Spent yesterday afternoon watching Phil Mickelson one-putt his way around East Lake in an impressive dismantling of the golf course. Yep, yet another course that has been reworked by Rees Jones. I count seven Rees Jones’ redos — all looking essentially the same, on tour. I know for a fact that a number of players wish they’d mix it up some — and that Jones’ courses work has become too prevalent.
With that, here are some Monday morning thoughts:
- While the FedEx Cup was being completed, Graham Delaet and Stuart Anderson won the qualifying for the World Cup. The pair cruised to the win in Estonia (yep, Estonia). They will represent Canada in China in November. Isn’t it time we offered automatic qualifying for the RBC Canadian Open to those that represent our country at the World Cup, especially now that Mike Weir seems unlikely to play in the event again?
- Johnny Miller confounds me. Two weeks ago he was praising the greatness that is Tiger Woods. Yesterday Johnny apparently wrote Tiger off after his opening tee shot, saying that he thought Woods was “missing something” after hitting a wayward tee shot. Miller is full of hyperbole, but even Roger Maltbie seemed to think he was breaking a Mormon rule by having a few brown pops mid-afternoon, or maybe I just misunderstood the incredulousness in his voice. Maltbie said he wasn’t sure he could say the same thing about Woods — at least not after a single shot.
- Miller also said Mickelson, who recently reworked his putting stroke, looked like he could be Player of the Year in 2011. Really? Mickelson is a notoriously erratic putter — and who is to say his stroke will be there in four months time?
- For the record, Woods just didn’t look sharp. Not surprising — that’s golf.
- NBC announcers said Mickelson had won 16 times with Woods in the field, the most by anyone on the PGA Tour. Sort of impressive, though Mickelson rarely seems to go head-to-head against Woods, at least I can’t recall many instances since Doral a couple of years back. That said, imagine what Mickelson might have won had Woods not been such an institution in golf over the last 12 years.
- The FedEx Cup seemed like an improvement to me over past years, though the points system still seems confounding. Maybe a playoff in golf just doesn’t work? I’d have loved to have seen a shootout on the final day — with the top eight players firing for the $10M.
- Speaking of $10M — wonder what Tiger does with it? Buy tons of unsold Florida real estate and proclaim himself king? Would anyone argue?
- Mike Weir ended up in a tie for 25th. Is it just me or does Weir’s year, which started with such promise, feel like a disappointment? Interesting that he made $2.2 million and it still feels somehow like a let down.
A bestselling author and award-winning columnist, Robert Thompson has been writing about business and sports, and particularly golf, for almost two decades. His reporting and commentary on golf has appeared in 
Re: Miller on Woods – Johnny Miller does shoot from the hip on many issues but he seems more right than wrong. Sure, making the call on Woods day after one shot seems premature but he was right in his assessment. I like his bold approach and it a refreshing change from the gush doled out by the likes of Jim Nantz on CBS among others.
What makes my eyes roll is when NBC puts up the “scenarios” as to who can/might/possibly win the heralded FedEx Cup. For example – if Tiger ties for 8th or worse and Phil finishes 1st and Johnson finishes 3rd or worse and Furyk misses the top 10 and ……. you get the idea.
PS: The tacky moment of the NBC broadcast was when Hicks had a Coke Exec. in the booth and Hicks said “what do you have there?” and the Exec said “Coke Zero — there is nothing like it” and proceeded to take a swig right out of the bottle.