2011 PGA Championship: Day 4 Awaits Us

As OS noted in a post that keeps a steady flow of traffic every week, last year's PGA Championship was a monumental screw-up.

This year's leaderboard is dominated by relatively unfamiliar names, new faces, strong young players like Dufner, Steele, Bradley. Tiger's Tale is now one of self-destruction, accelerating after he fired Steve Williams, the best caddy any golfer could wish for. There are also a number of familiar names up near the front, and any one of twenty of the field could prevail. It's the makings of a great event.

Now, to see if the PGA officials will resist the temptation to determine the outcome. If the marshals will control the crowd, if the course managers really have thought through (and marked!) out-of-bounds, hazards, what is and isn't part of the golf course. Where the bunkers are and aren't, for starters.

We'll see if Mark Wilson decided that last year's fifteen minutes of fame was enough, or if he needs another moment in front of CBS's cameras. (Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad.)
We'll see if CBS Sports puts up with his BS another year, or calls it what it is.

If the PGA screws up again, it will bode ill for the professional game. Sponsors aren't obligated to pony up cash, volunteers can give their time elsewhere, spectators can go to baseball games, viewers can change the channel. Young people, who are much needed to keep the game alive, will conclude that years of dedicated work don't matter when a PGA official decides how he wishes matters to conclude.

So, we'll see. This final round isn't just about the skill of the competitors, it's about the integrity and future of the PGA.

Tee it up, ya'll!

Someone, Somewhere Needs To Get A Life: Juli Inkster Tossed On A Golf Rules Violation

Were it not so heartbreaking for a classy athlete, it would be funny. But, it's not.

Somebody, with too much time on his hands, and a detailed knowledge of the rules of golf, spotted Juli Inkster taking some warm up swings on the tenth tee, using a weight on her club. From his television set. She had been waiting for half an hour to tee off, and was loosening up.

So, he calls the golf tournament, to bust her. And the tournament officials take the call! Why? What on earth were they thinking?

They let her finish the back nine, and then tell she's been DQ'd. It's heartbreaking, because she was in the hunt for the lead when they tossed her.

This is idiocy. Does baseball allow fans to phone in if they suspect a balk? Or allow TV viewers to report a corked bat? Do hockey fans get to call in high-stick penalties on a game in San Diego from a bar in Boston?

This sort of stuff poisons the well. The game is on the course, between the ropes. The TV audience, as much as some individuals may wish it, is not a participant in the tournament. If they wanna play, they need to make it through Q-School, on their own merits.

How's about a new rule in that arcane book that prohibits tournament officials from taking phone calls from wing-nuts?

OS hopes the players raise hell with tourney officials. Perhaps if some notables begin pointedly not showing up, the point may be made. Let ticket sales tank on a few events, and a new spirit of reason may yet take root.

OS also hopes the no-life twit who decided the LPGA couldn't live without him reads this. You, bubba, are the definition of a loser.

Take a hint: Most forty-year-old men have jobs and don't live in momma's basement.