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Greens at Nicklaus' Senior PGA course drawing sharp criticism

Wednesday, May 23, 2012 Comments
BENTON HARBOR, Mich. - What course architect Jack Nicklaus calls "a little spice in the greens" at Harbor Shores is a flavor that isn't tasting very good to some competitors at the 73rd Senior PGA Championship.

jack_nicklaus_300.jpgDuring one period in his long design career, Nicklaus (left) was known for building greens with drastic undulations. At Harbor Shores, which has only been open for a couple of years, he has done it again. They are confounding, "buried elephant" putting surfaces of the highest order, the sharp teeth in a creative and scenic layout that is otherwise drawing architectural praise.
 
"In terms of the golf course, I think it's a phenomenal golf course from tee to green," Bernhard Langer said Wednesday. "One of the world's best, I would say. But [they] could be the most severe or worst green complexes I've ever seen in my life."

Nicklaus himself acknowledged the dastardly edge to his work this week. "So many players are walking up to me and saying, 'Jack, what a phenomenal golf course. What a beautiful place,' " said Nicklaus. "[I said], 'Well, have you putted the greens yet?' "
 
In the prelude to the year's first Champions Tour major, the players have putted them -- and tried to figure out how to hit approach shots (from generous fairways) that finish where they want them to finish. It won't be easy.  
 
"I could be wrong, but I'm not sure it rewards the precise shot every time," said Fred Funk. "You think you hit the shot you wanted and you may not get rewarded for it. "


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Podcast: Paul Azinger and Jaime Diaz talk Matt Kuchar's win, Kevin Na's slow play, and Tiger's troubles

Monday, May 14, 2012 Comments
In a new weekly podcast in Golf World Monday, PGA Championship winner and victorious U.S. Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger will discuss the week in golf with Golf World Editor-in-Chief Jaime Diaz.

This week, Azinger and Diaz talk about Matt Kuchar's swing overhaul, Kevin Na's steady maturation, and what continues to plague Tiger Woods.  The entire May 14 issue of Golf World Monday can be read here.

Listen to the podcast.
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Stingers: Why golf needs a shot clock

Monday, May 14, 2012 Comments
I want to write about slow play but I can't get started.
 
Wait.
 
There.
 
OK, I'm good.
 
Wait.
 
Pull the trigger!
 
Here's an idea: How about Commissioner Tim Finchem pulls the trigger? How about the game of golf pulls the trigger? How about we realize that as the world gets faster in every conceivable way, our game -- tour and amateur alike -- plods along at an excruciating pace. We're inching to a stop. We're pathetic. Golf has become not what you do when you hit the ball. Golf is what you do after you toss the grass in the air, look at your yardage book, make sure there's no one within four holes who might make a putt, and rehearse your swing. For the first of four times. 

Kevin_Na_470.jpgKevin Na's painful pre-shot routine is a notable example of golf's slow-play problem, but it's not the only one. Photo by Getty Images


This is not a plea to speed our game up so that we don't lose players. This is a HOWL to speed play up so we don't lose our game.


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Fowler handles everything right on Saturday, including Sawgrass

Saturday, May 12, 2012 Comments
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla.  -- And dude, he plays fast, too. Rickie Fowler, who shed his Anna Kournikova label last week with a victory at the Wells Fargo Championship, put up the kind of performance Saturday at the Players that, if backed up in Sunday's final round, could put him in the conversation about the next big thing -- joining Rory McIlroy, Bubba Watson and a player to be named later.

Until that win at Quail Hollow, the 23-year-old Fowler was viewed as the entire marketing package, minus the victories. His shaggy hair and bright-colored clothing give him a distinct persona and the number of young fans who now show up at tournaments dressed like him bode well for the future on the game. And it is a scene he relishes.

fowler_470_0512.jpgFowler's win last week might have opened the floodgates for more.
Photo by Getty Images.

"I love seeing it, especially the little kids running around with my hat on that is kind of flopping around, slightly large for them," Fowler said after Saturday's 66 at TPC Sawgrass threw him into the mix at the Players at nine under par through 54 holes. 

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McIlroy still can't figure out Sawgrass, exits early once again

Friday, May 11, 2012 Comments
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- As "Aw, shucks" threesomes go, you'd have to go a ways to top the group of Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson and Steve Stricker. They lead the league in disarming smiles, bashful waves and, in the case of Stricker at least, occasional tears. Watching them play Friday at TPC Sawgrass in the Players was to see a lot of what is right is right with pro golf.

At times it was almost as if Rory and Phil were in a contest to see who could give away the most golf balls to kids. Made me wonder how many balls their poor caddies have to lug around to get through 18 holes. When McIlroy or Mickelson arrived on a tee box or at a green they were greeted by the fans like long gone relatives returning home. Pure affection.

mcilroy_Players_470.jpgMcIlroy has never made the cut at the Players, but he remains determined to play better there. Photo by Getty Images

Sadly, the quality of the golf did not match the genuineness of sentiment between player and fans. Only Mickelson, with a 71 in the second round, made the cut, finishing 36 holes at two under par 142. McIlroy stumbled to a 76 and will head home for the weekend at four over par. Stricker was six over.


Related: Rory McIlroy's natural swing

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Backstage with an unlikely golfer, Lewis Black

Thursday, May 10, 2012 Comments
I don't remember how I learned that comedian Lewis Black -- he of the explosive rants and overly flexible index finger -- is a golfer. But as a fan of his bawdy, boisterous, and badass bits on life in modern America (politics, technology, entertainment, etc.), I couldn't let the opportunity pass. So I called his publicist and proposed sitting down for an interview about his game and whatever else was in his fertile, fantastical mind. And the good folks at Golf Digest have a better sense of humor than I might have suspected: They urged me on, saying that a Q&A would fit in -- somewhere.
 
A date was set to meet in our mutual hometown, New York City. When Lewis isn't on the road -- about a third of the year -- he lives close to the theater district, which makes sense as he began his career as a playwright, including a graduate degree from the Yale Drama School. The comedy came later, partly as a result of hosting revues on a small stage below a restaurant owned by a friend. We met in that same theater, chatting over a small table surrounded by upturned chairs as the photographer set up on the stage for the photo shoot to follow.

 
 
Among us we were able to pack an awful lot of work into a few hours: an extensive interview, photography both indoors and on the packed streets near Times Square, and a few minutes of video. Turns out he is not only funny but indefatigable, a good trait for a stand-up.
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Video: Fowler's fantastic finish at Quail Hollow

Monday, May 7, 2012 Comments
Not so long ago we were led to believe that a tournament loses much of its juice the moment Tiger Woods heads home for the weekend.

Let the Wells Fargo Championship remind us  that theory no longer makes sense. Already a respected tournament on a fantastic layout, this year's edition gave way to one of the most memorable finishes of the season, with Rickie Fowler outdueling Rory McIlroy (and D.A. Points) for his first career PGA Tour win.

See for yourself in the highlights below:

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Rickie Fowler's win proves golf is in good hands

Sunday, May 6, 2012 Comments
Rickie Fowler wasn't the only winner on Sunday at Quail Hollow. The other was the future of golf. For a game many feared would be in serious trouble in the post-Tiger Woods era -- we might have arrived there already -- it sure has made an inspiring comeback during the last 11 months.

June 2011: Rory McIlroy, 22, conquers the field in the U.S. Open at Congressional.

August 2011: Keegan Bradley, 25, captures the PGA, the first major he ever played.

May 2012: Rickey Fowler, 23, seizes his long-awaited inaugural tour victory.

rory_rickie_470.jpgThe Sunday duel between McIlroy and Fowler at Quail Hollow likely won't be the last one. Photo by Getty Images.

Hey, aren't we forgetting somebody? Hint: He plays left-handed, hits the ball a mile, and knows how to hook a wedge from the pine straw at Augusta National.


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Far from spectacular, Woods salvages start

Thursday, May 3, 2012 Comments

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- At one point on a sweltering hot North Carolina day, the electronic scoreboards posted a warning: Due to extraordinarily dry conditions extinguishing cigarettes/cigars in pine straw beds may result in fire.

The only thing Tiger Woods extinguished in a pine straw bed was his second shot on the ninth at Quail Hollow Club. After driving it into the trees on the right, Woods tried to hit a low punch underneath the limbs of two small trees. It slammed into the pine straw, lost all its speed and tumbled forward a few feet, resulting in a bogey and a front nine of one-over par 37. On a day built for scoring, it wasn't until the par-five 15th that Woods finally got his round into red figures, ultimately finishing one-under and in a tie for 56th.


tiger_wells_fargo_470.jpg
At one under, Woods can't afford too many mistakes Friday if he hopes to play the weekend. Photo by Getty Images.

"I made too many mistakes on the front nine," said Woods. "I didn't take care of the par fives. I had an easy up and in at eight (a short par four) which I messed up there. Ten, I short-side myself and that's three, four shots right there. Obviously, I can't make those little mistakes like that tomorrow."

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Mr. Style weighs in on tour players' vintage get-ups

Monday, April 30, 2012 Comments
By now you may have seen photos of of the seven PGA Tour players decked in vintage clothing prior to last week's Zurich Classic. If anything, it was a departure from the standard get-up of logoed golf shirts and plain-front chinos. Whether they pulled it off, however, is a better question for Golf Digest's Fashion Director, Marty Hackel. So we asked, and here was Marty's take.

gwsl01_zurich.jpg Photo by Dom Furore

Keegan Bradley's Tommy Hilfiger clothing made him look like he just stepped off the campus green; Graeme McDowell was dressed so well in his Kartel Apparel, he looked like a character out of Oliver Twist; Rickie Fowler's Puma outfit was elaborate enough he was sweating profusely, and yet somehow he made it look cool; Luke Donald in RLX/Ralph Lauren's black-and-white outfit looked and fit so good he should consider wearing it at the Open Championship this summer; Ben Crane's Hugo Boss outfit featured a really cool vest and plus fours with fabric that coordinated well with his bowtie and newsboy hat; Camilo Villegas looked great in J. Lindeberg. The cardigan sweater really made the look and wearing a necktie tied everything together; Justin Rose looked perfectly at home in his adidas clothing, which were smartly kept in a neutral tone.

What did you think of the group last week? Did they look cool? Did they look ridiculous? Maybe somewhere in between? Let us know in the comments section below.

 
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