Continue reading »]]> With such a field, spectacular golf was a given at the farm in New Jersey today, and we are reminded of how difficult it is to predict the outcomes of tournaments and matches. Given the nature of the game, upsets were unavoidable, for either the vicarious fan or gambler.

If one looks at it from a national perspective, the sizeable American team had a lot of trouble this year, with other Americans. They had some trouble with South Koreans, and a little trouble with Paraguay. No really a nationalistic fan where sports are concerned, I got a kick out of that one. Most of the matches had a little suspense to them, and there were few routs. Morgan Pressel, however, just wasn’t going to risk it, and dispatched Mindy Kim, 5 and 4.

From the viewpoint of upsets, there were some unexpected surprises. It reminds us that inexperienced pros still come to the tours pre-hardened. They don’t respect their elders, at least not enough to be trampled by them – not even Paula Creamer, the Miyazato family, Catriona Matthew or last year’s champion, Suzann Pettersen.

Dictionary definitions of the term “upset” include the usual – tip over, disturb function, distress, perturb, overthrow, disturbance, overthrow, agitation, undone by an underdog. Yes, we had all of that. Despite the fact that she was pitted against Ai Miyazato, I believed that Mariajo Uribe had a fair chance in this one. The twenty-two year old is a toughie, and has won the U.S. Women’s Amateur and the Brasil Cup.

Fellow American, Jennifer Johnson’s upset of Paula Creamer was a surprise. Creamer has gotten trapped into playing a lot of good golf with less great golf than usual, but this should have been a walk in terms of where she’s been. Johnson, the two-year pro from San Diego has “zero” top three finishes, and a total earnings of 180,000 or so.

Britanny Lincicome’s match gave me the same feeling. Ryann O’Toole was a rookie in 2011, and wasn’t even an automatic starter on her college team, even though it was UCLA. Jodi Ewart of Britain nipped Pettersen’s efforts in the bud, 3 and 1. I didn’t see that one coming, either. Sandra Gal overcame Pornanong Phatlum, Brasil Cup winner this year, 2 up. I had that one as a toss-up.

One or two interesting new faces caught my attention, new faces at least to me. Karine Icher of France defeated Chella Choi of South Korea. She’s not a newcomer, born in ’79. I should have known about her – my fault. She’s won the French Amateur twice, the International Amateur of Spain and the International Open of France. As a pro, she’s won the Palmerston Ladies German Open and the Mexx Sport Open. I would have noticed her last year, but she took ’11 off, expecting her first child.

Julieta Granada, born Paraguay, ’86, was another one I just didn’t see coming. I don’t know why – she plays both tours, won numerous amateur titles, including the U.S. Junior Girl’s Championship. Turning pro in 2005, she followed up a win at the YWCA Futures Classic with a win at the ADT Championship, the first million dollar prize in women’s golf.

And that was just the first day. Had you given your money over to me with the instructions to bet wisely at one thousand per match, I would have lost you exactly…well, a lot. It may not get any easier tomorrow, so keep your wallet where it is and enjoy the action.

Continue reading »]]> I haven’t been to New Jersey for a little while, but as a golfer, I believe that it might be the most entertaining state in the union this weekend, with Texas running close. The Sybase Match Play will come to Hamilton Farm Golf Club in Gladstone, May 17 – 20. It’s televised, although some on delay, and the roster is a field of dreams. Conduct a roll call of the world’s best, and just about all of them will answer, “here.”

First of all, this is a rare chance for match play lovers to view a full bracket-style tournament in that format, from sixty four to one winner. Match play has such a psychology of its own. Part of it, as Yani Tseng says, is that you only have to beat one person at a time. That’s coming from a person who does a lot of “beating.” Past that, you see your only opponent all day. Every tee, fairway and green is up close and personal Strategy changes on a dime, and nerves show their true colors. In the Sybase Match Play, we should see all of that at its best.

Second, the USGA is honoring Mickey Wright, and holding a viewing of the Mickey Wright Room in the great manor during the tournament’s run. Between one of the most unusual tournaments of the year, New Jersey’s national golf headquarters and Sybase Corporation’s sponsorship of the match play, the northeast will grab a lot of attention. Wikipedia describes Sybase as an “enterprise software and service” company, but they appear to be pretty good at golf management as well. Founded in ’84, the tournament used to be known as the Sybase Classic from ’01 to ’09. The new tournament in 2010 got off to a pretty spectacular start, especially in ’11 when Suzanne Pettersen rolled in a fifteen-footer on eighteen to take it away.

Within the field of sixty four are several new qualifiers, taken from money winner lists and scorers through the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic. A few spots were filled at the discretion of Sybase. Adding to the fun will Pornanong Phatlum, winner of the Brasil Cup, So Reon Ryu of the Women’s U.S. Open, Jessica Korda of the Czech Rebublic, crowd favorite Natalie Gulbis, Spain’s Belena Mozo and pioneer of the modern wave of women, Grace Park. It will be interesting to see how each responds to match play at this level.

There are going to be so many matches, and the brilliant shots will be so widespread, that recommending certain match-ups would be like playing the horses. Any of the thirty two head-to-heads could end up as the big deal of the day…but of course, I’ll be the first to stick my neck out. For match play, I might take an interest in the Christie Kerr vs. Belen Mozo match, not because of the countries involved, but as a cagey veteran vs. sharp newcomer thing. I might go for Grace Park vs. Na Yeon Choi, both of South Korea, because I’d like to see Grace’s return experience a spark. Of course, Pettersen vs. Ewart is a must, because Suzanne won it last year. Pornanong Phatlum burst on the scene last week, so she’s captured everyone’s fascination, but so has her opponent, the musical ballerina golfer, Sandra Gal. And, of course, Jessica Korda. The more players we see from her part of the continent, the better.

Naturally, that could all change tomorrow, and match play brings out the mano a mano, even in genteel golfers such as ourselves. With the field Sybase has put together, we might want to see more match play in the national golf diet.

Continue reading »]]> Ask a hundred people to identify America’s first golf hero, and most will miss it. Ask who staged one of the greatest golf upsets in history (the greatest at that time), and most won’t remember it. Frances DeSales Quimet of Brookline, Massachusetts, became the first American to be elected captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews. Now, how does an American do that?

He does that by coming from a working class family as a former caddie, strike three if you wanted to play golf in 1913), agreeing to fill the last spot for the U.S. Open, then winning it. All right, that’s terrific, but how does that get you celebrated in England?

The 1913 U.S. Open was delayed so that Harry Vardon and Ted Ray, the numbers one and two players in the world, could get there. Quimet was only supposed to occupy a position, not make the cut. When he did, he was asked to withdraw, considering his lack of social credentials – he politely declined. In the fourth round, he birdied the 71^st hole to join the lead, forcing a three-way 18 hole playoff the next day.

Placing one’s self in the minds of the big brass of Massachusetts in those days, one would expect that they’d be proud of their hometown boy, but apparently, it was quite an embarrassment. For the playoff, Quimet was asked to drop Eddie Lowrey, and get a respectable caddie. Again, he politely declined. It is said that Eddie proved to be a wise source of counsel as Quimet went on to beat the two British golfers.

Outside of the very wealthy, it was a source of enormous pride, and the gracious British golfers passed the hat among the gallery for the young Mr. Lowrey. What came back in the hat surpassed the winner’s purse, had Quimet been a professional.

The USGA still didn’t grasp that one of their own had accomplished this feat, and stripped Quimet of his amateur status for opening a sporting goods store, making money off of his fame by selling footballs, etc. That was rescinded after his stint as a lieutenant in the army, and he bore no grudge, serving on numerous committees.

Quimet went on to numerous other amateur victories, became the mentor for the great Gene Sarazen, and was only unable to break through in several close losses to Bobby Jones. He did win the Bob Jones Award, however, after winning the U.S. Amateur twice and playing on eight Walker Cup teams.

In 1949, the Frances Quimet Scholarship Fund was established for former caddies of Massachusetts. At present, it has an endowment of twenty two million, with several prestigious winners.

Why, though, the title of “Father of Amateur Golf?” It is generally believed that, statistically, the game of golf exploded in America, largely as a direct result of the 1913 U.S. Open. In that year, approximately 350,000 were playing in the states, but not many years after, the figure had ballooned to 2,000,000, men and women.

Francis Quimet was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1974, the first American golf hero, and one of the first cracks in the belief that golf should be a game for the rich. His likeness could be seen on the 25 cent stamp, and a later motion picture was released on the story. Oh, and Eddie Lowrey? The ten-year old took that money from the gallery and parlayed himself into one of the leading businessmen in Massachusetts. Don’t you love it when the good guys win?

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Lewis, Fowler and Phatlum: Youth Rules Golf This Week

One should be careful throwing around the word youth these days, because it’s including younger and younger players all the time. I’m going to give Stacy Lewis the benefit of the doubt, even though she’s approaching her late twenties. Considering what she went through to get here, she should be awarded at least one or two free years.

With her second win on the LPGA tour since turning pro in ’08, she’s realizing her projected success, even with a body that just didn’t want to do it. Diagnosed with scoliosis at the age of eleven, Lewis spent the next seven years in a brace that ultimately didn’t work. That was replaced with a steel rod and five screws into her back, and she spent eight weeks in bed, plus a lot of therapy after she was offered a scholarship at the University of Arkansas. She would go on to become a four time All-American there after red-shirting her freshman year.

Not a spotlight  person, Stacy Lewis had a very unusual week in Orlando, appearing on the Golf Channel right and left after her victory, including online interviews and live spots on Morning Drive, School of Golf and Golf Fix. This, a player who wasn’t part of any tour before ’09, and won out in Q school after failing to obtain sponsorships. After a brilliant collegiate career, she’s been on the Solehim team, and finished third in the U.S. Women’s Open. Brava to Stacy, and many more happy days on the course.

The fabled Thai players have begun to emerge, and it was interesting to see a Thai star win the Brasil Cup this week at the Itanhanga Golf Club of Rio de Janeiro, one who did not go through a prestigious American college program. In fact, Pornanong Phatlum’s  alma mater is Chaiyapheem Rajabhat University. The Brasil Cup was established in ’09 with fifteen players in attendance. Twenty seven participated the next year, with thirty by 2011. Phatlum, born in ’89, is one of a wave of new players from her country, and led both rounds, a good idea, with no third and fourth rounds for comebacks. With her professional golfer brother Pornapong at the caddy spot, the five time Asian Ladies Tour winner took her first LPGA sanctioned event.


Over on the men’s side, Rickie Fowler won his first PGA event after sixty seven tries. Everyone knew he was that good, and that he’d come charging out one of these days, but he did it in fine style at the Wells Fargo Championship, in a three-way playoff. Maybe the press is right to generate a competition between Fowler and Rory McIlroy. They’re the same age, and took two of the three spots in the playoff, D.A. Points taking the third.

The former Oklahoma State star who has created the tradition of looking like an orange golf-sicle on Sundays decided to play the pin and forget caution at such an auspicious time, and it paid off. In an interesting scoring system, McIlroy returned to his spot at number one, edging out Luke Donald. I suspect that we won’t wait another sixty seven events to see Fowler make waves on Sunday again.

It’s still a game of wisdom and experience, but a young athletic body sure doesn’t hurt anything.  Of course, there’s the extra special person who doesn’t have such a physique, and builds one anyway with what she’s got. Golf is also a game where the remarkable just seem to hang out.

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Nancy Lopez Wins Byron Nelson Prize

There are a lot of generous folks from the sports worlds. Directed to the charities of their choice, individual players donate huge sums annually, and their foundations sustain a steady stream of assistance for those who often wouldn’t get it from anywhere else. Golf, however, stands out as a collective urge to give on the part of professional players from the top to bottom of the money list – doesn’t seem to matter. This year, one of the most generous players of all time, and one of the greatest players of all time, will be recognized for her consistent habit of giving back.  Nancy Lopez will be awarded this year’s Byron Nelson Prize at the tournament named for him, and it couldn’t be more fitting. They’re a lot alike.

Of course, Nancy Lopez and Byron Nelson were huge winners on the tour. Byron’s consecutive eleven victories is still a standout in the record books, and along the way to winning her forty eight tour wins, including majors, Lopez put some lengthy victory strings together as well. The four time Player of the Year has chosen AIM for the Handicapped as the recipient of a $100,000 donation. Other charities that are of central interest to Ms. Lopez include the Community Hospice of Albany, Georgia, where the retired golfer presently lives. Not only has Lopez sponsored tournament events, for example at the Lopez Legacy Country Club in The Villages, Florida, but she’s enlisted a lot of help from similarly generous colleagues. A few include Morgan Pressler, Chris de Marco, Natalie Gulbis, Amanda Blumenherst and Peter Jacobsen.

The same way in which Byron Nelson burst into greatness, Nancy Lopez came out of Roswell, New Mexico, not by UFO, but with a new qualifying card that she used to great advantage. She won early, and she won a lot, faster than even Babe Didrikson’s meteoric rise. She married baseball star Ray Knight, and upon early retirement due to chronic injuries, has worked in many peripheral aspects to the game, including broadcasting.

The Byron Nelson Prize is giving to the golfer who demonstrates ongoing philanthropic spirit. Established in 2006, Lehmann, Palmer, Venturi and Watson have been winners. Lopez will be the first female recipient, and won out over finalists such as Phil Mickelson.

With Nelson’s particular interest in the well-being of children and their families, the enormous charity has funneled one hundred and twelve million dollars to that effort since its inaugural year. It was from such an attitude that Nelson acquired the moniker, “Lord Byron,” and he was often quoted as saying that this ongoing project was more to dear to him than all the other aspects of golf, including all the tournaments he won through the years. He is said to have been ultimately proud of the work done by the EDS Byron Nelson Championship and the Salesmanship Club of Dallas for the benefit of children. The 2007 slogan, “Byron’s Work for the Kids Continues” has persevered, and the charity experiences nothing but continued growth.

How apt that a humanitarian such as Nelson would inevitably link up with one such as Nancy Lopez, for whom charity is a natural response and an unthinking habit. Even during her playing days, her sensitivity to the people around her was not obscured by the demands of the competition. It should be fun to tune in for the awarding of this prize, and it’s quite a golf tournament as well.

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Nicklaus, Palmer, Player

For a younger generation of golf lovers, to describe the way that the golfing public viewed the big three players of the fifties through eighties might require some thought. Try this one – if the Beatles were professional level golfers, they might have been on the magnitude of the “Big Three.” The astronauts who brought the space program to an eventual landing on the moon, heroes of the era, were the out-of-this-world version of Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player. They were an Elvis trio, and not impersonators.

It’s difficult for those of us who witnessed that time to accept that it’s now ancient history, but this week, we were ecstatic to find that it wasn’t dead history, as the three greats who launched the modern era of golf came together in Woodlands, Texas to play an 18 hole exhibition as part of the Champions Tour Insperity Championship. Lest you’re thinking of old fogeys hitting ceremonial drives on the first tee of Augusta, forget it.

It was a competitive exhibition, with other stars such as Trevino, Barber, January, Graham, Littler and Stockton joining in. The trio for the ages won the exhibition going away, at eleven under par, with quite a few birdies, not a single bogey, and occasional fireworks that flashed memories of a bygone era. Don’t think that it was one of those yuck-it-up, just for fun rounds, either. Palmer reminded us that “We didn’t want to take it too serious, but we didn’t want to finish second, either.” Player, who takes nothing of the game lightly, still shoots absurdly low scores for his age, and the reminiscent feeling of great shots was not lost on him. Nicklaus, much the same, has no interest in playing public golf if he isn’t playing it well.

Woodlands, about thirty miles outside of Houston, seemed like a good spot for such a tournament and exhibition, since the numerous courses there include one of Nicklaus’s design, in addition to The Player, the Fazio Course at Carlton Woods, Panther Trail and the Oaks Course, both public.

As an added perspective to how these giants of the game have handled time, remember that Arnold Palmer was born in 1929. World War I had ended only a few years before, and the Hoover presidency was in full stride. He won the Canadian open in his rookie season, 1955, the Bob Hope Desert Classic at 44, and played his last major in 2004 at the age of 75. That’s just post Wright Brothers and well into the computer age.

Player was born in 1935, as things were heating up in Europe. The Wizard of Oz was the hot new movie in that stretch of time. Player, who turned pro in the late 50s, would win the British Open in three different decades. His last trip to Augusta was in 2009 at the age of 74.

Nicklaus, the kid of the group, was born in 1940, the year before Pearl Harbor. At the age of 40, he won his fourth U.S. Open and fifth PGA. He won his sixth green jacket at 46, and was in the top ten at 56. His final U.S. Open was in 2000, and his final competitive tournament in 2005.

There’s no hint of a golfing public not remembering these men. That wouldn’t be possible, as the heroes of post-war golf. Scramble or not, if they hadn’t been that good back then, they wouldn’t be able to do this now – eleven under? Oh, and the kicker. Eighty-three year old Palmer, ended the show with a 25 footer on 18, just like the old days.

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The LPGA and Golf Canada

Watch out, Lexi. You’re getting on, and there’s a wave of greats coming in behind you. Here’s where they’re coming from, as if you didn’t know.

In the U.S., the LPGA has truly done what it set out to do, “bringing women’s golf under one umbrella.” The developmental tour, ages 7 – 17 is now fully integrated into a training and tournament format – and get this. It’s designed so that girls and young women can “learn to play golf, build lasting friendships and experience competition in a fun, supportive environment.” For any 13^th century types still sitting around grieving the lack of personal aggression in competition, your time has come. You’re being phased out. As for the competition, though, it’s just getting revved up.


A myriad of scholarships, such as the Dinah Shore (est. ’81), the Marilyn Smith (est. ’99) and the Phyllis Meekins (est. 2006) serve young players heading into college, and through diverse requirements, address need, merit and the advancement of players form recognized minorities. The LPGA Girl’s Golf Team Championship and Academy is coming up this June, on Kiawah Island, South Carolina. Entrance is based on commitment and participation, and scoring only sets the flights. Now, that’s the way to do summer camp.

The Futures Tour, now known as the Symetra Tour, was established in ’81 as the Tampa Bay Mini-Tour. It became the official developmental tour in ’99, and its first three graduates to top the money list were brought onto the LPGA tour with exempt status. They were Grace Park, Marilyn Lavander and Audra Banks. In 2011, it expanded to twelve players, and thrives on its worldwide competition. Graduates include Davies, Kerr, Kim, Ochoa, Park, Prammanasudh, Francella and Webb. That can only mean one thing – the idea for girl’s golf worked.

Check the LPGA site for “Girl’s Golf,” and you will find two hundred and thirty locations throughout the U.S. , excluding only Hawaii, Wyoming and Nebraska.


Great changes are occurring in Canadian golf as well, in addition to upgrades of earlier ideas for developing the youth of the nation. Canada’s national organization, Golf Canada, has redefined the term, “Open,” by creating a premier developmental tour in its heartland, The Great Lakes Tour. This training and tournament system is absolutely unbound by gender or age – a real “Open.”

Established in 2001, the first year saw two hundred members admitted, and it’s doubled in popularity since. The system includes what is termed a “Regular Season,” open to professional and low-scoring amateurs. The “Platinum Series” is precisely what it sounds  like, and ample opportunities abound for match play, admitting sixty four members as they qualify.

The Canadian National Future Link’s Girl’s Club is a going operation, taking young players through the whole process from 7 to 18. It was founded in part because of the discrepancy between boy’s  and girl’s golf, and the Club seeks to, in its own words, “attract girls and retain them longer.” A strong partner of the Future Link’s Club is the Girl Guides of Canada, establishing and maintaining girls-only events across the continent.

In developing the strength of these programs, the U.S. and Canada will enhance the competitive and popularity aspects of the game. Far past that, however, are the created opportunities that can mark the difference between a path filled with dangers and one filled with opportunities. Through such a vastly popular sport, the presiding organizations of the continent are providing the athletes they train with confidence, clear thinking, foresight and good decision-making in a larger environment that doesn’t always promote such qualities. As I think of it further, it’s brilliant – building golfers and citizens by going to camp and getting together for some rounds of golf.

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Stacy Lewis, Jason Duffer, Bubba Watson, Se Ri Park,

What an interesting week it was in the world of golf, from a weekender’s unexpected round to disturbing injuries and breakthrough wins for two on the men’s and women’s tours.

Both events on the LPGA and PGA tours were cliffhangers this week, and it was difficult to know which player one should root for. On the women’s side, Stacy Lewis came through with a win at the LPGA Mobile Classic, holding off supergirl Lexi Thompson, who went on a birdie binge, almost taking advantage of a Lewis misstep. Lewis, who started the back nine with a three stroke lead, needed some heroism of her own to clinch the title, and did it by birdieing the 16^th and holding steady down the stretch. Exhausted in the club house, she expressed gratitude that she didn’t have to play any more holes.

Lewis was a spectacular amateur, and a four-time All-American from Arkansas. She’s only won twice on the tour in addition to making the Solheim team, but she sure has picked good weeks to show her best stuff.

Last week, I wrote about how close Jason Dufner has come to getting over the hump, and that article must have been exactly what he needed (let me dream here, ok?). Thrilled to see him win, especially in a playoff, historically not a good venue for Jason, I was only sad to see that the victory had to come over Ernie Els. Maybe if I write an article for him this week, he’ll break through again as well. It all came down to a two-foot putt, and if you’re an amateur golfer who plays a lot, you know how many nightmares such a putt is good for.

Next week, the likeable golfer is getting married in Auburn, Alabama, but unfortunately, the honeymoon will take place at the Players Championship at TPC. One thing is certain, however. When they do have time to take a real one, Dufner will be able to afford it. If he wins the Players, he’ll be able to afford it several times over.

It was gratifying to see these wins, but the week was filled with trouble as well.  Bubba Watson, a man I’d always taken as a nice guy, hit motorcycle shop owner Radd Leonard in the back of the head on the 2^nd hole of TPC. Watson’s shot drew blood, but the fan, as loyal as any golden retriever, declined treatment and followed Bubba the rest of the round.

Se Ri Park, Hall of Fame LPGA player, slipped on a flight of stairs, and is termed as “out indefinitely. For a competitor like Park, “out” is bad enough, but “indefinitely” has an ominous tone. We wish her a speedy return.

Christian Sevaer, winner of the ’04 Spanish Open is fighting off elbow pain from a broken bone suffered years ago playing on such hard surfaces. He has been forced to skip the Volvo and the Ballantine’s. John Daley suffered a similar injury in that part of the world recently. I often wonder, between space age clubs and such surfaces, if we’re not raising the danger level of the game. I honestly don’t think hickory shafts were all that punishing by comparison. It would make an interesting study.

In the “odd news” department, seventy-five year old Albert Miller’s round was even worse than that, and he’ll take some lessons to improve his driving, if he’s wise. At a water hazard in Lake Ashton in Florida, a nine foot alligator leaped out of the water and dragged him into the pond. Friends helped free him, as he was in the grip of the creature and in up to his waist.

And who knows if French Open winner Thomas Levet will get to play the Spanish Open at all this week. For the second straight week, his clubs have failed to arrive. The first time, in Seoul, he missed the cut, but at least Spain has cleared the alligators from the water hazards. Congratulations  for a great week by the triumphant, and the survivors.

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Jason Dufner A Winner!

The old adage claims that “no one remembers the guy who finished second.” It’s a harsh motto, and it’s very often true, but not always. In team sports, it’s worse in a sense. People really can’t remember who finished second. Finish number two in the Tchaikovsky International, and you’ve probably got an excellent career ahead of you, whether you become a household name or not. In golf, second place is a shifty place to be. It can be interpreted differently, and it can, in reality, mean completely different things. Consider the case of Jason Dufner, who heads into the fourth round of the Zurich Classic leading by three.

Jason Dufner has a pretty good pedigree. He comes from Ohio, and you-know-who came from Ohio. He’s in his mid-thirties – no problem there. He was a walk-on at Auburn, a pretty fine golf school most of the time. Tight-roping his way through a few seasons in terms of keeping his card, he finally emerged as a consistent resident of the profession. He’s played in over one hundred and sixty events, and hasn’t won yet. Big deal…lots of people who play on the PGA Tour never win there. But wait, this guy’s a little different. Dufner rarely skyrockets, and tends to put strong round combinations together. He plays like a winner, but has a touch, perhaps, of runner-up disease.

I’ve never followed his career, but the name of Jason Dufner has been in my ear from early spring, through Augusta and into this week. He’s always somewhere up there on the leader board through the second round – and then he’s not. Beside the third round curse, he has experienced playoff heartbreak, such as in the 2011 PGA, when he was five up with four to go. He lost the Phoenix in the same way last year. Back further, he was a 3 and 2 match short of winning the U.S. Amateur.

This is the most painful kind of runner-up disease, the “when will he, or will he ever break through?” disease. He joins Phil Mickelson in that situation. Phil, however, broke through in fine style, and has been doing pretty well ever since.

Runner-upitis is not always the realm of the “not quite talented enough” or “can’t handle the pressure” players. The record-holders for second place finishes are the brightest stars of the game. Jack Nicklaus, for example, had 19 seconds in majors alone. A tweaked putt or club selection change, and imagine the record Tiger would be trying to break now. At Augusta, Nicklaus, Hogan and Weiskopf have each done it four times. In the U.S. Open, Mickelson finished second five times with Jack, Arnie, Tiger and Bobby Jones at four apiece. Nicklaus was runner-up, or tied for it in the British Open seven times. In the PGA, Hagen and Nicklaus held the honors. This is a different case than that of Jason Dufner.

You see the point, I’m sure. These were not cases of “little engine that almost could.” These were greats who dominated the leader board week in week out – all the time, omnipresent…couldn’t  get rid of them, no matter what you shot. But I’m going to say that the glass is half full for Jason Dufner. A guy who plays that consistently well is ready to win something, and perhaps something big. He’s broken the third round curse at the Zurich, and one more will cure the problem.

I would like to hear him speak differently, however… “Maybe a couple of bogeys to start the round or even par through same holes, maybe I start doubting myself again.” We’ve never heard that kind of thinking from any of the all-time greats. That kind of winner is always fierce, even in defeat.

So, here’s to Jason Dufner going the way of Phil Mickelson. Keep swinging the way you’re swinging, and no more dwelling on that doubt stuff.

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Small School Golf Review

We may be under the impression that we know where all the tour members come from, and which schools boast the national power programs in the U.S. and Canada. Certainly, Division I sports holds considerable advantages over the others, enjoying a huge talent draw. The requirements of a Division I athletic program include offering fourteen sports, two per gender and some form of financial aid. To be sure, UCLA, USC, Purdue and the others are powerhouses, but there’s a lot going on in small school golf, from tiny liberal arts colleges to small universities, and a lot of talented women are doing the playing. Some of them have professional potential, and why not? The day I heard of the Dallas Cowboys drafting a player from a small eastern Washington college of 1,500 students, I knew that anything was possible.

The interesting thing about Division II is that out of the top ten ranked teams, all but one are from the south (one from the southwest). I know the weather’s great, and that there are thousands of terrific courses down there, but really. The Rollins Tars (I’m assuming that’s the older word for sailors – brush up your Gilbert & Sullivan) have been pushing people around since they began the 2005 NCAA Championships with a 28 stroke lead over the next best, Nova Southeastern (also Florida) on the first day of competition! Southern (Fla.), Grand Valley St. (Michigan-how odd), St. Edwards (Tx.), Barry College (Fla.), Belmont Abbey (NC), Grand Canyon (Az) and Saint Leo (Fla.) round out the star programs.

Division III, by contrast, features an entirely different geography, a lot of Midwest, a fact that I find difficult to explain. Why is this prolific golfing section of the U.S. largely absent in Division II? The leader of Division III is still southern, however. The Methodist Monarchs of North Carolina just “signed” four distinguished new players. The announcements include their high schools, hometowns and the names of their parents. I like that – that’s nice, but  “signed?” What is this, the NBA? The school possesses the longest national champion streak in the NCAA, period…any sport, and it offers a PGA Management Program. Small school golf doesn’t sound so small, all of a sudden. The other top rankings for the division are held by DePauw (Ind.), Gustavus Adolphus (Mn.), St. Marys (Ind.), Illinois Wesleyan, Washington University of St. Louis, Centre College (Ky.), Williams College (MA. – Massachusetts?), Wisconsin – Eau Claire and Allegheny (Pa.).


In the NAIA Division, The University of British Columbia Thunderbirds  just won their third national championship in 2011, over the Victoria Vikings. That’s not just golf in good schools, but in two of the most beautiful cities you’re likely to see. The attending powers in this division include Lubbock Christian (Tx.), Embry-Riddle (yawn – Fla.), Shorter (Ga.), and Bethel in Indiana.

golf It would take a lengthy study to track the later careers of these players. You wouldn’t necessarily be able to tell who they are by their majors, which are declared virtually across the board – and being a philosophy major doesn’t mean you can’t play great golf – in fact, it should help. National Champion Charlotte Campbell, a one woman wrecking ball for Rollins started the Futures Tour in ’07, and paid a lot of the expense by selling Swarovski crystal ball markers. I wonder if she was a Business Marketing major.

These are just the top-ranked teams in the U.S. and Canada, but don’t think for a moment that they’re the only schools playing. Taking a look at golf teams from smaller schools is the perfect way to understand the global devotion to this game. Men’s and women’s teams thrive everywhere, certainly, on the North American continent, and it’s the perfect thing to do for a Philosophy, English Lit or Theater Major to clear one’s mind after hitting the books.