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| A Look Back: July 19 1964: Bobby Nichols sets a record with a total 271 to win the PGA Championship at Columbus Country Club by three strokes over hometown favorite Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. 1981: Bill Rogers wins his only major championship, the British Open at Royal St. Georges. 1987: Nick Faldo wins his first major championship, beating out Paul Azinger and Rodger Davis by one stroke to win the British Open at Muirfield. 1992: Nick Faldo captures his third British Open, besting John Cook by a shot at Muirfield. 1998: Mark O'Meara wins the British Open in a playoff over Brian Watts, claiming his second major title of the year. |
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Technology
Avalon Lakes Golf Course, in Warren, Ohio, chooses Crescent Systems as
its club management software provider.
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Equipment
For the first time, more players at the British Open are wearing Softspikes
brand cleats than metal spikes. Sixty-three of 65 players wearing Softspikes chose
the Black Widow plastic cleats.
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Peter
Kessler helps introduce "The Perfect Club," a versatile club for long,
high shots that replaces the 5- and 7-woods, utility clubs and long irons.
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Callaway
Golf Company introduces the Warbird golf ball, aimed at golfers who are seeking
maximum distance from a ball priced in the value category.
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In addition,
Callaway lowers the suggested retail price on the ERC II Forged Titanium
Driver and ERC Forged Titanium Fairway Woods and gives away a dozen HX 2-Piece
golf balls with every ERC purchase.
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Liquidmetal
Technologies, a developer, manufacturer, and marketer of products made from
amorphous alloys, announces an agreement with Cleveland Golf to develop golf club
heads using a Liquidmetal alloy.
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Business
Callaway reports a 37 percent increase in net income and a 53 percent increase
in earnings per diluted share for the second quarter ended June 30.
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Courses
Cranwell Resort, Spa and Golf Club in Massachusetts is awarded the prestigious
American Automobile Association (AAA) Four Diamond rating for 2002.
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Apparel
Clubjacket announces that Atlanta Athletic Club has recently purchased
hunter green sportcoats for their board members.
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Advertising
NEXT Technology Golf and Eddie Merrins, LLC, debut infomercials on The Golf Channel
as key elements to new campaigns launched by The Golf Agency.
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Events
The Ancient Order of Hibernians in New York plans a memorial golf outing
for the benefit of the Seton Foundation for Learning, to be held Oct. 5. The tournament
is in memory of deceased New York firefighters.
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Briefly
Fortune Brands, whose Acushnet Company includes golf brands Titleist, Cobra
and Footjoy announces that second-quarter diluted earnings per share grew to 89
cents before a net gain from one-time items, up 39 percent from 64 cents a year
ago. ... Orange Lake Resort and Country Club in Florida names Jim Hames
Golf Sales Manager. ... Hardee's Senior Tour holds its next event at Warriors
Path Golf Course July 25. First-time players can enter for $60; call 423-929-0962.
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Reader's Forum The Masters uses a sudden death playoff format. The U.S. Open uses an 18-hole playoff. At the British Open and PGA Championships, three-hole aggregate playoffs break ties. Which of the three formats do you prefer and why -- or would you like to see another format implemented? Let us know your opinions by sending your responses to info@gpagolf.com with the subject line RE: playoff. Also include your first initial and last name, along with your email address. |
Casual Friday
Older and
wiser contends at Open
One of the great pleasures of a major championship is when a veteran player manages to climb into contention in the first round.
Sure, usually by the second round, or at most the third, he comes back to earth, sometimes with a violent thud.
At the 131st Open Championship, those of us who like to see the old guys do well are doubly blessed. Not only do we have Des Smyth, the 49-year-old Irishman who has a daughter nearly Sergio Garcia's age, but we've got Sandy Lyle, the 44-year-old Scotsman who hasn't won anything in 10 years.
With age, of course, come some physical problems. Lyle, the winner of the British Open and the Masters, seems in fine form, but Smyth is a different story.
The oldest player ever to win on the European Tour (48 years, 34 days in last year's Madeira Island Open), Smyth found, as many of us over 40 have, that the silliest thing can temporarily wreak havoc on your body.
Smyth's problem was taking a nap. That nearly derailed his chance of even playing in the Open. Smyth wasn't sure until the very last minute that he would be able to tee off on Thursday.
After flying back from Geneva to London on Monday, then on to Edinburgh, Smyth rented a car and headed to Muirfield.
"I was quite tired," he said. "Played nine holes, and I was just too tired to play anymore. But I had to wait for a friend for about an hour and a half, so I did a bit of putting. I said I would just lie in the car for a while. I put the seat down and laid in the car with one foot over the steering wheel and one foot on the dashboard. I know I shouldn't have done that. I know. But I fell asleep like that for about 10, 15 minutes and when I got up I felt my back a bit stiff. I didn't think anymore of it, though.
"But that night when I was asleep I was very uncomfortable. I was getting pains up my back and down my leg. So I played the next day but I was hurting so badly after my practice round that I went into the physio guys, explaining what happened and they checked me out and they said some little joint down the bottom of the facet joint or something has gone up against a nerve and that's what causing the pain and anyway, I had treatment all day yesterday (Wednesday) three times. They told me not to play. Of course my only worry was that I would have to pull out. That would have broken my heart."
Smyth's practice was restricted to hitting balls on Wednesday, no walking the course. Then he records a 3-under 68 and is tied for fourth.
Of course, a good night's sleep did wonders for Smyth. The days of catnapping in cars are over.
FIRST CUT
The golf gods give to some and take away from others. Just consider Jay Haas, another of golf's over-40 set. While Smyth and Lyle are enjoying success this week, Haas isn't enjoying much of anything.
Haas attempted to qualify for the British Open, failed, then flew back to the States for the B.C. Open in Endicott, N.Y.
So what does he get for his efforts? On the 15th hole Thursday, Haas had to withdraw. He was taken to a hospital where doctors were checking for the possibility of kidney stones.
DOUBLE-CLICK
www.benhogan.com
Is there such a thing as too much Ben Hogan, particularly since 49 years ago he won the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open?
Spalding certainly is trying to sell Ben Hogan clubs and its new Apex ball at the site, but there's lots of information about the "Hawk" here. It's a very sophisticated-looking and easy-to-use site. Even a perfectionist like Hogan would have enjoyed this one.
Plus, it's great to see that Spalding has restored the Hogan line of clubs to the beautiful works of the clubmaker's art that they once were.