PGA TOUR REVIEW

PGA Tour Review Returns

2009-01-28T06:31:00.001-08:00

New Year. New President. New economic reality. New PGA Tour Review.

We return after a lengthy hiatus. We will try to be more timely with our posts and reviews of the professional golf world. In fact, the Review may be a full-time gig as I'm about to be a victim of the current economic "slow-down."

One of the most interesting pieces of golf journalism this year is GOLF magazine's PGA Tour Confidential. It is a weekly roundtable discussion (including writers such as Alan Shipnuck and Cameron Morfit) of current golf events. This week's edition discusses the Bob Hope Desert Classic. Sports Illustrated senior writer Gary Van Sickle chimed in about the irrelevancy of the Champions (Senior) Tour:

It is almost impossible to think of a scenario that would make the Champions Tour compelling TV. Even if Fred Funk won 12 weeks in a row, I'm not sure he could get a headline in an American newspaper. The tour has simply fallen off the radar, and with the PGA Tour moving more to the Golf Channel, the seniors get less notoriety every year. Senior golf is a nice day at the course for fans, but it's never been the same ever since it left ESPN years ago.

Ouch. Sad, but true.

Meet Martin Kaymer

2008-03-19T09:55:00.000-07:00

Every twenty years or so, Germany produces a great golfer. Meet Martin Kaymer, the 24-year-old European Tour sensation from Dusseldorf, Germany. He won by four strokes at Abu Dhabi Golf Championship in January and currently is number four on the European Tour Order of Merit. Kaymer will be playing at Doral this weekend and the Masters in three weeks. Our friends at golf365.com have a nice interview with him here. Below is an excerpt:

Q: Can you quite believe you're here? You've had quite a rise through Challenge Tour in Europe, European Tour and Rookie-of-the-Year and now here. It's been a rapid rise for you, hasn't it?
KAYMER: It went really, really fast. But I don't know, I was working really, really hard the last years, and I don't know, I think I deserve it in one way. It was a big step from the European Tour, where it was always the goal to play on the European Tour. And now I have a chance to play on the US Tour, in these type of tournaments, which is really awesome.
Q. How good were you as an amateur, or was it a case do you think of when you took a few years maybe on the Challenge Tour to really ....
KAYMER: Actually the plan was to play the third-level Tour in Germany, which is the EPD Tour. The plan was to play this Tour for a year to qualify for the Challenge
Tour, then play the Challenge Tour for a year to qualify for the European Tour. But I did it in one year, which was really fast. But I decided to turn pro when I won my first tournament out of Germany. It was in Austria. It was the Austrian Amateur Championship. And I decided then that I have a good chance to earn money with golf, because it was always fun for me to play golf, which is for me the most important. And then I noticed, after this tournament in Austria, then I noticed that maybe I have a good chance to play as a professional.

Myrtle Beach: Connecticut Yankees in King Bubba's Court

2008-03-12T06:49:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow the Tour Review embarks on its annual Myrtle Beach golf outing. Myrtle Beach -- the land of Waffle Houses, Hooters and the NASCAR Cafe. The marketing geniuses who sell the Myrtle Beach "brand" have done an excellent job. Their marketing brochures and images depict beautiful scenic golf course, such as the Moorland Course at the Legends:

Veteran Myrtle Beach golfers are aware of the harsh reality of Myrtle Beach. The golf courses are scattered amidst unregulated and unplanned suburban development. Our first trip to MB we unknowingly signed up for a "golf package", which entailed driving over 50-miles to golf courses each day through endless miles of strip clubs, evangelical billboards and "All You Can Eat" buffets. Did I mention the ubiquitous Waffle Houses? Yet, we return every year

The Tour Review will return next week with a full report of Myrtle Beach. We'll discuss the golf courses (The Legends), the restaurants, the airport and, if necessary, provide legal analysis of any/all police reports.

Symbiosis: John Daly and Hooters

2008-03-10T09:59:00.000-07:00

John Daly's non-golf activities at the PODS Championship are getting a lot of attention this morning. He continues to play terrible golf; he shot 78-80, missed the cut and finished in 137th place. His horrible play didn't stop Big John from enjoying himself.

Anwer Richardson of the Tampa Bay Tribune documents (with audio!) Daly's drinking, smoking and carousing at the Hooters Tent -- The Owl's Nest. If you listen very carefully you can hear Tim Finchem weeping in the background.

Oh, almost forgot: John Gruden caddied for Daly on Saturday. They set out after they waited out the rain delay.......in the Hooters Tent.

Remembering Steve Duplantis

2008-03-07T13:21:00.000-08:00

Reader's of Alan Shipnuck's excellent book Bud, Sweet and Tees will remember one of the book's great characters -- PGA Tour caddy Steve Duplantis. As many PGA Tour fans are aware, Steve died in January from injuries incurred while being hit by a taxi. Shipnuck remembers Steve in a piece at Golf.com. Here's an excerpt:

He was a throwback to an earlier, livelier era when professional caddies were a fun-loving, hard-living bunch. As big money changed the nature of the profession in the last decade, Steve had struggled to find his place, unable to hold down a steady bag. No doubt his reputation for partying didn't help. But as often as Steve was fired through the years, he had no shortage of friends on Tour. He had a good heart and it was impossible not to like him, no matter how often he screwed up.

Isenhour gets a Birdie. And a Court Date.

2008-03-06T14:28:00.000-08:00

PGA Tour golfer Tripp Isenhour was charged with killing a hawk on purpose with a golf shot because it was making noise as he videotaped a TV show. More details here.

Move over Ian Poulter, there's a new douchebag in town.

Dream Golf

2008-03-06T09:39:00.000-08:00

Many years ago, a former neighbor discussed his retirement dream: When he retires from the Coast Guard in 2010, he plans to qualify for the Champions (then Seniors) Tour. Being an 18-handicapper at that time, he had his work cut out for himself. Regardless, every Saturday and Sunday he would kiss his wife and three children goodbye, drive down to the local muni and spend 10-hours playing 36-holes. I moved away and didn't keep in touch with my delusional friend. I suspect divorce proceedings occurred at some point.

Advances in golf technology combined with big money paydays on Tour have created conditions that allow average players to dream of playing with the Big Boys. The interwebs provide a platform for these players to share their journey. The following are links to five such players:

Phil Bundy's Embedded Golfer: Phil is no hack. He played college golf at Wake Forest and he seems to be having some luck at the mini-tours circuit.
PGA Here I Come: Erik Tammer's blog about his journey to the Tour. This one may be the most compelling read. Erik (a novice golfer) sold all his possessions, moved to Asia and is trying to qualify for the Asian Tour. Currently he is broke and has an eight handicap. Reality is beginning to set in...
Following the Dream: Middle-aged engineer Tommy G's blog about changing his life to follow his dream -- playing on the PGA Tour.
Luke Swilor: Luke is a professional golfer working his way through the Gateway Tour.
Life in the Rough: Mike, a 33-year-old engineer, documents his efforts to make it to the Tour.

Good luck to all of you. My only advice: keep your divorce lawyer on speed dial.

Els and Honda in Accords

2008-03-03T05:58:00.000-08:00

Ernie Els' victory at the Honda Classic was his first victory since 2004 when he won in Kilkenny, Ireland at the World Golf Championships-American Express Championship. It should provide Els with a confidence boost as the Tour heads toward the Masters and the Players Championship. A few interesting notes as the Tour moves to the PODS Championship next weekend:

At Golf Week, Rex Hoggard observes the high stroke average of the Florida Swing:

When did the Florida Swing – once the warm and fuzzy unofficial start to the season – become a Stephen King novel? Remove the four majors from the rotation, and all four of the Sunshine State venues ranked among the top 15 toughest on Tour in 2007. Each of the four played at least a stroke over par, with the par-70 Bay Hill layout topping the list with a 72.054 average. Inexplicably, the easiest of the four was the swing’s crown jewel. Doral’s Blue Monster (par 72) played to a stroke average of 73 for the WGC-CA Championship.

NBC's Johnny Miller appears to have a "man-crush" on Matt Jones. Miller's constant gushing over Jones' every action was over the top. Yes, Jones has a nice swing, a nice smile and probably will win a tournament in the future. But ease up on the superlatives until he has shown he can win.

Watching the closing holes of the Honda, one could not ignore the glacial pace of play of some of the groups. One of the groups included Ben Crane, who is notorious for his slow play. Els was visibly frustrated by having to wait so much. Yet, the commentators barely mentioned it. With slow play receiving much media attention, why isn't it acknowledged and discussed as it happening? Acknowledging the problem is the first step toward recovery....

Champions Tour Fashion Tips

2008-02-29T12:34:00.000-08:00

Fuzzy Zoeller and Peter Jacobson won last weekend's 2008 Wendy's Champion Skins Event in Hawaii. What can we golfers learn from their victory? Golf wise -- not much. However, Zoeller and Jacobson DO provide golf viewers with two options when posed with the Champions Tour players' weekly dilemma: What to do with the beer belly? Zoeller opts for the "Let It All Hangout" option. This is fashion integrity at its highest order.

Jacobson contrasts Zoeller with his "Hike Up The Pants and Clamp It Down" option. The Clamp Down option is old school. It is a interesting option -- one sacrifices comfort for the appearance of a bulbous physique.

Golf Rankings

2008-02-28T05:37:00.000-08:00

We were simply going to post a single line regarding the current golf rankings. But the following is so interesting we dedicated a more lengthy discussion. Official World Ranking is considered the standard reference point pursuant to golf rank discussions. Their current top ten rankings yield few surprises:

Over at GolfWeek, they post the Sagarin golf rankings. Now I barely passed calculus in college, but I don't know what kind of equations can yield these rankings:

Arron Oberholser as the forth ranked golfer in the world? Justin Rose as number two? The Tour Review holds many grudges against Phil, but even we believe he deserves better than eighth. These rankings simply make no sense. What gives, Mr. Sagarin?

The Honda, Baseball and Spring

2008-02-26T07:02:00.001-08:00

Ahhhh....The Honda Classic. For a B-List tournament, the Tour Review welcomes the Honda more than it probably deserves. Regardless, there are numerous reasons to like the Honda:

Jackie Gleason: He started the tournament in 1972, the year Tom Weiskopf defeated Jack Nicklaus by a stroke. Yours truly attended one of the earliest Jackie Gleason Inverrary Classics. We saw Gleason's Rolls Royce golf cart and obtained Bob Murphy's autograph -- heady stuff for a 10-year old.
Nice International Field: Most top American players skip the event. But the international guys stick around and will play most of the next five tournaments as warm-ups to the Masters. So Ernie Els, Sergio Garica, Luke Donald, Robert Allenby, Trevor Immelmen and Retief Goosen are all playing.
East Coast Golf: As a card carrying member of the elite East Coast media, the Tour Review welcomes the return of east coast golf. Combined with Spring Training, Florida PGA golf means one thing: spring is just around the corner.

So the course isn't great, Jackie Gleason has been dead for over 20 years, Tiger and the Phat One can't be bothered attending. Whatever. Pull up a chair, welcome the return of stroke play and the return of Florida golf.

The Curious Case of David Gossett

2008-02-22T05:55:00.000-08:00

The 20-year-old burst on the scene in 1999 and won the U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach in convincing style. He was a member of the 1999 Walker Cup team, which included Luke Donald and Paul Casey. He won the 2001 John Deere Classic. In a 2002 Golf Digest article Bob Verdi declares David Gossett and Charles Howell III the next wave of challengers to Tiger Woods. What happened?

Much has been made of David Duval's fall from the mantle of golf's elite. But it could be argued that Gossett's demise has been greater and deeper than that of Duval. This week in Australia at the Nationwide's Moonah Classic, Gossett shot a first-round 83, finishing last in the field. He has made two cuts on the PGA Tour since 2003 (2004 Honda (T-59) and the 2006 John Deere Classic (T-76) in over 40 starts. He entered seven 2007 Nationwide events and made one cut. The Tour Review is thinking of inviting Gossett to its annual Myrtle Beach outing in March; we'll give him 4 shots a side.

Gringo Golf

2008-02-21T07:33:00.000-08:00

The WGC Match Play Championship is taking place somewhere this weekend. Frankly the Tour Review isn't interested. The WGC lately has been getting a lot of well deserved bad press. The only virtuous feature of this tournament is this: it causes ulcers for network executives. Will Tiger be playing Sunday afternoon? Or (pass the Mylanta) Henrik Stenson?

We turn our attention to the B-List PGA Event in Mexico. Have you looked at the participants playing the Riviera Maya Club in Cancun? Greg Norman, Nick Price, Esteban Toledo. Larry Mize and Nick Price are currently leading. Larry Mize!! I'd much rather follow the cast of characters in Mexico than follow the expolits of Sergio and Rory.

L.A. Stories

2008-02-15T07:13:00.000-08:00

The Tour Review often finds the most interesting stories at the bottom of the leaderboard, not the top. The Northern Trust Open's current leaderboard yields quite a few gems:

Steve Lowery posted a bloated 79. We call this the Clam Bake Hangover. Thanks to Geoff Shackelford for above image of Big Steve. By the way, Shackelford has the best golf blog on the interwebs.
Retief Goosen posted a 79 as well. We hope his optometrist has a good lawyer.
David Duval withdrew citing a "neck injury;" he was seven over after 11 holes. This is not good news; Duval has a history of mysterious injuries. Each injury has been cited as a cause for swing alterations.
John Mallinger shot 78. Mallinger has played very well this year with a T-23 at the Buick and a T-3 at the AT&T. Many expected a strong showing from him this week.

Northern Trust / Los Angeles Open at Riviera

2008-02-14T08:29:00.000-08:00

The PGA Tour returns to Riviera Country Club, the classic course that has hosted the Los Angeles Open since 1929. The course also hosted the cast and crew of The Caddy (see above) during the shooting of this less-than-classic movie in 1953.

Several interesting items of note as the players start teeing off this morning.

Retief Goosen is playing this week, having remained on the sidelines following complications from laser eye surgery in January.
Mike Weir is one of the Tour Review's players to watch this week. He loves this course, having won in 2003 and 2004. His game seems to be rebounding after a poor 2007.
Luke Donald makes his American debut this week. Riviera suits his game (short and straight) very well and he has been playing decently overseas thus far in 2008.
Anthony Kim is a southern California native and he finished strong(T-9) at last year's Nissan Open.

David Duval and Mini-Golf

2008-02-13T09:57:00.000-08:00

David Duval kicking ass while playing Less Big Golf.

Technical Update

2008-02-12T05:26:00.000-08:00

For various reasons we needed to change our URL address yesterday. In the the long term, it will provide better service and more traffic to the site. However, for the short term it obviated many bookmarks. Sorry for the inconveniance.

Minorities on the PGA Tour, Part I

2008-02-11T07:17:00.000-08:00

When Tiger crashed onto the scene in 1996, people said he would revolutionize golf. His impact has been greater than many predicted; but the areas of impact are different than most people expected. The predicted wave of African-American pro golfers never happened, and for the foreseeable future will not happen. The topic of African-Americans on the PGA Tour will be discussed in Part II of this series. An interesting thing did coincide with Tiger’s rise to dominance -- professional golf has seen an influx of Asian-American players. Asian and Asian-American players have dominated the LPGA for nearly a decade. The PGA has seen less on an influx of Asian-American players than the LPGA, but that is about to change. And it is going to happen very quickly.

Kevin Na, Anthony Kim and Charlie Wi are three young talented Asian-American players on the PGA tour. (Wi technically plays under the South Korean flag; he moved to he U.S. as a child and resides in California.). Beyond these players, a look at the Boys Junior golf rankings shows that 8 out of the top 20 ranked junior players are Asian-American or Asian players based in the United States. Get ready to see the names of David Chung, Mu Hu, Alex Shi Yup Kim and Alex Kang on a PGA leaderboard within the next five years.

Can the increase of Asian-American players be credited to Tiger, whose mother is from Thailand? It is difficult to answer. There are several cultural and socio-economic factors to consider in the answer to that equation. And the Tour Review’s expertise is not in sociology. However, it is worth noting that Tiger is seen as an African-American golfer by the mainstream media in the United States. But outside the U.S. (especially in Asia), Tiger is viewed as an Asian-American and his influence as an Asian-American role model generally is never discussed or acknowledged.

Hart Back on Tour

2008-02-10T05:32:00.000-08:00

Nice to see Dudley Hart atop of the leaderboard at the AT&T. Hart took time away from PGA Tour last year to tend to his family as his wife battled cancer. His wife is on the road to recovery and Dudley is back on the PGA tour (using a Major Medical exemption.)

Chamblee Burning Up Fairways at AT&T!

2008-02-08T12:42:00.000-08:00

Brandel Chamblee is burning up the fairways at the AT&T. See below:

The Tour Review slammed the Golf Channel contributor in yesterday's post. If we can provide inspirational fodder for Chamblee, imagine the results if we agitated Tiger?

Where Are They Now?

2008-02-07T06:48:00.001-08:00

Yesterday's post about the AT&T National Pro-Am's expanded field made everyone at The Tour Review nostalgic and weepy. We yearn for the days when Brandel Chamblee was burning up the fairways. Kidding aside, it is always interesting to find out what some of yesterday's golf newsmakers are currently doing.

Benoit Beisser: One of last year's contestants on Big Break: Mesquite is lighting it up on the Gateway Desert tour. After two events in 2008, Benoit is the leading money winner with earnings over $26,000. Congrats Benoit!
Casey Martin: Since the fall of 2006, Martin has coached the University of Oregon golf team. He had hoped to continue to play some mini-tour events; but since taking the coaching reigns, he has not competed in either Nationwide events or Q-School events. Go Ducks.
Ty Tryon: Tryon become the poster child for "too much, too soon" after he turned pro at the age of sixteen in 2001. He made his first cut at the Honda Classic in March 2001, but did not keep his card. Since that time, he has bumped around various mini-tours, most recently the Gateway Tour. In 2007, he made 5 cuts in 25 Gateway events and earned $5,600. He competed in the 2007 Q-School, but did not earn his card.

Crowded Crosby

2008-02-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

The AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am starts tomorrow; it is played on three courses and has an expanded field of 180 players. The expanded field means many unusual names will be playing; here are a few to track:

Greg Norman: He last played this tournament sixteen years ago. His son is competing as an amateur.
Len Mattiace: He has fallen a long way since he was the Masters runner-up in 2003. He has struggled since injuring his knees in a ski accident later in 2003 and hasn't made a cut since the '06 Southern Farm Bureau Classic.
Colt Knost: He won the 2007 U.S. Amateur at Olympic Club in San Francisco. He turned pro, bypassed the chance to play at the Masters and failed to win his card at Q-School.
Andrew Magee and Brandel Chamblee: These Golf Channel contributors put down their microphones and pick-up their clubs.
Davis Love III: There is a lot of buzz about Love returning from ankle surgery this week. Many are picking him to win. We are not.
John Daly and David Duval: These two veterans are trying to salvage their careers. One appears close to putting the pieces back together; one appears on the edge of total mental and physical breakdown.
Tadd Fujikawa: This kid might live up to his hype. Or he might be the next Ty Tryon.
Richard Johnson and Richard Johnson: That's right -- there are two Dick Johnsons playing this week. Insert silly juvenile joke here.

Holmes: Long and Hard

2008-02-04T13:28:00.000-08:00

One has to give J.B. Holmes a lot of credit. He may not ever develop into a perennial Ryder Cup caliber player; but given the proper course, the kid knows how to use his strengths to win. And the TPC at Scottsdale was made for Holmes. Let's look at his 2008 statistics thus far:

Driving accuracy? Not so much. But at the FBR, who cares? Simply stay out of the water, otherwise smash away. And that is exactly how he beat Phil on the sudden death play-off hole. He never be known as the next Ben Crenshaw; but he may be known as the King of the FBR for a long time.

Frontal Lobe Purge

2008-01-31T06:05:00.000-08:00

The Tour Review has been inundated with emails urging more posts. In an effort to appease the masses, we introduce The Tour Review Frontal Lobe Purge, a monthly outlet of misinformed and random opinions about current PGA Tour issues.

In the twilight of ABC Sports' coverage of golf it dawned on me that the combination of Paul Azinger, Nick Faldo and Mike Tirico was the best golf announcing team on network television. When ABC ceased broadcasting golf and Faldo jumped to CBS, I thought his move would produce a golf broadcasting All-Star team – Faldo, David Feherty, Gary McCord and Jim Nantz. Unfortunately, like the New York Yankees, All-Star components typically do not combine to make an All-Star team. CBS' problem is there is no ying to Faldo’s yang. On ABC Azinger played the perfect foil to Faldo’s rapier wit; the banter between them was genuine and sometimes tense. CBS may want to add a third host to sit alongside Faldo and Nantz; someone who would engage and battle Faldo. Any candidates?
PGATOUR.COM was redesigned last year. The Tour Review begs to bring back the old PGATOUR.COM. The revamped web site is poorly designed, bloated and very slow to load. We don’t need flashy animations of the players; we need information to be provided simply and quickly.
It has been suspected for a long time; now it is confirmed. Ian Poulter is an idiot.
Fred Couples finished eighth(!) in San Diego. This great article by Jaime Diaz discusses all the major Fred issues: his back, his current divorce and his desire to play.
The FBR starts today. In past years, the CBS coverage of this event has been little more than a platform to give Amy Mickelson some television face time. CBS, we urge you to focus less attention on Amy and more attention on golf.

The people have spoken and more posts you shall receive. But remember quantity does not necessarily equate to quality.

Buy or Sell?

2008-01-30T06:37:00.000-08:00

With Wall Street making news these days, the Tour Review presents its “Buy” and “Sell” list of the early 2008 season. Mind you, there are entire web sites dedicated to the persuit of buying and selling players (http://golfinvestors.com/.) Here at the Tour Review, we keep things less complicated; therefore, let's cut to the chase:

Five “BUY” Players:

Anthony Kim: He will win at least once this year. Guaranteed. He has a ton of confidence and Mark O’Meara compares his swing to somebody called Tiger Woods.
Trevor Immelman: Move over Ernie, Immelman is the South African to beat these days. And he has better hair.
Kevin Na: Na has battled a hand injury and personal issues (his family was involved in a serious car accident) for nearly two years. Now it appears Na is healthy and he is playing well in 2008 (T-4 at the Sony.)
Dusin Johnson: The Tour Review profiled Johnson recently; see this nifty piece.
K.J. Choi: Not really going out on a limb here. But we expect Choi to dial it up to the next level at the Majors.

Five “SELL” Players:

Henrik Stenson: Just when it appeared 32-year-old Swede was on the verge of a breakout season, he pulls the plug and decides to play full-time on the European Tour. The Dubai-based Stenson chose to play closer to his wife and new daughter.
Vijay Singh: Times catches up to Singh. On the bright side, in five years, he’ll be able to win every Champions Tour event.
John Daly: According to ESPN, “Daly had hoped to play all the events on the 2008 west coast swing on sponsor's exemptions since he doesn't have a PGA Tour card. However, it looks like his frequent early withdrawls, including reports last week that he was out late drinking before withdrawing the next day from last week's Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, are finally taking a toll on his ability to get sponsor exemptions.” Daly is the Britney Spears of the PGA Tour.
Chris DiMarco: DiMarco had one top ten finishes last year and eight missed cuts. He didn’t make a cut after the first weekend in August. Ouch.
Ernie Els: It hurts the Tour Review to include the Big Easy on this list. Good news: He’s altering his schedule to focus on the “Big Events” and bypassing appearance fees. Bad news: He hasn’t been the same since he injured his left knee while sailing with his family in 2005.

No Hope for Lopez

2008-01-22T05:47:00.000-08:00

Hey kids! Gather round and let me tell you a story. Thirty years ago professional golf was played during a simpler and more fun era. The season would start softly in January with actors/celebrities hosting tournaments. They would invite their buddies, play a little golf, have some parties, etc. The Tour pros would show up and use these tournaments as a warm up for the Florida swing, which they considered the "real" season. Joe Garagiola, Andy Williams, Glen Campbell, Bing Crosby and, of course, Bob Hope all hosted events in 1978. The Hope tournament was so popular it consisted of five rounds. It was must-see TV.

Flash forward 30 years. Last time Glen Campbell made news it was because of a DWI and subsequent jail stint. Joe Garagiola is 81 and out of the spotlight. Hope and Crosby did their final “road movie" to the sky. Times have changed.

Unfortunately the folks managing the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic have not. They continue to wear their double-knits and pretend they have a great event. They don’t. It is a horrible event whose broadcast has been relegated to the Golf Channel.

There are several issues colluding to make the Hope Chrysler Classic a shadow of its former self. These issues are:

George Lopez: Words can’t describe the magnitude of the flawed decision-making involved in selecting Lopez as the host. He is a fool and is embarrassing to watch. Not only is Lopez not funny, he is offensive. In this month’s “Hot Seat”, Jason Sobel asks Lopez to tell him a joke. Lopez’ first words: “Guy bludgeons his wife. Hit her 27 times….” http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/columns/story?columnist=sobel_jason&id=3198414 WTF? He has to go if the Hope wants to become a significant tournament again.
The Classic Club: Mickelson finished the 2007 Hope after shooting a 78 and asks if the tournament will continue to be pla yed at the Classic Club. Yes, Larry Bohannan, the long-time golf writer of the Desert Sun, told him because they own it. Mickelson rolled his eyes, walked off and will not return for a long time. The players hate this desert course.
Lack of Top Twenty Players: No top twenty players competed at 2008 Hope Chrysler Classic. At No. 24 in the world, Stewart Cink is the highest-ranked player in the field. The Hope has fallen from a first-tier event to a third-tier event, alongside the Reno-Tahoe Open and Frys.com Open. Pretend you’re a top player: Would you play a five day event, on shitty courses with B-list celebrities? I don't think so.
Celebrities: Thirty years ago it was a novelty to watch celebrities play golf. These days, celebrities have their own tour. Over the last few years, I would tune in simply to observe the growth of Roger Clemens’ head. With Roger in hiding, there is no reason to watch these other "celebrities" play bogey golf.

That's the story kids. Sorry, no happy ending here. Unless, the leaders of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic re-invent the entire event(sans Lopez) there will be no joy in the desert.

Who is Dustin "Your" Johnson?

2008-01-15T10:03:00.001-08:00

Looking at the results from last weekend's Sony Open, the Tour Review noticed one new name in the top 20 -- Dustin Johnson. Who is Dustin Johnson? The Myrtle Beach native is a three-time All-American and former Coastal Carolina University player who earned a spot on the 2008 PGA Tour after finishing in the top 25 of the Q-School Final. As a member of the victorious 2007 United States Walker Cup Team, Johnson was a force in amateur and collegiate golf. During the past year, he finished in the top 10 in 17 of 22 medal play events he entered, including back to back victories last summer at the prestigious Northeast Amateur and Monroe Invitational.

Last fall he signed on with the TaylorMade-adidas golf staff.

Johnson hits the ball a ton. Look for him to do serious damage at events like the FBR Phoenix Open, where bombers can get away some errant shots (think J.B. Holmes in 2006.)

He will be playing a lot of tournaments this year and appears to be ready to take his game to the next level. He's an ideal Fantasy Golf pick-up for little money.

Hope Amid Horrors

2008-01-10T06:53:00.000-08:00

One of the goals of the Tour Review is to highlight how PGA and LPGA golfers use their status to be agents of social change. (Sorry John Daly, positive social change.) Below is a link to a great story by Ron Sirak about six LPGA golfer's trip to Rwanda and their efforts to help a village in the war torn country:

http://www.golfdigest.com/golfworld/columnists/2007/11/gw20071109sirak

It would be nice if the media focused a little bit more time on stories like this one and less time on stories such as Michell Wie's overbearing father.

2008 PGA Tour Kicks Off

2008-01-09T08:30:00.000-08:00

The PGA Tour started the 2008 last week. Among the stories being discussed on ESPN ( http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?page=factfiction/080108) is one asking if the golf season starts too early. And if so, what can be done?

The answer to the main question is yes, the golf season is too long. What can be done? Nothing. Why? The answer, like that to most inexplicable schedules -- money. (Other example: BCS Championship game on January 8th. WTF?)

The PGA Tour players want a shorter season. The fans and viewers want a shorter season. But the television networks and the host cities (hotels, restaurants, car rentals, etc.) will never allow a shorter season because of revenue loss. The PGA Tour Commissioner will never touch the third rail of scheduling and propose a revenue loosing policy.

So sit back and enjoy George Lopez' wacky clothes and unfunny jokes. And bouncing putts on the poa greens at the "Clambake". They will be around for a long time.

Picks for the 2008 Sony Open:

Steve Stricker: He finished T4 at the Sony in 2007 and played great last weekend. He remains in the zone.

Robert Allenby: Likes the course. Finished T8 last year.

Charles Howell III: Always is fast out of the gate (T2 at the Sony in 2007) and fades late in the season.

Dark Horse: Jesper Parnevik: A PGA TOUR REVIEW favorite. He played some of the best golf of his career during the end of the 2007 season. Always plays well during Hawaii/West Coast swings.