The PGA Championship: Time to Revert to Match Play

If the PGA Championship were to revert to a matchplay format, it could offer viewers drama and a bit of history all at the same time.

PGAAs the Accenture WGC World Match Play comes to an end, it is natural to ponder the concept of a matchplay format for one of golf’s four major championships. It is an issue that often comes up with the PGA Championship usually labelled as the most likely candidate to make the format switch for several reasons.

For one, it wouldn’t really be anything new for the event as it used a match play format until 1958. For another, the tournament does not seem to be as constrained by tradition as the other majors are. Evidence of this is seen in the PGA’s willingness to host their organization’s championship at courses that are not traditionally thought of as “major-worthy” venues, such as Whistling Straits and Valhalla.

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Campbell’s 64 Leads at Honda Classic

Heavy rains subsided in Florida allowing Chad Campbell to take the early lead at the Honda Classic at -8.

Chad CampbellHeavy rains Wednesday forced the cancellation of the Honda Classic Pro-Am. However, the rains were a blessing in disguise for most players since the typically hard, fast greens at the Sunrise Course became far more receptive. Tournament officials also put lift, clean, and place (dubbed “lift, clean, and cheat” by tour pros) into effect due to the water-logged fairways. First-round scoring reflected this, with 59 players at even par or better. However, it was Chad Campbell who stood above the crowd with an impressive first-round score of 64. Although course conditions were softer, wind gusts of 15 mph combined with a long 7,468-yard course presented some difficulty for the players.

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Pressure: Woosnam and Faldo Disagree on Majors vs. Ryder Cup

Ian Woosnam disagrees with Nick Faldo that the majors are more pressure-packed than the Ryder Cup. I’ll side with the guy with the better record.

Ian WoosnamAccording to an article by PA Sports, the next two Ryder Cup captains see Ryder Cup pressure a bit differently. Nick Faldo, 2008 captain, believes that the pressure to win a major is far more intense, while the 2006 captain, Wee Welshman Woosie (say that five times fast), believes Ryder Cup pressure is more intense.

Faldo recently commented that he’s concerned about the fact that no European has won a major since 1999 when Paul Lawrie won the British Open at Carnoustie. Said Faldo, “I don’t care how much we keep on talking about the amount of pressure players are under in a Ryder Cup. The fact is that if it isn’t a major, then it’s not the real thing. Winning majors is about holding your nerve under the most intense pressure.” Faldo should know, having won six to Woosnam’s one.

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Els Playing the Old V1x? No.

Ernie Els is quoted as saying he’s going to stick with the “old” Pro V1x, but it turns out that dead-tree publishers are, once again, using outdated information.

New Pro V1x“Secret sources” sent us an early copy of the April 2005 issue of Golf Magazine. Specifically, they sent page 47, which talks about Titleist’s new Pro V1 and contains a quote from Ernie Els, saying:

I’ll stick with the old ‘x’. I’ve tried the new one and with the irons it feels like the ball is flying differently, like it’s dropping out of the sky.

Dead-tree publishers like Golf Magazine and Golf Digest often come up against deadlines – April issues of magazines are often written in December and January. Our sources confirm that Ernie was playing the previous generation V1x at the Mercedes Championship, but switched to the new, improved Pro V1x at the Buick Invitational. Ernie finished T3 at the Mercedes and has continued to play exceptionally well with the new, improved Pro V1x, with a T6 at the Buick, a 5th-place finish at the Heineken Classic, and a victory in Dubai.

Here’s an image of page 47 of the April, 2005 Golf Magazine.

Honda Classic Preview

No Tiger? No Phil? No problem, because the Honda Classic still has plenty of top names and a challenging course ready to delight fans.

Honda ClassicThere will be no repeat of a Phil vs. Tiger final round of the 33rd Honda Classic. However, this tournament still boasts an excellent field with some recognizable names: Vijay Singh, Davis Love III, Fred Couples, and David Toms just to name a few.

Last year it was breakthrough winner Todd Hamilton who fought off Davis Love III to win the event. Hamilton managed to birdie the final two holes to clinch his first Tour victory. Unfortunately, the scene has become too familiar for Davis Love III, who has finished 2nd at the Honda Classic the last two years, and cites that as a major reason for competing this year. Only three golfers have won this tournament multiple times: Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller, and Mark Calcavecchia. However, there are nine previous winners in the field this year ready to join the other greats as two-time winners.

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Signboy 2K5

Signboy is back with FootJoy, and he’s up to his usual pranks again. Provide some feedback and enter to win prizes!

SignboyMatt Grieser has made a career of playing FootJoy’s wacky “Signboy,” a chubby, talkative standard bearer who somehow manages to irk and annoy the world’s best players with tremendous ease. Signboy’s marketing appeal and schtick has elevated FootJoy commercials above others. I mean, c’mon: when’s the last time anyone talked about a golf shoe commercial?

Signboy is ready for 2005. Visitors to footjoy.com/signboy can check out Signboy’s 2K5 commercials, provide feedback, and enter to win “sweet” FootJoy products.

“In a minute, bro” gets me every time. What’s your favorite Signboy commercial?

Ballzee, the Pocket Ball Washer

It’s every man’s dream: Ballzee cleans your balls, fits in your pocket, and stays wet for hours.

Ballzee LogoWhen I was a kid playing high school golf, I was content to pick up my ball on the greens, spit on it, rub it clean, wipe my hands on my pants, and putt out. As I’ve grown older (and had to launder my own clothing), I’ve become a bit more particular about where I wipe my hands. Carrying around a little towel – or unclipping your regular towel 18 times per round – can be a bit of a hassle.

Enter Ballzee, a ball washer for your pocket.

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Qatar Masters Preview

Ernie Els looks to continue his winning ways at the Qatar Masters.

ernie_els_bunker.jpgErnie Els looks to win back-to-back tournaments this week as he enters the Qatar Masters at the Doha Golf Club. After winning the Dubai Desert Classic, Els is interested in adding the Mother of Pearl Trophy to his collection while overseas.

The tournament, which was originally a European Tour event, will be a joint-sanctioned event with the European Tour and the Asian Tour. Els’ entry (his first appearance) in the tournament will boost the event’s standings, as he is the highest ranked player to have played in the country since the tournament began in 1998.

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Big Trouble in Little Doral

The PGA has always been against the use of appearance fees to recruit strong fields. However, sports management company IMG has stirred up some major controversy about the PGA and appearance fees.

IMGEarlier last week, our preview of the Ford Championship at Doral briefly touched on a Ford “company outing” where several high profile players were paid roughly $100,000 to appear on the Monday before the tournament. At the time, PGA Tour officials okayed the event, but made it clear they would be examining the issue more closely later in the year. However, a letter just published by Golf World writer Ron Sirak may speed up the time table on the issue.

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