Quick Hits

-Yani Tseng is the #1 player on the LPGA tour. She's incredibly long and if she putts then it's lights out on the field. She only needs the U.S. Open for the career Gland Slam and she's only 21. That's the new star but once again she's not American

-Fred Couples has this really cool trick. Fred, in my opinion, had talent on the Mickelson and Woods level but did the least amount with it. For some reason we think that Fred could have won 5-7 majors if he really wanted to. Here's my conclusion: Fred Couples wanted it more than almost anyone out there but managed to choke at the worst times. Sunday was a prime example. He took an 8 on the second hole and essentially lost the tournament right there. If Fred plays well, we say he's focused and healthy. If he doesn't, we say he's got his mind on other things and his back isn't right. We give him the benefit of the doubt more than any golfer. Fred Couples wanted it just as bad as anyone and don't let his calm on-course demeanor fool you.

-I love the Texas Rangers but I don't want to see Tom Hicks get the easy way out on this sale. His whole deal with Greenberg-Ryan reeks of friends in high places. His original sale didn't pay all the debt he owed and he was setup to make money off a separate land sale. So a billionaire borrows $500 million, defaults on the loan, doesn't have to pay it all back, and somehow stands to make money?

-I couldn't have agreed more about what John Feinstein said on Golf Central. Shooting 59 is a result of these courses becoming too easy. Rocco Mediate said before the tournament that a 59 watch was out. Ryo Ishokawa shot 58 a few months ago and an Alabama amateur shot 57 a few days ago. Courses are setup too easy, especially on the PGA tour. A 59 watch started when someone was -8 under thru ten, not at the beginning of the week. It seems like every week is turning into the Bob Hope. I know these guys are good but this is ridiculous. The new groove rule doesn't make a difference if you cut the rough to almost nothing. Make these players play from some deep stuff. With these course setups, it's only a matter of time before we see someone shoot sub 59 on the PGA Tour.

-I don't like the Ryder Cup team so far. I know this point system is designed to find out who is playing best but this roster creeps me out. I know Overton and Kuchar are top eight but we're on the road this year and this doesn't seem like the best time to get experience. The European team is so stacked that they're going to have to leave off some heavyweights. I'm also not a fan of using a captain's pick for someone who hasn't played on a previous Ryder Cup team. I know I bagged on him earlier but Couples might get serious consideration as a captain's pick. I hope Zack Johnson and Sean O'Hair have a good few weeks. They could help this team.

In defense of Sarah Brown

I was blown away by this story. Sarah Brown, a rookie on the Duramed Futures Tour, was disqualified from the final round of the recent Futures Tour event. On the tenth hole of her final round, she was notified that here Ping wedges were not conforming to the new rules. Sarah was disqualified mid-play. I have so many problems with this. First, you should never be disqualified mid-round for anything. The only way a player doesn't finish his/her round is by her own decision. Second, play was held up for twenty minutes while the rules officials looked at a laptop to find out if her wedges were conforming. You never hold up play that long unless it's for a rule decision that is required to finish the hole. Third, players should never be able to voice their concerns about another players clubs to an official during the round. It either needs to happen before the round or after the round. Here's the main problem. Her clubs were effin conforming to the rules of play!

The rules officials in this case messed up. They messed up on so many levels. It's so laughable. What you should know is that Sarah Brown is an eighteen year old trying to make living playing golf. In case you haven't noticed, making a living playing women's golf is neither easy or lucrative. Purse money and tournaments aren't what they were a few years ago so any money these players earn is big for their psyche. Brown was also having her best tournament of the year. She was looking at a possible top ten and maybe even top five. She would have earned a check of at least $1000. Brown was denied that chance. Lets look at how this went down.

-A rules official is notified around the 9th hole that Brown might possibly have illegal clubs in her bag. The rules official then examines her clubs on the next tee to see if that is the case.

Problems: No player should be allowed to report this during the round of play. It should only be reported before or after a round. A player can be disqualified up to two hours after the round of play. That is more than enough time to research any problems. The rules official should also not be allowed to look inside a players bag during the round. Before and after the round is the only proper time to do such a thing.

-Tenth tee: Brown tees off and is notified by rules officials of a possible equipment violation. Brown can't believe it. She was sure she had proper equipment. Most golfers are honest people on the course. If Brown found her clubs to be illegal then she would DQ herself before anyone else would. Rules officials then halt play to inspect her clubs. They consult the USGA website to look to see if it conforms. They hold up play for twenty minutes.

Problems: Rules officials have a full two hours after a player completes his/her round to DQ this person if necessary. Rules officials decided then and there to DQ Brown. Brown and her caddy (her dad) plead with officials to let them finish the round. Officials say no. At this point is when it turns into the officials wanting the spotlight on them and not letting this player finish the round. They wanted to be the ones who caught a player not following the rules. All the did was put an awful spotlight on a tour that doesn't need bad publicity.

These rules officials should flat out lose their jobs. It turns out this was just a case of these two officials not reading the USGA website correctly. These officials also had testing equipment on-site they could have used to see if her clubs were illegal. They never used it. They were arrogant enough not to use the equipment available to them to avoid such a situation. I would file suit against the tour if I was this girl. From all reports, this girl cried her eyes out right there on the golf course. I also hear that her and her family have handled the situation very well.

I hope the tour does the right thing here. I'm not sure what that is but it needs to go overboard. Nothing is worse in golf than being called a cheater. That's the last thing a golfer wants to be branded as.

Final Prediction

Saw some practice footage of Tiger today. For the first time in a long time it looked like Tiger was finally swinging the club. It didn't look like he was positioning the club but was actually swinging the club. His rhythm looked better than at any time so for this year. If he putts well he really could be tough. Past winners of this event tell us the long hitters have the advantage on this golf course. I'm not saying Bubba Watson or JB Holmes will pop and contend but look for the big dogs to show up and play well.

Pick: Tiger
Dark Horse: David Duval
Best Story: David Duval

Quick Hits

-Really nice to see Paula Creamer win. She's the biggest star on the LPGA and it's good for her to win a major. She seems the most likable of any star out there on that tour since Lorena walked away. It would be nice if her and Kerr could develop some sort of rivalry that the American fans can get excited about. I'm not saying it could be Tiger-Phil but it could be as good as that tour can get.

-I understand Lebron thinks he made the right choice as far as winning championships goes but I'm not so sure. First, please don't call Bosh a superstar who plays with his back to the basket. Second, you still need a center who can play with his back to the basket and at least play Dwight Howard reasonably well. Third, this is two alpha dogs in Wade and Lebron who say they'll play nice but we'll see how that works out in May and June. You still need role players to play championship basketball and Miami has too much of one thing and not enough of another.

-I'm slightly disappointed in Dirk's comments that the Mavs don't have to go for it this year as far as free agency goes. I think the west is wide open this year. First, I know the Lakers are the odds on favorite to win west. Kobe, Gasol, Odom, and coach Phil but they are getting older. At some point that catches up with you. The Spurs are done as far as championships go. They're just too old unless they come up with something out of nowhere. The Nuggets were in a free fall without George Karl. Chauncey Billups looked like he was getting old for the first time in his career last year and he's their second best player. You can't count on Kenyon as your PF this year if you're a serious contender. Phoenix's window might just be closed. Nash will have a new cast but he'll be 37 at seasons end and I think he knew that last season was their last great chance. OKC is going to be much improved this year. They may not a championship type team for a few years but they're going to be a tough out for years to come. Portland might get their act together (why can't that franchise ever keep a center healthy?) and be a force. That team is Pippen like athletic and they might have a center. But I think this year is wide open in the west. The Mavs have to take advantage of this.

-I think the British Open has a chance to be great this year. It feels like a lot of good players are playing well going in. Mickelson is in form. Westwood has been playing good for two years now. Ernie Els has two wins this year. Justin Rose is playing the best golf of his career. Steve Stricker is obviously playing well and then there's Tiger. He just plays St. Andrews well. He can two-way miss here and it won't hurt him. If Tiger has his short game in order, he could be very very tough to beat. I'm hoping for some wind. If it's benign conditions then St. Andrews is the most defenseless course. But I do love the fact that the R&A doesn't trick up the golf course like the USGA does. The winning score could be anything from even to twenty under. One last sleeper pick. Don't be surprised if Duval pops up and plays well. The guy only seems to play well when it's a great golf course. He hasn't forgotten 2000 and the guy seriously believes he's got another major in him.

The last girl at the bar

I was reading Bill Simmons 'Book of Basketball' and I've stolen his theory and applied it to the LPGA tour. The story goes something like this. Six girls walk into a bar and there all varying degrees of hot. The hottest one leaves and then the next hottest etc etc. By the time you get down to the last few girls the options aren't as good so you hitch your wagon onto what's left. I'm applying the same theory to the LPGA tour.

First, I really like Cristie Kerr. I get the feeling she's the only American who has the work ethic to be number one in the world. She just wants it when you watch her play. Nineteen under and winning by twelve really is crazy. I'm just afraid that Cristie is one of the last girls at the bar. The LPGA tour is going thru a period it would like to forget right now. Two of your biggest stars retired in the past few years. These players were the clear number ones when they played. Your young stars like Creamer and Wie haven't quite figured out how to win just yet. Natalie Gulbis is great from a marketing aspect on tour but she's not a star. Some of the young Asian players are very good but they aren't quite ready to win multiple majors just yet. Cristie just happens to be the last one left. Lorena stopped taking the game serious long before she retired and Sorenstam went thru the same. But Kerr is taking advantage of this period and she has to be given credit for it. I like Cristie a lot, but I wish the competition around her was a little better.

A lost year

I'm a big fan of players going out and winning golf tournaments. I'm not a fan of carnage and the last player standing is just the guy who didn't have another tough hole to play. Let us look back on some great shots over the years that won the U.S. Open. Corey Pavin hit his famous 4-wood to six feet on the 72nd hole to seal his first and only major in '95. Steve Jones almost holes his 7-iron on the 72nd hole on the fly in holding off Tom Lehman in a great duel in '96. Ernie Els hits a brilliant 4-iron on the 71st hole at Congressional to help win second U.S. Open in '97. My point is that usually the winner of our great national championship plays a great final round and proudly hoists that trophy as having outplayed the field. Now don't get me wrong about one thing. Graeme Mcdowell played very well on the weekend to win the U.S. Open. But he didn't have a great round or a signature shot that will define this Open. Unfortunately, this Open will be defined by the course which is not always a good thing.

I've never seen a par 5 in which tour pros would gladly take par without any hesitation. The 14th hole was an outright embarrassment. Ernie Els hit a shot that landed one step short of pin high but on the wrong section of the green and it ended up thirty yards off the front of green. The USGA eff'd up but they'll never admit it. They also had the audacity to trick up the seventeenth hole to the point that par played like a birdie. My point is that good shots were not rewarded on 14 and 17 today and that is not fun for the player or the fan. Graeme McDowell didn't win this tournament any more than a handful of players lost it. Yes, McDowell will go down as the U.S. Open champion. But this tournament wasn't won in major fashion and Mike Davis and the USGA are to blame.

Why I'm just not a fan of Pebble....

I get really giddy during this week. For once, I like seeing tour pros actually struggle. How many times have you chipped a ball and seen it come right back to your feet? Seeing a tour pro do that makes the game so much more enjoyable when I'm out duffing around. But enough about the U.S. Open test. This is why I don't like Pebble for an Open.

In my book, the U.S. Open should test every facet of your game on the course and between your ears. Under normal conditions, the guy who plays and thinks the best wins this golf tournament. I'm a big fan of certain golf courses hosting the Open. Shinnecock, Oakmont, and Winged Foot are a few that come to mind. But I just don't think Pebble should be considered a great Open venue. The greens are small and rarely in good condition. It's often cold and windy and scores can get way out of hand so damn fast. It almost resembles a British Open to some degree. And here's my biggest beef. It's not a driver golf course. These players can get around this place with two iron all day if they had to and still put up a score. The point is that this is the U.S. Open and not the British. I like my Opens to have hot and humid weather with driver in your hand the majority of the round. It's the ultimate test of golf and Pebble just doesn't render that test unless the USGA tricks it up.

The only thing Pebble has is three very historic wins and one they try to dramatize by showing Tom Kite's chip-in (that goes off the green if it doesn't SLAM into the pin). The Nicklaus two iron to an inch, Watson's brilliant chip, and Tiger actually reenacting his video game on the course are part of U.S. Open lore. But lets not keep going back to Pebble just because is has breathtaking views. Put this course in Nebraska and you're walking up paying $40 on Saturday morning.