The Golf Lab
October 15, 2009 
 Golf Lab Members Only
 Presidents' Cup Final Report
In This Issue


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It's easy to be a cynical about events that are created for blatantly commercial reasons. The Presidents' Cup was a good example. Playing off of the success of the Ryder Cup, why not create another money maker? The rich get richer . . . .

I was on the "Made for TV Movie" bandwagon going into the event. Too many reports of controversy. Players who didn't get along. Players who "mailed in" their performances. Too commercial. A little phony. The Presidents' Cup looked like the red haired cousin of the Ryder Cup.

After this week's Presidents' Cup at the polished up Harding Park Municipal Golf Course there is no way to remain cynical. It was a great event, great golf, great TV and a first-class production. Not only that, it came in the same week that golf was admitted as an Olympic sport. We thought the season was over after the Ryder Cup and then we got an unexpected treat. After this, I might even tune in on the "Silly Season".

 The PGA Tour Goes "All In"
 

The PGA Tour showed itself to be a very organized, well-oiled machine. They spared no expense and brought every asset they could muster.

Starting with the sponsors: all "Top Shelf" - American Express, Citibank, Mercedes and Rolex. When big sponsors decide that they want to offer their best customers an entertaining weekend, the public gets some very nice side benefits. Massive pavilions for private and public functions were the most noticeable. The Tour staging made it look like a "Major". The event was just one step short of being "over the top".

Big sponsors guarantee a sellout - 27,000 tickets gone before the event started. Nervous calls came in from friends wondering if they could still scalp a ticket at the gate. (They could.)

TV and press coverage was extensive. Eight hours of prime time Saturday and Sunday on NBC required Notre Dame to take a week off. Golf doesn't usually trump Notre Dame Football. The San Francisco Chronicle looked like the Presidents' Cup Chronicle for the week. The media center was massive. From the inside you couldn't tell there was a tent on the other side of the paneling. Coming and going, there was an attendant in a blue blazer to open the door. All the big name broadcasters were there - from Johnny Miller on down - just like the US Open.

The Tour made sure that the golf course was as good as it could be. In the end, they assigned an agronomist to oversee the final triage.

No detail was left out. Porta potties? Not on your life. The restrooms were first class sanitary trailers complete with flowers and landscaping.

 


 Realistic Expectations
 

Greg Norman was asked if the Presidents' Cup had "lived up to expectations" in his post match interview on Saturday. Norman referenced the long history of the Ryder Cup, pointing out that it only became "important" in the last twenty years or so. He said that it would take a few more events for the Presidents' Cup to accumulate a similar history. And he pointed out that it wouldn't hurt if the Internationals could win a Cup or two. Realistic, honest evaluation.

The team format makes for good TV. With just a few matches to follow, it is possible to watch all of them. There are five, six or twelve little tournaments within the big tournament. With several matches going at the same time, there is always action. Every match draws attention as it nears the end. The result is a lot more excitement.

The unexpected benefit is that you get to see a lot of golf shots. Most television coverage is dominated by endless views of players stalking around the greens and agonizing over three foot putts. It goes a lot faster when you don't have to putt out. With the team format you get more action and less dead time.

Living in America, it's easy to become jaded by sporting events. No country has endless sports like America. No season ends before the next one starts. Most of us are three sport fans, at least.

Not so in the rest of the world. The Presidents' Cup will draw a dedicated following from countries that will follow their native sons in International competition with interest and enthusiasm. That is surely what the PGA Tour is hoping.

After this week, the Presidents' Cup is probably a pretty big deal in Japan, South Korea and Argentina. Does Hugo Chavez play golf?

 


 Sunday Gamble
 

The most controversial decision of the Presidents' Cup was Norman's gamble to put his struggling players out first on Sunday. The "conventional wisdom" of the pundits was that "front loading" should have been the tactic. Camilo Villegas had lost three matches and sat one out Saturday with a sore foot - hit on the fly by an errant Zach Johnson shot. Norman said that Camilo asked to go out first. Couples matched Camilo with Hunter Mahan who also wanted to lead off. Then couples put up Stewart Cink. Norman matched Cink with Adam Scott - the controversial Captain's Choice - former number three player in the world currently playing to a tenuous rank of 65. Pretty far down for a "top 12" on merit.

Norman put up Weir in the third match who Couples matched with Leonard. Norman countered with Allenby who Couples covered with Kim.

That start would be fatal. Rather than the boost of seeing their struggling players pull out unexpected victories, the first four matches went 3 ½ to ½ for the United States. Needing only five points to take the Cup, there would be no miracle come-from-behind victory in 2009.

 


 Golf in the Olympics
 

Euphoria swept over Harding Park on Thursday evening. The International Olympic Committee announced that golf would be included in the Olympics in 2016 and 2020.

The presumption is that American golf will have its own "Dream Team". Tiger Woods immediately said that he'd love to win an Olympic Gold Medal. Everyone else lined up behind. By 2016 Ishikawa will be a multi- millionaire college senior.

I'm wondering how the American Olympic Committee will decide on how the US representatives will be chosen. Will there be a four year points contest? An Olympic qualifying playoff? They could make it simple and trust the "World Rankings".

 


 The Impact of the "Biggest Week in Golf"
 

The PGA Tour has positioned itself to become the dominant world power in golf. The Presidents' Cup is a few years away from full maturity but you can be sure that the next few competitions will be moved around the globe to conquer virgin territory. Melbourne gets the next Cup in 2011. With International representatives on the team from South America and Asia - and with the Olympics going to Brazil - I look for the 2013 Presidents' Cup to be in Japan, South Korea or Argentina - in that order. (Richest to poorest.)

The possibility of competing in the Olympics is sure to be a boon for golf in every country around the world. Perhaps less noticeable in the US, Northern Europe and Australia - the countries that dominated the modern golf world - today.

Think of the success that women from South Korea have had on the LPGA Tour. Just one country has diluted American and European participation by almost half. A few dreamers have escaped from poverty in South America - Angel Cabrera a prime example. What will happen when the Tiger Woods Foundation of Buenos Aires supports a program for kids with time on their hands and big dreams? Imagine that happening all around the world.

The next generation of PGA Tour players could very well start to look like the LPGA Tour. How difficult will it be to make the Tour when the population of hopefuls increases by an order of magnitude? How good will the next generation of PGA Tour players have to be? How many Ryo Ishikawas are waiting for their chance to become famous - and rich?

 


 Celebrations in the Executive Suites
 

There were celebrations this weekend at Titleist, Taylor Made, Callaway, Adams and Ping. How many new players will come into the market? No one can possibly know for sure but the calculators will be heating up on Monday morning.

It's hard to imagine better medicine for the malaise of the golf equipment industry than a vast expansion in the number of players.

 


 The Results: USA 19 ½, Internationals 14 ½
 

Despite every effort to infuse the Presidents' Cup competition with some drama, the result was widely assumed to be a foregone conclusion.

In the end, there was just too much firepower on the American side. With five of the top ten players in the world on the US side, and only one top ten on the International side, it would have been a massive upset if the outcome were different. With four days of competition, the cream had plenty of time to rise to the top, and did.

The result was actually closer than the numbers indicate. After the first four matches on Sunday gave the Americans an insurmountable lead, Vijay Singh and Retief Goosen seemed to lose heart and let their matches slip away. Plus two for the Internationals and minus two for the Americans could have resulted in a one point spread.

I'm betting that the Americans will have a much more difficult time in Melbourne in 2013 when they're out of their comfort zone and on the other end of a 14 hour plane ride. The Presidents' Cup will become just as competitive as the Ryder Cup.

Meantime, here are my highlights from Harding Park, 2009.

 


 Tiger Woods Magic
 

To hear Greg Norman tell it, Tiger Woods took the Internationals down all by himself. Seventeen and eighteen in the morning Foursomes on Saturday will go down in history another "Tiger Moment". One down with two to play, Stricker left Tiger with a 21 foot birdie putt on 17. Weir was looking at a straight downhill five footer. Tiger misses, Weir makes, the match is over and the Internationals are only one point down. That was the game plan. Then, Tiger's putt crawls in over the lip and Weir shoves his putt left. All square.

Then, the coup de grace. Stricker puts Tiger in the middle of the fairway, 219 yards out on the 525 yard finishing hole. Tiger hits a "cut three iron" that he "bleeds off the left side of the green" to five feet. Conceded eagle. USA wins one up.

And it continued on Sunday. Tiger drew Y.E. Yang of PGA Championship fame - the player who spoiled Tiger's perfect record of closing the deal. Yang birdied the first hole for a one up lead after Tiger chunked a chip shot. From there, it was all over. Tiger logged seven birdies and closed out the match 6&5 on the thirteenth hole. It was symbolic that Tiger's point clinched the Presidents' Cup for the Americans. And the final capper, his 5-0 record was only matched in Presidents' Cup history by his friend Mark O'Meara and Shigeki Maruyama and his 18 win total passed Vijay Singh as the player with the most wins in Presidents' Cup history. Not a bad week for a guy who some observers thought didn't care much about team competition.

 


 Steve Stricker, Tiger's Lifetime Partner
 

Steve Stricker will have a reserved bedroom in Tiger's new house. Tiger and Stricker teamed for a perfect 4- 0 record in the Foursomes and Four Ball matches. The second Four Ball was the highlight with Stricker making seven birdies on his own ball - a putting exhibition that Tiger said might have the best he's ever seen.

Alas, Stricker cooled off on Sunday. He finished one under par for his round and held off Jeff Ogilvy until Ogilvy made a couple of key birdies at the end to take the match 2 & 1. Stricker established an enduring reputation as a clutch player. The only downside is we might get a little bored seeing Stricker paired with Tiger for the foreseeable future.

 


 Phil Mickelson, the New "Mr. Mentor"
 

Since when did Phil Mickelson decide he not only was a team player but also that he wanted to help the younger guys. Mickelson teamed with Anthony Kim "AK" on Thursday for a win and then Sean O'Hair for two matches and a point and a half on Saturday. Both of the younger guys went on, confidence enhanced, to win convincingly in the singles on Sunday. They were both effusive in giving Phil credit for helping them.

Phil turned into the consummate team player - constantly upbeat. He turned in a 4-0-1 performance to stay undefeated. Not bad for a player who has gone home wearing the horse collar.

Phil is definitely winning the "Mr. Personality" contest. Let's just hope he doesn't give the boys gambling lessons.

 


 Youngsters Cry, then Crow
 

Anthony Kim started the competition in the "hot seat". Conversation around the media center centered on his "party boy" persona. Kim is not what you would call a "shrinking violet". His flashy belt buckles are totally "out blinged" by his wristwatch. You probably didn't know that a hundred diamonds would fit on one very big wristwatch. They do. Anthony must like to give himself presents.

With all the flash, he was subdued on Saturday evening, having been benched by Fred Couples. In an interesting indication of style, Kim was asked if he talked with Couples about taking him out of the lineup because he wasn't playing well. Kim said that the first he knew he wasn't playing on Saturday morning was when he read the pairing sheet. He admitted he was "disappointed" because he wanted to play five matches. Freddy didn't ask permission. You don't score, you don't play.

Sean O'Hair struggled through the first two days. Then, Mickelson asked for Sean on Saturday. Newly confident, Sean turned in a four under par performance to beat Ernie Els 6 & 4 on Sunday. If you were watching closely, you would see that Sean remembered Phil's advice - "listen for the putt to go in" - all day Sunday. He made a bunch of key putts and finished with the low American round of the day at five under.

 


 The "Best Laid Plans"
 

Fred Couples was perplexed by one decision that he thought was solid and turned out sour. One of the biggest problems in foursomes competition is finding players who are "ball compatible". When both players have to play a hole with the same ball, one of them is going to be unfamiliar with feel, spin and ball flight.

Stewart Cink and Lucas Glover are both Nike sponsored players and both use the same Nike golf ball. That was a perfect match. Only it didn't work out. After pairing Cink and Glover in the Foursomes and Four Ball, both players were without a point going into Sunday. Cink took care of business against Adam Scott, salvaging a point on Sunday. Glover, meanwhile held off Vijay Singh going into the eighteenth hold all square and was the recipient of a welcome gift when Singh conceded a twelve foot birdie putt for a half. That was viewed as a very sportsmanlike gesture by Singh. Vijay must be worried about his legacy.

 


 Rising Star
 

In an interview, Tiger Woods was asked his opinion of Ryo Ishikawa. He was unequivocal. He said that there was "no way that I was that good at 18". Tiger should know. He played two rounds with Ishikawa at the British Open and was paired against him twice in the Presidents' Cup.

"I was longer than he is" - Tiger said wistfully in his interview. "But Ryo is a great putter".

Ishikawa impressed the more senior players with his poise and his play. Thanks to two team wins with Y.E. Yang and a singles win against Kenny Perry, Ishikawa posted a very solid 3-2 record in his first Cup appearance.

If you're looking for a chance to see Ishikawa (he wants to be known as "Rio" in the US) you can see him at the AT&T. He accepted a sponsors' exemption this weekend.

 


 Best Performance - Tim Clark
 Norman's "Pit Bull"

The overall best performance - for all teams - was turned in by Tim Clark. In Sunday singles he went out in four under par to take a five up lead through eight holes. Then Zach Johnson caught fire and birdied five of the next six holes starting on ten - and only gained one hole to lose 4 & 3. The best match on Sunday was Clark finishing eight under after fifteen and Johnson holding his head high at 4 under with the late rally.

Find out more.... 


 Worst Performances - and Close Escapes
 

There have to be some losers. The biggest loser overall was Camilo Villegas, completely shut out in four matches. Sunday he turned in a one over par performance to lose to Mahan 2 & 1.

On the American side, the unlikely loser was Lucas Glover. If he were not gifted a half by Vijay Singh, he would have his own horse collar. As it was, he came away with half a point. The Sunday singles match was not too hot, both players finishing at even par.

Even though Y.E. Yang took a drubbing from Tiger, he finished the Cup competition with a respectable 2-2-1 record and lots of compliments from Ryo Ishikawa for doing the Phil Mickelson thing.

Cabrera was on the verge of an embarrassing event but saved his reputation by taking Jim Furyk down 4 & 3 with a solid four under par performance.

 


 Final Thoughts
 

Harding Park - and the City of San Francisco came out winners. The hotels were full and the restaurants were busy. Mayor Newsome was ther in person to hobnob with Condoleezza Rice and Barry Bonds. The economic benefit to the City was not lost on the powers that be. Maybe they'll take the course condition a little more seriously before the next event - the Schwab Cup season finale next year - and again in 2011.

 


Give us a call at the Golf Lab to set up your appointment for your counterweight or irons fitting. (650) 493-1770.

Best Regards,


Leith Anderson, Clint Smith, and Dian Terova
The Golf Lab

phone: 650-493-1770
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