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 My Dinner with Alan Posted: Wed June 17, 1998
Click here to send a golf question to Alan Shipnuck. A SWANKY, EUROTRASH COFFEE SHOP IN NORTH BEACH, Calif.—I've been to the mountaintop, and Olympic is everything I was expecting and more (although I'm still gasping for air after walking the hilly course Tuesday). I'm not going to linger too much on the Open in this space because as y'all hopefully know I will be posting daily reports at this site every morning for your consumption. But the course is in fabulous shape, playing harder and faster every day. And though everyone was expecting the weather to be colder than an editor's heart, it's been lovely through all the practice rounds. There is a palpable energy around Olympic, and practically every player has been bragging that his game is peaking, his swing is grooved, or some other overused golf cliché. So let me add one of my own: It's going to be a barnburner.
My wife thinks you're the cutest thing, but I'm more
interested in how you arrived at
your list of
finishers at the Open. Why put Tiger Woods at No. 10, which means he
will finish on the plus side if the winner is -6, as you
predicted? I think he will finish closer to the top of your
list, if not win it all. In fact, I would like to bet you a
dinner on
it.
From the sound of things, Bill, I think I'd rather dine with your wife. It's true Tiger will birdie the par-5s, but so will everybody else. Like most Open courses Olympic gets its teeth from the par-4s, those 450-yard backbreakers the USGA has such a shine for. Because of all the twisting doglegs, overhanging trees, anorexic fairways, and a rough that is even gnarlier than previously feared, Tiger will have to throttle back off the tee. He's been talking all week about hitting a lot of two-irons and three-woods. This negates his advantage. What makes Tiger such a force is that on a typical 450-yard hole he is hitting a 100-yard sand wedge on his second shot while everyone else has a 175-yard six-iron. If he has to lay up and also play from 175 yards, he is just another player. The majors have exposed his imprudent course management and his streaky-at-best short game. So come Monday, I'll be expecting a FedEx with my Caesar salad, surf 'n turf and a nice bottle of wine. Cheers!
Why aren't PGA Tour players allowed to wear shorts? The
LPGA allows
it.
Three words: Craig Stadler's legs.
What is your opinion on the whole Casey Martin cart
situation? Don't you think the PGA is just being a bully,
like when you were in preschool and you picked the smallest
kid to run a race against just because you knew you could
beat him even if you slipped in the
sand?
There is a lot of interest in Casey this week, but I chose to answer Kev's question because I suspect it is part of some kind of therapy helping him to overcome the traumas of his childhood. As I've said before, I like Casey Martin, I think he has a lot of heart and he's a pretty decent player. The cart does not give him an advantage, it merely levels the playing field. I'll tell you this: The people here love him. Tuesday he played a practice round with his old Stanford teammates Joel Kribel and Tiger Woods. The gallery was predictably huge. On the 18th Martin nearly knocked over the flagstick and it was the loudest roar of the day. I even think Martin has a chance to nibble around the edges of the top 10 this week because the strength of his game is his driving. The ball, not the cart.
Since I never see anyone whom
I would take to be newspaper/magazine writers wandering about
the fairways on television broadcasts of major tournaments,
I have to think you media guys are hunched over beers and
popcorn at some muni, watching the same thing I am. Just
where do you go during the tournament? And if it is the
media tent, why don't you get out and wander about with the
common
folk?
Gord, I take great offense at the beer-and-popcorn remark. No golf writer would ever be caught dead eating popcorn. I am also curious what you think a typical writer looks like. If you want fedoras and ink-stained sleeves, rent The Front Page. But it is true many of my brethren spend way too much time in the air-conditioned comfort of the press tent. Part of it is logistics—if you're out following Phil Taturangi on the 14th hole it's hard to talk to other players as they finish their rounds and are brought into the press tent for interviews. Further, you might miss something crucial happening on another part of the course, which TV will surely deliver to the media center. I still try to walk a lot, usually early in the week before things get too juicy. But I have other compelling reasons for staying in the tent. Like the free Dove bars.
Hey, Alan, nice golf knowledge, nice research, and nice how
you left me with a big goose
egg regarding my question on Bill Glasson. Here's what I think
about you and your lame Golf Mailbag (answer appears after
colon): ----
---!
Bravo, Rick, bravo. This is the kind of passion we like to find in our readers. I agree I was a little rude last time around and I offer my most heartfelt apologies. To make it up to you I called Glasson at home to ask him all of your questions. It turns out he Send your golf questions to Sports Illustrated staff writer Alan Shipnuck, and check back next Thursday for his answers.
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