The Golf Watch

Ames thinks TPC Sawgrass is too difficult

Ladies and gentleman, I believe we have found someone who complains more than Rory Sabbatini.  It's Stephen Ames, who was heard criticizing the toughened TPC Sawgrass after an opening round 2-over 74.  Ames, winner of the 2006 Players Championship, was reportedly heard by several reporters saying to a tour official after his round...

It's too &*%$#+ hard.  Go ahead, keep building courses like this.

If Ames had any clout, this would be reasonable.  But he doesn't, and his reputation has sunk with all of his bad-mouthing of late.  At this time last month, wasn't Ames praising the Players Championship, while downplaying the Masters?  There's a reason why Mike Weir was such an easy pick to represent Canada at the President's Cup last November. 

Ames in spotlight, downgrades Masters

It seems that Stephen Ames has made yet another controversial statement--this time, about the Masters.  Ames told The Calgary Herald:

I guess media...try to make it the better of the four events, only because the history and the nostalgia of the event that has made it what it is. But when you compare it to the other major events, it is the weakest field technically. There are only 90 players; the top 50 players in the world are guaranteed; of those 90, there are 20 old guys still playing, past champions, who shouldn't be playing golf. So, technically, it's a field of 70. Hey," he added, quickly, "I'm just quoting facts. The Players Championship is a stronger field than that one.

In response, Jim Byers of The Toronto Star writes:

Perhaps, but you'd have to think a golfer would be a tad more nervous standing over a 10-footer to win the Masters than he would with a Players Championship title on the line.

More interesting than that is Ames' comment about "old guys" and "past champions, who shouldn't be playing golf."

Yes, some of the guys outside the top 50 who are former champs almost certainly have no chance at winning; folks like Fuzzy Zoeller. But to say they have no business playing golf is going to be seen as quite an insult to people like Tom Watson, not to mention 1994 and 1999 champion Jose Maria Olazabal, who is not quite ready for a walker last time we checked.

And what about Fred Couples? He's in the field as a former champion, and he could win another green jacket if his supply of Robaxacet holds out.

We know what Tiger Woods did to Ames at the match play tourney a couple years back after Ames suggested Woods' wasn't at the top of his game. We wonder if Boom-Boom, as Couples is known, will have a word with Mr. Ames at Augusta next week or simply let his clubs do the talking.

Agreed, and the point goes to Byers.

Paige bashes Skins Game on Around The Horn

This past weekend, Stephen Ames won the LG Skins Game for a second straight year.  The tournament, which was broadcast on ABC, has been in existence since 1983.  This year's field included Ames, 5-time winner Fred Couples, reigning Masters champion Zach Johnson, and Brett Wetterich.  On Monday's edition of Around the Horn on ESPN, Denver Post columnist Woody Paige said, "The Skins Game is an idea whose time is gone.  Back when Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson—those guys played in it—it made a lot of sense, and it made a lot of money for charity.  But now it’s just an afterthought.  We don’t even know three of the guys that were in the Skins Game.  Fred Couples was the only guy you ever heard of, and he can’t play anymore.  Get rid of the Skins Game."

Ames captures final tour event of the year

Stephen Ames ended his year with a bang.  At the last event of the PGA Tour season, the Children's Miracle Network Classic, Ames captured his third PGA Tour title at 17-under-par overall, beating Tim Clark by one stroke.  The Canadian needed to get up-and-down from the bunker on the eighteenth hole for par to win the tournament, and did just that. "It's nice to be back in the winner's circle again," said Ames to Mike Ritz of The Golf Channel after his round.  Ames' win moved him up to 31st on the money list.  All players who are inside the top-30 receive an automatic exemption to the 2008 Masters.  Tim Clark improved from 29th to 22nd on the money list with his second place finish, guaranteeing his spot in the more exclusive tournaments in 2008.

Langer, Ames, Olazabal withdraw from Barclays

Bernhard Langer (59), Stephen Ames (64), and Jose Maria Olazabal (96) have withdrawn from The Barclays this week.  Langer is still recovering from kidney surgery, while Rich Lerner said on Golf Central last night that Ames "simply chose not to play."  Olazabal has been battling knee problems all year and his last top-25 finish was at The Players Championship in May (T-3). 

Ames 'truly disappointed' about missing out on President's Cup

Stephen Ames started his final round at the PGA Championship in second place and needed to finish in fourth place or better in order to automatically qualify for the President's Cup team.  But Ames shot a 6-over 76, finishing T-12, and was not able to earn a captain's pick from Gary Player.  In the Toronto Star, Ames said, "I'm truly disappointed that I was so close to the honour of playing for the International Team and that it didn't quite happen for me this time around.  As a proud Canadian, I was excited about the idea of playing in the Presidents Cup – especially given that it is being played in Canada for the first time.  I certainly feel that I have played well enough over a sustained period of time to warrant selection, but I also know how many talented players there are to choose from on the international side."  Fellow Canadian Mike Weir made the team, even though Ames is ahead of him in the President's Cup standings and world golf ranking.

Just like Sabbatini last week, Ames falters

It was like deja vu.  Tiger Woods played for the second straight week in the final group with an opponent who has questioned his potential as a golfer.  And for the second straight week, Woods has won a tournament, and silenced any potential critics.  Stephen Ames entered Sunday's final round at the PGA Championship three strokes behind Woods, and ended the day ten strokes behind the world's number one.  Ames admitted at a press conference on Saturday that he did not know what to expect playing in the final group with Tiger at a major championship. On Sunday, he got a wake up call.  At a time when Ames needed a strong finish to improve his positioning in the President's Cup standings, he was only able to muster up a T-12 finish.   

Ames doesn't want to talk about Woods comments

Stephen Ames is entering Sunday's final round of the PGA Championship three strokes behind Tiger Woods, and will be paired in the final group with the 12-time major champion.  It should be an interesting pairing considering the comments Ames has made about Woods in the past.  Seven years ago, Ames called Woods a "spoiled 24-year-old."  In addition, Ames said the following about Woods prior to their match at the 2006 World Match Play: "Anything can happen in match play, especially where he's hitting it."  The comment was made in reference to Woods' performance at the Nissan Open where he had a number of bogeys.  Woods happened to be sick with the flu while playing at the Nissan.  When Ames was asked by the media at his press conference earlier today if his comments about Woods were taken out of context, he said, "Are we here at the PGA Championship or are we here at the Match Play?  Which one are we talking about?  I don’t know if I want to go there, because you might take it out of context again.  So we’ll leave it at that." Art Spander of the Sports Xchange writes, "Ames has always irritated Woods. And vice versa."  Other than a question about the greens at Southern Hills, every other question from the media directed toward Ames was about playing with Tiger Woods.  "At this stage, I’m happy to be playing in the last group of a major," said Ames. 

Ames questions Canadian Open setup

According to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star, 2-time PGA Tour winner Stephen Ames feels that the Canadian Open has turned into an event not worthy of being a national championship.  "PGA Tour officials, the RCGA or officials at Angus Glen – Ames wouldn't say who he thought was culpable," writes Smith.  Ames, who is from Canada, said, "They (the greens) are just exceptionally slow, very soft.  I think they're trying to protect the golf course from something but for a national open, I don't think this is the right spot. It doesn't have that atmosphere of a national open, unfortunately."