Q and A and R

We've been doing this bit for several weeks now, and it's seared into my muscle memory.  If this series of dreadful questions doesn't kill it stone dead, you'll never be rid of it.

1. Tiger Woods’s niece Cheyenne Woods won the Australian Ladies Masters on Sunday for her first professional win. If you’re Cheyenne, is your last name a blessing or a curse? And how important would she be to the LPGA if she can make it to the tour?

The Pros' Responses:  A strong plurality see it as a blessing, offering unique opportunities and access (the Nike swoosh is noted as an example of the former).  Only Mark Godich differs strongly, citing the Nicklaus sons.

Best Line:  From Michael Bamberger:

The best Tiger Woods moment at last year's U.S. Open, by far, was when Cheyenne asked her uncle a question at his pre-tournament press conference. Her surname is a gift. It comes with an athletic gene.

My Take:  Jimmy Walker wins for the third time in eight events and THIS is your first question?  I gotta get paid more if I'm gonna put up with this.  Seriously, there are negatives relating to expectations, but she's ranked in the 300's in the world and has a Nike endorsement contract.  I hope she's for real, because I wish good things for the LPGA.  But her progress will only be helped by her last name.  

2. Family ties were in evidence this week with Cheyenne adding to the Woods family win total and last week with Kevin Stadler winning at Phoenix. Which family do you consider the First Family of golf?

The Pros' Responses:  Votes for the Haas family, including Uncle Bob Goalby, the Nicklauses (didn't know that one of the sons had been on the cover of Sports Illustrated), the Thompsons and Shipnuck goes for the Tom Morrises, though votes for the Kuehnes if limited to current times.

Best Line:  From Josh Sens: Elihu and Spaulding Smails.

My Take:  Did they play any golf this weekend?  Might we want to talk about that?  Clan Morris in a walkover.  If limited to families with a more modern branch, the Harmons, whom I'm quite surprised nobody mentioned (at least until later).

3. At age 35, after seven years without a win, Jimmy Walker has won three times in his last eight starts. Which is the better teacher: Butch Harmon, whom Walker started working with last year, or experience?

The Pros' Responses:  It pretty much splits down the middle, though nary a discouraging word is heard about Butch's capabilities and track record.

Best Line:  Eamon Lynch:  Butch. Experience is invaluable, but it also brings scar tissue. Butch instilled self-belief when it matters.
 

My Take:  I do take Lynch's point about scar tissue, but I think this highlights how unbelievably thin the line is between just making it on Tour and becoming a top tier player. 

4. Where does Pebble Beach rank on your list of the greatest American golf courses? Do you think the course is overrated or underrated?

The Pros' Responses:  They clearly feel strongly both ways, citing both the sheer physical beauty of the place, but also the number of ordinary holes and the steep pricing and gouging at the turn.

Best Line:  Gary Van Cynical:

Pebble Beach may be slightly overrated as a golf course but as a golfing experience, it's still No. 1. The Pacific Ocean isn't going anywhere. It's right there, and you're playing practically on top of it.

My Take:  Ummm Gary, the Pacific Ocean is going somewhere, that's why they lost the original tenth tee box.  It is overrated in terms of the design and the golf experience, but where it's good it's so very, very good.  I remember debating how many times to play Bandon Trails when last at Bandon, and I finally decided that there's great golf courses built by first class architects with all the challenge and risk-reward decisions you could want.  And every once in a while you find all of the above on the damn Pacific Ocean.  So I played Trails, but only the one time.  Sorry, Bill and Ben.

5. With everybody’s favorite Pebble amateur Bill Murray on movie duty, who was your favorite celebrity to watch this week and why?

The Pros' Responses:  This batch of celebs doesn't come off too well, though Joe Sens does actually mention Chris Berman, though mitigated because he acknowledges that it meant he wasn't behind a microphone.  Bonus points to Eamon Lynch for noting that Nick Faldo is making him pine for the days of Lanny Wadkins.

Best Line:  Cameron Morfit:  I liked Walker's partner, whoever he was, because he knew that his job was to just putt out quickly and get out of the way.

My Take:  The entertainers seem to be a particularly dreadful lot these days, so perhaps all we can do is hope it's cyclical.  Or perhaps they can get Kate Upton there next year (you there, Maggot?).  But it's sometimes interesting to watch folks from other walks of life try to keep their wits about them in front of the cameras.  And I do agree with Morfit about playing with contenders.  That would be my recurring nightmare, just being in the way.

 6. After a quick visit to India, Tiger Woods spent the weekend at home, reportedly "working on his game." If you were his swing coach, or his life coach, what would be the first piece of advice you would give him?

The Pros' Responses:  Play more.  Play like you're 16 again.  Butch.  No one in golf has less fun inside the ropes than Tiger.  Shake the rust off... Schedule a couple of events you don't normally play.  If I were his swing coach, I'd tell him to fire me and make up with Butch...if Butch will have you.

Best Line:  Lynch again:  Tiger's trip to the Middle East and India netted him several million dollars. I expect he spent the weekend at home counting that haul, not waiting for life advice from golf writers.

My Take:  As William Goldman famously said, "Nobody knows anything."  The guy won 5 times in 2013.  That's pretty good.  If we're being serious, I'd have him study Mark Broadie's work as per my Moneyball post.