What I love about watching a major golf tournament: it obliges me to do nothing. A swing, the ball hops, rolls, is somewhere. It's not even my job to find it; the camerapeople do all the work.
Personalities attached to the event of the ball ascending, descending, rolling, stopping: Tiger, whose face becomes godlike with concentration. Mickelson, always caught in between a laugh and a grimace. Garcia, maddening, get on with it! Shots of strays from yesterday and yesteryear: please Freddie Couples, make another cut. Applause Friday at 18 whether you do or you don't. Farewell!
The final personality: the course. This one is one that people you know play, maybe you've played it yourself. It's not a dream vacation to Scotland, miles off the highway in Florida, a shrine where every bridge is named for a legend who crossed it on his way to his epic tournament day. Named for a tree that grows mostly around it and nowhere else, it's in the public domain, but unique as a face as well.
There's a stray torrey pine in the botanical garden at UCLA. I used to visit it all the time as an undergraduate. You can't look at the tree without thinking of the course: now that's an identity for a course to have. An identity rooted in nature, nature presiding over the Pacific, nature which on the smallest screen looks exotic, even for people who live here, who dip down PCH all the time.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Monday, April 14, 2008
Immelman jumps to 15th
This is what the Green Jacket does when you're 22nd in the world: it moves you to 15th.
He looked even better than that, didn't he?
And with that, this blog goes a little dormant until the next round. See you at Torrey Pines down the road June 12-15.
He looked even better than that, didn't he?
And with that, this blog goes a little dormant until the next round. See you at Torrey Pines down the road June 12-15.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
The karma of Immelman
The karma of Immelman's victory will be much discussed tomorrow. The guy's had such a man-crush on Gary Player for so long, and if you watched, you heard through the broadcast that Player left a message for him this morning, expressing his complete confidence that he'd win. That's an enormous gift to carry around on the final day of Augusta with the wind blowing.
Nearly as big a story is this: Tiger's tournament was completely off. There were so few great putts, only one today, a lot of blown putts under ten feet, and even a three-putt on an easy green. There were a couple of rims, there were a lot of extra swings because of all the bad drives he hit, and there was absolutely no luck to be had for him.
Yet the guy finishes second. When you think of the golf he played, and how no shots seemed to drop for him, it seems impossible.
Snedeker is the best new face in golf: happy-go-lucky, steps up and hits the ball immediately after setting up. He might take the place of John Daly as being an unlikely perennial crowdpleaser; all he needs is a few bad habits.
Funny, Uncle Phil almost backed into the money, despite teeing off on the final day an hour before the contenders. Without hitting that pin yesterday and bizarrely richocheting off the green, he might have put enough pressure on to finish in it.
It was great to start a blog like street-hassle-golf, a soft green that's ready to go for the PGA. I'll be yanking it off the sidebar tomorrow, but those who clicked, thanks for reading.
Nearly as big a story is this: Tiger's tournament was completely off. There were so few great putts, only one today, a lot of blown putts under ten feet, and even a three-putt on an easy green. There were a couple of rims, there were a lot of extra swings because of all the bad drives he hit, and there was absolutely no luck to be had for him.
Yet the guy finishes second. When you think of the golf he played, and how no shots seemed to drop for him, it seems impossible.
Snedeker is the best new face in golf: happy-go-lucky, steps up and hits the ball immediately after setting up. He might take the place of John Daly as being an unlikely perennial crowdpleaser; all he needs is a few bad habits.
Funny, Uncle Phil almost backed into the money, despite teeing off on the final day an hour before the contenders. Without hitting that pin yesterday and bizarrely richocheting off the green, he might have put enough pressure on to finish in it.
It was great to start a blog like street-hassle-golf, a soft green that's ready to go for the PGA. I'll be yanking it off the sidebar tomorrow, but those who clicked, thanks for reading.
Immelman, again
Birdie-birdie on 17 and 18 and Immelman closes with the lead well in hand. But Brandt Snedeker has been just as much fun to watch, and seems to be having an even better time.
What goes around comes around: on Thursday, Mickelson hit a pin and the ball dropped in the hole, saving a hopeless par. But yesterday he hit a pin again, this time on an iron shot, and the ball, with tons of backspin that would have set it down perfectly, instead caromed like a superball and almost ran off the green.
Somebody found something at The Masters that wasn't named: a pond. Even some of the trees have names there. The holes are all named after foliage on them.
On moving day, Tiger made a small move, not a big one. His long putts are all close but he can't find an eagle. We did see the graphic again: he's never won a Slam in which he's trailed after 54 holes. And the other graphic: he's a couple strokes over on the 3s and 4s lifetime, but 88 strokes under at Augusta on the par fives.
What goes around comes around: on Thursday, Mickelson hit a pin and the ball dropped in the hole, saving a hopeless par. But yesterday he hit a pin again, this time on an iron shot, and the ball, with tons of backspin that would have set it down perfectly, instead caromed like a superball and almost ran off the green.
Somebody found something at The Masters that wasn't named: a pond. Even some of the trees have names there. The holes are all named after foliage on them.
On moving day, Tiger made a small move, not a big one. His long putts are all close but he can't find an eagle. We did see the graphic again: he's never won a Slam in which he's trailed after 54 holes. And the other graphic: he's a couple strokes over on the 3s and 4s lifetime, but 88 strokes under at Augusta on the par fives.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Nobody will catch the clubhouse today
You can play all afternoon. But nobody's going to catch Trevor Immelman today, already in the clubhouse after his second straight 4-under 68. You will stand alone, Trevor.
Notable Tee-times, day two
All times Pacific...
Garcia had a bad round yesterday and is eight strokes back of the lead. At this moment, 72 year old Gary Player is a couple of strokes ahead of 42 year old Prayad Marksaeng.
Singh 7:23 a.m.
Mickelson 7:30 a.m.
Johnson: 10:30 a.m.
Woods: 10:52 a.m.
Garcia had a bad round yesterday and is eight strokes back of the lead. At this moment, 72 year old Gary Player is a couple of strokes ahead of 42 year old Prayad Marksaeng.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Poulter aces 16, takes early clubhouse lead
Watch Ian Poulter's ace:
ESPN: Poulter's hole in one on 16.
Clubhouse leader right now. But didn't I tell you not to underestimate the defending champ? Two birdies on the front nine.
ESPN: Poulter's hole in one on 16.
Clubhouse leader right now. But didn't I tell you not to underestimate the defending champ? Two birdies on the front nine.
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