Freddy’s Fairway Thoughts

Some people seem to go out of their way to annoy us. A incomplete list would include the Yankees, Serena Williams, the Lakers, Nancy Pelosi, Jerry Jones, Dr. Fauci, Megan Rapinhoe. Tiger Woods keeps popping up. So does Meghan Markle. The neighbor down the street qualifies. So does the guy who doesn’t fill divots. Surely, in the traveling circus that is the PGA Tour, there are people who don’t like each other. But it’s part of the deal and too much is riding on your attitude to get it cluttered up with non-golf things. Same in life. Tolerate the neighbor, fill the guy’s divots. Shut up and move on. But, it appears that Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau have chosen to deal with each other on the public stage. Contrary to the initial media reaction, this isn’t good for business. They are oil and water. It didn’t have to happen but it has, triggered by the inner urges of Alpha males who are too big for the Tour to quiet down. Koepka is the bully who sits in the back of the room and never raises his hand, a guy who came up the tough way. A public school guy, FSU. When the going toughens, he somehow manages to tie for fourth. DeChambeau is the guy who sits on the front row and always raises his hand. A luxe background, SMU. When the going toughens, he has a back-nine 44. The Tour’s attitude is firm. Go along to get along. There are too many of us out here for everyone to like each other. You’re supposed to love your neighbor but that doesn’t mean you have to like him/her. Shut up and work on your short game. You have to reach pretty far back to get real nasty feelings among two Tour players, and maybe that’s because everyone wants to appear to be nice so the sponsors will stay around. Patrick Reed and Jordan Speith got it on briefly. Seve Ballesteros is dead but he left behind people who still remember him non-fondly. Tom Watson had enough of Gary Player and let him — and everyone else — know. Remember Greg Norman and Mark McCumber after the cheating issue at Firestone? This one could be the most outfront of all. This isn’t wrestling and the Tour doesn’t like it, but all they can do is talk to the two. Not sure these two will listen.

Fast tracking

The Players has a volunteer component, just like almost every other tournament, and there’s a hierarchy that oversees the 1,500 or so who help each spring. There are 47 — 47! — committees with chairs and vice chairs and egos around each corner. The leadership is an unforgiving task: a chairman, who has worked his way to the top, a first vice chairman who is heir to the throne, and four vice chairs. All are lightning rods for the better part of a year. In these Northeast Florida parts, the hassle is worth it. It’s a great honor to wear the chairman’s red coat or a vice chairman’s blue jacket. Since the first vice chair moves up, one person is chosen each year to get into the line. The selection is usually made shortly after the last tournament ends and it was, but oddly it was kept quiet. The word got out; the first African-American had been chosen, but calls weren’t returned. Finally, the day after the U.S. Open, out came a news release. Yes, the new vice chair — five years removed from the top — is a man of color. Looks qualified, a local banker who has been a volunteer since 2017. Great guy, I hear. But the grumbling, quiet as it has been, is there: the newbie

This year’s class of Jacksonville Area Golf Association scholars includes (from left) Maya Victor, Natalie Drake, David Collins; Joe Libby, Caroline Davis, Grace Richards and Olivia Lyle. Also receiving grants but not present for the photo were Rebecca Gaza, Brayden James, Austin Jacobs, Scotty Kennon, Miniya McNair, James Tucker and Kylie Turner.

hasn’t been around nearly as long as others who want to be at the top. The new chair, for instance, had over 10 years service when he was moved to the leadership team. The news release also was noteworthy. In all the years I’ve been around this tournament, I don’t recall ever seeing a photo of the new vice chairman added to the release about the new chairman. The wording is a bit stilted; one suspects that the editing process went all the way to the commissioner’s office.

Sign of the times.

Announcer talk It’s always fun to track silliness from TV announcers who should know better: • “The is the U.S. Open, where every shot counts.” We can assume that mulligans are allowed elsewhere. • “You always want to get something decent on the scoreboard in a major championship, particularly the U.S. Open.” 75s are okay at Houston? • “If you get it on the right line, and get it rolling well, your percentage chance of making it will be good.” A free putting lesson for all!

More Don Veller

Last month, we gave you a few offering from the typewriter (ask your mother what that was) of the late Don Veller, the FSU golf coach who also wrote poetry. Lots of you liked it so here are two more:

“His golf was getting awful, more painful day by day. ‘Twas worse than Chinese torture, each round he had to pay. So he went for acupuncture, and his trouble quickly fled. They diagnosed his problem spot and stuck him in the head.”

“This golfer had a girlfriend But red-faced he forsook her. Though she claimed to be a slicer, He discovered she’s a hooker.”

Final thoughts:

• Bones Mackay doesn’t talk fast when he isn’t on television, so why does he babble when the camera is on? • Everyone wants to be like Augusta National (a laudable goal) and TPC Sawgrass has cottages back on the table. The newly-cleared area behind the media center, where the tournament headquarters used to be, seems to be the chosen location. Nothing new on the 5-star hotel near the new headquarters. • The LPGA has a wonderful product and the TV ratings are showing that there are viewers out there. The networks (particularly Golf) do them no favor by continuing to force cheerleaders upon us, telling us what we’re seeing is wonderful. This seems to be a pandemic through women’s sport, particularly basketball. Please, TV executives, put professionals in the booth and let the cheerleaders stay on the sidelines.

Comments? I’m at fs4569@comcast.net.

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