We received an email from The Sand Trap reader Bruce Hardie on Tuesday, and we’d like to share it.
I’m a fan of The Sand Trap and you and the rest of your writers should be congratulated.
I’m surprised, and maybe even a little hurt, by some of the reactions to Michael Campbell’s win. Some of the press seem to think that he was some second rate scrub who got lucky.
Ned Barnett says “Campbell’s win was great for his career, his bank account and his family, but it wasn’t great for golf… The leaderboard was full of little-known international players who are little-known for a reason.”
As the world’s best golfers tee off at Pinehurst No. 2 this morning, I’m still chuckling about a wayward shot world No. 2 Vijay Singh fired off in the media tent yesterday. Vijay obviously doesn’t practice humility or common sense as much as he does his golf game.
Michelle Wie became the first woman to qualify for an adult male USGA championship two days ago after tying for first place in a 36-hole U.S. Amateur Public Links sectional qualifying tournament in Pennsylvania.
Rory Sabbatini plays quickly. Ben Crane, a Tour winner, has a reputation for playing rather slowly. Like oil and water, the two often don’t mix, and when the group is put on the clock, a fast player quickly comes to resent the slow player.
The changes began when Ernie decided to sell his Gulfstream IV jet after arriving at the Byron Nelson Championship. Flying an average of 100,000 miles per year can be exhausting without the right plane and the G-4 can only take a professional tour pro so far. “The Big Easy” bounces back and forth regularly from his home in Orlando to addresses in London, the Bahamas and his native South Africa.
Jack Nicklaus has built a fine career for himself, and one of the crowning jewels in his lustrous golden cap is his own tournament, The Memorial. With one of the strongest fields in non-major golf, Jack’s tournament is regarded by many as one of the best of the season.
It’s always been a mystery to me how a company can determine that they can get the value out of a $3 million sponsorship deal of a golf tournament (just making numbers up). I mean, I’m positive they don’t get a percentage of revenue. In fact, they’re pretty much covering prize money.
I’ve got all the respect in the world for Gary Player. His record is spotless. Oh, well, except for 
I’ve been fortunate to attend many golf tournaments. My first was in 1984 as I watched Bob Tway hole a bunker shot to defeat Greg Norman on the 18th at Inverness for the PGA Championship. Most recently I saw the 2003 British Open at Royal St. George. While I’ve had a blast at every tournament I’ve been to, I’ve always found it difficult to attend a tournament and not feel as though I’ve seen all I could. I’ve finally come to the realization that it’s impossible to see everything – the players, the course, the spectacles – unless you’re there for multiple days.