We love to get letters like this one from Tom Gies of Potomac, Maryland. Short, sweet and that part about the subscription is very well put.

Re: Your July 25 issue. The coverage of the British was terrific. Bill Fields' piece was sublime. And the feature on The Growler is the kind of thing one sees only in Golf World. Bravo. Extend my subscription, for life.

Michelle Wie's decision to play another men's event, the Reno-Tahoe Open beginning tomorrow, has puzzled Annika Sorenstam.

“I really don’t know why Michelle is continuing to do this,” said Sorenstam, who announced in May that she will retire at the end of the season. “I mean, we have a major this week and if you can’t qualify for a major I don’t see any reason why you should play with the men.”

Except , perhaps, sponsors who want the exposure they thought they were paying for...

--Bob Carney

For the many of you who wrote or posted comments about John Barton's "How Green is Golf?" package in the Golf Digest May issue, check out Geoff Shackelford's post yesterday in which he covers Golfdom's follow-up, including an interview of Barton by Geoff.

Meanwhile, Vietnam of all places is getting tougher on golf course construction, for environmental reasons. According to China View:

Vietnam will freeze new golf course licensing unless investors meet local land-use criteria and environmental protection requirements, according to local newspaper Vietnam Investment Review on Monday.

Local governments should cease issuing new golf licenses if the projects are built on land which is currently used to cultivate two rice crops each year, the country's Ministry of Planning and Investment said in a report submitted to the government.

According to the report, the country has 78 golf projects which will cost 13 billion U.S. dollars.

"The density of golf courses in some localities is unbelievable. For example, northern Bac Giang province's Yen Dung district has three approved golf courses, Hanoi capital's Long Bien district has two, and southern Ba Ria Vung Tau province's Chau Duc district has three," the report said.

Tom Sheely writes with his "proof" that the Masters is the strongest major and that next week's PGA Championship ranks third, ahead of the U.S. Open and behind the Open Championship. He considers the Masters the clear winner.

Sheely uses two tests, both based on winners from 1986 thorugh 2007. Let's post his first "proof", essentially the argument that the the event which has champions winning the most other majors is the strongest. (The second argument is based on the total number of majors won by champions during that period, but he counts the totals of repeat winners more than once).

Many have wondered, “Which is the best major?” “Which major is the greatest test of championship ability?” We can we answer those questions by analyzing objective data?

The main purpose of any tournament and certainly for the majors is at the end of the day you have identified the best golfer. The pros will tell you on any given week any player can win. But we want more from the majors. We not only want the best player for the week to win, we want majors to identify one of the best players of the year. When you look at who wins the majors, it's not a long list of “anybody’s”. It is a list of golfers who have demonstrated a high performance for the entire year and for their entire career. Which major does the best job of identifying the best players?

The Masters is Best
When you look at the end of year rankings of the four major Champions over the past 21 years, the major championship that most often identified the player with that year’s best World Golf Ranking was the Masters. The British Open was second, the PGA was 3rd and the US Open was the least capable of the four majors in identifying a player with the best WGR.

Did a player who won a Major have the ability to win a different Major sometime in their career or was this the only Major they could win? The Major with the fewest would be ranked as the Best Major because their champions had a greater ability to win other Majors. The Major with the most Champions who could not win a different Major was ranked last . For years 1986 - 2007:

Best major: Masters, 5 (champions with only one major); second best, British Open, 9; third best, PGA Championship, 10; fourth best, U.S. Open, 15.

What do the rest of you think?

--Bob Carney

Shall this be the final pro/con on the scorecard rule that cost Michelle Wie a disqualification? Wie's put it behind her. After this, perhaps we will, too. First, Lee Giles of Sedona, Arizona, to the Golf World defenders of the rule:

Your premise, "why the scorecard rule is necessary" is so wrong. This is a technical issue, having absolutely nothing to do with actual play nor the integrity of the game. Ron Sirak's comment that "only the players really know the totality of what takes place" is so off base, it strains credulity. Professional are surrounded by rules officials, at least two scorers, two caddies, a sign board, at least one other player, and scores of fans. At least a half dozen people know what each player shot. Sirak is saying that the scoreboards around the course can not be trusted either. For gosh sakes, get rid of all the silly techno crap and let them play golf. As long as they sign a card before they leave the course, it should be okay. We are not talking about falsifying a score (lower than actual). That can't happen. We are talking about if you picked up the wrong fork to eat your dessert.

Mr. Gitlin’s letter advocating a Rules of Golf change in the score card Rule 6-6 suggests the issue has not been considered by the USGA and R&A, golf’s ruling bodies. Of course it has as every Rule receives continuing and constant review. The fact the Rule hasn’t changed in decades is a clear message that the cures are worse than the affliction.

One item has been fixed. The Mark Roe/Jesper Parnevik incident, players not properly exchanging cards, has been resolved with a new Decision.

Officials often save players from problems, wrong scores, failing to sign, and others. Hale Irwin was so focused on his final round numbers in the 1979 US Open at Inverness that once he was satisfied with the math, he promptly rose from the scoring table to leave and USGA Official Tom Meeks said, “Hale—sign the card now!” just as he was about to exit the trailer. This is more common than the Michelle Wie incident at Springfield. The Rule is fine; the question of how to staff the scoring area is the larger question.

I'm in Wes' camp here. Play, add 'em up, sign and then go do what you have to do. That way, everybody's protected. In most sports there is one score; in golf there are hundreds. The player should have a right to attest his or hers, but with that right is the obligation to do it promptly after play. That said, at a professional event there ought to be a system that keeps the player from skipping out.

Are we done?

--Bob Carney

Minnesotan James Nixon was quick today with a suggestion for Mike Purkey and his Golf World Rewind column:

Once again this week, fans of women's golf are being subjected to the third-rate golf coverage provided by French television for the Golf Channel feed of the Evian Masters. Each year, the announcers struggle with balls lost in the sky, incorrect scores relayed to the booth and no continuity as far as showing recoveries from errant shots by the leaders. This jumble of television golf has become an annual black mark on TV golf coverage.

I'm pretty sure the French trade unions control the cameras and there is no possibility of ever improving their performance. However, It think it would be appropriate for either the Golf Channel to acknowledge they are doing their best with a bad situation (instead of pretending it doesn't exist), or for Golf World, in its excellent TV Rewind column, to point out that Golf Channel can't help the rotten production and ask viewers to be tolerant.

That coverage saw Helen Alfredsson win her third Evian Masters in a playoff, with no Michelle Wie in the field. Under the headline "Evian Masters will always welcome struggling golpher Michelle Wie," the Canadian Press had this interesting tidbit on Wie and exemptions, quoting tournament director Jacques Bungert:

"This year B.J. (Wie's father) called me. Obviously he didn't want to ask for an exemption," Bungert said. "I guess to him the pride was for Michelle to qualify directly to the Evian Masters. She asked for tournaments that could help her get back on track as well. Evian is not an easy course or tournament."

Easy courses being those that don't kill the golphers, I suppose.

--Bob Carney

The letters (and posts) continue to arrive about Michelle Wie's DQ, with most pro-Wie, or at least anti-old rules. Interesting point here by Dave Benson of Naples, Florida: What about that official scorer?

Ron Sirak makes an excellent point when he says "when Manny Ramirez hits a home run everyone sees it". However, he also states that the players are the only ones who know what they scored. Whoops - what happened to the official scorer that walks each hole with the players, or the young man holding the staff that gives the current score verus par. I started playing golf when we had the stymie rule and professional golfers did not have people walking with them to keep their score. I am very much in favor of a player having to sign their score card. But, why shouldn't one of the officials in the scorer's tent be responsible for ensuring that each player signs their card before leaving the area as Michelle did ? Based on the incidents that have happened when a golfer is disqualified like this, an improvement should be made to have someone monitor the situation.

Good point, Dave. But as a player, don't you want to be there to check the official scorer's card? It's your living, after all. As a tournament director wrote to us, the whole point of the scorer and the volunteers in the scoring area is to prevent what happened to Michelle Wie from happening; in effect, to protect the player from herself.

It's the player's card, though, and coming from that point of view, some Golf World readers aren't at all sympathetic. Here's Richard Oswald:

Why do we have certain people who what rules changed for their own conveniences?

I'm tired of all this constant whining.

And R. Phillip of Chicago, on the letter of Pete Gitlin of Phoenix, who said, "Does Manny Ramirez have to sign a card after hitting a home run to validate it?"

Regarding Mr. Gitlin's letter I find it very funny. If Manny Ramirez hits a home run and fails to touch all the bases and is called out maybe he can tell the umpire he forgot the rule and they will feel sorry for him and give him a home run and perhaps an offensive lineman forgets the snap count and he jumps offside and maybe the headlinesman will feel sorry for him and not call a penalty. Maybe Michelle should take the time to read the rule book, she will probably be amazed with whats in there. Let her win a tournament the right way.

Meanwhile, Wie hangs tough.

"I wish I had no critics, but I'm realistic. People will write negative things about me. The only thing I can control is myself. A good score will resolve everything," she said.

Wie says she her goal is not simply to play the weekend of this week's Reno-Tahoe Open.

"I'm not going to focus on making the cut," she said. "My goal this week is how to make less bogies and more birdies. Focus on the little things, and it'll take care of itself."

Play hard. We're rooting for you.

--Bob Carney

(Photo: Andrew Reddington/Getty Images)

Reader Paul Christiansen of Oslo, Norway, offers one European's perspective on the British Open, Kenny Perry and the upcoming Ryder Cup. He responds to Jack Nicklaus' comments during the British Open about the motivation of American tour players: "These kids today play perfect conditions every week. If they don't like what's going on, they're finishing 10th or 15th and still making a check. I don't think it makes them as tough." Here's Paul:

Jack Nicklaus commented on the absence of younger players at the top of the British Open leader board, relating this to what he believes is a lack of hungry golfers. They make so much money today that they really do not hve to push themselves to win. Nicklaus' comments are always well worth listening to and he could even have expanded that to include some of the more experienced golfers on the the Tour as well. Point in case I believe, is Kenny Perry, the winner of John Deere Classic the week before the Open. He was qualified to play in the Open, but did not go because he had committed to play that week in Milwaukee. And as he said, his main goal is to provide for a living for himself and his family. For a player who has won three times on the PGA tour this year, I think it is rather poor showing not to play the Open. Why play in rain and storm, in high rough and pot bunkers, etc. when you can play beautifully manicured courses in the sunshine in your own country? Why is it that the American golfers with their superior rankings fall short in Ryder Cup matches? Could it be that they lack the competitive edge and the hunger to win?

How do you say "Them's fightin' words!" in Norwegian, Paul? Alas, you and Jack, may have it correct. But Jack, like all zen masters, speaks in paradoxes. Just before he made those "hungry" comments, he wrote in the upcoming September Ryder Cup issue of Golf Digest about how American players need to lighten up a bit in the Ryder Cup, which is, after all, an exhibition. In other words, be don't be so hungry.

I know I tend to sound ambivalent about the Ryder Cup. On the one hand, I think the matches have been made too important for the wrong reasons. Fundamentally, I believe the Ryder Cup is an exhibition by some of the best golfers in the world, great entertainment and an exercise in sportsmanship, camaraderie and goodwill.

The individual performances, good or bad, don't determine who the best players in the world are. Nor does the side that happens to win determine on what side of the Atlantic the best golf is played.

Too many people believe otherwise, and that helps to make the matches too contentious among the teams and their fans.

All of what Jack says is thought-provoking, on either of the "hungry" issue. Look for more in the September issue.

And thanks for the letter.

--Bob Carney

We continue to get both letters and posts on the Michelle Wie disqualification. Here's an interesting one from former tournament director Tony Coleman:

As the former Executive Director of the Wisconsin PGA and Tournament Director of the then Greater Milwaukee Open, I’ve run a lot of golf tournaments.

Michelle Wie clearly made a mistake, for which she has accepted blame. The rule is clear and unequivocal, and she broke it. I would have made the same decision as the LPGA.

However, in my opinion, there is another question that is less about the rule than with tournament administration.

As a tournament director, I can tell you that my instruction to the volunteers in the scoring tent was first and foremost to be sure that before anyone left the scoring area, they got two signatures on the card. I am not blaming the volunteers in this case, but sitting across the table from the player as they hand their card in, it is hard to imagine not seeing the signature or lack thereof. However, having a tour official (as I understand the PGA TOUR, USGA and PGA do) takes the pressure off the volunteers and almost assures that unless the player intends not to sign the card, it will be signed. It would be a travesty, for instance, if a Ochoa or Sorenstam played a great third round in a major championship, came to the scoring tent, checked their card for accuracy, signed the other player’s card and then for whatever reason, somehow did not sign their own card and was disqualified.

So, with one official question, “Are there two signatures?”, this type of incident could be avoided. That would be good for the player, for the fans, for the tournament organizers and for the LPGA.

Well said, Tony. Geoff Shackelford posts a memo from LPGA Commissioner Carolyn Bivens today, for its account of things.

--Bob Carney

The non-controversial guy, Kenny Perry has stirred up some heat--mostly for John Hawkins, who took exception in his July 18 Golf World column to Kenny's skipping the British and got support from Curtis Strange. This letter is from E. A. Kilburn of Scottsdale:

John Hawkins and Curtis Strange should (a) get off Perry's back and (b) in retrospect, apologize for criticizing Perry's decision; to forego the Open Championship in Birkdale, a decision totally justified by events. Perry's characteristic shot is a high soaring draw. In the 35-40 mph winds that prevailed he would have had trouble breaking 90. With a right-to-left wind of that velocity he would have to aim at Scotland to have had any chance of his ball landing in Ireland! Strange's assertion that the course was favorable to American golfers was also belied by events. I think Jim Furyk or Anthony Kim may have finished in the top 20. Did any other American golfer finish that high? I don't recall, but no American finished in the top ten.

Actually, Furyk, Kim and Ben Curtis all tied for 7th. Justin Leonard was T-16. And isn't Greg Norman American by marriage? I love this one from Mike Priebe of Novi, Michigan:

Give me a break. If I'm Kenny Perry and I'm mapping out my schedule, here's something that would not be in the top one thousand on my consideration list: "Gee, I hope I don't disappoint Curtis Strange."

Not to mention the really insulting, "Oh maybe you might have a chance to win a major since Tiger's out."

Note to Curtis.....mind your own bees wax and worry about your own schedule.

Clyde Huffman puts things in perspective. Kenny's big, but not Big Blue big...

Kenny Perry is definitely “The Man” in active professional golf now, while he will never be a Tiger, that is fine with KP. His goals were never structured around him as much as they were to provide for his family, and contribute to his many local charities, Christian college David Lipscomb in Nashville and support local golf near his hometown of Franklin, KY. This week KP is sponsoring a local scramble tournament, and taking time off the tour (I am sure someone is going to criticize him for this too), at his own Country Creek Golf Course with proceeds going to local high school golf teams. KP will be at the event, hitting shots and playing with the groups, and being available for autographs for everyone. A little different approach than Tiger takes, but KP is KP. And that is refreshing for professional golf.

Since KP is finally receiving media attention, there are a few corrections to be made from the July 18th edition of GolfWorld. E. Michael Johnson’s article should’ve stated that Kenny Perry is in the Western Kentucky University Hall of Fame (don’t know where the Western Georgia reference came from). And to respond to a reader's comment about Kenny’s fame in Kentucky; I don’t think we are ready to rate him in the same class as Big Blue Basketball. If Tiger were from Kentucky, he wouldn’t even be in that company.

Don't be surprised if ole KP answers his critics with a win at the PGA Championship. Been that kind of year.

--Bob Carney

(Photo: Kevin A. Cox, Getty Images)