Kite performed his own gymnastics on the 18th green during the Tradition. When a putt failed to go in, he squatted, leaned back on his heels and lost his balance, falling over. "Steph is going to give me grief," Kite said. "She'll go, 'Hey, Dad, way to stick the landing.' I can hear her now."

More McCord, on his route to the ghost town: "You pass one of the great golf courses, Snakehole Country Club. It's all dirt. No grass, nothing. You've got a rake for the sand greens, they're oiled. You go past, you see guys out in carts, playing tensomes. The rule is you've got to live in the trailer park next door to play the course. The first time I drove by, I saw all these carts in the desert and thought, What the hell are they doing? Then I saw a flag." ... Still more McCord, on the changes to Augusta National: "There's one guy who can hit it a long way and can do everything else, and the changes play right into his hands. They play right out of the hands of Charles Barkley. He can't hit a lick. I think that's probably what they did, to get Charles out of the golf course, to make it tougher. The only way you're going to get the field back to Tiger is to play the Bob Hope Classic every week, where somebody is going to shoot 28 under in a four-round tournament. If you make the course difficult in any way, shape or form, he's going to sing all the way to the trophy room." ... Say it isn't so, even more McCord, on his current use of the belly putter: "I talked to Paul Azinger at the end of last year, at the Buick Open in Flint. I've been looking at this. I talked to Dave Pelz. Azinger tells me what he thinks. Just for the pure physics, I think it's a better way to putt. I wasn't putting bad, I wasn't putting good. It was just something to stir things up. You can cut the putter to any length. Zinger is at 47 inches, Vijay Singh's is 46, mine's 45. Then there's Fred Couples. Of course, Freddie doesn't know how long his is -- 'Some guy gave it to me and I just started using it.' I putted really well last year; I went from nowhere to 11th in putting stats. I'm not putting it bad now, they're just not going in."

Mailbag

Why do Americans insist on calling the U.S. Amateur a major? I'm sick of reading about Jack Nicklaus' 20 majors. The number is 18! There are FOUR major tournaments and not one is the exclusive domain of amateurs. If the U.S. Amateur was THAT important, Greg Norman would have delayed turning pro and finished runner-up plenty of times. Stop the self-obsession and acknowledge that Bobby Jones died a long, long time ago.
—Guy Stayner, Melbourne, Australia

So, Guy, the Amateur isn't a major because the Shark never came in second? Do I detect bitter-beer face? Have a slight sense of history. The Amateur used to be a major. For the sake of comparison, there's nothing wrong with using 20 as Nicklaus' total. The Am was a major when he won it and he counts it. My advice: Get over it.

On football broadcasts, networks use that nice line to show the first-down yardage. I was wondering if it would be possible to circle the hole on the green the same way. As I get older it is harder to see the hole until the ball is almost in it. What do you think?
—Joy Bent, Barefoot Bay, Fla.

I think you need a big-screen, high-definition TV, Joy. I also think it's not a half-bad idea. ABC already sticks a graphic flag on the screen to show the pin location in the distance; why not a halo around the hole?

I've seen question after question on how to keep the game competitive for the pros but still fun for the amateurs. One equipment change I'd like to see implemented is standard lofts on all irons. It's fairly common knowledge that the pros play irons with stronger lofts than amateurs. Why not do something NASCAR-like for the pros and make them have identical lofts on their irons? It's kind of deceptive that one player hits a 7 and another hits an 8 while the two clubs have the same loft. Your thoughts?
—Scott Thacker, Pearland, Texas

It is indeed absurd that one company's 12-degree-loft driver is another company's 10-degree. You'd think there would be a standard, but there isn't. As for standardizing club lofts, you would first have to standardize the measuring process. But why bother? It's the shot, not the loft of the club that produced the shot, that matters, and I don't see it having any effect on scoring whatsoever. Besides players and equipment-makers would oppose it -- therefore, it'll never happen.

When did it become fashionable for players to say, "If I didn't think I could win, I wouldn't be here"? We have a reigning U.S. Amateur champ (not named Woods) and an overhyped 22-year-old who could not hit a par-5 green in regulation with a wedge in the playoff of a second-tier tour event making such statements. Is this sports psychology gone too far or simply kids watching too much TV?
—Victor Canseco, Greenwich, Conn.

It's the Tiger factor, V-Man. It's WWTD: What Would Tiger Do? Maybe we can't play like Tiger, but we can talk like him. And tell your brother, Jose, good luck on his comeback.

How could anyone, when comparing the careers of Ben Crenshaw and Nick Price, vote for Crenshaw and not for Price?
—Steve, Anderson, Ind.

I used to care about stuff like that, Steve. I thought Halls of Fame were supposed to be exclusive. I haven't been voting for Crenshaw. I don't think he is Hall material. But it's not really a hall of enshrinement anymore; it's a tourist attraction. The floodgates have been opened. The more inductees, the bigger the induction ceremony, and so on. I agree. Price should be in. So should Kite. And Leo Diegel.

About a month ago, some writer said that 62s, 63s and 64s were going to be the norm at this year's U.S. Open. The author wrote that guys would be hitting flip wedges into 12, 13 holes on the Black. I play out there quite a bit and don't understand where the heck the author is coming from. Your thoughts? And if I am able to get a foursome before the Open, are you interested?
—Frank Boensch, New York

Let's get to the important stuff first, Frank. Sure, who wouldn't want to play the Black Course anytime, especially before the Open? If I'm anywhere near the East Coast, count me in. As for the flip wedges, I don't think Bethpage Black will play short. It may not play difficult because its greens are relatively flat and easy to read, but isn't it going to play at 7,500 yards? Of course, tour pros have the length to play anywhere. You may see a few low scores, some 64s. But I don't think you're going to see nine or 10 a day; maybe one.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Gary Van Sickle writes for the magazine's Golf Plus section and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com. Click here to send him a question or comment.

 

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