Tiger vs. Jack

Fellow blogger Phil Capelle has a new book out! In Tiger vs. Jack: Golf's Greatest Rivalry, Capelle takes issue with what he calls the "overly simplistic" notion that Tiger will replace Jack as golf's greatest player once he surpasses Jack's total of 18 major professional championships. In his view, "the quality of competition, the rules of the game, equipment, and course conditions are among the ever changing factors that must be weighed when debating who is the best."

     Whiffling Straits will post a review of Tiger vs. Jack once we've had a chance to read it. In the meantime, you can learn more or purchase a copy by visiting Phil's website: Capelle on Golf. It is also available here at amazon.com.

Tap-Ins

A few hurried, back-handed stabs at items that have caught my attention in the golfing world ...

The Best Swing on Tour. Over at golf.com, Golf magazine's panel of "Top 100 Teachers" have come up with a list of seven of the "best" golf swings on tour, based on different individual components. Who did they decide has the "Best Overall Swing"? You'll never guess. Oh, wait ... you probably already have.

Jack is ... Jack. A really nice, in-depth look at the enduring legacy of Jack Nicklaus by Jaimie Diaz over at golfdigest.com. A brief excerpt:

Nicklaus and Woods have been compared every which way, from driver through putter and beyond, with the sum total long considered almost a wash. But the potential for major life mistakes that seemed moot in two people so driven and organized has suddenly become the most important element of all. Nicklaus' steady conservatism, which on the course might have begun to seem quaint and even limiting in contrast to Woods' bolder style, has become the potential off-the-course difference-maker. As Nicklaus sits in the clubhouse, an early finisher watching the recklessness that has cost Woods the lead, the score Jack posted is looking better.

The Ryder Cup Runneth Over ... with Christians, it seems. A few people have noticed that three of the four captain's picks by Corey Pavin, a born-again Christian, are regulars at the Tour's weekly Bible study – as are a few who earned their way on (not to mention some of Pavin's assistant captains). Is there a holy conspiracy afoot? Probably not, posits Wall Street Journal writer John Paul Newport in his weekly Golf Journal column.

Title Defense – Failed! Last weekend the Whiffler attempted to defend his title at the annual White Lake Classic in Michigan. No blood clots this year, but a lingering hamstring injury – the result of a freak soccer-coaching accident  several weeks ago (it's for the CHILDREN!) – probably helped ... uh, hamstring my efforts to repeat. To prepare (since I hadn't swung a club since the accident), I'd been repeatedly visualizing the 6-iron I hit a few years back to get just inside Steve Stricker's shot at the "beat the pro" par-3 hole at a charity golf outing. (What? I never mentioned that before? Huh. For one brief, shining moment, I bettered the best swing on Tour!)
     Alas, all that visualizing wasn't enough – though I did hit one of the best six-irons of my life, to about five feet, for a birdie on the 18th hole of the warm-up round. The shot helped cap an amazing back-nine comeback by Team Butt Hutt to secure a free dinner that night. Victory never tasted so succulent as the ribeye steak I gorged on by Lake Michigan.
     But congratulations to Mike "Scruffy" "Landfill" "Homer" "Skipper" Neuses (below, with arms crossed) for his impressive victory in the main event the next day.

UPDATE: In response to Chery's comment below, here are Scruffy/Serbo, Zim (the Whiffler), the Glacier, Keith, and Little Tommy.

One more time ...

Steve Stricker Wins U.S. Open!

Wishful thinking? Perhaps. But not outrageous thinking, by any means, in The Whiffler's estimation. Stricker winning the 2010 U.S. Open is certainly more likely to happen than for Tiger Woods to win by 15 strokes again, as he did 10 years ago, the last time the U.S. Open was played at Pebble Beach.
     In fact, here is a whole list of things that are more likely to happen in the next five days than Tiger winning by 15:

Justin Rose and Rickie Fowler could stage their own consolation tournament. Call it the "Coulda-Shoulda Cup." Among the invitees: Jordan Spieth, Corey Pavin, Tom Kite, J.B. Holmes, Lee Janzen, and Tony Romo, all of whom, to greater or lesser degrees of fanfare, failed to qualify for this year's event. Trophy: A blaze-orange sportcoat with a Union Jack pattern. First prize: $150 (the entry fee for a U.S. Open qualifier) and an honorary membership in the Vijay Singh fan club. (Image: golf.puma.com)

Rory McIlroy could win by 15. To clarify, these are not things I expect to happen. But Rory McIlroy has a better chance of blowing away the field this week than Tiger does. The young Irishman showed at Quail Hollow that he's not afraid to go low – and has the kind of game that can transcend the ordinary. Granted, he has some consistency issues (he's barely 21!), but if anyone in the field has the potential to heat up this week and run away with it, it's Rory. We've seen glimpses (but only glimpses so far) of his "A" game, and it's breathtaking.

The Monterey Peninsula could be invaded by vuvuzela-blowing World Cup soccer fans. Not likely, as they're all busy down in South Africa this week, thank goodness. But if any stray horn-blowers were to infiltrate the Pebble Beach proceedings, you can be certain that the USGA and its henchmen would clamp down on the unwelcome intruders faster than Steve Williams can grab a camera from your hands.

Ray Romano could break 80. By my calculation, Hank Haney is now 0-for-2 in his Golf Channel "projects," having failed to rehabilitate Charles Barkley or coach Romano to a sub-80 round. I wonder if his reputation will suffer at all? In fairness, however, I really enjoyed the final episode with Ray, where Hank had him play a one-man, two-ball scramble on a miserably wet and rainy day at Liberty National. When Hank asked him to predict a score, Ray, always the negative thinker, said "83."  He then went on to shoot a scramble score of 3-over 75 in the tough conditions. Knowing that he had, in essence, a mulligan on every shot relaxed him, and allowed him to hit mostly good shots on the first try. And the exercise showed that Ray has it in him to hit enough quality shots to break 80 easily, if he can free himself from the negative thoughts that haunt him on the course. A lesson for us all, I think.

Phil the Thrill could hit a whale. Remember, at Pebble (that's what the cool kids call it, just "Pebble") there are no corporate tents to the left of the 18th fairway to keep Phil's ball in play, as there were at Winged Foot in 2006. There are only rip tides and marine life. So don't be shocked if you see Lefty wading in toward the setting Father's Day sun, a la George Costanza, looking for a Callaway lodged in a blowhole. ("The sea was angry that day, my friends. Like John Daly trying to send back a decaffeinated Diet Coke at Hooters.")

Sergio Garcia could blame his poor performance on global warming. The ocean is right there, after all, and how can a guy concentrate when it's getting higher and higher all the time? It's just not fair.

NCAA champ Scott Langley could wear a "Save the Chief" hat in the first round. Langley, a University of Illinois junior, is not a native Flatlander (he hails from Manchester, Missouri), so he may not have had a chance to develop a high level of loyalty to  Chief Illiniwek before his visage was banned by the didactic and nefarious NCAA. But after earning a spot in the U.S. Open just four days after claiming the U of I's first-ever NCAA men's individual golf title (Stricker's best finish was ninth), Langley is most likely feeling a rush of school pride. Why not put it on display in a big way?

Tom Watson could win the dang thing. No, seriously, he could! Pebble Beach is not long by major championship standards. It is not a golf course your can overpower. Rather, hitting fairways and greens, and playing smart golf, Watson's fortes, will be paramount. Even more so than usual. If his putter catches fire as it did for 71 holes at Turnberry last year, I think he has a chance to contend – unless ...

Jack Nicklaus could come out of retirement just to kick Watson's butt. What, you think if the Golden Bear asked for a last-minute special exemption the USGA wouldn't give it to him? You just know he's been wanting to give young whippersnapper Tom Watson what-for since that dagger to the heart at the 17th in 1982. After all, Nicklaus won his Pebble Beach U.S. Open (in 1972) at the 17th like a man: by hitting the pin with a 1-iron (a 1-iron!), not with some lucky-a$$ chip shot that probably would have run 15 feet past if it hadn't gone in the hole! Watson's famous shot will get a lot of air play the next few days, and it may be more than Jack can take.

A relatively new course less than an hour from my house could be awarded the 2017 U.S. Open! Actually, this is considered quite likely to happen, as naturally beautiful Erin Hills, in the tiny town of Erin, Wisconsin (outside Milwaukee), is the odds-on favorite for that honor. An announcement is expected on Wednesday, and we'll have more to say about the course – which has a surprisingly complicated history – if and when the Open bid comes to pass.

UPDATE: As Mike comments below, Erin Hills has indeed been selected for the 2017 U.S. Open!

Someone could choke worse than Jean Van de Velde. Wait ... that already happened, a couple days ago at the St. Jude Classic, where Robert Garrigus, a true journeyman, stood on the 18th tee on Sunday with a three-shot lead – and then lost his mind. Perhaps it compromises your brain function when every drop of sweat in your body has leaked into the seat of your pants. (In fairness to Mr. VdV, I've always thought he got something of a bad rap for his Open Championship meltdown. But we'll save that discussion for a future post.)

A 13-year-old could get picked out of the crowd to caddy for a practice round. Wait ... that already happened too! A great story. Kudos to amateur Russell Henley for giving a kid the opportunity of a lifetime.

Steve Stricker could win the U.S. Open! I know, I know ... The Whiffler is a hopelessly biased sucker. But Stricker's been flying below the radar a bit lately, thanks to his recent injury (which he seems to have recovered from). And that can only help him on the big stage of the U.S. Open. Besides, I have to stand by my prediction from earlier this year – which in retrospect was kinda wishy-washy. But I still say that IF Stricker wins a major this year, his best chance would be here. (Image: Stricker with the trophy he won at the 2010 Northern Trust Open. PeterMillar.com)

Happy Birthday, Jack!*

What to say about the Golden Bear, on the occasion of his 70th birthday? So, so much that could be said ... so few words to adequately express it.

     Regular readers have probably figured out by now that the Whiffler is a particular fan of golfers, past and present, who exemplify the ideals of class, grace, dignity, and sportsmanship. Add "magnitude of accomplishment" to this mix and clearly no one stands taller than Jack Nicklaus. (Photo: Jack Nicklaus in 1959, John G. Zimmerman (no relation) for Sports Illustrated)

     It's easy to forget that when he first burst onto the national scene, Nicklaus was not well-liked by the golfing public. This was partly because he immediately threatened to knock the King, Arnold Palmer, off his throne. But it was also because the young Jack often came off as something less than humble. Understandably so! He was quick to speak his mind (as he is to this day), which, when coupled with his supreme self-confidence, often made an unfavorable impression on the public. As he writes in his autobiography, My Story:

When I think of myself back in those peak amateur days ... I still cringe at how cockily I must have come across to a lot of people. For instance, before leaving Columbus for that U.S. Open I remember telling my college coach, Bob Kepler, "Kep, I'm playing so well I might just win this thing." You might think such things – you should think such things – but you should never say them to anyone, or at least not to anyone who isn't extremely close to you like a parent or spouse. I did it all the time, and it embarrasses me now just to remember it.