The EDS Byron Nelson Championship –
Well, it’s upon us. The course is in the best condition ever thanks to DA Weibring and his staff. No one, and I mean no one, has played the course. I spoke to Brandt Jobe earlier in the week and he said, having just driven the course with DA, that it looks great.
The staff of the Salesmanship Club is working feverishly on the changes to the event. These changes - beer on the course; more hospitality; a new pavilion with a VIP Section; music at night; a new KidsZone; better viewing areas - have all been made with the idea of making the Nelson a more fan and family friendly event. These are not easy changes, and I am very proud of the Club for moving The Nelson forward.
Don’t forget Tuesday afternoon. Bring your kids to the Junior Clinic. Art Selinger, the man behind Long Drivers of America, and some of his friends will thrill your kids with shots that take your breath away.
Augusta National –
Hopefully the members at Augusta will recognize (like the Salesmanship Club did) that changes must be made to the golf course. Either that or hope that the next generation of golfers arrives soon because my generation, at least everyone I have spoken to, hates the current situation. A 75 wins the tournament; 4 players under par on a Sunday, that is not what The Masters is supposed to be about. A 30 on the back; guys coming from 4 back - that’s The Masters.
No one wants a second US Open. When Tiger says it, maybe people will listen. Move tees or trees; get rid of the rough - give us back our golf tournament. For 70-plus years, golfers have watched and roared with every shot on Sunday at Augusta. The silence actually hurt my ears. Please… give us back our Masters.
Trevor Immelman –
A year ago, he was my pick. This year, had anyone asked me about his chances, I would have said the guy would be lucky to make the cut. Illness, cancer… Way too much going on to think he would be ready to win a major. His game said otherwise. His game would have won any of the majors. Hitting fairway after fairway; green after green; making putt after putt, Immelman showed the world that he is the best 20-something out there.
With Trevor stepping up, it will be interesting to see if Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia or Justin Rose can follow in his footsteps.
What a wallop for Nike –
We all expect Nike to finish first - they have Tiger Woods. But first, second, and third? Not bad for a company that wasn’t around a few years back. Kudos to Tom Stites and all the guys at The Oven in Fort Worth, home to the Nike R&D.
The equipment helped them win, but the shirts that Trevor wore that were the coolest. (God, I’m starting to sound like the Marty guy on the Golf Channel!)
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson –
It was a tough week for both. As I said before, Tiger mentions that he felt like he was playing a US Open. I would love to hear what Phil thought.
Phil could not find any consistency; Tiger couldn’t find a short game. Phil did not hit the ball very well; Tiger hit well enough to win. Neither is wearing a Green Jacket. Both had problems with short putts.
Tiger steps from the golf course to the operating table. Work on his left knee for the third time will keep him out of Wachovia and The Players. Hopefully he will be back for Jack and the US Open. He will be missed.
Doug and Will –
What a great week for me! Doug is home for Spring Break from the International Junior Golf Academy. I know how hard it is for parents to let their son go, but what a difference! I would recommend a boarding school for all kids in their senior year.
And Will… it is so much fun watching my son’s growth in baseball. It is not golf, but Will has found a passion and it is good.
Olympic Golf –
One closing thought. We will talk about this plenty over the next few months. I have no problem with golf becoming an Olympic Sport; I think it would be great. The problem is doing it with Tour Players. God knows we have enough golf. God know we have enough split events. I would love Golf in the Olympics… as long as we have amateurs playing. More later on this...
