The Golfers' Home

June 2008 - Posts

• A Liberal's Point of View...

  Time to get some things off my shoulders! Can we all just get along? I am a liberal.  I admit it.  Being in Texas can sometimes make that difficult.  But, as liberal as I am, it is time to stop thinking everything has some sort of racist attitude or double-meaning attached.  People say some pretty stupid things in the name of “trying” to be funny.  That is the mistake, not that Kelly Tillman or Johnny Miller has a racist bone in their bodies.  Are there racists in the world?  Absolutely.  Should they be taken off the air or be made to stand at attention during the entire Democratic National Convention, yes.  But just as important, there are two major steps we must take to move into the 21st century. Let’s leave the one-liners to the comedians.  Announcers and analysts need to be just that – announcers and analysts.  They need to report on what is happening and try to explain why.  They need to stop trying to be what they aren’t.  They are not comedians!  They are also not mind readers.  Stop telling us what someone is thinking when they do not know.  Stop saying what shot a player is going to hit when they do not know.  Tell us what you think they might try and more importantly, what shot they did hit and why.  STOP TRYING TO BE FUNNY; it does not work and only gets you in trouble. Hey Johnny… Italians do not clean pools. It is time to give people the “benefit of the doubt” about their stupidity.  I am sick of every time someone says something we have to hear from Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton or some group about how the comment was racist.  Chances are it was not racist; chances are it was just stupid.  Johnny Miller did not need to apologize to Rocco Mediate or the Italian community for his comments.  He needed to apologize to all of us for his stupidity; he needed to apologize to all of us because he has no comedic sense.  And we need to get some thicker skin.  It is time for us to move into a higher state of consciousness.  When we play… let’s play hard and have fun.  When we work… let’s work hard.  When we are worried about issues at hand… let’s worry about something far more important than some commentator making an ass of him or herself for saying something stupid.  God knows we have plenty of things on this planet to really get concerned about. Enough with the seeds – On a far more important note.  Attention Sunflower seed eaters… STOP LEAVING YOUR SEEDS ON THE GREENS.  Where do these idiots come from?  Have some respect for the others on the golf course.  If you drop a shell on the green (or even the tee box) have the courtesy to pick it up.  This goes for cigarette and cigar butts also.  And while I am at it, how about picking up your tees after you hit a shot?  Where is it written that just because you hit it into the woods you should leave your broken tee in the ground for someone else to grab?  If everyone did this and fixed two divots on every green, imagine how much better every course in the world would be. Who says you have to hit it far – Let’s hear it for the 48 year olds… Congratulations to my bud Tommy Armour III and his brother Sandy.  They finished second last week at the Travelers.  Ever since Tommy asked his brother to “get back on the bag”, Tommy seems to be a new old man.  He led the field in birdies with 24 and GIR’s at 83%.  The thing I love most about Armour is that “he gets it.”  More than most on the Tour, Tommy Armour III understands that to stay in the show, you actually have to practice.  Armour hits more 5 foot putts than anyone I know (not counting some guy named Tiger.)  At 48, most guys are just trying to hang around until they go get the “fun money” on the Champions Tour.  Ask Tommy about that and he says, “I believe I can play on this tour for many more years.”  Tommy Armour is the next Fred Funk and we need more of these guys. One last look – One last comment about the whole being a comedian thing, it goes for players too.  Retief Goosen saying, “I was trying to be tongue in cheek.”  Dare I say again, let’s leave the jokes to the comedians… if you are a golfer, be a golfer.  If you are an analyst, be an analyst.  And, incidentally, Retief – I hope you never have to face Tiger in a Match Play event.  If you do, please blog… ”Steven Ames comments to Tiger Woods.” Have a great week. Posted Jun 26 2008, 03:46 PM by Steven Gribin with 2 comment(s) Filed under: Steven Gribin, Tiger Woods, Tommy Armour III, Sunflower Seeds, Democratic National Convention, Retief Goosen

• One of the Greatest Athletic Achievements by the Greatest Athlete in the World Today - Tiger Woods

  Yesterday on ESPN Radio in Dallas, afternoon drive host and feature columnist for the Fort Worth Star Telegram, Randy Galloway called me “giddy and over the edge” for how I have spoken about Eldrick Tiger Woods.  I called what Tiger did, “one of the greatest athletic achievements by the greatest athlete in the world today.”   I used an analogy that I suspect those of you that know our great game will understand.  Imagine if you will, Emmit Smith playing in the Super Bowl and rushing for 150 yards under these circumstances… Two fractured bones in his leg A Torn ACL that needs total reconstruction Having had surgery just 8 weeks previously on his knee Having only practiced for 10 minutes a day with no pads for one month prior to the game Not bending down prior to the start of the game. Basically being told by his doctors to “shut it down now.” Not being able to walk from the kitchen table to the refrigerator. Not practicing with his teammates until game time. And now the best… Knowing all this and knowing the pain he would have to live with every time he got hit. Every writer in America; every radio host; hell, everyone would say it was an achievement beyond comparison.  That is what Tiger Woods did at the 108th US open...  And incidentally, the man never hit one practice ball or practice putt (other than a few shots to warm up prior to each round) during the tournament.  And, oh yeah… he won. Tiger has given us so many great moments.  From his first Masters win to his unbelievable Masters chip-in.  Every time the man goes to the golf course we wait for something great to happen.  As I watched from his first shot on Thursday to his short putt for par on the 91st hole, I knew there that something extra special was happening.  We just did not know how special.  For two weeks prior to the Open, I said that I did not think he would play.  I knew something wasn’t right. If it wasn’t the Open; if it wasn’t on a course that Tiger knew so well; if he wasn’t about to become the first player to record the incredible record of winning majors in 4 straight years, twice; if it wasn’t for the fact that he knew he was through for a pretty long time; IF IT WASN’T TIGER WOODS, none of this would have happened. So, Randy, you go ahead and make fun of me… I will stand by my statements.  I will stand tall knowing that what was accomplished this past weekend could not have been done by anyone but Tiger Woods. On another note -- Is there anything more nerve-racking than watching our kids?  Today I went through every emotion possible watching my eldest play his final round of golf in the Legends Tour event at Twin Creeks.  As many of you know, one year ago, Doug choose to chase his dream of becoming a golfer by spending his senior year at the International Junior Golf Academy in Hilton Head.  By today’s standards, Doug’s chase began very late; most juniors are in their 8th or 9th year at 18 years old.  But Sandie and I believe in chasing dreams and we are doing everything we can to assist our son. He is doing his part.  Practicing for hours; playing and, more importantly, gaining as much knowledge as possible in a short period of time.  Knowing that he is behind does not make things easy.  Doug makes mistakes during tournament rounds that other talented kids made when they were 15, but my son pushes forward. Today was one of those days.  Doug was three under par after 4 holes.  As Hank Haney tells him, “Doug, you manage to shoot the highest score possible every time you play.”  Today he turned a 68 or 69 into a 74.  Now for you and me, 74 is a dream number.  For Doug, it is just another round on the way to the goal.  As parents we live and breathe with every shot, every swing of the bat, every puck shot at the net or every free throw attempt.  The hardest part for each of us is enjoying the moment.  Today, through all his ups and downs, I enjoyed more than ever before watching my son play a round golf.  Douglas Gribin is getting better ever day and isn’t that what we want from each of our children. So this weekend, keep it in the short grass and more important, go play golf with your kids… because there is no better way to play our grand old game.  Posted Jun 20 2008, 10:29 AM by Steven Gribin with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Steven Gribin, Tiger Woods

• The Golfers' Weekend Roundup - 6/16/2008

  Do you feel unsatisfied like I do?  We spent four days watching one of the greatest tournaments of all time and still do not have a winner.  Let’s review: It’s Thursday morning we’ve been waiting all morning, wondering… will he play…can he play…is the knee worse then he is letting on?  I come to find out that there are exactly 5 people that know the truth.  And more importantly, that those 5 people will say nothing about his condition.  Nothing will stand in the way of Tiger Woods attempting to win major number 14. There are a number of other facts about this event that went into Tiger’s decision to play: Torrey Pines is called Tiger Pines by many.  More than any other course, Tiger knows this place and how it will react to his shots. The course does not have a lot of slope to walk.  Way less than say Bethpage. Tiger felt this was absolutely his best chance for a major in 2008.  This might not seem important, but it has major significance in golfing history.  If Tiger were to win, he would become the ONLY player to win a major in 4 consecutive years TWICE.  Imagine that; Jack never did it; Arnie never did it; Hogan, Nelson, Watson, they never did it.  In 11 years of playing, he will have won a major in two sets of four. The doctors have said, “you cannot do further harm to your knee.” Tiger, more than any other golfer today, has a real knowledge and love for the history of the game.  I know for a fact that a friend of TW’s had a discussion with him about Hogan and his fighting through the pain from his automobile crash.  That is exactly the kind of thing that motives Tiger Woods. Finally, being raised by a Green Beret, and in so many ways wanting to live that lifestyle, Tiger playing on one knee was the perfect opportunity to step into the world of stories we can tell our kids. So Tiger tees off and proceeds to make a double bogey on the first hole.  How shocking…it would become his calling card for the 2008 US Open.  We can’t forget to talk about Mr. Phil.  More than any other player, I am asked about Phil Mickelson.  Why doesn’t he win more?  Without Tiger, would he be the best?  And a few hundred others.  So let me set the record straight as to my feelings about Phil.  Phil Mickelson has more left brain then anyone I know.  When Phil stands behind a shot, he sees every possibility.  And I mean every one.  Now, most players see one or two shots… Tiger might see four or five…Phil sees a dozen.  Here is where the problem arises.  Most players will try to make the easy shot; some will pull it off, most won’t.  Tiger Woods see the shot that will make him win the tournament.  Phil sees that shot, but he also sees the “next to impossible shot” that, if made, will have the same result as the shot Tiger would hit.  Michelson’s heart; Mickelson’s soul forces him to try that shot.  Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn’t.  Phil’s greatness is also his biggest downfall.  His desire to make great shots over then his desire to win. So Phil goes to the first tee without a driver.  Actually, not a bad idea.  It might cause some response from his playing partners, Tiger and Adam.  If he actually believes to win at Tiger Pines, he must hit the fairways.  His only problem: he could find a football field big enough for the 3 woods (really a 2 wood) he was hitting.  The problem was not Thursday; the problem was not putting the driver back in the bag for Friday.  Mr. Stubborn decided being 45 yards behind Tiger and missing the fairways to the same tune that Tiger was playing did not seem to matter.  And he was wrong. Thursday leaders got some well deserved TV time and proceeded to do what all first round leaders do at the Open, disappear. The cut fell at 7 under par when Stuart Appleby made a birdie on 18 causing the 10 shot rule to slide back to 7.  Appleby looked like a “can’t miss” Except he’s Stuart Appleby and he became a can-miss on Saturday.  Yep, he missed about 30 3-5 footers. In the mean time, Tiger once again started with a double bogey on number one.  I personally think Tiger is doing this on purpose to give the field a slight ray of hope.  Of course, two eagles and a chip in on seventeen and Mr. Woods ended the day right where he belonged… on the top of the leader board. Throughout all this, 45-year old, Rocco Mediate, with pants that his entire family can jump in with him, quietly worked his way around the course and ended Saturday two shots behind Tiger.  A little about Rocco.  This is a guy that has not won in 138 starts; this is a guy that three years ago used his one time exception for being a top 50 all time leading money winner to stay on the tour; this is a guy that started the year making exactly one cut; so we all expected him to be right at the top of a US Open leader board.  One other note about Rocco.  In a world specifically designed for patience, Rocco has zero.  He never stops talking; he never stops moving.  If he could play a round in 30 minutes, he would be a happy camper.  All attributes that go totally against the grain of a US Open winner.  What Rocco Mediate can do is hit fairways.  Now my 13 year old can out drive him, but he can hit fairways.  And he does not have a nervous bone in his body.  He’s to busy smiling to have any nervous bones. So we all know what happens.  Rocco misses his birdie putt on 18 leaving the door open for Lee Westwood (how great did he play.  I really felt bad that he did not make the play-off) and Tiger Woods.  Does Tiger make it simple?  Hell no… He hits his drive in the bunker on the left.  He then proceeds to hit a nine iron worse that my wife (and she is horrible) into the rough on the right side of the fairway.  Now can you imagine Phil in that situation?  Anyway, Tiger then hits a 60* to 12 feet. I want to get serious here for one minute.  I swear to you, I agree with Rocco’s point of view when he said to Mark Rolfing of NBC, “I would never root for a player to miss a shot so I can win.”  I agree with that.  No, I’m lying.  I want to win.  If that means Tiger missing that 12 footer, I am on my hands and knees… I am blowing cigar smoke that way… I am getting the fans to do the wave.  Anyway, I believe Rocco.  He is a man of true love and warmth.  Did you see his belt buckle?  The big Peace sign.  It was cool. Tiger makes the putt and we are off to today.  18 holes for all the marbles.  18 holes between the best player ever and a guy that is currently number 158 in the world rankings.  Not much of a match…WRONG.  While TW will win, this is what golf is all about.  The love of the game.  Tin Cup coming to real life.  You go Rocco…keep smiling, it will drive Tiger crazy. Will give you a full report tomorrow. Post your comments below… Posted Jun 16 2008, 10:44 AM by Steven Gribin with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Steven Gribin, Tiger Woods, 2008, Phil Mickelson, U.S. Open, Rocco Mediate, Stuart Appleby

• The 2008 U.S. Open

  Here we go...   Random thoughts on the 2008 US OPEN... and a few others. When is a Double-Bogey Good?  Well, never really, but if you were to ask me, it was good for Tiger.  He is so competitive that the double might have caused him to relax and get more into the round rather than everything around him.  One thing is sure... this round is taking everything Tiger has.  Quite frankly he has struggled most of the day in all aspects of the game.  All aspects but putting.  The putter has kept him near the top of the leaderboard. Why is Tiger the best? Heading into the week, there was not much about Tiger’s game; rather, there was a lot of talk about Tiger’s knee.  Watching his round, you realize the best part of Tiger’s game: his strength.  Not physical - we all know how strong he is.  It is his inner strength; his total commitment to the use of his mind in the game. I love reading golf books.  Not about the swing (although I could surely use them), but about the history of the game and about using the mind to improve my game.   How often do we hear people say, “Gosh, I wish I had Tiger’s swing?”  I wish I had Tiger’s inner strength.  There might be a half-dozen people that know the truth about Tiger’s knee.  He will never let us know.  What we will know is that Tiger sees this as a week for history.  Should he be playing?  We will never know.  But I can promise you two things: That every media member will tell us his opinion of what is going on.  The problem... they don’t really know. That once Tiger chose to play, he would do everything in his power to win the 2008 US Open.  That is what we should be talking about.  Why is this so important to him?  My media guess... Tiger is always trying to prove things to himself.  How good can I be?  How much can I win by?  How can I demolish on competitors?  And this week... how far to the edge can I take my body?  Good to hear other voices Let me say, I like Nick Faldo; I like Johnny Miller, I am just getting a little tired of them both.  Especially Faldo.  There is no question he does his homework about the course, I see him driving around at every tournament I attend.  I think he does a great job of getting inside a players head going through a round.  What I miss are guys like Curtis Strange and Ken Venturi giving us some of the history of the game or of an event.  I don’t think Faldo has much feeling for the games history nor do I think he does much studying of that part of the game.  That is why I am enjoying listening to Curtis Strange on the US Open coverage on line.  Just a thought, but perhaps it is time for either the Golf Channel or CBS to add another lead analyst in the tower.  What do you think? Rickie who? At 19 years, 5 months, Rickie Fowler is the youngest player in the 2008 Open.  At 5’9’, Fowler plays much bigger and much older for his age.  While some talk about Jason Day and a number of others as the “next” Tiger, my vote goes to Fowler.  A two-time AJGA All-American, Fowler was voted a first-team All-American and winner of the Phil Michelson Award as outstanding freshman while helping Oklahoma State work its way back into NCAA golf contention.  My son Doug actually picked Rickie as his dark-horse.  While I am quite sure Fowler will be top amateur and make the cut, I do think Fowler will use this more as a learning experience rather than his first win. Who is winning? Curtis Strange said it best.  Torrey Pines on Thursday, June 12th, shows why our National Championship is so difficult.  Look at the course and the conditions today and I would have said that half the players would be around Par.  Boy was I wrong.  As Tiger and Phil are finishing their opening round, only 10 players are in Red numbers.  So the answer to my question... once again, it is the course.  Looks can be deceiving and that is what today is.  Call it nerves... call it whatever you want but players are having an incredibly difficult time hitting fairways and greens. One thing is sure, today is as easy as it will get.  So while I am still convinced that the winning number will be under-par, I might have to change my feeling about 5 guys ending in red. An amazing stat I have been around the game for a very long time.  In all my years, I have never seen what 35 year old Justin Hicks managed on his opening 9 holes.  (Before you all start emailing me that you have done this by bogeying every hole, don't!)  I have never seen a player make zero pars in 9 holes and end up under par.  Six birdies and 3 bogeys... simply amazing.  Perhaps, what is more amazing is that Hicks settled into his round and finished at 68.  68 from a guy whose bio says his favorite time was playing in the final stage of Q-School.  Anyone have a guess where he finishes. Question of the Week? Do you like the parings?  Ok, did it matter?  I could not tell whether the players really liked it.  What I know they like was playing in the same flights.  No matter what the weather brings, Tiger and Phil are in the same draw... and that is good. Phil on Phil No driver... Everyone gets on Tiger for not being open about things.  Will we hear one word from the media about as Phil stated after the round, “Oh, maybe I forgot to tell people I was going to play the round without a driver in my bag.  Good choice... we will have to wait and see.  One thing is for certain, he better hit it more consistently. Posted Jun 12 2008, 04:13 PM by Steven Gribin with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Steven Gribin, Tiger Woods, 2008, Phil Mickelson, U.S. Open, Rickie Fowler, Q-School, Double-Bogey, Torrey Pines, Nick Faldo

• The U.S. Open and More...

  Hope this newsletter finds you well… There are a bunch of things to talk about so we’ll get right to it… Random Thoughts... US Open – We’re a week away and the pairings are out.  How much do I want Tiger to play? The amount doubled when I saw that he was playing with Phil Mickelson on Thursday and Friday.  How much have we all wanted to see the best two players of our generation paired together at a course they both love?  So the question arises: will Tiger play?  I might be standing alone on this side of the issue, but I still wonder if Tiger will participate.  I have no factual evidence to my question, just a number of different factors that bring me to this possible conclusion.  At the media day for his tournament at Congressional, Tiger gave all the right answers, but they just did not seem right to me.  There was a noticeable limp in his walk. Tiger has stated that he has yet to walk 18 holes. Earlier this week, Hank Haney, on the Golf Channel, said Tiger’s “swing” was progressing on schedule. Yesterday, Tiger played 18 at Torrey using a cart. Finally, I do not believe that Tiger would play in an event that he did not feel he was capable of winning or at least competing in. No one other than those inside know the real truth about Tiger’s recovery.  I want him to play, but not at the possibility that we do not see him again the rest of the year.  I am also not interested in Tiger “trying” to play.  Just like each of you, I want the showdown.  I want it next week and for the next 5 years.  Let’s see what happens. More US Open – How cool to see Texas A&M student and Coppell High School graduate Conrad Schindler on the bag of Open Champion Todd Hamilton for the last two weeks?  Now, I’m not sure if Todd paid Conrad with money, but he certainly did pay him with time as Todd then caddied for Conrad as he tried to qualify for the US Open.  Imagine, a major champion carrying a bag for 36 holes in one day… WOW.  Another big wow goes to Bob Tway; the major winner chose to not play in the US Open and instead carried the bag of his son Kevin, a student at OSU.  These are the great stories of our Championship. More US Open – For the 18th time, Davis Love III will play.  If I picked one player that so many thought would be “one of the greats” who never quite made that level, it would be Love.  While his game is probably not in a place to contend, I am glad he took the time to qualify. Congressional – One of the advantages to hosting The Golfers Home on ESPN radio is the media day invitations I receive.  I don’t go to many, I can’t really afford the money or the time, but Congressional is one of the courses I’ve always wanted to play.  It was worth everything.  Living in the west coast, playing traditional, tree-lined courses did not happen often; Congressional is the best I have ever played.  There are about 3 of us in the media that will play from the tips.  Last year at Oakmont, the hardest course I have ever played, was beyond a test.  Congressional, while not as hard, is a wonderful, fantastically beautiful walk the park.  It will be interesting to see where Tiger moves his tournament over the next couple of years while Congressional moves into a major mode. Olympics – I have not written about this topic because my original feelings were so strongly opposed to the idea.  I do not see how golf as an Olympic sport will help the growth of the game.  My biggest question deals with seeing our best players moving further away from the PGA Tour.  Think about it… Tiger, Phil and a number of others are already down to playing 4 or 5 tour events a year.  What will this do?  What will the tour have to offer them to get them to compete in the Olympics’?  I would love to see golf in the grandest event of all, but I want them to use our finest Amateur athletes. Question of the Week – Will you take the time to watch the MacDonald’s LPGA Championship?  This week is the best of the best women in golf.  Annika continues her farewell tour trying to win another major and keep the headlines.  Lorena Ochoa is going for her 7th victory in just 10 events and her third consecutive major. Add to that Paula Creamer (third on the 2008 money list), Suzann Pettersen and a large list of Asian women just dying to win this LPGA Championship and it begs our attention.  Let me know what you think. Horseshoe Bay – We only have three spots left for our first getaway of 2008.  Play unlimited golf and stay at one of Marriott’s great resorts.  3 days, 2 nights and so much more.  The price is absolutely unbelievable, 50% below the normal rates… hope you will join us. Have a great weekend of golf.  See you next Tuesday at the Hooter’s Tee It Up tournament! Posted Jun 05 2008, 12:33 PM by Steven Gribin with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Steven Gribin, Tiger Woods, 2008, Olympics, MacDonald’s LPGA Championship, U.S. Open, Davis Love III