We are safely ensconced in the Unplayable Lies Western Headquarters, so let blogging recommence:
- Disc Error - By now everyone has heard the update on Tiger's back, a bulging disc with little in the way of additional details provided. Team Tiger has shared the good news, that the disc is not herniated and surgery is not required, but gave us only this crumb even too small for a mouse:
“It's too early to know about the Masters, and I will continue to be evaluated and work closely with my doctors,” Woods said on his website.
Fantasy golf players have been scrambling to adjust to this late-breaking news. I had linked previously to this Local Knowledge post by Alex Myers, in which he had jumped on the Tiger bandwagon a mere seconds before news of the WD hit the wires. No worries for Alex, though, as he adroitly went to his bench:
UPDATE: Turns out, we were suckers. Shortly after posting this, Woods pulled out of the event with lingering back pain. Lucky for fantasy owners, he gave us plenty of time to adjust our lineup (how considerate of him!). We'll move a red-hot Bubba Watson, who has a win and two runner-ups in his past three stroke-play events, into the starting lineup.
Armchair Golfer posts this exclusive interview with Tiger's left knee, which has some good bits:
Q: How do you keep going? Where does your inspiration come from?LEFT KNEE: I take it a day at a time. Do the PT. Get my rest. I really hope Tiger is done with the running. That's a killer. As far as inspiration, I look to the greats. In golf, all of us lower extremities worship Hogan. I mean, my God, his legs were totally mangled from that car accident and he came back and not only walked again but won six majors. It's incredible (sniffling). Sorry, I promised myself I wouldn't get emotional.
He references only three surgeries, which seems on the low side. But as my mother always taught me, the knee knows. But the timing is curious, as all eyes are on the bulging disc.
And that allows us a nostalgic trip down memory lane. Let's let the wayback machine take us to the more innocent time of Tiger's previous bulging....ummm...disc, and the reason that Golf Channel now broadcasts on a 15 second delay:
- If Mama's Happy.... The Ladies are not pleased. USGA majordomo Mike Davis stopped by the LPGA's Founders' Cup event to address concerns about the back-to-back U.S. Opens at Pinehurst in June.
According to those in attendance, Davis told them that Pinehurst No. 7 would be open to the players on Saturday and Sunday before the U.S. Women's Open -- and during the U.S. Open -- and that the greens on No. 7 would be set to the conditions the greens on No. 2 will be at for the championship. The players will also be allowed on the practice range at No. 2 beginning at noon on Sunday with access to the locker rooms and hospitality areas.
OK, so they'll have access to a locker room, glad we got that out of the way. Why are they worried?
The biggest fear is a weather interruption that would create a Monday finish for the men. And the worst-case scenario is a Monday finish for the men followed by an 18-hole Tuesday playoff.
Stacy Lewis, the top American in the Rolex Rankings, said Davis did not go into what would happen if there was a Tuesday finish in the men's Open -- some say there is a scenario for at Saturday through Tuesday U.S. Women's Open -- but she did reveal his plans if the guys have a Monday playoff.
According to Davis, if there's an 18-hole playoff on Monday, he'll allow the women out for practice rounds ahead of the playoff. Really?
Among the reasons the USGA cites for why the Women's Open should go after the men's is that, while women can putt greens at the same speed as men they need softer greens that hold better since they do not spin the ball as much. That can be achieved by throwing water on the green after the men's Open is finished.
"Let's see if they can pull that off," Lewis said, adding: "Yeah, I'm still apprehensive. They tried to spin it that everything is under control, but the general feeling of the players is that it is going to be a bit of a challenge. The main concern is divots, both in the landing areas and in the collection areas."
The green firmness is an interesting technical point, but we also know that the men were never going second. It's the USGA's premiere event, the one that pays the freight for all else, and the men would have screamed bloody murder.
Having just been at Pinehurst, I can tell you that it's probably the only venue at which this could be considered, by virtue of the sandy substrate and firm turf. However, if there's rain that week, the areas off the main corridors of play, i.e., where the galleries roam, could be quite the mess.
In terms of divots, Davis got stony silence when he told that gals that divots are a part of the game. But my understanding is that Davis' set-up is predicated on the men and women hitting the same club into each green. If that comes off as planned, then the gals should be able to drive it past the major concentrations of the men's divots. But the collection areas around the greens, that could be the issue. Stay tuned...
- Tricksters - Everyone loved the video of the two-man trick shot by the high school golfers. They're back, though their new effort seems pretty much the same trick, just with ann innocent bystander added for dramatic effect:
This one has also made the rounds. It's an admittedly versatile display, though I actually like the outtake at the end as much as anything:
- Crane Freeze - Ben Crane is a funny guy, but he also has a talent for reminding us that the line between humorous and creepy can be thin. Take a look at these disturbing GIFs of Ben at your own peril, but please remember you've been warned.
- Feel-Good Friday - A couple of nice stories to close on. First, the foremost authority on Bobby Jones has contributed his collection of memorabilia and research to Emory University:
"This is the only comprehensive collection of [Jones'] writing, comprising 500,000 words, in captivity," Matthew said from his office on Thursday. "It's the motherlode of all the Bobby Jones research."
It is not an idle boast. Matthew, 62, is renowned for his knowledge of Jones and the research he has gathered through the years. "People will be fascinated to see the work that he did," Randy Gue, curator of historical collections at Emory's Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library, said in an Emory news release. "To call him tenacious and dogged in his research is an understatement."
Emory seems an entirely appropriate repository, as Jones earned his law degree there and his own papers are hosed there.
"It is a really cool place, and would be a shame to see it go," part-time San Diego area resident and 2006 U.S. Open Champion Geoff Ogilvy tells me. "Short, fun and cheap. Everything golf needs."
Bloggers love to wrap up with a happy ending (down Maggot, not that kind):
A proposal to turn Oceanside’s city-owned Center City Golf Course into asoccer academy, decried by hundreds who attended a City Council meeting Wednesday night, fell apart when the council later directed its staff to end negotiations with Dell Roy Hansen, the owner of Major League Soccer Real Salt Lake.
Instead council members said they wanted the city to revisit a proposal that would save the golf course and augment the area, better known as Goat Hill, with a botanical garden and community farm.Real Salt Lake’s plan was to create a soccer academy on the land, reduce the golf course size considerably, and build a 5,000-seat stadium that would be home to a minor league professional soccer team and probably a professional women’s soccer team in coming years.
Actually, I'm happy to have the golf course saved, but my favorite part of the story is that there's a soccer team called Real Salt Lake. Those are words that simply don't belong together...
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