Golf Notes February 13

For the second straight week, players might not be too familiar with courses that have held PGA Tour events for three decades or more.

First, it was the South Course at Torrey Pines, which added about 500 yards during a renovation project aimed at attracting the U.S. Open. Next up is Riviera Country Club, which also has its eye on the 2008 Open.

Six holes on the 76-year-old course were restored to their original design before they were altered by severe flooding in 1939.

The most dramatic change figures to be the par-4 eight, which features the return of a split fairway. The right portion of the fairway was wiped out by flooding. Now, the hole has a new tee that adds 46 yards, and players will have to choose between the safe drive to the left and a middle iron to the narrow green, or the risky drive right which leaves a wedge.

The fifth hole plays 25 yards longer, while No. 9 has a new tee 38 yards back and the 12th hole is longer by 50 yards.

The next big change on the horizon is at the Masters, where Augusta National went through the largest overhaul in its 68-year history, adding nearly 300 yards and shifting tee boxes to put a higher premium on accuracy.

Club officials aren't out to impress anyone. They just want a championshiptest for their annual invitational tournament.

AWARDS

Kenny Perry has been selected to receive the Charles Bartlett Award from the Golf Writers Association of America for his contributions to the betterment of society.

Perry, a four-time winner on the PGA Tour, donated 5 percent of his earnings to fund a pair of scholarships at David Lipscomb University in Nashville, his wife's alma mater.

And in an era where tour players attach their names to fancy golf courses, Perry took out a loan to build a public course in Franklin, Ky., called Country Creek. The cost to play is $28 to ride, $12 to walk.

Perry will receive the award, named after the GWAA's first secretary, at theorganizational annuals awards banquet April 10 during the Masters.

MASTERS UPDATE

Augusta National Golf Club officials are rigid when it comes to their rules, but that doesn't mean they don't care.

When asked what he thought about John Daly earning a trip to the Masters, Augusta chairman Hootie Johnson smiled broadly and said, ``I think that would be great.''

It looks like a done deal.

Daly improved to No. 40 in the world ranking with his tie for fourth in the Buick Invitational, all but assuring a return trip to the Masters. Matt Boucher of IMG, who administers the world ranking from London, said he was ''92 percent'' certain Daly would remain in the top 50 over the next four weeks.

Boucher didn't say how he arrived at that percentage, only that it would take ``one of those freak occurrences'' for Daly to fall out.

The deadline to qualify is four weeks before the Masters, which this year is the Monday after the Honda Classic (March 11). Augusta National will extend invitations to the top 50 in the world ranking and top three on the PGA Tour money list who are not already eligible.

Among those with a chance is Pebble Beach winner Matt Gogel, who is No. 55 in the ranking (after starting the year at No. 151) and sixth on the moneylist.

BUBBLE BOY

The bubble finally burst for Lee Janzen, who showed that the best way to avoid being excluded is to play good golf.

The two-time U.S. Open champion has become the epitome of being on the bubble, especially when it comes to making teams.

He was 13th in the final Presidents Cup standings in 1996 and 1998, years in which the captains filled out their teams by taking Nos. 11 and 12 as wildcard picks. And Janzen was passed over as a captain's pick for the Ryder Cup in 1995, the year he won three times.

``I've worried my entire career about Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, top 30,'' Janzen said after he tied for 11th in San Diego. ``It seems I've been on the bubble so many times in my career. I've found the best thing to do is to take it one shot at a time.''

That has led him to a tie for fourth in Phoenix and Pebble. Along with San Diego, he rose from No. 106 to No. 63 in the world ranking -- and qualified forthe Match Play Championship and a chance to win $1 million.

TEMPER, TEMPER

Jack Nicklaus has a message for Tiger Woods, Pat Perez and anyone else prone to bury his equipment into the turf after a bad shot.

It's not the club's fault.

The latest eruption was Perez at Pebble Beach, who slammed his 3-wood into the ground on the 14th hole after hitting his approach out of bounds.

``The golf club didn't do that,'' Nicklaus said when told about Perez'reaction. ``It's terrible to punish the golf club for what he did.''

NEW YORK, NEW YORK

Players who like to take in a baseball game on the road won't find a shortage during the U.S. Open at Bethpage State Park.

The New York Yankees open a three-game homestand against World Series champions Arizona on Monday of the U.S. Open (June 10), followed by athree-game series starting Friday at Shea Stadium against the New York Mets.

DIVOTS

Tiger Woods is not just tinkering with his clubs, but also his clothing. First, the swoosh has been replaced by his ``TW'' brand for Nike. Then, he failed to wear a predominantly red shirt -- his mother calls that his ``power color'' -- for the final round. It was black with a few red stripes. It didn't seem to hurt. Woods closed with a 66. ... In his first tournament as a PGA Tour member, Ben Crenshaw won the Texas Open. In his first start on the Senior PGA Tour, he tied for 43rd in the Ace Group Classic. ... CBS sports analyst David Feherty played in the Buick Invitational pro-am with Woods and had this to say about the difference in how far they hit the ball: ``He waved me through twice.'' ... John Daly is leading the PGA Tour in driving distance. At an average of 318 yards, he is nearly 20 yards ahead of the next guy -- Woods.

STAT OF THE WEEK

Tiger Woods can blame Friday for not getting into serious contention in his first four tournaments. He has yet to break par inthe second round this year, with an average score of 74.25.

FINAL WORD

``It was the first time I ever hit 90 and enjoyed it.'' Byron Nelson, who turned 90 on Feb. 4.

Email this page to a friend | Return to top of page