I've been a bad, bad blogger recently...so many silly stories, so little time. OK, let's dive in and hope you don't have any pressing engagements, as we may go long.
Aussie Rules - The Australian swing keeps guys like yours truly from a late-season case of the DT's. I mean what's a fellow to do, when thje Race to the CME FedEX Cup finishes in Dubai? The three event series is notable for strong venues (nothing beats last year's back-to-back at Royal Melbourne), decent fields and great accents on the broadcast crew.
The third round of the Australian Open finished at zero dark thirty here on the East coast, and the sponsors and networks won't be pleased. here's a quick summary from a chap named Matt Cleary who was live-blogging the proceedings:
Rory McIlroy? It’s been a car accident. Maybe not a car accident. But the famous Irish
Rory tees off Saturday on the first hole. Wolfhound, the World No.1 with a bullet, the outstanding champion golfer of his generation and a few others ... he’s six-over today, with a hole to go. And his round has gone:
4 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 7 - 38.6 2 4 5 5 3 5 4 ? -
Whatever. He’s out of this. He’s 2-over. Everyone else will have to sleep in for Rory to defend his title. Moving day has claimed a massive scalp.
A disappointment no doubt, but the young Ulsterman has had an OK season. And they have an attractive leaderboard nonetheless, with Jordan Spieth, Greg Chalmers and the unkown Brett Rumford tied for the lead, with Aussies Adam Scott and Rod Pampling one back. Chalmers, if you don't know, is one of the best putters on the planet, though that skill wasn't necessary for this shot-of-the-week:
You can level with us Greg, was that the fan at whom you were aiming?
Rio Loco - Vol. XXXVIV - Praise be Allah, Olympic Golf is saved:
A Rio de Janeiro judge on Wednesday denied a request from prosecutors to halt construction of the Olympic golf course because of environmental concerns, curtailing fears that the venue won't be ready in time for test events.
Judge Eduardo Antonio Klausner said in his decision that there is "no new fact justifying ... a halt in the implementation of the golf course for the Olympics."
He said changes made by the city and the course developer partially attended to the prosecutors' demands to protect the local environment.
Shackelford is even more indispensable than usual on this story due to his long working relationship with Gil Hanse. So do refill the coffee mug and enjoy this link-rich rant:
This is the same judge, who was said by the AP to have previouslydecided to stop the
project in five days pending the creation of three news holes, according to an AP report. Those five days turned into nearly a month.
This is the same judge who prosecutors tried to influence with this leaked tale, which followed another leak of prosecutorial frustration during negotiations with the land owner controlling the site of 2016 Olympic golf. And these are the same prosecutors who just a few days ago were asking for new reasons to stop the project (miraculously reported by the AP) while the judge was weighing his final decision.
It all adds up to a whole bunch of nothing.
I'll beg to differ with that last sentence, as I'm guessing there were beaucoup Reals in the brown paper envelope that showed up on the judge's stoop. This is just how they roll in Brazil, and I'm confident that showcasing golf in its best light is their highest priority.
Bushmills on the Rocks - This was intended to be included with my prior post on golf course development and restoration updates, but the mind isn't quite what it used to be. But word came via the Beeb that the Bushmills Dunes project in Northern Ireland is foundering:
Land earmarked for the controversial Bushmills Dunes scheme on County Antrim's north coast is in the process of being sold to an alternative buyer.The resort proposal, which included a five-star hotel and 70 golf lodges, had attracted strong opposition.
Environmentalists objected because of its proximity to the causeway, which is a UNESCO world heritage site.
There were unresolved financing issue remaining after securing approval for a David McClay Kidd design, but then Dr. Alistair Hanna, the developer, passed away. Theresa's erstwhile pen pal, Mike Keiser, was known to be looking at the project as well, though his attention these days seems to be focused on the Dingle Peninsula.
For those unfamiliar with the area, the Giant's Causeway is a major tourist attraction in Northern Ireland, described thusly by Wikipedia:
The Giant's Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption.
I'm quite sure that this isn't the last we've heard of this project, which is a truly spectacular property. And while I'm usually not a fan of the ultra-luxury resorts in this part of the world, in this case I think the Portrush area and Northern Ireland in totality would benefit from additional golf options as a magnet for the traveling golfer. And there's a video at the link that will give you an idea of how spectacular that part of the world is.
Hello Friends - 'Tis the silly season, and Shackelford got very silly, indeed. He was intrigued by the recent Fox hires (Brad Faxon, Juli Inkster and Steve Flesch), and invests some time and pixels into series of match-play brackets. He even channels the WGC Match Play tradition of naming brackets after legends, thus we have the Bob Rossberg On-Course bracket, presumably including their versions of "He's got no chance, Johnny." Here's his take on the that bracket's semifinal:
Inkster has been listed as an on-course reporter, but the wily LPGA veteran only hangs around against the huge favorite Feherty as long as she does due to Feherty inexplicably breaking into tears talking about the first time Tiger passed gas in his presence.
Funny that, as just the other day I was noting Feherty's flatulence-enabling relationship with Tiger.
Give it a read if you enjoy making fun of the talking heads, and who amongst us doesn't?
Skins Nostalgia - Lots of gauzy remembrances of The Skins Game, the former Thanksgiving weekend staple that kicked-off on this weekend in 1983:
Those familiar with hitting persimmon drivers can recall when Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson debuted a new event in 1983, one that had an impressive 25-year run.
And here's a list of high-points:
Through the years, several indelible images were burned into viewers' memory: a rulescontroversy in Year 1 between Player and Watson; Arnie, wearing green velvet pants, hitting his ball with his backside against a cactus only protected by a bag cover; Lee Trevino acing in 1987; and Fred Couples winning five times, earning the unofficial title Mr. Skins and so much money (more than $3.5 million) that the end of the year became known as the Silly Season as more big-money, limited-field events popped up.
A couple of notes, as you've come to expect from me. First, it was Watson calling out Player in that first Skins Game by saying, "Gary, we're tired of this s**t." Because there are more allegations of rules breaches from Player than all other players combined. If you ever want to get an earful, ask a Royal Lytham member about that subject...
Secondly, isn't using a bag cover for protection pretty much the same thing as using a towel under your knee in hitting a shot? Craig Stadler could not be reached for comment.
Lastly, my enduring memory of the Skins Game was when they got Tiger to play at the height of the Long John Daly craze, and painted yardage stripes on the fairways.
And if you're not yet sated on this subject, Golf.com has a lengthy slideshow of Skins Game photos here. For me, this one about sums it up:
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| No worries, David, it's probably just the tryptophan. |
Odds and Sods - Lots of odd photos out there in the last week, so submitted for your approval:
Henrik, we already knew about your...ummm...prodigious length:
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| Get a room, you two! |
While they took place at the same tournament, we are definitively not implying any connection between this and the prior photo:
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| I've heard of swinging out of your shoes...that's Luke Donald by the way, though the astute reader knows tour pros by their butts. |
Former Golf Channel babe Holly Sonders did a Sports Illustrated photo shoot, and to highlight her appeal to the golf audience they had her pose in plus fours:
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| Keep it classy, girl.
Speaking as we were of classy, how about this tasteful gift that Floyd Mayweather gave his son on his 15th birthday:
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You know he's bring up the young man in the right way by the two canisters of divot mix.
Lastly, another Golf.com slideshow, this one of the weirdest golf courses, including this Desmond Muirhead offering:
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| Stone Harbor Some called architect Desmond Muirhead a genius; Tom Doak called him a quack. That said, his work is on full display at this southern New Jersey club that incorporates Greek mythology themes into each hole. |
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