Two bits of golf news today: First, Liberty National, just across frpm Wall Street in New Jersey got their wish and landed the 2009 Barclay’s tournament. Many of the old guard mourn the loss of Westchester from the schedule, but hey, the PGA gets much closer to the deep pockets of Wall Street. Follow the money. I reviewed LibNat (as she is affectionately...
My new piece is up at Golf Observer – Winged Foot: Graveyard of Champions.
The piece is dedicated to my cousin Maryanne Flemma Wiatr, who died of cancer this July at the age of 55. It was written mostly in the days between her passing and her mass of Christian burial. May perpetual light shine upon her.
Recently, I reconnected with an old college buddy. I invited him out for a drink. He replied that he had to refuse – he “lost his privilege.” That’s an interesting choice of words – “lost his privilege.” I lauded him for his will power. After reading John Daly’s confession in Golf Magazine, my heart went out to him too...
First, Steve Czaban – the pulse of the Great American Sportsman does a terrific job analyzing the “Good Angel/Bad Angel” discussion in Phil’s head on 18. With Steve’s persmission, I’m reprinting with a quick edit or two (sorry, but we’re PG-13 here): Good Angel: You’ve hit like 2 fairways all day. Put the big dog bag in...
Winged Foot went from phestival to phuneral in phorty minutes. We golf writers were all writing the leads. . At 6:24, it looked like the tournament was Mickelson’s. Everyone in Mamaroneck – from the media, to the members on the terrace to the massive galleries around the golf course – thought the 2006 U.S. was over, the last few holes just a...
Bunkers are supposed to be hazards. Old Tom Morris said they are meant to be places of punishment and repentance. But today’s player attck the pins and gleefully spin the ball close to the hole for scoring chances. Phil Mickelson plays the 307 yard par-4 6th hole by trying to put the ball in the bunker to try to position himself for a birdie. He’d would...
Sometimes to find the story you need to read between the stats. This year’s U.S. Open is no exception. Here’s an example. A friend and I went to a hockey game. I was rooting for a cellar team – they were in last place. He was cheering for the mighty juggernaught. My team won 3-1, although we were heavily outshot in the stats. My buddy couldn’t...
They teased him in the locker room, but phlegmatic Jim Furyk, out of commission at Westchester from a swallowining injury (SWALLOWING INJURY!) had the last laugh. After “throwing my head back awkwardly,” and wrenching his back and neck badly last week, Furyk is right in the thick of the hunt at the U.S. Open with just a few extra doses of Aleve. With...
Witness now the rise and fall of a Day 1, back nine love affair. Day one of the U.S. Open is just “getting to know you.” It’s nothing more than a first date. It’s a giggle, a flirt, a flip of blond hair, a flash of a golden tanned leg, maybe even a torrid kiss or two and promises of more to come. But as David Howell found out, falling in love...
Go to cybergolf for the rest of this story: MAMARONECK, NY – The forces of good that battle for the preservation and promotion of golf’s greatest classic, strategic courses won a great victory today. Merion Golf Club – once thought lost to the mists of time forever as too short for major competitions – will host the 2013 U.S. Open. The return...
Bill Fallon of both Oakmont and the USGA provides a great look at what we can expect we the Open returns to another fabled and difficult venue. “They have the greens running about 13-13.5 now for the members and it’s still the only course besides Winged Foot where the membership will say “Let’s make it harder.” Lee Trevino echoed this...
MAMARONECK, NY Here’s a telling stat. Halfway through today (it’s 1:35PM) and Winged Foot already has exceeded the highest first round scoring average of the last five U.S. Opens Today at Winged Foot – 75.8 2005 Pinehurst – 74.7 2004 Shinnecock – 73.4 2003 Olympia Fields – 72.5 2002 – Bethpage Black – 74.9 2001 –...
Mamaroneck, NY Here are snippets from tomorrow’s piece for cybergolf. Ernest Hemingway once wrote that, “the purpose of art is to bring order our of chaos, a tall order when chaos is static and a superhuman task when chaos is multiplying.” Hemingway should have covered the chaos that is the U.S. Open. This pressure cooker is a microcosm of the rule...
Mamaroneck, NY – Phil told the assembled media at his player interview that while he won’t have his second “driver” (the draw driver) in the bag come Thursday, he’ll adjust his game plan during the course of the tournament depending on the weather. “I think that it’s supposed to rain Wednesday and Thirsday and if that’s...
MAMARONECK, NY – The sign reads “Mamaroneck” but Welcome to The Long Hot Grind over Dark Bloody Ground. U.S. Open week has arrived, where pars are the coin of the realm, birdies are an endangered species and double bogeys are ruthlessly doled out in fistfuls and stamped “paid in full” in the anguish of the contestants. ...