He won't stay on sideline
Given the dynamics of the situation, there was no way Bill Belichick could have prepared for today's start of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in a fashion that suits his personality. More in tune with detail than the next dozen guys combined, Belichick was engaged in some rather important business Sunday, then he had clean-up duty Monday, and his presence was required the next day for a parade, so it's not as if he had any opportunity before late Tuesday to board a coast-to-coast flight.
All of which meant the Patriots coach had only yesterday to prep for a tournament that uses three courses -- the famed Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill Golf Course, and Poppy Hills Golf Course -- as opposed to the three or four days of practice that most amateur entrants received.
Not Belichick's style, we know, but I'm thinking that given his passion for preparation, on Tuesday's flight Belichick had to have not only aerial shots of all 54 holes he'll tackle, but topographical maps, too. Can't you just picture him with information spread over seats and in the aisle?
Film? He probably dissected video of Tiger Woods's 2000 US Open at Pebble Beach and all three of Jack Nicklaus's wins in this famed tournament. He had to have had printouts of weather forecasts with him, complete with wind speeds and directions.
Perhaps the biggest dilemma was where to spend his one practice round. More than likely the coach was ushered out to experience Spyglass or Poppy. Why? He played Pebble Beach last summer with one of his sons, and knowing Belichick, he memorized every blade of grass and can tell you how much poa is in each green. Spyglass and Poppy are new for him, thus the suspicion that he headed there.
As for today, Belichick will be with the "A" team so far as rotation goes. That's the group that plays Spyglass Hill first and Poppy Hills tomorrow, leaving them with Pebble Beach Saturday and Sunday. Of course, there won't be a Sunday round if Belichick and his pro don't make the 54-hole cut.
Belichick plays to a 16-handicap, not bad considering he leaves the film room just four days every year.
Only kidding, because Belichick has been known to take a summer vacation at his Nantucket home, where he enjoys golf, and he did journey to the Monterey Peninsula for a few rounds last year. As for his AT&T sojourn, you could say it'll be a "masters" attraction -- Belichick, the unmatched master at football game-planning, paired with Larry Mize, the Masters champion from 1987.
OK, so it's not quite like having Vijay Singh or Davis Love or Phil Mickelson to steer the ride, but Mize is actually a perfect complement to Belichick, a low-key gentleman with very little ego. While he is best known for that chip-in at Augusta at the second playoff hole, the par-4 11th, which ripped the green jacket off of Greg Norman's back, Mize was a solid PGA Tour regular from 1983-98, ranking inside the top 70 on the money list every season but one. There are four wins on his resume, but his performance has slipped badly the last five seasons because of injuries, and at the age of 46, he's battling to regain old form.
Mize showed signs a few weeks ago with a tie for 20th at the
"I always believed I could still play," said Mize, "but there were doubts. You just have to push those doubts aside and keep working hard. I'm trying to get those doubts out of the way."
This week, Mize has got the perfect coach -- er, playing partner -- because has there ever been anyone better than Belichick at encouraging a player to believe? As for how that will translate into his own play, we shall soon find out with Belichick. Three demanding courses over four days is a tough assignment. Then again, three Super Bowls in four years seemed improbable, too.
Nature calls
Veterans returning to Pebble Beach this week will notice a different look to the vaunted track. The heavy rain that pounded California a few weeks ago weakened the turf along the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The most immediate effect? A large tree halfway up a steep hill leading to the green at the par-5 sixth hole tumbled into Stillwater Cove and a small portion of turf along the 18th fairway caved in. Lawrence native Bill Perrochi, the CEO of Pebble Beach, said the golf committee will meet in the near future to discuss making repairs. The tree really isn't crucial to the design of the sixth (not like the 80-foot tree to the right of the 18th green, an essential component to that hole, which is why it was replaced when it died a few years ago), although it framed the hole nicely and was a splendid aesthetic touch. "It really wasn't in play, but it's a bit easier now because you don't even have to think of it," said Brad Faxon, who is entered in the tournament for the 20th time. "But overall, the course is fantastic. The [Tom] Fazio changes have kicked in. I've never seen it look better." Perrochi said the turf that caved in along the 18th was some 300 yards from the tee, so it wasn't exactly on a line that players would use. The lost turf was all rough, and while it won't affect the way players attack the hole, it was a reminder that this jewel of a course needs constant attention as it tries to coexist with Mother Nature . . . The other amateur in Belichick's foursome the next three days will be Seth Waugh, CEO of
Senior circuit
Tournament organizers will release further details this morning -- i.e., title sponsor, other players -- but all systems are go for a Women's Senior Golf Tour event that will be held Aug. 5-7 at Granite Links Golf Club, the impressive new course in Quincy and Milton. Jane Blalock, the New Hampshire native and onetime LPGA Tour standout, has been the driving force behind the WSGT in recent years, and she announced that in addition to the one at Granite Links, three other tournaments are planned for 2005. Blalock and Sally Little have a trip planned to Japan to pursue options over there, too. Today, Blalock will be accompanied at the press conference by Hall of Famer Pat Bradley, who will be among the many legends teeing it up at Granite Links, an 18-hole semiprivate facility (nine more holes are scheduled to open) that offers breathtaking views of the Boston skyline and Blue Hill . . . In a winter qualifier for the WSGT at Southern Oaks Golf Club in Lake City, Fla., Kathryn Young-Robyn closed with a 66--276 and earned medalist honors, four clear of Sue Ertl. Deedee Lasker (290) earned the third and final card . . . A policy change by the Ladies Golf Union will allow transsexual golfers to play in this year's Women's British Open. The LGU governs women's amateur golf and the Women's British Open.
Quite a hoot
An $11,000 first-place check sounds like pocket change in the million-dollar world of professional golf, but to onetime phenom Ty Tryon, it's a boost to not only his finances, but also his spirits. Swinging away at the ripe old age of 20, Tryon won last weekend on the Hooters Tour in Clermont, Fla. It was his first triumph since running away with the PGA Junior Championship in 2000, a year before he made it through the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament while he was in high school. Tryon's rookie year on the PGA Tour was riddled with poor play and illness, then in 2003 he made just $125,875 and was forced back to Q School. He failed, thus played the Nationwide Tour in 2004, fared poorly there, and is now trying to advance his career at the minitour level . . . Larry Nuger, a onetime force on the amateur scene in Massachusetts, is also on the Hooters Tour and he finished tied for 43d at Clermont . . . At the
Jim McCabe's golf notes appear on Thursdays.
