The Golf Watch

Downtime for golf coverage

If you hadn't noticed--many of the major sports news outlets are taking a break from golf coverage during this two-week lull in the golfing season.

Take ESPN.com: On their 9-pack of stories, their current top item is Annika Sorenstam's opening round of 2-under 70 in Dubai, dated December 11. 

This is no NHL Power Rankings oversight--but it's always interesting to observe what sites like ESPN, Yahoo and Fox Sports do to keep their sites fresh during this short break. 

"And with that, let us remember to play it as it lies"

Jim McCabe files his last column for the Boston Globe--and he goes out on top...

Blessed with the privilege of writing about a game that is my passion, my Globe duties have allowed for unforgettable sweeping views, from the aura of St. Andrews and the breathlessness of Pebble Beach, to the timelessness of Augusta National and the majestic dunes of Royal Troon. Historic ports of call, each and every one, and never has a walk there been spoiled, nor taken lightly. But also, never have those visits made me forget where golf is the most special.

Right here in my own backyard.

Golf Digest ad showing up everywhere

I'm sure many of you have noticed the omnipresent Golf Digest banner advertisement that has surfaced on the Web.  It makes sense to me that it would be on a site like the New York Times above this Thomas Friedman piece (below)--but it never occurred to me that they would want to appeal to a MySpace audience (second picture below). 

It's clear that Condé Nast is attempting to appeal to a younger demographic.  I wonder though: How many of the millions of users who log on to MySpace each day are interested in fixing their slice?

 

   

Geoff Shackelford Interview

I had the opportunity to speak with renowned golf writer Geoff Shackelford earlier today about a number of topics.  I have divided the interview into three segments.

In part one, we discuss, among other things, the concept of "going green" in golf, the future of print journalism and being inside the ropes at golf tournaments.



In part two, we touch on the captaincy of the Ryder Cup and FedEx Cup 3.0.



In part three, Geoff talks about one of his favorite announcing crews, his dream foursome and what a typical blogging day is like for him.

Curt Byrum Interview

I had the opportunity to interview a favorite here at The Golf Watch, Golf Channel announcer Curt Byrum.  I have separated the interview into two segments. 

In part one, Byrum speaks about his strategies in the booth, teaming up with Jerry Foltz and what Golf Channel broadcasts bring to the table.

In part two, we discuss FedEx Cup 3.0 and the current economy and how it could affect the Nationwide Tour.

Kim breaks the fence...literally

Although I found some parts of Tiger Woods' Chevron World Challenge mildly captivating, the most entertaining part of the broadcast had to be Anthony Kim's mishap along the fence behind the 10th green.  Kim hit his second shot from the fairway bunker on the seemingly benign 359-yard 10th well over the green and up against the fence line.  While waiting for a ruling, he decided to sit on the wooden fence.  And it collapsed, literally.

He fell down, but took it like a champ, waving the broken piece of wood in the air while tipping his cap to an amused crowd.  Watch the actions unfold below.

Finchem: "We’re asking every player to add a tournament or two..."

In an effort to provide higher quality fields for some of the lesser name tournaments that could lose sponsorship deals over the next few years, Tim Finchem sent a 5-minute video to Tour players and their respective agents.  As Jon Show reports:

Finchem, standing in his office in front of a painting of Fred Couples at TPC Sawgrass, addresses four areas he would like to see players focus on in '09: scheduling, sponsor appreciation, public comments and charitable involvement. "We’re asking every player to add a tournament or two to their historical schedule to assist the tournaments that historically have weak fields,” Finchem said. "We have a lot of title sponsors this year that are up for renewal. We have to put our best foot forward in terms of presenting our competitions."

Here's the real zinger though...

He also requested that players avoid making negative public comments about the Tour. "We want players to be, No. 1, upbeat and positive about what the PGA Tour is doing and where we’re going,” Finchem said. "We want you to be excited about the competitive opportunities that you have. And third, we want you to talk about PGA Tour properties when you describe what this year, 2009, is all about. Particularly the FedEx Cup."

I understand that it's important for players to serve as strong ambassadors for the Tour, but if players aren't happy with certain policies, they should be able to air their grievances. 

Bonk sightings on Golfdigest.com

While perusing Goldigest.com, I noticed two contributions (here and here) from Thomas Bonk.  If you're not familiar with Bonk's situation, he recently took a buyout from the LA Times.  This was significant because Bonk was one of the few remaining full time American newspaper golf writers. 

I miss Bonk's weekly notes and I hope we will continue to see his writing for years to come. 

Woods: We've put Williams' comments to bed

According to Steve Sands of The Golf Channel, only one question was asked during Tiger Woods' press conference about the Williams/Mickelson "prick" comment.  Bill Plaschke of the LA Times was the columnist who stepped up to the plate and Woods' response was short and to the point--as expected:

What ended up happening is I communicated with Phil, and we have discussed it.  I talked to Stevie about it, and he feels bad what happened. At this point, that it happened at all is something that none of us really wanted to have happen. But it's over and done with, and we put it to bed.

After Woods' brief response, it was business as usual, with the media asking about the knee.  Do you think a week ago Woods would have been relieved to hear so many follow up questions about his new ligament?

Steinberg nearing extension deal with IMG

One of the most powerful agents in all of sports, Mark Steinberg, is nearing a contract extension deal with IMG, the Sports Business Journal reports.  Steinberg, who began as an intern with the company in 1992, became Tiger Woods' agent in 1998.  Steinberg oversees IMG Golf, which represents Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington and Paula Creamer among more than 100 others. 

Steinberg seems to be a pretty down to earth guy.  Remember when Woods was walking to the Torrey Pines clubhouse just after sinking his birdie putt on 18 during the final round of the US Open?  Steinberg greeted Tiger with none other than a high five.