The Wire for Wednesday, September 5, 2001

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A Look Back: Sept. 5

1903: Walter Travis captures his third and final U.S. Amateur Championship, defeating Eben Byers 5 and 4 at Nassau Country Club in Glen Cove, N.Y.

1914: Francis Ouimet becomes the first golfer ever win both the U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur, defeating Jerome Travers 6 and 5 in the U.S. Amateur final at the Ekwanok Country Club in Manchester, Vt.

1925: Bobby Jones captures his second straight U.S. Amateur Championship, defeating Watts Gunn 8 and 7 at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club.

1950: The United States defeats Great Britain-Ireland 7 1Ž2 -- 1 1/2 to win the Curtis Cup at the Country Club of Buffalo in Williamsville, N.Y.

1976: Jack Nicklaus wins the World Series of Golf by four strokes over Hale Irwin at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio.

Architecture
Ocean Properties officials have hired course architect William Bradley Booth and ASL Golf Course Construction to build new 15th and 16th holes at the oceanside Samoset Resort and Golf Club in Rockport, Maine. Construction will begin in early September and take four to six weeks to finish.
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Technology
Book4golf.com becomes the preferred Internet tee time provider for travel company Golfpac. Golfpac will also be the first of Book4golf.com's clients to use Corporate Tee Sheet, which lets its customer service agents search for tee times at all Golfpac courses in the tee time reservation network.
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Equipment
The J Bag, a 4.8-pound golf bag that debuts this fall, is PING Golf's newest entry in the lightweight carry bag market. The bags feature new streamlined pocket structure and padded shoulder straps that can be changed for single or dual use.
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Callaway Golf reports that Jim Thorpe used new Hawk Eye VFT Tungsten Injected Titanium Irons in his win on the Senior Tour last week, as well as a Callaway Rule 35 golf ball. Dean Wilson, who won in Japan, used the ERC II Forged Titanium Driver and the same ball in his victory.
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Straight 8 Golf introduces a 310cc-head titanium driver with an octagonal shaft that helps reduce torque and enables a 5 percent faster swing speed with the same effort. The driver is currently available for purchase.
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More players wore CHAMP golf spikes more than any other at the LPGA's State Farm Classic, according to Darrell Survey. CHAMP golf spikes were worn by 62 golfers while the closest competitor had 49 spikes in play.
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People
Arnold Palmer becomes a spokesperson for Encore Bank. Palmer said he likes the way the bank focuses on providing services to retired or soon-to-be-retired customers. Palmer's compensation was not released.
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Lloyd Miller joins shaft-maker Aldila's Board of Directors. He replaces Vincent Gorguze, who retired at age 84.
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Deere & Company names David M. Purvis as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. Purvis is the company's first CTO.
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Public Relations
Jeffersonville Golf Club of Norristown, Pa., a municipally owned and operated golf course that was originally designed by Donald Ross, has retained the Jamison Golf Group to handle its public relations and marketing operations. The course was built in 1931.
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Advertising
National Car Rental and Buick team up to promote the "Drive Like a Champion" Sweepstakes. Customers who rent a Buick or other General Motors vehicle from the rental agency will have a chance to win a get-away to Tiger Woods Fantasy Camp in Las Vegas.
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Events
Corrected: Eighteen-handicapper David Miller of Virginia wins DuPont CoolMax World Amateur Handicap Championship at Myrtle Beach, S.C. Miller, who won flight 31, was given a handicap based on the gross scores he shot during the first four days of the competition. The 18th annual version of the event attracted 4,686 golfers.
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Commentary
No Age Limit on Good Golf

As 17-year-olds, Ty Tryon and Kevin Na are excellent golfers. Both have done well, though not dominated, in high school and junior competition. And now both boys have decided to jump into the world of professional golf feet first, before earning so much as a high school diploma.

College coaches and current professionals have weighed in on that decision -- almost all shaking their heads and lamenting the missed opportunities of the college experience.

Phil Mickelson called it "an immature and ill-advised decision" to turn pro without playing in college. John Cook, who's helped coach Tryon, said he thinks no 17- or 18-year-old can handle the emotional pressure.

And there are even calls to set an age limit on PGA Tour Qualifying School participants. The LPGA Tour already makes being 18 years old a prerequisite for holding a Tour card.

But golf doesn't need an age limit. No physical barrier prevents a teen-ager from competing, such as exists in rough-and-tumble sports like football and basketball. No one can predict which personalities can stand up to the grind of life on tour, no matter how old or young. No one should be preventing these players from earning a paycheck, if they have the talent to do so.

Perhaps parents play a key role in sending a golfer out on Tour at such a young age. But in golf, with no multi-million dollar contracts for participation, the golfer has to have the desire and determination to make it work. And an outside person, even a parent, can't force that inner passion for the game that great champions have all boasted.

Tryon may or may not play his way to a PGA Tour victory. Na probably won't best Tiger Woods' accomplishments anytime soon. But both golfers deserve a chance to play with the pros, regardless of whether they are emotionally mature enough to handle the rigors of the Tour. It's a decision each individual should be allowed to make.