falling to the 1100's in the OWGR.

If the buddy assisted him to the Dubai Open win, it not a very leap to think the buddy assisted him to a bunch of Missed Cuts and indifferent finishes.

Or is it a case of a bandwagon jumper?

Huh?...   "the buddy assisted him to a bunch of Missed Cuts and indifferent finishes" ???????  Not sure where in the heck you are coming from with that one... but reading Atwal's comments, kinda sounds like "his buddy" was encouraging him to keep his chin up and keep working and keep trying...   Never would have thought in a million years anybody could find something to criticize with that.

Yep, Tiger gets credit when his buddies do well.  As it should be.

GPB wrote:Yep, Tiger gets credit when his buddies do well.  As it should be.

if you have a problem with Atwal crediting his buddy for encouraging him to keep going... take it up with the guy who said it... that would be Arjun and not me.  This is bizarre... sheesh...

robopz wrote:

GPB wrote:Yep, Tiger gets credit when his buddies do well.  As it should be.

if you have a problem with Atwal crediting his buddy for encouraging him to keep going... take it up with the guy who said it... that would be Arjun and not me.  This is bizarre... sheesh...

And I did.  Somehow it offended you though.  At least it offended you enough to try to prove otherwise.

What's the matter with you two? You make Mac and I look like best mates.

Arjan is obviously a complete moron. Thanking 9C for doing what exactly? What did 9C do when Arjan stunk the last two years out?

He's no better than the bible thumping idiots on tour who thank god for helping them win (they actually pray to cheat)

super_realist wrote:What's the matter with you two? You make Mac and I look like best mates.

They sound like an old gay couple returning home from Mykonos.

super_realist wrote:What's the matter with you two? You make Mac and I look like best mates.

Arjan is obviously a complete moron. Thanking 9C for doing what exactly? What did 9C do when Arjan stunk the last two years out?

He's no better than the bible thumping idiots on tour who thank god for helping them win (they actually pray to cheat)

Aw put a sock in it SR. Are you really so jaded that you think Atwal is a moron simply for saying his families support along with his friend Tiger's encouragement and advice helped him sticking with the game, not quitting and eventually getting back to the winners circle? And an encouraging text from his buddy going into the final round is somehow moronic? I can't help it if some media outlets mis-quote and/or quote out of context what Atwal was saying, or if you and others simply choose to apply your "Tiger" bias to his otherwise innocuous comments...

Now before you pile on some more... why not read some media that actually gives some context to what Atwal was really saying...

http://zeenews.india.com/sports/golf/arjun-atwal-credits-family-tiger-woods-for-resurgence_1519082.html
http://www.oobgolf.com/content/fore+play/1-8207-Arjun_Atwal_credits_Tiger_in_victory.html
http://gulfnews.com/sport/golf/atwal-credits-close-friend-tiger-for-comeback-win-1.1430011

Bottom line: Hey, you want to pile on Tiger (or any other player for that matter)... NO problem with me, I do it myself plenty... but geez man, why not show some class and stick to the tons of legitimate fodder TW offers up worthy of criticism, instead of picking on something so utterly and ridiculously moronic as this.

Anyone who thanks someone other than their own team and their own dedication and practice is a moron, yes. Such a mention is completely superfluous, you might as well thank your greengrocer or milkman.

Who was Atwal crediting for his drop into the 1000+ OWGR or losing his card?

Did he say "Christ, my game is in the toilet right now,  if only the messianic  9C would give me an encouraging text"

Atwal is simply name dropping. Why didn't he just say "encouragement from my friends" like any normal person would do? What media outlet would report if he thanked his plumber?

Thanking 9C is as worthless as thanking the imaginary jewish sky zombie a la Watson, Johnson, Crane etc for your "resurgence", is it even a resurgence? He won a tinpot end of season, non interest tournament.  Big bloody deal.

I wonder who Tiger does pal around with these days, apart from Atwal - a long-time mate - and his college bff Notah Begay.
The divorce with O'Meara went through ages ago and not sure if he and John Cook are buddies as they were once said to be.

Interesting that, apart from other possible connections, both Arjun and Tiger have arguably "earned" their biggest non-golfing headlines with road accidents, albeit at different speeds. Tiger in reverse at, what, 10 mph, and Arjun fast-forward at about 100 mph. Both lucky to escape prosecution.

super_realist wrote:Anyone who thanks someone other than their own team and their own dedication and practice is a moron, yes. Such a mention is completely superfluous, you might as well thank your greengrocer or milkman.

Who was Atwal crediting for his drop into the 1000+ OWGR or losing his card?

Did he say "Christ, my game is in the toilet right now,  if only the messianic  9C would give me an encouraging text"

Atwal is simply name dropping. Why didn't he just say "encouragement from my friends" like any normal person would do? What media outlet would report if he thanked his plumber?

Thanking 9C is as worthless as thanking the imaginary jewish sky zombie a la Watson, Johnson, Crane etc for your "resurgence", is it even a resurgence? He won a tinpot end of season, non interest tournament.  Big bloody deal.

DUH... and that's the point. If Atwal would have made these comments about anybody else in the world encouraging him... 1) they probably would have never been reported or 2) if they had,  nobody, especially the Tiger reverse-sycophants, would have paid them any mind.  

What I find most amusing is how Tiger OWNS this sport, lock stock and barrel.  The media groveling or over-coverage I understand, he's their meal ticket, but when one player so "owns" the minds of both his fans and detractors alike he elicits either such fawning or visceral reactions to him, or anybody/anything associated with him... well sheesh... it's just amazing...

And come on man... how more ridiculous could it possibly be than to imply that Atwal should somehow credit anybody other than his own self when he lost his game and has fought through injuries?  And somehow trying to continually tie Atwal's comments to your anti-religion stance?  Seriously??


- - - -

By the way... if you want to know what Atwal REALLY said... and the context in which he said it... why not read his full comments. Is it name dropping to answer a direct question?  In a nutshell.. THIS is what he said... I'm still astonished such an answer could cause such reaction...

Q.  Just about a week or two ago when Tiger was hosting a tournament, we all know about your friendship with Tiger, and he mentioned during the press conference that he wished you were there with him during that tournament; and then he said, actually, unfortunately, he’s not here.  And then he said, actually fortunately he’s not here because he’s playing in Asia?

ARJUN ATWAL:  Yeah, yeah.

Q.  When you have a friendship with somebody like that, what do you get from that friendship in this entire stretch of golf when you try to get back to your golf and the way that you can play; how important has that been, an advisor, somebody like him?

ARJUN ATWAL:  You know, we’ve become like really, really close.  Him going through his stuff and me struggling the last couple of years, we’ve been there for each other.  It’s almost to the point where we’re like    there’s very few friends in the world that will be there for you when you need them the most, and he’s one of them.  And I’m there for him, as well.  So you know, going through this two years of struggle, he’s always been nothing but positive.  I’ve spent some time with him in Jupiter and all that stuff, and he’s always guided me the right way of which way I should go with my game or how the health is feeling, how to go about rehabbing stuff and all that stuff. He’s been    in fact, today he texted me in the morning that    he told me, “Shoot 2 under a side; shoot 68 and you should be good.”  He was wrong (laughter).  He’s always encouraging me and we’re really close friends.

http://www.asiantour.com/2014/12/21/dubai-open-rd-4-what-the-champion-said/

- - - - -

9C doesn't own golf any more than he owns a cure for his baldness.

Perhaps in America where everything 'murcan is seen as the best of the best, but in my opinion, Golf was at its best this year when 9C had yet another injury to his glass body and he was out for the whole of 2014 pretty much, although it was funny to see him come dead last in his own event, perhaps why he wished Journeyman Atwal could have played, might have spared his blushes.

Coverage is better, commentary is better, tournaments are better, print is better when 9C isn't there.

As for the "context", yes, I read them, sounds like either Atwal has a MASSIVE crush on 9C or they are having a Brokeback Mountain type relationship which might of course be true.
I'd prefer if they kept their "sexting" to themselves.
How could anyone find a text from 9C inspirational? It was about as "state the obvious" as you could get.

Makes sense that if Atwal gives superfluous credit to someone else for contributing to his "amazing" win then there ought to be someone also there contributing to making the rest of his career journeyman like?

Why do I compare it to religion? would have thought that was pretty obvious. Golf's religious maniacs do exactly the same as Atwal has done here, credit something when they are doing well, completely forget about it when they are stinking the place out.

At least 9C actually exists I suppose, but that's the only difference in the analogy.

There's only ONE person responsible for Atwal's win, Atwal, and there is only one person responsible for the rest of his career being abject, you guessed right, Atwal.

Frankly if I'd been Atwal, I might have had a go at their appalling standard of journalism, can't they do one interview without mentioning that Baldy bastard?
He's just won his first tournament in ages and all they want to talk about is 9C. I'd have walked out myself.

super_realist wrote:9C doesn't own golf any more than he owns a cure for his baldness.

Perhaps in America where everything 'murcan is seen as the best of the best, but in my opinion, Golf was at its best this year when 9C had yet another injury to his glass body and he was out for the whole of 2014 pretty much, although it was funny to see him come dead last in his own event, perhaps why he wished Journeyman Atwal could have played, might have spared his blushes.

Coverage is better, commentary is better, tournaments are better, print is better when 9C isn't there.

As for the "context", yes, I read them, sounds like either Atwal has a MASSIVE crush on 9C or they are having a Brokeback Mountain type relationship which might of course be true.
I'd prefer if they kept their "sexting" to themselves.
How could anyone find a text from 9C inspirational? It was about as "state the obvious" as you could get.

Makes sense that if Atwal gives superfluous credit to someone else for contributing to his "amazing" win then there ought to be someone also there contributing to making the rest of his career journeyman like?

Why do I compare it to religion? would have thought that was pretty obvious. Golf's religious maniacs do exactly the same as Atwal has done here, credit something when they are doing well, completely forget about it when they are stinking the place out.

At least 9C actually exists I suppose, but that's the only difference in the analogy.

There's only ONE person responsible for Atwal's win, Atwal, and there is only one person responsible for the rest of his career being abject, you guessed right, Atwal.

Brokeback Mountain... hmmm.... where i come from Atwal's comments sound more like he has a friend... but if such comments elicit such thoughts on your side of the pond, then guess I'm glad I'm not part of one of your "foursomes".

And of course Tiger doesn't own ALL golf... but he obviously own's much of the media and he unquestionably own's YOU.  Just admit it man... anybody says Tiger, or you see his printed name and your radar goes on full alert, ready to pounce on whatever or whomever might be giving him any credit.  And in this case he's got you so deep he's causing you reading comprehension problems....  for instance Atwal says, "in fact, today he texted me in the morning that    he told me, “Shoot 2 under a side; shoot 68 and you should be good.”  He was wrong (laughter).  He’s always encouraging me and we’re really close friends.", and then you (maybe with a little help from the media that often can't/won't understand context either) twist it into Atwal saying it was something akin to religious inspiration or he wants to rodger the guy?  WTF?

kwinigolfer wrote:No Masters invite for Atwal, but these are the invitations as things currently stand:

http://www.pgatour.com/news/2014/12/23/masters-eligibility.html


News also that Rose and Stenson are joining Sergio as he defends his Qatar title in the New Year.

From the early looks of it... all three of the Middle East events could be up a few OWGR points this year over last...

Robo, I don't have a problem giving 9C credit where it's due (I had to do it for a bloody week at one point), if he's played well, if he's won a tournament etc.

Giving him credit for a "state the bleeding obvious" text or seeing him on TV when he has no right to be shown is when it grinds my gears, whilst giving the most boring man in the world interview time is ridiculous.

Woods text to Atwal was akin to saying "If you want to cross the road, you have to cross the road" hardly inspirational or enlightening.

Funny how Atwal never says when he's losing his card "Woods is my best friend, he's always encouraging me and hoping I play well"

It's the absurdity of the mention rather than the mention that annoys me. I'm sure 9C was just as "encouraging" in all Atwal's other failed tournaments and lost cards. Why no mention? Why only credit him when he does well?

Same as Mullet Man, Bible Zach, Crazy Christian Crane, Simple Simpson whenever they do badly, no mention of god, wonder why.

Talking of Atwal not getting a Masters invite, rotoworld reminds us that Atwal was the cause for a PGA Tour rules change when he won Greensboro in 2010:
Up until that year, no non-members of the PGA Tour were entitled to qualify for the FedEx Play-Offs, even if they won. That rule was changed, making tournament winners' points thus gained, and any subsequent points gained, eligible towards FedEx Play-Off qualification.
Too late for Atwal to reap the benefits however!

s_r,
When Jehovah's Witnesses, or other religious punters come to the door I always tell them that god can be a very good god, and he can be a very bad god. For instance, it's a beautiful day so , but Dick Cheney's still alive . Haven't received a satisfactory response so far.

super_realist wrote:Robo, I don't have a problem giving 9C credit where it's due (I had to do it for a bloody week at one point), if he's played well, if he's won a tournament etc.

Giving him credit for a  "state the bleeding obvious" text or seeing him on TV when he has no right to be shown is when it grinds my gears, whilst giving the most boring man in the world interview time is ridiculous.

Woods text to Atwal was akin to saying "If you want to cross the road, you have to cross the road" hardly inspirational or enlightening.

Funny how Atwal never says when he's losing his card "Woods is my best friend, he's always encouraging me and hoping I play well"

It's the absurdity of the mention rather than the mention that annoys me. I'm sure 9C was just as "encouraging" in all Atwal's other failed tournaments and lost cards. Why no mention? Why only credit him when he does well?

Same as Mullet Man, Bible Zach, Crazy Christian Crane, Simple Simpson whenever they do badly, no mention of god, wonder why.

Super... on the ridiculous OVER-coverage on Tiger... I get exactly where you are coming from and agree.... regardless if it's positive or negative in nature. But I understand it and don't let it bother me. Tiger's the needle, and he sells papers, magazines, clicks or whatever... THAT's why they cover him. All the proof we need is this very conversation which would NOT be happening if TW's name had never been brought into it.

But back to Atwal... again... HE didn't bring up Tiger... he was asked a question and gave a pretty innocuous answer if you ask me. But because "the needle" was part of the topic... a bunch of people go off on him. And DUH... of course Atwal has to hit the shots, and of course some friend sending an encouraging text doesn't propel anyone to victory... but Atwal never said it did... it's the MEDIA that made that stretch (or the reverse-sycophants reading something into his comments that wasn't there).

But still... call me old fashioned... I've never seen the fault of friends being supportive of each other... and from my read... that's all Atwal was trying to say in answer to the direct question he was asked. For him to be derided for that is just BS, and let's get real, if this would have been anybody else but Tiger freeking Woods.. he wouldn't be getting derided for it... not from you and not from anybody.

Bottom line... from past history... it appears as though TW didn't bail on Arjun when he went through his "road racer" episode, or lost his game, or suffered his injuries, and Atwal didn't bail on TW when he went through his personal hell either... IMO we all should hope to have such good friends.... but admittedly, I also hope to never have my friendships tested to such extremes...

And as for religion... same thing I'd say about politics.... IMO the discussion of SPORT greatly benefits when NEITHER are part of the conversation... and I find my enjoyment of talking golf greatly enhanced when such pointless diversions are avoided.... but to each his own I guess.

Like all of those nutters Kwini, not one of them has an answer. i'd like the opportunity to question some of these idiots, but it seems we've grown out of absurdly stupid beliefs in Northern Europe since WW2, perhaps America will catch up eventually, but then again perhaps not.

kwinigolfer wrote:Talking of Atwal not getting a Masters invite, rotoworld reminds us that Atwal was the cause for a PGA Tour rules change when he won Greensboro in 2010:
Up until that year, no non-members of the PGA Tour were entitled to qualify for the FedEx Play-Offs, even if they won. That rule was changed, making tournament winners' points thus gained, and any subsequent points gained, eligible towards FedEx Play-Off qualification.
Too late for Atwal to reap the benefits however!

I had forgotten about that... but yep... at that time a player could only earn points after he became a member, and he couldn't take membership until after won, so not even his win counted... and obviously Greensboro being the last event... it was too late to earn any more.  My guess is the PGAT wase being so careful to not have a bunch of STM's get into the playoffs, they had inadvertently closed off the avenue to the types of guys they actually wanted in, which were winners that claimed their instant membership.

super_realist wrote:Like all of those nutters Kwini, not one of them has an answer. i'd like the opportunity to question some of these idiots, but it seems we've grown out of absurdly stupid beliefs in Northern Europe since WW2, perhaps America will catch up eventually, but then again perhaps not.

Apparently about 75% of your countrymen have failed to receive the same "enlightenment of the ultimate truth" you have... only about 10% more than in the states... but feel free to bash away since you seem to enjoy it so much...  (see what I mean about mixing discussion of religion and sport?   )

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_the_United_Kingdom
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_the_United_States
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Europe

Too easy Robo, where's the fishing icon when you need it?

Has no one ever told you about using Wikipedia as a source for citing something?

However seeing as you've presented it , at least I've found out something interesting, Scotland, for once has something to be proud of, least religious part of Great Britain, almost 3 times more than the good Ol, US of A.

I'd question using census's has a method for determining religiosity anyway, especially as the figures for UK came from a Census, and the USA figures come from a Gallup poll, so one uses the ENTIRE population whilst the other uses a small sample, people for some reason regardless of whether or not, will consider themselves as "cultularly" Christian, Jewish etc regardless of whether they believe or attend.
not to mention some of the conflicting information in your data sources from other surveys. One source you gave gave the UK over 50% as no religion.
I don't know a single person in the UK who believes in god (or 9C Woods, if you're Atwal), far less anyone who goes to the local fairytale club on a sunday morning.

s_r,
Just checked that Vermont is the bottom State in the Church-Going league table - five of the six New England States in the bottom six.

Probably also close to the foot of the PGA Tour Pro-by-State league table also. Is there a connection??!!??

super_realist wrote:Too easy Robo, where's the fishing icon when you need it?

Has no one ever told you about using Wikipedia as a source for citing something?

However seeing as you've presented it , at least I've found out something interesting, Scotland, for once has something to be proud of, least religious part of Great Britain, almost 3 times more than the good Ol, US of A.

I'd question using census's has a method for determining religiosity anyway, especially as the figures for UK came from a Census, and the USA figures come from a Gallup poll, so one uses the ENTIRE population whilst the other uses a small sample, people for some reason regardless of whether or not, will consider themselves as "cultularly" Christian, Jewish etc regardless of whether they believe or attend.
not to mention some of the conflicting information in your data sources from other surveys. One source you gave gave the UK over 50% as no religion.
I don't know a single person in the UK who believes in god (or 9C Woods, if you're Atwal), far less anyone who goes to the local fairytale club on a sunday morning.

IMO Wiki is often a great place to start when researching something... but it's not the be all end all... but following the links out of Wiki often are.  Take golf for example... somebody(s), has been doing a great job of building the Wikipedia historical record on not only the game, but 1000's of it's players as well.  Not 100% accurate, but rarely is anything... but pretty damn good if you ask me.

And about sources... sport, religion, politics or otherwise... I have complete confidence that many of us backward colonists have something in common with you superior old country intellectual types...  in that both have a tendency to embrace research that supports their point of view while ignoring or downplaying research that belies their beliefs... Gee, who would have thunk it.......  :-)

I'm not saying it isn't reasonable data, I'm saying it isn't comparing like with like.

America usually catches up eventually though, you've less chrome on your cars now and the mullet is a much rarer sight.