Weeks-End Wrap

Gullane Hill, untouched by the invading ploughshare, has left stretches of the most beautiful golfing country in the world. Turf of exceptional closeness and elasticity, natural sand bunkers of endless shape and variety, sierras of benty dunes and saharas of sand alternating with oases of verdure make the place a veritable golfers paradise. Here surely, if anywhere, must have been the home of our first golfing parents, for nowhere else in the world is the golfing prospect so expansive and enticing. Nowhere does the pursuit of the game seem so inevitable. 

JOYCE WETHERED

Dateline: East Lothian - It doesn't suck to be Shack, who is on thee ground in East Lothhian....we'll cast against type and let him provide the game story:

With little breeze, excellent turf and crisp (light sweater) weather at Gullane, opening

day scoring in the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open was excellent. 

Thorbjorn Olesen opened with a 7-under-par 63 and leads a lost of players including a trio of Americans--Jimmy Walker (65),Rickie Fowler (66), Matt Kuchar (66)--along with a resurgent Graeme McDowell. I watched Fowler for a few holes and he looked particularly relaxed, as if the U.S. Open never happened (a short write up here at The Loop). Ewan Murray's Guardian game story also focused on the fine scoring by the Americans along with Olesen's hopes to qualify for The Open. 

As hoped, the tournament setup at Gullane captured the essence of this special course and town. It never hurts to have an Archie Baird sighting either! He held court at his museum just off the pro shop, receiving a visit from European Tour Chief Executive George O'Grady while giving a few tours to impressionable lads who got their first lesson in golf and clubmaking history before heading out to find, who else, Rickie.

Like a Paris fashion show, an account of links golf always begins with a description of what the're wearing on the runways fairways.  Since I speak fluent links I'll provide a  translation, no ski caps=a fine  day.  Here's the above-noted Archie Baird explaining to unsuspecting youths that indeed golf wa splayed in these parts before Rickie Fowler strode the Earth like a Colossus.  They seem skeptical, don't they?

I'm actually a tad disappointed at the moment, as they had forecast rain for the morning play, and I'm seeing shadows...

Geoff also appears to be on retainer to the East Lothian Tourist Bureau, linking to this useful Golf Digest article on the area from a couple of years ago, as well as posting a new installment of Unshackled:

Obviously I'm a fanboy of Geoff, but he's got it all right.  Who else would cover Leith and Musselburgh, and his travel advice is spot on.  My only quibble is that there's an inference that it's either St. Andrews or East Lothian, whereas folks need to do both.

And do catch Geoff's discussion of green speeds and pace of play here.  Alas, that horse is out of sight of the paddock...

Dateline: Quad Cities - Forgive me waxing nostalgic, but at this juncture each year Mark W. would look up from lunch and ask if I can name the four towns that put the quad in Quad cities.... I could never get past Davenport and Moline, but wasn't that a time...

But wasn't this inevitable?

SILVIS, Illinois (AP) -- For every good shot Jordan Spieth hit, a bad one seemed to follow. 

Spieth's struggles left him eight shots back after the first round of his final British Open tuneup. 

Justin Thomas and Nicholas Thompson each shot an 8-under-par 63 to share the lead at the John Deere Classic on Thursday. Spieth was at even-par 71 in his first round since winning the U.S Open.

That even-par 71 has him T101, so it raises the question of his travel plans should the trunk get slammed.  

As I was reading/watching Geoff's items on East Lothian, I realized that I had overlooked a compelling argument to the young man.  Why deny yourself a leisurely travel experience in the cradle of our game?  Go play Musselburgh with hickories, spend an hour with Archie Baird and play the original Redan at North Berwick and soak up a ton 'o history in the bargain.

I'm having second thoughts about not including East Lothian on our August itinerary, but at least I'm not in the Quad Cities.

Dateline: Lancaster, PA - When last we visited Lancaster, I had shared Mark W.'s concerns regarding the course's drainage limitations... let's hope their maintenance budget has addressed the "D" word, as they got whacked pretty hard yesterday:

LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) -- Veteran Karrie Webb and second-year LPGA Tour player

Marina Alex each shot a 4-under 66 Thursday to share the early lead on a wet and windblown first day at the U.S. Women's Open. 

The 40-year-old Webb reeled off four birdies on her second nine holes, while Alex birdied three of her last five before the first round was suspended. An early-evening storm packing strong winds, lightning and heavy rain pounded Lancaster Country Club.

The stoppage came with 55 golfers still on the course. The USGA's plan is to complete the first round early Friday and then start the second.

I thought the course looked spectacular and the leaderboard is shaping up to provide an interesting week.  Let's hope they can finish the second round today, and have things sorted out for the weekend.

Things That Go Trump In The Night - Our Donald doesn't do quiet, does he?  His reaction to the PGA of America pulling the Grand Slam of Gold from Trump's LA club?

“I’ve been very loyal to golf,” Trump said Tuesday in a telephone interview. “I own 17 clubs. They all do great. We will see whether or not golf is loyal to me.”

Nice little sport you got here...be a shame if something were to happen to it.  And who better than Ted Bishop to offer his thoughts on the matter:

“I think a lot of people are surprised that it wasn’t all or nothing,” said the former P.G.A. of America president Ted Bishop. “I don’t know what kind of statement the P.G.A. of America makes by saying, ‘We’re not going to do this for one year, but we’re going to go back for all these others.’ ”

You can't expect Ted to pass up the lay-up... after all, he was defenestrated over a far lesser crime against humanity.  But Trump seems committed to putting his so-called partners in an increasingly untenable position, and this shows an increasingly tenuous grasp of reality:

“I think those statements are unnecessary,” Trump said. “The voters of this country agree with me. All you have to do is look at the polls.”

He's referring to  some  recent polling has has him in the mid-teens among Republican primary voters.  But as one commentator put it yesterday, he's the first major-party candidate to enter the race with negative approval figures within his own party... so, he's not a viable candidate, he's doing damage to his reputation and business interests and he would be a punching bag for Hillary (or even Bernie Sanders) in the general, but I'm sure it all makes sense to him.