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Chat Reel: SI's Alan Shipnuck
Posted: Thursday April 20, 2000 07:51 PM
Sports Illustrated golf writer Alan Shipnuck joined CNNSI.com users for an April 20th chat. The transcript of the chat follows.
CNNSI.com Host: Welcome to our golf chat with Sports Illustrated's Alan Shipnuck. Thanks for joining us, Alan.
Alan Shipnuck: My pleasure.
CNNSI.com Host: Let's get started with the questions.
From Tim: With Tiger losing the last few tournaments, is it time to say he's overrated? Just kidding. Seriously, who especially was Vijay's "kiss my ass everybody" comment directed to? Other players? The Tour? Augusta itself? I didn't detect any surliness when he accepted the green jacket.
Alan Shipnuck: The "kiss my ass" sentiment was directed to all of the above. I don't think Vijay has ever felt totally accepted by the golf establishment, whoever they are, and I think he was blowing off some steam. However, for a more thoughtful answer check out last week's On Tour.
From Guest: Why can't Ernie Els seem to finish?
Alan Shipnuck: That's a question that haunts us all. In his former life, before marriage and fatherhood, Els was probably the most efficient golfer. Besides his two U.S. Opens, he won three straight Match Play championships. However, like many players, his priorities shifted and he lost his edge. Coming into this year Els made a lot of noise about regaining his former standing as one of the most feared players in golf. I think he's finding now you can't just turn it on and off that easily.
Obviously he's playing some great golf to put himself in contention so often so I think it's only a matter of time before he breaks through.
From CoachFelice: Did you know that Alan was a notorious cheater at Sherwood Gardens public golf course?
Alan Shipnuck: For those of you out there who didn't have the pleasure of attending Salinas High School, Coach Felice used to lord over P.E. class. Hearing his name after all these years makes me want to drop and do 20 pushups. As for the Sherwood allegations -- like Vijay, I'll mearly chalk them up as an indiscretion of youth.
From Guest: Do writers hang out with the golfers, or is there a church-state separation sort of thing?
Alan Shipnuck: It depends on the writer and player. It's not church and state, it's like male and female restrooms at a busy bar. Sometimes you have to cross over for the sake of expediency. But these days the cross-pollunation is less that it used to be. With so much money at stake, the players are a little more uptight, a little more eager to pound balls at the range til sunset.
From Guest: What Tour player would you most like to have a couple of pints with?
Alan Shipnuck: That's a good one. Probably Nick Faldo if he was in a good mood. I think he's probably the smartest guy out there, certainly the glibbest. Plus, he's lived a rather large life.
From Guest: Would the 200th-ranked men's player in the world dominate the LPGA tour?
Alan Shipnuck: Probably not. The best players in the LPGA hit just as far as a lot of men. And what's taken them to the top of the tour is the short-game, which is probably holding back the 200th-ranked man, whoever that may be.
From Guest: Why can't Monty win in the U.S.? And do you expect him to play well at Pebble?
Alan Shipnuck: I definitely expect him to play well at Pebble. You may recall that when he finished his final round at the '97 U.S. Open Jack Nicklaus shook his hand and said "congratulations for winning." Obviously that was premature, as Monty ended up second. But he likes the golf course at Pebble, as does everybody. He always plays well under open conditions. As for why Monty can't win in the U.S., that's the province of psychologists, not sportswriters. He's certainly got the game. I think Monty's big problem is that he only comes to the States for the biggest and toughest tournaments. He's also such a big family man, he doesn't allow enough time to get over jet lag and acclimate to the conditions.
From Guest: Is there anybody more overrated than Davis Love III right now?
Alan Shipnuck: Only Julia Roberts. I've been saying for awhile that Love's accomplishments don't come close to living up to his reputation. Now that Tiger has exposed him on numerous Sundays I think a lot of people are coming around.
From Guest: Alan, do you think the recent comments by Stephen Ames about Tiger are representative of most of the guys on Tour, or is he just an isolated case?
Alan Shipnuck: First of all, Tiger addressed those comments at the Masters and he claims never to have met Ames, which makes the situation even more pecular. I don't think Ames speaks for all the players but maybe he speaks for the PGA Tour's rank and file. There are essentially two tours right now -- one for the top 50 players, where they pass out large checks to like they're tic-tacs, and another for all the other guys who are struggling to pay their expenses and are left out of the big-money, glamorous new events. I think Ames is the voice of the disenfranchised... but none of us really care about those guys, do we?
From Guest: Is Fred Couples ever going to un-retire and try to win golf tournaments again?
Alan Shipnuck: We can only wish. Freddie's done and has been for the last five years or so.
He may steal another tournament or two but it'll be mearly an accident -- a result of his awesome talents, not a result of his desire to win.
From Guest: Is Greg Norman basically done for the year?
Alan Shipnuck: No, I wouldn't say that. Unlike Couples, Norman still has delusions that he can be a force. Obviously his talents are diminishing but the drive is still there. He's given himself the next seven majors through the end of 2001 as a competitive player and then he'll segue into a lucrative retirement. I expect Norman to make at least a couple of spirited charges over the next season and a half -- especially at the British Open, the one major where he has nothing left to prove.
From Guest: In light of his shocking win this past weekend, do you think Seve Ballesteros might be ready to compete in real tournaments again?
Alan Shipnuck: God bless Seve. He makes it interesting for the rest of us. The last couple of years, I've had the displeasure of watching him hit some of the worst shots in golf history. I wish he'd hang it up before his heroic slump totally overshadows his prior accomplishments. Seve can still be an occasional factor in a match-play setting where he can scramble and make demoralizing pars, but over 72 holes, there's simply no way he can compete anymore.
From Guest: What events in the second half should we be looking for? Are there any tournaments that lend themselves to showdowns between some of the bigger names?
Alan Shipnuck: I think Pebble Beach will be huge. In '72 and '82, the years best players came to the fore there -- Nicklaus and then Watson. As we saw earlier in the year with Tiger's comeback, it's a course that consistently manufactures melodrama. Ditto for St. Andrew's, site of the British Open.
That may be the best course in golf for big hitters to whale away. I expect a really low-scoring shoot-out there. Beyond that, we'll just have to wait and see.
From Guest: Who would you take in a Seve vs. Ian Baker-Finch match?
Alan Shipnuck: I would take a hard hat. And a swat team shield. My prediction would be double-bogey wins a lot of holes.
From Guest: Is John Daly capable of winning again?
Alan Shipnuck: No doubt. But first he needs to slay the many demons that haunt him.
He still possesses one of the most awesome combinations of length and touch golf. With him, the question will always be, Can he control his personal life or will it continue to control him?
From Guest: So, have you had a chance to exact your revenge on Van Sickle on the course yet?
Alan Shipnuck: Unfortunately, the showdown at Augusta never took place. He'll still be able to pay his mortgage this month. However, his day is coming soon.
From Guest: If you had one round of golf left before you were to die, who would be the other three in your foursome?
Alan Shipnuck: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Laetitia Casta, and Seve -- just so I would look like a good golfer.
CNNSI.com Host: That's all we have time for today. Thanks for chatting with us, Alan.
Alan Shipnuck: Anytime, it was fun. Thanks guys.
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