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TourCaddie: A virtual caddie in an app

John Strege — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:41:00 GMT

By John Strege TourCaddie obviously is not a caddie per se. But what it is is an iPhone app that has the ability to perform some of the same functions as a caddie does, and...

Media: Rose withstands thorny 'U.S. Open nerves'

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 23:45:00 GMT

By John Strege

It was a day made for a television analyst renowned for using a word that he assiduously avoided, but NBC's Johnny Miller found a way around it on Sunday.

Maybe the players weren't "choking," as he would have said before criticism might have led him to strike the word from his vocabulary. But "nerves" is a sufficient synonym, and he used it more than once on a day when Open pressure, as it often does, scrambled the leaderboard and allowed Justin Rose to win by shooting an even-par 70.

(Getty Images photo)

"Nothing easy," Miller said, when spraying to all fields, including a shank by Steve Stricker, a standard-bearer felled by a Luke Donald tee shot (see photo above), and a pulled and lipped out par putt by Charl Schwartzel. "This is almost all nerves, folks. This is what nerves will do to you Sunday at a U.S. Open. These guys are not even hardly the same golfer they were the first three days, almost to a man."

Even Tiger Woods, who was not a factor on Sunday, evoked the word from Miller.

"The putter's not working, in majors," Miller said. "He's won four times this year. Regular events he's putting the eyes out of it. Then he gets to the Masters, nothing goes in. Gets to the U.S. Open, nothing goes in again. He must be trying too hard in the majors. Or maybe he's at the age where maybe he's getting a little tiny bit of nerves. Maybe he wants it a little too badly. That record of Jack's is haunting him a little."

Later in the broadcast, when NBC showed a replay of Stricker's shank, Miller said, "U.S. Open nerves, I guess. I don't know what else you'd call it."

Yes, he does. He just avoided saying it.

Question of the day

"Can he handle this moment, though, to get his first U.S. Open title?" Johnny Miller asked of Phil Mickelson, moments before he teed off. A little more than four hours later, we had the answer.

While we're young (or not)

Golf Channel's Kelly Tilghman interviewed USGA president Glen Nager and to her credit brought up the five hours, 40 minutes it took the final group on Saturday to complete its round, and did so in the context of the USGA's new "While We're Young" campaign to speed play.

"We can do better," Nager replied. "That's partly our message, which is what all of us in the industry need to look at how we can do better. We knew coming into Merion there were places that were going to make this golf course play slower than other golf courses, because you have bottlenecks right off the bat, with a reachable par 5, the second hole, the third hole being a par 3. We did a lot of things in advance to try to promote a better pace of play.

"I think you'll see today just going off the first tee and going in pairings of two we should be able to hit our allotted time of four hours and two minutes, give or take a little."

They played in a little more than the goal of four-hours, two-minutes, but they came in well under five hours. It's a start.

On Twitter

Dan Jenkins (@danjenkinsgd): "Watching Tiger here, the question is shifting from whether he'll surpass Nicklaus' record to whether he'll win another major."

Sophie Gustafson (@SophieGustafson): "Ralph Lauren asked @LukeDonald to wear the squid pants. In his gentle English accent he said '#### no'."

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Media: Merion incompatible with modern players?

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 23:55:00 GMT

(Getty Images photo)

By John Strege

It won't play well with the modern fraternity, but NBC's Johnny Miller evoked a bygone era -- his own, not surprisingly -- to explain the U.S. Open field's general failure to solve the riddle of the Merion Golf Club.

"There are birdie holes, but you have to play them correctly," Miller said Saturday, in the midst of the third-round carnage. "It's a precision golf course. I don't believe the players of today are precision players on a whole. They're more power, take advantage of the par 5s. They're good players, obviously, great players, but somehow when they get on a precise course with long rough, they're like, 'what is this?'"

The Twitter response? Two players, both on the Champions Tour and having overlapped with Miller's generation, agreed with him.

"Johnny Miller is CORRECT," Steve Elkington wrote. "Today's players aren't precise."

"Finally," John Cook wrote, apparently zinging Miller while agreeing with Elkington.

On Golf Channel earlier in the day, Cook, who tied for fourth in the Open at Merion in 1981, provided interesting context that wouldn't fit in 140 characters.

"It's an old classic with movement in the fairways and that's what makes these old golf courses relevant," Cook said. "They can hold their own because you have to know which way that fairway pitches and the type of shot you're going to have to play to keep the ball in the fairway. It's unfamiliar to a lot of guys, because they didn't get a lot of practice on it, but you have to adjust to it, but that's the way it is.

"If you want to win the U.S. Open you have to figure out how to play these golf courses. If you don't, move on and you get Travelers [Championship] next week where you'll shoot 20-under par. It's the U.S. Open."

Let Greg Norman, yet another player from the same era, have the last word, via Twitter: "Love the old style golf this week. 2 many wks the players want perfect. Marion's [sic] imperfect perfect nuances r brilliant."

Merion and Joe Frazier

Former USGA executive director David Fay, who had a hand in awarding the U.S. Open to Merion, was asked on NBC his opinion of how the course was holding up.

"There was a headline this morning. After two rounds the winner is Merion," he said. "I think it's held up well. You have a historic masterpiece here, and it is proving it is up to the challenge and taking everything that contemporary golf can dish out. We're in Philly. Joe Frazier. That's how I look at Merion. It's a compact heavyweight. It's relentless. There are some times when you think you can let your guard down you might get a whistling left hook and wonder what hit you."

Hey, Ernie, Watch Luke

Miller invoked a familiar theme, nerves, when Ernie Els put a cut stroke on a short putt that he missed by a wide margin.

"Got to be nerves, that stroke," Miller said. "That's not a good stroke."

A better one was displayed by Luke Donald, particularly on a birdie putt that he holed on the fourth hole. "That was such a beautiful stroke," Miller said. "It has such rhythm. That stroke there, every golfer should watch about 15 minutes before they go to sleep every night."

While we're young

The pace of play on Saturday was abysmal, evoking widespread sarcasm over the USGA's new "While We're Young" campaign urging golfers to pick up the pace. But don't blame slow play on Billy Horschel.

"He'll hit it while we're young," NBC's Roger Maltbie said. "He doesn't take a lot of time."

On Twitter

Elkington (2elkpga): "It could wind up the most boring USopen of all.... No way to make a run....#nodrama"

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Media: Johnny Miller on Tiger's major putting woes

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 23:44:00 GMT

By John Strege

It's somewhat premature to analyze Tiger Woods' recent failures to win majors and how they might apply to this U.S. Open, but NBC's Johnny Miller nonetheless attempted to do so on Friday.

"It's the putting at the majors," Miller said. "For some reason he's not making the putts like he does at regular tour events. Maybe that's part of being his age. He's got a lot of wear and tear on the old tires. I don't know if that's it, but he's not making them. So far."

"Later in the career there's always a lot of scar tissue on that putter," Notah Begay said.

Miller could be right, of course, but when he was discussing Woods' ills, he was completing a round of even-par 70 that put him in a tie for 29th at the time. And as the day progressed, he eventually climbed into the top 20, with 36 holes left.

Blame it on Augusta

Martin Kaymer, a past winner of the PGA Championship and a former No. 1 in the World Ranking, decided to change his swing from a fade to a draw and has encountered a slump that has dropped him to No. 34.

Paul Azinger's theory? "That's always Augusta National influence," he said. "It's ruined more careers of guys trying to play well at Augusta, to learn how to hit it higher and learn how to draw it."

Dottie unplugged

ESPN's Dottie Pepper reported that the group of Nicolas Colsaerts, Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson had been put on the clock, and that it affected their play. All three hit a ball in the hazard at the ninth hole.

"Dustin Johnson is headed back to the drop zone. Colsaerts...also is now headed back to the drop zone," she said. "I think the biggest part of what's all going on in this group right now is the fact that they're on the clock. All three of these guys are visibly flustered and it's not just from the poor shots they hit."

It's not a flagstick

Merion Golf Club does not have flags, as we all know. It has wicker baskets. So, what to call them, if they're not flagsticks. ESPN's Sean McDonough had the answer. "Very difficult hole location today," he said, "that wicker stick protected by the right front bunker."

Good call, Rog

When Colsaerts hit his tee shot at 14 what seemed so far right it was hard , Roger Maltbie on ESPN put an entertaining spin on the shot.

"That was a total bailout there," he said. "If this was roller derby he'd have put his hands on his hips and called off the jam in the middle of that swing."

Question of the day

Maltbie to USGA executive director Mike Davis: "Is this a long short course or a short long course? I can't figure it out."

Random question

Why does the broadcast media keep referring to Merion as a female, as in "she's holding her own"?

On Twitter

Joe Ogilvie (@ogilviej): "Someone asked me if the US Open was fun. My reply: 'yes, if you enjoy colonoscopies.'"

John Cook (@johncookgolf): "Congressional, long golf course, soft, record scores. Merion, short, soft, par might win. Hmmmm."

(Getty Images photo)

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Media: USGA allows viewers to watch Tiger's round

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 21:36:00 GMT

(Getty Images photo)

By John Strege

Whatever one's preference, the U.S. Open or the Masters, the blue blazers trump the green jackets from a viewer's perspective.

The United States Golf Association hierarchy, though haughty in its own right, at least gives viewers what they want, unlike the Augusta National hierarchy. Recall that at the Masters Tiger Woods played most of his first round out of sight of television or Internet viewers.

Woods is part of a marquee pairing that includes Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott in the first two rounds of the U.S. Open that begins Thursday, and television viewers will have the opportunity to see all of it, on a combination of ESPN and NBC.

Moreover, the Woods, McIlroy and Scott group is one of two featured pairings that will be shown both days via the U.S. Open website or an app available for the iPhone, iPad and Android devices. The other featured pairing to be shown will be Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker and Keegan Bradley.

Now contrast that with the Masters' two featured groupings it showed from its first round: Peter Hanson, Charl Schwartzel and Webb Simpson in one and K.J. Choi, Zach Johnson and Graeme McDowell in the other.

ESPN, meanwhile, also is starting its coverage on Friday a half-hour earlier, at 8:30 a.m. (EDT) to accommodate more of the Woods' pairing that goes off at 7:44.

The full viewing schedule can be found here.

Say what?

Tom O'Toole, chairman of the USGA's championship committee, echoed a familiar USGA talking point in an interview with Golf Channel on Wednesday.

"I think there's probably too much attachment to this par discussion and what that really means," he said.

Then why does the USGA often take holes that ordinarily play as par 5s and call them par 4s, as it does for the second hole for Opens at Pebble Beach and as it did for the sixth hole at Torrey Pines South in the 2008 Open?

That's some rough rough

Arron Oberholser, working for Golf Channel this week: "Walking across the rough on the 18th hole, I lose my shoes every time."

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Media: 'In all facets...this course points to Tiger'

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 20:08:00 GMT

By John Strege

Obviously, it is not an unusual or risky position to take, predicting a Tiger Woods victory, but Brandel Chamblee's explanation for doing so on Tuesday, two days before the start of the U.S. Open, shows why he's the best studio analyst in golf.

"When you start to look at and break down this field," Chamblee said on Golf Channel, "there are 39 players outside the top 500, 27 players outside the top 1,000, and from 50-100 on the world rankings, there are only 22 in this field. When you start to say not Tiger, that he is not the favorite, okay, then who? In all facets of the game, this golf course points to Tiger Woods."

Zinger

Paul Azinger is one of the better analysts in any golf broadcast booth, though as an ESPN employee his exposure is limited to the Masters, the U.S. Open and the British Open. Here are his opinions of Woods and Mickelson heading into the Open:

-- "I believe what to look for out of Tiger Woods is how he is emotionally early on. When he's winning and hitting it poorly...he [still] has this air of confidence and this air of calm and patience. When he knows he doesn't have it, he's kicking clubs around and you can read his lips. I would look early on to see if he's frustrated and how he's reacting."

-- "[Phil] Mickelson is the combination of the ultimate tactician and the crazyâass gambler. I mean, this dude has so much gamble in him that it overrides his strategic approach to golf, but he's a combination of both. And when the two converge properly, he wins 45 or 50 times, however many times he's going to win in his career. He has all the potential in the world to pull this off if the convergence works out."

On Twitter

John Peterson (@JohnPetersonLSU): "Suppose I jam one in a wicker basket this week. My nearest point would be straight down, which would be in the hole. #right??"

Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter): "Hahaha just watching GolfChannel people interviewing asking if 62 is on this week. What are they smoking. Hahaha"

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Is Mickelson ready for the Open? 'Yes, sir'

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 22:13:00 GMT

By John Strege

Tournaments played off-Broadway take their stars anyway they can get them, even if it's only a way station for them. So it was that Phil Mickelson turned up on the FedEx St. Jude Classic marquee last week, passing through Memphis en route from Philadelphia to Philadelphia and the U.S. Open.

Even approaching 43, Mickelson is still learning lessons the hard way, having concluded finally that the best way for him to enter a major championship on a full tank is to fill up the week before.

"I didn't play well at the Masters this year taking the week off [before]," Mickelson said in Memphis. "I know that for me to be sharp mentally, especially going into a tournament where the penalty for missing is so great, like the U.S. Open, it's important that I'm sharp and I'm ready to play."

The benefit to the tournament, in addition to an enhanced playbill, is that the star occasionally stumbles into a victory. Mickelson nearly did so, ultimately tying for second, two strokes back of winner Harris English.

Mickelson, at any rate, already has secured his place in history and winning any additional number of tournaments of the ilk of the St. Jude Classic won't alter it. Winning majors will, which is why he was here, and it bodes well that he was in contention.

He last played in Memphis four years ago, when the following week he tied for second in the Open at Bethpage Black. In each of the four major championships he's won, he played the week before and finished in the top 10 in three of them, most memorably at the BellSouth Classic in 2006. He won by 13 strokes, then followed with a victory in the Masters.

"I really like playing here," he said of the TPC Southwind. "It's a good golf course. It's precise. It puts a real premium on hitting the fairways. You can then be aggressive into the greens. The shot-making is very similar [to Merion]."

Mickelson acquainted himself with Merion, outside Philadelphia, early last week, spending two days there. "It's really a wonderful setup," he said. "It's the best I've seen. I think the reason I like it so much is they've made the hard holes more difficult. But they did not make the easy holes harder. They gave you birdie opportunities on the easy holes, and they made tough pars a little bit harder, which allows the player that is playing well to separate himself from the field."

Related: The USGA's big bet on Merion

He then came to Memphis to continue his preparation under tournament conditions. "This is a good thing for me to try to continue to play better each day in the tournament," he said. "I think that's why I enjoy the competing element before a big event like the U.S. Open next week."

Whatever questions he might have had about the state of his game he answered definitively from the 18th fairway on Sunday. Trailing by two, Mickelson hit a shot that was tracking for the pin. "Get in," he said. It nearly did. He was left with a tap-in birdie.

"Is he ready for the U.S. Open?" CBS' Ian Baker-Finch asked. "Yes, sir."

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Yes, some tour pros have handicaps (Phil's is +5.2)

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 20:00:00 GMT

By John Strege

Have you ever wondered what an elite tour player's handicap index might be? Phil Mickelson, a member at Whisper Rock Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., is playing to a +5.2, according to the USGA's Golf Handicap and Information Network (ghin.com).

Mickelson, who designed the Lower Course at Whisper Rock, is one of several tour players who are members there, and their PGA Tour scores are posted.

The screenshot here shows every score that Mickelson has recorded on the PGA Tour back to the Northern Trust Open with the exception of the Masters. On Feb. 1, Mickelson's handicap was +7.2. It has fallen, because he broke 70 in only eight of 20 rounds, with a low of 67. The 79 he shot came in the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, where he missed the cut.

Whisper Rock's membership rolls also include Aaron Baddeley (+4.4, down from +6.2); Martin Kaymer (+4.6, down from +5.8); Kevin Streelman (+5.3, down from +6.2); Paul Casey (+3.9, down from +4.6); Billy Mayfair (+3.7, down from +5.2); Chez Reavie (+4.5 from +5.4); and Geoff Ogilvy (+4.2 from +6.2).

Mickelson's brother Tim, the golf coach at Arizona State, also is a member there and carries a handicap of +3.7, down from +4.4. Phil's caddie Jim Mackay, better known as Bones, also is a member and has a handicap of 3.1, down from 1.9.

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Slow play: '5 hours 1 minute' for final group at '61 Open

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 15:44:00 GMT

By John Strege

Slow play has received quite an airing in recent days, weeks, months, even years, to wit: the penalties assessed at the recent men's NCAA Championship, Tianlang Guan's slow-play penalty at the Masters and Golf Channel designating June as "Pace of Play Month."

Then there was Mike Stachura's story in the June issue of Golf Digest, on the '81 U.S. Open at Merion. The headline: "Slow Play's Darkest Day."

Professionally and recreationally, slow play is a problem that, as many have said, resembles the weather. Everyone talks about it, but nothing is done about it.

Indeed. I recently stumbled across a short New York Times story from June 14, 1962, on the eve of the U.S. Open at Oakmont. The headline: "Open Players Are Told To Speed Their Rounds."

"It took 5 hours 1 minute for the last group of three to play the second round last year," Joe Dey, the executive director of the USGA, said in the story. "Every player surely must agree that this is bad for golf."

That was 52 years ago. At the Open next week at Merion, five hours, one minute might represent an ambitious goal.

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Garsen Golf and its new take on putter grips

John Strege — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 17:14:00 GMT

By John Strege Have you ever given much thought to what a putter grip might do to improve your putting stroke? Probably not, but Bernerd Garsen has, and he has taken what he learned...