Lies, damn lies, and (PGA Tour Golf) statistics

ABC British Open Preparation Meeting – July 6, 2004

OK, settle down, settle down, it’s good to see everyone and we’ve got a lot of items to go through, so let’s get started.  The British Open is only two weeks ago, and as many of you know, we’ve got a bit of a crisis on our hands, and I don’t mean Curtis Strange’s exit from the booth to the senior tour.  In short, Tiger’s game has taken a noticeable turn for the worse and the unthinkable has happened – he may not be the prohibitive favorite for this year’s British Open.  We may have to go back to the good old days – for you newbies, that would be anything before 1996 – when there was a host of potential champions in the event.  Obviously, we all know what Tiger means to ratings, at the same time we’ve got a golf tournament to cover that may or may not include Tiger in a contending role.  Let’s go through the basics -

Rule # 1: Tiger is either leading, in contention, or in danger of missing the cut.  So the tournament summary always starts with Tiger’s highlights from the round so far and discusses his relative position in the field.  That means I need someone to review every shot he’s hit and grab the 3 best ones – there’s your open.

“What if Tiger hasn’t hit any good shots yet today?”

Yes, fair question, we certainly encountered that with that hideous 81 he threw up on Saturday in 2002.  In that case, highlight at least 3 shots from the previous rounds and open with something about the extremely difficult conditions the players are encountering today.  The audience will recognize that Tiger’s handling the elements as well as anyone.

“What if another player is on course and going low?”

Ah, good question, and we’ve certainly seen other networks struggle with this one.  Witness CBS, which so desperately pleaded for Tiger to be in contention and finally got around to the classic Ernie-Phil duel.  If someone else is having a tremendous day, it’s because Tiger’s helping the whole field recognize it can go low or it’s a career round.  The appropriate graphic is either the high-score-following-career-or-course-record or the “how far can you come back from?” graphic.

“On that point, if Tiger is T-60 and 8 shots back, shouldn’t the lead intro for Sunday be something about the contenders?  13 of the last 14 Augusta winners have come from the last group on Sunday, and it seems a lot to expect the viewing public to not see through anything other than the leaders.”

Yes, well that’s Augusta, isn’t it?  We’ve got an entirely different tournament here and on that point, thank God for Van de Velde.  The Frenchman proved that almost no lead is secure at the British, and Paul Lawrie has him to thank for allowing his 64 to join the playoff.  Thanks to Van de Velde and Miller at Oakmont, we can say with a straight face that no lead is insurmountable on Sunday. 

“Yes, well I did a bit of research on the insurmountable lead theory.  Miller’s certainly used it at the Open at about the time Tiger finishes every Saturday round – “if he can just come up with that magical round, he’s got a shot tomorrow.”  All well and good to try and entice the viewers, but it becomes more of a stretch each year.  It turns out there actually are some rules you can lay down with a fair amount of certainty.  At the US Open, everyone talks about Miller’s Sunday 63 at Oakmont and Palmer’s Sunday 65 at Cherry Hills as if they came from way back in the pack.  In reality, Miller started the day tied for 13th, 6 strokes back.  Palmer started the day tied for 15th, 7 strokes back.  Even in ’99, Lawrie started Sunday tied for 13th, 9 strokes back.  So they myth of the comeback from anything close to middle of the pack is just that, a myth.  In fact, if you’re not in the top 20 after Saturday, it’s fair to say you’ve got a chance for a nice check on Sunday, but no chance at holding the trophy.  I don’t think it’s right to lead with Tiger if he’s just made the cut and finished Saturday tied for 34th.”

I’d like your name and serial #, private – er, sorry, flashback – whatever your name is, let’s just say for the record that the facts should never get in the way of a quality telecast.  You obviously haven’t been working here long enough to appreciate some of the quality work that’s been going on around here.  You think it was easy making Tiger the lead story in ’98 and ’99, or even in ’02?  No, and that’s why you make the big money, or at least why you get paid, to come up with new and creative ways to help us feature Tiger at every opportunity.  So let’s review a few scenarios:

Vijay and Ernie in the last group, O’Meara and Sergio in the group ahead, Phil and Shaun Micheel two groups ahead, Tiger made the cut by 1 and has already finished T-42 with a 73 and is 11 shots back while his playing partner Jay Haas fired a 67 to finish the day T13th, 6 shots back – anyone?

“Welcome to Sunday at the 2004 British Open.  What a round by Tiger – his 1-over 73 included some of the most amazing up-and-downs.  Let’s look at some highlights of his round – first, here’s an approach on 8, perfectly positioned below the cup – he made that to go to 1-under for the day.  Then on 10, an approach comes up just a foot short and plugs in the bunker, he would make bogey – little question that the bunkers are in unfair positions throughout the course, that one should probably be removed.  On 12, the approach bounces through the green from the first cut of rough, a perfect shot that was just too good – hard to believe someone can reach from 192 with an 8-iron – wow, is Tiger strong!  Tiger was unable to get up and down and made another bogey.  On 14, he bounces back with a 4-iron approach to 25 feet – what a majestic, high-flying, soft-landing iron with just the right amount of spin, hard to believe he can get 4-iron there from 235 – phenomenal effort.  He burns the edge with a magnificent putt, and the 2-putt birdie gets him back to even for the day.  On 16, he gives one back with a wild approach shot to the right – clearly a cameraman must’ve distracted him, difficult to believe Tiger could miss one that badly without something happening.  It’s amazing how well he plays for someone with that big a gallery day after day.  Unable to get it up and down from thick rough, Tiger falls back to 1-over for the day.  Finally, on 18 a perfect drive and a perfect 6-iron – does anyone hit better middle irons than Tiger? – sets up a 2-putt par.  Tiger’s playing partner, Jay Haas – say, shouldn’t he be on the Senior tour? – shot a 67 to put himself in contention, 6 shots back and tied for 13th.  Here’s his approach putt on 18 – it burns the edge leaving him at 5-under for the day.  We’d like to show you more highlights of Jay’s round, but the crowd following Tiger made it extremely challenging for our cameraman to get any quality footage of Jay.  Obviously playing with Tiger brought out the best in Jay, but realistically he’s got no chance tomorrow – anyone who finds a 67 on Saturday will give a few shots back on Sunday.

In the 3rd to last group will be Phil Mickelson, seeking his second major of his career and 2nd overall – boy, was Phil ever lucky that Tiger didn’t mount a Sunday charge at Augusta?  It must be a lot of pressure on Phil knowing that Tiger is at 8 career majors and that he’s got little chance of ever catching him.  Here’s Phil hitting an 8-iron approach to 3 feet at 16 – a nice effort.  Paired with Phil will be Shaun Micheel – you may remember Micheel from the 7-iron he hit to 18 inches on the 72nd hole to defeat Chad Campbell.  Or you may not, since 41% fewer viewers tuned in to watch CBS’ telecast than the previous year, which as we all remember was Tiger’s famous charge on the back 9 to try and catch Rich Beem.  Lucky for Beem Tiger did not find his game until the 15th hole.  Here’s Micheel with a 7-iron approach on 18 to 2 feet for a birdie to put him into the penultimate group – a nice effort. 

In the 2nd to last group will be Sergio Garcia and Mark O’Meara.  Sergio everyone remembers from the epic duel in the ’99 PGA – his run up the fairway only steeled Tiger even more strongly to achieve his second career major.  Sergio’s swing lag seems a bit better, but can he keep the mechanics solid on the back 9 of a major on Sunday?  Here’s his approach from the semi to 2 feet on 16 – a nice effort.  O’Meara needs no introduction – one of Tiger’s best friends on tour, he managed to win a couple majors while Tiger was redoing his swing – now, that’s a friend – and now mooches rides off Tiger’s jet while doing interviews primarily about Tiger.  Can’t blame him, not much to talk about with his own game these days.  Here’s an approach from the fairway on 16 to two feet – a nice effort. 

And in the last group will be Vijay Singh and Ernie Els.  Vijay had a nice 2003 season, but of course Tiger had a better one in fewer events that won him Player of the Year.  Ernie had a nice tournament at Augusta, and than that horrendous 81 playing with Goosen as Retief won the US Open at Shinnecock – of course the real story at the US Open was the course – how could it be Retief winning his second US Open to catch Ernie and Tiger?  Clearly, Vijay and Ernie will be glad to know that Tiger starts the day 11 shots back – although clearly if both of them pull a Van de Velde and Tiger can go out and fire a 61, which would better the course record by 2, you never know what could happen. 

So I think the focus of today’s initial coverage needs to be on Tiger to see if he can mount a front-nine charge and shake the confidence of the leaders.  If he can turn in 30 – breaking the front nine scoring record by 1 – he could really put some fear into the leaders, who will only just be teeing off.  Let’s go to the highlights of Tiger on the early holes.  Here’s his approach on the 1st from the right rough – oooh, it just flies over the green – Tiger would be unable to get it up-and-down from there after a fantastic flop wedge shot to 30 feet.  Here’s his tee shot on the 2nd – right down the middle – wow, look at that drive, miles past his playing partner Corey Pavin.  Here’s his approach shot with an 8-iron – ooh, it just spins back past Pavin’s ball – isn’t that lucky for Corey that he’ll get a read off one of the world’s best putters? – Tiger would go on and make a routine par.  On 3, here’s his tee shot at the 195-yard par-3, that is phenomenal, he hit an 8-iron to pin high – his distance with the irons is hard to believe, it’s like it’s not even a fair contest.  He would 2-putt for par.  Meanwhile, Pavin opens with 3 straight birdies but of course has no shot at making a charge because of his lack of length and recent experience in major championships.  So there you have it – Tiger hitting some tremendous shots but unable to capitalize – let’s go back to Steve in the tower for some more coverage of live action in the 2004 British Open …

Outstanding work laddie – we may find a spot in the tower for you yet. 

Buick Recap / US Open Predictions

Thoughts from last week's Buick -

ABC ran a great piece on how the long hitter and short hitter can sometimes play holes very differently, even at a course like Westchester where the premium is on accuracy over distance in most cases. On 15, both Sergio and Vijay took aggressive lines over the trees to cut about 60-80 yards off the dogleg and end up with 9-iron (Sergio) and sand wedge (Vijay) approach shots with a very straightforward look at the pin, turning a 470 yard par 4 into a good chance for birdie. Compare that with Tom Byrum, who had to play to the corner of the dogleg and had a 190-yard blind approach shot. Even on a course where accuracy is required, big hitters can still gain an advantage - admittedly they need about a 300-yard carry over trees, but they can gain an advantage. Hal Sutton's "Vijay dropped the mail on Sergio" after flying it past Sergio's tee shot is an instant classic and proof that Hal's not shy about throwing a little heat at some of the guys, which will serve him well in the booth.

One impressive thing about Sergio's big move on Sunday - he did it playing in the same group as Vijay, which means he'll have recent experience playing with one of the top players and playing well just in case Sunday at Shinnecock leaves him in a similar position. Most impressively, Sergio played the tough 7-13 stretch in 4 under, picking up at least 2 shots on the other competitors near the top of the leaderboard.

Of all the shots that he played on Sunday, the 2nd shot on 18 had to be a big confidence booster. Having just watched Vijay dump a 3-wood into the right bunker and knowing he needed to make 4 to post at 12-under, Sergio pured a 3-wood from 265 that almost stayed on the top level. It came off the ridge and left a tough eagle putt, but Sergio's 2-putt meant 12-under would need to be caught to force a playoff. Impressive stuff under some serious Sunday pressure.

Andy North's shot analysis is a cool new feature. After the player's tee shot lands and while the players are walking out to the fairway, Andy's quick analysis of lie, shape of shot, and any obstructions should help any fan understand some of the smaller details than can make a big impact, like sand-filled divots and over-hanging trees.

The most frightening thing about Vijay's performance is that after Thursday's 63 he made virtually no putts the rest of the week and still finished T-4. Equally impressive was Rory Sabbatini's strong play while the other 2 in his group were going backward.

The Nike ad with Duval swinging the new Nike driver, triggering the car alarm, and Frank the head cover yelling "best contact you've made all year Duval!" is a classic and shows that Duval's got more of a sense of humor than most people think. He will be a welcome addition back to the tour.

Padraig Harrington remains a great player, and his ability to get into a playoff without his A game (or so he says) is impressive stuff with a quality field. He'll win on the PGA Tour, and it might even be a major. However, let's stop referring to the Tiger Challenge as anything other than an exhibition event. Anything with an "elite" (i.e. small and hand-picked by Tiger) field that consists of 16 players might as well be a hit-n-giggle event, because beating 15 guys means nothing. Another Harrington thought - his chip in at 18 to join the playoff was apparently unexpected and the announcing crew got somewhat excited when it actually went in. Now push rewind and imagine how much analysis we would've gotten if Tiger faced the same shot to force a playoff. We would have seen every clutch Tiger shot over the last 7 years - Tiger's putt to force 18 at the PGA against Bob May, Tiger's putt to beat Sergio in the '99 PGA, Tiger's 100-foot bomb at The Players - and if he made it the commentary would've been along the lines of "can you believe that?" And the media wonders why the public things everyone else is boring - as if the media would allow them to be anything else?

Onward to Shinnecock ... the Open approaches ... and speaking of the US Open - a few frequently asked questions you may be interested in before the start of tomorrow's action:

1) Will Tiger ever call Butch? Sure, and probably leave him an expletive-laden tirade if he wins ("Take that, Harmon, I don't need you, I don't need anyone - well maybe Erin, but that was my choice and my idea so back off!")

2) Will Ernie continue his strong play? Absolutely, and he should top 10 - long and straight with a ton of short game will generally serve you well at Opens - for those that forget, Ernie's won 2 already.

3) Will Phil follow up Augusta with more strong play? Absolutely, but we should all be surprised if he wins, his playing weight's down by about 30 pounds thanks to that large primate that's now off his back and he still needs to fine-tune the swing for the weight adjustment (and you thought it was all that working out he's been doing)

4) Will Sergio win back-to-back? No - as good as the 3-wood on 18 was at the Buick (I'm sorry - 265 up hill to about 15 feet after watching Vijay dump his in the right trap - yeah, he's got game) to force OT, nobody goes back-to-back and it won't happen this year. But look for Phil and Sergio to both be in the top 30 and topics of conversation all week. New York fans, still cranky about Bethpage and the notorious "finger" incident, could take vigilante justice into their own hands if Sergio gives the club more than 4 waggles - God help his caddie, hope he's been working out.

5) Will David Duval make the cut? Hmmm, love to say yes, but can't - no way you take 8 months off, fire it back up at the Open, and expect to do anything significant, or do you? Remember - Duval got to #1 and then took much of 2001 off (true - there was a 2nd at that little Augusta tourney, but nothing suggested a win at the British), so maybe he can pull a rabbit out of his hat. One thing is for sure - he will be enjoying himself and whatever happens it will be a great story.

6) Will a European break through at the Open? Maybe, and if he does it will be Padraig, not Sergio (see above). He's playing great (in spite of his protestations after the Buick playoff loss) and will absolutely grind all week long. Plus, the chipping areas off the green are much more Euro and wrist-friendly than deep rough.

7) Can Furyk defend? Sadly no, but we're glad he's there. As above, the chipping areas should allow him to play well - his wrist and the long rough will not get along - remember Tiger pulled out in '95 hitting from the hay, it's not any shorter this year.

8) Will a dark horse emerge? Absolutely, though I'm not sure how long a shot it will be - I like Chad Campbell in the wind, David Toms to re-emerge as a top player, and somebody we've rarely heard of to make an appearance on the back 9 on Sunday - and if we learned nothing from 2003, once you get to Sunday with a chance anyone can close the deal.

9) Who's the new BPNTHWAM (Best Player Never to Have Won a Major) - don't know, don't care but fear not - the media will identify him by Sunday for all of us. It shouldn't be Sergio (too young), Appleby (not yet there), or Monty (too old) - Chad Campbell could wear the collar well, it would weigh a lot of other folks down (Adam Scott - also too young; Thurston - show me some game if you want that title).

10) Who won this thing last time it was at Shinnecock? Corey Pavin, with a career 4-wood. Don’t look for a lot of 4-wood approach shots to par-4s this year.

My fearless predictions - Ernie in a Monday playoff with Chad Campbell - Sergio, Phil, and Toms to all top-30 - Monty, Corey Pavin (sadly), Duval, and Furyk all to miss the cut. Ernie Els - your 2004 US Open Champion.

Originally posted to Blogger on June 10, 2004 - moved to TypePad on July 6, 2004

Memorial Recap

As always (or so it seems), Jack's tournament brings out the best of a quality field. As Sunday started Ernie, Fred, and Tiger were all on the leaderboard, as well as a few "other guys" like Justin Rose and K.J. Choi. Ernie put on a putting clinic for the entire back 9 after a cold start, and only managed to pull away from a revived Couples with birdies on 17 and 18, the latter a bit improbable after a bad tee shot and bad angle to a pin tucked behind the left bunker - not to worry, Ernie put the approach to within 6 feet. The host, Mr. Nicklaus, seemed astonished at the line during the telecast, and truth be told Ernie probably did pull it about 10 feet left of target, which is why aiming at the right side is the correct play. In the end, too much Els, and 18-under was the winning score, good enough to win by 4 over Fred and by 6 over Tiger. That's the easy part - you already know that from reading just about any sports website. Now let's dig a little deeper and see what's really going on as we approach the Open at Shinnecock in 2 weeks time.

Tiger is still playing at a high level - top 20 in almost every relevant stat (4 in driving distance, T6 putts per round, T20 putts per GIR, T16 GIR, T21 in driving accuracy, T15 in sand saves). In short, he's driving it long and reasonably straight, hitting solid approach shots, putting well, and getting up and down from all over (witness the miraculous par on 14 - if that doesn't go in, he's lucky to make double). Press reports to the contrary, Tiger's game is in good shape as the Open approaches.

Ernie is playing at a very high level - 1st in putts per GIR and putts per round (100 for the week - amazing on those greens), 2nd in driving distance, T21 in driving accuracy, T39 in GIR, and 10 in sand saves). In short, he's doing all of the same things as Tiger, and at least as well. Any Masters hangover has long since gone away, replaced by an even more resilient and determined Els.

Here's the new part - Ernie's actually able to impact the way Tiger plays golf now. This is a complete change among PGA players since late 2002/early 2003. Through mid-2002, when Tiger was winning both the Masters and US Open while multiple comedies of errors erupted all around him, Tiger could hang around knowing that the field would come back to him, particularly at the bigger events and even more particularly if the competitor was inexperienced. Witness Pebble, where Matt Gogel choked like a dog to give up a 7-shot lead on the back 9 and hand Tiger the title. And big name players were no exception - witness the 2002 Augusta fiascos of Ernie (making 8 on 13 - admitting later that he should have chipped out after a horribly pulled drive) and Vijay (finding the pond twice on 15 for a 9) to hand Tiger the title. To Phil's credit, he was right through up until 16, and had his tee shot been about 2 feet to the left he could've made 17/18 very interesting for Tiger. The point remains - through 2002 Tiger had to play good, not great golf, and could count on others backing up to him much of the time.

That really changed in 2003. Mike Weir wins at Augusta and a charge from behind is made with a Sunday 64 by not Tiger, but journeyman Len Mattiace, who then falters in OT with a double to allow the other Lefty to wear green. Jim Furyk tries to run away and hide at Olympia Fields and who's there to get in his way - not Tiger, but journeyman Steven Leaney who manages to make things interesting until Furyk's laser-like tee balls and approaches, along with some outstanding putts, seal a 3-shot victory. Then it got even better - Ben Curtis, whose ranking was 396, managed to shoot the low Sunday round among those in contention. His 69 and clutch up and down on 18 enabled him to win by 1 in one of the all-time great stories - Ben was the first player to win the first major he played in as an amateur or professional (there's the asterisk - Tiger won the '97 Masters - his first as a pro - but had played in others as an amateur) since Francis Ouimet in '17 at Brookline. To top it all off, Shaun Micheel and Chad Campbell stage a duel for the ages (we all saw Chad coming - his arrival would really be announced with a Saturday 61 to run away with the Tour Championship - he followed that up with a win at Arnie's place this year and will be winning tournaments, and big wins, for many years to come) at the PGA. Trading birdies, bogeys, and great putts, it came down to the 72nd hole - as Campbell looked on from the fairway and Micheel had a 1-shot lead, Micheel pured a 7-iron to 2 inches to lock up the win. It's easy (and accurate) to point out that had Tiger hit that shot, they would've had a plaque on the spot commemorating the shot within 24 hours - hard to see if Micheel will ever get his due for it. In short, one of the best shots on the 72nd hole of a major championship to claim the championship (arguments can be made for Tway's bunker shot over Shark at Inverness in '86 or Lyle's bunker shot on 18 at Augusta, but it's a short list and Mize's miraculous chip to beat that man Norman only counts if we're counting playoffs).

The trend continues in 2004 - Phil and Ernie stage an epic duel all the way around the back 9 at Augusta, with KJ and Sergio providing plenty of additional entertainment (before all the fireworks, Sergio looked as thought he might post at -3 and entertain chances of a playoff). Phil birdies 5 of the last 7 and the birdie on 18 ended the 0-fer slump and transformed all those near misses into quality finishes with one putt. Throughout the season, Tiger's statistics have continued to improve as he works on a right-to-left ball flight with no help from Harmon required, and yet his finishes have been decidedly un-Tiger-like. Yes, he has top 5s in the last 3 tourneys, but what's worth noting is that none of them are even 2nd place finishes. In short, the standard Tiger set in 2000 is hard for anyone to reach, even Tiger in 2004, but in the meantime everyone else on tour is raising their game. The new mantra is not just "These guys are good" as the commercial says, it's "these guys are good, they don't back up, and they fear nobody." If nothing else, Ben Curtis and Shaun Micheel resoundingly convinced anyone on every tour that if they get their chance at winning any tournament, why shoudn't they think they can do it? As much as Ernie and Phil winning tournaments solidifies their ability to win more, it's the emergence of the Curtis/Micheel result from less-than-journeymen that is most telling about the direction of the tour.

It will be harder than ever to back into tournament wins, even large tournaments, going forward. All of these guys can play and all of them are ready to go low and seize opportunities. So with the history lesson and some perspective on what it means, including why majors will get increasingly harder to win over time, now let's revisit the events of Sunday. Ernie shot 34 on the front to keep his nose out on front and Tiger came to the par-5 11th trailing by 2. On a hole he had played conservatively all week, and in the past would have done so again, waiting for those around him to back up, Tiger now decided to take driver. This decision was influenced by nothing so much as the realization that Ernie was not going to come back - he had to go get him. Suddenly Tiger experienced what everyone chasing him feels, pressure to do a bit more than you should. The result - striving for eagle lead to a dead yank and a par. At that point, Tiger was done and Freddie would be the contender the rest of the back 9. Another point about the depth of the tour - 16-under through 70 holes gets you about a 2 shot lead these days on a tough track - phenomenal. Tiger can blame the driver club pull on # 3 at Augusta in 2003 on Steve Williams, but this one was his pull and was forced by Ernie. That's what Tiger's tremendous bar raise has done - forced everyone to raise their games, and they are doing so in greater numbers.

Tiger will contend in the Open - and we can expect and hope that Phil, Ernie and Vijay bring their A games and contend as well. But don't be surprised if someone comes out of nowhere to lead on Sunday and manages to close the deal. Likely candidates include Verplank, Toms (hardly unknown but questionable of late), and Padraig (also not unknown), all of whom hit it straight and long enough and have plenty of short game to navigate Shinnecock. As always, the US Open should be one of the most entertaining tournaments to watch.

Which leads me to my final point - 41% fewer viewers watched Micheel's 7-iron than watched the previous year's victory by Rich Beem. Some would say Tiger put together a 4-hole birdie run at the end to strike fear into Rich Beem - Beem says he never worried about Tiger, that he was too far back - I say Tiger should've done something a bit better with the first 14 holes. Whatever the case, the point is that 41% fewer folks chose to watch because Tiger had an early tee time on Sunday. How much that cost CBS can only be guessed, but how much they learned we'll find out soon enough. Sure enough, at Augusta, realizing that event marketing, not personality marketing, needs to emerge as the primary marketing effort for PGA events, particularly majors, CBS showed the leaders and let the Mickelson-Els drama emerge without too many Tiger cameos. It's always worth noting that the champion at Augusta has come from the last group 13 of the last 14 years (the one year it didn't Faldo was in the next-to-last group and it took him a playoff to earn the jacket). So no matter how much you want to push Tiger, the winner always comes from the last two groups.

If CBS really did learn from last year's PGA ratings, they will push last year's tremendous finish, remind us that Micheel's shot was one of the all-timers and that the guy he beat has done some tremendous things in the last year and oh, by the way, all kinds of guys will show up ready to win their first title or major so you might want to watch. Don't be surprised if one of those journeyman does get a win - and don't be surprised if people don't watch if Tiger forgets to contend. It took a few years for Tiger to get bigger than majors - it will take a few years to fix it.

But enough about CBS and the PGA - NBC has the US Open and Johnny will ensure that relevant events are covered properly - onward to Shinnecock ... and for those of you that have not read it, Johnny's new book is outstanding and must be read by anyone who is a golf fan or thinking of becoming one.

Originally posted on Blogger June 10, 2004 - moved to TypePad on July 6, 2004