Loose Ends

We got a bit distracted yesterday by a shiny object....that being the ice on our beloved mountain.  Such are the conditions here, that I'll be headed down to the valley today with ski buddy Mitch to tee it up.  No biathlon this time, as the conditions are that bad...

But let's catch up on that which we've ignored in the recent Lovefest...

Dep't. Of Wishful Thinking - A few days ago we posted on Martin Slumbers, in the midst of his six-month apprenticeship at the feet of Peter Dawson, making the media rounds.  Alistair Tait has an interesting, though I'd guess wildly optimistic, take on how Martin will occupy himself.  here's the premise:

You could be forgiven for wondering what on earth Mr. Slumbers is going to do in his

dual role as R&A chief executive and secretary of the Royal & Ancient given that Dawson has already been taken care of all the contentious issues.

Or has he? 

Dawson has settled the long-putter issue. He’s helped get golf into the Olympic Games. More importantly, he’s turned 261 years of history and misogyny on its head by successfully pushing through new rules that have seen women become members of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club.

There's still the membership policies at the Open Championship venue clubs, but where are you headed with this?

Could it be that Slumbers is about to take on a bigger issue? Could he be the man to tackle the vexed issue of the golf ball and the distance it travels? 

The R&A recently announced plans for a new equipment testing centre at Kingsbarns. The 22,750-square-foot facility will house the R&A’s Equipment Standards department under the direction of Dr. Steve Otto, director of research and testing at The R&A. 

There have been rumblings from St Andrews recently that the R&A is set to do something about the ball. Is that the reason for the new equipment facility? 

Could Slumbers be in for a potentially bigger challenge than anything Dawson faced? 

Watch this space.

I certainly haven't heard such rumblings on this side of the pond, and like anchored putters it's inconceivable that any such move wouldn't be in lockstep with the USGA.  Quite frankly, I'm not even sure what could be done st this late date.

Peace In Our Time - Those who care about such things know of the deep and abiding animosity between the Jones boys, specifically Rees and Robert Trent Jones, Jr., known as Bobby.  They've been at it for ages as Shack described in this 2006 post and have even sued each other:

Like Acrisius and Proteus of Greek mythology, had Robert Trent Jones Jr. and Rees

Jones been born twins, it's possible their quarrel would have started in the womb. It goes back nearly that far. 

"There's a story that Robert once pushed Rees out of a tree when they were boys," said a former associate of Robert Trent Jones Sr. "The truth is a lot more complicated than that."

 So this Global Golf Post item with the two on the stage together is drawing a bit of attention, especially the high-five pictured above.  Two things in the short post amuse me.  First, Bobby speaks of playing "Shirts and skins" basketball and baseball in their Montclair, NJ yard.  Shirts and skins baseball?  

Secondly, Rees offers The Old Course as his favorite course in the world, while Bobby went with Pine Valley.  I can only offer the thought that there's nothing in his work that would lead a soul to understand what is great about The Old Course.

The Tiger Beat - Is Tiger finished?  I've no idea, but how about this far-fetched analogy:

Is Tiger Woods finished? Was Steve Jobs finished when Apple fired him in 1985? “To

Tiger, I cite what Steve Jobs said: ‘Don't let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice,’” David Bradford writes in the Huffington Post. “If Mr. Jobs were alive today, I am convinced he would be cheering for Woods to come back and silence the naysayers.”

yeah, but Steve only had to post numbers quarterly... and even there he yipped a few.

This is interesting speculation:

Tiger Woods' most dominant golf essentially began with his 15-stroke victory in the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in 2000, shortly after switching from a wound golf ball to a solid one, not that that mattered. Or did it?

Frank Nobilo, a Golf Channel and CBS analyst, said in an interview that the solid ball gave Woods an advantage over those still using wound balls, which was most of the field.

That could explain the rather gaudy margin of victory, especially since the solid ball would perform better in the wind.  But does anyone remember whether Nike got there before Titleist?

Lastly, Luke Kerr-Dineen celebrates Michael Jordan's 52nd birthday by reminding us of these MJ comments about TW from 1998:

We talk a couple of times a week on the phone. But not a whole lot about golf. I guess he 

looks at me as kind of a big brother, which is fine. He’s got a lot to deal with. He’s 22 years old, but people want to project him to be older. Just because he hits the ball nine miles and wins the Masters by 12 strokes, he’s supposed to have all the answers. He’s supposed to be perfect. That’s not fair, but he’ll be fine. He’ll deal with it. . . . Don’t forget, though: A lot hit him in a short time. His first instinct at being in the spotlight was to become a recluse. Well, that’s wrong. Believe me, I know. You can’t just go to the golf course and when you’re done, go back and lock yourself in your hotel room. I’ve been there; it’s miserable. You can’t just stare at the TV. You lose your sense of society. You’re not living life. My God, he should be having fun doing what he’s doing. . . . The more he learns to relax with his job, the more he’ll enjoy it, and the better he’ll become.

 Well he might have over-interpreted that advice about learning to enjoy life...

Taking The Show Out Of Showcase -  We previously noted the Monday event at Riviera that offered a spot in the Northern Trust to one of fourteen college players.  On his regular Monday morning Morning Drive appearance Shackelford noted the irony of calling the event a College Showcase when no spectators were allowed on site.  Anyway, the results:

Freshman Will Zalatoris of Wake Forest, who won the Northern Trust Open Collegiate

Showcase with a 4-under 67 on Monday, has earned an exemption into this weeks’ PGA Tour tournament at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif.

.

Zalatoris was one of 14 players from various college programs who played alongside a current or former PGA Tour pro in Monday’s tournament. Zalatoris played alongside Bill Haas, a former Wake Forest All-America and PGA Tour star.

Oregon won the team comp.

Say It Ain't So, Ko -  Haven't I suffered enough?  Now this:

"I say my plan is to retire when I'm 30 so I'm not just going to go to the beach and hang out for the rest of my life," Ko said Wednesday. 

"There's always a second career that comes along with it and I'm trying to build up towards it and, because I'm playing a sport, psychology links well with it."

Why the short notice< Lydia?  That gives me only 12-13 years to emotionally prepare myself....I guess we'll always have Paris.