Date Written: July 6, 2009
Every Sunday when Tiger's in the mix, seems like just a walk in the park for him. To memorialize his 68th PGA Tour win, let's have a contest: the first person to name both the artist AND the technique he uses to paint the picture to the left, wins a sleeve of Pro-VX's. Hint...the title of the painting has something to do with the artist's name.
In a more commercial vein, the employees of Nike's marketing department must have been slapping high-fives around the water cooler at campus headquarters in Beaverton lately. From Wimbledon to Washington...Federer to Tiger...to Anothy Kim...the "Swoosh" was everywhere. Two weeks ago, the U.S. Open winner, Lucas Glover and the "comeback kid," David Duval, where "all over the bulb" wearing the most recognizable logo ever invented.
And the storyline from both the tennis and the golf worlds was eerily similar. Fifteen-time Grand Slam Champion, Roger Federer, vs. "Mr. Dead End Kid" Andy Roddick. Likewise, the golf at Congressional featured another backward, hat-wearing upstart...this one being A. K., trying to match his aggressive, "bomb-it" millenial style on Sunday against the best player who ever carved a golf ball. The head-to-head match-ups in both sports had it all: "olde school" vs. "wannabe's." Experience vs. youth. All time records vs. pipe dreams. In the golf match, Tiger was playing against the hype...his consensus heir apparent. Both telecasts had huge audiences. My guess is that about a gazillion people watched sports from morning to dusk on TV, refusing to do any chores that required them to be out of broadcast range and demanding that they have a raincheck for last week's Father's Day.
Ultimately in the end, (as it always does), form prevailed. Tiger brought his "B" game and gave his 24-year old protégé a clinic. Kim brought the yips...snapping tee shots early in the round which made him disappear faster than you can say, "Sarah Palin." As someone said, "it was only four strokes in the end but seemed like eight." The only thing worse than watching Kim's early struggle with his swing was having to listen to Peter Kostis trying to explain his errant mechanics. Kostis may be one of the world's best teachers and knows slow motion, Konica/Biz Hub ad naseum, but I can never see the swing subtleties that he's talking about. When 1/8 of an inch at impact can effect ball flight by 20 yards, why bother trying to explain? Better commentary was provided by Nick Faldo who questioned A.K.'s club selection decisions. Anyway, Tiger's back where he belongs...at the top of the money list. Now that Tiger's fixed his left knee, maybe A.K. needs to see a neurologist for some brain work.
Doug B. and I had the good fortune to pick Hunter Mahan who came from six back with a course record 62 on Sunday and lost by a single shot. Good on us, Doug. Hunter and I share a good Sunday story. I had a wedge/distance lesson from our "Super," Shawn Aicher, at the back of the range before playing our Sunday skins game and miraculously sunk a 55 yard shot for eagle on the par-5 sixteenth hole at Sun Valley to win eighty bucks. It's amazing when one can apply a lesson so quickly and then see results. My wedge shot was about the same distance of the putts that Hunter made on Sunday. For those interested in putting distance math, 140 feet of putts that Hunter made on one day would translate to ten, fourteen foot putts, or seven, twenty foot putts or any combination thereof. In our foursome, we call that "making everything you look at."
The Muffins stay in first place in our funky pool was short-lived because their nag, Stricker, failed to show. Sundali and Winegar jump back into the first two spots. They were two of five who had Kim for a nice third place payday despite Kim's jaunty waywardness. Onward to The Tractor Open (John Deere) where both The Muffins and Sundali have Kenny P, and Winegar has Chad Campbell. We all know who to root against. Two weeks to The British at Turnberry, where double dough will be awarded. Anyone down there in the standings wanna make a run at the leaders, better do it NOW or save your scheckels for next year.
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