Thursday Threads

Schedule's been a tad back-assward this week, but we've got some of that content you so crave.  I know, you say you can quit at any time, but we've got what you need.

Golfers Gone Wild - With the off-seasob reduced to the length of a feature film, our heroes have to be oh so strategic in hos they use this precious time.  So, shall we tune in and see how they're fairing:

Henrik Stenson:  The Swede used this down time to get his 10,000 mile check-up:

Fresh off a runner-up finish last week at the Nedbank Golf Challenge, Henrik Stenson is shutting things down for a little while. 

Stenson had surgery Wednesday in Orlando, Fla., to repair an ailing meniscus in his right knee. The Swede had the surgery scheduled for weeks and is not expected to miss any scheduled starts next season.

The right knee takes far less punishment than the left, but the significance here is less the surgery than the tweeted post-op selfie:

He seems to be enjoying whatever he's on...  it's just for the pain I'm sure.

Michelle Wie:  The Big Wiesy is tackling her bucket list:

Perhaps in need of some adrenaline during the off-season, Michelle Wie turned to the ocean to get a rush on Wednesday. Wie and some friends went shark diving -- and they lived to tell about it. Check out this video:

She could use a jolt of that adrenaline on the golf course these days. as she was AWOL for all of 2015.  There's video at the link as well.

Luke Donald:  Also AWOL in 2015, Luke had a memorable birthday celebration, including time spent with a fellow Chicagoan:

Ledge?  Shouldn't it be lege?  What's the over/under for the number of telephone books on which Luke is sitting?  Meanwhile, any millennials reading this will be asking, "What's a phone book?"

Rory McIlroy:  He would seem far too young to be in the de-cluttering stage of life, yet he's giving away drivers right and left:

In Dublin, Ireland to promote his new film Daddy's Home, Wahlberg -- an avid golfer -- told the press he played the region'sPortmarnock Golf Club, while grabbing lunch with the country's own Rory McIlroy. 

"I had a bite to eat with Rory on Sunday and I was like, 'Dude, I need to come back, play golf and just hang out and see the sights,'" Wahlberg said. 

And it sounds like McIlroy did more than just shed his wisdom on the game. 

"He gave me a new driver, which was great. I just can't wait to get to a golf course or a driving range and try it out."

I think everyone but me has one of Rory's drivers by now.  Alas, no photos of the two....

Sergio:  No last name needed and he actually teed it up last week, winning the prestigious Ho Tram Open in Viet Nam.  But it was his James Bond-like entrance that generated the buzz:

Paige Spirinac:  Everyone's favorite Instagram babe is taking a break from the worthwhile pursuit that makes Maggot's dotage so pleasant to...wait for it, actually play golf:

Internet golf sensation Paige Spiranac earned an invite to the European Tour's Omega

Dubai Ladies Masters this week, although she's still an unknown to some of her peers. 

While Spiranac gained plenty of attention via her Instagram andTwitter accounts -- where she sports more than 450,000 and 50,000 followers, respectively -- she's not oblivious to what her social media presence has helped her accomplish.

Earned?  I suppose that's one way to characterize it...  But the best part was the raction of Dame Laura Davies, who had these words of encouragement:

In a press conference on Tuesday, 52-year-old veteran Laura Davies was asked about Spiranac earning a sponsor's exemption while not being a Tour member.

"I don’t know her from a bar of soap," said Davies, according to The National. "I've obviously heard what some of the players have said, but I've not met her. I saw her last night at the party, but didn’t speak to her." 

"Everyone needs a chance and if she's a good player, then I think it's great she's here," Davies said. "If she's here for any other reason than she's a great golfer, then it's a little bit pointless. But we have to give her a chance."

Pointless seems to be a poorly chosen word, as two spring immediately to mind.

New Girls - Beth Ann Nichols provides this helpful guide to the gals who earned their LPGA cards at the recently completed Q-School.  We all know this young lady:

Cheyenne Woods, 25 (7/25/1990), Phoenix, Ariz., Wake Forest – Tiger’s niece returns to the LPGA with a full card in 2016. A bumpy rookie season left Woods 125th on the LPGA money list. She’ll enter her sophomore campaign more familiar with her surroundings and, if all goes to plan, a stronger wedge game. She headed to Zambia immediately after Q-School to meet up with Betsy King and World Vision as part of a mission to bring clean water to impoverished villages.

 Her first year on tour was a disappointment, but give the girl credit for grit:

Cheyenne Woods poured in a 50-foot birdie putt on her 89th hole at LPGA Q-School.

The right-to-left stunner put an exclamation point on a gritty comeback for Tiger’s niece, who earned her full LPGA card for a second time. 

On the seventh tee box at LPGA International’s Hills Course, Woods stood 2 over for the day and was headed toward the uneasiness of conditional status for 2016. The words of her trainer, whose second career is motivational speaking, rang loudly between her ears: “Focus on doing what’s important right now.” 

The mantra enabled Woods to concentrate on the shot at hand, and she played the next 12 holes in 5 under par. 

“It is such a grind out here,” said Woods, “every single shot, every day. ... I managed to fight my way back. I was extremely frustrated at that point. I just wanted it so bad.”

Some appealing personalities on the very international list, and some names that are clearly going to torment announcers fro years.  Highlights include Budsabakorn Sukapan, Nontaya Srisawang, Pannarat Thanapolboonyaras and Benyapa Niphatsophon.  Easy for you to say...

Travel News - Most folks planning a golf trip to Scotland have typically faced a dilemma, gamble on an Old Course tee time or pay a rather large premium to secure said bucket list experience.  Some of you might even remember, though August seems like the Mesozoic Era, that Employee No. 2 and I gained access to The Old trough the daily ballot.

Now comes news that should be of the favorable variety:

Over the last 20 years operator The Old Course Experience (OCE) has run commercial bookings, but that will end after the 2017 season. 

From April 2018 the links trust will directly manage all commercial bookings. 

As part of their role, OCE distributed a fixed number of commercial trade times amongst a number of golf tour operators. 

The arrangement does not impact on the general ballot to play the Old Course or local preferential times, which will continue to be a mainstay of the St Andrews Links operation.

Crazy, no?   This of course will not eliminate the dilemma, but the hope is that it will reduce the premium involved and my hope is that the Links Trust will require more transparency from the tour operators.  I've long believed that people will be shocked to know the premium associated with that single tee time.

Feherty, Unhinged - But I repeat myself.... Our David is a tortured soul, but not without talent and interest.  He gave Rolling Stone, a magazine self-destructing from impaired credibility, an interview and there's no shortage of scary bits.  This for instance:

Thirty years ago, you won the Scottish Open – then woke up two days later on a green

alongside Led Zeppelin's former road manager. Can you tell the story there?

Well, I won the 1986 Scottish Open and it seemed like a good idea. That was back when I was really just getting into not just golf and being successful, but the rush of performing in front of a bunch of people and applause and adulation. I didn't know it at the time, but I'm bipolar and it was something to deal with the strangeness in my life. I got addicted to pain killers fairly early. You know, "comfortably numb," as Pink Floyd put it. And that's where I needed to be at the time. And I'm Northern Irish, so I remember the last physical I had with my doctor where alcohol became a problem. He looked at the numbers and said, "Hey, have you ever thought about getting help?" And I said, "No, I can drink it all by myself."

But at least he took care of himself:

What was a typical day like for back then, in terms of drugs and alcohol?

A typical day was 30-40 Vicodin and two and a half bottles of whiskey…real whiskey. Whiskey with an 'e.' There was cocaine, there was dope. When I think about it now I'm like, "Why am I alive?"

Give it a read, especially for the role played in his recovery by Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus.