Slideshows and Such

I've never been the biggest fan of the slideshow format, as I prefer, in the words of the great one, to have it right in front of me.  But we have a confluence of such amongst our Sunday grabfest, so let's have at it.

• Form This - Dave Shedloski declares Tiger "Back on Form" after his third round 65 at the Honda.  There seems to be a strain of triumphalism in the water, and I suppose we should be grateful that he stopped short of proclaiming him the Cock of the Walk.  At least the post does include a cool B&W photo:

Seriously guys, one round does not constitute a return to form, especially in light of this:

He exhibited signs of progress Saturday, both in his ball-striking and in his work on the greens, where he needed just 23 putts. His seven birdies included a chip-in from 53 feet at the 11th. He hit just six fairways and 11 greens in regulation, but he converted five putts of 12 feet or more.

If 6 fairways and 11 greens in calm morning conditions is progress, that's a low bar indeed.  His short game has looked better this week, and the putter heated up yesterday for sure.  As a sidebar to this post, Golf Digest has also provided this slideshow of their favorite Tigerisms.  It covers many of the classics of the genre, such as "It is what it is," profound insights into golf course architecture such as "It's right there in front of you" and self-criticisms such as "I can't control my traj."  Though they take a pass on such veritable chestnuts as "Golf feels" and "It's a process."

• It's Not Me, It's You - Another Golf Digest slideshow features Golf's Biggest Breakups.  While the link bait for this one features Tiger and Elin, it treats breakup in the widest of interpretations.  Tiger and Rory dominate the field, including the former's splits with Butch, Hank, Elin, Fluff and Stevie (not to mnetion his Sotty Cameron putter), and the latter with Titleist and Chubby.  Strong performance also for Team Norman, including his hour-and-a-half marriage to Chrissie and Sergio's prolonged downward spiral caused by his breakup with the Shark's daughter.  Even better than Chrissiegate was caddy Bruce Edwards leaving a mark on the Shark by noting that he just wanted to work for a player with heart.  All sorts of fun memories to be had, including Carolyn Bevins, stack-and-tilt and Ben Wright.

• A Book of One's Owen - I've linked liberally to David Owen's posts leading up to the Masters, but missed this accompanying Golf Digest slideshow of Little Known Masters Facts culled from David's book, The Making of the Masters.  Lots of good stuff, such as the picture below of critters grazing on the course during WW II.

We think of the club as having more money than God, which is certainly true in modern times.  In fact, we could probably say that they've left more money on the table than God has, through their management of the tournament and especially the television rights.  But the club struggled substantially in its early years, and was on financial life support for many years.

Horton Smith, winner of the first Masters.  According to David Owen, Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts had to pass the hat amongst club members to pay Smith and other high finishers their shares of the purse.

• Chubby, Downsized - Speaking as we  were of the Chubster, Alex Miceli reports at Golfweek that he's lost another of his big-time players, Charl Schwartzel.  Chubby tries to maintain a, cough, stiff upper lip:

Chandler was surprised by the decision of a player he had mentored since his days as a young amateur back in South Africa, but completely understood his desire to look at options.

“At the end of the day, whether it be right or wrong, some people are different,” Chandler, said of the move. “Some people like the way we do things and they're going to be there forever, but sometimes you need to just have a change, and sometimes the change might be us, and unfortunately this time it's us. It's not a coach, it's not a caddie.”

Those familiar with Chubby's body type (and the nickname might help the others) can fill in your own  stiff jokes here.  But Chubby has now lost two-thirds of the stable that almost pulled off the Chubby Slam in 2011.  He's still got Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke, though I think I'm more likely to snag a major than either of those gents.

• My Ass is Dragging - FNBF* Art Trojan writes with this Lorne Rubenstein tribute to Ed Ervasti on his 100th birthday:

Marking a milestone

We thought our members would enjoy reading an article by Lorne Rubenstein on longtime CSGA Member Ed Ervasti, featured in Golfworld.com

Ed joined the CSGA forty-four years ago, in 1970 as a member of London Hunt Club where he is still a member.

Ed served as CSGA President in 1986-1987 and was our Annual Champion six times; 1971, 1976, 1977, 1978 (Tied), 1979 and 1980.

We hope you all enjoy the article on a great golfer and friend to so many.

On Monday Jan. 13, the day Ed Ervasti turned 100, he planned to hit balls at Turtle Creek Club in Tequesta, Fla., his winter home. I was to join him. But when my longtime friend called me around noon, he ruefully admitted he was too tired. The club had held a reception for him two days earlier, when he played nine holes. The next day it honored him again with a four-hour-brunch, “My ass is dragging” he said.

Hearing such a phrase from a 100-year-old man quickly eased my disappointment. Ed’s lively earthiness would seem to belong to someone much younger, and so would his ageless golf game. “If I play 300 times a year, I break my age 299 times,” he told me a few years ago. “The weather was probably lousy the time I didn’t.”

There’s a good possibility Ervasti has been the best very old golfer who ever lived. According to Golf Digest, Ed, a native of Minneapolis who moved to Canada in 1957, holds the record for a golfer beating his age by the most strokes, shooting 72 at age 93 at Sunningdale G&CC near his home in London, Ont. He’s been very good for a very long time, winning the 1949 Michigan Amateur, the 1978 and 1983 North and South Senior Amateur, the Canadian Seniors’ Golf Association championship six times and the club championship at London Hunt and CC 17 times.

But what really makes Ed a legend is that the older he has gotten, the more he has separated himself from his remaining peers. He estimates that he has shot his age or better some 3,000 times. If he makes it to 104, he’ll have a chance to become the oldest age-shooter ever.

When Ed was 92, I played with him at London Hunt. The previous winter he had shot 80-80-84–a cumulative 32 shots under his age–to win a tournament in Florida.

As I always have in our rounds together, I studied Ed. He didn’t “hit” the ball, he smoothly swung through it and played the game with an enviable ease. When he holed a tricky pitch, he scoffed at the praise, saying, “Anybody can do that.”

“I really never remember a great shot,” Ed says. “I talk about the people I’ve met and played with. Golf is an individual game, but you don’t play it alone. I’ve played with five Masters winners, seven U.S. Open champions, eight U.S. Amateur champions and 10 PGA Championship winners. I’ve played with Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer and Bryon Nelson.”

Ed believes the key to his longevity has been staying in motion. His daily ritual in London for years was to walk a mile to a local Tim Hortons coffee shop and pick up some Timbits–doughnut holes. On the way back home, he’d stop on the bank of a river and put the Timbits on tees, then wait for gophers to eat them. Two miles a day, every day. Until a couple of years ago, he drove himself to Florida every winter, where he lives in a condo beside the first hole at Turtle Creek. Until he was 85, he walked while playing.

About a week before his birthday, I watched Ed work on his game. Jim Hand, the 1984-1985 USGA president who would turn a mere 97 the next day, also watched. Ed was still swinging smoothly, consistently sending out 150–yard drives. John, his 58-year-old son who works in New York, was visiting. They had practiced in the morning for two hours and repeated the exercise in the afternoon. They played nine holes, Ed shooting 48.

When John, himself a top senior amateur, was about to speak at the Turtle Creek reception, his father joked, “Oh, oh, I’m going to regret this.”

But, of course, Ed was soon given a standing ovation. Everyone in the room faced him. He waved. I might have been mistaken, but I believe I detected a few tears in his bright eyes. I felt a few myself.

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Sorry for the length, but I couldn't bear to cut it.  I just might have to give my 93-year old Dad a copy of this, since he's dealing with some loss of energy and aches and pains.

• Ladies Day -  I've confessed previously to an affection for the LPGA, a tour that seems determined to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory at every opportunity.  So while they're not getting much coverage on their Asian and Australian swing, they are producing some exciting golf.

Get a load of this GIF of Paula Creamers lengthy eagle putt on the second hole of her playoff in the HSBC Women's Championship from Singapore against Azahara Munoz:

It appears from the above that the putt  was carrying enough speed to perhaps reach the water had the cup not intervened.  Bust I suspect that's a function of the GIF format, as in the video below the speed seems more under control.  Paula as well...

It's Creamer's first win since the 2010 Women's U.S. Open at Oakmont.  While I find her whiny voice as pleasant as fingernails on a chalkboard, she's one of the better known American players and frequent appearances on Sunday television would be a good think for the LPGA.

• Maggot-Approved Content - The oft-mentioned Maggot (real name) is one of my most loyal readers, and it so happens that Theresa and I will be dining tomorrow night with Maggot and Bride Thereof the lovely Jo.  Knowing his range of interests, I try to ensure sufficient content suited to his unique interests.  With that in mind, submitted for your approval (it is Oscar Sunday, after all) is this rather curious Separated at Birth:

That would be golf fan and Arnold Palmer groupie Kate Upton on the left, and Sage Kostenburg, Olympic gold medalist in the Snowboard Slopestyle on the right.  

Now Sage is a Park City boy, so I feel a certain kinship with him.  On the other hand, he's a damn boarder!  To help non-skiers understand how we feel about boarders, let me share a couple of jokes from FNBF* Bob.

Q:  What do we call a snowboarder without a girlfriend?

A:   Homeless.

Q:  What do we call a snowboarder in a suit and tie? 

A:  Defendant.

I'll be here all week folks.  Please tip your waitress. 

 * Former New Best Friend.