Tuesday Trifles

Quiet times after the holiday weekend, but we've a few notes for you...

The Euro Beat - New Euro PGA Tour chief Keith Pelley has heretofore seemed a relative straight shooter, though in this interview he seems to have studied at the knee of Nurse Ratched (video at link):

"We are in the midst of transforming this tour. It will be completely different in 2017,

and a complete overhaul by 2018," Pelley said at Wentworth Club. "And really doing it by listening to the players." 

Golf Channel commentator Rich Lerner pressed Pelley for details, but while the CEO didn't offer specifics, he did cite some areas which would see significant improvements. 

"The schedule will be different; it will be more friendly from a travel perspective for the players. There will be a number of events where the prize funds will be significantly increased, and there will be more playing opportunities for all of our members," Pelley said. "A different schedule for sure and a different players-first philosophy."

personally, I think the "Make the Euro Tour Great Again" baseball cap was a nice touch... It's gonna be YUUUUUGE!

But completely different?  The Tour Confidential guys took a crack at it and this was the best they could come up with (other than that they were going to switch to tennis):

Shipnuck: Well, this is a very unusual year with the Olympics crammed into the summer schedule. A lot of guys are doing things differently in ‘16. Next year’s turnout at a renovated Wentworth will be a clearer indication of where this tournament stands. The tour overall is in the same place it has been for a long time: there’s more money and World Ranking points and easier travel and lower taxes in the U.S., so the players congregate here. But many are still loyal to Europe and they’ll continue to peg it over there if the schedule is made sensibly.

 Alan hits the obvious notes, but we're really not at the crazy part of the schedule yet.  The Euro Tour is no doubt at low ebb, but the only thing maintaining that loyalty is the requirement to remain a Tour member to play in Ryder Cup, and even there we had a defection.

I give Pelley points for acknowledging the need to boost purses, though I remain a bit skeptical about whether he can succeed.  He's used some assets wisely, for instance using the Ryder Cup to boost the fortunes of events such as the French Open.

Now, about Wentworth, you know where I stand:

VIRGINIA WATER, England May 29 (Reuters) - The bulldozers will arrive at Wentworth next month as organisers begin their bid to restore the BMW PGA Championship venue to its former glory, European Tour supremo Keith Pelley said on Sunday. 

The iconic layout on the outskirts of London was originally designed by Harry Colt in 1926 but has undergone a complete facelift from four-times major champion Ernie Els in the last decade.

The changes have not met with unanimous approval and top players such as Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson, Ian Poulter and Padraig Harrington chose to give the tour's flagship event a miss this year for a variety of reasons.

And that Pelley guy didn't pull his punches:

"There are a number of players that aren't here because they don't want to play this golf course," Pelley told reporters. 

"I'm confident ...that what (owners) Reignwood have planned will bring this back to the Harry Colt design and the Harry Colt magic that once made this the place where players want to play.

OK, given the membership squabbles, I'm not sure the confidence in Reignwood has any basis in fact,  but I'd also feel better if they let us know who's doing the latest work.  One can only hope that it's not Ernie, whose design work is a bit yippy....

 And in our last Eurocentric item, Darren Clarke has given out golf cart keys:

Darren Clarke announced his first wave of Ryder Cup vice captains on Friday at the BMW PGA Championship. 

Clarke pegged Thomas Bjorn, Padraig Harrington and Paul Lawrie as three of his assistants for this year's match at Hazeltine National Golf Club.

Did you catch that "first wave"?  Apparently each player has his own vice captain...  Paddy will obviously be a captain soon and I suspect Bjorn might as well, but Paul Lawrie?

And in an epic display of tying threads together, it's entirely possible that this was the only way they could get anyone to play at Wentworth....

College Daze - I'll get no argument from Maggot I'm sure, but the college girls seem to outshine the lads.....  Personally I don't see the appeal of comely coeds. but that's an equally valid lifestyle choice....

But the young men wrapped their individual championship yesterday with a home team champion, and we now head to match play:

Individual champion Aaron Wise.

Oklahoma, which only made it to Monday via a new tiebreaker, shot 3-under 277 to get into the match play portion of the tournament after entering the day nine shots out of eighth place. They will face conference rival Texas, which hung on to the No. 1 seed despite a round of 7-over 277. The Longhorns have not advanced beyond quarterfinals since winning the NCAA title in 2012 

Only 10 strokes ultimately separated the top eight teams, with Illinois, LSU, Southern California, Vanderbilt, Oregon and South Carolina filling out the rest of the bracket.

LSU is back to defend its national champions 

hip which it won last year, while the Ducks, on their home course and riding the hot play of individual champion Aaron Wise, are headed to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2012, when they lost to eventual champion Texas in the semifinals.

There's so much happening in the team qualifying for match play that one can't really keep up with it all...  But with the Monday-Wednesday TV window the NCAA would do well to line up some additional West Coast venues....  It's a bit difficult to get eyeballs during the week, but prime time rocks.

And there's a Tiger connection....

Did Tiger Woods unwittingly help Oregon’s Aaron Wise win the individual title at the

NCAA Championship at Eugene Country Club on Saturday? 

Possibly. 

Wise, a sophomore, noted that Oregon’s coach Casey Martin, a teammate of Woods at Stanford, had brought in Jay Brunza, who was Woods’ sports psychologist throughout his amateur years, as well as his caddie in his first two U.S. Amateur victories and part of his third Amateur victory.

Who knew Tiger had a sports psychologist whim an amateur?  Kind of disillusioning, but perhaps after the NCAA's are over he can spare some time for the 21st century Tiger?

Dazed and Confused - You know it's a slow news day when...

It should come as no surprise that Hunter S. Thompson was capable of playing golf high. Thompson’s daily writing schedule famously included a potent mix of cocaine, whiskey, coffee and cigarettes.

Cigarettes?  Wow, those can be bad for you...

Former Esquire Editor-in-Chief Terry McDonell has another Thompson golf story for the ages (add this to the time Thompson and Bill Murray invented a game called “shotgun golf” together). In this one, McDonell visits Thompson in Colorado, and Thompson insists they play golf. On acid. 

McDonell notes that Thompson’s swing was “explosive if not smooth and his third drive was solid and long.” When Thompson missed a putt at the end of the round, he “let out a howl,” threw his putter into the water and used the 12-gauge shotgun in his golf bag to fire above the geese in the pond.

Is that weird or something?

Our holiday mixed event was sixties-themed, and I was heard to opine that a couple of doobies on each would be appropriate...  But I could have used that shotgun out there a few times, and no geese would have been harmed.

Gator On Parade - The Sarasota ABC affiliate had video of the largest gator you'll ever want to have join your twosome, though of course I can't embed the video.  Here's a still frame:

His freind helpfully suggests that he get closer for, you know, perspective.  It's a shame he didn't, because that video would have aired on every ABC affiliate.

Can't Wait For Those Pairings - Not only does this story confirm the existence of the almighty, but He's a merciful God that troubles himself to ensure that I have sufficient content for the blog.  To wit:

It's been quite a a few weeks for Andrew Johnston. The golfer better known as "Beef" won his first European Tour event in April and famously celebrated by getting "hammered." And on Monday night, we're pretty sure he had a couple more brews to toast qualifying for his first major championship in the United States. 

Oakmont, get ready for Beef:

The seat belt is a nice touch....Not surprisingly, lots of Twitter back and forth about finding some BBQ in Western Pennsylvania....

So, who do we see him paired with?  Unfortunately Boo has shaved his beard, otherwise Beef, Boo and DeLaet would be a natural...  Or we could just put him with Poulter and pop some corn.