Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from WUP!

Dear Readers,

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and your families and loved ones (and pets)! Hope you had a joyous day and a wonderful year. Many thanks for all your support, and I look forward to more memories and good times in the new year.

2012 has been an unbelievable one. It was the season of sensational comebacks and equally gut-wrenching upsets. I say this every year ' with this being the third ' but I feel incredibly lucky to have shared my musings and golfing adventures with you all.

I've been fortunate to meet quite a few of you IRL (in real life) along the way ' or should I say, on the road, all thanks to the inter-webs!

The 2013 season seriously has a tough act to follow! But I guess we'll kinda have two seasons in the upcoming year, as the PGA Tour will transition from it's calendar-year season to a fall start. I'm sure there will be some hiccups, chaos and confusion along the way, but WUP will be here to help you navigate through it all!

I'm not exactly sure what 2013 will hold for WUP (note to self: stay patient), but as of now, it'll be the same drill as 2011 and 2012'with slight modifications as the site is always evolving'where I'll do my best to bring you behind-the-scenes from life on Tour. I'll also still be a contributor with Sports Illustrated Golf+ /golf.com.

Oh, I dug up some pictures from the email archives! Thanks to Reader Curt for the passing along the shots of Augusta under snow in February 2010. I figured they were fitting for this time of year' JUST 103 DAY UNTIL THE MASTERS!

I still can't believe how quickly the last two years have gone! Alright, I'm off to Kapalua tomorrow (my favorite WUP tradition'hey, it's not my fault the season kicks off in Maui, even though this will be the last time ever), but I'll be checking in with WUP's End-of-Year Awards. Woot!

Again, happy holidays and thank you for your continued support.

Xoxo, Stephanie and the WUP team

Monty is the right choice for Hall of Fame nod (even with only 51% of the vote)

LOLZ

If it involves Colin Montgomerie, chances are there's drama involved or a row brewing between him and another player or the American fans. Well, Monty, who dominated the European Tour in the '90s and was one of the most winning players in the Ryder Cup with a record of 20'9'7, will join Fred Couples, Willie Park Jr., Ken Venturi and Ken Schofield, as inductees of the World Golf Hall of Fame's class of 2013.

The results of the International ballots were revealed on Tuesday morning by the WGHOF. Similar to the U.S. ballot, no player received the minimum 65% of the vote, so the criteria is lowered to 50%.

Montgomerie earned 51% of the vote'the bare minimum'just like Couples on the U.S. ticket. Schofield, the former First Secretary and Executive Director of The European Tour, was selected in the Lifetime Achievement Category.

Is Monty deserving of the HOF nod? Most certainly, but it's weird to 'lower the standards' for voting criteria when a player doesn't receive 65% of the vote. Do they have to induct someone every year? If you don't meet the original criteria, I don't think 'next best' is necessarily a valid reason for a player to get inducted.

There's the glaring gap on Monty's resume, but his other accomplishments and contributions to the game compensate for his lack of major victories.

Monty could be inducted based purely on his mannerisms and ability to stir controversy. The criteria I always use for whether or not someone belongs in the Hall of Fame is asking myself whether I can tell the story of golf in the last 20-30 years without mentioning that player's name. Well, Monty certainly has made his contributions to the game's history.

The Scot clinched a record eight European Tour Order of Merit titles, including a streak of seven in a row from 1993 to 1999. He's won 31 times on the European Tour, the most of any British player and fourth on the all-time list.

However, he wasn't able to snag the inevitable major, where he's earned bridesmaids honors five times. He had his fair share of close calls and things just never went his way. He finished second at the U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship, and then tied for runner-up at another two U.S. Opens.

Montgomerie also never notched a win on U.S. soil. It probably didn't help that he was the target of American hecklers and didn't make it easier on himself by responding grumpily.  Monty never figured out how to appease the crowds and didn't win them over, instead he acted brash and complained, which probably only exacerbated the hecklers. In the late 90s ' a time when it was especially difficult for Europeans to compete in the US.' Monty played in a number of regular PGA Tour events. People don't really own up to the extent of the heckling in the present day, but it was pretty brutal and Monty was target No. 1.

As it happened, the Ryder Cup became Monty's major.

He excelled in the biennial matches against the United States. In 8 appearances on the European Ryder Cup team, Monty never lost a singles match. He recorded a total of 23.5 points for the European team as the third all-time scorer, behind Nick Faldo (25) and Bernhard Langer (24). When you talk about the Ryder Cup in the last several decades, it's impossible not to mention Monty. He's near the top in nearly every category for all-time bests.

Of course, he captained the victorious Europeans in Wales in 2010. Since then, he's voiced interest in giving it another go. Paul McGinley and Darren Clarke have the job locked up for the next two Ryder Cups, but maybe they'll bring Monty back in 2018'? After all, it's never too late, with the Americans naming Tom Watson the captain of the 2014 U.S. Ryder Cup squad. (Watson captained the Americans in their last win away from home in 1993.)

Monty falls under the category of best player without a major. Where does he rank on that list (of players who no longer are competing regularly)? I'm not sure ' definitely in the top three. But there's no question in belongs in the Hall of Fame. The announcement was made this morning, but I haven't seen much grumbling on Twitter over Monty getting the HOF nod.

Meanwhile, when Couples, who also only secured 51% of the vote, got the nod from the WGHOF, it invoked some controversy over whether or not he was deserving. Couples has one major and two Players Championship titles, but most important, he was golf's Mr. Cool in the late '90s ' in fact, he still is today.

So I guess this is the year and/or class of the 51%. What it comes down to: the WGHOF has turned into a popularity contest.

**************

Here are the ballot results and the rest of the official announcement'

World Golf Hall of Fame Class of 2013

 

World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum completes
Class of 2013 with Colin Montgomerie and Ken Schofield

European duo joins Couples, Venturi and Park Jr. 

London (Dec. 18, 2012) ' Colin Montgomerie and Ken Schofield share, as player and administrator respectively, a special affinity with both The European Tour and The Ryder Cup and they will be honored for their contribution to the game next year when they are inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum.

Montgomerie ' elected through the International Ballot ' and Schofield ' selected through the Lifetime Achievement Category ' will be honored along with fellow 2013 inductees Fred Couples, Willie Park Jr. and Ken Venturi at the Induction Ceremony on May 6, 2013, at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla. The Ceremony will once again kick off THE PLAYERS Championship week.

George O'Grady, The European Tour Chief Executive, and Jack Peter, the Hall of Fame Chief Operating Officer, made the official announcement at a press conference attended by both Montgomerie and Schofield prior to The Race to Dubai European Tour Golfer of the Year Luncheon in London.

'This is a very special day for golf and for The European Tour,' O'Grady said. 'Colin and Ken are unique individuals and their contribution to not only The European Tour, on and off the fairways, but also The Ryder Cup makes them both very worthy candidates for the World Golf Hall of Fame.

'Colin's achievement in winning the Harry Vardon Trophy eight times, including seven in a row, took considerable talent, skill, imagination, endurance, physical strength and mental resilience. Any aspiring and ambitious golfer on The European Tour today craves the opportunity to win The Race to Dubai, which has succeeded the Order of Merit, just once ' to  do it eight times is universally viewed as a superhuman feat.

'Colin became European Number One for the eighth time in 2005 which, coincidentally, was the year I succeeded Ken. Unquestionably, Ken's contribution to The European Tour is incalculable. His vision, passion and reservoir of knowledge established the foundations that we enjoy today and, like Colin, he has enthusiastically supported and taken enormous joy from Europe's recent triumphs in The Ryder Cup.'

The accomplishments of both Montgomerie and Schofield have been recognized around the world.

'Ken and Colin are truly worthy of induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame,' said Mike Davis, USGA Executive Director and chairman of the World Golf Foundation Board of Directors. 'These two men played huge roles in golf's international development in the late 20th century. Ken provided more opportunities for top players to compete around the world, while Colin took advantage of these opportunities and set an unmatched standard of prolonged excellence on The European Tour.'

'Colin Montgomerie and Ken Schofield are outstanding ambassadors of the game,' said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem. 'Each has made vital contributions to golf's global expansion. Colin's achievements on The European Tour and the Ryder Cup have gained him fans worldwide, while Ken's tireless work during his time at The European Tour created new innovations and tremendous international growth. Congratulations to both Colin and Ken on this well-deserved honor.'

Montgomerie dominated The European Tour in the 1990s, finishing Number One seven times in succession from 1993 and then capturing another Harry Vardon Trophy in 2005. The Scot turned professional in 1987, following his second Walker Cup appearance, and won 31 European Tour titles ' a record by a British player ' including three successive PGA Championships at Wentworth Club and, in total, 40 tournaments worldwide.

In eight successive Ryder Cup appearances from 1991, Montgomerie created a remarkable record of being unbeaten in the singles with a 6-0-2 mark, in addition to winning 9 1/2 points from 14 foursomes and 7 points from 14 fourballs.  He then went on to captain the European Team, which regained The Ryder Cup at The Celtic Manor Resort, Newport, South Wales, in 2010.

Montgomerie, who received the MBE in 1998 and then the OBE in the 2005 New Year's Honours List, will be eligible to compete on the European Senior Tour when he celebrates his 50^th birthday on June 23 next year.

'It is a wonderful surprise to hear that I will be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame next year,' Montgomerie said. 'I know I am very fortunate to have enjoyed such a successful career playing the game I love and it makes me feel very proud that my achievements have been recognized in this way. While my eight Order of Merit wins were very special, as everyone knows my Ryder Cup experiences have provided the very best moments in my career and receiving this great honor is the icing on the cake. I am delighted that my dear friend Ken Schofield's notable contribution to European golf will also be recognized at next year's Ceremony and I look forward to sharing this special occasion with him.'

Schofield became First Secretary and Executive Director of The European Tour on Jan. 1, 1975, succeeding John Jacobs. When he took the helm, The European Tour comprised 17 official events with an official prize fund of '599,084. When he retired at the end of 2004, there were 45 official events with official prize money of £106,010,654, in addition to 29 European Challenge Tour events and 21 European Senior Tour events. Schofield initiated global expansion for the game when he took The European Tour outside of the European continent for the first time in 1982 with the playing of the Tunisian Open. That began a structure whereby the Tour positioned itself internationally ' co-sanctioned tournaments with other Tours now total 164 since the inaugural one in South Africa in 1995 ' with more opportunity and incentive for the players in first the major championships then the World Golf Championships.

Since his retirement Schofield, born and raised in Perthshire, Scotland, where he became, at 23, Scotland's youngest bank manager, has become an integral part of The Golf Channel's broadcast team at The Ryder Cup and major championships. He also served for five years as President of The Golf Foundation, of which a founding member was Hall of Fame member Sir Henry Cotton, prior to being succeeded by Montgomerie. He is also on the board of several companies and organizations and was appointed CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in 1996.

'I am delighted not just for myself but also for The European Tour,' Schofield said. 'This is an honor for absolutely everyone who in the last 40 years helped the Tour become what it is today. For me it is quite unexpected and I am both delighted and humbled that I should be given a place in the World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum in the company of so many great names who have together contributed to making the game of golf so special in our lives.'

With the new Class set, the Hall of Fame will now focus on the Induction Ceremony on May 6, 2013.

'Colin Montgomerie and Ken Schofield will be excellent additions to the World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum,' Peter said. 'The Class of 2013 is a wonderful snapshot of the rich, international history of the game. We look forward to celebrating all of the achievements of this distinguished group at the 2013 Induction Ceremony.'

 

(Photo via the Guardian)

Tom Watson tapped 2014 Ryder Cup Captain, Tiger Woods approves (PHEW!)

The New Boss Man

The U.S. Ryder Cup team will have a strong, passionate leader at the head of the table at Gleneagles in Scotland during the 2014 matches. On Thursday morning the PGA of America president Ted Bishop officially named Tom Watson as the next boss of the American squad.

Watson was the captain at the '93 matches at Belfry, which was the last time the U.S. team won on foreign ground. The Americans have only clinched the Cup twice since then, losing seven of the past nine biennial matches against the Europeans. Yikes.

Who better to break the America's dismal losing streak in 2014 than the five-time Open Champion Golfer of the Year? I can't think of one. Not when the venue is in Scotland. It's important to note that Gleneagles is not a links course, but it doesn't matter ' it's still Scotland, a magical place filled with remarkable memories for the 63-year-old Watson.

His fervor and knowledge are unmatched when it comes to golf across the pond. He's beloved by the fans, which I expect will create an interesting dynamic with the home crowd.

Somehow, my last hour's of work was deleted. You know that awful feeling back in high school and college when that happened? Yeah, it sucks. I have to rewrite this post, but I'm running out the door for an appointment. For now, here's a link to my musings from Tuesday, and here's the transcript of today's press conference, which is worth the read.

Please discuss your thoughts on the announcement and Watson captaining the 2014 U.S. Ryder Cup team.

*Update: I'll do my best to rewrite what I lost earlier, but it's never the same. /sigh

I've already voiced my opinion on why I think Watson is the right man for the job ' which you can refer to here -- but there are some things I'd like to add in light of the announcement this morning.

There will be no question who is the boss at Gleneagles and the players will respect his decisions and knowledge ' even if they don't necessarily like or agree with him. The Americans need some tough love from their captain, who is more of an authoritative leader that commands respect over his team instead of pandering to their every request or whim.

I referred to European Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal's style on Tuesday, particularly his decision to bench Martin Kaymer and Peter Hanson for both matches on Saturday at Medinah. Neither player was exactly happy about it. I mean, Peter Hanson and Ollie almost came to blows! Peter Hanson of all people! The quiet, soft-spoken, non-offensive Swede!

Just four days after the miraculous European victory, Hanson dryly told reporters he was going to leave Ollie off his Christmas Card list. He also revealed the tension in the team room on Saturday night, but at the end, it turned out OK didn't it? The two'snubbed' players both secured key points late in the line-up in their singles matches, with Kaymer making the winning putt.

It's naive to believe every player and/or every captain on any team gets along and likes each other, but you don't have to be BFFs to come together and behave like courteous adults to work for a common goal ' i.e. winning the Ryder Cup. And it's only for a week, whereas in football, soccer, basketball, baseball, etc., you're stuck with your team/coach for the entire season.

Naturally, earlier in the week, some raised concerns in regard to Watson's relationship with Tiger Woods. Watson is never one to mince words and that includes his opinions on the 14-time major champion's conduct on and off the golf course.

Not that it should really matter, but good news! ' Tiger issued a statement shortly after Thursday's announcement, endorsing Watson's captaincy. (Thank goodness, I know.)

'I'd like to congratulate Tom Watson on his selection as Ryder Cup captain,' said Woods. 'I think he's a really good choice. Tom knows what it takes to win, and that's our ultimate goal. I hope I have the privilege of joining him on the 2014 United States team.'

Watson also reassured the press that his relationship with Woods was just fine.

'Well, I hope Tiger, first of all, is on my team,' said Watson during his press conference on Thursday morning. 'He's the best player maybe in the history of the game.  He brings a stature to the team that is unlike any other player on the team.  And if he's not on the team for any unforeseen reason, and I'm sure he will be, you can bet that he's going to be No. 1 on my pick list.

'My relationship with Tiger is fine.  Whatever has been said before is water under the bridge, no issues, and, in fact, Ted, you told me today that he Tweeted and he said that he wanted me'' he respected me as being captain because he knows that I want to win.

'Obviously there's nobody else in the golf world who wanted to win more than Tiger, and he did it for so many years.  He dominated this sport unlike anybody in the history of the sport.  So I want him on my team.'

It doesn't matter if the players disagree with their captain's politics or personal views. I'm pretty sure Tiger respects Watson's golfing accomplishments. Wasn't it Tiger who stepped aside and waved up Watson on the 18th at St. Andrews in at the '10 Open, so he could finish the second round before dark? I think so.

Bottom line: If the U.S. players and captain(s) can't forget about their personal differences for a week, then they have much bigger problems to deal with than the Ryder Cup.

There's also been questions as to whether Watson is too 'out of touch' with the players. First of all, I'm not sure it matters in this case, but if it does, I'm confident he'll be plenty in tune with his players at Gleneagles in 2014.  The 'young' Americans, which will make up at least 3/4 of the 2014 team, hold him in high regard. How can you not? 8 majors, including 5 Open titles, not to mention his 10-4-1 record at the Ryder Cup.

Most important, Watson is fiercely competitive and will bring extra passion and inspire confidence in the team room.

'We're tired of losing,' he said during his press conference. 'I always said that early in my career, I learned to win by hating to lose.  It's about time to start winning again for our team.  That's the attitude that I hope that my players have, and it's time to stop losing.'

Enough said.

********

As I previously mentioned, I recommend reading the transcript of the press conference here. The SI Golf Group also convened for an emergency edition of PGA Tour Confidential on the topic, so you can read more of my thoughts there, and more important, those of my esteemed colleagues.

Finally, what do you think of the PGA's decision to name Watson as the 2014 captain? Is he the right man for the job? Or who would you have liked to be named instead?

(AP Photo)

And the next U.S. Ryder Cup captain is reportedly'Tom Watson

Ed. note: I started writing this post before Rosaforte's article with the breaking news was published.

Watson saluting the fans at St. Andrews at The Open in '10 (it was quite poignant)

If you woke up this morning and thought David Toms or Larry Nelson or anyone else not named Tom Watson were the favorites to be tapped as the 2014 U.S. Ryder Cup captain, you may have changed your mind by now.

While the PGA of America won't make an official announcement until Thursday at 8:30am EST on The Today Show (under the radar, per usual), industry insiders are putting their money on five-time Open Champ Tom Watson, who captained the last American team to win on foreign soil in '93. Phrases like the PGA is 'thinking outside the box' or 'shaking it up' have been tossed around by respected journalists.

At a luncheon in New York on Tuesday, new PGA of America president Ted Bishop teased the formal announcement and said, 'We've done something a little bit different this year.'

Ah, the future sounds promising! ' I like this guy already. But seriously, it's about time the suits in Palm Beach Gardens threw a curve ball and ruffled some feathers (over something besides transportation issues and logistical nightmares). The shocking loss at Medinah in October might have been the wake-up call, not to mention the U.S. has lost 7 of the last 9 Ryder Cups to Europe.

Change!

Until today I wasn't sure if the PGA had it in them. Even when I read that Watson said he'd like to captain another Ryder Cup team last week at the Australian Open ' 'It would be a great honor if I got tapped on the shoulder. '93 was the last time I've been to a Ryder Cup. I'd like to go back as captain. That would be cool.' ' I didn't think much of it.

After all, it seemed like a lock that David Toms, the likeable, politically correct player in his mid-40s with a PGA Championship title, would be Davis Love III's successor. I mean, Love hypothetically referred to Toms as the next captain during a press conference at the McGladrey Classic. My ears certainly perked up at the time, but when Love was pressed by a reporter, Love said his 'bet' was on Toms.

Earlier today, GolfChannel.com's Jason Sobel reported that neither David Toms or Larry Nelson had spoken to the PGA about the job, which was rather telling considering the announcement is in less than two days.

Then Tim Rosaforte tweeted: 'My reporting has Tom Watson as next Ryder Cup captain. PGA wants to shake it up. TW captained winning team in '93. Won't lead by committee.'

Oh, what's this? *Breaking news* midway through post'

Rosaforte followed up his tweet and penned a GolfDigest.com report, saying his sources tell him the plan is to pick Watson.

It makes perfect sense. The 2014 Ryder Cup will be held at Gleneagles in Scotland, a country where Watson has had great success. It's not the easiest to earn golfing respect from those across the pond ' unless you've won five Open Championship titles. He's a demigod and worshiped by fans in the UK (which will create an intriguing atmosphere at the matches and Watson's stature can only help the U.S.).

It's hard to explain the reverence he receives ever year at the Open Championship from the crowd. I remember hearing a commotion in 2010 at St. Andrews and I ran outside the media tent to the 18th hole just in time to see the fans paying tribute to Watson as he played the final hole.

The cheers and support were unlike anything I'd ever seen ' it wasn't like the crazy roars that Tiger Woods gets in the U.S. or anyone else. I still recall the magical feeling that encompassed the crowd, while Watson putted out on the 18th. I'm getting the same goosebumps and chills I felt that afternoon just thinking (and writing) about it. In the following two Opens I covered at RSG and Royal Lytham, it's been the same type of deal (but a little less intense since the second round in '10 might have been Watson's last Open Champ round at St. Andrews).

Watson even seems 'different' when he's in the U.K. Partly, I think because of his fondness and good memories and also because he knows he can still be competitive on links-style courses, whereas it's much more difficult for him to keep up with the young guns at, say, the Masters.

Who better to inspire confidence in the U.S. team in Scotland than Watson? Exactly. Plus, he'd never allow for rain gear malfunctions.

Watson also isn't afraid to speak his mind, and as I mentioned, he captained the last American team to win on foreign ground at the '93 matches at Belfry. (I recently re-read John Feinstein's book, 'A Good Walk Spoiled,' which recounts the incredible matches that year. I was going to type some of it out, but it's getting late, so I'll save that for later.

The only 'issue' Watson might encounter is his history with Tiger Woods. After Tiger's sex scandal, Watson criticized Woods for his behavior on and off the golf course. Since then he hasn't minced words when asked for his opinions on the 14-time major champ.

But I think Watson and Woods can and will put aside their personal difference and behave like adults for a week. Just because they don't necessarily agree with on moral fronts, it doesn't mean they don't respect each others' accomplishments and abilities on the golf course.

The Europeans certainly have shown that it's possible to come together as a team despite their past history. Ian Poulter and Colin Montgomery aren't exactly fond of each other, but they didn't let it become a problem or distraction at the 2010 Ryder Cup. (I'm pretty sure Poulter wasn't the only one who has history with Monty.)

Just a few months ago, the soft-spoken Peter Hanson voiced his disdain when European captain Jose Maria Olazabal benched him for both of Saturday's matches. Hanson and Olazabal exchanged some heated words that evening. Martin Kaymer, who made the winning putt to clinch the miraculous comeback, was also upset he didn't play either of the matches the previous day. But things turned out just alright, didn't they? At the end of the day, these guys were able to suck it up and respect their captain even if they disagreed with him.

Not everyone on every team is best friends, but in recent years they (usually) manage to come together and get along for a week. It's what grown-ups do and it's really not that much to ask.

[*Recommended reading: The SI Golf Group convened on Tuesday afternoon for an "emergency" PGA Tour Confidential roundtable to discuss the pending announcement. Check it out.]

(Photo via NY Daily News)

Ferocious T-Rex sends Aussie PGA packing

Rarr! (Sydney Morning Herald)

After a great deal of sabre-rattling on both sides, the Australian PGA has struck a compromise with billionaire eccentric Clive Palmer, owner of the Palmer Coolum resort, to ensure that the association's annual championship goes ahead as planned.

The viability of the event was called into question by a series of bizarre local initiatives, including plans to scatter 161 life-size dinosaur models throughout the property, paint advertisements directly onto fairways and festoon the venue with billboard advertising for Palmer's latest film production, Titanic II ('100 years later, lightning strikes twice').

The precise terms of the last-minute agreement are subject to some speculation, but players remain certain to come into close contact with 'Jeff', an eight-metre high, 20-metre long tyrannosaur currently in place behind the ninth and tenth holes, and up to 61 spray-painted advertisements.

Unsurprisingly, the PGA of Australia has since issued a statement bringing to an end its decade-long association with the venue. The organisation's chief executive Brian Thorburn attributed the decision to a forecasted shortfall in advertising revenue.

Peter Senior, winner of last week's Australian Open, declared himself untroubled by Jeff, 'as long as he doesn't crap everywhere.'

Conor Nagle

Is David Toms a worthy Captain America? [*Update*]

Toms in action at at the Olympic Club in June.

David Toms is one of the most successful American golfers of his generation. He's collected 13 PGA Tour victories, including the 2001 PGA Championship; played on three Ryder Cup teams; and, over a career spanning nearly 25 years, amassed a little under $40million in prize money.

And yet, if he's named on Thursday as Davis Love's successor to the Ryder Cup captaincy, there remains a sense the decision will have owed more to his inoffensiveness and political good fortune than golfing pedigree.

Though the 45- year-old looks a logical choice (he ticks a number of the relevent boxes), and his candidacy appears to have built momentum on that basis, it's difficult to find a Toms partisan.

His rivals for the post, Larry Nelson and Tom Watson, have each succeeded in inspiring greater enthusiasm, albeit on a more limited scale.

Of course, there's a danger in allowing Toms' public persona ' that of a polite and diffident Southern gentleman ' to obscure his shrewdness and tenacity as competitor, qualities that have marked both his greatest personal successes and seven team appearances.

He's perennially underrated; dismissed, somewhat perversely, on the basis of his phenomenal longevity and quiet commercial success.

If Watson ' currently rumoured to have received a phonecall from PGA representatives (a courtesy yet to be extended Toms) ' or Nelson should win selection at the Louisiana native's expense this week, will he have been dealt a gross injustice?

The answer to that question, I suppose, depends on how willing you are to place faith in qualities he has yet to exhibit publicy. That, of course, and the extent to which you consider recent trends a legitimate measure of worthiness.

*UPDATE* Insider sources suggest a Toms success is looking doubtful. Smart money's on Tom Watson, apparently.

[*Ed. Note: Last week at the Australian Open, Watson welcomed the idea of captaining the next Ryder Cup team: "It would be a great honor if I got tapped on the shoulder. '93 was the last time I've been to a Ryder Cup. I'd like to go back as captain. That would be cool." --SW]

Conor Nagle

Where dreams (no longer) come true: PGA Tour releases first part of 2013-14 schedule

As in 2012, the season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions at Kapalua, HI will conclude on a Monday (Jan. 7), allowing for tournament promotion by NBC and Golf Channel during NFL weekend games. The final round will be aired prior to college football's Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game. Following the Sony Open in Hawaii (Jan. 10-13), the TOUR moves to the mainland for the traditional West Coast swing over the next six weeks, beginning with the Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation in LaQuinta, CA (Jan. 17-20) and concluding with the Accenture Match Play Championship at Dove Mountain, AZ (Feb. 20-24).

The TOUR then moves primarily through the Southeast and Texas for 13 straight weeks, beginning with The Honda Classic (Feb. 28-March 3) and running through the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial (May 23-26).

The PGA TOUR schedule continues through the Midwest and Northeast over the next seven weeks, beginning with the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance at Muirfield Village Golf Club (May 30-June 2) through the John Deere Classic (July 11-14) in Silvis, IL. The U.S. Open will be contested at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, PA June 13-16.

That leads to the final five-week push to the FedExCup Playoffs, which includes the final two major championships ' The Open Championship, July 18-21, at Muirfield in East Lothian, Scotland; and the PGA Championship, Aug. 8-11 at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, NY ' as well as the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, Aug. 1-4. The Wyndham Championship concludes the stretch, finalizing the 125-player Playoff field.

The FedExCup Playoffs open Aug. 22-25 with The Barclays at Liberty National Golf Course in New Jersey City, NJ, then shift to the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston and BMW Championship at Conway Farms Golf Club outside of Chicago, before concluding at the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.

The Dos and Don'ts: What you should and shouldn't copy from the pros

Back in September I wrote a piece for the Northern California Golf Association Fall Magazine on what amateur golfers (or weekend hackers) should and shouldn't emulate from PGA Tour and LPGA golfers. It's funny because the next time I played golf, I realized I was guilty of many of the 'Don'ts,' so perhaps I should heed to my own advice! Check it out and maybe this can even help cut down a few strokes from your game.

 

Here's the text version of the article, which includes tips from the guys and gals on Tour:

Hate to be the one to break it to you, but as amateur golfers, we shouldn't try to emulate everything we see the pros do on the PGA Tour and LPGA. They're paid the big bucks for a reason, and don't forget, it's their job, not just a hobby.

Let's be real. Chances are, we're never going to be as good as they are ' even if we dress like them (a-hem, all the middle-aged Rickie Fowler wannabes). The average golfer doesn't have the time (and more important, patience and discipline) to practice and get in the reps required to reach that next level.

Of course, there are habits we can pick up from watching PGA Tour and LPGA players to improve our games. Here's a guide to the DOs and DON'Ts.

Course management

DO:

*Take enough club (or even an extra club). The most common mistake Tour players see their pro-am partners make is overestimating how far they can hit the ball. Amateurs tend to take less than they need.

'If you can't drive the ball 250 yards, it is very likely your 3-wood won't fly the 270 yards necessary to carry the water hazard, the greenside bunker or your friends' heads,' says Christina Kim, a two-time winner on the LPGA Tour.

In other words, check your ego in the parking lot. Your buddies will be much more impressed if you clear the hazard and find dry land or hit the green in regulation.

*Know how far you hit your clubs. This goes along with taking enough club, but if you watch the pros, they have excellent distance control and are honest with how far they can hit each club. Amateurs just need to have an (accurate) idea of their range within 5-10 yards.

*Develop a pre-shot routine. Every pro goes through the same motions and mannerisms before every shot or putt he or she hits ' it's kind of like a script. The pre-shot routine is integral to a golfer's performance and increases the chances for success. It can help with everything from basics, such as alignment, to fostering comfort and confidence, especially in pressure-packed situations. It can be how you walk into your setup to the ball, what you're going to think about and a swing feel in the takeaway or visualizing an image of the target.

*Focus on your swing tempo. Watch the ladies on the LPGA, who have swings that look effortless and don't have the grip it and rip it mentality, advises LPGA pro Paige Mackenzie. Amateurs tend to think they have to swing hard to hit it far. Wrong. Even the PGA Tour players rarely put it way up in their stance and tee it high and try to kill the ball.

'Most Tour pros are only doing that if we're about to blow the cut and we're trying to hit it an extra 20 yards,' says Robert Garrigus, who won the 2010 Children's Miracle Network Classic. 'If they (amateurs) put it a little farther back in their stance and swing inside their shoulders, they have a better chance of hitting it straight instead of their tendency to move across the ball and over the top ' which causes a big slice.'

*Tee it forward. There's no need to play from the tips unless you can actually handle it. It's more fun and you'll score better. There's already a slow play epidemic and it's partly caused by players who take a gazillion shots when they don't play from the proper tees.

DON'T:

*Play overly aggressive and be afraid to lay up. Amateurs often waste shots due to our lack of recognition of our abilities and the tendency to attempt shots beyond our talents. You don't have to go for a par 5 in two just because you have a chance and you think it's what the pros would do.

'Amateurs put themselves in situations where they can only pull off the shot one out of 10 times based on their ability, rather than playing more conservative where they're likely to do it successfully nine out of 10 times,' says PGA Tour veteran Greg Chalmers. '

Adds two-time PGA Tour winner Scott Stallings: 'The value of par for amateurs is pretty substantial and I don't think they realize that. We always tell our guys in pro-ams that if we could caddie for them and they did everything we told them, we'd give them the opportunity to take ten shots off a round without changing a single golf swing.'

*Leave the driver in the bag and hit a 3-wood, hybrid or even a long-iron on shorter holes to leave you with a yardage you're comfortable with hitting for your approach.

'I think amateurs should pay attention to why we're taking 3-wood off the tee instead of drivers on some holes,' says PGA Tour pro Kevin Na. 'I see a lot of amateurs taking driver on a 320-yard par 4, when they usually don't need to.'

*On a similar note, lay up to a number you like. If you're in the heavy rough on a difficult par 4, watch the pros, who often chip out to leave a yardage where they have the best chance to get up-and-down.

'Being comfortable hitting a yardage is much more important than hitting it up somewhere near the green in the rough, where you might have a bad lie,' says Kim. 'If you're comfortable with your yardage, you will give yourself a better chance to get up and down, or at worst, make a bogey. There is no need to go bigger than you're capable of doing.'

*Try to hit flop shots. Or if you do, don't open up the blade entirely or as much as you think you should. We can't pull off crazy flops like the one Tiger Woods chipped in on the 16th hole at Muirfield Village when he won the Memorial Tournament in May.

*Read putts from every angle. The pros are playing for millions, so they'll often take time to make sure they get the read right and they're confident with it. Then again, there are players who don't overdo it. Remember Rory McIlroy at the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional? He looked at the putt, walked into his setup with confidence and pulled the trigger. Odds are studying the read from five different places isn't going to significantly improve an amateur's chances of making the putt. Besides, speed is more important than the line, so that should be the primary focus.

*Plumb-bob. Pros don't even know what they're doing half the time when they use this technique, so save yourself the effort and time.

Practice

DO:

*Practice with a purpose. Go out there with a mindset of what you're going to accomplish and knowing what it is you're going to work on. If you watch the pros on the range, they take their time in between each shot and always hit toward a target, whether it's a flag, tree or pole. (On that note, try using alignment sticks like the pros do ' you can find them at your local Home Depot.) The pros also go through their pre-shot routine or a shortened version of it.

*Get lessons. Most tour players have swing coaches. You don't need to spend thousands on a clinic with David Leadbetter or another big 'name.' Just taking lessons from your local pro will suffice.

'If amateurs are getting a lesson, they have some direction of what they should be working on,' says Charles Howell III, a two-time PGA Tour winner. 'If you're just beating balls, you might as well go and exercise or do something else better with your time.'

DON'T

*Only work on the long game and neglect chipping and putting. Amateurs probably spend 90% of their practice time hitting balls on the range and only 10% on their short game. If anything, it should be the other way around, but try to even out the ratio. More than half your shots are going to involve the short game.

'If you want to lower your score, you have to chip and putt,' says 2007 Masters champion Zach Johnson. 'You gotta be consistent inside of eight feet, you have to get up and down a lot. You have to have a smile like Matt Kuchar.'

Pace of Play

DO:

*Watch Bill Haas, Robert Garrigus, Pat Perez, Brandt Snedeker, Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson, just to name a few of the faster players on the PGA Tour. They set a good example for how long you should take to hit the golf ball. They're usually hitting as soon as the other guy's ball is in the air.

*Play ready golf. Get your yardage and pick your club while you're walking to the ball or while you're waiting for your playing partners to hit. Four hours is more than enough time for a round of golf.

DON'T:

*Watch a number of the ladies on the LPGA who have their caddies line them up on every shot (even though for amateurs this could help, so I encourage it every now and again to check your alignment, but definitely not on every shot or two-foot putt). Six-hour rounds aren't fun for anyone.

*Mark a putt inside three feet. The pros are playing for millions and an 18-inch putt could cost them hundreds of thousands and a major championship. Unless you're playing for more than you have in your bank account (which you shouldn't be doing in the first place), just putt out.

********

At the end of the day, the most important thing is ' HAVE FUN. Yeah, yeah, I know, that sounds so cliche, but it's easy to forget. There's no reason to get angry and throw clubs. It shouldn't be stressful for an amateur to play a round of golf. I understand that some of us are inherently competitive and we can't help getting fired up a little, but let's keep it within reason. Four-letter words sort of go hand-in-hand with golf, so I recommend using those as a release, then move on to the next shot.

Perhaps Ryan Palmer, a three-time champ on the PGA Tour, had the best advice: 'Get a six-pack before you tee off.'

********

You should check out the online magazine version with all the pretty pictures and formatting here.

(Article re-posted with the permission of the NCGA)

Rory McIlroy's new Palm Beach Gardens mansion may need its own zipcode

Dealmaker: Musta been the putting green!

Okay, considering world's No. 1 golfer Rory McIlroy recently signed a deal with Nike reportedly worth $200 million, it's actually not absurdly ginormous or extravagant (from what I can see of the pictures). In fact, it's rather modest compared to his new BFF  Tiger Woods' Jupiter home which is larger than Planet Jupiter.

Golf's newly-anointed prince McIlroy recently purchased a luxurious home in Palm Beach Gardens with a price tag around $11 million, according to reports.

Situated 'within five minutes' of the Bear's Club, a Nicklaus-owned course that counts a number of PGA Tour stars among its membership, and within easy reach of both the exclusive Dye Preserve and Medalist resorts'not to mention a mere kilometre from Woods' estate, the 10,000-square-foot house looks an ideal base of operations for the 23-year-old.

Only 10,000 square-feet, Rory?! I mean, Tiger's gym is nearly the same size.

The house has six bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a gym, swimming pool, and a putting green.

In addition to a swimming pool, well-equipped gym and number of mezzanine balconies, the rambling, multi-story property includes a small putting green, covered barbecue area and private jetty. Wonder if Rory's next purchase is a boat? I mean, every golfer has to have a vessel of some sort! Plus, with a yacht, Rory can just hop on and take a ride over to Tiger's house!

There's also includes a fully-furnished nursery, where the young scamps can play with LEGO or any number of plush toys. Ah, to be 23 again'

Rory's new digs

Frankly, after the awesome 2012 season the 23-year-old had ' five wins globally, including the PGA Championship ' he can do whatever he pleases.

It's been reported that the Palm Beach-area house will serve as a base for McIlroy and tennis star girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki. (Just don't call it 'a love nest', okay? Please.) Perhaps this was the very nice Christmas gift she was asking for?

'Stephanie Wei & Conor Nagle

[Ed. note: Rory's house is so large that it took two of us to write about it.]

(Photo via Daily Mail)

The (complicated) case of youngest-ever Q-school grad Si Woo Kim

Sometimes it's tough to be a golfing phenom!

South Korean Si Woo Kim shot 18-under total over six rounds at PGA West'Nicklaus Tournament and TPC Stadium'to place T17th and became the youngest player at 17 years, 5 months and 6 days on Monday to graduate from PGA Tour Q-School. Previously, Ty Tryon held that record set in 2001, and unfortunately, as we know, he never lived up to the hype.

Because of the age requirement (18-years-old) to become a PGA Tour member and the condensed 2013 schedule, along with other provisions, Kim's situation is somewhat complicated.

Let's break it down. 

First of all, this confusion could have been avoided altogether had Kim checked the 'amateur' box instead of the 'professional' box on his Q-school application form. Players are allowed to compete as amateurs and then turn pro afterward, allowing them to defer their Tour card to the following year ' or in Kim's case the new split calender 2013-2014 season.

Whoops.

I spoke to player-managers from several different companies, all of whom said they would not have advised Kim to play Q-school as a professional.

When asked if he intended to check the pro box, he said yes. It was unclear whether his management team fully understood all the stipulations. Worlds like 'reshuffle' are apparently difficult to translate to Korean (shocking).

Anyway, the headache I'm about to take you through could have been avoided, but I guess it was that important to turn pro for Q-school'

Kim doesn't turn 18 until June 28, 2013, so he can't become a PGA Tour member or Web.com Tour member until then. He can play no more than 12 Tour events as a non-member on sponsors exemptions (maximum of 7); top-10s (if you place in the top ten at an event, you earn a spot into the next regular tournament); or special exemptions prior to the date he becomes a member. Monday qualifiers do not count toward the 12 maximum starts mentioned above (probably because it's extremely difficult to do unless your name is Patrick Reed).

The age restriction applies to Special Temporary Membership, so this eligibility category isn't relevant to Kim's situation.

Unlike the LPGA, the PGA Tour doesn't have a provision for a player to petition to join the Tour earlier than his 18th birthday.

Kim turns 18 on June 28, so he'll get to play in July and August (instead of through October due to the condensed 2013 schedule and the switch to the new split-calender year season), right?

As of now, because of the reshuffles of the Q-school/Web.com Tour category, once the player becomes a regular member he will be placed in the category with the amount of money earned on the Official PGA Tour Money List on the date of the next reshuffle.

However, Kim will miss the one that occurs on the Monday of the U.S. Open and upon joining as a member, he would be placed in the category with $0 and would need to wait until the next reshuffle'which is the week of the British Open'for any money earned as a non-member to count retroactively.

In the Tour's special info sheet regarding Kim's situation, it states that the Player Advisory Council will review this subject further in 2013. Hopefully they will change the current rule, so that Kim doesn't have to wait until the end of July to get starts (only 3 events left). With some luck, he could receive around five (not counting exemptions and Monday qualifiers).

Get all that? Don't worry if you don't. Basically, he's kind of screwed, but since he's a young phenom, maybe he'll get sponsor's invites. Then again, because of the condensed schedule, there are a limited number of invitations with a lot of 'big-name' players petitioning for them.

Good news is in light of the condensed season, the Tour has decided to reserve spots that will go to the 2012 grads (so they don't get totally screwed). According to a player who spoke on condition of anonymity, regular full-field tournaments will have eight invites to hand out. Four of the eight are specifically for Web.com Tour/Q-School grad category and will be given based on the list of the priority rankings (aka a player's 'number').

The tournament directors will dole out the other four invites. Two of these will be unrestricted (meaning the player doesn't have to be a member or in one of the gazillion different eligibility categories), while the other two will be granted to two member of the Tour. There will not be any special Commissioner's foreigner exemptions in the condensed 2013 season. So he won't be eligible for those spots. (Almost seems xenophobic, along with the new system change that makes it more difficult for international players to qualify for the PGA Tour.)

Now let's breakdown how players will gain eligibility on the PGA Tour for the 2013-14 season. Official money earned as a non-member, along with the official money earned once the player becomes a member, will count toward the top-125 money category, which provides access into standard, open PGA Tour events beginning in the new split-calendar season. Prior to becoming a member, any money Kim earns will be shown on the non-member money list.

For purposes of gaining exempt eligibility on the PGA Tour in the 2013-14 season, FedExCup points (remember, starting in the condensed 2012 schedule, they're switching it from the traditional money list to FEC points standings) earned as a non-member on the Non-Member FedExCup Points list, along with FedExCup Points earned once the player becomes a member, will count toward the top-125 FEC Points category.

In other words, there will be various lists for money and points to make things more ' and less ' confusing. Basically, we'll have more to keep track of to figure out where people stand eligibility-wise, etc.

If Kim were to win a PGA Tour event prior to his birthday, all the benefits that come with a win would be waiting for him on his 18th birthday, effective as if they started on the date of the victory.

As for the Web.com Tour, non-members are included on the Official Money List. Kim would show up on the Web.com Tour money list regardless of his membership status and all money earned is considered official. There is no limit to the number of sponsor exemptions or on the total number of tournaments Kim can play as a non-member of this Tour, equivalent to Triple A in Major League Baseball.

While Kim can't petition to waive the age limit requirement, there is something called a 'hardship exemption.' Kim's management team said they'd consider taking this if it were in the cards. But it's times like this when I wish I spoke Korean (I'm all set for Mandarin when the Chinese start coming in droves in 5-10 years) because it isn't clear what they plan to do and they probably don't exactly know themselves. They said on Monday that Kim would try to get sponsors exemptions on the PGA Tour and then if they aren't successful, they will aim for the Web.com Tour.

Well, Kim is only 17, so he has plenty of time and at least he's now in the system, so to speak, even if it's kind of a crappy situation (which, again, could have been prevented had he kept his amateur status).

What else? I feel like I'm missing something because there are so many darn twists in this drama. As we'd say on Twitter, #17yearoldphenomproblems.

Oh, I watched the kid play eight holes on Monday and it was mind-blowing. I was impressed. Then again, you're 17 and you really don't have much ' or anything ' to lose. He has an awesome swing, too. Check it out:

(Getty Images)

PGA Tour Q-School Monday: the agony and the ecstasy

The Dong earns medalist honors

Today was the last round of the last ever Q-school under the system that was in place since 1965. Longtime readers know I'm a Q-school romantic and I love the incredible stories and range of emotions, along with the drama, and I'm not alone. I've done my best over the past few weeks to describe the atmosphere.

To be honest, second stage was much more excruciating ' probably because there wasn't any live-scoring but in general the vibe was much more intense. Getting through second is usually the hardest part for the guys who have never made it to finals, along with the mini-tour journeymen, not to mention the veterans who had a terrible season.

Once you make it to finals, you're guaranteed some kind of status, whether that is a PGA Tour card or conditional status on the Web.com Tour. For the players who started with nothing besides the mini tours, it's a massive deal, along with the guys who have tried upwards of eight or more times and never gotten through second stage.

Things have changed in the last five years and now if you don't place in the top 100, your playing opportunities are very limited. For example at 2011 Q-School, Adam Hadwin finished 100th and had 25 starts on the Web.com Tour. Which is quality. However, you go down to Benoit Beisser at T125 and he only got 5. Even further down the list, Jimmy Brandt finished 146th and recorded 4 starts. So, EVERY STROKE COUNTS.

But I digress. Back to the stories of the day.

Similar to the previous two I covered (2010 and 2011), once the last five or six groups start rolling in, the chaos ensues. It pretty much goes from zero to 100 real quick. The players who qualified are obviously elated ' that goes for guys who earn their cards for the first time as well as the ones who have fulfilled their journeys. Again, I saw grown men cry (tears of joy).

Then, there are the players who became victim to the daunting 17th, a par-3 with an island green dubbed Alcatraz, and the 18th, a par-4 with water running along the entire left side of the hole.

The most inspiring story of the week

27-year-old Eric Meierdierks, who played the mini tours, lost his father five days before the first stage of Q-school. His good friend Bill Bohr, who looped for Eric in all three stages, said he'd never forget the date: October 10th. 'He texted me and said '' he's like, 'My dad just died. We're playing for him.' And here we are.'

Incredible.

Meierdierks walked out of the scoring trailer with a big smile on his face, but he also fought back emotions when he spoke with the press. Understandably so. I think this story deserves its own separate post, so stay tuned.

Oh, the mental mistakes and mishaps

*Ed Loar started the day T3, 21-under. He was inside the number until he reached the 17th, where he dunked his tee shot into the water and posted a double-bogey. He found the hazard again on the 18th and made bogey, and ended up posting a six-over 78, 15-under total, to miss by two shots.

*Mark Anderson stuffed his tee shot on the par-3 17th and rolled in his birdie putt from inside 15 feet to get in the number. Unfortunately, he knocked his drive in the water off the tee on 18 and ended up making double-bogey to post 15-under, two shots from re-earning his PGA Tour card.

*After making eagle on the 16th, Bhavik Patel pulled to one shot outside the number at the time (-15). He dunked his tee shot and made double-bogey. I guess it's a moot point since he would have needed to eagle the 18th.

*'09 Barclays champ Heath Slocum dunked his tee shot into the water on the 18th and ended with a bogey. However, he finished two outside the number, so he would have needed to birdie the 108th hole to re-earn his card.

*I think there were a few other water balls on Alcatraz from the guys who started on No. 10 at Stadium, but nothing else notable. I mean, there was no wind and guys probably had either an 8- or 9-iron.

The seven Web.com Tour grads who played Q-school because they enjoy it so much

Just kidding.

I'm not going to go through again and explain a player's 'number' or 'eligibility standing' and reshuffles, etc. But I did earlier this week--it's actually a big deal, especially in the upcoming shortened 2013 season, which is why seven guys'Lee Williams, Brad Fritsch, Morgan Hoffman, Brian Stuard, Andrew Svoboda, Nicholas Thompson and Jim Herman' endured six rounds of Q-school. Short version: the higher you finish in Q-school and on the Web.com Tour money list, your number determines your priority to get into tournaments.

These players did not count toward the top 25 and ties that secured their PGA Tour card through Q-school, or against the next number nearest 50 to determine the fully-exempt Web.com Tour membership.

Fritsch was the only one who improved his number. He finished T7th at Q-school, so his number went from No. 36 (finished 18th on the Web.com Tour money list) to probably 14 or 15. Basically, he is now 21 spots better off than he was for the West Coast swing before the first reshuffle. Huge.

'It was definitely worth it,' said Fritsch, a 35-year-old Canadian who will be a PGA Tour rookie in 2013.

It's been a long journey for Fritsch, who has tried his hand at Q-school a dozen times, which makes it more gratifying.

He's among the majority of players who are sad the current system is being replaced.

'No, this is so cool,' said Fritsch when asked if he was happy it was the last Q-school, 'especially those finishing holes.

'They're so visually intimidating. I  wanted to hit a hybrid off the last tee and I looked at my caddie and said, 'Can't I just be a man for once and sack up and hit a 3-wood.' So I did and I ripped it. That's' the kind of stuff you don't think of in regular tournaments, but you do out here.'

Darn it, Nicholas Thompson!

Thompson, one of the seven Web.com Tour grads, started the day inside the top 25 at T15. He shot two-over 74, which included a quadruple-bogey 9 on the par-5 5th hole. He finished 15-under, two shots outside 17-under, the cut-off score.

Why does this matter?

Well, it kind of doesn't, but it really does to the five players'Danny Lee, Vince Covello, Matthew Goggin, Kevin Kisner and Oliver Fisher'who shot 16-under. Boo.

(Kisner stuffed his approach on 18 to about 12 feet. His putt looked good until the last moment when it just veered to the side. He thought it was going in. So did I. That was a gut-wrenching and heartbreaker. /sad face)

All heart

Erik Compton, who is on his third heart, shot a second consecutive five-under 67 to re-earn his card and finish T7th.

'Four years after what I went through (his second heart transplant), you can't even dream a story like that,' said Compton. 'Next year, I know the golf courses and I don't have to grind as hard on that, and I can play like I have the last two rounds of Tour school, it should be fun.'

Compton tossed and turned the last two nights and only got about two hours of sleep.

'There's a sense of urgency for me,' he said. 'I don't know what my health is, and I know if one year goes by and I have to go back to the Web.com Tour I would probably really beat myself up, so now I don't have to do that.'

Wise decision

Ross Fisher, who is ranked no. 99 in the world, had to play in second stage and then decided to skip the European Tour's season-ending DP World Championship in Dubai to focus his efforts on Q-school finals.

It paid off.

Despite hitting it in the water on 18, Fisher dropped a 12-footer to save bogey and posted a five-under 66, -24, to tie for runner-up honors. Fisher, a four-time European Tour winner and member of the victorious 2010 European Ryder Cup team, will be considered a PGA Tour rookie, though he's made 37 career starts in the U.S.

Fisher described the six-round grueling week as 'Groundhog Day.'

'It's like we've been here for almost a month,' he said. 'We got here last Friday, so we've been here a long time.  I wanted to give it my all, that's why I opted out of not playing Dubai.  I wanted to focus on this, come out, feel fresh when the gun went on Wednesday.'

He clearly made the right choice, which he said earlier in the week was difficult because he hadn't played in an event with a purse for about two months. However, he did earn $25,000 for securing his card, so that's something.

'I felt like I played pretty solid all week, one disappointing round of level par, but having said that, I missed one green that day.  Just didn't have it.  But it come out the last two days, 5'under yesterday, gave me a bit of breathing space to come out today and play as well as I did obviously with a little mishap on the last, but 6'under, I feel really, really proud of myself for what I've achieved.'

As he should.

Meanwhile, Alex Noren, Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castana, and Marcus Fraser, who are ranked in the top 60 in the world, along with Romain Wattel, played in Dubai. They didn't fare so well this week.

Credit Noren and Wattel, who both had to endure second stage, the week before the DP World Championship. It's been a long three weeks for those two. Noren finished T73 and Wattel placed T118. Of the six players who were in Dubai, Noren and Wattel were the only two to play all 108 holes.

They could have withdrawn and no one would have blamed them, but they stuck it out. Well played.

Cabrera-Bello withdrew on Monday after one hole.

The Dong

Okay, there are so many storylines and Dong Hwan Lee, who birdied the last three holes to earn medalist honors (and $50,000), deserves his own separate post. The 26-year-old played on the Japan Tour, but had a two-year respite from golf starting in December 2008 to January 2011, because of South Korea's compulsory military service.

Lee is the first international player to win Q-School since England's Brian Davis in 2004.

The four rookies who qualified via all four stages

Donald Constable, Derek Ernst, Henrik Norlander and 17-year-old Si Woo Kim (which also will get his own post because of his complicated situation'and I watched him play 8 holes today'takeaway: WOW!) earned their PGA Tour cards by starting their journeys at pre-qualifying and getting through the next three stages. Which means they succeeded in their first try at Q-school.

That's impressive.

The most clutch player in qualifiers

See, told you that the Tour should have printed a card with Patrick Reed's name on it before the week even started. He Monday qualified for 6 PGA Tour events in 2012, which is unheard of. To say he plays well in qualifiers is an understatement. What's more, Reed managed to recover from a second-round 75!

************

Here is a list of the 26 players who collected PGA TOUR cards this week. The list contains the total career starts on the PGA TOUR for each of the players with the 2012 rookies (11 total) listed in bold:

Player                          Career Starts   

Dong Hwan Lee            1                                             

Ross Fisher                  37

Steve LeBrun               3                                             

Richard H. Lee              24

Billy Horschel                49

Kris Blanks                   102

Erik Compton                56

Brad Fritsch                 5                                                         

Jin Park                        39

Fabian Gomez               26

Michael Letzig               97

Jeff Gove                     163

Steven Bowditch           75

Matt Jones                    120

Robert Karlsson                        103

Eric Meierdierks           1                                                         

Scott Langley               5                                                                     

Aaron Watkins               21

Derek Ernst                  1                                                         

Si Woo Kim                  0                                                                     

Tag Ridings                  182

Donald Constable         0                     

Bobby Gates                61

Patrick Reed                 15                                                                    

Henrik Norlander          0                                 

Chez Reavie                  131

************

Consolation prize

The next nearest-number-to-50 earned fully exempt Web.com Tour cards for the first 10 events in 2013 before a reshuffle are the 46 players who shot 16-under to 10-under.

The rest of the field receives conditional status, which I discussed in one of the opening paragraphs.

************

Big names who missed? Oh, where do I start? Well, Camilo Villegas. See the full leaderboard here.

OK, stay tuned for more to come. There are just too many great stories!

RIP Q-School. You will be missed.

(Getty Images/Stuart Franklin)

USGA scolds unnamed fan for calling Keegan Bradley a 'cheater'

Beware the belly. It can be used as a weapon!

Keegan Bradley, the first to win a major with a belly putter at the 2011 PGA Championship, along with Webb Simpson, who won the U.S. Open earlier this summer with the same type of putter, have unfortunately become targets in the forthcoming anchoring ban'announced by the USGA and R&A earlier this week.

However, the rule will not go into effect until 2016. As of now, it is still legal for players to use belly putters and long putters. This three-year grace period was bound to cause problems. (Shock!) I didn't anticipate incidents so early, but unfortunately, Keegan was heckled by a fan on the last hole on Saturday at the World Challenge.

'I had some guy here call me a cheater on the last hole, which was no fun,' he said.

No, that's awful and unfair. I realize professional golfers should be able to take and deal with some heckling, but I draw the line when it comes to calling people 'cheaters.' In golf it's the worst possible insult. Calling a player a cheater ' who has not done anything illegal ' is equivalent of a racial slur. I'm serious.

Obviously they're not quite the same thing and the latter is much worse, but that's the closest analogy I could come up with. As someone who has experienced both, they both invoke a similar feeling ' a pit in your stomach that feels incredibly hurtful. It's indescribable.

In his pre-tourney press conference on Wednesday at Sherwood Country Club, Keegan said a spotlight had been put on players who use belly putters.

'I feel like the USGA has really put an X on our back and really shined a light on us, and I don't know if that's exactly fair,' he said.

I am in favor of the anchoring ban, but I don't disagree with Keegan's comment.

It's a weird position to put the players in if the rule isn't put into effect until 2016. They're bound to get flack from fans and potentially their peers.

Franklin Corpening, a player at Q-school, uses a belly putter and told me Tuesday he disagreed with the ban, but he admitted he didn't know the details. Thanks to Tiger Woods ability to eloquently explain the reasoning, Franklin came up to me on Wednesday and said he had changed his stance because he heard Tiger's comments on ESPN and thought they were good points.

When Franklin showed up to PGA West for the first round of finals, he said, laughing, 'I looked around and was like, 'do people think I'm cheating?!''

I thought he was joking at the time, but now perhaps he was half-serious.

******

As a result of the incident at the World Challenge, the USGA decided to issue a press release'

Far Hills, N.J. (December 2, 2012) ' The United States Golf Association (USGA) today issued the following statement regarding yesterday's incident at the World Challenge in which a spectator called Keegan Bradley's use of an anchored stroke as 'cheating.' The incident follows the Nov. 28 announcement by the USGA and The R&A proposing changes to the Rules of Golf that would prohibit anchoring the club in making a stroke. The proposed Rule change would take effect on January 1, 2016, in accordance with the regular four-year cycle for changes to the Rules of Golf.

'This is a deplorable incident, and there is no place in our game for this kind of behavior. As we noted when announcing proposed Rule 14-1b, it has been and remains entirely within the Rules of Golf for players to anchor the club while making a stroke. There should not be a shred of criticism of such players or any qualification or doubt about their achievements, and we think that it is inappropriate even to suggest anything to the contrary. Rule changes address the future and not the past. Up until now and until such time as a Rule change were to be implemented, golfers using an anchored stroke will have been playing by the Rules of Golf.'

'We are sorry that Keegan had to experience this unfounded criticism from an obviously uneducated spectator. Instead, Keegan and other PGA Tour professionals should be commended for their maturity and grace in managing through a proposed change to the Rules of Golf.'

'While we understand that the proposed Rules change would cause some short-term angst, we believe the new Rule would serve the long-term best interest of the game.'

Surely that fixes everything and fans will never heckle belly putter users ever again!

I think the USGA should put the rule in effect on January 1, 2014, rather than wait until 2016. What say you?

(AP Photo/Bret Hartman)

Guy who bugged Donald Trump now a national hero

Forbes pictured outside his home in April of this year.

Farmer Michael Forbes has been named 'Top Scot' at this year's Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Awards.

The 60-year-old sprung to fame earlier this year as the unlikely star of 'You've Been Trumped', a documentary charting the contentious development of property mogul Donald Trump's multi-million dollar resort project on the Aberdeenshire coast.

Forbes, whom Trump famously accused of living 'like a pig', galvanised local resistance to the project by refusing to vacate his property and engaging in a number of high-profile, if ultimately unsuccessful, demonstrations.

His activity is alleged to have made him the target of a lengthy campaign of intimidation organised by Trump surrogates acting with the tacit endorsement of both the Aberdeenshire police and local authority representatives.

The first 'non-celebrity' to claim the honour, Forbes' claimed the public poll by what organisers described as 'a clear margin'. Other award winners on the night included tennis star Andy Murray and six-time Olympic medallist Sir Chris Hoy.

Conor Nagle

PGA Tour Q-School Deathwatch: Tidbits from Day 5

Bow down to Bowdo

Coming into the excruciating long week at PGA West for Q-school finals, Steven Bowditch felt like his form was taking a turn for the better. When you're fighting to re-earn your job'the Australian had conditional status on the PGA Tour last year'the timing couldn't have been more perfect.

The Australian shot an eight-under 64 on the Nicklaus Tournament course to take a one-shot lead through 90 holes heading into Monday's sixth and final round.

As he made his way toward the Golf Channel interview area, he asked me, 'I'm not leading, am I?' I paused for a second and said, 'Do you really want to know?' (Some guys don't look at the leaderboard all week and I wanted to double-check before telling him.)

Indeed, you are.

'By how many?' he asked.

Let's see'as of now, two.

Bowditch scratched his head and made an expression I can't even describe and walked away. No massive expression of joy like many others. He was relatively stoic. All business. He knows there's another round left and a lot can happen since the difference between first on the leaderboard and T24 is eight shots. And there will likely be guys outside the number going low and visa versa.

Reminder: top 25 and ties are awarded PGA Tour cards. However, there are seven players who have already secured their cards via finishing in the top 25 on the Web.com Tour money list. These guys decided to enter Q-school to try and improve their 'number' or 'priority ranking,' which is even more important with the compressed 2013 schedule.

As of now, Brad Fritsch and Nicholas Thompson are T11 and T15, respectively, so they don't count toward the 25 cards. There are nine players tied for 24th, though, so if the tournament ended day, it wouldn't make a difference.

But I digress. Back to the current leader.

Bowditch, who has struggled with major depression, opened the first round of Q-school by duck hooking his drive in the water on No. 10 at the Stadium Course. He scraped it around to finish with a one-over 73.

The general consensus among players for Q-school in these calm conditions is you can't shoot over-par. Well, you can have one day, but only one player in 2008 when it was contested at PGA West in similar conditions posted a round over-par. The others were even or under-par in all six rounds.

Bowditch had a swing epiphany on the front nine of Nicklaus Tournament during the second round.

'I hit a terrible golf shot on No. 8,' said Bowditch after his round on Sunday. 'And as soon as I hit that golf shot I knew what was wrong, and I fixed it straightaway, and ever since then I haven't had a bogey I don't think.'

He's had one in the last 64 holes. I'm pretty sure every player in the field would take that.

What was the swing thought he figured out?

'My arm was way too high on the way back,' he explained. 'It was making my shorter plane way too steep, so we just make it a lot more rounder, which we've been working on, but it was hard to put it in the game plan.  I was hitting it all over the shop, all over the lot for the first 26 holes, and just found it and trust it and playing good ever since.'

His swing coach Scott Hamilton didn't see Bowditch's form coming together as much as Steven did. Scott was nervous about Steven going into TPC Craig Ranch, where he played second stage, because he was really struggling when they parted ways at Disney (Bowditch shot 82-74).

'Now, when he got here this week after like the second day, I'm like, man, this is the best it's been ever probably,' he said.

Scott said he worked with Bowditch on getting the club more behind him and down the line, whereas he felt like he's across the line when he got here earlier in the week.

They took a video of his swing after Bowditch's epiphany and Hamilton described it as 'awesome.'

'I looked at it on the computer last night, and it's the best it's been where it was behind him and down the line,' said Hamilton, who also teaches Kevin Kisner, Boo Weekley, Brendon Todd, among others. 'So the club is coming out of the top correctly, which slowed the facedown through the strike.  That's the biggest thing.  He's got a really calm face going through the hit right now.'

In Scott's opinion another beneficial move Bowditch made was putting a 2-iron, like a driving iron, in his bag, on Monday or Tuesday, and took out a blade 3-iron.

'Out here Steven is so long, there's two or three of those holes, he's got to have something to hit out there and play because if you hit 3'iron you're too far back and if you hit 3'wood you bring the bunkers in play,' said Hamilton. 'So that's helped him some.'

Since Bowditch started working with Hamilton about three years ago, his iron play has improved tremendously.

'I was always an average iron player,' Bowditch said. 'My short game and around the greens and my driving was sort of my, I guess, strength, so to speak. But he's really made me into a much better iron player. You know, I struggled all year with the driver, just haven't driven it real good at all this year, and it's sort of just come together this week.'

The strange thing is Bowditch, who considers himself a good putter, hasn't been able to adjust to the speed of the greens (which are relatively slow here and good putters prefer fast). He said this is probably the worst putting week he's had all year.

'Putting has been brutal,' he said.

Good news is he's swinging it real well and he can't be putting too terribly if he's 23-under.

**********

Kris Blanks, who is still struggling with a shoulder injury, is one shot behind Bowditch. Prior to second stage, Blanks said he hadn't played in a tournament in four months.

'I was just kind of enjoying being out playing again,' said Blanks earlier this week, referring to second stage at Plantation Preserve. 'We're just trying to have that same attitude this week.'

Between second stage and finals, Blanks didn't pick up a club until he arrived at PGA West. He played a nine-hole practice round on the Stadium Course and another nine on the Nicklaus Tournament.

'I haven't really felt much pressure,' Blanks told me on Tuesday. 'I haven't been able to practice much, so I'm going to use the first couple rounds to kind of knock off rust off, and hopefully I can play halfway decent and not get too far behind and try to catch up in the end.

'Or I can do like I did at second stage and get off to a hot start and keep going. Just going to kind of play the week out and see how it is.'

Blanks opened with a 65 and followed it with scores of 70-67-70-66. Yeah, I think he's doing alright.

*********

After opening the first two rounds with scores of 71-75, Kevin Kisner managed to bounce-back and fire 66-65-67 to put him right in the mix and inside the top 25 with one round to play.

'I wondered what Web.com Tour events I was going to get in,' said Kisner when I asked what his mindset was after posting 75.

(I believe he actually did inquire.)

'Yeah, it wasn't a very good mindset. But then I played that course on the third round and got it going pretty good. And then everything started to change a little bit.'

'The third day I just got it going and was hitting it really good and the putter was working. Once you get hot, and then once I started backing it up the fourth round I started changing my mindset. I really didn't change it after the third day because I was still so far out of it.'

On the fourth day, he started thinking he had a chance to get his card back and said, 'Let's go.'

And he's continued to let it roll, and hopefully it will keep going on Monday.

***********

Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, ranked No. 33 in the world, withdrew after the fourth round. No surprise since he has full status on the European Tour and his world ranking gets him into the majors and WGCs.

He shot scores of 71, 73, 70, 81.

Despite the Spaniard's obvious disappointment, he was still kind enough to stop and chat with me for a few minutes (which not a lot of guys would do).

Gonzalo was one of the four players who played in the European Tour's season-ending DP World Championship in Dubai. He arrived Monday afternoon, and of course, battled jetlag, but he had no excuses.

'It was a long flight but it wasn't a big deal,' he said on Saturday. 'It's 16 hour flight, then drive a few hours to here, but we're used to it, we're professional golfers and we play all around the world. That's what we have to do.'

However, Gonzalo's regret was not being able to properly prepare for the week. He played a practice round when he arrived Monday and then walked the other course after his first round on Wednesday.

'The only thing is I didn't get to prepare for the golf tournament as good as I would have liked to,' he said. 'Apart from that no excuses I just played poorly and that's the way it is.'

Ross Fisher was eligible to play in Dubai, but he opted to skip it and focus on Q-school. In retrospect, does Gonzalo wish he would have done the same?

'I guess Ross wanted this more badly than I did,,' he said. 'I just came here to give it a go. It was my first time coming to Q-school here. I had nothing to lose. I didn't want to miss a big tournament like Dubai.'

However, he was obviously frustrated because he did very much want to earn his PGA Tour card.

'I wanted to be a member on this Tour, this is the big league, and unfortunately it's not going to be possible but hopefully in the near future,' said Gonzalo.

***********

1. Steven Bowditch 73-67-66-67-64'337 (-23) ''

2. Kris Blanks 65-70-67-70-66'338 (-22)

3. Derek Ernst 68-68-70-67-66'339 (-21)

Steve LeBrun 64-69-68-71-67'339 (-21)

Edward Loar 65-69-66-71-68'339 (-21)

See the full leaderboard here.

You'll notice the Asian Invasion ran into some obstacles in the fifth round.

Can't wait for tomorrow'should be an exciting, nerve-wracking and heartbreaking day. Oh, last year the leaders played the final round on the Nicklaus Tournament Course, the easier of the two. This year they'll finish on the Stadium Course, where danger lurks almost everywhere, particularly the final few holes. The par-3 17th has an island green and called 'Alcatraz' for a reason. This could definitely get very, very interesting'

I might wear all-black to mourn the last day of the last-ever Q-school.

*********

Other random notes of interest

* There are seven 2012 Web.com Tour graduates in the field hoping to improve their eligibility standings for the 2013 season. All seven have earned PGA TOUR cards for next year. These players will not count toward the top 25 and ties who will earn their PGA TOUR card through Q-School, or against the next number nearest 50 to determine fully-exempt Web.com Tour membership.

Web.com # Player Score Standing

16. Lee Williams 6-under 354 T98

18. Brad Fritsch 18-under 342 T11

19. Morgan Hoffmann 9-under 351 T74

20. Brian Stuard 7-under 353 T92

21. Andrew Svoboda 12-under 348 T46

22. Nicholas Thompson 17-under 343 T15

25. Jim Herman 8-under 352 T85

Twelve players qualified by making it through all three stages ' Lee Bedford, Donald Constable, Derek Ernst, Dusty Fielding, Vince Hatfield, Stephan Jaeger, Si Woo Kim, Joakim Mikkelsen, Henrik Norlander, Bhavik Patel, Ryan Sullivan and James White.

Player Score Standing

Lee Bedford 14-under 346 T31

Donald Constable 14-under 346 T31

Derek Ernst 21-under 339 T3

Dusty Fielding 9-under 351 T73

Vince Hatfield 2-under 358 T123

Stephan Jaeger 11-over 371 T166

Si Woo Kim 14-under 346 T31

Joakim Mikkelsen 6-under 354 T98

Henrik Norlander 12-under 348 T46

Bhavik Patel 13-under 347 T39

Ryan Sullivan 6-over 366 T157

James White 2-under 358 T123

* The scoring averages for the two courses (both are par-72):

Nicklaus Tournament TPC Stadium (host)

R1 70.506 71.023
R2 70.690 71.400

R3 69.207 70.845

R4 69.675 70.954

R5 69.452 71.819

* The toughest holes on the two courses through 72 holes:

Nicklaus Tournament No. 18 4.190

Stadium Course No. 13 3.239

(Photo via)

 

Golf Channel's statement on why there's no broadcast of (last-ever) Q-school

RIP Q-school

As many of you know, Golf Channel is not broadcasting the last-ever Q-school (as we know it) action this week for the first time since 1995 (televised in 1994, too, before GC existed). However, they are airing pre-game and post-game shows, along with interviews as an alternative.

Golf Channel is getting a lot of flak for it ' which isn't fair because it's a complicated situation. To my understanding, they were put in a tough spot, and it seems like GC wanted to blow up the telecast to commemorate Q-school, highlighting this year's as the last under the current system.

There's plenty of 'blame' to go around, but I'm not sure the brunt of it shouldn't be cast on the network.

Of course, these things always have to do with money, rights, costs and contracts ' not to mention PR crap, politics and powers-that-be who may not want to call attention to the 'last-ever Q-school.' Which sucks, but that's the reality.

I've been asked by dozens on Twitter about the telecast and why there's no telecast on Golf Channel. Many fans are expressed outrage and disappointment. So have the players in the field.

Well, to avoid repetitive tweets and inquiries, I asked GC for the 'company line.' Here's the statement:

Golf Channel recognizes that the essence of Q-School are the storylines and emotional journeys that the players endure, which cannot always be best captured through traditional coverage.  In recognition of Q-School's final year, Golf Channel will provide a more comprehensive approach and our most ambitious coverage to date, which will feature all the news, highlights, interviews and analysis to not only capture the substance of the competition, but also better tells the stories of players pursuing a lifelong dream or trying to keep a dream alive.

There you have it. I'm sure you're all satisfied now!

On the bright side, you've got the Nedbank and Tiger's member-guest to watch this weekend'(which doesn't even compare in the slightest to the excitement and pressure-packed action at Q-school that's happening).

I've considered downloading a live-streaming app on my iPhone to capture the action, but it wouldn't exactly be feasible. I'll do my best to provide the best coverage possible in the last two rounds of the action/..or please suggest what you'd like to see.

*******

Golf Central (PGA TOUR Q-School Finals Specials)
Live Airings: Wednesday, 8-10 p.m.
Thursday-Sunday, 8-8:30 p.m.
Monday, 8-10 p.m.

 

Must-watch video: 'The Golf Nerds'' on the anchoring ban

Hi! My name is Stephanie Wei. I grew up in Seattle. I live in Manhattan, NYC. I played competitive golf for ten years in the junior and college ranks. I went to Yale, where I played on the women's golf team and graduated in '05 with a B.A. in History.

I still enjoy pegging it, but don't ask me my handicap because I stopped keeping one when I left for college. More important, I'm feisty and I like to smile a lot. I also love sports, spandex and surprises.

I'm a freelance writer and reporter. Since December 2010 I've been a Sports Illustrated Golf+ contributor, and I covered the majors for Wall Street Journal in 2010 and 2011.

Read more about me here (warning: it's boring).

Tidbits from (last ever!) PGA Tour Q-school, Day 3 edition

Fisher: #winning

The atmosphere at Q-school finals is indescribable. I mean, I can try my best to convey it, but it's something you have to experience, especially because there's nothing else like it. So it's truly a shame this is the last year of the current system which started in 1965.

The vibe of the week is a mixture of nerves, excitement, uncertainty, agony, and camaraderie amongst the players and caddies. It's also a bit frantic and overwhelming because there's so much going on and most guys are on kind of on edge in a way (though they try not to show it). Still, it's my favorite tournament. Before the six-day marathon starts, it's somewhat chill, but obviously, with each day, it becomes more pressure-packed and you see less smiles and more grim faces.

I swear the nervous excitement at Q-school among the players and caddies is contagious, and it's like I get a contact high from this weird yet intriguing energy. I act completely loony (or more so than usual). I can't explain it, other than the fact I'm hypersensitive to my surroundings.

I cherish the unique event that makes or breaks the following season for players. For most, dreams are unfulfilled and it's back to the grind on the mini tours, and for the top 25 (and ties), it's absolute relief for those who got their jobs back and pure joy for those who have realized their dream of the chance to play on the PGA Tour.

Is there any other event in sports where grown men shed tears of happiness and heartbreak. Where else does a player, who has somewhat of a tough guy persona, break down crying on the 18th green? And even when he finds out he got his card despite the double-bogey on the last hole, he still can't stop the tears flowing down his face because of the emotional rollercoaster experienced in last 15 minutes. 

The problem with my enthusiasm is I want to cover EVERYTHING. There are SO MANY interesting story lines that are worth sharing. But it's like a double-edged sword, where I end up trying to do too much and then my head starts spinning and nothing gets accomplished. That happens almost every week to some extent for me, but not even close to the extent it does at Q-school. I have 20 pages of notes that I haven't posted.

Of course, it's obviously not my fault that my attention span rivals Bubba Watson's at Q-school.. But actually, I blame the USGA and R&A for disrupting the week with the anchoring ban announcement! (Just kidding.)

Oh, what? You'd like those tidbits I promised? Here we go'Storify-style!

Q-school Day 2: Whee(eeee) Kim fires 63 and moves to the head of the class

Wheeeeeeee!

20-year-old South Korean Meen Whee Kim rolled in a tricky 15-footer to save par after he pushed his 7-iron into the greenside bunker on the 9th at the Stadium Course (he started on no. 10) to cap off a bogey free nine-under 63 in the second round of PGA Tour Q-School.

Kim tied the course record and set a personal best, his lowest score in competition. Which he admitted crossed his mind as he stood over his putt for par. He said he knew what it meant, and as expected, he felt some nerves, but made the putt which wasn't exactly the easiest in the world because of the pin placement and green contour. Some of you may have seen the video of his swing I posted yesterday (which is re-posted below for your convenience, along with a few more), and avid readers followers know I've been high on the kid since coming across him at second stage in Plantation, Florida, where he shot 17-under and placed second. Long way to go, you said? Well, sure, there are six rounds at finals of Q-school, but this kid fits right in the PGA Tour.

First of all, he loves Chipotle. OK, that's kind of an inside baseball reference, but for some reason, Tour players all ' I'm generalizing but you get the point' LOVE Chipotle. After any given round at any given event, you'll find a line of pros at the Mexican fast-food joint. It's funny. I mean, I like it, but these guys are obsessed and practically have it for dinner every day.

Here's the background on Kim's career and I'll save the most intriguing part of his story for last.

*He turned pro two years ago after the 2010 Asian Games where he won the gold. The victory came with an added perk. Korean males are required to serve the military for 22 months, with two exceptions ' a handicap or serving your country in a different way, like winning a medal in the Asia Games or the Olympics.

*In 2011 Kim finished third at the Korea Open, behind world No. 1 Rory McIlroy and winner Rickie Fowler.

*Just a few months ago, Whee outlasted Kevin Na in a playoff at the Shinhan Donghae Open. He also beat out a bunch of PGA Tour players in the field, including Charlie Wi, Paul Casey, John Huh, among others.

*Heading to the U.S. for PGA Tour Q-school to earn his card was naturally the next move in his journey. He won medalist honors at first stage, and as I mentioned earlier, he was the runner-up at second stage.

*Besides playing in the now 10 rounds of Q-school, Kim had never competed in the U.S. So far, it seems to suit him, but with his game, he would be successful anywhere. Well, except perhaps the Japan Tour, which Kim told me at second stage that the courses weren't conducive to his style of golf. He said he played in Q-school for the Japan Tour last year and missed the cut. He jokingly said the fairways were too narrow ' but it's not like he sprays it off the tee.

*Why did he decide to sign up for PGA Tour Q-school? Easy. 'Last chance.' By that, he means it's the last year that players have a direct route to the PGA Tour before the powers-that-be put into place the new system that would require guys without status to spend a year (at least) on the Web.com Tour.

*He's also gotten good advice from veterans like K.J. Choi, who told him to go for his PGA Tour card. because 'the difference between the U.S. and Korean Tour is that it's so much different over there that I need to play the PGA Tour and it was much better all-around than the Asian Tours.'

In regards to Q-school, Choi simply said it was very difficult but gave him some tips about the courses and what to expect.

*Raise your hand if you have spent a small fortune on instructional books by the game's experts. Well, my step-dad has a pile collecting dust in the house somewhere. Growing up, I used to chuckle at the idea of guys geeking out over these books and magazines.

I mean, I'm sorry but you can't replicate the pros moves as hard as you try. I still laugh at the thousands of people who pour over instructional manuals to improve their games. (I'm also a feel player, so looking at pictures printed on paper never really translated for me.)

Well, I'm sure many have taught themselves by reading, say, Tiger's book, 'How I Play Golf,' but how many of them have actually been able to emulate Tiger's swing perfectly and repeatedly? So far, one.

Kim learned the game by studying Tiger's books and watching videos of the 14-time major champ's swing on YouTube. No joke. When he went to the range, his dad would take video, which Whee would then review as he learned to swing like Tiger.

He's never had an instructor besides himself and a video camera. I looked at him bewildered when I asked him about it and repeated myself several times to make sure I heard him correctly.

I thought his swing was more Adam Scott or Charl Schwartzel depending on the angle of the video, but the one from the front looks identical to Tiger's.

Sure, there are several players on Tour who never had an instructor, most notably 2012 Masters champ Bubba Watson. Thing is, you can tell Watson hasn't. What makes Whee's case so fascinating is that his mechanics are incredibly sound.

More golf porn:

After his round Thursday, he was asked which of Tiger's swings did he choose to emulate. 'Butch's swing, Hank's swing, Foley's swing, any of them, it doesn't matter,' Whee said jokingly. 'I just like Tiger.'

How's his putting? Oh, it's solid. He's an amazing green reader, apparently. Here's more golf porn, along with a funny/fun/interesting anecdote about Whee that his caddie Tom told me while I was filming, so I recommend turning up the volume.

Well, two down, four to go. As they say, THERE'S A LOT OF GOLF LEFT.

He admits to feeling nerves and pressure because 'it's Q-school.' He aid the same thing at second stage, but managed to handle himself pretty well. And of course he's nervous! Which is completely OK! ' I'd be concerned if he weren't.

Whee has that X-factor. If you've been around competitive golf your entire life, then you know what I'm talking about. All the guys at finals are really, really good, but there are a few who have 'it' ' difference in skill and talent is generally minimal but players like Kim have that slight edge, separating him from the rest of the pack.