Walmart NW Arkansas Championship – Round Two

Earlier reports of making the 4th fairway more playable were unfounded. The tee was only moved up a dozen yards. Many mud balls.

Four WDs in two days. Must be the heat. Kudos to Stephanie Kono for not doing the same.

Watched Inkster tee off number one after making the turn. By her reaction, she still has that competitive fire burning inside. It wasn’t a good shot and you knew it.

How can the Symetra Tour website be much more readable and easier to navigate than the LPGA site?

Then there was this:

Storm damage bars golf fans from AT&T National – It was weird watching. Looked like a practice round. A vociferous gallery makes a huge difference.

Fan Takes Off Prosthetic Leg For LPGA Player to Sign

Walmart NW Arkansas Championship – Round One

Tomorrow is Saturday and the leaders will not be going head-to-head. So sad. I guess it’s all about premier TV pairings. Scores don’t matter?

Didn’t take long for caddies to ignore the request to stay off the practice putting greens. An instructor was even spotted flaunting the petition.

A sprinkler blew out right in the middle of four fairway which made the primary landing area eligible for the next on location shoot of Swamp People. The tee was moved way forward to accommodate the imposition. This is one of the holes used to measure driving distances so I’m sure they made adjustments.

Ran into Stacy P’s dad today. Lou caddied for his daughter when she first arrived on scene and was toting the bag with her first win. He’s still looks in good shape and followed her around today.

It was a fight to the bottom between two roommates today. The eldest won out even though the hallowed DFL position was not attained. Only one way to go tomorrow.

It’s Juli Inkster’s first week back after surgery. Paired her with Stacy Lewis and Michelle Wie. Welcome back Juli!

All week it’s been free bottled water for everyone at the course courtesy of Walmart. Also, thousands of Chilly Pad Towels were given away to combat the heat.

At 12:20, caddies were notified that the heat index had risen high enough to make the caddie bibs optional but given that they’re white, constructed of a mesh material and offer convenient pockets, many loopers still donned them.

And another thing about the LPGA website: When you click on a player in live scoring, their card comes up along with a picture and a "Learn more…" link. Click on the link and instead directing you to the "Overview" of the player, it goes to the Player Directory. Never used to be that way.

Shanshan needs to update her web picture.

I have an alternate phone number using Google Voice and have it set-up to record voice messages. It also converts any messages to text then sends it to my regular number. Got one today from a person who’s use of the English language can only be described as extremely broken with an Asian accent. The text was hilarious! Only bits and pieces could be deciphered but I eventually  figured it out.

Best dressed caddie award goes to Andy Deardon. Shows you can still be cool when it’s 100°.

It’s not even the 4th of July

Then there was this:

BlackBerry maker RIM posts huge loss and cuts 5000 jobs – Heard they gave each player a blackberry last week.

Four LPGA Players Nominated for 2012 ESPY Awards

Michigan officials fight drunk driving with talking urinal cakes – You can’t make tis stuff up. Hold on. May be an idea there for use in the on-course port-o-lets especially if they use player’s voices.

Walmart NW Arkansas Championship – Thursday

The club repair trailer was a hot spot of jocularity this morning. Situated on the way to the first tee, it acted as the on-deck circle for the next group to tee it up. Paul was in rare form. It was one zinger after another but Jimin Kang came up with the best line by far. Sorry, can’t share it with the peanut gallery.

How hot was it? It was so hot, caddies have been asked to refrain form lounging on the practice putting greens retrieving putts and such. It took an oppressive heat wave to do what many players and caddies have been wishing for.

Then there was this:

Stacy Lewis Gives $100000 to Arkansas Golf Program

Suzann Pettersen To Bare All For ESPN’s ‘Body Issue’

Americans few and far between in women’s golf

Walmart NW Arkansas Championship – Wednesday

A bit of excitement started off the morning here at Pinnacle Country Club. One of the residents was in a hurry for a meeting in Fayetteville and committed a couple errors in judgment that may cost him more than money. First, he ran down his neighbor’s mailbox pulling out of his driveway. You wouldn’t think this is a big deal but ordinary mailboxes do not dot this very upscale neighborhood. They all seem to be customized structures. The one in question was enclosed in brick but not anymore. It was totally obliterated. Undaunted, the driver returned his damaged car to the garage and switched to his 2nd vehicle. As he approached the front gate, another car blocked his way so he put it in reverse in an effort to get around. Unfortunately, a golf cart full of police officers was right behind and gave them a good bump. To make matters worse, he then pulled away only to be blocked by a volunteer in another golf cart who witnessed it all.

Karen Stupples withdrew from the pro-am this morning and Beth Bader took her place. Beth’s caddie this week is Karen’s husband Bobby. Oh, the irony.

Then there was this:

Big Michael Kaufman Becomes “Voice of LPGA”

Nationwide Tour now the Web.com Tour

New Disability Regs Limit Slope of Mini Golf Holes…

Walmart NW Arkansas Championship – Tuesday

Hot, hot hot, So hot caddie bibs may be optional this week.

The sit-down in the ice chest must have done the trick for Yuki Samurai. She qualified yesterday with a 67. Samantha Richdale was low with a 66. Click here for all the results.

Heard it was 44° up in Harris MI where the Symetra Tour event is being played. Warming up fast though.

Club repairman Paul has given Robert O. the nickname Jed Clampett. If you’re unfamiliar with Jed from The Beverly Hillbillies, listen to the ballad below. The first verse is the key. I’ll leave it to your imagination.

Then here was this:

Lang breaks through for Duke

Out of the Rough: Why ‘cheating’ isn’t so bad

Legends players put on a show

Walmart NW Arkansas Championship – Monday

A morning shotgun pro-am was followed by a field of twenty-one hopefuls in the qualifier. Given the odd number, a single led the them off and for the second qualifier in a row (AC was the other), Dina Ammaccapane will set the pace. One of the fastest players that ever graced the fairways of the LPGA, she’ll be done before breaking a sweat. Her caddie on the other hand, may not be so fortunate. Hey Simpson, keep up!

Robert O. Smith is in the house for the next two days. He’s a former rules official on the LPGA Tour and was one of the most respected and liked. He lives about five hours away and wished to touch base with some familiar faces. Retirement must suit Robert O. very well as he seems younger and taller. On the serious side, congratulations are in order as he is about to become a granddad twice. His son and lovely wife are expecting twins.

During our lengthy conversation, I learned Robert O. continues to help with rules seminars, plays plenty of golf and is perfecting his grip replacement technique with the use of the workbench he installed in the garage. In fact, he spent as much time as he could assisting club repairman Paul with many such a task. He was relegated to cutting them off but it still counts.

We also talked golf touching on the hair-pulling idiosyncrasies of the women’s game and his own philosophy of instruction. Very enlightening.

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There are many ways to prepare for the grind of a qualifier in the Arkansas heat but Yuki Sakurai and her caddie Zac may have found the most novel.

 

 

Then there was this:

Melissa Reid wins first event after mother’s tragic death

LGPA Legends: Sherri Turner turns it into runaway

1st In Class

What a way to get your first win! Congrats to Brittany Lang and her brother Luke who toted the sack. Way to much game for such a long wait.

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Copious amounts of coffee, a sausage egg McMuffin (hold the cheese) and two dogs with mustard and relish – from the QT on the outskirts of St. Louis – satiated my apatite till arriving in Arkansas.

I watched the outside temperature reading all the way. Started out at a very comphy 63° but slowly climbed to 99° once I got to Missouri and held steady from there. Bounced to 101° for a bit but not for long.

Just after passing the Gateway Arch, a lady passed me sporting a vanity plate that read MEW MEW and decorative trappings around her headlights resembling eyelashes.

That QT had the best gas prices I’ve seen in awhile. $3.09.9! That’s more like it. Almost as good here. Only nine more cents at Sam’s Club.

Manulife Classic – Round Three

Watching The Golf Channel. The Manulife Classic is zzzzzzzzzzzzz. Hey, what was that noise?

Shanshan and Inbee. What a duo.

ICE and I will be leaving early in the morn tomorrow. I’ll drop him off at the airport then drive to Bentonville.

Then there was this:

Seven is proving to be an unlucky number this week at the Manulife LPGA Classic.

Whan prefers it’s about the golf

Manulife Classic – Round One/Two

They’ll be playing till dark and beyond but good weather should let them catch up tomorrow.

Looks like a decent sized crowd will be on hand for the weekend.

Can the fairways get any more expansive? Maybe it’s just the wide-screen Samsung I’m viewing the tourney on.

Question: With the LPGA struggling to land new events, why are some big names skipping this week?

It’s tough watching The Golf Channel coverage.

Moody’s has downgraded the LPGA website to junk status.

Out with the old to make room for the new. It was a clean sweep at the ICE Palace. The local Salvation Army store is now sporting a new line of “Cheeseburger Chad” classics.

Ma and Pa Payne stopped in for a visit. Took Cooper back to Bellefontaine along with a trailer full of goodies.

Then there was this:

Sandra Changkija tops leaderboard in suspended Manulife … – “California Tom” is on the bag.

Home not so sweet for Canadians

She’s just Jenny from the block

How Tseng, Lewis stack up statistically

Groundskeepers work while others sleep

Caddie hides 15th club in bushes, player disqualified

Something To Aim For

ICE got an update from one of the LPGA loopers working the Travelers Championship on the PGA Tour this week. So far, it looks like the caddie perks out there are a rung or two higher up the ladder than the LPGA. Go figure.

Not a bad list but still room for improvement.

• Caddie party with a rib-eye steak as the main course.
• Pullover jacket.
• Leather yardage book cover.
• Raffle to pay for one caddie’s hotel for the week.
• Complimentary laundry service. Just bring it to the course. In by 9 out by 5.

Then there was this:

Inkster returning to LPGA after injuries

Kane not going anywhere

Even rivals are cheering for Lindsey Smith

Don’t Drink The Water: Study Warns Drinking From Garden Hose – The coffee in Mobile was made with hose water until multiple complaints made them switch. Toledo is the same way.