Tuesday Trifles

Some loose threads out there from the weekend and otherwise, so what say we throw them at the wall and see what sticks:

The NCAA's - It seems to have finally stopped raining in Kansas, and I was able to watch the conclusion of the individual competition last evening.  In that event, Stanford's Cameron Wilson prevailed over Georgia Tech's Ollie Schniederjans, as Brentley Romine describes in his game piece:

Stanford senior Cameron Wilson missed a par putt at his 54th hole that would have clinched

the NCAA individual title Monday at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kan. A little more than an hour later and after missed mid-range birdie putts on the first two playoff holes, he rolled home an 8-footer for birdie on the third playoff hole, the par-5 17th, to defeat Georgia Tech’sOllie Schniederjans for medalist honors.

Quite a finish, as they were about out of daylight.  Shackelford was singing Wilson's praises this morning, noting this mature reaction to the disappointment on the 18th green:

Q. How disappointed were you after No. 18, and did you kind of have to regroup a little bit on the range going into the playoff?

CAMERON WILSON: I was disappointed, sure, but I hit a couple shots that I liked on the last hole. The tee shot I hit almost exactly how I wanted to. Didn't hit it that much further left than I was hoping to. And the second shot I did what I meant to, and the rough caught my club. I really didn't stray from my plan that much, and I didn't beat myself up. Then when we got to the playoff, I was just thinking how cool it was. The sun was setting and the fescue was everywhere. We had the American flags out, and I've known Ollie for a while. He's a friend. As much as I wanted to win, Ollie is a friend and so I was just thinking how cool it was. It was a really cool scene.

But of course this is where my ears perked up:

Wilson's mother, Myra Gelband, was a longtime journalist working for Sports Illustrated and no doubt was depicted in fictional fashion as one of the smart, brilliant women in Dan Jenkins'You Gotta Play Hurt. Gelband was Dan's longtime researcher/reporter/confidante during his SI days. Dan noted this in a Tweet a couple of years ago.

Gotta love that, so I'm officially a Stanford fan 'till the conclusion.  Yesterday was also cutday for team match play, the quarterfinals of which were this morning.  Golf Channel comes on the air at 5:00 showing the semi-final matches.  Give it a look if you read this in time, either for the spectacular Prairie Dunes or for the excitement of team match play, which might have well redeemed Olympic golf.

Who Had the Best Week in Golf? -  Rory?  Monty?  Adam Scott?  Actually my vote goes to Josh Beckett, the Los Angeles Dodger pitcher (of course I type this while grinding my teeth, still bitter over Game 6 of the 2003 World Series).  Beckett, as baseball fans may be aware, had a memorable Sunday:

The Dodgers didn’t really know what to expect from Josh Beckett after major surgery that cost him a rib and most of a season. 

But not even Beckett thought he had this in him. 

The veteran right-hander, who went 20 months between major-league victories, pitched the 11th no-hitter in Los Angeles Dodgers history Sunday afternoon, dominating the Philadelphia Phillies in a 6-0 victory.

But it's this nugget buried deep in the story that ties it to our game:

Beckett laughed off the suggestion that he should take pride in being the first pitcher to throw a no-hitter minus one rib. 

“I didn’t think about that,” Beckett said. “I played Pine Valley (Golf Club in southern New Jersey) two days ago. That’s what Paul Maholm and I were talking about. I wonder if I’m the first guy to play the No. 1 golf course in the country and then throw a no-hitter? I probably am.”

Yes, you likely are, but that's no solace for the fact that I haven't played Pine Valley.

Bad Karma -  In a post buried in the wayback machine I noted the forthcoming retirement of ESPN's Rick Reilly, noting the criticism of many of his recent phoned-in efforts, but also giving props for some of his older pieces.  He's posted a sort-of interview with Phil that's well worth a click-through.  See if this doesn't sound like our Phil:

What's not to learn? Mickelson seems to have somehow cornered the market on happiness. He

Reilly with the current Open Championship Holder.

has a bucket of sunshine for a wife, three gorgeous kids, $48 million per year coming in (according to Forbes), 51 worldwide wins, five majors, a jet, a compound the size of Rhode Island, a clean arrest record, and an optimism that would floor Little Orphan Annie.

He met me at his house, which is not like your house. 

His house is more like a Spanish village with Winged Foot attached. Outside his front door he has four chipping greens, a lavish putting green with every kind of putt you can think of, and a tee box where he can hit drivers up to 450 yards, usually in flip-flops. He might have the only house in America with its own greenkeeping staff. 

He greets me in his golf cart, which is not like your golf cart. 

His has a satellite dish on the roof and a TV in the front, so he can get 1,000 channels and XM radio. Gift from his wife, Amy. "This way I can watch football and still play," says Mickelson.

But it's this from Phil that's drawing pixels:

And then he said something bizarre: "The next five years are going to be the best of my career."

Me: Let me get this straight. From age 43 to age 48, you're going to play the best golf of your life? 

"I think so. I'm going to win a bunch of tournaments. I'm going to win at least one U.S. Open, maybe two. And I'm going to make the 2016 Olympic team. And really, I'd love to make the 2020 Olympic team. I'd be 50. How cool would that be?" 

Is this man on crystal meth?

Hmmm...he doesn't live that far from Albuquerque, or maybe after my Tin Cup post I just have Heisenberg on the brain.  Phil, I don't object to any of the over-the-top optimism, irregardless of the practicality of it all.  But even you are profoundly unwise to tempt the golf gods, one simply doesn't speak of winning a second Open until one has, you know, secured the first.  I'll be rooting for you at Pinehurst nonetheless, but ixnay on such talk between now and then.

But do give the piece a read, as it's Reilly at his best (and it's Phil).

The Shark Tank - I sometimes go months without checking John Garrity's delightfully droll Top 50 blog, but it's only fair since John seems to go months between posts.  But I meant to check in with John after Trump's purchase of Turnberry, since last we visited John he was crowdfunding the purchase of Ailsa Craig.

John believes that the Donald's purchase of Turnberry represents hubris, as he explains:

The valuable Ailsa Craig is on the right.

Why? I’ll tell you why. It’s because Trump — a so-called “business genius” who now owns and operates 17 golf properties — has made the worst decision of his storied career. He has acquired Turnberry’s elegant cliff-top hotel, it’s true, and he now owns the resort’s three golf courses, including the incomparable Open Championship links that hosted 1977’s legendary “Duel in the Sun.” But he didn’t buy Ailsa Craig, the muffin-shaped island that dominates the view from the Turnberry lighthouse.

With the eighth Marquess of Ailsa looking to dump the rock for a paltry $2.4 million, what is Garrity seeing in the way of opportunity here:

... which is more than reasonable when you consider that the island is the exclusive source of microgranite for Olympic-class curling stones. Imagine its worth if some genius entrepreneur — not Trump! — captures the international market for game-improvement curling stones.

Aha, you'll regret sharing that intellectual property secret with me, John, as I've already instructed the Unplayable Lies graphics department to work on mock-ups of a cavity-backed, counter-balanced curling stone.

As I said, delightfully droll.

Flop Sweat - Rory is crediting a new Nike wedge for his down-the-stretch heroics at the BMW PGA Championship on Sunday, the mellifluously-named Nike VR X3X Toe Wedge, better-known as the Toe Sweep wedge:

McIlroy credited his new wedge for his up-and-downs from the rough on Sunday and also his bunker shot on 18. 

"I’ve always been someone with not a lot of bounce to my wedges but I think it’s helped my bunker play as well," he said.

The shape of the wedge is quite different ythan those with which we're familiar, not readily apparent from this photo.  But watch the Nike video here to see it from the necessary angle.

Job Envy - I think Travelin' Joe's would still be my job of choice, but this ain't half bad:

Haircuts are still $13 at Mick's Hair Surgeons in Bandon, Ore., and Mick Peters, its 69-year-old proprietor, is still the man nearby Bandon Dunes Resort turns to when it debuts additions to its spectacular property along the southwest Oregon coast. 

Peters (left), who has hit the first official shot at Bandon Dunes (1999), Pacific Dunes (2001), Bandon Trails (2005), Old Macdonald (2010) and the par-3 Preserve (2012), was back in action last week when Bandon opened the Punchbowl (below), an 18-hole, 2.3-acre putting course designed by Tom Doak and Jim Urbina adjacent to the first tee at Pacific Dunes.

They also republish this amazing photo of the Punchbowl, which I've shared previously.  But it is that good:

Loud is the new Tasteful - Loud appears to be the order of the day in golf clothing and accessories, at least judging from recent blog posts.  First up we have fashion guru Marty Hackel extolling the virtues of Nautica's cotton twill shorts:

What stands out for me is their modern, comfortable cut that makes them attractive and functional. The cotton material is rugged enough to hold up through a full day on the course, yet still maintain a soft feel. (The company, which has tour pro Cameron Tringale on staff, markets off the premise that the more you wear the cotton shorts, the softer they will feel.)

 I like twill shorts in all but the hottest weather, though perhaps not those twills.

Next up are golf grips guaranteed to give Loudmouth Golf a run for theirs money, only fair when they're made by the very same Loudmouth Golf.  

Not if it puts a penny in John Daly's pocket.

Admit it, you've wanted to try those outrageously psychedelic pants from Loudmouth Golf but weren't sure you've got the game to pull them off. For those shy souls, there's an alternative: Loudmouth grips. 

Forget technology—scour the company website and all you'll learn is that the grips weigh 90 grams and come in regular and oversize. But you're not putting these on your clubs to improve your score. It's the look that counts. Whether it's Paint Balls, Liar Liar, Captain USA or Lucky (top to bottom above) or other models such as Just Peachy or Shagadelic Black, these are sure to make any club an eye-popper.

David Being David -  If I had my druthers, every one of these catchall posts would end with a David Owen item, as they invariably leave me with a smile on my face in the naive belief that I've pointed you to something you'll enjoy.  Or not, as always your mileage may vary...
Today David promises to explain the origins of a golf club's logo, specifically Co. Louth Golf Club north of Dublin.  David draws us in with his typically picaresque account:
County Louth Golf Club is an Irish links course near the intersection of the Boyne River and the 

The unfortunate (ker) Plunkett.

Irish Sea, about 35 miles north of Dublin. It's often referred to by the name of the nearest village, Baltray, which is sort of a suburb of the ancient port of Drogheda -- a city whose name is easier to pronounce correctly if you have a mild case of bronchitis. Drogheda was founded by Vikings more than a thousand years ago. In medieval times, it was surrounded by a wall, a few substantial parts of which remain. And if you visit St. Peter’s Church, on West Street, you can see the preserved head of St. Oliver Plunkett, an Irish clergyman, who was drawn, hanged, and quartered in England in the late seventeenth century.

True story.  I had a college friend named Marian Kerr who married a guy named Kerr, become forever more Marian Kerr-Plunkett.  But I digress...

Now it's our David, so there's no shortage of detours and there's even some poetry.  I know, but don't let that put you off as there's fun to be had.  I could excerpt until the cows come home, but just go read it all.  Just don't harbor any silly illusions that by the end you'll know the origins of the logo.