Up until almost two years ago when I started playing golf myself, watching golf on TV for me was like watching paint dry. Now that I am a golfer and I understand the challenge I’m watching, I still find myself falling asleep with the Tivo remote in my hand. Now it’s more like watching someone paint: sometimes it’s a masterpiece and sometimes it’s a white wall. The Open Championship had a bit of both for me.
Getting up
Watching Tiger Woods play a nearly flawless round (or four) is pretty amazing. He made some exciting shots even though his game was really safe. The final round had plenty of drama and intensity, especially if you were rooting for Chris DiMarco like I was. Having Ernie Els in the mix was fun and made things interesting, too. And watching Tiger’s emotional floodgates breaking down on the last hole was delicious. You could almost see his composure seeping out as he walked to the green and finished the hole. Then, when it finally broke, it was a dramatic demonstration of how impressive his focus really is. He wore that competitive golf robot persona for the entire tournament and wow, was it heavy. His emotional display brought tears to several people’s eyes and almost had me as well. Good for him. Nice win.
A little privacy, please? I guess the price you pay for being the best golfer in the world and earning all the money that goes with it is having your intimate moments in public. But could that camera guy get any closer? Photo from Golfweb.com.
Getting down
Having said that, 18 under at a major? Seven players were double digits below par. What a dull course! I know it’s probably like golf blasphemy to criticize such a historic golf course, but come on! Boring. And ugly. Have these guys ever heard of watering a course? The announcers kept talking about the lack of rain there. There’s this thing called irrigation. Blech.
Looking at the course from the air is actually quite nice. From the ground it’s another story.
Photo from Golf Digest.
Tiger was smart to just play it safe and keep the ball in the fairway. Sure, he’s more of a machine than other players and can make more of those longer approach shots, but it was a pretty easy course for most of those guys anyway. And if more of them played that safe strategy, the Royal would have been an even duller dullsville.
Moving on
I often sit around and ponder… how can I be more like Michael Bamberger? But who doesn’t, am I right? I said earlier it was a “nice win” for Tiger. Or was it?
In the Conditions section on the entry form for the Open, it states that caddies must wear the Open Championship bib during all practice rounds and the championship. It also states that players are responsible for the conduct of their caddies as well as their adherence to the conditions. Steve Williams removed his bib on the 18th hole before play was concluded. On the 18th hole! Of course Tiger and Steve had gaggles of cameras on them for the whole tournament, but the most visible spot and seen by more people than anything is the 18th green and the winner. People who don’t watch or care to watch golf will see it in the newspapers and on TV without trying. And Steve wasn’t in the correct attire.
Without Steve’s bib, how are we to know which winning Sunday this is for Tiger?
Photo from Golfweb.com.
So, should that have been a two stroke penalty? Or a DQ? The Conditions also state that the championship committee can amend and interpret the conditions, so I guess it’s up to them. Taking the win away from Tiger for such a technicality would be scandalous, for sure. But when it comes to golf, rules are usually rules.
Do Wie really need another post on Michelle?
Or another not-so-clever use of Wie in a sentence?
Awhile back, I put in my two cents on how Michelle Wie should gauge her success (or failure). Other than that, I have avoided commenting on all the hype and hoopla surrounding her.
My blogger friend Tony over at the Hooked on Golf blog is calling for a boycott on all “Wie articles” until she wins something. How does he do it? With an article on Wie, of course. For this post, he asked me for a quote. Since he’s so special, I broke my own unspoken boycott to comment for him. I figure I should go ahead and post my own words here as well and leave it at that. At least for now.
If you’ve ever read my blog, you know that this is actually a short quote for me. Of course I have more to say on the issue, I just can’t be bothered. Here is the quote I gave Tony:
Michelle’s failures in the PGA tour events aren’t so much about her being female as they are about her lacking experience. However, her performance to date definitely indicates that her presence there in the first place has everything to do with that “novelty” aspect which is gender related. It’s becoming embarassing. Maybe they should start a “teen phenom” tour and have all the best boys and girls compete against one another. Then she could gain the experience she needs without having to accept all the sponsors’ exemptions and the boys would have a shot as well since they’re not getting those now. She does need to play more than the LPGA is currently allowing before she can get her card, I just don’t think it should be with proven players on the PGA when many mini-tour players could kick her ass. I think her ambitions are terrific and she should stick to them, but she needs a better path and better representation in order to get there instead of being a cash cow.
Next post.