Kids wait for Santa to show up every December.
OS waits for the Masters every spring, and the Ryder Cup every other fall.
It's an event that requires the winning team to play with more intelligence and selflessness than the losing team. Athletic ability is desirable, but this game is played between the ears.
The American style of golf, e.g. 'Let's just drive the stuffing out of the ball, let someone find it in the trees and then we'll figure out what to do next' won't be rewarded on this course. Ahem--Phil, Tiger, Dustin...(That link above leads to the page with the hole descriptions and flyover views. It's pretty impressive, built for this event.)
OS predicts Europe wins by 4 at least. It won't take them long, and the Sunday afternoon single pairings are always a joy to watch.
And, please! Let's not have rules officials on the course seeking their personal fifteen minutes of fame this time. Golf needs a good, happy event, after a year of public humiliations at the hands of people who really ought to know better.
Showing posts with label Phil Mickelson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Phil Mickelson. Show all posts
Friday, October 1, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Even If You Don't Follow Golf...
...do yourself a favor, and tune in to The Open this weekend.
There is no place like St. Andrews, and it feeds the soul to see the old game played on The Old Course.
The Open website carries live video and radio if your local TV doesn't broadcast.
OS could not stay awake for the opening proceedings, (3 a.m. in this time zone), but his heart was mightily cheered this morning to see that young Rory McIlroy had tied the Open record for an opening round with 63, and is three strokes clear of the field at this point. He's only twenty-one, and it is a joy to watch him play. At the other end of the age spectrum (much closer to where OS exists), to see Tom Watson par the 18th for a round of one over is also cause for cheers, and the gallery certainly gave him a lot of well-deserved love.
It's a great game, with dignity and fair play woven into the very fabric of the rules and practice. OS has a colleague with an enthusiastic grade-school daughter who has embraced the game with her whole heart. Her dad just beams when he talks about his duties as her caddy, and her growth as a young lady. He's a crack pro musician, and she studies music as well. One of his proudest moments came when she connected the dots between the two disciplines.
If OS could be King For A Day, he would arrange for every child to sing in a good choir, learn a musical instrument well, and learn to love and play golf.
Who needs LeBron, when you can have sports heroes like Rory, Phil Mickleson, Vijay Singh, and Ernie Els? The bad actors, like John Daly, get to disintegrate publicly, in both game and life, occasionally showing the old magic, as he did this morning.
Mr. Woods now lives on the bubble, and both his golf and life are under scrutiny, to see if he will choose to recover. If he blows up on the course this week, it will be a long long road back. Good wishes go his way, with the hope that his really great years lie ahead.
There is no place like St. Andrews, and it feeds the soul to see the old game played on The Old Course.
The Open website carries live video and radio if your local TV doesn't broadcast.
OS could not stay awake for the opening proceedings, (3 a.m. in this time zone), but his heart was mightily cheered this morning to see that young Rory McIlroy had tied the Open record for an opening round with 63, and is three strokes clear of the field at this point. He's only twenty-one, and it is a joy to watch him play. At the other end of the age spectrum (much closer to where OS exists), to see Tom Watson par the 18th for a round of one over is also cause for cheers, and the gallery certainly gave him a lot of well-deserved love.
It's a great game, with dignity and fair play woven into the very fabric of the rules and practice. OS has a colleague with an enthusiastic grade-school daughter who has embraced the game with her whole heart. Her dad just beams when he talks about his duties as her caddy, and her growth as a young lady. He's a crack pro musician, and she studies music as well. One of his proudest moments came when she connected the dots between the two disciplines.
If OS could be King For A Day, he would arrange for every child to sing in a good choir, learn a musical instrument well, and learn to love and play golf.
Who needs LeBron, when you can have sports heroes like Rory, Phil Mickleson, Vijay Singh, and Ernie Els? The bad actors, like John Daly, get to disintegrate publicly, in both game and life, occasionally showing the old magic, as he did this morning.
Mr. Woods now lives on the bubble, and both his golf and life are under scrutiny, to see if he will choose to recover. If he blows up on the course this week, it will be a long long road back. Good wishes go his way, with the hope that his really great years lie ahead.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Sunday Afternoon At Augusta: Reason To Cheer
It OS's ritual, and his bride indulges him, and sometimes even watches with him. She really loves him, to endure an afternoon of TV golf.
There are no cheers in sport like the cheers at Augusta; lusty, happy, enthusiastic roars ring across the course on Sunday afternoon. Some of the best television in television is CBS's coverage of Sunday afternoon in Augusta. Jim Nantz can tell the tale, and Nick Faldo knows how to explain the game from the point of view of someone who has won the event three times. The producer and director know how to create a narrative out of the slow progress of the pairs of golfers, doing things that look arcane to those who don't follow this strange sport.
Phil gets the Green Jacket this year, thankfully. A Good Guy wins, instead of the Bad Boy. He began and ended his round with 3-wood tee shots, emblematic of a hard-earned humility. His wife, battling cancer, and family were assembled to greet him, regardless of the score. It was a win, no matter what the scorecard read.
But there were a number of others who walked off 18 smiling ear to ear. Anthony Kim played the round of his young life, and beamed. Tom Watson exuded class, and greeted the cheers with his warm, wry smile. Freddie Couples, in his slippers without socks, came so close to winning, but never forgot to enjoy every moment. Lee Westwood did his country proud, hopefully will be on his best game for The Open. Sixteen-year-old Matteo Manassero, the young player to ever make the cut, won low amateur, and was sweet and gracious in his victory.
Tiger scowled, berated himself in public for not winning, didn't bother to thank the fans who cheered him on, or the tournament organizers who could have understandably let him know he was unwelcome this year. He cryptically noted he didn't know when he would play the next tournament. Even had he won by five strokes, the joyless visage would have been the same, because he hadn't won by seven.
He just doesn't Get It.
There are no cheers in sport like the cheers at Augusta; lusty, happy, enthusiastic roars ring across the course on Sunday afternoon. Some of the best television in television is CBS's coverage of Sunday afternoon in Augusta. Jim Nantz can tell the tale, and Nick Faldo knows how to explain the game from the point of view of someone who has won the event three times. The producer and director know how to create a narrative out of the slow progress of the pairs of golfers, doing things that look arcane to those who don't follow this strange sport.
Phil gets the Green Jacket this year, thankfully. A Good Guy wins, instead of the Bad Boy. He began and ended his round with 3-wood tee shots, emblematic of a hard-earned humility. His wife, battling cancer, and family were assembled to greet him, regardless of the score. It was a win, no matter what the scorecard read.
But there were a number of others who walked off 18 smiling ear to ear. Anthony Kim played the round of his young life, and beamed. Tom Watson exuded class, and greeted the cheers with his warm, wry smile. Freddie Couples, in his slippers without socks, came so close to winning, but never forgot to enjoy every moment. Lee Westwood did his country proud, hopefully will be on his best game for The Open. Sixteen-year-old Matteo Manassero, the young player to ever make the cut, won low amateur, and was sweet and gracious in his victory.
Tiger scowled, berated himself in public for not winning, didn't bother to thank the fans who cheered him on, or the tournament organizers who could have understandably let him know he was unwelcome this year. He cryptically noted he didn't know when he would play the next tournament. Even had he won by five strokes, the joyless visage would have been the same, because he hadn't won by seven.
He just doesn't Get It.
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