Daily Pulse for July 24, 2012

         

ANY IDEA WHO SAID THIS?“It's amazing this game. You have a positive feel; you give yourself positive vibes, sometimes-positive things happen. I think I've been in such a negative mode for a while, and now that I'm starting to feel more positive.”

BRAIN TEASER: Who did Sean O’Hair defeat in a playoff to win the 2011 RBC Canadian Open?

TEMPEST IN A TEAPOT : Padraig Harrington’s remarks on the topic of belly and long putters were a subject of conversation on Monday when the R&A held its post Open Championship press conference. The media was more interesting in putters it seemed, than on the championship itself. “We appreciate that there is much speculation about this and that we need to clarify the position as soon as possible.  And I think you're going to see us saying something about it one way or the other in a few months rather than years,” stated R&A chief, Peter Dawson. “The objections I find from those who object at professional level, at elite level, are if people have become failed putters in the conventional way, why should they have a crutch to come back and compete against me when I haven't failed in the conventional way,” Dawson explained. “But we're also seeing now people who can putt perfectly well in the conventional way thinking that an anchored stroke gives them an advantage. I think that's the fundamental change that we've witnessed in the last couple of years,” he added.

Part of the challenge faced by the ruling body of the game, is the needs of a few are potentially impacting the many. Out of 156 players in the Open Championship, there were 27 long putters and 16 belly putters in play, according to Jim McArthur, chairman of the R&A’s Championship Committee. “We do monitor it, and I think the biggest event last year was something like 21 percent of players use long and belly putters, but it seems to be averaging about 14 or 15 percent,” said Dawson. “Interestingly, at the Amateur Championship at Troon, the count was quite low. It was, again, medium single figures. I've checked with the manufacturers, that at the club level or recreational level, if you can call it that, they are much more used in the United States than they are anywhere else in the world,” said Dawson.

The issue isn’t the apparatus itself, belly or long putter. Rather the method employed with it, according to Dawson. “Anchoring is what we're looking at, method of stroke, and it's all about putting around a fixed pivot point, whether that fixed pivot point is in your belly or under your chin or on your chest. I don't distinguish between the two,” he said. “I do stress, this decision hasn't been taken. Please don't think that it has. It has not,” he stressed. “But if it is taken, the rules of golf are changed every four years, quadrennial review, and the next quadrennial review is January of 2016 when there will be a new rule book,” he continued. “If that were to happen and we were to announce it in the reasonably near future, I think the amount of notice people would be getting of the change would be perfectly reasonable.” On a point of clarification, Dawson added, “Equipment changes don't follow the four-year cycle, although we are always on equipment changes mindful about the need for notice periods and the opportunity for manufacturers to comment,” he said.

ALLS WELL THAT ENDS WELL: The R&A expressed their pleasure with regards to the time needed for players to complete their rounds at the 141st Open Championship. “The first two rounds were pretty much on time. I think we were maybe five minutes behind, but there were some mitigating circumstances there,” stated Jim McArthur, chairman of the R&A’s Championship Committee. “I think on the final two days, again, we were very much on time until the last game, and the last game came in about ten minutes late. But it was well on schedule in terms of television.” Peter Dawson, the R&A’s CEO added, “ I think in my experience it was the best run we've had for 10 or 12 years, at least from a pace of play standpoint.” If only it were that easy in the real world! Slow play or more specifically the time it takes to play a recreational round of golf is one of the three main obstacles in the game’s popularity as noted in the July 23rd issue of the Web Street Golf Report. The issue has been a challenge for many years not withstanding the results at Royal Lytham.

HELP A CAUSE BY MAKING A DAY OF IT! Caddy For A Cure, Inc., the professional golf program that offers opportunities to go inside the ropes and caddy for a day with the world’s best players, announced two opportunities for the SAFEWAY CLASSIC presented by Coca Cola. Up for auction are opportunities to caddy for Lexi Thompson or LPGA Major winner Stacy Lewis during the Pro am rounds preceding competition. The SAFEWAY CLASSIC is being played at the Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains, Oregon just outside of Portland from August 13th - August 19th.

“We are thrilled to participate again with this unique program that directly supports the charitable mission of the LPGA tournaments,” stated Gail Graham, retired LPGA professional and president of the LPGA Tournament Owners Association. Caddy For A Cure CEO and program founder Russ Holden commented, “We are so pleased to be able to offer these opportunities with Lexi and Stacy. They are without a doubt two of the most exciting and fun players on the LPGA Tour and we know whoever wins either opportunity will have a day they will never forget.”

The online auction for this opportunity is currently live at http://www.caddyforacure.com/ and will run through Friday, August 3rd. The caddy date for Lexi Thompson is Wednesday, August 15th and for Stacy Lewis on Thursday, August 16th during the Kraft Pro am rounds.

SWING LIKE A PRO: The ANNIKA Academy, Hall-of-Famer Annika Sorenstam’s boutique golf instruction and fitness facility, is making available online golf lessons. Instructors will break down video of a player’s swing with drawing tools while offering audio commentary and suggest drills to accelerate progress. The turnaround time for the analysis is within seven days for players to have the lessons emailed back to them. The cost for individual online lessons is $59 per swing analysis. An annual membership option is also available at $499. Golfers will receive 12 swing analyses (one per month) and as an added bonus, side-by-side comparisons with Annika’s swing.

NO WORRIES: Adam Scott, losing the Open Championship after leading by four strokes with just four holes to play will leave a lasting impression on him. But for those who had money on him at online sportsbook, the financial loss won’t be as painful. SportsBettingOnline announced that management is refunding all players who lost money betting on Adam Scott. "With so many of the favorites including Woods not cashing, it was a good day for sportsbooks. But that wasn’t the case for those who dropped money on Scott,” stated Dave Johnson, head oddsmaker for SportsBettingOnline.ag.  “We feel it’s our duty to refund the players for taking such a bad beat. His collapse was historic and we know the bettors who had him must feel as awful as he does.”

TOP 10: Ernie Els turned back the hands of time and produced a stunning victory at The Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes. Ten years removed from his last Major victory the South African is become again the Open Champion. The win takes Els to World Number 15 and Tiger Woods, tied for third with Brandt Snedeker, moves up to World Number 2. Scott Stallings won the True South Classic, which moved him in the world rankings to #121, up 57 places from the previous week when he was ranked #178.

1) Luke Donald
2) Tiger Woods
3) Rory McIlroy
4) Lee Westwood
5) Webb Simpson
6) Adam Scott
7) Bubba Watson
8) Jason Dufner
9) Matt Kutchar
10) Justin Rose

WEB GEMS:

MONTY’S TAKE: I know what Adam Scott is facing, and the battle will be agonizing, says Colin Montgomerie. It will have started to sink in now and the next few days, the next few weeks will be very difficult for Adam Scott. From personal experience I can tell you that the mind is prone to play back the moment or moments when you lost it – over and over. READ MORE>>>

CONTROL FREAKS? Lytham head pro Eddie Birchenough, who has seen four British Opens pass through his gates, lives and breathes links golf and wants to see more of it to test the world's best players. "I'm not one for this American trait of controlling everything," he said while amateurs honed their game on the nearby practice putting green, where less than 24 hours earlier winner Ernie Els had stood. "The ground, the course, the weather. If you go down that line you'll end up playing snooker.” READ MORE>>>

ANSWERS: “It's amazing this game. You have a positive feel; you give yourself positive vibes, sometimes-positive things happen. I think I've been in such a negative mode for a while, and now that I'm starting to feel more positive.” --2012 Open Champ, Ernie Els

Sean O’Hair came from three strokes behind in the final round with a 2-under 68 at Shaughnessy G&CC in Vancouver to force a sudden-death playoff with Kris Blanks. A bogey on the first extra hole was good enough for O’Hair to claim the title, his fourth on the PGA TOUR. 

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