|
My player this week is Birdie Kim
Tuesday: Walked the course in the early morn and it was cold.
45º by the thermometer in my car. By the time I finished nine holes just
my Gortex vest was all that was needed.
This track is in much better shape than last year, having more grass on
the fairways, but still plenty of GUR to be marked.
Played nine holes with Jill McGill with her dad, Gary, on the bag. Many
times, this is not a good combo but they teamed up together in Portland and
Jill finished tenth.
Jill and her dad Gary strategizing on the ninth tee.
-
Woops; You may have noticed or not, Paula Creamer was DQ'd last week.
Seems she changed a club out of her bag during the suspension of the
second round. Can't do that. You have to complete the round with the
same equipment. That cost her a pretty piece of change.
-
Caddies aren't the only ones using the BreakMaster out
here. Rules official Angus McKenzie utilizes this unique device in
determining pin positions. After he picks a spot, he measures out to a
six foot radius and if it's more than a 2º slope, he looks for a
different position.
-
New moniker?; Looks like caddie Ernie Beck might acquire the
nickname Maverick (referring to the movie Top Gun) after last week.
His player, Erica Blasberg, buzzed the tower (TV) with her tee ball
on the par three eleventh.
-
More caddie updates; Aree Song axed her
looper last week after he stood behind her while she putted. Two shot
penalty for that one. Also, Allison Hanna sent her homeless cadero
back from where he came.
-
As you know, I drove up here from L.A. and thought I
was going to killed on my gas mileage. Originally, I reserved a
compact gar from Hertz but all that was available was a Subaru
Forester 2.5X. To my surprise, this baby cranked out almost 29 mpg bucking
a head-wind and using the A/C at times.
-
Players are always looking to find just a little more
of an edge and Mi Hyun Kim is no exception. Here she is working with a
device from Yes Putters.
I don't' think she's looking for a two putt!
Kimmy's cadero, Chad Payne( left), checking out her
stroke.
Wednesday: An afternoon pro-am was on our
agenda and I was determined to remember the first names of our group. This
has always been a bugaboo for me. Our foursome consisted of Frank, Jerry,
Andrew and Chester so I came up with the following associations. Father Frank,
Governor Jerry Brown, President Andrew Jackson and last but
not least, Chester the molester!
-
They're getting hitched; Heather Bowie
and her caddie Jeremy will be tying the not. He proposed last Saturday.
-
Heard Barb Trammell, the head LPGA rules official, is
on the way out. Resign or get the axe as the rumor goes. The new
Commish may be clearing house. Wonder who's next?
-
Woops deux; After hearing of Paula
Creamer's DQ, Wendy Doolan realized she had committed the same infraction and
fessed up. Apparently, she tossed her Rescue Club into the bushes on
the 16th tee and replaced it overnight before she had finished the
round.
Thursday: Skanked it around, especially the
first few holes, but got it in the barn with +1 for the day. Could
have been much worse.
-
More on Trammell; An insider claims the
straw the broke the camel's back was Barb's decision not to let Julie
Inkster late enter the Columbus event after she forgot to sign up.
Being so close to Solheim, it was thought she should have relented.
-
A caddie's duties vary widely and a prime example would
Kimmy's looper Chad who was charged with "checky-bouncy", as
Kimmy would call it, before the round. Simply put, arrive well before
tee time and head out onto the course to observe how the greens are
holding. That makes a long day.
-
Bet you would like one of these; My
pairing with Annika last week produced a great souvenir. Her cadero,
T-Mac, gave me one of her 59 Callaways, autographed of course.
Friday: Much better ball striking produced a respectable
two under which has us -1 for the event.
-
Commissioner Bivens sounds like she has a few good ideas
already. To speed up play and dispel the notion LPGA contestants need
the extra help (as that overly-analytical hack, Johnny Miller, keeps regurgitating)
she's considering implementing a " LPGA local rule" banning
caddies from lining up their players. I second the motion.
-
We were paired with Christina Kim the last two days
with her dad Man on the bag. She played quite well but Man is just too
much to take. It's only the second round but he treats every hole like
it's the 18th on Sunday and their going for the win. Way too much
exuberance which may be interpreted as an "in your face" gesture
to the other players. It also has a down side as he displayed on the
15th green. Christina muffed a delicate pitch from over the green and
man slammed the putter against her bag in disgust. No place for that
out here. Since I'm on a roll, he must also have an aversion to the
color yellow ( this week's pin color) cause he never grabbed
one. Usually the first caddie on the green, or the nearest in
proximity of the hole, takes the pin out, but not Man. He just walks
right by. Hope this doesn't get me in hot water with Birdie.
-
Check out the back nine of
Sherri Steinhauer. Egad Batman!
-
I've had a little trouble sleeping this week so I
downed a couple Excedrin PM before sacking out last night and they did
the trick. In fact, too well as it took four holes for the effects to
wear off. I was walking around half asleep and had to really
concentrate to calculate the yardage correctly.
Saturday: Double-trouble right from the get-go. Buried
one under the lip on #10, our initial hole, and couldn't extract it on our
first try, though Birdie did exhume a five inch long albino frog from its lair. More
on that later. It only got worse from there and finished with a 78. She's
really working hard on her swing but it may be reaching a point of too
much thinking and just letting it happen. Shouldn't have a problem getting
out of Dodge early tomorrow.
-
Froggie; As we all know, or
should,
frogs are amphibians which are cold blooded. This one found a nice
warm spot deep in the sand, waiting for the Sun's rays to bring life
to its frigid body, but a penetrating sand wedge sent him flying
and upside down in the trap. At first, I didn't know what it was but
it looked headless. I assumed the blow of birdie's club decapitated
the creature, but as I raked it out of the bunker it flipped over, and
I recognized what it was. Dazed but alive, it stretched out as if a
gargoyle on its perch, exposing as much skin to Ol' Sol as possible.
We had to leave, but I'm sure Froggie went on to live another day.
-
Best laid plans; I was just talking to
Tom Konapacki, Meena
Lee's looper, the other day on the range and going over his future
travels. A couple trips to Korea and the Tournament of Champions among
others were on his agenda but after yesterday's round it all went up
in smoke. Tom was let go and Woody took his place. At least he made a
pile of cash before the end.
Sunday: Twosomes, got a love 'em. Played in three
hours and twenty minutes beating our previous five hour rounds by a bunch.
Birdie must have reading my mind cause the plan for today was stop
thinking and just play. Shot -1.
-
Pete Smith and I was on the road by eleven and we experienced
smooth sailing till we arrived just North of L.A. A bit of a traffic
jam, from a previous accident near magic Mountain, added a few minutes
to our trip but to no consequence. One last chance to get a
double-double from In-n-Out Burger before leaving California and I
jumped on it while passing through Fresno. Took mine without all the
salad but added grilled onions and accompanied by a vanilla shake.
YUM!
-
No bag lined up for the remainder of the year so I may
try and work a few qualifiers. Not sure where I'll stay for the off
season but it'll be warm.
|
|
