Memorial Day – Time For Reflection

It is the VETERAN,  not the preacher, who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the VETERAN, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the VETERAN, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the VETERAN, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to assemble.

It is the VETERAN, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the VETERAN, not the politician, who has given us the right to vote.

 

Dynamic Duo?

Blanks, caddy a good team Who said this wouldn’t work?

Mélange

Everyone’s teeing it up except the LPGA. What’s left to say?

Loving my new Lenovo. Screamin’ fast, backlit keyboard, ‘always on’ USB for charging and much more. Highly recommended so far. Did have a problem with a software error but a call to tech support (in Atlanta, which just floored me) set it right.

The “House of ICE” seems to be the perfect oasis for loopers on he go. ‘Motorcycle Jim’ stopped in early in the week and ‘The Nerd’ is hear updating a yardage book for Scioto C.C. Next week, the PGA is in town for The Memorial and Lance will be here. I plan on going one day. May follow Tiger.

Full house? LPGA Championship at Locust Hill expected to draw record crowds Our best venue on tour.

Who will step up to the plate? LPGA still looking for new home for major Rumors of moving it overseas (like Korea) for a year have been floating around.

All is well? LPGA’s Gulbis plays round of golf with "great guy" Roethlisberger

Fe Fi Fo Fum, I smell sliders sittin’ in a bun:  White Castle candles that smell like burgers have customers drooling

FYI: Census workers can enter your apartment in your absence Scary stuff.

Is there an app for that? Tenth apparent suicide at Foxconn iPhone factory in China

Smoke em if you got em: Video of two year old baby smoking Someone had to take the place of the Marlboro Man.

Sybase Recap

Heard that the Sybase Match Play was originally planned as a skins game for lack of cash but the LPGA nixed that scenario. Then Sybase joined in and the pieces fell into place. At least two more years on the schedule.

No speaky English? Sure she does and quite well I’ve been told. Sun Young Yoo skipped the interview for the same old tired reason. So much for promoting the LPGA. Just take the money and run.

Who dat girl? The Golf Channel had Angela Stanford playing one of “the up and coming Korean stars” in one of their live promos. Couldn’t even remember her name.

Build it … and they won’t come. I could almost count the size of the gallery, one by one at The Match Play, from my indentation on the couch.

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Wish you were here: Businesses hope to fill void left by LPGA I still mourn the loss of The Corning Classic.

Obama Golf Czar Appointed

Obama has recently appointed a Golf Czar and major rule changes in the game of golf will become effective June 01, 2010.
This is only a preview as the complete rule book is being rewritten as we speak.
Here are a few of the changes…

Golfers with handicaps:
- below 10 will have their green fees increased by 35%.
- between 11 and 18 will see no increase in green fees.
- above 18 will get a $25 check each time they play.

The dollar amount placed in bets will be as follows:
-for handicaps below 10, an additional $10.
-between 11 and 18, no additional amount.
-above 18, you will receive the total amount in the pot even if you do not play.

The term “gimme” will be changed to “entitlement” and will be used as follows:
-handicaps below 10, no entitlements.
-handicaps from 11 to 17, entitlements for putter length putts.
-handicaps above 18, if your ball is on green, no need to putt, just pick it up.

These entitlements are intended to bring about fairness and, most importantly, equality in scoring.
In addition, a Player will be limited to a maximum of one birdie or six pars in any given 18-hole round.
Any excess must be given to those fellow players who have not yet scored a birdie or par.
Only after all players have received a birdie or par from the player actually making the birdie or par, can that player begin to count his pars and birdies again.

The current USGA handicap system will be used for the above purposes, but the term ‘net score’ will be available only for scoring those players with handicaps of 18 and above.

This is intended to ‘redistribute’ the success of winning by making sure that in every competition, the above 18 handicap players will post only ‘net score’ against every other player’s gross score.

These new Rules are intended to CHANGE the game of golf.
Golf must be about Fairness.
It should have nothing to do with Ability.

New Toys & Other Stuff

Slow performance, browsers freezing and a loose screen due to a cracked case has taken me to the brink. Purchased a 14" ThinkPad Edge from Best Buy. Wanted a MacBook Pro but it was twice the price! Add that to the HP D1660 printer I acquired last week, replaced my tired and error prone Canon BJC 80, and I should be set for awhile.

Stick to your day job: Carrying the Bag Is Just the Beginning

A man’s got needs: Tiger Woods Playing Golf with a Mysterious Blonde

Final goodbyes: Friends, family mourn Erica Blasberg at memorial service

U.S. Women’s Open Qualifier – Ormond Beach FL

Alexis Thompson cleans house. Scores here. Wickedly difficult set-up by the looks of the scores except for Alexis, of course.

U.S. Women’s Open Sectional (Shady Oaks CC)

Click for results.

Bell Micro Classic – Round Four

My Player is Jill Mcgill

Teed off the back and made it to the sixteenth tee box just as play was called due to threatening weather. That’s as far as we got for the day. The event was shortened to fifty-four holes and you know the rest.

We didn’t qualify for the Sybase Match Play event so I won’t be in Jersey. I had thee options for the coming week. Work the Open qualifier in Ormond Beach for a Futures Tour player, club caddie at Fallen Oak in Mississippi (didn’t get the invite till Sunday afternoon) or head up to the buckeye state and sit on my butt at the “House of I.C.E.” in Columbus OH. I nixed the first (reason below) and my mind just wasn’t prepared for the second. That left door number three. Ooh, this couch feels good.

Let’s to the math: Gas for the 500 mile drive to Ormond Beach, four days in a hotel by myself and buy a yardage book. That would be my expenses. Then I get to walk the course, work a practice round, and bust my toosh for thirty-six holes in the qualifier. My asking price was rejected and all I was offered was a paltry $300! Obamanomics is spreading faster than I thought! The numbers just don’t add up.

More Erica: Many questions, but few answers, in wake of golfer Erica Blasberg’s death

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Bell Micro Classic – Round Three

My Player is Jill Mcgill

Three over today. Nothing to lose tomorrow. Go for it Jill!

Lessons needed: Combine a bunch of newbie loopers and bunkers full of  loosely compacted sand and what do you get? Some real sorry-ass rake jobs that’s what! The toothed side of the rake is not always the best option in these conditions. Looks like someone’s been plowin’ the back forty out here. Their eyesight may be failing also. Not even getting all the footprints. Found a rake placed in a bunker. That’s a no-no. It’s the player’s responsibility so, at a minimum, a notice should be posted reminding them to keep an eye on their cadero.

One for the WTF files: Mark “Greenvan” (used to drive a green van) went out before his round yesterday to check some pin placements. Upon arriving on the sixth hole, he observed Janice Moodie returning to the tee box to replay her shot after taking an unplayable. He decided to follow the group to the green where the strangest thing happened. Janice was last to putt and her looper, Jerry “The Visor” (I think you can figure that one out), took he ball, cleaned it, then walked over to Mark and gave it to him. Not thinking, Mark pocketed the pellet and continued watching. When Janice asked for the ball, “The Visor” reached into the bag , brought out a substitute and gave it to her. Another looper in the group came up to Mark and asked if that was the ball in play. Jerry either overheard the question or realized his doofus error and stopped Janice in the nick of time. He retrieved the original ball and she finished out with it. May be time to ditch the visor and and get a hat. That sun can be brutal!

D’DOH! Rice disqualified from tournament … his caddie used a range-finding scope …

Git-r-done! Split tees are the order of the day tomorrow. Foul weather on the horizon. Some players and caddies have to get to US Open qualifier on Monday. Oh, oh.

Bell Micro Classic – Round Two

My Player is Jill Mcgill

One under today. Playing another weekend. There was a thirty minute fog dlay but the last group squeeked in under the wire.

Add a couple more: Lucy Kim was penalized two blows yesterday because her daddy/caddie did not know the rules. In an effort to just help out, he raked Dorothy Delasin’s bunker on the second hole prior to Lucy’s own sand shot.