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Bowing out James' exit should put end to Ryder Cup whining
Don't look for a lot of sympathy for Mark James. He was forced to step down as the European Ryder Cup team's assistant captain after a lengthy controversy over his so-called tell-all book on the last Ryder Cup. While James has a lot of friends and is actually an intelligent, witty and pretty cool guy the whole European Ryder Cup rage over theAmerican team's celebration of Justin Leonard's putt had more to do with the realization that the Euros had just done one of the biggest choke jobs in golfing history than about a breach of etiquette. Much of the anger directed at the Americans was a smoke screen so the folks back home wouldn't ask how the Euros could possibly have blown a four-point lead going into the singles matches. Or how Jose Maria Olazabal could fail to win a key singles match when he was four-up with eight holes to go against a struggling Leonard. Or why James left some players on the bench until Sunday and then sent his weakest players out first when it was obvious the Americans would send their best out first. When the smoke cleared, the Ryder Cup was a Euro disaster, and James deserves a heaping helping of blame. That's why it was a lot easier for him to complain about the Americans' celebration than it was to look in a mirror. Former European captain Tony Jacklin got away with all sorts of rude comments, but guess what? His teams won Ryder Cups. When you lose, and lose embarrassingly as James' team did, the population standing in your corner tends to scatter. Especially when you put your comments all in print and can't say you were misquoted. But hey, this whole controversy is about the guy who was going to be the captain's helper at the next Ryder Cup. Big deal. What's next, a knockdown fight about what color shirts they wear? The way the Euros hosed Miguel Angel Martin a few years ago was a disgrace. That was an important injustice that shouldn't be forgotten. This squabble? Get serious. Bring on the mail:
What do you think of Tiger crossing the Screen Actors Guild picket line and shooting a Buick commercial after initially supporting the strike? Don't tell me the millionaires of the PGA Tour are lacking in the social consciousness department? I am shocked. I can't believe it. Chris, say it ain't so!
How come the caddies have to carry those humongous leather bags? Those things weigh a ton. Why can't they use the lighter, dual-strapped carry bags? Advertising. They're not golf bags, man, they're billboards. You're missing the concept.
I have been a big fan of Mark O'Meara since I started watching golf in 1995. I've watched on TV as he won Pebble Beach, the Masters and the British. But, what has happened to his career lately? O'Meara is still winning plenty of money, just not winning tournaments. It's be hard not to get complacent when you're in your early 40s and you finally win two majors in a year, as he did in 1998. The guy has been playing Tour golf for more than 20 years, has all the money he can ever spend and is rumored to be a leading candidate for golf's cushiest job, replacing Ken Venturi in the tower at the 18th for CBS. The competition is too tough on the PGA Tour to keep winning if you don't play your best, or if you slack off even a little. A lot of Tour players would trade for O'Meara's game -- and his bank account.
Do you think that Notah Begay might be the one to come out of the pack and challenge Tiger? Does the fact that Notah played with Tiger at Stanford mean that Notah may be less intimidated by him? I would love to see Tiger, Notah and Casey Martin in a final threesome some day.
It continues to amaze me that Notah Begay can play so well with a swing that would fit in with my weekend foursome of hapless hackers? How does he do it? A swing you can repeat is as good as a great swing in golf. Hey, if you knew you were going to slice it 30 yards right every time, you could allow for it and score pretty well. No, Begay doesn't have a classic swing. His club is loose at the top of the backswing and he has to redirect it. The fact that he's able to win with that swing means he's got a great short game and is tough as nails. He drained that 30-footer for the win on the final green in Hartford. I don't think Begay is intimidated by Tiger, but he knows deep down that he doesn't have Tiger's mechanics. He has the guts to beat Tiger, he just doesn't have the game to do it on a regular basis. At the moment, no one else does, either.
My 10-year-old son loves golf. I took him with me to the course the other day and he wasn't allowed to play. I said, "He'll walk with me and learn a bit of etiquette." Nope -- the course's insurance wouldn't cover him. Where are kids supposed to learn golf if they can't play on a course? I've been through that with my son, who is now 13. He was turned away at a Milwaukee county par-3 course once -- even though he was already better than half the customers who hacked it around there -- and at a par-3 track in Connecticut, where they said he had to be 12. A par-3 course should cater to kids, not discourage them. Many course operators, especially those who oversee municipal facilities,are idiots. A 10-year-old who can break 100 isn't allowed to play, but an adult who's never swung a club is O.K. What you want to do, Manny, is tell everyone you know how that course denied your kid the opportunity. It's age discrimination. Call the local newspaper. Write an editorial. Call local TV stations -- they love interviewing businesses that pick on kids. Put a public spotlight on the jerks and make them sweat as much as you can. They may change their policies. If they don't, well, at least you have the satisfaction of knowing you probably cost them some business. We're the customers -- they're here to serve us, remember?
Click here to send your golf question to Gary Van Sickle.
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