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Chat Reel: SI's Jaime Diaz
Posted: Tuesday March 07, 2000 04:22 PM
Sports Illustrated senior writer Jaime Diaz joins CNNSI.com users each Monday at 1 p.m. ET to talk golf. A transcript of his March 6 chat follows.
CNNSI.com Host: Welcome to our golf chat with Sports Illustrated's Jaime Diaz. Thanks for joining us, Jaime.
Jaime Diaz: Thanks again.
From Guest: Why can't Stephen Ames put together a good enough weekend to win? He seems to have the game but just can't get over the hump.
Jaime Diaz: I think those questions are in a player's head. It's a fine line -- those who have struggled to win, when they finally break through often become the best winners. That goes back to Bobby Jones, Tom Watson, and David Duval is a recent example. I think the important thing is whether Ames has the physical game that's impressive to other players, and he does. When he gets over the mental hurdle that's inhibiting him at the moment, I think he'll be a formidable player.
From Guest: Great win by Jim Furyk this weekend. Do you think in light of his Tigeresque rally that this could be a turning point in his career, where he finally may have more actual wins than the usual top 10's?
Jaime Diaz: I think it certainly is a very big confidence booster, and that might be the only thing that was holding him back on the back nine on Sundays. Now that he's done it, it might be easier to do. He's always been very close, even in some majors, on Sundays. I don't recall ever seeing Furyk collapse; I just don't remember ever seeing him put the hammer down at the end of a tournament like he did Sunday. This could be an important step.
From Guest: Any hunches on players who could rise from obscurity? How about Bob Estes and David Toms?
Jaime Diaz: I don't think Toms is a surprise any longer. He won twice last year. He's a very good driver and a good putter -- those are the two most important things on Tour, and he's got those. Bob Estes is a unique player because he plays an old-style game -- not very long, doesn't spin the ball a lot, kind of bounces the ball into greens sometimes. It's neat to watch. And he has a great short game, so I could see him doing well in the U.S. Open. He's a throwback, and I think last year, almost making the Ryder Cup team, gave him a lot of confidence. I think Dennis Paulson is a player to watch. His biggest handicap is his temperament; he's somewhat emotional. But he's got a lot of game, he's really long. Reminds me a little of Mark Calcavecchia.
From Guest: When can we expect David Duval's first win of the year? He's getting closer and closer, it seems.
Jaime Diaz: It's almost like when can we expect his first three? It feels like he could run off a string. I think the Masters is something he's definitely pointing for. He's the defending champ at the Players Championship, which is in his hometown. He's been getting better each week, he's on a good curve, so I think the Players would be a good place to look for him to repeat.
From Guest: I feel like Justin Leonard has played mediocre golf since the Ryder Cup. Do you think he'll rebound and win at least once this year, and will he contend in a major, if not win one?
Jaime Diaz: I certainly think he'll win once this year. I think his difficulty is the courses are getting longer and the greens are getting firmer. That plays against his lack of length and his propensity for hitting a lower shot into greens. He has a better chance on old-style courses, like Colonial or Hilton Head -- and, also, in the majors. The majors are all about hitting it straight (except for the Masters), and hitting it low under the wind at the British. I think Justin will always be better in the majors than in the regular events.
From Guest: Do you think that Davis Love III has a good chance to win this upcoming weekend at the Honda?
Jaime Diaz: I would say he's got a real good chance, because it's a wide golf course that allows people to hit driver, and the field is not real strong. And Davis is playing very, very well. He was probably playing the best of anyone at World Match Play until he played Tiger.
From Guest: Who stands out right now as legitimate contenders at Augusta next month?
Jaime Diaz: The usual suspects -- Woods, Duval, Love. I'm always puzzled that Ernie Els doesn't do better; he'd be my darkhorse this year. And Phil Mickelson -- those are my five.
From Guest: Who do you think will be a surprise entry on the Presidents Cup team? And will the event have the excitement of last year's Ryder Cup?
Jaime Diaz: Aaron Baddeley. If he turns pro by then -- chances are he will -- he could have the same kind of infusion Sergio Garcia had on the Ryder Cup. I doubt it'll have the same excitement, not having the tradition behind it, but the competition is so high, it's going to gain respect here year by year.
From Brian: Where is Calvin Peete now, and why did he win so much in those few years in the '80s?
Jaime Diaz: Calvin Peete is on the Senior tour, struggling. He's not real healthy physically, and his nerves on the greens aren't that great. He's basically beyond the ability to win. When he was at his best, he was as straight a hitter as the Tour has ever seen. And he was long enough. I remember his win at the Tournament of Champions at La Costa in 1985, by six shots, with a tournament-record 267. That is one of the greatest performances of accurate ballstriking since Ben Hogan. Peete had a genius for hitting it straight, and he was a pretty good putter. When his length started to leave him he was at too much of a disadvantage, but for those 4-5 years he was an incredible story.
From Guest: Why have guys like Nick Faldo and Corey Pavin, who were good a few years back, collapsed? Will they bounce back?
Jaime Diaz: I've touched on this several times before, and basically it boils down to one thing: Their lack of length puts them at a huge disadvantage on today's courses, and it puts tremendous pressure on their putting. Both those guys are excellent putters, but now that they have to make putts for par to stay in contention, the pressure is too much. So now you have short hitters and poor putters. I'm generalizing a little bit, but the theme is that they're not long enough anymore.
From Ed: How do you become a "professional" golfer? Do you declare yourself a pro, or is there a system you have to comply with?
Jaime Diaz: You can declare yourself a pro by entering an event, signing up as a pro and accepting prize money. As for playing on a pro tour, you have to qualify. But there are a lot of satellite and minitours where all you have to do is say, "I'm a pro." But then you can't play amateur golf. To be a teaching or club pro, you have to go through the PGA of America's program.
From Guest: Who is the best putter on Tour?
Jaime Diaz: Probably Brad Faxon, still. There are a lot of guys who can putt extremely well, but Brad and Loren Roberts are consistently among the best putters every week, which is a hard thing to do. Even Ben Crenshaw, who is fantastic, can go off at times. But Loren and Brad, you don't hear about them going off that much. Jim Furyk's up there also.
From Mark: I have heard that some/all pros re-grip their clubs after each round. Is this normal procedure?
Jaime Diaz: No, I would think that's very rare. I've never even heard of that. That's wasteful. I think grips play better when they've been played once or twice, rather than brand new. I think even once a month is a lot. Clubs feel different when you put new grips on them, so I think pros like to use them several weeks at least.
From Guest: What do you think Sergio's schedule will be like between Augusta and the U.S. Open, especially given that there are some premier events on the European tour in that time?
Jaime Diaz: I think he's got to go to Europe at that time, and he'll be over there. It's the heart of their season and it's a little bit of a flat spot on the PGA Tour. He'll certainly be at the Volvo PGA and the Benson and Hedges International. Plus there's a big one in Spain, which I would think he'd want to be at being a Spaniard. I don't see him on the regular Tour -- except perhaps at the Byron Nelson, which gave him an exemption last year and he played very well.
From Guest: Is there anyone on the LPGA Tour that will have a year like Juli Inkster did?
Jaime Diaz: Karrie Webb is going to surpass what Inkster had. But what's remarkable with Juli is that she's 39 with children and had the best year of her career. Is that going to happen with another, older player? I think it's not very likely; Laura Davies, perhaps, who's already having a strong season, and then Juli herself to repeat. Betsy King's won, so there's another person. But I don't think anybody's going to have the year Karrie Webb is going to have.
From Guest: Will the midwest, say Kansas City or St. Louis, ever have a regular Tour stop?
Jaime Diaz: It's difficult because of the television markets and the population centers not being as big. Louisville's had very successful PGA Championships at Valhalla, and St. Louis has had successful Senior tour events. The midwest would do well, but the schedule is full and nobody's dropping off. There isn't room for secondary markets right now because everyone wants to be involved with golf.
From Patrick: What does Tiger think of his big fan base in countries that will never have a chance to see him play live? And will he ever take his game on tour to such countries, even though some can't afford pay him huge appearance fees?
Jaime Diaz: I think Tiger's very proud that he has a worldwide Q rating, and I think he takes pride in spreading the game of golf to places it hasn't been played before to a great extent. That's why he likes to play in the World Cup, which this year is in Argentina -- I don't think he'd ever have any other reason to be in Buenos Aires. He does get over to Asia; he's been to Malaysia and Thailand, his mother's country. I think you'll see Tiger, as he gets older, becoming more of an ambassador, like Arnold Palmer, Gene Sarazen, Walter Hagen used to do. It'll be part of his legacy, something he realizes will be his role in the game. And the money will be there -- he'll get plenty of money.
From Guest: Any thoughts on players having breakthrough years?
Jaime Diaz: I think Rory Sabbatini is a player that bears watching. He's a long hitter, and he's been in the hunt a few times already. Now that Kirk Triplett has broken through and played well at Tucson the next week, he's got a lot of game and he could be somebody that has a late spring in his life, so to speak. Robert Allenby is a guy who was looked at as the Tiger of Australia, then he had some injuries. Now he's healthy again, and I think you'll see him win also.
CNNSI.com Host: That's all we have time for today. Thanks, Jaime.
Jaime Diaz: See you next week.
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