Random thoughts that could become columns pt. 22: Scott on Prez Cup? McLean’s Awful Announcing, Weir’s whacky wedges

Lots happening in golf now, though it seems like the season is winding up in Ontario. I know this is the case when my instructor, the venerable Bruce McCarrol, starts announcing his last lesson (last week of Sept., in case you were wondering).

Anyway, here’s thoughts that could become columns:

• Adam Scott. Come again? Adam Scott? Yep, Greg Norman picks Scott today to play on the Presidents Cup team. Now you could easily argue against Norman’s other pick — Ryo Ishikawa — who I think is a bit overrated at this point, but Adam Scott? What has he done lately? Nothing is the answer. He’s missed 10 cuts this year in 18 starts on the PGA Tour, has a scoring average higher than par, and dumped his swing coach. Now Norman was one of the greatest players in history not to play to his potential (all those major failures that should have been wins) and now it looks like he’s put himself in a hole at the Presidents Cup after the International team lost at Royal Montreal in 2007. It isn’t like Scott has been some sort of standout at the event — sporting a 7-6-2 record and 0-3 in singles. “Something of a reach,” is what one media outlet said about Scott’s selection. Now there’s an understatement.
• Nice to see the Globe’s Allan Maki cover the CN Canadian Women’s Open. But he appeared to be one of the few major reporters to cover the event, and there were very few golf writers from this country in Calgary. Wonder what CN makes of that considering its sponsorship is up for renewal?
• Did anyone catch Ron MacLean announcing the CN Canadian Womens Open from Alberta? Did the guy simply owe CBC some extra days, because clearly everything he learned about golf was determined from playing charity scrambles with hockey players. Fave MacLean moment? On Saturday Lorena Ochoa hits a ball well right on 18, and in bounces and gets caught up in a silly tree that Priddis Greens planted at some point in the last decade (they looked ridiculous, btw). The ball momentarily stays in the tree and MacLean says Ochoa would have had to play it from the tree. Judy Rankin, who always does an excellent job, had to point out to MacLean that Ochoa could, of course, take an unplayable. MacLean probably thought that was what one did when the puck gets stuck in the boards…
• Okay, Mike Weir has had a strange year. He started strongly then turfed almost all of his support staff. He’s looked great at times and driven the ball poorly at others. On Saturday he was near the lead when he arrived at the 18th hole at TPC at Boston, a three-shot par-5 for him. From 90 yards with a hazard in front of him, he laid sod all over the ball and hit his approach about 40 yards into the swamp. The next shot was almost equally bad. He eventually took a 7 on the hole, in addition to an quadruple 8 on a hole during Sunday’s round. Last year at this event Johnny Miller called Weir the “best wedge player in the world.” What’s Johnny’s take now? And what must have been running through Weir’s mind, considering he probably hasn’t hit a wedge that badly since he was in grade school.
• Played Tarandowah on Monday. Is there a course that is more fun to play in Ontario? Osprey Valley maybe?
• Out at Coppinwood for the first time tomorrow. I’ve heard plenty about the club since Kevin Thistle took earlier this year. It’ll be interesting to get a lay of the land.