If It's Wednesday...

... it must be Portland.  All is well and Stella is indeed quite the bewitching vixen, and I'll get a photo up at some point.  But back to bidness...

Fox, the Sequel - The Chambers Bay broadcast were hard to sit through, the more so for the Fox personnel's unearned arrogance.  The perfectly-named Awful Announcing with the lede:

When it was first announced that Fox Sports was taking over USGA rights and televising 

golf, it was met with befuddlement and curiosity. Fox had never televised major championship golf before and as a sport, golf doesn’t really fit in with the network’s attitude. What would golf on Fox bring – giant robots trampling around the course, glowing golf balls, Joe Buck? (Well, at least we got one out of the three.) 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Fox Sports was hammered by critics and golf fans alike for their first attempt at covering the US Open last summer. The unspectacular venue of Chambers Bay didn’t do Fox Sports any favors, but the telecast certainly left a lot to be desired.

Easy there, big fellah, Cletus would have been a welcome addition to the team....In fact, I'd trade Corey Pavin AND Greg Norman for Cletus in a heartbeat.

Here's the restructured team:

Play by Play: Joe Buck and Shane O’Donoghue

Analysts: Paul Azinger, Mark Brooks, Jay Delsing, Brad Faxon, David Fay, Steve Flesch, Natalie Gulbis, Gil Hanse, Juli Inkster, Buddy Marucci and Scott McCarron

On-course reporters: Curtis Strange and Ken Brown

Studio Host: Holly Sonders

Interviews: Shane Bacon

Reporter: Jaime Diaz

A couple of quick reactions....  Jaime Diaz is a great get (I know, you're shocked), but the key will be in how they utilize him.  I'm glad to see Gil Hanse return, as I thought he came off well in an awkward at best situation give the architectural train wreck that served as the venue.

I don't know what they were thinking in hiring Corey, who will mercifully not return, but the same and more could be said about Natalie Gulbis.  OK, she offers two assets with which Corey can't compete that hold up quite well on a 4K screen, but she's not a good fit with a live microphone.

Those are relatively minor carps as compared to Joe Buck, but baby steps.... Zinger and Fax are a huge upgrade at Lead Analyst, as I'm assuming the latter will get far more airtime.  The appeal of Holly Sonders is yet another thing that eludes me, but I'm sure Maggot will be happy to make the case for her.

And when all is said and done, they'll be playing on an actual championship golf course and Fox can't suck more than last year.  

Late To The Party - Welcome Ian, but some of us have been barking at the moon since the initial announcement:

"I don't think people realise that Adam is not letting anyone down. It's his decision and he's entitled to make it. I am disappointed he won't be with us but I totally understand his position." 

Baker-Finch has passed on his thoughts to the International Golf Federation. 

While Gary Player and others fear the pullouts will affect the vote to keep the sport in the Games past 2020, Baker-Finch hopes it will just make them heed format change calls.

"I think it will make them think about making it a team competition. I'd even love to see it as a mixed team even - that would be awesome."

Forget the golf stuff, does anyone know what that thing in the logo is?  It makes my mind go in a direction unsuitable for a family blog.

IBF is a decent sort, but like many others was just so gosh darn happy about the game's inclusion that he sort of forgot that it's an audition.  It's only good to have golf an Olympic sport if a.) It's a good show and, b.) People Watch.

Meanwhile Jason Day is far too reasonable about his countryman's absence:

Day said he doesn’t blame some of his peers for pulling out of the Games because golfers’ careers, for the past century, have been judged based on the number of majors they won, not medals.

“You can’t really get angry at golfers for saying that they’re going to pull out of the Olympics," he said, "because it’s never been on our radar to ever win a gold medal."

The mistake was in announcing it....otherwise no one would notice, since we'll all be glued to Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, et. al.

Big Shoes, Filled -  So big, in fact, that no one pair of feet was up to the task:

David Lancaster and Matt Corker have big shoes to fill. 

The R&A announced on Tuesday that Lancaster and Corker will replace long-time and legendary British Open starter Ivor Robson for the 145th Open at Royal Troon this summer. Robson retired after last year's Open at St. Andrews after serving as the event's official starter for more than 40 years. 

Lancaster, a member of Cumberwell Park Golf Club and a golfer for 30-plus years, will become the official starter, according to the R&A, and Corker will assist Lancaster in a supporting role.

No word on planned fluid consumption and/or potty breaks was provided at press time...

One more time for this gem?

However the search for my great white whale endures, that being the video of Y.E. Yang impersonating Ivor Robson introducing Y.E. Yang.  Trust me, you had to be there....

R.I.P. Manuel de la Torre - We've lost one of the greats, legendary instructor Manuel de la Torre, who graced every list of the 50 Best Teachers published by Golf Digest from its inception (the list, not the mag) in 1999.

See if this is a welcome change from most of what passes fro instruction these days:

He eschewed modern teaching philosophies that focused on specific body positions and movements. Though he could talk in great detail about the geometry and physics of the swing, his method was based on the simple concept of swinging the club toward the target. 

"You don't think about your elbow when you're brushing your teeth," de la Torre said in a 2015 interview with the Journal Sentinel. "And yet, you're very successful at brushing your teeth. But this is what happens with golf. People are not concerned enough with what they have to do with the club. They focus either on the body or the ball, and neither of those things produces consistency.

RIP.

Breaking:  Sun Still Rises in East - The only surprise in this piece is that the membership policies have not yet changed:

TROON, Scotland – The R&A and Royal Troon Golf Club is set to face the same barrage of criticism that took place at Muirfield in 2013 over the issue of female members. 

The all-male club is set to host this year’s British Open but has yet to conclude a review into admitting women for the first time in the club’s 138-year history. The golf club on Scotland’s west coast launched its review on Jan. 27, 2015, but the R&A could not predict when that review will finish. 

“The club is undertaking a review, and we welcome that, “ an R&A spokesman said Tuesday during a media event. “It’s up to the club to deliver that review.”

The funny part about 2013 was the opprobrium heaped on Muirfield, when the R&A itself had the same restrictive policies.

But the funniest part of the article is the description of the process, featuring outside facilittaors and discussion groups and the like.... Gentlemen, it's really quite a simple question.  If you like having Open Championships at your club then find two blue-blood ladies that won't show up very often and the world will move on.

Juxtaposed with the stately membership of Royal Troon, this millennial-friendly announcement is quite the jarring juxtaposition:

THE OPEN CAMPING VILLAGE TO OFFER FREE ACCOMMODATION TO THE NEXT GENERATION OF GOLF FANS

26 April 2016, St Andrews, Scotland: The next generation of golf fans attending The 145TH Open at Royal Troon this summer will be able to book free accommodation at The Open Camping Village. The initiative is part of The R&A’s commitment to ensuring the Championship is open to all.

The Open returns to the historic Ayrshire links from 10-17 July and will see the world’s best players competing to become Champion Golfer of the Year. Now spectators aged 25 and under will be able to take advantage of the new accommodation option free of charge.

The Open Camping Village, which will be run by The R&A’s official accommodation partner, will be located a short walk from Royal Troon at Marr Rugby Club. It will feature two, four and six person pre-pitched tents along with inflatable camping beds for each guest. There will be 500 camping places available each night with the facility set to be open from 10-17 July. There will be food and drink options and shower facilities on-site, as well as free parking. Security will be operating 24 hours a day.

Shack compares it to Coachella in his header, though the reader that brought it to him compared it to Scotland's T In The Park.  See if you think this is a good fit with the venerable Open Championship (and I don't recommend watching it straight through unless, of course, you're not attached to your brain cells:

What could go wrong?

Lastly, here's the Princess: