College Bowl Quiz: Where are the following played? 1) MPC
Computers Bowl? 2) Insight Bowl? 3) Pacific Life Holiday
Bowl? 4) Champ Sports? Answers below.
The Final Rounds
I said it before and it bears repeating…the PGA’s Q-School is
simply the best, least known sporting event in the country. On
Monday I wrapped up my six days out at beautiful PGA West in
La Quinta, CA and it was one of the great times of my life. No
doubt, you have to love golf to appreciate this, but if you do you
must attend this once in your life.
Part of me hesitates to tout it as heavily as I have because I kind
of want to keep it my little secret, at least among the Bar Chat
audience. A big part of the charm of the event is the fact no one
is here! The crowds swelled in rounds 4 thru 6 over the weekend
and Monday to, oh, about 10 spectators, if that, per group. My
first three days it was me, maybe a few parents and a spouse, as
well as a stray resident or two.
Folks, that’s the way to see tournament golf. I’ve been to a ton
of majors in my life and Q-School beats it hands down.
To reiterate, 169 were fighting for 30 PGA cards (it ended up
being 35 after ties) after over 1,000 had already been eliminated
in earlier qualifying. Six rounds over six days dealing with
incredible pressure as a majority of the golfers are trying to fulfill
lifelong dreams of a career on the PGA Tour.
As I noted last time I chose to follow fellow Wake Forest alum
Bill Haas the whole event. What a treat. Bill, son of PGA
veteran Jay Haas, is going to be a superstar one day but even he
fell short in Monday’s final. After five rounds he was at -4 for
the tourney and predicted -7 would be the mark to earn one’s
card. He was right, it was -7 and Bill finished -5. Boy, I felt for
him every step of the way. He played brilliantly on his back nine
and had a legitimate birdie putt on 8 of the 9 holes but could
manufacture only one coming in.
The last three rounds Bill’s mother / Jay’s wife, Jan, was walking
with her son. She couldn’t have been kinder to me and I learned
a ton about the tour and the sport. Jay couldn’t attend because he
was in an event in South Africa (Sun City) and then this week
he’s playing in Tiger’s exclusive event for the Tiger Woods
Foundation. Jay Haas, at 51, is reaping the rewards for a long
and successful career. The travel is brutal but the money is big.
But then you have those who are not only struggling to get on the
tour but, worst case, ensure they at least gain an exemption onto
the Nationwide, the AAA of golf. About 50 gained their
Nationwide tour privileges out of the 169 this week. One regular
on the minor circuits is Jerry Smith, 40, who played with Bill
Haas in the 5th round. Jerry’s lovely wife Jennifer followed him
around and she was a joy to talk to. The Smiths long ago chose
the vagabond lifestyle of the professional golfer who is just a
notch below the top level, and after watching these guys for six
rounds you can appreciate the difference between a PGA Tour
golfer and a Nationwide one is small. Everyone can bang their
drives 280+ and hit solid wedge shots. The difference isn’t just
in the putting but between the ears. Two strokes here, two
strokes there and you miss a cut and go home hungry.
Jerry was a classic example of the other side. He had it to
7-under in the 5th round on Sunday but bogeyed two holes
coming in to finish at -5 heading into Monday’s finale. I sought
out Jennifer before Jerry teed off today and she was shaking like
a leaf. Sadly, he went 3-over on his round and failed to get his
PGA card. But I’ll be following him as closely as possible on
the Nationwide this coming year. This is one class act.
While Jerry Smith’s week ended on a sour note, for journeyman
Doug Barron it couldn’t have been better. Barron was teamed
with Haas and Dicky Pride on Monday and, picture this; on the
group’s very first hole (they teed off #10 on the Stadium
Course), I’m standing behind the green watching the guys’
approach shots on the par 4. Barron was about 180 out
and…holes it…EAGLE! Doug started the day at -4, along with
Haas and Pride. You think he was pumped? Barron then got it
to -8 and I was rooting for him as hard as I was for Bill. Barron
just seemed like a great guy.
Well on Doug’s 10th hole of the round he double-bogeyed to go
-6, but coming in he just eked it out, finishing at -7.
Another guy to root for this year on Tour is Roland Thatcher,
Haas’s playing partner in rounds 3 and 4. I got to know Roland’s
parents, delightful people, and Roland had a terrific attitude. He
ended up in the top ten but his story is reflective of the trials and
tribulations a lot of these men face in pursuing their dream.
Roland qualified last year at Q-School and then went out and
finished 177th on the money list. Since he wasn’t in the top 125
he lost his card and it was back to try again. His dad is
convinced Roland’s experience on the big stage will be far
different this time around.
But there were some surprises for me. For starters, it’s amazing
how there is little consensus on the rules of the game.
Understand that unlike a regular tour event there were very few
officials at Q-School. Most of the rulings were decided among
the golfers themselves but when there was a more technical call
they would ring up a PGA representative.
You’d think each golfer would know the rules inside out but the
big problem is the governing bodies for the sport keep changing
them.
Then you have the cheaters. I repeat……….the cheaters.
Yes, sports fans, some golfers cheat and I witnessed one first
hand, in round two, all by my lonesome. I’m going to leave his
name out for now but picture a long par 4 where the drive should
be left of some water and a big sand trap, with the approach then
over water to a green that juts into the lake. This guy, playing in
Bill Haas’s group, hit his tee shot in the water and by the looks
on Bill and the third in the group there was a dispute where this
guy should drop. Meanwhile, I’m on the other side of the
fairway, the only spectator in the group.
So now our mystery pro is hitting his 3rd, after taking a penalty,
and he goes for the green, only he hits the railroad ties, flush, and
the ball drops in the water. So you’d think he’d drop somewhere
near where he played his last shot, right? No. He convinced his
two partners (who both may not have even seen the shot) that his
ball went over the water, hit the turf, and fell back into the
hazard. He won his argument (what were the other two to do?)
and got to drop next to the green instead of all the way back on
the other side of the lake.
I was besides myself, but it wasn’t until today’s last round I met
someone who knows someone….I need to be cryptic here …and
told him what I saw. He said, “Oh yeah, the guy is a known
cheater…was that way in college and has been booted off a mini-
tour for cheating.”
So it happens, especially in an event like this, or Nationwide, or
the Hooters Tour; events with few spectators and few officials.
You can imagine how it drives the honest ones, like Bill Haas, up
the wall.
Sorry to bring that up, and shatter the impression some of you
may have of the sport, but it’s a scene I won’t forget and you can
be sure I’ll regale my golfing buddies for decades until they’re
sick of the story. Just a little insight you won’t find anywhere
else, I guarantee you.
But lest you be too disappointed, you won’t find this kind of crap
on the PGA Tour and I really want to leave you with a good
impression. Exhibit A…Jerry Smith.
Playing in the 5th round on Sunday, Jerry hit a drive wide right
towards the houses built along the course. When I got to his ball
it seemed to be in bounds. There were two white stakes about 20
yards apart and I thought he was fine. Jerry got to the ball and
immediately said he was out. Bill Haas walked over and thought
maybe they could find some string, stretch it between the stakes
and see where Jerry’s ball really was. [We would have had to
wait for an official to produce the string, or I would have gladly
started ringing doorbells.] Jerry said, no, it’s out….and that was
the loneliest walk back to the tee you ever did see. Meanwhile,
Jennifer, Jerry’s wife, was ahead up by the green not knowing
what the heck was happening. At least Jerry salvaged a bogey
out of it with some great shot-making.
That’s all for today. I’ll try and give you a bit of a break when it
comes to golf, but one day I’m going back to Q-School.
Stuff
–Steroids: When you think about it, nothing has changed over
the past year except a few admissions from the major leaguers
and a key Olympian, Kelli White. We were discussing the exact
same issues last year at this time and major league baseball fans
didn’t do squat all during the 2004 season when they should have
been making Barry Bonds’s life truly miserable.
So one year later, and a bunch of homers closer to Ruth and
Aaron, Bonds, through his leaked grand jury testimony, finally
fesses up, a bit, that he may have been using steroids but didn’t
know what he was taking.
And last year at this time Senator John McCain was threatening
action if baseball didn’t take matters into its own hands and, once
again, a year later he’s making the same waves. Only this time
McCain is serious and he’ll introduce federal legislation if the
Players Union doesn’t act in December; meaning McCain and
Congress will have to legislate because no way the union will do
anything even close to being legit.
But what will the fans do in 2005? How will they treat Bonds as
he passes Ruth in April or May? Bonds won’t get any asterisks
next to his records. I doubt he’ll get any mention of steroids on
his plaque when he’s voted into the Hall of Fame, either. It
really just sucks.
Our only salvation could come from the game’s greats, men like
Hank Aaron. Aaron, until now a big-time Bonds supporter,
issued the following statement after learning of the latest
revelations in the BALCO case.
“Drugs won’t help you hit the ball. But can they make you
recuperate consistently enough to hit the kind of home runs these
guys are hitting? Anyway you look at it, it’s wrong.”
–BCS
The games are set…whether you like it or not.
For the national title…USC vs. Oklahoma, Orange Bowl, Jan. 4
Undefeated Auburn vs. Virginia Tech, Sugar, Jan. 3
Texas vs. Michigan, Rose, Jan. 1…this looks weird
Undefeated Utah vs. Pitt, Fiesta, Jan. 1
Sure, the BCS isn’t perfect but you just never get three
undefeated squads emerging from the major conferences in the
same year. Personally, I don’t understand why Auburn and Utah
couldn’t square off. While Auburn bitches and moans, Utah has
a right to do the same because if they whip Pitt, no one will
consider it an accomplishment. On the other hand, if Auburn
destroys Va. Tech and USC / Oklahoma play only a so-so game,
Auburn will receive some votes for #1. At least that’s my story
and I’m sticking to it.
But the best game, at least perhaps the most intriguing one, is the
Liberty Bowl on December 31, Louisville vs. undefeated Boise
State.
Meanwhile, California, my own sleeper pick for the BCS last
August, is the school that really got hosed. Despite finishing #4
in both major polls, it ended up #5 in the BCS behind Texas and
thus ends up playing #21 Texas Tech, 7-4, in the Holiday Bowl.
As for yours truly I’m only going to watch the Liberty and
Orange Bowls, along with Navy vs. New Mexico on Dec. 30.
I’ll be asleep during the others.
–Boise State’s football coach was offered a 5-year extension for
$2.6 million, in case you were wondering what a successful head
guy at Boise State could make. Heck, I’d pay him $1mm per.
Look how much PR he has brought the school through its
lengthy winning streak.
–The bat that Babe Ruth used to hit the first homerun in Yankee
Stadium went for $1.26 million, the most ever paid for a piece of
lumber. The only other baseball memorabilia that has sold for $1
million or more was Mark McGwire’s 70th home run ball, $3
million, and a Honus Wagner baseball card, also for $1.26
million.
–Boy, that was a great Sunday night football contest between the
Steelers and Jacksonville. Since I’m in the Pacific time zone and
this ended around 8:30 local, I actually was able to see the full
contest. I’ve reached that age where I don’t even contemplate
trying to catch the end of a Monday Night Football game and
most Sundays are out as well. Otherwise, I can’t stand being on
the West Coast. Who wants to watch a football game at 10:00
AM on Sunday? Or college basketball at 9:00 AM on
Saturdays? Then again, you do have all the box scores in the
morning paper.
Where was I? Oh yeah….for the record Peyton Manning is up to
44 TD passes with four games to go. Marino’s mark is 48.
Indianapolis is also only the third team in NFL history to score at
least 40 points in four consecutive games.
Well, my Jets have taken advantage of their easy schedule but
they still need to win at least one of their final four.
Guess the Giants have had second thoughts about throwing Eli
Manning into the fire so soon.
Donovan McNabb threw for a team-record 464 yards in the
Eagles’ thrashing of Green Bay, 47-17.
I’m looking forward to some good cold weather playoff games in
New England, Philly, Pittsburgh and possibly Green Bay, for
starters. Yup, give me a toasty house, some cold beer, Chex Mix
and clear TV reception and I’m all set to watch some teams, and
their fans, freeze their butts off.
–Back to baseball and the steroids issue; what ticks me off is,
why can’t the major leagues adopt the same stringent policy as
the minor leagues? There, if you are caught abusing steroids a
first time it’s a 15-game suspension without pay. Of course
MLB’s Players Union would never allow it, that’s why.
–ESPN / USA Today College Basketball Poll
1. Illinois…#1 AP as well
2. Kansas
3. Georgia Tech
4. Syracuse…barely beat Colgate, 68-55, for crying out loud
5. Oklahoma State
6. UConn
7. Wake Forest…probably right where we should be
8. North Carolina
9. Duke
10. North Carolina State
And congratulations to George Washington (which lost to Wake
in the opening game of the season) for defeating #9 Michigan
State and #12 Maryland on consecutive nights. Great stuff. GW
moved to #21 in the AP survey.
Washington State scored 29…count ‘em…29 points in its loss
over the weekend to OK State, 81-29. Since 3-point shooting
was introduced in 1986-87, the record low for points is Georgia
Southern’s 21 in a 61-21 defeat to Coastal Carolina. Washington
State hit 12 of 55 field goal attempts. Well done, lads. You
really have to try to miss that many. I mean, geezuz, if you turn
your back to the basket and fling it over your head you are bound
to make more than that. Go ahead, try it in your own backyard,
you’ll see.
–I agree with my friend Mark R., Notre Dame alumnus. Tyrone
Willingham has to be given five years, not the three he ended up
with. C’mon, let a coach at least complete a full recruiting cycle
(including a red-shirt season).
–So this biologist at Northern Arizona University has reached
the conclusion that prairie dogs are far more sophisticated than
some of us have been giving them credit for. While most
scientists think the yips the creatures make are nothing more than
expressions of their inner condition, like “hungry” or “ouch,”
Con Slobodchikoff contends “prairie dogs are communicating
detailed information to one another about what animals are
showing up in their colonies, and maybe even gossiping.” [AP]
Slobodchikoff and his students have recorded the sounds the
rodents make as they see hawks, elk and people, for example,
and using a computer the researchers have concluded they can
differentiate color, among other things.
Which means that when I have been out in South Dakota in
recent years and wrote you of my run-ins with prairie dogs (and
how dangerous they are), it’s just possible they were saying to
one another, “Check out the editor….yeah, that funny looking
guy with all the gray hair and the Wake Forest hat.” Or maybe
they were just announcing, “Caution…you’re about to enter a
no-spin zone.”
–This is getting serious, folks. Remember how I told you last
week that a passenger on a Carnival Cruise Lines ship had fallen
overboard at sea before reaching port in Florida? Well, it
happened again on a Carnival ship. A 37-year-old woman failed
to show up for dinner aboard the Carnival Pride. No one saw her
fall overboard in the Pacific Ocean, 30 miles west of Ensenada,
Mexico. The story I read didn’t mention the obvious…she was
another victim of either a giant squid or octopus.
–No wonder the animal kingdom is up in arms. In Alaska, 500
wolves are being killed in an official state program…shot down
by hunters in helicopters. 80 Grizzlies also may become victims.
The reason? Alaska wants to protect “moose and caribou for
hunters.” Oh give me a break. If you’re running out of caribou,
I’ll ship you some from my backyard in New Jersey. [Strap on
bigger antlers to our deer and they pass for caribou.] As for the
moose, did you ever hear what the other animals think of these
idiots?
–I love looking at the real estate section in these parts. Here’s
one that caught my eye.
“La Quinta…Spacious, light & airy! You will love this large
open floor plan. 2162 sq. ft., 4BR, 3BA, new salt water pool &
spa. Asking $468,900.”
Hey, if they can promise me it’s shark free, I could be a buyer.
–The other day Columbia University’s men’s basketball team
was to play Hofstra out on Long Island. The game was
postponed due to the fact Columbia got stuck in traffic. These
guys are Ivy League? Everyone knows you have to allow 17
hours to drive from Manhattan to Long Island. I usually allow
six days to go from New Jersey.
–The other day they held the Kennedy Center Honors and Elton
John, opera’s Joan Sutherland, conductor John Williams and
actors Warren Beatty, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee were the
recipients. I swear that has to be the 18th or 19th time for Ossie
Davis. Don’t they give it to him every year?
Top 3 songs for the week of 12/10/77: #1 “You Light Up My
Life” (Debby Boone…eegads…) #2 “Don’t It Make My Brown
Eyes Blue” (Crystal Gayle) #3 “How Deep Is Your Love” (Bee
Gees….it’s schmaltz week!)
*U2’s “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb” sold 840,000
copies its first week.
College Bowl Quiz Answers: 1) MPC Computers: Boise. 2)
Insight: Phoenix. 3) Pacific Life Holiday: San Diego. 4) Champ
Sports: Orlando.
Next Bar Chat, Thursday.
