The U.S. Senior Open ended last Sunday with Fred Funk shooting a record 20-under par at Crooked Stick. That is right, 20 under. The Stick was defenseless in this birdie fest.
Don’t get me wrong, Fred played great. When in trouble he played smart and he putted very well. But I have to tell you that the players did not see the real Crooked Stick.
I went to the tournament on two days and I have to say it was not set up to produce high scores. I am going to say that maybe the fairways were too firm and the pins were maybe a little benign for the last day, but in the end these “seniors” were hitting 300-plus yard drives on a course that was to be the longest in Senior Open history.
I have a soft spot for Crooked Stick and its members as I was an assistant there back in the day and I know firsthand how hard that course can be. To me, the rough did not look rough, it looked very manageable.
Each year the Stick hosts the Pete Dye Cup Pro Am, which brings in pros and top amateurs from around the country for a two-day tournament. And trust me, we don’t get 30-40 yards of roll on our tee shots. As Fred Funk said, “This week I felt like one of the big boys with my tee ball.” That just may say it all.
Don’t fret when the BMW Championship rolls into town in 2012 with Tiger and the rest of the top players in the world. Crooked Stick will be a lot meaner with nasty rough, slick greens and softer fairways.
Next item concerning the Open: The Crooked Stick members, volunteers and the community of Carmel need a standing ovation on what was a first-class event that they put on last week. It was very impressive. The hospitality tents were full, the concessions were laid out perfect and overall it had a warm Hoosier, friendly feeling. They got people in and moved around the course and the attendance was impressive.
Now onto happenings at the Brickyard: The Challenge Cup matches are here today (Thursday) with the amateurs against the professionals in a 36 hole Ryder Cup style format. I tee it up here in about hour so I need to get warmed up.
Want to let everyone know that we will be adding some features and specials to our website here in the very near future so don’t forget to book your tee time online.
Till next week, get out enjoy the weather and play some golf!
The Ryder Cup is over, and the Americans came through despite being “Tigerless.” It just goes to show that just because Tiger is on the bench that American golf, and golf, in general, isn’t down until his return.
New stars and heroes emerged from Valhalla Golf Club, just down the road in Louisville. Players that bomb the ball like JB Holmes and Boo Weekley captured golfers’ hearts with their go-for-broke, swing-from-the-heels attitudes. They also brought something we had not seen from the Americans in past Ryder Cups – team spirit.
The big argument in golf after the PGA Championship is: Who is the No. 2 player in the world? We all know Tiger is No. 1.
My thoughts are Padraig Harrington. Paddy wins two majors in a row, and Phil Mickelson stumbles, so it should go without saying that Paddy is No. 2.
Do you think Tiger was sitting home these last two majors wondering, “What if?” Probably not, but I bet he wanted to be there and play two of the most difficult courses in championship golf.
This now leads me to another question: Why is golf not an Olympic sport? Golf has been around forever.
The PGA Tour resumed last week without a Tiger, and some old names showed up on the leader board, with Stewart Cink winning the event.
If you remember, Tiger beat Cink in the match play tournament at the beginning of the year. So if things happen the way they should, we will have some new faces winning tournaments and some familiar names winning.
This week at the Buick Open, which was always a stop on Tiger’s schedule, a Hoosier is atop the leader board after two rounds. Bo Van Pelt, a Richmond Ind., native, is leading at 14-under par. Good luck to Bo over the weekend.
The Masters is over and Tiger Woods is on the DL for six weeks.
The Masters tournament was once again a great mental test for the professionals; Augusta is a golf course that has no rough to speak of and is one of the most intimidating courses the tour plays. It can leave the best players in the world scratching their heads and talking to themselves.
In the end, though, Trevor Immelman turned out to be the player of the week with the most determination and patience. Brandt Snedeker emerged as the feel-good story of the week. He also may be the next Tom Watson in the manner in which he plays. One thing that does somewhat stick out is the pace of play. I understand it is The Masters and a lot is on the line, but to be in twosomes and take almost five hours to play?
The Masters has started, and the stars are circling the top. But young guns seem to be trying to stave off the notion that Augusta is for veterans.
The thing about The Masters is that the tournament really doesn’t start till the back nine on Sunday. Most players are just trying to keep within striking distance for Sunday. My pick for the title, Tiger, is just where he needs to be for Sunday, hanging around.
This so-called spring has been an April Fools’ Day joke here in Indy. Weather once again can not figure out” weather” it is still winter or spring.
Enough of the gloom of the weather forecast. The Brickyard now has been open for play for over a week, and believe it or not, we have had some hearty souls out here to play. The course is doing well but just a little too wet for our liking with the recent rain.
Finally the rain has stopped here in Indianapolis, for at least a day, and the forecast is a little more promising after this weekend.
Brickyard Crossing will open for play on Tuesday, March 25. We already have a few players signed up.
The course is starting to green up a little after our superintendent, Jeff Stuart, and his crew mowed fairways and greens. Jeff does a great job here at the Brickyard keeping the course in tournament condition for everyday play.
Hate to say this, but there is nothing exciting going on in the golf world right now here in Indiana.
The PGA Tour is in Florida, Tiger is not playing, Ernie Els finished off a victory last week, and Brickyard Crossing’s opening day of play has been pushed back due to weather.
A couple of weeks ago, the Professional Bowlers Tour was in town, along with my good friend Randy Pedersen. He is a 13-time winner on the PBA Tour and is now a broadcaster for PBA Tour telecasts on ESPN.