Question:
We must have a huge number of Media Executives who don’t *play* golf, but read about it in a book somewhere and are convinced that, left to its own devices, golf is about as exciting as watching cement harden. [...] We want *drama*! We want *conflict*! We want *rivalry*! We want *personality conflicts*! We want *ratings!*
My brother, who does not golf and thinks it is boring, but likes all other sports, esp football [I am not interested in sports other than golf] was at my house a while back when one of the commercials for the PGA Tour came on… maybe you remember it, where the announcer was ‘calling’ the action as they flipped quickly between Duval, Tiger, Singh, making shots, and the announcer is talking quickly and the crowd roaring on the sound track. He says – "Look, they are trying to make golf seem exciting!" And I agree – they are trying to present it as something it IS NOT, I suppose in order to get the persons who prefer football and fast- paced sports to watch. — — — David "Thor" Collard — http://ttsoft.com/thor
Response:
<snippidy And I agree – they are trying to present it as something it IS NOT, I suppose in order to get the persons who prefer football and fast- paced sports to watch.
Eggackly, Thor – eggasackly…No Drama = No Ratings. O’course, that is totally antithetical to what golf ackshully IS… AND, AFAICS, golf should not appeal to every slob with the price of a ticket and a beer. In a perfect world, golf appeals to those who can score quietly and politely AND those who can watch quietly and politely. I am barely restraining myself from a "Whatever Happened to Courtesy and Dignity" thread, but restrain myself I will. I think. I am going to reeeeeally try… Terry "Squeaks" Hansen AAC/AFBV66.0748.CO To reply, remove the number "7" from return address. I am an optimist. If I weren’t an optimist, I’d be a terrorist.
Response:
I am barely restraining myself from a "Whatever Happened to Courtesy and Dignity" thread, but restrain myself I will. I think. I am going to reeeeeally try…
terry, just search for past threads on "solheim"… lumpy 
Before you buy.
Response:
Now that it is all over and the International’s hide has been well and truly whacked I have to agree with Peter Thomson’s view that the US Team was mighty powerful and had all the shots where they were needed. There was interesting golf and there was boring golf and in the final days some very skilful 1. The tension between Tiger and Vijay on the final day was almost bursting out of my TV…the handshake offered by Vijay when the US team win became fact seemed to take Tiger by surprise and appeared quite grudgingly accepted. 2. Tiger always lines up his ball on the tee so that the logo is facing one particular TV camera! 3. Carlos Franco’s 10-under for 13 holes shows incredible promise..his double eagle (or ‘Albatros’ as we non US citizens call it)….was a feat to remember..and the camera followed it perfectly throughout it’s flight….that should rank in historical terms with the first ace ever caught on film. 4. The ‘Tiger Who?’ logo on the back of the Intn’l Team caps was a bit of fun and taken good naturedly by Tiger. 5. The US Team were very anxious to persue the gentlemanly conduct issue and acknowledgments all round were good to see and hear. their muscles after they had been sitting around the greens at the end of four days play. They all walked like old men when they finally got to their feet…….and I was happy to say to myself "I know just how you all feel!". 7. Peter Thomson is looking old and tired….and I agree with Greg Norman’s support for Gary Player as International Team Captain for the next Cup in South Africa….(this is not meant to be a criticism of Peter Thomson..he clearly knew what he was doing with a team that was no match for the US). 8. I am tempted to say that the bunkers appeared faster than the fairways! Just a few thoughts! david
Response:
Just a few thoughts!
I was very disappointed as an International supporter, but the best team won easily, especially on the greens. All I can say about a losing side is thank God for Mike Weir and Carlos Franco. Actually the stars of the whole thing were the "lesser" players like Triplett, Cink, Weir and Franco … certainly not Els and Singh! Who would have thought Els would be 0-5? Cheers Colin Wilson Australian handicap: 10.7 RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/wilsonc.htm
Response:
You are so right. Never in a million years would I have picked Cink and Triplett not to lose a single match between them in this competition. Kenny – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Just a few thoughts! I was very disappointed as an International supporter, but the best team won easily, especially on the greens. All I can say about a losing side is thank God for Mike Weir and Carlos Franco. Actually the stars of the whole thing were the "lesser" players like Triplett, Cink, Weir and Franco … certainly not Els and Singh! Who would have thought Els would be 0-5? Cheers Colin Wilson Australian handicap: 10.7 RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/wilsonc.htm
Response:
Actually, according to reports in this morning’s paper, Tiger took offense at Vijay’s caddie wearing the "Tiger Who?" hat. He considered it gamesmanship and it is why he made Vijay putt an 18" putt on hole 4. According to the paper, when Vijay congratulated Tiger on the US team win, Tiger’s response was "Don’t forget about our match." I think Tiger was PO’d about the hat. Kenny – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -<snip 1. The tension between Tiger and Vijay on the final day was almost bursting out of my TV…the handshake offered by Vijay when the US team win became fact seemed to take Tiger by surprise and appeared quite grudgingly accepted. <snip 4. The ‘Tiger Who?’ logo on the back of the Intn’l Team caps was a bit of fun and taken good naturedly by Tiger. <snip david
Kenny Stultz RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/stultzk.htm
Response:
It may have been a joke, but it was clearly intended as a dig. Shigeki’s caddy had two such caps made up. Presumably, he took the team-issued hats into the souvenier tent where hats were being embroidered for the patrons, and had this done. The big surprise was that Vijay went along with it, knowing that his team needed to milk every point possible on Sunday, and that there was no margin for error. It all proved to be a moot point in the end, but it does raise questions about Vijay’s judgement (not his sportsmanship). And make no mistake — Tiger took it the way it was intended. Like all world-class athletes do, he took a situation and used it as motivation to elevate his game. When a guy’s got as much game as Tiger, how sensible is it to risk getting him riled? Very questionable judgement on the part of Singh’s caddy. Interestingly, Dave Renwick, who was Singh’s caddy when he won his two majors, questioned the move. He now caddies for another International player. And a couple of the International players themselves are on record as having questioned this decision. To say the least, it was strange. And Tiger was clearly agitated by it. Woods, whose record going in to the Sunday singles was a luke warm 2-2-0, may have been due to win another match, but what’s the old saying about letting sleeping dogs lie…? Randy Golf help for newbies: http://wwwgolfer.home.mindspring.com My RSG Roll Call profile: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/brownr.htm RSG FAQ: http://ttsoft.com/thor/rsggolf.html Voiceovers/Narration/Production Services: www.randybrownproductions.com
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Actually, according to reports in this morning’s paper, Tiger took offense at Vijay’s caddie wearing the "Tiger Who?" hat. He considered it gamesmanship and it is why he made Vijay putt an 18" putt on hole 4. According to the paper, when Vijay congratulated Tiger on the US team win, Tiger’s response was "Don’t forget about our match." I think Tiger was PO’d about the hat. I don’t blame him. Can you imagine the reaction if one of the American caddies had something like "Els 0-4" on it? Come on … it was a joke. The score was 14-6 at the start of the singles, and it came when Thomson remarked "we’re not conceding defeat, but we are suing for peace". If anything it was a backhanded compliment to Tiger. I’ve always thought some Americans haven’t got a sense of humour, including Tiger, it seems. Cheers Colin Wilson Australian handicap: 10.7 RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/wilsonc.htm
Response:
My take on the cap is that it truly was one of those "I’ll get you" digs that people who truly love/respect one another AND WHO HAVE ACHIEVED THE APPROPRIATE INTIMACY for the banter (as these two men have) will ping-pong with one another. The fact that a different spin was put upon the incident by the PRESS is even more evidence of the good-naturedness of the thing. I.e., whatever the press says, presume the opposite… Their agenda to sell newspapers is so pervasive that it is deeply ingrained to "find a negative". Ever watch the teasers before the evening news "Did the EPA shut down GE today? Tune in at 6 PM for the latest…" then at 6 :25 pm, the reporter mentions that a truck carrying waste from a GE plant in some remote town had a fender bender with a car and there was a 1 gallon "toxic spill". " Ah, the press. The I do not for one second believe that these particular gentlemen who have reached the height of what these guys have reached, where they have been imbued with the ethics, spirit, and sheer joy of golf, would come from any meanspirited motive. Tiger is not the wisest most grownup genteel person out there, but I have never had a problem with his spirit as I see it. At 24 I had one hell of a temper, as far as that is concerned. I see the cap thing as a huge "Ha ha, gotcha!" at which the next encounter raises the ante, and the joy between the two. Didn’t Tiger quip about "their next match…" or something? I don’t rule out ALL competitors by that broad brush, however. There truly are some nasty personalities that slip through. I’ll blame their blood-lines for that (temperament is genetic…) George
Response:
I thought the most accurate take on this episode was voiced by The Golf Channel’s Scott Van Pelt, who was on ESPN Radio today. He said he thought there was nothing between Tiger and Vijay. The cap was a statement made by Vijay’s caddy, and Tiger wanted to make it clear to the caddy just "who" he is, just in case the guy had spent the summer with his head under a rock. Was Tiger motivated by it? Absolutely. He said so himself, and made that fact quite clear. I say that not based on reports I read, but on what I heard out of Tiger’s mouth. Would Tiger have conceded some of those short putts if not for the cap? We’ll never know, but this is a fact: he’s conceded longer ones over the years in numerous other matches in which he’s played. I just think it was a dumb move by the caddy. He should have thanked Shigeki’s caddy for the funny cap and put it in his trophy case and not worn it. He did his player no favor by wearing it. Randy Golf help for newbies: http://wwwgolfer.home.mindspring.com My RSG Roll Call profile: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/brownr.htm RSG FAQ: http://ttsoft.com/thor/rsggolf.html Voiceovers/Narration/Production Services: www.randybrownproductions.com
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My take on the cap is that it truly was one of those "I’ll get you" digs that people who truly love/respect one another AND WHO HAVE ACHIEVED THE APPROPRIATE INTIMACY for the banter (as these two men have) will ping-pong with one another. The fact that a different spin was put upon the incident by the PRESS is even more evidence of the good-naturedness of the thing. I.e., whatever the press says, presume the opposite… Their agenda to sell newspapers is so pervasive that it is deeply ingrained to "find a negative". Ever watch the teasers before the evening news "Did the EPA shut down GE today? Tune in at 6 PM for the latest…" then at 6 :25 pm, the reporter mentions that a truck carrying waste from a GE plant in some remote town had a fender bender with a car and there was a 1 gallon "toxic spill". " Ah, the press. The I do not for one second believe that these particular gentlemen who have reached the height of what these guys have reached, where they have been imbued with the ethics, spirit, and sheer joy of golf, would come from any meanspirited motive. Tiger is not the wisest most grownup genteel person out there, but I have never had a problem with his spirit as I see it. At 24 I had one hell of a temper, as far as that is concerned. I see the cap thing as a huge "Ha ha, gotcha!" at which the next encounter raises the ante, and the joy between the two. Didn’t Tiger quip about "their next match…" or something? I don’t rule out ALL competitors by that broad brush, however. There truly are some nasty personalities that slip through. I’ll blame their blood-lines for that (temperament is genetic…) George
Response:
If 2&1 is a thrashing, what’s 6&5….or even 7&6?? BK – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Yeah, and Tiger thrashed Vijay 2 & 1 as a result. Vijay was the hot player of the whole week. Drained putts from everywhere.
Response:
If 2&1 is a thrashing, what’s 6&5….or even 7&6?? Yeah, and Tiger thrashed Vijay 2 & 1 as a result. Vijay was the hot player of the whole week. Drained putts from everywhere.
So I think you got my point. Cheers Colin Wilson Australian handicap: 10.7 RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/wilsonc.htm
Response:
Colin, You’re a hard man to please <g. Tiger had 6 birdies and an eagle (along with 2 bogies) for 6 under through 17 holes on a course with a 76.1 rating and 144 slope. That doesn’t sound too shabby to me. Kenny Was Tiger motivated by it? Absolutely. He said so himself, and made that fact quite clear. I say that not based on reports I read, but on what I heard out of Tiger’s mouth. Yeah, and Tiger thrashed Vijay 2 & 1 as a result. Vijay was the hot player of the whole week. Drained putts from everywhere. Cheers Colin Wilson Australian handicap: 10.7 RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/wilsonc.htm
Kenny Stultz RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/stultzk.htm
Response:
Maybe it’s just me and my dry sense of humor but if I was in Tiger’s shoes I would’ve asked the Caddie if we could trade hats for a couple of holes, or if he could make me one. That’d have confused them, the Internationals wouldn’t have known how to take it and it would’ve bugged them for awhile. I think it would have been the best course of action for Tiger to take, gamesmanship must be met with gamesmanship.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Actually, according to reports in this morning’s paper, Tiger took offense at Vijay’s caddie wearing the "Tiger Who?" hat. He considered it gamesmanship and it is why he made Vijay putt an 18" putt on hole 4. According to the paper, when Vijay congratulated Tiger on the US team win, Tiger’s response was "Don’t forget about our match." I think Tiger was PO’d about the hat. Kenny I don’t blame him. Can you imagine the reaction if one of the American caddies had something like "Els 0-4" on it?
Response:
The whole situation on Sunday had me perplexed. The NBC team was clearly trying to get an "angle" in the coverage.
<snippage AFAICS, The Media is trying to turn golf into a "Survivor" series (which I never watched, but you could NOT get away from in *any* media). We must have a huge number of Media Executives who don’t *play* golf, but read about it in a book somewhere and are convinced that, left to its own devices, golf is about as exciting as watching cement harden. We want *drama*! We want *conflict*! We want *rivalry*! We want *personality conflicts*! We want *ratings!* Terry "Squeaks" Hansen AAC/AFBV66.0748.CO To reply, remove the number "7" from return address. I am an optimist. If I weren’t an optimist, I’d be a terrorist.
Response:
Was Tiger motivated by it? Absolutely. He said so himself, and made that fact quite clear. I say that not based on reports I read, but on what I heard out of Tiger’s mouth.
Yeah, and Tiger thrashed Vijay 2 & 1 as a result. Vijay was the hot player of the whole week. Drained putts from everywhere. Cheers Colin Wilson Australian handicap: 10.7 RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/wilsonc.htm
Response:
Ooooppps. International putts. You’ll get your chances to root for your team against the Euros next year.
If Johnny Miller can say "European Team" a half dozen times, I can too! -joseph
Response:
Neither of those two players played up to their capabilities all week. Vijay’s putter wasn’t just cold, it was arctic. We’ve all known for a while that Vijay’s putting is not the strength of his game, but he *did* win at Augusta, so clearly, he can putt better on severe greens than he did at RTJ. But Tiger didn’t exactly light it up on the greens all week, either. In the team competition, Notah Begay holed at least as many key putts as Tiger did. Considering the subdued behavior of both sides, I just thought it was a strange move on the part of Vijay’s caddie to wear the hat, and an even stranger move for Vijay to go along with it. Randy Golf help for newbies: http://wwwgolfer.home.mindspring.com My RSG Roll Call profile: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/brownr.htm RSG FAQ: http://ttsoft.com/thor/rsggolf.html Voiceovers/Narration/Production Services: www.randybrownproductions.com
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Was Tiger motivated by it? Absolutely. He said so himself, and made that fact quite clear. I say that not based on reports I read, but on what I heard out of Tiger’s mouth. Yeah, and Tiger thrashed Vijay 2 & 1 as a result. Vijay was the hot player of the whole week. Drained putts from everywhere. Cheers Colin Wilson Australian handicap: 10.7 RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/wilsonc.htm
Response:
Ooooppps. International putts. You’ll get your chances to root for your team against the Euros next year. Maybe the Americans will wear a "I know nothing, I come from Valencia" sweater. YJ – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The whole situation on Sunday had me perplexed. The NBC team was clearly trying to get an "angle" in the coverage. The producers were obviously looking for two things: European putts and chips going in the hole, and some evidence of "rivalry" between the two sides. To promote the first they were showing lots of European putts — on tape! — going into the hole, as well as whatever American misses they could find. To promote the second they had Jimmy Roberts doing some of the most stupid spots imaginable, to wit, asking Peter what he thought of the TIGER WHO caps (which of course he knew nothing about). It was obvious what NBC was doing, and they might as well have done something, but all in all I was extremely disappointed in the coverage of the tournament. All the background spots, all the same old cliches about each player, etc. Maybe interesting to a viewer who watches one televised tournament a year, but it had ME leaving claw marks on my armrests. In any event, I thought both sides acquitted themselves well. Although it would have been cool if Notah had given Goosen the putt on #18 to halve the match. But then again, I can think of other reasons why Notah should have played it out the way he did. The TIGER WHO caps, I don’t know what the heck kind of drugs they let caddies smoke these days, but they must be at least r.s.g quality. -joseph Let’s see. The man who won the only major Tiger didn’t this year, tells his caddie it’s ok to wear a hat that says "Tiger Who?" I like a joke as much as anyone (there are probably three or four of us in America like that), but I can certainly see Tiger thinking it was a dig. Kenny
Response:
Actually, according to reports in this morning’s paper, Tiger took offense at Vijay’s caddie wearing the "Tiger Who?" hat. He considered it gamesmanship and it is why he made Vijay putt an 18" putt on hole 4. According to the paper, when Vijay congratulated Tiger on the US team win, Tiger’s response was "Don’t forget about our match." I think Tiger was PO’d about the hat. I don’t blame him. Can you imagine the reaction if one of the American caddies had something like "Els 0-4" on it?
Come on … it was a joke. The score was 14-6 at the start of the singles, and it came when Thomson remarked "we’re not conceding defeat, but we are suing for peace". If anything it was a backhanded compliment to Tiger. I’ve always thought some Americans haven’t got a sense of humour, including Tiger, it seems. Cheers Colin Wilson Australian handicap: 10.7 RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/wilsonc.htm
Response:
Let’s see. The man who won the only major Tiger didn’t this year, tells his caddie it’s ok to wear a hat that says "Tiger Who?" I like a joke as much as anyone (there are probably three or four of us in America like that), but I can certainly see Tiger thinking it was a dig. Kenny – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Actually, according to reports in this morning’s paper, Tiger took offense at Vijay’s caddie wearing the "Tiger Who?" hat. He considered it gamesmanship and it is why he made Vijay putt an 18" putt on hole 4. According to the paper, when Vijay congratulated Tiger on the US team win, Tiger’s response was "Don’t forget about our match." I think Tiger was PO’d about the hat. I don’t blame him. Can you imagine the reaction if one of the American caddies had something like "Els 0-4" on it? Come on … it was a joke. The score was 14-6 at the start of the singles, and it came when Thomson remarked "we’re not conceding defeat, but we are suing for peace". If anything it was a backhanded compliment to Tiger. I’ve always thought some Americans haven’t got a sense of humour, including Tiger, it seems. Cheers Colin Wilson Australian handicap: 10.7 RSG Roll Call: http://u1.netgate.net/~kirby34/rsg/wilsonc.htm
Response:
The whole situation on Sunday had me perplexed. The NBC team was clearly trying to get an "angle" in the coverage. The producers were obviously looking for two things: European putts and chips going in the hole, and some evidence of "rivalry" between the two sides. To promote the first they were showing lots of European putts — on tape! — going into the hole, as well as whatever American misses they could find. To promote the second they had Jimmy Roberts doing some of the most stupid spots imaginable, to wit, asking Peter what he thought of the TIGER WHO caps (which of course he knew nothing about). It was obvious what NBC was doing, and they might as well have done something, but all in all I was extremely disappointed in the coverage of the tournament. All the background spots, all the same old cliches about each player, etc. Maybe interesting to a viewer who watches one televised tournament a year, but it had ME leaving claw marks on my armrests. In any event, I thought both sides acquitted themselves well. Although it would have been cool if Notah had given Goosen the putt on #18 to halve the match. But then again, I can think of other reasons why Notah should have played it out the way he did. The TIGER WHO caps, I don’t know what the heck kind of drugs they let caddies smoke these days, but they must be at least r.s.g quality. -joseph – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Let’s see. The man who won the only major Tiger didn’t this year, tells his caddie it’s ok to wear a hat that says "Tiger Who?" I like a joke as much as anyone (there are probably three or four of us in America like that), but I can certainly see Tiger thinking it was a dig. Kenny