Sorry for yet another unanticipated absence of the golf-related variety. If you're in the NY area, you'll understand why yesterday I needed to be outdoors. The game I played bore only a passing resemblance to golf, but it was still great to be out there...
The Tiger Beat - Next week we're going to be treated to the start of Tiger's comeback, so set your DVR's accordingly.... Golf Channel has been promoting the heck out of it and the event is reporting strong ticket sales, there's just this one niggling detail...
On September 7, Tiger Woods announced his intentions to play at the season-openingevent at Silverado Country Club, along with the Turkish Airlines Open and his own Hero World Challenge. "My rehabilitation is to the point where I'm comfortable making plans, but I still have work to do," Woods said on his site. "Whether I can play depends on my continued progress and recovery. My hope is to have my game ready to go."
The operative there is "hope." For, a month later, Woods has yet to officially commit to the Safeway Open. Which is a tad problematic, given that entry deadline is Friday at 5 p.m. EST.
Now Tiger has made a practice of not committing until the last moment his entire career, so perhaps this means nothing, but it's a slow golf news day. In the linked piece Joel Beall lays out three possible scenarios, only one of which has him on Thursday's tee sheet.
I would just note that if he doesn't tee it up, there will be some angry folks that purchased tickets expecting to see the circus...
In other Tiger news, he apparently enjoyed his sandwich delivery duties sufficiently that he's re-upped:
Tiger Woods was named one of Steve Stricker's assistant captains for next year's Presidents Cup at Liberty National Golf Club.
Stricker, who along with Woods was an assistant to U.S. captain Davis Love IIIfor last week's winning Ryder Cup effort at Hazeltine National, also named Love and Fred Couples as assistants for the competition, which pits a U.S. team against an international squad of players from outside of Europe.
But...but, what about that comeback?
"Tiger certainly could play his way onto the U.S. team, and if that happens, replacing him as a captain's assistant will be a great problem for me to have," Stricker said.
I feel better.... In his post on the item, Shack wonders about Tiger committing to "retirement activities" as he launches his comeback.... Hey, it's not like he bought a place at The Villages....
And there's nothing like a Sgt. Peppers item to make you feel old:
On October 6, 1996, Tiger Woods won his maiden PGA Tour title at the Las Vegas Invitational. Woods shot a final-round 64 at TPC Summerlin to catch Davis Love III at 27 under (it was a five-round even then), then beat him on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff. Twenty years later, while we wait to see when Woods will make his next start, let's take a quick look back at the first of 79 (and counting?) PGA Tour wins through some fun photos from that week.
And boy could that band play.... As for that photo, I'll have to check whether any of those specific ladies made my collectors-edition N.Y. Post calendar.
If I remember correctly, Davis Love was using a persimmon driver that day....THAT makes me feel old.
Ryder Cup Detritus, Cont'd. - One of the surprises of the Ryder Cup was the poor play of Euro stalwart Justin Rose, and I'm speculating that this explains much:
Olympic champion Justin Rose announced Wednesday that he will be sitting out at least the remainder of the 2016 European Tour season while he recovers from a nagging back injury.Rose suffered a herniated disc in his back during the Players Championship in May. Despite working his way back to the U.S. Open and winning gold in golf's return to the Olympics, Rose's discomfort was persistent through the end of the PGA Tour season.
Golfers and their backs....
The subject of the fans' comportment goes on, with these comments from Martin Kaymer as the latest:
Martin Kaymer said some of the comments directed at him and his teammates were "a bit shocking sometimes."
“Ninety-five per cent of the crowd were fine," Kaymer said. "But there are just some idiots in the crowd and I just find it amazing that they are standing there with their children in their hands and they say things that you think, ‘That's your child next to you, what role model are you?'"
"It doesn't really happen in Europe," Kaymer said. "Some guys were saying, 'It's the same for us when they come to Europe,' but it's not true. There were names that we got called that you would never, ever put in your mouth in any media or even among your friends. I think you just need to escort those people off the property as quickly as possible and we keep on playing golf."
I'll also link you to this Twitter thread on the subject, in which Erin Walker (Mrs. Jimmy) participates. Her take is, "leave the kids at home." Erin makes it clear that the kids are left at home for this event, but isn't that a shame?
I kind of fear what could happen at Bethpage if we don't get control of the crowds, but this is also a problem of the PGA of America's creation, as they sell far too many tickets for the first two days, when there's so little golf to be seen.
Some photos from the week to amuse.... First, how about Rickie as 23rd-wheel?
Hmmm... I assume that Tiger was similarly wagless, couldn't the two of them have prearranged a bro-hug?
And if ever a photo screamed for a caption contest, it's this one:
I claim "It's Twue, it's Twue!" With that caveat, submit your entries....
Oh, and thanks to Webb Simpson for not texting Captain Love to make a play for a Captain's pick, as well as for this cute video reenacting the highlights from the McIlroy-Reed match with wife Dowd.
Lastly, remember way back about three weeks ago when I noted that Paulina Gretzky seemed to have gotten the memo about dressing like an adult? I'm pleased to report that that deplorable state of affairs seems to be over:
You pull that dress down, young lady..... well, perhaps "lady" isn't the right term.
Finals Interruptus - You know how much I love the PGA Tour schedule, carefully calibrated by the suits at Fortress Ponte Vedra to show our game in its best light. I assure you, I had no sense of schadenfreude at this story:
Better to be safe, than sorry. That’s the mindset of Web.com Tour officials, whoannounced Wednesday the cancellation of this week’s Tour Championship with Hurricane Matthew forecasted to come near Florida’s Atlantic Beach Country Club on Friday.
The decision was disappointing, according to Web.com Tour president Bill Calfee, but essentially was made for the tour when local authorities announced an evacuation of the Atlantic Beach Wednesday morning as the Category 4 storm continues toward Florida’s east coast.
“It is unfortunate that we’ve had to cancel our season-ending event; however, our first priority is the safety of our players, fans, volunteers and staff,” Calfee said. “With Hurricane Matthew on the horizon, it is critical that we make sure everyone involved with the Web.com Tour Championship has ample time to evacuate the Northeast Florida area and return home.”
That's really unfortunate, but I'm not buying into this from Rex Hoggard:
You can’t plan for hurricanes, but luck has a tendency to favor the prepared. In this case, the prepared would have played the finale last week, albeit quietly in the Ryder Cup’s shadow but with the competitive integrity of the qualifying system intact.
Huh? How were they supposed to know which week Matthew would choose? The mistake is in having your 2017 PGA Tour season start in mid-October of 2016. Otherwise they might have had enough time to reschedule the event....
The little-known Rob Oppenheim is your hard luck poster child:
On Wednesday, the Web.com Tour announced the current Finals money list would be the final money list in the same way a third-round leader is declared a winner when a tournament is cut to 54 holes. This was great news to some people on the bubble, especially No. 25 Tim Wilkinson and No. 24 Cameron Percy. But it was the most devastating news possible for No. 26, Rob Oppenheim.
Oppenheim, who sits a mere $392 behind Wilkinson and just $527 behind Percy, figured to have one last crack at breaking into the top 25 and earning a PGA Tour card. Instead of a dream job in 2016-17, though, he'll be working on the Web.com Tour.
Rob, it may cheer you up to know that those guys that got their PGA Tour cards will likely find only limited playing opportunities....
The Gift That Keeps On Giving - One of our favorite pinatas has resurfaced, and we're just gong to savor the moment, beginning with the lede:
Once a top-30 player in the world, Robert Allenby might be most remembered for off-the-course incidents, which include the alleged robbery and kidnapping in Hawaii in 2015, the claimed mistreatment of caddies, and the arrest outside a casino at the John Deere Classic.
The 45-year-old is teeing it up at this week's Fiji International in just his second competition since the last arrest in July. In an interview with The Australian, Allenby had some interesting comments about his past issues, recognizing the off-course troubles.
We've missed you, Robert, how we've missed you. But talk about burying the leded! The man has gone three full months without being arrested, so who says there's no personal growth?
So, what does our hero want to discuss in his short moment in the spotlight? Yup, Hawaii, God bless his soul:
“Whether I was drugged or not may never come out,” Allenby said. "The thing is I know the truth, my family knows the truth, and the media write the wrongs. A lot of people tried to beat me up. Maybe they’re just jealous."
Jealous? You're making my job way too easy.... Write the wrongs or right the wrongs? You make the call....
Allenby said there was "no story" about the event in Illinois, telling USA Today in August "there's nothing to be said or done about, nothing happened," though the Rock Island Police department confirmed his booking at its jail to Golf Digest.
Nothing to see here.... please kindly move along and exit through the gift shop.
And this excerpt is just an embarrassment of riches:
"All I wanted to do was run and hide. You don’t understand how many times I nearly quit in the last year," he said.
The four-time PGA Tour winner has made more than $27 million in earnings over his career, but missed 21 of 23 cuts last season -- meaning his status isn't great.
Allenby says he has emailed multiple fall-season events, in the hopes he might get a couple sponsors invites. Allenby shot a second-round 66 at the Wyndham Championship in August, but it wasn't enough to make the cut after opening with a 74.
“I keep telling myself and my wife keeps telling me, ‘You are too good, don’t let these people get to you,'" Allenby said. “I had to do a bit of soul-searching. It is getting here. I am super happy with how I am playing. I have to do it in tournaments now. I have been shooting some seriously low scores at home.
“I have to do it out on the course now.”
Considering the lack of playing opportunities noted above, I'm relieved to note that missing 21 of 23 cuts has an effect on playing status. But dammit, Robert, you're good enough and people like you and we need you out there.
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