Web Street Golf Daily Pulse
VOLUME 4, NUMBER 119
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
ANY IDEA WHO SAID THIS, PRESENTED BY GOLF PRIDE?“I turn 26 at the end of the year. I've got plenty of Majors to play in. As long as I keep knocking on the door, I think I'll win a Major here soon.”
BRAIN TEASER: Do you remember how many shots Marc Leishman was trailing when he started his fourth round and went on to win the 2012 Travelers?
BRIDGESTONE WELCOMES A LADY: Bridgestone Golf announced the most popular ladies’ golf ball in the history of the game — the Precept Lady— is becoming part of its flagship Bridgestone brand. Effective July 1, 2013, the new Bridgestone Golf Lady Precept golf ball extends a franchise that for the past 13 years  has been the #1 selling ladies’ ball, according to Golf Datatech's On and Off Course Units Sold Retail Market Share reports 1997-2012. Since 2000, Bridgestone said it has sold more lady specific golf balls than all other competitors.
Utilizing data from thousands of live fittings, Bridgestone has developed a ball engineered specifically for the average female golf swing. The 2013 Bridgestone Golf Lady Precept is considered the softest ladies golf ball on the market. It has a larger Gradational Compression Core for enhanced performance at moderate swing speeds. It features a cover that is 12% thinner and helps produce higher launch and less spin.
“After fitting nearly 14,000 ladies through our ball-fitting program, we have identified opportunities for product innovations that address lady golfers’ needs,” said Corey Consuegra, Golf Ball Marketing Manager- Bridgestone Golf, Inc. “With the new Bridgestone Golf Lady Precept, we’ve extended our commitment to developing golf balls for ladies and are excited to introduce this new product under our flagship Bridgestone brand.”
The Bridgestone Golf Lady Precept is available in three colors (White, Optic Pink & Optic Yellow) and features a suggested retail price of $19.99 per dozen. The Bridgestone Golf Lady Precept will be available at retailers nationwide beginning July 1. To welcome the Lady Precept to the Bridgestone family, Bridgestone will air this commercial throughout the summer.
DON’T FORGET TO BREATH! Justin Rose made the media stops on Tuesday and while at CNBC he said controlling his breathing was one of the reasons he won the US Open. “Breathing technique, and pre-round breathing, that is a huge key for me. I think it is a huge key for me and ultimately I felt like Sunday I was in control, but I had a vision or analogy of being in a tunnel all week, and the only things that existed with me in the tunnel is three or four specific thoughts and if I got out, I knew I was not helping, and so what, get back into the tunnel, and to keep it simple is the thing to do.” READ MORE>>>
GOOD FOR THE ECONOMY: The 118th Amateur Championship is underway at Royal Cinque Ports and Prince’s with 288 competitors from 33 countries. Amateurs don’t compete for money, but the championship will deliver a half million pounds in cash, according to the R&A, which will boost the Kent economy from the weeklong event.
 The prize awaiting The Amateur Champion is a place in next month’s Open Championship at Muirfield and next year’s US Open at Pinehurst, North Carolina. Traditionally, an invitation is also extended to play in the following year’s Masters Tournament at Augusta. "Hosting the 118th Amateur Championship in Kent this week will help give local businesses in the county a boost from the additional tourism trade. I wish all the competitors the best of luck, with the winner being able to test themselves against the very best golfers in the world, including our latest major winner Justin Rose, at the next Open and US Open Championships," said Minister for Sport and Tourism Hugh Robertson.
The first two days of The Amateur Championship is stroke play over both courses before the field is cut to 64 and ties and the match play format finds the champion over the final four days at Royal Cinque Ports. Young Polish player Adrian Meronk and home favorite Craig Hinton led the qualifiers for the match play stage. The 20-year-old Pole, who is in his first year at East Tennessee State University, made six birdies and two bogeys on his way to a 4-under-par 68 at Prince’s for a 3-under-par total of 140. “I played a lot of irons off the tee today to stay on the fairways. My aim was to qualify and get into the match play stage and I’m really pleased to get this far. It means a lot to progress in this Championship and to win this week would be a massive achievement,” he said afterwards.
Meronk was matched by Hinton who holed a 60-foot putt at the last for a closing birdie and a 4-under-par 67 to break the course record at Royal Cinque Ports. “I played solid today. I was better yesterday tee to green but holed more putts today which made a difference,” said the 24-year-old from Oxfordshire. “I have great memories of this course; I scored 7-under-par to qualify for the 2011 Open Championship at Royal St George’s. It seems to suit me though in match play, anyone can win. There is a long way to go in this Championship.”
Scots Graeme Robertson and Scott Gibson were one shot further back on 2-under-par totals of 141. The qualification mark after the stroke play stages was a 4-over-par total of 147. Seventy-two players from 20 countries have progressed to the match play stage.
OPPOSITES ATTRACT? John Daly is some ways resembles a cat with nine lives. In his previous lives he has had equipment deals with Callaway Golf, TaylorMade, Pinnacle and Dunlop to name but a few. He helped to make a name for LoudMouth Golf along the way too. Now “Mr. Grip It and Rip It” has entered  into business relationships with Polara Golf, which dubs itself the leader in game improvement equipment for the recreational golfer. "We're extremely excited to have John on board as our first Polara Golf Ambassador," said Dave Felker, Founder, President and Chief Technology Officer for Polara Golf. "John's all about enjoying the game and having fun on the golf course which is exactly what we at Polara Golf are all about. His bold, no-nonsense approach to the game is what makes him so popular with his fans, and John's fans are the same recreational golfers that we design and manufacture golf equipment for. So this is a perfect fit."
All of the Polara golf balls and clubs are designed for use by recreational golfers who want to take advantage of technology improvements designed to help them score lower and enjoy the game more. However, the ruling bodies of the game don’t permit the products in competition, which makes the union of Daly and Polara somewhat unique. The two-time major champion and 1991 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year won’t be able to use the products other than in his spare time. "I'm really excited about being involved with Polara Golf. They've created some exciting products for recreational golfers that will allow them to Grip It and Rip It, be more consistently in the fairway, and ultimately have a lot more fun on the golf course," said John Daly.
The two parties seem to share something in common. Both aren’t afraid to be non-conforming. Daly is an open book, while his new business partner may be able to draft off his reputation.
"Although we do not agree with the USGA's ban on anchoring, we do respect the USGA's right to make and amend their rules, which apply to USGA sanctioned tournaments and the professional tours, " said Felker recently. "But the fact is their rules and their adopted ban on anchoring only applies to about 15-20% of the golfers. That's the number of golfers that either keep a USGA handicap or play in USGA sanctioned tournaments. The vast majority of golfers don't follow the USGA's rules and simply play for fun and recreation. These recreational golfers either don't know about the ban, don't care about it or simply disagree with it. To even imply that this ban on anchoring would apply to recreational golfers is a case of the USGA overstepping their governing authority. The USGA does not rule all of golf, they only rule USGA sanctioned tournament golf and the small fraction of golfers that choose to play by the USGA rules during normal rounds, but this is a small fraction of golfers." Sounds like a match made in heaven!
WEB GEMS:
LYLE’S ROAD TO RECOVERY: The rounds of chemotherapy, the four months in a Melbourne hospital away from his wife and daughter, the stem cell transplant, the tests upon tests, are all a memory for Jarrod Lyle now. Worries about survival rates have receded, his appetite has returned – “Finally, I think, it’s well and truly back now,” he said – and so are “seven or eight” of the 45 pounds he dropped from his 6-foot-2-inch, 225-pound frame during chemo. The best news: his 12-month screening came back clean earlier this month, and Lyle believes his second battle with acute myeloid leukemia is well on its way to being won. READ MORE>>>
A COACH AND FRIEND: Next week marks four years that Justin Rose first began working on his swing with Sean Foley. But in the moments after winning the U.S. Open for his first major championship, Rose referred to him as more than just a swing coach. He gave credit to Foley for improvements each year, particularly being able to hit the ball a little longer and a little straighter. Rose also mentioned a text that Foley sent him Sunday morning before he closed with an even-par 70 for his two-shot win. READ MORE>>>
 ANSWERS: “I turn 26 at the end of the year. I've got plenty of Majors to play in. As long as I keep knocking on the door, I think I'll win a Major here soon.” --Jason Day after his runner up finish at the 113th US Open.
Marc Leishman was T20 and six shots off the lead entering the final round. He fired a bogey-free, 8-under 62 in the final round, matching his career-best round in the second-best comeback in tournament history. Roland Thatcher, who was in the final group, had a chance to tie the lead with a birdie, but a bogey-5 sealed Leishman’s first win on TOUR.
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IS BELIEVED TO BE RELIABLE, BUT IT IS NOT GUARANTEED. THE OPINION EXPRESSED IS THAT OF TERRY MCANDREW AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED A SOLICITATION TO BUY OR SELL SECURITIES IN ANY OF THE COMPANIES DISCUSSED WITHIN THIS NEWSLETTER. CONTENTS OF THIS NEWSLETTER MAY NOT BE REPRINTED OR REBROADCAST WITHOUT THE EXPRESSED WRITTEN CONSENT OF TMAC GOLF
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Web Street Golf Daily Pulse
VOLUME 4, NUMBER 118
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
ANY IDEA WHO SAID THIS, PRESENTED BY GOLF PRIDE?“I wish every week was a U.S. Open. I hit it as bad as I could to be 11 over par. I think I made 53 pars and only made six birdies. Three doubles and a triple. I feel I left a lot of shots out there, so, yeah, it's a lot easier format than a regular week, that's for sure.”
BRAIN TEASER: In the past 10 years, how many times do you think an international player has won the US Open?
FINAL WORDS: Anyone watching the 113th US Open likely reached the saturation point about famed Merion and its wicker baskets. Clearly the NBC network and it sister station, The Golf Channel, went out of their way to bring it to the forefront of their coverage. This year’s US Open seemed to be more about the course itself than the usual suspects. Phil had an excellent chance to win and received more than his fair share (to borrow a phrase!) of coverage as the sentimental favorite to walk away with the elusive championship he covets.
While Merion received the lion’s share of attention, many believed it represented a referendum on distance. The subplot focused on whether Merion would hold up against today’s best players in the world?
“The last time we had a U.S. Open here was '81. We were still using persimmons and balatas. And so much has happened since that period of time. Just how you play the game. So I think there was that natural tendency to say, well, Merion's been passed by. And I really do think that in addition to the operations, I think a lot of people said there's just too many short holes to test these players,” Mike Davis, Executive Director of the USGA stated after the championship concluded.
“But at the end of it, you have to still remember that it's a four and a quarter inch hole that you have to get it into. And it's not all about distance. I'm telling you, we could play an 8,500 yard course with straightaways, and these guys would have no trouble. It's when you all of a sudden get holes that move different directions, unleveled lies, wind, some blindness, greens that undulate, that's what tests these players. They can hit it a long way and they can hit it straight, but it's this type of architecture that you really have to think your way around it,” he added.
Could this open up possibilities for other, experienced courses to join the US Open rotation some time down the road? “We react to invitations we get from clubs. I expect there's clubs sitting somewhere thinking; maybe this puts us back in the mix. But we'll react to those invitations. We're fortunate to have member clubs like Merion that would step up and make this commitment. So we look forward to the future and whatever that plays out,” said USGA Vice‑President and Championship Committee Chairman Tom O'Toole.
“I'm sure it (US Open) will come back (to Merion),” said Tiger Woods after his fourth round. “Certainly as a golf course-wise, it could definitely host another Major Championship. But I don't know if the USGA wants to. They make a lot of money on other venues.”
WALK SOFTLY AND CARRY A BIG STICK! Hunter Mahan is at it again. Known for being one of the first to put the M: PROJECT golf shoe by FootJoy through its paces, he’s working on another prototype for the company. Seen at last week’s US Open at Merion and prior to that at the Memorial, Mahan has generated some buzz, according to the company. However, the company remains tight-lipped for now on Mahan’s new look.
CASUAL BUT PERSONAL: FootJoy has added its Contour Casual model to its custom shoe program, MyJoys. The significance of this is the Contour Casual is the #1 spikeless golf shoe in both the on and off course retail locations, according to Golf Datatech April Retail Market Share Report. It trails the FJ’s cleated Contour  Series in total overall golf shoe sales. Now available in the MyJoys program (MSRP: $175.00), Contour Casual will also deliver an overwhelming 1.6 million possible customization options.
In addition to dozens of popular colors, animal prints and patent leathers, custom logos can also be added on the heel of each shoe. Golfers can also choose to support their favorite Major League Baseball or Collegiate team with licensed logos or show their national pride with a flag, or pick from one of 98 novelty logos to give your shoes that special one-of-a-kind look.
"These shoes are an ideal option for the golfer who enjoys the convenience of wearing the same shoes from the golf course to the grill room but still demands the premium materials, comfort, style and fit that FootJoy is known for," said Mike Foley, Director of Marketing, Footwear. “With the addition to the MyJoys program, you now have the additional versatility to make them truly unique.”
WEB GEMS:
LEARNING ON THE JOB: Rory McIlroy shrugged off the club mangling incident that marred his US Open finale as nothing more than “a moment of frustration and silly thing to do.” But whatever about his lack of genuine remorse over throwing one club and bending another out of shape in a fit of pique, he seems genuinely sorry that after putting 14 Nike clubs in the bag in January he only played four and half competitive rounds over the next six weeks. READ MORE>>>
MORE TO COME? Justin Rose hopes his US Open triumph can inspire more English players to win major championships – but he also wants more of them for himself. “There’s been a very strong crop of English players for quite some time now, with myself, Westwood and then Poulter as well,” Rose said. “I really hope it does inspire them. I think it was always going to be matter of time before one of us broke through.” READ MORE>>>
CASHING IN: Justin Rose is expected to earn at least £5m on the back of Sunday's US Open victory – although, in all probability, the Englishman's earnings will shoot up by a lot more. READ MORE>>>
ANSWERS: “I wish every week was a U.S. Open. I hit it as bad as I could to be 11 over par. I think I made 53 pars and only made six birdies. Three doubles and a triple. I feel I left a lot of shots out there, so, yeah, it's a lot easier format than a regular week, that's for sure.”--Padraig Harrington.
Justin Rose is the seventh international player to win the U.S. Open in the last 10 years: Retief Goosen (2004), Michael Campbell (2005), Geoff Ogilvy (2006), Angel Cabrera (2007), Graeme McDowell (2010), Rory McIlroy (2011), Justin Rose (2013).
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IS BELIEVED TO BE RELIABLE, BUT IT IS NOT GUARANTEED. THE OPINION EXPRESSED IS THAT OF TERRY MCANDREW AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED A SOLICITATION TO BUY OR SELL SECURITIES IN ANY OF THE COMPANIES DISCUSSED WITHIN THIS NEWSLETTER. CONTENTS OF THIS NEWSLETTER MAY NOT BE REPRINTED OR REBROADCAST WITHOUT THE EXPRESSED WRITTEN CONSENT OF TMAC GOLF
Web Street Golf Daily Pulse
VOLUME 4, NUMBER 117
Monday, June 17, 2013
ANY IDEA WHO SAID THIS, PRESENTED BY GOLF PRIDE?“The first six holes are drama, the second six holes are comedy, and the last six holes are tragedy. Merion is like a good theatrical play.”
BRAIN TEASER: How many Americans have won the last four major championships?
ONCE A CHAMPION, ALWAYS A CHAMPION: Justin Rose joins some elite company with his US Open victory. How did past U.S. Open champions fare at Merion? There were 10 players in the field that can call themselves U.S. Open champions: Ernie Els (T4), Rory McIlroy (T41), Tiger Woods (T32), Geoff Ogilvy (T32), Webb Simpson (T32), Graeme McDowell (MC), Angel Cabrera (MC), Jim Furyk (MC), Michael Campbell (MC), Lucas Glover (MC).
Eleven players have won the U.S. Amateur Championship and U.S. Open during their career, most recently Tiger Woods. There were five players in this week’s field who have won the U.S. Amateur: Phil Mickelson (T2), Matt Kuchar (T28), Tiger Woods (T32), Steven Fox (MC) and Ryan Moore (MC).
Additional past USGA winners include U.S. Junior Amateur champions: Hunter Mahan (T4), Tiger Woods (T32), Jordan Spieth (MC). Former U.S. Amateur Public Links champions were: Brandt Snedeker (T17), Tim Clark (MC), Ryan Moore (MC).
An amateur has won the U.S. Open eight times (five players): Francis Ouimet (1913), Jerome D. Travers (1915), Charles Evans Jr. (1916), Robert T. Jones Jr. (1923, 1926, 1929, 1930), John Goodman (1933). Gavin Hall (MC), 18, was the youngest player in the field. Four amateurs made the cut at the 2013 U.S. Open: Michael Kim, Cheng-Tsung Pan, Michael Weaver and Kevin Phelan. Four amateurs also made the cut at the U.S. Open in 1976, 1996 and most recently 2004 (Spencer Levin, Casey Wittenberg, Bill Haas, Chez Reavie). The last time more than four amateurs made the cut at the U.S. Open was in 1971, at none other than Merion, when five survived to the weekend.
WHO TO WATCH FOR: The R&A reported it has launched a new microsite for its amateur Championships, events and international matches. Fans who want to keep an eye on the next young player to burst upon the professional scene may want to use this resource for their advanced scouting.
It is the first dedicated microsite profiling the ten prestigious events The R&A manages, aside from The Open Championship, including The Amateur Championship, the Walker Cup, and the Boys’ Amateur Championship. It has been launched ahead of the 118th staging of The Amateur Championship, which gets underway at Royal Cinque Ports and Prince’s today and runs until June 22.
The stand-alone microsite, which is supported by Rolex, features video highlights from championships, draws and live scoring from events, an events calendar, news updates and links to the World Amateur Golf Rankings. Feeds from The R&A’s social media channels will enable users of the website to follow the latest news from its amateur events throughout the golf season. Michael Tate, Executive Director – Business Affairs at The R&A, said, “The new microsite will provide a wealth of lively and engaging content from The R&A’s amateur Championships including video highlights and the latest scoring. We are grateful to Rolex for their support in helping us to develop this platform which will give these historic championships a dynamic new digital presence.”
The other events featured on the website are the Junior Open Championship, the Boys’ Home Internationals, the Seniors Open Amateur Championship and the St Andrews and Jacques Leglise Trophies. The website can be located at championships.randa.org.
KEEPING TIME: OMEGA, the Swiss watchmaker, announced Harris English and Kyle Stanley have joined its team as brand ambassadors. The new partnerships are part of the watch brand’s commitment to golf.
MAJOR WINNER’S CLUBS: Justin Rose entered the final round of the 113th U.S. Open trailing Phil Mickelson by two strokes, but a final-round even-par 70 was good enough to secure his first major championship, defeating Mickelson and Jason Day by two shots. Rose’s victory comes in his 222nd PGA TOUR start.
Rose won the 113th US Open at Merion playing a Taylor Made R1 Driver (Matrix 6m3 shaft) along with a RBZ Stage 2 Tour HL 3-wood (16.5 degrees, Matrix 7m3 shaft). He used RocketBladez Tour irons (3-6, KBS C-TAPER shafts), Tour Preferred MB irons (7-PW, KBS C-TAPER shafts) and ATV wedges 52, 56, 60 (True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts). His putter was the TaylorMade Spider Blade (37”) with counterbalance grip and used the LETHAL golf ball.
Rose was 42 of 56 in fairways hit (75% versus the field average of 62.18%) for the week. He hit 50 of 72 greens in regulation (69% versus field average of 58.54%) and was 1 for 2 in sand saves. He averaged 300.38 yards off the tee compared to the rest of the field, which averaged 287.79 yards. He had 120 putts, averaged 1.67 per green compared to the field average of 1.74. He never made anything higher than a double bogey for the week and collected 15 birdies over his four rounds.
WEB GEMS:
A WILD RIDE: Tony Jacklin praised Justin Rose's courage after watching him become the first Englishman to win a major championship for 17 years. The two-shot win at Merion was the first English triumph in a major since Nick Faldo won the Masters in 1996 and the first in the US Open since Jacklin himself claimed the trophy in 1970. "He had really all the credentials from the start," he said. "He was a great amateur player and played in the Walker Cup. He did have a setback when he first turned pro, he missed 21 cuts in a row so he's come through that and obviously he's a very special player to have come through that.” READ MORE>>>
LET THE DEBATE BEGIN: Justin Rose's four-iron approach shot on the 18th hole was superior to Ben Hogan's immortal one-iron from the same fairway, according to Ryder Cup great Bernard Gallacher. "Well, to be honest Justin Rose hit a better four-iron than Ben Hogan hit a one-iron and under the same pressure as well." READ MORE>>>
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT: Scotland's Martin Laird finished the 113th US Open with a round of 68 and some stringent criticism of tournament organizers for making players 'look like an idiot' with 'ridiculous' pin positions. READ MORE>>>
ANOTHER CLOSE CALL: A few inches here, a few yards there. That’s what Phil Mickelson’s latest failure to win the U.S. Open came down to. READ MORE>>>
ANOTHER DAY? Third place at the Masters. Tied for second at the U.S. Open. And that's just this year. Jason Day's too young to get saddled with that dreaded Best Player Never To Win a Major label, so he might as well go ahead and win one. READ MORE>>>
ANSWERS: “The first six holes are drama, the second six holes are comedy, and the last six holes are tragedy. Merion is like a good theatrical play.”--Justin Rose.
International players have now won the last four majors (2013 U.S. Open/Justin Rose, 2013 Masters/Adam Scott, 2012 PGA Championship/Rory McIlroy and 2012 British Open/Ernie Els).
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IS BELIEVED TO BE RELIABLE, BUT IT IS NOT GUARANTEED. THE OPINION EXPRESSED IS THAT OF TERRY MCANDREW AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED A SOLICITATION TO BUY OR SELL SECURITIES IN ANY OF THE COMPANIES DISCUSSED WITHIN THIS NEWSLETTER. CONTENTS OF THIS NEWSLETTER MAY NOT BE REPRINTED OR REBROADCAST WITHOUT THE EXPRESSED WRITTEN CONSENT OF TMAC GOLF
Web Street Golf Daily Pulse
VOLUME 4, NUMBER 116
Friday, June 14, 2013
ANY IDEA WHO SAID THIS, PRESENTED BY GOLF PRIDE? “This was as easy as this golf course is going to play. We had very little wind, there was some but very little. We had soft fairways, soft greens, and we no mud balls. So we had the best opportunity to score low. And we are all struggling because it's such a penalizing golf course. It's penalizing if you miss the fairways, very difficult if you miss the greens, and it's not a given to 2 putt on these greens. They're some of the most pitched greens we have ever seen and they're very quick. As the week wears on and the conditions get a little bit dryer, a little bit firmer, I think the course is going to get even more difficult and the scores are going to hover very close to par.”
BRAIN TEASER: Can you name any of the five founding courses that were the original delegates of the USGA?
I’M A BIG FAN! Phil Mickelson went out of his way to talk to USGA Executive Director Mike Davis about Merion and its set up on Thursday. “I told him that this is the best setup I've ever seen for a U.S. Open. I think that what I love about Merion and what they did in the setup is they made the hard holes even harder. They moved the tees back on the more difficult holes, which made it even tougher pars. And I love that because if you're playing well, you're going to be able to make pars and you're going to be able to separate yourself from the field by making pars,” Left said. “But on the easy holes, they didn't trick them up and take away your birdie opportunities. They gave you birdie opportunities to get those strokes back. So we have really hard holes and we have some very good birdie opportunities. I think it's the best U.S. Open setup I've ever seen.”
A GOOD OMEN? Dating to the 2007 Masters Tournament, Phil Mickelson has just three opening rounds in the 60s in his last 25 major championship starts. The first time was the 2009 U.S. Open where he went on to finish second. The next time was the 2010 Masters, which he went on to win. The third time is the 2013 U.S. Open.
WILL HISTORY REPEAT? The first-round lead at the 1981 U.S. Open at Merion was 4-under 66 as Jim Thorpe led J.C. Snead by one shot. The eventual champion David Graham was T3 after the first round with an opening score of 2-under 68.
NO RESPECT! "I think that anybody in that commentary box has never given this golf course enough respect," golfer Ian Poulter said following his first round today in the 113th U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club. "They were joking around, laughing at 63s and 62s (some of the scores that had been predicted) and just look at the board.” READ MORE>>>
IS THE TREND YOUR FRIEND? A popular topic of discussion is who is the best player to have never won a major. Its often a subjective debate and moves from generation to generation of players. For example, Colin Montgomerie is no longer in the consideration for this dubious honor. Heading into this week, Lee Westwood (60), Sergio Garcia (58), Steve Stricker (58) and K.J. Choi (48) have the most major starts without a victory among the U.S. Open field. How many of those names match up to the never-ending debate of the best player to yet win a major championship???
BUSINESS IS GOOD: Clubcrown's founder and CEO Andrew Glaser appeared on CNBC to discuss ClubCrown's rapid expansion and his career move from running equity portfolios to running what is considered the fastest growing new company in the golf industry that is capitalizing on driver customization and personalization. SEE MORE>>>
WEB GEMS:
THE FORGOTTEN STORY OF DAIVID GRAHAM’S WIN AT MERION: David Graham was up against it from the start. In 1960, at the age of 14, he left school in Melbourne in order to follow his calling as a professional golfer. His father took umbrage at the decision, and offered the lad no support. The two fell out, spectacularly so. "I guess he wondered how I was going to make a living," remembered Graham. "My parents thought I'd end up a golf club repairman. Every parent wants their child to be successful. My mother wanted me to be a pilot or a doctor. I guess my father planned to shock me. He told me he'd never speak to me again and, strangely enough, he kept his word. But it didn't work." READ MORE>>>
TIGER LOOKS OKAY: Tiger Woods quickly put two shots in the rough when he resumed his first round Friday morning at the U.S. Open. The silver lining for the world's No. 1 player: at least his wrist looked fine. READ MORE>>>
TOP 5 CHOKES: Winning the US Open takes guts and skill but getting over the finishing line is harder than it seems. Over the years, a number of players have missed golden opportunities in the final round to get the glory, choking at some point where victory was in sight. Here’s the top 5. READ MORE>>>
ANSWERS: “This was as easy as this golf course is going to play. We had very little wind, there was some but very little. We had soft fairways, soft greens, and we no mud balls. So we had the best opportunity to score low. And we are all struggling because it's such a penalizing golf course. It's penalizing if you miss the fairways, very difficult if you miss the greens, and it's not a given to 2 putt on these greens. They're some of the most pitched greens we have ever seen and they're very quick. As the week wears on and the conditions get a little bit dryer, a little bit firmer, I think the course is going to get even more difficult and the scores are going to hover very close to par.”--Phil Mickelson after his first round at the 2013 US Open.
In the 1890s, a dispute arose over the question of a national amateur champion. In 1894, St. Andrew’s Golf Club (Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y.) and the Newport (R.I.) Country Club each staged invitational tournaments, and each declared its winner to be the national amateur champion. The confusion made it clear that an impartial governing body was needed to administer golf, conduct national championships and oversee the codification and interpretation of the game’s rules, as well as the Rules of Amateur Status.
The United States Golf Association was the end result of a meeting of delegates from Newport, St. Andrew’s, Shinnecock Hills Golf Club (Southampton, N.Y.), The Country Club (Brookline, Mass.) and the Chicago (Ill.) Golf Club in New York City on Dec. 22, 1894. Theodore A. Havemeyer was elected as the first president.
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IS BELIEVED TO BE RELIABLE, BUT IT IS NOT GUARANTEED. THE OPINION EXPRESSED IS THAT OF TERRY MCANDREW AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED A SOLICITATION TO BUY OR SELL SECURITIES IN ANY OF THE COMPANIES DISCUSSED WITHIN THIS NEWSLETTER. CONTENTS OF THIS NEWSLETTER MAY NOT BE REPRINTED OR REBROADCAST WITHOUT THE EXPRESSED WRITTEN CONSENT OF TMAC GOLF
Web Street Golf Daily Pulse
VOLUME 4, NUMBER 115
Thursday, June 13, 2013
ANY IDEA WHO SAID THIS, PRESENTED BY GOLF PRIDE? “I’ve been saying this is the longest short course I’ve ever played. Everybody’s told me how short it is and I’ve been wearing out 3-irons and utilities into some of these holes. So it’s fairly long and it’s still going to be very difficult, I think.”
BRAIN TEASER: Can you name the last defending champion to miss the cut at the U.S. Open?
CONSPIRACY THEORY: As pointed out in last Wednesday’s Daily Pulse (see here for a refresher if you need it --THE BIG BET ON MERION) former USGA insider, David Fay claims this year’s US Open at Merion is a referendum on the distance issue some believe golf is facing. Specifically, the golf ball has been identified as the culprit. The Golden Bear, Jack Nicklaus has stated on more than one occasion that courses are or have become obsolete due to the length needed, chemicals and water required (among other things) to maintain a course and still present a modern day test.
Somewhat interestingly, before the first ball was struck at the 113th US Open at Merion, current USGA Executive Director, Mike Davis, stated, “In my mind, I already want to come back. I'm not sure Merion wants us.” It would seem a foregone conclusion that the course itself isn’t or shouldn’t be an impediment to hosting a future national championship at least in Davis’ mind.
Ask anyone that plays the game, even professionals, if they hit the ball too far? Its easy money that they’ll unanimously reply, “No.” In the real world, distance hasn’t been identified, as a reason people are no longer playing golf. Cost, time and the overall difficulty are the three biggest obstacles many believe why people are leaving the game. Nevertheless, if Merion isn’t the lady (or not as the late Jim Murray once wrote) she once was, then it would suggest to some that it might not be a formidable test for the US Open. “I think that while Merion may be short on the scorecard, one of the things I really want to make sure that everyone knows is that it absolutely has stood the test of time. In fact, if you ask me to rank other U.S. Open courses against it, I would say Merion has stood the test of time in terms of going from hickories to steel shafted clubs to the modern golf ball and so on. I think this place has stood the test of time maybe as good as anyone,” stated Davis on the eve of the 113th US Open.
Given the recent weather, specifically rain and the USGA’s unrelenting approach to implement preferred lies, it would seem both players and the course are under examination and scrutiny. But are the odds are already stacked?
TURNING BACK THE CLOCK? According to Mike Davis, USGA Executive Director, “Even though the players' ball flights are different today and the clubs they're using are different today, the challenges they face are going to be very similar to what Hogan, Jones, Nicklaus, Trevino faced in yesteryear." While its been more than 30 years since the US Open came to Merion, it will be interesting to see what the margin of victory will be in 2013.
In 1950, Ben Hogan won his second of four U.S. Opens in a playoff with Lloyd Mangrum and George Fazio. Hogan, who was involved in a near-fatal automobile accident only 16 months earlier, parred the 72nd hole to join the playoff by hitting a 1-iron approach to within 40 feet. Hogan shot 69 in the playoff, including a birdie on the 17th, to defeat Mangrum by four strokes.
Lee Trevino won a playoff with Jack Nicklaus in 1971 to capture his second U.S. Open title. Nicklaus and Trevino each had an opportunity to win the championship outright but missed putts on the 72nd hole. Jim Simons, a 21-year-old amateur who led after 54 holes, needed a birdie on the 18th to join the playoff, but drove into the rough.
In 1981, David Graham shot 67 to win the title by three strokes. He hit 15 greens and missed just one fairway. Graham, the first Australian to win the Open, trailed 54-hole leader George Burns by three heading to the final round.
There is more rain in the forecast for today. Its been estimated that Merion has already received 6 1/2 inches of rain in the past four days.
“It's been a long-standing philosophical point of view from the USGA to not adopt that local rule (preferred lies) in our national championships. And the current Championship Committee is consistent with that long-standing philosophical point of view. We wouldn't be adopting that rule this week. And if it was so bad, then the obvious response to that or consequence would be we probably wouldn't be playing. But don't look for the championship committee to adopt the preferred lies local rule that is under the pending Rules of Golf,” said Tom O’Toole, Vice President of the USGA and Chairman of its Championship Committee.
WHAT THEY’RE PLAYING FOR: The $1.44 million first place check is only part of the perks for winning the US Open Championship. Here are a few other things that go along with it:
• A U.S. Open exemption for the next 10 years
• An invitation to the next five Masters Tournaments
• An invitation to the next five British Open Championships
• An invitation to the next five PGA Championships
• An invitation to the next five Players Championships
• Exempt status on the PGA Tour for five years
The top 10 finishers (and ties) are exempt for the following year’s U.S. Open. The top four finishers (and ties) are invited to next year’s Masters Tournament.
WHILE WE’RE YOUNG, PART 2! The USGA said it has set the pace of play for the 2013 US Open at 4 hours 39 minutes. It’s widely believed throughout many circles of golf that the US Open is considered the most demanding, if not grueling, test. Doesn’t that in turn imply that the time it takes to play any other week that isn’t a major championship should be less? Meanwhile, rules have been in place for many, many years regarding pace of play and yet few infractions have been recorded. Will these various trends continue?
WHAT’S IT GOING TO COST? Bringing the U.S. Open back to Merion Golf Club, where Bobby Jones completed the sport’s only Grand Slam and Ben Hogan’s 1-iron shot became one of its most enduring images, will result in an unusual outcome for the U.S. Golf Association: a loss. The USGA is expecting to lose $10 million on the event, according to a person with knowledge of the organization’s finances. The person was granted anonymity because the information isn’t public. READ MORE>>>
WEB GEMS:
REST IN PEACE: Miller Barber, who made a record 1,297 combined starts in PGA TOUR and Champions Tour history and was a dominant player after turning 50, died at the age of 82. Barber made 694 starts on the PGA TOUR, winning 11 times. He then made 603 starts on the Champions Tour, winning 24 more times. Barber ranks fourth on the Champions Tour all-time wins list behind Hale Irvin (45), Lee Trevino (29) and Gil Morgan (24). He won at least one Champions Tour event for nine consecutive years from 1981-89. Several members of the golf community tweeted their responses on hearing the news of Barber's passing. READ MORE>>>
SLOW START: Play has been halted at the U.S. Open because of threatening weather in the area. Officials blew the horn at 8:36 a.m. Thursday, less than 2 hours after the start of the first round. READ MORE>>>
ANSWERS: “I’ve been saying this is the longest short course I’ve ever played. Everybody’s told me how short it is and I’ve been wearing out 3-irons and utilities into some of these holes. So it’s fairly long and it’s still going to be very difficult, I think.”--Steve Stricker on Merion.
Rory McIlroy posted rounds of 77-73 last year to miss the cut in his fourth U.S. Open start (tied for 10th in 2009, missed the cut in 2010 and won in 2011). He became the first defending champion to miss the cut at the U.S. Open since Angel Cabrera in 2008.
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