by Gary Williams | Oct 30, 2023 | The Card
18 thoughts, observations and predictions…
- Celine Boutier won for the 4th time this season in a 9-hole marathon playoff. She won a major in her home country, was part of a victorious Solheim Cup team and is currently first in the Race to CME Globe. I would still take Lilia Vu’s season with two majors.
- Jasper Stubbs won the Asia-Pacific amateur championship, and with-it invitations to the Masters and the Open Championship. The 21-year-old came from six shots back of Sampson Zheng to get the win at Royal Melbourne. The event, created in 2009, is a fabulous showcase of young talent and a massive platform for 37 Asian Pacific nations.
- Royal Melbourne needs a significant global event every two years at minimum. The Alistair Mackenzie design is a mythical place for golfers in the western hemisphere.
- The controversy over the new Golf magazine world top 100 has much less to do with the courses and far more to do with who is doing the ratings. Designers should have nothing to do with the rating of courses for publications. Either trust those doing the rating, like most halls of fame, or find new raters.
- Jhared Hack was a top qualifier making it through first stage of Q school. Final stage will be in December in Ponte Vedra and Hack MUST be a factor late trying to secure a tour card.
- Vanderbilt’s men’s team won the St. Andrews collegiate over at the Old Course and did it without Gordon Sargent. This current group has piled up wins, but they need a national title next spring to cement themselves one of the best teams in recent memory.
- Planning a Scottish Highlands trip for the first time is joy and torture. There are so many desired spots and not nearly enough days.
- Korn Ferry tour members Vince India and Jake Staiano were suspended for violating the PGA Tour’s integrity program by wagering on events they were not participating in. The tour is now in bed with several betting outfits and while it might seem duplicitous the players know the rules and the partnerships are putting money in the players pockets through sponsorship.
- The eight best Halloween golf costumes are as follows in #10 – #17:
- Arnold Palmer at any age and any stage of his career.
- Ben Hogan the day of the 1950 U.S. Open playoff at Merion.
- Tiger Woods with the shirt sleeve rugby shirt and straw hat of the U.S. Am final in 1994.
- John Daly flowing mullet and green reebok pullover for 1995 Open Championship.
- Payne Stewart introducing the half sleeve style by necessity for the final round of the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst.
- Sergio Garcia in the canary yellow head to toe in the 2006 Open Championship.
- Jack Nicklaus in the blue diamond cashmere sweater for the final round of the 1978 Open Championship.
- Billy Horschel and the octopus pants for the final round of the 2013 U.S. Open.
- These are challenging times on many fronts, so I’ll leave you this week with a simple appeal. Be a little kinder to yourself and let those you love know you love them.
by Gary Williams | Oct 23, 2023 | The Card
18 thoughts, observations and predictions…
- The person responsible for the REDZONE, more importantly, the REDZONE on a two-hour flight deserves the same lofty status afforded Jonas Salk, Albert Einstein, Ben Franklin, and the Wright Brothers.
- The USA team of Gordon Sargent, Nick Dunlap and David Ford won the World team Amateur Championship in Abu Dhabi. These three were part of what I believe will be the most productive U.S. Walker Cup team collectively on the professional level since the 2011 team which included Spieth and Cantlay and a host of others with excellent professional resumes.
- Adrian Meronk is having one of the great non-Ryder Cup participating seasons from a European on the DP World Tour ever. It barely gets a shrug since Europe won.
- The assembled roster of players for the inaugural season for the TGL, starting in 2024 is akin to the 1927 New York Yankees line-up. Matched equally by the collection of celebrity/athlete/Wall Street investor roster of team owners. Expect the technology to be next level and with Tiger’s participation for it to be a primetime TV ratings hit.
- Played Old Barnwell in Aiken, South Carolina on Friday. The Brian Schneider and Blake Conant design is a BIG ballpark with immense scale. With plans for a kid’s course, another 18 hole course and founder Nick Schreiber’s mission of access and inclusion of all walks, expect Old Barnwell to be applauded for its impact on all generations and their desire to play the game.
- Ryo Ishikawa had a fantastic week at the Zozo Championship, finishing in the Top 5. His appeal, popularity and importance to golf in the Far East a decade ago is proven out by his multiple special invitations to the Masters. Those invitations are rarely extended, especially to the same person more than once.
- The Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship is being conducted this week in Australia with an invitation to the Masters being extended to the winner. Augusta National has been clairvoyant identifying the emerging golf regions and has seen almost immediate validation with the success of Hideki Matsuyama from Asia and Joaquin Neimann from Latin America.
- My hour-long conversation with Alan Shipnuck, the author of “Live and Let Die” is available now on the 5 Clubs YouTube channel and all digital podcast platforms as well. There isn’t a single player either quoted or profiled in the book that I have any less affinity for than before I read the book. Conflict and chaos are humanizing, they are not sweeping indictments of everyone. I hope you enjoy the discussion.
- Colin Morikawa went roughly 27 months between his 5th and 6th win. One, he’s the most accomplished player of his specific vintage. Two, its exceptionally hard to win golf tournaments on that tour and every player has ebbs.
- The fall has produced wins by Sahith Theegala, Tom Kim and Colin Morikawa. Couple the pedigree of the winners with the additional wrinkle of players trying to get into early 2024 Signature events and the PGA Tour must be pleased.They just need to adjust the days and get out of the way of football at all costs on the weekends.
- Rory McIlroy has added F1 investor/owner to his business portfolio. Rory is not fond of Greg Norman, but he is following in his path of being a global businessman with a wide array of financial interests.
- I had a very lengthy discussion with someone who has spent their career in mergers and acquisitions at the macro level and the most telling thing shared was that parties run out of things to negotiate after a couple weeks. Translation, the proposed partnership between the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia is on life support.
- The St. Andrews Links collegiate starts Monday with the women’s and men’s teams from Vanderbilt, North Carolina, Georgetown and Notre Dame competing at the Jubilee and Old Course over three days. Topgolf is now a strategic partner of St. Andrews Links and along with World Wide Technology they’ve brought this college event to life. Expect more and a brilliant stroke on their part to give the American college programs the stage at the Old Course.
- George Savaricas arrived at Golf Channel a few years after I did, and he not only is exceedingly likeable on the air, but he’s also become a very versatile broadcaster. Hosting live golf, studio anchor, field reporter, George can handle all of it, quite well.
- Eric Cole is a plow mule. Another start, number 36 on the season. He was built to play in the 80’s. Cole’s last four starts include a 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. He’s a lock for rookie of the year.
- Minjee Lee won the BMW ladies Championship. In winning she held off Alison Lee, Lydia Ko, and Angel Yin. Minjee did not have the type of major championship season she expects of herself but at 27 with double digit wins on the LPGA she is a Hall of Fame player reaching the height of her powers.
- Steph Curry will receive the Charlie Sifford award from the World Golf Hall of Fame at the induction ceremonies next June in Pinehurst. His impact on the game is just beginning but shining a brighter light now will only increase his ability to use the game for good.
- The state of South Carolina is on fire with new and great projects. Palmetto Bluff commissioning King/Collins and Coore/Crenshaw for projects only increases the buzz about the Palmetto State beyond the new Tree Farm and Old Barnwell and the fairly recent gem, Congaree.
