Tuesday Tidbits

They really are tidbits, so bear with me...  Please remember, I'm at the mercy of the news cycle.

On Tiger - Mike Bamberger scores an interview with the injured DLIII, and only wants to talk Tiger...  See if you also find this lead....er...shall we say, interesting?

In my experience, there is a short list of people who have had genuine insight into Tiger Woods and his golf. In no particular order my top 10 is: Butch Harmon and his brother Billy; writer Jaime Diaz; Arnold Palmer; caddies Steve Williams and Mike (Fluff) Cowan; Hank Haney; Curtis Strange; Mike Donald; and Earl Woods. Hold it. I have to make room for one more. Davis Love III has to be on the list. In 1996, when Woods was turning pro and DL3 was one of the best players in the world, Davis told me, "He's already better than I am."

What, Stephen Ames was unavailable?   I actually don't know how Tiger's relationship with Jaime Diaz is, but that exception aside, it would seem that the only ones on the list with whom he remains on speaking terms are no longer with us.  As for Earl, they actually weren't on speaking terms, but I digress....

Here's Davis' conditional prognosis:

DL3: My theory is that if you give him a full season, and by that I mean 20 tournaments, he will knock all the rust off and play some good golf again. 

MB: What's good golf for him these days? 

DL3: Well, can he break Jack's record? Who knows? But he can win again. If I can win on Tour at 51, having been through all the injuries and surgeries I've had, he can absolutely win again. He's a heck of a lot stronger and better at 41 than I was at 51. 

MB: If he can play 20 a year for each of the next five years, how often can he win? 

DL3: At least one in 20. I know that's nothing compared to the three in 20 he is used to winning. But I can see one in 20, a win in each of the next five years. I'm not saying the sky is the limit for him. This is a different Tiger Woods. But he can win.

First and foremost, it's DL three-sticks, not DL3.  Sheesh!

Tiger winning again is not an reasonable expectation, though I'm guessing that the comparison to Dru will leave Tiger cold.  But one has to wonder to what extent Davis is blinded by his own experience, having been steamrolled by the young Tiger and his prodigious physical skills.

But this also shows how even the most analytical observers don't understand what matters:

DL3: His best chance is going to be the Masters, because he knows the course so well, because of everything he's done there. Then the Open, the British Open, because he can hit it low through the wind. The PGA and the U.S. Open especially would be the hardest of the majors for him to win because the rough is so punishing. Not a lot of fun. But the Masters is right in his comfort zone. He's not going to eat up the par-5s like he used to, but that doesn't mean he can't find another way to win.

He's absolutely correct, but for the wrong reason....  The Masters is his best chance because it's by far the weakest field in the majors.  There's only +/- fifty world-class golfers to beat, and odds don't get any shorter than that.  The hardest part of winning a Masters can often be getting into the field....

But we shouldn't expect too much from Davis, as he's a damn snowboarder, not exactly a peer group of rocket scientists.  

And as long as we're on Tiger (and when aren't we?), Rory's comments were perhaps the kind that get you beaten 10&8:

In a lengthy interview with the Irish Independent, McIlroy said he wouldn't adopt

Woods's lifestyle even if it meant enjoying Woods's success. 

"I've seen what his life is like in Florida," McIlroy said. "I've played golf with him and said: 'What are you doing tonight? Do you want to come and have dinner with us?' And he can't. He just can't. And for me that's unfathomable. I could not live like that ... If someone was to say, 'You can have 14 majors and 70 wins but have to deal with that, or nine majors and 40 wins and stay somewhat the same as you are', I'd take the second option all day." 

McIlroy cited Woods's insomnia, which he thinks is a byproduct of Woods's rigorous workout schedule, as just one way the 14-time major winner's competitive fires burn too hot.

 Wow, is that 9/40 his downside?  but I'm guessing that Tiger won't be happy with Rory discussing his sleep protocols....though as to the insomnia, he was overheard to say that he just needed to get more reps to get back his sleep feels...

Lydia, Inc. - Our little girl is spreading her wings:

Lydia Ko enters 2017 with a new caddie, coach and equipment. Appears the World No. 1 is adding another change to her arsenal. The 19 year old announced on Monday she has a 

three-year partnership with McKayson, one that will launch her own golf fashion line. Ko will play an integral part in the design process, and is expected to flaunt her apparel at the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open next month. 

"It's only been four years since I became a professional and to be able to have my own apparel line at this time in my career is a tremendous honor," Ko said in a statement. "I hope this relationship will last for a long time." 

McKayson is a South Korean sportswear company. It's already dipped its toes in the golf world by sponsoring the LPGA's New Zealand Women's Open. 

In other endorsement news, Ko also signed with Ecco Golf, agreeing earlier in the week to wear the company's shoes, as well as brandish the Ecco logo on her collar. Ko will likely wear the ECCO BIOM G2 model.

Apparrel?  Geez, that's thinking small.... I'm eagerly awaiting the line of signature eyewear....

Sun, Still Rising In The East - As we noted at the time of the original vote, the ultimate outcome is not in doubt:

Almost eight months have passed since Henry Fairweather, captain of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, stood in front of the famous old clubhouse that sits

behind the 18th green at Muirfield and announced the result of the club’s vote on admitting women members for the first time. On that occasion, those in favor came up a mere 14 votes, or 3 percent, short of the two-thirds majority required by the club constitution. No matter, within minutes the R&A announced that the Open Championship—which has been held 16 times over the East Lothian links, most recently in 2013 when Phil Mickelson won—would not return until membership of the HCEG was available to golfers of both genders. 

Now, however, a second vote—exact date still to be arranged—will take place within the next couple of months, with the result being announced before the end of March. In December, every member was sent a pamphlet setting out every aspect of the proposal in relation to a change in the long-established membership policy. The women will have the same rights as the men. There will be no separate rooms for men and women. They will have access to all facilities. And the process by which they will be admitted will be the same as for men.

Now you all know my reaction to these stories, of all; the gin joints in the world she had to walk into mine....  What?  Oh, wrong speech.  The world doesn't change when Lady Bonallack is admitted to the Honourable Company, but it's also true that it's simply not worth it to the club to fight the tide of history....

So the old-timers pushed back on the first vote and bitterly clung to their guns and religion, but the new vote won't happen until the outcome is better controlled.  And they're doing it for the children....I'm sorry, for the greenskeeper?

“But what is most different this time is that the vote on women is being taken because it is simply the right thing to do. It doesn’t matter how late it is,” the source continued. “And we are not voting because of the Open. Financially, that is not too big a deal for the club. But there are longer-term implications in terms of visitors and the quality of our staff and members. In 10 years will working on Muirfield look as good on a greenkeeper’s CV as it does now? Plus, it must be acknowledged that many of the next generation will find it difficult to be a member of a club that excludes women. The world is changing.” 

And so, it would appear, are the Honourable Gentlemen. At last.

 Whatever....  I really just want Muirfield back in the rota....