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| A Look Back: May 29 1936: Olin Dutra wins the True Temper Open, the first tournament sponsored by a golf equipment manufacturer. 1975: The U.S. defeats Great Britain-Ireland 15.5-8.5 to win the Walker Cup at St. Andrews, Scotland. 1977: Hale Irwin wins Atlanta Classic by one stroke over Steve Veriato. 1988: Curtis Strange wins the Memorial Tournament by two strokes over Hale Irwin and David Frost. 1991: Hord Hardin steps down as chairman of the Masters, and is succeeded by Jack Stephens. |
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Tours
The PGA Tour through
its charitable arm, PGA Tour Charities, Inc., will make a donation of $500,000
to the New York Police and Fire Widows' and Children's Benefit Fund.
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Business
Champion
Group Holdings, Inc., announces the inception of its Future Champions Fund
to help identify and provide financial support to promising professional golfers
and tennis players who have been unable to secure endorsement or sponsorship deals.
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GolfGear International,
Inc., announces net sales of $377,780 and a net loss of $240,290, as compared
with net sales of $571,046 and a net loss of $166,320 for the three months ended
March 31, 2001.
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Publications
First Books
Library announces the release of Philip Young's book "Golf for the People:
Bethpage and the Black," which is focuses on the site of this year's U.S.
Open.
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Equipment
According
to the Darrell Survey for the LPGA's Corning Classic, CHAMP won both the
overall spike count and the individual spike count.
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more...
Jim Furyk
and Laura Diaz both wore Softspikes' Black Widow cleats during their respective
PGA and LPGA tour wins on Sunday.
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People
The Ranch Club
near Park City, Utah, hires Michael Marion as its director of golf.
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Associations
The Sandhills
Golf Association kicks off a year-long in June to recognize its 10-year anniversary
of promoting affordable golf and golf package play in the Pinehurst, Southern
Pines and Aberdeen area in North Carolina.
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more...
The Royal
Canadian Golf Association and CCQ announce plans to develop a $40 million
golf course facility in the City of Terrebonne, near Montreal, Quebec. The new
course will host the Bell Canadian Open.
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more...
Real Estate
Arthur
Rutenberg Homes opens a new four-bedroom/four-bath model home in The Neighborhoods
of World Golf Village.
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more...
Technology
GolfRanger
Systems completes survey maps of 23 golf courses in the Las Vegas area that
will be provided to purchasers of GPS-Caddy and made available to current owners
of GPS-Caddy at no charge.
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more...
Colleges
Wake Forest
signs three recruits for the 2002-03 women's season -- Julie McKenna of Newbury
Park, Calif.; Tarah Schloss of Bloomsburg, Pa., and Joy Juskowich of Morgantown,
W. Va.
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Players
Walter Hall
and Ben Crenshaw are the first to confirm their intention to play the 2002
AT&T Canada Senior Open July 1-7 at Essex Golf & Country Club, near Windsor, Ontario.
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more...
Hale
Irwin owns a 299-point lead in the Charles Schwab Cup. John Jacobs
is second with 877 points, followed by Dana Quigley (809), Tom Kite
(755) and Doug Tewell (741).
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more...
Briefly
CYBERGOLF
has signed up Tallgrass Golf Club in Shoreham, NY, to use it's Broadcast Email
Blast System. ... Acushnet announces that Titleist has become an International
Junior Golf Tour sponsor. ... Jim Furyk played with the Strata Tour Ultimate
G ball, forged Hogan Apex Plus irons and Etonic shoes and glove.
Commentary
Are the Stars Perfectly
Aligned?
It's the end of May and the golfing world seems to be in perfect alignment. Tiger Woods is on top of the PGA Tour money list and would also be on top of the European Tour's Order of Merit -- if he were a member (eat your heart out, Sergio.)
Woods also has the Masters in his back pocket -- again. Because of his latest win, the words Grand Slam are on the lips of some as the bandwagon is coming out of Bobby Jones' barn for the first time since 1972 when Jack Nicklaus won the first two majors.
Nicklaus won the Masters by three shots over Bruce Crampton, Bobby Mitchell and old Buckeye nemesis Tom Weiskopf and then went to Pebble Beach and beat Crampton again by three again in the U.S. Open.
Curiously Nicklaus lost the next major, the British Open, at a favorite venue of his, Muirfield. Nicklaus lost by a stroke to Lee Trevino. How does that bode for Woods?
Yet while the Tiger Watch is in full form, other aspects of golf are in trouble.
The University of Minnesota golfers may lose a golfing program, a program that is competing at this week's NCAA Championships in Columbus, Ohio. Similar to Major League Baseball's talk of contracting the Twins in baseball, golf is clearly not a top priority within the Minnesota athletics department.
This is the same school that has had problems with the so-called revenue-producing sports, including fraud in the basketball program. Is it possible that a clean program in a lesser sport is not as important as a dirty program of a big sport? Hopefully the Gophers' sports brass will figure out the correct priorities and support the kids who have proudly served the school and the golf program.
Another part of the golf landscape that is in turmoil is the PGA Merchandise Show. In a case of more is too much, many now believe that the current show is too big. Over the last five years, the PGA Show has become the all-you-can-eat buffet of golf, and it seems like a diet is now in order, according to some of the game's largest manufacturers, Ping and Titliest.
Is it possible that Reed Exhibitions, which bought the show from the PGA of American, bought a pig in a poke? While we will see, it is clear that everything is not going well in the land of golf shows.
Finally, Phil Mickelson.
Hard to believe is that Mickelson has not won a major yet. It is true, though, but he has been on the doorstep many times knocking on the door. Like others before him, he will eventually knock the door down -- and then look out.
Tom Kite, Fred Couples and Davis Love III have held the mantle that Mickelson holds today, that dreaded best-player-never-to-have-won-a-major label. Is the true measure of a golfer one who finally wins a major and then not another or of a golfer to win one and then two, three, four and more? Mickelson will eventually answer that question, but do not be surprised if he wins one, and then many more.
He has about 10 years to answer the question of what type of player he will be remembered as -- a very good player or a hall of famer.
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Reader's Forum This year the U.S. Open will be making its first appearance at Bethpage State Park's Black Course in Farmingdale, N.Y. From 2003 through 2006, though, the U.S. Open will return to venues that have played host to the national championship. Would you like to see the U.S. Golf Association identify new venues for the U.S. Open or keep returning to familiar sites? Let us know your opinions by sending your responses to stuart@gpagolf.com with the subject line RE: Open venues. Also include your first initial and last name, along with your email address. |