Golf TeeingOff
2
The LPGA seemed destined to fall into a bunker and disappear. Sponsors were fleeing because of the economy. Players were rebelling because they didn’t like commissioner Carolyn Bivens. And Michelle Wie, unsure if she was a student at Stanford or a pro golfer, still hadn’t done much except play poorly in men’s tournaments. But then, a possible series of turning points swept the tour. First, Wie went undefeated, with three wins and a tie, to help the U.S. Solheim Cup team defeat the Europeans outside Chicago in August. Michelle celebrated by grabbing the American flag and holding it high. Then, at the end of October, marketing whiz Michael Whan was named the new commissioner. A couple of weeks later, Wie earned her first profes sional win at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Guadalajara, Mexico. Whan and Wie could be the duo that saves the LPGA. Wie has one prominent fan, at least. When the Solheim team appeared at the White House, President Obama gave Wie the Shaka sign — pinkie and thumb hanging loose, middle fingers rolled. Hawaiians flash it to one another as a sign of respect and greeting. Both Obama and Wie are graduates of Honolulu’s Punahou School. TEEING OFF Rocco Mediate — who lost a playoff for the 2008 U.S. Open to Tiger Woods — Duffy Waldorf and LPGA player Natalie Gulbis played themselves in a January episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation on CBS-TV. The plot centered on the discovery of a body of a star golfer during a high- profile tournament. And no — he wasn’t smacked in the head with a 5-iron. WIE THE PEOPLE CSI: ISLEWORTH? A T H L O N ® S P O R T S G O L F 2 0 1 0 18 WORDS WISE & OTHERWISE BOO WEEKLEY, when asked at the Sony Open in Hawaii if he would venture into the Pacific: “You ain’t never going to hear me getting killed by no sharks.” ROBERT KOLODJAY, one of the survivors of US Airways Flight 1549 that Capt. “Sully” Sullenberger landed successfully in the Hudson River, on driving to Myrtle Beach for a r escheduled golf vacation: “We’ve got a big Suburban. We’ll take our time.” SABER ZIDALE, assistant manager of Egypt’s Mena House GC, located near Great Pyramid of Cheops, about the Department of Antiquities’ rules against allowing new water hazards for Robert Trent Jones II’s renovation: “Antiquities will allow a lake only 2.5 meters deep — in case you hit a mummy.’’ PHIL MICKELSON, responding to a child’s question at a fundraiser about shelving his driver at the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in 2008, where he had a disap- pointing week: “Sometimes I’m an idiot. I can admit it. My thinking at the time is that … I would have a better chance hitting fairways. That was my logic going in. It didn’t pan out very well. Any nicer ques- tions?” RORY MCILROY of Northern Ireland, on what he came away with after seven weeks playing the PGA Tour in America: “A tan.’’ MINDY AFFRIME, producer of the movie version of Golf in the Kingdom , on using Oregon’s Bandon Dunes as the locale, “No one will know it’s not Scotland.” CHARLES BARKLEY on reaction to the Golf Channel’s “The Haney Project/Charles Barkley”: “Little old ladies walking down the street want to give me advice. … Everybody gives me golf advice. It’s hilarious.” PAULA CREAMER on former LPGA commissioner Carolyn Bivens’ suggestion that players T weet during competition: “I will not be twittering in my round. It should not happen in any sport.” ANGEL CABRERA, on arriving to register at U.S. Open two months after winning the Masters and encountering an official: “She asked, ‘Last name please.’” PADRAIG HARRINGTON, blaming problems off the tee for five straight missed cuts: “My driver is an office club at the moment. It works 9 to 5 and never on weekends. ’’ W i e : K e v i n C o x / G e t t y I m a g e s ; G u l b i s : S c o t t H a l l e r a n / G e t t y I m a g e s ; H e a d s h o t s : P G A T o u r Teeing_Off.qxp:Layout 1 1/27/10 8:59 AM Page 18
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Transcript of Golf TeeingOff
8/3/2019 Golf TeeingOff
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/golf-teeingoff 1/1
The LPGA seemed destined to fallinto a bunker and disappear. Sponsors
were fleeing because of the economy.Players were rebelling because they didn’t like commissioner Carolyn Bivens.
And Michelle Wie, unsure if she was a student at Stanford or a pro golfer, stillhadn’t done much except play poorly in men’s tournaments.
But then, a possible series of turning points swept the tour. First, Wie wentundefeated, with three wins and a tie, to help the U.S. Solheim Cup team defeatthe Europeans outside Chicago in August. Michelle celebrated by grabbing the
American flag and holding it high.Then, at the end of October, marketing whiz Michael Whan was named the
new commissioner. A couple of weeks later, Wie earned her first professional winat the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Whan and Wie could be the duo that saves the LPGA. Wie has one prominent fan, at least. When the Solheim team appeared at the
White House, President Obama gave Wie the Shaka sign — pinkie and thumbhanging loose, middle fingers rolled. Hawaiians flash it to one another as a signof respect and greeting. Both Obama and Wie are graduates of Honolulu’sPunahou School.
TEEING OFF
Rocco Mediate — who lost aplayoff for the 2008 U.S. Open toTiger Woods — Duffy Waldorf
and LPGA player Natalie Gulbis played themselves in a January episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation on CBS-TV.
The plot centered on the discovery of a body of a star golfer during a high-profile tournament. And no — he wasn’t smacked in the head with a 5-iron.
WIE THE PEOPLE
CSI: ISLEWORTH?
A T H L O N®
S P O R T S G O L F 2 0 1 018
WORDS WISE &
OTHERWISE
BOO WEEKLEY, when asked at the Sony Open in
Hawaii if he would venture into the Pacific: “You ain’t
never going to hear me getting killed by no sharks.”
ROBERT KOLODJAY, one of the survivors of US
Airways Flight 1549 that Capt. “Sully” Sullenberger
landed successfully in the Hudson River, on driving to
Myrtle Beach for a rescheduled golf vacation: “We’ve
got a big Suburban. We’ll take our time.”
SABER ZIDALE, assistant manager of Egypt’s Mena
House GC, located near Great Pyramid of Cheops,
about the Department of Antiquities’ rules against
allowing new water hazards for Robert Trent Jones
II’s renovation: “Antiquities will allow a lake only 2.5
meters deep — in case you hit a mummy.’’
PHIL MICKELSON, responding to a child’s questionat a fundraiser about shelving his driver at the U.S.
Open at Torrey Pines in 2008, where he had a disap-
pointing week: “Sometimes I’m an idiot. I can admit
it. My thinking at the time is that … I would have a
better chance hitting fairways. That was my logic
going in. It didn’t pan out very well. Any nicer ques-
tions?”
RORY MCILROY of Northern Ireland, on what he
came away with after seven weeks playing the PGA
Tour in America: “A tan.’’
MINDY AFFRIME, producer of the movie version of
Golf in the Kingdom , on using Oregon’s Bandon
Dunes as the locale, “No one will know it’s not
Scotland.”
CHARLES BARKLEY on reaction to the Golf
Channel’s “The Haney Project/Charles Barkley”:
“Little old ladies walking down the street want to
give me advice. … Everybody gives me golf advice.
It’s hilarious.”
PAULA CREAMER on former LPGA commissioner
Carolyn Bivens’ suggestion that players Tweet during
competition: “I will not be twittering in my round. It
should not happen in any sport.”
ANGEL CABRERA, on arriving to register at U.S.Open two months after winning the Masters and
encountering an official: “She asked, ‘Last name
please.’”
PADRAIG HARRINGTON, blaming problems off the
tee for five straight missed cuts: “My driver is an
office club at the moment. It works 9 to 5 and never
on weekends.’’
W i e : K e v i n C o x / G e t t y I m a g e s ; G u l b i s : S c o t t H
a l l e r a n / G e t t y I m a g e s ; H e a d s h o t s : P G A T o u r
Teeing_Off.qxp:Layout 1 1/27/10 8:59 AM Page 18
