Golf Capsules: On The Fringe- Crowded golf calendar is a 'mess' for Els
HONOLULU (AP) — For all the miles he has flown and all the trophies he has won on the six major tours around the globe, Ernie Els would seem to be the biggest supporter of a move toward a world golf tour. Far from it.
"I hope not, because it won't work," he said. "The egos won't let it work."
Els wasn't referring to players demanding appearance money or expecting to be otherwise pampered. His angst is aimed at administrators who seem to be tripping over themselves to stake out territories, not to mention weeks on the calendar.
As he walked out of the Kapalua clubhouse at the start of the season and looked ahead to the end of the year, Els shook his head and said, "It's going to be a mess." A week later, he found out just how messy.
The Sunshine Tour announced over the weekend that the South African Open will be played Nov. 17-20 "as a result of the congestion on the worldwide golfing calendar."
There's just one problem.
Not only is Els very much South African, he is the defending champion and a five-time winner of his national open. The date change means the South African Open will be held the same week as the Presidents Cup in Australia. Els is the premier global player of his generation, yet even he hasn't figured out how to be two places at once.
And right now, he's not sure which one to play.
Would he skip the Presidents Cup to defend his title in South Africa? His body language — an angry stare and raised eyebrows — suggested he is seriously thinking about it. Remember, Els missed the inaugural Presidents Cup in 1994 to play in the British Masters and honor a commitment to longtime supporter Johann Rupert.
The timing of the decision is even more peculiar considering how the last South African Open turned out. It was a 1-2-3-4 finish by Els, Retief Goosen, Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel, with Tim Clark in a tie for ninth. Those five South Africans currently occupy the top six spots in the Presidents Cup standings.
"It doesn't make sense," Els said. "This is my national open. I don't get a chance to play there often. I don't know about the timing of this, but I'm sure the U.S. tour had the date set already for the Presidents Cup. Then the European Tour comes in and ... why are they trying to (mess) with myself and Retief and Tim? Don't they have any regard for the Presidents Cup?"
Europe is involved because it co-sanctions the South African Open and is trying to play its season in a calendar year. The South Africa events that once kicked off a "new" year in December have been brought forward a month so the European Tour season can end in Dubai, which has been moved back because of the Presidents Cup and World Cup. What a mess.
"We had no alternative but to compromise our schedule for 2011 for obvious reasons," Sunshine Tour Commissioner Gareth Tindall said in an e-mail. "One also has to bear in mind that the Sunshine Tour ... has no input whatsoever to the Presidents Cup, we are not consulted on scheduling and, more importantly, we derive no financial benefit from the event. And yet we may have up to five players qualifying."
Els realizes there are no easy solutions.
He might not be as frustrated had he been involved in the discussions, and the Big Easy should have been shown that courtesy given his worldwide support. At a time when the PGA Tour is asking its top players to add events, Els has been doing that for years. He was on the verge of playing New Orleans this year until a conflict in Asia arose.
And part of the frustration is feeling as though he has been burned before.
Els was leading the European Tour money list late in the 2007 season. The season-ending Volvo Masters was pushed back a week to clash with the Singapore Open, even though Els said tour officials knew he had signed a three-year deal to play in Singapore. He honored his commitment, and Justin Rose won at Valderrama to secure the Order of Merit.
And now, Els said, they're pulling this again.
It's a mess, all right, and not just the week of the Presidents Cup.
— Nov. 10-13 has the Singapore Open, Australian Open and Taheiyo Masters in Japan. Adam Scott, who is Australian, is the defending champion in Singapore.
— Nov. 17-20 has the Presidents Cup, South African Open, Johor Open and Dunlop Phoenix, a top event on the Japan Golf Tour that surely would miss Ryo Ishikawa if the teen sensation is on the International team in Australia.
— Nov. 24-27 is the weekend of the World Cup in China, the Dunhill Championship in South Africa, the Australian PGA and Casio World Open in Japan.
The worst of it might be Dec. 1-4, which features these tournaments and their defending champions — Chevron World Challenge (Graeme McDowell), Hong Kong Open (Ian Poulter), Nedbank Challenge (Lee Westwood) and Australian Masters (Stuart Appleby).
McDowell wants to be at the World Cup. If he decides to defend his title at Chevron (where he beat host Tiger Woods in a playoff), that means going consecutive weeks from China to California to Dubai.
"Geographical nightmare," McDowell said. "There's a lot of golf going on."
And it's not likely the calendar will get any easier after this year, not with the PGA Tour already in Malaysia and looking to add tournaments in China, South Korea and Japan. Perhaps one tournament official said it best last year when asked about the cooperation among tours as golf continued to expand.
"The Far East looks a lot like the Wild, Wild West."
Doug Ferguson covers golf for The Associated Press.
Notebook: Hawaii looking to expand ‘champion’ status
HONOLULU (AP) — The PGA Tour starts its season in Hawaii with a winners-only field. The Champions Tour gets under way this week on the Big Island with a winners-only field, along with a few invitations.
The next move is to get the LPGA Tour back in paradise.
Warren Haruki, who oversees the Kapalua Resort, said it would like to see the LPGA return with a "Tournament of Champions" format. He figures it would be a good fit with Hawaii’s sports theme of bringing only the best to the islands, from the Triple Crown of Surfing on Oahu to the Ironman Championship on the Big Island.
The LPGA has a lawsuit against Kapalua that has not been resolved. It stems from a five-year contract the resort signed to stage a tournament, only to stop after one year when it couldn’t find a title sponsor.
"We’ve been fishing around for a replacement LPGA event," said Mark Rolfing, now in charge of the PGA Tour’s season-opener in Kapalua and a central golf figure in Hawaii. "If we have an LPGA event, it’s needs to be a Tournament of Champions. We have to find a way to create it. And it’s not like the LPGA (schedule) is totally full."
The LPGA Tour starts its season in the Far East, and much later in the year than the other U.S. tours. It begins this year Feb. 17 in Thailand, then goes to Singapore. Rolfing can envision a scenario in which a Tournament of Champions is played the week after, on the way back to the mainland.
Even so, the sticking point would seem to be a title sponsor. That’s what led to the premature end of the LPGA event in Kapalua. Rolfing, however, is talking about branding the event so that it becomes more about Hawaii than one resort, or even one island.
"We need an event that moves around Hawaii," he said. "Having somebody fund an event at one site is difficult. My thought is this could become Hawaii’s event."
He suggested rotating an LPGA tournament around the islands — Kapalua one year, then perhaps Poipu Bay on Kauai, and Turtle Bay on Oahu, where the LPGA Tour used to play before leaving SBS as a broadcast partner. Organizers have a long way to go, but Rolfing was optimistic about pulling it off.
JESPER’S BACK: One year ago, Jesper Parnevik wondered if a fractured vertebrae would keep him from playing golf again. A Swedish newspaper suggested he would be forced to retire.
Parnevik is pleasantly surprised with his progress.
He competed for the first time in nine months at Disney in the final tournament last year, and opened this year in contention through two rounds until he closed with 73-73 in the 36-hole final to tie for 54th. So far, so good.
"My back felt as good as I can hope for," Parnevik said. "According to the doctor, I’ve got about 50 percent functionality, and it’s improving. I’ve very pleased with that."
Parnevik is happy to be playing golf, although he enjoyed being with his wife and four children.
"Being home that long was good and bad," he said. "It was good to spend time with the family. The bad news is the bills are coming in, and I haven’t made a dime for two years."
HAMILTON HALL: Herb Kohler has officially changed the name of the red brick building behind the 18th green at St. Andrews to "Hamilton Grand." The next step is to convert the Victorian landmark into 26 luxury apartments.
Kohler Co. released its development plans Tuesday for what once was known as Hamilton Hall, a Victorian building that was featured in the film "Chariots of Fire." It will offer 26 residences of two-, three- and four-bedroom apartments. It will include a penthouse that offers 360-degree views, and a restaurant that will be open to the public.
Kohler, who previously bought and is renovating the Old Course Hotel, held a two-day public consultation with St. Andrews citizens. The name is derived from its two previous uses — the Grand Hotel, which opened in 1895, and Hamilton Hall, a dorm at the University of St. Andrews named after its founder, Thomas Hamilton.
"Our goal is to restore Hamilton Grand and create a dwelling that will make the people of St. Andrews proud," said Debbie Taylor, president of Kohler’s hospitality and real estate group.
BACK TO WORK: Padraig Harrington is not living if he’s not working.
According to the Irish Golf Desk, Harrington decided to change the move that gets his swing started, and that has led to wholesale changes for the three-time major champion.
Harrington said he has changed the grips on his club and has made his clubs a degree more flat. He has weakened his grip, lowered his hands slightly and pushed them forward. He now is over the ball when he starts his swing, instead of taking the club away from a moving position. He has less of a hip turn, but a bigger coil. That changed the plane in his back swing.
He also has changed his chin position at the top of his swing, to tuck in his head. He thinks that might be how he hurt his neck. And if that’s not enough, he wants his chest down through impact. Oh, and he has changed his putting routine.
The Irishman makes his 2011 debut in the Abu Dhabi Championship.
"I have never been more optimistic about my game, and I truly think the best years are ahead of me," Harrington said. "I still feel like I am a young man and I am fitter and stronger than I have been at any stage of my life."
DIVOTS: Jerry Tarde, the chairman and editor-in-chief of Golf Digest, has been selected for the 2011 PGA Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism. He will be honored April 6 at the Golf Writers Association of America annual awards dinner in Augusta, Ga. Tarde is the first editor of a publication to receive the award, which dates to 1991. ... Steve Stricker and Matt Kuchar were the only players to record top 10s in both Hawaii tournaments. ... Davis Love III and Steve Stricker have shot all four rounds in the 60s at Waialae each of the last two years without winning.
STAT OF THE WEEK: The winners of the two PGA Tour events this year had a world ranking of No. 121 and No. 239.
FINAL WORD: "If you go overseas — go to China, Korea — they watch The Golf Channel, and they like to watch what happens in the U.S. The U.S. tour is still the biggest tour, believe me. Whatever anyone says, that’s just the way it is." — Ernie Els.
-- Doug Ferguson
Olazabal picked as Europe Ryder Cup captain
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Jose Maria Olazabal will captain Europe’s Ryder Cup team when it defends the trophy against the United States at Medinah in 2012.
The 44-year-old Spaniard, who played in seven Ryder Cups and was Europe’s vice captain for the last two matches, was appointed captain Tuesday. He succeeds Colin Montgomerie, who guided Europe to a 14½-13½ victory over the U.S. at Celtic Manor, Wales, in October.
Olazabal, a two-time Masters champion and the unanimous choice among Europe’s leading players, described his appointment as the "proudest moment" of his career.
"This is a huge responsibility to be the next captain, and also, I have to say that it’s I think one of the biggest challenges, if not the biggest challenge I will have in my career, especially at this time of my career," Olazabal told reporters in Abu Dhabi. "All I can say is that I will try to do the best that I can, try to be close to the players."
His goal, Olazabal said, would be "of course to keep the cup in our possession."
Davis Love III is expected to be picked as the next captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team on Thursday. Love was a vice captain in October.
Olazabal has struggled with chronic back problems in recent years, limiting his appearances on tour to just three events in 2010, but said his health was improving.
"My health was the main concern," he said. "I have to say that in the last couple of months, since I played Valderrama last year, I felt a noticeable improvement in my health condition and good health prevailing, there should be no problem."
An essential requirement of the European Tour is that a captain plays a full tournament schedule in the year of a Ryder Cup to stay close to potential members of the team.
Olazabal also said he would consider changing the automatic qualification system.
"I can assure you that I’m not asking for any extra picks," he said. "If anything, I’ll try to reduce it back to two. You know, the more picks you get, the less value I think you give to the players that finish from eight to ten."
Thomas Bjorn, the chairman of the European Tour Tournament Players’ Committee, said Olazabal was the overwhelming choice of the players.
"It was probably the easiest decision we’ve ever have to make for Ryder Cup Captain," Bjorn said. "There was a general feeling from the whole membership that Jose needed to be the next captain. In today’s game, he is probably one of the very few players that all of the players on tour associate with what the Ryder Cup is all about — the passion and the determination."
Along with being one of Europe’s most popular players over the years, Olazabal has also been one of the team’s most successful.
Olazabal has an impressive Ryder Cup record, winning 18 and halving five of his 31 matches. He has been on the winning side three times, in 1987, 1997 and 2006. He was also a member of the team that retained the trophy in 1989 with a 14-14 draw against the U.S. at The Belfry.
His partnership with compatriot Seve Ballesteros is the best in the competition’s history. The Spanish pair won 11, halved two and lost two of their 15 matches between 1987-93.
Olazabal was Nick Faldo’s vice-captain when the Americans won in Valhalla in 2008. He was a late addition to Montgomerie’s staff last year.
Hope Classic field short on stars
LA QUINTA, Calif. (AP) — Many golfers no longer give a second thought to the Bob Hope Classic. The Palm Springs area's venerable pro-am is too long, too complicated and not lucrative enough for most pros.
Don't tell that to Bubba Watson, who sees a unique opportunity where so many golfers only see a hassle.
"I love playing golf. I play every day," said Watson, who finished tied for second behind Bill Haas last year. "Me and my wife got here Saturday, played 30 holes on Sunday, played at a different course (Monday), and then she's out playing right now."
Watson, Matt Kuchar and the rest of the field are soaking up the Hope's picturesque setting and classic vibe while preparing to meet the unusual challenges of the PGA Tour's only 90-hole, four-course event with three amateurs playing alongside each pro.
Most players aren't scared away by the prospect of playing on four courses. They're not particularly challenging courses, and the tour record for birdies is annually endangered.
Many top pros instead shy away from the Hope because of its five-day format and the grinding pace that often leads to six-hour rounds — oh, and the glitzier Abu Dhabi Championship, which happens concurrently.
"I always used to skip the Hope because of that," Kuchar said. "I felt like, how am I ever going to get practice rounds in? It seems like it's just a little too much to handle."
Kuchar changed his mind after making a preseason practice trip to Palm Springs a few years ago and loving the Coachella Valley.
"You wake up in the morning, and it feels like they're pumping oxygen out there," Kuchar said. "You feel like you're playing inside a dome."
Although the tournament still attracts an entertaining field of amateur playing partners — Kurt Russell, Kevin Nealon, Peter Gallagher and athletes ranging from Julius Erving to Evan Longoria are playing this week — it's a far cry from the days when Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Clint Eastwood, Burt Lancaster and former presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Gerald Ford filled the field.
The Hope Classic has no title sponsor for the third straight year. Lee Westwood, Phil Mickelson and a big chunk of the sport's best players are in Abu Dhabi, while the Hope has just six of the top 50 — an improvement from last year, when No. 37 Mike Weir was the top-ranked golfer in Palm Springs.
Yet Watson favors the Hope because his wife, Angie, a 6-foot-4 former WNBA player and multisport athlete, is playing among the amateurs for the second straight year. He's also looking forward to getting back on the tour grind after the death of his father, Gerry, from cancer last October.
Watson is coming off a breakthrough season despite his father's deteriorating health. He notched his first PGA victory and won nearly $3.2 million while finishing eighth in the FedEx Cup standings and playing in his first Ryder Cup — albeit not playing very well.
"He was in the hospital getting fluids in him every day when I was at the Ryder Cup," Watson said. "Not to bring that on the team, not to talk about it in the media, it was hard for me to go through, but it helped me because he wanted to see his son play in the Ryder Cup."
Kuchar learned the benefits of playing a heavy early season schedule last year, when he followed up a third-place finish at the Sony Open with a second-place performance in Palm Springs.
"I always used to look at keeping my card early as one of my goals, always trying to make that number to stay in the top 125 and get somewhere close to a million dollars," Kuchar said. "After a good week here at Kapalua and then a great showing at the Bob Hope (in 2010), it's like, 'All right, I've got that pretty well taken care of, and now moving onward to really try to have a great year.' That was a confidence-booster, and a way to mark a notch off the checklist."
After finishing tied for fifth at Kapalua last week, Kuchar is the highest-ranked player in the Hope field. He's one of four Ryder Cup players along with Watson, Jeff Overton and Stewart Cink, who's making his season debut at the Hope after a two-year absence from Palm Springs.
"It's always good to come out and see the weather forecast and sunshine and zero percent chance of rain," said Cink, who spent the past couple of weeks snowbound in Atlanta. "You know you're going to play a lot of golf and get the repetitions in. It's a great way to start the year, a good springboard."
-- Greg Beacham
Golf Glance
PGA TOUR
Bob Hope Classic
Site: La Quinta, Calif.
Schedule: Wednesday-Sunday.
Courses: PGA West, Arnold Palmer Private Course (6,930 yards, par 72); PGA West, Jack Nicklaus Private Course (6,951 yards, par 72); La Quinta Country Club (7,060 yards, par 72); SilverRock Resort, Palmer Course (7,553 yards, par 72).
Purse: $5 million. Winner's share: $900,000.
Television: Golf Channel (Wednesday-Friday, 2-5 p.m., 8 p.m.- 11 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 3-6 p.m., 9 p.m.- Midnight).
Last year: Bill Haas won the rain-delayed tournament for his first PGA Tour title, birdieing the final hole for an 8-under 64 and a one-stroke victory. Haas' father, Jay, won the 1988 tournament.
Last week: Mark Wilson won the Sony Open in Hawaii, shooting 65-67 in the 36-hole finale Sunday for a two-stroke victory over Tim Clark and Steve Marino.
Notes: U.S. Ryder Cup players Matt Kuchar, Bubba Watson, Jeff Overton and Stewart Cink are in the field. ... David Duval shot a 59 on the Palmer Course at PGA West in the final round of his 1999 victory. ... Joe Durant set the PGA Tour's 90-hole record in 2001 with a 36-under 324 total. ... Arnold Palmer won the inaugural event in 1960 and added victories in 1962, '68, '71 and '73. ... The final round will be played on the Palmer Course at PGA West. ... The Farmers Insurance Open is next week at Torrey Pines in San Diego, followed by the Phoenix Open and the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
Online: http://www.pgatour.com
PGA EUROPEAN TOUR
Abu Dhabi Golf Championship
Site: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.
Course: Abu Dhabi Golf Club (7,510 yards, par 72).
Purse: $2.7 million. Winner's share: $450,000.
Television: Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 7:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m., 12:30-2:30 p.m.).
Last year: Germany's Martin Kaymer won the tournament for the second time in three years, birdieing the final hole for a one-stroke victory over Ian Poulter.
Last week: South Africa's Charl Schwartzel successfully defended his Joburg Open title, closing with a 4-under 67 for a four-stroke victory.
Notes: Major champions Kaymer, Phil Mickelson, Graeme McDowell and Louis Oosthuizen are in the field along with top-ranked Lee Westwood, Poulter, 2007 and 2009 winner Paul Casey, Padraig Harrington, Retief Goosen, Rory McIlroy, Francesco and Edoardo Molinari and Italian teen star Matteo Manassero. ... Oosthuizen won the Africa Open two weeks ago in South Africa. ... The Volvo Golf Champions is next week in Bahrain, followed by the Qatar Masters and Dubai Desert Classic.
Online: http://www.europeantour.com
CHAMPIONS TOUR
Mitsubishi Electric Championship
Site: Kaupulehu-Kona, Hawaii.
Schedule: Friday-Sunday.
Course: Hualalai Resort Golf Club (7,107 yards, par 72).
Purse: $1.8 million. Winner's share: $305,000.
Television: Golf Channel (Friday, 5:30-8 p.m.; Saturday, 11:30-2 a.m., 6:30-9 p.m.; Sunday, 12:30-3 a.m., 6:30-9 p.m.; Monday, 12:30-3 a.m.).
Last year: Tom Watson won the season-opening event, birdieing the final two holes for a one-stroke victory over senior newcomer Fred Couples.
Notes: Bernhard Langer, the three-time defending player of the year, won the 2009 tournament. He led the tour last season with five victories. ... Couples won four times last year in his first season on the 50-and-over tour. ... The 42-player field features major champions from the last five years, other tournament winners in the last two seasons and eight sponsor invitees. ... Jack Nicklaus designed the Hualalai course. ... The Champions Skins Game is next week at Royal Kaanapali.
Online: http://www.pgatour.com
OTHER TOURNAMENT
Men
PGA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA: Surf Coast Knockout, Thursday-Sunday, The Sands Torquay, Torquay, Australia. Online: http://pgatour.com.au
