The 19th Hole Golf Show - 11/4/09 - Tom Watson & Charlie King
by Ryan Ballengee on Nov 6, 2009 9:15 AM EST
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On this week's show:
We start the show by discussing the HSBC Champions and LPGA Mizuno Classic. Then we talk with top 100 teacher Charlie King about how he plans to change golf instruction. And, finally, we talk with legendary golfer Tom Watson about a host of subjects, including Turnberry.
To listen, check out the media player below, or subscribe via iTunes or on the left.
To download the interview with Tom Watson, click here.
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Tiger vs. Phil, China-Style!
by ChicagoDuffer on Nov 4, 2009 1:50 PM EST
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For the half-dozen of us that actually give a hoot about professional golf in the Fall, we get what will surely be a melodramatic showdown between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson is bound to occur in Shanghai, China at the HSBC Champions.
The rivalry between the two best-ranked golfers in the world seems to have leveled-out recently, and possibly due to the news revolving around Mickelson's family life. Six weeks ago in Atlanta, the two superstars had the chance to grab everyone's attention once again, and both players ended up winning something (Tiger = the FedEx Cup, Phil = The Tour Championship) and it lacked the "flare" that one would expect from such a showdown.
In fact, the only other time that I can recall where fans were hanging on every single shot was at this year's Masters... which again didn't seem to matter since neither of them won.
Regardless, both Tiger and Phil are saying all of the right things in order to promote this snooze-fest of a golf tournament and the possibility of once again going head-to-head.
"I'm excited that Tiger and I are able to compete in the same event here in China," Mickelson said Wednesday on the eve of the HSBC Champions at Sheshan International Golf Club. "I think that it will provide some exposure to the game of golf throughout the country, and I'm hopeful that we compete head-to-head over the weekend, and are both in contention" (AP, 2009).
"I'm looking forward to it. I think everyone is," Woods said. "Having this now become a World Golf Championship, I think everyone is very excited about what this tournament means in the scope of things, not just here in China but in all of Asia. As a player, we are looking forward to playing this golf course against such a great field" (AP, 2009).
Regardless of what happens this week in China, the opinion that Tiger vs. Phil has lost a little of the pizazz is still rather strong among golf fans.
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Why Americans Don't Play Abroad in Droves, But Will Soon
by Ryan Ballengee on Nov 4, 2009 11:44 AM EST
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As soon as it was announced that the HSBC Champions tournament would become a World Golf Championship, a lot of Americans that were suddenly eligible for the newly titled $7 million blockbuster groaned. I'm sure of it. There was no way in hell that they were hopping a plane - even a chartered jet - in early November to fly over to China for one week to play in a golf tournament.
Not even with an open week in the PGA Tour's Fall Series, created by Bobby Ginn's gross negligence, would compel the top ranked Americans to head to China. Why bother? $7 million isn't that big of a purse. I would love to go to China since I'm a travel geek, but can undertand why professionals don't want to take the sticks. Even if their presence helps to grow the game, that intangible good that they may do for the sport doesn't make the proposition worth it to them.
That's why only 14 of 23 Americans that were eligible for the HSBC Champions are in it this week with a field featuring 15 of the world's top 20 ranked players.
To be fair, several players had very little notice that they had qualified for the tournament. Guys like Troy Matteson, Bo Van Pelt, and Matt Kuchar made the field in the absolute last qualification category. The category? Basically, "guys that won a pretty good event between December 2007 and last week in order to fill out the field."
Some guys were just plain fried. Anthony Kim is playing this week in China for a free shot at a $7 million purse, but turning down a free shot at a $15 million purse at the Dubai World Championship. He's tired and didn't schedule like a global jetsetter.
Americans are not used to scheduling many trips outside of the United States. There really has been no need. Until the advent of big money events like the Singapore Open and this HSBC Champions event, playing in Asia was more or less done as a favor to a sponsor, out of boredom, or out of necessity - like Brian Gay, who began his long journey to being a two-time PGA Tour winner on the continent.
For the two best players in the world - who happen to be American - they see the FedExCup as providing an opportunity to play more globally. In fact, Mickelson considers it such an opportunity that he is able to dismiss the PGA Tour season as being over after the Tour Championship. Given their sponsors are multinational corporations, not only is it an opportunity, it is likely a business obligation. While that is true for Phil and Tiger, for the other 21 American players, that it not necessarily the case...yet.
But, there are four major factors that will likely drive more Americans to play abroad more often.
First is money. The global golf calendar is growing in terms of events, countries, and dollars. Americans will eventually be motivated to chase these big money events around the globe, particularly depending upon how healthy the PGA Tour's schedule is in 2011 - a subject of serious conjecture right now.
As an offshoot of that, the realization will strike players that there are opportunities for sponsorship abroad because of golf's inclusion into the '16 Olympics in Rio. While US speed skating may be busy courting The Colbert Report as a sponsor, golf has a much higher profile and global profile. Players will have opportunities to be sponsored by multinational companies that want to be associated with the Olympics, but not pay their pricetag. These companies can do so vis a vis player sponsorship. That will likely come with some strings, though.
Those strings are part of the third reason. The PGA Tour and European Tour are engaged in a cold war to plant their Tour's flags in golf's frontier nations and continents. The game has not fully been brought to Asia. In fact, this HSBC Champions event has evolved on a bionic level compared to the organic growth on the continent. That, in part, is driven by the desire to claim Asia. South America and Africa are fairly raw continents. There will be seven years to claim these territories. Even Augusta National is in on the act.
Finally, there are the world rankings. The system has been effectively gamed by the Asian Tour, thanks to its co-sanctioning of events with the European Tour. This is likely to continue into the near future. With the Official World Golf Rankings determining fields for so many high profile events, Americans will likely have to play into the system that the world's #2 and #4 pro tours have created.
There are just too many factors that are lining up against Americans unwilling to travel thousands of miles to play golf. In order to chase ranking points and dollars, they will eventually have to acquiesce to the reality that pro golf is going global. Even if the quality of competition lags wildly behind the dollars, the dollars may eventually manifest the competition.
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Who is the LPGA Tour's Best Player in '09?
by Ryan Ballengee on Nov 4, 2009 9:52 AM EST
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Jiyai Shin has locked up the Rookie of the Year award on the LPGA Tour, landing her mug on the Tour's media guide for 2010. (What an honor!) But, she also has an opportunity to sweep the Tour's triple crown of awards and become the first player since Nancy Lopez in '78 to win Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year honors.
Let's look at the Player of the Year points race.
1. Jiyai Shin 141.00
2. Lorena Ochoa 131.00
3. Cristie Kerr 118.00
4. Ai Miyazato 111.00
5. Suzann Pettersen 110.00
6. Na Yeon Choi 106.00
7. Yani Tseng 104.00
8. Angela Stanford 103.00
We have three events left on the ole calendar, in three different countries. The Mizuno Classic is in Japan this weekend. The LoCho Invitational is in Mexico the following week. And then the Tour wraps up with its Tour Championship in the strange country of Houston.
Points are awarded uniformly in those three events to finishers in the top 10: 1st place - 30 points; 2nd - 12; 3rd -nine; 4th - seven; 5th - six; 6th - five; 7th - four; 8th - three; 9th - two; 10th - one.
If any player ranked two through five wins one of the next three events, Shin will face a much more stern test. If Shin (or Ochoa) wins any of the next three, she will have a stranglehold down the stretch.
Should be exciting to see how this plays out, particularly in Houston. The Tour Championship has a cut structure that resembles that of the old ADT Championship, just with a 120 player field. Were any of these players to miss the cut there, it could well dash their hopes of winning Player of the Year.
Regardless of outcome, this is the closest POY race in years on Tour. Since the current format came into play in the mid 90s, no POY has won the award with less than 250 points, except Annika in '98. That may well happen again this season.
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A Critical Look at the PGA Tour Drug Testing Policy
by Ryan Ballengee on Nov 3, 2009 6:05 PM EST
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For as much as has been written in the last 36 hours since the PGA Tour revealed Doug Barron as the first player to be suspended under its anti-doping policy, there has been nothing written about the specifics of the plan. Curious to learn more about the policy, I obtained a copy of the PGA Tour Anti-Doping Policy Program Manual for 2009. Reading it helped me to better understand how the program is administered and how results are handled.
The policy covers any player that competes in a PGA Tour or Nationwide Tour-sanctioned event. An opt-out is not allowed. The policy excludes players that compete on the Champions Tour, but former and retired players can be sanctioned for actions violating the policy during their playing days.
For those not aware, the tests are administered by the National Center for Drug Free Sport, or Drug Free Sport for short. They handle testing for every other major sporting league in the country except the NHL.
Testing occurs without notice and can occur during and outside of tournament competition. They can roll up to your house and ask for your sample. The process for collection and analysis is standardized across drug testing policies in sport. Players can ask for and be granted a Therapeutic Use Exemption for banned substances that they are taking that are prescribed specifically for purposes that don't enhance performance and where there is no alternative allowed substance.
If it turns out that a player has tested positively for a banned substance in their A sample and B sample, then the Tour can take sanctions against that player. But, the Tour can also take sanctions against players for a variety of behavior related to drug activity including "possession, use or attempted use of a prohibited substance or method; refusing or failing to be tested; tampering with a sample; trafficking in or administering any prohibited substance; or admitting to any conduct that violates the Program."
Once Program Administrator Allison Keller determines that a violation has occurred, the player has seven days to provide a written explanation/excuse for the positive test. Then, if a sanction is still imposed, that will take effect after seven days of being issued. A player can appeal to the Commissioner and a hearing must be heard within 45 days of that appeal.
In other words, at most nearly sixty days can pass between a positive test and a player sanction.
So, what are the sanctions? They can range wildly. It can be disqualification. It can be a ban of one year for a first time offense, five years for a second time, and a lifetime ban for a third positive test. Players may be fined or forced into counseling in addition to or in lieu of sanctions.
But, the Tour also "reserves the right to not impose any sanction if that sanction would benefit a player’s standing in any manner." Moreover, "the Commissioner may depart from the sanction guidance in the International Anti-Doping Standards as he deems appropriate in a particular case. " In other words, the Tour can choose not to punish a player for a positive test.
There are also clear rules to determine what the public will learn of the violations. The Tour will "at a minimum, publish the name of the player, the fact that the player committed an anti-doping rule violation, and the sanction imposed." But, that will only occur in cases in which sanctions of ineligibility (i.e., suspension) or disqualification are levied. Also, in the case of Drugs of Abuse - e.g., cocaine and marijuana - the Tour may not publish any information. Depending on the sanction levied, the Tour may not be required to notify the public of the incident.
The Tour is also under no obligation to disclose the actual offending substance. In fact, under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, there are legal questions about the Tour's capacity to release those details.
For anyone that is cynical about the Tour's transparency, they have a right to be cynical. There is a major loophole that the Tour can use to sweep a positive test under the proverbial rug.
The criteria for determining if a sanction would benefit a player's standing is not absolutely clear. A player's world ranking could benefit by having the results of a tournament wiped while played under the influence of PEDs. Also, the Tour can saction a player in such a way that it does not have to notify the public of what happened.
Obviously, there has been no evidence of warping this part of the policy to keep positive results quiet. But, this positive test from Doug Barron does create a call to take a more stringent look at the administration of the PGA Tour's drug testing policy.
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Doug Barron on PEDs
4 days ago
TheGreenBlazer
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In A Post-Doug Barron World, We - More Than Ever - Need To Be Vigilant (Completely Serious)
by Ryan Ballengee on Nov 3, 2009 4:02 PM EST
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Doug Barron assaulted the golf world swiftly and covertly by becoming the first American professional to fail a test for Performance Enhancing Drugs. The PGA Tour announced a one year suspension for the 40 year old, practically anonymous pro. This man snuck into our ranks, inseminated our sport with his seed of blasphemy, and forever shook the foundation of our centuries old game.
Sure, there had been cheating in the past. The mystery of Tiger's ball shooting out of the woods at Valhalla. Craig Stalder's stance in the tree. Vijay Singh's supposed impropriety. Ian Woosnam carrying a club too many. But, this - THIS - was different. It was chemical. It was psychological. Now the collective mind of our game is concussed and left staggering more than Troy Aikman in a Cowboy pocket.
As we begin to recover and enter into the post-Doug Drug Barron world - now more than ever - our sport requires serious vigilance when it comes to identifying and outing golfers with a chemical romance for the 'roids. (And beta blockers. And cough syrup.)
Clearly, the PGA Tour's drug testing policy has failed us. Sure, it's great to know who the players are that cheat AFTER they sinned against God and their country. But what about being able to predict the syringe in the vein before it ever happens? If Tom Cruise could do it in Minority Report, then surely a smarter, swifter action can be taken in reality by a much smarter band of merry men at the PGA Tour.
Testing has to be both mental and phsyical. At random, players must be strapped to lie detectors before their round. They must be interrogated - at length - about lies in their personal and professional lives in order to predict future behaviors. Surely, we would not resort to enhanced interrogation techniques, but it is critical to strike fear into the hearts of professional golfers that their livelihoods are at stake with one false move. The Tour should not be above blackmail to prevent doping.
And it doesn't stop before the round. Players should have to supply a urine sample twice before the round, including once on the first tee. We'll make room for the port-a-john if it guarantees the snow white purity of a player (though not their sample). If they cannot produce, then they can't play.
This will encourage players to drink more than healthy amounts of water during the round, which will really help them when they also have to produce urine samples at the 6th, 12th, and 18th tees respectively. Further, players will be escorted to on-course rent-a-pots by Tour officials specifically assigned to guarantee that no Whizzinator or Uroclub could be used to supply a disingenuous sample.
What? That's too much? Crosses the line? Do you hate freedom?
We must ensure that the fans, fellow competitors, and - most critically - golf writers can speak about golf's long-standing records with trust.
Vigilance and vigilante have the same prefix. I wholeheartedly support fans going inside of the ropes during the round to perform their own drug tests on players to back check the job of the PGA Tour officials! They could be in on this, too, in order to protect the biggest names in the sport.
In fact, we should even go back and test retired major champions just to make sure they're not doping now. If they're on the snuff now, how could they not have been then?
Arnold Palmer smoked cigarettes on course during his career. Could they not have been laced with ecstacy to ensure a mellow mood?
Gary Player sure traveled a lot during his career to galavant golf to the global masses. No man can have that kind of energy. He clearly was on speed. After all, he said that he knew for a FACT that guys were doping. He didn't say which guys.
No player - active or retired, living or dead - should be spared from our inquisition. Golf's name must be cleared!
In no way should Doug Barron be regarded as a hack, a one-off, an anomaly, or a guy with a beer gut. No! He should be a pale beacon to the world that we must do more to protect golf from the tantalizing stench of PEDs. As for the odorless and colorless PEDs, we have to make sure that they do not evolve to create an appealing musk and hue. Otherwise, players will flock to them like our youth flock to Skittles. Can you imagine how much better tasting the rainbow must be if it also makes you stronger and faster?
In fact, ban all snacks during the golf round! That potassium from those bananas that Tiger Woods eats might give him the strength to focus on breaking Jack Nicklaus' records - records, by the way, that have not been spared an asterisk until further evidence of his blood's purity is obtained and validated.
The whole game is in a state of flux! I've lost my sense of direction, and it's not because of marijuana smoke, but rather the cloud of doubt that now hangs over our fair sport.
Never forget Doug Barron. Never. Forget.
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When You Golf So Bad That You Need A Hug
by Ryan Ballengee on Nov 3, 2009 2:01 PM EST
21 comments
The Duramed Futures Tour is having its Q-school this week. To get in, a player must pay a $1200 fee and - if an amateur - meet certain handicap thresholds.
Well, 18 year old Native American Heather Bearpaw missed the 18-hole cut on Monday after shooting 54-over 126. As Beth Ann Baldry points out, her front-nine score of 69 was two shots worse than Tiffany Joh’s 18-hole score of 67.
via www.julkaisut.fi
My God. Back in my junior golf days, I had one especially atrocious tournament. It was REALLY bad. Like 110 bad. (I was 12.) Honestly, I thought that round wound never end. And I was considering quitting golf about 10 holes into it. Thankfully, I was 12, an amateur, and made the high school golf team.
I can't even laugh at this. That's just painful.
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