This and That

There's lots more going on in our little golf ecosystem.  Got a little time to sorth through it with me?

The Longest Day - Today is sectional qualifying Monday, what Golf Channel has dubbed The Longest Day in Golf™.  I think it's great that Golf Channel covers it, though of course what else is on

their plate on a Monday of Memphis week.  The problem of course is that it's so spread out that they can't throw any actual resources at any one site, so we get lost of views of manual leaderboards...  Paint drying and the like...

Shack devotes many pixels to it,  including listing his best stories at each of the ten sites in play.  I can't do it justice, but here's a partial list of those trying to qualify at Newport Beach, CA:

• Patrick Cantlay
• Fred Couples
• Max Homa
• Beau Hossler

How's that for something old, something new?  I'm glad to see Freddie giving it a go, because a lucky guy or two will get to spend 36 holes playing with his golf hero.  It shows a respect for the game that they try to get back in after their eligibility lapses.  Other at various sites around the country include:

• Chris DiMarco
• Luke Donald
• Roberto Castro
• David Duval
• Retief Goosen
• Trevor Immelman
• Andrew Putnam
• Jason Allred
• Bob Estes
• Hunter Haas
• Scott Verplank
• Casey Martin

Also a healthy number of strong college players that we just saw competing at Concession Golf Club.  Further good news is that we've mostly been spared the heavy showers forecast for today, so the gents at Old Oaks and Century just up the road aren't having that bad a day of it.

One of the unfortunate aspects of the day is toting up the number of WD's at the Columbus, OH qualifying site.  They're in Columbus for a reason, but you may have heard Jim Nance talking about the horrible weather expected after the conclusion of the Memorial, which may have played a role.  Rex Hoggard with the skinny on a total of 28 no-shows:

Maybe it’s a forecast that’s hovered between miserable and monsoon. Maybe it’s simply too much golf during a crucial point in the schedule, or maybe it’s swirling tales of a Chambers Bay layout that is going to land on the marathon side of difficult.

Whatever the reason, Monday’s qualifier in Columbus, Ohio, historically the deepest of the 10 sectional qualifying sites for this month’s U.S. Open, has turned into a mad dash to the airport and drier points. 

Nineteen players withdrew from the 36-hole event on Sunday, including the likes of Justin Leonard, Charles Howell III, Brendon de Jonge and Davis Love III. Nine more opted out on Monday, including Brendan Steele, Freddie Jacobson, Kyle Reifers and Patrick Rodgers.

I think de Jonge just didn't want to risk being put in another fat-boy pairing.  And yes, my use of the skinny was intentional... But Rex also reminds us why it may be worth going through the pain:

The Columbus qualifier has produced some of the U.S. Open’s best stories in recent years. Last year, Erik Compton survived a playoff to earn a spot at Pinehurst and then went on to tie for second place. In 2009, Lucas Glover played his way to Bethpage and won the championship.

The Business of Golf is Business - We have a confluence of golf stories of a business nature....our game may be dying, but in the process lots of cold had cash is changing hands.

First, we recently discussed that the R & A had decided to auction U.S. television rights for the Open Championship (as well as the Senior Open Championship, Ricoh Women's British Open and Walker Cups held on GB&I soil) earl, presumably to ensure that Fox drive up the bidding before realizing how much money they were losing on their USGA package.

NBC and Golf Channel will replace ESPN, which is paying a reported $25 million annually under an eight-year contract. While NBC did not divulge its fees, Mark Lazarus, head of the NBC Sports Group, said the deal called for a “fairly large increase.” 

“This is an affirmation of the way the golf industry looks at us and Golf Channel as an important part of the golf media world,” Lazarus said. “We’re in the golf business. It’s not a hobby for us. Golf is a pillar of our strategy at NBC and Golf Channel.”

That's good news to my ears, as I thought that NBC had been treated rather shabbily by the USGA.  Although $25 million seems fairly rich given the broadcast times for the event... sometimes in these things one wins by losing.

It leaves Fox in the strange position of having assembled the necessarily large and expensive organization to cover golf tournaments, but with only one viable property over which to amortize such costs.  It'll be a great gig for The Shark, who'll work fewer weeks in the year than Johnny...

Shack had this to say about the news:

As part of the deal, Golf Channel will get to air coverage of a men’s major for the first

time, and the move back to broadcast television from exclusively on cable is expected to improve audience size and visibility, reportedly the most important factor for the R&A that otherwise was said to be pleased with ESPN’s effort.

The Open Championship coverage will be live on NBC, avoiding any potential criticism for the network that has often tape-delayed Olympic and tennis coverage. It’s also a major victory for the Comcast-owned networks, which lost out to Fox Sports for the right to broadcast USGA events, including the U.S. Open.

Ironic to have used that stock photo after what we saw this weekend, no?  None of us will mourn the loss of Chris Berman, but before you get giddy please remember that this contract doesn't kick in until 2017...

I think NBC does a great job and also remember that Fox tried to hire away NBC Golf producer Tommy Roy.... I think now we're glad he stayed.  My issue with NBC is that the frontline talent is getting very long of tooth, and I'm not sure Roger Maltbie will survive long days on rock-hard links turf.  I'd like to see some younger blood worked into their team and soon.

And sticking with the R & A, Alan Tovey at The Telegrpah reads the R & A's annual report so we don't have to:

R&A Championships’ turnover in 2014 rose by 6pc to £60.7m as the prospect of the golfing prodigy triumphing drew vast crowds to the event at Royal Liverpool Golf Club.

More than 203,000 fans attended the event during practice rounds and the four days of play, when McIlroy’s 17 under-par total saw him win by two shots. The attendance was 60,000 higher than the previous year’s event at Muirfield, Scotland.

 Their outlook for this year's event is, however, a tad cloudier:

“It is anticipated that the trading result for the company in 2015, when the Open will be staged in St Andrews, will be slightly lower than 2014 because, whilst St Andrews is traditionally a venue which generates strong revenue, it is anticipated that there will be additional expenditure incurred in further upgrading the event, particularly with regard to enhancing the spectator experience and as a consequence of rebranding,” the directors said.

Rebranding?  You mean that silly new logo?   I had always heard that an Old Course Open was less of a money-maker, because it's so difficult to get people on and off the site.

Lastly comes this bit of news about Commissioner Ratched expanding his empire:

The PGA Tour announced it is leaping into the online tee-time business with the

formation of a new company, EZLinks Golf LLC. 

The Tour formed a partnership with EZLinks Golf, Inc., a leading tee-time operator, and has launched TeeOff.com as its official entry into the tee time marketplace. 

“A core mission of the PGA Tour is to grow the game by leveraging our brand name, media assets and golfer reach to drive participation at every level of the sport,” said Tour commissioner Tim Finchem. “We believe the creation of EZLinks Golf LLC will have a positive and direct influence on inspiring play at the recreational level.”

Ummm...no it isn't.... part of their core mission, that is.  In fact, it would be hard to think of anything further removed from their core mission, and takes us back to the split-off of the Tour from the PGA of America...

To be clear, TeeOff.com has been operating under the ownership of EZ Links, and is the second largest online tee time company after Golf Channel's GolfNow.com ( with whom it has been in litigation).  The underlying transaction allows the Tour to take an ownership position and contribute its name and "marketing resources", whatever that might entail, and participate on the upside.

But what's troubling is the involvement of Leon "Chip" Greenblatt, the so-called Bad Boy of Chicago Arbitrage.  Greenblatt has left a trail of bankrupt companies and scathing judicial decisions behind him, here's a small taste from a Chicago Tribune profile:

But Greenblatt does not always elicit such admiration. Judges have labeled him "evasive" and his testimony "incredible." A federal judge once noted his "well-earned reputation for sailing close to the wind" and another took him to task for his companies' "convoluted web of entities, insider transactions and sham loans."

The extent of Greenblatt's continued involvement is not clear to me, but this seems unwise to me on many levels...  Given that the Tour owns many TPC venues there's an obvious issue of whether such course will receive more favorable placement in search results.  But more importantly, if I'm a Tour player I'd be very concerned over the constantly expanding business interests of the Ponte Vedra suits, and very interested in the allocation of risk and benefits.  I'd also say that this weakens the case for the Tour's not-for-profit status.

But I am happy to give unsolicited advice gleaned from my years of consulting experience.  I strongly suggest they hire Old Tom Morris to be their spokesman, and I can readily see a series of memorable old world-new world commercials in the offing... Play Now! with a Scottish brogue has a nice ring to it.  No need to thank me...

That's Our Phil - Surprisingly, this has nothing to do with the 78 he shot on Saturday, though I'll note with tongue-in-cheek that he couldn't have picked a better day to post such a score.  That Woods guy with his 85 sucked all the oxygen out of the room... but it's this to which I was referring:

Outside of the Memorial Tournament, Roland Van Karsen, 6, and his sister, Karen, 8, were running a lemonade stand at Muirfield Village, when a generous tour pro stopped by to grab a drink. 

Here are the cute and lucky kids:

Think they're setting up lemonade stands in Tacoma as we speak?

That's Our Calc - Mark Calcavecchia seems like the salt of the Earth, no?  He had a perfectly respectable career, even grabbed a low-hanging major from Greg Norman, and seems quite happy with his wife on his bag traveling the country playing golf.  

Now we've seen Calc struggle over the years, often with the flat stick, so he's a guy we can all relate to and enjoy his success.  In fact, he made what I believe to be the worst swing ever by a professional golfer on the 17th tee at Kiawah during the Ryder Cup, in the midst of letting Monty up off the floor from four down with four to play.

So I was happy to hear this news from the weekend:

On Sunday, Calcavecchia shot 69 to win the Champions Tour's Principal Charity Classic. Calc won the tournament with a putter he bought off the rack from an Iowa sporting-goods store after missing the cut at the Senior PGA.

Now I know what you're thinking, just another portly old white guy in hideous golf pants... but I assure you, these aren't just any hideous golf pants.  These are hideous as an homage to the nectar of the gods:

Your eyes are working just fine, those are, in fact, bacon-themed golf pants.  Now that's a grow the game initiative I can dig my teeth into...

Wither DJ - In last week's SI/Golf+ E-Mag Mike Bamberger took on the enigma that is Dustin Johnson.  Here's a taste:

Johnson has enough game to make golf history. That’s how good he is. But for now, at age 30, something is holding him back. It’s not his length, and you know it’s not his short game. 

Like John Daly in his moments of sporadic greatness, Johnson is a big man with a soft touch. I can’t think of another big-man golfer whose hands looked more at home on a putter. Not George Archer in the ’60s and ’70s, not Tom Weiskopf in the ’70s and ’80s, not Nick Faldo in the ’80s and ’90s, not Bubba Watson in this century. With the Memorial looming and the rush of summer’s three majors soon after, the door is wide open for Johnson. More open for him, really, than for anybody else, because he has more physical tools than pretty much any other golfer in the game today, including Rory McIlroy. As Tiger Woods has said more than once, Johnson has another speed in reserve that few others do. You can tell: Johnson reminds Woods of the golfer he once was.

Mike's a good guy and a savvy scribe, so he knows as well as anybody that physical talent is necessary, but hardly sufficient in our game.   The Tour Confidential panel took a whack at this one as well, and see what you think about this Q&A:

2. Dustin Johnson carded 20 birdies and two eagles at the Memorial, but also recorded a double bogey in all four rounds to finish T11 and six shots back. In this week's Golf+, Sports Illustrated’s Michael Bamberger asked what is holding back the talented 30-year-old. Do you think he desires the sacrifices that come with greatness?

VAN SICKLE: I'd love to see a real caddie like Steve Williams on his bag instead of a family member or friend. If DJ simply did what Stevie told him to do, he might realize his potential in a hurry. Exact yardages, exact lines, smart strategy – that might be all he needs.

Been there, done that...After Whistling Straits and a missed tee time, Joe LaCava was brought in for adult supervision.  He was gone very quickly, ostensible because of the opportunity to grab Tiger's bag but I always assumed he didn't like what he saw.  Three failed drug tests and lots of indifferent play later, I've never seen cause to challenge that assumption.

Scenes Around Town -  The ladies are in town and Employee No. 2 and I intend to visit next door tomorrow and Wednesday.  So far we've seen no shortage of courtesy cars (Kias, of course), a young woman in the next booth at the Mamaroneck Diner was in a very animated conversation about caddies and leaving Whole Foods in Port Chester the bride espied Cattriona Matthew in the cafe having a nosh.  And it's only Monday...