Taking Sides

So when Phil Mickelson held his press conference on Wednesday we got a great deal of info, some the media didn't even have to ask to get. Admittedly I didn't see the press conference (three cheers for work) and read about it online instead. What I read was Phil being open and honest with great intent. I am not going to say that it was necessary for Phil rattle on for 35 minutes or that it accomplished much of anything except to announce he has grand plans for this season and is worker harder than ever before.

What I was actual surprised to find out was how many people not only don't like Phil, but down right hate him. After the few articles I read recapping the press conference there were pages and pages of comments expressing either huge pro-Phil support or sheer disdain for the man. The Phil-haters all seemed to think the press conference was Lefty's way to fire at Tiger while Woods' guns are holstered.

For sure the overall theme of the commenting was if you are pro Woods you are very anti Mickelson and vice versa. Has golf fandom become split down the middle? Probably not, because it was never just about these two anyway. A few hundred guys will play during the course of the season, not a few. It does, however, bring up a question; Is a split amongst the fans over the two most popular players a good or bad thing for the PGA Tour?

Despite being a golf first personalities second person, I think a Woods camp v. Mickelson camp could be a good thing. I look at baseball, specifically the Yankees and Red Sox rivalry. These two teams represent the bulk of baseball fans, and the rivalry itself has at times single-handedly driven the sport. As in this instance with Woods and Mickelson the fans of the Yanks and Sox almost hate the other team more than they love their own. Whichever side of the fence you are on the rivalry drives interest and most importantly viewership.

The inherent problem is unlike the MLB, the PGA can't schedule eighteen or nineteen head-to-head meetings between the two...or can they? Hear me out. What if golf explored a team concept for the regular season leading into the FedEx Cup playoffs? Tournaments would still be played individually but players are assigned to one of six or eight teams pre-season based on world ranking. As FedEx points are accrued the teams are whittled down to the twelve highest point earners each for the Fed Ex playoffs. The highest point earner on each team is the Captain of the squad. The highest twelve man team point total becomes the #1 seed, #2 seed is the second highest twelve man total and so on. The FedEx Cup Playoffs then become single elimination, team match-play, Ryder Cup style tournaments with the possibility for instituting a "first tournament bye" for the #1 and #2 seeds. The Captains would set the lineups for alternate shot and best ball play as well as the singles. The team members on the bye are rewarded by being able to practice at the second round site during the week of the opening round. The winning team are FedEx Cup champions and each team member gets a million dollar bonus for winning instead of $10 million to one player for having the best overall season by points. A bonus of some sort is paid to each of the 72 or 96 players who make their playoff teams.

The point is that players like Woods and Mickelson would not find themselves on the same FedEx teams thanks to their assumed high world rankings. For example, this year they would be the first player placed on each of the first two teams by being ranked #1 and #2 in the world. Thus an opportunity to do battle for something meaningful at the end of the season for the golfers and for the fans who would no doubt have forged their allegiances. Get your Mickelson or Woods jersey now!

The idea may be really far fetched to some readers, but just think how much fun a real golf playoffs would be.  

Torrey Pines: Memories and a Reminder

I read Bob Harig's piece on Rocco Mediate (the most popular major runner-up ever) making his 2010 return to to the PGA Tour and Torrey Pines. Apparently Rocco is still being thanked for what he did at the '08 U.S. Open and there are warm and fuzzy feelings abound. That tournament was a whale as majors go and I still think the second nine on Saturday was the greatest prelude to a major Sunday I have ever seen. Rocco pushed Woods to make that jumpy fifteen footer on the seventy-second hole and then pushed Woods into extra holes after the Monday playoff. All great stuff.

The Monday playoff is why Torrey Pines conjures up not only great memories, but a very negative reminder. It reminds me that I hate the Monday playoff system in the U.S. Open. I know hate is a strong word, but I've thought it over just now and I most certainly hate the Monday playoff.

There are two major problems with this major playoff system. For starters it happens on a Monday and lots of people work on Mondays. People like say, me, in 2008. You have just watched an amazing weekend of major championship golf, perhaps at the risk of marital stability, and you are essentially given the "to be continued..." of sport. Monday's work day ends and you flick on the television to see
Tiger closing out Mediate with a par on the 19th hole of the day. Sigh.

The second problem is that it's 18-holes of stroke play to decide the winner. Of course the 18-hole format is why they have to wait to play on Monday so one problem facilitates the other. A few holes of stroke play or a sudden death deal are the only ways to go. I shouldn't have to steal a glimpse of a .com leaderboard on a ten minute delay to find out how the premier major in the world is finishing out.

Had the 2008 U.S. Open finished on Sunday it would probably have supplanted the 2000 PGA as the best major championship I have ever seen. The real kicker is that the playoff was just as good as the weekend play, but I saw none of it live and that killed it for me. So, to the USGA, please consider reformatting the U.S. Open playoff system. I would prefer to never again see a major championship finale in "recap" form.

Abu Dhabi Day 2 Highlights

A star studded field features Rory McIlroy (my hero), Ian Poulter and Martin Kaymer (last year's Golf Potato breakout star prediction) chasing Sergio Garcia (last year's Golf Potato first time major winner prediction).



Thanks again to Ottawa Golf Blog for the video!

Happy 70th Birthday Jack Nicklaus!

Hard to believe but the Golden Bear is 70 years old. I am celebrating by revisiting the only major win of his 18 I had the opportunity to watch. For an eight year old kid this Sunday in April, watching with my father, is one of my fondest memories and cemented golf as a core part of my life. Thanks Jack and Happy Birthday!

Abu Dhabi: Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia & Ian Poulter

Abu Dee, Abu Dah, Abu Dah Bee, La La La La Abu Dhabi



Thanks to Ottawa Golf Blog for the video!

2010 PGA Tour Prediction Time

The small field in last week's SBS kicked off the 2010 season. Last year's U.S. Open champion, Lucas Glover, looked like he might run away with the tournament. Glover stumbled home on Sunday, however, giving way to Mr. January Geoff Ogilvy.

With a full field at the Sony Open in Hawaii we should get a better look at what we might expect out of the 2010 season. But why wait? Like last year's inaugural Golf Potato Predictions, I will once again throw out some prognostications for the coming PGA Tour season. For 2010 I think ten will be appropriate.

1. Young Gun You May Never Have Heard Of To Watch Out For: Webb Simpson
This was the category I got closest to getting right last year. I took Martin Kaymer of Germany last year and hinted that he may sneak in a major win at the British. Kaymer won the two European Tour events leading up to the British and hung around at Turnberry, but never threatened. As for Simpson, the 24 year old impressed me greatly last year when he made cuts. Webb brought home $1.2 million from his seventeen cuts made, eight top 25's and four top 10's. One of those top 10's was a solo ninth at this week's Sony Open. I like his game and although I'm not ready to say a major might be close I could easily see a breakthrough Tour win happening this year.

2. Most Likely To Improve on 2009: Steve Stricker
Stricker had a tremendous 2009, with three wins and finishing second only to Tiger Woods in the Fed Ex Cup standings. Stricker then paired up with Woods at the President's Cup and made just about every putt he looked at all week. Stricker also played a ton of rounds with Woods during the Fed Ex Cup playoffs, and played very well. Usually that much time in Tiger's shadow gets to players, but Stricker seemed to get mentally stronger every round. Improving on his 2009 performance may seem a tall order but I think he has it in him. The way he grew into his natural talent last year, especially playing so well alongside Woods so often leads me to think the sky may be the limit for Stricker in 2010.

3. Player Most Likely To Win His First Major: Rory McIlroy
Have I mentioned this kid is my hero? I have? Oh good, then you know. So here's the deal, Rory will be turning 21 in May, but he carries himself like a seasoned veteran. Last year he won the Dubai Desert Classic and then finished with two top 10's in majors, a T-10 at the U.S. Open and T-3 at the PGA. This kid has game, crazy game. So much game that I like his chances at any of the four major venues this year, but watch out in Wisconsin at the PGA.

4. Comeback Player Of the Year: Ernie Els
The Big Easy went winless on the PGA Tour last year. He did, however, close the 2009 campaign in strong fashion with second place finishes at the Barclay's and HSBC. He also took a T-6 at the PGA Championship. Especially at the HSBC, Els looked like the Ernie of old. A win or two this year could easily be in the cards.


5. United States Ryder Cup Captain's Picks: Ben Curtis and Davis Love III
This is of course assuming neither of these guys earn enough points to automatically qualify. Curtis is an under the radar type player that I think can partner with just about anyone. DLIII is a Ryder Cup legend and showed signs his game was returning last year. If Davis has the game come September he is like having an Assistant Captain playing for the team. Secretly I would love to see Capt. Pavin take Fred Couples and DLIII and play them as a pair every other round, but that ain't gonna happen.

6. PGA Tour Rookie Of The Year: Rickie Fowler
It may be the easy pick considering the hype, but so was Ryan Moore a few years back and he is just coming around now. Unlike Moore, Fowler stepped into the professional ranks and made noise immediately, almost making enough in three events to earn a 2010 Tour card outright; making a playoff at the Frys.com and T-7s at both the Justin Timberlake Shriners and the Shark Shootout. Fowler has a go-for-broke style and should he be paired with say an Anthony Kim you may think you're watching golf being played inside a Vegas casino.

7. 2009 Major Winner Most Likely To Win Another In 2010: Angel Cabrera
This was a close race between "El Pato" and Stewart Cink. In the end it came down to Angel's extra major win. Granted Kenny Perry folded the Masters to Cabrera, but no one played better on Sunday than The Duck did at the 2007 U.S. Open.

8. Best Major Of 2010: The PGA Championship
If history repeats itself Tiger Woods will square off in a Sunday duel of epic proportions with a relative unknown at "Glory's Last Shot". The reasoning is simple, just like in 2000 the U.S. Open is at Pebble Beach, The British Open at St. Andrews and they still haven't changed the venue for the Masters. Instead of Valhalla in 2000 we have a phenomenal golf course in Whistling Straits this year. The course made a huge splash as host of the 2004 PGA yielding a three-way playoff with eventual champ Vijay Singh, Chris Dimarco and Justin Leonard.The wild and wispy layout in Kohler, Wisconsin is perfect for a major and I predict it to be the most entertaining of the year.

9. Best Chance To Win The Grand Slam: Tiger Woods
Look, he has the best chance every year. However, as stated in #8 we have the same basic major setup as 2000 when Tiger rattled off three majors. Should Woods decide to make the Masters his first tournament of 2010 I think he ruins that chance, but we'll see.




10. 2010 PGA Tour Player Of The Year: Phil Mickelson
Never, and I mean never, has the opportunity to supplant Tiger Woods as the World #1 been better for Lefty. The way Phil put it to Tiger in the final events of '09 the 2010 season was already shaping up as a chance for Mickelson to take down Woods. Now with all of Tiger's of the course issues and Phil setup to be more of a fan favorite than ever Lefty has nothing to do but showoff his unbelievable talent. What better place to get that elusive U.S. Open than Pebble? What better time snag a couple majors in the same year? What better time?

PGA Tour A House Of Cards?

For all those freaking out about the state of golf, specifically the PGA Tour, with all of the Tiger Woods ha-bub; relax. Tiger will play golf again, sometime in the next few months probably, and he'll win again, probably in the same time frame. Unsettling as it may be to find out the golf deity turned out not only to be fallible, but seriously fallible, he is still the best in the game and the game wants him back. Now there are those who wonder if it makes no difference when Tiger comes back to play because the Tour may already have suffered the death blow. Take this statement from Tom Lehman for example;

"You can't ever build your whole house on one brick," said PGA Tour star Tom Lehman. "That's what the Tour did. You can't really blame them. It's kind of a Catch-22. You can have a guy that is SO good and makes things SO much better, it's like everybody else doesn't exist. But now what? The Tour has to try to market some of the other really good players it has. It has to try to build a house of cards that doesn't fall apart when one card falls, but I don't know. It might be too late."

Too late? Too late! A house of cards!? Look, the Tour got along just fine after Jack and before Tiger. Relax. When you win 14 majors and over 70 tournaments in a just over a decade no additional marketing is required. The hype about Tiger was built through his junior and amateur achievements. Then all Woods did was take the hype and live up to it on the course. The Tour is not responsible for building a house on one brick. It was never meant to showcase one player and have everyone else an extra in the film. Tom also needs to remember that Tiger plays about half the events. So what has the Tour done in Tiger's off time (apparently spent doing...alright we'll leave that one be)? Laid down and died? No, world class golfers played world class golf. As I pointed out last year the other Tour stops may want to steal a page or two from the FBR (Phoenix) Open. Tiger hasn't played in Scottsdale for years and yet well over a half million people show up during the week. Proof you don't need Woods to draw a huge crowd, just make it an event.

A statement like Lehman's also implies a fear shared by some that Tiger might never play golf again or that when he does it won't matter because he's ruined. Lower the threat meter a notch or two. Tiger will play again and win and people will start to do what they did before; respect his talent. Tiger was never a media darling to begin with or personable with the commoners in the crowds. It was always about his pursuit for history and how he was going to do it through will, desire and effort. Fanfare and crowd inspiration never seemed part of the deal with Woods. Like that certain someone you intentionally ignored in high school to get their attention we ate it up and basked in his professional glory as he walked by us all. Now through his personal foibles any respect outside the game will be difficult to earn back unless Tiger pulls a total one-eighty and levels with us, but that seems unlikely. Make no mistake though, he will come back, he will win and like it or not we will watch.

Personally for me what I find hardest about all of this hoopla and negative press is this; it is unprecedented for golf to have this happen. As a club professional I have always taken great pride in the history of the game, the etiquette and especially that golf was never a part of the tabloids/police blotter thanks to being a gentleman's game. The worst 'pub' was along the lines of Steve Williams calling out Phil Mickelson for not showing the proper respect for being Tiger's caddy. Whoa, scandalous. With the hint that steroids are being used and now this mess with Tiger's indiscretions golf is now finding itself wrapped up in ugliness it had always easily avoided. However, it's not too late Tom. As the saying goes, this too shall pass. The 2010 season is set to begin and I for one am excited. Let the cards fall where they may, not build the foundation.