Ups and downs of marketing

Camilo Villegas has been doing a great job as a member of the Red Bull energy drink sponsorship team lately.

Twice after rounds of the World Golf Championships Match Play Championship last week, Villegas was seen in televised interviews gulping down the magic elixir with the gusto of a man dying of thirst. It happened again yesterday at the Phoenix Open after his 2-under-par 69 gave him a share of the 36-hole lead with Mark Wilson. During a post-round interview with Golf Channel's Steve Sands, Villegas repeatedly took swigs of the high-octane brew. It seemed as though Villegas was more interested in waving his bottle of Red Bull in front of the camera than talking about his chances of winning the tournament.

Oldgolfdawg usually associates this kind of behavior with NASCAR drivers during victory celebrations, but the paint-swapping bunch doesn't have anything on Villegas in this regard. He pulled it off without a hitch.

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Meanwhile, Tiger Woods' relationship with Gatorade has crashed into a wall. A representative for the sports drink confirmed yesterday that it had ended its relationship with the golfer, who made a public apology last week for his infidelities.

"We no longer see a role for Tiger in our marketing efforts and have ended our relationship," a Gatorade spokeswoman said. "We wish him all the best."

The spokeswoman said Gatorade would continue its relationship with the Tiger Woods Foundation.

Gatorade is the third major endorsement Woods has lost. AT&T Inc. and Accenture dropped Woods in the weeks following the tabloid frenzy of cheating allegations. The companies that have stuck most closely by Woods  --  Nike Inc. and Electronic Arts Inc. --  reiterated their support last week when the golfer made his first public apology. Others, such as Procter & Gamble Co.'s Gillette and Swiss watch maker Tag Heuer, have de-emphasized him in their marketing.

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While Woods' fall from grace has damaged his marketability, the wild man appeal of John Daly has landed the star-crossed golfer a new endorsement deal from an underwear company to go with his outrageously loud pants. Slix, an online company based in Dallas that began just four months ago, says the two-time major winner will endorse its line of Slix Closer boxer briefs.

Daly, who has lost more than 100 pounds after lap-band surgery a year ago, no longer has a PGA Tour card. He has played four times this year and made his first cut last week in Mexico, before shooting 81 in the last round.

Information from the Associated Press was utilized in this post.

Thoughts from the fringe

Former Ohio State standout John Cook fell to 0-3 in playoffs on the Champions Tour with his loss to Bernhard Langer at the Allianz Championship in Boca Raton, Fla., last weekend.

It took a holed bunker shot for an eagle from about 45 feet on the first playoff hole to frustrate Cook's latest bid for a victory. He also lost to Mike Reid in overtime at the 2009 JELD-WEN Tradition.

But one need not feel too badly for Cook, who closed 2009 with a five-stroke victory at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship. Since joining the Champions Tour in 2007, he has won four times and earned $3,954,106.

Last week's second-place finish moved him to eighth in the Charles Schwab Cup points race and to fifth on the money list in what figures to be another stellar season.

Joey Sindelar, a teammate of Cook's when they played for Ohio State, finished alone in third at the Allianz Championship. He was playing just three months after suffering a pulmonary embolism and just missed joining Langer in Cook in the playoff with a final-round 67. Since joining the Champions Tour in 2008, Sindelar has never missed a cut in 44 events and has managed to finish in the top 25 an amazing 35 times while earning $2,076, 037. But he's still looking for his first victory.

Nice to be picked: Former Ohio State standout Rosie Jones was informed yesterday by LPGA commissioner Michael Whan that she has been named the U.S. Solheim Cup captain and will lead the Americans against Europe in Ireland next year.

Jones, a 13-time LPGA winner who has retired from tour play, was surprised by the appointment, saying "I haven't won a major, so this is a major accomplishment for me. It's a huge honor for me."

There was speculation that Meg Mallon would be captain when the Solheim Cup is held Sept. 23-25 at Killeen Castle in County Meath, Ireland. Mallon's Irish heritage and the fact that she served as assistant captain to Beth Daniel when the Americans won the event last year fueled the speculation.

Jones, 50, will be only the second U.S. Solheim Cup captain who isn't a major championship winner. Judy Rankin captained the U.S. in 1996 and 1998 and had 26 LPGA victories but no majors.

The only players who have won more U.S. Solheim Cup points than Jones who have yet to be captain are Juli Inkster (18), Mallon (16½) and Dottie Pepper (14). Jones won 12 points in her seven Solheim Cup appearances. She was 11-9-2 with a 3-3-1 singles record.

Mallon, who, like Jones, is an Ohio State graduate, said she strongly supported Jones’ appointment. After struggling with injuries and serious family health issues the last few seasons, Mallon said she’s not ready to retire at age 46. She is using a top-20 career money exemption to play this season.

Quick divots: The PGA Tour makes the final stop of its West Coast swing this week at the Phoenix Open. Veteran Kenny Perry will defend his title and rowdy crowds at the 16th hole will receive too much television coverage. ... After getting lucky and picking Ian Poulter to win last week's match play event just north of Tucson, Oldgolfdawg won't go out so far on the limb in picking J.B. Holmes to prevail this week. The TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course favors bombers and Holmes showed good form at Pebble Beach and he will be seeking his third victory in Phoenix when play begins today. ... Mark Calcavecchia will be trying to become only the third player to win a PGA Tour event in four decades. He won the Phoenix Open in 1989, 1992 and 2001. ... For the last three years, Phil Mickelson has won his first PGA Tour event of the season in his fourth start. A win Sunday would extend that streak.

http://www.tpc.com/scottsdale/overview/fly-over.html

Moment of truth arrives

Any course worth its salt will at times force a golfer to ask himself, "Do I have that shot in my bag or should I play it safe." The fifth hole at Bent Tree Golf Club in Sunbury poses that question for most and then provides a thorough examination for those answering yes.

As a Gray membership holder last year, Oldgolfdawg played the sister course of Royal American Links more than 20 times and always viewed a bogey or better on the hole to be a bonus. As the rounds mounted and various types of train wrecks occurred, Oldgolfdawg began calling the hole "Dirty Harry" because as you stood over the second shot you began asking yourself if you were feeling lucky. That's why No. 5 at Bent Tree, a 412-yard par 4 from the gold tees, is the ninth member of Oldgolfdawg's Elegant Eighteen.

From a slightly elevated tee box, one usually lays up with their drive, hoping to place a shot about 235 yards out on a flat plateau. The fairway runs out of room and drops off into a creek if the ball goes much beyond 240 yards. Depending on how much roll one is getting in the fairway, the trick is to lay up so that you don't go into the drop-off area while also not being so far back that the second shot becomes a difficult distance. Any tee shot pulled to the left will funnel off the flat plateau down into a nasty side-hill rough area or down in a valley with a difficult angle to the green. Shots off to the right make the second shot longer and more risky if anyone decides they're feeling lucky.

If you hit a nice layup from the tee, let's say a smooth 3-wood, you should have about a 165- to 175-yard downhill shot to a green protected by a bending creek to the left and three good-sized bunkers along the right front and right side. A confident golfer will take a deep breath and go flag hunting. If you can't hit the green, the smart shot is to go a little long left.

If you're farther back and unsure you can easily carry the bending creek and don't think you can thread a shot through a gap between the creek and the bunker guarding the right front of the green, you have two logical choices. The first is you lay up short of the bunkers protecting the right side of the green and hope to scramble for a par with a good chip and putt. The second choice is to go for the green but block out any chance of going left to avoid the creek. This strategy often ends up with your second shot going on a beach vacation.

After all of that drama, the well-protected green is big and generally slopes from back to front. There's enough undulations in it to make three-putting a distinct possibility.

Bent Tree, designed by Denis Griffiths, opened in 1988 and is 6,805 yards from its longest tees. From the back tees, it has a course rating of 72.1 and a slope of 122. The gold tees, where Oldgolfdawg normally hangs out, play 6,239 yards with a 71.8 rating and a slope of 119. The second shots on the ninth and 18th holes are also very demanding.

http://www.benttreegc.com/layout9.asp?id=201&page=4113

Poulter victory caps British invasion

Ian Poulter became more than just a fashion plate curiosity with his 4 and 2 victory over fellow Englishman Paul Casey yesterday in the final of the World Golf Championships Match Play Championship in Marana, Ariz.

By winning for the first time in the United States, Poulter let his game speak more loudly than his orchid pink outfit, and in the process he rose to No. 5 in the world golf rankings. The flashy dresser's victory shouldn't be much of a surprise despite the fact that he entered the tournament 0 for 102 on the PGA Tour. One should remember that he posted a 4-1-0 record in the Ryder Cup matches at Valhalla in 2008 as a controversy pick of captain Nick Faldo. Poulter also finished second at the 2008 British Open and last year's Players Championship.

Ironically, yesterday's victory lacked the drama one would expect from such a colorful figure. The Rod Stewart lookalike methodically used his sharp short game to build 4-up leads twice in the 36-hole final before finally shutting the door on Casey with a birdie putt on the 34th hole. On an entertainment scale of 1 to 5, Oldgolfdawg would toss it 3 dog biscuits. Across the pond, it would rate much higher.

No doubt Poulter's countrymen took great delight in watching the All-England final in an event in which nine British players performed better and made more impact than the 20 players from the United States. Watching 64th seed Ross McGowan dispatch top-seeded Steve Stricker in the first round had to make their day. Considering the Match Play Championship is the lone match-play event on the PGA Tour and the last match-play tournament for many of these players before the 2010 Ryder Cup the first week of October, European team captain Colin Montgomerie has to be feeling good about what unfolded in the Arizona desert.

It must be comforting for Monty to know the English have the No. 4 (Lee Westwood), No. 5 (Poulter) and No. 6 (Casey) players in the world. If you add in other potential teammates to Monty's squad, Team Europe has eight of the top 15 players in the world, while the U.S. has five and its No. 1 option, Tiger Woods, might not be an option if he doesn't return to golf this year.

Oldgolfdawg wouldn't be surprised to see England's drought in the majors end in the near future. Not since Faldo's Masters win in 1996 have the English been able to celebrate a majors victory. Westwood, Poulter and Casey are legitimate threats and Luke Donald, Oliver Wilson, Ross Fisher and Justin Rose have the talent to pull it off, too. It's about time for a breakthrough.

Promises raise bar for Woods

People will draw their own conclusions on the value of Tiger Woods' first public announcement since revelations of his infidelity emerged. Only time will tell if he can live up to the promises he made before a small gathering yesterday that were televised to the world.

Oldgolfdawg took note that Woods heeded criticisms launched at him by Tom Watson that he needed to show more respect for the game when he returns. That and the fact that Woods isn't rushing back to play on the PGA Tour says a lot. There's no question Woods has been humbled. The fact that even Woods isn't sure when he will return seems to indicate that he is making an honest effort to change his stripes.

If Woods stops slamming clubs and using four-letter words in fits of frustration when he returns, it won't mean he has lost his passion for the game. It will mean he is living up to his promise to be a better role model in the future. Oldgolfdawg pooh-poohed the importance of Woods' showing "proper decorum" on the course in an earlier post, going so far as to suggest that Watson shouldn't get his panties in a bunch over the loose language. Oldgolfdawg sees it in a different light after watching a contrite Woods announce his desire to live the rest of his life with integrity.

Oldgolfdawg used to overlook the language, but Woods' immature behavior on the course in front of millions watching on television was perhaps the canary in the mine shaft warning of trouble. If Woods thought he was too big to worry about following rules of decorum on the course, it only follows he didn't think he had to follow them off the course when no one was looking. And look where that mind-set landed him. Money and fame can be tough to handle.

It's dangerous when we put big-name athletes on pedestals. As a kid growing up, Oldgolfdawg thought Mickey Mantle could do no wrong. But that illusion was dismantled over time as revelations about Mantle's various indiscretions came to light. Mantle made amends for his behavior in the final days of his life, stepping up to the plate and warning kids not to make the same mistakes he did.

Woods can still write a happy ending to his legacy, but he faces a long, hard road. Let's hope yesterday's staged event speeds his journey.

Damage control appears flawed

If Tiger Woods was hoping to quiet the tabloids by making a public statement Friday at 11 a.m. in the TPC Sawgrass clubhouse in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., he hasn't learned much during nearly three months of silence since his middle-of-the-night car accident sparked revelations of infidelity.

According to an announcement released by Woods’ agent Mark Steinberg yesterday, there will be a single “pool” camera that will feed the event to networks around the globe, but only a few “pool” reporters will be on hand and they will not be allowed to ask questions. This won't go over very well with a mainstream press that wants answers and it certainly won't stop the tabloids from treating Woods like a modern-day Howard Hughes. So its very unlikely that the statement will change the freak show that Woods' life has become.

It is known that Woods will be making a public apology for his actions, but predicting what he will say about his future is strictly speculation. Many golf writers are wondering about the timing of the statement. Some are speculating that he might return to the PGA Tour next week in Phoenix. Others have gone so far as to suggest that he is trying to get back at his former sponsor Accenture, which is sponsor to this week's Match Play Championship at Dove Mountain.

Asked by the Associated Press yesterday if Woods' statement could’ve waited until Monday, Steinberg offered only a simple, “no.”

All Oldgolfdawg knows is that it should be interesting. Golf Channel will televise Woods' announcement live at 11 a.m. and will air a special report beginning at 10:30 a.m. leading into the historic event.

Thoughts from the fringe

Six weeks into the 2010 PGA Tour season and the only real theme that has developed is that the game in the United States can manage without Tiger Woods.

But when Dustin Johnson wins the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am with a final-round 74 and Ben Crane wins the Farmers Insurance Open after yanking a 2-foot putt on the 71st hole and his closest competitors decide to lay up on the 72nd hole, one wonders if the level of play hasn't been lowered by Woods' absence.

One thing for certain is that Phil Mickelson hasn't been able to carry into this year the momentum he built by winning the Tour Championship and HSBC Champions to close out 2009. He came into this season with high expectations and buoyed by a revamped putting stroke. But Mickelson didn't really contend at Torrey Pines, Riviera or Pebble Beach, and he revealed Sunday that his putting woes had returned after shooting a final-round 71 to finish in a tie for eighth.

Deep talent pool: While the level of play hasn't been awe inspiring, it's nice to know that there is a gaggle of youthful talent jockeying for a chance to become the game's next big star. On the international stage, Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy, Japan's Ryo Ishikawa, Australia's Michael Sim and Germany's Martin Kaymer have established themselves as players to watch. Johnson has moved to the head of the pack of most promising players in America, followed in no particular order by Bill Haas, Rickie Fowler, Nick Watney, Alex Prugh and Josh Teater, who finished tied for fifth at Pebble.

The hole from hell: One can only hope the USGA will do some fine-tuning to No. 14 at Pebble Beach when the U.S. Open is held there in June. The par-5 hole caused three train wrecks Sunday in the form of amateur-like quadruple-bogey 9s, derailing Prugh, Bryce Molder and Paul Goydos from any chance of vying for the title. Some folks delight in seeing pros struggle, but come summer, when the green will be harder and faster, a similar pin placement like the one used Sunday could create a cry out for a frog's mouth or a windmill.

Can he keep it going? David Duval will be seeking his first PGA Tour win in nine years this week when he competes in the Mayakoba Classic in Mexico. It was nice to see him play so well at Pebble Beach in finishing in a tie for second with J.B. Holmes. It had been more than eight years since Duval shot in the 60s every round of a PGA Tour event. He earned $545,600 and has essentially the rest of the year to build on a good week. He is playing primarily on sponsors’ exemptions this year, and while they should be readily available for a player who once was No. 1 in the world, Duval does not take them for granted. “In a kind of strange way, it makes me proud,” Duval said. “I feel like I have given the folks who have given me starts this year good fire power for why they did it. That makes me feel good, too.”

No walk in the park: Fred Couples didn't expect it would be easy playing on the Champions Tour, but in just two appearances he has had that notion more firmly established in his mind. Couples was in contention in his Champions Tour debut last month in Hawaii, but Tom Watson birdied the last two holes to finish at 22 under and beat him by a stroke. Couples needed a final-round 64 to win the ACE Group Classic in Naples, Fla., on Sunday for his first victory on the 50-and-over tour, holding off Tommy Armour III by a stroke. Armour -- making his Champions Tour debut -- matched the tour record for lowest score in relation to par with an 11-under 61. Couples made a 5-foot birdie putt on No. 17 and a tap-in par on 18 to earn his first official victory since the PGA Tour’s 2003 Houston Open.

A real crapshoot: Picking the winner of the World Golf Championship Match Play Tournament that kicks off today in Tucson, Ariz., is a lot tougher than selecting which team will be the last one standing in the men's NCAA basketball tournament. Golf is more fickle than college basketball and both have a knack for producing upsets. With this in mind, Oldgolfdawg sees Ian Poulter, Robert Allenby, Stewart Cink and Henrik Stenson reaching the Final Four before Poulter tops Cink in the final. If all four suffer first-round exits, he won't be too upset or surprised. Watching the action unfold this week will be a welcome reprieve from watching the snow that keeps piling up in the driveway. Spring cannot come soon enough.

Interesting take on Tiger

Almost everyone has an opinion on Tiger Woods' fall from grace. Some are willing to forgive and move on while others want a pound of flesh. Oldgolfdawg ran across an opinion piece by Gary Van Sickle, a senior writer for Sports Illustrated, that expresses a novel viewpoint. Check out: http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/article/0,28136,1964076,00.html

To comment on Van Sickle's commentary or any other golf related topic, send an e-mail to Oldgolfdawg@columbus.rr.com. Oldgolfdawg would be happy to publish your comments in the future in a-letter-to-the-editor type format.

A man in need of sunglasses

Anyone who thought Dustin Johnson's rain-shortened, 54-hole victory last year in the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am was a fluke had that notion dispelled yesterday by his milestone-filled triumph.

With a short birdie putt on the 18th hole, Johnson became the first player in 20 years to win back-to-back Pebble Beach National Pro-Am titles, closing with a 2-over-par 74 for a one-shot victory over David Duval and J.B. Holmes. Not since Mark O'Meara in 1990 had someone won back-to-back at Pebble Beach. The other back-to-back winners are all in the Hall of Fame -- Sam Snead, Cary Middlecoff, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson.

Johnson's victory didn't come easy and required a display of grit. On an entertainment scale of 1 to 5, Oldgolfdawg would throw it 4 dog biscuits. It's hard to follow up a low round and Johnson was coming off an 8-under 64 at Spyglass Hill that had given him a share of the lead with veteran Paul Goydos. In a final round in which only seven players broke 70, Johnson surrendered a lead he had taken over Goydos with an eagle on the sixth hole by double-bogeying No. 9.

Goydos appeared to be in good shape with a one-shot lead until he came up short of the dangerous 14th green with his third shot on the par 5 hole. He started a train wreck with his fourth shot when he tried to flop it over the edge of a bunker protecting the pin. It came out too hard and went down a slope on the left side of the green. His next chip wasn't hard enough and rolled back toward him. Then came his sixth shot, some 35 feet beyond the flag, inches from rolling off the front of the green. He three-putted for 9.

After Johnson managed to par No. 14, he was back in the lead. But Duval sank a 12-foot birdie putt on No. 17 and Holmes sank a 4-foot birdie putt at No. 16 to close to a shot of the lead. After Johnson bogeyed the par-3 17th after hitting his tee shot into the a back bunker, there was a three-way tie for the lead. As he stood on the tee of the famous par-5 18th that runs along the Pacific Ocean, Johnson knew only a birdie would make up for his miscue at 17.

At that point, the longest driver in the field hammered his tee shot beyond the small pines trees that most of the pros use as aiming points for shorter drives on the scenic hole. He then hit a 3-iron into the front right bunker and blasted out to just more than 3 feet. When Johnson made the putt, he lightly pumped his fist to celebrate becoming the first player since Davis Love III in 2003 to win Pebble Beach with a birdie on the 72nd hole from the final group.

"The tee shot he hit on 18 was all world," Goydos said. "I mean, that's never straight and narrow where he's hitting the ball, consider he has to make 4 to win the golf tournament. Pretty impressive."

Johnson, 25, finished at 16-under 270 to move into the lead of the FedEx Cup standings ahead of Steve Stricker and to No. 2 in the Ryder Cup standings. He also joined Sean O'Hair as the only Americans in their 20s with three PGA Tour victories and became the first player since Tiger Woods to come out of college and win in each of his first three years on the PGA Tour.

The victory also established Johnson as a force to reckon with in June when Pebble Beach will play host to the U.S. Open. Johnson has a chance to join Woods and Nicklaus as players who won regular tour events at Pebble before winning U.S. Opens there in the same year. Not bad company for a soft-spoken native of South Carolina who some doubted could win a 72-hole event at Pebble.

Urge to splurge pays off

If you ever get the chance to play golf on the Monterey Peninsula, don't think twice. Just do it. Watching the second round of the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am yesterday further convinced Oldgolfdawg that he made the right decision to do so in 1992.

In a span of five days, Oldgolfdawg played The Links at Spanish Bay, Poppy Hills, Spyglass Hill and Pebble Beach Golf Links during a once-in-a-life-time spending spree. But being a cheap bastard, Oldgolfdawg actually thought twice about forking over $230 to play Pebble Beach on his final day on the peninsula. Today that same opportunity will cost you $530, so it turns out Oldgolfdawg was getting a bargain while he was wrestling with his penny-pinching demons.

At that time, the only way one could get a guaranteed tee time was to spend the night at The Lodge located right on the course. Oldgolfdawg couldn't afford that luxury but found out one could arrive at the course at 6 a.m. and sign up on a list that would give one the chance to play if someone backed out of their tee time unexpectedly. Despite arriving at 5:30 a.m., Oldgolfdawg only managed to be third on that list, which eventually had more than 20 hopefuls sign up that day.

It was a little past 10 a.m. when the first two hopefuls on the list got their chance to fork over $230, and Oldgolfdawg got his chance about 25 minutes later when two guys with bad hangovers decided to be no-shows. Having watched the tournament on television since about age 15, Oldgolfdawg was pinching himself in disbelief when he walked up to the first tee.

He was quickly brought back to earth by the comment: "Man, you're like dog shit on a shoe, we can't get rid out you." Turns out Oldgolfdawg joined a twosome -- two television executives from San Jose -- that he had been grouped with two days before at Spyglass Hill and a high school teacher from San Francisco who was fourth on the sign up list.

The next five hours were pure nirvana for Oldgolfdawg. It was a bright, clear day and sunlight sparkled magically as it reflected off the ocean as we made our pilgrimage around the hallowed grounds. From the white tees, Oldgolfdawg managed an 82 that included a quadruple bogey 7 on the par 3 fifth hole that has since been redesigned. (Should have taken an unplayable lie out of a sand trap but didn't.)

Afterward, the two television executives treated Oldgolfdawg to a cheeseburger and several beers at the clubhouse's outdoor restaurant. As Oldgolfdawg was sitting there eating his cheeseburger and drinking a beer while watching others finish their rounds on the 18th green, he couldn't help but think life is good. The saltwater smells of Stillwater Cove and the splashing sound of waves hitting the retaining wall along the 18th fairway made the moment seem almost surreal. To say it was a day well spent, would be a huge understatement.  Looking back, Oldgolfdawg can't help but think it was the best $230 he had ever spent at a golf course. The kind of day one remembers for a lifetime. Or as one of the credit card commercials used to say: Priceless.

Mickelson has new motivation

Phil Mickelson didn't have much time to bask in the spotlight afforded to the No. 2 ranked player in the world while Tiger Woods sorts out his personal life. Five weeks into the PGA Tour season, steady Steve Stricker grabbed that spotlight away with his victory last week in the Northern Trust Open in Los Angeles.

So is Mickelson ready to answer this challenge? That's a question that's out there as the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am begins today on the Monterey Peninsula. The good news for Phil fanatics is he's won the tournament three times. The bad news is he has never won it as early as in his third start of a season.

It would be fair to say Mickelson has stumbled out of the gate in 2010 after playing like the best player in the world at the tail end of 2009. His 19th place finish in his season debut in the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego two weeks ago created more headlines about his use of the controversial Ping Eye 2 wedge than his play. Last week at Riviera Country Club he finished tied for 45th at 2 under par, not what was expected out of someone trying to score an unprecedented three-peat at Hogan's Alley. In his previous three appearances at Riviera, Mickelson had finished 2-1-1 at 16 under, 12 under and 15 under. So what seems to be the problem?

In a word: Rust. Last year Mickelson had played nine rounds in three events before he got to Riviera. This year he played four rounds one week before he arrived in L.A.

“I felt like I was ready heading into the season, maybe over-eager for it to start because of how well I was playing,” Mickelson said on his Web site. “I’m hitting a lot of good shots but I’m not managing my game well, the mental game is not as sharp as it should be. It’s different out on here on tour than playing at home. It’s disappointing, but I guess it’s always like this for me early in the year.”

Oldgolfdawg would suggest that Mickelson should have opened his season at the 90-hole Bob Hope Desert Classic just as sort of a warm-up. It would have made Mickelson sharper for his three-peat bid at Riviera, and it would have been a nice boost for a Hope event that could use some support from golf's bigger names. But hindsight is always 20/20 and Mickelson has his own way of preparing for a new season.

Unfortunately for him, he also has the new motivation of wanting to regain the No. 2 ranking in the world.

Best seen in a rearview mirror

When you've played a course 50 to 60 times during a two-year period you often gain confidence about playing certain holes that at first gave you problems. This was the case for Oldgolfdawg when he had season passes to New Albany Links back in 2001 and 2002.

On the front nine, Nos. 1, 2 and 9 often proved to be problematic, but eventually the hurdles they presented seemed to shrink. That phenomenon never occurred, however, for No. 12, a 406-yard par 4 dogleg left, and for that reason it is the eighth member of Oldgolfdawg's Elegant Eighteen.

Off its tee, the golfer wants to hit a 240- to 250-yard drive to the center or just left of center of a fairway that climbs a slight hill before it flattens out. The tee shot must carry a creek the runs across the fairway about 160 yards from the tee box. The right-handed golf must avoid pulling the drive or hitting a big draw because the fairway at the top of a slight rise drops off sharply to the left into a sand trap or worse, a pond that protects the front of a sliver-like green. Poorly hit drives to the left that manage to carry the creek often funnel into the aforementioned pond. Drives that fade to the right usually settle down in a nasty rough and make the second shot over the pond protecting the green very dicey. Big hitters who hit through the left-hand turn of the fairway, can end up in a bunker, making a second shot over water an adventure one might think twice about embarking on.

The second shot from the fairway is downhill into a narrow green that is 50 to 60 feet deep from front to back and protected by a front right sand trap. It can be tricky, especially when hitting into the wind, which often is the case. Trying to be too fine with anything from a sand wedge to a 7-iron, Oldgolfdawg often tugged his approach shot or hit too much draw and saw his ball run off the left side of the green and down into a creek that runs along side it. After making that mistake once too often, Oldgolfdawg got into the habit of bailing right with the second shot and leaving himself a difficult chip to try to salvage par.

Although Oldgolfdawg did post a few birdies on the hole, they were few and far between. For the most part, he was just glad to have that hole in his rearview mirror with a bogey or better on his scorecard.

New Albany Links, designed by Barry Serafin and opened in 2000, plays 7,004 yards from its longest tees and is basically a private country club that the public can play. From the blue tees at 6,570 yards, it carries a rating of 71.3 and has a slope of 128.
http://www.newalbanylinks.com/golf/proto/newalbanylinks/

Are racing stripes extra?

These are times that try a golfer's soul. The Super Bowl is history, the temporary high received from sniffing travel brochures at the Greater Columbus Golf Show has faded away, Punxsutawney Phil has seen his shadow and the most recent blast from winter has harshly reminded us that golf season in central Ohio is far beyond the current snow-covered horizon.

Maybe that's why golf equipment makers use this time of the year to launch their 2010 sales campaigns in earnest, knowing golfers battling cabin fever are at their weakest in terms of trying to resist the call to improve one's game by reshuffling what's in one's golf bag.

Yesterday, Oldgolfdawg received an e-mail from Golfsmith offering generous trade-in discounts for those interested in upgrading to "new technology," and a Golf Galaxy brochure found its way into his snail mailbox with the headline "Launch Your Game For Less." Sunday, a few hours before the Super Bowl, good friend and high school sports writer extraordinaire Steve Blackledge stopped by the house to drop off his Sports Illustrated Golf+ Equipment Issue for Oldgolfdawg's examination.

Did you ever notice how there are similarities between the way golf equipment and new cars are pitched? Marketing departments and designers for both work overtime to come up with "innovative breakthroughs" in an effort to move more metal.

Did you know, for instance, that the 2010 Burner SuperFast is 14 grams lighter than last year's Burner Driver? The TaylorMade folks want you to know that advanced aerodynamics, a longer, more powerful shaft, and a stripped-down, lighter grip ignites its clubhead speed. This is important stuff to know when considering what type of snake-killing device you want to be wielding the next time you sneak up on a golf ball.

Bet you didn't know that "Cleveland Golf is once again revolutionizing the short game by introducing Laser Milled Face Technology on its new CG15 wedges. On these clubs, four perfectly calibrated texture lines are milled in-between each of the Zip Grooves to create a breakthrough in surface roughness that maximizes spin within the rules of golf." The last line of this sales pitch is the best. "If you want to change the face of your scorecard, put a set of CG15 wedges in your bag today."

It's hard to argue with such advanced thinking, especially if you're the kind of person who likes racing stripes on your new car. But buyer beware. Twelve months from now another "revolutionary breakthrough" in golf design is going to entice you to spend more money. It's the nature of the beast in the golf equipment game.

A good vibrations victory

Steve Stricker's two-shot victory over Luke Donald in the Northern Trust Open yesterday was the perfect remedy for what has been ailing the PGA Tour in 2010.  Refreshingly, one of its top-ranked players pulled off a winning performance that made practically everyone feel good.

Considering the recent shadows cast over golf by the Tiger Woods scandal and the square-groove controversy, PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem couldn't have written a much better script. It's hard not to feel good when you see an unassuming 42-year-old man wipe tears from his eyes during a television interview moments after recording the eighth victory of his PGA Tour career.

Apparently when you bounce back from a career-threatening slump the way Stricker has it makes you unashamed to show your appreciation for success. With his victory at Riviera Country Club, Stricker has taken over the lead in the FedExCup and risen to No. 2 in the world golf rankings. At the end of the same tournament in 2005, Stricker was ranked 327th among golfers around the globe.

Through hard work and perseverance the steady Wisconsin native has overcome losing his PGA Tour card in 2005 to become one of golf's top players, relying on consistent ball-striking, superior iron and short-game play and a deadly putting stroke from inside 10 feet to separate himself from the competition. In the last four years -- and three tournaments of 2010 -- Stricker has won more than $17 million and five PGA Tour events. He's finished second and third in the FedExCup, too.

Starting the final round of the Northern Trust Open yesterday with a six-shot lead put Stricker in the uncomfortable position of not wanting to match a PGA Tour record for blowing the biggest lead.

"I just knew it was going to be hard," Stricker said after closing with a 1-under 70. "You're playing a different game than what you normally play. You played scared -- at least I did there for a while."

Back-to-back birdies at the turn settled him down. Another clutch putt for par on the 15th hole essentially clinched it for him. On an entertainment scale of 1 to 5, Oldgolfdawg would throw Stricker's victory 3 1/2 dog biscuits. Watching someone hold onto a lead isn't as much fun as watching someone charge from behind to win. But any victory by Stricker is worth watching, especially the television interview afterward.

"He played nicely coming down the stretch, and I think he was a deserved winner," said Donald, who closed with a 66.

Of Stricker's climb to No. 2 in the world rankings, Donald added:  "It's a great testament to his will. It's a tough game mentally when you're not playing well, and to break that and come back and be where he is right now, that's great going. He's obviously found it, and he's worked hard, and he has a lot of belief in himself now."

Some things aren't elementary

It was good to see Tom Watson make the cut at the Dubai Desert Classic this weekend playing against many of the world's top-ranked players.

Entering today's final round in an eight-way tie for 29th at 2 under, he has no shot at winning. But it remains an amazing performance by a 60-year-old golfer who lost a playoff against Stewart Cink in last year's British Open and opened the Champions Tour season with a one-shot victory over Fred Couples.

But something Watson said about the Tiger Woods scandal before the start of the Dubai Desert Classic rubbed Oldgolfdawg the wrong way.

“Tiger has to take ownership of what he has done," Watson said. "He must get his personal life in order. I think that’s what he’s trying to do. And when he comes back he has to show some humility to the public."

Oldgolfdawg is in perfect agreement with Watson on that statement. But then Watson also said that Woods should clean up his on-course behavior in order to be considered among the true greats of the game, saying: “I feel that he has not carried the same stature that other great players that have come along like Jack (Nicklaus), Arnold (Palmer), Byron Nelson, the Hogans, in the sense that there was language and club throwing on the golf course.”

Apparently this is something that has been gnawing at Watson for some time.

“You can grant that of a young person that has not been out here for a while," Watson continued. "But I think he needs to clean up his act and show the respect for the game that other people before him have shown.”

Oldgolfdawg can't help but think Ol' Tom seems to being piling on or kicking a cat when he's down to criticize Woods' on-course behavior at this point in time.

To suggest that Woods can't be considered among the true greats of the game because he has exhibited a potty mouth during moments of frustration in his career is ridiculous. Woods' game speaks for itself. The passion he has demonstrated with his salty language or the slamming of a club during his career has played a big part in helping him become a 14-time major winner. It also made him interesting to watch as television ratings over the years have overwhelming proven.

Granted, Watson is adding a filter of what he deems to be socially acceptable in forming his "true greats" list. Oldgolfdawg would include Woods in any such list despite his current fall from grace or past on-course behavior issues.

Up until his car accident Nov. 27 and subsequent revelations about his extramarital affairs, Woods was the best thing that ever hit the PGA Tour. Nine PGA Tour pros made $1 million or more in official money winnings the first year Woods teed it up as a pro in 1996. Last season, 91 of them earned $1 million or more. And Woods has made concerted efforts to recognize the contributions of golf legends who paved the way for his success. For Watson to suggest that Woods hadn't been showing respect for the game is a bit over the top.

If hearing Woods drop an occasional F-bomb puts Watson's panties in such a bunch, Oldgolfdawg can only assume Ol' Tom doesn't have a vast collection rap CDs. That's OK. To each his own. But not all people are caught up in the superficial illusions that "correct decorum" can construct.

Lobbying against the loophole

Turns out Phil Mickelson was pulling the chains of golf's ruling bodies when he decided to use the Ping Eye 2 wedge at the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego last week.

After announcing he won't be using the controversial club when he begins his two-time title defense of the Northern Trust Open today at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, Mickelson said he hopes others will use the wedge to keep attention on what he calls a ridiculous rule.

“I won’t be playing that wedge. My point has been made,” Mickelson said yesterday. “But if these governing bodies cannot get together to fix this loophole, if players stop using this wedge – which would stop the pressure of the issue – then I will relook at it and put the wedge back in play.”

The Ping wedge has grooves that no longer conform under a new USGA regulation, adopted by the PGA Tour. However, any Ping wedge made before April 1, 1990, is approved for play under a legal settlement from two decades ago.

Mickelson is among five players who have used the Ping wedge in competition this year. Several players believe using the club goes against the spirit of the new grooves regulation, although Scott McCarron fueled the debate when he said of Mickelson and others, “It’s cheating.”

McCarron offered Mickelson an apology Tuesday night for his remarks and it was accepted.

“We all make mistakes, and we all say things we wish we could take back,” Mickelson said. “I’ve done it a bunch in my career. And the fact that it’s also not easy to come up and face that person, look them in the eye and apologize … I appreciate him being a big enough man to do that.”

However, Mickelson wasn't ready to forgive the USGA for its lack of transparency in developing the new rules for grooves. He has complained that his submitted wedges that fit the guidelines were rejected by the USGA for violating the intent of the new rule.

“I’ve very upset with the way the rule came about, the way one man essentially can approve or not approve a golf club based on his own personal decision, regardless of what the rule says,” Mickelson said. “This has got to change.”

How, when or if that change will come remains unclear. PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem met with players Tuesday night and conceded that Tour officials did not realize a Ping wedge from 20 years ago would become such a big issue.

“The assumption was made last year that very few, if any, players would use that club because they’re 20 years old,” Finchem said. “I think we underestimated that a little bit.”

Doing nothing about the current situation seems unlikely because Finchem said issues over fairness in competition have been raised. It's possible an agreement with Ping chairman and CEO John Solheim can be reached. Solheim is to meet with the USGA over the next few weeks and Finchem hopes progress is made in that regard.

Any solution could be weeks, if not months, away. In the meantime, Mickelson said he would not use the wedge at the Northern Trust Open, even though he’s hopeful others will.

“If there’s no pressure among these organizations to make changes, I will immediately put the club back in play,” Mickelson said.

Oldgolfdawg thinks Mickelson is probably right about the need for more transparency in the formation of rule changes. The current controversy will not go away until it is addressed. It would be a shame to see someone win the Masters this year with a Ping Eye 2 wedge in their bag. It would taint the accomplishment in the minds of many. Some might even suggest putting an asterisk next to the winner's name.

Was Mickelson just stirring the pot?

Is it possible that Phil Mickelson had a controversial pre-1990 Ping Eye 2 wedge in his bag during the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines just to make golf's ruling bodies look silly?

Several golf writers who follow the tour on a regular basis are wondering just that as the controversy over the square-grooved club continues to rage.

"I don't think there's that much difference between this club that I'm using and my other wedge," Mickelson said last weekend. "So there's a very good chance that I'll switch back, but not for the reason that I think I've been doing something wrong."

Last Friday, after being criticized by fellow pro Scott McCarron for using the Ping Eye 2 wedge, Mickelson said: "We have 'legal and conforming' grooves, and we have 'approved for play,' and I have sent in legal grooves that have not been approved, and these grooves (that he played last weekend) in my opinion are, just like Scott felt, are non-conforming grooves, but they are approved."

It sounded like something one would hear from a high-paid lawyer that clears up nothing.

Then the PGA Tour issued this statement: "Leading up to the implementation, we have been aware that under the USGA Rules of Golf, the pre-1990 clubs would be allowed and that there was the potential that some players might choose to use them. We will monitor this situation as we move forward and under Tournament Regulations, we do have the ability to make a local rule which would not allow the clubs. There's been no decision made at this time."

That decision might be announced today by PGA commissioner Tim Finchem. Oldgolfdawg hopes for any ruling that will make the controversy go away. Most people just don't care, and many players on the tour just want to play golf.

The idea to make the game harder just because elite players like Tiger Woods and Mickelson can hit biting shots out of the rough with the square-grooved wedges was a bad one from the get-go. Ninety-nine percent of people who golf don't need to have the game made any harder. The new rule doesn't go into effect for the general public for 14 years. But the long lag time won't change anything. When was the last time you heard of anybody quitting the game because it was too easy?