Category Archives: tournaments

Players I Like in the British Open

These are some guys I would like to see win it:
Dustin Johnson – redemption.
Alviro Quiros – the Road Hole as a driveable par 4.
Lee Westwood – it’s really his turn.
Paul Casey – I get behind nice guys.
Tim Clark – to show that he really belongs.
Angel Cabrera – he was my fave before his US Open win, still is.
Gregory Havret – it would be a wonderful story.
Colin Montgomerie – it would be an even better story.

Greatest U.S. Opens

This morning I’m going to the range for my bi-weekly workout, down to the stadium to run the stairs, then home to watch the opening round of the Open. Really pulling for Phil this week.

Here is my list of great/memorable/pivotal/ Opens:

1913 – American kid Ouimet beats the English giants Vardon and Ray and American golf is off the ground.
1932 – Sarazen plays the last 28 holes in 100 strokes to win.
1951 – Hogan plays it safe for three rounds, then decides that strategy is getting him nowhere and attacks during the fourth round, wins.
1960 – Arnold Palmer becomes ARNOLD PALMER and professional golf takes off.
1964 – Ken Venturi was barely able to stand up in the afternoon round because of the heat. This one is the triumph of courage over pain, not Tiger having an owie in 2008.
1966 – Palmer’s shocking collapse. Gave back what he took in 1960. The end. Deflated. Had he won this, he could have won five or six more majors.
1973 – You just don’t shoot 63 in the final round to win the U.S. Open.
2009 – Not one for the ages, but the final round was High Drama. So many players challenged all day, not just on the last few holes, and Glover didn’t flinch.

Enjoy the Open. It’s the people’s major.

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The Players is a major – The Masters isn’t

It seems to me that a major tournament has to be the championship of something. The USGA has the U.S. Open. The R&A has The Open Championship. The PGA has, you could guess, the PGA Championship. Three major governing bodies in golf each have their championship and it’s a major. Makes sense to me.

Then there’s the Masters. It’s a tournament held by a single golf club, albeit one that runs a fabulous golf course. But still, it’s the championship of nothing. There’s a lot of tradition, they’re real good at self-promotion, and its exclusive nature and the way its run give it an air of it being a privilege to even play there and walk around the grounds. But that doesn’t make it a major. It has a weak field, top to bottom. And did I say it’s the championship of nothing?

Maybe I’m put off because it’s run by a bunch of stuffed shirts and marshaled by thugs. Jeff Rude, a prominent golf writer, was standing on a golf cart to get a better view of the 18th green one year when he was pulled down and told he would be escorted from the course if he did that again. Stuffed shirts. Thugs. This is a tournament that is famous for being famous. But it’s not a major.

The fourth major really is The Players, the final round of which is being played today. It has a strong field, probably the strongest of the three real majors. And it’s the championship of something – the PGA Tour. It’s a tournament the Tour players want to win, want to have on their resume.

The Masters is a local golf tournament that has sold the public on itself. But The Players is not the fifth, but the fourth major.

Masters Musings

The Masters will begin tomorrow, the first men’s major of the season, although why it’s a major escapes me, because it’s not the championship of anything. Kind of like the Kraft Nabisco on the LPGA circuit.

I’m picking Sergio Garcia to win this year. It’s about time for him to win his major, so let’s get it done. Since you can’t win the Masters without putting the lights out, a win here would be a big monkey off his back.

My other favorite is Rory Sabbatini. He does things for people behind the scenes that are exemplary. He should be rewarded for that with a big win.

Were I the defending champion, I would select this menu for the past champions dinner:

Potato-leek soup
The romaine salad they serve in the restaurant of the OGA course in Woodburn, Oregon
Spring chinook salmon (you have never tasted fish this good)
Polenta
Green beans
Reine de Saba cake (see Julia, volume 1, page 677)
Wine by St. Innocent of Salem, Oregon

Let’s eat, let’s play.

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